Thursday, July 26, 2012

Recipe Thursday - Chicken Alfredo & Rice Casserole



Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
This is a tasty casserole and I love that you can really make this one yours. I didn't have any peppers, so I didn't add that and my husband doesn't like nuts in his food, so I didn't add that. I did add some mixed vegetables, and I would love to try this with red and green peppers. If you have followed me for awhile - you know my family likes extra sauce, so I added more sauce. All-in-all - an easy and yummy dinner!

Chicken Alfredo & Rice Casserole
by Better Homes & Gardens


1 10 ounce container refrigerated light Alfredo pasta sauce
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups cooked white rice or wild rice
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup chopped bottled roasted red sweet peppers
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted (optional)
1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried basil, crushed
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl combine pasta sauce and milk. Stir in rice, chicken, peas, sweet peppers, nuts, and basil. Transfer to 1-1/2-quart baking dish.

Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and stir. Combine bread crumbs and melted butter; sprinkle atop. Bake, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes more or until heated through and crumbs are golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Wednesday Sayings - 7/25/12

Each Wednesday, I am going to be sharing a quote/saying with you!I am a collector of quotes/sayings/scrapbook titles, etc. and I love to hear new ones! So, each week, I will share a quote/saying with you that I hope will inspire you and make your day a little better! If you have any great quotes/sayings - feel free to send them in to me at dedesmith32@gmail.com - I would love to use them!

This week's quote:

A photograph captures a memory in the raw.
- Carrie Late

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Recipe Thursday - Upgraded Egg-in-the-Hole



Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
One day, I had a craving for French Toast and Ham and Eggs but I was being a little lazy and didn't want to cook everything separately. So I began creating Egg-in-the-Hole and just kind of added to it! So here is my upgraded version!

Upgraded Egg-in-the-Hole
by DeDe Smith


1 slice of Bread
Butter 
1 whole Egg
Salt To Taste 
Pepper To Taste
Cinnamon Sugar to Taste
1 Thick Slice or 2-3 thin slices of ham

Cut a hole in the center of your bread with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass.

Spread butter over your bread and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Heat a skillet and melt some butter.  Place the bread in the skillet face down and quickly spread butter and sprinkle the other side with cinnamon sugar.

Crack your egg into the center of the hole. Sprinkle egg with salt and pepper. After about a minute, flip it over and then salt and pepper that side. Cook until the egg is cooked soft.

Top with Ham Slice(s). Turn it over again to warm the ham.

Serve with Maple Syrup.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Wednesday Sayings - 7/18/12

Each Wednesday, I am going to be sharing a quote/saying with you!I am a collector of quotes/sayings/scrapbook titles, etc. and I love to hear new ones! So, each week, I will share a quote/saying with you that I hope will inspire you and make your day a little better! If you have any great quotes/sayings - feel free to send them in to me at dedesmith32@gmail.com - I would love to use them!

This week's quote:

I'm not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.
- Louisa May Alcott

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Doodley Names



We have really been having a great time with our @Home Summer Camp!

Our first Make-it-Monday was really fun. I taught the kids a little bit about Negative Space and I blocked out each of our names in the negative space and then we filled in the other space with doodles and coloring! They turned out really cute.





I found the idea HERE.



Thursday, July 12, 2012

Recipe Thursday - Buttermilk Biscuits & Sausage Gravy



Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
I love biscuits and gravy. They are the ultimate comfort food for me. I still haven't found the perfect gravy recipe yet. This one was pretty good and flavorful - I will probably play with it a little more to get it exactly how I want it. 


But the Biscuits! Wow - these are so perfect. I made them 3 times in a week after I tried it the first time. These biscuits work great with gravy or just serve it with your dinner with some honey. Soo good. I have many memories of going up to the family ranch for a cook-out and having my Grandpa Sorensen make his amazing buttermilk biscuits in the dutch oven. We would sneak pieces of the dough - it was really that good. This is the closest recipe that I have ever had to what my Grandpa's tasted like. Yum!


Buttermilk Biscuits 
by Pennies on a Platter
  
& Sausage Gravy
by Simply Recipes


Biscuits:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 Tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
8 Tablespoons cold butter, diced right before using
1 cup cold buttermilk


Arrange the oven rack in the center of the oven, preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with butter, oil, or cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender, your hands, or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal and none of the pieces of butter is bigger than the size of a pea. Be careful not to overwork. Using a rubber spatula, fold the buttermilk into the flour mixture just until all of the flour is moistened.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead lightly two or three times until the dough comes together (but should still be somewhat crumbly.) Gently pat the dough out until it's a 6-inch square. Cut the dough into 9 squares.

Place the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet and bake until light golden brown and firm to the touch, about 12 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Store in a zipper bag on the counter. Reheat in a 350 degree preheated oven until warm for optimal texture the next day. 


Gravy: 
1 lb sage-flavored pork sausage
¼ cup finely chopped white or yellow onion
6 tbsp all purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
½ tsp poultry seasoning
½ tsp ground nutmeg (I think I will not put nutmeg in it next time)
¼ tsp salt
1-2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1-2 dashes of Tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, or other hot sauce
1-2 tbsp butter or bacon grease (if needed)

Preheat a 4-quart saucepan over medium high heat (put a few drops of water in the pan – when they evaporate, you know the pan is ready). Crumble the sausage into the pan and let it brown for a minute or two, then turn down to medium heat. Continue cooking, breaking up the sausage into smaller pieces, until no pink remains. Stir in the onions and cook until they are transparent.
Remove sausage with a slotted spatula or spoon, leaving the drippings in the pan. If less than 3 tbsp of drippings remain, add enough butter (or bacon grease) to equal about 3 tbsp of drippings. Add the cooked sausage back to the pan on medium heat, and sprinkle the flour over the sausage. Stir in the flour and cook for about 6-8 minutes, until the mixture starts bubbling and turns slightly golden brown.
Stir in poultry seasoning, nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce and salt – cook for 1 minute to deepen the flavors. Slowly add the milk and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened (about 15 minutes). Be patient, it will thicken!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Wednesday Sayings - 7/11/12

Each Wednesday, I am going to be sharing a quote/saying with you!I am a collector of quotes/sayings/scrapbook titles, etc. and I love to hear new ones! So, each week, I will share a quote/saying with you that I hope will inspire you and make your day a little better! If you have any great quotes/sayings - feel free to send them in to me at dedesmith32@gmail.com - I would love to use them!

This week's quote:

Call me crazy, but there is something very rewarding about leaving something better than you found it...that goes for people too.
- Marc Leonard

Sunday, July 8, 2012

June 2012 Round-up



Since I have decided to take a little break from Life 365 this year, I have decided to participate in monthly Round-Ups instead! I've been following The Scrapbook Lady for years, and I have always admired her Round-ups. It was about time that I give it a try!


JUNE 2012

What reading/learning did I do this month? (books, blogs, magazines, ebooks, podcasts, classes, etc.)

I do read A LOT of blogs daily, so I am not listing them, but my Google Reader is jam packed full of reading that I do!  

I am still on an audiobook kick. So here is what I have been listening to this month:

Specials by Scott Westerfield


Divergent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent by Veronica Roth


Matched by Ally Condie



What entertainment did I watch/listen to this month? (movies, tv shows, plays, music, concerts, etc.)
Family Movie Nights: Karate Kid I, Karate Kid II, The Avengers


What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?
The kids and I spent the first week of June with my family helping to move cows from Bull Rush (Arizona Strip-Winter Range) to our Family Ranch (Sink Valley-Summer Range). We had a good time, even though it was extremely hot. We were able to visit, play with cousins, ride horses, and spend time at Sink Valley!

JJ has started summer school and continues to go each day for a few hours. He really seems to enjoy it.

We have been going to the Free Lunch offered at local schools. Its nice to not have to make lunches and have a little outing with the kids.

June 19, 2012 - Joey and I celebrated our 13th Wedding Anniversary this month. We didn't do anything exciting this year. We did go out to eat at Olive Garden as a family on the weekend. I suppose that counts!  :) I am very happy that I am married to my best friend - I love him more every day.


June 22-23, 2012 - Beth and I were able to attend the Princess Festival with Becki and Mallory and it was a wonderful day. I love hanging out with Becki and it was just a fun day out. We also were able to have Cody, Becki and Mallory stay with us for a couple of nights and that was just so wonderful. I miss having them close. We went to dinner at Cracker Barrel while they were here too.
June 29, 2012 - I turned 33. I hate getting older....


What were my accomplishments this month?

** We started The Smith Family Summer Camp and it has been a huge success. It has helped keep the kids busy and we haven't even got too many "I'm Bored"s. The kids have to do things in different areas everyday to get points and then they are rewarded with fun activities on the weekends. Its been good to continue their education and help the kids understand how to work and play as a family.  It also has been great to spend the one-on-one time with the kids and also just have a more planned/structured schedule. 

 Joey was able to setup a little computer system for JJ and Beth. They can play educational games and they even have their own email, where Joey and I can send them little messages and they can write back. They have really been enjoying it.

I haven't been extremely good at teaching my children the value of work and I am changing that this summer. They have to help around the house to get their daily work points and I have been teaching them how to do housework. It has actually been hugely successful and Beth even LOVES to do dishes now. (Which is really great for me, since it is my least favorite housework chore!)


Categories for points everyday: Reading, Writing, Exercise, Housework, Spiritual, and Extra

Special Daily Activities: They also get an extra point for participating in each day's fun activity.
Make-it-Monday - We get a little crafty
Textual Tuesday - We get to go to the Library this day and participate in their fun activities.
Wet Wednesday - We get to spend time at the pool and such. We have been going to Seven Peaks since we have a pass this year!
Thinking Thursday - This is our research day. The kids ask questions and we find the answers.
Foodie Friday - We get to cook a special treat together

I really am excited about how well this program has been going. Our summer is full and busy and fun and I'm loving it! So far for some of the activities - we have gone to the local fun center, played the Wii, and Beth and I enjoyed a day at The Princess Festival!

*  My other major accomplishment has been that I spent a few weeks mainly unplugged. It was a good retreat from electronics and I really enjoyed that.

* I have been getting some of my products released again to my stores and been sorting through all my designs. The process seems endless, but its getting better and I am feeling really good about it.


Anything else noteworthy to include?
We are really missing our good friends, The Prices (Will, Crystal, Jaron, Eliza, and Annie). They moved at the end of last month and we didn't really get a chance to hang out with them before they left.

June 17, 2012 - Happy Father's Day to my amazing husband. He is a wonderful dad!

June 21-22, 2012 - Joey traveled to Denver for an interview with a possible new job. We are anxiously awaiting news so that we can make a decision. We feel like this is kind of a major fork in our life and we are trying to figure out what the future is going to hold for us.


Thursday, July 5, 2012

Coupon ALERT

You might just want to head on over and like the DesignZ by DeDe Facebook Page today.  There is a special coupon awaiting you!  Just sayin'.....

Recipe Thursday - Quick French Bread



Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
I love bread! I love French Bread! And I'm so excited that I finally made it myself.  This is so yummy! And I love that you can mix this up fast enough whenever you have the craving or just warm bread to go with dinner!


Quick French Bread

by Your Homebased Mom




1/4 C warm water
2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
1 tsp sugar
3 1/2 – 4 C flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 C plus 2 Tbsp warm water
1 egg white and 1 Tbsp water

Combine water, yeast and 1 tsp sugar in a bowl. Allow to stand until bubbly. Add in sugar, salt and water. Gradually add in flour, mix well and knead for 5 minutes. Let rise for 15 – 20 minutes in a warm place. If you want to make two smaller loaves, divide dough in half. Flour a surface and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Then roll up the dough jelly roll style and turn ends under and place seam side down onto a greased cookie sheet. Cut 3 diagonal cuts into the loaf about 1/4 inch deep. Combine water and egg white and mix. Brush onto loaf. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Boil a pan of water. Pour water into a shallow dish and place on the lower rack in oven. TURN OFF OVEN. Place sheet with bread on the rack above the water. Let rise until double and then take out the pan of water. Turn oven onto 425 degrees and bake 10 minutes. Turn heat down to 375 and bake for 8 more minutes or until golden brown.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Wednesday Sayings - 7/4/12

Each Wednesday, I am going to be sharing a quote/saying with you!I am a collector of quotes/sayings/scrapbook titles, etc. and I love to hear new ones! So, each week, I will share a quote/saying with you that I hope will inspire you and make your day a little better! If you have any great quotes/sayings - feel free to send them in to me at dedesmith32@gmail.com - I would love to use them!

This week's quote:

America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.
- Harry S. Truman

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Family History TuesdayZ | Teacher Influence

Here is this week's journal prompt :





Each Tuesday, I am going to be offering prompts or ideas. If you don't write in your journal regularly - I am going to encourage you to write just ONCE A WEEK and answer the question/idea that I give on Tuesdays. These ideas hopefully will spark a memory and you will be able to capture that in what you write/record so that it can be left for your children/grandchildren/family/friends. Give as much detail as you can when answering.

Will you do this for me? Will you do this for your families? You can write it down in a journal, you can type it up on a computer or journaling software, you can take a recorder and talk, you can videotape your answers, you can even scrap a page with the journaling. It doesn't matter how you do this - it's just important that you do it. The memories, the dates, the information is the only real thing we can leave to our families when we are gone.

If I come up with other family history ideas - I will be sure to share it here too - and if you want to share with me your ideas - that would be wonderful and I'd be glad to share them here too. Just comment here or email me at dedesmith32@gmail.com.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

May 2012 Round-up



Since I have decided to take a little break from Life 365 this year, I have decided to participate in monthly Round-Ups instead! I've been following The Scrapbook Lady for years, and I have always admired her Round-ups. It was about time that I give it a try!


MAY 2012

May is a bit of a blur. I didn't keep track of our activities very well - so I'm just going to keep this one short!

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?
The end of the school year is always a blur of activities - Field Days, Field Trips, Assemblies, Awards, etc.  My kids had a lot of fun this month at school with all the parties and fun stuff happening.

May 23, 2012 - JJ's school does an annual 3K Fundraiser Race. I have participated with my kids every year, but not this year. Joey was able to run with JJ this time and they had a wonderful time together.




May 29, 2012 - JJ's school also has an annual Dance Festival, with each class participating in their own dance.  JJ always has so much fun with his Life Skills classes. This year they did a Haka Polynesian dance.  JJ got to wear the Lava Lava that Joey brought back from his mission (he had a Samoan companion).


May 31, 2012 - The kids finished the school year! In celebration of the beginning of summer, we went to our first Drive-in Movie. We were able to go with our good friends - the Casetta's and we had a fabulous time. We saw Men in Black III and Battleship. The kids were getting pretty tired during Battleship - so they didn't quite make it through the movie, but it was a very fun experience. We brought Pizza and Cookies and just had a really good time! (Since the kids only went to like 2 hours of school, we also watched Men in Black I & II at home, so we would be prepared for the last one).