Saturday Yumminess: Mrs. Norris' Apple Pie

My friends from college, Billy and Sharon are visiting this weekend.

I get to see them at least once a year when they come down to visit.

Every time we are together this story gets told:

Billy was a minor league baseball player and their first year of marriage they were living in CT. I drove four hours to spend Easter with them. Billy had a game that day so Sharon and I decided to prep for the Easter meal (we had several other players and Billy's sister and BIL coming) before heading to the game. At 22 years of age, we thought we knew it ALL.

(I see you smiling and nodding your head.)

Among all the other prep, we peeled the potatoes and cubed them and decided we'd transform them into the yummmmmy mashed potatoes when we returned.

Ummm, we returned to BLUE potatoes.

We didn't know you had to cover them in water.

After a frantic phone call to Sharon's mother, she told us they were fine to eat. Well first she had to stop laughing, and then she assured us it was strictly aesthetic.


Those blue potatoes have never been forgotten. Nor repeated. But they were eaten. Billy's always been a good sport like that.

I did come away with a keeper recipe I use EVERY Thanksgiving.

Sharon's MIL's easy, peasy recipe for apple pie.

I've since dubbed it:

Mrs. Norris’ Apple Pie

Pie Crust
1 T. flour

1T. sugar
1 t.c cinnamon
Sliced apples

Crumb Topping:


1 stick butter
1 c. flour
¾ c. brown sugar

Add 1 T. flour to bottom of pie crust. Arrange sliced apples and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

Crumb Topping:

Mix stick butter, flour and brown sugar by hand to form crumb topping.

Top pie.

Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes.


I apologize for the lack of picture to accompany this recipe.

Use your imagination.

Can you smell what the mama's been cookin'?

WFMW: Frugal Edition: Leftovers

One of my favorite dishes is leftovers.

You read that right.

Leftovers.

I can take any leftover and add crescent rolls and cheese and make a meal we all enjoy.

Even if the kids may not have liked it in it's original form, they'll enjoy it the secondtime around :)

Here are some combos that we enjoy:

~chicken, corn, grilled onions, cheese and bbq sauce.

~ham, brocolli, cheese and brown mustard.

~shrimp, asparagus, parmesan cheese and lemon butter.

~taco meat,salsa cheese and corn.

~pot roast and all the fixins'.

~spaghetti, mozz cheese, and extra sauce.

~hot and mild sausages, grilled peppers and onions, mozz cheese and creamy italian dressing.

Get the picture????

Just take any leftover, add cheese and roll it up in two cans of cresent rolls. Doesn't matter how you do it.

It will be fantastic!

(I meant to have a picture to accompany this post, but I've been stuck tending to flu victims ~ and we are hoping it stays as just plain, jane vanilla flu!)

Head over to We are THAT Family to see other frugal ideas this wednesday.

It's my one year blog anniversary today and I'm having a giveaway! Please go enter!

Saturday Yumminess: Parmesan Drumsticks

This is a family favorite.

Even people who claim to hate dark meat and/or drumsticks LOVE this.

The key is SKINLESS drumsticks. You can either buy them this way, get the butcher to take the skin off for you, or do it yourself at home. The value packs of drumsticks are perfect for this.

PARMESAN DRUMSTICKS

12 skinless drumsticks

1 Cup Parmesan cheese

3 t. oregano

2 t. paprika

1/4 c. butter

1 T. olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients. Melt oil and butter together.

Dip each drumstick into butter mixture, then cheese mixture. I prefer the ole' shake and bake technique.

Lay them flat in a pan and bake for 1 hour until done.

Bask in the aroma that now fills your kitchen!

Saturday Yumminess: Ensalda 1905

Ensalada 1905 (picture from The Columbia webstie)

This may be my favorite salad of all time.

It's a toss up.

Get it?

Oh I kill myself.

Anyway, it's served at The Columbia Restaraunt and when a friend of mine said she had the recipe I just had to have it! They have a recipe book for sale on their website that is now on my wishlist for Mother's Day. Everything I've ever eaten there has been fantastic. Or drank. They have a white sangria that is to die for.

Ensalada 1905

Head iceberg lettuce
2 tomatoes [cut in eighths]
4 stalks celery
1 c. swiss [cut in julienne strips]
1 c. ham [cut in julienne strips]
1/2 c. green Spanish olives
4 tsp. grated Romano cheese

Toss all ingredients together EXCEPT Romano cheese.

Dressing:

1/4 c. white wine vinegar
8 cloves garlic [minced]
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 c. olive oil
S&P to taste
2 tsp. oregano
4 tsp. lemon juice

Mix garlic, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce with whisk. Add oil beating to form an emulsion. Add remaining ingredients. Toss with salad and cheese.



I could eat a big ole bowl of this and a loaf of bread for DAYS on end.

Do you have any recipes from local establishments that you were stoked to get ahold of?

Don't be greedy ~ Share!

Happy Birthday to My Man

Today is My Man's 44th birthday!

He's not one for celebrating himself much, but did request banana chocolate chip bread for breakfast.

Banana chocolate chip bread

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup mashed bananas

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup chocolate chips



Cream butter until softened. Add sugar, creaming well. Add bananas and eggs, mixing well. Sift flour, soda and salt together; stir into creamed mixture. Fold in chips. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake 1 hour in a 350 degree oven.

Easy Peasy Teacher Holiday Gift

Want a fast, easy peasy teacher holiday gift idea?

Melt 6 oz. milk chocolate chips with 2 Tablespoons of crisco in microwave. Spoon melted chocolate over one end of pretzel rod then add sprinkles. Freeze until chocolate hardens and wrap up!

How easy was that?

Saturday Sweetness: The Sweet Tooth Cure

I'm cohosting a couples baby shower and these goodies have been requested. I found the recipe on AllRecipes.Com and doubling it for today!


INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 2/3 cups sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch square baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips and coconut until well blended. Press dough evenly into the prepared baking pan.
Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool before cutting into bars.

Goodbye School.......Hello Summer!

Tomorrow is the last day of school for my kids. It's only a half day. So I've made thank you gifts for all the teachers (support staff included).



I made chocolate chip cookies and bagged and tagged them. I used Meredith's recipe from Like Merchant Ships for the cookies. (Karen, here's the recipe you asked for).





I put my Mother's Day gift to good use.







I used Jumbo muffin cups and put four cookies in each.





The kids and I then placed each cup in a cellophane bag and tied it with a sheer ribbon. I printed tags that said: Thank you for the "sweet" school year! ~ Chickie Poo. ( I subbed Buga~boo and Boo Bear for theirs). Each got a different colored ribbon to tie their tag on with. The boys did knots only and Chickie Poo did a bow with long ends hanging down.




I placed each child's gifts ( 6 for the elementary kids, 7 for the middle schooler) in a handled bag for them to take to school tomorrow. (I took a pic of this, but the kids names kept showing in the pic, and My Man is adamant I keep that out).


I am now secretly working on their summer fun in a bag gifts! I picked a few things up at Walmart today ~ customize your own pool noodle, sunscreen, journals, a book, water bottles, sno cone flavors, etc. and will hit the dollar store tomorrow for a few more things and a big tub for each to finish it off.

Who knew I could find an occasion to shop as an everyday occurrence? Oh, you did? So did My Man :)

Saturday Yumminess: BLT Wraps

This is a great summer recipe........whether your making lunch for yourself, your family or for a buffet style gathering. So easy my Chickie Poo, my 10 year old can make it. It was a huge hit at my bookclub!

BLT Wraps:

1 Pound Bacon cut in 1 inch chunks, cooked and drained well
1/2 head of lettuce, shredded
1 tomato, diced
2 cups of shredded colby jack cheese

small flour tortillas
Ranch salad dressing


Directions:
Gently mix bacon, lettuce, tomato and cheese together in large bowl. Allow guests to self-serve and put BLT filling in wrap and add ranch salad dressing as desired. Enjoy!!

PS: If you've yet to use the pre-cooked bacon, this is a great recipe to try it out! Cook the bacon slices for a few seconds in the microwave then cut with kitchen shears. No heat in the kitchen, and no mess either!!!!

Saturday Sweetness: Chocolate Trifle

Heading to a Memorial Day celebration and need to bring along a dish? This delectable dessert is sure to make you the most popular guest!

Chocolate Trifle

INGREDIENTS:
1 (19.8 ounce) package
brownie mix
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant
chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup water
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened
condensed milk
1 (8 ounce) container frozen
whipped topping, thawed
1 (12 ounce) container frozen
whipped topping, thawed

caramel sauce
1 (1.5 ounce) bar chocolate
candy

DIRECTIONS:
1.
Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch squares.
2.
In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, water and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth, then fold in 8 ounces whipped topping until no streaks remain.
3.
In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of the brownies, half of the pudding mixture and half of the 12 ounce container of whipped topping. Swirl caramel sauce over top. Repeat layers. Shave chocolate onto top layer for garnish. Refrigerate 8 hours before serving.

WFMW: Go To Appetizer

Everyone needs a go to recipe for every category. Here's my appetizer that everyone drools over and no one can stay away from:


From my favorite cookbook to date - The Life of the Party by the Tampa Bay Junior League:

Hot Swiss Bacon Dip

8oz cream cheese - room temperature
1/2 c mayo
1 c shredded swiss cheese
2 tbsp chopped green onions
8 slices bacon, crisp and crumbled (or a pkg of the bagged bacon
pieces)

butter crackers crushed for the topping
3 tbsp melted butter

Combine first three ingredients. Then stir in the bacon and green
onions. Spread in baking dish. Top with crushed crackers and
drizzle with butter.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. Serve with crackers or whatever and
apple slices.


Even those who swear they don't do swiss cheese will be licking the plate!

What works for me: having a simple, delicious dip that everyone raves over!

Now head over to Rocks In My Dryer to see what works for everyone else.

Best Muffins evah!

Banana Crumb Muffins








Wanna make the best muffins evah??? You have to try this recipe. It's the top rated recipe at allrecipes.com.

Banana Crumb Muffins

SUBMITTED BY: Lisa Kreft PHOTO BY: PIKOGIRL82
"The crumb topping is what makes these banana muffins stand apart from the ordinary. They're scrumptious!"

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 20 Min
READY IN 35 Min
SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: 10 muffins
US METRIC


INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.