Tangy Green Bean Casserole – Something a Little Different

I hope that everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend! Ours was eventful and involved a trip to the ER.

Happy 6 (Superman) jumped off a bed and landed on Happy 7’s (Batman) head. So of course, we headed to the ER. Fortunately, everything was fine. That’s life with boys …I hope I survive the superhero stage… 😉

On to today’s recipe! 🙂

When I was a kid, my mom made a green bean casserole that was a bit different than the usual mushroom soup casserole. Not that I have anything against the mushroom soup casserole, but I will probably never crave it. My mom’s casserole, however, is a different story altogether!

You will need:

2 pounds fresh or frozen green beans, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces

2 TBSP finely chopped onion

2 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP white vinegar (or rice vinegar)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp pepper

2 TBSP saltine cracker crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 stick butter, melted

Put beans in a pan with a little water to cover. Cook until almost tender. Drain off water, then mix green beans,  minced onions, garlic, olive oil, pepper and vinegar in a casserole dish together.

Melt butter

Add cracker crumbs and Parmesan cheese to the butter and mix well

Place crumb mixture on top of the green beans in casserole dish

Bake at 350 degrees until the top is golden brown.

I have been known to polish off large portions of this in lieu of a proper lunch or dinner! 😉

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No, I’m Not Missing In Action…

…..I’m just having some technical difficulties.  

My husband came back earlier in the week from his business trip to Singapore and the Philippines. We are so happy to have him back home! No one told me that jet lag was contagious! After he got back, we were all tired as if we had gone with him! Maybe it was watching him yawn so much…poor guy was really tired!

In the meantime, I am dealing with some technical issues that I hope will be resolved soon. I have lots of things to share, so just hang in there while I work on these issues, please! See you all soon! 🙂

Kool Aid Fudge – An Easy Colorful Treat

This treat is so simple to make! It shouldn’t take more than 5 min. to put it together.

You will need:

12 oz. bag of white baking chips

14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk

1 packet of Kool Aid, whatever flavor you like…I think cherry is the best for this. 🙂

Simply melt the baking chips in the microwave then stir in the sweetened condensed milk and Kool Aid until thoroughly mixed. Spread into a lightly greased  pan an refrigerate until set. After it sets, cut and serve.

They look so pretty! I think the pink looks perfect for spring! 🙂

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Easy Homemade Bread

My family loves homemade bread. It’s frugal, delicious and a lot healthier than most store bought breads.Even though I have a bread maker,  I hardly ever use it. I hate cleaning the thing when it’s done (I’m lazy…I know it. 😉  ). Plus, I always have trouble getting the whole loaf out intact.

Here is a very easy and delicious recipe that has served me well. It is also great if you are in a hurry and don’t have time to let it rise multiple times.

You will need:

1 1/4 oz packet of rapid rise yeast

1 cup lukewarm water

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup oil

3 cups flour

Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water. It should look foamy after about 5 min. or so, then it’s ready to add the other ingredients.

Add egg, sugar, salt and oil and mix. Add half of the flour and beat until smooth. Add the rest of the flour and beat again until smooth.

The dough should be a little sticky.

Shape into loaves or dinner rolls and place on greased pan. you can also sprinkle the pan with white cornmeal to help keep it from sticking if you wish. Let it rise until double in size (approx. 45 – 60 min.).  Bake rolls for about 15 min. If you are baking it as a loaf it may take about 30 min. Lower the oven rack to keep the top from burning while the inside cooks.

Enjoy your freshly baked bread! 🙂

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Simple Frugal Valentine’s Day Centerpiece

Seems like just yesterday I still had Christmas decorations up! Oh wait…It was only yesterday that I still had Christmas decorations up.

I know.

But, it was only upstairs…I promise…the downstairs areas were Christmas decor free!

OK, now that I got that off of my chest, on to something for Valentine’s Day. 🙂

This is an inexpensive centerpiece that’s super easy to make.

I bought three 8″ glass candles from the Dollar Tree and one fuzzy flower bush (OK, so I don’t know what kind of flower it was supposed to be, but it looked cool…AND it was red).

I covered the glass candles with burlap squares and tied on white ribbon with the flower inside. See?? Super simple. 🙂

This project cost $4.65 total for the candles, ribbon and flowers!

Happy Valentines Day!

Let’s Give This Blogging Thing Another Try

How I’ve missed you all! It’s been a while…A  year, to be exact. I was one of those bloggers. You know, the ones who disappear with no warning…leaving everyone hanging. I promise I had a good reason! It had to do with a safety concern. Hopefully, I have properly addressed the issue.

A lot has changed this last year. Most notably…we had a new baby! We now have four boys and one girl. 🙂

I have also switched to WordPress. I transferred some of the content from my Blogger blog  over, but not all of it. I hope to start with a fresh perspective and a slightly different focus.

I am looking forward to a new year, new ideas and new friends! 🙂 Have a great day and stop by again soon! 🙂

Spring, Pollen and Stinkin’ Allergies

It’s so beautiful outside right now! The flowers are blooming, leaves are on the trees and grass is already growing out of control. And then there’s the pollen! Green sheets of pollen coating everything in sight. Wash it off, and it just comes back. Oh, the sneezing, coughing itchiness! My head feels like it’s stuffed full of woolly socks. Ahh, but it sure is pretty…and warm.

Stinkin’ allergies!

;o)

Be back soon,
Michelle

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My first post

Welcome to my blog!

I guess the heading says it all, this is the first post on my brand new blog!

I started this blog so that I could share creative ideas, tips and just thoughts in general. I didn’t really have one theme in particular. My house doesn’t have any particular theme either, unless the terms “cozy” and “comfortable” are a theme.

I hope to be able to share things that are useful or that will inspire ideas that will work for you and your household.

Michelle