It’s Pumpkin Time!

Hey Y’all!

I hope everyone had a great week! I didn’t get to go to any turtle nest inventories this week because of school, but there are several this week that I plan on attending. The last nest in Garden City hatched on Friday, so there will be a nest inventory tomorrow night. I definitely plan on being there. It is the last nest of the season, which is a little sad. I will post pics as soon as I can!

Last night we had a faculty and staff get together at my assistant principal’s house. We had some very yummy barbeque. Everyone had to bring a dish to share. So yesterday morning while drinking my coffee I went on the search on Pinterest to find something quick, easy and delish! Enter the Pumpkin Fall Dip! This is a cinch to make and it is so yummy when you pair it with Gingersnaps! Bonus.. this dip makes A LOT!

To make Fall Pumpkin Dip you will need:

 

1 15 oz can of pumpkin.. NOT pumpkin pie filling

1 5oz box of vanilla instant pudding (do not make the pudding, just use the pudding powder)

2 tubs of Cool Whip (The recipe calls for plain Cool Whip, but I like to GO BIG OR GO HOME. So I used the Extra Creamy one!)

1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

A bag of Gingersnaps and/or Nilla  Wafers

Combine all of the ingredients except for the Gingersnaps and Nilla Wafers. Mix well.

 

After mixing, place the dip in the fridge for a few hours. It tastes just like PUMPKIN PIE!

Then serve! Here’s a serving dip…. When you have to go to a party and you need to bring a dish, head to Dollar General! It is one of my favorite stores! For some reason all of my serving dishes are at school. So I headed to Dollar General and picked up a huge serving plate and bowl for the dip for under $2. The nice thing about that is you can always leave the dishes at the party if you need to leave and  you don’t have to worry about getting your serving dishes back! This is great, especially if your dish is still being enjoyed!

Alrighty, I think I am off to the beach to get some reading done. It is so quiet around here because all of the tourists are finally gone. It will be so nice to have some peace on the beach!

Tootles!

JKP

So I Made Some Chicken For Dinner...

Hey Y'all!

Would you believe me if I told you that it has been too hot for socks? FOR REAL. I spent two afternoons this past weekend reading on my Kindle Fire and enjoying the sunshine on my patio. And this is December. :) They say that after tomorrow it will get cool again, so we will see. I have plenty of Christmas Socks of the Day to show off, so let's hope it cools down!

Today after school I hit the grocery store. Not my favorite place to go. I LOVE to cook, but I hate to grocery shop. I think it has something to do with me being so exhausted after school that I hate to battle the cart and go up and down the aisles. Even with a list, some days it is just too much. BOOO.

So. I got my groceries, came home, took Mr. Pitty Pat for a walk and then took a long nap. My normal afternoon routine this year. :) I found this recipe on Pinterest a few months ago and suddenly it sounded like a good idea for dinner tonight. I didn't do a regular ingredients picture, but I did get a before and after. And by after I mean, after I had devoured part of it for my dinner!

All you need for this ... I think I will call it One and Done is...(I like one and done... you only use one dish!)
Chicken Breasts. I like to get the hormone, antibiotic free ones. My stomach is much happier.
Green Beans. I got fresh ones, because I have an aversion to canned beans. Yes. I am weird. And. I feel all pioneery when I get to snap the green beans.
Red Potatoes. I washed mine up and quartered them.
1 packet of Italian Dressing. Dry. Not mixed.
1 stick of buttah. (Butter.)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Place all ingredients in a 9 by 13 baking dish. Sprinkle the packet of Italian dressing evenly over the beans, chicken and potatoes. Then take the melted stick of butter and pour that evenly over the ingredients. Cover with foil and cook for an hour at 350 degrees.

Oh yes. This one is a winner. The chicken and potatoes are seasoned perfectly and the green beans are not soggy. The best part of this dish is that I have two more meals to enjoy. WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!

On the knitting front there is a lot going on with my needles. But a few of these projects are Christmas prezzies and I can't quite show them off yet. This weekend was the first weekend since my birthday that wasn't jam packed. Friday night I had my faculty Christmas Party and then the rest of the weekend was blissfully peaceful. I only have 6 more days of school until Christmas break.

I hope y'all are doing well!
Tootles!
:) JKP

My Early Christmas Present, Girls Weekend Christmas Palooza Recipes and a Texas Toast DEBACLE!!

Hey Y'all!

Sorry, I took the day off yesterday. Literally. I took a personal day and had a wonderful day! I picked up a piece of furniture from a consignment store, did some shopping and enjoyed the beautiful weather! In fact, yesterday afternoon I pulled out my beach chair, poured myself a glass of lemonade, grabbed my kindle and sat my happy hiney on my patio in the sunshine for a few hours. It was so relaxing and I finished a book... True Devotion by Dee Henderson. It is a really good read! Everybody needs a relaxing Monday every now and then!

And, sorry. There is no Christmas Sock of the Day for today and yesterday. It has been in the 70's here and my toes have to be free! They say the colder weather will be back by the end of the week. I can't wait to show off my precious socks that I got this past weekend!

Now!!! If you have ever been to my house, you may notice how much yarn I have. At times, I probably could appear in an episode of hoarders. :) I am not that bad. My yarn is pretty much organized by project and color in my upstairs craft closet. However, I do keep a basket downstairs by my sofa and recliner with all of my current or about to be current projects. Ahem. Recently this basket has gotten OUT OF CONTROL. And, it was an eye sore in my living room. While out shopping with the girls this past weekend, I came across the perfect solution. Since I knew I couldn't fit it in Mitzi Mazda without tying Marie or Toni to the sunroof, I decided to think about it and come back on Monday. If the basket of shelves was still there.. then it was meant to be!

And guess what it now in my living room????? To understand the hideousness.. you must see a before and after shot...

BEFORE.......ACCCCKKKKKK!!!!! My yarn has been multiplying!

AFTER........ SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!!

My living room is much happier now! And, so am I! Santa came to see me a wee bit early! :)


And, now what you have been waiting for! Girls Weekend Christmas Palooza Recipes!
Now, my two favorite recipes I used, I found on Pinterest.. and those folks have blogs who have documented each recipe. Since I was cooking for company and I was under a deadline (read, I hadn't had ANY coffee while I was cooking on Saturday) I forgot to take pictures. So instead of re-inventing the wheel on my blog, I am just going to link to the recipes. I hope you guys really enjoy them! :)

Our favorite part of breakfast on Saturday had to be the make ahead French Toast Bake. Now let me tell you... this recipe calls for Texas Toast. But there is a Texas Toast debacle. After searching several stores for Texas Toast... that I had only seen a few weeks ago, I kept coming up empty handed. Finally the deli manager at my local Food Lion took pity on me and explained what was going on. You see, most Texas Toast in our country was made by Hostess bakeries. And now they are closed. NO MORE TEXAS TOAST FOLKS!!!! So I substituted Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White Bread to make my french toast and it turned out great. You could use any hearty bread and I am sure it would be fine. But we really liked the Pepperidge Farm! I also left the crusts on my bread. I am normally not a crust eater... EXCEPT when I eat french toast. The recipe on the blog cuts off the crusts. Don't do it! :)

Here's the link to step by step directions for The French Toast Bake. Make this. Make this for Christmas morning! You won't be sorry!

The other recipe I tried was called Bird's Nest Breakfast Cups. It is a hashbrown base, baked in a muffin tin. Then you add egg, cheese and bacon. It is a great option for protein in the morning and it is easy to make!

Check out Bird's Nest Breakfast Cups here!

Alrighty, Rizzoli and Isles is on and I've got to watch it. I hope y'all have a good Wednesday! We have 10 more school days until Christmas break! :) YAY!

Tootles!
:) JKP

Girls Weekend Christmas Palooza- 2012 Edition!

Hey Y'all!

Wow. I have gotten behind on my Christmas Sock of the Day postings! Last Thursday was a pretty rough day and I was not feeling the Christmas Spirit at all. Then on Friday I kicked of Girls Weekend Christmas Palooza 2012! Y'all know I love to have company and entertain, so Friday was a busy, busy day!

We will start back with the Christmas Sock of the Day tomorrow. Ahem. I may have purchased a few more pairs this weekend. But I say, if it makes you happy and it doesn't hurt anyone else... GO FOR IT!

We started off our weekend with a yummy dinner at Logan's Roadhouse. I won a gift certificate for a free meal at our last faculty meeting and Friday was the last day I could use it. After dinner we hit a few shops and then closed down the mall!

Saturday we slept in a little and I made a yummy breakfast. I make Paula Deen's Gorilla Bread.. that is a must have on our weekends! This year I also ventured on to Pinterest and used a few recipes too! I made make ahead French Toast, which was DIVINE, and so easy to do! I also made a hash brown, egg, cheese and bacon "muffin" of sorts, except it wasn't a muffin! I will be back to post the recipes and links tomorrow.
Here's a shot of our yummy breakfast!

That got us off on the right start! We did a lot of shopping and got a lot accomplished. We ended up at one for my favorite places in Murrells Inlet for lunch- The Dead Dog Saloon! We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and just enjoying hanging out!

This morning the girls were ready for breakfast leftovers and then they needed to hit the road. Sadly, we did not get the annual Julia and Pitty Pat Christmas Card photo taken. I am not sure about cards this year. If I do them, they may be New Year's cards... I am just not sure!

I have taken tomorrow off to rest.. I have been really tired again lately, and running around this weekend was fun.. but tiring! I plan to take it easy tomorrow and work on a few Christmas gifts. I even hit a consignment store or two! But I am really looking forward to just taking it easy!

Tonight I plan on watching a couple of Christmas movies and bonding with Pitty Pat and my knitting needles!

I hope wherever you are you are enjoying this evening! I'll check in tomorrow!
Tootles!
:) JKP

Fuh-Get About It Chicken... and Summer is FLYING By!

Hey Y'all!

These past few weeks have FLOWN by! I had a visit from BFF Marie last week. By last Sunday, I was on the road again meeting my Mom in Mt. Pleasant so she could pick up Pitty Pat for the week! Monday I had my third cortisone shot in my foot (YAY, it is soooo much better!). After my shot, I drove to Sumter to visit with my Grandparents. I had dinner with my Granny and then headed over to my Granddaddy's and Step Grandmother's house. My step grandmother Marge had eye surgery on Tuesday, so I was on hand to drive them around and help around the house. By Wednesday afternoon, I was back on the road to Beaufort. Which is where I am hanging out now. I am not sure when I am heading home, all I know is that I can't get back in my car and drive a long distance for a couple of days... I am tuckered out folks! But I am so glad to be back with my Pitty Pat! :)

Yesterday I did a little back to school (sob) clothes shopping here in Beaufort. Then Mom and I ate at a VERY yummy restaurant with some friends called Dockside. If you are ever in Beaufort, you must eat here! The cornbread is like cake! :) Also, this is the best seafood I have EVER eaten. Yup. It was that good!

Anyhoo, now that I have caught y'all up on my adventures, I thought I would give you a great and EASY recipe for the weekend! Y'all, this recipe is so easy and so yummy that I could eat this once a week. In fact, I am cooking it for Mom tonight!

It is called... FUH-Get About It Chicken (insert Jersey accent here!)
Here's what you will need......

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2 cups of Minute Rice
1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can of Cream of Celery Soup
1 packet of Onion Soup Mix
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Water

Start by mixing the soups, rice (uncooked) and 1 can of water in a bowl. Mix well. Pour mixture into a buttered baking dish. Place the chicken breasts on top of the rice mixture. Open the packet of Onion Soup Mix and sprinkle a bit on top of each chicken breast.

Now cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 degrees for an hour and a half. Here's a disclaimer... this stuff smells so good, you will not be able to wait to eat it! :)

Make a salad or some veggies and enjoy dinner! :)

Oh and one more note..... You know how I was talking about how much I love my new shoes by Orthaheel? Well, they had a little sale on their website.. so I stocked up on some shoes for school! This is my rainbow of Orthaheels! If you have foot problems, you have to get some of these!

Alrighty!
Y'all have a great Friday!
Tootles!
JKP

p.s. Pitty Pat says he is having a great time at Granny's house! :)

Mama's Got a New Recipie......

Hey Y'all!

Happy second day of March! Well, with Zorro's diagnosis of sorts last week, the vet thought it would be a good idea if we changed his food to a restricted protien diet. He offered up some Science Diet k/d, but it is dry food and I knew that Zorro wouldn't touch it. Enter in recipies for homemade doggie diets! I started making this last week for Zorro and the boy is attacking his food! I made another batch tonight and he stood in the kitchen the whole time watching me cook this up. Too cute!

To make a restricted protien diet for your dog you will need the following ingredients....

1/4 ground beef (do not use lean round chuck)

2 cups cooked rice

1 hard boiled egg finely chopped

3 slices white bread, crumbled (I cube mine)

1 tsp of calcium carbonate (bascially take 1 extra strength Tums and crush it into a powder.)

Cook your rice (yes, I use the bag kind. I hate to ruin pots and I just can't seem to cook rice in the pot without burning it to pieces. Ugg.) Brown your meat, slice your bread and hard boil and chop the egg. Then combine.

(At this point I add the crushed Tums and stir it in.)

Viola! You have just made doggie food! I scoop about a cup into Ziploc baggies. For me, this recipie makes enough for 3 and 1/2 days of feedings. Zorro eats twice a day, so it makes about 7 meals. I put three in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. It's also more econmical.. I paid about $4 for the meat and less than $4 for the other ingredients. I always have bread, eggs and rice, so it's not a big deal. He seems to like it!

In other news... I have a new cell phone! I decided to go with the Samsung Propel. I text alot, so the sliding keyboard is just awesome. My other phone was so old that they don't even make the sim card anymore. Yup. I got a great deal on my phone and I am really happy.

That's about it for here today. I've got to go knit on my sock, I haven't finished my homework for tomorrow night. My stomach is giving me a fit (stress anyone?) so I've been taking some more meds for that. It's back to the hurting thing that it was doing a while ago. I've lost my appetite and my stomach hurts all of the time. I am just hoping that this is a reaction to all of the stress I have been under. :)

Later Gators!
:) JKP