Meal Planning with Connie

My daddy (yes, 40-something year old women from the South still call their fathers Daddy :)) gave us this huge ham for Christmas, and we've honestly just been intimidated and lazy about dealing with it. We've waited until the "use by date" is very short. Larry threw it on the smoker today, and it turned out deliciously. But, there's a ton of it!! We will have to freeze most of it due to our procrastination on getting it cooked. Please send me your favorite ham recipes, as we will be eating on this for the next few months. I think we can safely eat on it from the freezer for 3 months, don't y'all? Tonight, we just ate sliced ham with veggies from our freezer - peas, butter beans, corn and cornmeal fritters - a great meal for this cold night! Tomorrow night, I had planned on making Bacon and Cheddar Pizza. Guess what I'll be substituting for the bacon? ;) Members of our Sunday school class, be forewarned! You will be helping us eat up this ham!! Man...

We had a wonderful time of worship today! Brother Ken began a really great sermon series with the new year, and our Sunday school lessons have been very thought provoking, too! To gather with God's people in united adoration of the Father  is as necessary to the Christian life as prayer. ~Martin Luther I made these for Sunday School this morning, but I thought they were a bit dry. No one at Sunday school complained, because they’re all much too kind! But, as my kids were scarfing down the leftovers, they had absolutely no problem letting me know that they thought they were too  dry. I do think this recipe has potential. I am going to increase the milk to ¾ cup next time, or perhaps use sour cream in place of the milk. Or, I may use Bisquick, just to see if it works better. If any of you have ideas for making these less dry, please share them!   Sausage Cheese Biscuits Sausage Cheese Biscuits 2 ½ cups self-rising flour 4 tablespoons butter, cubed 1 cup c...

 More than anything else, I want the folks back at home to think right of me. I never expected to be anybody important. Until we meet again, may God bless you as he has blessed me. ~Elvis Presley quotes We're from "Elvis Country", living 15 minutes from his birthplace, and about 90 minutes from Memphis. Both of my parents, like most people of that generation who grew up in this area, saw Elvis perform live at the county fair. I love to hear people around here tell about when and where they first saw "The King" sing!  In honor of what would be Elvis's 75th birthday, there are lots of festivities going on in our little neck of the woods this weekend! My tribute will be to share this recipe with you guys! I honestly have no idea why it is called Elvis Presley Cake. I just know that it's delicious! My friend, Judy, shared the recipe with me about 20 years ago!  It's one of Larry's favorites. The original recipe is for a 9x13 sheet cake...

 I did weigh-in this morning, prior to eating the Bacon and Cheddar Scones ! ;) Somehow, I managed to lose a pound this week. I don't really know how! We still have lots of holiday food around the kitchen and something about "being snowed-in" always causes the munchies! I did try to make some lower-fat choices this week and walked just a bit. I think the tempts are suppose to be a good bit warmer next week, so I hope to really get back to my walking. Best wishes to all as we strive to get healthier!

 Our snow-frosted magnolia tree Another “snow day” in our portion of the “Magnolia State!” We understand that we are laughed at for the big hoopla we make over teeny, tiny bits of snow. But, snow is such a novelty for us, we don’t really care for having a bit of fun poked at us! As a matter of fact, we even laugh at ourselves and how at the mere mention of that four-letter-word, "snow," by the local t.v. weatherman instantaneously causes our grocery stores' shelves to be emptied of milk, bread, peanut butter, crackers, "tater" chips and Little Debbie Cakes - the major components of the average Southern family's "snowed-in" diet. In all fairness, we usually only get ice down here, not snow, which often causes us to loose electrical power. So, we're just being prepared! ;) Larry, the kids and I enjoyed a fun snowball fight yesterday afternoon. One never gets too old for a good snowball fight! Our fun didn’t last long, because, well, we r...

We awoke to a snow-frosted lawn, a rarity here in Mississippi. As a treat, I made Easy Lemon Scones for breakfast.. They were a hit with everyone! The kids and Larry thought they were tasty, and I thought they were an easy, convenient recipe to make. They went together really quickly and all needed ingredients were in my pantry/fridge! No fresh lemons on hand? Substitute a teaspoon of lemon flavoring for the lemon rind in the batter. For the topping, mix sugar with 2 tablespoons milk and use as directed. Easy Lemon Scones Easy Lemon Scones 2 2/3 c. biscuit mix 5 tbsp. sugar 1 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional) grated rind of one lemon 1 egg, beaten 1/2 c. milk or buttermilk Topping: 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine first 4 ingredients. Mix egg with milk. Add to dry ingredients. Mix into soft ball. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Gently roll or pat dough to about...

I made a  little deviation from my original meal plan. I have been wanting to make this for a couple of weeks.  When I ran across a package of cooked, chopped chicken in my freezer this morning, I decided we’d have it for supper tonight. My friend, Donna, shared this recipe with me over the holidays. Her sister-in-law brought it to a family gathering, and Donna thought it was yummy! We do, too! It’s simple and easy to make. Donna’s sister-in-law used it as a side dish. I added the chicken (a couple of cups) and made this into a one-dish meal for our supper. Either way, it’s great and makes a large dish! There's plenty for our supper tomorrow night, too! I did use a tablespoon of olive oil in place of the butter called for on the Rice-A-Roni package. Chicken Rice-A-Roni and Green Bean Casserole While I cooked the Rice-a-Roni, I sautéed a couple of cups of fresh mushrooms along with a cup of chopped onion. My kids don’t like canned mushrooms, but love fresh. Go figure...