Meal Planning with Connie

My sweet friend, Rachel, recently bless us with a delicious bag of homemade granola! It was wonderful and disappeared quickly. I decided to try my hand at making a batch, using items from my pantry. We thought it turned out great. Granola keeps really well in an airtight container. It makes a great gift and is yummy sprinkled over yogurt, ice cream or eaten with milk like cereal. It's great by the handful too! Pantry Granola This time of year, we are all needing little gifts for the various teachers in our kids' lives. This granola makes a great happy! Spoon into a plastic freezer bag, a clear jar (For safety reasons, use a plastic jar, if a child is delivering gift!) or cover the oats container with pretty paper and use it. I found this cute canning tag HERE . I thought it worked fine for the granola too! Pantry Granola Tip from Rachel: To insure granola browns evenly, pull the granola from the edges of the pan toward the middle when you stir the granola because the edg...

Christmas Potpourri Kit On Friday, I received this neat potpourri kit from two sweet, little brothers, who are in one of my classes. I thought it was a very clever gift and am looking forward to simmering it on my stovetop! I thought some of you might be looking for a good gift idea for your children’s church helpers or school teachers. Be sure to let the kids help put it together! A cute tag and ribbon complete the kit! Kit contents: one small orange one small apple two cinnamon sticks a handful of fresh cranberries a few whole cloves (1 - 2 teaspoons) It was all contained in a sheet of cellophane, tied with a pretty ribbon and had the following directions tied to the bag: Christmas Potpourri Slice orange and apple. Combine all ingredients in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a light boil and simmer on low. Enjoy the warm scents of the season! Merry Christmas! Boys’ Names (I folded this portion of the tag under for privacy.) Clever, cute, and enjoyabl...

Mrs. Kat’s Wassail Mrs. Kat’s Wassail Christmas simply wouldn’t be Christmas without a batch or two or three of Larry’s mom’s wassail. It is so good! We have been asked for this recipe dozens of times. Larry usually makes it, not me. He has it down to a science. He prepared his first batch of the season to share with co-workers today. Christmastime is here! 1 gallon apple cider 1 large can unsweetened pineapple juice 1 large can unsweetened orange juice 1½  cups sugar 2 sticks cinnamon juice of 2 lemons Combine all ingredients. Never boil only simmer...

Herbed Butter Herbed Butter  This is a great little spread, with many uses. Recipe doubles easily ! ½ stick butter, softened 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon dried parsley Combine butter and seasonings. Spoon into a small bowl or ramekin. Spread on French bread and toast. Brush on tops of biscuits. Spread on hot corn-on-the-cob. Brush over pizza dough before adding toppings.

Glory to God in highest heaven, Who unto man His Son hath given; While angels sing with tender mirth, A glad new year to all the earth. ~Martin Luther People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.  ~Author Unknown Black-eyed peas, greens and pork are the main components of any Southern New Year's Day meal worth its salt. There are a myriad of explanations for why these foods have evolved into the dishes of choice for our tables on the first day of each new year. The turnip greens and collards are, of course, green - the color of our paper money. Thus, they have come to represent prosperity. Pork is symbolic of progress, as the pig is, supposedly, the only animal that eats while it is moving forward. We all know that black-eyed peas symbolize good luck. But why? Again, stories abound, but generally contain some form of the Union troops destroying ...

Let the people give thanks to you, O God. Let all the people give thanks to you. Psalm 67:5 I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~ Anna Quindlen The holidays are upon us, and it’s time for two of my favorite activities, cooking and eating!  Some of my most treasured recipes are ones I’ve gathered from friends and relations at holiday get-togethers through the years.  Like most families, we have some long-standing food traditions when it comes to our holiday meals, and the festivities just wouldn’t be the same without these dishes.  However, I always try to throw in at least one or two new dishes each year, just to keep things interesting! Many of these new recipes often contain cranberries. Several years ago, our family fell in love with a book entitled Cranberry Thanksgiving by Harry and Wende Devlin.  The Devlins eventually wrote an entire series about Magg...

  Hot Shrimp Dip and Homemade Pita Chips Hot Shrimp Dip I used low-fat cream cheese, mayo and cheese.  8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I zap mine for about 30 seconds in the microwave.) 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1 teaspoon horseradish sauce (optional) 1 (6 ½ oz.) can tiny shrimp, drained and flaked with a fork dash of garlic powder dash of onion powder or 2 chopped green onions Paprika (for garnish) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the first seven ingredients and place in a small baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with crackers. I made pita chips to eat with ours. We use the whole wheat variety, so that adds some good fiber to our diet.  They are also fat free.  Pita Chips Cut pitas into triangles. I use kitchen shears, but you can cut them with a knife on a cutting board, too.  Cut the edges apart, so that pita chips are one “layer” thick. Place on a cookie tr...