Homemade Popcorn Chicken Bowl

One of my favorite things to get to go and eat in the car from KFC is their popcorn chicken bowl - since we live about 45 minutes from the closest KFC I decided to make my own homemade version and it came out pretty tasty!

Now, you have to remember-- I'm all about fast and easy cooking lol - I would love to be a REAL foodie person- but I'm just a wanna be who still has to eat lol

All I did was make a single serving of Idaho instant potatoes, enough gravy for the bowl - I used McCormick Poultry Gravy - I love how easy it is to make- just boil a bit of water, add the mix and whisk- so easy, never clumpy and always delicious! Then for the chicken part, I just used Banquet popcorn chicken - mixed all this together, topped with Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese and then I popped it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to melt the cheese-- terrific!!

Now, you could add corn to the bowl or anything else, but I'm not a veggie lover so it was perfect just as I did above for me- anyways- another simple, easy put together meal that even the pickiest of eaters should like!

Free Necco Candy / Name That Sweetheart

For the first time in their 145-year history, Sweethearts is letting its fans tell them what they want to see on their hearts. Create your own sweet sayings before May 31, and you could win a run of customized hearts worth $8,000 or other great prizes.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE MY SWEETHEARTS WEBSITE

Ham & Cheese Biscuit Lunch

I was looking for something 'different' for lunch and thought of this idea- I'm sure it is not new to the cooking world, but it's the first time I've done it, so thought I'd share it and maybe give some others a simple delicious idea for a quick lunch or dinner - these would be great as party snacks as well.




Ingredients:
1 can refrigerated Pillsbury grands flaky buttermilk biscuits
2 slices deli ham sliced into small squares
4 teaspoons of Honey Mustard sauce
1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:
Open up the biscuits and flatten them out thin with your hand or a small rolling pin - place on a baking sheet ( I sprayed the sheet with a cooking spray to keep them from sticking)
top with 1/2 teaspoon honey mustard sauce and then layer on the cheeses
Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees

you could easily substitute the ham for any meat you'd like and also add things like green peppers, onions, etc. - this is just a tasty little lunch I made with what I had on hand -- enjoy!

Junior Prom Was Finally Here!

Last night was finally Megan's Junior Prom- they held it at the Freight House in Ogdensburg - she spent the night at a friends house afterwards, so I haven't heard all the details yet, but from what she has told me, she had a terrific time- I'm really glad about that, but I'm also glad that it's over with lol - it turned out pretty stressful at the end- she made the comment- I can't imagine my wedding day after this LOL -- well, lets hope that one is still several years away :O)

More photos are at Meg's Prom Pics

My New Finch Feeder

For Mother's Day, Hubby bought me a new Finch Feeder that holds Thistle Seeds- I have no idea why, but the little birds just go nuts for them- sometimes there are 6-8 or more birds on the feeder at once- I love to see them and have been enjoying the new feeder the past few days. What's nice about it, is it came with two replacement 'socks' in case these wear out and it's of course refillable as well- hubby said it cost about $15 in Walmart for it- so to bad even if it lasts just for the summer - Now if the birds would only stop running into my big picture window - we'd be getting someplace!!

On-Cor BBQ Boneless Shaped Pork Patties

Lunch today-- was another experiment with a frozen food entree-- this time it was
On-Cor BBQ Rib Pork Patties - the claim to be the #1 Rib Sandwich for six years at Taste of Chicago. Rib-shaped pork patties char-broiled with a hickory smoked taste and then lightly marinated in a special barbecue sauce.

The smell of these cooking almost made my son sick - hehe- he came out of his room and is like what is that!!! ICCKK! - even with his stuffy nose/sinus infection he could still smell it and didn't like it - wouldn't even try it- my daughter took one look and opted for a grilled cheese sandwich LOL - I did give it a try- and although I wouldn't say it's a favorite or even something I'd probably buy again anytime soon- it wasn't THAT bad- it did have a LOT of excess BBQ sauce in it- I think to cover up the fact the patties were really so small- a lot of calories in one pattie compared to something like the Boston Market meal I had the other night - I took a piece of dry toast and placed two little ribs on that along with a little sauce and I did finish eating it- and did save the left over - I'll eat it for dinner tonight prolly just cause I don't like to be to wasteful- but again, not something I really see me buying again anytime soon.

I've decided I'm going to be the critiquer of frozen food and just live in the land of wanting to be a real foodie person LOL

Rainy Day But No Blues....

This is the view outside the front of my house right now-- it's pouring down rain- but amazingly, I don't have the rainy day blues - I actually enjoy the rain at times and this is one of those times- I love hearing it beat down on the house roof- isn't it such a soothing sound sometimes? (Or maybe I'm just crazy) lol

Anyways- it's a day I'm staying home, and for some reason I'm feeling creative, so once I get the dishes and laundry done, I'm going to sit back down here and design some new printable sets- who knew the rain would get me in the right mood to design?!?!

Boston Market Frozen Dinner

During the winter, I seem to cook more 'family' meals- the kids are normally hungry when they get home from school and want something hot, etc. - so it makes it much easier to have a family meal - from now until about September though, we all seem to just eat 'whenever we want' - making it really hard to cook to many bigger meals.

So, with this in mind - the last time I went to the Super Walmart, I picked up several Frozen dinners for myself- and for the kids to try as well (hubby will not eat them) - tonight, Megan wanted a fruit salad - so she fixed herself cut up strawberries, watermelon and a banana - that made her happy for her dinner - Alex has a sinus infection and didn't want to eat anything because his throat hurts, but also because he is going to an end of the year Dart Baseball Banquet here in a bit - hubby is out mowing the grass- making it the perfect time to try one of the frozen dinners.

I picked a Boston Market honey chicken with au gratin potatoes - and to my surprise - it was REALLY good - I will buy a few more of these the next time I go to the store to have on hand for occasions like this. There was enough in the package to fill me up - although I did have a slice of buttered bread with it also - and the taste was wonderful - If I hadn't of cooked it myself and it was served on a plate, I would have thought it was homemade.

In Honor Of Mother's Day Coming Up

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.



Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

This is all so true-- I love my kids to the core- they make my life worth living- they mean everything to me - I love you Megan & Alex!

WHY MEN ARE NEVER DEPRESSED:

WHY MEN ARE NEVER DEPRESSED:

Men Are Just Happier People-- What do you expect from such simple creatures?

-Your last name stays put.
-The garage is all yours.
-Wedding plans take care of themselves.
-Chocolate is just another snack.
-You can be President.
-You can never be pregnant.
-You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
-You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
-Car mechanics tell you the truth.
-The world is your urinal.
-You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
-You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
-Same work, more pay.
-Wrinkles add character.
-Wedding dress $5000.
-Tux rental-$100.
-People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
-New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
-One mood all the time.
-Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
-You know stuff about tanks.
-A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
-You can open all your own jars.
-You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
-If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
-Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
-Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
-You almost never have strap problems in public.
-You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
-Everything on your face stays its original color.
-The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
-You only have to shave your face and neck.
-You can play with toys all your life.
-One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.
-You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
-You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.
-You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
-You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier.

I found this on another blog that I visit and thought I'd share it with all of you as well.

Modern Day Shopping

Last Friday my daughter took a school trip to Syracuse which is about 2 1/2 hours away from us - they went to watch the play Diary of Anne Frank (which she says was terrific) and then lunch and shopping at the mall there.

Well, she must have called me a dozen times asking me if she should get this or that - then I get an email from her phone- where she sent me a text message with this pic wondering if I liked it and if she should get it - I had to laugh- only in today's world can you go into the dressing room, take a camera phone pic, email it to your mom and then ask for her opinion LOL

Turkey Funny

My son is gone to camp this weekend with his friend and his friend's father - while there, they are going to be turkey hunting - well, it reminded me of something REALLY funny that happened a few weeks ago.

My son was out shopping with me and one of the items he bought was a turkey call - he gets in the car and opened it up while we were waiting for my husband to come out of the store - all the sudden I hear really loud the WORDS (sounded like from a megaphone) - "who, who - who's gonna cook you" - I turned around and Alex is staring at the turkey call like what?? - so, he did it again, and again, the same thing- "who, who - who's gonna cook you" - I said ALEX-- what are you doing??!! He said, I DON'T KNOW- it's what it tells me to do - I said WHAT? He said yes it says say these words into the turkey call - who, who who's gonna cook you - I said, Alex, you can't go into the woods calling that out - not only would people laugh at you, but you'd scare everything away - by this time, I was laughing SO incredibly hard - I told him to hand me the package - and I read it and it did say to say those words -- BUT the point he was missing, was that he was to just use his breath so to speak to kinda sound out those words to make the turkey call work - at first he just couldn't stop SAYING the words out loud and I just kept laughing and then he was laughing so hard as well - he just gave up - the next day he came out of his bedroom able to do the turkey call- so hopefully, he remembered not to say the words this weekend- I can just see John rolling in laughter if Alex starts hooting out - who, who - who's gonna cook you in them middle of the woods! LOL