A Few of My Favorite Things

Okay, not a few. Forty-two! Cause I'm 42 today. And on your birthday you're allowed to post long lists of nonsense.

I'm not going to list my family, because they're people, not things. And I think it goes without saying that they're my faves. I love them deeply, after all. These are just some random things I love and enjoy, in no particular order.

My Bible, a gift from my parents
John Wayne movies
Freshly baked bread
My Kitchenaid mixer
Yellow roses
Disney's Beauty and the Beast
Soup on a cold day
West Virginia Mountaineers football
Patriotic music
Biltmore estate in Asheville, NC
Hummingbirds
Reese cups
Once Upon a Time (TV show)
My slow cooker
Sunday afternoon naps
Warm chocolate chip cookies
Cheese fries with bacon
The Internet!
Candlelight
Historical fiction
Cape Hatteras lighthouse
Online shopping
My Nook tablet
Holding hands with Charles
Fuzzy bathrobes
Medium well steak
Green apple Jolly Ranchers
Lemonade
Hazelnut creamer for my coffee
Cheesecake
Stained glass windows
Walt Disney World
Pizza with bacon
Netflix
Cruise control
4th of July fireworks
Collecting seashells
Autumn leaves
Pumpkin spice lattes
Whole Foods
Mexican cuisine
Poetry by Robert Frost

And now you know more about me than you probably care to. Did anyone notice that food showed up on this list a great deal?

Hope y'all have a great weekend.

Ranch Veggie Pizza

Sometimes I enjoy a change from traditional tomato-sauce, pepperoni and cheese pizza. Don't you? So I used the idea of an olive-oil "sauce" with veggies as the toppings. The end result was delicious! Charles, my traditional pizza guy, even commented that he'd love to have this one more often.

Here's what you need:

1 pizza dough recipe
3 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP ranch dressing mix
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 green, red or yellow pepper, thinly sliced
2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix up a batch of your favorite pizza dough. You can use thawed frozen bread dough or even a pre-made store bought crust.

Combine the olive oil and ranch mix. Allow this to sit for several minutes so the oil gets infused with the ranch flavors. I actually do this before I start mixing my pizza dough.

Stretch the dough onto a greased pan. I like to use a rectangular cookie sheet instead of a round one for this pizza. I don't know why. Prick the crust several times with a fork. Bake at 425 degrees for 7-8 minutes.

Brush the olive oil mixture on the crust. Layer the toppings with tomato slices on top. Tomatoes have a lot of moisture and if they're right on top of the crust, your crust might get soggy. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.

This pizza is so yummy! Without the heavy tomato sauce, it crisps up nicely. You can add mushrooms or other veggies to suit your family's tastes.

Menu Plan March 12-17

My birthday week is here! Yay!

Which means hubby will take me out to eat and I'll get dessert. Ha ha! That might seem funny, but usually we never get dessert out because we're too stuffed. But this time, I'll get it to go if I'm too full. Now how is that for planning ahead?

My sweet husband already got me my present, a Nook tablet. I love, love, love it! He got it for me before we left for Disney, so I've had it for over a month. I'm still learning the ins and outs. But I adore the Nook, and the man who got it for me.

Now on to this week's menu:

Monday
Tasty Tilapia, cauliflower

Tuesday
Feel Better Chicken Stew, biscuits

Wednesday
Corned beef and cabbage

Thursday
Out to eat, kids will have homemade chicken nuggets
(my birthday is not until tomorrow, but this day worked out better for our babysitter)

Friday
Juicy grilled steak, broccoli

Saturday
Shepherds pie, Irish soda bread

Sunday
Leftovers

For more meal planning ideas, head over to Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

The Formua for Raising Perfect Children

Wouldn't it be great if every child came with an instruction manual unique to that child? Wouldn't it be nice if there was a step-by-step process with the guaranteed result of perfectly behaved, kind, loving children? If we followed that formula, then all of our worries for our children's futures would be over?

Ahhh, my friends, there is NO such thing.

I've read my share of child-rearing advice from a variety of sources. Some writers make wonderful claims that if you follow their advice, your kids will turn out great! Well, there are always general principles we can incorporate in our homes. But I'm sorry to say, there are no guaranteed results. Our children are individuals. We can steer them in the right direction, but it's up to them to choose the right path.

You see, if there was an A+B=C sure-fire method of rearing the perfect child, we wouldn't need Jesus in our homes. We wouldn't have to trust Him to guide us. We would slack off in our prayers for our kids. After all, the formula would always work, right?

I've heard many Christian parents bemoan the fact that they've done everything right, so why did their children stray from God? Because they're human! As adults, how many times do we stray from our Heavenly Father despite His love and goodness? How can we expect our children to follow our guidelines when we don't always follow His?

So, do we give up? Do we forgo any kind of discipline or instruction when it may or may not produce the desired results? Of course not. We have the God-given duty as parents to set a good example for our children. We've been tasked with the responsibility of teaching them right from wrong. We pray, we love, we teach. We pour our very hearts and souls into our children.

But what if it's not enough?

Here's where faith comes in. And it's so hard to put our children in God's hands. He can change their hearts when our words can't. He can direct them back to the right path when we can't see the way.

So there is hope in raising our children. God has a special plan for each of them. That's the guarantee we have as parents.

African Peanut Soup

This is an unusual, tasty soup with peanut butter as an ingredient. To my knowledge, I had never eaten soup with peanut butter before, so this was a first for me. I wasn't sure how well it would blend with tomatoes to create something the kids would eat, but they both enjoyed it very much. It was even better the second day.

Here's what you need:

1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
3 teas minced garlic
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 cartons beef or chicken broth
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/4 teas chili powder
1/4 teas salt
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
2/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
extra peanuts for garnish

In a large pan, cook the onion and pepper in olive oil until tender. Add the minced garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Don't let the garlic burn.

Stir in the tomatoes, broth, chicken, chili powder and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the rice and give it a good stir. Cover the pan and continue simmering for 20-30 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir in the peanut butter until well blended. Garnish with additional chopped peanuts.

Menu Plan March 5-11

Last week was crazy busy, along with some crazy weather. I'm hoping for a slower, more relaxed week. As if that will ever happen! LOL.

Have you noticed grocery prices creeping up lately? I know rising gas prices contribute to that. So I'm trying to keep my grocery trips to a minimum while using cost-effective menus to save some money. This week's menu is family-friendly AND cheap.

Here's what is one the menu:

Monday
Chicken corn chowder

Tuesday
Baked egg rolls, fried rice

Wednesday
Ravioli, green beans, breadsticks

Thursday
Slammin' Salmon, lemon pepper broccoli

Friday
Homemade pizza

Saturday
Hot dogs with West Virginia hot dog sauce

Sunday
Stuffed Pepper Soup

For more meal planning inspiration, visit Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Chicken Shawarma

I love trying exotic foods, especially Indian and Middle Eastern. I'm not a big fan of spicy, though, so I nearly always have to tone down the spices when cooking these cuisines. But this Chicken Shawarma is wonderful. It's got the right amount of curry and other yummy ingredients to make it tangy and delicious.

Here's what you need:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
3 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 teas curry powder
1 teas garlic powder
1/2 teas sea salt
1/2 teas cumin
1/4 teas turmeric

In a bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice and seasonings. Add the chicken chunks and stir well to coat. Allow the chicken to marinate for about 30 minutes.


Heat a little olive oil in a pan until it's very hot and shimmery. Carefully add half the chicken chunks. Watch for oil splatters. Cook on one side for 4-5 minutes, then stir the meat and continue cooking for another 4-5 minutes. I like a nice browned crust on my chicken, so I cook just a little longer.


Remove from the pan and keep warm. You might need to add a little more oil before cooking the remaining chicken. The second batch will get a little more crusty brown than the first, which is how I like it.


Serve on flatbread with tzatziki sauce.. If you don't want to make flatbread, you can substitute pita bread. Or you don't have to use any bread at all. My kids eat the chicken all by itself and love it that way.