Veronica’s Cornucopia Turns 2!

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Veronica

OK, so maybe my blog title is less than a year old, but this blog (originally Recipe Rhapsody) is now two years old! Last year at this time I did a top ten for both your favorites and mine, and I thought it would be fun to do it again, this time just looking at the past year.

First, here are your favorites, based on the number of views this year.

10. Cherry Cordials (Chocolate-Covered Cherries). I first made these for Dennis for Valentine’s Day two years ago, and I repeated the gift this year since he liked it so well. Homemade candy is so much better than store-bought!

9. Chicken Ranch Tacos. Such a simple and tasty meal!

8. Sunflower Peeps Cake & Fudge Frosting Recipe. I love this idea for an Easter cake-it’s so cute!

7. Soft Caramels. LOVE these. So good, and fairly easy to make. This photo was the first that Foodgawker ever accepted from me and I remember how excited I was! They haven’t accepted many since and I’ve finally given up (for now). I haven’t sumbitted anything for almost a year! I’ll try again when I get a better camera.

6. THE Mocha Crunch Cake. My favorite cake!

5. Green Chile Chicken & Lime Soup. This is one of my all-time favorite soups, and I’m glad you like it too!

4. Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies. These babies won me first place in the “refrigerator cookies” class in last year’s fair and although they are pretty involved for a cookie, they are so worth the effort! FYI: the sour cream sugar cookie dough in this recipe also won me second place in the sugar cookies class!

3. Cookies ‘n Cream Cake. Oh, how I hate Oreos (yeah, I’m a freak), but oh, how I love this cake. It is just incredible, and so easy.

2. Cupcake Bites. They are pretty exciting aren’t they? I think so too. :)

1. For the second year in a row, Cake Pops earns top ranking with you guys! This cake pops post is responsible for a third of my total views, which blows my mind. When I posted this tutorial, I had no idea it would become so popular.

Ready for my top ten? Here we go, my favorites from the past year.

Favorite Beverage: Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

Favorite breakfast: Cornmeal Griddle Cakes

Favorite bread: Lighter Northern Cornbread

Favorite side dish: Dilly Cucumber Salad

Favorite main dish recipe: Cheeseburger Pie

Favorite vegetarian recipe: Corn, Avocado & Black Bean Tostadas

Favorite “diet friendly” dish: Garlic Chicken & Bacon Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Favorite dessert: Chocolate Sheet Cake

Favorite non-food post: Life with Dennis Miller

Favorite video: The Happy Cake Maker OK, I cheated, this is an old one but still my favorite! (Click the link, not the picture, if you’d like to watch.)

Update: the giveaway below is now closed. Congrats to Rani!!

If you made it all the way to the end of this post, I’m going to make it worth your stamina! :) In celebration of my second blogoversary, I’m giving away a $50 Amazon gift card. To enter to win the gift card, just leave a comment telling me what your favorite post was, or what you would like to see on my blog in the future. Comments that don’t include this won’t be counted for the drawing. Giveaway is open until Thursday, November 17, 2011, at 10 PM CST. I will draw a winner using random.org and announce the winner on Friday. Good luck!

Thank you for reading! You make this little hobby of mine so much more fulfilling! :)

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Posted in Announcements & Awards. Bookmark the permalink.

Cookie Swap Update

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Veronica

There is just one week remaining until the sign-up deadline for the cookie swap and things are looking pretty great! I beat my goal of 50 participants with 55 to date! Here’s the break down:

37 USA participants with no restrictions

3 USA participants, gluten-free

7 Netherlands participants

3 Germany participants

2 Australia participants

1 Canada participant

1 Belgium participant

1 South Africa participant

I need a minimum of five in each group to include them so we still need 2 gluten-free US participants, 2 from Germany, 3 from Australia, and 4 from Canada, Belgium, and South Africa. If you know of someone in any of these groups/countries that might like to participate, please tell them about the swap!

Spread the word!

I don’t want to leave anyone out, so please spread the word as far and wide as you can. Using this link, you can pin the Cookie Swap logo on Pinterest, link to the swap on Facebook, and tweet it on Twitter. If you have a blog, I would be so grateful if you could mention the swap in one of your regular posts. Please help me get enough people in every group so no one is left out!

Also, if you haven’t signed up and would like to, click here and you will be taken directly to the sign-up form, which includes the dates & information you will need.

To close, I thought I’d share my latest cookie finds from Pinterest.

Pecan Pie Cookies…I’m in trouble. Pecan Pie is my favorite. Cookies are my favorite. I would attack these like a crazy spider monkey.

Source: bakersroyale.com via Veronica on Pinterest

These are called “Caramel Apple Cookies” but the only thing close to caramel that’s in them is toffee bits (which actually sounds better than caramel to me right now)…so I think I’d use my caramel bits in them instead…or just call them “Toffee Apple Cookies.” But that doesn’t sound as cool.

Source: bakersroyale.com via Veronica on Pinterest

Some cookies I could just stare at all day. Like these beautiful Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies.

Source: annies-eats.net via Veronica on Pinterest

Or these Pretzel Cookies with Chocolate and Peanut Butter. I think I want these most right now. I love salty and sweet combos!

Source: sugarcooking.blogspot.com via Veronica on Pinterest

Here’s another way to get your chocolate and peanut butter: Magic in the Middle Cookies!

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Veronica on Pinterest

Why has it been three years since I’ve made Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies?! Oh yeah, because I attacked the last batch like a crazy spider monkey and my underwear went up a size that I never lost. But they are so. pretty. Can’t you just taste them?

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Veronica on Pinterest

Last but not least, since I included some fall cookies last week, I had to share this adorable cookie idea for winter:

Source: crazydomestic.com via Veronica on Pinterest

Thankful Thursdays #50: the sound of love

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Veronica

I made a thanksgiving resolution after Thanksgiving last year to find something to be thankful for every day until next Thanksgiving. Every Thursday, I usually recount what was thankful for every day of the past week, but I’m doing something a little different this week, focusing on a subject and fleshing it out, exploring it to see all the ways I can be thankful for it.

I got a truly wonderful phone message early in the week that gave me the warm gooey’s, and it got me thinking about how love can be felt with all senses, and not just as an emotion. Have you ever thought about that? I bet if you start to, you will think of all the ways you have ever seen it, felt it, smelled it, tasted it, and even heard it.

This message from my Aunt Ruby made me realize that I had just heard love coming through the phone at me and I started thinking about other ways I hear love. So this week, here are seven ways I am thankful for the sound of love.

(Sorry about the speaker buzzing-it happened b/c of the phone’s signal interacting with my camera.)

Aunt Ruby is my Dad’s sister, so she knows how much I help him because of his stroke. Although I don’t do it to garner praise, nor am I doing the cupcake fundraiser for my sister for that reason, it was so nice to get such a warm, loving message of thanks. I usually can not accept thanks or compliments and throw them back at the person, making light of them and belittling myself because I do not feel worthy. So I was thankful for this message because I didn’t have the option of throwing it back at her since I wasn’t speaking to her in person, and I could just absorb her words and take them into my heart. I need to work on being able to accept nice things people say to me, because taking her words in felt so good.

***

The sound of Jessie’s love for me is the quick scamper of toenails across the linoleum floor in the kitchen as she runs to the door to greet me when I get home. It’s the sound of her quick, happy panting and the sound of her leg thumping as I scratch her belly. But when her friend, Doc, is over, the sound of doggie love gets much louder:

***

The sound of my mother’s love for me is probably different than most. It doesn’t include her saying the words, “I love you,” because she has never said them. But she doesn’t have to for me to know that she loves me deeply. Her love shows best in her actions, how she has always taken care of me, even as an adult when she stayed with me every day I was in the hospital and nursed me back to health (that story is here), but I do hear it when she asks me for every detail of how I made a dessert that she is raving over, and when she compliments an outfit I’m wearing. It’s the sound of her humongous laugh at something funny I’ve said. Maybe that sounds strange because that wouldn’t necessarily imply love for most people, but I know it’s how she tells me she loves me and it’s good enough for me.

***

The sound of my father’s love is funny too, because he will repeat “I love you” if I say it to him, but in my family those are strange words so more often, the sound of his love is him offering me something of his, like a plate he had with a poem about a daughter on it (I have it on display in my office now), or him trying to push money off on me to pay me for cutting his hair, etc. I guess I might also be thankful for the sound of his love because it usually means I’m getting some money. ;)

***

The sound of love for God is one of my favorites, because to me it is the sound of His children singing praises to him, and I can not think of a sound I find more beautiful. I can’t imagine how amazing the sound will be when we are in heaven singing with the angels in chorus when it is so lovely here on Earth!

The following song is a favorite hymn of mine, which is based off of God’s greatest commands to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to also love one another as we love him (There’s that “love” word again, see how this is all intertwined?). It is sung like a round, but each vocal section has different words. The beauty of it grows as the bass joins the altos, then the tenors chime in, and finally it climaxes into an orchestra of voices when the sopranos join in.

I kind of think that while this song is certainly is a good example of the sound of our love for God, it is also the sound of God’s love for us because when we sing it, we are taking the Word he has given us and using our voices to make it not only audible, but beautiful.

Alto:
Love one another, for love is of God.
He who loves is born of God;
And knows God.
He who does not love, does not know God,
For God is love, God is love, God is love.

Bass:
Love bears all things,
Believes all things,
Love hopes all things,
Endures all things.

Tenor:
God is love, God is love, God is love.
God is love, God is love, God is love.
God is love, God is love, God is love,
God is love, God is love, God is love.

Soprano:
Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
With all thy soul, all thy strength,
All thy mind.
Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
For God is love, God is love, God is love.

***

And this. This is the first reason I had for considering the sound of love. My husband plays the guitar almost every day and one day I asked, “Do you think you’ll ever write a song for me?” Well, you guys know my husband is nearly infallible in my eyes, but a romantic he is not, and he said, “I never thought about it before.” (He also proposed without a ring and covered in drywall dust, but that doesn’t change the way I feel about him!) But a couple months later, he presented me with this. So, you see, he may not be a natural romantic but he is very sweet and thoughtful and caring and this is the sound of his feelings for me, the sound of his love. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

*Sol Naciente means Rising Sun in Spanish

Can you think of a “sound of love” that you are thankful to have in your life?

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Less-Mess Bacon

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Veronica

Now you don’t need a splatter guard when you fry bacon! Bakin’ bacon makes the process so simple, and you get perfect, nice & flat strips of bacon just like you get at a restaurant. Plus, no flipping!

P.S. When I first started trying to think of blog names, I liked “Bakin’ & Bacon” because it indicated my blog would include both sweet and savory recipes, plus it’s cute & clever, but when I Googled it, it was already taken. Not only that, but Bacon & Bakin’ was taken too. Guess I’m not the only one that loves that name! I also had to nix “My Kitchen Addiction,” and “My Baking Addiction.” But I’m happy with the name I ended up with! And I liked Recipe Rhapsody, my former name, too. Though I can’t take credit for that one, Dennis came up with it!

Less-Mess Bacon

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil or parchment paper, then lay the bacon strips flat, making sure pieces do not overlap. Bake until crisp and browned, 15 to 18 minutes, or to desired doneness, rotating the sheets once. Transfer strips to a paper towel to drain.

Recipe source: marthastewart.com

13 Comments

Posted in Breakfast, Meats and tagged bacon, baked, easy, how to make bacon, less mess, recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Veronica

I found this recipe on Picky Palate and saved it for Thanksgiving, but wanted to give it a trial run beforehand. I do crazy things like enter pumpkin bread into state fair competitions without ever having made the recipe before or since, but I try not to pull surprises on my family. I can deal with not winning a ribbon, but I have a reputation to uphold when it comes to loved ones! ;)

I ended up making this for the CFC bake sale at work and my co-workers raved! After sampling a piece myself, I had decided it wasn’t that exciting and I wasn’t going to bring it to Thanksgiving dinner at my in-law’s, but after all the raving, I gave it a second chance and tried another piece. Maybe it was the power of suggestion, or maybe my palate just wasn’t ready to handle cake for breakfast when I tried the first piece, but I enjoyed the second piece so well that I’m now reconsidering this for turkey day.

The cake is very, extremely, uber moist, and the swirls of cinnamon filling are very complimentary to the pure pumpkin flavor. The color is a very nice orange, which I liked, and the simple glaze is a perfect compliment, really finishing off the “cinnamon roll” feel of the cake. The size of the cake makes it great for a big family gathering because it can easily be cut into 24 slices or more, whereas a normal layer cake would only be 16 pieces at best. It’s nice to have a “small dessert” option after filling up on turkey and stuffing! Or, let’s be honest, so you can enjoy more than one dessert. :)

Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

Cake
1 (18.25 oz) box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk (I used water)
1 (3.4 oz) box vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

Cinnamon filling
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Glaze
3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a jelly roll pan with non stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine all cake ingredients in a large bowl and beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Mix the filling ingredients together, then drizzle mixture evenly over cake. Take a knife and run it through to swirl the filling into the batter.

Bake cake for 30-35 minutes, until cooked through and remove. Mix glaze ingredients until creamy and smooth. Drizzle over warm cake then let cool for 20 minutes before cutting into squares. Store covered until ready to serve, refrigerating if not serving within the next day.

Recipe source: Picky Palate

12 Comments

Posted in Cake & Frosting and tagged baking, cake, celebration, cinnamon roll, fall, family, gathering, holiday, pumpkin, recipe, sheet cake, thanksgiving. Bookmark the permalink.

Fiesta Chicken & Southwest Cornbread Casserole

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Veronica

Oy, the ugly deliciousness of a casserole! I know there are amazing photographers that can make a scoop of casserole look great on a plate, but that has never been my fortune. As you can tell. Check out my King Ranch Chicken Casserole if you need further proof. Barfola.

All I have to say is, don’t judge a book by its cover. My buddy, Marina, submitted this recipe last year when I was hosting the BSI contest on my blog, and I ended up making it as soon as she sent it. After reading through it, I think you’ll see why I had to make it ASAP. Seriously–look at the ingredients in the recipe below. Whipping cream, butter, bacon grease and bacon? There is enough fat in there to make Paula Deen die a happy death.

Believe me, this casserole is in-cre-di-ble. Please make it and judge it by the flavor, not my photo skills. :)

Fiesta Chicken & Southwest Cornbread Casserole

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

½ cup onions, chopped
½ cup butter
½ cup flour
1 (10 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups chicken broth or stock
3 tablespoons Tabasco Green Pepper sauce (optional)
4 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained
1 (11 oz) can Mexicorn, drained
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
Southwest cornbread (recipe follows)
1 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese

SOUTHWEST CORNBREAD:
1 ½ cup flour
½ cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup bacon dripping
1 large egg
1 cup yellow kernel corn, drained
10 slices crisp bacon, crumbled
1 (4 oz) can Ortega chopped green chilies
½ cup minced green onions
½ cup grated Monterrey Jack Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Sauté onions in butter until soft. Add flour and blend well. Add soup, whipping cream, broth, and Tabasco green pepper sauce (if using). Cook until thick. Add chicken, tomatoes, corn and chilies.Pour chicken mixture into a large deep 13-inch casserole baking dish and set aside.

Mix the first 6 ingredients for the Southwest Cornbread together and set aside. In a separate small bowl, beat together the buttermilk, bacon dripping and egg. Stir in dry ingredients only until moistened: DO NOT OVER MIX. Batter will be lumpy. Stir in corn, crumbled bacon, chilies, onions and cheese. Spoon batter over the top of the casserole and spread to edge of casserole covering chicken completely. Sprinkle with 1 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving so it can set up a little.

Serves 9-12

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Posted in Main Dishes, Mexican. Bookmark the permalink.

Cookie Love

Posted on November 5, 2011 by Veronica

I may have mentioned before that my favorite food group is cookies. In my perfect world, the food pyramid would have cookies at the bottom, dips next, then all other desserts, then all other carbs like bread, pasta, and potatoes, then fruits and veggies, and at the very top, to be eaten sparingly, would be meat. Alas, that isn’t very balanced and eating that way would kill me, but a girl can dream. ;)

Funny that although I love cookies more than anything else, I rarely make them. I may have also mentioned before that I rarely make treats that I REALLY like because I can’t control myself around them. Seriously, it isn’t unusual for me to eat more than a dozen cookies when I bake them. It’s ridiculous.

But I’m getting really excited about the upcoming cookie swaps I’m participating in. There’s the one for bloggers, and there’s the worldwide cookie swap I’m hosting for non-bloggers (sign up here!). I’m buying half-price Halloween candy left and right, justifying it with my husband by telling him, “this would be great in cookies!”

I thought I would share some cookie eye candy I’ve come across on Pinterest. I haven’t decided which cookies I’ll be mailing for the swaps, but I’m saving the ones I’m considering for myself! I want the person that gets my cookies to be surprised so there are no spoilers below. Still, it doesn’t hurt to drool a little over these beauties.

How delicious and soft do these almond cookies look?

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Veronica on Pinterest

How cute would these be for Thanksgiving? Pumpkin-shaped peanut butter cookies!

Source: pillsbury.com via Veronica on Pinterest

Apple Cider Caramel Cookies. Just look at those chewy middles. I die.

Source: scrambledhenfruit.blogspot.com via Veronica on Pinterest

Another adorable fall cookie–no baking required! Chocolate and Peanut Butter Acorns

Source: sixinthesuburbsblog.blogspot.com via Veronica on Pinterest

Cinnamon and Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pie Cookies (!!!)

Source: keepitsweetblog.com via Veronica on Pinterest

These Oreo Pudding Cookies have Hershey’s Cookies ‘n Cream candy bars in the middle! Aaaaa!

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Veronica on Pinterest

Another easy but completely and utterly deliciously over-the-top cookie. I so have to do this.

Source: cookiesandcups.com via Veronica on Pinterest

And I even drool over healthy cookies, like these Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bakes!

Source: chocolatecoveredkatie.com via Veronica on Pinterest

Now, after eying all these gorgeous treats, aren’t you in the mood to do some cookie swapping? So far there are 18 people signed up (yay!) and I would like to beat my personal goal of 50 participants. That would be 150 dozen cookies being sent in the mail-that’s a lot of love going around! :) I have two participants from Germany and one from Australia, so if you are outside the US, please consider signing up so these guys will be able to participate (I only match people within the same country). Ready to swap cookies? Click here to sign up!

Have a blessed weekend!

**Update: just 20 minutes after posting this, we’ve got another Australian and now a South African, plus another handful of Americans, bringing the total to 25 – halfway to my goal. I’m really thinking we’ll beat my goal by the end of today! This makes me do a lot of this: :D This Christmas will not only be extra merry for everyone sending and receiving cookies, but for the postal employees (worldwide!) who have increased job security because of it. Thanks everyone, you rock!*

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Posted in The Postcard Project and tagged christmas, cookie swap, fall cookies, love, recipes. Bookmark the permalink.

How To Make a Splatter-Proof Recipe Binder

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Veronica

A couple years ago I got sick of the huge collection of recipes I had in different locations throughout my house. A file in the filing cabinet marked “recipes.” A couple binders with uncategorized hole-punched recipes that were falling out and splattered with batter and grease because I used the recipes so often. A stack of them on my computer desk. Fed up, I finally made a binder to keep my favorite tried-and-true recipes in. The ones I make over and over again and want easy access to.

My friend, Teri, has a binder very similar and I just copied her idea to create my own. I recently made a starter binder for a friend’s housewarming and took some pictures of the creation process so I could share this idea with you.

Supplies:

1 Presentation View Binder
Transparent Page Protector Sheets
Adhesive Index Tabs
Recipes printed on 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper

For this project, I like to use a binder that has a transparent sheet over the top so you can put a “Title Page” inside of it, of your own design. Using page protector sheets to hold the recipes works well for recipes you use often, because the clear plastic protects the recipe. If you splatter it, you can just wipe it clean before returning the recipe to the binder. It is also more durable and the holes won’t tear as easily as a paper with holes punched in it.

First, write your recipe categories on the paper tabs that come in the index tabs box. Most everyone will use different categories, depending on the type of recipes they use. For instance, I not only have a “Desserts” category in my own, but also divided desserts into three subcategories: cake, pie, and cookies. These are the basic categories you might want to include, adding more if you need to:

Breads
Breakfast
Appetizers & Snacks
Soups & Salads
Main Dishes
Side Dishes
Desserts
Etc. (for beverages, condiments, etc.)

Slip the papers into your tabs and then arrange them in the order you want them to appear in your binder. Put enough page protector sheets in the binder for all the tabs. Remove the backing from the first category you want to use and slip it over the side of the first plastic sheet at the very top, then squeeze so it sticks.

These are quite easy to remove if you mess up or want to change how high or low the tab is positioned, so don’t fret if it’s not exactly how you want it. Gently pry it off and adjust it. Repeat the process with the remaining tabs, placing each one on the sheet below the last and a bit lower on the side so it shows beneath the tab before it. Soon you will have a binder that looks like this:

If you like, you can create title pages for each recipe category, as I did. I searched for images using Google, then copied the ones I liked into a Word document and used the same font that I used on the front of my binder to type the category title below the photo.

To create the title page, I did the same thing and searched for a picture I liked (I remember searching for cooking related coloring pages and liked the old-time feel of the one I chose). For the side title, I printed it in a Word document in landscape format in the middle of the page, then folded it to fit the pocket, and with much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I finally managed to get it in. It is difficult to get a paper in that tight spot, so you definitely want to use a folded paper for its sturdiness, or cardstock.

All that’s left is to fill the binder with recipes!

I have this slow cooker enchilada chile recipe posted here.

I put my blank page protector sheets in the front of my binder, before the recipes so that when I want to add a new one, I slip it in, then put it in the correct spot in my binder. I give each recipe its own sheet to make it easier to alphabetize them, therefore they are easier to find, but eventually I will have to start putting two recipes into each protector sheet (one facing forward, one backward) so that it doesn’t get too thick.

That’s about all there is to it! Very simple and quick. What system do you use for organizing your recipes? I also have about a million and a half saved to my computer into folders with different recipe categories!

19 Comments

Posted in How-To & DIY and tagged categories, cookbook, easy, fast, homemade recipe binder, organize, personal, quick, recipe collection, simple, tabs. Bookmark the permalink.

Thankful Thursdays #49: I’m a loser again!

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Veronica

I made a thanksgiving resolution to find something to be thankful for every day until next Thanksgiving. Here’s what I am thankful for this week!

Thursday: heat, glorious heat! I called Moody Heating and Air (our go-to guys, never been disappointed) and they came out and discovered that a clog in our unit was the only problem. Our total bill, including the $69 diagnostic fee, was just $88! Can’t beat that.

Friday: I passed my probationary period at work! Y’all know I was sweattin’ for a while, thinking I was going to be fired because I clocked in late once by mistake, but I made it! I’m official now! Woot!

Saturday: What to be thankful for on a day when your sister’s shop gets robbed? That she wasn’t in it at the time and no one was hurt, thank God! Speaking of this robbery, if you are in the Wichita area, check out my cupcake fundraiser to help Danielle recover her losses.

Sunday: I had a bad day at work and came to our evening church service feeling bummed and disconsolate. (Nothing bad happened at work, it was just an emotional day for me.) Funny how being surrounded by my family in Christ can turn my frown upside down! AND Thurman was there AGAIN! Yay! We totally held hands. :) (You can read about Thurman here if you missed last week’s thanksgivings.)

Monday: Happy Halloween! I was working but wasn’t too bummed about it. People were dressed up so it felt festive. :) But what I was thankful for was that my hubby was able to join me for lunch (his dinner time) so we could eat together. He snapped this photo of my “costume.” I just attached numbers to the bottom of my striped shirt so I could be a bar code. :)

Tuesday: Diet Rite. I’d rather not be drinking any soda, whether sugar-laden or sugar-free, but I feel less guilty about Diet Rite since it doesn’t have aspartame in it. And it’s just SO nice to enjoy a bubbly cola after work while I’m checking my email. Right now, I really <3 Diet Rite.

Wednesday: This week I made 10 dozen cupcakes for the CFC bake sale at work and for the cupcake fundraiser for my sister, and 5 dozen of my favorite cookies, and I didn’t have a single one. Even better, I didn’t want any! I really don’t know what is up with that, but I hope it lasts. My weight loss for the week is 5 pounds. It’s always easiest the first week, though! Pray my motivation and willpower have staying power. :)

Pictured: Favorite Chocolate Cake, in cupcake form

Pictured: Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

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Posted in Thanksgivings. Bookmark the permalink.

Banana Pepper Roast

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Veronica

Our friends Joe and Marissa (of the “good peas” fame) invited us to lunch after church one day a million years ago, and she served a roast along with many delightful sides. I only took a small portion of the roast ,being much more interested in the salad, her mashed potato casserole, and butternut squash bread, but once I took a bite, I was going back for more. I’m not much of a meat eater, so when I found her roast irresistible, I asked her what her secret was.

“Banana Peppers.”

“Banana peppers?” I repeated, surprised. “What else did you use?”

“That’s it. I just poured a jar of banana peppers over the roast in the crockpot. The acid from the brine really helps tenderize the meat.”

This was so simple, I had to try it at home. I’m just surprised it took me so long! But I’ve made it twice in the past month, to make up for lost time. :)

I adore the salty, piquant flavor the banana peppers & juice impart to the beef, and it really is melt-in-your mouth tender after roasting all day in the slow cooker. And talk about easy! Although Teri taught me to sear the outside of a roast before sticking it in the crockpot, I didn’t even do that. Easy peasy & delicious…squeezy?

I know this combo sounds a bit odd, but you’ve got to try it to believe it! It goes really well with mashed potatoes topped with a pat of butter and garlic salt, as I discovered after taking this picture. :)