Beneficial Thinking

There are many different ways to make Skyline Dip, but here is my family's version...

Ingredients:
1 can refried beans
1 package Philadelphia cream cheese
1 can of Skyline chili (Cincinnati chili), 15 oz.
1 package of mild cheddar cheese, 8 oz.

Directions:

1. In a casserole dish, layer the items in the order listed above (refried beans on the bottom, cheese on the top).
2. Bake in a 350 degree oven or microwave on high until the cheese melts.
3. Serve with tortilla chips.

Ingredients:
2 cans whole water chestnuts
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 package bacon
1 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
toothpicks

Directions:

1. Drain water chestnuts and soak in soy sauce for 15-30 minutes.
2. Remove water chestnuts from soy sauce and wrap in 1/2 slice of bacon, skewer with toothpick, place in baking dish.
   (Note: if water chestnuts are really small, 1/3 slice of bacon will work)
3. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
4. Meanwhile, combine ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce in medium bowl.
5. Remove baking dish from oven and drain grease from the dish. 
6. Dip skewered bacon-wrapped water chestnuts in ketchup mixture and place back in baking dish.
7. Bake for another 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Couple of new things on my menu... will add links if they are worthy!



A special thanks to Laura from "I'm an Organizing Junkie" for hosting Menu Plan Monday!

There is no such thing as a normal week when my husband is playing softball! Two more weeks until that is over and can get back to a calmer life.  Unfortunately, that usually means snow is right around the corner! So, the second week of Meal Plan Monday, on Tuesday!


A special thanks to Laura from "I'm an Organizing Junkie" for hosting Menu Plan Monday!

I absolutely LOVE my SaraBear Baskets!  I have one on each floor full of goodies I use for my son.  When I could keep him on the changing table, it sat on the table next to it.  Now that I change him on the floor I can grab it off the table and bring it down to the floor so everything is in reach and I have something to entertain my dear son with.  And now they are even available at Target and Babies 'R' Us!

Yes, I know it's Tuesday, but since we went out to dinner last night, I postponed my dinner planning a day!


A special thanks to Laura from "I'm an Organizing Junkie" for hosting Menu Plan Monday!

A special thanks to Laura from "I'm an Organizing Junkie" for hosting Menu Plan Monday!

Last night's recipe, from Robin Rescues Dinner, was also worth posting. My only modification would be to cook the chicken for about 20 minutes, drain the grease, then cook for another 25-30 minutes with the sauce. It took about 50 minutes for the chicken to cook through for me. The sauce was pretty sweet, so the sweet potatoes I served with this was probably overkill! May go with mashed potatoes next time. Happy Cooking!


Miller, Robin. Photographs by Ben Fink. "Chicken Thighs with Bourbon Barbecue Sauce." Recipe. Robin Rescues Dinner. Clarkson Potter, 2009. 98.

I'm always a little timid trying out new recipes. There are many times when I try it and either I mess it up or I just flat out don't like it. However, I am so sick of eating the same thing every night that I hit my local library and checked out about 50 cookbooks. I am now bound and determined to try to make something new once a week so I can expand my horizons. This one, from Super Suppers Cookbook is a definite keeper!

I made a mixture of white and brown rice and steamed broccoli to go with it. The only thing I would change would be making more of the marinade so I had more of the sauce to go over the rice and broccoli. Happy Cooking!



Byrd, Judie. "Asian Flank Steak." Recipe. Super Suppers Cookbook. Meredith Books, 2007. 22.

Today will be my first "Tackle it Tuesday" and I'm going to start with my office at work. It seems that if my office at work is neat and tidy when I leave for the day, it makes me want to carry it to my car and then home with me.

BEFORE



What you can't see in the before pictures is the inch of dust that covered all the surfaces.

AFTER




I even went so far as to clean out my drawers and overhead cubbies! Good luck to you as you tackle your Tuesday!

I recently made a tutu for my niece's 3rd birthday. It was so much fun and turned out so cute, that I thought I would share how I made it. For the most part, I followed the instructions from the video I found on YouTube, How to make a no sew tutu, if you want a visual.



Materials:
scissors
ruler
4 - 6" rolls (25 yards each) tulle in the color(s) you want - less if you want a thinner tutu
1" silk ribbon - you'll need the waist size you want plus 20 inches (to make the bow).
other fun ribbons (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut the tulle
   I cut the tulle for this skirt every 24" (most tutus for little girls are probably cut at 20", but I wanted a longer drop... 12" instead of 10").  You may not need to cut all the tulle, but I used almost all four rolls.
   
   
2. Knot the ribbon
   Tie a knot 10" from each end of your ribbon.  The measurement between each knot should be the waist measurement you're looking for.  The good news is, it's easy to adjust if it's a little to big or small.
   
   
3. Decide on your pattern
   Because I didn't want a solid tutu, I bought 3 light purple and 1 dark purple rolls of tulle.  I also wanted a very thick tutu.  (I'm a little modest and didn't want my niece's behind to show through.)  My pattern was 5 doubled-up knots of light, 2 single knots of dark.
   
   
4. Tie on the tulle
   Lay out the ribbon in front of you. Fold a piece of tulle in half (two pieces to double-up), this will create a loop at one end. Thread the looped end under the ribbon, then pull the two (or four if doubled-up) ends through the loop. Pull the tulle tight around the ribbon. It's that easy! A little time consuming, but definitely worth it. (If this part was confusing, watch the video.)
   
   
5. Add embelishments
   When I finished with the tulle, I took coordinating 1/4" ribbon, cut slightly shorter than the tulle, and tied it on with the same tying technique as above. I thought about even sewing little flowers at the bottom, but didn't want to go too far with it in case she didn't like it.

Most of these are new recipes, so will post them if they turn out!

A special thanks to Laura from "I'm an Organizing Junkie" for hosting Menu Plan Monday!