Day 24 - Tasty Tuesday...

On this last Tasty Tuesday for The First 25 Days of 2012 I'm going to share an easy recipe that is greatly enjoyed around here. This is one of the easiest dinners for me to make - Easy Stromboli!

Easy Stromboli

1 loaf frozen bread dough
4 oz block of Mozzarella cheese
pepperoni
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Around lunch time I get the loaf of dough out of the freezer. I don't follow the package directions exactly...so here's how I do it. I place the loaf on a cookie sheet lined and sprayed with cooking spray, then cover it with a piece of plastic wrap (also sprayed). I preheat my oven to it's lowest temperature (170 degrees) and turn off the oven, then place the loaf in the oven.

At dinner time I preheat the oven to 375 and stretch the thawed loaf out on the cookie sheet, alot like making a pizza crust. Once stretched, I layer my filling...which can be anything that you like on pizza...

I start be slicing the block of Mozzarella cheese, laying it down the center of the dough. Then top with as much pepperoni as preferred. On top of the pepperoni, sprinkle the cup of shredded Mozzarella. Fold the sides in, over the top of the filling. Pinch down the outside seam. Spray top with cooking spray and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake in the 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cool Stromboli for about 5 minutes. Cut and enjoy! Great with sauce for dipping, too.

See the linky parties I typically join in on the right sidebar.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for the LAST day of The First 25 Days of 2012...my birthday, remember :) So we can celebrate and have my first GIVEAWAY!

The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped:

therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth;

with my song will I praise Him.

Psalm 28:7

Amanda

Day 17 - Tasty Tuesday...

Today's Tasty Tuesday of The First 25 Days of 2012 also lands me on my 100th post...COOL! When I first started formulating the idea for The First 25 Days of 2012 I didn't even realize that it would also include this bloggy milestone...but it's a great place to include it!

Now for today's recipe...

It is technically named Mexican Relish, but around here the vegetables are a little chunkier and it is eaten on tortilla chips as salsa! So,

Mexican Salsa

6 large ripe tomatoes                               ¼ cup salt

12 green peppers                                     3 cups vinegar

4 cups chopped onions                            3 cups sugar

1 Habanero peppers                                5 Jalapeno peppers

Chop all the vegetables, add salt, and drain overnight. Boil vinegar & sugar for 5 minutes. Add the drained mixture of vegetables and bring back to a boil. Pour relish into 5 pint jars and seal in a water-bath canner for 35 minutes. [The Habanaero and Jalapenos add some heat to the mixture...however, this many still made it only a medium salsa - to me :)]

Chad loves this and did a lot of the work for it this past canning season...he even grew the Habanero and jalapeno peppers for in it. We still have enough vegetables in the freezer to make some more...except the onions :) So, soon we may make some Mexican 'winter' salsa - almost would fit this winter since here in northwestern PA we are having a very mild winter! Only 2 snow storms so far...and it warms to above freezing in between - even rain last night!

This recipe is from one of the best selling Pennsylvania Grange Cookbooks ever...the one first printed in 1972.

It's a great cookbook that I remember using when I began cooking around the age of 12 [however, I'm not using that copy - that one fell apart years ago!]. The only thing I dislike is that it has no index of the recipes...so, if you know which one you want, but don't remember the page its on...start flipping pages! It does, however, have a Table of Contents for the sections in the book. Oh, and no pictures :) but this has classic home style recipes!

I have set the LORD always before me:

because he is at my right hand,

I shall not be moved.

Psalm 16:8

Today, I was reading in Psalm 14, but noticed the pink highlighted verse on the other page... Psalm 16:8. It made me think about how we need to be - putting the LORD first! When we do this we can rest assure that we will not be as easily deceived or drawn away from the truths of our faith...

For me, some of those truths include: 

* Jesus was born of a virgin (Luke 2:27-32)  *

* died as a sinless man (that was also God) - through a sinners death -

to pay my penalty of sin (the Gospels) *

* He rose again and lives in Heaven...

and He is the only way to Heaven! (John 14:6) *

* the Holy Bible is the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16) *

Amanda



Day 10 - Tasty Tuesday...

Ready for another recipe? Today on the 10th day of The First 25 Days of 2012, I'm going to share an appetizer recipe with you. Once a week we have started having a dinner where we have appetizers as our dinner and play games [usually only one :) but it will probably be more (or longer games) as the girls get bigger].

So, about a week and a half ago we had these...

Savory Parmesan Bites

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 (8oz) cans of refrigerator crescent rolls

Soften cream cheese, then stir in Parmesan cheese, pepper and parsley.

Unroll the crescent rolls, separate into four rectangles (per can). Spread cream cheese mixture on each and roll-up from short edge. Cut each roll into 4 pieces. Bake on cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes.

* Extra's freeze well.

They can be a little 'hot', so for the girls I left out the red pepper flakes...but added crumbled bacon.

On this night we played Through the Desert...around our house - 'Camels'!

It's a placement strategy game that at 3, Liz can play...although she doesn't really get the concept of strategic placement yet :)

Our Appetizer & Game Festival night is still a little chaotic because little hands want the pieces and are not easily distracted from what's going on on the table.

We love this game...Chad and I even had our highest scores yet when we last played - but he still whomped on me, but I think I'm getting used to him winning!

Also, today Chad's parents were married 31 years ago...

so, I'd like to wish them a

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

For God so loved the world,

that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,

but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

Amanda

Day 3 - Tasty Tuesday...

It's the 3rd day of the New Year and it is blustery cold...

This is our second day of Lake Effect snow...I Love It!... but that's probably because I don't have to leave the house :) On Sunday night the ground was bare, by Monday morning everyone was out snowblowing and shoveling.

So, on this Tasty Tuesday of The First 25 Days of 2012, I'm going to share one of my favorite soup recipes...Corn Chowder.

We love this soup around here, and the best part is that it taste good with a variety of meat...so you can use what you have on hand (relatively speaking).

Corn Chowder

1 can corn

2 - 10.5 oz. cans of condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tube bulk sausage, fried/crumbled and drained

      or 2 cups diced ham

      or a pkg of bacon, cooked and crumbled

      or 2 cups diced Italian sausage

Egg Dumplings

Salt and Pepper  (your preference)

Combine corn, soup, broth, and meat in large sauce pan/small dutch oven and bring to a boil...stir regularly to help reduce sticking on bottom of pan. (Also, spraying the pan first with cooking spray helps with cleanup.) Once soup is boiling, add egg dumplings. Once all are stirred in, cook about another 10 to 15 minutes. Serve.

Egg Dumplings

2 eggs
1/4 tsp baking powder
flour

Whisk eggs with baking powder. Stir in enough flour to make a slightly sticky dough. Add salt and pepper if wanted. Drop into boiling soup in small amounts (about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.)

I hope this warm, hearty soup helps you through the winter months.

On another note, I wanted to mention that I do have a Facebook page for the blog, so if you have any comments and don't have a way to comment here on the blog, feel free to visit Facebook to join the conversation. I will also open comments for the giveaway on FB too, when the time comes...hope everyone has a chance to join in :)

The LORD hath heard my supplication;

the LORD will receive my prayer.

Psalm 6:9

It is wonderful to know that I serve a God that listens and cares about our requests...even we ask that our children to go to sleep :) However, they don't always get answered as quickly as we like or the way we want, but it is always what is right for us.

Learn to pray more, and rely on self less...
Amanda