Church Supper #35

Good Sunday Morning everyone! I hope you had a wonderful week and are enjoying your weekend. As many of you know, I spent the sick very ill w/ bronchitis and a sinus infection. Truthfully, I can't remember being that sick in a long, long time. I basically went from the bed to the couch for 4 days straight and if wasn't for Mr. Everyday and my mom this house would have shut down. They both pitched in to help me and take care of Alex so I could rest and recover. God Bless them! For those of you who shared at Church Supper last week, I'm sorry I didn't stop by each post to thank you, but now you know why. I did appreciate everyone who linked up and so enjoyed seeing what you brought! Thanks for stopping by today, have fun and please remember I wish you God's blessings all week long!

Last week's most viewed recipe:

 Baked Not Fried French Fries

From Addicted to Recipes

Congrats! Please feel free to grab my "Featured On" button!

Now, let's eat!

Rules:

1. Feel free to link up as many recipes as you like!

2. Link up to your ACTUAL recipe, not just your homepage. Much easier to find you that way!

3. Include a link back to EMM on your recipe post or grab my button!

4. Leave comments so I can visit you back!

5. Visit at least 2 other sites and tell them you joined them at my Church Supper!

6. Follow my blog here w/ GFC and on Facebook :)

Weekend Company {Guest Blogger Bekki}

Happy Saturday everyone. Today I have a real treat for you! I have an EMM fan here to share a yummy recipe with us. I love when my fans want to guest blog for me b/c I think it's a great way for those who would love to blog but can't full time to get just a little taste for it, all while helping me out and sharing w/ all of you! Remember, if you are ever interested in doing this also, I'm always looking for guests! Please welcome Bekki to EMM and enjoy your weekend!

Hello EMM fans I am Bekki Wilson-Smith. I want to thank Ms. Krista for the opportunity to spend some time with all of you and share a yummy recipe I love.

I am married to my wonderful husband Josh, have a beautiful 12 year old step daughter Amy and 2 furbaby sweethearts Minnie and Shadow. I am a self taught baker/cook. I taught Wilton cake decorating for a while, worked in a grocery store bakery and have even spent time baking wedding/birthday cakes as a hobby on the side. My love for cooking has been since childhood. Spending time with my mother, aunts, and grandmothers. Aiding in their recipes or just being there for the conversation. Its always been a source of calm, peace, and ultimate fulfillment. The idea that you add your love to each recipe and share it with the people you care about is such an amazing blessing to me in more ways then I can ever put on paper. I have decided writing a cookbook was something I could do to share my love of food with family, friends, and whomever else comes my way. I hope your day is blessed with all your favorite things

 

This recipe evolved from a demo I saw Katie Brown do on her show Katie Brown’s workshop. I absolutely love caramel popcorn and rice crispy treats. This recipe is a happy marriage of the two of them. How could that be bad right?!? The measurements came after making the recipe by eyeball measuring. Which I’m certain I am not the only one having to stop and actually grab measuring spoons when making a recipe in order to have “actual” measurements. I took the first batch to a church function and got raved reviews. So again for Easter morning breakfast I had to add this recipe to the table once again. With a huge applause. So here it is… In all its glory!

Enjoy!

Caramel Popcorn Treats

3 tbs. butter or margarine

1 10oz. Package marshmallows

3 packages butter lovers’ microwave popcorn

½ c. mini chocolate chips

¼ c butterscotch chips

Caramel sauce for drizzling

Cooking spray for lining pan

1. Follow package directions to pop microwave popcorn.

  *Note*: To ensure you get no unpopped kernels in your dish; Allow popcorn to cool slightly. Before opening shake bag to allow kernels to fall to the bottom of bag. Tilt bag to the side and slowly drop kernels into another bowl.

2. In a large saucepan or medium stockpot melt butter over medium heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

3. Add popcorn and stir until well coated.

4. With a buttered spatula evenly press mixture into a 9x13x2 pan lined with foil and coated with cooking spray.

5. Sprinkle chocolate and butterscotch chips over the top.

6. Drizzle caramel sauce over the top as desired. *a little extra is always great

*Note* : I used the one made for caramel milk, because of the ease of the squeeze bottle.

Cool completely and cut in desired size squares 

Pin It

Strectch A Buck

Are there dishes you know, because of your budget, you can only make once in a while or for special occasions? I'm sure for some of you it might be steak, or maybe fresh seafood. Because let's face it, neither of those is cheap! Now I'm lucky enough to have a freezer full of beef, so we can have steak whenever we like, but seafood would definitely be on my list; along with ribs, pork tenderloin and even certain vegetables! Fresh produce is not very budget friendly, when it's not in season. The reality of the matter is this is probably why certain families don't eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies. They can't afford them! And I completely sympathize with them. It's not easy to feed your family in today's economy, and I think we all struggle to stay on budget and still provide our loved ones w/ healthy, tasty meals. Here is a perfect example of that. We love stuffed peppers. Seriously, Alex asks me make them every other week! But to make a meal of them, it takes six peppers, two for each of us, and until peppers come back into season, or even better we can buy them at our local farmer's market this summer, it's kind of pricey. Even at our discount grocery store, peppers are running between 75 and 88 cents each! Now if that were the only produce item I was buying, it wouldn't be that bad, but I'm not that girl. I would say at least 1/3-1/2 of my shopping cart each week is filled w/ fresh fruits and veggies. So how do I still make my family a great meal they love, and not spend a bundle? Why put it into a casserole of course! I have the meat on hand, rice is cheap, cut the amount of peppers by a third, add some store bought sauce and you've got a dish w/ all the flavors they love, but is much easier on the wallet! Now I realize this concept doesn't work for all of those meals you love but can't afford (I don't suggest making a lobster and steak casserole) but if there is a way to make it work, try it! Saving money and still making my boys say "yum" at the end of a meal is my job and I take it very seriously!

Unstuffed Pepper Casserole Adapted from Kraft
1 lb. ground beef or turkey
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 tsp garlic salt
2 c. minute rice, cooked
1 (26oz) jar spaghetti sauce
2 c. mozzarella cheese, divided
Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet over medium heat brown beef. Add peppers, garlic salt, and pepper. Saute until beef is cooked through. Drain if necessary. Return to skillet. Add rice, sauce and 3/4 cup cheese. Mix well. Grease a 9x11 baking dish. Add beef mixture. Top w/ remaining cheese. Bake for 25 minutes until heated through and cheese melts.
*NOTE* If prepared ahead, increase cooking time to 35-40 minutes.

Shared on The Country Cook Apr. 13, 2012
Shared on Make Ahead Meals Apr. 16, 2012

Casseroles at Very Good Recipes
Pin It

Purple With A Captial P {Gooseberry Patch Review and Giveaway}

Yes that's right, I am happy to be bringing yet another Gooseberry Patch cookbook. I swear, I become like a kid again each time I am lucky enough to team up those great folks! I just love reading, cooking from, and sharing their recipes and ideas. This time I was asked to review "Fresh from the Farmstand" and with the summer months coming, nothing could be more perfect to bring into my home b/c one of our favorite warm weather activities is visiting our local farmers' markets and filling our fridge w/ locally grown produce. This book has over 200 easy to make recipes encouraging the use of veggies and fruits in every meal from breakfast to dessert!

Now unfortunately none of our local stands are open yet, but as luck would have it, I have a stash in my freezer for moments just like this. The minute I saw this recipe I knew it would be one to try. See, my "boys" are raspberry fiends. They love them in whatever way they can get them. Now, I am not as big of a fan as they are, but if I take the time to bake something, you can bet I'm going to eat it! However,  when I saw the word "custard" in this recipe it totally intrigued me. I am a custard lover. I love peach custard pie, rhubarb custard and of course sugar cream, b/c it's nothing but custard! So I figured the boys could get their berry fix, me my custard one and a happy family we would have. Now I will admit, while baking I thought this pie would never set. I was convinced I had messed up big time using frozen (thawed) berries. But by golly, it finally did, and I was breathing a sigh of relief. I have never seen a pie this color of purple before, and on top of being absolutely delicious, it is gorgeous! If you would like to get a copy of this cookbook for yourself and try this recipe and so many more, scroll down and enter to win!

Raspberry Custard Pie

1 1/2-2 c. raspberries (if using frozen, thawed and well drained)
1 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 TBS flour
1 tsp salt
1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked (if frozen, follow directions for thawing)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine eggs and sour cream. Mix well. In another bowl place raspberries. Sprinkle w/ sugar, flour and salt. Toss gently to coat. Add to egg mixture and mix well. Pour into crust and bake 45 minutes or until set. Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
*NOTE* I baked mine on a cookie sheet for accidental spills. It also took 1 hour to bake. I kept mine in the fridge.

Recipe Submitted by Sarah Swanson~ Noblesville, IN and found on page 206

Shared on The Country Cook Apr. 13, 2012
Shared on Make Ahead Meals Apr. 16, 2012

    Now for the Giveaway!!

Rules:

1. This contest is open to US Residents 18 and older ONLY.

2. The winner will be chosen by Random.org 

3. The winner will be notified by email and Facebook. He/she will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

4. When leaving comments for entries, they MUST BE SEPARATE ones AND include an email address so it's easy for me to find the winner. If entries are together, it will only count as (1) and if no email, entry will not be considered.

5. If any of the extra entries are items you are already doing, please just remind me!

6. Contest Ends: Monday, April 30, 2012 12am EST

One Lucky Winner Will Receive
(1) Fresh from the Farmstand Cookbook

Mandatory Entry:

1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite pie!

Extra Entries:

1. Follow Gooseberry Patch on Twitter. Leave a comment saying you've done so.

2. Become a fan of Gooseberry on Facebook. Leave a comment when you've done so.

3.Leave a comment on Gooseberry's blog. Then come back here and leave a comment telling me you've done so.

4. Join the Gooseberry Patch Circle of Friends email club. Leave a comment here when you have.

5. Follow EMM through GFC, Linky Followers, or Networked Blogs. Homepage, left hand side. Leave a comment when you have.

6. Follow EMM on Twitter. Leave a comment when you are.

7. Follow me on Pinterest and leave a comment.

That makes up to 8 entries per person!!!

Good Luck!

GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED

I See A Pattern

Upon sharing yet another chicken recipe w/ you last week I declared it acceptable b/c we can all use more and more recipe for everyone's favorite poultry. Well, here I am again typing a post about chicken. I would say I am sorry (and if you are bored by this, I truly am) but I think we all find ourselves opening the freezer, pulling out a package of chicken and deciding later what to do w/ it. It's too simple not to. However, this recipe didn't come about b/c of me wanting to use chicken again, it happened b/c I have a bottle of Balsamic Vinegar in the cupboard I need to use up! I've been making a marinade for chicken out of lemon, olive oil, and garlic for years now so I decided why not just build on that?  Sounded like a good idea to me; and oh it was. After marinating all day, the acid in the vinegar and lemon began to break down the protein in the chicken to the point that after it was cooked you could cut it w/ a fork it was so tender. Not to mention moist with juices running out of it! Now I have something new to use that bottle of vinegar for, and just in time for grilling season. How convenient!

Balsamic Lemon Chicken
1 1/2-2 lbs. chicken tenders, or your choice
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 TBS dried basil
2 garlic cloves minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dried Parsley for garnish

In a large bowl, place thawed chicken pieces. Combine all other ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. When ready to cook, preheat grill to medium. Spray w/ nonstick spray. Place chicken on grill and cook until juices run clear, about 5 minutes per side. Garnish w/ dried parsley.
*NOTE* I am sure if this was used on chicken w/ skin it would get much more brown and crisp. It would also be wonderful cooked in the oven, or stove top. 

Chicken at Very Good Recipes
Pin It