Tomato Selfie {A Feature}

With the holidays quickly approaching, it's important to remember to spread holiday cheer wherever and whenever we can. And getting some extra holiday spending money couldn't hurt either! That's why right now, NatureSweet Tomatoes is sponsoring a Santa selfie hashtag contest! 

Customers can snap a selfie with Santa Timmy at retail locations, upload is using #MySantaSelfie hashtag, and be entered for a chance to win gift cards, or even a $3,000 holiday shopping spree! 

NatureSweet is committed to having a positive impact on the communities in which it operates, so in that spirit, everyone who enters must also explain how they are giving back this holiday season. 

After you upload your photo, be sure to tell all your friends and family how they can vote for you. One winner each day will receive a $50 gift card, while the Grand Prize Winner, selected from the Top 20 entries will win the $3.000 shopping spree! 

So while, you're out grocery shopping this weekend, be sure to snap your selfie with Santa Timmy and enter today! Contest ends December 5, 2014! 

Soul Food Saturday

During every holiday we have those go to recipes that everyone expects to see. I am talking about a dessert usually served cold with lots of whipped cream and wonderfully sweet. Now that I have your complete attention how about we take similar ingredients and turn them into a cupcake shape and bake it? Yes, I said cupcake shapes on your holiday table. What could be greater than that? Not many things in my opinion. Grab a napkin because this one can be served without a plate or even a fork!

Baked Ambrosia Cupcakes

5 slices white bread, diced

4 tbs. butter, room temperature

1/4 c. Sugar

2 eggs, beaten

20 oz can fruit cocktail in light syrup drained, and diced

1/4 c. pineapple juice

1/4 c. half&half

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

In a large bowl cream sugar and butter together. Add juice, half and half, eggs and cinnamon then blend to combined. Stir in fruit and bread. Stir to coat bread completely. Add mixture into greased muffin tin. Bake in preheated 350 oven for 35 minutes or until top is brown and juices are bubbling. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving to make removing from the pan easier. Top with whipped cream if desired. Enjoy!

Meal Plan Nov. 30- Dec. 5

* New Recipe

Links to Recipes on Blog

Sunday

Penne with Buttery Onion Tomato Sauce*

Garlic Bread

Monday

Tex Mex Cheese Soup*
Biscuits

Tuesday

Skillet Lemon Chicken

Baked Zucchini*

Mandarin Oranges

Wednesday

Chili Dog Casserole
Sliced Peaches

Thursday

Tavern Sandwiches

Steak Fries

Pickles

Cottage Cheese

Friday
Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Slow Cooker Christmas Favorites Day 1 {A Gooseberry Patch Review}

Good Morning! Happy Black Friday! I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I hope you ate lots, and are still full this morning! 

In our house, today is the official start to the Christmas season. Sure, we've been listening to Christmas music for a month now, but we really try to wait for everything else Christmas related, so Thanksgiving gets the attention and love it deserves. But now we can trim the tree, hang our stockings and get ready for our favorite time of year.

Now ya'll know how much I love Christmas....and Gooseberry Patch...and my slow cooker. So, you know I'm super excited to share their newest cookbook with you...that combines all THREE of those! 

This book has everything you need for your Christmas season. From main dishes, to sides, to candy and cookies, to even condiments that would make great gifts! And they are all for your crock pot! Talk about your new best friend during this busy time of year! 

The first recipe I am sharing gives a little nod to one of my boys' favorite Christmas movies, A Christmas Story. Every year we have to watch, usually multiple times thanks to the 24 hour marathon on TBS, and one of the funniest parts is when on Christmas Day they have to eat in the Chinese restaurant. If you've never seen it, I won't ruin it; but if you have, you know exactly what I am talking about. 

So, when I saw this I had to chuckle to myself. Plus, I know many of you will have a house full of people to feed, and this will get the job done and keep you on budget! Not to mention, it's simple to make and absolutely delicious. 

Plus, you have a chance to win a copy of this new cookbook for yourself. Just scroll down under the recipe to see how!

The Christmas season is finally here. I could not be happier; and I'm happy to kick off the holidays here on EMM with this gift to you. Oh, and come back on Monday to see the next recipe...it's a keeper too! 

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

Submitted By Beth Kramer Port Saint Lucie, FL Found on page 182

1 onion, cut into thin wedges

1 (20 oz.) can pineapple cubes, drained

1 TBS oil

8 chicken thighs, skin removed

1/2-3/4 c. favorite teriyaki basting and glazing sauce

Cooked rice

Green onions sliced, for garnish

Sesame Seeds, for garnish

Salt and Pepper to taste

Garlic Powder to taste (my addition) 

Place onion and pineapple in a greased slow cooker; set aside. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Brown in skillet for about 4 minutes per side, until golden. Drain. Add chicken to slow cooker. Spoon sauce over chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours, or until chicken is no longer pink. Serve chicken, onion and pineapple over cooked rice. Spoon some sauce over top. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Disclaimer: I received (2) copies of this cookbook in exchange for this review. One to keep, one to giveaway. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

A Little Spice For Mr. Everyday

So, tomorrow is the big day! Do you have your cooking game plan down? Maybe you've been cooking all week so there isn't as much to do tomorrow. You're so smart! Either way, we are coming down to the wire, and it's time to loosen our belts and bring on the feast!

For today's post I could have easily shared another holiday idea, but instead I thought I would post something for those pre-feast hours. When everyone is sitting around, watching football, or the parade, playing games. The snacking time. I'm not even kidding you. My Grammy is famous for all the "nibbly bits" (as Monkey calls them) she puts out to tide everyone over until the big meal. So many delicious things that many times they are a meal in themselves; and by the time the turkey hits the table you're almost too full to eat. Almost. 

When a friend gave me this recipe I knew it would be perfect for Mr. E. He likes spicy things, and while many times I shy away from recipes that have a kick to them because my taste buds are wimps, I thought these would be a nice treat, just for him. And I will be honest...he ate the whole batch because after trying one, I was gasping for water. These. Are. Spicy. Very. Spicy. So, if you can't stand the heat, be sure to adjust the amount of red pepper flakes!! 

The turkey may be thawing, and the side salads might be waiting in the fridge, but that doesn't mean we can't still look for things to munch on all holiday weekend long. And if you like a little spice in your snack, these are just for you.

From our family to yours, I wish you a very

~*~Happy Thanksgiving~*~

Spicy Ranch Crackers

4 sleeves saltine crackers

1 package ranch dressing mix

2 TBS red pepper flakes

1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

1 c. canola oil

In a large bowl whisk together oil, ranch mix and red pepper flakes. Working in batches dip crackers in mixture, covering completely. Lay on baking sheets. Sprinkle liberally with Parmesan.  Bake at 250 until golden brown and crunchy, about 45 minutes. (Check often as not to burn!) Store in airtight container. 

 

Snacks at Very Good Recipes