Chicken and Salsa / Super Simple, Super Delicious

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I’m about to rave about this meal, and I have countless reasons why.  It’s been a favorite of our family’s for quite some time now.  We all really love it.  When we have a very busy scheduled day, this is most always what I plan for supper, because it’s that easy and fast, to prep any of it.  Like, ridiculous. Especially for the amazingly delicious meal that it is.  It can actually be made and ready in 2 to 2-1/2 hours cooked on high, if you’d like. Or, you can let it slow cook all day. Either way, it’s super quick, easy prep-work, and pretty much ready to eat when you are.  

Here’s a few other reason why I love it:  You don’t have to handle raw chicken at all!  I don’t know about you, but I’m just not particularly fond of touching raw chicken.  I will, and I’m not real freaked out.… Read More

Recipe for Apple Pie Pops

 If you only knew the recipes I see in a day, a week, a month – that I have every intention of making!  I get to really making some, but most not, simply because there is really only so much time in a day, and so much food we can eat in it!  Granted some (little) people (my kids and husband), eat way more than others (myself.)  I actually am one of those with big eyes. I can be starving, and then eat 2 crackers, and I’m good. My kids cannot believe how little I eat. I just get full easy.… Read More

Cherry Tomato and Cucumber Summer Salad

 When it is summertime, I want meals that are as simple and quick to make as possible. If we don’t have a tight schedule that day, then we’ve spent the day involved in some project or other. Especially on weekends, when Michael is home too. Usually it’s been it’s blazing hot out all day too, being summertime and all. And let’s face it, the heat and humidity really has a way of draining anyone’s energy and ambition that much more. 

That’s exactly how I happened to come up with this simplest of salads. Dinner was not even planned, never mind started!  Michael threw some steaks on the grill, and I just grabbed the vegetables we brought in from the garden that day, off of the counter, and threw together a cold side dish.… Read More

Fresh Strawberries and Chocolate Nachos

If you love chocolate covered strawberries, this unique treat might be just for you.  I really do love them, but I also enjoy things that have CrUnCh!   So a few weeks ago, when I just so happened to have picked an abundance of fresh strawberries from our (garden bed) the day before, I stumbled across this very unique recipe treat from Our Best Bites.  The recipe was fresh strawberries, drizzled with dark melted chocolate (chips), over some cinnamon tortilla chips she had previously made.   Now, to me personally, eating cinnamon with chocolate and strawberries did not sound appealing.  But the idea of dessert nachos did!… Read More

Making Homemade Strawberry Jam and Canning, For the First Time

Just a bit ago, I had shared with you all what a great strawberry season we had this year, and all we have learned in the process of growing them.  Every season from the beginning, it had been my hope and plan, to learn make our own homemade strawberry jam.  The problem was, it never seemed we had quite enough berries ready, at the same time. But then between a bag we froze last year, and some more we froze this year, I was sure it was time to really try making some jam! For the first-time-ever. 

Our usual household jam, has always been Polaner’s All Fruit.  Just reading and comparing ingredients with the other jams and jellies on the grocery store shelves, made the choice clear to me.… Read More

Valentine Chocolate Covered Spoons

 
Chocolate covered spoons are something we have been intending to try making, for awhile now. There really needs to be no upcoming holiday to make them. But when there is a holiday coming up, it’s another good reason to go ahead and make them!
 
If you have never heard of chocolate covered spoons, they are just what they sound like they are:  spoons covered in chocolate!  And then prettied up.  They can be used to to stir your coffee, hot chocolate, warm milk, etc – to add some chocolatey flavor to your drink, or make licking your spoon that much more enjoyable!  Meanwhile, if you’ve made a whole batch, they just look pretty sitting in any container in your kitchen.Read More

Betty’s Apple Crisp


Many delightful plans come to mind, with the first inkling of Autumn in the air, and this year has been no different for us.  Baking is one of them, and at the top of that list, is always Apple Crisp! (With a scoop or 2 of vanilla ice cream, please!)

I admit, we are not above some Apple Crisp topping-help from a box. We’ve done that, and enjoy it! But this year, my friend Betty offered us her simple home made recipe for Apple Crisp.  Betty is an awesome fellow photographer in Northern Virginia, Air Force wife, and inspiring Mama to 3.  I took her Apple Crisp recipe (and another I’ll be getting to soon as well) with a smile, and thanked her.Read More

French Toast, My Way. (The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread.)

Recently, a very special breakfast was in order.  It was our Trio’s 9th Birthday, and we always have a special breakfast on birthdays in our house.  Usually, it is my husband’s specialty of ‘Birthday Number Pancakes’, which we have blogged about many times.  But this time, I had plans.  I really wanted to make French Toast, and just like the kind I had had so many times growing up, at a particular restaurant. The crazy thing is, I cannot for the life of me (yet) remember, what restaurant that was! It’s one of those questions I’d love to ask my Mom, but can’t.Read More

Striped Cucumber Salad

 

It’s a wonder, that our children have not turned into cucumbers, this summer. They love them, and our gardens have been so generous with them, that the kids have happily eaten them many days for lunch, dinner, and sometimes even as a snack.  They’ve had them as spears, sliced the long way and added to their tomato sandwiches, chopped up in a garden salad, and as this Cucumber Salad, which we are sharing with you today.

We know. It’s not the most inventive recipe, if we can even call it that. The ‘recipe’ is actually more about the dressing it’s in.  It’s one that I imagine has been around a long time, as my mother used to make it while I was growing up.  Recently we were at our friend’s house, getting our families together, and they made us the most de-li-cious dinner.  Part of that meal was a simple romaine salad with sliced fresh strawberries, and a dressing very similar to this one.Read More

Frozen Banana Bites – Such a treat!

 

I don’t remember exactly the last time I had a frozen chocolate covered banana, but I do know that I had one or 2 when I was a kid, and I loved them.  I thought of making them many times since I’ve had kids of my own, but never quite got to that.  So when a reader linked us up with this simple recipe for ‘Frozen Banana Bites’, I knew we had to try them.  Not exactly the same as frozen chocolate covered bananas, but close enough.  They were absolutely delectable!

*The actual recipe called for peanut butter, but with one of our kids having a severe peanut allergy, we substitute everything that calls for peanut butter, with Sunbutter.Read More

Josh's Double Chocolate Biscotti

Josh’s Double Chocolate Biscotti

bis·cot·ti

Definition of BISCOTTO: a crisp cookie or biscuit of Italian origin that is flavored usually with anise and filberts or almonds —usually used in plural
A good friend of ours baked our family these biscottis, and we enjoyed them so much, we asked him for the recipe. (So we could have some more!).  He very kindly sent the recipe to us, and he also suggested it as a Vittles post.  We thought it was a great idea!  It’s just not nice not to share, Italian cookies this good.
Recipe

Info:  Prep: 30 minutes     Bake: 35 minutes

Oven: 400 degrees F

Cool: 1 hour     Makes: about 48 cookies.Read More

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff is a meal we had only made once before, in our married years here, years ago. As I recall, too, it didn’t come out quite as we had hoped. I believe the issue was that the meat came out a little too tough.   So I guess we decided we weren’t good at making that meal, and we didn’t make it again.

That is, until a few weeks. I found myself dreaming of, and really craving, some Beef Stroganoff.  Day, after day, after day.  Finally, I decided I just had to have some, and set out to find a new recipe.   I found one.Read More