Dinner Themes

Since this is related to cooking, I thought this would be an appropriate place for my dinner themes. In an effort to save time and effort in thinking about what I'll be fixing for dinner, I've created a list of themes for each night. Of course, if I decide to fix something else I can but this gives me something to go on if I have no idea what to fix. So far it's working out well:
Monday: Casserole; Tuesday: Leftovers; Wednesday: Crockpot; Thursday: Pasta; Friday: Grill; Saturday: Pizza (Homemade usually, and Watkins makes this easy with pizza crust mixes that my oldest has fun doing pretty much by herself!); Sunday: Chicken or roast (in the crockpot, and this is for lunch after church); Monday: Mexican; Tuesday: Leftovers; Wednesday: Oriental; Thursday: Fish; and then Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the same. Just thought I'd share in case it will help anyone!

Organic Cleaner

Really works well on stains! I poured some full strength on some nasty paint marks from my oldest's clothes and it came right out in the wash!

Have I mentioned banana pudding?

My husband loves banana pudding. I used to think it was so-so (hadn't always been a banana fan) but with each pregnancy, my like for bananas increased and with it ... cravings for banana pudding. The banana dessert mix makes an excellent banana pudding. Just by itself, it's great, but when I slice bananas and layer the pudding, slices and vanilla wafers, top with whipped cream (the real stuff), my husband says it's as good as the pudding he raved about at Pappadeaux. That must be good!

I'm not kidding!

I'm not, when I say that this cinnamon is the best I've ever tasted. It's sweet and spicy and cinnamon-y ALL BY ITSELF. I made some baked oatmeal this morning for breakfast (recipe below) and this cinnamon just makes it so much better. I keep saying it, but it's true!

Baked Oatmeal
Prep: 5 min, Cook time, 30 min.
Ingredients:
2 c. old-fashioned oats; 1/4 c. veg. oil (canola is good); 1/4 tsp. salt; 1 tsp. cinnamon; 3/4 c. milk; 1 tsp. baking powder; 2 eggs; 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
Preheat to 350 degrees. Mix above together and press into 8-inch square pan (ungreased). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done, starting to brown and cooked through. (Optional: Serve with warm milk. Stewed or baked apples poured over it is very good, too, as is apples or dried blueberries baked into the cake.)
This makes an excellent breakfast or snack. Very nutritious as well as delicious! It's a favorite in this house, especially on cold mornings. I don't care for regular oatmeal cereal, but this stuff is excellent!
http://sahmsnwahms.com/subpage.html

Sesame garlic or tomato basil?

I'm trying to decide which of these two snack dips I like the most. I think sesame garlic, but it's close. Any of you have a favorite? Leave a comment to let me know!

Mandarin Orange Tart!

I'm going to be trying this recipe soon, and I'll let you know how it turns out. (BTW, this is what the picture is on the sidebar. YUMM!) I've been hearing rave reviews about it. This is by far one of my most popular products. It's so refreshing to use it with just sour cream as the directions state, but for a richer fruit dip, I use half cream cheese and half marshmallow creme. I usually prepare it this way for showers, for example. I also make my own plain yogurt and this makes a great flavoring for it!

Mandarin Orange Tart (or Pie)
Ingredients
Crust: 1 cup/250 mL graham cracker crumbs; 1 tbsp/15 mL Orange Peel; 1 tbsp/15 mL granulated sugar; 3 tbsp/45 mL melted butter

Cream Cheese Layer: 3 oz/85 g softened cream cheese; 1 tsp/5 mL Original Double-Strength Vanilla; 1 tbsp/15 mL Mandarin Orange Fruit Dip Mix' 1 tbsp/15 mL soft butter; 1 tbsp/15 mL milk

Top Layer: 1 (10 oz/285 g) bag of marshmallows; 3/4 cup/180 mL milk; 3 tbsp/45 mL Mandarin Orange Fruit Dip Mix; 1 cup/240 mL whipping cream; 1 can mandarin oranges (drained)

Cooking Directions
Add orange peel, sugar and butter to the graham cracker crumbs. Mix well. Press in bottom of a 9-inch/23-cm pie pan. Beat cream cheese, vanilla, dip mix, butter and milk together until smooth. Spread over bottom of pie crust. Melt marshmallows and milk in a large saucepan over medium heat. Let cool.When cool, stir in the dip mix. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Fold into cooled marshmallow mixture. Pour half of mixture over cream cheese layer. Place mandarin oranges over marshmallow mixture. Pour the rest of the marshmallow mixture over the oranges. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serves: 8

My grandmother knows Watkins!

I was talking with my grandmother recently and asked her if she had heard of Watkins. She had, and went on to tell me about a man who sold Watkins in her hometown when she was a girl. The products were reputable back then, and that was in the 1920s and 1930s. She wanted a catalog! I found it quite exciting ...