2026

 

Trisha Yearwood Crockpot Mac and Cheese Recipe

 Ingredients:

8 ounces cooked elbow macaroni

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

1-1/2 cups whole milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

Dash of pepper

2 (10-ounce) bricks sharp Cheddar cheese, about 5 cups, grated

Dash of paprika

spray for the slow cooker

Note: The recipe calls for 2 eggs. Since we were going to Easter Dinner with the Gomez family I wasn't sure about adding the eggs due to possible allergies. 

Directions:

Spray a 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray and add macaroni, evaporated milk, whole milk, butter, salt, pepper, and eggs.

Stir in all but 1/2 cup of the cheese.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese and paprika on top.

Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours 15 minutes.

Types of Flowering Cactus

 

Aldi is advertising "Christmas Cactus" on sale this week. They were all Thanksgiving Cactus which I now know because of the ID in the above photo.

Happy Thanksgiving 2019

h

Hoppy Easter

Joyeux Noel

                              MERRY  CHRISTMAS

Happy Thanksgiving 2018

Halloween- The Legend of Stingy Jack

Stingy Jack was a miserable, old drunk who loved playing tricks on anyone and everyone. One dark, Halloween night, Jack ran into the Devil himself in a local public house. Jack tricked the Devil by offering his soul in exchange for one last drink. The Devil quickly turned himself into a sixpence to pay the bartender, but Jack immediately snatched the coin and deposited it into his pocket, next to a silver cross that he was carrying. Thus, the Devil could not change himself back and Jack refused to allow the Devil to go free until the Devil had promised not to claim Jack's soul for ten years.
The Devil agreed, and ten years later Jack again came across the Devil while out walking on a country road. The Devil tried collecting what he was due, but Jack thinking quickly, said, "I'll go, but before I do, will you get me an apple from that tree?"

The Devil, thinking he had nothing to lose, jumped up into the tree to retrieve an apple. As soon as he did, Jack placed crosses all around the trunk of the tree, thus trapping the Devil once again. This time, Jack made the Devil promise that he would not take his soul when he finally died. Seeing no way around his predicament, the Devil grudgingly agreed.

When Stingy Jack eventually passed away several years later, he went to the Gates of Heaven, but was refused entrance because of his life of drinking and because he had been so tight-fisted and deceitful. So, Jack then went down to Hell to see the Devil and find out whether it were possible to gain entrance into the depths of Hell, but the Devil kept the promise that had been made to Jack years earlier, and would not let him enter.

"But where can I go?" asked Jack.

"Back to where you came from!" replied the Devil.

The way back was windy and very dark. Stingy Jack pleaded with the Devil to at least provide him with a light to help find his way. The Devil, as a final gesture, tossed Jack an ember straight from the fires of Hell. Jack placed the ember in a hollowed-out turnip...one of Jack's favorite foods which he always carried around with him whenever he could steal one. From that day forward, Stingy Jack has been doomed to roam the earth without a resting place and with only his lit turnip to light the way in the darkness.

COQUITO ★Puerto Rican Style Caribbean Eggnog

 Carlos, our neighbor gave us a bottle of homemade coquito. This is a family recipe they make every year.

ingredients:

16 oz Coconut milk
8.5 oz coconut cream
12 oz evaporated milk
14 oz condensed sweeten  milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cinnamon sticks
16 ounces white Rum ( not flavored)

Directions:

Pour the coconut milk, coconut cream, evaporated milk, condensed sweeten milk, vanilla, rum,  into a blender.  Blend until well combined, add cinnamon sticks to bottle. Carlos gave us a 25.5 ounce bottle. Refrigerate over night.

Merry Christmas!!

Happy 4th !

Artwork from a soldier during WWII

Image from google images 

I saved this awhile ago from Reddit.  The OP said the first 13 photos were sent to his Grandmother.

The OP did a ton of research and messaging random people on Facebook, he was finally able to find someone related to the mystery soldier and they got OP in contact with his son!
Although the soldier passed away a decade ago his son shared some stories about him and informed OP that he had become a commercial artist for the Air Force in Japan after the war. He continued on with design in Hawaii where he lived out his remaining years.

The artist was a Seaman First Class (Today's E3)
115th Naval Construction Battalion
Probably served in the Western Pacific Theater

Note the shoulder patch on the 3rd drawing you posted and the way he wrote "end" on the first comic. Start by looking for navy patches similar to that (did it say CB in the 3rd post's patch?) and then search those division for john m posted in Guinea during those years.
Looks like he was a "cb" or Seabee. The 47th division was posted in the Papa New Guinea in World War II

I wanted to mention there two nudes in the collection. You may not want to show them to your children.

OP- Original Poster

World War II paratroopers sitting across from themselves--

 in the same plane that dropped them into Normandy. 1944.

Happy 4th !

No Max Monday today! He'll be back next week, with a birthday photo.

I bet our friend Ted in Florida would love this truck.

New York Push Cart Onion Sauce

Gabe loves hot dogs for lunch. I found this on Allrecipes, and knew he would like it.  He told me to add it to the blog, it's a keeper! 



Ingredients:

2 onions sliced 1/4" thick
1/2 red pepper- thinly sliced ( optional)*
2 Tbl Vegetable Oil( Used Olive Oil)
1/4 cup Ketchup
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Dash of Hot Sauce and Salt

1 cup water

Directions

Saute the onions and red pepper for about 7-12 minutes in a medium size skillet. Add the ketchup, cinnamon, chili powder, salt, brown sugar and hot sauce. Add the water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. 

Remarks 
 Add more hot sauce to your liking for more heat. 

 I'm going to try it as a meatloaf  topping/sauce. 

I had a red pepper  that needed to go into something and this recipe fit the bill. You could use a green pepper or omit the pepper.


 Very good flavor!

Featured 7/4/ 2016 on Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Featured 7/7/2016 on My 2 favorite Things- Cookin & Craftin

NON-ALCOHOLIC IRISH CREAM POPS**~~EASY!

This recipe is grand as the Irish would say. I wanted to make something non- alcohol and kid friendly with Irish Cream.

I created this recipe and had a great time experimenting with each batch until I got exactly what I wanted. 

Ingredients:

 3 cups frozen bananas ( peel, slice banana and freeze)*

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

 2 teaspoons coffee extract

 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

1/2 cup Bailey's coffee creamer (the original non-alcoholic)

directions:

Add all the above ingredients to a food processor. Blend until smooth.

Fill Popsicle molds and freeze until set.


* I bought organic banana's on sale and they were small. My slices were not even. When I measured banana's in the cup they were not packed due to being frozen. 

**If you don't want pops, place mixture in a small metal pan ( I used mini sheet pans). Cover with foil and freeze until set. Scoop and enjoy.

This is SO good!!!! Most of the batches I made never made it to the mold or the pan!!!!! 

Featured 3/25/16 The Pinterest Game

Candy Corn Butter

 

  

Candy corn is Halloween to me. I adapted this recipe from
Savvy Naturalista.



Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups candy corn

2 cups peanut butter

1 tablespoon canola oil

Directions:

Place the candy corn on a cookie sheet . I placed aluminium foil on the cookie sheet which has non stick spray on it. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 2-3 minutes. Watch carefully! You do not not the candy corn to totally melt, just soften it. Once soften add to food processor and blend.

Once blended it will look like a lump- add the peanut butter, 1/2 cup at a time to the food processor and combine until smooth.

If you want it smoother add the canola oil.

Next time I'm going to add in crushed chocolate covered pretzels. Super YUM!

Remembering the Fallen

There is an American military cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands . On Memorial Day each year every last grave is "adopted" by a Dutch family that lays flowers over the site.


All the graves are adopted all year round by dutch families. They take care of them (outside of what the caretakers already do) and place flowers, etc. at them throughout the year.
See those Dutch and US flags at every grave in the picture? Every year the the local  Boy/Girl scout troops go around a few days before memorial day with a special device, poking two holes into the ground and sticking the flags in neatly. 8000 graves. 16000 flags.

 There is usually a waiting list to adopt a grave.

The gratitude still shown by the Netherlands for their hard won freedom is very touching.

Lucky Lil' Leprechaun Gumdrops

Can't you just see them doing the jig or maybe hunting for that pot of gold?

My little guy is just waiting for his lucky kiss!!!!!!!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

May the friendships you make,
Be those which endure,
And all of your grey clouds
Be small ones for sure.
And trusting in Him
To Whom we all pray,
May a song fill your heart,

Every step of the way.

On to the recipe! This one is from Melissa's Cuisine

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar, plus a little extra for rolling the gumdrops in
1-1/3 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 3-oz packages Lime Jell-O 
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

Line a 13x9 pan with parchment paper, lightly spray paper with cooking spray.

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients, let stand 1 minute
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, boil for 1 minute.

Immediately pour into the  prepared pan.

Place in refrigerator for 3 hours or until firm

Loosen sides from pan with a spatula

 Place onto a cutting board

Cut out gum drops using a knife dipped in hot water to cut squares or use a cookie cutter that you also dip in hot water

Roll Gum Drops in extra sugar, set onto wax paper until slightly dry

Store in an airtight container

Merry Christmas

This is good for a Christmas chuckle- yesterday the UPS truck delivered the below package. The delivery man knocked and as usual Max ran to the door but this time he added a few barks.

The package was for Gabe and Gregory is always sending us stuff. I thought it was another Christmas gift for Gabe. 

Gabe opened the box and inside was a beautifully wrapped box 

                                                                   LOL! 

It's because I don't let Max get away with things he shouldn't do while Gabe lets him be a wild child (wink)

Oh- that bark? Guess he was thanking the UPS guy for getting his gift to me on time!

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!