Hey Friends!  How in this crazy ol’ world are ya?  We are doing good…so of course…that is good.  🙂

So…I know this is probably way behind.  Sometimes I go about my merry little way, oblivious to what the rest of you guys are doing.  I think that it stems from being an only child for so long…(My brother was born right before my eighteenth b-day.)…and being able to entertain myself.  I kind of get into “hermit mode” and, well I don’t know….enough excuses. (Enough analyzing my childhood.)  I am just now asking the question “How bout them chili powder cukes?”

Is this all Greek to you?  They are basically just cucumbers drizzled with olive oil, a splash of lemon juice, salt, pepper and a sprinkle of chili powder on top.  I had heard of them…but never tried them.  So I decided to remedy that.

I tried them.

My question to you all is this:  What do you think about them?

I seriously want some input.  Is this a delicacy that I have missed?  Is there anything else to add that would jazz them up a tad?  What is the big deal-e-o?  I want honest opinions here.  🙂

Even if you haven’t tried cukes this way…what is your favorite way to eat them?  We usually have them growing like crazy in the summer. I’m always up for new ideas.

Have a wonderful day, Dirt Roadikins!  Being healthy can be fun…right?  Okay then…go be healthy.  😉

Hey Friends!  Happy mmmMonday!  I hope that it got off to a great start.  I thought that I would post a wonderful supper time treat for this mmmMonday! I tried this last week at the suggestion of a fb friend and it was great!  I only made a couple of little adjustments.  Ritz Cracker Crumb Chicken…is a keeper now in our family.

Thank you to Leigha…for this yummy recipe!

If you want the Ritz recipe you can find it here. The couple of things that I did different were this:

1.  I used olive oil to dip my chicken in, instead of butter.

2.  I added a little Parmesan cheese to my cracker crumbs.

Other than that…everything was the same, pretty much.  Do you guys cook like I do?  Add your own signature to almost every dish.  Of course you do.  It’s your kitchen, doctor it up!  😉

Have a wonderful Monday, Dirt Roadies.  May you and your family lap up the Ritz Cracker Crumb Chicken.

Hey all!  Hope that your weekend was relaxing.  Ours was….sorta.  The girls baked for a big portion of the day on Saturday. I cleaned in the basement.  That is a good/icky thing.  😉  You feel good when it’s done….it’s just that it’s icky…trying to make yourself do it.  I’m working on crossing it off of my January Purge list though.  I had better hurry, January has almost come and gone.  We also had a little guy with an ouchy ear and a big guy with an ouchy neck.  😦 😦 Let’s get back to the mmmMonday! part…shall we?  That will perk this “thang” up a bit.

So…I mentioned that the girls were baking.  They got a wild hair and decided that they wanted to make sugar cookies.  Not the easy kind.  No…not my girls.  They don’t want “cheater cookies” that you break and bake. (Like I suggested.)  Plus…they didn’t want my tried and true “roll ’em in a ball and smash ’em with a glass” recipe.  They wanted the kind that you roll out and cut out. (Of course.)  So…I wasn’t sure where I had gotten that recipe before. They consulted Martha.  She always has the recipe you need.  (If it’s complicated enough. Just kidding Martha.) 😉 This is where you can find the recipe.

I was so proud of them.  They are quite the little bakers in training.  (Their husbands will love me…someday…very far away.)  Their cookies were beautiful.  Okay…I would say that even if they looked horrid…because they came from MY kangaroo pouch…but really they were adorable.  Of course we had hearts.  Our little guy even got in there and decorated one in “camo.”  They made one for Daddy too.  Of course I was proud of the turquoise.  Turquoise….is just the color of….happy.  Happy… was how I was feeling when they even cleaned up their mess. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So anyway…when the Mr. dumped out the soup that I was going to take pictures of and feature today (He didn’t know that I was going to do that.)…my oldest said “How bout using our cookies?”  Great point, Girlfriend.  I believe that I will. mmmMonday! will be beautiful this week.  Full of sprinkles.

Have a great day, Dirt Roaders.  Eat a cookie…with us.

So how was your weekend? The Mr. and the kids were off for yesterday’s holiday. Yay! I love…lovity…love long weekends. We really enjoyed getting to spend extra time just relaxing. We also had a nice lunch with friends. That always makes life better. Sooooooo…that is the reason that I was slacking a little yesterday. (You weren’t far from my thoughts.) You are flexible, my wonderful readers, so we are having mmmMonday! on Tuesday! this week.

This probably isn’t something that you would fix your family for supper. Breakfast and lunch would probably be your best bet. My friend Jenny told me about this little healthy treat that she has sometimes. Please…don’t knock it until you try it. It is really so very wonderful. It tastes so naughty…but it really very good for you. Besides…didn’t Elvis like peanut butter and bananas? See…we are throwing a little “Love Me Tender” in there. mmmMonday! on Tuesday…just got better.

I need one of these…NOW!

Jenny and Elvis’ Peanut Butter/Banana/Honey Toast 🙂

1 slice of whole wheat bread
a smidgen of peanut butter
1 banana
a drizzle of honey

Directions: Toast your bread, add your smidgen of peanut butter, slice your banana and stick on there and then….and only then…drizzle it with honey. Your taste buds will thank you all day long.

Delish!

Happy Tuesday, Dirt Roaders. I hope that it’s wonderful and I hope that you enjoy this little treat from mmmMonday! on Tuesday!

Hey Friends.  How was your weekend?  Ours was fun.  Our Friday night adventure was a little trip  to a very small neighboring town.  They have a little fish house there, by the river.  It was wonderfully quaint.  Right up my…dirt road…alley. Just a really great time with family.  Saturday had a DIY project thrown in. ( I will show you later in the week.)  Sunday was a wonderful day of worship and relaxation.  Blessings abound and I am very thankful.  So…that brings us to mmmMonday! Are you ready?  I sure am.  mmmMonday! is helping me get fired back up in the foodie department.  🙂  I was feeling a little bored in my kitchen and that is NEVER good at our house.

So last week was our very first mmmMonday! post.  That night when I had my plate fixed I grabbed my camera and snapped a picture for you guys.  Isn’t that nice?  Yeah…I know…that is just how I am.  🙂 Anyway, I am trying to lighten up our meals a tad after all of that holiday food, and this was what I came up with.  It was very good. To give credit…where credit is due, I saw a version of this in my Food Network magazine.  (One of my little treats to myself.  Love…lovity…love that magazine.)

So, this is so easy.  No recipe required…because it’s really just “each to his own.”  I grabbed some steak out of the freezer and cooked it in the iron skillet.  Season with whatever you like. I did freshly cracked pepper, salt and Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning.  After I cooked the steak I let it rest a tad and then sliced it against the grain.  We ate ours on a bed of spinach with feta cheese.  Other toppings: grape tomatoes, fresh mushrooms, cucumbers and onion.  Ranch dressing was a must with my bunch, even though I am known to go with vinaigrette, more often than not.

I hope that you have a wonderful mmmMonday! out there.  May your Monday night supper be wonderful and relaxing, Dirt Roaders.  You deserve it after a busy day.

Hello!  I’m back.  You know…I have been thinking. I have kinda been holding out on you all.  I have a confession to make. (You will understand mmmMonday! pronto.)

Hi, my name is Kelli and I am a foodie.

Isn’t this a lovely little ramekin that my friend Jerri gave me?

There.  Now you know.  😉  I guess in the midst of home decor and chickens and boxwood I had forgotten to mention to you lovelies just how much I love to cook, shop and read FOOD!!! It’s crazy I know because a friend and I even have a little Facebook page called What’s for Supper?  One of my favorite ways to spend my lunch time is with a food magazine.  There I am munching and reading and planning meals for my little (so precious) family.  So….that brings me to something else.

Do you remember when I mentioned that I wanted to add a bit of structure to the blog?  Well this is the first phase.  We are going to start having mmmMonday!  I thought about doing Foodie Friday…but hey, we all need a little inspiration at the first of the week right?  Right!

I may even have to steal a recipe from my MIL once in a while, or Candy (today) or my friend M&M, who is a foodie herself.  I might even feature a favorite kitchen gadget along with our recipes.  Who knows?  We can fly by the seats of our pants…right?  I knew that you could do it.  😉

I just want us to grow this year.  My goal is to grow spiritually and emotionally and well basically… just in every good direction. We can do that together…right?  Of course we can.

While we were partying at Christmas…my cousin’s wife Candy made the MOST awesome Buffalo Chicken Dip.  I wanted it to be our first mmmMonday! post.  I hope that you enjoy as much as we did.

 CANDY’S BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

2 cans of chicken, drained

1 c. of Franks Wing Sauce (original)

cheddar cheese to taste (I just grated as much as I thought we would want.)

Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (I just eyeballed this too…maybe like half a cup.)

2 blocks of cream cheese

Directions: Let your cream cheese soften for a bit, then just start mixing everything.  Taste….add more of whatever you like. Refrigerate leftovers.

You can serve this dip w/tortilla chips or whatever you like but Ms. Candy serves it with these flat pretzel crisps! YUM! They even come in Buffalo flavor!

*note:  The Mr. LOVED this.  Your Mr. might too…with Super Bowl parties or whatever coming up.

*note again: (:) ) I love recipes that you can adjust to your own taste.  You will find this out on our new little journey. Simple and easy without a lot of fuss…that’s me.

Do you have any appetizers that you want to share?  If so, let me know!  Have a wonderful mmmMonday! Dirt Roaders.  Share some food!

p.s. Candy said that this is delicious served hot too!  I would say…pop it in the oven on whatever temp you think..’til it bubbles a little.  Use your own judgement…you guys are smart!  😉

Hey!  It’s Thursday.  Are we glad about that?  Of course we are. Thursday is a good day.  Every day is a good day when you are breathing.  Correctamundo?  Exactly.

Sooooooo….what about this pot pie thing?  I have been craving pot pie.  I have been looking at pot pie recipes.  I have come to the conclusion that when I made ours…I must have combined lots of recipes in my brain and just started cooking.  This is how it went:

In an iron skillet pour about two cups of turkey stock.  Let it heat up and then simmer whatever kinds of veggies you want in it.  I used potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and frozen peas. (Throw the peas in at the last, so they stay fresh tasting.)  Cook until veggies are tender. Then add however much chicken you want, two tablespoons of unsalted butter, two cans of cream of chicken and a can of cream of celery.  Stir and cook until heated through.  Okay…now on this next part…I cheated. I used cheater pie crust.  It was grand…because it made it taste like a “real” pot pie.  (The kind that we grew up on as kids, from the freezer section of the store.)  I just put pie crust in the bottom, poured in the filling and then pie crust on the top.  Bake at 425 for about 30 minutes or until browned.  You can salt and pepper your filling to taste and add a little thyme.  (I didn’t type this out in recipe form…cause really, it’s just one of those things that you can read through…and whip it up yourself….but I will do better next time.) 🙂  I served it with rolls and a salad.  YUM!

(The cheater pie crust…with that creamy, dreamy, screamy filling was soooooo good.)

My homemade pot pie filling.

I hope that Thursday treats you well, Dirt Roaders.  I also hope that you make a warm and cozy pot pie.  You deserve it.

Ha..ha! Okay.  So the title was a tad on the cheeze-ola side.  I’m sorry.  Kinda.  😉  Seriously though…aren’t turnips pretty?  I think that they are lovely.  (Is that my word lately or what?) They are actually a great source of Vitamin C, they are purple and pretty and yummy and humble and very likable, if you like them.  Not everyone does. I have found this out over the years.  Some people think that they are grand.  Other people think that they are disgusting.  I think that they are delish.  I even put some in our chicken soup yesterday.

Whether you like turnips or not, I hope that you enjoy this picture.  Turnips are something that you might not find along the dirt road, but if you take a dirt road… it could lead you to some.

Happy Tuesday, Dirt Roaders. Now, throw some turnips in a pot with a little water, bacon grease and red pepper flakes.  Cook until tender.  YUM!

Hey Friends!  It’s been awhile.  We had the day off on Friday.  It was WON-DER-FUL!  We all need that once in while. I hope that your weekend was lovely.  Lovely is good.  😉

Soooooo….. cookbooks.  Don’t we all love them?  I know that I do.  It’s really hard to pass one up at times.  Of course with Pinterest at our fingertips…I don’t buy quite as many.  That said, I still have P-L-E-N-T-Y.  Those are things that you don’t really like to get rid of.

Enter:  The cabinet dedicated to holding my cookbooks.

A very handy place for my cookbooks. (Notice all of the high priority recipes taped on the door.)

This is great.  Now, that being said, I know that not everyone has the cabinet space to do this.  I actually could use this for something else, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it for my cookbooks.  You know, it would also be really cute to have some kind of cupboard or cabinet to hold them.  Kinda like the little metal one that I found for ten dollars that holds my Scentsy wax.  (That is another story…for another day.)

Happy Monday, Dirt Road friends.  Hopefully you are inspired to organize your recipes.  That is a fun, rainy day project that we could all add to our lists.  I hope that you have an amazing day….from our road to yours.