Mama Is Crafty!

Mama Holli Made a Wreath Today!

She made a pretty wreath!

She is oh so proud!

She thinks she is so very crafty!

Here is what she did!

Supplies

foam ring

felt roses from Hobby Lobby

old book

red spray paint

red ribbon

Spray paint the edges of an old book.

Tear the pages out of the book.

Crumble and stuff in foam.

Hot glue roses to wreath.

Hot glue ribbon to back of wreath.

DONE!

So Pretty!

So Easy!

So Crafty!

SO 

GO

DO

IT!

Love Birds

Look at the lovely

Lovebirds!

The Graphics Fairy

always has the perfect

graphic for every occasion!

She is gearing us up for

Valentine's Day!

Speaking of Lovebirds!

My talented 

14 year old daughter

 painted her own rendition

of

LOVEBIRDS

How Stinkin Cute

Is This Little Couple!

I have this painting perched in my house

to help us celebrate 

Valentine's Day!

Is she not talented 

or what!

Of course I am just a 

little biased!

In this painting she used acrylic paint

and added texture by layering

fabric remnants on her canvas.

SO FUN AND PERKY!

You can almost hear the little couple

chirping a love song to each other!

Sausage Crescent Rolls

This is an all-time favorite at
Mama Holli's house.

ALL THE TIME
ALL DAY

It is a tradition to serve these
Christmas morning

while we open our gifts but this recipe is not reserved
only for special occasions!

These puppies also make a wonderful

manly appetizer!

The menfolk just love to munch
on these while standing in front
of the TV watching some
kind of sporting event.
I pull them out of the freezer and zap
in the microwave for a quick kiddo breakfast.

The best thing about this recipe is that

it can be made ahead and frozen
until ready to use!

HOLD ON COWGIRLS....

Here we go!

 Easy Ingredients

1 pound of mild pork sausage

(This Texas Mama uses only Jimmy Dean)

2 cans of crescent rolls

(Pillsbury - YUM)

1 block of cream cheese, softened

(Philadelphia - Going for it - No fat free)

Sausage Crescent Rolls

Brown and drain sausage. Add cream cheese to sausage.  Spray baking sheet.  Open rolls but do not separate triangles.  You will make 2 loaves from these rolls.  Place 4 triangles together on a baking sheet.  Press out the perforated holes to seal as one piece. (Now you can buy them in sheets but either will work) Spread half of the sausage mixture on top.  Cover with the remaining 4 triangles pressed together.  With your finger press all around the edges to seal the top and bottom pieces of dough.  Repeat the procedure to make the second loaf. 

Mama Denise in Texas brushes egg whites over the tops of the loaves and  sprinkles poppy seed over the egg whites. I don't do that step but if you feel like being a little fancy then go for it!  Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  Slice loaves and serve hot.  You may let them cool on a wire rack and place them single layer in a Ziploc bag and freeze.  No need to thaw just reheat on a baking sheet for 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees. 

I like to spice this up a bit and I add 

1 Tbs. green chilies 

and 1/3 cup of pepper jack cheese 

to the sausage and cream cheese! 

WAIT!

If you have discovered this recipe while looking for 

Superbowl super food then you will want this 

QUESO recipe too! 

It is ridiculously fattening and worth the calories!

Either way it is delicious!
WAIT!
If you like this recipe then
you need this next recipe as well!

Go HERE 
for the 
Drunken Cheese Tray
and 
Go HERE 
for the 
Triple C Rolls

Mama's Mashed Potatoes and Meatballs Please!

My kids have 

a new favorite dish!

Mama's 

Mashed Potatoes

and

Meatballs!

The trick to making this is dancing 

while mashing the potatoes!

It really does help I tell you!

Just watch the video in the earlier post

and you will see what I mean!

Mama's Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

2 lbs hamburger meat

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 eggs

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 can of tomato soup

1 29 oz can of tomato sauce

1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

4 Tbs brown sugar

1 Tbs honey

salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine hamburger, eggs, bread crumbs, garlic salt and onion powder.  Mix together with hands.  In a soup pot combine tomato sauce, soup, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire,

and honey.  Bring to a low boil.  Make  medium sized meatballs from the hamburger mixture.  Drop meatballs one by one into the simmering sauce.  Once all the meatballs are in the pot, cover and simmer on low for about 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally and vent lid about halfway through the cooking time.  While the meatballs cook whip up a batch of mashed potatoes the old fashioned way! Add 1 Tbs of cornstarch to about 3 Tbs water in a small bowl.  Mix together until smooth.  Add this mixture to the simmering meatballs  during the last 5 minutes of the cooking time. This will make the gravy good and thick!  When the meatballs are done serve it up on top of the mashed potatoes!  Make sure to dump a ton of gravy with the meatballs!  Enjoy!

Girls Craft Night!

One of Mama Lisa's favorite things

to do is to host

CRAFT NIGHT

at her house!

We love it too!

Here are the highlights!

Mama Lisa has been working on

this wonderful scrapbook!

She is actually assembling the book

herself by creating

each and every unique page!

This is what I mean....

She "MAKES" each 

page literally by

gluing a zillion 

scraps together!

WOW!

Tons of work!

"Labor of LOVE" 

to use her words!

Here is another page!

She creates the pages first and THEN

starts the scrapbooking process!

So beautiful and so 
very creative!

When she has completed it

she promises to share!

More participants 
share their creations!

A Fun and Perky Candlestick!

A Bright and Colorful Birdhouse!

A Sweet and Beautiful Cross!

A Fun and Perky Birdhouse!

A WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL,

CREATIVE, and GLORIOUS egg!

Made by me!

Then of course we top the night off
with Mama Lisa's "To Die For
Chocolate Cake"
MADE FROM SCRATCH!
Yes I said,
MADE FROM SCRATCH!

Here it is going into 
someone's
mouth!

Thanks for the fun night Mama Lisa!

Can't wait to do it again!

The Barista and The Bartender!

Mama Lisa Makes 

A 

Pretty Stiff Drink!

Whether she is whipping

up fresh squeezed lemonade,

dishing out Gatorade to a 

slew of boys 

or drawing 

spring water from the well,

MAMA LISA
 KNOWS HOW

TO SERVE IT UP

IN STYLE!

Here she is serving up some

FANCY

cocktails in honor of

The Golden Globes Craft Night!

Perky and Festive

Just Like Mama Lisa!

Unfortunately......

She is not the only

one in the house

whipping up some

perky drinks!

OH NO!

Barista Ed is close behind her!

He is perfecting his latte making skills

with his fancy new expresso machine!

He is really getting 

creative and quite

proud of himself!

The skill and artistic level involved here is

to be envied to say the least.

I think Mama Lisa has a little competition!

Let me repeat!!!!

I think Mama Lisa has a little competition!

So as Mama Lisa would say......

Game On!

2 Sweet Little Girls Making Sweet Candy!

I truly adore vintage

Valentine Cards!

The Graphics Fairy

sent this Valentine out to all of you!

Love is in the air!

I had two sweet girls 

in my kitchen 

with me

yesterday making

sweet treats!

How stinkin cute 
are these!

Who doesn't love a good lollipop!

Those little girls whipped these

babies up in no time at all!

What fun we had!

Sweet yummy gifts

for your

favorite sweetheart!

Gather up the following:

lollipop sticks

white chocolate melting bark

sprinkles

heart molds found at Michael's

red food coloring

1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave

    40 seconds at a time until melted.

2. Sprinkle molds first.

3. Put stick in mold.

4. Add chocolate to mold.

5. Set up in refrigerator for about 8 minutes.

6. Take out of molds.

7. EAT!

http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com

http://thepersimmonperch.blogspot.com/?

Granny's Oatmeal Cookies

My Granny always had a stash of cookies!

She had several kinds to choose from

at any given time!

She stored them in various

containers of all kinds.

Some fancy some not so fancy.

She kept them on a yellow cart

in her kitchen.

The cookie cart!

It was in a perfect location!

It was strategically

positioned

near the back door and close to a

nearby hallway!

Perfect for grabbing and running,

a necessity to not being caught!

As the weekend came to an end the level

in the jars would drop significantly!

Granny did not mind!

She would happily fill them

up to the top again!

Ready and waiting

for our return!

Granny's Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup butter softened

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1  3.5 oz serving Jello brand vanilla instant pudding mix

2 eggs

3 1/2 cups of quick cooking rolled oats

1 cup raisins

Mix flour with soda and set aside.  Combine butter. sugars, and pudding mix in a large mixing bowl.  Beat until smooth and creamy.  Beat in eggs.  Gradually add flour mixture.  Stir in oats and raisins.  Batter will be stiff.  Drop by teaspoons on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack and store in your favorite cookie jar!

Katrina Kenison - The Gift Of An Ordinary Day

Mama Elise wants you to see this very special video! When I watched it tears ran down my face. It truly sums up every Mama's life with her children. We all need to learn to appreciate "The Gift of an Ordinary Day". What a lovely way to live. How truly wonderful are the ordinary days in our lives.

Where are the birds?

Longing to hear chirping

at my bird feeder again!

Soon enough they will come!

Mama's In The Kitchen!

Do you like what you see?

Made it last night!

Ate it last night!

Then I

ate it for breakfast!

Yes I did!

With a big fat glass

of milk!

YUMMMM!

Let's name this dish

Mama Holli's 

Eggplant & Chicken Parmesan

So here is the recipe!

2 pounds of skinless/boneless chicken breasts (cut up in cubes)

1 medium sized eggplant

1- 8 oz package of shredded mozzarella cheese

2 pounds gravy (Italian Red Sauce)

1 cup of flour

1 cup of milk

salt and pepper
2 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 cup Olive oil

garlic powder

First you need your gravy!  I usually make my own but you may use any store brands Prego, Ragu, Paul Newman, you get the picture! If using store bought get the flavor you like best.  Get that heating up in a pot!  If using store brand you might want to add some fresh garlic and a splash of red wine to spruce it up a bit!  Wine makes everything better!  Next you will peel the eggplant.  Take the purple skin off with a knife.  Slice the eggplant in 1/4 inch round slices.  Spread the slices out on a kitchen towel.  Lightly salt each slice let it sweat for 5 minutes then flip and repeat on the other side.

Heat up about 1 cup of olive oil in a skillet.  Take each slice of eggplant and dip into milk and then flour.  Fry the eggplant about 4 slices at a time until slightly brown on each side then place on a plate with paper towels to drain.  In a separate skillet add 2 Tbs. of olive oil and heat on medium high.  Add the cubed chicken to the pan and cook until done. Season with garlic powder and pepper. Take a baking dish about 9 x 13 and spread about 1 cup of the gravy in the dish.  Layer the bottom of the dish with half of the fried eggplant.

Add the chicken on top of the eggplant and cover with half of the remaining gravy.  Add half of the cheese and evenly spread over the gravy.  Layer remaining eggplant, gravy and cheese.  Bake uncovered 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  Serve hot with salad and bread! Don't forget top eat any leftovers for breakfast!  With most Italian dishes it is usually even better the second day!