Baby Shower Ideas & Recipes!

"Normal" people might fill a cute diaper holder thingie, maybe a drawer, or the shelves in a cute baby changing table.

Me?

I make a cake!!

My sister-in-Law is gonna have a baby!! I am soooo excited!! Not only because I get to be an aunt again. (she already has the perfect daughter)
But because SHE is gonna have a baby, and I AM NOT!! Whoo hooooo!!
(don't get me wrong.. I love my children... I love having a lot of them **rolling eyes** But I really think I have done my part to populate the world... I'm just glad to be able to share that huge responsibility with others!)

I was very excited to be able to help host the baby shower. I just love doing that stuff!
making cute foods.... cute centerpieces (the diaper cake)
She is having a boy! sooo The fun began with the cute baby blue & toy covered diaper cake.
Then progressed to a punch that looked kinda like used bath-water, complete with rubber duckies swimming around.

Who said you have to serve food on plain old platters?
Go to the toy store and use toys!
Dump trucks hold dip.
A bucket is great to hold food, a Frisbee can hold cookies, a cute place-mat can display your crackers,
Use your imagination! get creative!
Its not a ton of money.. and it'll be a big hit!
This is my sister-in-law....
she is one of "those people"
you know... the kind of woman that is teaching yoga while 8 months pregnant, beautiful hair, amazing figure.....
you know..... the total opposite of me.
To top it all off... she is super sweet, a wonderful aunt to all of her nieces and nephews.
We are blessed to have her in our life.

Look how great she looks at 8 months pregnant! geesh.

The menu included

(Click each to be taken to the recipe)
The world's BEST Spinach Dip in a bread bowl

Chipped Beef Cheese Ball and crackers

Italian salad stuffed pasta shells

Fresh Strawberries & Quick-n-Easy fruit Dip

Berry Blue Bathwater Punch

mini cheese cakes

mints, nuts and cookies

I'll make sure to get each of the recipes posted in the recipe box by the end of the day Monday.
They all turned out GREAT!!! Try em!
You'll be glad you did!!

Cook The PERFECT Syeak!

I am from Texas. (ok.. well I wasn't born here... but I got here as fast as I could! gimmie a break will ya?)

And, as anyone from Texas will tell you, We take our steaks and other red meats very seriously.
Cook at steak wrong and they'll kick you plum out of the state!

When I was on the Wife Swap TV show, I had to throw a swanky dinner party the first night. I cooked steaks. They all asked... "How did you get each steak cooked so perfectly?!?"

I taught them this little handy trick.
Follow these simple tips and you'll cook the perfect steak each and every time!

The first rule of cooking steak is do not puncture it!!

Don't fiddle with it and poke it with a fork or cut into it with a knife checking for doness. Puncturing the meat only allows the juices to run OUT of the meat.. juices are goooood, we want em in there! Use tongs for cryin out loud!

Season it and cook it as you wish....
I prefer a good wood fire. HOT to sear it on both sides.
But after you get that far, how do you know how done it is without cutting into it to look??

I do it all by feel.
wanna know how to feel your steak like a pro?
Simple....
Here we go.

Lay your hand on the table....

Let it relax.

with your other index finger... feel the meaty part of your hand.

This is what a Rare steak feels like.

Now, take your index finger and let it join up with your thumb making a circle,

not flat like this picture. (think like an OK sign).

Feel it again...

This is what Medium-Rare feels like.

Now... do the same thing with your thumb and middle finger...
Yep, you guessed it!
This is what Medium feels like!
(easy huh?)

Thumb and ring finger?
You got it!
This is what Medium-Well feels like!

Put your thumb and pinkie fingers together.
This is what a Well-Done steak feels like!

Wasn't that easy??
A little practice and you'll be cooking steaks to perfection every darn time! (just like a Texan!)

Go forth and Grill baby!!

Let the Cooking Begin! (Batch Cooking)

Tomorrow morning I am going to the store to buy supplies to cook for my freezer.
A lot of people like to do what is called Once a Month Cooking.
I have never done that really, I just double or triple our usual meals and freeze family meal sized portions for later.
It's so nice to be able to pull out a whole family meal from the freezer when I'm not in the mood to cook or my schedule is too busy to spend hours in the kitchen.

Today, I pulled out a smoked pork loin.
Threw it in the microwave.
Made some mashed potatoes & Green beans.
And we had a wonderful dinner!
It takes all day to smoke a pork loin.
And it's no more work to smoke three or four at a time than it is to smoke one.

So we ate one when I cooked em, and vacuum sealed the others with some of it's juices for later. It was perfect!

Over the next few days I plan to make a few meals for the freezer...

Bacon Wrapped stuffed chicken breasts. (24 of em!)
Worlds Best Italian Meatballs. (great for lots of uses later!)
Lil' cheddar meatloaves. (16 individual sized meatloaves)
2 Chicken Enchilada casseroles
2 King Ranch Chicken casseroles
2 Ravioli Lasagnas
Spinach & Sausage Stuffed Shells (30 of them)
2 Perogy Lasagnas

I'll post the recipes and freezing tips for each as I go.
Cross your fingers and lets get ready to cook and fill those freezers!!!

BEST Italian Meatballs (batch cooking)

mmm mmm mmm My house smells GREAT!!
I just made 400 of these babies!!
we have enough for dinner tonight
AND 4 more meals in the freezer for later!
Spaghetti n Meatballs!
Meatball Subs!
Meatball Pizza!
I could go on and on.....
Yummm!!

Dana's BEST Italian Meat Balls

These babies can be made ahead of time , frozen, then tossed into your favorite sauce for pasta, or a great meatball sub!
Just simmer them in your favorite sauce for a bit to blend the flavors and you'll be very happy!
I promise!

makes approx 36 meatballs
(I always at least triple this recipe! we eat one then vacuum seal & freeze the rest into two other family sized meals for later!)

3 lbs lean ground beef
10-15 slices worth of soft bread crumbs (I just pulse mine in my food processor)
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon minced garlic (or to taste)
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or to taste)
2 teaspoons parsley (or to taste)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
oil (for pan frying)
sometimes I also add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. (I use my kitchen-aid mixer with the dough hook)
If it looks too dry .. throw in another egg.

Roll meatballs 1 1/2- 2" in diameter.
Heat about 1/4" of oil over medium heat in a large frying pan.
Fry meatballs in oil, rolling frequently, until evenly browned and juices run clear.

I bake mine in a 350 degree oven for about 18 min or till they are no longer pink inside.
On a rimmed cookie sheet with a wire rack so the grease drips off and away from the meatballs.

To freeze....
Cook , then toss family meal size portions into freezer bags, or better yet!
Vacuum seal them. and toss into the freezer for a wonderful home-cooked meal when you are short on time!


tomorrow we make 36 Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts.
some for dinner now.. some for the freezer later!

Batch Cooking

Ever wonder what 20lbs of diced boneless/skinless chicken breasts looks like?

Like this!

Now, if I can just keep the little hands out of it!

Keep in mind this is my new Tupperware "Thatsa-bowl"... it holds 42 cups!
(I'm falling in love with Tupperware.... it's more expensive yes, but I am sooo sick of containers that have lids that pop off... and bowls that stain, and crack, and just feel flimsy..

This ain't your Mom's Tupperware! Tupperware makes me happy!...

Man! it's official I am a Dork!)

This mountain-o-chicken is going to be the base meat for my two batch cooking dishes for tomorrow.

King Ranch Casserole
and Chicken Pot Pie.

Stay Tuned....
Tomorrow we cook!!!!

King Rance Casserole.. Batch Cooking

batch cooking is paying off.

click the pic for a full-side view

Now I need another freezer!

underneath is tons of home grown pork.... smoked hams .. the worlds best breakfast sausage, the mountains of blueberries.

hmmm where am I gonna fit the pierogi lasagnas?

Oh yeah.... I have another small freezer outside.. whew!

Take a Peek

batch cooking is paying off.

click the pic for a full-side view

Now I need another freezer!

underneath is tons of home grown pork.... smoked hams .. the worlds best breakfast sausage, the mountains of blueberries.

hmmm where am I gonna fit the pierogi lasagnas?

Oh yeah.... I have another small freezer outside.. whew!