My (Current) Silly Obsession

When I was little, I collected pencils.  I loved pencils. Pencils with my name on it. Smelly pencils. Decorated pencils.  I didn't care as long as I could add them to the special box I had decorated just for my pencils. It is probably one of the reasons I have an affinity for school supplies.

As I got older, I moved from pencils to Sweet Valley High books.  I bought them all until publications exceeded my funds.  I had over 85 books in the series until I moved off to college. I so wanted to be Elizabeth Wakefield.

Now as a mom, I have tried to trim down on collections due to space and time and money. I prefer my collections to be my kids' drawings and art projects. 

Still, I have one thing that I cannot stop collecting for some reason: 

Food Network Magazine 50 Recipe Booklets

My mother-in-law subscribes to the magazine, and in each magazine there is a pull-out booklet. Each booklet has 50 recipes all with one theme. She graciously allows me to take out the booklet.  I LOVE these little booklets. They have all kinds of ingredients and recipes at all degrees of levels. Out of the 63 available booklets, I have 62.  I don't have the very first one: Toast Toppers. And in all honesty, I think I misplaced Holiday Cookies in our move, so if I don't find it soon, I will be on the lookout for that one, too.  To check out the pictures of the covers of each booklet, click here. Most titles are linked to the Food Network Magazine Recipe Index.

Toast Toppers** 

Thing to do with Pasta Sauce 

Summer Drinks 

Simple Salads 

Easy Soups 

Mashed Potatoes 

Holiday Cookies**

Game Day Dips 

Pizzas 

Egg Dishes 

Pancakes/Waffles 

Burgers 

Kebabs 

After-School Snacks 

Panini 

Stuffings 

Holiday Drinks 

Nachos 

Things to Make with Pesto 

Smoothies 

Tea Sandwiches 

Condiments 

Potato Salads 

Things to Make with Bacon 

Stuffed Potatoes 

Pies 

Edible Gifts 

Super Bowl Snacks 

Brownies 

Grilled Cheeses 

Tacos 

Things to Grill in Foil 

Milkshakes 

Breakfasts on the Fly 

Things to Make with Apples 

Easy Appetizers 

Muffins 

Wings 

Twists on Mac & Cheese 

Salad Dressings 

Salsas & Guacamoles 

Slaws 

Fresh Corn 

Chicken Dinners 

Things to do with Canned Pumpkin  

Vegetable Sides 

No-Bake Treats 

Flavored Popcorns 

Bacon Appetizers 

Deviled Eggs 

Party Punches 

Picnic Salads 

Grilled Steaks 

Pasta Dinners 

Quick Breads 

Things to Make with Cranberries 

Cheese Appetizers 

Party Subs 

Meatballs 

Toasts 

Cupcakes 

Homemade Sodas 

Things to Make with Zucchini 

These booklets are the best.  I even look up the media kit for the magazine so I know what is coming up for the whole year. I haven't tried all of them, of course.  In fact, I probably collect more than I try out the recipes.

I am willing to buy the two booklets needed: Toast Toppers and Holiday Cookies.  Contact me for more info: caroltyner@yahoo.com

Summer Schedule

We have 8 days left of school! I cannot believe how this year has flown by.  For the last two years, we have followed a summer schedule. You probably have seen a few on Pinterest.  I made a collaboration of the days I liked, and we have been using the following. We follow this schedule unless we are going somewhere with the church or on vacation.  A schedule like this does take some planning, but the kids are eager to help. I do cheat a little by putting in a "Stay-Home Saturday" so I do get to relax some throughout the summer.

Click on the picture to take you to a clickable pdf.

My son has already been asking what we are doing to Make-It Monday, and my older two kids are compiling their friend list for Friend Friday.

What do you do with the kids during summer break?

When to Save Printable

I love a sale. So after a few months of research, I compiled a list of all the products and when they are usually on sale.  Hope it helps.

Pantry List Printable

Do you have a list of all the necessary items to keep a well stocked pantry?  I didn't, so I made one. Feel free to print and use if you want.

Easy Lasagna

Since my dear hubby wanted lasagna this week, I added it to a the menu.  I didn't find a pin I liked, so I took a couple of recipes I had to made my own. Of course, I forgot to take a picture of the finished result, but it was yummy and looked oh so good.

First I gathered my ingredients:

• One box of Barilla Oven-Ready Lasagna Noodle (no boil). I truly only used about 6 because I used an 8x8 glass dish.  Use a 9x13 to make it a little "thinner".
• 15oz. Ricotta cheese
• 2 cups Mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tablespoons dried minced onion
• 1 jar of Spaghetti sauce- I used Ragu meat flavored because that was what was in my pantry. 
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning

First, I browned my meat with a little minced garlic.  Now, we use the jarred kind.  Yeah, yeah, I know it doesn't have the flavor, but that is what what we use. 

When that finished, I just ladled off the fat.  It was a very small amount due to the quality of the beef. (P.S. I got it at The Fresh Market on its Tuesday special; $2.99lb) 

Then I mixed the following together: Ricotta, Mozzarella, grated Parm, and dried onion.  I love onions; my family does not.  These minced onions are small enough that they don't notice them, but I get the flavor.   It looked very crumbly, but that is ok.

After that, I started assembling my lasagna.  Now, we are a family of five, but my two youngest as super picky, and my family almost refuses to eat leftovers, so I try to fix just enough. you can make it go further by adding a another jar of sauce.I added a little sauce to the bottom of the dish, then placed my two noodles,  If you used a 9x13, you would need three.  They expand during cooking so don't worry if they don't seem to fit.

Then I added my cheese mixture.

Followed by the ground beef

And some shredded cheese

I used some Kraft Italian cheese.  I was in the fridge.

I continued to layer into the top which was two layers of noodles, sauce and cheese.  I very top layer was the cheese mixture. I covered it in aluminum foil and cooked for about 30 minutes.

I fixed a little garlic bread to go with it, and hubby was very happy.

-Carol