We're Moving...

We're moving the blog...for many reasons that you probably don't really care about. :0)  You can find all the new posts at:

2Teachers2Dogs.wordpress.com

Can't wait to see you there tomorrow for the start of the Home Made Holiday Series!!

A Short Sabbatical

Thank you to everyone who checks my blog frequently.  I know I have worked so hard to post something everyday!  That was my goal….everyday for a year.  I have only missed a couple of days until recently.  I have just been so busy enjoying family and friends during this Holiday season, and working on all my “Homemade Holidays” crafts that I just haven’t had the time to post.

I promise that I will be back starting December 1st to share with you all the amazing homemade holiday decorations and recipes that we have been working on.  Until then, enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday with your family and friends and make sure to let them know how thankful you are for them.

Holiday Shopping

After work today I did a little shopping….I came back with three big bags from the following places:

 

I wonder what amazing Christmas decorations will be created out of the items in these bags…?? :0)  Wait and see….

A Bohemian Breakfast

Hubs and I spent our honeymoon (and the next 4 summers) on Grand Bahama Island.  I loved (most) of the island food, but there is one taste, one flavor, that has never ever left my mouth….Banana Pancakes.  I am telling you, the resort we stayed at every year made the most amazing banana pancakes you could ever put in your mouth.  I have been trying to recreate that flavor for years, and I finally was successful last weekend!!

I have tried slicing the banana and putting it in the pancake batter, and I have tried mashing the banana and putting it in the batter, but who knew that the secret was not in the pancake batter at all?!  It’s in the topping!  The best part about my little discovery is that it was SOOOO easy and fast!

Caramelized Bananas with Simple Buttermilk Pancakes

Banana Ingredients:

• 2 bananas (sliced)
• 2 T dark brown sugar (light brown sugar will work too – just not be as “rich” a flavor)
• 2 T butter (real butter please people)
• 1/8 t cinnamon

Melt the butter in a skillet.  Add brown sugar and cinnamon and stir.  Add banana slice and sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly so the bananas don’t burn.

Pancake Ingredients: (* you can use any pancake recipe that you have on hand)

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• a pinch of baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 t vegetable oil
• 1 egg

In a large bowl, combine first 4 dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, whisk other three wet ingredients.  Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until smooth.  Cook about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake on a hot griddle.  Top pancakes with the caramelized bananas and prepare to taste a little bit of the Bahamas.

Easy Baked Spaghetti

All you have to do is look at the picture below and you will see that this is the perfect meal for my hubs….meat, cheese, and pasta!

Ingredients

• 1 box spaghetti noodles
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1 jar pasta sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 t minced garlic
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 T Italian seasoning
• 1 egg
• 2 T butter
• 8 oz sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• cooping spray

Preheat oven to 350⁰. Cook pasta according to package, then drain and put aside.  Brown beef until cooked and crumbly.  Make sure you drain your meat.  Add the pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and Italian seasoning.  Stir and let simmer for 10 minutes until flavors mix.  Mix melted butter and egg with the cooked pasta (make sure pasta is cool, or egg will cook immediately and leave chunks – yuck).  Coat a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.  Add the pasta, layer it with sour cream, then beef mixture, then cover with the cheddar cheese.  Bake at 350⁰ for 20 – 30 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.  Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.

This one calls for an….O.M.G.!!

One of my favorite places to grab a bite to eat is Cracker Barrel.  YUMM!  I always order the same thing….vegetable plate with Chicken and Dumplings!  I haven’t ever tried to make chicken and dumplings at home because I just knew that they would never stack up…well guess what!?  Not only did this recipe stand up to the Chicken’n’Dumpling lover’s tastes, but also to the Hubs pickiness, AND it was so EASY!!

 

Fast, Homemade, Chicken’n’Dumplings

Ingredients:

• 1 pre-cooked rotisserie chicken
• 2 cans of chicken broth
• 1 can of cream of celery soup
• 1/4 teaspoon of poultry seasoning
• 1/2 can of refrigerated biscuits

Tear off bite-sized chunks of the rotisserie chicken and set aside.

In a large pot, combine chicken, broth, soup, and seasoning.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes. 

 

On a lightly floured surface, flatten your biscuits to 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch thickness.  Cut the dough into 1/2 inch wide strips and then cut in to make smaller bite sized pieces.  Reduce your pot to a low boil and drop your biscuits into the broth 1 at a time.  Simmer for ten more minutes and stir to prevent the biscuits from sticking.

Crockpot – Cranberry Onion Roast

The mix of ingredients in this recipe almost made me skip right past it, but I decided to go out on a limb and give it a try.  I am so glad I did.  I t was so easy and so full of flavor!

Ingredients:

• 3 lb Boston Butt Roast
• 1 can jellied cranberry sauce
• 1 envelop dry onion soup mix
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper

Season you roast with salt and pepper, cook on low in a crock pot for 6 – 8 hours.  In a saucepan, combine cranberry sauce, soup mix, orange juice, salt, and pepper.  Heat this mixture thoroughly.  Serve the sauce over sliced pork,  Enjoy!