A favorite Holiday recipe

Our holiday menu for Thanksgiving or Christmas generally goes like this..

We feel its best to stick with tradition and have turkey for Thanksgiving but we usually buy a ham too.. For Christmas we may just decide with ham. We don't get too adventurous with the turkey the prepped half cooked turkey's from the grocery store deli work fine for us. I have made a turkey the old fashioned way a few times but this works just as good and it is still a whole turkey...

We have canned green beans... James prefers them over fresh or frozen.

I am not a fancy stuffing type of girl I love me some Stove Top :)

The only kind of sweet potatoes I will eat are Senator Russell's recipe *You can find many of these recipes here on this link*

Rick prefers white potatoes so he will make mashed potatoes for himself. +Michelle Jorden  has got us loving the garlic mashed potatoes.

Rolls, Biscuits, Banana bread or Zucchini bread.

Apple Pie and Pumpkin Pie

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

and of course at least for Christmas Jesus and St Nick need birthday cake so I make my cinnamon tea cakes to celebrate their birthday.. 

and Krumkake

My Favorite Christmas Cookie

My Favorite Christmas Cookie is probably one you've never heard of its called Krumkake.. Its a norwegian cookie I guess. It looks like an American ice cream cone but its not strong enough to fill with ice cream. I guess people have filled it with whipped topping like a Lady Finger... but the ones I have eaten are barely strong enough to be held.. they seem to crumble so easily. 
They are sweeter and softer than an ice cream cone too! My Guardian used to make them often while growing up and finally in the last few years I finally had gotten an Krumkake iron off of Amazon and learned how to make them myself. Of course I don't think the cookies ever taste the same as the guardian used to make since she probably had an old antique Krumkake iron... 
If you ever want to have a new adventure and try a new treat buy a Krumkake iron! an old post on Krumkake here

Of course I love those Royal Dansk cookies as well. My guardian used to sometimes buy the Pepperidge Farm cookies and share some with me it was like getting a delicacy :) We liked the Milano and the Pirouette

I am not a sugar cookie fan.. I will eat them but not often and I hate to bake them. Mine never turn out well. I leave that up to Rick. A few years ago an Army wife introduced me to Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip cookies. She said her dad used to make them every Thanksgiving and Christmas and when she was on her own she asked her dad.. he said the magic is on the back of the bag of peanut butter chips and she never knew they were that easy.. So James, Skylar, and I got hooked on these cookies as well. 

https://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=5366

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

I am going to go ahead and fess up. I am not a crunchy mama. I don't use all organic or anything like that. I even let my kids have snacks and eat McDonald's on occasion. We don't eat there very often because we prefer Chick Fil A and Whataburger. They use fresh ingredients. But Rick and I do need to loose weight. I have Thyroid problems and he has Thyroid and Cholesterol problems. So I have been looking on Sparkpeople for healthy recipes and other places. I am not a cook at heart. I can follow a recipe (most of the time). I don't like too many fried foods or fattening stuff. But Rick and James are picky eaters who will eat Hamburger Helper. I can't touch the stuff I see the grease and fat YUCK!

I am a veggie and fruit eater. I will eat almost every one you put around me. Last night we had Garlic Chicken. It has Carrots and the Carrots were so full of flavor now I am craving them! I hope there is left overs for lunch!

So if you have any fairly simple, easy and cheaper healthy meals to share I would love to try them...

101st Airborne Beer Cheese Soup

101st Airborne Beer Cheese Soup

1 large can chicken broth
1 medium jar cheese whiz
1 can stale beer
Cayenne pepper to taste

Heat broth to boiling, reduce heat, add cheese whiz, stir till melted, add
Beer and reheat, but do not boil. Top with bacon bits and green onions

red dye

I am not sure most of the people out there hear about the controversy over Red Dye 40 in our foods. The Princess in the family is a very active little girl. Mostly normal like most children. She's not ADD or ADHD by any means she can sit through a movie and often becomes hypnotised by the cartoons. I do not believe she has ADHD most of the time I have my moments though! HAHA! Well a few years ago I worked with someone who's son does have ADHD. She was my boss and I was talking to the two managers. They told me sugar doesn't affect ADHD children its the Red Dye in their food. So the older and more active Skylar got I finally saw proof of this. When she has eaten or drank something with Red Dye in it. She is uncontrollable even to herself. She would literally bounce off the walls and tell you she doesn't know why she has to do it. Not to mention her mouth moves faster than her brain and most of her words don't make sense. So of course I want my child to not bounce out of her own skin so I avoid giving her anything with Red Dye when I can help it. Now if she wants a certain snack or treat with Red Dye I do let her have them but at a very limited amount. Such as yesterday she had a pop tart without asking. I mean I knew she had gotten one because she showed me a free offer on the box. Last night she was sooooo Hyper. Her brother asked me well did she have Pop Tarts today. Ok crazy me didn't check the ingredients in Pop Tarts. Last Night I did yes it does have Red Dye 40 in it. So maybe not all children get crazy like the Princess when she is "high" on Red Dye. Maybe she just has an allergy or sensitivity to it. I have even found it in her cold syrup and or cough medicine. Imagine how hard it is to find allergy medicine that is dye free thats NOT Benedryl. The doctor told me not to give her Benedryl. Finally I found Zyrtec with no dyes! YEAH! She can have flavored bottled water but not the type you pour into your water and mix with the exception of Lemonade which the jury is still out about.

http://www.norcalblogs.com/watts/2007/03/red_40_menace.html

Better Sex Diet

Now my sex life is great when he's home and even as he is thousands of miles away. They do have modern conviences that we take advantage of LOL.
But perhaps I need a better sex diet to match his Libdio.


Mood enhancers
Foods like oysters really can ignite passion in the bedroom. How? They're good for your heart. And what's good for your heart is good for your libido, too. After all, if your arteries are clogged, getting blood to flow down south can be problematic, says Bonnie Dix, M.A., R.D., of the American Dietetic Association. Here are some more romance-enhancing wonders:

Oysters **ONE WORD YUCK THIS GA GIRL AND MY SOLDIER WON'T EAT THEM**
Since the tale of Aphrodite emerging from the sea on an oyster shell, this sexy shellfish has been hailed as an aphrodisiac. Oysters and other fatty fish such as salmon, scallops and sardines are loaded with healthful monounsaturated fats called Omega 3s. And they carry a hefty dose of testosterone-boosting zinc.

Champagne
So you've already heard the buzz that a daily glass of wine raises good cholesterol and helps prevent arteries from clogging. But alcohol, especially champagne, can also improve your health and your sex life. Like many mind altering substances, a glass or two of champagne will lower inhibitions and help ease any couple into an amorous mood.
*Ok I don't need that much help getting in bed with my hubby I am willing just not a HORNY TOAD lol

Pine Nuts
Pine nuts have more protein than any other nut. Besides providing protein to help increase stamina, pine nuts are heavy in healthful monosaturated fats, zinc and other nutrients that are linked with increased sexual desire. Sexier than your average peanut, pine nuts are often present on many fine-dining menus.

Artichoke
This nutrient-dense, peculiar plant was once considered such a powerful aphrodisac that women were banned from eating it. According to Martha Hopkins, co-author of 'Inter-Courses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook,' part of the appeal of the artichoke may be that you have to work hard to "get past the spiked leaves to get to the velvety-smooth heart."

Spices
The right spices not only heat things up on the tongue, but also in the bedroom. "Chili pepper and ginger help improve circulation," says Dix, "and hot spices like cayenne, curry and cumin help warm the body." The intoxicating aromas of exotic spices help infuse romance into the atmosphere.

Avacodo
**Guacamole here I come!
According to the Doctrine of Signatures, food aids the part of the body it resembles. In fact, the Aztecs valued the avocado as an aphrodisiac and named it ahuacale or testicle because they grow in pairs. Though science can neither confirm nor deny that this fruit will get your fire going, it will give you fuel in the form of healthy fats, protein and potassium.

Chocolate
Don't skip dessert: Eating chocolate causes the release of mood-boosting, stress-reducing serotonin. The sweet stuff also causes a release of phenylethylamine, which causes changes in blood pressure and blood-sugar levels leading to feelings of excitement. Just make sure to choose antioxidant-rich dark chocolate.
** Do I really have to? hehe
http://body.aol.com/diet/basics/better-sex-diet