I bought a boat load of chicken on sale....tonight I pounded it...to make it nice and thin...marinated and grilled it all. We ate chicken sandwiches tonight...served with all the fixings and instead of chips or french fries I served baked potatoes and raw carrots, cucumbers and celery (of course with a little lite ranch:) After the chicken was pounded it was thin enough to cut in half diagonally and make 2 sandwiches out of each. Usually I would use the rest to put on a big salad but I am going to try something different.....I post tomorrow about it!

Chocolate anyone?

This is one of my families favorite desserts. It is always a favorite when I make it for guests as well. It is light and yummy. I got this recipe from a good friend 20 years ago...Keith Farr...he used to bring it to gatherings at church and it was always the first to go! The best part is that it is better the next day so it is a great "make a head dish." First mix jell-o and milk for 3 minutes.
Leave pudding in bowl to set while you prepare the pan. Rub a few pats of softened butter in the bottom and sides of 9X13 pan.
Put one layer of graham crackers in the bottom...this doesn't have to be pretty just covered.





Now fold in the cool whip until thoroughly incorporated but not over mixed.



Ooooo doesn't this look yummy....I may have dipped into this once???twice????? well more than I should have! :)


Pour half the mixture over the crackers....then another layer of crackers and the second half of the batter. And top off with a third layer of crackers. Cover and put it in the fridge while you make the topping.


Now for the best part.......mix cocoa, corn syrup, powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and milk together and pour over top layer of crackers.....spread carefully with the back of a spatula or spoon. Here is a trick....spray the back of the spatula or spoon with Pam...then spreading will go much easier.

















Oh my goodness....look at all that yummy goodness! I think I need to have a chocolate break!
Graham Pudding Pie

2 3.4 boxes French Vanilla instant pudding
3 Cups milk ( I use skim or 1%)
1 8oz. cool whip
1 box Graham Crackers...plain variety

Topping
1/4 Cup Cocoa
4 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup
6 cups powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons softened butter
4 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cups of milk (mix together and add a few more drops at a time if the mixture is too thick)

Put back in the fridge until ready to serve.....stay out of it......seriously...not a bite!!

Grilled chicken

Seriously I am loosing my mind.....I never can remember if I have posted something or not.....I take the pictures....download them and forget to post right away....then I don't feel like scrolling through my blog looking for them?? Anyway.....this is one of our favorite and standard dishes. I grill a great deal of our meat......usually 3-4 times a week. I made this up years ago and the great thing about it is...it is hard to mess up.

Start with some kind of Italian salad dressing....I don't really have a favorite....the one below is one that I got almost free from coupons...it is fine but the red wine vinegar discolors the meat so it kind of looks pink.I grill about 15 boneless skinless breasts at a time so I use a large gallon or 1 1/2 gallon freezer bag (freezer are heavier) and I use the whole bottle of dressing.
I love Dale's sauce but I also use soy sauce or terriaki sauce here as well....Dales has a really bold flavor so I usually use about 1/2 a cup but if you are using either of the others you will want to use a whole cup.


I love Montreal Steak and Chicken seasoning and I use it a great deal but you can certainly improvise here......red pepper, garlic salt, oregano.......be creative...really!



No I do not measure this...sorry if this make you crazy. Unfortunately unless I am baking...I usually don't follow a recipe. I am guessing at 3-4 tablespoons....Really it is hard to mess this up!
Oh man does this look good!!!! So good...so juicy!! I have been grilling for so long that I do not use a thermometer or cut into the meat. I can pick it up on one end with tongs and tell by the way it wiggles...I know crazy! But true! If you do it long enough you will see what I mean. I serve this the first night with veggies and potatoes and then the second night I cut it up and serve it over salad....YUM!!!!

Salsa

Everyone in our family loves salsa I will post at some point how I make my own...so yummy but for today I want to share a little tip for you. If I buy it at the store...I buy Pace Picante....we do not like the chunky kind.....I was noticing that my kids were just dipping their chips and shaking off the chunks....wasteful. So I put the whole jar in the blender and give it a whirl....this solves the problem....no chunks...no waste...same great flavor! We eat salsa almost daily with baked or organic blue corn chips(from Aldi).......sometimes I put them on a plate with a little cheddar cheese over the top...run them in the microwave just until the cheese melts and serve them with salsa and sour cream....very yummy indeed!

Super Bowl

I will update later with pictures but we are expecting a crowd and so much fun! Every year we host a huge Super Bowl party.....well it isn't really all that huge except...we have a rather small home. We cram 40 plus into our living room like sardines and eat until we are all going to pop. No one seems to care that things are cramped....they keep coming back. It just goes to show that it isn't about the place but it is about the people. Well maybe the food?

This is s big party and could be a big expense but with the help of coupons and careful planning we have a big spread and I didn't have to come out of pocket a great deal!

Here is the menu

Rolls with Turkey(I bought a whole one after Christmas on sale just for this)
Beef...I cooked this all day yesterday...Oh so good...I took pictures so I can post later
Pork...I got 4 tubs at Publix for 74 cents each ( honestly i am a little worried about this stuff...I'll let you know!)

salami, pepperoni, cheese,lettuce, tomatoes, onion

Buffalo boneless chicken pieces
Bourbon boneless chicken pieces

Pizza bagel bites

Strawberries, blueberries,grapes
carrots,celery and dip of course

Chips and dip

brownies
cookies

canned drinks

Who is playing? :)

Aldi

I wanted to pass along a little tip to you guys. Do you have an Aldi nearby? If you have one anywhere near your travels or your husbands, it is well worth stopping in for certain items....like fresh veggies, milk, and frozen items. Actually I buy lots of things there like the blue corn chips above....yummy...my family loves these! And the price is wonderful!

I am REALLY picky about where I buy my meat......some things I can let slide but not meat. Last Thanksgiving my friend Jennifer at "Smelling Coffee" wrote about buying a spiral sliced ham and how wonderful it was....so I tried it...wonderful. So a few weeks ago I really stepped out and bought 90/10 hamburger meat??? I prepared it with a back-up plan in mind....seriously that is how goofy I am about meat. Oh my goodness it was wonderful and cheaper than anything I have seen around here! I was sure it was a fluke and I did not want to pass along anything to you until I tried it again....last night was our 3rd round of using it...bought at 3 different times. It is so good! I haven't tried any steaks or chicken but I will be! I have tried their frozen fish...great!

I am so sorry to those of you who do not have an Aldi near you??? Back to sick babies!!

Sick Babies

No one really likes to be sick but if you have to be sick....this is the place for it. I have two sick children today. They are propped up in my bed watching TV, drinking Sprite, and eating soup, crackers and Jello. Why is this good.....They all love my bed...they are sure that it is the coziest bed in the whole house.....and while it is a good mattress.....given to us by Eric's parents...I really think it is psychological! It's mama's bed!!!!! Then we have the Sprite....we do not keep soft drinks in our house.....occasionally for a birthday party.......and of course we make a QT run on Friday and they get a fountain drink or a frozen coffee....but other than that I do not buy them. So getting the opportunity to drink them all day from a straw in a large cup right by MY bed....WOOHOO!!! And to top it all off...a TV in the room!!! Another thing we rarely do except for the weekends( a little bit) is watch TV....and certainly not for hours on end! But when you are sick.....hours of TV and food in MY bed at your beckoned call between naps! I should get sick!!! :) Love those Babies!!!