MamaReese's Ramblings

Yup, I know. I'm a horrible blogger. I mean, I start out strong each time... then come crashing down within a month or two. I get too caught up in life. Or (like recent events have been) life seems to run over me, nearly killing me in its wake! I've had a very rough past few months. I do not feel it necessary to go into complete detail here on a public blog... but I will say I was overly stressed and it caused a break down of sorts. It wasn't pretty, trust me. I'm still in quite slump. Ya know how that is, right? You just don't feel put together anymore... or something. *sigh* Anyway, I was making dinner tonight and thought to myself, "This would be a super simple recipe to share!"... then decided to actually do such! The first time I had this, I was at Cheddar's. I was quite suspicious, but decided to try it, since I adore chicken Caesar salad. Yeah, seriously DELICIOUS! Here it is, friends... Cheddar's Chicken Penne Caesar salad Ingredients: ...

Yesterday was my son's b-day party. Lately, we've discovered that he has become enthralled in Blue's Clues. Naturally, I decided to throw him a "Blue's Clues" birthday bash (plus, it was kinda sentimental to me, cause A had a BC bday party for her 2nd bday, too!). Now, let's step back for a minute and talk about how popular Blue's Clues is now days. Any idea? Yeah, NOT AT ALL! It was nearly impossible to find anything Blue related anywhere! I should have known better... it was almost impossible to find stuff 4 years ago when we did the party for A. :( So, what's a craft-a-holic mom to do? Make it, of course! I searched the internet for images and ideas, and printed out things that were suiting for what I needed. We didn't do any invitations, since this was just going to be a small get together of family and friends. I've been inspired by all the pennant banners slashed all across blogland, so I made a birthday banner for my son using pawp...

Ingredients: 1 prepared graham cracker crust (the chocolate "Oreo" one is divine, too!) 3 tbs cornstarch 1/3 cup white sugar 1/2 tsp salt 2 cups milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup choc. chips (I use the pb/choc swirled ones, but I assume semisweet would work) 1/2 peanut butter (Note: organic pb makes the taste SO rich and creamy) 1 cup mini marshmallows Directions: 1. In a medium microwave safe bowl, combine cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Whisk in milk. Microwave uncovered in 2 min. increments, stirring after each increment. Continue until the mixture has thickened (about 6-7 minutes) 2. Add vanilla extract, choc. chips, peanut butter, and marshmallows. Stir until mixture is creamy and smooth. 3. Pour into prepared pie crust. Chill about 3 hours before serving. 4. Bask in the compliments Random side note: Should I start taking pictures of the things I make? Would that make the recipe more interesting? Just wondering...

**adapted from a recipe found in Woman's World magazine** This is for a single serving. You will more than enough chicken to make several, if needed. :) 1 can white chunk chicken, cooked wheat tortillas shredded cheese (I like the Italian blend, but it really doesn't matter) Caesar dressing chopped romaine lettuce Parmesan cheese (I used the kind you shake onto pasta, worked well!) 1. Spray a skillet with some non-stick cooking spray, and place one tortilla into skillet. 2.Put a small handful of shredded cheese onto tortilla. 3.Drizzle some Caesar dressing on top of cheese. 4. Next, place a couple spoonfuls of chicken on top. 5.Finally, top with another small handful of cheese and place another tortilla on top. 6.Press down with spatula to remove any air pockets. Cook for a couple of minutes, until bottom tortilla is browned. 7. Turn over, gently, and cook an additional couple of minutes. 8. Toss lettuce with some dressing, place on top of quesadillas, and sprin...

6 slices bacon (smoky is the best!) 1 cup onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 3 cans potatoes, sliced (about 3 cups) 3 cups water 3 chicken bouillon cubes 3 tablespoons flour 1 (354 ml) can evaporated milk 1.Fry bacon until crisp, and chop. Drain and use paper towel to soak up excess fat. 2.In a large pot, sautee onion and garlic with 2 tbsp bacon drippings. 3.Add potatoes, water, bouillon cubes to pot. 4.Heat to boiling, then cover and simmer until potatoes are cooked, then add bacon. 5.Mix flour with a small amount of evaporated milk, making a paste. 6.Gradually stir in remaining milk. 7.Add to potato mixture. 8.Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. 9.Stir often to ensure the soup doesn't burn on the bottom of the pot. 10. Enjoy with some bread sticks!

Whenever I don't feel like cooking up a meal, but we want something warm and toasty I whip up some hot hoagies. 3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 package Italian dressing mix (dry) hoagie buns luncheon meat (your choice!) thin cheese slices Combine butter and salad dressing mix; spread on the inside of each bun. Layer meat and cheese and set top bun on top. Spread butter mixture thinly on top of hoagie bun. Place on baking sheet. Broil 6 in from heat about 2-3 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. (I usually do these one at a time in the toaster oven!)

1 can Campbell's condensed Cheddar Cheese soup 1/2 soup can of milk 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 1/2 cups corkscrew shaped pasta (or shells) 1 tbsp dry bread crumbs 2 tsp butter, melted Stir the soup, milk, black pepper and pasta in a 1 qt baking dish. Mix the bread crumbs with the butter in a small cup. Sprinkle over the pasta mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until hot. Serve and enjoy! Does well with baked chicken and fresh veggies!