The Sewing Mom

YAY!! It’s Friday! I’m hoping we’ll have some down time over the weekend to be able to sit back, relax and enjoy each others company. To kick things off, here is my favorite meme, Four Foods on Friday.

#1. What’s your favorite kind of roll? I love a hot fresh baked yeast roll with butter. It’s a good thing I don’t get them too often, if they’re set in front of me, I will eat a whole basket full.

#2. Got a tip for keeping your cabinets or pantry organized? My only tip is to not allow anyone else to put their hands in my cabinets! Obviously that doesn’t really work, so I’d be happy to hear other tips and ideas!

#3. What’s your favorite kind of pastry? Not sure if a doughnut is considered a pastry, but I love Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts and the chocolate covered ones filled with Bavarian cream, YUM!

#4.Share any original recipe Well, you caught me. I don’t believe I have any original recipes, I always use a cook book or get my recipes out of magazines and from relatives and friends. I’m not too original! However, if you’re more original than I am and you have a topnotch original recipe, you might want to head over and enter it in the December Recipe Contest. Who knows, you might just get your recipe published!

In honor of this weeks elections here in the U.S., this weeks theme is red, white and blue! If you’d like to participate, head on over to Fun, Crafts and Recipes and have fun!

This weeks questions and my answers:

#1. Name a food you like that uses a red sauce or anything red in it. Well, I just have to go with spaghetti sauce! I always make marinara with meat sauce. If I leave the meat out then we can also use the sauce on top of ravioli.

#2. Name a food you like with whipped cream in it or on it. I like a dab of whip cream on a big cup of hot chocolate. I also love cool whip on pumpkin pie.

#3. Name a food you like with blueberry in it. I love fruit salads with blueberry, yogurt parfaits with blueberries and blueberry pancakes.

#4. Share a recipe for pasta or dessert or a beverage I just found this recipe this morning and am looking forward to trying it.

Tiramisu Bowl

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 c. cold milk
2 pkgs. vanilla instant pudding mix
1 oz. tub cool whip, thawed
48 Nilla wafers
1/2 c. brewed coffee, cooled
2 squares semi-sweet chocolate, grated
1 c. fresh raspberries

Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with electric mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk. Add dry pudding mixes, mix well. Stir in 2 c. of whipped topping.
Line bottom and sides of 2 1/2 qt. bowl (a clear glass one if you have it) with 24 of the wafers, drizzle with half of the coffee. Layer half of the pudding mixture over wafers and tehn top with half of the grated chocolate. Repeat all layers starting with the wafers and coffee. Top with remaining cool whip and raspberries. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Keep leftovers stored in refrigerator (if you have any leftovers!)

I LOVE Friday! This has been an especially long week with all the doctors appointments and test results, and I’m ready to have a couple of days to relax and not think about all that stuff. So, here’s this week’s Four Foods on Friday meme. Thanks Valmg for another great week!

This week’s questions and my answers:

#1. Egg salad or deviled eggs. How do you prepare? EEWWW to egg salad, but I love deviled eggs. I mash the cooked yolks with a fork and then add mayo, mustard, and celery salt. Mix it all up and spoon into boiled egg halves. Sprinkle paprika over the tops of the eggs.

#2. French fries. Do you make homemade or frozen? I get them all ready cooked. We rarely ever have french fries at home.

#3. Gravy. What do you use – homemade, jar, can or from a package? I will either make homemade or from a jar. We don’t do gravy too often though.

#4. Share a recipe for a hot (temperature, not spice) dish. Chicken tenders

Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips. Roll strips in a mixture of seasoned bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Bake on a tray for 30-35 minutes in 350 degree oven. Serve with mashed potatoes.

I am running so behind lately! I feel like I’m getting some things done, but then I’m falling behind on others. With school in session, I’m back to getting up before the sun comes up and getting started on my day. However, I’m still not getting things done, like this meme for example, this should have all ready been posted! So, without further delay, here are this week’s questions and my answers for Four Foods on Friday.

If you would like to participate in this weekly meme, head over to Fun, Crafts and Recipes.

#1. Artichokes. Love em or leave em? I really enjoy artichokes, but I don’t cook them myself. I enjoy them mixed into pastas and dips.

#2. What’s your favorite kind of bean? I enjoy black-eyed peas when they are made cajun style, they have a kick! My favorite though are fresh from the garden (not mine since I don’t have a garden), cooked with bacon… YUM!

#3. Share a recipe for any kind of cake. Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake

2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c flour
3/4 c. Hershey’s Cocoa
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. oil
2 t. vanilla extract
1 c. boiling water

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Stir in boiling water. Batter will be thin. Pour into two 9″ round cake pans. Bake in pre-heated 350F oven for 30-35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and remove to wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.

I’ll give the frosting recipe in another post!

#4. What’s your favorite dairy product? Currently? It has to be Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla Yogurt. This stuff is fabulous! I put fresh cut up fruit in the bottom of a bowl, top with yogurt and sprinkle organic granola on top and it tastes just like the yogurt parfait from McD’s!

I’m taking my daughter shopping for back to school clothes, including shoes, and then we’re going grocery shopping.  The shoe shopping will be interesting.  Since she was a little girl, I’ve always tried to buy her quality shoes.  I had trouble with my feet as an adult and I still believe it came from buying myself cheap shoes.  I want to do my best to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to my daughter.  I have to tell you, I used to love buying those little bitty shoes!  Now I get to buy them for my granddaughter.

I’ve got dinner going in the crockpot this morning.  It will feel good, after a full day of shopping, to know dinner will be waiting for us when we’re done.

This is one of my favorite recipes, it’s so simple, it’s done in the crockpot, and it tastes delicious.  What more could you ask for?

3-4 lb. boneless pork loin roast

1 medium onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, peeled

salt & pepper

1 c. chicken broth

Brown roast in skillet in 1 tbs. oil (approximately 10 minutes), sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place onion and garlic in the bottom of the crockpot.  Set roast on top of onion & garlic.  Pour broth over the top.  Cover and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours.