day 17..... parade candy. and LOTS of it.

Let me start by saying, this is a BIG bowl. Taller than 6 inches and just over 12 inches across. And it is the product of a small town parade.

day 16..... heaven in a box

ok.... so I didn't "make" this... but, oh the things I can make... how can I use thee... let me count the ways....  a quick fix when craving cupcakes and I need flour brought up from the basement or down from the attic, a dump cake... cherry and pineapple dump cake, which reminds me, I need to send Kristen the recipe for that... we made it into a pudding poke cake, and I think this Sunday, I am going to make one of my favorite things from growing up... a Sock-It-To-Me Cake. Heaven.... I WILL post a picture and the recipe as soon as I do. But yeah.. while a little overpriced, this cake mix is a blessing in disguise. It was really funny to hear one of my girls say, "I have never made a cake from a box. This is weird." That was the 16 year old. It makes me want to make up a bunch of my cake mixes and label them and only have to add wet ingredients... but we'll see about that one.

day 15..... you know you're in North Dakota if they call it a hotdish

but around here, it is still called a casserole. Pizza Casserole to be exact.

day 14.... choffles

day 13..... trifle

horseshoe night... emily in charge... enough said for tonight

I will blog it and post the recipe as it was AMAZING

day 12..... oh, the cupcakes!

Ok.... I like cupcakes. I LOVE cupcakes. Really, truly love them. They are like little handfuls of happiness. They make everyone smile. Well, everyone should smile. They make things seem much better than they are sometimes, and this past week, I could use some of that. But anyways, this past February, I bought this amazing Wilton cupcake stand at the party store in Fargo. Love it! I use it every chance I get. Birthdays, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter.... you get the picture. And as the cupcakes and table decorations are different for each usage, the possibilities are endless. These were very simple with white frosting, red sprinkles, and little American flags. Usually they have different but coordinating decorations on them. These cupcakes weren't on the full table setting as 1) there wasn't room, and 2) if I put them out with the meal, the kids won't eat the real food first. Who needs a whole cake with its messing serving and dirty dishes. Let them eat cupcakes! They just might smile a little. Well, most of them.

day 11..... 4th of July Food!!!

day 10..... homemade Manicotti, a.k.a. Italian Enchiladas

Will write the story and recipe tomorrow or Monday as I have a little one that is getting into trouble and needs to be nursed and settled for the night!

day 9..... A1 Steak Burgers, Potato Skins, and Cottage Cheese

will write later or tomorrow. it's in my head, just not on here

day 8..... Sausage, Bean and Rice Skillet

This was one of the creations in a new cooking magazine that my husband picked up for me this past weekend. I varied it a little by adding some red pepper in addition to the green, and it called for doing it in a casserole in the oven. Well, let me tell you, when it is 93 degrees out, the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven. Never mind the fact that I turned it on later anyways to bake a quick batch of chocolate chip cookies :) Also, I think there might have been an error in the recipe. I am going to contact them and ask them. It called for a cup of instant brown rice, and no liquid, as in water, broth, nothing but a cup of oil. Well, I wasn't going to go through all of that and have my meal come out an oily, yucky mess. So, to play it safe, I cooked the instant rice on the stove in a pot, and then constructed the rest of it in a large cast iron skillet and combined it with the rice in the large stainless bowl. I think it was a hit. One of the kids decided she didn't like the white beans even though she LOVES them in a white bean chicken chili recipe that I am positive will make its way here sometime in the future. My husband was a little surprised by the slight sweet taste, but he liked it as well. We doubled the recipe and it fed 10 with enough leftover to feed him for lunch tomorrow.

Sausage, Bean and Rice Skillet

1 cup instant brown rice
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 a medium onion, chopped
1/2 a medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 a medium red pepper, chopped
1 T oil of your choice
1 tsp minced garlic
1 pound Polska Kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.5 ounces) great white northern beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
3 T corn syrup
1 T Dijon or horseradish mustard

In large saucepan, cook rice and water according to directions on box.  While rice is cooking, in a large skillet, saute onion and peppers in oil until onion is starting to get tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
Add meat and beans and combine, heating until everything is warmed, stirring as needed. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl and stir into the meat mixture. Add this to the rice and stir softly to combine all ingredients. Serve hot and enjoy!