FREE photo editing program...

I've been in this blogging world for over a year now, I really like it but I'm still learning.
I wondered where people made their photo collages, then my husband found and downloaded Google's FREE Picasa program. Now I can do just that.

Picasa also has organizing features, CD creation and more. Oh, and did I mention it's free?! Everytime you open the program it finds any new pictures you've downloaded and copies them to it's files for your use. You can change the coloring, crop, adjust redeye, straigthen, add text, make collages or slideshows, you can upload the images/collages to your blog, you can send them to be printed, you can email them, etc. I've just begun toying around with this program, but am learning more and more of it's tricks.

You can do it too! Just download it here and click on "Download Picasa 3.5"

Thank you GOOGLE for making this FREEware available to all of us!

new family favorite

Ham 'n Cheese Omelet Bake

I made this for the first time and it's a keeper! WOW!

It's so delicious. We'll be keeping this one on the rotation.

Sorry about the "centered" format for the recipe. I need to remember to type the recipe up first THEN add the picture. It messes up the format if you do it the other way.

Ham 'n Cheese Omelet Bake

Prep: 15 minutes

Total: 1 hr., 15 minutes

1 (10.2 0z.) can Grands! flaky layer refrigerated biscuits (5 or 8 count)

10 eggs

1 1/2 c. milk

1/2-1 t. ground mustard

salt & pepper, if desired

2 c. diced, cooked ham

1/2 t. onion powder (or 1/3 c. onion chopped)

1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded (4 oz.)

1 c. Swiss cheese, shredded (4 oz.) **I used 1/2 pack of sliced Swiss cheese and broke it into bite-sized pieces

1 jar (4.5 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained- opt.

1. Heat oven to *350.

2. Spray bottom only of 9x13" glass baking dish with cooking spray. Separate dough into individual biscuits. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces; arrange evenly in baking dish. (See photo above.)

3. In a large bowl, beat eggs, milk, mustard, salt & pepper with whisk until well-blended. Stir in ham, onion, both cheeses, and mushrooms. Pour mixture over biscuit pieces in dish. Press down with back of spoon, making sure all biscuit pieces are covered with egg mixture.

4. Bake at 350* for 40-50 minutes or until edges are deep golden brown and center is set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Cut into squares.

??Want to make this a complete meal?

Add- 1 box (10 oz) green giant frozen broccoli & cheese flavored sauce

In Step #1, heat the oven, then cut small slit in center of broccoli pouch. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, rotating pouch 1/4 turn once halfway through microwaving. Set aside to cool slightly.

Add to mixture in Step #3 before pouring the mixture over the biscuits.

bruschetta chicken bake

This is another Kraft Foods recipe and we love it!

Bruschetta Chicken Bake
Prep: 10 min.
Total: 40 min.
Serves 6

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6 0z.) pkg stove top stuffing mix for chicken
1/2 c. water
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/2 t. garlic powder)
1 1/2 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 t. dried basil leaves
1 c. mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400*. Place tomatoes with their liquid in a medium bowl. Add stuffing mix, water & garlic; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set aside.

2. Place chicken in 9x13" baking dish; sprinkle with basil and cheese. Top with the stuffing mixture.

3. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

recipes from Emeril & Rachael

emeril's simple turkey meatloaf

Emeril was on Martha last week (or so) and did this recipe from his new cookbook. I've had ground turkey in my freezer that I've been wanting to use and this was the perfect recipe. It was really good and so good for you!

1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
2/3 c. yellow onion, chopped
1/2 c. red or green pepper, chopped (I omitted this ingredient b/c I didn't have it)
1/2 c. unseasoned dried bread crumbs
1/3 c. celery, chopped (I didn't have this so I used about 1/2 t. celery salt)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 c. ketchup
1 t. minced garlic (I used 1/4 t. garlic powder)
1/2 t. coarse salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 T. hot sauce (I omitted this so my tongue wouldn't fall off)
1 T. Emeril's Original Essence or Creole Seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 375* with rack positioned in center of oven.

2. Place turkey in a large bowl. Add onion, bell pepper, breadcrumbs, celery, egg, 1 T. ketchup, garlic, Essence, salt and pepper. Gently mix until ingredients are well-combined. Transfer turkey mixture to a 1 lb. loaf pan; form into a domed loaf shape.

3. Place remaining ketchup in a small bowl; stir in hot sauce. Spoon ketchup mixture evenly over meatloaf, spreading with the back of a spoon.

4. Bake until meatloaf is browned on top, cooked through, and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 165*, about 45-50 minutes.

5. Remove pan from oven and let meatloaf stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 4-6


A couple days before I made Rachael Ray's Turkey Meatloaves with Smashed Sweet Potatoes and Peas and Radishes meal. (I'm not posting this recipe but click on the link above if you want it.)

The meatloaves are a twist on Thanksgiving turkey and stuff flavors and were actually pretty good, not good enough that I'd make them again, but pretty good.

I'd made baked sweet potato fries before and they were really good, so I was excited to try this recipe. But this was a TOTAL FAILURE! They were horrible! How could they be bad with butter and 1/2 & 1/2, I thought. VERY wrong. So sad.

I was scared to use the radishes called for and just did the sauteed peas, which were good. Overall, I was more disappointed with this meal than I have been with any of her other recipes I've tried. Maybe I was just having an off day...but my family agreed, so it wasn't just me. Sorry Rach.

sara's creamy crockpot chicken

**I hope you don't mind Sara. I changed the name of the recipe. It's actually just "creamy chicken"...

This is so yummy and so easy and you most likely already have all these ingredients lying around.

4-5 chicken breasts
1 pkg dry Italian dressing mix
1/2 onion, chopped
1 small can of mushrooms, drained
8 oz. cream cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup

1. Place chicken in crockpot, sprinkle dressing mix on, then top with the chopped onion and mushrooms.

2. Cook on low 3.5-4 hours. Shred chicken with a fork. Then add cream cheese and soup and finish cooking until cream cheese is melted through. Serve on RICE or penne.

**Sara says you can use frozen chicken breasts and they'll thaw as they cook. I plan to give it a try next time!

keeping up with the Jones...

“Being provident providers, we must keep that most basic commandment, ‘Thou shalt not covet’ (Exodus 20:17). Our world is fraught with feelings of entitlement. . . . If our family does not have everything the neighbors have, . . . we go into debt to buy things we can’t afford—and things we do not really need. Whenever we do this, we become poor temporally and spiritually.” - Robert D. Hales

**Bottom line: It's not worth it! So don't stress about it!

magic cookie bars

You've probably all seen or had this Nestle recipe before, I have, many times. If you have not, stop whatever you're doing and make it now! Really! It's super easy and your family will ADORE you for it. Josh admitted it's one of his most favorite, if not THE favorite, sweets recipe I make. Here's why-

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Yield: 24-36 bars

aka outrageous cookie bars

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

1- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 c. is PLENTY of chocolate chips, even for me. I find about 1 c. is sufficient...did I just say that?) ;P

1 c. flaked coconut

1 c. walnuts, chopped (we are generally a house with "no nuts on our sweets" so we skip this ingredient)

1. Preheat oven to 350*.

2. Melt butter in 9x13 pan in oven; remove from oven. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over butter. Stir well; press onto bottom of pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumbs. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, coconut & walnuts; press down firmly.

3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

cheddar apple pizza/galette

I found this interesting recipe in the Simple & Delicious magazine a few years ago. I thought- apples, cheddar, that's a normal snack. This is just taken to the next level.

It's a little different but it's really good. I don't feel guilty eating it because of the fruit and had 3 of the 12 pieces MYSELF last night. Mmmm. Be sure to warm it up to get the FULL experience.
*This recipe is based on the recipe from the link above. I've adapted it some.

Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 20-30 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients:
1- 9" refrigerated pie crust
2-4 large baking apples, cored, and cut into 1/4" slices
1/2 c. cheddar or mozzarella or swiss cheese, shredded (I like to use closer to 1 c. of cheese)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/c c. walnuts, chopped- optional
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
2 T. butter, cold

1. Roll pastry out pastry on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400* for 10 minutes.

2. Arrange 1/2 the apples in single layer to completely cover pastry. Sprinkle with 1/2 of cheese. Combine brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon nutmeg. Sprinkle 1/2 of sugar mixture over cheese. Repeat with final 1/2 of apples, cheese, and sugar mixture.

3. Cut butter into small pieces and dot top of pizza. Bake for 20 minutes longer or until apples are tender. Cut into wedges; serve warm.

**Want a fancier version of this recipe?

Now make a cheddar apple galette (pronounced ga-lay)

This is a picture of a cranberry apple galette...but you get the idea.

Use same ingredients as above, then...

1. Roll pastry out pastry on a greased baking sheet.

2. Arrange 1/2 the apples in single layer leaving 2" of pie crust all the way around. Sprinkle with 1/2 of cheese. Combine brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon nutmeg. Sprinkle 1/2 of sugar mixture over cheese. Repeat with final 1/2 of apples, cheese, and sugar mixture.

3. Pull up the sides of the crust of the crust and press together. See image above. Top with cut butter. Bake at 375* for about 20-30 minutes until golden brown and the apples are tender.

savory herb dip

*yummy dip for veggies*

1- 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. mayo- optional
1- 0.7 oz. pkg. dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/4 c. milk

Mix all ingredients. Chill until ready to use. Serve with carrots, broccoli, cucumber, etc.

Yield: 1 1/2 c. dip