:::Crazy Cooking Challenge:::

A few weeks ago Tina, from Moms Crazy Cooking Blog,

contacted me and asked if I would like to participate in the very first ever

Crazy Cooking Challenge.

I thought it sounded like fun,

and I agreed to join in.

The details were as follows -

to be part of the challenge, each month the participants are to 
(1) find a "new to them" recipe in blog land, 
not a recipe from a famous person or website, just a regular 'ol blogger ;-)

(2) prepare it, and 
(3) blog about it.

 Then Tina links up all of the recipes together,

every one (the participants and all of the participants readers) vote for their favorite, 

and a winner is declared.

The recipes for September are all to be macaroni and cheese recipes! Yum!

As I started to explore blog land for a new mac and cheese recipe to try,

I immediately thought of one of my favorite cooking blogs,

Jamie Cooks It Up!

so I checked to see if she had a good looking mac and cheese recipe.

Sure enough, she had one that looked delicious and I decided to try it for the challenge.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

7 servings

2 1/2 cups elbow macaroni

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

dash pepper

2/3 cup whole milk

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 1/4 cups cheddar cheese

4 ounces cream cheese

1 sleeve Ritz crackers

Cook macaroni until al dente and drain.  Place cream cheese in microwave for 30 seconds; set aside.  Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in flour and seasonings until smooth.  Add milk and continue whisking.  Add broth and continue to whisk until sauce thickens.  Add 2 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese and the warm cream cheese.  Stir until cheese melts and sauce is smooth.  Add the macaroni to the sauce and pour into a 9X9 inch baking pan.  In a food processor, grind the crackers into crumbs.  Top the macaroni with the remaining cheese and the cracker crumbs.  Bake uncovered at 350 for about 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  Enjoy!

Jamie's Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

was...

w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l!

Very rich and creamy 
and just really de-lish!

I hope you try it out.  
I have made many of Jamie's recipes and they've all been winners. :-)

All of the other participants are linked up below.  I hope you enjoy visiting many of them!  Don't forget to vote for the one you like best!

Thank you Tina for the opportunity to be part of the

Crazy Cooking Challenge!

~Tasha Tudor~

I've always admired Tasha Tudor's illustrations

as I've come across them in children's books

and in her own writings.

But, I never knew much about her,

until I checked out this book from the library.

Written by her daughter,

Drawn from New England

is 

A Portrait In Words and Pictures

by Bethany Tudor

After a busy Labor Day weekend of travel and company,

the house was very quiet on Monday afternoon.

As Mr. H. dozed on the coach,

I sat in my rocker and read Drawn from New 

England from cover to cover.

And, I discovered, a very kindred spirit! :-)

Menu Plan Monday

Supper Menus
September 5th-10th

Monday
venison sausage wraps, potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw
Tuesday
sliders, macaroni and cheese
Wednesday
cheese enchiladas, pinto beans
Thursday
bbq sandwiches, baked beans, potato chips
Friday
invited to friends house for supper
Saturday
swiss steak, mashed potatoes, buttered corn, dinner rolls, apple crisp

Miss LuLu

LuLu is six months old.  She loves to eat!

She roams the big barnyard now with the chickens.

We just have to keep her out of the chicken feed. ;-)

Happy half birthday LuLu!

It's September!!! :-)

September brings the Country Fair,

Falling leaves,

crisp autumn air.

~from Around  the Year by Tasha Tudor~

September brings ALL my favorite things!

~simple little pleasures~

"I believe the nicest and sweetest days 

are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, 

but just those that bring simple little pleasures, 

following one another softly,

 like pearls slipping off a string."

— L.M. Montgomery

Menu Plan Monday

Supper Menus
August 29-September 3

Monday
chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, fried okra, marinated tomatoes, texas toast
Tuesday
mexican frito salad
Wednesday
out for supper
Thursday
tortellini with marinara sauce, caesar salad
Friday
mexican lasagna
Saturday
tba

I admit it -

the members of my family are complete and total...

tortilla snobs.

We DO NOT eat the flour tortillas that are sold in the bread aisle at the grocery store.

If I brought those home, 

Mr. H. might use one as a coaster,

he might throw one like a frisbee,

 but he would never, ever eat one. ;-)

We are lucky enough to have a tortillaria inside our local grocery store.

The tortillas are delicious and fresh every day.

And I have been very happy to buy a bag every other week or so to meet all of our tortilla needs.

But, I've been wondering for awhile now,

could I make some at home???

I remember my parents making them often when I was growing up.

So...we gave it a shot tonight.

I rolled them out and Mr. H. manned the griddle.

And I immediately realized why it always seemed like my parents made tortillas TOGETHER.

It's much easier as a two man job. :-)

Twelve tortillas were eaten in record time.

We all agreed they were better than the tortillaria's. 

And my daughter requested only these from now on. 

I don't think I'll argue with her. :-)

The Kittens are Growing Up!

The kittens, from the latest litter that hangs around these parts,

are getting bigger.

The little gray and white one is a sweetie and very cuddly.

The calico is the hunter...

or huntress...

I have no idea if they're boys or girls. 

I never know when they'll be around.

They just come and go as they please.

I can never get many pictures of the gray,

 because as soon as it sees me it

comes to hop in my lap or crawl up my back.

The calico is a little more skittish.

Always watching.

They're very happy to be given a little fresh water.

~ode to the clothesline~

"The Clothesline Said So Much"

A clothesline was a news forecast

To neighbors passing by.

There were no secrets you could keep

When clothes were hung to dry.

It also was a friendly link

For neighbors always knew

If company had stopped on by

To spend a night or two.

For then you'd see the 'fancy sheets'

And towels upon the line;

You'd see the 'company table cloths'

With intricate design.

The line announced a baby's birth 

To folks who lived inside

As brand new infant clothes were hung

So carefully with pride.

The ages of the children could

So readily  be known

By watching how the sizes changed

You'd know how much they'd grown.

It also told when illness struck,

As extra sheets were hung;

Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,

Haphazardly were strung.

It said, 'Gone on vacation now'

When lines hung limp and bare.

It told, 'We're back!' when full lines sagged

With not an inch to spare.

New folks in town were scorned upon

If wash was dingy gray,

As neighbors  carefully raised their brows,

And looked the other way.

But clotheslines now are of the past

For dryers make work less.

Now what goes on inside a home

Is anybody's  guess.

I really miss that way of life 

It was a friendly sign

When neighbors knew each other best

 By what hung on the line!

by Marilyn K. Walker

"The Backyard Clothesline"

You'll say I'm 'quaintly countrified,'

Old fashioned as you please.

But I love the sight of fresh, clean laundry

Tossing in the breeze.

To suspend each garment on the line,

Then give the wind full play;

To caress and gently fragrance

In that sweet 'outdoorsy' way.

To bask in sunny radiance,

Towels neatly hung in rows;

Snowy linens snapping crisply,

Darling dancing baby clothes.

And when at dusk I gather them

If feel extremely blessed

That line-dried and sun-kissed cleanliness

Clothes the ones that I love best.

by Juanita M. Vernon

Miss Daisy knows the path to the clothesline,

and thinks I can't find it without her. ;-)

More baby steps...

I have really been pleased with the results of making 

homemade laundry detergent.

After using the detergent exclusively for four months now,

 I truly believe that I will always make it.

It works and I love it.  

I am ready to move on and make another change!

I've been wanting to try homemade "windex".

I've always used Wal-Mart brand Great Value Glass Cleaner.

The homemade recipe calls for 1 part vinegar to every 5 parts water.

Now Mr. H. does NOT like the smell of vinegar.

He has an aversion to it.  

He loves to eat the pickles and pickled okra that I make,

but he doesn't like to be around when I am making them 

because of the vinegar smell in the kitchen.

So I was a little concerned that the smell might bother him.

I mixed up 1/2 cup vinegar with 2 1/2 cups water.

~the test~

I decided to clean the glass on our storm door.

Our storm door that is right next to Mr. H.'s home office,
I might add. ;-)

I was more than a little bit doubtful of the effectiveness of the vinegar and water.

But, boy, let me tell you.  It did work well.

I might even go so far as to say it worked better than my Great Value.

I think Mr. H. could tell I was cleaning the door,

 but he didn't look up or say anything about smelling vinegar.

He even went out that door a few minutes later and didn't notice anything.

I think you can smell the vinegar, which I don't mind at all,

as you are cleaning, but within a minute or two the smell is gone.

After I use up this last bottle of Great Value glass cleaner I have in my cleaning closet,

I believe I'll continue to use the homemade.

And of course, for the cost run down -

Original Windex Glass Cleaner 32 oz. (at Wal-Mart)

$2.87

Great Value Original Glass Cleaner 32 oz. (at Wal-Mart)

$0.99 

Homemade Vinegar and Water Glass Cleaner 32 oz.

$0.15

Great Value Distilled White Vinegar 64 oz. $1.18

for 32 oz. of homemade cleaner I will need 8 oz. of vinegar

Another change for the healthier, the safer and the cheaper...

bring on the next homemade cleaner!!  Stay tuned. :-)

Menu Plan Monday

Supper Menus
August 22nd-27th

Monday
favorite individual meatloaves, mashed potatoes, homestyle macaroni and cheese, homestyle green beans, buttered corn, glazed baby carrots, salad greens and creamy sweet dressing, fluffy dinner rolls
Tuesday
homemade pizza, olive garden salad
Wednesday
braided sandwich loaves, chips and ranch dip
Thursday
homemade burritos, tortilla chips and salsa
Friday
out for supper
Saturday
hamburgers, baked beans, potato salad
repeat of Thursday's meal because we liked it so much!