Back-to-School Already?!

Can you believe summer break is almost over? Are you ready? My summer is already over. I'm back in the classroom after 8 years. I've been working around the clock putting together a preK classroom. I'm plumb exhausted. 
I thought I'd share some super cute back-to-school ideas/projects I found on Pinterest. Now, if only I had the time to actually make them.... 
Super cute, easy-peasy gift for the teacher for the first day of school. FREE printable on Simply This and That! 

A-DOR-ABLE door hanger for your new teacher. This looks so do-able! Maybe one of my students will make me one?!? Yeah, I don't think so either. I may just have to give up some more sleep and make one for myself. Thanks for the tutorial, Warm & Fuzzy! 

O-Mmm-Gee! Look at how cute these apple pretzels are?!?! I'm not linking it because the link is showing to not be safe. Sorry about that Bake.Bake.Celebrate. I think this could be recreated fairly easily without having directions. 

I know my kids would LOVE this. What a cute way to gear up for the beginning of a new school year! Check out the directions over at Pen N' Paperflowers. 

LOVE, love this idea of a back-to-school dinner night with the family. The decorations would be easy to put together. Check out the cuteness over at Our Family Blog. 

If you're going to have a Back-to-School dinner, you're going to need a Back-to-School dinner recipe. Here's one of my family favorites - Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops. Thanks to One Day at a Time for having a great picture with the recipe. This is recipe I use and I've shared, I just can't find my picture. Bummer. No worries. You'll find other great recipes over at One Day at a Time as well. 

Have you found some great ideas to kick off back-to-school?! If I had hours to spend, I could find so many things to make.... if I had time. {sigh}

When do your kids start back? Ours actually start on the 15th. I, on the other hand, have been working for a week in my classroom. I report for meetings on Friday. Life for this housewife is drastically changing. 

~Mrs. Alright

Wishing I could do it all, like.... 

Summertime Strawberry Pie

I just love strawberries in the summer! So today I'm sharing strawberry pie. Poor Mrs. Priss is allergic, so maybe she could use peaches? What do you think Mrs. P?

Let us know if you try my refreshing pie....enjoy! 

Have a berry good day, 

Mrs. Sinclair

A berrylicious RHOK Star

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Maybe you're bored. And hungry. Perhaps you need a little project with the kids, with a yummy outcome!

Never fear I have the best chocolate cookie recipe for you today! And truly, they are. (My mom wrote this book of recipes by hand for a wedding gift, I might be biased, but it's worth the chance!)

Enjoy! And bring me some.

Mrs. Sinclair, 

A RHOK Star 

always needs chocolate

Bacon. It's a Food Group.

 

 I've always been a lover of bacon. Thanks to social media, ALL of my friends know I have a big, fat love affair with it.  Take a look at a few of things that have been posted on my Facebook wall by my friends or me, just because they know about my insane infatuation with the duct tape of all food.

Being the resident recipe housewife, I must share a favorite recipe involving BACON! 

I make so many things with it, Pampered Chef Chopped Salad (it's the BEST), Bacon & Tomato Cups, Outback's Alice Springs' Chicken, Cooked Cabbage, Arkansas Green Beans, broccoli/cauliflower salad, pasta salad, BLT's, etc. But, the one that comes to mind right at this moment and that I would love to sink my chompers into is...

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts! Mmmm!  

Click link to go to the original website -  

Oh So Delicioso

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds bacon

2 cans whole water chestnuts

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 cup honey

toothpicks

Directions

Cut your bacon in half. Wrap each water chestnut with bacon and secure it with a toothpick. Place in a 9"x13" cake pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Combine barbecue sauce and honey and whisk to combine. Drizzle over water chestnuts.

Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour, or until bacon begins to crisp.

Serve warm.

Dear, SWEET Mrs. Priss even got me my very own BaCoN necklace the other day. Isn't she so thoughtful?! 

Do you have a favorite recipe that includes bacon? If so, I'd be ever so grateful to have it. 

I shall leave you with one more little bacon tidbit....

~Mrs. Albright Putting bacon on my bacon, like a...

Sum, Sum, Summertime!

Most people love summertime. They love the heat, they love the sun and can spend hours on end out on the water. Not me. Summertime is my least favorite season. I loathe heat and am allergic to the sun. For reals. But, there are a few things I do love about summertime. I love that my kids have no homework. I love not having schedules, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE summertime fruits and veggies. That's my absolute favorite thing about summer. 

I really wish I had a garden. I always say, "Maybe next year!" and it never happens. I end up buying my fresh fruit and veggies at produce stands. It tastes so good that I don't even complain much about how expensive it is. 

One of my very favorite summertime salad recipes is this pasta salad. It is so easy and absolutely delicious. One of my college roommates shared it with me and I've been making it for the past 25 years. 

Pasta Salad

1 box of Rotini pasta - cooked and rinsed with cold water

1 cucumber - chopped

2 tomatoes - chopped (or 6 Roma tomatoes, chopped)

1 can of sliced black olives

1/2 red onion - chopped

1 bottle of Zesty Italian dressing

3-4 Tbsp. Salad Supreme by McCormick

Toss altogether and let set in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. 

What is your favorite thing about summertime? Do you have a favorite summertime recipe you'd like for us to try? If so, please share it with us. If we love it, we'll blog about it. Have you ever used McCormick's Salad Supreme? If so, have you used it other than for the recipe on the back? 

~Mrs. Albright Enjoying the outdoors before it hits 90 degrees, like a.... 

Foodiness is so a Word!

I am a self-proclaimed foodie. I'm not a foodie like my sweet friend Katie over at Dish and Dishes who has written a book, Food Lovers' Guide to Oklahoma, and has her own segment on TV in Oklahoma City. I'm more of a foodie in the sense that I like to eat food. Eh. Okay, that and I do like to try new recipes, look for new recipes and share new recipes with my friends on Facebook. Katie really has it made. She gets paid for her foodiness. All I get are a lot of "likes" on Facebook. LOL! No really, it absolutely makes me smile when I have a friend come post on my "wall" that they tried a recipe I shared or when one comes and tells me they need dinner ideas. My husband says I need to figure out how to install a Paypal button on each post. He's so funny. No, seriously, anyone know how I can do that?!? :) 

I've got two recipes I want to share with you. The main dish, Outback's Alice Springs' Chicken, was a huge hit by everyone in my family. The cooked cabbage is only loved by my teenager and myself. We seriously love cooked cabbage so when one of my Facebook friends posted about her cooked cabbage I couldn't help but beg for the recipe. She was kind of enough to share it and she's given me permission to share it as well. 

Outback's Alice Springs' Chicken

Recipe: 
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness

Lawry's Seasoning Salt
6 bacon slices
1/4 cup regular mustard
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 cup sliced fresh mushroom (I omitted because my family does not like mushrooms)

2 cup shredded Colby/Jack cheese
First, Sprinkle and rub the chicken breasts with seasoning salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is in the refrigerator, cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside. ***Do not discard grease.***
Saute chicken in the bacon grease for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until browned. Place chicken in a 9" × 13" casserole dish or pan.
To make the Honey Mustard: In a small bowl, mix the mustard, honey, mayonnaise and dried onion flakes.
Spread some of the Honey Mustard over each piece of chicken, then layer with mushrooms, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheese.
Bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and chicken is done.
Serve with the left over Honey Mustard Sauce that you made.
source: http://debrapate.blogspot.com/2012/01/outback-steakhouse-alice-springs.html

The chicken was very easy to put together. I made it even easier by buying thin-cut chicken breasts. That eliminated me pounding the heck out of the breasts. I did make a bit of an error. I forgot that I was going to need the bacon grease to brown the chicken in. I ended up throwing my cabbage in the bacon grease. I should have divided it. Oh, well. It didn't matter. I used a little coconut oil in the skillet and browned the chicken. I don't think it probably made a lick of difference. But, just in case you make these two dishes at the same meal, you might want to remember that. 

Cooked Cabbage 

Ingredients

•3 slices of bacon

•4 tablespoons of butter, divided

•1 cup of chopped onion

•1 medium to large head of cabbage, chopped (about 10 to 12 cups)

•1 teaspoon of kosher salt

•1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper

•1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste, optional

•2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar, optional

•Dash dried red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions

Chop the bacon and cook until the fat is rendered. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the onion and saute about 4 minutes. Add a splash of water to the bottom of the skillet to deglaze the browned bits in the bottom. Add half the cabbage, salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning, and stir. Add the remaining cabbage, stir, reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes, or until cabbage reaches the desired consistency, stirring several times. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the cider vinegar. Adjust the salt and pepper if needed. 

That's some good stuff right there. Try it. You'll like it! 


~Mrs. Albright Trying to figure out how to make money sharing recipes on Facebook, like a...

Waste not, want not...

Yesterday, Miss Priss told you all about getting your milk and bread.
Maybe you now have some extra milk and bread.
Today, here's how you can put your milk and bread to use!
Milk & Bread Ingredients 2 thick slices good white bread 2 teaspoons sugar or vanilla sugar 1 cup milk Directions Tear the bread into rough chunks, and sprinkle with the sugar. Warm the milk and pour over the bread and sugar to serve.
Bread Pudding Ingredients Original recipe makes 1 - 8 inch square pan  6 slices day-old bread  2 tablespoons butter, melted  1/2 cup raisins (optional)  4 eggs, beaten  2 cups milk  3/4 cup white sugar  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. If desired, sprinkle with raisins. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.

Enjoy!

Mrs. Sinclair
reminding you waste not, want not!

Christmas Indulgences

I don't know about you, but every year when it comes time to make and bake goodies to give as gifts or take to parties I spend lots of time looking for new recipes to try. I like to poll the audience (Facebook) and search Pinterest. 

So far, these are the three recipes I've made and shared: Christmas Crack,

Source: mommyskitchen.net via Dawn's Diversions on Pinterest

Spicy Crackers & Pretzels and Pioneer Woman's Slice and Bake Cookies.

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Ashley on Pinterest

 Everyone has loved them. I also have the ingredients for Pioneer Woman's Christmas Cherries. 

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I'll be making those this weekend along with another batch of the slice & bake cookies. Priss is having a cookie exchange party. I'm looking forward to all those wonderful cookies! 
I'm going to share the recipe for the Spicy Crackers & Pretzels that I got from my mom. It's so easy, no oven involved! 

Click on picture to enlarge for recipe. To save, right click and then Save As. 



~Mrs. Albright RHOK'n the recipes, like a....

Turkeyladas

Mrs. Robinson here filling in for the ill Mrs. Sinclair.

In the spirit of all things short cut, I Mrs. R, am sharing a great turkey leftover recipe. Now remember, don't leave your turkey leftovers unfrozen more than 3-4 days. But, save it carefully and when you're in a pinch you can make these:

TURKEYLADAS
2 cups cubed cooked turkey
1 cup shredded cheddar or mex blend cheese to mix & 1 more set aside
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced ripe black olives, drained
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup picante sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 flour tortillas

In a bowl, combine ingredients )except tortillas); mix well. Spoon about 1/2 cup filling off center on each tortilla. Fold sides and ends over filling, then roll up. Place in a shallow microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and filling is hot. Then, sprinkle remaining cheese on top & place under the broiler until brown & bubbly.
Enjoy!

Do y'all have any favorite leftover ideas? Do share!

Mrs. Robinson
A fabulous RHOK Star fill in
Gobble Gobble

A RHOK'n Recipe We LOVE!

Who's tired of eating and even seeing Halloween candy?! Blech. I'm over it. I'm hiding what's left to give out next year. I kid, I kid. My little one ate so much candy Halloween night that the next morning she had the worst tummy ache. She didn't have dinner the night before because she refused. I thought I'd let her learn a little about natural consequences. After spending some time on the potty and praying to God for relief, she finally said, "Mom, we shouldn't have went trick-or-treating." Yep, don't think I won't be reminding her next year when she wants to just eat candy for dinner. =) 

I'm not here to just talk about gluttonous, I'm here to actually share a really easy and yummy dinner recipe with you. This is a recipe I can fix and my family will - eat every time. To make it a little healthier I like to add some vegetable sides - to balance out the starches. 

Potatoes & Smoked Sausage
2 packages Eckrich Skinless Smoked Sausage

5 large baking potatoes 1/8 to 1/4 cup of canola or olive oil season salt  onion, if desired 
~Peel and dice potatoes and slice sausage ~Add oil, onion, potatoes, & sausage to deep, large fry pan ~Season with Season Salt (I season it at the beginning and then again before it's finished cooking.)  ~Cook covered until potatoes are tender and a little browned

Waa~Laa! It's THAT easy. My family loves fried potatoes so I figured out a way a long time ago to make it a meal by adding the sausage. 
What are you doing with all your left-over candy? I've done my fair share of helping my girls eat get rid of it. 

~Mrs. Albright Recovering from a sugar high, like a...


Oh, yeah.... one more thing. GO VOTE! 80 million people did not vote in the last presidential election. Make your voice count. It's your right. It's a privilege people died to give you. No excuses. DO IT!