Like never before....

To the man who:

Gives the best back and foot rubs.

Will always tell me in a store “anything you want honey”

Buys me love gifts for no reason at all.

Helps me with the dishes (and cleans the toilet for me).

Always knows just when I need him to hold my hand.

Loves to work in the yard with me.

Doesn’t mind if we get lost on a trip, in fact he’ll say, “well now it’s an adventure”.

Makes my tea in the morning for me.

Sends me e-mail’s that just say, “I adore you”.

Loves me so deeply sometimes I have to pinch myself.


Happy Anniversary.

I love him so.

Things that make me happy #19

Well if you haven't found this gem of a little online store, you need to haul it over there and check them out. Them is Nuts Online and they are one of my very favorite places to shop online for all things yummy.

I've been buying from them for about 3 years now and I can't begin tell you how wonderful their products are. Well actually I will begin to tell you, lol. If you're thinking how much nuts can one person buy....well silly people, they sell so much more than just nuts. I buy herbs, teas, dried fruits, and sweets! (they sell my beloved coco-cola gummies!) and so much more! They sell so many different things I could never list them all here. You won't believe it. Everything is super fresh and all very, very reasonably priced.

They are located in NJ and have been in business since 1929. You want to talk about fast shipping. They are lightening fast. If I order on a Monday, I get my stuff Tuesday. Do I pay for overnight shipping??? Hell no, they are just that fast. Of course I'm in RI so I am a closer than most, but they are quick. Here's an example. Last year I placed an order, as soon as I pushed the "place my order button" I remembered that I needed just one more thing, yes that's always the case with me. So a few minutes later I called them up to see if I could add to my order. The gentleman who answered the phone said sure I could add to the order then asked me to hold on a minute, he yelled to the person packing my order and asked him to add my missing item! That's how fast they are. Minutes after I placed the order, they were getting it ready to ship. It's amazing.

I don't brag or boast about a company unless I really love it and I can honestly say, you would not be disappointed with any of their products. I just placed another big order tonight. I'm getting some new teas that I can't wait to try, some goodies for the kids, some wheat germ, fried peas (they are the best), toasted corn.....you get the idea.

If you do order...let them know I sent ya cause I think I get a 10% discount....and no that's not why I posted this. I really just wanted to let you all in on this really terrific place! So go....shoo...go buy some nuts and candy and teas and herbs and........just go.

Caramel Apples

Boy it was chilly when we woke up this morning. There's no frost on the pumpkin yet, but it won't be long. I had cooked another batch of apple butter in the crock pot last night, so we woke up to that luscious smell in the house again. I used a mix of 3 different kinds of apple this time and added in a little clove. I think it's even better than the first batch. I might even leave this batch a bit chunky.

Yesterday we got our hay bales and I decorated the front deck and the rest of the yard. Today the guys will hang the ghosts and goblins from the trees. Grandma G brought us a whole box of decorations for the trees a few years ago, so now it's become a bit of a tradition to hang them from the big trees that line the front yard.

We also went stick hunting for caramel apples. Who says you need popsicle sticks when nature provides and abundance of free stick right in your very own yard. You don't eat the stick anyway right?

This recipe made 4 ooey, gooey caramel apples. Evan took the plain route and opted for just plain ole caramel, John and I wanted coconut and Jesse's was covered in Halloween sprinkles and mini chocolate chips. My apple was the only one that was photographable. Although I'm sure they taste great, they were a bit messy.

Caramel Apples

4 sticks

4 apples, washed & dried

16 ounces of wrapped caramels (I used 2- 8oz bags)

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Insert stick into the end of each apple. Set aside. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment and spray it lightly with cooking spray. Set aside. Get whatever your going to dip the apples into prepped into bowls.

Combine butter, milk and caramel in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until caramel is melted and smooth (5 to 7 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Dip your apple into the caramel and spoon the caramel over the top and down the sides. Work quick cause the caramel sets up quick. Roll and press your goodies up the sides of the apple. Set on lined baking sheet to cool. I put mine in the breezeway since it was chilly today.

Crock Pot Pepperoni Lasagna

I am always looking for recipes that save me time, are convenient, and can be prepped ahead of time. I work 40 hrs a week outside the home, so any time I can save making dinner is a huge plus for me. I had seen several recipes for lots of different kinds of crock pot lasagnas, but none of them really did it for me so I decided to come up with my own. I gave it my own little twists and came up with a brand new recipe. I decided to give it try over the weekend so I could see if it was something that might make a tasty and fast weeknight dinner.

Many of the recipes I found contained no garlic (or spices)! Blasphemy! If you hadn’t noticed, I tend to add garlic to lots of my recipes. On the rare occasion that I meet someone who says they don’t like garlic I always turn into the aunt from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. “You don’t eat no GARLIC??? What you mean you don’t eat no garlic?” “You come to my house I feed you garlic.” Yeah I know it was meat in the movie but you get the idea.

Luckily for me my Mom watches the boys after school, so this would be a doable weeknight dinner for me if I put it all together the night before, then my Mom could turn the crock-pot on for me and it would be ready when I got home from work.

Crock Pot Pepperoni Lasagna
Printable recipe
1 package egg noodles, cooked very al dente and drained. (I used wide width)
2 pound pounds ground beef or turkey
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 large jar sauce (2lbs, 13oz)
3.5 oz sliced pepperoni, chopped (I used about half of a 8oz package) *see note
1 - 16oz package shredded mozzarella
1 - 8oz package shredded cheddar
1 tablespoon Italian seasonings.

In a large skillet cook ground beef and onions until done. Add about 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, or just shake it in there till it looks good. Add the garlic in a few minutes before the meat is done. Drain out any excess grease and stir in the sauce and pepperoni.

Grease the crock-pot. Spread 1/3 of the meat on the bottom then cover with a layer of noodles then cheese. Repeat the layers twice. You should end up with a layer of noodles at the top. Sprinkle it with the last of the mozzarella cheese and cover. Cook on low heat for 3 – 4 hours, or until heated through and cheeses are melted.

Note* I pre-cook the pepperoni on some paper towel in the microwave, just 30 seconds or so to get most of the grease out. I placed 25 slices of pepperoni on a triple layer of paper towel. Don’t overcook it; just check your microwave at about 30 seconds. Repeat with another 25 more slices of pepperoni. Chop and add to mixture.

This was fantastic. We had Mitch and our neighbor Belle over and everyone loved it. I was worried that it would get too mushy, but it didn't. I was worried the pepperoni flavor would overpower the dish...it didn't. It almost tastes like a cross between baked ziti and lasagna. I used ground turkey this time, didn't tell anyone, and not one of them asked. This is a keeper for sure.

One last thing. The photo.......why are pasta dishes so hard to photograph? They always look like a big pile of mush. It was a pile of mush that tasted great though!

Praying Mantis

What a busy Saturday we've had. Evan had a soccer game in the morning, so I got to try the new camera out taking lots of action shots. I had a full plate today, and it had nothing to do with food. I had lots to accomplish in the house and in the yard. While I got started in the house, John and Mitch starting on breaking the garden down for the season (bye fresh veggies *sniff*). We still have eggplants growing but the rest of the garden is gone. My herbs are still holding on though.

John yelled for me to grab my camera cause he spotted a Praying Mantis. I can't even tell you how long it's been since I've seen one. It has to be at least 15 years. I've always been fascinated with them. They seem like the wise, graceful leader of the insect world to me. Those big alien eyes and wispy claws are just the coolest thing.

When we were young they seemed to be all over my Grandfathers garden. I remember catching them with the neighborhood kids and always releasing them cause rumor was that killing them was against the law! I'm not kidding. That was local folk law around these parts.

We were busy in the yard most of the afternoon, but I managed to get a great new dish into the crock pot (more on that later). We went back to the spot we found Mr. Mantis in, and sure enough he was still there.

Hopefully he'll stick around for awhile. I kinda like him.

I got a Nikon camera. I love to take a photograph…..

Since I was 17 years old I have wanted a Nikon camera. That’s about the time that my interest in photography began. My first camera was a Canon AE1 Program. I wanted a Nikon, but after saving for a year, the Canon was all I could afford. Way back then I think I paid $300 for it, which was a terrific amount of money at the time. I remember my father cringing when he found out how much money I spent. He didn't take it well back then, so I don't think I will be sharing the price tag of this camera with him.

Fast forward 27 years and it was almost like I was 17 again. Putting away $20 here, $40 there, stashing cash in my little savings box and counting it every few months to see what my total was. Could I have gone out and just bought it? Yes. Does it mean more to me to have saved for it for the last 10 months? Absolutely. Plus I think it teaches my kids a great lesson. If you want something bad enough, you will find a way to get it.

So after many, many years and many, many months of research I finally have the camera of my dreams.

It arrived today. I could hardly wait to tear into the box. Within minutes my table was covered with plastic, foam, instruction booklets, DVD's, wires, batteries, and all the do-dads that come along with a brand spanking new Nikon. Can I just say that again? A Nikon. I owe a Nikon. I have waited so many years to say that.

After spending a bit of time looking it all over, I have to admit, it's a bit overwhelming. There are more bells and whistles on this camera then there are in my car!

This weekend I'm just going to take my time and watch the DVD's and read my instruction manuals and really get to know this camera that I have waited so long to own. There may be a trip to a store to purchase a camera bag, but other than that, I'm planning on hunkering myself down and mastering this thing of beauty.

I may be awhile before the picture quality improves!

If you didn’t recognize that the title of this post was the lyrics to Kodachrome then you are just a young whippersnapper!

Latte Bars

I must confess....I have no idea what a latte tastes like. I don’t drink coffee. I am a tea drinker. I love my tea, hot or cold. Sometimes I feel like an alien right here on earth because I never partake in a cuppa joe. You should see the looks I get when someone offers me one and I say, “No thanks, I don’t drink coffee”. “You don’t drink coffee??” Like it’s some kind of a sin or something. Geesh. I work in an office full of coffee drinkers. They drink it all day long. I live with one of the biggest coffee drinkers I know, my husband, the java fiend. He cannot function without a pot of in the morning. That’s right I didn't say cup, or cups, I said pot.

Now while I don’t like the taste of coffee, I love the smell, especially those flavored ones. Hazelnut, vanilla, raspberry, they all smell good to me. I also love coffee flavored things….ice cream, syrup (yup that’s big here in RI), and desserts. When I came across this recipe for Latte Bars I knew it would be something that my hubby would go nuts for and that I would probably like too. I was right.

You can really taste the deep espresso flavor in each bite. Like what I would imagine a great cup of coffee would taste like, but with a mocha twist. The frosting also has a coffee kick and the creamy, rich topping covered in crushed chocolate covered coffee beans is totally decedent. I even like the chocolate covered espresso beans, but then again, there’s not much that you can dip in chocolate that I won’t eat. So if you are a coffee lover, you will love these, and even if you’re not a coffee lover, you might like them too!

Latte Bars
Printable recipe
2 to 3 teaspoons instant espresso powder
2 teaspoons hot water
1-cup sugar
¾ cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1-teaspoon vanilla

Frosting
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons, butter, softened

1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped chocolate covered espresso coffee beans

Heat oven to 350. Combine 2 to 3 teaspoons espresso powder in hot water in a small bowl; stir until dissolved. Set aside.

Combine sugar, flour, cocoa, and salt in medium bowl. Stir in ½ cup melted butter, eggs, vanilla and dissolved espresso mixture. Mix well.

Spread into greased 8 inch square baking pan. Bake for 23 – 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Frosting
Combine ½ teaspoons espresso powder and 1 tablespoon milk in a small bowl. Stir until dissolved. Add powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons butter. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, adding enough additional milk for desired consistency. Frost cool bars, sprinkle with chopped espresso beans.