Busy, Busy, Busy

The church workers conference went really well. We had a wonderful time. Our room was just beautiful! I never wanted to leave it! I would have liked to have heard some of the speakers, but I was at my booth. I did get to enjoy the divine service though. It was very nice. They included liturgy, which doesn't always happen. This made me happy!

The new Luther Rose bracelet went well. I didn't sell out of them, but there were several people that bought them and commented on them. I was happy.

So, today I am doing laundry and preparing for our next trip, which is tomorrow. I am doing a show at Baptist East hospital in the morning, and then we leave for Peoria in the afternoon. We will be celebrating Rich's dad's 60th birthday. There is also a special service at the church Rich grew up in. We were sent an invitation because he is a son of the congregation that is a church worker. It should be nice.

In honor of the Heinz clan, I will be adding Rich's mom's famous cheese potatoes. I named them "Death by Potatoes" because all the things in them can kill ya! I never eat dessert there at the holidays, I just have a second helping of potatoes!

Death By Potatoes

1 32 oz. package of frozen hashbrowns

1 stick of butter

1 pound Velveeta Cheese

1 pint half and half

1 pkg. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Thaw hashbrowns and spread in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter. Add Velveeta cheese and half and half. Pour over hashbrowns and let stand for 1 hour. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Oops!

I said I was going to post a recipe a day. It looks like my goals were a bit lofty. I will try to improve! It has been a busy week! I have been making jewelry like crazy. What is new. My new custom made Luther Rose charm came in just in time for Reformation! I have been making those bracelets to take with me to the Indiana District Church Workers Conference. I am excited to see how they go over!

Tomorrow is our church supper. I have been making goodies for the bake sale this week. I also went last night to break bread to dry out for the dressing. They make WONDERFUL dressing. I also rolled crackers into crumbs to be used for rolled oysters. This is a big item at our dinner. I am not found of the fried treat, but there are many people around here to even have them for their Thanksgiving dinners! Today I am boiling and picking the meat off of chickens for the dumplings and dressing. I will head out to school this afternoon to do whatever needs to be done. Today's big task is making the potato salad. In the morning I will bake my pie. I head over at noon to start cutting pies. Serving the fried chicken is the job Rich and I have in the evening. Ben will be helping the youth group do dishes and any other tasks that need to be completed. It is a big weekend at St. John's. Our dinner feeds about 800 people. It is quite an amazing meal! If you are in the area you should join us!

So, today I am posting a quick recipe. The oyster crackers are something we have made around the holidays for as long as I can remember. It is a great snack. I have even given them as a gift in a pretty tin! Enjoy.

Oyster Crackers
1 Tablespoon Parsley
1 Tablespoon Dill Seed
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 cup oil
1 package Hidden Valley Rance Dressing Mix
2-12 oz. packages of Oyster Crackers

Shake seasonings and oily in a large container with a lid. Add crackers and shake more. Let sit for at least 24 hours! It is hard to stop eating the little things!

Ben's Award Winning Popcorn

The recipe I have today, sorry I missed some days, is for the most wonderful popcorn. I call it "Ben's Award Winning" because it won an award at the St. John's Fest one year. However, it is not really Ben's popcorn. It is Amy Hufford's popcorn. She shared it with us one Christmas, and I have been making it ever since. I think popped corn and not microwaved works best. I mix it in a clean dish pan I use for that purpose, it is easier. My brother cannot wait for it each Christmas. Everyone says it is so addicting, and they are right. Try it, you won't be sorry!

Amy Hufford's Popcorn

14 cups popped popcorn

3 c. rice crispy cereal

2 c. salted peanuts

1 pound almond bark

3 Tablespoons Creamy peanut butter

Melt bark in the microwave. Stir in peanut butter. Mix all. Spread onto sheet pans lined with wax paper. Let dry. Store in an airtight container.

Jana's Salad

When my mom's family gets together my cousin Jana usually makes this yummy salad. I love it. It is one of those salads that you really can't call a salad without feeling guilty. It is more like a dessert. Anyway, we LOVE it. I think I have had it with cherries in it, but I am not sure. Has anyone made it with cherries?

Champagne Salad

1 8 oz. cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

1- 10 oz. bag of frozen strawberries

1- 8 oz. cool whip

2 bananas sliced and chopped

1 lg. can crushed pineapple

1 cup chopped pecans

Drain pineapple. Thaw berries and cool whip. Blend cream cheese, sugar, and strawberries. Fold in cool whip and pineapple. Pour in a 9x13 pan and freeze. You can also freeze it in muffin tins lined with cupcake liners. Thaw 15 minutes before serving.

Planning

It finally seems like fall here today. I am sitting on my couch with a warm cup of tea, my quilt around me, my box of tissues nearby, watching the rain fall with the leaves. I love fall. It always gives me this homey feeling. It also gets my creative juices flowing too. It seems time to start looking toward the holidays and making plans.

I have started collecting the recipes I want to make this season, and I have even started stocking up on baking supplies, so that the cost doesn't hit us all at once. I have been doing that for several years and it really helps!

I decided that I am going to try and post a favorite recipe a day. I enjoy sharing recipes and thought some of you might be starting to think ahead too. Why not share your favorites? I would love to see what everyone else is planning on making! It could be a challenge for us to collect them up! Sound like fun? Join me then!

Today's recipe is my attempt to add pumpkin to Thanksgiving, without it having to be pie. I am not a huge fan of pumpkin pie. It's fine, but nothing I look forward to. I made this recipe several years ago, at my Aunt Beth's, my dad was still alive, so that was some time ago. I accidentally put just a can of pumpkin instead of pumpkin pie filling. You DON'T want to make that mistake.
This year we are joining the Oberdieck family for Thanksgiving. That is such a blessing to us! What wonderful friends they are. They feel more like our family than just friends. I will be taking this cake to add to the MANY things Brian will prepare!

Pumpkin Cake

1 15 oz. can pumpkin pie filling
4 slightly beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 can evaporated milk
1 yellow cake mix
2 sticks melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix pumpkin, eggs, sugar, pie spice, salt, and milk. Pour into a buttered 9x13 pan. Sprinkle yellow cake mix over the top. Pour melted butter on top of that. Sprinkle with 1 cup of chopped pecans. (unless you go to the Obedieck's, where Daniel is allergic to nuts.) Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Serve topped with whipped cream.

Woo Hoo!

This morning we took our dear friend, and fairy godmother, Davie, to the airport to send her off to her home in Ohio. It was hard to do. Having her here for a week was such a wonderful treat! It is always a treat having her to visit! What a dear and wonderful friend!

We did many fun things while she was here. We enjoyed some shopping and some lovely meals out. I cooked several meals and had my mom and her friend Norma over. My mom had us over for some yummy chicken and dumplings. We went to Ben's cross country meet, and yesterday we visited the zoo. It was a beautiful day at the zoo!

However, one of the best parts of the visit was planning our CHRISTMAS DISNEY TRIP!!!!! Davie has always wanted to see the decorations there at Christmas, and so have we. What a wonderful gift to be able to go along with her! We are so excited! I just cannot wait! We sat with her at our kitchen table and made all the calls for dinning, flights, etc. I can hardly believe that it is actually happening! Woo Hoo!!!!!