my blessed life

Hey there!  Just popping in on the Tasty Tuesday to share a quick and easy version of Shepherd's Pie --and a fantastic way to use up roast beef leftovers!  I started making it in this way when I got tired of using my roast leftovers for beef-veggie soup and wanted to make something different with them.  This has been a hit with the whole family! Step 1: Arrange your (leftover/cooked) roast beef  in the bottom of a deep-dish pie pan. I like to make sure mine is chopped or shredded into bite-sized pieces.   Step 2: Arrange your (leftover/roasted) carrots on top of the beef. I also cut these into smallish pieces. Step 3: Arrange roasted or sauteed onions on top of the carrots. I supposed you could skip this step if you don't like onions,  but I can't even imagine that! (I do keep my onions in large pieces so they can be easily removed from my onion-hating son's plate though). Step 4: Pour over about 1/2 to 3...

At least once a week I try to have a meatless meal for one of our dinners.  Usually this means the traditional pinto beans and cornbread and while that is one that the whole family likes, I sometimes just get tired of it.  I admit that I'm not a fan of eating the same things all the time.  I like variety!  That doesn't always fly with my family ...but I try anyway. So recently I tried a new meatless meal and absolutely loved it!  As for the family: Vince liked it as well (although I think he would have like a big chicken breast on the side), The Princess like the beans but not the corn cakes, and Mr. B liked the corn cakes but not the beans.  {sigh} But because I can't let my picky kiddos rule the world, I have to share it with you :)  It was yummy, healthy (well, maybe not the corn cakes), and super fast and easy to prepare! Cuban Black Beans 2 tsp. olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 cans black beans, drained & rinsed 1 c...

Welcome back to Tasty Tuesday!!   Recently, as in: the-month-of-August-which-has-been-one-of-the-busiest-months-of-my-life-ever , I decided it was time to can some tomatoes.  And after hearing of a great local place to buy some, proceeded to purchase a ridiculous amount of those lovely home-grown beauties.   So....canning tomatoes has been happening at my house.  Yes, it has.   And I used this easy-peasy method.    However, after canning lots of tomatoes in this way I decided it was time to branch out.  I just wanted to try something that was different--and maybe something a little less time consuming. So when a friend shared this super easy and oh-so-delicious recipe with me, I had to try it.   I was NOT disappointed!   Roasted Marinara Sauce (from my friend Beverly Wilson) 1. Quarter (or smaller) the tomatoes and place them  cut-side-down on a baking sheet with edges. 2.  ...

And it's Tasty Tuesday again!!  Yea!! We celebrated my awesome hubby's birthday yesterday.  We were snowed/iced in (still are!), but we had CAKE !  That's all that matters, right? :) Black Forest Cake is his fave and this is a recipe that I've made often for his birthdays in the past.  It had been a while though and I decided we needed to have it again this year. It's SO good!!  Traditional Black Forest Cake is actually a little heavy for me, but this one is light and delicious! Black Forest Cake (cake) 6 eggs 1 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I like the Hershey's Special Dark) 1/2 cup butter, melted (filling & topping) 2-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream 2 tbsp. powdered sugar 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 can cherry pie filling grated chocolate chocolate curls ***** Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease and flour three 8" round cake pans.   Whisk the egg...

Welcome back to Tasty Tuesdays!   This past weekend I made our favorite sloppy joe recipe.  It had been a while and I'd forgotten just how yummy it is!  So much better than the canned stuff!  Plus you can let your slow cooker do most of the work for you.  Enjoy! Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes 1 lb. lean ground beef 2 tbsp. minced dried onion 2 tbsp. real bacon bits 1 tsp. mustard 3/4 cup ketchup 1 tbsp. brown sugar ***** In a medium skillet, over medium heat, brown the ground beef and onion together; drain. Place meat mixture in a slow cooker and stir in the remaining ingredients.   Cook on low for 2-3 hours.  Serve with hamburger buns or hot dog buns. Makes 4-5 single servings.

Hey, it's Tasty Tuesday again!!  Yea!!  This one is brought to you by my daughter... This past week The Princess decided she'd like to make dinner for us one night.  After flipping through some vintage 70's children's cookbooks (that I've passed along to her) she found this one that seemed to suit the cold weather we've been having just fine.  She did a great job making it~I'm so glad she enjoys cooking!  And it was super yummy! Easy Chili 1 lb. ground beef 1 cup chopped onion 2 (15-1/2 oz.) cans kidney beans 1 can chopped tomatoes 1 can tomato sauce 1/2 cup water 2 tbsp. chili powder 1/2 tsp. salt  Dash of pepper ***** Brown the ground beef and onion in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat until beef is browned; drain the meat and put back into pan. Add beans, tomatoes, sauce, water, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. **Mr. B freaks out over onions  ...so I told The Princess to...

This is one of my all time favorite salad dressings!!  It's sweet, it's tangy ...it's full of yummy goodness!  I love it especially on holiday salads when they include dried cranberries:)  It keeps for a couple of weeks in the fridge, too! Sweet Onion Salad Dressing 1 cup sugar 1-1/2 tsp. dry mustard 1-1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 medium onion, chopped fine 1/2 cup white vinegar 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp. celery seeds ***** Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth; refrigerate. ***** Subscribe by email and never miss a thing here at My Blessed Life!

If you're anything like I am, then you are probably thinking ahead to next week's big holiday meal and determining what you can make beforehand in order to make your job easier on the big day.   Well, here is a great recipe for helping with that!  These are super yummy mashed potatoes--full of flavor!! Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes 5 lbs. potatoes 1-2 tsp. minced garlic 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 stick butter, softened 1 cup sour cream Onion powder, to taste White Pepper, to taste Kosher salt, to taste ***** Boil potatoes with the minced garlic (if you don't have minced garlic, you can add garlic powder later when you add the other seasonings) until ready to mash  (about 8-10 minutes).   Remove from heat; drain well.   Add cream cheese, butter, and sour cream.  Stir to allow these to begin to  melt into the potatoes. Add onion salt to taste (I just sprinkle a nice coating across the top of the potatoes). ...

Yesterday was our annual family Pumpkin Day.  No, it's not on the calendars, but it's a fun family tradition for us.   We usually have some chili to eat, something pumpkin-y for dessert, carve our pumpkins, roast the seeds, and watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown".  It's so much fun!   Last night our yummy pumpkin-y dessert was a Pumpkin Roll .....mmmmmm You should really make one today! Pumpkin Roll 3 eggs 1 cup granulated sugar 2/3 cup canned pumpkin 1 tsp. lemon juice 3/4 cups flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg ***** Beat eggs in mixer at highest speed for 5 minutes.   Gradually beat in the sugar.   Next, stir in the pumpkin and lemon juice.   Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon,  ginger, and nutmeg and fold into the pumpkin mixture.   Spread in a waxed-paper-lined 11x15 jelly roll pan. ...

It's Tasty Tuesdays again!  Welcome! This past weekend a friend generously shared a bag of pears with me.  I knew that I needed to do something creative with them because there would not be time to simply eat them one at a time without them ruining.  And that would be a shame. Then I thought of pear butter. I'm definitely not an experienced canner, only having done it very few times and certainly never with pears.  But I thought I would give it a try, especially after finding a very simple looking crock pot recipe.   And here are the yummy results: Pear Butter Enough pears to yield 8 cups, peeled and cored 2 Tbsp. lemon juice 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. nutmeg ***** After peeling, coring, and chopping your pears, place them all in a crock pot.  Add the lemon juice, granulated sugar, brown sugar,  cinnamon, and nutmeg; stir mixture well. Cook on High fo...

Recently when I was making an Italian main dish for our family I had a sudden craving to have some creamed spinach on the side.  The results were so good that I just have to share them with you! Creamed Spinach 1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen spinach, cooked and drained well 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped 1 Tbsp. butter 3 Tbsp. flour 1/2 cup chicken stock 1/2 cup milk 1/8 tsp. nutmeg Salt & Pepper to taste Mozzarella cheese, shredded ***** Place butter in medium skillet; when melted, add flour.  Stir until flour is blended well with the  butter.  Pour in the chicken stock and milk.  Stir continually until mixture is thickened;  remove from heat.   Season sauce with nutmeg, salt and pepper.   Add in the cooked spinach and chopped egg to the sauce,  blending well.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and serve.   Delicious!!

Hey, there!  Welcome back to Tasty Tuesdays !   Today I'm sharing one of my fave kitchen ingredients: Homemade Seasoned Salt !  If you're anything like me, you enjoy using seasoned salt on a variety of dishes: pot roast, vegetables, casseroles, and much, much more.  However, several  years ago I discovered that in lots of store-bought seasoned salt one of the main ingredients is ....sugar.   Say what?!?!   Yep, sugar.  Crazy, huh?  It's true though.  Just look in your spice cabinet and see if your brand is one of those sugar-adding culprits.   As I'm sure you probably agree that sugar is not a necessary ingredient for seasoned salt, let's talk about how you can avoid that.  First, you could buy specialty seasoned salt, such as the one sold by Tastefully Simple.  It's very delicious, but also very pricey.  Or, secondly, you could make your own--because you probably already have all of the ingre...

It's Tasty Tuesday again!!   I recently made an old favorite of ours.  I had forgotten just how much I love this recipe!  I first enjoyed it at a delightful restaurant in Eureka Springs, AR~The Victorian Sampler.  This charming tearoom in the beautiful Victorian mansion on the hill closed for a while, but it appears that it may have reopened.  I sure do hope so!  Because if you're ever in that area you definitely should visit there--and don't forget to pick up one of their wonderful cookbooks! (Sorry the pan in this photo is an ugly foil one, but I was baking huge pans of this for a luncheon at our church). Baked Chicken Salad 4 cups chicken, cooked & diced 2 cups celery, diced 2 Tbsp. lemon juice 4 hard-boiled eggs, diced 2/3 cup almonds 1 small jar pimentos, diced 1-1/2 cup mayo ( not Miracle Whip) 1 tsp. salt 1/4 cup onion, minced 1 cup cheese, shredded plain potato chips, crushed ***** Combine all ingredients except potato...

I've got something very yummy to share with you for Tasty Tuesday ... 'Nacho Libre' Corn !!  Now if you're like me and it's been quite a while since you've seen that movie, then you might be scratching your head a bit and wondering "what in the world?!".  But when some of our very good friends, Chris and Lisa, told us about this amazing corn they make--and where they got the inspiration, apparently this is a food being shown eaten in the movie--I didn't care if I remembered it from the movie ...I just had to try it! This summer they brought some to our 4th of July get-together and, man, was it good!!  So my husband has been craving some since then and asking me to make it.  I finally rounded up all of the ingredients and we had some last week.  We absolutely pigged out on this!  It was a great accompaniment to tacos and tostadas! Nacho Libre Corn (courtesy of our friends the Childers) Mini Corn-on-the-Cob (as many as you want/need...

Yesterday I made four batches of this yummy pasta salad for a special luncheon at our church.  I'd forgotten just how much I love this salad!  It's a bit different than most pasta salads I've had with a sweet, tangy dressing and LOTS of veggies.  You really need to try it! Confetti Pasta Salad First of all combine:  1 med. cucumber, finely chopped 1 med. red onion, finely chopped 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1 cup sugar 1 Tbsp. dry mustard 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. black pepper 1 Tbsp. dried parsley Mix these ingredients together well.   Then add:  1 small jar chopped pimientos 1 green pepper, finely chopped 1 small can sliced black olives 1 (12 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained 1 pkg. mini pepperonis 1 lb. tri-color rotini pasta, cooked according to package and drained Stir well and chill until ready to serve. This can easily be made a day ahead to let the flavors blend well. ...

Happy Tasty Tuesday! This past weekend one of my sweet friends invited us over to pick blackberries on her land.  I was more than happy to oblige!  We love blackberries here and having them fresh in the summertime is always a real treat.   Blackberry Cobbler is Vince's favorite and I've made it a few different ways before, generally using a pie crust style top on it.  This time I decided to try a different style, so I adapted a Pioneer Woman recipe ( always a good choice, btw!).  It turned out gorgeous and heavenly!!  I love it when my food looks as good as it tastes:) Blackberry Cobbler  (adapted from the Pioneer Woman) 6 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen both work) 1/2 cups + 4 tbsp. sugar 1 tbsp. lemon juice Lemon zest, to taste 2 cups flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. baking powder 1/4 cup shortening 4 tbsp. butter 1 egg 1/2 cup milk ***** Preheat oven to 425F.  Combine berries, 1/2 cup sugar, lemon...

Welcome back to Tasty Tuesdays ! I have shared this recipe before , but it's buried in a much larger post and didn't have a picture.  So, I've decided that this amazing salad needs its very own post because it's JUST THAT GOOD!  Plus it's Independence Week, right?  And this will go perfect with your holiday cookout.  If you add a grilled chicken breast to it you've even got a whole meal right there! Red, White & Blue Salad Salad greens: I prefer a mix of baby spring greens and spinach 1 small tub feta cheese 1 cup or so sliced strawberries 1 cup or so blueberries 1/2 cup green onions, sliced Sugared pecans or almonds (these make a nice addition, but are optional)  ~Toss the above ingredients together, then add the following dressing. Poppy Seed Dressing: 1-1/2 cups sugar 2 tsp. dry mustard 1 tsp. paprika Dash of salt 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar ~Blend the first 5 ingredients well, in a blender or with a whisk. ...