Gymnastics Subway Art

I was on Pinterest, trying to come up with an idea for a Christmas gift to give to my daughters' coaches.  I saw a subway art pin, and I thought, "I'm sure someone has made a gymnastics themed one."  So, I googled it, and I was right!  The problem was, they wanted $22 to buy it :(  Not in my budget.  I had to figure something else out!  So, I opened Publisher and went to work!  I'm pretty pleased with my result!

Chopped Broccoli Coleslaw

With this recipe I was trying to copy cat the broccoli salad that I get from the Wal-Mart deli.  Let me be honest ... I like this recipe even better!
So, when I was making it I didn't measure anything, I was just going by what it looked like.  That makes it hard to write a recipe!  I can approximate amounts that I used, and it is very easy to adjust this recipe.

Gather Your Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli (fresh, not frozen)
• 1 1/2 cups coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage (I used the pre-bagged mix)
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cooked, chopped bacon
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup coleslaw dressing (I used Kraft, but you could also make the recipe below
• salt and pepper to taste

Make It:

One step!!  Toss it all together and let it chill for an hour.  You can easily adjust amounts on this, especially the amount of dressing.  Some people like it lightly dressed, and others like it swimming in dressing.  I would suggest that you add it a little at a time while you toss the salad.

Make Your Own Dressing:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 T white vinegar
• 1 to 3 t sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)

Whisk until smooth

Apple Cranberry Sauce

Probably my favorite dish at Thanksgiving dinner is the cranberry sauce.  I know that sounds crazy, but I love it!  Here's the thing though, it can not be from a can!  The difference in flavor between making it fresh and buying it canned is huge!  Whole berry cranberry sauce is SO easy to make!  Can you boil a pot of water and stir?  Then you can make this!

Gather Your Ingredients:

• 12oz package of whole cranberries
• 1 granny smith apple, peeled and chopped
• 1 orange
• 1/2 a cinnamon stick (if you don't have this, use about 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Make It:

1. First sort out your cranberries, checking for any bad ones, and wash them.
2. Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan.  For the orange, cut it in halve and squeeze the juice into the pan and then toss in the  rest of it.  The peel has so much flavor that you do not want to miss!
3. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.  I like to place a splatter screen over my pot.  When the cranberries pop, they can splatter out.
4. Simmer for about 10 minutes or so, until you are confident that all of the berries have popped.
5. Allow sauce to cool completely then fish out the orange halves and cinnamon stick.
6. Chill for a few hours before serving.

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Dip

I went to a ladies retreat a while back, and each person brought snacks to share.  One woman, Jane, brought this amazing dip!  I can not describe how delicious this is, you HAVE to make this!

Gather Your Ingredients:

• 1 jar roasted red peppers, mostly drained
• 8oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix

Make It:

1. One step!  Puree all ingredients together and chill in the fridge for a few hours to meld the flavors!

Cheesy Potatoes

These potatoes are pretty much the yummiest side dish ever!  There are so many variations on this dish, and I have tried it many different ways.  The great thing about it is that it makes a great dish OR a base for lots of mix ins.  Ideas for mix ins:  chopped ham, bacon, sausage, ground beef or any combination or your favorite veggies.  Personally, I like it the way it is or with cubed ham mixed in.

Gather Your Ingredients

1lb frozen potatoes, thawed (you can used shredded or southern style)

8oz sour cream

2 cups shredded cheddar

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 small onion, diced

crushed cornflakes or Ritz to cover top

melted butter to drizzle on top

salt and pepper to taste

Make It

1. Preheat oven to 375 and grease your baking dish.
2. Combine soup and sour cream thoroughly, and then fold in the potatoes, onion and cheese.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Be cautious with salt though, the soup has a lot of salt in it already.
3. Pour into baking dish and top with crushed cornflakes.  Drizzle with melted butter.
4. Bake,covered, for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour (depending on your oven).  Take the foil off near the end of baking to help crisp up the topping.

Little Mama's Short-Cut Meatloaf

This is my super simple short-cut meatloaf.  I always prefer to make as much of my food from scratch as possible, but I also know that I do not always have time to do that.  Some nights, I need easy recipes that I can pull together to avoid eating out.  So, here is the meatloaf that I can actually get my picky eater to eat!

Gather Your Ingredients:

• 1lb ground beef
• 1 cup of your favorite instant stuffing mix (I like Stove-Top Cornbread)
• 1 egg
• 1 T milk
• 2 T ketchup

Make It:

1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly, I like to use the "stir" speed on my stand mixer.
2. Form into a loaf in a baking dish.  I use my glass Pyrex dish.
3. Bake at 375 for approximately 40 minutes.  Because ovens vary, check your meatloaf prior to the 40 minute mark (maybe around 30) to make sure it doesn't over cook.  If it gets overdone ... it will be dry!

**Notes:  This recipe easily feeds my family of 4 (2 adults and 2 young girls).  You can very easily double the recipe, but you will likely need to bake it longer.  In this case, you may consider lowering the temperature depending on how your oven bakes.  Personally, I try to make my meatloafs a little less thick so that I do not end up with a raw center and a dark outside. **  Also, try sauteing some veggies to throw into the mix if you have time!  Try onions and bell peppers.**