Give Thanks!

Even though I am late posting this, I was able to enjoy my Give Thanks blocks through the Thanksgiving holiday. The process was identical to my BEWARE blocks, just different paper and I painted the blocks brown instead. I am very happy with the end result!

Crab Quiche

At my house, you have two choices for breakfast. Cereal or............. Cereal. There are several reasons for this, but the two most important are 1. That's what I grew up on and 2. I am NOT a morning person.

I am trying to change. I have realized that cereal does not keep my belly full until lunch. I need more substance. This recipe has been in my recipe box on allrecipes.com for some time and boy was my husband glad it came into our food rotation. We *almost* ate the whole thing by ourselves. We showed some restraint and saved some for lunch the next day. I still like my brunch quiche a little better because it has mushrooms but this is fabulous too. 

I think most people are intimated by quiches but this was so simple- mix and bake. I baked mine for the full 45 minutes until it was browned and a knife came out clean. You should try it!

Crab Quiche I

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten (I used 3 medium)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup crab meat (I used imitation crab)
1 cup diced Swiss cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, mayonnaise, flour, and milk until thoroughly blended. Stir in crab, cheese, and onion. Spread into pie shell.
3. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

BEWARE SIGN!!!

Seriously, my new addiction is Pinterest. It's a non-creative person's (like me) DREAM COME TRUE! There are so many inspirational ideas. I originally got this inspiration from this pin.

To start off with, I cut 2X4s and 2X6s  to different lengths and played around with them until I liked the look of them. After sanding them, paint the blocks black. (After painting-I also sanded them a little around the edges to make them look worn.)  I picked out Halloween paper and cut it to the block sizes. I mod podged the paper onto the blocks, added a coat on the top, smoothed out the paper, and let it dry. After it was dry, I just cut out vinyl on a Cricut machine and slapped them on the blocks.

Since we had most of the stuff on hand, it only cost me like $4 for the paint and paper. We also made our own mod podge by mixing 50/50 elmer's glue and water and it worked well.

I LOVE the way the turned out. Happy Halloween!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

With the weather taking a turn for the worst *sigh* I thought it was time to bust out this soup recipe I found from Real Mom Kitchen.

Mmmmm..... thick and creamy with cheesy goodness. Not to meantion the crisp bacon and perfect touch of green onion! Such a beautiful combination of potato soup and a loaded baked potato. This comfort soup does its job nicely. Now I want to bunker down for the winter while eating a delicious bowl of this soup!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

4 lg. baking potatoes (I had 8 small to medium leftover baked potatoes that I used)

2/3 C butter

2/3 C flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

6 C milk (I used whole)

1 C sour cream

4 thinly sliced green onions

10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

1. Scrub potatoes, pat dry & cover with foil. Bake for 75 minutes at 350 or until tender; cool completely.(Or use leftover potatoes from another meal)
2. Peel and cube potatoes.
3. In a large pot melt the butter, stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Use a whisk to make sure any lumps from the flour are smoothed out.
4. Gradually add milk a 2 cups at a time. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for a couple minutes or until thickened.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add cubed potatoes. Heat until warm. Mix in sour cream.
6. Garnish with bacon, cheese, and green onions. Yield 8 servings.

Bake Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are my absolute favorite food! Hot, cold, with gravy, or without-  I could eat them everyday! Most days I'm lazy and don't want to make a gravy to go with them so I'm always on the lookout for a delicious way to prepare them without having to go through the work of making gravy. I came upon a wonderful recipe for Bake Garlic Mashed Potatoes at Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

WOW! Just WOW! Creamy, smooth, and amazing. Not light in calories but that's OK with me. You have definately got to try this recipe.

Bake Garlic Mashed Potatoes
*Serves 6
Ingredients:
5 pounds russet, red or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces light or regular cream cheese
3-4 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup whipping cream

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X9-inch baking dish and set aside.
Place the cut potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by one inch. Add 1 teaspoon salt and boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes or until they are tender.
Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Mash them a few times and add the rest of the ingredients. Mash and mix well to desired consistency. Scoop the potatoes into the prepared baking pan. Dot with 1-2 tablespoons butter. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are lightly browned on top and heated through.

Here are my results: