The Way I See Things

M.I.A.

Sorry I've been MIA this summer. Lots of traveling and little internet access. This writer will return to regular blogging in September with lots of great stories to share from my summer adventures! Stay tuned!  

 

Sorry I've been MIA this summer. Lots of traveling and little internet access. This writer will return to regular blogging in September with lots of great stories to share from my summer adventures! Stay tuned!

Dawn's Recipe Corner: Chicken and Dumplings

The one thing I like better than serving a great meal is serving a great meal that I didn't have to spend all day cooking!  If you like Chicken and Dumplings but don't have a lot of time on your hands, give this SLOW COOKER recipe a try -- it's really EASY and my family LOVED it!

 

TODAY'S RECIPE: CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

INGREDIENTS:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut in halves

2 tablespoons butter cut into smaller pieces

2 cans (11oz size) of condensed cream of chicken soup

1/2 can (5.5oz of the 11oz size) of condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 onion finely diced

1 large (16oz) and 1 small (7-8oz) package refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough, torn into pieces. (If you don't want a ton of dumplings, just use the large can of biscuit dough.)

 

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a crockpot (aka slow cooker). Add just enough water to cover.  (I wound up adding about 7oz of water).

2.  Cover and cook for 5 to 6 hours on HIGH.  About 30 minutes before serving, add the torn pieces of dough into the crockpot.  Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

3.  Enjoy!

He Still Needs ME

He needs me.  I can comfort him in a way that no one else can.  With me he knows he is safe and loved.  As soon as my child was born I knew these things to be true.  When I first became a mother I felt a connection with my son that was unlike anything else I had ever experienced.  Before I had children, I thought I understood the “parent-child” connection pretty well.  After all I had clearly been someone’s child and knew what it was like to feel that comfort.  Still, being the one that someone depends on for that feeling is different.  

 

When my boys were little, sometimes the role of “mom” seemed overwhelming.  Of course I LOVED being their mom.  It’s a fun job!  My boys and I have always been extremely close and enjoy hanging out together.  (And with me being a stay-at-home mom, this has meant A LOT of time together over the years!)  But sometimes being the center of their world can be exhausting -- after all, in addition to all the good stuff I got to share with them, I was also called upon for all the sickness, injuries, solving sibling rivalries, mending hurt feelings, and so on.  It always amazed me how many things could be “fixed” with a hug or a kiss from me.  

 

As my children have gotten older I’ve noticed the steps they’ve begun to take toward their independence.  They are both teenagers now.  When they’re SICK they usually fend for themselves - wanting to be careful to not get me sick too.  They know where we keep the ice packs and band-aids and usually mend their own scrapes.  When they argue with each other, my involvement in their disagreement is usually met with the back of the hand -- DON’T GET INVOLVED MOM.  This is their problem and they can work it out themselves.  Even hurt feelings tend to be “healed” with the wisdom of an understanding friend -- usually before I even discover there was a problem to begin with.  They still know they are loved and certainly feel safe but I often wonder if they no longer NEED me to “hold their hand” on their life’s journey.  Are the teen years the time when they start to let go?

 

Last night my oldest son came into my bedroom around two in the morning.  I was in a fairly deep sleep but somehow heard him calling my name as he stood beside my bed.  I rolled over and looked up at his sleepy eyes.  “Everything okay?” I asked him, wondering why he was next to me.  He told me he had just had a really bad dream.  I told him that I was sorry to hear that and asked him if he wanted a hug.  He did.  I gave him a big hug, kissed him on the head, told him that he was safe, and loved, and didn’t need to worry about anything.  I was RIGHT HERE.   I told him that I’d leave my door open and then sent him back to bed.    After he left the room, my husband (who inadvertently was awakened too) said he couldn’t believe he woke us up because of that.  I told him that I was GLAD he did.  He still NEEDS me after all.  He hasn’t completely “let go” yet and I couldn’t be happier.  I feel back asleep with a huge smile on my face.  

 

 

 

DAWN'S RECIPE CORNER

I am a true FOODIE.  I am one of those "I LIVE TO EAT, rather than eat to live" kind of gals.  I like variety which means I don't like eating the same foods week after week.  My kids have become a bit spoiled by this.  Recently my son asked his Grandma what his dad's favorite dinners were when he was growing up.  She said pot roast, meatloaf, and chicken cutlets.  He then asked her what else she used to cook.  She admitted that unlike his mom (ME!) she didn't cook a lot of different foods.  In fact she probably cooked 5 or 6 different things ever.  (Chinese food, pizza, fast food, and TV Dinners were also part of her repertoire."  He told me later that he was glad that I tried out different recipes all the time but there were a few that he would mind seeing again.

Recently several of my friends have asked if I would start posting some of my favorite recipes on my blog so they could try them out too.  This seemed like a good idea for two reasons:  1) I would love to know what you all think of these recipes AND 2) I tend to misplace my recipes all the time.  Perhaps now I'll be able to find my favorites on my own blog!

* NOTE* Many of my recipes are based on recipes I have seen before.  I often find recipes that I'd love to try but need a little "tweaking" for my taste.   Feel free to do your own tweaking and let me know how they turn out!

 

TODAY'S DINNER:  CHEESEBURGER CUPS

 

Ingredients:

1-1/4 pounds of ground beef (I like 85% lean)

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

12 Grands homestyle buttermilk biscuits ( I buy 2 containers but only use 12 of the 16)

4 oz Velveeta cheese cut into little cubes or thin slices

 

DIRECTIONS:  In a skillet, cook the beef over medium heat  until it's no longer pink.  Drain well and then mix in the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

Grease the bottom and sides of a muffin pan.  (I use PAM spray.) Flatten out each biscuit a bit and press them onto the bottom and sides of each muffin cup.  Then spoon the beef mixture into the center of the cups.  Top each one with small pieces of cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Makes 6 servings. (although in my hungry family it really serves 4)

Don't worry if you make too many -- these re-heat VERY WELL and taste just as good the next day!!!

 

If you decide to try it, please let me know what you think!  Enjoy!

My Week In a Nutshell

 
I must be getting older because the weeks seem to be passing by much more quickly nowadays.  Every day last week I told myself that I wanted to sit down and post on my blog and yet, each day would end with me saying “I’ll definitely blog tomorrow.”  Obviously we know how well that worked out.

 

Here’s a brief re-cap of all the things I planned on writing about last week:

 

If I had posted my MONDAY MUSINGS last week I would have mentioned how lucky I was to have attended the Robin Hood Foundation Gala in NYC.  It is Wall Street’s largest single-evening fundraising event, and took it more than $47 Million dollars for New York’s poor and war veterans.  The part I “mused” about was who was checking whom out.  Not being from “Wall Street” (just a friend of those who are), I found myself a little star-struck being in the same room as Sarah Jessica Parker, Fergie, Michael J. Fox, The Trumps, to name a few.  What I discovered was that at an event like this, most people (including the celebs) are more in awe of the “Money Guys” who put this Gala together.  Just an interesting anecdote . . .

 

If I had posted my TEN ON TUESDAY last week, the theme was  10 Tips for Throwing a Big Party.  My tips would have been:  1) Start planning early:  pick a date and start spreading the word  2) Have a theme:  Themes are great at tying things together.  Is the party celebrating an event or perhaps just a season?  Either way, it’s nice to have one!  3) Send out invitations:  I’m partial to the paper variety but event e-vites are appreciated and help everyone truly remember the date!  4) Plan the menu: it doesn’t matter what you serve as long as it’s tasty and plentiful.  Everyone appreciates choices  5) Have entertainment: Whether its music, games, or something along those lines – big parties always benefit from the little extras  6)  Shop Early:  Buy all your non-perishables in advance so you won’t feel so overwhelmed before the big day  7)  Have a variety of drinks:  Beer, wine, cokes, water, etc. Again, your guests will appreciate the choices  8) Allow helpers: if friends or family offer to help out, LET THEM!  9)  Circulate:  When you are hosting a Big Party, keep in mind that many of your guests may not know each other.  Make introductions so everyone has a chance to chat with someone there!  10)  Relax and enjoy the party!!

 

If I had posted my SEMI-WORDLESS WEDNESDAY last week, you would have seen a photo of this book:  Personally I was stunned to see that this book actually exists!  I guess people really do take this Facebook app pretty seriously!

 

If I had posted my THURSDAY’S WRITER’S WORKSHOP last week, the prompt I would have chosen would have been:  #4) Describe how you met your best friend.  I met my best friend, Jen, on the first day of high school (back then HS started in the 10^th grade and Jen had transferred to the school as an 11^th grader).  She was seated next to me in Al-Trig (now called Algebra II) class.  It was clear from the first time we met that we both had a HUGE interest in BOYS and ZERO interest in Al-Trig!  In fact, looking back now I can tell you one thing for certain:  Al-Trig was my least favorite class in high school and yet I am thankful for taking it – turned out that this was the ONLY class we ever had together  Perhaps our SUFFERING TOGETHER was the price to be paid for such a life-long friendship!

 

If I had posted my FRIDAY FLIPOFF last week, the biggest flipoff would have gone to the cashier at Filene’s. Several months ago I bought a fabulous dress there.  It was a “dressy” dress and I didn’t have an occasion to wear it at the time, but I loved it so much that I got it anyway.  Fast forward to last Monday, several hours before attending the Robin Hood Gala.  After spending an agnozing hour trying to decide what to wear, I slipped on the fabulous dress only to feel something POKING me.  It turned out to be the darn security tag!  It seems that the cashier forgot to remove it and the store’s crappy security system never detected it. How is that even possible???  I was so mad because now I couldn’t wear the dress and had to go through the “selection process” all over again.  HUGE FLIP OFF!

 

If I had posted my WEEKEND UPDATE last week, I would have mentioned that I had a fabulous time hosting mah jongg on Friday afternoon (I won two of the four games!) and my book club Friday evening (we discussed “She’s Gone Country” by Jane Porter – a chick-lit book).  On Saturday I attended a wonderful 8-hour crop and got 6 more layouts completed.  I am finally close to finishing my vacation album from last summer!  On Sunday I fully realized just how big my boys are getting.  We went shopping for clothes and sports equipment they will need for sleepaway camp this summer.  They both had HUGE growth spurts this year which means that NOTHING from last summer fits anymore!  Let’s just say that the bill was TWICE AS MUCH as last summer now that we are shopping in the MENS Department instead of BOYS.  Oh my!

 

Well there you have it.  My last week in a nutshell!  Thanks for following along! -- Dawn

For All The Moms Out There . . .

Sending out happy mother's day wishes from "tha hood" -- Have a great weekend!!!

Tears for T-Town

The month of April ended tragically for many Southerners – especially those from Alabama. While I was not born there, I will always consider Tuscaloosa, Alabama one of my “homes” as I spent four of my fondest years there attending school at the University. Seeing the images pouring in has been heart-breaking. Hearing about the dozens of deaths in T-Town alone, at least eight of them students, has been particularly hard. Knowing that hundreds more people are missing is hard to imagine. I remember being there when a much smaller tornado hit the campus. Even though I was very frightened, the damage caused was minimal. The havoc this one tornado caused in mere minutes is surreal.

 

While I was relieved to hear that my beloved campus was not directly hit, T-Town is very much a part of the University. Tuscaloosa is the quintessential college town. You can’t go anywhere without feeling the town’s love and pride for the University. This is where many students eat, shop, and, live. I hope that you will all continue to keep Tuscaloosa and the rest of the tornado-stricken areas of the South in your thoughts and prayers as the recovery efforts continue.

 

For anyone who'd like to help out with a donation for Tuscaloosa, the link below can help guide you:

Tornado Relief

For those who might live close by and would like to volunteer, the link below can also point you in the right direction:

Help Alabama

Doing a Happy Dance in my Happiest Place on Earth

As many of you know, I am an avid scrapper and crafter.  I spend many nights and weekends working on my projects and it always brings me such joy.  Over the last few years, I've done more and more of my scrapbooking away from home. The reasons were twofold:  First, I, quite frankly, didn't have a lot of space to work.  I had a small L shaped desk that housed my cutting mat, my printer, my computer, and most of my tools.  When I worked on a project I had no where to "leave it" so I could finish working on it later. Crafty/Altered Art projects were often done in my garage where I had some elbow room.   My so-called craft room doubled as a guest bedroom and the room was overflowing with so much stuff (much of it in boxes) that it became harder and harder to SEE what supplies I had.  As a result the room felt cluttered and uninspiring.  

Second, I love to "create" with others.  I do love attending crops (day, evening, and weekend get-togethers of scrappers) where I can swap ideas with my friends.  This was something impossible to do at home.  Also, believe it or not, I had more space to work which allowed me to get more layouts done.

Well . . . I may still attend crops but now I have a true Craft Studio to call my own.  With my hubby's full support I finally transformed our guest room into my personal paradise!  As a scrapper, I feel like this room is my own little Disney World -- the happiest place on earth!  

I am still working on decorating the walls and plan on replacing the folding chairs with nicer (and more comfy ones) but at least for now I can invite a couple of friends over for a crop of my own.  I really love my new room -- I don't think I've been this excited about something so "material" since I got my Barbie Townhouse . . . back in the day!

 

my scrapping area has 4ft of space for each person

 

my clip-it-up organizes all of my stickers

 

for now I am storing vinyl on the rollers along the side of one desk

 

each scrapping desk has a project drawer for work in progress and a large 12x12 file drawer

 

my paper tower organizes my cardstock while my cricut carts are organized on top

 

5ft of space for computing, digital photography and wide format printing

the wall studio helps ensure that everything can be found

 

the rolling cart organizes paints, gels, tools and my cricut expression

 

even the closet finally got organized!

 

So, what do you think?  Can you see why I'm so happy these days?

 

 

 

Finally I h

Ten on Tuesday: My 10 Favorite Snacks

This week's Ten on Tuesday theme is favorite snacks.  I am a true-blue snacker but deciding my top ten favorites wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.  At the moment these are my faves:

 

1.  Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream FRESHLY SCOOPED.  Now don't get me wrong -- I enjoy the little pints as much as the next person, but there is something extra special about getting PHISH FOOD or NEW YORK SUPER FUDGE CHUNK freshly scooped into a cone!  Yum!

 

 
2.  Carrots with hummus.  Seriously.  I know it's healthy so what is it doing on this list BUT I love it and can eat it any time of day!

 

3.  Home made chocolate chip cookies.  Warm out of the oven.  The chocolate still melting as you take a bite.  Ahhhhh. . .

 

4.  Potato Chips with Ridges.  I like the ridges.  I think the salt clings better.  Ruffles are my favorites but I'll eat any ridged chip without much thought.  Crunch away!

 

5.  Hershey's Miniatures.  Original, Krackle, Special Dark, and mr. Goodbar -- the perfect go-to snack for me.  I always stash a few away in various spots of my home.  Just in case I need a chocolate fix!

 

6.  Popcorn that has just been popped.  Movie popcorn is the best but I also love making it at home.  I like to add a little extra seasoning to the microwaved variety and then curl up on the sofa for movie time at home!

 

7.  Godiva Truffles.  Not an every-day snack but when I have them in my home, nothing quite compares!  Sadly they never last very long!

 

8.  Mallomars.  Sadly it's a seasonal cookie but its one of my favorite winter snacks.  The perfect blend of graham cracker crumbs, chocolate and marshmallow!  It's my favorite boxed cookie bar none!

 

9.  Cupcakes.  Yes, they are all the rage right now, but I've been enjoying these fabulous snacks for many years.  I prefer them home-made but will make an exception for CRUMBS bakeries.  They make an incredible cupcake in some really rich, decadent and dizzying flavors!

 

10.  Sushi.  Perhaps not what one normally considers a snack food, but I love sushi rolls so much that I do enjoy them for mid-day and late night snacks with my friends.  Love, love, love them!

 

So, what are your favorite snacks?  To see other bloggers top snacks, stop by Carole Knits