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Happy New Year!

2011 has come to a close and now we are enjoying all the fun and possibilities of 2012.

As you start planning the crafts and parties that you will make this year, keep in mind our most popular posts and crafts so far.  Hopefully together we can craft a fun new year.




4. Alice in Wonderland Birthday Party

5. Alice in Wonderland Game Ideas

6. Color My World Thank You Gift

7. How to Make a Photo Booth Backdrop

8. Fifties Sock Hop Bingo Dessert Table

9. Alice in Wonderland Tea Pot Chandelier

10. What's Cookin' Photo Booth
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Countdown to 2012-Best Desserts

Countdown to 2011 with Finding Joy in My Kitchen

Here we are on the last day of 2011, and the subject for Countdown to 2012 is Desserts.  Desserts, desserts, how I love thee, or sweets of any kind for that matter.  I participated in 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies and Sweets, Crazy Cooking Challenge-Fudge, and The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2011, all of which meant posting a recipe for sweets.  Even though I have thought about this all week, it has been very difficult to pick the top few.  This is what I finally came up with:


Holiday Shortbread.  These were the cookies that I made and sent to three other bloggers for The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2011.  This may be my number one recipe as it was the featured link on at least two other blogs.  I am not a very good photographer and don't have much of an area to take photos in, but I think that the photo is also one of the best ones I took this year.


Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk.  I know that this is not a dessert recipe, but it is such a great recipe to have in your arsenal.  It can save a considerable amount of money, and you can package up the milk in those 1/2 and 2/3 cup amounts that recipes sometimes call for without trying to figure out what you are going to do with the rest of the can.  Marsha over at The Better Baker has been making the recipe with half sugar and half Splenda with great success.  I made Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk for both the recipes listed below.


Easy No-Machine Ice Cream.  Take a can of sweetened condensed milk, 2 c. of whipped cream and whatever else you want to add and a little waiting; and you can have honest-to-goodness homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker.  I about went wild with this recipe this summer, thinking up a new flavor combination just about every day.


Frozen Peaches and Cream Crisp-GF.  This dessert is based on the Easy No-Machine Ice Cream mentioned above.  I wanted a fancied-up version of the ice cream for a party.  The crust can be gluten-free if made with gluten-free oats.  Other fruits can be used.  I plan to do a raspberry version soon.  This was the family's most favorite dessert of the summer.


No-Fail Fudge.  This is my go-to fudge recipe from Farm Journal.  Many, many flavors of fudge can be made from this one basic recipe just by changing the flavor of the chips and extracts.  The varieties in the photo are just a few examples.


Coconut Pecan Cake Balls.  This is the latest recipe that I have played around with.  Although I had a little trouble with the dipping and the balls weren't all pretty; these were a big hit with the people at work.  I want to play with this one further.

Because of their versatility, I am going to give Honorable Mention to several mix recipes that I posted in 2011:    Homemade Cake Mix.  I most recently used this to make "Melt in Your Mouth" Pecan Toffee Cookies from The Better Baker, and I could not tell the difference between them and the ones I made using a purchased mix.  1001 Cookie Mix.  Although the recipe I posted was from Domino Sugar, C&H Sugar has revived this recipe and is currently prompting it.  They are inviting people to post recipes developed with the mix on their facebook page so there will actually be 1001 recipes.  Homemade Brownie Mix  Besides the variations I posted with the mix recipe, I posted additional uses for the mix here and here.

For a recap of my picks for the week:
Monday:  Best Breakfasts
Tuesday:  Best Breads
Wednesday:  Best Soups
Thursday:  Best Main Dishes
Friday:  Best Side Dish/Vegetables (because I had no crockpot recipes posted)

Sno White over at Finding Joy in My Kitchen has been a most wonderful hostess for this party.  Head on over there to see what other bloggers have chosen as their best dessert recipes for 2011.  You still have time to create a post a link up yourself if you like.

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY  2012!  MAY ALL YOUR WISHES COME TRUE!
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Shindig Saturday Weekly Linky Party #37


2011 has been a CRAZY year at my house....or should I say, at my Houses?  I never dreamed when I started the year that I would end it in such a new setting.  The Colorado mountains are far from the moist flat lands of Indiana...and we are far from old and dear friends.

As I look forward to 2012, I can't help but be excited about the new possibilities that await my family and my small business.  I hope to be able to dream and execute new and thrilling parties and projects to share with you.

So this week's printable is a thrilling WELCOME to all that 2012 has to offer us!


What exciting plans do you have for the new year?

Show us your newest party or fun creations by sharing your favorite party themed craft, table scape, photo, favor, or whatever! I'm pretty flexible since just about everything can be used at a party...that's the great thing about us moms! We can see the potential in ANYTHING!

Linky Party Guidelines:
* Link up to your OWN project post, not just your blog, but your actual post. (We want to see it!)
*Grab a Shindig Saturday button for your post or blog page. (Hey, it benefits us all!)
*Stay and enjoy the party by visiting and commenting on other's projects. (It's fun to mix and mingle!)

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Best of 2011-Side Dishes/Vegetables

Today the theme for Countdown to 2012 is Crockpot Dishes.  Alas, I did not post any recipes using a crockpot on my blog this year.  I know that there will be many great crockpot recipe links posted over at Finding Joy in My Kitchen today so head on over for some great stuff.

Since I have no crockpot recipes, I decided that today I would do a list of what I think are the best sidedish/vegetable recipes that I posted this year.


Fried Rice-Japanese Style.  This is the side dish that I usually serve with the Simmered Chinese Chicken or anything Oriental.  This can be made into a main dish by adding diced cooked chicken, meat or ham to it.


Green Beans and Corn with Bacon, Onion and Garlic.  My hubby doesn't care for green beans much and will only eat the canned ones.  I am always trying new ways to fix them.  This was one of my successes this year.


Serbian Cabbage.  This dish didn't photograph very well, but it is a great one to know about.  You can serve this to people who says they don't like cabbage; and they will eat it.  I often don't say what it is until people have had a chance to taste it.  It hardly tastes like cabbage at all.  This is a baked dish, and can go in the oven with meat or poultry.


Not That Green Bean Casserole.  This is the casserole to make if you like green bean casserole but you don't want to use commercial cream soup.  This one is made with sour cream.  It is easy and very good.


Loaded Mashed Potatoes.  This recipes was part of the November Crazy Cooking Challenge.  These were different from my usual mashed potatoes and were very good.  There are links to 79 other mashed potato recipes with lots of good ideas in this post.

Well, these are my top 5 side dish/vegetable recipes for 2011.  Tomorrow I will  be back with the Countdown to 2012 and the best desserts of 2011.  I posted many sweets so they will be hard to narrow down.
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New Years Eve Bingo Free Printable


New Years Eve has never been my favorite holiday.
I really don't enjoy staying up late and standing around at parties trying to make small talk.  It's just not my thing.  I'd much rather be with close friends and call it a night early. (I know MAJOR party pooper here.)
Since we don't have any close friends yet, we are going to spend a quiet New Years Eve at home with the kids.  To try and make it a little more exciting for them, I have created a Bingo game based on important, fun, sad, big, and little events from 2011.  This will let us have fun while celebrating and remembering the year as we say goodbye.
I have been working on this Bingo idea for almost 2 weeks now, but have had major difficulties in getting it finished.  I just can't seem to get much done when the kids are home.  They are too excited to finally be in a house again and have all their stuff.  It seems that "my stuff" keeps getting lost under theirs.
Hopefully, this game isn't too late for you to enjoy at your New Years Eve celebration this weekend!

This download comes in a zip file for you to download and print immediately.  It contains 5 pages with 2 bingo cards on each for a total of 10 cards.  Also included are 3 pages of 20 popular top events of 2011.

These events include:
Osama Bin Laden's death, Google + Launched, Harry Potter films finish, Betty Ford dies, Japanese Tsunami, Terrorist attack in Norway, Charlie Sheen Rampage, Rep. Gifford shot, Royal Wedding, Casey Anthony not guilty, Steve Jobs dies, Deadly Tornado's, Iraq War Ends, Occupy Wall Street Movement, NASA retires Space Shuttles, US Debt rating lowered, Kardashian Wedding, Arab Spring, Kings Speech wins Best Picture, Green Bay Packers win Super Bowl
Super Committee Fails, Egyptian protests topple President, Japan's nuclear disaster, Penn State Scandal, US Government faces shutdown, Martin Luther King memorial dedicated, Royal Wedding hats, Ted Williams becomes a star, England's Newspaper phone tap scandal, Amy Winehouse dies, Hurricane Irene, Earthquake in New York, US hikers set free, Gay marriage legalized in New York, World didn't end, Race for the White House begins, Joplin MO tornado, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother book published, Pontiff John Paul II beatified, US Loses World Cup in Shootout
Gaddafi Killed, Angry Birds explodes gaming market, Netflix Debacle, Water on Mars, Oprah Winfrey Show ends, Regis Philbin retires, Schwarznegger divorice, REM retires, Amanda Knox freed, St Louis Cardinals win World Series, Dallas Mavericks win NBA championship, Boston Bruins win Stanley Cup, 9/11 Memorial dedicated, Elizabeth Taylor dies, Indiana State fair stage collapse, Conrad Murray found guilty, Unemployment hits high, Greece debt crisis, Facebook gets facelift, Lady Antebellum's Need You Now wins Song of the Year

It was kind of hard to figure out 60 events that weren't all depressing since it was such a hard year for so very many in the world, but I hope there is enough of a mix of fun and serious events to make it a Bingo game worth remembering as you say goodbye to a year many want to forget.

Download your FREE New Years Eve Bingo Printable HERE.
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Countdown to 2012-Best Main Dish Recipes

Countdown to 2011 with Finding Joy in My Kitchen

The Countdown to 2012 continues, and today we are doing Main Dishes.  Because of my work schedule, I only cook a dinner meal three times a week.  I usually fix roasts, casseroles or meat loaf so that hubby will have leftovers to eat the other four nights.  The recipes I did get posted on the blog are favorite recipes that I make over and over.  Here are some of those.


Simmered Chinese Chicken.  This is one of my top favorite recipes.  Whole chickens are still something that can be purchased at a reasonable price so this is inexpensive.  It is also easy and quick.  The cooking takes less than an hour, and you get this wonderfully moist, slightly teriyaki-flavored meat with a flavorful sauce to serve over rice or noodles.


Chinese Filled Buns.  Although these do take a little time and effort, they are just great to have in the freezer to toss in the oven and heat.  There is both a pork and beef filling in the post and chicken breasts or thighs can be substituted in either of them.


Spicy Southwest Pork Fingers.  These are very good and a nice departure from chicken fingers.  I see that I wrote that I would be doing more  recipes with strips of pork and haven't done that.  Another thing to add to the list for 2012.


Salisbury Steak with "Eat Your Veggies" Gravy  This recipe is quick, and makes ground beef a little more "upscale."  This is almost nice enough for company. 


Chicken Seasoning Mix /Clean the Pantry Chicken.  This post has a great seasoning mix to make up and keep on hand.  This is a nice use for cereal that is left in the bottom of the boxes.  I have used crushed Chex, Kix, Cheerios, and corn flakes for this as well as the Rice Krispies.  I just put the cereal in a zip top bag until there is enough to make the recipe.


Surprise Meat Loaf.  One last recipe.  This one stretches a pound and a half of ground beef to serve 8 to 10. Because of the stuffing, this is a little more work than regular meat loaf; but it is well worth it.

Other bloggers have linked up their lists of main dish recipes over at Finding Joy in My Kitchen.  Hop on over and check them out.

It is not too late to get in on the fun.  Just make a post of your favorite main dishes and link it up.

Friday is Crockpot Cooking (I am afraid that I don't have a thing to post here)
Saturday is Desserts (I will be back then)



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Countdown to 2012-Best Soup/Stew Recipes


Countdown to 2011 with Finding Joy in My Kitchen

I make soup a lot, but it turns out that I did not post that many soup recipes this year.  Another situation I will have to remedy in 2012.  


I am going to list this Cream Soup Mix first because it is so useful to have on hand.  It is gluten free, and you can use it to make just about any soup that you want that might use a commercial cream soup mix.  This is one of my first posts, and for whatever reason the photo no longer shows on the post.


Confetti Potato and Ham Soup.  As I said in my original post, this potato soup is one of my two favorite potato soups.  I think that the use of some of the potato-cooking water in the soup is what gives this such full potato flavor.  I will be posting the other potato soup soon.


Southwest Chicken Corn Chowder.  This was a soup that I was not sure I would like when I made it, but I ended up loving it.  It can be made quickly from freezer and pantry shelf items by anyone who can "dump and pour."  It is very easy to throw together.


Curried Cream of Green Bean Soup with Bacon.  This is the soup I make when I want soup just for myself.  I really like this using carrots also.  It is a great light summer soup.

Well, there is my list of best soup posts for 2011.  For the recipes that other bloggers have picked, just head on over to Finding Joy in My Kitchen.  It is not too late to make your own list and link up if you would like.

Tomorrow will be Main Dishes
Friday will be Crockpot Dishes
Saturday will be Desserts


























































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Countdown to 2012-Best Bread Recipes

Countdown to 2011 with Finding Joy in My Kitchen

This is day 2 of Countdown to 2012, Best Recipes of 2011; and we are to post our best bread recipes.  I did not post any actual yeast bread recipes this year.  That is something I will have to remember to do in 2012.  I did post a few quick breads, however, and these are what I think are my top three.


A-Z Quick Bread.  I am putting this first because this is such a versatile recipe.  You can make almost any flavor of quick bread you want with this one.


Key West Coconut Bread.  My son-in-law loves coconut, and I have made this bread for him every Chrisrmas since I found the recipe.  If you like coconut, you will love this.  When I posted the recipe I had not yet made the bread so did not have this picture.  I will be adding this to the post today.


Cheese and Onion Nut Bread.  This was a new-to-me recipe and made a great bread to serve with soups or casserole or actually all by itself.  Again, a versatile bread as the cheese and nuts can be changed at will.

There are my three choices for bread recipe posts for 2011.  To see all the other bloggers choices, visit Finding Joy in My Kitchen.  It is not too late to create a post and link up your favorites also.

Tomorrow will be soups and stews.
Thursday will be main dishes
Friday will be crockpot dishes
Saturday will be desserts


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Countdown to 2012-Best Breakfast Recipes

Good Monday to all.  I hope that everyone had a wonderful day full of food, family, friends and fun yesterday.  May the joy of Christmas and the spirit of the Season continue to be with you in the year ahead.

Countdown to 2011 with Finding Joy in My Kitchen

Even though I have not been blogging all that long, I though it would be fund to join Finding Joy in My Kitchen and other bloggers in highlighting what I think are my best recipe posts for 2011.  There will be a different category each day:

Today, December 26- Best Breakfast Recipes
Tuesday, December 27-Best Bread Recipes
Wednesday, December 28-Best Soup & Stew Recipes
Thursday, December 29-Best Main Dish Recipes (Meat, No Meat, All-in)\
Friday, December 30-Best Crockpot Recipes
Saturday, December 31-Best Dessert Recipes

I have not posted recipes in all the categories; but if I have, I will do a recap of the ones I think are best.  So, first up is breakfast recipes.

The top breakfast recipe would have to be Breakfast Bread Pudding Cups.  I think that this post received the most comments of any recipe that I posted this year, so it is certainly worth a highlight here.  I am not surprised.  These have everything going for them.  The recipe uses ingredients that one usually has on hand, can be made ahead, can be sweet or savory and is delicious either way.


The second recipe is Oatmeal Pancakes with Cinnamon Cream Syrup.  These are my favorite pancakes.  They are hearty and stay with you for a long time.  The syrup is a nice change from the usual maple.


The third recipe is the recipe for homemade Instant Oatmeal.   This versatile recipe has many variations; and, if you have kids that like instant oatmeal, can save a ton of money.  I keep it made up and handy for days I need a very quick breakfast.


That is my list of breakfast recipe posts for 2011.  Stop over at  Finding Joy in My Kitchen to find the links to what other blogger's chose for their best breakfast recipes for 2011.  Feel free to post your own highlight and join us if you's like. 
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