Fudgsicles

 I would make these when the kids were little and last week, I decided to introduce the tradition to the next generation.

Made me miss the carefree summer days when ours were small.

Fudgsicles

1 small box instant chocolate pudding

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C cream

2 C whole milk

Just combine and mix well until slightly thickened and pour into popsicle molds. Freeze and enjoy!

I'm grateful for good help in the kitchen

80 degrees, deck time, and the perfect taste tester...doesn't get any better than that.

Spring Break Adventures

 Little E stayed with us Wed - Sat while she was on Spring Break. She's such a joy and is good at entertaining herself, but we had fun things planned and adventure to seek!

Everything we do is simple

And folded into our daily lives, 

but according to this particular 4-yr old, "These are the best days ever!"

Wise child.

She spotted the 1st ladybug of the year

I wouldn't quite trust her with a paintbrush just yet, but if you need to dust, she's got it covered

She found this feather and none of our chickens have feathers like that. 

                                                            

She proceeded to tell me a very detailed story about a 'mysterious, sneaky night chicken' 😂

                                                         

Chores with Pap

And lovin' from the oven in the kitchen

After DH got out of the shower, he was teasing her and tossing M&Ms into the batter before the flour had been mixed in and she kept scolding him and picking them out. She finally looked at him and said, "You're a very cheeky Pap!" 😂

A bit later, as I took a sheet of cookies out of the oven, I went out to shut the chickens up and as I walked back to the house I could hear little E hollering. I knew she was ok because Pap was with her and the tone of her voice told me she wasn't hurt. As I approached the deck, I looked at my phone to turn the flashlight off and when I looked up I saw this

Pap had been sneaking warm cookies and Little E was chastising him and tattled when I walked up. 🤣 Cheeky Pap indeed!

I think I need a few days off. I'm knackered, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Monterey Chicken Spaghetti

 I had this pinned on a Pinterest board and made it yesterday

Monterey Chicken Spaghetti

I printed out the recipe because I strongly dislike cooking from recipes on my phone and warning...I almost didn't try this because the pop up ads were ridiculous. It gave me a headache just trying to read the recipe.

This was a big hit though. Even little E loved it and 4-yr olds can be very leary of new foods.

It's hard to go wrong with peppers, onion, mushrooms and bacon

I used freshly grated Sharp Cheddar, and switched out Monterey for Pepper-Jack because that was what I had on hand. I also used a garlic clove instead of garlic powder. DH suggested using fettucini next time so I made a note to try that. I'm also not a fan of cream of chicken soup in a can, but I used it this time. I need to make a batch of the dried Cream of Anything mix again. And...if you know us, I would love to add fresh roasted green chile to this. 😉

I forgot to add the fresh parsley once it was plated, but shook on a good amount of red pepper flakes. 😉

This was definitely a keeper.

Monterey Chicken Spaghetti

2 C roasted or browned chicken (I probably used 4 C)

3 Tbsp butter

1 diced green pepper

1/2 of 1 large onion, diced

1/2 C sliced mushrooms

1 garlic clove, minced

5 cooked bacon slices, chopped

8 oz spaghetti, cooked and drained

1 can cream of chicken soup (or homemade equivilant)

1 C sour cream

1/2 C milk

1 C sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 1/2 C Pepper Jack cheese, grated

Pepper - salt - red pepper flakes

Fresh parsley

* I cooked my bacon, removed it from the pan and then seasoned and cooked my chicken tenders in the bacon drippings with a little added butter. Remove when browned and cooked through and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add onion, green pepper, and mushrooms. Saute for 6 or 7 minutes. Stir in minced garlic clove and bacon. Add soup, sour cream, milk, seasonings, and 3/4 of the cheese. Combine everything and add the chicken and drained pasta. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Plate and top with red pepper flakes and fresh parsley.

Bon Apetite!

Dusty Trails Quilt

 Back in November, I unearthed this panel from the bottom of the bin that houses my collection of western fabric while I was searching for something else. It's been hiding there for quite some time, but this time I felt inspired to finally use it

I pulled a variety of fabrics from my stash, cut the panels to 6 1/2",

and built economy blocks. 

Ì ended up ripping that top left block apart because I thought the yellow was too harsh. I replaced it with a softer yellow.

I had 30 blocks so a 5x6 layout worked well for a 60"x72" cuddle quilt.

This rustic print has been in my stash for many years and it made the perfect backing with plenty left for another quilt or two.

Sandy quilted it with a meander that had a little star along the path that suits it perfectly.

The brown binding also came from my stash.

I'm not a fan of panels, but I am tickled with the way this one turned out.