Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 can (15 oz) Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice or water
1 cup sweetened dried, fresh or frozen cranberries


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour two 9x5-inch loaf pans.


Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil & juice in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.


Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Clean in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Recipe makes two loaves.


For Three 8x4-inch loaf pans:
prepare as above. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.


For Five or Six 5x3-inch mini-loaf pans:
Prepare as above. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes.

Black Bean & Sausage Soup

If you are looking for a lower calorie/very yummy soup, I have just the one for you! I have a couple of picky kids when it comes to tomatoes {any kind} and they loved and ate this with NO complaints!!! Enjoy! Let me know your feedback if you try.  Happy Monday! :0)

Black Bean & Sausage Soup
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled or scrubbed, chopped
1 stalk of celery, sliced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 medium potato, peeled, diced
2 cups beef or chicken broth
1- 28 oz. can, diced tomatoes
4-6 oz. lean kielbasa sausage, cubed
1- 19 oz. can black beans, rinsed


1. Heat pot with low fat cooking spray. Add onion, carrot & celery, cook and stir over medium heat until vegetables begin to soften.


2. Stir in garlic, oregano, potato, broth & tomatoes, heat to boiling. Stir in kielbasa. Cover & simmer gently for at least 1/2 hour to blend flavors.


3. Drain & rinse beans. Add to soup. Heat until hot. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve with crusty bread.


Servings per recipe: 6
Serving size: 1 serving
Calories 273.9


**I put in crock pot on low and I added all the ingredients except for the potatoes, added the potatoes about 2 hours before we were ready to eat. Don't forget to put on high! I forgot and it took an hour longer!!!**  I did step 1 and then added to the crock pot!

**Recipe found by Marcus at SparksRecipe**

{H} say's the funniest things....

Last week my parents were here for {K} solo for the school choir concert, she did amazing. While {K} and papa went to the mall, my mom & {H} were watching a movie and this character was a alchoholic and {H} said to my mom "so he has become a drunk~aholic"!!

My mom is going to kill me however she had to have a procedure and out of the blue ....

{H}: "did grandma get her surgery?

Me: "she didn't have surgery..

{H}: Oh! yea...she had that camera up her butt!!!

{H} has been on a roll tonight:

{H}: Mom...

me: yes..

{H}: I think you would be a great Primary teacher

me: Oh! No!!!

{H}: You could be "promoted" to be a teacher.

me: Really? I don't think so!!

I love this kid!!!

1st day of Valentine's I give to you...

My decorating skills!!! Which are limited.

I love to look at other blogs and see what they have made and I came across this blog The Idea Room and she had made this "balls" which I heard they are called "kissing balls" and I decided to try my skills at them and I think they turned out pretty darn cute!!! How could I not like her??? Her name is Amy!!! You should go see her site! F*A*B*U*L*O*U*S!!! 

I really do LOVE Valentine's Day!!

Valentine Day Fruit Punch Drink

Anyone out there who doesn't like Valentine's Day? I really love Valentines day with all the pink and red colors!  

I started a little tradition in our home which I call the 14 days of Valentines....I give you something from a treat to a note for each day. My kids LOVE it!

I had thought about not doing it this year but when the 13 year old asks...

Wilma {13 year old}: "Are you going to do the 14 days of Valentines?"

Me: {shrugged shoulders} "I don't know, aren't you too old?"

Wilma: {disapointed look} "OH NO! I love it!! It is a tradition!!"

Guess who will be doing the 14 days of Valentines? YEP! My dad always say's "Don't mess with tradition!" Then tradition it is my sweet Wilma girl!!!

I thought this would be a great drink to have with your Valentine dinner...y'all  know it's going to be so darn busy out there that you might as well fix a yummy dinner/drink to have with ALL your loved ones!!!

1 Pkg. Cherry Kool-aid

1 Pkg. Strawberry Kool-aid

2 Cup Sugar

1 Qt. Ginger ale

3 Qt. Water

1 {6 oz} can Orange juice {frozen}

1 {6 oz} can Lemonade {frozen}

Mix Kool-aid, sugar & water, add orange & lemonade. Mix until thawed. Add ginger ale before serving.

{don't remember where I got this recipe}

I'm on Strike!!!

As you may have seen, no recipes have been going out. This week the hubcap aka {JT} has been out of town and I've just been in survival mode. So let's break it down with the dinners that have been eaten by the children:

{Monday} Hubcap took me to dinner before he left town. Loved the mini date nigth and yummy Chili's soup/salad. Kids had tortellini...which neither of them really ate. :0(

{Tuesday} Oldest child wanted buttered noodles with cooked chicken. Hey!! atleast they got some protein in their diet. Youngest child only wanted chicken!!

{Wednesday} I decided to choose and they got Ramen noodles. Youngest child also got mini marshmellows and I finally ate a Lean Cuisine.

Hoping to find some energy, or something to fix my family a good healthy dinner for the next couple of days.  Now it's your turn to tell me what you've been fixin for your hubcap and family. :0)

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a wonderful and safe Merry Christmas! May your New Year be bright, healthy and prosperous.

PePpErMiNt aNgEl FoOd cAkE TrIfLe {guilt free}

PePpErMiNt aNgEl FoOd cAkE TrIfLe 

This is completely guilt free! And your guests will LOVE IT! Looks really pretty in a trifle glass bowl.


1 angel food cake {tear up into little peices}
4 peppermint cany canes {crushed}
1 carton fatfree/sugar free cool whip
1 jar sugar free chos sauce  {optional}


1. Tear cake into bite size peices.
2. Mix crushed peppermints with cool whip. Layer cake bits with cool whip/peppermint mixture. Repeat for desired amount of layers.
3. Scoop when serving. Drizzle choc sauce on top with mini candy cane


**This recipe is by my fabulous friend Carli Elliott**

Tex-Mex Turkey Soup

With some leftover turkey & the zippy tast of the SouthWest, you can have a stick-to-your-ribs, family-pleasing soup in just minutes!

2 T. butter or margarine
1 onion, chopped about 1 cup
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. chili powder {This amount made it a bit more spicy, if you don't like it spicy just add 1 Tbsp.}
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) diced tomatoes with juice
2 can (11 oz each) corn with chopped green & red peppers, such as mexicorn, drained
2 cup fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. ketchup { I don't like ketchup so I just put a squirt in!!!}
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cup cubed cooked turkey or chicken
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro, fresh

Saute the onion and garlic until tender and them add the rest of the ingredients. Boil the ingredients and then simmer on low/medium for 30-45 minutes.

*Add sour cream, tortilla chips & cilantro sprigs, optional*

I made corn bread and this just added to the yumminess {is that even a word}!!!  of the soup!

**I can't even remember where I got this recipe**