Meatless meal

Here it is ....Friday already. During Lent, we always went meatless on Wednesdays and Fridays. So, I still try and comply.
I remember going over to my Italian friend's home and having the most wonderful pizza ever. I did ask my "other" mother how to make it and she gave me the recipe. It is so easy....this is...
Salt and Pepper Pizza
Buy a loaf of frozen bread dough. Thaw according to directions on the package. Lightly grease a
pizza pan or a sheet pan. Press the thawed dough into the pan. With your finger, gently indent the dough...let it rise and then brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 mins. check and see if it is golden brown...if it is it is ready. If not leave in the oven a little longer..until golden brown. Cut and enjoy with a fresh greens salad....It is the best!!!

Lent begins???

Holy mackerel..where has the time gone. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday already. The time for Lent begins. Lots of fish fries and meatless dishes on Fridays and Wednesdays. For a quick meal, I like to have cheese ravioli. I buy them frozen, boil as many as I feel I can eat. Then in a frying pan or saute pan, I saute onions til translucent in margarine/butter. I add my ravioli after they have cooked and enjoy them ... just about as much as pierogi. A quick meal if I add a nice fresh salad and I am all set...
Have a great day....enjoy and Smile!!!

Sugarfree Valentine's Day Dessert

Hii all! Happy Valentine's Day....since chocolate is one of the things most people give or receive, I found a recipe for those of us who are not to have sugar....enjoy....
Sugarfree Chocolate Mousse
2 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
3 Tbsps. hot water
1 tsp. rum flavoring
1 TBSP. liquid sweetener (to equal 1/2 cup sugar)
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites beaten stiff
Cut chocolate into small pieces and combine in a blender with hot water, rum flavoring and liquid sweetner. Blend for 40 seconds. Add egg yolks: blend 20 more seconds. Fold chocolate mixture into stiffly beaten egg whites. Spoon into 4 individual serving dishes and chill thoroughly.
Only 100 calories per serving. Enjoy it with your sweetie!!

Peanut butter Pie

My goodness, time sure has gone by quickly. We are looking at February now and the blizzards are upon us. This is the second one in a week. I really am not liking the snow. Way too much of it and all sorts of drifts.
Here is a pie that I love. My mom made it for me to enjoy....we didn't have it as a pie, but a parfait.
Mix 1/3 cup peanut butter
small pkg. cream cheese softened
9 oz. tub of cool whip thawed
Mix cream cheese and peanut butter together. Fold in cool whip. Put in a graham cracker crust. Chill and enjoy.
I love my peanut butter....and hope you will enjoy this pie as much as I do.

Merry Christmas to All

Yes, today is Christmas and I wish a very Merry one to all. It is a day of reflection for me...reflecting on the warm family Christmases of past. Today I sit here with my little dog. We have had many other friends in the house, but today it is he and I.
I think back to when I was little. We had Aunts, Uncles, Great Aunts and Uncles, Grandmothers, cousins...the house was filled with Love. And today, most of them are gone...either deceased or moved away. Each one with their own lives to live. I remember the joyous laughter and delight as us little ones opened up each gift.
Today I remember my parents. And I am thankful for them. They were really good to us growing up. They did the best they could.
We did have traditional food on Christmas....ham, sausage, potato and macaroni salads, pierogi, sweet bread, jello salad, usually a cake or pie or nut or poppyseed rolls. I did most of the decorating...loved it then.
So, today, as I sit here with my little guy, Taco. I reflect on the past Christmases and the joys of those days gone by. And relish in the knowledge that life must go on...one day at a time.
Merry Christmas and all the Blessings of the Season to you and your families......

MMMM Paprikas

My goodness, here we are in the middle of December. The months have flown by and winter has arrived.

This cold weather is good for soup but we had Chicken Paprikas. I remember Gram in the kitchen making the paprikas. Of course, ours was not like everyone elses. Our paprikas was white...not red. Served with mashed potatoes and a veggie and mmmmm...so delicious. I never did get the recipe from Gram but I made up my own. I needed a way to make it so that it would cook all day in the crock pot and be ready for supper.

I used Chicken breasts with the skin on...In a heavy skillet, I melted butter or margarine and sauteed a medium onion that was diced finely. Then I took the chicken and put it in the skillet after the onion was translucent and removed. In my crock pot, I put the onions in and add two regular size (10 ounce) cans or one 26 ounce can of cream of mushroom soup and add one large can or two small cans of water and mix well. I then add two small cans of mushrooms drained and the chicken after it is slightly browned into the mushroom soup mix. Salt and pepper to taste. Let it cook in the crock pot until chicken falls off bone...remove bones . Add one 8 oz. container of sour cream (first temper this before adding...to temper...place two tablespoons of sour cream in bowl, add hot stock in about 4 tablespoons and mix well...then add to the rest of the sour cream and add more hot stock and continue to mix....pour into stock/chicken mix stirring continually)(Prevents curdling.) Serve over mashed potatoes or noodles that are cooked with a salad or veggie. Enjoy. I just made it today and the house still smells so good....Have a great week!!!

Thanksgiving

Wow, time sure flies by. Happy Thanksgiving to all. Thanksgiving meant a lot to me as a child. We would visit the poultry shop where the live chickens, ducks, and turkeys arrived in the crates and I would like to play with them...since the owners of the shop were relatives, it was a lot of fun...I saw the carcasses but never did observe the killing of any of them. The poultry was nice and fresh and so tender...something different than now days. As I matured, our Thanksgiving was at my parents and then my husband's family. We would split it between them. And as my mom aged and my husband died, my brother and his wife would host the Thanksgiving dinner. Mom and I really enjoyed going there for the dinners and seeing the boys grow up. It was a special time as we did not see my brother or his family much throughout the year. Now that mom is gone and dad, things are different. No family get togethers...no visits...no laughs or stories to remember. I am so thankful to my cousin and his wife. They have been there every step for me. They helped pack up mom's apartment and helped when my dog died and have helped me out more than I can ever repay. Tomorrow I will thank God for them. They have invited me to go out with them and I will thoroughly enjoy the company. Thanksgiving was always a fun time...Gram made stuffing that was soooooo good. Mom cooked the turkey, made bread, mashed the potatoes, baked the yams, baked pies, I made jello salad, and we had cranberry sauce in the shape of turkeys, had corn....and invited older relatives or relatives without spouses for a family gathering. It was a day of laughter and remembering. I will remember the Thanksgivings of past days with fondness. And I wish all of my followers many blessings and good wishes this Thanksgiving....