SISTER TO SISTER

Because the best sisters are healthy for your heart.  Great site for healthy tips and recipes for a longer life.  Here is a link to one of their articles about how cooking with pumpkin is beneficial....  Festive, affordable and healthy! 

http://www.sistertosister.org/eat-heart-healthy/health-benefits-of-cooking-with-pumpkin

Cubed Steak Marsala Stroganoff

1 bottle pompeian Marsala Cooking wine.
6-8 cube steaks
Water

Place steaks in large pot and cover with entire bottle of Marsala and water to make the difference.  Bring to a boil for about 10-15 min.

1 1/2 sticks of butter
onion (about half cut up)

Remove steaks and place them in a large skillet with half a stick of butter.
Also, cut up remaining cup of butter and melt into marsala and water.  Heat and reduce to half.

Flour
When butter is melted in the skillet, and onions are clear, add enough flour to coat the steaks and make a paste out of remaing butter and then brown them.

Mushrooms
Crushed Garlic
Add contents of pot into skillet and add mushrooms and Garlic
Stir until thickened

Salt and pepper to taste.

Sour Cream
Stir in sour cream to taste.

Pour over cooked egg noodles



NOTE:  This was a concoction I ended up with while using what was left in my pantry.  The sauce is really tasty on its own but I was craving stroganoff and with sour cream, it made a fantastic version of stroggie!

Chocolate Layer Dessert

Crust:

1 C chopped pecans
1 C flour
1/2 C butter

Combine and press into 9x13 pan bake at 300 degrees 20-25 min and cool

1 (8 oz) tub non-dairy whipped topping (thawed)
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese at room temp
2 C powdered sugar
2 (6 oz) pkg instant chocolate pudding
4 C milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 chocolate bar, grated

blend together thawed whipped topping, cream cheese, and powdered sugar.
Spread over cooled crust refridgerate 2 hours

Combine pudding, milk, vanilla, with an electric mixer until mixture begins to thicken
spread over cream cheese layer
Refrigerate overnight

Garnish with shaved chocolate.

To serve, cut into squares and garnish--if desired with berries or a mint leaf. serves 10-12

Super Easy Conference Orange Rolls

Rolls

1/2 C melted butter
1/2 C sugar
1 orange peel grated
18 frozen dinner rolls (Like Rhodes)

mix butter, sugar and peel in a bowl, dip frozen rolls in mixture, place in muffin tins.
Let rise 3 hours.
Bake at 350 0-15 min or until lightly browned
Frost with glaze while still warm


Glaze

1 C powdered Sugar
2 T butter (softened)
2 T orange juice

Mix and spoon over warm rolls.

Artichoke Dip

1 (8 oz) can artichoke hearts
1 C mayo
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
dash of tobasco (opt)

Combine ingredients and bake at 4oo degrees in 8x8 baking dish for 20 min

Serve with a crusty bread or tortilla chips

Crockpot Homestyle Apple Brown Betty

6 Cups of your favorite cooking apples
1 cup breads crumbs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 C melted butter
1/4 Walnuts finely chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt

Coat crockpot with cooking spray.  Place apples at the bottom
Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and spead over apples

Cover and cook in crock pot on LOW 3-4 hours or on HIGH 2 hours until done.

The pre-teen "Big-girl" birthday party

I loved Lexi's idea of Hostessing frugally, and I thought it should be an addition to the blog.  Throwing a party, or just a nice meal should never break the bank.

This was my daughter's birthday party.  She invited 6 friends and here's the invitation that i scrapbooked and printed in 4x6 on my home computer.  Free!  Woot! (I edited out the personal info.)

 My oldest daughter wanted a party that made her feel big.  No cup cakes, no games, just sophistication.... she's nine.   She chose THIS for an idea site.  And she wanted the purple, black and white theme.

 We fortunately had the yard for it, I borrowed the table cloths and chair cover from my mother-in-law, the doilies and toole were from the dollar store as was the tissue paper.
The Eiffel Tower center piece was a $1 yard sale find the day before and made a fun extra Birthday present as well.   We had ribbon on hand, and the party favors below were from a Martha Stewart template  They, stuffed with caramel corn, cost only a couple of dollars as well.  We served Ice lemon Water and THESE RASPBERRY TARTLETS 

The girls decorated Hat boxes that were $2.99 at Roberts (less with my coupon)

And these paper shoes.  I used double sided card stock to avoid making the insert.