Thursday Photo Challenge ~ Red

Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
~Hans Christian Anderson ~

I linked up with Spun with Tears. 

Easy Skillet Potatoes and Kielbasa

I will start this recipe off with a disclaimer. There are sure to be healthier and more varied versions of this recipe. This is my version and how we like it. We like margarine, like in major amounts. I use butter in my baking but always use margarine in my cooking. This is a basic, full of flavor, weeknight easy recipe for us. Stick to your gut food and boy is it good!

Ingredients:

3 lbs. russet potatoes

1 ring of kielbasa

1 1/2 - 2 sticks margarine

Lawry's seasoning salt

onion salt

garlic salt

salt and pepper to taste

Spray large skillet with non stick spray or olive oil. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/4 inch disks. Place potatoes in skillet and top with 1 stick of margarine, cut into smaller squares. Sprinkle entire top with Lawry's. Using lesser amounts, sprinkle with onion and garlic salt. Without stirring, cover and heat on med - low heat for a minimum of 20 minutes. 

After about 20 minutes, remove cover and stir gently. Cut kielbasa into 1/4 inch circles and add to skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to your liking.

Cover and heat another 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. As potatoes become more tender, make sure to stir as gently as possible to keep them from breaking up. 

Test potatoes with a fork for tenderness and also add additional seasoning if needed. At this point, I may also add some more margarine slices if I feel it needs them. I usually do!

Serve immediately and be ready for the second helping requests.

*note: I use yellow potatoes (not gold) whenever I can find them at my local grocer. When I do, I add less seasonings as the yellow potatoes have their own amazing flavor. I also cut down the cooking time by 5-10 minutes per step. Yellow potatoes are less dense and will turn mushy if cooked too long. 

Have You Hugged Your Beardie Today?

My beautiful bearded dragon, Sun (any Lost fans out there?).


 I really do love most animals, with the exception of spiders and cats. If I didn't have John to reign me in with his common sense, who knows how many critters I might have. They are more than just pets, they become part of the family when they come to my house. Silly as it sounds, they become my friends too. 


John got me Sun as a Christmas gift over 3 years ago. While I have always admired bearded dragons, I have not thought of actually bringing one home. I mean they look kind of scary or at the very least, grumpy. They can be, well, intimidating to say the least. 


Sun is one of the neatest, gentlest sweeties I have ever known. If you are not familiar with beardies, they can be amazing pets. They really don't do much of anything. Contrary to their looks, they are so very sweet and yes, cuddly. She likes to bask in her sun lights all day, eat, sleep and be lazy. When she is happy, she turns the beautiful shades of orange you see above. She also loves to be petted and sleep on my lap. Oh, and my annoying baby talk I can't seem to stop using makes her the happiest of all! She has really become a great companion to me. I love her very much and she seems to love me back.


Beardies are great with kids too. Who would have known by looking at that face?


If you are interested, I would be glad to pass on any knowledge I have gained about bearded dragons. If you are looking for a great pet for yourself or the family, you really should look into these beauties. 


I linked up with Photoblog Challenges theme: Orange.

Red Velvet Krispies

 recipe from passthesushi.com

Like red velvet, chocolate and rice krispies? Yeah, me too! Usually when a dessert looks this great, a lot of work is involved. Not so with this recipe. So pretty and super easy to make a batch. The bright red coloration makes them perfect for Valentine's Day but really, these krispies are sure to be a hit with any occasion. Kid friendly too! 

You could also use cookie cutters to make shapes (after they have cooled). Another way to get the kids involved in the kitchen.

Make sure to grab one of these for yourself as they won't last long!

Ingredients:

3 Tbls. butter

1 (10.5 oz) bag mini marshmallows

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup red velvet cake mix

6 cups cocoa Rice Krispies cereal

4 oz. white chocolate chips, melted

Line a 9 x 13" pan with wax or parchment paper; coat well with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add marshmallows, cake mix and vanilla, stirring frequently until melted and smooth. Fold in the cereal until well combined and coated.

Transfer the sticky cereal mixture to the prepared pan, pressing down until the top is level. Drizzle white chocolate over the top.

I wanted to make the photos for this with a Valentine's theme but was called in to work for a few hours. I brought a plateful along. Even short-staffed they only lasted minutes. Yeah!

You're Only As Tall as Your Heart will Let You Be ~ Photo Friday

You're only as tall as your heart will let you be and you're only as small as the world will make you seem.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

I linked up with Photo Friday. 

Thursday Photo Challenge ~ One

“Words and feathers are easily scattered, but not easily gathered up”

I linked up with Spun with Tears. 

Have a great day, everyone!

Mini Raspberry Heart Cakes

 recipe from opensourcefood.com

Mmmmm...raspberry. One of my favorite flavors ever. Have you ever had raspberry syrup on your pancakes? If so, the filling for these is very close to that, if not better. 

Not only are these so easy and fun to make, but they are so cute. Perfect for any Valentine in your life. 

I think you could make many variations of this with different fruits, shapes and toppings. I plan on trying some down the road to hopefully share with you. I just thought these perfect for Valentine's Day. If you try any, please make sure and let me know!

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup raspberry jam

2 Tbls. water

2 pkg. fresh raspberries

1 oz. white chocolate

Bake cake according to package instructions. Cool completely.

Using a large heart shaped cookie cutter, cut cake into heart shapes. Split each heart horizontally into 2 layers of equal thickness.

Boil raspberry jam with water until thickened and brush onto top of each heart. Brush the darker, smoother side of the cut cake.


Stack two hearts together, forming a heart sandwich with the filling in the center. 


Arrange raspberries on top. Brush the raspberries with more jam. 


Drizzle melted white chocolate over tops. 


The kids might want to help too! 


*I used a 4" heart cookie cutter and made 5 mini cakes.