Recipe of the Week..."Country Girl Quiche"

This hearty quiche makes a wonderful breakfast or dinner meal and it's a great way to use ingredients that you'll usually have on hand! I like to serve fresh fruit on the side...SO YUMMY!

Ingredients:

• 10 slices deli ham, chopped
• 2 oz. canned sliced mushrooms, drained
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup shredded Colby/Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/8 cup half-n-half
• 1/8 cup sour cream
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp. dried, minced onion
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 - 9" unbaked pie crust

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie crust into 9" pie plate and crimp edges. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together everything but the ham and cheese. Stir chopped ham and shredded cheese into mixture. Pour into pie crust and bake for approximately 45 minutes. The quiche should be golden brown on top and firm in the center. Serve warm and enjoy!

Have a WONDERFUL day!

Quote Sunday

 "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to the commitment to excellence,

regardless of their chosen field of endeavor".

~ Vince Lomardi ~

Silly Saturday...

How fun is this?!?!? I saw this cool photo on the internet and just had to share it with you...nature sure works in funny ways, doesn't it?

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!

Frosted Designs Challenge..."Embossing"

This week over at Frosted Designs, the challenge is to create a project using dry or heat embossing. I created this card, using paper that had a dry embossed pattern on it, and I love how it turned out!

Please hop on over to Frosted Designs and link up an embossed project of your own! Entries will be accepted through noon on Thursday, November 17th, and a prize is being offered!

Thanks for looking! Have a TERRIFIC day!

Remember our Veterans...

Just a friendly reminder...tomorrow is 11-11-11 and Veteran's Day! Please take a moment to say a prayer for the safety of our men and women serving in the armed forces. I will be proudly flying an American flag from my front porch, so if you own one please join me in saluting our service men and women. Also, if you happen to be eating out today, why not buy a piece of pie for a veteran or pick up the tab for him or her as a random act of kindness?

I am so very grateful for the freedoms that we are blessed with in America; many of which we take for granted and don't even give thought to on a day-to-day basis. Where else in the world can citizens have freedom of speech, religion, enterprise, etc.?? We are INCREDIBLY fortunate to be Americans!

I was very, very lucky to grow up living next door to my grandfather, who was a retired Master Sargeant in the USAF. He proudly served his country for 22 years and fought during WWII to help free the world of tyranny. (He served in the US Army during the war, and the after the war re-enlisted in the Air Force). Here is a photograph of him in Italy during WWII:

One of the cool things about my granddad is that in his front yard stood a large flag pole; and every morning he would raise an American flag and then lower and fold it every evening at dusk. I remember this so clearly, and it left a definite impression on me of American loyalty. Today I proudly display the last flag that he used for this daily ritual. It is neatly folded in a triangle and sits in a special iron easel in our family den...everytime I see it I smile and think of him.

Wishing you a day filled with many blessings! God bless America!!

Scrapbook Page with a Creative Twist on Blocks

Above is a photo of a scrapbook page that I made quite awhile back, but it's still one of my favorites. I love how the simple design and color scheme really make the picture the main focal point of the layout. Here's how I created this layout:

Begin by cutting an 8 1/2" x 11" photograph down to measure 8" x 8". Mat the photograph on a piece of 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" cream colored cardstock and distress the edges with ink. Wrap a brown grosgrain ribbon around one of the upper and lower corners and adhere the ribbon to the back of the cardstock with Glue Dots.

Cut five pieces of patterned paper into 5" x 5" blocks and distress the edges with chocolate ink. Adhere the patterned paper to the scrapbook page, as shown in the photo above.

Cut two pieces of cardstock, one in brown and one in navy, to measure 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" and attach a brad to each corner. Turn the cardstock at angles, as shown above, and adhere to the scrapbook page. Attach the matted photograph in the center of the blocked page, add some journaling and your layout is complete!

Thanks for looking! Have a blessed day!

Excellent Reads!

Last week was really, really busy for me, so I didn't get much done in the way of craft projects. I'm really looking forward to my upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks so that I can enjoy some quiet time at home crafting, cooking and reading.

Speaking of reading, I have currently been reading "The Youngest Templar" trilogy by Michael P. Spradlin, which are EXCELLENT young adult novels! (I read A LOT of young adult novels, because I work in a high school library and I like to recommend good books to our students so that they will become book lovers as well.)

 I am almost finished with the third book, and WOW!, these novels are hard to put down! The storyline is based on an orphan named Tristan who has been raised by monks since infancy and is recruited into the Templar Knights to be a squire. He travels to the middle east with his knight, Sir Thomas, and the other Templar Knights to accompany them into battle during the Crusades. Tristan makes some interesting friends along the way and a wonderful story of suspense and historical mystery unfolds.

I highly recommend these books...for adults and young adults too! They are EXCELLENT reads!

Have a blessed day!

Quote Sunday

"There are two ways of spreading light:
To be the candle or the mirror that reflects it".

~ Edith Wharton ~

Silly Saturday...

I am a very "high energy" kinda gal, so when I saw this squirrel photo I just KNEW that I had to share it with you as today's Silly Saturday post! (By the way...I am not a coffee drinker...and for that I know my family, friends and co-workers are very, very thankful - HA! HA!)

Have a very fun and safe weekend!!

Recipe of the Week...Cranapple Streusel Topped Pie

This delicious fall pie has a wonderful sweet and tart flavor that is perfectly enhanced by the streusel topping. A dollop of vanilla ice cream can be added when serving, if desired. Soooo good!

Ingredients:

• 3 large apples (peeled, cored and sliced)
• 2 cups fresh cranberries (washed and drained)
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1 unbaked 9" pastry for pie

Line 9" pie place with pastry and flute edges. In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour into pie plate and top with streusel:

Streusel Ingredients:

• 1 stick margarine
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cut margarine into dry ingredients to form a crumbly mixture, and then spoon mixture onto the top of the pie filling.

Bake pie for 10 minutes in a 450 degree oven. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake approximately 50 minutes longer. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

Have a blessed day!