Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

I can’t even believe that I am blogging this, but I made scalloped potatoes and ham for dinner.  The reason I say this is because I do not like scalloped potatoes and ham.  I am not a fan at ALL of white creamy sauces.  I don’t like cream of anything soups, white gravy, or (and yes, I’ll pause for the collective gasp after I say this) alfredo sauce.  But…this recipe and dinner tonight was AMAZING.  And easy.  And only roughly 500 calories a serving.

Here’s the recipe:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups nonfat milk

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

8 cups chopped and peeled potatoes

4 cups chopped ham (I used leftover Honeybaked spiral ham from Christmas that I had in my freezer)

1 teaspoon pepper

2 cups shredded cheese

Brown butter in large nonstick skillet, add flour and mix into a rue and let get brown, but make sure it doesn’t burn.  Add milk, stirring and bring to a rolling boil.  Add onion and garlic powder and pepper.  Stir.  Add potatoes and bring back to a boil.  Add ham and 1/2 of the shredded cheese, mix well.  Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Dump everything from skillet into baking dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.  Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes.  Remove foil and continue to bake another 30 minutes or until bubbly, thickened and looking incredibly yummy.

I served mine with just a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.  Oooh so yummy.

Keep Simply Delighting!

Another Wednesday

It’s another Wednesday.  And what I have to show you is this:

I love Moda Fabrics.  And these are some additional fabrics I needed to complete my Jubilee 16 patch project I talked about here.  I love this line of fabrics.  They are a combination of all of my favorite colors.

Here is another photo just for fun:

I love how a jelly roll looks before it’s opened.  So marvelous.

So, the few things I am working on:

1. #scrappytripalong

2. Moda Jubilee 16 patch

3. hexagons (if I ever start sewing)

4.basting, quilting, and binding Gabby’s quilt.

Linking up to Freshly Pieced.

Keep Simply Delighting!

More Scraps on Monday!

More of my #scrappytripalong.  I am loving making these blocks and loving playing around with placement.  I also am enjoying figuring out how to fully use my camera (yes I got some batteries!).  I have a couple more blocks to make to complete this quilt, but I think I am going to make all the blocks I have cut and then put them into 2 quilts.  Meanwhile, I am enjoying the process…which is what I wanted to do!

Linking up to Plum and June.

Keep Simply Delighting!!

Turkey Spinach Lasagna

Tonight for dinner, I made something I have never made before: turkey spinach lasagna.  I was a little leary of this new recipe that I found but put my own spin on.  BUT…it was incredible.  Creamy, rich, and healthy!

Here’s the recipe:

1 lb ground turkey

1 T olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups marinara sauce

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

1 10 ounce package of frozen spinach, thawed, drained well and chopped

1/4 cup parsley

2 egg whites

1/4 t salt and pepper

12 lasagna noodles, cooked

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in large sauce pan.  Add the turkey and brown.  When turkey is browned, add the marinara sauce and continue to simmer.  Cook lasagna noodles until done.  Mix in a large bowl spinach, ricotta, parmesan cheese, egg whites, parsley, salt and pepper until combined.  In a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, spray with non stick cooking spray and layer 3 noodles, half the ricotta mixture and then 1/3 of the marinara sauce mixture.  Add 3 more noodles, the rest of the ricotta and 1/3 of the marinara sauce.  Add 3 more noodles and the rest of the marinara.  Add 3 more noodles, and top with the mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.  I cut mine into 12 pieces.  Also I added red pepper flakes to my marinara sauce for a little heat.

This is definitely a keeper!

Keep Simply Delighting!

More #ScrappyTripAlong

I am in love.

Book Review: Unglued Devotional by Lysa TerKeurst

I recently reviewed Unglued Devotional by Lysa TerKeurst.  I had been looking for a devotional that would meet the need of my heart as a busy woman.  I personally think that as women, we strive to keep it all together.  Managing our homes, taking care of the kids, and keeping our relationship with our spouses can exhaust us.  Through in friendships, extended family, church functions, and work or career obligations—we can’t do it, but we surely try…all while being the perfect size with the perfect hair with the perfect clothes….and the perfect fake smile….while deep inside we are falling about, unable to achieve PERFECTION.  (Which was the whole reasoning behind this blog, living in freedom…Simply Delighting).  This devotion address and refreshes our spirits and allows us as women to be as the title suggests, Unglued.

I would highly, highly recommend this devotion to women who need a time out from their world to spend 15 minutes refreshing their spirit and connecting with the Lord.  It is amazing.  It is a MUST READ.

The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through BookSneeze®.

Book Review: All for a Song by Allison Pittman

I recently read the book All for a Song by Allison Pittman.  This book was awesome.  The style of the book is sort of a flashback.  The main character, Dorothy Lynn, now in her elder years and ailing in her health, remembers a time in her life when she chased after what she felt was God’s plan for her.  Growing up in a rural setting in what seems like the 1920’s, Dorothy Lynn embarks on a journey across the country travelling with a well-known evangelist.  Dorothy Lynn goes against everything she’s ever been taught, and as she does, she learns some valuable lessons about life, faith, and herself.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves to read period type novels that integrates faith and living.  It is the type of book that captivates you and is very hard to put down.

Here are the links to the Allison Pittman’s bio and questions and answers.

To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, please mention as part of every Web or Amazon review that Tyndale House Publishers has provided you with a complimentary copy of this book.

What Am I Working On?

Besides working on my #scrappytripalong quilt, I started another quilt too.  And yes, this one is for me too.  I know, I am soo selfish.  But last year I made over 12 quilts, and only one was for me.  So…this year, I am making a lot of quilts that I have been wanting.  So…here are some of the blocks I made yesterday.

It’s a 16 patch made out of 2 1/2 inch squares of Moda Jubilee fabric.  I love it.  I love that it’s pink, blue, purple and grey.  The blocks are 8 inches finished.  I am debating if I want to do the whole thing in 16 patch blocks or alternate with solid fabric from the Jubilee collection.

Linking up to Plum and June.

Keep Simply Delighting!

Yumminess Everywhere!

Tonight for dinner, I made homemade barbeque chicken pizza.  It is Super Bowl Sunday, after all.  Believe me, it was incredible.  I dipped it it blue cheese dressing and it was just like I was eating some wings.  AMAZING.   Here’s how I made it:

1 package of pizza dough mix (prepared as the directions say)

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped (mine was the left over cornish hens from Christmas that I had in my freezer)

1 cup barbeque sauce (mine was homemade)

1 cup shredded cojack cheese

Homemade BBQ Sauce:

1 1/2 cups ketchup

3/4 – 1 cup brown sugar

1 cup water

1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and chili powder

Heat until comes to a boil and sugar is dissolved.  Let cool and thicken.

Put it all together and bake.  It was fabulous.

 

I made more #scrappytripalong blocks today.

These blocks come together so quick.  I love it.

My favorite block so far.  I love those little porcupines.  Aren’t they cute?!!?

I started another quilt today as well, and made several blocks, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.  I had to stop sewing because I became engrossed in Downton Abbey that I had DVR’d….it’s my first season but I am hooked.

Keep Simply Delighting!

Snowy Saturdays

Happy Saturday ya’ll!

This is a picture from my bedroom window.  I know it doesn’t look like a lot of snow, but it has been snowing since last night.  And it’s supposed to continue to snow all day and night and all day tomorrow.  So, I figured it would be a good weekend to stay inside and sew!

I started working on my 2 inch #scappytripalong quilt.  I am kinda methodically in how I sew.  I use (and reuse) little zipper top baggies to put my blocks in.  So, before I even started to sew any strips together, I put together all my blocks individually in bags. That way, if I wanna just grab a few and do some, I don’t have everything laying out.  Anyway, all of that to say this, I made 5 blocks today.

On my living room floor design wall

A close up

My blocks are truly scrappy, but I am loving the way they are turning out.

I also found a recipe for homemade refried beans over at Sewfrench.  It is her friends recipe, which you can see her blog post about the recipe here.

I followed the recipe, with the exception that I added a whole jalapeno, not just a 1/2, and mine were done in like 4 hours, but my crock pot cooks fast.

Pre-mash

Post-mash

This made nine 1/2 cup servings.  I froze most of them individually.  They are delicious and so much more flavorful than store-bought.

Linking up to Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Crazy Mom Quilts and TGIFF!  I am counting my blocks that are finished as a finish, and my beans!

Keep Simply Delighting!