Warm Caramel Bananas

Don't immediately wrinkle your nose and say, "Yuk!" when you read this recipe. It's actually pretty good. I had a sweet craving the other day and some bananas that were starting to get overripe, so I made some Warm Caramel Bananas. I made them once or twice a long time ago, so I made some to use up my bananas and feed my sweet tooth. I don't put the peanuts in this recipe, and I don't add the chocolate or whipped topping at the end either. I just make the sauce/syrup with the bananas. That takes some of the calories out and makes it not quite so sinfully rich, right? Thanks for stopping by!

Pasta with Zucchini and Toasted Almonds

I made this Pasta with Zucchini and Toasted Almonds from the June Cooking Light as a side dish with some grilled chicken breasts for dinner. It was great! The almonds and cheese at the end really make the dish. I was curious to see what adding fresh mint to a savory dish would be like, and it was wonderful. I didn't add the extra mint at the end as a garnish, because I didn't want it to be overpowering. This was a great summertime dish. Thanks for stopping by!

Steamwhistle Hot Dogs

These Steamwhistle Hot Dogs were a quick lunch after church Sunday afternoon. No, I don't need a recipe to make hot dogs, but these made something a little more special and tasty than just plain old hot dogs. Give them a try! Thanks for stopping by!

Sausage with Peppers and Pasta

We've been back from vacation for a week now. I made us breakfast and lunch while we were on vacation, but for the most part, we went out for dinner. Now I'm having a little trouble getting back into the routine of cooking dinner every evening! I picked some quick and easy recipes for the menu this week.

The new Kraft Foods magazine was in the mailbox when we got home, so I picked a few recipes out of it to try. This evening, I made Sausage with Peppers and Pasta, and it was pretty good--filling, but not heavy. I couldn't find Italian sausage at the grocery store, so I just used some smoked turkey sausage. I didn't have the exact blend of shredded cheese either, so I just used what I had. It turned out just fine. Thanks for stopping by!

Pens Can Go Up a Game Tonight!

The Pittsburgh Penguins have tied the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Detroit Redwings at two games each! The Pens can go ahead tonight by winning the 5th game of the series. Go Pens! Thanks for stopping by!

Go Pens!

Check out the labels!

I added something new to this blog today. Now, if you're on here looking for a recipe that I posted about a while back and don't want to scroll back through every post looking for it, you can look on the label list at the right side of this blog. I went through and organized my posts by recipe types, sources, etc. I hope you like it, and it simplifies looking for an old recipe! Thanks for stopping by!

Memorial Day

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Geist Half Marathon

I ran my fourth half marathon this morning, the Geist Half Marathon. Last fall I posted about running the Indianapolis Half Marathon. I am unable to run that race again this fall. Instead, I thought I'd plan to run the United States Air Force Half Marathon at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio in September. To get a seeded starting position at that race, women must have run a half marathon in 1:52:00 or less--80 seconds faster than my half marathon last fall. That became my goal for the race this morning.

I didn't train as well as I would have liked to this spring. I was beset with illness for a lot of March and April. However, I was able to set another personal record this morning! I ran the race in 1:50:16, which qualifies me for a seeded position at the USAF Half Marathon in September and is a full three minutes faster than last fall's race! I can't believe I did it!

time: 1:50:16
average pace: 8:26 per mile
overall place: 529th out of 2765 participants
gender place: 112th out of 1421 women participants
age group place: 30th out of 227 women participants age 30 to 34

Thanks for stopping by!

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies

The December issue of Cooking Light had oodles of cookie recipes in it. I don't make hoards of cookies at Christmas time, because it's just us here most of the time, and I don't want to sit and eat them all day myself. (I have no will power when it comes to cookies, cakes, muffins, etc.) I do make some for gifts, but I'm always reluctant to try a new recipe for a gift just in case it doesn't turn out well.


My December issue is covered in flagged pages of new cookie recipes that I want to try. So, for my stamping workshop last week, I made a new recipe, Lemon Cornmeal Cookies. I'm happy to say they turned out well, and I will be adding this recipe to my box of favorites. (I should tell you though that I also made a batch of chocolate chip just in case!) Thanks for stopping by!

Orange Cream Fruit Salad

A little over a week ago, we had some friends over for dinner. I wanted to make a nice, light dessert, so I dug this recipe out of my box. I made it a long time ago when my in-laws were visiting. They really liked it, and I thought it would be perfect to make again.

I got this recipe years ago at a county fair dairy promotion booth. I saved this one recipe cut out of the pamphlet. Apparently, I didn't choose to save any of the rest! If you're looking for a fruit salad that's a little different from the typical, give this one a try. The creamy sauce on it is fantastic! Plus, I used fruit in light syrups, sugar-free pudding, 2% milk, and fat-free sour cream to save some calories.

Orange Cream Fruit Salad

1-20 oz. can pineapple tidbits
1-11 oz. can mandarin oranges
1-16 oz. can peach slices
1 medium apple, chopped
2 medium bananas, sliced
1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. sour cream
1/3 c. frozen orange juice concentrate

Drain all juices from fruit. Put all fruit in a bowl. Mix pudding, milk, orange juice and sour cream with a mixer for about two minutes. Pour over fruit and mix. Chill for at least one hour before serving. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Mother's Day!

Take a look at this great Mother's Day gift from my oldest son! They made these in their preschool class. Check out that handmade card! I just love them both!


I also love the preschool that my son has attended for the past two years, Kids' Kingdom Preschool at the Wilkinson Church of Christ. Last year he attended as a 3-year old two days per week, and this year as a 4-year old three days per week. I can't believe he'll start kindergarten next year! We go to our kindergarten registration this week. Where does the time go?!? I'm trying not to get emotional over it, but I fear I will sit and bawl the whole time at his registration! I have to keep reminding myself that next year will be great, because it will be my youngest son's turn to have Mommy all to himself for a little while every day. Thanks for stopping by!