Dutch Apple and Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins

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While making a master grocery list last week, it occurred to me that this family has an over abundance of oatmeal.  That's ok though because it all just means that more recipes with oatmeal are going to be made.  Lots more.  

So much more that y'all will get sick and tired of reading about oatmeal.  Then the hate e-mail will come....begging me to stop.  Until I will be forced to shut down this blog because of to many oatmeal posts.  

Ok....so all of the above probably will not happen.  Posting about these muffins however, will ;)

Crockpot Chicken-N-Dumplings {Slow Cooker Monday}

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~This was originally published in February of last year, however, I am dusting it off and re-publishing it again to add to the Slow Cooker Mondays feature on the blog.  Enjoy!~

When I think of home cooking, the first thing that comes to my mind are Chicken and Dumplings.  Seriously.  You just can't have one without the other.  Home Cooking=a good pot of steaming and hot Chicken and Dumplings.  What a great dish to make on a cold, wintry day.  There is nothing better then coming inside from the cold and enjoying a wonderful bowl of this heavenly goodness.  I can't think of anything better.

This is definitely a recipe for your slow cooker.  Season the chicken, mix the liquids, pour everything on top of the chicken, turn the slow cooker on, and let it cook the whole day.  That's it.  Very easy to make and not time consuming at all.  The only things that take a little time are shredding the chicken afterwards and cutting up the dumplings...but that's easy stuff. 

Happy Belated Birthday To My Girl!!

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We celebrated your birthday, as you turned six last weekend,but we have got the gift, just the perfect gift, that on this very special day, God gave away,

a gift of love from up above, so unique and so rare
God has specially made you to the very tip of your nose, as precious as a flower, as tender as a rose.

1st week of life!!

Fulfilled and blessed our lives we have and all because of you,
as sweet as honey, so innocent and pure.
The twinkle of your eyes is brighter than any star, the smiles you leave behind keep our days bright, though our laps you have outgrown, you will never outgrow our hearts.

1st Birthday!!

We watch and pray as you grow,
in love and in faith, in beauty and in grace, you bring us joy and pure delight, just to gaze upon your lovely face.

2nd Birthday!!

Our hearts you keep warm and are with you wherever you may go, and as you go on life's journey, only happiness may you find, you are the joyful moments through our sorrow, you are our hope and promise of our tomorrow.

3rd Birthday!!

'cause you are our pride, our unconditional love we pledge,
 'cause you are our joy, our undivided bond we cherish, 
'cause you are our sunshine, our embrace is your shield through the rain,
 'cause you are our little girl, our hugs and kissed will take away your pain.

4th Birthday!!

We asked God for a flower and he gave us a bouquet.
We asked God for a minute and he gave us a day.
We prayed to God for true love and he gave us that too.
We prayed to God for an angel and he gave us you.

5th Birthday!!

May God bless you dear angel especially on this day, 
that marks your birth, for all the special ways you bring a bit of heaven into our world.
May God bless you, Today, Tomorrow and Always in Peace in Health in Happiness and in Love.

6th Birthday!!

Happy Belated 6th Birthday to my Ava!!  We <3 you sooooo much!!!

Poem by:  Caroline Falzon

Solae Brunch Soyree' and Giveaway Winner!!

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****WE HAVE A WINNER!!***

Congratulations to Kay Dee...who replied with comment #3!!

Kay Dee, please contact me so we can get the ball rolling on your prizes!

********************************************************************

This past month, we were contacted by a representative from Solae to sample some of their products and host a Soyree Brunch for children and their parents in the area.  

I will be the first to admit that we aren't a soy-eating family.  However, we are adventurous when it comes to trying something new from time to time so we decided to take Solae up on their offer.  

To quote a representative from Solae....

"Soy protein is a great addition to your child’s diet – it is a nutritionally complete source of protein that can help children meet their daily protein intake needs to support growth and development. Soy protein is a good alternative for children with milk, egg or peanut allergies and is naturally low in fat and saturated fat. Moreover, multiple studies show children who incorporate soy foods into their diets at an early age have lower body mass indices than those who do not."

Reading this motivated me, as a mother, to give it a whirl on my family.  

I'm so glad I did too!  

My sister and her children made a little visit our way this week so I decided to test these products out on her children, as well as mine ;)  

I will let the pictures speak for themselves....

For the children, I made Yogurt Brunch Parfaits (recipe HERE) and decided to incorporate the Special K Cereal into the mix.  

The children LOVED this and ended up eating everything in their cups ;)

For the grown ups, I made this lovely Hashbrown Quiche (recipe HERE).  

I replaced our regular staple of hamburger meat/ground turkey with the Morning Star Veggie Sausage Patties....

It gave the quiche a nice, airy feel to it which was a nice change from what we typically make it with.  

Finally, we served the 8th Continent Soy Milk.....

...the children weren't big fans of the milk, however, it could possibly be because they are so used to drinking regular milk.  I did have a few sips of the soymilk myself and realized that it too, tasted light and airy just like the sausage patties.

In conclusion, we definitely will start purchasing the sausage patties a lot more and will probably use them from time to time.  We were already fans of Special K Cereal so we also will continue to eat this as well.  

To celebrate and educate children and their families on the importance of eating well with soy, Solae has decided to giveaway this lovely prize package to one VERY lucky reader.....

One VERY lucky reader will receive the following prizes:

~A 12 oz. on-the-go cereal bowl with freezer gel to keep your milk cold,

~ A 16 oz. tumbler

~A cute little child's apron

~Two coupons to try 8th Continent Soymilk for FREE

Wanna win??

All you have to do is answer the following question in the comment box....

What is your favorite recipe to cook that contains soy??

The deadline is Tuesday, June 19th and a winner will be chosen and announced  on June 20th.  

Good luck y'all!!  

Disclosure:

Solae has provided me with the prize package to giveaway to readers, as well as a gift card and other soyree' goodies to make this event possible.

Cherry Kool-Aid Pie

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I first heard about this recipe many, many, many moons ago and completely forgot about it until recently.  A quest for no bake summer recipes prompted me to resurrect it.  

This pie is so easy y'all!  Really...it is!  All you need are 4 ingredients...sweetened condensed milk, cool whip, a package of Kool-Aid (any flavor), and a pre-made graham cracker pie crust.

Who knew that these ingredients......

.....would produce such a wonderful piece of heaven....

Your children will LOVE this recipe!  It is VERY kid friendly and they can help with everything from start to finish.  

The great thing about Kool-Aid is that it comes in so many different wonderful flavors, so you can imagine the possibilities of pies you can make....grape, lemonade, strawberry, orange, etc...

Go ahead and give it a whirl!  

Your family will love ya for it and think you slaved all day in the kitchen ;)  

But shhhhhh!!!  It will be our little secret ;)

Cherry Kool-Aid Pie

(makes one 9 inch pie)

Ingredients:

1 package of Kool-Aid (sweetened or unsweetened...and any flavor)

1 pre-made 9 inch graham cracker crust

8 oz. tub of Cool Whip

14 oz. can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

Whipped cream, cherries, or strawberries (optional)

Directions:

1.  Place the Kool-Aid, Cool Whip, and Sweetened Condensed Milk in a large bowl.

2.  Mix and stir until everything is very well blended.  

3.  Place creamy filling inside the graham cracker crust.

4.  Refrigerate for 2-3 hours until nice and set.

5. Garnish with whipped cream, cherries, or strawberries if desired.

Solae Soyree and Brunch Giveaway

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Last summer, a representative from Eggland's Best Eggs contacted us to see if we wanted to host a  Plate Date for some of the children and parents in our area (click HERE to see the post).  

We had so much fun last year that I was hoping they would contact us again to host another one.  Well, we have been contacted by the company, Solae and I am VERY thrilled to announce that we are teaming up again to host a Brunch Soyree' and Giveaway!!!

One VERY lucky reader/fan will have their chance at winning the following the items......

A 12 oz. on-the-go cereal bowl with freezer gel to keep your milk cold, a 16 oz. tumbler, and this cute little child's apron....one cute little girl NOT included ;)

....also coupons for 2 FREE 8th Continent Soymilk Products.....

Let's take a look at the cereal bowl and tumbler up close....

My family LOVES these products and my daughter has actually deemed the apron up above as hers and no one else's ;)  She LOVES it!  

Don't miss your chance to win these wonderful gifts coming up next week!!!  Stay tuned!!!

Disclosure:

Solae has provided me with the prize package to giveaway to readers, as well as a gift card and other soyree' goodies to make this event possible.

Russian Apricot Chicken {Slow Cooker Monday}

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~This was originally published in September of last year, however, I am dusting it off and re-publishing it again to add to the Slow Cooker Mondays feature on the blog.  I have also added a few additions to the original recipe.~

This recipe for Russian Apricot Chicken and it is so flippin yummy.  Y'all are going to be shocked when you hear how many ingredients it has.  It only requires...hold on to your hats....4 ingredients!  Can you believe that?!  To top it off, it also tastes wonderful!  

It has just the right hint of tanginess mixed in with sweetness.  And an added bonus, it cooks in the slow cooker!!  Just mix the ingredients in a bowl, pour it over the chicken in the slow cooker, and let it cook all day.  It's quick, easy, and yummy!  Can't get any better then that folks :) Try it and see for yourself ;)

Slow Cooker Russian Apricot Chicken

(makes 4-6 chicken breasts)

Ingredients:

1 (12 oz.) jar of apricot preserves

1 bottle of Russian salad dressing

1 to 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 onion, chopped

Directions:

1.  Place chicken breasts inside slow cooker.

2.  In a bowl, mix half the jar of apricot preserves with half the bottle of Russian salad dressing.  Stir in the chopped onions.  Makes sure it's mixed well.

3.  Pour the mixture over the chicken. 

4.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

**Libby's Notes:  You can add a little more preserves or salad dressing if you feel it won't be enough to cover the chicken.  We ended up using all of ours and it came out wonderful.**

Recipe Source:  Adapted from Gooseberry Patch's 5-Ingredient Dishes in Minutes Magazine