Game Day Chili #SundaySupper

My family loves the Green Bay Packers!  My husband and I both grew up in the 60s and remember watching them win the Super Bowl back in the day.  We are also huge Dan Devine fans, for multiple reasons!  This week at #SundaySupper we are giving you a multitude of ideas of great foods to serve for the big game! This week's #SundaySupper is being hosted by T.R. from Gluten Free Crumbley .  Thank you for hosting us, T.R.! This vamped up chili has a little sweetness to it, due to an unusual addition in the ingredients. Plus we've added some veggies for that healthy touch!  Perfect served with grilled cheese triangles and your favorite toppings.  I love sour cream in mine! My husband, who cooks! Chili can be made a day ahead of time, giving you a little less to do on Game Day.  Put it in the crockpot on low the day of the game and it will be warm and delicious in time for the big game! Game Day Chili by Terri Steffes Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 3

Review of The Finest Hours

My husband, Bob and I, went to see a preview of the film The Finest Hours, a true story of a small boat rescue said to be the greatest feat of the Coast Guard.  The film was shown in 3D. On February 18, 1952, a deadly nor'easter struck New England, powerful enough to crack two T-2 tankers in half.  One, the SS Pendleton headed to Boston, trapped 30 sailors in the sinking stern.  The senior officer, Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) takes charge of the crew and works through a myraid of difficulties and crew differences to ride out this massive storm.  The Coast Guard station in Chatham, Massachusetts hears of the disaster and Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana), but has already dispatched their more seasoned crew members to assist the other tanker. As a result, he orders his “second-team” crew to assist the Pendelton.  Bernie Webber (Chris Pine) and three others set out in a small Coast Guard boat facing 60 foot high waves, hurricane force winds, and bitter cold.  To complicate

Top 5 Recipes of 2015

Jenny from The Jenny Evolution is hosting a party today where we each share our Top 5 Recipes for 2015 .  Check out her blog for all the wonderful bloggers who are participating! My numero uno recipe "topped" them all by a long shot!  This Shrimp Tomato and Bleu Cheese flatbread was so popular it ended up on another popular roundup!  That was a first for me! My Roasted Banana and Black Walnut Bundt Cake hit the spot for a lot of folks.  This bundt is full of banana flavor and the walnuts just accent, not over power.  So good and I want some now! Third on my list was the Lemon Confetti Bundt Cake .  Such a fun cake for a celebration, the lemon is a perfectly light lemon flavor and the confetti is sprinkles!  Delicious! Fourth on the list is Wedge Salad .  This recipe appeared in a #SundaySupper post featuring Retro foods.  That post is fabulous for bringing back memories of foods from my childhood.  Jello salad, anyone? Fifth on my list of five is

Fun and Romantic and Easy-to-Make Valentine Card

So what happens when you put a group of motivated bloggers together?  You get a fantastic blog hop, that's what!  This month, treat yourself to a lot of fun Valentine activities! For my part, I wanted to find an easy to make card for your sweetie!  I know a lot of people think this holiday is all about selling cards for the big card companies.  If you are one of those, then make your own!  It's not hard to be creative, when you are using an idea from here! Here is a super simple card, but one I would love from my husband, who has made me cards before! Start with a plain notecard, the kind that comes in a packet of 8-10.  You can find these at Walgreens, or if you are desperate, go and check out your significant other's stationery drawer. Find an unused key or purchase a blank from Lowe's or other hardware store and place it where you want it on the card.  With a pencil, make a small dot above the key and below the key and then remove the key to the side.

Cork Valentine Wreath

Imagine my surprise when I went to look for my Valentine's decorations and discovered that I didn't have one single thing left after purging old decorations last year!  I decided that this was a chance to create something new for my house, and so I started looking around at what I already have, and my eyes landed on.... corks! We have an abundance of corks in our home and I love to use them in craft projects!  My daughter and I made this adorable pinboard of cork at Christmas one year, my husband made my jewelry holder and I have created a lot of ornaments.  We made a wreath of corks that has long been gone but it had a special place in our home in Jefferson City. How do you make a cork valentine? First, I separated the corks by color.  Some wines soak into the cork better than others, for many reasons, one being how long the wine has been corked!  I wanted an ombre look to the wreath, so I sorted them into four piles. Then I shaped them into a messy wreath, so

Book Review: The Hill by Karen Bass

One of my favorite books to read to my classes was Hatchet by Gary Paulson.  The book, full of adventure about a young boy who survives a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness, sparked the imagination of my students. When I heard of the book, The Hill by Karen Bass, the description sounded like a more modern version of Hatchet, and I was eager to dive in and see what might a survival book for 2016 might look like.  I was pretty disappointed, as the survival skills shown were at a minimum and were nothing new, such as eating berries and pemmican. If you like zombie chasing scenes, I believe this is the book for you!  The descriptions were not overly scary but there was some tenseness built into the scenes.  The night in the teepee was my favorite. So while this wasn't the book I thought it might be, that's not the fault of the author.Perhaps the description might say something to the effect of a long Native American legend is chasing them.  Otherwise, you might get pe

Broccoli Cheddar Soup SRC Reveal~January

I love that you have to read my post to find out who my Secret Recipe Club partner is!  He he he. I was paired with a very special lady who blogs about many things, mostly food, but even more.  I was intrigued by her category of Rabbits.  We have an overpopulated rabbit problem so I won't tell you what happens to rabbits in New Town, but you can see why I was interested.  ;) So then I went to her About page and honestly, she's just a doll.  You need to meet Nicole, from I Am A Honey Bee .  She is going to just die when she finds out how many of our experiences connect, especially when she figures out that I am 57. I had pink hair.  LOVED it. I correct people's grammar. I love peeps, just like she does, fresh, old or chewy. I love all things Greece, but I haven't been there. I know all the words to, nope, not Shoop.  Other songs. I had a blast looking through her blog.  I have that danged Shoop song in my head, though.  So as I was looking through and fin

Cook the Books Club: A Place at the Table

I am sure I loved this book because it combined so many things that I love to read about: southern lifestyles, good food, and characters that you want to be friends with.  A Place at the Table by Susan Rebecca White starts you with a scene in the 1920's North Carolina and from there takes you to New York City and California, spinning a tale around three distinct characters.  Even with their individual flaws, I fell in love with each of them and the story of their lives. Alice, an author of a famous cookbook and restaurant owner, Bobby, a gay man outcast from his family and Amelia, a weathy woman who likes to come to the cafe are all wonderful characters and the book draws them together for a remarkable ending. Then there's the story of the pound cake, and the life of a chef.  What foodie doesn't yearn to own their own restaurant?  I certainly do, although I know my own limitations.  That's what inspired my own recipe for this month's Cook the Books Club:  Banana

Top Ten Valentine Dinner Dates with Kids!

I know there are a lot of people out there who believe that Valentine's Day is just a day for the card companies to make money, but I am one of those who believe that sometimes people need to be reminded to stop and say, I love you, once in a while. Traditionally the protocol is to send flowers, go out to dinner, exchange gifts and cards.  Last year my husband and I did things a little bit differently and had a fabulous time, which inspired this post: Top Ten Valentine Dinner Dates! 1.  White Castle.  No, I am totally serious.  My husband and I went there last year before Beach Boys concert. The waiters were awesome, the menu was printed and on our table, which had a tablecloth and decorations.  The restaurant was closed to walk in traffic, which made you feel extra special.  If you have kids, they are welcome, plus it's super cheap. 2.   Plan a group date.  Get neighbors together, plan a dinner party, then split up the duties.  Get a babysitter to come to o

St. Charles Convention Center Winter Tasting

My husband's job as Director of the St. Louis campus of Columbia College has some fun perks!  One of them is the biannual event at the St. Charles Convention Center where we get to taste their new platings for events.  We recently attended the Winter Tasting event where we had such a good time chatting with the event coordinators and seeing people we know who were planning spring and summer events. We were greeted with wine and passed hors d' ouvres.  I sampled the mini eggroll and a darling cone filled with a mixture of Mexican spices, cheese and chicken.  Very delicious.  All the servers were fun and had a bit of conversation with you while you were eating.  I like that. Once inside the main ballroom, you could see the spaciousness of it.  The room was set up as if for a reception, with a band at the far end, food down the center, and tables on both sides.  It looked amazing, with fun tablecloths at the stand up tables.  Not just the well ironed cotton! We checked out t

Food 'n' Flix: Failure to Launch

Welcome to 2016 and Food 'n' Flix.   Food 'n' Flix is a monthly group who watches a film and gets inspired from the movie to cook something!  This month we are hosted by the lovely Amy from Amy's Cooking Adventure.   Go and visit her site sometime.  You will be drooling by the second word.  Yep, it's that good. First a bit about the film:  Failure to Launch is a hilarious look at a thirtysomething man who still (willingly and happily) lives with his parents.  The cast is to die for, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew McConaughey, Kathy Bates, Terry Bradshaw, Bradley Cooper, and Zooey Deschanel.  The premise of the movie is that Al and Sue, the parents, want their son, Tripp, to move out of their home.  They hire Paula, a professional at getting grown sons to move out.  She guarantees her work and assures the family that the son will soon be out.  What she doesn't account for, as it has never happened before, is that she falls for the son. For a movie NOT

DAR Book Club Review: George Washington's Secret Six

First, let me tell you that DAR is the Daughters of the American Revolution, and that we are history buffs and especially as it relates to the American Revolution.  All members, including myself, have been able to track our relatives who fought for Amerian Independence. We love to read both fiction and non fiction about the American Revolution.  The nonfiction books help us to determine if the fiction was accurate or not!  This book George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring that Saved the Amerian Revolution was a nonfiction book that read like fiction.  The book was spellbinding and often I found myself reading far too late into the night. The book centers around six people who bravely helped George Washington get information from the British while they were holding New York City.  One of the people was a woman, who was caught and taken to the prisoner ship in the bay.  No other news is learned about her and so it is thought she died on the ship.  No one knows her name.

#HotChocolateParty

With the weather turning cold and blustery, I decided to invite a few ladies over for a #hotchocolateparty to enjoy each other's company and create a few new recipes for hot chocolate! We had a blast trying new concoctions. Before my guests arrived, I made a crockpot full of hot chocolate using a recipe I make for gifts for Christmas.  The recipe can be found here.   The only difference is that I made the recipe using whole milk, instead of water, for richness.   I also made toasted marshmallow shot glasses, too. First you spear a marshmallow (the medium size, not the campfire size or minis) and toast it over a fire.  Toast until golden  brown.  Be sure to toast the part of the marshmallow not speared by the fork! Next, slip the marshmallow off the fork onto a plate, with the untouched side as the bottom of the cup.  The marshmallow will sink into itself, creating a cup, albeit a small cup. Then I set up all the fixings I was providing.  I asked my friends to br