Soooo responsible that kid of mine!

Okay, this is just WAY too cute! Woke up this morning around 6:30 AM...went to check on Easton, my 8 year old...wasn't in his bed...Hmm??...must be playing video games in the play room...Noo, not there...Oooh, I think I hear the TV downstairs...call out to him from the top of the stairs, "Easton"...no answer...maybe he is in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal...go down the stairs...found him sound asleep, on the couch, the TV on, all snuggled up with a quilt and two stuffed animals...I found a note and a pencil on the coffee table...and here is what it said...

How sweet is that??? I love the complete detailed explanation for why he was sleeping on the couch and not in his bed. My heart just melted! He was so thoughtful and considerate. It seemed like he wanted to make sure all his bases were covered by writing a note so it wouldn't look as if he were up all night playing around. I love the "sincerely" part too! Stan said that he can't even SPELL sincerely himself..too funny!

my Easton

teensy tinesy flowers

I have fond childhood memories of these tiny wildflowers. They always grew proficiently in our neighbors side yard. I remember getting down in the grass on my hands and knees to admire these little beauties. So dainty and small, I've always thought them to be the prettiest little things!

Well, I am now 39 years old, and I am STILL getting down on my hands and knees to revel in their tiny glory. I am trying to identify them on the internet. I found a few that looked almost exactly like them, but not quite. One day, I will learn what they are, but for now I am content to just say, "oooohhhh look, there's those teensy tinsey little flowers!"

Donuts To Die For

It is my personal opinion that Oram's Donuts, located in Beaver Falls, PA, makes THE best donuts and cinnamon rolls!


William and Lilliam Oram opened their donut shop in 1938. They knew they had a great recipe for donuts and the success of the store proved it! People would drive from miles around just to get a taste of these yummy little treasures.


In fact, loyal customers today, will still go out of their way on a Friday morning to pick up cinnamon rolls for work. Coffee breaks in Beaver County are just a little big longer and a little bit sweeter when these freshly baked, soft rolls, show up in their break room.

As you can see by their display case, Oram's has never claimed to have a large variety of donuts. I think that is one of their cornerstones of success: making a few recipes and making them well with quality ingredients and attention to detail.


William and Lillian's foster son Tom Bradshaw took over the business in 1960. Fast forward to May 1995, Tom unfortunately had to close up shop due to an illness. The store along with it's original recipes, was sold to Jon and Vickie George reopening just 3 months later. Customers were thrilled to see Oram's back in business, and producing the same great donuts they had come to love for generations.

My personal favorite is their chocolate topped, cream filled donut. With a wallop of chocolate frosting "shmeared" (not a typo) on top and a heavenly cloud of sweet cream hiding inside, it can take me to places far above the tree tops! If you've never had an Oram's donut, I suggest you get in your car and go. Now! Go early in the day. It's not unusual for them to sell out! They are not open on Sundays and that is nice to see in this day and age! Hours are Mon thru Sat 5 am to 2 pm, and of course, closed on Sundays.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Spring has brought us a couple of chilly days resulting in cravings for a little bit of comfort food. Looking in my freezer, I found two boneless skinless chicken breasts. Looking in my produce drawer in the fridge, I found a few carrots and an onion. What's a girl to make?? Flipping through my library book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond, I spotted a most delicious looking chicken pot pie! Bingo! We're on to something here! The only thing I had to pick up at the store was celery! I had never made a pot pie before, and was ready to give it a whirl. I am happy to say, it turned out FANTASTIC!!
Here is the end result!!

And here is the recipe:

Chicken Pot Pie



Prepare double crust pie recipe...
this makes enough for two, 8 or 9 inch pot pies
you only need the top of the pie covered with crust.
(*see recipe below)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Chop 3 stalks celery, 3 carrots, one medium onion and 1 cup green beans.
Sauté veggies in melted ½ stick of butter and 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil until softened.
Add 2 Cups chopped cooked chicken.
Sprinkle ¾ cup flour over chicken and veggie mixture, mix well and cook 3 minutes.
Add 2 cups chicken broth and 1 crushed chicken bullion cube to mixture.
Stir in 1 cup heavy cream or half –n- half creating creamy gravy. Mix well.
Season with salt, pepper and 1 tsp. dried thyme.
If gravy is too thick, add ¼ cup water at a time to thin out.
Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
Evenly divide filling into 2 unlined pie pans.
(no need for a bottom crust)
Place pie pans on cookie sheet to catch spillage during baking.
There will most likely, almost definately, be some bubbling over!
Cover each pot pie filling with unbaked pie crust.
Seal edges of pies by crimping with a fork.
Cut four slits into top of pies to create steam vents.
Brush top of pies with milk or half –n- half.
Sprinkle top of pie with salt and pepper.
Bake @ 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
Crust should be a golden brown when done.
Let pie rest 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!!

*double crust pie recipe double-crust-pie-recipe.html

Ham & Potato Nests

I made the most amazing dinner the other night. You've got to try this recipe! It was so cheesey and yummy! and easy! I call it "Ham & Potato Nests".

I was inspired to make this recipe from a picture that my nephew, Michael, posted on Facebook. He goes to culinary school in upstate New York and sometimes posts his wonderful, creative dishes.

This is Michael.

And this is the photo he posted that made me go "ga ga"! It just looked so tasty and homey!

So...without further delay...here is my version of Michael's dish.


First...enlist a cute little helper to peel about 5 or 6 potatoes.

Cut potatoes into cubes.

Place cubed potatoes on baking sheet and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until fork tender.

Chop some nice chunks of ham...about 1 1/2 cups. This works great with that leftover ham you have in the freezer from Easter.

Beat 6 eggs in a bowl.

Shread 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese.

Spray several ramekins with cooking spray.

Divide roasted potatoes and ham amongst ramekins.

Pour beaten eggs onto potatoes and ham. Fill ramekin about 3/4 full.

Sprinkle with all that glorious, freshly shredded cheese!

Place all filled ramekins on the same baking sheet you used to roast potatoes.This will save on dishes!!

Bake for 50 -60 minutes. The smaller ramekins will cook much faster than the larger ones. You can pull them out at about 40 minutes. Take a knife, insert into middle of ramekin to check for doneness of eggs. It is helpful to cover larger ramekins with foil during last 10-15 minutes of baking to hold in the heat and get those eggs cooked. It really will depend on how much egg you have in the larger ramekin, check periodically towards the end for doneness.



And finally, aaahhh! Stand back and admire the beauty of these babies. The melted gooey cheese!!


Everyone will love, love, love you for making this for dinner!! It will be a nice break from chicken, chicken, chicken every other night! If making this for dinner, pair it up with a nice tossed salad. For a Sunday morning breakfast, how about accompanying it with a simple, fresh fruit salad.

If you give this recipe a try, let me know how it goes. I would love to hear your comments!