The Top Ten Party Snacks I Love to Make

As we head into the entertaining season, I've been thinking about my recipe binder. It's full of delicious recipes, some with beautiful photos and many with just a handful of ingredients (that's my favorite kind). And yet, when it comes down to crunch time, so often I just stick to my tried and true snacks. Here they are:

1. Seven Layer Dip – Let’s count the layers: refried beans, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, olives (ick – I only put them on because I’m such a rule/recipe follower!), green onions, and . . . what is the seventh layer? I can never remember without that recipe in front of me!
2. Tortilla Rolls – This is one of my very favorite things to make and to munch on. The problem? Leftovers. Because I eat them. All.
   
3. Rotel Dip – I do it the easy way, with just Velveeta and Rotel (diced tomatoes and chilies to you all who don’t have Rotel). But I know Mark likes the way our friend Mandy makes it better – with ground beef in it. He’s even been known to eat her dip that has black beans thrown in. Perhaps I should branch out next time!
4. Chips and Salsa – This is a variation on #3, I suppose. And maybe the easiest thing to serve ever. But it works.
5. Carrots, Celery & Ranch Dip – I’m always thinking that I should add other veggies, like bell peppers or cherry tomatoes. But you know what? I keep sticking to the traditional ones – because that’s what people always eat!
6. Beer Bread & Dill Dip – Okay, so this isn’t so much a regular dish at my house as, say, M&Ms are. But since I had my Tastefully Simple party and got some beer bread mix, well, it’s hard to resist! (However, as I unfortunately learned over the weekend, avoid the light dill dip. It’s no good and not worth it.)
7. Crescent Roll Appetizers – I’ve never actually made these. But my brother makes them pretty often, and they are Quite. Tasty.
8. Brownies – Do you have a from-scratch recipe? Perhaps one that’s been passed down through the generations or something you got from a fancy-schmancy cookbook? I’d put my straight out of the box fudgy brownies up against yours any day! Because I have a secret, and it works. Oh, it works. My brownies. Are. Delicious.
9. Rice Krispy Treats – Yep, I’m high class. But they’re darned good. So there.
10. Chocolate Chip Cookies – The kind that come in a package from the refrigerated section. The ones you break apart and pop in the oven. Those. I love ‘em. And so do my guests.

So that’s it. It’s not fancy or special or, as I mentioned, high class. But it’s pretty much my repertoire of party snacks.

What do you feed people at parties?

My friend Sandy writes a blog about “real entertaining for real people.” I’m pretty sure my box brownies and plain veggies and store-bought dip work just fine in her book.

Not that I’m in her actual book.

Oh, that’s right. She just wrote a book! If you entertain more like me than Martha, check out The Reluctant Entertainer: Every Woman's Guide to Simple and Gracious Hospitality by Sandy Coughlin. And you can check out my guest post at her blog, Reluctant Entertainer, today!

This post will be linked to OhAmanda’s Top Ten Tuesday.

Good times.

I neglected my computer over the weekend, and it kind of felt good.

It turns out that when I turn off the computer, I have a lot more time for baking and laundry and stacking blocks and laundry and running errands and laundry.

Seriously – how do three people generate so much laundry?

We had a good weekend. I rented a movie on Friday night. Yes, that’s all I’m saying right now. Just stay tuned for that review. And then somehow, miraculously, Saturday brought a rush of motivation. Do not even ask me where it came from. I don’t question it; I just go with it as long as it lasts.

Mark had planned a poker night for Saturday night, so I made him beer bread and brownies. And I only ate a few of the Doritos I bought for him. “Daddy’s chips,” Annalyn said – over and over. Until I let her eat a handful out of the Cool Ranch bag. Then she didn’t seem to mind that I’d said they belonged to Daddy!

We tried to get flu shots in the afternoon, but that didn’t work out so well. Just like getting Annalyn’s two-year shots earlier in the week didn’t work out. Apparently it was just not our week for shots.

We got to the health department three minutes too late for her regular vaccinations, and all the angry tears and forced calm explanations in the world – I work full-time and this is the earliest I can get here, and oh yeah, our insurance doesn’t cover shots at the pediatrician – didn’t budget the receptionist. And the flu shots? We were looking at a three-hour wait – just minutes before naptime. That didn’t seem like a good idea.

So basically, we’re just crossing our fingers that we don’t get sick for now. I’ll let you know how that works out.

After I helped Mark clean the house (Hey! It was his poker night!), set up his snacks and put the kiddo in bed, I left the boys to their poker and drove to Smitty’s apartment.

Did I mention that in the midst of the cleaning and the laundry and the cooking and the not getting flu shots, we also had a rip-roaring fight? The kind that made my poor, scarred-for-life daughter say, “Mommy sad. Mommy sad.”

[Sigh. Yes, baby, Mommy’s sad. And now she’s even sadder because I’m fighting in front of you. Way to go, Parents of the Year.]

I think she’ll be okay. Mainly because we resolved things well before she woke up on Sunday. You know, because we’re just that mature and loving (ha!). And maybe because my long drive to Smitty’s – and a good time eating dinner and hanging out with my bestest friend – did me some good.

I think I should take a long drive every week. Or at least a couple times a month. Seriously. There’s just something about getting in the car, rolling down the window, cranking up the stereo and speeding (only five miles over, officer, I swear) down the highway. It just makes me happy. Especially on a Saturday night, when I can find fun music on the dial (or the button, as the case may be).

From Kanye West (sorry, Taylor) to Jason Aldean to Van Halen, I was jamming. As in, if there had been a secret camera and that footage was ever shown to anyone on the face of the earth, I would just lay down and die – that kind of jamming.

It was good.

On Sunday we had church and homemade pizza and naps and Bible study. (About marriage and communication – and no, the irony was not lost on us, coming the day after a good, solid fight.)

We didn’t make it to the park, the cats may or may not have peed on the kitchen rug, and Annalyn spent two hours in the middle of the night Sunday hollering and crying and generally keeping me awake.

But it was a good weekend. How was yours?

Compassion Bloggers Trip: El Salvador

UPDATE: I just read that a hurricane hit El Salvador over the weekend, killing 91 people and certainly affecting the Compassion Bloggers trip. Please pray.

On Monday, Compassion is taking four bloggers to El Salvador, where they will witness firsthand the ministry that Compassion International has in the tiny Central American country. You can travel with them through stories, pictures and videos on their blogs.

But wait! Before you click over and subscribe to these blogs, you should know that reading about this trip might just break your heart. It might even change you forever. But if you think you can handle it, head on over to join their journey. I guarantee you will not regret it.

Heather Whittaker (from Whittaker Woman)
Kelly Stamps (from Kelly’s Korner)
Molly Piper (from The Pipers)
Shaun Groves (from, well, himself)

Why are they doing this, anyway? While I don’t know each of their individual reasons, I imagine at least part of the rationale for leaving the comfort of home for the great discomfort of a foreign land and incredible poverty is the same reason I sponsor a child and why many of you do, too.

When you sponsor a child, you are linked with one particular child who will know your name, write to you and treasure the thought that you care. He or she will pray for you often and write to you. Your tax-deductible contribution of just $38 a month connects your child with a loving, church-based child sponsorship program that provides food and clean water, medical care, educational opportunities, life-skills training, and most important of all, your sponsored child will hear about Jesus Christ and be encouraged to develop a lifelong relationship with God.*

Wanna help? Here’s how:

1. Pray.

• To see the names and faces of the bloggers going, visit the Compassion Bloggers Trip page.
  
• Pray for their families they’ll leave behind, their spiritual and physical and mental health/stamina, their ability to take in a lot of information quickly and experience a lot of emotions and find the words to write about it all.

2. Twitter.

• Please send your followers to the trip’s page using this link: http://bit.ly/CBElSalvador
• Tweet any specific posts you’d like to pass along using the hashtag #cbes
• If you ask your followers to sponsor a child, please use this link: http://bit.ly/ESKids

3. Facebook.

• Shaun Groves created a widget for Facebook pages (works on Myspace and blogs too). It displays pictures, videos and posts from our trip as they become available.
• No need to know what the heck a widget is. Just go to http://bit.ly/4euihb and click “Facebook” to add this widget to your Facebook wall.
• Or hit the “share” button above and choose “Facebook” from the options.

Do you sponsor a child with Compassion or any other organization? Would you like to get involved today?

*From Compassion.com.

The holiday usuals

My cousins and I have been exchanging e-mails, figuring out when and where to hold the family holidays this year. I got an e-vite a few days ago from my cousin on the other side of the family: Thanksgiving is officially on the calendar now. My mom told me tonight that she and my dad have been planning menus for all the upcoming holidays.

And so it begins.

Of course, the reason for Thanksgiving and Christmas is not food. But come on, it is a big part of our celebrations. Am I right?

In the past decade, I have hosted a few Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, even doing the whole turkey thing. And then there was the year we went to Mark’s extended family, where they deep fried a turkey. In the front yard.

But I digress.

Aside from the turkey years, I’ve mostly stuck with side dishes. Mmmm . . . I love side dishes. Mostly the ones that focus on carbs and/or cheese. My “usuals” are green bean casserole, cheesy potatoes, broccoli and rice casserole and baked beans. Well, you know, the baked beans are Mark’s usual.

Kelly is asking for holiday recipes today, so here’s mine for the broccoli casserole.

Broccoli & Rice Casserole

½ stick butter
1 small chopped onion
10 oz. package frozen broccoli
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small jar Cheez Whiz
2 cups cooked rice

Saute onion in butter. Add broccoli, soup and cheese. (And yes, it's got to be Cheez Whiz. Don't hate me. Just do it.) Stir in (cooked) rice and pour into 9x13 pan. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

What are your holiday “usuals”? Will you try anything new this year?

This post will also be linked to Mouthwatering Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Sadly, my new modem is not on this list.

Image from The Legacy Builder

I live in the middle of the country, but my roots are Southern. Want proof? Listen to my daughter talk for any amount of time. I guarantee you'll hear her say, "Thank you" at least three times. If not a hundred.

Because that child of mine? Is thankful.

She says thank you for her milk, thank you for her waffle, thank you for her Elmo, thank you for turning on her movie, thank you for changing her diaper, thank you for helping her up the stairs - you get the picture.

And while it is possible that she's just hooked on this phrase (similar to how she has, on occasion, been hooked on the word, "poop"), I also think it does reflect our family's attitude. Mark and I aren't perfect by any means, but we do work really hard to appreciate each other. Even in the little things.

I chalk it up to those Southern roots.

Last year I posted daily in November, writing about something I'm thankful for. I'm so glad I did that, but woo-eee, it was hard. Never has November been so long! This year I'm going to stick to weekly thanksgiving posts. I'll add a MckLinky, so you can link up your Thankful Thursday posts, too.

I've got to tell you: I'm cranky. I've been on the phone with Time Warner customer service for the last 90 minutes. And despite that hour and a half I cannot get back, a new modem and an exercise in extreme patience when the fifth (FIFTH!) customer service person I was transferred to asked for my phone number AGAIN and then had me reboot the router FOR THE THIRD TIME, my internet connection is still out of whack. I kind of want to yell at someone. So being appreciative of the little things is probably a good idea. Here goes . . .

• Absolute best part of my day on Wednesday was getting my 2010 planner. I'm not just excited to see the blank pages full of possibility - although, I am. But this year's planner came in a Trapper Keeper! Okay, not a Trapper. It does not have a velcro tab or neon colors, but it is a nice, leather portfolio with lots of pockets. It's so soft and pretty, and I want to pet it, George. And, yes, I'm an office supply nerd. That's been established, thank you very much.
• We took Annalyn to get her pictures taken on Sunday. We hadn't gone for professional photos in almost a year, because a) it's so darned expensive and b) our last two experiences were terrible. So I was kind of dreading this, but it needed to be done. Grandparents were getting antsy. And though our photo session went straight into naptime - also known as dangerous territory! - I'm happy to report that thanks to an extremely patient photographer and a highly entertaining photographer's assistant, we bought way too many super cute pictures! Seriously - who needs 64 wallets? It's not like these were her senior pictures! Although . . .
  

Nice pose.

I realize those are two minor things to be thankful for today. But it's what I've got for now. I'm sure I'll think of 27 other things I'm way more thankful for as soon as I hit "publish." Maybe I'll write them down for next week.

What are you thankful for today?

Wordless Wednesday: My Ladybug

We didn't get a lot of great Halloween pictures this year, but here's what I have! Head over to The Mom Creative for more super cute Halloween photos!

What happens when a "what if" comes true?

A few years ago, before I had even the desire to have a child, my mom said to me, “I’m worried that you are afraid to have a baby, because you’ve known so many people who have had trouble.”

I was so annoyed. Just because I knew a couple people who’d had difficulty starting families didn’t mean anything.

I mean, sure, there was my cousin who spent weeks on bedrest and my other cousin who went through years of fertility treatments in order to have children. Then there were my friends who’d had miscarriages and the girl I knew who almost bled to death during delivery. And, of course, there was my mom herself who lost a baby before I was born.

Okay, so maybe I did know a lot of people who’d had traumatic pregnancies and deliveries. And to top it off with the years I spent working around children with leukemia? Having a child was sounding pretty scary!

And, yeah, it is.

Mark gets so annoyed with me when I tell him all the possible ways Annalyn can get hurt. Or sick. Or . . . you know . . . worse.

But then I remind him that he’s not the one bombarded with information. I am! From magazines to books to blogs to friends, I’m constantly hearing stories and warnings and nightmares.

And I can’t help but think . . . what if? What if the worst thing possible happened?

Mary DeMuth’s Defiance Texas Trilogy asks those same questions, and in A Slow Burn, the second book, Emory Chance’s “what if” nightmare has come true.

I read Daisy Chain, the first of the series, earlier this year. It was a hard book to read, an emotional punch in the gut more than once, but I’ve been looking forward to reading more of the story in the second book. Sometimes you just have to know what happens, even if you are covering your eyes the whole time you peer into the story.

A Slow Burn has finally been released, and you can read the first chapter online (and get hooked yourself).

Here’s a blurb about the book:

She touched Daisy’s shoulder. So cold. So hard. So unlike Daisy.

Yet so much like herself it made Emory shudder.

Burying her grief, Emory Chance is determined to find her daughter Daisy’s murderer—a man she saw in a flicker of a vision. But when the investigation hits every dead end, her despair escalates. As questions surrounding Daisy’s death continue to mount, Emory’s safety is shattered by the pursuit of a stranger, and she can’t shake the sickening fear that her own choices contributed to Daisy’s disappearance. Will she ever experience the peace her heart longs for?

The second book in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy, this suspenseful novel is about courageous love, the burden of regret, and bonds that never break. It is about the beauty and the pain of telling the truth. Most of all, it is about the power of forgiveness and what remains when shame no longer holds us captive.

“She can’t shake the sickening fear that her own choices contributed to Daisy’s disappearance.” I think this is the part that rocks me. Because I can only imagine – even though I don’t want to – how I’d feel if something happened to my own daughter. How I’d deal with that. How I’d face myself. How I’d live with myself – live with what happened, no matter what had happened – after that.

And the beauty of A Slow Burn is that it doesn’t just stop after answering the terrible question, “What if the worst thing possible happened?” It also answers the question of how you can go on living after it does.

How do you get over the “what ifs”?

Monday Music: It Is Well by Kutless

The first Monday of November, and what are two of our local radio stations playing? You guessed it: Christmas music.

Unbelievable.

I love the holidays. And I love festive music. But this starting earlier and earlier every year thing? Drives me up the wall.

Because now, even though I’ve finally gotten the presets figured out in my new car, I have even fewer stations to choose from. (My personal policy is to start listening to Christmas music not a day earlier than Thanksgiving. Because, really.)

Although, I’m not sure why I’m worried about it at all, considering the only way to keep Miss Annalyn from getting fussy in the car is by playing kids’ CDs. Constantly. Stopping to repeat on her favorite songs. Who needs a dozen local stations, when you’re just going to be playing “MY MOOZICK!” every afternoon anyway?

The mornings are mine, though. Mine to play whatever I want. And while sometimes that means silly chatter from the morning shows or peppy pop music to wake up my sleepy brain, more often than not it means one of the two contemporary Christian stations we have. For me, listening to uplifting – or, as they say, positive and encouraging – music gets me in a better mindset for heading into the office and facing my day.

I’ve tried to tell Mark he should do the same. Especially when he’s grumpy about this policy or that at work. Yes, he appreciates my helpful suggestions very much, thank you for asking.

Actually, he doesn’t. Because he doesn’t like a lot of contemporary Christian music. (Gasp!) He doesn’t have quite the same appreciation of overplayed, fluffy pop music that I do, though.

And that’s why – here’s the point, if you were looking for it – I’m excited about the latest CD from Kutless, It Is Well.

This CD came in the mail a couple weeks ago, and I have to admit: I was nervous to listen to it. See, I don’t own a lot of Christian CDs. Honestly, I am usually content to listen to whatever is playing on the radio – overplayed or over-poppy as it may be. And while I’d heard of Kutless, I wasn’t sure I knew specifically which songs are theirs.

I’m happy to tell you: This CD is great! And as soon as Mark gets home tonight, I’m putting it in his truck. Because it’s exactly the sound he likes – think Creed or Three Doors Down, maybe – but with better lyrics. (I wanted to say “a positive message,” but that sounds a little too afterschool special, I think.)

The band has taken several different types of worship songs – some old, some recent – and given each of them a Kutless spin. I love the way the CD starts off, with a high church choir singing, “It Is Well” and then the sound merging into the Kutless version. It’s hard to describe, but to me, it was a great way to introduce the album and announce, “Hey, we’re taking our favorite worship songs and making them ours.”

I’ve already put this CD into my iTunes, and I can tell you it’s going to be played heavily in our house (truck, office, etc.). If you like your rock to be encouraging – or if you like your Christian music to have some edge – check out It Is Well by Kutless.

And here’s a little bit about the album, from the band itself:

We began this worship project, It Is Well, by asking one question, “Can we do something unique?” There are many worship records; however, we were driven by the challenge to do something different, something Kutless. Although we’ve done a worship-oriented album (“Strong Tower”), we are in a different place right now and wanted this project to reflect our hearts.

From February through May 2009 we poured over hundreds of songs. We looked for songs that had a special meaning to us, songs that were traditional, songs that were modern, and songs we could make our own. As the list of songs started to form, we began arranging the songs to fit our style, after all, we are a rock band. This was a challenge in terms of how to take a hymn written in the late 1800s and make it sound like a Kutless song.

The recording process was unique for us for many reasons . . . We had one of those incredible experiences that happen to Christ-followers. We started with a goal, but, through the process, God took that goal and turned it back around to Himself. The quest for a special album became a unique time for us to go deeper in worship. The goal of composing original songs became a time for us to grow in our love and appreciation of each other. The epiphany for us was that the purpose of a worship record was to reflect who God is – His peace, freedom, power and ability to help us grow in relationship with Him and others. In the end, this “unique” experience happened to us in the making of It Is Well.

So, tell me: how do you like your Christian music? Or do you like it at all? I want to hear all your opinions. (Even if you happen to be my brother and want to tell us how choir music rocks.)

I received this CD from Overture Media but was given no other compensation for this review. And as always, this is my honest opinion. The Amazon links are affiliate links.

Breakfast, snack or both?

I mentioned this on Facebook last week, but I bought a box of Golden Grahams for a late-night snack. This would be a fine idea, except . . . I've eaten them for a snack and breakfast and, well, I've eaten the whole box!

Do you like to eat cereal for a snack? For breakfast? For both?

Image by x99elledge.

Halloween Giveaway Winners

Thank you to everyone who participated in Giving Up on a Perfect Halloween! Random.org has spoken, and the winners are:

• Giveaway #1 (the books): Comment #12 (Beth @ Not a Bow in Sight)
• Giveaway #2 (the bundt pan & magazine): Comment #37 (melilotnfosco)
• Giveaway #3 (Red Letter Words): Comment #27 (Lisa @ Simplified Savings)

Congratulations! E-mail me with your mailing address, so you can get your goodies! And everyone else, stay tuned for Giving Up on a Perfect Thanksgiving (November 20) and Giving Up on a Perfect Christmas (December 18).