Food Networkers: November Edition

This month I got to pick the recipes again. I choose four recipes from Paula Deen. I love Paula Deen. She always looks like she is having so much fun. And I also love it when she has her husband on any of her shows. He always looks all jolly like Santa Clause. But most of all, I love the way he looks at her. He looks at her like his life would end if she weren't in it. It makes me happy to see that kind of love show in a simple look. I'm rambling now. We are suppose to be talking food here. I have to confess that I only got three of the four recipes made this month. Due to the holiday and a very sick dog (see my previous post) I just didn't have the time or the heart to make the pie this week like I had originally planned.

Appetizer: Brie en Croute #2This was a great recipe. So easy to make and so full of flavor. The kids enjoyed helping me with it. Even Braden was able to help, it was that simple. Unfortunately the flavors are very grown up. The kids didn't care for this at all. I, on the other hand, LOVED it. It was sweet and creamy. The nuts gave it just the right amount of texture. I would make this again if I were having a party with adults. It would be great for a wine and cheese themed event.

Side Dish: Cottage PotatoesThis was one of the easiest things I had ever made. Really, it was almost as easy as straight up mashed potatoes. And it was so good. This is a recipe I will make over and over again. It's going into our families regular rotation. After feeding me and the kids, I had to fight to make sure there were enough left to send Rob for his work. I can see this being a "dish to pass" at potluck dinners.

Main Course: Cheeseburger Meatloaf

This was a bit of a disapointment. The green pepper was a bit much for this. I don't know about you, but I don't put green pepper in my cheeseburgers. I would love to tweak this recipe though using the flavors our family is use to in our cheeseburgers. It was an OK recipe, but not great in my opinion. More of a starting point for my own future creation.

Dessert: Old-Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie
As I said before, I didn't get to making this recipe. I do still plan to make it though. It seemed a fitting recipe for November. I've never had Sweet Potato Pie, but I'm told it tastes just like pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin pie, so if it tastes anything like it I'm sure to love it. I'll be sure to post about it once I've made it.

Due to live and time constraints Steena and Clorie have taken November off. I do believe Laurie was still in though, so check out her blog and see what she had to say. We are all taking the month of December off to concentrate on Christmas and family. Watch for us to be back in January with some more recipe reviews from your favorite Food Network stars.

Good-bye Old Friend

1995-2009
A truer friend was never had

The Picture Of Beauty

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Originally uploaded by Heidi533

This is Kim. Isn't she beautiful? I love this picture of her. The spark in her eyes makes me smile and tear up at the same time. I don't recall what exactly was happening when I took this picture.

I met Kim via the internet, along with several other ladies I hold dear to my heart. They are all special, but I think they would all agree that there is something about Kim that makes her extra special.

It's not just that she is a breast cancer survivor, although that is part of it I'm sure. I had the privilege of finally meeting her face to face this summer. What an experience. She has a presence that at once leaves you in awe of her and makes you feel like you've sat talking to her a million times before.

She exudes strength and confidence even when you know she's probably crying on the inside. In the face of cancer she has remained full of life.

When my life seems hard to handle and I feel like I'm just so weighed down I think of her. I remember how strong she is and how she faces everything head on knowing that somehow she will make it through. I let her inspire me.

I can truly say my life has been improved through knowing her.

Who Has The Best Husband?

That would be me. This man right here deserves the title of "Worlds Greatest Husband". In the past week he has had to deal with taking care of me, two sick kids, one healthy kid, all the farm animals and getting our well pump replaced.

Meg and Braden have both been sick with either bad colds or a mild flu. Braden was waking in the middle of the night burning with fever and unable to get back to sleep. While this was going on, I developed a sever skin infection in my right ear. I'm very sensitive to medication, so the Tylenol 3 that the Dr. gave me left me rather groggy and didn't really take care of the pain as well as I needed it to.

Then over the weekend, the pump went out on the well and I developed a bad case of swimmers ear in BOTH ears. Obviously the antibiotics the Dr. had given me previously weren't doing much good. I spent a good part of Sunday and most of Monday literally writhing in pain. Pain to the point that this full grown woman was at times whimpering and at others crying and occasionally screaming. Pain to the point I was unable to care for my children or my animals.

What did my husband do through all of this? He went to the store to get frozen pizza because of course, the well went out when we had no clean dishes to cook in. He then went to the neighbors to fill buckets with water. Once the animals all had water to drink, he heated water for washing dishes. Not just once, but three times over the weekend. Not only that, he heated water and fill the bath tub by hand and bathed children. All with never losing his temper, never raising his voice, never losing patience with us.

Monday once the well pump was replaced, he discovered there was a leak in a pipe under the house that needed fixing. While he fixed that, which took three tires (It was a Monday after all), He called my Dr.'s office repeatedly because I was in too much pain to talk on the phone.

He got me in to see my Dr. and took me to get my new, stronger medications. And then called off work because I was worried about weather or not I would be able to take care of kids in the middle of the night while taking Vicodin. I'd never taken it before, and as I stated earlier I am VERY sensitive to medications.

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Any girl can get a guy who brings them flowers and candy. But not every girl can find a guy who handles all of this with the tenderness and dedication that shows his love in the ways that really count.