RECIPE: BEEFY FIESTA CASSEROLE

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INGREDIENTS:
1 pound lean ground beef
salt & pepper, to taste
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup dairy sour cream
2/3 cup mayonnaise or Salad Dressing
2 teaspoons onion, finely chopped
2 cup Bisquick baking Mix
1/2 cup water
2-3 ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
3/4 cup green bell pepper,chopped
paprika
DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook and stir the meat in
a large skillet until brown. Drain off the excess fat.
Season the meat with the salt and pepper, then set aside.
Mix the cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise and onion and set this
mixture aside. Stir the baking mix and water together until
a soft dough forms. With floured fingers, pat the dough in a
greased 9x13 baking pan, pressing the dough 1/2 inch up the
sides of the pan. Layer the meat, then tomato slices, and
green pepper onto the dough. Spoon the sour cream mixture over
the top and sprinkle with the paprika, if used. Bake uncovered
until the edges of the dough are light brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool 5 minutes and then cut into squares.
YIELD: 6 servings

CHEDDAR AND STILTON DROP BISCUITS

The biscuits have a crisp crust and tender texture, despite
requiring no kneading, rolling or cutting.
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch
pieces
1 cup (packed) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese, chilled
1/2 cup coarsely crumbled Stilton cheese (about 2 ounces),
chilled
1 1/4 cups chilled buttermilk
1 large egg
Position 1 rack in bottom third and 1 rack in top third of
oven and preheat to 400°F. Butter and flour 2 large baking
sheets. Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl to blend
well. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture
resembles coarse meal. Add both cheeses; rub in with
fingertips until cheeses are reduced to small pieces. Blend
buttermilk and egg in small bowl. Add to flour mixture,
stirring just until dough is evenly moistened.
Using 1/3 cup dough for each biscuit, drop 6 mounds onto
each prepared sheet, spacing 2 to 3 inches apart. Bake
biscuits 10 minutes. Reverse positions of sheets. Bake
biscuits until golden brown and tester inserted into center
comes out clean, about 10 minutes longer. Place biscuits
in basket; serve warm.
Makes 12 biscuits.

Pizza Potatoes

8 medium potatoes, peeled and halved
2 large onions, chopped
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon salt
2 (8 ounce) cans pizza sauce
Place potatoes in crockpot. Place smoked sausage on top of potatoes. Sprinkle onions over the sausage. Pour pizza sauce on top. Cook on LOW until potatoes are tender.

Lego Truck Recall

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and LEGO are recalling toy trucks due to a puncture hazard.
The plastic wheels on the LEGO EXPLORE Super Trucks can detach, exposing a metal axle. LEGO Systems, Inc. has received 10 reports of a wheel detaching. Two children received serious puncture injuries resulting from the exposed metal axle.
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The toy, designed for children ages 18 months and up, sold at various retailers nationwide, including Toys 'R' Us and Wal-Mart, from August 2002 through August 2004.
Children should stop playing with the trucks immediately. You can contact LEGO for refund information.
LEGO Consumer Contact:(800) 718-1858 or http://www.LEGO.com

Look! A Mommy PodCast!

Podcast advertisers have traditionally targeted young, tech-savvy men. But the tables are starting to turn; and, two northern Virginia moms are reaping the financial benefits.

Now, why didn't I think of this? You can bet I'm adding it to my iPod. Maybe I should start my own. Nah, I'd probably be a bit too snarky and opinionated for most mommy's liking. After all, we are supposed to be June Cleavers arent' we? teehee. not..............

So anyway, I'm going to give it a listen today at nap and I'll give you all the full review as soon as I have a moment.

Housekeeping Hint

Just got this little jewel in my inbox from Handy Hints. You should join. Lots of good tips will come your way!

Dusting Made Easy:
To create a dust cloth that leaves a shine, soak your
normal dust cloth in a mixture of two cups water, two
tablespoons vinegar and four drops lemon oil. Once the
cloth is soaked through, remove it and wring it out,
then store it in a glass jar with a lid until you want
to use it.

If you haven't seen this yet.........

You need to:

A deadly E. coli outbreak linked to bagged spinach has spread to a ninth state, with Ohio officials reporting seven cases, The Associated Press reports.

Cnn.com has some pretty good articles on it. No affiliation, it's just where I get my news from.


Inquiring moms should wanna know.

RECIPE: CHICKEN N' CHEESE CHOWDER

RECIPE: CHICKEN N' CHEESE CHOWDER

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INGREDIENTS:
4 c Chicken broth
1 1/2 c Diced potatoes
1 c Diced celery
1 c Diced carrots
1/2 c Diced onions
1/4 c Butter or margarine
1/3 c All-purpose flour
3 c Milk
1 tb Soy sauce
8 oz Processed cheese spread, cubed (1 loaf)
2 c Chopped cooked chicken (or use canned if in a hurry)

DIRECTIONS:
Combine the broth and the vegetables in a large sauce pan.
Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes or until the
vegetables are tender. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over
low heat. Add the flour, stirring until smooth. Cook for 1
minute, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in the milk and
cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened
and bubbly. Gradually stir in the vegetable mixture, soy
sauce, cheese and chicken. Cook until the cheese melts and
the soup is thoroughly heated.

Yield: 2 1/2 quarts

Anxiety in Children Links

My son has been having some issues lately, with what I think are anxiety attacks.  I’ve started to do some research to see if that’s true, and if it is how I can help him with it.  I’m sure I’m not the first or only mom to deal with this, so I thought that as I went along, I’d make note of the links that were helpful, and pass them along to you here on the blog.  

http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/disorders/anxiety_disorders_in_children.htm

http://www.aacap.org/page.ww?section=Facts+for+Families&name=The+Anxious+Child

http://www.panic-attacks.co.uk/anxiety-children.html

Hope they help someone else out there tonight!

National Fire Prevention Week/Month

It's time to check those smoke alarms, charge those fire extinguishers, and make sure everyone knows the quickest way out of the house and where to meet. Here are some links to help you get ready:

http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1194&itemID=28246
http://www.sparky.org/
http://voxcom.ca/fire-prevention.html

Sparky the Fire Dog is my personal favorite.

This building block castle is brought to you by my darling, four-year-old niece, the number seven, and the letter J. More creative preschool goodness is sure to follow for your viewing pleasure!

Gifts That Keep on Giving

My son got a drill for his birthday. Yep, you read it right. My nine-year-old got a drill. He only has the screwdriver tip, though. So I was faced with a dilemma: Take away his favorite birthday present for his safety and my sanity or be the cool mom, teach him to use it safely, and monitor him very closely while he does(how long could his attention span be, anyway?). So what did I do?

I went for the cool mom. What little boy doesn't have a fascination for tools? And most of the stuff he gets keeps his interest for ten minutes or so and then gets pushed aside for the next thing. So tonight we sat on the porch and for TWO HOURS, I kid you not, he screwed and unscrewed the very same screw into the very same piece of scrap wood into the very same spot. The person who got him that is so getting a drum set in return.

He did a good job. Wore his safety goggles and I supervised very carefully. But I am going to be hearing the ringing of that drill in my ears all night long.

Busy Mom's Top Tips for Surviving The Morning Now That Schools In

Sort of like Ned's Declassified Schools Survival Guide, but not really....

Do as much as possible the night before! Make sure homework and library books are in the backpacks before bedtime. Try to pack as much of your child's lunch as you can.
Set out their clothes the night before. Make sure you both agree on the next day's outfit. It eliminates the inevitable fight the next morning. Nothing is more irritating than fussing with a still sleepy child because he doesn't want to wear what you picked out for him. A big struggle can ruin the whole day for both of you.

Get a routine that works and stick with it. Around here, the kids come home, have a snack, and then do their homework before they play. It eliminates that last minute, "I didn't do my homework!" panic that will certainly happen just after lights out at bedtime or five minutes before time to leave for school in the morning.

Set aside a certain spot for all those papers that come home in their backpacks that you need to see. I've spent way too many mornings searching for the field trip permission slip or the picture form that has to be turned in that day. When the kids do their homework, they empty out the papers they brought home and lay them in a certain spot on my desk. Then when things quiet down for me for the evening, I go through them, sign what needs to be signed, and stick them in their packs. Of course, we still have those days when they swear they layed that paper on my desk and I must have lost it, only for them to find it in their rooms or some remote pocket on their backpack. And you all know, we moms would NEVER misplace anything, so they surely must always have forgotten to put them where they were supposed to. ahem..........

And finally, a safety tip. Please don't hurt yourself doing the happy dance as the bus drives away and you can finally get all that laundry caught up because no one is standing behind you saying, "Mom, I'm bored!!!"

Too bad for me my job is as a daycare provider and I don't get to be childless during the day.