I Heart Pizza

Believe it or not, I am home today on a 'snow-day' vaca. We don't have many of those, so they are nice when we have them. 
I saw the commercial for Papa John's valentine pizza. My daughter tells me that Papa Murphy's has them too.  I think they are charming. But I didn't want to work that hard on my day off!

We do always have a stash of frozen pizza in the freezer.  That is a given. (By the way, Wal-Mart deli pizzas are the best pizzas for the money). So I grabbed a cheese pizza (my favorite), a bag of pepperoni (we always have because one son loves them) and my mini heart cookie cutter.  That worked 'ok', but I finished up with my kitchen scissors. I put the pepperoni back on the pizza and baked.

It worked perfectly!  I heart pizza!

Next, I am going to try my own 

heart-shaped-cheese-pizza-with-a-message!
Check out other great ideas at Foodie Fridays. 

Winter's Comfort Food--Chicken and Dumplins'

 When the weather is cold outside, I think we all like to turn to the "comfort food" of our youth.  One of those comfort foods for me would be Chicken and Dumplins, made by my grandmother. They were absolutely the best.  The meal would be painstakingly made by hand from scratch. (I sometimes wonder if I told her enough how unbelievable her food always was......)

 But, as she got older, even my grandmother gave in to some of the "modern conviences" of cooking.  She started making her dumplins' from Bisquick.  And she even bragged about it!  So, when I want comfort food and long for a warm, hot dish from my childhood, Chicken and Dumplins' is right there at the top of my list.

 And out comes the Bisquick box...with the dumplins' (I know, I know, they have a "g" on the box, but I am going by what my grandmother would say) recipe on the side.  I use that very exact recipe.  But I double mine.

 After I have boiled my chicken, I take the chicken out and use that same broth (I usually have to add additional water as well) to make the dumplins'. FIRST though, I add a can of Cream of Mushroom soup and stir until it is disolved. Now that the broth is super rich, I move on to cooking the dumplins'. The dumplin' batter is a thick batter.  I grab a spoonful of it and drop it (carefully) into the chicken broth.

 After the entire top of the pot is filled with dumplins' I turn the dumplins over and push them around until I get my entire double recipe in the pot. I turn the dumplins over once while they are boiling.

 The outside of the dumplin' is covered with the rich broth, but the inside is dry (as in not moist) and wonderful.

 By this time, I have shredded my chicken and add it back to the pot as well. I usually move some of those wonderful dumplins' around to get the chicken at the bottom of the pot. Stir to keep from burning or sticking!
 I am sure this can be done in any order, but this is just the way I have always done it. The results are delicious.

Before the next snowstorm hits, go by the store and grab a box of Bisquick and try the "homemade" dumplins' .

Pure Comfort Food!

Linking with http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/and Designs by Gollum. Enjoy!

Signs of Spring

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.  

~Anne Bradstreet

It might be winter outside, but I "bought" some springtime for the inside!

Snow In Love

Is this the cutest thing you have ever seen or what?  SOOOOO romantic!  Yes, I LOVE YOU, made out of snow. 

I found this picture on my Facebook page and just had to share.  The story behind it is even better.

My daughter Taylor's best friend married a UFC (Ultimate Fighter Championship) fighter. We are talking Mr. Tough Guy. He won National Championships multiple times as a wrestler in high school and college.  He has only lost once as a professional fighter.  The young couple live outside Dallas with their one year old daughter. When they went outside to play in the (very rare) Texas snow yesterday, Mr. Tough Guy Fighter made this I LOVE YOU from the snow for his wife and daughter. Who says Tough Guy Fighters don't have marshmallow hearts?


p.s. I loved it so much I added it to my February banner!

Have you ever been to Lorie's page?  You will love Be Different / Act Normal. (Although there will be nothing cooler than this on Show and Tell!!) Also, The Tablescaper has readers each Sunday that celebrate the season. Then check out Susan's Metamorphosis Monday.

Getting My $$ Worth!

Since it is February, I finally put a few hearts out here and there.

 Remember these?  I got six of these little pots with (very ugly) plastic plants in them. The pots themselves are actually heavy and nice.

 I had been watching them forever at Pier 1 and snatched up all six of them when they got to this price. I figured they would not much lower.

I pulled out the plastic cactus and rock and replaced them with small white pumpkins. When I was stalking the pots at Pier 1, I kept imagining them with little

white pumpkins

on top.

I loved this look. 

I used them at my son's 

rehearsal dinner and

wedding reception 

in Ocotber.

For Christmas I topped each one

with a single

red glittered ball.

Simple and elegant.

For New Year's I topped them with a single

silver orb.

Again, simple and perfect with my vintage clocks.

So for Valentine's Day, I pulled out my tin hearts.

I decided to put the hearts in half of them and

leave half of them with only the moss showing.

The hearts look like pressed tin

and make romantic little

urns when combined.

Simple, easy, perfect.

I think I got my money's worth out of my 

Pier 1 mini urns.

What's next?

Shamrocks?  Eggs? Hmmmm!

Check out other great ideas at Susan's Metamorphosis Monday.