FMM time!!!

I haven't been involved in a friend making monday in so long. I miss it! If you would like to join and make many wonderful friends, check out Amber's blog at http://amberfilkins.blogspot.com/2009/11/friend-makin-mondays-its-almost.html

1. Favorite Website: Facebook, TFLN, Peopleofwalmart, blogger, myspace

2. Favorite Color: lime green

3. Facebook? Yep :)

4. Favorite Christmas Song?

5. Christmas Tree: Real or Fake? usually we have a fake one, but my daddy's friend owns the christmas tree lot in town and my daddy has helped him out the past few years and he hs been giving us a real tree in return

6. Hottest Celebrity? You mean I'm supposed to pick just one? Yeah. Like that's gonna happen!



Hottest Athlete:


Hottest guy on TV:

Hottest guy in movies:


And hottest musician?



7. Favorite Restaurant? Olive Garden
8. Favorite Magazine? umm anything with recipes in it
9. Favorite thing to drink around the holidays? I love to try out different coffee flavors.
10. Favorite Christmas Movie: I actually can not choose. My tv stays on both lifetime channels, the Family Channel and Disney during the holidays so that I can watch all the seasonal movies :)

Thanksgiving recap and recipes!

Yesterday was such an amazing day. I woke up around 7 knowing that I did not have much to do other than to get ready. I had already made all my pies and desserts the precious day. I helped my mom get her dishes ready to take with us. We decided to let everyone else in the house sleep for as long as possible, because we knew the chaos would begin as soon as they awoke. No, I do not mean bad chaos. We just knew that as soon as they woke up they would try to be in the food and everybody would be busy reminiscing and we had a set time to leave the house, so we could be at my grandmothers. Seeing as how I had some leftover pumpkin, we decided to make pumpkin muffins for breakfast and sure enough the lovely smell of them brought sleeping beauties out of rooms. Seeing as how both my brothers little girl and my sisters children were all at their other families houses for Thanksgiving, we were all able to pile into my sisters new van. We all spent most of the ride talking and laughing and most definately picking on my dads driving. He's used to it by now. He drives the speed of a turtle and if he looks to the left or right, we often doddle to the left or the right. My grandmother set the house up to have the food line inside and tables for everybody to sit at outside. The yellow jackets decided to come for a Thansgiving dinner visit and luckily no one got bit and we was able to still eat our food and enjoy the day even with fighting them off. We even had a visit from a cute little dog, who hopefully doensn't disturb my grandparents to much after recieving a little bit of our Thanksgiving food :) I sat back and realized how big our family had gotten and how much we all have changed over the years. I am currently the only grandchild that has never been married and who has never had any kids, which is understandable seeing as how I am just starting off in the world (WELL THE REAL GROWN-UP WORLD). My mom has 2 sisters and my grandparents have seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Our family is still growing and I will always cherish the fact that the lord sent me to be with such a wonderful and loving family.

I am still stuffed from all that food yesterday and don't care to see anymore for a while. Actually, that is definately not true or I would not have already been looking at yummy recipes to try out with the leftovers. Anyways as promised, here is all the wonderful recipes to the desserts I made yesterday.

1. Pink Lemonade Pie
1 tub cool whip
1 pkg. cream cheese
8 equate packets
pink lemonade(add as much as you would like)
1 graham cracker pie crust
Beat all ingredients and pour into pie crust.

2.
Chocolate Mousse Torte (recipe thanks to cool whip)
37 NILLA Wafers, divided 4 squares
BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided
2 pkg. (3.9 oz. each) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
2 cups plus 2 Tbsp. cold milk, divided
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup fresh raspberries
1.STAND 16 wafers around inside edge of 9-inch round pan lined with plastic wrap. Melt 3 chocolate squares as directed on package.
2.BEAT pudding mixes and 2 cups milk with whisk 2 min. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Stir in 1 cup COOL WHIP; pour into prepared pan. Beat cream cheese, sugar and remaining milk with mixer until well blended.
3.STIR in 1 cup of the remaining COOL WHIP; spread over pudding. Top with remaining wafers. Refrigerate 3 hours.
4.MEANWHILE, shave remaining chocolate square into curls. Invert torte onto plate. Remove pan and plastic wrap. Top torte with remaining COOL WHIP, berries and chocolate curls.

3.
Turtle Pumpkin Pie(also thanks to cool whip)

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. caramel ice cream topping, divided
1 HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. chopped PLANTERS Pecans, divided
2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup cold milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

POUR 1/4 cup caramel topping into crust; sprinkle with 1/2 cup nuts.
BEAT dry pudding mixes, milk, pumpkin and spices with whisk until well blended. Stir in 1-1/2 cups COOL WHIP; spoon into crust.
REFRIGERATE 1 hour. Top with remaining COOL WHIP, caramel topping and nuts just before serving.

4. Triple Layer Mud Pie(another Cool Whip recipe)

3 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted
1/4 cup canned sweetened condensed milk
1 OREO Pie Crust (6 oz.)
1/2 cup chopped PLANTERS Pecans, toasted
2 cups cold 2% milk
2 pkg. (3.9 oz. each) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

MIX chocolate and condensed milk; pour into crust. Sprinkle with nuts.
BEAT 2% milk and pudding mixes with whisk 2 min.; spoon 1-1/2 cups over nuts. Stir 1/2 the whipped topping into remaining pudding; spread over pudding layer in crust.
TOP with remaining whipped topping. Refrigerate 3 hours.

5. Tiramisu Bowl(another cool whip recipe)(I made the one in the middle)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
48 NILLA Wafers
1/2 cup brewed strong MAXWELL HOUSE Coffee, cooled
2 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, coarsely grated
1 cup fresh raspberries

FOR THE FILLING:
BEAT cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk and dry pudding mixes. Gently stir in 2 cups COOL WHIP.
Line bottom of 13x9-inch pan with half the wafers; drizzle with half the coffee. Top with half the pudding mixture and chocolate. Repeat layers. Top with remaining COOL WHIP and raspberries. Refrigerate several hours.

6. Peanut Butter Cup Pie

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter, divided
1 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
2-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
1 OREO Pie Crust (6 oz.)
3 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

BEAT cream cheese and 1/2 cup peanut butter in medium bowl until well blended. Add milk and dry pudding mix; beat 2 min. Whisk in 1 cup COOL WHIP; spoon into crust. Refrigerate until ready to use.
MEANWHILE, microwave remaining COOL WHIP and chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each minute. Cool completely.
SPREAD chocolate mixture over pudding layer in crust. Microwave remaining peanut butter in small microwaveable bowl 30 sec.; stir. Drizzle over pie. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.

Oh the excitement

I am so excited. I love Thankgiving time soo much and I love to cook. In just 2 days I will be spending time with my family. My Grandmothers house will be filled with lovely foods and yummy smells. I just can not wait.
My brother and sister and her new fiance will be arriving tomorrow night. Oh did you catch that? Yes you caught that right, my sister's boyfriend gave her a ring and proposed to her over the weekend. We already knew she had planned on getting married in the summer, but now it is legit. Due to the fact his family is from New York and hers is from GA and the fact that they live in NC, they are not going to have a big wedding, but they will be going on a cruise either for the wedding or after, I haven't exactly heard that one correctly.
Also, in other news, while my brother was touring the world with the Air Force during his last trip, they stayed in Guam for quite some time and there he was able to meet and fall in love with a very lovely girl. She will be flying over here on Dec. 2nd and joining our family soon after. I am so excited. I have not met her face to face and he would not marry her without her meeting my mom first, but she will have a ring when she gets over here, and I'm not sure when they will get married. I dont think it will be long. Through our conversations, I have found that she is a lot like me and is very nice. I can't wait to meet her.
I find it really ironic that my brother and sister are bothing getting married for a second time within the next year. AMAZING! It gives me hope, even though there is currently not a man in my life. Okay I take that back, I am not dating anyone, but there is a man that has my heart, but sadly we are only friends and after next semester he moves back to his home and I probably will never see him again. After spending so much time with him and getting so attached, I know it will be hard to let him go. I also know that God has a plan for me and I will end up with the man I am supposed to be with one day. It may not be anytime soon, but one day I will have my Mr. Right.
I am also sad that my nieces and nephew have to spend Thanksgiving with their other parents, so I will not get to see them. I will get to see my sisters children on Saturday when they come back and we will celebrate my nephews birthday. He makes me feel so old.
Also, I can't wait until I try out all my lovely desserts and get to share the recipes with you all :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tagged :)

I was tagged by Memoirs of a Munchkin Mommy for this lovely award! Thanks so much!



The rules: use only one word, pass along to your favorite bloggers, and tell 'em you did so. Take it away.

1. Where is your cell phone? couch
2. Your hair? medium
3. Your mother? secretary
4. Your father? Strong
5. Your favorite food? salad
6. Your dream last night? None
7. Your favorite drink? juice
8. Your dream/goal? dms
9. What room are you in? front
10. Your hobby? quotes
11. Your fear? lonely
12. Where do you want to be in six years? working
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something that you aren't? Perfect
15. Muffins? chocolate
16. Wish list item? boots
17. Where did you grow up? GA
18. Last thing you did? text
19. What are you wearing? clothes
20. Your TV? RR
21. Your pets? lazy
22. Friends? crazy
23. Your life? wonderful
24. Your mood? Blah
25. Missing someone? yep
26. Vehicle? flat
27. Something you're not wearing? ring
28. Your favorite store? kohls
29. Your favorite color? lime
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried?thursday
32. Your best friend? morgan
33. One place that I could go over and over? beach
34. One person who emails you regularly? mom
35. Favorite place to eat? olivegarden

I tag:
1. Grammy Girlfriend (http://teresa-grammygirlfriend.blogspot.com/)
2. Love, Katie Lou. (http://lovekatielou.blogspot.com/)
3. The Pink Chick (http://jenniferthepinkchick.blogspot.com/)
4. Live, Laugh, Love (http://kelseyrt.blogspot.com/)
5. The Mug Shot Girls (http://mugshotgirls.blogspot.com/)

Fried oreos

The other night I was having a bad night due to some drama going on with my father and his working partners and I decided to make my mom and me a pick me up. I tried fried oreos at the fair not to long ago and I had been wanting to try to make them so bad. We needed a good confert food that night and had all the ingredients, so we made these:

Fried Oreos

Ingredients

1 cup buttermilk pancake mix
3/4 cup ice water
1 quart vegetable oil
1 sleeve of Oreo cookies (14 each)
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Directions

1. Freeze cookies for 3 hours.

2. In a heavy-gauge 3-quart saucepot heat oil to 350 degrees F.

3. While oil is heating, set up a sheetpan with paper towels for draining.

4. In a medium-sized mixing bowl stir water into buttermilk pancake mix with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. As soon as batter is smooth, dip each cookie, one at a time, into batter and smooth batter, making a thin coat completely around the cookie. Place coated cookie carefully into hot oil. Repeat for each cookie. Fry on both sides, turning over once until golden brown.

5. Remove fried cookie from hot oil with metal tongs and drain on paper towels. Dust with confectioners sugar.

6. Let cool slightly (about 2 minutes) before serving.


They were extremely yummy, so I thought I would pass the recipe on. I have to refrain from making these often..lol.

Thanksgiving recipes

Today at Kelly's Korner (http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/) we are discussing holiday traditions and our favorite recipes. I already posted about my holiday traditions two posts ago, but I will share our usual menu and some of our recipes.

Turkey
Ham
Cranberry sauce
Rolls
Dressing(my grandmothers...i also mae my mom make some dressing for us at home, because she makes hers like my dads mother did and im not as fond of my grandmothers :(
Sweet Potato Casserole
Green beans or Green Bean Casserole
Potato Salad
Deviled eggs
Chicken and Rice
Squash Casserole
Cream corn
(the side dishes vary every year, but we usually have those no matter what)
Layered Salad

Dessert:
Pecan pie
Banana Pudding
Cherry Yum Yum
and other yummy recipes we decide to try :)

LAYERED SALAD

1 sm. head of lettuce, shredded
1 c. diced celery
4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 (10 oz.) frozen peas
1/2 c. green pepper, chopped
1 c. grated carrots
1 sm. onion, diced
8 slices fried bacon, crumbled
1 can water chestnuts

LAYERED SALAD DRESSING:

2 c. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. sugar

Layer salad ingredients as listed, starting with lettuce in 9 x 13 inch pan. Spread salad dressing on top. (I like to put water chestnuts on top of salad dressing.) Cover and refrigerate overnight.



CHERRY YUM YUM

2 c. graham cracker crumbs
3/4 stick butter
1 tbsp. sugar
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
1 env. Dream Whip, prepared
1 can cherry pie filling

Mix crumbs, butter and sugar; press into long pan. Mix cheese, powdered sugar, Dream Whip and spread on crumbs. Top with cherry pie filing. Refrigerate 1 hour. It is yum, yum.

Zumba

Have you ever heard of Zumba dance? If so what haveyou heard about it and how is it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlRPHHKJt7Q

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I have always loved Thanksgiving.It just might be because I have always loved to cook. Every year for Thanksgiving, my family travels to my grandparents house for Thansgiving dinnner. I remember waking up and watching the parade while getting ready and then traveling for an hour to my grandparents and then watching the rest of the parade while waiting on everybody to get there. Used to when my dads mom was alive we would hurry back for supper with that side of the family, but that side of the family has closed themselves off from us, so we spend as much time as we want on Thansgiving with my grandparents. There is always yummy food. My grandmother makes her dressing and we have turkey and ham. We also have potato salad and cranberry sauce and everybody brings a side. We always have our traditional stuff, but we always like to try new stuff also. I usually make some kind of new dessert and a cake. My mom always makes pecan pies and other pies and my aunt usually makes banana pudding and something new. I also like to make treats for the kids. I love thankgiving. I love having that day to spend with my family. The kids end up outside playing and the adults spend time talking and often remeniscing. Its such a peaceful time. I'm looking forward to it.

So what are some of your traditions?

Dear Santa...

Can I have these?

From Pb Teen:

Sweet Treat Storage Holders


Berkeley Sleepover Duffle


Berkeley Sleepover Toiletry Bag


Legally Blonde Dog Bed


Dress Frame Jewelry Holder


Chloe Rotating Jewelry Display


Easel Beauty Set


Jewelry Beauty Roll


Charmed Bird Necklace


Chloe Jewelry Vanity Pinboard


Carry-All Case


Dot-To-Dot Beauty Bins


Painted Dot Mirror


Spa Foot Bath


Pink Dottie Take-It Video Camcorder


Supercool Fridge


Dottie Fabric Organizer

You have to go through the bad to get to the good.

It's been a while since I've blogged, but I thought it was time to fill everyone in on my life as of now. It took me a while to figure out how to talk about all of this on my blog, because I know I have family that reads this and I know I should have listened to some of the things they said, but I also had to make mistakes and learn for myself.
A while ago I posted about my struggles with trying to date a certain person who my family did not approve of. I dated him for 5 months with most of my family knowing. I hid the fact that I knew they knew and the only person I could discuss my problems with was my mom, but she too did not agree with my decisions. Because I was her daughter she let me make my own mistakes and was just there for me through this. Times got really hard. My life consisted of waking up, going to school, and then having to go to my exes house until after midnight. It was hard. I didnt have time to do online classes, because I was expected to be there with him 24/7. The only meal I ever ate was lunch, because I was not offered anything while I was there. I lost 20 pounds within those five months I was dating him and it wasnt from healthy eating, it was from not eating at all. I lost my close relationship with my mom, because I had to always be with him, if I wasn't we was fighting. Saturday were always days I spent with my grandparents and my mom. I was always getting rushed and finally I just stopped having those special saturdays. Life was so hard and I didnt know what to do. I couldnt see my friends and I ended up having to be friends with his friends in order to have friends. I never knew life could get so hard. At the start of our relationship I hit his truck with my car after telling him I was dizzy and did not want to drive. He made me and I accidently ran into his lowrider. I was always scared to leave him because of that also. He was always saying stuff to me like if you dont come right now we are done and finally one day I had the perfect opening to just say okay and go my own way. The next day he was begging me back and I was like no. I hung out with friends, some being his friends, and life was amazing. I was happy for once. I thought it would be then end of us and I could move on, but he started calling me and texting me begging me back and I finally gave in. He told me he had changed and would let me have a life. As soon as we started back dating, I could tell he was trying to let me have my space, but I could tell it wouldnt last for long. I could also tell that there was stuff there that scared me. We fought about everything. For one of my classes I had to go to college event that started at 9 and went until after midnight, and he called me chewing me out for not being home and right then I said I was done. I broke up with him. I couldnt handle him anymore. HE texted and called everyday, but there was no turning back. One night he called until 5:30 in the morning non stop threatening to kill himself. The next day I changed my number, told his mother, and deleted my myspace. I didnt know what else to do. Also after 4 months his truck finally needed to be fixxed though I asked him many times before to get the police report and turn it into insurance. Anyways we brought the parts and I am happy.
I am sooo happy. I have a life. I am having a wonderful college life. I've made plenty of new friends and I'm happy with life. Life is amazing.

Also just yesterday, my brother returned from over seas. I can't wait to see him Friday.