Us Girls..Our Views

Pull Up a Toboggan

Laura — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:43:03 +0000

We haven’t gone sledding in a while, so grab your toboggans, your runner sleds, your saucers, sheets, snowboards and skis! We’re hitting the hill, people. Last one there gets stuffed in a snowbank!

Tell us what you did this weekend… I don’t know if I’m back yet, so I’ll tell you now. I went sledding! We had enough snow, so we took the boys from the Pack to the Polar Bear event. And even though we haven’t really gone yet, I can tell you, we had a blast.

How about you? Are you a sledder? If not, what’s your winter sport?

Theme songs

Joy — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:42:47 +0000

Does anyone else miss theme songs? They don’t really have too many of them anymore. Some shows (The Good Wife) starts and goes on for a good almost 10 minutes and then it cuts, a little tune comes on, they show the cast and that’s it. Then you have the CSI shows and those are some awesome songs but those are songs and not a theme song.

Think of Gilligan’s Island. Mr. Ed. Green Acres. Facts of Life. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Full House. I’m probably aging myself but can you guys sing some of these songs now? You know every single word. Somehow these songs come right to mind and you know them all. Petticoat Junction just ran through my head!

Which ones do you remember and can still sing every word? Do you miss these openings? These songs? I do. When I looked at the song site I was there for over an hour. It was fun.

Crunchy-Topped Strawberry-Kiwi Parfaits

Joy — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:41:51 +0000

2 cups Banana Nut Cheerios® cereal

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1 1/2 cups Yoplait® 99% Fat Free creamy vanilla or creamy harvest peach yogurt (from 32-oz container)

1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

2 medium kiwifruit, peeled, cut into chunks

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place cereal and almonds in ungreased 13×9-inch pan. Bake 6 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light brown. Cool about 5 minutes.

2. In each of 4 parfait glasses, alternate layers of yogurt, strawberries, kiwifruit and toasted cereal and almond mixture. Serve immediately.

Make ‘em your way with your choice of fruit and yogurt flavors.

Nutritional Information

1 Serving (1 Serving)

Calories 220
- (Calories from Fat 40),

Total Fat 4 1/2g
- (Saturated Fat 1/2g,
- Trans Fat 0g),
Cholesterol 0mg;
Sodium 150mg;
Total Carbohydrate 40g
- (Dietary Fiber 3g,
- Sugars 24g),
Protein 5g

From Pillsbury

Look at the pic close……

Joy — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:40:10 +0000

Question of the day from mssc

Joy — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:39:40 +0000

What is the BEST thing that has ever happened to you?

Magic Eye

Joy — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:57:02 +0000

Cheesy Mexican Bubble Bake

Joy — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:56:25 +0000

1 container (18 oz) refrigerated taco sauce with seasoned ground beef or shredded chicken

1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits or 1 can (17.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated golden corn biscuits

1 cup shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese blend (4 oz)

1/2 cup Old El Paso® Thick ‘n Chunky salsa

Shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, sliced ripe olives and/or green onions, if desired

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Microwave ground beef as directed on container. Spoon into ungreased 13×9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish.

2. Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Cut each into 8 pieces; add to ground beef in dish. With rubber spatula, stir gently until pieces are coated; spread evenly.

3. Bake about 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown. Sprinkle cheese over top; bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is bubbly. Top individual servings with salsa and desired toppings.

Heat the beef or chicken mixture until it is piping hot to ensure that the biscuits bake all the way through.

Nutritional Information

1 Serving (1 Serving)

Calories 330
- (Calories from Fat 170),

Total Fat 19g
- (Saturated Fat 8g,
- Trans Fat 0g),
Cholesterol 30mg;
Sodium 1270mg;
Total Carbohydrate 31g
- (Dietary Fiber 0g,
- Sugars 7g),
Protein 10g

From Pillsbury

Exercise

Joy — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:55:31 +0000

Question of the day from mssc

Joy — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:52:54 +0000

What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you? (this should be a real picker-upper)

21 Creative Consequences

Joy — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:59:46 +0000

I just came across this at Pinterest and it’s really worth a look for those of you with kids. I’ve done many of them and they do work.

Magic Eye

Joy — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:59:26 +0000

Cheese Crescent Triangles

Joy — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:58:43 +0000

4 oz tomato-basil feta cheese, finely crumbled (1 cup)

2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions (2 medium)

1 egg, well beaten

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375°F.

1. In small bowl, mix feta cheese, green onions and 3 tablespoons of the beaten egg.

2. If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough; separate into 4 rectangles. Press perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough; cut into 4 rectangles.

3. Press each rectangle into 7 1/2×5-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle into 3 rows by 2 rows to make 6 (2 1/2-inch) squares. Top each dough square with slightly rounded measuring teaspoon feta cheese mixture. Fold dough over filling, forming triangle; press edges to seal. On ungreased cookie sheets, place triangles 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining 3 dough rectangles and feta cheese mixture.

4. Brush tops with remaining beaten egg. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese.5Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

These triangles can be shaped up to 2 hours ahead; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Just before serving, uncover and bake the triangles as directed.

Nutritional Information

1 Serving (1 Appetizer)

Calories 60
- (Calories from Fat 35),

Total Fat 3 1/2g
- (Saturated Fat 1 1/2g,
- Trans Fat 1/2g),
Cholesterol 15mg;
Sodium 150mg;
Total Carbohydrate 4g
- (Dietary Fiber 0g,
- Sugars 0g),
Protein 2g

From Pillsbury

Anger Management from mssc

Joy — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:57:59 +0000

Question of the day

Joy — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:56:41 +0000

If you won $1000 shopping spree to any store, what store would you choose it to be from?

T.G.I.F.

Nikki — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:59:55 +0000

I’m sure you could use a day to sleep in too? I thought so. How was everyone’s week? My week was good. Nothing exciting happened. Nothing bad happened either, so I consider that a good week!

What’s going on this weekend? I was hoping to go sledding at our local golf course hill with the kids, but if the weather keeps this up, what little snow we have will be gone soon. How about you, any plans?

Enjoy your weekend!

What do you think?

Joy — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:58:58 +0000

Demi Moore has been in the news a lot lately for her “problems” but this isn’t really about her. But it did bring this Good Question up.

Just what is exhaustion and how is it treated? Is it for real? Can you imagine calling your boss and telling him you can’t make it to work because you’re exhausted?

Do you think this is just a clever ploy for celebrities to hide behind? Just what do you think would be considered exhaustion?

Chicken Gyros

Laura — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:58:04 +0000

Oh, how I love Gyros. But in general, I’m not a fan of lamb (it’s also very hard to get around here), and I don’t like that sour cream has a ton of calories, which are not at all nice to my hips. So, when I found a recipe for Chicken Gyros on Pinterest the other day (how did we function without Pinterest?), that used chicken instead of lamb, and yogurt in place of sour cream, I decided that I needed to try it. And now it’s part of our dinner rotation.

The recipe comes from a blog called The Girl Who Ate Everything, as does the picture. I just rearranged the recipe a little to make it easier to follow. Enjoy!

Chicken Gyros

Tzatziki Sauce

Make several hours, even a day, ahead

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

Shred the cucumber or chop in food processor. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Place in a tightly covered container (I used a quart Ball Jar), and refrigerate.

Chicken

Make at least an hour ahead to allow to marinate.

2 teaspoons minced garlic
Juice of 1 lemon (2-3 Tablespoons)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Pound the chicken a little to loosen the fibers and allow better absorption of the marinade. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Cook chicken – you can use about any method, pan frying, baking, whatever – until done. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 – 10 minutes. Slice and place in a covered dish; keep warm until ready to use.

Gyros

Several Pitas (whole or pockets)
Marinated Chicken, sliced
Tzatziki Sauce
Chopped tomatoes
Thinly sliced onion

Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.

Carrot tales

Joy — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:57:01 +0000

Question of the day

Joy — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:50:29 +0000

When was the last time you went out to eat? What did you have?

What’s in the box?!

Nikki — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:39:45 +0000

Monday evening, Bailey sat down to write an essay about Tigers. Yes, write. Not type. He had been in his room a while before I decided to go check in on him. He’d gotten quite a bit accomplished already, but he found himself stuck. He said he needed five facts, within the essay. He had three that he came up with on his own. Honestly, I assumed he’d come down stairs and see if he could “Google” it. He never did. I sat down on his bed, trying to think of facts that were so common. We all know, Tigers have stripes. I just happened to look over and see Jason’s old green box!

So, what’s in the box? Wildlife facts!

He’s had these, I don’t know, 25 years! I opened it, and hoped so badly that there was one in there for Tigers. I know what you’re thinking, why wouldn’t you just Google it? Bailey never asked, so I never suggested it. I knew there was a good chance, we weren’t going to get lucky. It’s missing some cards.

Well, look at that! We found it! This is the one and only time I’ll be happy with the fact that Jason keeps everything! Bailey was able to finish his essay, which turned out very well! We did not need to use the internet, which made me proud for some reason.

The coolest part of it was, they were Jason’s. He got a big kick out of it. They did come in handy, I’ll give him that! These will come in handy for years to come. There are facts about animals, I’ve never even heard of!

So, my question to you is, where do you get your facts? Do you go straight to Google? I know, most do. Do you own an encyclopedia? Dictionary? Do you have anything different like what Jason has?