Book Recommendation ~ Potluck Club Series

The first book in the series

Six women. More problems. New secrets. The Potluck Club is back with a yummy casserole of characters, hilarity, and adventure in Summit View, Colorado! Club leader Evie continues to find newcomer Lisa Leann too tough to swallow, especially since the former Texan's new advice column causes rumors to rise faster than her famous instant-yeast cinnamon rolls. When one member stirs things up with a new 'do and a new outlook on life, the girls find themselves in a pickle as gossip takes over the group, a long-awaited romance doesn't go as planned, and the past comes back to haunt the club's youngest member. Seasoned with loads of faith, forgiveness, and friendship.

The second book in the series

The Potluck ladies are back with more adventures and more food to share. Once again each character has her own back story that takes special meaning in her life: Evie is trying to get attention of her sheriff boyfriend and somehow becomes engaged to another man; Goldie's former husband keeps trying to win her back, and Vonnie brings her long lost son to meet the family of the father he never knew. All of these characters and more are intertwined through their potlucks which bring a sense of togetherness to the story. Together, the women of the Potluck Club talk over their individual problems and issues and teach us about patience, love, and forgiveness.

The third book in the Potluck Club Series

Is the Potluck Club becoming the Bridesmaids Club? Wedding plans and romantic desires abound as the six friends continue to share food, friendship, prayer--and new adventures ranging from hilarious to dangerous!

Shocking rumors, family secrets, and a mountain avalanche threaten the friends' sense of security, their relationships, and even their lives. As Evangeline's wedding day draws near, Lisa Leann's matchmaking ways threaten to cause trouble in more than one relationship. Will the Potluck Club be able to put aside their differences and help each other survive the storms of life and love?

All 3 books are great reads to take with you to the pool or beach. ENJOY!

    

Back to Blogging

Happy Saturday to all of you! I am going through a rough patch in my life right now and decided to go back to blogging, crafting, and finding enjoyment out of life. Starting tomorrow, this blog will be undergoing a few changes.

You will see:

• product recommendations (food, health & beauty, crafting, etc)
• book recommendations
• blogs to check out (to try and network with other bloggers)
• recipes
• completed scrapbook and cards, challenges, other crafts
• items for sale (links to Etsy, ebay, etc)

I hope that you will continue to be a follower of this blog and invite friends to check things out.

Taking a break

Sorry blogger friends, but I don't have the time in my busy schedule to make posts faithfully. I have decided to take a break from blogging until I have the time again. If I do get opportunities, I will make posts but don't be surprised if you only see something once a month.

Thank you for understanding and being such faithful blogger followers.

Southwestern Turkey Burgers With Sweet Potato Fries

Over the past few weeks I have been DVRing Cook Yourself Thin and watching it while walking my treadmill. They have some really great recipes posted on their LifeTime TV website along with 2 cookbooks available at Amazon.com.

Southwestern Turkey Burgers With Sweet Potato Fries

Serves 4

Calories per serving, turkey burger: 342

Calories per serving, sweet potato fries: 89

For the sweet potato fries:

2 sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling

Juice of 1/2 lime

For the turkey burger:

1 1/3 pounds lean ground turkey

1 4-ounce can diced green chiles, drained

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2–3 spritzes canola oil in a mister

3 ounces 50%-reduced-fat pepper-jack cheese, cut into thin slices

4 whole-wheat Kaiser rolls

Romaine lettuce leaves

Tomato, sliced

Red onion, sliced

1/2 avocado, sliced

1. For the sweet potato fries, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Wash and dry the potatoes and, with the skin on, slice into 1/2-inch-thick rounds; cut the rounds into 1/2-inch-thick finger-shaped pieces. Toss the potatoes in a bowl with the oil, chili powder, garlic powder and salt.

3. On a baking sheet, spread the sweet potato fries in a single layer and roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until brown and tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a platter or bowl and sprinkle with a little more salt.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the lean ground turkey with the diced chiles and season with salt and pepper. Shape into patties and refrigerate until ready to cook.

5. Heat a large grill pan or nonstick skillet on medium heat and spritz with canola oil. Add the turkey patties to the grill pan and cook until browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Flip, reduce the heat to low, cover (if using a skillet) and cook until the juices run pale pink, about 4 more minutes. Top with the reduced-fat pepper-jack cheese during the last minute.

6. Toast the rolls in the oven or in a toaster oven. Alternatively, grill them 1 minute on each side.

7. To assemble: On a platter, place the fries and a burger on a bun and top with lettuce, tomato, onion and avocado slices. Squeeze lime juice over the fries and serve.

Spicy Chili Bean Burgers

Spicy Chili Bean Burgers



Prep Time: 25 min
Total Time: 25 min
Makes: 5 sandwiches

1 cup Fiber One® original bran cereal
1 can (15 or 16 oz) spicy chili beans in sauce, undrained
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup chopped green onions (4 medium) (I used ½ small white onion)
1 egg, slightly beaten (or ¼ cup Egg Beater)
1 1/4 cups washed fresh baby spinach leaves
5 slices tomato
5 whole wheat burger buns, split

1. Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and crush with rolling pin or meat mallet (or crush in food processor).
2. In medium bowl, mash beans with fork until no whole beans remain. Add crushed cereal, oats, onions and egg; mix well. Shape mixture into 5 patties, each about 3 1/2 inches in diameter.
3. Spray 12-inch skillet with cooking spray. Add patties; cook over medium heat about 10 minutes, turning once, until brown.
4. For each sandwich, place 1/4 cup spinach leaves and 1 tomato slice on bottom half of bun; top with bean burger and top half of bun.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Cook patties over medium-high heat about 10 minutes.

Nutrition Information:
1 Sandwich: Calories 280 (Calories from Fat 40); Total Fat 4 1/2g (Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 40mg; Sodium 800mg; Total Carbohydrate 48g (Dietary Fiber 12g, Sugars 6g); Protein 11g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 25%; Vitamin C 8%; Calcium 15%; Iron 30% Exchanges: 2 1/2 Starch; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat

Sue’s notes:
· I made 8 patties from this mixture and they ended up being 95 calories without the bun.
· I added minced garlic and some Southwestern seasoning to the mixture before cooking.
· My burger was put on an OrrowWheat 100 calorie bun with lettuce and Heintz chili sauce. My mom tried it with lettuce, pepper Jack cheese, and salsa.
· Even though you are using spicy chili beans, the burger can be bland due to the cereal and oats. I highly recommend seasoning with additional items such as chili powder, taco seasoning, chili seasoning, or Southwest seasoning. I am cutting down on sodium, but you could add some salt & pepper.
· You can mash the beans with a potato masher or pulse them in a food processor. Just be careful not to mash them to the consistancy of bean dip. My mom said that she would have preferred it with some of the beans being left either whole or only slightly mashed.

Happy Birthday

I just wanted to send a special Happy Birthday wish to my awesome 7 year old niece Catie. She is my world and I love to craft with her. She is my favorite scrapbook subject, who puts up with everyone taking tons of pictures of her.

I am so proud of Catie and her adventurous spirit to try anything.

Scrap Time

Sorry for being MIA as of late. The last few weeks I have been getting my scrapping spaces organized and I started a new weightloss program. That means I have been spending my evenings exercising instead of sitting and stamping/scrapping. I do have a few new recipes to share, which I will post later this weekend. They are yummy and will fit perfectly in any weighloss or weight maintenance program.

I am all packed up and ready to head to Lake Geneva for a 3 day scrapping retreat. So that means you will start to see some completed pages posted when I return on Sunday evening. I am really looking forward to spending time with my BFF scrapping, chatting, and just relaxing together.

Also, I got a small package in the mail from Crop Chocolate to create a few pages and/or cards. I will post a picture of what came in the box and what I completed as soon as I get the okay from Crop Chocolate.