Kitchen Tip Tuesdays

This week for Kitchen Tips, Tammy has asked that we ask a kitchen related question or problem. So I am going to bring my after the holidays dilemma up to the top. Once Christmas was over I found that I had gotten two new "kitchen servants" to add to my kitchen. I got an electric knife and a food slicer. After I got both of them, my dh started questioning as to whether they would both be of use to me or if I need to think about returning one to get something else that might be of more use to me.

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So my question is this: .....is having an electric knife and food slicer something of a duplicate in the "kitchen servants" department??? If you have an electric knife would you think about having a food slicer or is the electric knife good enough?? Or would having the food slicer be good enough??? OR would both be of benefit in the kitchen?? Okay so that is more than one question but it is really perplexing to me. So what do you think??

You want to help others with their kitchen dilemmas/problems, head over to Tammy's Recipes for more!

Menu Plan Monday

**This is just a plan and plans have the ability to change at the cook's discretion! OH the last 10 days of menus have all been awash! Nothing like having dh home on vacation for 10 days...meals, schedule, routine ALL goes out the window. Don't get me wrong, I love having my dh around!! He has really worked hard at spending some quality time with the kids(and me) these last 10 days rather than working on some house project! The holidays are over and dh returns to work on Wednesday, so I am going to get back on the bandwagon and get going on some menus and a routine once again.

Lunches are a bit scrambled this week because of the holidays, so I have left them blank for the most part.

A special thanks to Laura-Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday! Need help with your menus, go check others out at Organizing Junkie's site!**

Sunday(12-30)

Breakfast: eggs, muffins, and bacon
Lunch: sandwiches and soup
Dinner: burgers, fries, and corn
Snack: snack basket or birthday cake

Monday(12-31)

Breakfast: cereal and toast
Lunch: leftover pizza
Dinner: skillet chicken gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans
Snack: "snack basket"

Tuesday(1-1) HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Breakfast: pancakes from freezer, leftover sausage links
Lunch:

Dinner: Oven fried chicken, pan fries, creamed corn

Snack: "snack basket"

Wednesday(1-2)

Breakfast: bagels

Lunch:
Dinner: Taco bar
Snack: yogurt

Thursday(1-3)

Breakfast: french toast

Lunch:

Dinner: Turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, squash, and biscuits(using one of my 2 turkeys that I got for 59 cents/pound during the holiday sales!)

Snack: "snack basket"

Friday(1-4)

Breakfast: cereal and muffins
Lunch:

Dinner: lemon pepper pork chops, rice, and peas
Snack: homemade chocolate shakes

Saturday(1-5)

Breakfast: "Cook's Choice"
Lunch: ???????(its the weekend, anything goes! LOL)
Dinner: goulash and corn muffins

Snack: popcorn

Singing Sunday

For the last "Singing Sunday" of the year. Lets remember that God is our stronghold, our Rock, our Joy!!! No matter the troubles that we face in 2008 He will be there to lift us up and be with us. He is always there, we need to rest in him and allow Him to help us. We need to enjoy His presence in our life. Happy New Year!!!


You Raise Me Up
by Josh Groban

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up... To more than I can be.

Holiday Gifts

Did you have a Merry Christmas??? We had a great one! I was able to see my entire extended family over the course of the weekend. I finally got to see my new niece!! My brother and sil are adopting a baby, who is now 6 months old!!

My kids got some of the gifts that they had been requesting. My older boys got MP3 players and Legos! My girl got Little ponies, and another kitchen set. My baby got a few toys that should keep him busy and learning!! I also got some of the things that I had been requesting!! Dh got me a new all weather dress coat. My old dress coat is one that I have had since I was a freshman in college!!(that makes the coat over 15 years old!!!) That coat is still in good shape so I am not going to get rid of it. Maybe I'll lose about 20 lbs. and have two coats to choose from! LOL I got a new Presto Tilt N Drain Big Griddle. Just to give you a picture of the size of the it, it will hold TWELVE pieces of french toast all at once!!! This new griddle will replace my old one. My old one will only hold 6 pieces of french toast and is 12 years old!!! This is a picture of the electric knife that I got from dh as well. It comes with a case too!! This is a food slicer that my parents and siblings got for me!!! I guess my mom figured that since I borrow hers on occasion that I could use my own. LOL
Now the big question.....is having an electric knife and food slicer something of a duplicate in the "kitchen servants" department??? If you have an electric knife would you think about having a food slicer or is the electric knife good enough?? Or would having the food slicer be good enough??? OR would both be of benefit in the kitchen??

Bad Weather, Awesome Pictures

WOW!! Look at the drift here!!

OUCH!! Tree meet house! House meet Tree! This happened in a town southeast of me! This was posted by another viewer of the local TV station. There are many trees down all over the state!

This is picture of sand pillars on the beach of Lake Michigan. This was posted on my local tv station's website by a LoriDoc.

Saturday night and all day Sunday, we have had high winds, snow, and freezing temperatures. The high winds knocked out power to thousands(about 120,000 in West MI) and my family was one of them!!! We got our power back last night but there are still close to 15,000 without power on this Christmas Eve. They should have their power back later this evening. The airport was without power for 14 hours due to the storm as well!!

With the blowing snow and high winds, there is some awesome pictures of God's power!!!