Garlic Parmesan Potatoes

It's been a very long time since I blogged.  I've been busy with these cuties ...

And this one...

BUT I still cook supper just about every night, and I created something super delish tonight! I'm sure someone has done this, but I hadn't ever, so therefore I created it. So there. 

Melt some butter in an oven-proof skillet and throw in 2 garlic cloves, minced. 

Cut in half lengthwise some little potatoes...I think they're Yukon Gold..and sprinkle on some salt and pepper. 

Throw them into the skillet with a little more butter, and let them cool in the buttery, garlicky goodness for 5-10 minutes. I lost track of how long I cooked them cause I had to go change diapers. 

Wash your hands from changing those diapers, then stick the pan in a 350 degree oven.  Let them cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. They will be getting all golden-looking and delicious from the butter. 

Put a nice thick coating of Parmesan cheese...I had grated, but shredded would be good too..and pop under the broiler for about 5 minutes.....

Until they look like this!! 

Sooooo good!!

I served them with some leftover pork butt my hubby made on July 4th (freezer stash!) and some home-canned green beans my Mama gave me. 

And yes...I cleaned my plate, plus ate another bite or 2 of potatoes. Nursing twins, baby!!

I didn't measure anything, so no printable, concise recipe...just have fun and remember the butter!

Simply Cheese!

I sell Amish cheese.  No, I'm not Amish.  Nor do I own a cow.  I'm a distributor for Amish cheese that comes from Middlefield, Ohio.  I kind of fell into the position, but it's a lot of fun, and I get to try a ton of varieties of cheese!

My last order was the largest I have ever had...67 pounds of cheese and butter!!  The cheese is shipped in insulated containers via UPS, then I have to separate all the orders, input totals for the customers and arrange for pickup.  Since the cheese is cut weekly, you don't actually have a final order total until it arrives.  That's about as fresh as you can get it!

 Here is all the cheese bagged up and ready to go.

Here is my extra fridge {so thankful for it!} that is stuffed full with cheese.

This is my spreadsheet I use to track the orders.  {I really do love Excel.}

This cheese is a little more expensive than what you can buy in the grocery store, but there is absolutely no comparison, in my opinion.  Plus, there are about 30 different varieties to try, just with a click of a mouse!

My kiddo loves this stuff!  She won't touch processed cheese...when we go get a deli sandwich somewhere, I have to ask for cheddar, and she'll eat that.  {Yes, I'm raising a cheese snob.  So what?}

Two of my absolute favorite products are the salted butter...

...and the smoked cheddar cheese.

 We also have curds.  They're interesting.  They taste just like a mild cheese, but they're squeaky.  

Danish Blue Cheese.  I personally can't stand blue cheese, but my customers tell me that it's the best there is.  This is one of the few imported cheeses that isn't processed directly in Amish country.  We also have Danish Harvarti and Guggisberg Swiss, to name a few.

We also have processed American, in yellow and white.  Again, I don't care for processed cheese, but I'm told that it's great.

And, we have a great selection of organic cheese and goat's milk cheese.  Again, {I sound really picky, don't I?} I don't care for the goat's milk cheese, but I have a customer who has a son with a dairy allergy.  He can't have regular cheese, but loves the Goat Yogurt Cheese. He's almost 3, and is loving that he can finally have cheese!

If you're in my area and are interested in ordering cheese from me, here's how you can do it!  First, send me your email address to be put on the reminder list.  I order once a month, usually toward the middle of the month.  You can order at anytime, and I'll just process it with the next order.

So...to order...go to www.simplycheese.net.  {You can look around on the retail site for descriptions of all of the cheese varieties.}

Then click on the "Wholesale..." button on the top right of the screen.  This will open a new window/tab with the wholesale order forms.

Choose either the Traditional or the Goat/Organic order forms.  If you're wanting to make an order with both products, then you'll do two orders.

Fill out your information, selecting "Acworth, GA..." for the delivery location.

Then, make your cheese selections!  There are 1/2 pound, 1 pound, and 5 pound options for most cheeses.  Butter comes in 1 or 2 pound rolls.

Finally, click "Add to Cart" - yes, you get free shipping!  {**in the summer months, when it's hot, they have to ship in special cartons, and this adds on an additional .20 per pound surcharge**}

Simple, right?  And, oh so delicious!  For information on when the next order is, shoot me an email, or leave a comment on this post.

E-Mealz - My dinnertime plan!

So, I started using a meal planning service a few months ago..it was my husband's idea - I guess maybe he got tired of the same meals over and over?!?!?!?  Not really (I hope!).  Turns out he had met the owners of E-Mealz and decided to sign me up.  

I LOVE IT!!! 

What is E-mealz, you ask?  It is a service that provides me with a weekly meal plan and grocery list, and it's only $5 a month.  That's crazy cheap for what I'm getting!  I use probably 4-5 of the 7 meals on the menu each week...some are fish and we don't eat fish.  And sometimes the meal just doesn't appeal to me.  I fill in the empty nights with favorite recipes, recipes I happen upon on the internet, and eating out (always a favorite!).  The premise behind E-mealz is Jane's (the founder) passion for providing a plan to enable families to eat together, talk about their day, and share life. All of the meals are usually 30 minutes to prepare, start to finish, and they range from absolutely amazing to "okay."  A lot of it depends on your personal taste, of course.  The great part is that it gives me a start to my menu planning, which helps with grocery expenditures, variety of food, and saves a lot of time and frustration when it comes to "What's for dinner??"

In fact, what inspired this blog post was that I pulled leftovers out of the freezer for dinner tonight last night, of an "E-mealz" meal that I took pictures of when I made it originally last month. 

 

This is what the weekly menu and shopping list look like.  I use the "Wal-mart" plan, because that's where I do most of my shopping.  I haven't yet used the grocery list, because I like to do it my way (I'm weird).  But the grocery list is store specific, so if you shop at Kroger/Publix, etc., the meals and list are actually tailored to the sales/coupon deals at your particular store.  

Here is the "Cheesy Tortellini Casserole" - it's a crockpot recipe, and I was throwing it together before church on Sunday morning.  

Start with 1 package of Italian sausage, casings removed, and cook completely.

 While it's cooking, mix up some waffles for the family.  (I multitask sometimes).

Then drain the cooked sausage.

 In your crock pot, combine the cooked sausage, 1 can of Italian style diced tomatoes (undrained), and 1 26-oz jar of pasta sauce.  I added Italian seasoning because I just had normal tomatoes.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high 3.5-4 hours.

Then, before serving, add in a 9-oz package of cheese tortellini.  Get the cheese & spinach if you're trying to be sneaky and feed your family vegetables!  Let the tortellini cook for 15 minutes. **see below

**Now this is where I will veer from the recipe next time.  It took longer than 15 minutes for the tortellini to cook, and I really wanted to eat shortly after we walked in the door.  Next time I will cook the tortellini while I'm cooking the sausage, and just refrigerate it while we're gone.  Then, I'll throw it in for 5 minutes to get warm, while I'm making green beans & garlic bread.

Servie with green beans and garlic bread...and of course, top with Parmesan cheese!l

This recipe was thrown together in about 15 minutes, while I was making breakfast, and it was delicious. However, it's a pretty big recipe.  We had 7 people eating lunch, and I still ended up with 2 quart bags to put in the freezer. When re-serving, thaw, throw in a baking dish, top with Mozzarella cheese, and heat until warm.  You might also add a bit more pasta sauce, as it gets a little dried out in the re-warming process.  (I did not do that last night...oh well!) 

It's My Birthday!! & a Cake Pop Giveaway!

Today is my birthday, and even though some days I feel like I'm getting old, I'm really thankful that I'm having all these birthdays.  So much better than the alternative...

I'm participating in Relay for Life this year.  I'm on a team with some great ladies, some of whom I know, and some I don't.  But we all have the same goal:  to make a chance for more birthdays.

In honor of that, we're going to be giving away cake pops at our tent (the Purple Warriors) next weekend!  Here are some that I just dipped today:

These are strawberry/cream cheese.  And the coating is purple. (I just don't know how to use the camera very well.)

These are vanilla/cream cheese, just waiting to be dipped in that delish {artificial} vanilla coating!

And {drumroll please}...

These could be yours!!

I will give 1 dozen cake pops in your choice (or combo) of strawberry or vanilla to the first 3 people who donate $25 (or more) to my relay page!!  It goes for a great cause, and you get first sample of my yummy cake pops!

Here's the link:  Donate Here!!

Much love to you all!