Merry Christmas, Ladies!  My next post will not be until after Christmas, so, I thought I would leave you with a sweet treat idea and a sweet message before signing off until after Christmas.

I read this profound article this week called, “Finding Joy in the Journey.”  I was so touched by the simplicity of its words, that I’ve come to realize that, sometimes, “Simple and Sweet,” are some of the best advice you can give someone.

For instance, take the time to say a simple phrase to a stranger like, “Merry Christmas,” or “Have a Nice Day,” and see what joy that brings to their face.  You may never know how much that truly meant to someone or how it even affected their day.  On the other hand, take “Sweet.” Do a sweet, random act of kindness for someone, like, help the elderly load their groceries in the rain or hold a door open for a mom and her kids.  Trust me ladies, I could kiss ya if you hold the door open for me as I wrestle my two into the store and that’s the honest truth! lol

I really feel that we would be better people if we would do Simple and Sweet things throughout our day and through that, I know that all of us can truly find Joy in our Journey’s which is this life we are so blessed to be a part of.

Below is my Husband’s Favorite Christmas Treat and, ladies, it is both SIMPLE and SWEET! Enjoy!

Golden Graham Drops

Ingredients:

1 Bag of Chocolate Chips, 1 Bag of Butterscotch Chips, 1 Bag of Peanut Butter Chips, 1 Box of Golden Graham Cereal

Directions:

Put the box of Golden Grahams in a large bowl. Melt all the chips together in the microwave. Stir the chips together until smooth. Then, pour the chocolate mix on top of the Golden Grahams and stir it all together. “Caution” this can be a little messy but it is soooo fun! After it is all mix together, line cookie sheets with wax paper and drop a spoonful of the mixture on to the pan and then put into the fridge to harden. Ta-dah! Yummy, Simple and Sweet treats for you to enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

Day 3:

We have a countertop, back splash decision….OMG it is going to be gorgeous!!!! Really can you believe it? We all agreed on the back splash right away! We really do have great taste! Next thing you know we will all become kitchen consultants….not.

Kelly and I met through friends at church. Shortly after I met her, I attended her birthday party and there were all of these guys there who wanted to date her. I thought, “There must be something to this girl!”. I began training her at our gym, and our friendship turned into mutual affection for each other. We took it slow, and a year and 8 months after our first date, I proposed.

NATE’S PROPOSAL:

My wife Kelly is a portrait artist, and had won the Best of Show award, as well as other top honors at the Williamson County Fair Art Exhibit. She invited me to come to the awards reception on August 6^th. We had been ring shopping earlier that week, and I was looking for the perfect opportunity to surprise her with a proposal. The afternoon of the reception, I contacted the people in charge of the show and arranged for the mayor of Franklin to present Kelly with the ring box on stage in front of about 250 people. This was no easy task, as we arrived together. It involved a sneaky hand-off of the keys to the car, a performing group to give us 10 minutes of their stage time, and more. She went on stage to accept her award money, and the mayor asked her to open this other gift in front of everyone because he “wanted to see where his tax dollars were going.” As she opened the box and saw my note with the ring that said “You are my sunshine,” I came up on the stage and got down on my knee. I had completely surprised her, and for the first time since I’ve known her, she was speechless. She let out a breathy “YES” and we hugged and cried. The media was there, and they captured photos and video of the whole event. They interviewed us afterwards, and we were featured on the news and in two different newspapers in the following days. We celebrated that night at J. Alexanders and called all of our family and friends.

I know a lot of families have movie night once a week where they gather around the television for a good movie and have popcorn. So, I thought I would teach you how to make fantastic popcorn using your waterless cookware instead of the microwave…it’s sooo much cheaper and way more fun!

Traditional Popcorn

Utensils: Electric Skillet

Directions: Pre-heat Electric Skillet to 400 degrees. When temperature light goes off, add 3 tablespoons of oil and a 1/2 cup of popcorn. Cover and let pop until all corn is popped.

Makes about 2 quarts; season to your liking

Greaseless Popcorn:

Utensils: Electric Skillet

Directions- Start with a cold skillet, add 1/2 cup of popcorn and turn skillet to 400 degrees. Cover and let pop until all corn is popped.

Makes 2 quarts; season to your liking

My family went on a camping trip this past weekend!  I have not been camping in 12 years, yikes!  Needless to say, I was a little nervous about the whole experience.  I had thoughts like: “How am I going to keep the tent clean?” “How do I keep the insects out of my tent?” “I don’t want hot dogs and smores every night (though the smores were pretty darn good), what we will eat?” “What if I freeze?” “How much bug spray is too much?” “How sanitary are the bathrooms, wait, are there bathrooms?”  Ha, laugh if you want but these are seriously the thoughts I had.

Before I had a total melt down, my husband reassured me that everything would be fine! Did you gals get that he said fine, not good, but fine.  So, I took a deep breath and told myself I will go and do this for the sake of my family.  This did not prevent me from making a list of things to bring that fit on a legal pad piece of paper. If I was going, I was going to be prepared! That’s my motto, Prepare to be Prepared…just kidding…well, not really…

It was cold, ok, that one was actually a rational fear…I think I actually froze one night! On the whole, though, it was one of the most enjoyable times I have had with my family in a really long time.  To be away from TV and Video Games, and get back to the roots of everything was really nice.  It makes you realize how beautiful this earth is and how beautiful family is. Needless to say, yes, I “Wanna Get Away” and go camping again with my family!

With that said, let me share with you some AWESOME camping recipes to keep you from starving or having to eat hot dogs each night. This will add complete simplicity into your cooking and make it eatable at the same time. I hope you and your family enjoy them so very much and remember, cherish these special moments together and create memories that will last a lifetime!

Camp Fire Muffins

6 Oranges & 2 Pkgs. Muffin Mix, any flavor

Directions:
Cut oranges in half and scoop out orange segments (it is the hollowed peel shells that you need, but keep the fruit for use with fruit salad or juice). Prepare the muffin mix according to package directions. Fill the orange peel cups half full of batter. Wrap each one loosely with heavy duty aluminum foil. Place in hot coals and make certain the batter side stays up. Cook 5 - 10 minutes, until muffins are done.

Camp Pocket Dinner

Ground Hamburger or Chicken, Potatoes, sliced, Carrots, sliced, Worcestershire Sauce, Foil Bag, Garlic Powder, Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Season meat with garlic, salt & Pepper to your tastes. Shape the meat into a patty, slice potatoes and carrots and toss Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt & pepper. Place the veggies over the meat and wrap in a foil bag. Cook on the coals until the meat is done and the veggies are tender.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Cake Donuts, Pineapple Slices, Butter, Brown Sugar

Directions:
Take a large square of aluminum foil. Cut a cake donut in half. Lay a pineapple slice on the donut half. Put a few dollops of butter on. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Put other half of donut on top and seal tightly in foil. Lay on coals for about 10-15 minutes. Open carefully as it will be very hot.

So…we’ve finally made it. Noon last Saturday was go time! Of course, we both had a whole slew of things on our minds that we wanted to partake in but we just weren’t really willing to risk any stomach issues to do it. But…there was one thing that we both just had to have…one thing that our love never waned from…can anyone guess what that would be? You’ve got it…Cheez-Its! J

Check out our veteran advice on how to break an extended fast today!

Dining, going to dinner, brunch, let’s do lunch, barbeque, sharing a meal with family and friends; however you want to say it, it is simply a time to slow down and enjoy the company of family and friends. In today’s rushed schedules, it’s nice and relaxing to take time to slow down and enjoy the company of others. Dining gives us that opportunity. Dining doesn’t have to be a formal setting with white table cloths - it a can be anything where two or more are enjoying each other’s company over a meal. It can be as casual as eating outside on a patio, dining at a fine resteraunt, a picnic in the park, or simply sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by family. It is anytime two or more people are enjoying each other’s company and spending more than a quick few minutes over a meal and are creating memories.

There are some key elements in successful dining. Allow time to engage in conversation so it flows and it’s not forced but happens naturally. Knowing the right combination of people to dine with will make the dining experience a fun and enjoyable time for all involved. Even with family and extended family one may need to be selective when deciding who to invite.  Where to dine will have an impact on the overall experience. If you wish to make an evening of it and you choose a semi fast restaurant that is used to turning their tables quickly, you will be interrupted multiple times as your waiter is trying to get you to move along so they can turn the table, this will most definitely impede the natural flow of the conversation.  Another key factor can be the weather. If you are planning to dine outside, you always need to have a back up strategy in case the weather is not suitable for outdoor dining. Keeping these simple guide lines in mind will make your dining experience successful and one which everyone enjoys and will leave friends and family wanting more.

Remember, time is one of our most precious gifts we can give to another, once the time is gone we can’t get it back. Giving of one’s personal time communicates to the receiver our delight and joy at having that person in our lives.

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 The other night I got home late from work and had NO energy to cook a meal. I couldn’t even think of anything other than a bowl of cereal. Then I remembered the president of our company made the simplest lunch with frozen chicken and frozen veggies. I preheated my skillet on medium and put in frozen chicken breasts in the large skillet sprinkled it with season salt and put the lid on at a tilt and cooked until the chicken released. Next I turned it over and sprinkled a little more season salt . Then I took 2 packages of mixed frozen veggies with cheese sauce and put them on top of the chicken covered with the lid and let it cook for 12 more minutes with the whistle closed. I then used my 2 quart sauce pan to make rice. I like to use fat free chicken broth instead of water. It adds more flavor.  And in 20 minutes I had a great meal everyone loved!! It was so easy and I felt good about eating my healthy, delicious meal. It really is that easy!!!! Dinner in 20 minutes! 

Well Hello There!

The above image is our “New Girl” and we need a name for her.  So we are asking for your help!  All you have to do is leave a comment with the name you think we should use to name our “New Girl”.   So get your creative juices going and submit the name you think we should use.  There will be one winner that will receive a $50 American Express Gift Card. 

She will be used on a lot of things including our blog, as a watermark, on marketing materials and so forth.

There will also be a random comment entry winner that will be picked from a random number generator.  So even if the name you submitted doesn’t get picked your comment will be entered into a random number contest, for a $25 American Express Gift Card

The Rules:

1. Leave a comment on this post, before midnight EST Wednesday, June 11, 2008.

2. Make sure to provide your e-mail address and phone number so we can notify you that you have won!

3. We will announce the winner here on Monday, June 23, 2008 and we will also e-mail the winner to notify him/her.

4. The winner must release a photograph to Simplicity Gourmet of his/her image for any web or print media.

5. You can only enter once!

**We reserve the right to not use the name submitted, but a winner will be chosen for best creativity!**

Good luck!