Lucas Corner Farmhouse

Ask Adam how many loaves bricks of bread he has sampled over the last 15ish years that I've tried making. It's been....a lot haha! MamaRie always made bread making look so easy! She had at least one sourdough starter in the kitchen at all times and was making bread for every get together (or just because) and experimenting with different recipes. Cheese bread, Rosemary bread, and Pepperoni bread were pretty popular with me and my sisters. I have some sourdough starter trying to grow on my counter....but I have to say MamaRie was a lot better at it than me haha! I haven't given up on it, but it's not  my go-to for sandwich bread right now. Once I had two kids, Grandma gave me her bread machine because she said I was quickly going to run out of time to do all the kneading and rising necessary to keep bread cooked for two growing boys. I used that machine until it finally gave out on me! (Then I got a new one for my birthday from Bruce & Linda!) I think anyone that lo...

 Before Christmas, I tried out a play dough recipe I found, tweaked it a little to make them seasonal, and my kids have played with that play dough almost every day since.  I keep it stored in the take out containers I bought on Amazon, and it hasn't dried out! (16 oz is the exact size for a full batch).  It has even been left out for a few hours and easily kneaded back to its regular consistency. My kids like to use plastic or laminated placemats to hold their play dough creations while working (and it makes for a little easier clean up! We've also used silicone baking sheet liners , but the laminated placemats store easily on the counter so they can get it out to play anytime. This is an EXCELLENT activity for them while I'm cooking dinner and need everyone away from the counters ha! We made Sugar Cookie Play Dough (with green & red glitter mixed in!), Hot Cocoa Play Dough, with gold glitter mixed in, and Candy Cane Play Dough with red and silver glitter. But since...

Sometimes, I just want to eat "tailgate food" with dinner. That might be why my last post was about pigs in a blanket and this post is about Chicken & Corn Dip! This is a QUICK recipe, so if you need a last minute dish to take to a party, tailgate, get together (or just a late night snack), this is the one! *Also, this recipe is Beau Approved* You can bake all this in the oven, but it works just as well in the microwave! ( These are the chip & dip bowls we have. My Mother-in-Law gave them to me and they make a great snack bowl! Amazon has similar ones in both stoneware and plastic ). Here's my notes while looking at a few other recipes to make my own. I was going to use sour cream, which is usually a staple in my fridge...but I thought I was out, then when I saw it at the back of the fridge, I knew it needed to go. I don't think the chickens would even snack on it! That said, I went to look up replacement options for sour cream when used in dips and two that ...

Like most of you, I've always made pigs in a blanket using canned crescent rolls and cocktail sausages. However, it takes 3-4 cans of crescent rolls make enough for this crew and the price has really gone up!  So....I started looking up some recipes that might make a good substitute (other than making actual crescent rolls...which are delicious!)  I wanted something buttery (of course), but didn't require any rise time either. I found a few options and came up with a recipe that was somewhat of a mix of the ones I read online. My helper followed the directions and made some delicious pigs in a blanket! We had exactly the same number of sausages as slots in my new pan , so we used that to make some bee and beehive pigs! The pan is perfect for pull apart breads, but was cute for this too! You can easily cook these on a lined baking sheet or in a round pan as well. One of the cutest cooking helpers I know! This dough makes enough to wrap 20-30 sausages, depending on how thin you ...

       This year for Christmas, we made a goal to make as many of our gifts for others ourselves. There were a few that were store bought, but for the most part, we made them! We went through a lot of flour, butter, sugar, and chocolate this year, but it was a lot of fun! I realized as I was starting to write all this down that I didn't take very many pictures at all of this entire process....so if I gave you one of these gifts and you have pictures, send them my way and I'll add them to this haha!      The boys helped out baking and making mixes, as well as coming up with their own gifts to give their grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Cole worked with Adam to make wooden coasters as some gifts, and he designed and whittled mallets for his Paw & Grandpa to keep in their workshops.  He also found coupons to places in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and gave those to some family who he thought would enjoy certain stores or restaurants. :) Blake paint...

Fireflies. Rainstorms. Crickets. Katydids. Honeysuckle. It's summer y'all... Time for another batch of Honeysuckle Jelly! You know the tiny drop of liquid goodness (ok, nectar…but it's delicious)  that you get from one honeysuckle blossom?  Multiply that by a spoonful, and that's what it's like to have honeysuckle jelly on toast. mmmmm….. :) I first made this Honeysuckle Jelly a few years ago when the house we moved into had honeysuckle all along the wood line in the back yard.  It started because we were looking for a Honeysuckle Ice Cream recipe (still haven't made that) .…it's become a family favorite. When we moved into the house we're in now, I was incredibly excited because there were two bushes in the back yard with honeysuckle vines in addition to two more sections in the back of the yard with honeysuckle.  I made a batch and gave jars to family members, then waited for the next year to come around to make m...

It's been almost a year since I've updated my blog, but here's a good reason for that: As you can tell, he's cute, and he's a handful. :) Anywho, to start posting on my blog more frequently, I'm starting out by posting this recipe so I never have to dig through my email to look for it!! :D A friend of mine gave me this recipe with a bag of starter about 5 years ago, and I've shared it with many friends.  I've had a bag of starter in my freezer, and I've decided it's time to make it again! :D If you don't have a bag of starter around, just put 1/3 cup milk, 1/3 cup flour, and 1/3 cup sugar in a gallon-sized freezer bag (like these on Amazon). Here are the instructions! I don't have a picture of the bread yet (I'm on Day 4 of my starter), but I'll upload a picture when I do! ------------- FRIENDSHIP BREAD Do NOT use any type of metal spoon or bowl for mixing. Do NOT refrigerate If air gets in the bag, ...

Happy New Year! I was looking for a recipe to use leftover ham (we had a good bit....) and I found this in my stack of recipes to try.  It's originally from a Southern Living Casseroles mini-booklet.  The only things I changed when I made it today was that I didn't have Italian bread slices to layer in the pan, so I cubed sandwich bread and sprinkled it in the pan....and I used a little more ham because I wanted to use up what we had leftover! I probably used 1 1/2 cups instead of 1 cup.  If you try it with Italian Bread slices, let me know how it is! Layered Ham and Cheese Bake 12 (3/4-inch-thick) Italian bread slices (I used 8 slices of cubed sandwich bread) 1 cup chopped cooked ham 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided 3 large eggs 2 cups milk 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon pepper Place 6 bread slices in a lightly greased 11x7 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with ham and 1 cup cheese. Top with remaining ...

Are you like me, and you're craving something cold and sweet (aka ice cream) this summer? But.....you want to eat healthy? (and maybe you've had too much Ben&Jerry's lately because it was on sale at Publix recently....) Well...throw this in the blender... *Handful of frozen fruit (I had a mix of strawberries, mangoes, pineapples, and peaches from Wal-Mart plus some frozen raspberries from Publix on hand). *1 teaspoon of flax seed (to help fill you up with just a little extra protein and fiber in the mix) *Milk (a little at a time) ((or yogurt)) Blend, and gradually add milk so that the consistency is just like a frosty....so you can eat it with a spoon! If you make extra, you can put some in a freezer-safe container for next time you're craving a healthy ice cream alternative! :)