Cream Cheese and Duct Tape

I am proud to be a southern woman. I don't apologize for my drawl, for my love of sweet tea, denim or duct tape.  Duct tape can be used to repair almost anything that has a hole, leaks, or needs to be held together (that would include a tea jug, a pair of jeans and perhaps a big mouth on occasion). I have even repaired a hole in our porch ceiling with duct tape. It was only to be a temporary fix, mind you, but that was five years ago and it still holds. Walk in any Walmart or Home Depot south of the Mason Dixon and you can find a wide array of color choices for your taping needs. Now since I've never shopped for the tape anywhere else, I can't tell you if it holds true in other regions.



In addition to my duct taping skills, as a stay at home mom I have spent a lot of time in the kitchen where I learned to make the sweet tea and other traditional southern favorites such as fried chicken, grits, and biscuits. But here's a little known southern secret for you (well, it's my secret and I'm southern-see the opening line),  "Cream cheese is the duct tape of the kitchen". Those aren't my words, I am quoting my sister but it is such a great line it needed to be shared.

From breakfasts to dinners, from appetizers to desserts, it's blendable properties are amazing. Savory or sweet, yep it works. I try to keep at least six of the 8 ounce blocks on hand at all times and sometimes that's not enough. I love, love, love, that Philadelphia brand has the pre-flavored sauces and spreads but mostly it's just the plain blocks that I use.

To be honest, I don't really know if the cream cheese thing is solely southern or if the love of it crosses boundaries.  I do know it's good stuff.

In any case, Allrecipes is my favorite source of recipes on the web, so here are the links to a few of theirs, plus just a couple of my own recipes using cream cheese. I assure you there are many more, if you do an ingredient search on Allrecipes site, you'll see over 2,000 of them. :)

Appetizers:

Tortilla Pinwheels, http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ranch-ham-roll-ups/detail.aspx
Veggie Pizza   http://allrecipes.com/recipe/veggie-pizza/detail.aspx

Aunt Shelia's Cheese Ball

1 package cream cheese softened
1 bunch green onions chopped
dash of garlic salt
teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small package Land-o-frost corned beef, cut into very small pieces
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
 1 cup chopped pecans
Cream cheese with mixer add remaining ingredients, except pecans. Mix well. Form into ball shape and roll in pecans to cover.  Chill. Serve with your favorite crackers.

Main Dish

Crockpot Italian Chicken

2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
1 package dry Italian dressing mix
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package cream cheese, softened
Place chicken and soup in crockpot, sprinkle with dressing mix  . Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Shred chicken with fork while still in crock. Take 1/4 to 1/2 cup liquid from cooked chicken mix with cream cheese. Pour mixture over chicken in the crock and heat through 15 to 30 minutes. Serve over cooked egg noodles. Yum.

Dessert

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Cream Cheese Mints http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cream-cheese-candies/detail.aspx
Peanut Butter Pie http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cream-cheese-candies/detail.aspx
and of course,

 Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz block cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 box confectioner's sugar
1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Cream butter and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy, add vanilla and mix well. Then add the sugar a bit at a time until desired consistency is reached. If you want to use pecans fold them in at the end of your mixing.

And for a quick snack take two vanilla wafers and spread with cream cheese and peanut butter, sandwich together, or another possibility is to spread a little of the cheese. on Ritz crackers and top with pepper jelly. YUMMY!

How do you cook with cream cheese?

Show me the money, please

  I am  addicted to Pinterest, I confess.  I am hooked, or maybe pinned, I don't really know.  Boards with recipes, cute clothes, quotes and decorating ideas,  such a great idea. Why didn't I come up with it? Don't you ask yourself that all the time? Every time I find a cool new product or website, I wonder that.

Sometimes, I have a great idea only to discover that someone else had it long before me. A recent example is the laptop cooling station.  When my computer began overheating, I started putting it on a small counter top fan and  it stopped shutting down, so I thought Tracey you are one clever woman. The only problem is that the computer wasn't level and kept falling off.  I told Sparta we should develop a computer sized fan because surely we were not the only ones with such a problem. A little research showed I was correct and a couple of years late.  I am really loving my laptop fan and it only cost $20.

Back in the early 90's, I thought home delivery and pick up of movie rentals was a good idea. Didn't act on it and now there's Netflix. Of course, at the time the rentals were VHS and mailing would have been bulky and not cost effective.  Ahead of my time, perhaps?

Paperclips, liquid paper, post-it notes, pet rocks, silly bands,clips to hold your sunglasses to the visor, "key-finder" key rings and some of those crazy phone apps- all things that are as simple as they were successful.

Oh well, maybe someday my ideas and the universe will be aligned.

Be Still

I talk to God when I am on the go; while driving the kids here and there, while traveling with work, as I walk, and as I go about the business of keeping house, and I felt pretty good about all the multi-tasking, killing the proverbial two birds with one stone ,you know. That is until I realized and recognized how very little of my undivided attention I give to God.

I absolutely hate speaking with someone who is not paying attention. You might know what I’m talking about. Whether it’s attention divided between the television or someone who is planning what to say before your thoughts are even completed, or it could even be the other party doesn’t  have the courtesy to pretend to be interested, it drives me positively batty.

Listening, really listening, takes skill and a willingness to put other things aside momentarily and engage. God’s attention to my concerns (small as they are in the world and large though they are to me) is unquestionable. His word assures us that he hears and knows even those things for which we have no words. If the God of all creation¬ cares that much about me, seems only right that I should cultivate the discipline of listening to him. I certainly owe Him the respect, reverence and even politeness of my full attention and I intend to take time and give it especially seeing how he tells me too, more than once.

Exodus 14:14



The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.


Psalm 37:7


Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.



Psalm 46:10


He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Happy 2012!!

Well, the holiday season is over. School is back in session and the time for a new routine is now. As 2012 begins, I vow to lose the 15 pounds I put back on in 2011.  I will eat breakfasts high in protein, I will find some form of physical activity that I can stick with, I will remove the junk food from my house and I will maintain a (cough, cough)positive attitude and (ahem)sunny disposition .

My past resolutions didn't make it long and so I stopped even pretending to make them. In fact this is the first year I've made a New Year's resolution in this century and I have high hopes. Here's why.  In my Alabama family's version of dirty Santa, I picked up some diet pills and believe me when I say the battle for them was fierce. Also, while at my mom and dad's for the holidays I was introduced to the Just Dance video games and loved them, I may have become addicted with the Michael Jackson Experience being my very favorite one ( because I can actually beat my less rhythmically challenged sisters on "Thriller").  Shh...don't tell them but I think it might have to do with the hours I spent back in the day working on my zombie moves.

Although it wasn't nearly as much fun as competing with my three sisters, I did manage a couple of hours with the Wii this morning.  I popped a pill and haven't been hungry yet and have thus far managed to be nice and smile at all in my path. Since I am currently home alone it's been pretty easy, I guess when I have to be with people it might be put to the test.

Day 1 gets two thumbs up.

Here's hoping that 2012 is a stellar year!!