I know that many of you across the country are feeling the same blast of cold weather we have had here in Southeast Texas.  I have heard some great stories of how HG has been part of the survival plan! One was a comment on our blag about HG Tomato Basil Bread baking just before the power went out and being a great ‘warm’ treat around a rousing game of Monopoly!  One was from a customer who found humor in the grocery store as she watched others frantically fill grocery carts to the maximum ‘just in case’ they could not get to the store in the near future.  She laughed because her freezer and pantry were stocked the ‘HG way’ and she had no need to worry or break the budget! 

So I thought I would share my cold weather story!  The cold snap on Wednesday caused some meetings at the office to be postponed, which gave me an ‘out’ for the day.  I stayed home, nursing a cold or the flu…not sure which…but just not feeling 100%.  But the urge to cook a warm meal was irresistable and one I gave into around 4:00.  Since I had not defrosted a thing, I pulled some frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts from the freezer and used my Tettrazzini Casserole Mix as the meal solution for the day.  Now, my body is still very tired and achey, so the thought of defrosting and chopping up that chicken was just too much for me to consider.  So…I figured I would just place the whole, frozen breasts on top of the casserole ingredients, cover and bake as directed, adding a little extra time in the oven for the breasts to cook.  Why not?  I make other casseroles like this…it should work.  Two hours later the breasts are done, but the casserole is very soupy. It  may have had something to do with the fact that the frozen breasts added moisture to the casserole as it cooked, or the fact that my measuring cup was actually 2 1/2 cups filled to the top and I filled it twice.  (instructions say 4 cups)  Whatever…bottom line…dinner was not a winner!  The chicken was good…and the noodles had a nice flavor…but there is just something wrong with eating a casserole with spoon!

Fortunately for tonight, when I took out the chicken yesterday I spotted a roast in the freezer and took it out to defrost for a slow cooker meal today.  It’s now 1:00 and it smells like a winner this time! 

God Bless and Keep You,

Tami

This past Sunday I made the new Mocha Cappuccino Muffins as a treat for my family to enjoy with cocoa during this arctic blast we are experiencing here in Texas. My husband and 10 year old daughter LOVED them! Every time I walked through the kitchen there were a few more gone, and then a few more, and then a few more, until there were 2 left. I stealthily looked around to make sure no one was coming and then I did it… I put a muffin in a zip top bag and HID it in the spice cabinet so that I could have one with my coffee on Monday morning! Bad mommy, bad, bad mommy, although… I never did see who took the last one! Now I know that is a mix to keep on hand at all times so that I can just make more instead of hiding them.

Is there a specific Homemade Gourmet mix or recipe that YOUR family just can’t get enough of? Tell us about it!

I am preparing to leave for another road trip tomorrow and will be leaving the 17 and 19 year old kids at home.  I must confess that the thought of making sure they have food to eat while I am gone has not even crossed my mind!  This is not a statement of neglect but actually a statement of years of preparation.  My children have grown up in the kitchen and at times like this, I really don’t have to do too much to make sure they won’t go hungry.  As long as I have a pantry and fridge stocked with the basic groceries and  a variety of their favorite Homemade Gourmet mixes on hand, I know they are good to go! 

 Just last night I came home to my 17 year old daughter and her friend cooking dinner for our family and ‘then some’ (we seem to have drop ins at our house around meal time on a regular basis!).  Without any direction from me, they had rustled up a bag of frozen spaghetti and meatsauce from the freezer, put some noodles on to boil and even had a Homemade Gourmet Brownie Pie ready to go into the oven.  As the sauce was reheating, we all decided that with our ‘and then some’ drop in guests, we may not have enough.  In a flash, Allie and her friend Ashley were adding another bag of Homemade Gourmet Spaghetti Sauce Mix and the canned ingredients needed to the already cooking meat sauce and we were ready to serve an army of drop ins! 

As Allie was putting the finishing touches on her brownie pie (she can never do it as instructed…she has to add just a little ‘extra’ to her dishes, this time extra chocolate chips) she looked over at me and said “I love cooking!”.  I smiled as I set the table with paper plates and plastic forks and thought…special moments don’t need fancy tableware…they are made with comments like that. 

So while I am celebrating successes in Memphis, Tennessee for the next few days, I will rest easy knowing my oldest offspring are making memorable meals in minutes without me! 

God Bless and Keep You,

Tami

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and it is the PERFECT time to share your love for family and friends with a delicious Homemade Gourmet treat! NOW is the time to let the world know how YOU would Share the Love using your favorite Homemade Gourmet mix. Is it a special meal? A sweet treat? A gift basket featuring your favorite recipes? DO TELL!

The 3 favorite entries for the Share the Love Recipe Contest will receive a delicious Homemade Gourmet Strawberry Bread Mix! Post your entries no later than January 31, 2007 and then check back for the results within a few days. Looking forward to hearing how you plan to Share the Love this Valentine’s Day!

Oh… did I mention that when prepared, Homemade Gourmet Strawberry Bread is PINK! How romantic!

 Have fun and enjoy Sharing the Love!