SRKindredSpirits

When I moved into my first apartment at the age of 16, I knew that I wanted some of my mom's recipes. So, I made a homemade recipe book, and spent a few days writing my favorite recipes down. You see, my parents were in the process of moving to another state (Pennsylvania) over nine hours away. I knew that I couldn't just go home and look through mom's recipes when ever I wanted.  Through the years, I added to my homemade recipe book, collecting any recipes that I thought looked good.  Fast forward thirteen years down the road. I was married with three kids. I had a Taste of Home magazine subscription, recipes from other magazines like Country Side, Better Homes and Gardens, and lots of recipe books that people had given me over the years. I had a whole shelf and a half full of recipes. When I wanted to try a new recipe, just the idea of looking through the stacks of recipes made me stop - there was so many, I didn't even want to sort through them.  I never use

Monster Cookie Recipe 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup) 1 cup granulated sugar 1 & 1/2 cup peanut butter 1 cup brown sugar 3 large eggs 2 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoon vanilla 4 & 1/2 cup quick oats 1 cup chocolate chips 1 cup M & M's 1. Cream butter, sugars, and peanut butter together 2. Add the eggs, soda, and vanilla and blend well 3. Stir in chocolate chips and M & M's until well blended 4. Bake in a 350 degree oven. Do not bake cookies any longer than 10 minutes. The cookies will set up as they cool.

Looking for a quick brunch idea for a special occasion, or maybe just a little something special to serve your family this weekend? Try these Cream Cheese Roll-ups - they are quick, easy and taste amazing with a cold glass of fresh milk! Ingredients 1 loaf of white bread 1 bar (8oz) of cream cheese  softened 3/4 - 1 cup powdered sugar ¾ cups sugar 1 TB cinnamon ½ cup butter, melted Instructions With a rolling pin, flatten bread. (I used 12 slices.)                                     In a small bowl combine cream cheese and powdered sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl combine sugar and cinnamon - set aside. Spread 1 - 1½ tablespoons of cream cheese mixture onto each flattened bread piece and roll up.                                        Dip each rolled bread into melted butter and then into the cinnamon and sugar mix. (I have found using a paper plate for the melted butter and cinnamon sugar, makes it easier and is less mess!)

Raspberry season is almost here....so, thought I'd share a Raspberry Chocolate Torte recipe for you to enjoy! INGREDIENTS:                   1 cup butter, softened 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup baking coco GLAZE: 1/4 cup boiling water 4 teaspoons raspberry gelatin 2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam TOPPING: 2 cups (12 ounces ) semisweet chocolate chips 2 cartons (8 ounces each) frozen whipped topping, thawed 2 cups fresh raspberries DIRECTIONS: Line a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with waxed paper. grease the paper. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and cocoa; gradually beat into the creamed mixture. Transfer to prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minute

It's a beautiful, windy, day in East Central Indiana..... The sun is out and I have tulips peeping through the ground in my flower beds, which makes me very happy! Spring will be here in 20 days, 6 hrs, 42 min and a few seconds.... but who's counting, right!?!?! Here's a cookie recipe that we like. It is light and fluffy and reminds me of Spring. Enjoy! Lemon Crinkle Cookies   Makes 2-3 dozen                                   ½ cups butter, softened                    1 cup granulated sugar                                   ½ teaspoons vanilla extract              1 whole egg                                   1 teaspoon lemon zest                      1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice                                   ¼ teaspoons salt                              ¼ teaspoons baking powder                                   ⅛ teaspoons baking soda                 1-½ cup all-purpose flour                                                            

This year I made serving stands for my mom, sisters, and sister in laws for Christmas. They were so much fun to make and pretty easy too.  I started by shopping thrift stores. I tried to buy a tea cup or small dish or plate as a topper, two vases or candle holders (turned upside down) and three plates - small, medium, and large, for each serving stand. I actually didn't buy dishes with the thought of my siblings taste in colors at all - I just randomly purchased plates, and cups that I thought looked unique.... the shopping part was fun! After I got everything purchased, I took an evening and started putting different plates together. I kept trying different colors and patterns, until I got a set that I liked. Then I stacked them together and started doing the same for the next one, etc. After I decided on the colors and plates for each serving stand, I started gluing them together. I used gorilla glue for glass and pottery that dried clear. The tr

With all the cold, dreary weather we have had lately, I decided Sunday morning that I was gonna make some warm yummy goodness for my family. I found this recipe the other day over at The Recipe Critic and just had to try it out. It turned out so good, I just had to share.... I did tweek it to our family's liking just a little. I made a double batch and was glad I did.... they tasted just as good 'leftover' as they did coming straight from the oven! Cinnamon Roll Twists Dough: 1½ cups warm water 3 Tbsp. sugar 1 Tbsp. yeast 3 cups flour 1/2 cup Instant Shaklee Protein 1 tsp salt Mix warm water, sugar and yeast together. Let that sit for 5 minutes. Add flour and salt to the water, sugar, and yeast. Mix this until smooth and let it raise for 10 minutes. I used my kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook and it was so easy and worked great! NOTE: I used about 1 cup more flour than the recipe called for. Roll out the dough in a large square on a flou

Monster Truck Birthday Cake  (the cake was cameo colored inside) Have a Beautiful Day Cake Christmas Gingerbread House Cake Stephen's 36th Birthday  (I paid for him to fly a plane for his birthday gift....)  Birthday Neon Colored Cake Case Tractor Cake Hubby's 35th Birthday Campfire Cake complete with hard-tact candy flames, a battery operated flicker candle,  Pirouette wafer  logs, and roasted marsh mellows! - This was a fun cake to make! Candy cake 40th Anniversary Cake with floral center piece 60th Birthday Butter Pecan Cake Fireworks Cake 4th of July Cake 60th Anniversary Cake with Peony Floral Center Piece    60th Anniversary Sheet Cake Baby Welcome Cake  (complete with baby shoes) Chocolate Designs Birthday Cake Teen Birthday Cake 80th Birthday Cake Raspberry torte Cake Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Angle Wedding Cake Dump Truck Birthday Cake

This time of year there is so much flu, strep throat and just plain colds and coughs going around.  You can't be on social media or talk to friends without someone (or lots of someones) being sick in some kind of way.  So, if that is you, I want to tell you - you don't have to be 'sick' any longer. Your body just needs the right nutrients to be able to heal itself. Today, I want to post a recipe for REAL Vitamin Water..... it works wonders and taste's great! This is my favorite recipe to use for an all-natural solution for my family, especially the kids. It supports their immune system, but doesn’t disrupt their nervous system, which means, NO nasty side effects. It’s dye free, artificial sugar free and best of all, tastes great. Really easy to put in thermos to sip on during the school day too! Super Easy, Healthy, recipe to keep you and your family well! This can be used as a preventative when everyone around you is sniffling or for comfort to kick th

Shaklee’s Basic G                                   The safest disinfectant on the market! Nonflammable, Biodegradable & Non-toxic. Cleans, Disinfects & Deodorizes. Kills up to 99% of bacteria. Mix 3/8 teaspoon to 16 oz spray bottle. Mix 1 tablespoon to 1 gallon of water. Because it is so concentrated, a little goes a long way and saves your wallet!     (Once mixed, use in 30 days) Basic-G has a 3 year shelf life. Its residual effectiveness lasts up to 3 days after application. Chlorine (bleach) used as a disinfectant is effective no more than 1 hour . The many uses of Basic-G … In the Bathroom: Toilets ~ Garbage Pails ~ Diaper Pails ~ Sinks and Faucets ~ Showers Pet Areas In the kitchen Countertops ~ Cutting Boards ~ Faucet and Sink ~ Refrigerator Handles ~ Floors After preparing eggs, chicken & meats to kill Salmonella Trash Cans ~ Door Knobs Makes the best weed killer, and it is safe. 1-gallon Water 1-tblspn of Shaklee