Dinner is ready fast with this easy recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup made with tender shredded chicken and combined with tomatoes, beans and green peppers. Top the soup with tortilla chips, cheddar cheese and sour cream for a very hearty and delicious recipe! Looking for more soup recipes? Check out all my family's favorites in Best […]
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Mother's Day Brunch Table Settings
Easy tips for Mother's Day Brunch Table Settings with a mix of old and new plates, glasses and more from two generations. Today I'm going to share with you some photos from our Mother/Daughter Brunch at church last Saturday. Our Pastor's wife, Kelly, asked a few ladies to coordinate the Mother's Day […]
Cinco de Mayo Menu Ideas
Happy Cinco de Mayo Day! Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, has evolved into a HUGE celebration of Mexican culture and heritage here in the United States. Traditions include parades, mariachi musical performances and street festivals in cities and towns across Mexico and the United States. In Mexico, it's a relatively minor holiday, […]
Brie Filled Phyllo Cups
You're going to love easy this recipe for Brie Filled Phyllo Cups comes together and your family is going to love how delicious they are! Explore the other Easy Appetizers available that you can prepare for your family and friends. Every now and then you need a recipe that is quick, easy and most importantly impressive. […]
Fall Printable...
I have a new found love...Printables. What a great and fun way to change the decor in your home. AND I've been having some fun creating my own... Click HERE if you would like to print out the above Fall Printable.
How to Test if Your Baking Soda is Fresh
We all have a box sitting in our pantry that we reach for when we're getting ready to bake. But how long ago did you purchase that box? Do you even know if the baking soda is still fresh? Baking soda does lose it's effectiveness over time. Here's a simple test to do before […]
Puff Pastry Apple Tart
If baking with pie dough intimidates you, you're going to love how easy this Puff Pastry Apple Tart is that doesn't use traditional pie crust dough. Instead I layer thin apple slices combined with a cinnamon/sugar mixture on top of a single sheet of puff pastry. This puff pastry recipe will defintely impress your family […]
Freezing Peppers
With my Colonel gone this year, I only planted a small garden and I didn't plant any peppers. BUT my neighbor did and he brought over some peppers recently. I didn't have any use for them right away, so I decided to freeze them for the future... Here's how I freeze garden-fresh peppers to […]
Labor Day Recipes
Do you have any plans for the Labor Day Weekend? My son has a football game Saturday and then on Sunday we are heading to New York to visit with my brother and family. If you're planning your menu, here are a few recipe ideas for your Labor Day BBQ's and parties... […]
Roasted Plum Tomatoes
Last week I shared two ways I love to enjoy fresh tomatoes with Tomato Salad and Focaccia. Let me show you how easy it is to enjoy roasted plum tomatoes fresh from the garden this summer. Roasted Plum Tomatoes Ingredients 12 plum tomatoes, cut in half or quartered ¼ cup olive oil 1 tbsp. […]
Cool Whip Frozen Graham Cracker Sandwiches
Cool Whip Frozen Graham Cracker Sandwiches - made with chocolate graham crackers and frozen whipped topping. They're easy desserts for when you're trying to watch what you eat but you still want something sweet! Let me show you how easy these are to make. Updated May 2022: If you are having trouble finding chocolate graham […]
Memorial Day 2013
Memorial Day...the start of summer and the BBQ season. But first let's remember why we can celebrate and have fun with our family and friends. Something our family does before we sit down to eat or head out for fun is read The Gettysburg Address. This year we're not doing anything special. My Colonel was […]
Saving Buttermilk
Yesterday I shared a recipe for Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits. The only problem is, the recipe calls for only ¾ cup of buttermilk and buttermilk is not cheap. Here's what I did...
Skinny Taste Chicken Stuffed with Spinach and Ricotta Cheese
Looking for a delicious, lightened-up chicken recipe that doesn’t skimp on flavor? This Skinnytaste-Style Baked Chicken is the perfect combination of crispy, cheesy, and juicy—all while keeping things simple and wholesome. With a golden, crunchy coating and gooey melted cheese on top, this dish is a family favorite that feels indulgent but fits right into […]
All Clad Panini Press
A few years ago my Colonel gave me a new set of All Clad pots and pans for Christmas. Don't worry, I was THRILLED. Along with the set came a panini grill pan and press, for FREE. I haven't used it too many times, but I took it out the other night and decided we […]
Gallbladder Surgery
So it seems the stomach issues I've been experiencing for the past year have been due a non-functioning gallbladder. I finally was able to have the HIDA scan on Monday. Early Wednesday morning, 1:00 to be exact, I woke up with the same symptoms, pain, pain, pain and horrible vomiting. My Colonel […]
Chicken Cacciatore....Skinny Taste Style
Chicken Cacciatore Skinny Taste Style is a healthy version of the traditional recipe only cooked in the slow cooker till the chicken and vegetables are tender. This is another family favorite crock pot recipe you'll be making over and over again. I love being able to put a meal together early in the morning and […]
Italian Wedding Soup
Italian Wedding Soup is a family favorite filled with little meatballs, carrots, celery and bow tie pasta in a delicious chicken broth. Italian Wedding Soup My children love this soup. It's easy to put together and filling enough for dinner. I like to have fresh Italian bread to serve alongside it. I don't follow […]
Pumpkins
Welcome to Tuesday's Question! A day when I get to ask you a question about anything... "What is your favorite thing about Fall?" This is a HARD question to answer because there are so many things that I love about this season, but my favorite has to be... Pumpkins. […]
Easy Quick Focaccia Bread
Easy, Quick and Delicious Focaccia Made with a YEAST dough! You can be enjoying this in under 30 minutes. A few weeks ago I found this recipe and I wanted to share it with you today. It uses a YEAST dough, but you don't have to wait for it to rise or do any kneading...REALLY. […]
Chocolate Covered FROZEN Bananas
Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas are the perfect treat for when you're watching what you eat but still need something sweet at the end of a long day. Something happens when you freeze fruit...they really do taste almost like ice cream. Add melted chocolate and peanut butter and you have another easy dessert recipe for the […]
Silver Anniversary Part Two
I hope everyone had a great day yesterday. Did you see some fireworks? We went to my sister's house and had a wonderful time AND a little surprise celebration to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary! If you remember, the Colonel was MIA for our anniversary AGAIN...the third year in a row, but who's counting? We […]
Skirt Steak Grilled to Perfection
One of my absolute favorite meals to eat in the summer is Skirt Steak. Which is a far cry from when I was a little girl and a teenager...I didn't like steak at all. My mother would make steak every Sunday in the summer because it was an easy meal to get on […]
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cake
Calling all home cooks looking for an easy and delicious homemade cake recipe! This peanut butter chocolate chip cake from a cake mix with homemade chocolate ganache is guaranteed to be a hit! Combining your favorite flavors of peanut butter and chocolate, it's hard not to love this decadent dessert that takes minimal effort...all you […]
Great is Thy Faithfulness
A quick update on my Mom. Surgery went well. She was off the ventilator 2 hours AFTER surgery. She is still in the ICU/Heart Unit at the hospital and will be there until they release her to come home; probably another 4 days. The doctor said mom's valve was so narrow he didn't know how […]
Gettysburg
On Saturday The Colonel, his brother and wife and our son Michael all got in the car and made the over 2 hour drive to Gettysburg, PA. I was doing what every other Italian mom was doing the DAY BEFORE EASTER... I was staying home to COOK! So the best I can do is share […]
Mom's 80th Birthday Party
This week's Tuesday's Question is an EASY ONE as I've been away from my blog for awhile... "What has everyone been up to?" Life was DIFFICULT last week with the loss of our dear friend Arlene, and at the same time, life was WONDERFUL with the celebration of my mom's 80th birthday with a party here at […]
Garlic Knots...
The other day for dinner I made calzones and I had extra pizza dough leftover; happens quite frequently when I make calzones. So I decided to do something different with the dough and made garlic knots. We love to order them from our favorite pizzeria! GARLIC KNOTS... Ingredients: Pizza dough Melted butter Garlic Parsley You […]
Everyday Life
As most of you know, our daughter Olivia is in her first year of college down in Florida. When she was a junior in high school, she started to prepare for the dreaded SAT test she knew she needed to take in order to be accepted at the college of her choice. We did what […]
Saturday
Usually on Saturday's I spend a few minutes introducing you to one of the many blogs that I read. And I had hoped to do this today as well, but life gets busy and we're leaving in a little while to pick up our daughter from the airport. She is coming home for CHRISTMAS! She […]
Christmas is HERE!
CHRISTMAS has arrived at Walking on Sunshine. Our Christmas tree. Yes, it's a Christmas tree, not a Holiday tree as many people would love to change the whole meaning of Christmas... Our tree is full of ornaments that Olivia and Michael have made and even ornaments that I made when I was a […]
Sausage and Peppers
I've been wanting to share my recipe for Sausage and Peppers for some time, but kept thinking It's Too Simple and Easy. But this morning I thought, "I love SIMPLE and EASY." And besides,who has time to make a recipe that requires 20 ingredients? Sausage and Peppers... Trust me, it's good. It's really good. More importantly,it's really […]
Thanksgiving Recap 2011
A week ago today I was cooking up a storm! Getting ready for the BIG day... Thanksgiving! Today, I'd like to share with you a few pictures of Thanksgiving Day here at our house. My centerpiece made from a "hollowed" out pumpkin and a few bunches of flowers... The table... Close-up of the […]
I Am Thankful
I am thankful for: The mess to clean up after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends. The taxes I pay because it means that I'm employed, well the Colonel is! My shadow who watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine. The […]
Leftover Pie Crust Cookies
Yesterday I shared with you Chicken Pot Pie with Homemade Pie Crust. Most of the time when you're cooking with pie crust, either homemade or store-bought, you have leftover dough. What to do besides eating it raw? When I was a little girl my mother use to take the dough and sprinkle the pieces with […]
It's Looking Like Fall
Like many other bloggers, Fall is my favorite season. It's actually the Colonel's favorite season also. So, the other day I asked the Colonel to please bring my "orange" boxes up from the storage room. Felt so good to unpack them. I didn't unpack them last year. My Colonel was in Afghanistan last year and […]
Olivia's Mac and Cheese
When Olivia was a baby, she LOVED mac and cheese. I use to make it, home-made of course, and freeze it in ice cube trays. But as she grew, her love for mac and cheese changed and she would only eat mac and cheese from a box. Last year I experimented with the […]
Mean Mom
Yes, I am a Mean Mom. I won't let you drive to work when it's snowing outside and the town we live in forgets to send out the salt trucks. I will pick you up at 11:30 at night because the snow that fell earlier is now turning to ice and the town we live […]
Emergency Appendectomy - Olivia
Remember how much fun it was for me when my daughter woke me up at 4:00 in the morning on Monday to tell me how she just threw up? Well she threw up all morning and had such a high fever. And she never left her bed. Well the guest room bed since her bed […]
Alarm Clock...
About a year ago I stopped using our clock radio as an alarm. It just kept forgetting to go off! Not a good thing when you have to get up at a certain time to get the kids on the bus or for the Colonel to leave for his drive back down to Ft. Dix […]
I'm Here!
This week has been CRAZY. I've hardly had any time to blog, as you all can tell by the lack of posts this week. AND, I've hardly had any time to visit your blogs! That never happens. I always find time to at least read what's going on in your lives through my […]
Deck the Halls...
Today I am joining Susan at Thoughts From Over the Rainbow for her Deck the Halls Party and sharing with you my Christmas Department 56 Village Collection. I have seven lighted houses. I love each house, but especially the "Apple Valley Schoolhouse." When Olivia was just 5 years old, the Colonel took her shopping and had […]







































