Trip to a secret cave

I was looking up stuff to do on our end of summer trip to Hot Springs and ran across a video on YouTube posted by the Hot Springs Broadcast Network.  The video showed the way to a hidden cave in one of the park areas in Hot Springs.  I had seen the park on a previous trip, but we had not explored it.  The video was in two parts and only showed how to get to the trail in part one, and arriving at the cave in part 2.  We had done a little cave exploring in a previous trip to Arkansas.  We went to Blanchard Springs Caves and loved it!  We were there on Christmas Eve that visit and we were the only ones on the tour.  The tour guide was great and because it was just us, he took extra time and showed us some stuff that they don't always show you on the regular tour.  We also did a little hiking then and explored some small caves and cliffs near where we were staying.  So, after that trip we were excited to find a "secret" cave on this trip.  The trail was easy to find after watching the video.

After going through the bushes a little ways, the trail starts going up.  The video said it gets a little steep... I soon figured out why there was no video of them going up the trail.  It would have been very hard to climb the trail holding a camera.  The trail pretty much goes straight up.  The picture above is not the actual trail we were on, it was an offshoot, but it shows how steep the trails were.  The trail to the cave was made harder to climb because there was a ton of loose rock, which made it hard to get a solid footing.  I had to use the random small trees to help pull myself up a lot of the trail.  I realized how out of shape I was when going up, and really didn't know if I was going to make it to the top.  But, I do know that determination and prayer can get you through (and up).  I made it to the top and was extremely relieved to find the cave, which was very cool inside.  It was a hundred degrees that day, so it was nice to have a cool place to rest and catch my breath. 

These are pictures of the kids going into the entrance to the cave.

I really do recommend if you are up that way and have never been to this particular cave (and do not have very small children, elderly, handicapped, or very out of shape people with you) to go and check it out.  It was a really neat cave and though we were not fortunate enough to go when there were bats in it (there were in the video), it was still worth the climb.  I can say, the trip back down was much faster and much easier!

Glazed Cinnamon Scones

With a promise to make something special for breakfast (and no syrup for pancakes), this is what I came up with to eat this morning...

Scones:
2 c. Bisquick
1/3 c. milk
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Mix and form into 8 inch circle.  If it is sticky, use a little more Bisquick.  Place on greased cookie sheet.

Sprinkle top with sugar and cinnamon:

 

Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes.  While baking mix glaze topping...

Glaze: 

1 c. powdered sugar

3 tsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

 

(we didn't really like the vanilla flavor in the glaze, but I think I accidentally put in a whole tsp.)

 

 

Remove from oven, cut into triangles and drizzle glaze over top.



 

Then they are ready to eat!  My girls (6yrs and 10 years) loved them!  So quick and easy.

Two Minute Mirror Makeover

So, I have been going to paint the trim on our bathroom mirror since before we put it up.  Our bathroom is decorated in black and white, the mirror had a multicolored flower design around the edge... didn't match at all.  The other day, I saw some zebra striped duct tape and thought, that would be so easy, why haven't I thought of that before?  It literally took me two minutes to redo the mirror.  It is taking me longer to write this post than it took to do the project!
Here is the mirror before:

 

Here is what I used to redo it, yep that's it, just a roll of duct tape and a utility knife:

I put the tape down one side at a time, and trimmed the tape by running the knife down the edge of the frame:

Here is the finished mirror:

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls

So, I have been trying to get things ready for my daughter's shower that is in two weeks.  I found this recipe for cream cheese sausage balls, which you can make ahead and freeze.  You don't cook them until the day you want them, you just make them up and freeze them raw.  But, I am all for anything that saves time on the day of, especially since I am doing all of this by myself.  I have made sausage balls before, but not with the cream cheese in them. 

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls

1lb hot sausage, uncooked (I had coupons for some turkey breakfast sausage, so I used that and added some crushed red pepper, because it was not hot)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (zap it in the microwave for about 45 seconds and your are good to go)
1 1/4 c Bisquick
4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

If you are making them ahead, mix it up (I ended up using my hands, because it was too thick and sticky for any of my utensils to do any good), make balls (about 1").  I decided to flash freeze them so they wouldn't freeze all together in a clump.  Just put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer for thirty minutes to an hour, then put them into a ziplock and back in the freezer.  This is a picture of them getting ready to flash freeze:

 

 

 

If you cook them right away, preheat oven to 400 degrees, bake for 20-25 minutes or until brown.  If frozen when cook, add a few minutes to the baking time.

 

I cooked up a couple to make sure they tasted good :)  Yummy!  They are a little fluffier than the ones that don't have the cream cheese, which I like.  They did stick to the pan, so I suggest spraying the pan first, or using foil (which I like, because you can just lift them off the pan to cool and put on another sheet of foil for the next batch.



More Chicken OAMC recipes

So, there is really no rule to the OAMC.  Sometimes I do all of them in one or two days, and sometimes I just make several when I do cook.  Yesterday I made Black Bean Taco Soup for dinner, and made an extra for the freezer.  Today I made two recipes that involve cooking a lot of rice.  One for tonight and five for the freezer.  These are two new recipes that I have not tried before, but they are both super easy.  They are a little time consuming because you have to cook the rice (and I had to do it in two batches because my big pan lid doesn't seal right, so I had to use a smaller pan.)  Anyway, here they are:

Oh, the Black Bean Taco Soup is not a chicken recipe, but it was very good!

Black Bean Taco Soup  (This makes 2 bags, I adjusted it a little because I have a big family)

1 lb  lean ground beef (I used two lbs of taco turkey)
1 med chopped onion (I used onion powder to satisfy the kiddos)
1 pk mild taco seasoning mix
1 16oz bag frozen corn
1 can black beans ( I used 2 cans and this recipe said to drain and rinse, but I did neither, there didn't seem to be enough liquid to make it a soup)
1 can stewed tomatoes ( used one can diced tomatoes and one can of rotel, instead of the can of chilis)
1 8oz can tomato sauce (I used a 15oz can)
1 4oz can diced green chilis
1/4 cup olives (optional)

Brown meat and onion, drain.  Mix in other ingredients and put in bags. (I added a little water, like I said it wasn't "soupy" at all)
Write on bag:  thaw overnight, cook on high for 1-2 hours or low for 2-3.5 hours.  Serve with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream.

Tex Mex Chicken Casserole (makes 4 casseroles, I added a little rice and made 3)

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
8 cups cooked rice
2 cans rotel tomatoes (I used on can rotel and one can diced tomatoes, so it isn't too spicy for kids)
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 cans black beans, undrained
1 small can black olives, drained (I did not use these)
6 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Mix everything together except cheese.  Divide into 4 pans, top with cheese, cover and freeze.  I used ziplock bags, so I will add the cheese when I cook them.
Write on package:  thaw overnight, bake at 350 degrees until heated through and cheese is melted (everything is already cooked, so it just needs to be heated well)

Chicken Casserole (Makes 3 casseroles)

4 shredded, cooked chicken breasts
5 cups cooked rice (I used more rice to make enough for my family of 6)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
2 bags frozen peas and carrots
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. black pepper
3 cups French's onions (I did not use these)  for topping
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese  for topping

Combine cheese and onions together for topping if using pans.
Combine rest of ingredients and separate into 3 pans or bags.  If using bags, seal and freeze.  If using pans, put topping on meals, cover and freeze.

Put on package:  thaw overnight, cook at 350 degrees until heated through.  If used bags, put cheese and onions on top before cooking.

We are eating one of these tonight :)

Wonderfully Awesome and Easy Zesty Chicken

I just had to post this recipe.  I was in a hurry to find something to throw in the crockpot on the way to church so we would have lunch when we got home.  This recipe is simple, simple, simple!

Zesty Chicken
3-4 chicken breasts (I used a pack of about 12 small boneless chicken thighs that I picked up on sale)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package of cream cheese cubed
1 package zesty Italian dry dressing mix

put it all in the crockpot and let cook 4-5 hours on low.  Serve on rice or noodles.

I strongly suggest using chicken that is boneless, because it fell apart when I stirred it, which made it better to put over the rice.  I stirred it once to make sure the cream cheese was mixed in good right before I served it.  It was sooooo good, and the kids loved it too.  This is definitely a keeper!

OAMC Chicken recipes (and one ham)

I have been on a roll today... even had time to throw together 7 meals for the freezer.  Still have some more to do, but did the ones that don't require cooking right now.  Here are the three recipes I used:

Sweet BBQ Hawaiian Chicken (this amount makes one bag)
4-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1/3 c BBQ sauce
1 20 oz can Pineapple Chunks, undrained
1/3 c low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed (I did not use this because I used brown sugar BBQ sauce)
1 Tbs corn starch

Write on bag:  thaw overnight, cook in crockpot on low for 8 hours.  Serve over rice.

Salsa Chicken  (this amount makes one bag)
4-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 c salsa
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I used cream of chicken)
1/2 c reduced fat sour cream (do not put this in bag, you add this at end of cooking)

Write on bag:  thaw overnight, cook in crockpot low for 6-8 hours, stir in sour cream and serve over rice.

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham (this makes 2 bags)  (I had a lot of ham, so I made three bags, one without the broccoli and I split the soup between the three, but added a whole can of water to each bag.)
12 potatoes cut into 1/4 inch round slices or a large bag of frozen potatoes
(I used frozen hash browns, the little square ones.  I have heard that sometimes fresh potatoes turn black when you freeze them, and I have used the hash browns in other recipes)
2 cans cream of your choice soup (I used potato)
2 cans water
4 ham steaks, cubed
8 oz (1 c) cheddar cheese
2 c broccoli (I used frozen broccoli pieces)
salt and pepper

Write on bag:  thaw overnight, cook in crockpot on low for 8 hours.

These were super easy, I got all 7 bags done in about 20 minutes.