Holiday Favorites

Our Favorite Salmon Dip

 

1 lb of Salmon boiled, d-boned and shredded

2 Large Celery Stalks chopped fine

2  Green onions chopped fine

1/4 cup Lemon Juice

1 Cup Mayo... We use Hain Safflower Mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon White Pepper

1 Slice of white onion (about 1/4 cup) chopped fine

2 Tablespoons Dill Weed

1 teaspoon of Salt

12 Capers Chopped fine

Dash of Pepper

Cajun Season to taste

Serve with your favorite crackers... or you can use it for sandwiches, melts, wraps or as a topping for other fish dishes... Let your imagine run wild and enjoy!

Here's another family holiday favorite... I use to make a huge roaster of cheesy potatoes every Christmas eve for my kids... We'd throw it together early in the day and shove it in the oven and forget about it while we were getting ready for our traditional Christmas eve festivities...   It's one of those meals where you can add it to your favorite meat and vegetables... or like we did... we made a batch of salmon dip for an appetizer and had cheesy potatoes for our meal... I know I have a picture here somewhere but for some reason I can't seem to find it... Here is the recipe, I'll post the pic as soon as I come up with it...

 

Cheesy Potato's

 

2 cans Cream of Potato (10 3/4oz cans each)

2 cans Cream of Cheddar Cheese (10 3/4oz cans each)

2 Cups (16oz) Sour Cream

3 cans Milk (10 3/4oz cans)

Cream together in a large roaster to a nice consistency

Then add:

4 Bags  of frozen Ore Ida southern style hash browns 32 oz each (126oz or 8 pounds)

Stir together

Cover with Tinfoil, bake at 375' for a couple hours, stirring every 40 minutes... Bake for 3 hours or until desired consistency... Let cool before serving... Always better the next day...

You can garnish with some shredded cheddar/Mozzarella mix, bake an additional 30 minutes or until golden...Enjoy

~♥~

 

Adventure to Alaska for my son's wedding

Day 5... Wowzzzzzzaaaaaaa... Who said driving to Alaska  from Washington only took 4 days....lol …they must not be pulling a trailer or driving an RV... they must be driving one of those sports cars I see buzzing by and making me eat their dust...lol

I guess day one and day two can be meshed into one day of actual driving time as we didn't leave until 2PM the first day and barley made it over the Washington/Canada border before they closed...Then there was a hick-up with the breaks as I was driving into the board crossing making for a very interesting entry into Canada... I had to prove I hadn't been drinking as I kept skidding and squealing my breaks as I slowly tried to inch my way in line to the border control...evidently they didn't think that was a good thing even though I told the officer I didn't know what was wrong... I really didn't know...

After a quick trip inside, about 100 questions... a brief trip to the ladies room and interview with a very nice boarder control lady we were allowed into the beautiful country of Canada as we pass through to Alaska...

Day two... the morning was spent trying to figure out what the heck was wrong with the breaks... after a few phone calls... a lesson from a neighboring RV'er on how to adjust the external trailer break after I must of bumped it while waiting in the long line to cross the boarder... we were off and running again... I learned more about breaks then I ever cared to know...but now I'm glad I do... hopefully the next boarder entry will go much smoother...lol.

Day three, four and five...well there all starting to blend...

It's been quite the adventure... I can say I'm glad I'm doing it... but flying is so much faster and much less stressful... but I highly suggest everyone drive the Alcan Alaskan Highway at least once......lol....(just don't take HWY 29...lol.. short cut does not always mean better or faster...lol)

We've seen the most amazing places, animals, scenic views, majestic mountains and buffalo... We've soaked in the Laird hot springs while we watched a black bear eat berries off the bushes. We've barely made it up three mountains and felt like we were on a non-stop roller coaster on the way down... Thank God I learned how to use and adjust the breaks...lol.

We're almost there, we arrived in Whitehorse Yukon this evening and should be in Alaska sometime tomorrow evening, and Anchorage the next day if all goes according to plan, but we’ve learned one thing this trip, plans change, going with the flow bring about much more happiness and calm driving...

We can barely contain our excitement to get back to Alaska and to go home to see our boys, our neighbors and friends...Seeing the mountains, rivers, lakes, and wildlife made us homesick for Alaska... Seeing the snow on several of the mountain tips in the end of August made us appreciate and love our new home in Washington...Life is an adventure... No matter where you are, where you go, how you see it, or what you do with it... it's still an adventure... why not make it the best one ever...<3 <3 <3

Pictures are coming... check back soon!

 

Panic mode full throttle... so much to do, so little time, so many fun things happening today, this weekend, this week, this month all around me... yet here I sit frozen... panicked... what to do first? What can be eliminated? what can be done later? what is an absolute...? I need to write, make some art, pack...lol

Thank god it's not sunny or all would be thrown out the window for a pool day...lol.... OK enough procrastination... Back to the list before chemo on Monday, sick days on Tuesday and Wednesday, then off to Alaska on Thursday... Less than a week to go, I am sooooo excited...♥ ♥ ♥

Alaska, family, friends, birthday parties, anniversary's, camping, fishing, catch up, showers, rehearsals, parties, and a wedding... My middle son Zacharias Quam is getting married to his beautiful bride-to-be Dezirae Martinez. Our families are joining together and we couldn't be more pleased, more proud, more in love with her♥

Whew... I need to catch my breath... let everything soak in...
b~r~e~a~t~h~e~ take one moment at a time, enjoy each as it comes... This is life... to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, to forgive and to forget; from this day forward until death do us part. With much love forever and always....♥

“While the Cat’s Away… Giveaway Prize Winner...

Cats and Kittens Giveaway Prize Won

... is me.... I Won.... I'm soooooo excited!!!!! Happy Dance

I can't tell you how surprised I was today when I got on line to see that I had won one of the fantastic 7 day giveaways offered at Alpha Stamps. It was such a wonderful way to start my day and new year!  You have to go check them out at:  Alpha Stamps.com  to see what's new and all the wonderful things they have to offer. If you're looking for new ideas, inspiration, or just have a few minutes to spend exploring, it's always fun.  Every item on their blog is of high quality and filled with whimsy, love,  and attention to details... I love everything they have...hint, hint...lol... I especially loved the Circus themed items, their kitty cats, Alice in Wonderland, Puss in Boots, the Artsy Banner Clear Stamp Set (one of my absolute favorites), Blue Birds and Paris (great for the "I See London, I see France" Tag you're it! January tag art challenge exchange over at Roses On My Table).

Also don't forget to sign up for Alpha Stamps newsletters keeping you posted on what's in and all their fun new adventures.... you won't be disappointed!!!!

I couldn't be more pleased and filled with so much love and appreciation for everyone over at Alpha Stamps... Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!!  I can't wait to include the package in my next creative adventure....XOXOXOX