Blog Posts by ShiningLight

This is an easy and quick recipe that everyone will like. You can vary the ingredients to make it the way each person in your family likes it. In the Napoleon Dynamite movie - quesadillas - are pronounced wrong with the double "L" sound. Our family finds this very funny. So everytime I make this recipe, we end up laughing at the incorrect pronunciation.

Chicken QuesadiLLas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the following:

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup cooked chicken

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Salsa or tomatos to taste.

You will also need 8 flour tortillas.

Spread the mixture on each tortilla. Leave 1/2" border around the edges. Roll up and seal edges with a bit of water. Top with a small amount of salsa, or tomato slices, if desired, and sprinkle with more cheddar cheese.

Place on a baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until heated through.

Tip: You can brush this with brown enchilada sauce. You can buy enchilada sauce in

The recession has caused people to skip going out to dinner. If you use this service you can save at least 1/2 off your meal. This is great for families and everyone who wants to save money.

Go to restaurant.com . Type in the zip code or browse by city or state. A list of restaurants will show what discount certificates are available. There is a menu link for you to check what items are going to cost. Pay for it, print it out, and your off to dinner.




For example, a $25.00 certificate may cost $10.00. A $50.00 certificate may cost $20.00.

You can use this for traveling, too. This has the potential to save BIG.

Note: There is usually a minimum purchase and tipping is based on pre-certificate cost.

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Dinner in 20 minutes: Fettuccine Alfredo

Everyone needs to eat more fruits and veges. Try teaching yourself and your kids the game of colors. 5 a day the color way. This is a slogan from Sunkist, the orange people. It's a great way to think about what you have eaten today. Have you eaten a red today? Tomato slices, radishes, red peppers... Have you eaten a green day? Cucumber, lettuce, peas... You get the idea. This is easy to remember.

5 a day the color way. This link gives excellent advice on fruits and vegetables. There is a fruit and vege database, ways to eat fruit and veges for a family on a budget, healthy dinner recipes, a list of what fruit is in season, etc...

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Basic Salad Dressing

Homemade Granola

Free samples from Walmart

Free Lego magazine subscription

Vinegar has been used for centuries. It is cheap and eco-friendly. Everyone knows you can use it with water to wash your windows. But there are many more uses. Check these out:

• Put a dish of vinegar in a freshly painted room to remove the paint smell.

• Athlete's Foot? Soak your feet in vinegar to remove the itch.

• For really dirty windows, add a few drops of dish detergent.

• Vinegar and water with a bit of rubbing alcohol will clean laminate - Pergo - floors beautifully.

For more uses.

Stay home - save money. Don't go out shopping at all. You know you will spend it if you have it or even if you don't. Instead, check out these fascinating websites. They are sure to keep you amused.

Dead or Alive? - track celebs and other famous people.

On This Day in History - type in a date and see what happened.

Magic Eye - Remember these at the mall?

Isketch.net - draw it, guess it. This is very addicting.

Saturday, Sept. 26th is Smithsonian Magazine's Museum Day. Visit your local museums All FREE.

Participating venues.

To print your ticket.

For more info:

Tip: Don't forget to take a few bucks for parking.

Here are a few back to school quotes and phrases to make you smile. Can you guess who said what?

1. "Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school."

2. "The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing."

3. "You can get all A's and still flunk life."

4. "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."

5."Being a child at home alone in the summer is a high-risk occupation. If you call your mother at work thirteen times an hour, she can hurt you."

Tip of the day: Make muffins on the weekend, freeze in ziploc bags, take out and microwave 10-15 seconds on school day mornings for a quick breakfast.

1. Albert Einstein

2. Socrates

3. Walker Percy

4. William Butler Yeats

5. Erma Bombeck


You might also like: How to make a pinata.

Barbie Games
Back to School Games

Never buy croutons from the store again. A bag costs over a $1.00 and there is, maybe 3 slices of bread in the bag. Make your own. It doesn't take that much time and they will taste better too.

Basic Croutons

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic - finely minced
approx. 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning or 1 teaspoon each basil and oregano
4 cups bread cut into cubes

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Place the butter, olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning in a microwave safe dish. Microwave on high for approximately 30 seconds, just long enough to melt the butter. Stir.

In a large bowl, toss the cubed bread with the melted butter and seasoning.

Spread the seasoned bread cubes on a baking sheet, in a single layer. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until the bread is toasted. Your house will smell wonderful.

Store in an airtight container. This lasts for around 2 weeks in a dark cupboard.

Tips: Use the ends of the