Linda @ Linda’s Lunacy

Taco Pasta Salad Recipe

March 23, 2017 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

My whole family loves this Taco Pasta Salad. I’ve been making it for over 10 years now. This recipe is from the July/August 2006 issue of Country Woman Magazine. Everyone that I have served it to, loves it. Hope you do too!

Taco Pasta Salad Recipe

3 cups uncooked spiral pasta
1 pound ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
3 3/4 teaspoons cider vinegar
3 3/4 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon ground mustard
7 cups torn iceberg lettuce
1 – 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cups crushed nacho tortilla chips

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasoning; heat through.

2. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, milk, vinegar, sugar and mustard; set aside.

3. Drain pasta; place in a large bowl. Add beef and mayonnaise mixture; toss to coat. Add lettuce, tomatoes and cheese; toss to combine. Sprinkle with tortilla chips.

Serves 12-14

Linda’s Notes:

You can use any bite size pasta. I have also used elbow, shells and other shaped pasta. They all work well.
I don’t like mustard, so I don’t use it.
I have used all kinds of lettuce, not just iceberg. I use raw spinach, too.
You can also use plain tortilla chips. Or none. I often serve this without chips.
We like to sprinkle the cheese on the top, instead of stirring in.
It’s delicious served warm like the recipe says. I also make this ahead of time and refrigerate. Served cold with or without chips it makes a great summer meal.

Bacon Cheddar Cheese Dip

March 17, 2017 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I made this Bacon Cheddar Cheese Dip last week, and my family devoured it! Of course, my family loves anything with bacon. lol I went grocery shopping today and bought more supplies to make it for them again this weekend.

Bacon Cheddar Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

1/2 pound bacon, chopped or crumbled
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients until well blended. Place into oven proof bowl (see notes below), smoothing the top.

Bake at 350 for approximately 10 minutes. Time will vary according to the size of your bowl or pan. The bacon is already cooked, so you just need it to be hot and the cheese melty.

Serve warm with your favorite crackers.

Linda’s Notes:

I divided this recipe into two of the bowls shown in the pictures, each with about 1 1/4 cups of dip before baking. You could use a larger bowl, or even a 9×5 pan, and adjust the cooking time.

I used turkey bacon, but you could certainly use pork bacon.

You can also serve this with chips, instead of crackers. A pita chip would be great with it.

It’s so good!

You Call THAT a Serving Size?!

March 15, 2017 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

My family laughs at serving sizes.

My kids laugh.

My husband laughs.

I hear “You call THAT a serving size?!” all the time!

I am the only one in my family that cares about serving sizes. Well, of the family members that still live at home. A couple of my adult kids now care about serving sizes, although they didn’t when they were younger.

You Call THAT a Serving Size?!

I have to say that I agree with my family. Sometimes! Some of the serving sizes are laughable. Like the serving size of a banana is 1/2 of one. Or 3 crackers. Who only eats three crackers with their soup? Of course, if you are having one serving of cheese, which a one ounce serving is about the size of a pair of dice, then 3 crackers would be proportionate.

I have always tried to teach my kids to eat healthy foods. I did let them have sugar snacks, too, I just tried to teach them moderation. That mostly worked until they got old enough to have money. Then they would run to the store and buy lots of junk food. Then proceed to eat it in front of me, “Look! I’m more then the serving size!”. lol They outgrew that, thankfully. They figured out that they would never have money for anything else if that kept spending all their money on junk food. An important lesson to learn for when they start doing their own grocery shopping.

Despite my family laughing at serving sizes, I still try to fight the good fight to try to teach them healthy eating. And that it’s ok to have snacks sometimes, too, in modest portions. Because how sad would life be without baking (& eating!) cookies with your kids, having birthday cake, wedding cake, and mom or grandma’s special dessert?

So if your family is like mine and laughs at serving sizes, just keep reminding them. Telling them, and showing them, what the correct servings sizes are will sink in eventually. Maybe not until they are adults, but you will have set them up for a lifetime of healthy eating.

Canvas Factory Photo Canvas Review & Giveaway

March 2, 2017 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I, like most people, like to display family pictures. Sometimes, you have a great picture that deserves to be set apart from the rest. That’s what I love about photo canvas prints. They make the great pictures extra special. I was recently able to order a photo canvas print from the Canvas Factory to review.

The Canvas Factory has a simple mission – to make online photo printing easy and affordable for everyone. I found their website very easy to use. I simply uploaded my picture, then chose the size & shape I wanted. You can upload pictures from your computer, Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox or Flickr. They accept png, jpg, gif, bmp, & tif files. They make it really easy to do!

There are many options to choose from. Photo canvas prints come in several different sizes in square, rectangular, and panoramic pictures. I chose the 16×20 portrait size.You can also choose how you want the edges finished, as well. I chose to wrap the picture around the sides.

I was really excited when my photo canvas print was delivered! It came wrapped in plastic and packaged in cardboard. The front of the package had overlapping flaps, so be careful when cutting the tape because your canvas print is right underneath it.

Canvas Factory Photo Canvas Review & Giveaway

My photo canvas print is awesome! The 16×20 size is perfect for hanging in any room. This picture is a picture of the actual photo canvas print hanging on the wall.

The printing on the cavas is very well done. Here’s a close up of the canvas print. Up close, you can see the canvas. The weave is so close, that when you stand back a few feet to look at the canvas, you can’t see the weave.

I had a great experience ordering my photo canvas print. The ordering process was very smooth. They have a fast turn around. I ordered it one day, and it shipped the next.

The only con that I experienced is that there is no way to edit your pictures on the website. I recommend enlarging your pictures and checking them for imperfections before uploading to the website. This is especially important if you are using an older picture, like I did. My picture was scanned into the computer. There was a white spot on my picture that wasn’t supposed to be there, but was not noticeable unless it was enlarged. So there was a white spot on my print. After receiving my print, I checked the picture on my computer, and when enlarged, the white spot is there. This was totally my fault, not the company’s. We were able to touch up the white spot so it is not noticeable in the print now. So check your pictures, especially your older, scanned pictures, before uploading.

My photo canvas hanging on the wall:

These photo canvas’s made great gifts, too! I had this one made to give my mother for Mother’s Day. It came out so great I didn’t want to wait to give it to her. She loves it! She’s been showing it to everyone that comes in the house, telling them how much she loves it.

Enter to win a Canvas Factory Photo Canvas!

The winner of this giveaway will receive a code to enter when ordering their 16×20 print from Canvas Factory. To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Don’t forget to read the terms and conditions on the form!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” My opinions are my own.

Homemade Cream of Whatever Soup Recipe

February 22, 2017 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

*This post contains affiliate links.

I don’t normally buy cream soups, so this is perfect for me to keep on hand for cooking.

I had some cubed steaks in the freezer from our 1/2 cow that we bought. I put them in the crockpot with the soup made from this mix. They were so good!

When we have deer meat, I also like to cook it in the crockpot with this cream soup. Any meat, actually, is good cooked in this cream soup.

I don’t like mushrooms, so this cream soup is perfect for me to use in place of cream of mushroom soup in recipes.

Cream of Whatever Soup Recipe

2 cups powdered milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup instant chicken bouillon powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine these and store in an airtight container.

To use for soup, combine 1/3 C mix and 1-1/2 C water. Bring to a boil while stirring often. Add a vegetable for more flavor, such as diced celery, sliced mushrooms , or some diced broccoli.

To substitute for canned cream soup: Mix 1/3 cup mix with 1 1/4 cups water. Boil for a few minutes, stirring well to prevent sticking.

The chicken bouillon can be replace with beef, or vegetable.

If you only have bouillon cubes, you can unwrap the cubes, place in a zip top freezer bag, and crush.

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12 of My Favorite Recipes that I Use Again and Again

February 16, 2017 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

Everyone in my family has their favorite foods that they like to eat all the time. So I find myself make these recipes again and again.

I hope you find some new favorites for your family!

12 of My Favorite Recipes that I Use Again and Again

Cincinnati-Style Chili – This chili served over spaghetti is so good! It has a different taste to it than the chili with beans that is eaten like a soup/stew. I didn’t put a lot of cheese on it for the picture so you could actually see the chili, but cheese piled high and covering it all is the traditional way to serve Cincinnati-Style Chili.

Jag – is a recipe I got from my mother in law years ago. They got it from a lady from Portugal when she made it for them. They said she made hers with fish. Jag is an easy, one pan dish that everyone will love. Even kids!

Skillet Sausage Pasta – This easy skillet dinner is so good! My whole family loves it.

Chicken Pasta Salad – I’ve been making this recipe for over 20 years. It’s one of our favorite summer meals. So good!

Macaroni Salad – This is the best macaroni salad I have ever had! I got this recipe about 10 years ago from an email group I was in. It has just the right balance of vinegar and sugar.

Fried Green Tomatoes – This is a southern dish that others in the country are finding out about. My husband loves these! He would pick all the tomatoes in our garden when they were green if I let him! Sliced green tomatoes freeze great, so we can enjoy these all winter.

World’s Easiest Candy – This candy is a favorite of my whole family, and everyone that we have given it to. Like the name says, it the easiest candy to make.

Chocolate Marble Loaf – I started making this recipe over 30 years ago. This cake baked in a loaf pan is so moist and delicious. You don’t frost it, though. Served with whipped cream, and maybe a drizzle of chocolate sauce, and it’s a dessert great for the family and company alike.

Gluten Free Applesauce Gingerbread – I love making this around the holidays as these are the flavors that are usually served that time of year. I have made this cake with regular all purpose wheat flour and gluten free all purpose flour. It’s yummy either way.

Brownies are a favorite of many, many people. Including my family! This recipe makes 2 13×9 pans of brownies. If you are not serving them to a crowd, brownies freeze great. Frozen brownies thaw quickly at room temperature so are very convenient to have on had for when friends visit.

Banana Bread – This recipe can be made with wheat flour (white) or can be made gluten free. And it tastes great either way!

Quick, Easy No Bake Granola Bars – So easy & so good!

My Top 5 Tips to Make Your Homeschool Day Easier

February 13, 2017 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

*This post contains affiliate links

We finished our homeschool journey last year. And what a journey it was!

We started homeschooling our oldest in 1991 when he started kindergarten. Our youngest graduated last year. 28 years! That’s a long time! Some days were amazing. And some days were very, very bad. I learned a few things over the years about how to make my homeschooling life easier.

My Top 5 Tips to Make Your Homeschool Day Easier

–Menu planning
Preparing meals is a large part of our day. planning meals ahead of time makes a huge difference in the amount of time we have to spend in the kitchen. And it saves money, too! Check out some of my dinner menus if you need ideas. When food is ready on time, and the family is fed and happy, there is so much less stress for mom.

-Morning routine

Mornings can be hectic! Having a morning routine will help you get a great start to your day. Figure out the top 5 or 6 things that will make the most difference in your day. My morning routine has things like dressing to shoes (I work better in tied on shoes then in slippers), eating breakfast yourself (moms often feed the kids but don’t take the time to eat themselves) emptying the dishwasher, putting supper in the slow cooker, etc.

Don’t forget to make the kids their own morning routines. Hang their list in a prominent spot where it is easier for them to see and do. Help them to accomplish the tasks at first, like make bed, brush teeth, a household chore or two, working with them until they become self sufficient completing the list.

-Set aside an hour or two as quiet time – little ones nap, older ones (and you!) rest quietly on their beds and read. You can either nap your self, read, or catch up on work. Quiet work so you don’t wake the kids!

–Develop an afternoon school routine – include those things that will clean up the school area, put away school supplies, grade papers, file papers, gather all the books and supplies you will need the next day, etc. Whatever you feel needs to be done so you have a less cluttered school area, so you can get a good start the next morning

-Enjoy your day! Yes, being responsible for our kids education is serious business. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the journey! Laugh at your little ones attempt at jokes, laugh with your kids about something the baby or toddler just did. Laughing breaks during school are the best kind! Do something fun in the middle of the day. Take pictures of the crazy positions you find your kids in while doing their schoolwork.

Don’t let the challenges of homeschooling rob you of the joy of homeschooling!

Here are some of my favorite homeschool books!

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