Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Grandma's Zucchini Pepper Relish Recipe

My grandmother was a great cook and made some of the best homemade food that I have ever tasted. She immigrated to the United States back in the 1940's from Italy and even though she cooked a lot of Italian food, she also cooked various dishes from other cuisines too. A few years before she passed...she started making this Zucchini Pepper Relish as a way to use up the massive amounts of zucchinis & peppers she harvested from her backyard garden.

This relish does take some time to prepare but it is absolutely delicious and well-worth your efforts. My hubby loves using this relish on hot dogs, fish and sometimes on his massive sized burgers. Enjoy the recipe!

Zucchini Pepper Relish Recipe

4 1/2 cups freshly shredded zucchini
3/4 cup onion, finely chopped
4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground yellow mustard
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 chili pepper, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

In a large mixing bowl combine together the shredded zucchini, chopped onion and salt. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 5 to 6 hours. Remove from refrigerator and drain away any liquid that accumulated while it was in the refrigerator (a strainer works well for this).

In a large stock pot over medium heat combine together the cornstarch, ground yellow mustard, turmeric, ground black pepper, ground white pepper and white vinegar. Slowly add in the zucchini mixture, alternating with all of the freshly chopped peppers. Once combined simmer mixture over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour mixture into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

The Fall Harvest Season - Halloween Decorating

It's that time again...another week which means another "Almost: Wordless Wednesday post! This week I am featuring a photo of some colorful looking pumpkins and gourds.

We are definitely into the Fall season now here in Pennsylvania and a few days ago I had to turn on my heat for the first time this season. All of our trees are changing the color of their leaves and many of those trees are getting naked (leaves are falling to the ground). Pretty soon we will be busy raking up and bagging leaves from our yard.

Last week I hit up our local farmer's market for some Fall gourds and pumpkins and have them sitting outside on our porch and in our flower garden. Looks cute but holy heck, the cost of buying that stuff is through the roof. I think next year I will do something different to keep the costs down.

Hubby is working on a scarecrow and that is the only thing left to complete in our Fall outdoor decor. This year we did spider webs, spider wind chimes, orange and lime green outdoor lights, pumpkins, corn stalks, gourds, plastic light up ghosts by our front door, a skeleton hanging from one tree, etc. I think the Trick or Treaters will like what they see when they come visiting in another week! ha!

Well there you have it. Another almost wordless Wednesday post! Enjoy!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Homemade Chicken Parmesan Recipe

When I buy chicken for our family dinners I always purchase it in bulk from the grocery store or from a local butcher. Chicken is one of those meats that can be made a thousand different ways so that your family never gets tired of it. One of our favorite dishes to make using chicken is my aunt's homemade chicken Parmesan recipe.

This dish is really easy to prepare and is one that the entire family will enjoy. If you have a larger sized family, you can easily double up on the recipe ingredients to make a double batch.

Homemade Chicken Parmesan Recipe

2 large eggs
2 chicken breasts
seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 oz. shredded Mozzarella cheese
4 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 quart jar spaghetti sauce

Directions: Beat the large eggs in a small mixing bowl. Dip the chicken breasts into the egg mixture one at a time. Then roll the dipped chicken breasts into the seasoned bread crumbs. Brown the chicken in a large frying pan with the vegetable oil. Place the browned chicken breasts into a baking dish and sprinkle the cheeses on top. Pour the spaghetti sauce into the baking dish and over the top of the chicken breasts.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes or until done. Serve immediately.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Tom Hanks in BIG ~ 25th Anniversary Edition Coming to DVD December 10th

I remember when BIG first hit the big screen because within the first 3 weeks of it hitting the movie theaters my husband insisted that we see it four times! Yes, four times! Then when it came out on VHS...he was at the store on day one purchasing it. Then DVDs came along and again, he was there to buy one. BIG happens to be one of his favorite Tom Hanks movies ever and guess what? The new 25th Anniversary Edition will be released on December 10th, 2013. Below you will find some additional information about the upcoming release.

Tom Hanks Shines in his First Oscar®-nominated Performance When the BIG: 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION Arrives on Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack December 10th, 2013. Featuring Collectible Sound Chip Packaging That Plays “Heart & Soul”

ONE OF THE “BIG”GEST COMEDIES OF ALL-TIME CELEBRATES 25 YEARS

Two-time Oscar® Winner Tom Hanks* received his first Best Actor Nomination for his disarming turn as a 12-year-old man-child in Penny Marshall’s timeless, “hilarious” (Newsweek) delight. Tired of being a kid, Josh Baskin wishes he was big. When he wakes up the next day, he’s an adult! Now, Josh must hold down a job – and please a new boss (Robert Loggia). Tougher still, he must convince his best friend that he’s still himself, and explain to a beautiful woman (Elizabeth Perkins) who falls for him, that he’s not. Soon, Josh just wants to be a kid again, but can he? As exhilarating as it was during its acclaimed debut, the “warmhearted” (The Washington Post) Big is available as a Blu-ray + DVD combo pack!


*Actor: 1993, Philadelphia; 1994, Forrest Gump

Special Features:

● Big Extended Cut
● Big Brainstorming Audio Documentary by Writers/Co-Producers Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg
● Deleted Scenes, Including 5 with Intros by Director Penny Marshall
● Big Beginnings
● Chemistry of a Classic
● The Work of Play
● Hollywood Backstories: Big
● Carnival Party Newswrap

About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is the industry leading worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox produced, acquired and third party partner film and television programing. Each year TCFHE expands its award-winning global product portfolio with the introduction of new entertainment content through established and emerging formats including DVD, Blu-ray™ and Digital HD™. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox.

Disclosure: Shelly Hill is a member of the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders Club. The information and graphic contained within this post is courtesy of Fox Home Entertainment Insiders Club. Shelly has not received any monetary compensation for this post. Information is for informational purposes only.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

A Visit to the Local Pumpkin Patch in Harrisburg PA

Last weekend we picked up our grand daughter and daughter for our annual tradition of visiting the local Pumpkin Patch together. Every Fall we get together and go apple picking, pumpkin picking, visit a local corn maze and go on a hayride.

We piled into the car and got there in the early afternoon. Oh my gosh..we were not prepared for it being 91 degrees in early October and sweated our butts off out in the apple orchard and pumpkin field. Princess had a great time picking apples and then we finally headed over to the Pumpkin Patch.

We spent about 35 minutes walking the filed and she finally decided on the 5 pumpkins that we would get. Such hard decisions for a little 4 1/2 year old girl. She was particular on the ones she wanted but we ended up getting 5 great pumpkins for our Halloween decorations.
It was really nice that they had some areas set up around the Pumpkin Patch and at the nearby Farmer's Market where you could pose for some family photos...great Fall displays and since I am a big time scrapbooker, I took advantage of those and got several nice photos to celebrate our day.

Next weekend we are going out on a hayride and we are all looking forward to that and we are going to visit one of the local corn mazes. We do those during the early evening hours when they are kid-friendly and not all spooked out for the adults. We don't like exposing the Princess to scary things just yet!

Thursday, October 10, 2013

“The Way, Way Back” Coming to DVD on October 22nd


My husband loves a good comedy and I know he is going to love this DVD when it's released. He wanted to see it in the theaters but we were super busy when it was out and missed it. Now that it's coming to DVD...I will have to pick up a copy for him.

"The Way, Way Back" is coming to DVD on October 22nd, 2013 and here is some additional information about it.

Synopsis: Dive into this “smart, imaginative, first-rate comedy” (Karen Durbin, ELLE) featuring an all-star comedic cast, including Steve Carell, Maya Rudolph, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Sam Rockwell, and Amanda Peet! While 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James) is being dragged on a family trip with his mom (Collette) and her overbearing boyfriend (Carell), he finds a gregarious friend (Rockwell) at a local water park. The two form a powerful bond as Duncan learns to swim through the challenges of life, love, family and friendship, resulting in a vacation he’ll never forget.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders Club. This information was provided to me as a member of the club to share with my blog readers. I was not compensated for this post. 

Monday, October 7, 2013

Homemade Tropical Fruit Muffins Recipe

To make this delicious muffins recipe you will need to purchase a box of Post Fruit & Fiber Cereal in the Tropical Fruit Flavor because you will need 2 1/2 cups of this cereal to make the following recipe. Once the recipe has been prepared...it will make 12 full size muffins which are delicious and full of flavor & healthy fiber that we all need.

Homemade Tropical Fruit Muffins Recipe

1 cup unsifted all-purpose flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups Post Fruit & Fiber Cereal - Tropical Fruit Flavor
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil

In a large mixing bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Combine the cereal with milk in another bowl and let stand for 3 minutes at room temperature, so that the cereal becomes very moist.  Stir in the egg and vegetable oil until well blended. Blend in the flour mixture into the wet ingredients (cereal mixture) until everything is well combined together.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon muffin batter into each cavity filling each one 75% of the way full. Place muffin pan into the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until muffins are done. Remove and let cool.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Early Fall Foliage in Central Pennsylvania

I went out earlier today for a walk through my neighborhood with the gals from my Mommies Walking Group. Today we went on a 1 1/2 mile walk and as we were walking around the neighborhood getting our exercise we noticed how pretty the trees are starting to get.
Fall is definitely here in Pennsylvania although we hit a high temperature of 85 degrees today. I wish October was always like that for us up here in the North East but sadly it's not and the cold temperatures are coming. Many people around here are calling this our "2013 Indian Summer" and I believe they are right. All week long we have been in the upper 70's and lower 80's and it has felt great!

I am not a fan of late Fall weather and Winter weather so I have been trying to hold on to the warmer sunshine filled days of late Summer and early Fall. I do have to admit though...I love looking at the trees as their leaves change to orange, yellow and bright red. Soon though those leaves will all drop, the trees will get naked (hate seeing naked trees) and winter will be here!
In two weeks I will get some new photos and really show you how beautiful our trees get once the Fall foliage really kicks into high gear. We are about 2 weeks into it now and in another 2 weeks it will be a pretty awesome display of nature. Enjoy!!!

Wagbucks on Swagbucks! Fun for us All!


Swagbucks.com is celebrating Pets this weekend with a site takeover. The pets have turned it into Wagbucks and brought fun, games, and even savings for all your petcare needs. Here's what you can find on Wagbucks from today through Sunday:

Shop & Earn Sales on Pet Supplies
Fun Contests on Facebook & the Blog
Charity Spotlight: The Humane Society of the United States
A Weekend Game Challenge for all the animal lovers

Multiple Codes each day In fact, here's a Swag Code to kick off this weekend for our furry, feathered and fishy friends: Wagbucks 3 SB Active from 12pm until 2pm Pacific Time Click here to redeem your Swag Code before it expires and join in on the fun & savings!

New to Swagbucks? Check out my previous post on how I make money on Swagbucks and grab yourself a new member swagcode worth big swagbucks!!! You can find my previous post ----> HERE

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

“White Collar” Season Four on DVD October 8th


How many of you are big fans of the hit television show called White Collar? My hubby and I love this show and have been watching it from the very beginning with season one. What we love about this show is that its a crime drama with just a little bit of comedy thrown in...just a tad! Plus...the guys make for great eye candy too!

Anyway...White Collar season four is coming to DVD on October 8th, 2013...so mark your calendars now!

Synopsis: Matt Bomer excels again as charming con man Neal Caffrey in another engaging season of crime solving and high-stakes heists! Facing the uncertain future of his partnership with FBI Agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay), Neal sheds his tracking anklet and disappears into thin air. But the Feds aren’t done with him and Neal is hardly ready for retirement. Back in action, Neal ponders the future as Season Four delves deeper into the stunning secrets of his mysterious past. Packed with seduction, intrigue, and more of everything you love about TV’s sexiest show, “White Collar” will have you glued to the edge of your seat. Let the games begin!

Disclosure: I am a member of the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders Club and this information was provided to me as a club member. It is to be used for informational purposes only. I was not compensated for this post.