Help for Hobbies of all Sorts by Rene' Hobbie

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Hash Brown Sausage Bake

I don't know about you, but I am a SUCKER for cookbooks!  My son is a picky eater, so when I saw this  title for sale at our school book fair, I grabbed it right away.  Plus, it's a Taste of Home publication, so I knew I couldn't go wrong.


I made several things from it that my ds really liked.  Then, I tried a casserole.  He pretty much gave his stamp of DISapproval before he took the first bite.  LOL!  Arlin and I, however, really liked it!  I bet you would, too.  I'll show you how to make Hash Brown Sausage Bake.  You'll need the following ingredients:

1 package (20 oz.) refrigerated hash brown potatoes
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 t. beef bouillon granules
1 pd. bulk pork sausage
1/3 c. chopped onion
1 c. cottage cheese
3 eggs, lightly beaten
4 slices proces American cheese (I used Velveeta slices)

In a large bowl, mix the hash browns, butter, and bouillon granules.  

Press into the bottom of a greased medium sized baking dish to make a crust.  I used my oval Pampered Chef pan to give you an idea of the size.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.  


Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the sausage and onion over medium heat.  Drain.  

In a large bowl, combine the sausage mixture, cottage cheese, eggs and American cheese.

Pour into the pan that contains the hash browns.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let it stand for 5 minutes before cutting.  

Enjoy!

I have many recipes marked in this book with small post-it notes and look forward to trying them all.  Do you have a favorite cookbook that you use often?

Thank you for stopping by my blog.  Let me know if you have any questions.


Saturday, April 28, 2012

Gift for a Great Guy

My mom recently asked me to help her with a scrapbook page for her pastor who will be retiring soon.  The families in their church are each making a page for an album that will represent his time there.  Awesome keepsake idea, isn't it?  I hopped at the chance to help her, because I'm usually the one doing the favor asking.  The pictures used were a hodge podge of this and that:  one black and white, most of them color, no central theme, etc., so it was a little bit of a challenge to put the pages together.  This was for my mom, and I wanted it to look great!


Mom and I went to Hobby Lobby to pick out the paper for me to use.  The font used was from my new Sizzix Eclips.  (I'll tell you about my new machine in another post.)  It's called Rockin Janie and the stars from the Basic Shapes cartridge.  My favorite part of the page is the cluster of large buttons from Stampin Up that I used.  Sure hope they offer more of these in the future.

I hope Pastor Foxworthy likes his memory book.  He will certainly be missed!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Catching Fire

One of the things that I love about the Hunger Games series is that it's motivated so many people to read the books.  Take Darlin Arlin for instance.  In the sixteen years that we've been married, I've seen him read very little besides his computer manuals.  After he saw the Hunger Games movie, he told me that he was going to try to read the sequel to it before the next movie comes out.  (in the Fall of 2013....Yes, we have to wait that long.  Dang!)  I have to admit that I was a little doubtful, but I'll have you know that he's already started reading it.  It's great to be able to discuss this book with him...something I could never do when it comes to computer manuals.

A fifth grade girl recently came into the library holding her own personal copy of Catching Fire, so we started talking about the book.  I told her that I couldn't wait to start reading Mockingjay (the sequel), because Catching Fire left me quite confused and that I was sure the next book would make things clearer.  (Authors are tricky like that, you know.)  The student sweetly said, "Mrs. Hobbie, after I finish reading Catching Fire, I'll explain it to you."  Love it!

Here's the scoop on Catching Fire.


Sparks are igniting, flames are spreading and the Capitol wants revenge. 

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol-- a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before... and surprising readers at every turn.
(review taken from www.goodreads.com)

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Salsa Chicken

If I had more time, I could spend hours browsing Pinterest.  Thankfully, it doesn't take very long to find something interesting to save to try later.  Take this recipe, for example...Salsa Chicken.  I whipped it together very quickly after work one day, and we had a delicious meal in no time at all.  Let me show you how to make it.  Here are the ingredients needed:

Four boneless skinless chicken breasts (No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you.  I only used three.)
Cream of Chicken Soup
Packet of Taco Seasoning
1 cup Salsa
1/2 cup sour cream

If you've been following my blog very long, you know that the crock pot and I don't get along very well.  This recipe can be made in the crock pot in four hours, but I opted to bake it in the oven instead.  Place chicken in a baking dish that has first been sprayed with non-stick spray.  

In a separate bowl, mix all other ingredients EXCEPT sour cream.  

Pour that mixture over the chicken.  

Cover and bake at 350 degrees until fork tender.  I cooked mine for a little over an hour.

Take the chicken pieces out of the liquid and...

shred it.

Return the chicken to the baking dish and mix with liquid.  

Add 1/2 cup of sour cream.  This would be great served over rice just like it is.  

This time, though, I spread some of the meat mixture in a warmed up tortilla and topped it with a sprinkle of monterey jack cheese.  

Serve with a green salad, and you've got dinner!  

I couldn't find the original person to give credit to for this recipe, but we certainly appreciate having this wonderful dish.  

Thank you for stopping by my blog.  Let me know if you have any questions.  

Monday, April 16, 2012

Hunger Games

I didn't have any intentions of reading The Hunger Games.  Fantasy is not my favorite genre by a long stretch!  When a friend asked me if I'd read it and my reply was no, she insisted I reconsider.  Plus, so many of my elementary students who came into the library were asking me the same thing and if we had the title.  Of course, we don't, because it's not reviewed as being appropriate for primary children.  Curiosity got the best of me.  I read the book first, saw the movie, and really liked them both!  I'm now on the second book, Catching Fire, and like it even better than the first.  So, even if fantasy isn't your thing, you might be surprised about The Hunger Games! 


Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival.  (Review taken from http://www.goodreads.com/)

Monday, April 2, 2012

Cookin Up Fun

Country Life is such a cute Cricut cartridge.  I'm planning to use many of it's images in a heritage album, because it has some pictures on it that will work perfectly...apron, small quilt, clothes hanging on a clothes line, chickens (I'll have to put that on my great Mammaw's page, because she raised chickens in her backyard.  I remember feeding them.), old sewing machine, etc.  I can't wait to get started on it.  In the meantime, I made this Cookin Up Fun scrapbook page using the same cartridge.


The colors I used were SU's crumb cake, old olive, cherry cobbler, and early espresso.

Thank you for stopping by my blog.  Let me know if you have any questions!