Happy Memorial Day

Snickers Bar Apple Salad

 I was looking for an idea on what to bring to a little family cook out we were having at my manly man's dear Grandma's house a few weekends ago.  I'm always searching for an opportunity to make something a little out of the ordinary. This Snickers Bar Apple Salad fit the bill.  The recipe was inspired by a variation of a candy

DIY Burlap Table Runner

After I finished my dining room table re-do,(Shown Here) I started to get a little squirrely and decided that the table still needed a little sumthin' -sumthin'. That's when I came up with this idea to make a burlap table runner to place on top.     And you may ask-  how exactly,  Miss Lori Ann, did you make this burlap t

My Sour Cream Sugar Cookies Won a Blue Ribbon!

When I think of Blue Ribbons, I think of County Fairs and Really Good Cooks.   I love both.   I'm not sure if I would have considered myself an award winning Cookin' Momma though.    Sure makes me happy that someone did.     A great big Thank you is in order for Miss Janet & Crew at the Just A Pinch Test Kitchen.  They tried

Let's Get Social Sunday Linky Party! Guest Co-Host.

I'm so very excited today....   Not only do I get to enjoy this precious Mother's Day with my loved ones, but I get to share this day with my blogging friends as well. I'm Guest Co-Hosting this week's Let's Get Social Sunday.... I'm ready.  So let's get this Linky Party started!         

Homemade Saucepan Brownies

I do not know what is up with my oh my jeez chocolate cravings lately.     I've made these moist & chewy brownies 3 times this week. Count them. 3,  THREE, Tres.....  times.   What's up with that?    I can understand feeling the urge to bake one, or even two batches of these (get the baggy pants

Slow Cooker Whole Turkey Breast {Bone In}

Who says you have to wait for a Holiday to make Turkey?        Not Me.  Nope.  Not this Gal.  Un-Uh. I got this idea to cook a whole turkey breast in the slow cooker from my Mom.  She made one for Easter dinner, along with a Ham, which was occupying the oven.  So she decided to make it in the slow cooker.  Man, was tha

Annie Sloan Paint Project: Dining Room Table & Chairs

I'm obsessed with Annie Sloan Chalk paint. Crazy Obsessed. Ask my Family. If you follow my blog stories at all, you may remember my first Annie Sloan Paint Project, shown Here   (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js

A Chin Hair?.......Seriously?

Oprah warned me about this. She said strange things will start happening to my body when I turned 40. I'm not even 40.... well, until next month. At the time I first heard the Queen of daytime talk shows sharing her middle-aged words of wisdom, I was probably about 26 years old, propped up on the recliner nursing a baby. And more worried about how to get

Slow Cooker Cake Mix Blueberry & Peach Cobbler

Boy, Oh Boy. The weather in my neighborhood has been poopy lately.  Very Poopy.  We've had snow, rain and everything in between this past week.   I think Mother Nature is suffering from Senile Dementia.   It's supposed to be spring lady.    O.K.  -  Enough about the weather.  When life gives you lemons....   &nb

Meet Fat Louie, Our Manly Cat

Our Kitty Cat just recently had some parts removed. Thanks to our veterinarian.   Let me start this story at the beginning.   We've had our precious Tomcat, Fat Louie for over 2 years.  Ever since this kitty was born, my manly man has been on a mission to preserve this cat's manly hood.  Mr. Fat Louie, the Manly Cat   He would sa

Golden Grahams S'more Bars

Childhood memories......*Sigh*   Golden Grahams cereal was my absolute favorite breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in-between snack when I was a kid.     I think I even saved up enough UPC labels to get the free (plus $4.99 shipping & handling) t-shirt.  What a glorious day this would be if I could find an old pic of my proud self

How I fixed my KitchenAid Blender's Drive Coupler for $6.95

If you are tuning in for the first time, you might want to read this post first. If you're feeling kind of snoozy and fuzzy eyed from looking at too many blogs today (I can relate).....Then how about you just read this: MY KitchenAid Blender's thing-a-ma-jigger broke. And this is what happened when I got in contact with the company. I chatted with a nice

Twenty Years Ago Today....

The years have flown by so quickly.....       I know, it's very qliche' to say but   Where has the time gone?   I have now officially spent half of my life married to my manly man.  He nicely pointed that out to me last night.   I can remember our wedding day without hardly a thought..   There was

Happy Easter!...What's for Dinner? I'm Hungry

  I'm pretty sure I'm like most of you out there when it comes to deciding what kind of dish to take for holiday get togethers.  My Mom basically tells me what she's preparing and it's up to my sister, brother and I to bring the remainder of the meal.  O.k. - Maybe that's not the norm for your fam...but it is for mine. This year my dear mot

Has this happened to you? My KitchenAid Blender Broke.

I'm having one of those Fail, Double Fail kind of days.  I set out this morning to make homemade peanut butter. I even thought I would be super cool by roasting my own peanuts.....  Well, Apparently, Spanish peanuts don't work. They didn't roast like I thought they would. BLECK!  To top it off, while I was mixing the blecky peanuts in my over-the-top,

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Project #1

      If there's just one single, solitary, thing I've learned since submersing myself into all of these great blogger communities- is that when a blogger consistently raves about a new product, craft technique, you name it, they're usually RIGHT.           CASE IN POINT     &nb

Happy St Patty's Day!

Tee Hee!

Gooseberry Patch {Slow Cooker} Granola

My Mom knows how much I love slow cooker recipes so I was pretty tickled when she got me this Gooseberry Cookbook for Christmas.  I have quite a few page corners folded down to mark all the recipes that I want to try. This Oh My Gosh-  Slow Cooker Granola recipe was first in line!  I've been so excited to share this with all of you. I ha

My Little {Key West} Souvenir

First off....   I had to learn how to spell "Souvenir" in order to write this post.   I tried guessing:   souvenier souvinier suvuneer sauvignon (isn't that wine?)     Couldn't do it.  I finally had to resort to the ole' spell checker.     Pride.   Simple {stubborn} Pride.   That's all

Home Made {Vanilla Cinnamon} Almond Milk

Hello. My name is Lori Ann..... And I have a drinking problem. {I hear the whispers and gasps} It started with just one feel good, over the top healthy Tropical Detox Smoothie.  But it didn't stop there.  I started to experiment with another  And yet another  good for you cocktail. Then, I beca

{Skinny} Pumpkin Cheesecake Smoothie

I made a recipe the other day that called for a tiny bit of canned pumpkin.  So, basically there was almost a whole can left over.   I don't know about the rest of you there- but I become obsessed with not letting food like that pumpkin go to waste. Even if it calls for extreme measures,   Like hiding it. In things....   Things like  heal

{Love} That Man of Mine...And My Silpat Baking Mat

If any one out there has been following my posts lately..... I was a tad bit whine-y yesterday about the slight possibility of not getting a V-Day gift from Hubby.  O.K.  I was A lot whine-y.  I admit it. Well the man did not disappoint. Now I'm embarrassed. He actually remembered me saying that I would like to try one of t

My Valentine's Day Present {or lack of}

"Oh Crap. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day  & I didn't get you anything. Sorry."     This is what came out of Hubby's mouth last night while sprawled out on the recliner, sporting his smexy Miller Lite lounge pants and wife beater t-shirt. His face  was starting to show signs that his pre-bedtime nap was setting in..   His hal

"Hey Girl" Linky Party/ My Manly Man

My first thought when writing this post was :  He's sooo not gonna like this! Then, my next thought: He'll never see it, since he's never even looked at my blog before, ever..   I'm safe.....for now. Domestic Imperfection is hosting a themed linky party called "Hey Girl".  It's

{Skinny} Pineapple Cheesecake Smoothie

Operation "Fit into Bathing Suit" is still underway....... For those of you that are just poppin' in for the first time: Here's a little recap of what's been going on since I started this whole "Getting Healthy" thing. Week 1- Discovered Green Smoothies and Lost Five Pounds Week 2-  Went "Pin" Crazy and fell in love with these healt

Superbowl Party Snack recipes

I like watching football. I like to eat. This is why the Superbowl is a win~win situation for me.....     My diet will have no restrictions this coming Sunday.   It's almost like a holy day.  This year, the 49ers and the Ravens made it to the finals. The whole "Harbowl"  thing will add a little excitement thi

Healthy Eating Update {week #3}

I couldn't be happier with myself right now. Another pound down, 4 to go. To get these last few off, I've recruited some weight loss/motivational helpers ..... This one's name is "Elliptical", Master of  the Thighs. Here's his pic: ? My exercise Fam. He can be a tad bit mean sometimes.  He makes me get "boob sweat"

Healthy Eating Week #2 {pinterest inspired}

My weight loss has been slowing down.  Considerably.  Pounds lost are dwindling into ounces.  I guess the detox got rid of about 5 pounds of "holiday goo"....now I'm down to extricating the surplus poundage I gained before the holidays..  I'm still determined to reach my goal of losing another 5 pounds to meet my healthy/happy w

Top 5 Reasons I'm not able to do "REAL" Work...

1.  I'm lazy.  I get complete and utter enjoyment out of sitting around watching dust bunnies form under my arse. {british word for butt} 2. I need to be available 24/7  in case the toilet paper roll needs changing.  I'm the only person certified to perform such a task in my house. Someone stranded on the potty with an empty roll of paper (and a

My holiday Detox Update & Healthy Pinterest Obsession

I'm Happy. Really Happy. Five pounds lost....  6 to go! My belly is happier. My buns are giddy. My thighs are, well, still jiggly. My fellow pinterest followers have probably noticed my unrelenting barrage of healthy food "pins".   I'm obsessed.   Can't help it.     So far, here's the pinned recipes I'

Tropical {Detox} Smoothie...

Well... I knew it wouldn't last forever.  All the glorious, blissful, unleashed gluttony during the holidays.  I enjoyed every single minute of it.  {However} My jeans have officially reached their maximum capacity. I need to relieve some of the pressure my waistline is putting on them.  Not by undoing

Top Twelve of 2012

Reflecting back on the most popular posts of 2012.....has been like opening a Scrapbook.     I'm amazed at how many things I've done with family & friends,   At the time spent in my kitchen...making memories   At how many different people and lives that I've connected with throughout the year.    Blog friends AND in my "Real life".

Slow Cooker Bacon {double cheese} Dip

This recipe is the Mack Daddy, the Bomb-Diggity, and Boss over all other dips that I have ever made.   It's going to the top of my list of party food. Perfect for New Year's Eve. *I haven't used the term "Mack Daddy" in a very long time...* So I thought I should look up the definition to make sure I was using the "term" properly. This is what I f

Blog lovin'....

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Merry Christmas... My pants don't fit.

Moments with family and friends are precious. Try to enjoy every single one of them this holiday season.     Our first Snow.  Just in time for Christmas.   Even if it means having to indulge Uncle Lou by listening to him tell that same old fib about being the original inventor of Rubber Cement.  Tell him how Rubber Cement almos

{Gift giving guide}....What I really need.....

This happens every year. I always have this crazy master plan to have all my Holiday shopping done by now. Fail......      {Epic} FAIL. I'm not gonna panic. Nope.  I think I found the remedy to the imminent onset of my holiday induced panic attack.          

Gingerbread Oreo Fluff

As I have mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of leftovers. However.....     I occasionally make an exception.     ? Look at little "Gingy" He looks so happy to have people eating him. I made this "fluffy stuff" to take to my parent's Thanksgiving dinner.  Needless to say, my poor gingy guy became an outcast by all the&

Liebster Award {Part II}

I was nominated for the Liebster Award by Little Miss Claire @ The Rustic Pig! For those of you that don't know what the Liebster award is (like me)....This award is given by fellow bloggers to a blog for being an up and coming blog with less than 200 followers. Liebster is a German word meaning dear, sweet, kind, nice, good, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and we

Liebster Award Nominee..Who?..Me?

I was having a "poopy" day.  I had literally been hollered at by a McDonald's Drive-Thru attendant.  Seriously?  Does that really happen?  I wasn't asking for trouble, in fact, I was asking for a small, non fat, caramel Latte.   I could ramble on, but I won't.... I'd rather talk about "nice" things & better yet, NICE people.  Like l

{gift giving guide} What my Man will NOT be getting for Christmas.....

I can't stand it.   I'm crying. Laughter tears. You know,  the kind that you get from laughing hysterically.  My stomach hurts. It's a little creepy right now, because I'm alone, I'm still gonna laugh anyway. Let me start off by stating that my hubby is a manly-man.   Sometimes too manly.  (if you know what I mean). So,

Red Velvet {cream cheese} Cake Balls

  Have cake, will travel.... We have a family friend that loves cake...it's a running joke that whenever we get together as a group,  someone  HAS to supply the cake for Mary to eat... I guess I tend to think of cake balls as an "appetizer". Kinda like a PRE-Dessert.... to your Dessert. I'm smiling.     Drizzle a little melt

Month of Merrymaking {Holiday Themed} Link Share Party!

To help prevent myself from developing "Holiday/Blog induced Psychosis"...... I decided to create a Month Long Link Share .... I shall call this {Holiday Themed} Party " A Month of  Merrymaking"     A Month of Merrymaking will temporarily replace my weekly Munchin' On Mondays get together.   &n

I'm so Thankful for.....

Yesterday, while at work (don't tell my boss)  I started thinking about all the things that I was thankful for in my life.  There were so many.  I had to scribble them down on a piece of scrap paper.   Here are just a few....   I am So Thankful For: ....all of my family members that will gather&nbs

{Family Favorite} Caramel Monkey Bread & Link Up Co-Host!

I'm excited to have been offered a co-hosting gig with Miss Carrie from My Favorite Finds.  This week's Munchin' on Mondays link share will be combined with Must Try Mondays.  Your awesome recipes will be displayed on both sites :) Yay!  See? Mondays aren't so bad after all.... But first, I would like to share my yummy monkey bread recipe. It's Sunday Morning....

Munchin' on Mondays Link up #10 {Features}

  Acorn Treats by SteakNPotatoes Kinda Gurl ? Checker Board Cake by Dish on the Delish   ?? By Crazy for Crust Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! That's all I can say right now. Look at how darn cute those ACORNS are. And that Checker Board Cake....jeez. that's crazy Speaking of crazy, Dorothy did it again with her

Oven Baked Bacon

I just tried baking bacon in the oven..... .  Well, Smack my forehead & call me a dummy! It's another one of those "I shoulda thought of that" kind of ideas. The best part besides not having grease splattered all over your kitchen walls is how easy it is to prepare...just put it on a foil lined pan & pop it in the oven.  Oven Baked Bacon

Munchin' on Mondays Link Up #10

My hyper active sweet tooth is cryin' ...                                            tears of pure joy....   Movie Night Cupcakes By Miss Nancy Pants @ Life i

TicketAmerica

My Hubby, son & I are a bit "fanatical" when it comes to sports.... My daughter, uh.....not so much. We've been to a few MLB games over the years.  We also went to our first NFL game this past year.  It was awesome!  We got to see Brett Favre up close right from our seats!  He has nice buns...just sayin' So, when it comes time to get tickets to a major sporting eve

Election Day.....Take your teenager to the polls

I did... For the last few weeks, my son has been covering politics in his High School Government class.  One of his recent assignments required him to bring home a sample ballot & have a discussion with his family about which candidate, proposal etc. to vote on. So, I basically decided to pick him up from school today & take him to go vote with me.  I got m