I like this better than traditional stuffed peppers

I think I like it better becasue I can chop up the green peppers pretty small. Bigger pieces of pepper aren't my favorite. And when I do traditional peppers it seems the peppers don't get cooked as completely. Raw peppers bother my tummy.

UNSTUFFED PEPPERS

3 lb. ground meat
1 large onion, chopped
2 green peppers, slice in strips or chopped
1 can mushrooms
2 cans of stewed tomatoes
2 small or 1 large can tomato paste. Salt and pepper to taste.
Brown meat with onion, pepper and mushrooms. Add remaining ingredients. Serve with rice.

Before those paper bags are gone!

This is the next best thing to oven baked caramel corn. In fact, some folks actually like it better. Quick and easy...


MICROWAVE CARAMEL CORN
Pop two batches of air popped corn. Place in empty brown paper grocery bag.
In a microwave safe container, melt 1 stick margarine
Remove from microwave and add 1/3 c. light or dark corn syrup
1 c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
Microwave 2 minutes, turn, microwave 2 more minutes.
Remove from microwave. Immediately stir in 1 t. baking soda. It will foam big. GOOD! Pour on popped corn in the brown paper bag. Roll bag down to close. Microwave 1 ½ min. Remove and shake bag. Careful. The syrup burns bad. Return to microwave for another 1 ½ min. Pour onto cookie sheet to cool and become crispy.
Store in airtight container.

It brings me back to my childhood...

When I was a kid, I think this was my favorite cake after chocolate. A layer of this and a layer of chocolate? THAT, my friends, would be heavenly!

PEANUT BUTTER CAKE
½ c. creamy peanut butter
¼ c. margarine, softened
¾ c. sugar
Cream these together well.
Add:
2 eggs
Mix well.
Mix the following dry ingredients in a separate bowl:
1 ½ c. flour
2 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
Add this mixture to the first mixture alternating the milk below.
¾ c. milk
Pour into greased 9 inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes.
Frosting:
1/3 c. chunky peanut butter
1/3 c. margarine, softened.
Blend well.
Add:
3 c. powdered sugar
¼ c. milk
1 ½ t. vanilla
Mix well.

Sweet and sour chicken doesn't have to be fried

I know there are a lot of carbs here with the sugar, but I figure I'm saving a few with not breading the chicken. Plus I'm not frying it so it's saving on fat too. Every little bit helps.

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

2 T. whole wheat flour
¼ c. packed brown sugar
¼ c. apple cider vinegar
2 T. light soy sauce
1 can pineapple chunks in natural juice drained
1 medium green pepper cut into thin strips
4 boneless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

Place flour, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce in a casserole dish. Stir with fork to blend. Add pineapple and green pepper. Next add chicken. Cover pan tightly with foil or lid. Bake at 350 degrees until chicken is tender. (About 30 – 35 minutes) Serve over hot cooked brown rice.

Mom's Best Cake

I love fruity. My mom had some awesome fruity cakes that could be made healthier by ingredient choices. She was a real stickler for watching her fat intake after she found out she had chronic cholesterol problems. This is one of my favorite cake recipes.

PINEAPPLE CAKE
2 c. flour
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple with juice
Nuts to your liking
2 t. baking soda
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
Beat well. Pour into greased 13 x 9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes.

She liked that you didn't use any crisco or oil with this. She used the "good" nuts and she would sometimes use three egg whites or use egg substiture instead of two whole eggs.

never take a wasted step

NEVER TAKE A WASTED STEP

My mom taught me that by word and by example. And she learned it from her own mother.

Every time I move from one place to another I try and keep in mind that I should look for things that are to be "going my way." I get up from my chair. There are two scarves that need to be taken down and put with my other scarves for sale. I pick them up and lay them on my left arm. There's an empty glass needing to go to the kitchen sink. Just the direction I'm headed. It's in my right hand. On the way, I see a toy on the floor that's been dropped out of the playpen. I balance the glass with my left fingertips so I can bend down, grab the toy, and put it where it belongs. The glass gets put in the sink next and I see an empty jar needing to go downstairs to the shelf. I grab it and down I go. I can hold it in my arm with the scarves so the other hand can grab the dirty towel that was tossed down the stairs. I carry it on down and after putting the scarves in their place and the jar in it's place, I drop the towel in the laundry room. I'm right beside the bathroom and mom always said never to pass up an opportunity to pee, so I handle that before heading back upstairs. On the way up, I grab some veggies from the freezer for supper. When I get up to the kitchen, I unload the dishwasher and get out the other meal preps. I'm poo'd out so I go happily on into the livingroom to sit a few before cycling down this road again. When I do, I'll be doing some cooking and cleaning. Make every step count. We are alloted just so many in a lifetime and each one should have some meaning.

~~Mama Sage

Who is Mama Sage and what does she stand for?

Who is Mama Sage and what does she stand for?

Wife - I am a wife to a wonderful husband of nearly 39 years. People didn't believe we would make it a-waaaaay back then but we really showed them. We have been together through thick and thin and through good times and tough times. We are stronger than ever with each passing year. Our secret? Love, honesty, trust and putting the other person and their needs first.

Mother - I am mother to five wonderful children.
Kristen, our oldest who hated his (yes HIS) name for years, has been married to a wonderful woman, Darlene for 10 years. Kris and Darlene have three girls.
Corry is our second oldest. He has two girls and is expecting a son in May. His oldest is here every other weekend. We don't get to see his youngest nearly often enough. He will soon have five stepchildren too.
Melissa is a brand new mommy to a sweet little girl. She has been married nearly 3 years.
Rusty is a new daddy too. He and Caitlin are engaged but no date is set just yet.
Adam has his Master's degree in Sociology and will be applying for phD programs this fall.

Grandmother - To all my grandchildren. I cherish every minute I have with them and just wish I could be more grandmother-ish. I'm not sure what that is except it is probably something I'm not. I try to do things like crafts, cooking, and just teach them things but it seems the younguns nowadays just don't have time for us oldsters. I really think that the most important thing I can do is teach them about their past and pass on to them the importance of family. I came from a very loving, very close, very strong family and I want to deepen those roots for all my grandchildren.

Daughter - I am my mother's daughter even though she passed away three years ago. And I am my daddy's daughter too even though he passed away nine years ago. My parents have taught me so much. I am very, very blessed to have been born into their family. I was taught that family is there for you no matter what always. I have learned patience, tolerance, joy and acceptance by my parents showing all of those to me. My parents led by example. What an example we had. They were parents unlike any other.

Sister - I am a sister to my brother Tom and my sister Judy. Although they are 11 and 13 years older than I am we have been very, very close. We enjoy one another's company. When we disagree, we agree to disagree and don't argue. We are tight, tight, tight. I'm also a sister to many friends. After family, friends are the next most important connections. Having sister tight relationships to me means giving and receiving the same honesty, respect and love that my blood siblings and I have. And I'm a sister-in-law. I consider my sisters-in-law my friends. I hope they feel the same way about me.

Aunt - I am an aunt to some really, really wonderful people. I have seven nieces and five nephews. I am a great aunt to some amazing, fun and exciting people. I have ten great nieces and two great nephews. I am a great-great aunt. I have four great-great nephews. My sister is the queen of aunts. I can only continue to strive to fill her shoes.

Friend - I am a friend to many. And to many I don't know. It's really amazing. I was always someone who didn't have a lot of tight friends but I was friendly with everyone and accepting of everyone and considered myself a friend of many. I didn't have a clue until 30 years after the fact that many considered me a good friend. I have just a hand full of life friends. Those are the people that you can be away from for even years at a time, walk into a room they are in and feel like you have never been apart. I consider a friend to be someone you can count on all the time. Fair weather friend is not something I would ever want to be. When I become a friend, I want it to be lasting.

Psychologist/Mediator - I always wanted to be a psychologist. It has always been a dream. I chose to have a family instead. God can make your dream come true in ways you would never expect. I have found myself in the position of psychologist and/or mediator in so many circumstances beginning with the circumstances associated with motherhood.

Cook - I am cook to this family and consider it my job to have nourishing food surrounding them at all times. Oh I've slipped off that wagon often enough, but I seem to find my grip and hang tight until I'm back in the saddle again. I love to cook. I just wish I had more energy. I even taught little cooking lessons to kids when we were in the military.

Writer - Another dream that I have always, ALWAYS had was to be a writer. So much so that I wrote a cookbook/memory book for my kids and close friends and relatives for Christmas a few years back. And then I did another two years ago that was silly poems and stories and things. I blog because I love to write. This has been a wonderful outlet for this frustrated author.

Crafter - I have taught it. I have been bazaar chairman. I have spent countless hours, days, WEEKS doing crafts. I have an attic that is driving me crazy full of craft stuff. It is a creative outlet, it is a way to unwind and relax, it gives me a sense of accomplishment and in many cases has been a way I have contributed to the family financially. Every penny saved is another step towards a dollar saved.

Computer junkie - I have become a computer junkie as an outlet for my writing and because it seems to be the only way to stay in contact with many, many people I love. Friends who don't have time for me still seem to have time for a word or two back and forth. I miss you all.....

List maker - I am a list maker for several reasons. The most important to me is that I am a bit of a control freak and can't handle it when my life goes topsy turvy. When I begin to feel out of sorts, I list everything. Get up. Eat breakfast. Buy milk. Clean toilets. Whatever needs done, no matter how trivial, on the list it goes. It gives me a great deal of accomplishment to cross things off. And it makes me realize that no matter how it appears to my hyper antsy self, life really is on the right course. I just need to keep my train on the track.

Shopper - I love to shop. I'm actually losing the want to right now but I am still very good at it. When raising my family, we had many financial challenges and I had to learn to be an excellent shopper. I really don't think there is anything the kids wanted that we did not somehow handle. In fact, in many ways they were abundantly blessed.

Driver - I still am a driver, but not like I was in the past. Oh my. When my five kids were being raised, we had a Mama Sage shuttle bus. I was always on the go. My butt thought the only seat it could sit on was a van seat!

Organizer - Contrary to the looks of my home right now, I am very good at organizing. Mind fog is an unsettling symptom of this crazy disease and so is loss of energy and pain. Those things certainly put a damper on my wanting everything organized. At one time I considered becoming a professional organizer. THOSE days are in the past!! LOL But disorganization still causes me a great deal of stress. So why am I writing instead of working in the attic?

Accepting - I accept people for who they are and I always try to maintain a positive outlook and find the best in people. A lot of people considered by many to be lost causes have come to us and we have helped them try to find their way back. Some who have been affected by our genuine acceptance will remain a mystery to us. That's find. God has His plan and it's His loving arm we are extending. I believe people change because they want to. How can they want to when hit with total negativism and unacceptance.

Peaceful - I don't like arguments. I don't like backbiting. I don't like it when people get riled up. Nope. Peace people. I'm a sixties teen.

And one more thing I will add. Prejudice offends me. Please refrain from comments, or jokes that put down someone because of their differences. How can we live in a world of peace when we see the outside only and don't search within for the love of God?