Savory Pumpkin Cream Cheese Chip Dip

This Savory Pumpkin Cream Cheese Chip Dip was different and a good way to use up some leftover canned pumpkin. It seems that unless we are making a pie, recipes don't use a whole can of pumpkin puree. While this calls for storing the dip in the refrigerator until serving time, I do recommend bringing it out a little early to allow the cream cheese to soften a bit for dipping potato chips. And we do want hearty chips with ridges:@) Recipe is easily cut in half.

Leftovers? 

Great schmeared on a bagel:@)

Savory Pumpkin Cream Cheese Chip Dip-from here

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 C shredded cheddar

1/2 C pumpkin puree

1/4 C pecans, toasted and chopped

4-6 strips of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Mix everything together, can use electric beater or spoon.
2. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
3. Serve with chips.

Let's use up all that extra pumpkin, and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Spin-Achos *Spinach Nachos & Early Spring Garden...

My spinach plants got big and needed a little trimming, so I thought I'd whip up a little snack. These Spin-Achos came together quickly and used just a few ingredients, all were items on-hand. I added sliced spinach and cheddar cheese to a bed of tortilla chips, then I asked, what could make it better? Bacon:@) Now, the bacon is truly optional, but highly recommended... I gave it a few seconds in the microwave, and topped them with a little drizzle of ranch dressing, some reserved crunchy bacon crumbles, and freshly chopped chives. Spinach and chives from the garden-yay!

I gave this a rough chop, about 1/2" wide. Want your spinach more wilted? Simply slice it thinner. My test batch was about 1/8" wide, and the spinach did cook more. Baby spinach will wilt faster than the mature curly leaves I used too. Another good addition would be some small diced fresh tomatoes.

My thyme has been replanted several times, this is the second year in its final home. Thyme has a tendency to grow tangled and maybe even get a little matted. I like to run my fingers through it in an upward motion, to free up the stems and give it a little lift. The best part about this, the stems are lighter and sway gently in the wind. I likey:@)

And finally, every September I buy one small 3" pot of pansies to add to the large planter on the patio. They are in bloom at the time, and depending upon how harsh winter is, may send up occasional flowers all winter. But by March and April they are spectacular! I always consider this $3 well spent:@)

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Spin-Achos with Optional Bacon

1. Lay a bed of tortilla chips on microwavable platter.
2. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and sliced fresh spinach.
3. Add bacon to above if using.
4. Microwave for a few seconds, until the cheese melts. About 10-12 seconds.
5. Top with more bacon, a drizzle of ranch dressing, and some freshly minced chives.

Have a Happy Day:@)

Fried Cole Slaw with Bacon & Mason Jar Tip

Pierogies are one of the meals in my Sunday rotation and I love to serve them over a big platter of cooked cabbage. The last time I made them I decided to amp up the cabbage a bit, so we had Fried Cole Slaw with Bacon, and it was very well received. I used everything I add to coleslaw except mayonnaise and sugar. And honestly, a little pinch of sugar won't hurt anything:@) This is a nice, hearty side dish that fries up quickly, and is easily scaled up or down.

Tip: I always save bacon fat, it stores in the refrigerator forever (ok, the Food Police would prefer I say, a long time:@) Sometimes it seems we've all gotten so used to the trendy side of Mason jars that we might forget... They're great for food storage! Yep, you can even pour hot grease right into the Mason jar. Plastic lids are available at Walmart and on-line, and the best suggestion... Peanut butter jar lids fit on Mason jars too, and work perfectly for refrigerator storage. This red lid is from the Great Value brand. Gotta ♥ recycling and re-using.

Fried Cole Slaw with Bacon

4-6 slices bacon-you know your crowd

1 large carrot, julienne

Half small onion, thin slice

Small clove garlic, minced

Half of a large head of cabbage, shredded

Couple shakes of celery seed.

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

S&P to taste

1. Fry bacon crisp, remove to paper towels, crumble when cool. 
2. Pour off all but about 1-2 Tblsp bacon fat.
3. Add carrots and onion, cook and stir for a couple minutes.
4. Add garlic, stir continuously for a minute.
5. Add cabbage and a couple quick shakes of celery seed, stir well, and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until desired doneness.
6. Stir in vinegar, S&P and reserved bacon.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Christmas Side Dishes: Pea Salad, Corn Pudding, Cheesy Broccoli Casserole, and more...

When it comes to holiday meals, it seems to me that in my family, we have a little more wiggle room to try new things at Christmas than Thanksgiving. So... I have a few suggestions in case you're looking for something a little different this year, and one is make ahead, one uses a slow cooker, and one is just full of cheesy goodness:@) We'll start with this pretty, refrigerated, make stir and serve, Christmas Pea Salad. I love the red and green colors! If you want to get extra fancy you can use a mini cookie cutter in a star shape and add some red pepper stars to the top...

We all know oven and stovetop space are at a premium during the holidays, that's why I like to have a few Crock Pot recipes on-hand... I'll share a pic of Corn Pudding using Jiffy Mix, but also give links to Mixed Vegetable Casserole and Slow Cooker Stuffing.

This Frozen Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Casserole is on my dinner list for this year, and I'm debating about giving it a twist and adding some cooked macaroni too... Kinda like a Broccoli Mac and Cheese, we'll see:@)

Finally, may I suggest giving cole slaw a little tweak by adding some unexpected ingredients... Apple, Walnut, Raisin (or Dried Cranberry) Coleslaw looks great, but tastes even better:@) This was a huge hit with my crew, and I think it's time to make some more!

Looking for more ideas? 

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🎄Happy Holiday Planning,

Have a Great Weekend🎅

Fresh Spinach and Bacon Deviled Eggs & Winter Gardening & Super Bowl

Since I had some on-hand, I decided to make Fresh Spinach and Bacon Deviled Eggs. Good stuff folks. I love the color, and let's face it, bacon just makes everything better. There really isn't a recipe, simply whip up your favorite deviled eggs, slice the spinach leaves into chiffonade, add a palmful of bacon crumbles, and mix it all in. You can save a little for a colorful garnish for the tops of the eggs. How much spinach? Just start with a few leaves, you can always add more. And yep, same for the bacon... You know your crowd:@)

I found an AeroGarden Sprout marked down 60% at Walmart, this is the little three pod version. It came with herb seeds, but I wasn't overly enthusiastic about that. So because I have to play I tucked some spinach seeds into the pods figuring I'd snip off any unwanted plants. Within one week I had sprouts in the back pod, basil. Ok, I was excited to see green and kept my fingers crossed... Second up, spinach in the front pod-yay!!! But only one seed sprouted. The impatient me gave up on the middle pod and added a few more spinach seeds, still waiting for them. I set this unit up on January 15th, this picture was taken on February 9th. I'm looking forward to having all three pods start out with spinach next time. I've read each pod can sustain up to three spinach plants... We shall see:@)

In a surprising turn of events, Ken decided he was too apprehensive to watch the Eagles Super Bowl with a crowd. He wanted to focus on the game instead of hosting, and quite honestly, thought he'd even be too nervous to eat! So Barbie and Ken had a very quiet, (well, except for yelling at the TV:@) evening. Anticipation as the game is just beginning...

The game started out strong...

With lots of action and high-fives as they scored!!!

Ken decided a slice sounded good at halftime after all...

Things began to look a little bleak

for the Eagles in the second half...

Reality and losing the Super Bowl.

A consolation hug...

But true Philly fans,

while disappointed,

still do love their team😎

I💗thank the Philadelphia Eagles 

for an amazing season!

Congrats to KC!

And much like gardening, on to next year😉

Have a happy day:@)

Year End Review 2022 -Happier Than A Pig In Mud

Happy New Year Everyone! I wanted to pop in with a few favorite things from 2022, just a quick recap... Without a doubt, my favorite project this year was setting up the new Raised Bed Garden. I loved watching it grow and we thoroughly enjoyed the abundance of vegetables! It was nice to have enough to be able to share too:@) I've added an extra bed further out for zucchini and maybe one more type of squash this summer. I'm looking forward to Jan/Feb planning and sketching out what to grow in 2023. That will be a fun winter project.

I've still maintained a consistent blogging schedule here at PIM.

Hard to believe we're coming into year 13:@)

My personal favorite new recipe this year:

Chicken & Pasta with Tomatoes, Spinach and Bacon in Garlic Cream Sauce

The most popular reader recipe from 2022:

One Ripe Banana Muffins

And I have to say, it's a great way to use up that one banana!

In addition to the garden, my other favorite hobby... Yep, still getting a kick from Barbie crafts and creating dioramas. It's been fun bringing a little of my own personality to the dolls, and the dollhouse renovation is an on-going project.

I sincerely Thank You for taking the time to visit:@)

Happy New Year Everyone,

I wish you good health and all the best in 2023!!!

Chicken & Pasta w/Tomatoes & Spinach in Garlic Cream Sauce

This Chicken and Pasta with Tomatoes and Spinach in a Garlic Cream Sauce was a dinner where all three of us immediately said "make this again". Once declared a winner I reluctantly got up from the table to take a few (very quick) pics so I could continue eating:@) Oh, and in addition to everything mentioned in the title, bacon. Yep:@) Diet food? Ah, no... But fairly quick comfort food? Oh yea! I even enjoyed the leftovers for lunch two days later... Good stuff folks.

I did things slightly differently than the original recipe,

I'll list what I did, you can click for the original post.

Chicken & Pasta with Tomatoes & Spinach in Garlic Cream Sauce-from Julia's Album

2 Tblsp olive oil

1lb chicken breasts or tenderloins cut into bite size pieces

1 tsp paprika

1 hearty tsp Italian seasoning

salt to taste

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 C heavy cream -I used Half and Half

1/2 C parmesan cheese, shredded -I used the grated stuff in the green can

5 tomatoes chopped -I used a 14 oz can, drained

3 C fresh baby spinach-I added the whole bag

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes -I added a few shakes

6 strips of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled -I only had 4 strips

10 oz penne pasta -I could only get ziti the day I shopped

*1/2 C shredded parmesan cheese for serving -I added a hearty handful of mozzarella to the pot instead

1. Cook pasta per package instructions while you cook the chicken.
2. Heat oil in skillet, add chicken. As it cooks sprinkle with paprika and Italian seasoning.
3. Flip and stir until chicken is cooked through. Remove to plate.
4. In same pan, add garlic, cook for a minutes stirring constantly.
5. Add cream and bring to boil, add 1/2 C parmesan cheese. Reduce to simmer and stir to melt for a couple minutes.
6. Add tomatoes, spinach, garlic and red pepper flakes to the sauce, stir, cook until spinach wilts.
7. Add chicken back, and stir pasta into sauce.
8. Stir in bacon and serve.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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Skillet Summer Squash with Bacon & Raised Bed Garden Update

I'm pleased to report that my zucchini and crookneck squash have been very happy in the new raised bed garden this year. I've been picking enough to share, and that makes ~me~ very happy too! What to do with all that goodness that Mother Nature is gifting? Well, I'm always looking for more ideas to add to my Zucchini Pinterest Board, so I decided to keep things super simple and make some Skillet Summer Squash with Bacon. I'm making it on the stove so everyone can try it, but it would also work in a disposable foil pan on the grill. Three ingredients, squash, bacon and onion... And the kids might just find that they like squash after all, might just:@)

Let's talk about summer squash for a minute...

I ~love~ zucchini, it's meaty, extremely versatile and can be used raw or cooked.

Crookneck squash on the other hand, seems to have very little flesh and lots of seeds.

This also means it gets very soft, very quickly.

A little softer than to my liking...

The squash corner of my garden early morning 6/26/22:

Zukes on left, crookneck on right.

The crookneck, while beautiful, 

is shading the pepper plants and growing into the cucumbers.

I decided either the plant had to go, 

or I'd experiment with extremely cutting the leaves back.

So it got a heavy trimming,

only the main stem and vertical leaves remain.

We'll see how that affects it, so far, so good.

And yes, next year the squash does get it's own garden bed.

Overall, the garden is still doing very well at this time:@)

I've picked 24 squash so far, and enough string beans for dinner.

6 cucumbers, and they are just getting started.

Skillet Summer Squash with Bacon

All estimates:

1-2 slices bacon for each 6"-ish squash, any combination zucchini and yellow squash

Onion, sliced, as much as you'd like, but I suggest... lots:@)

Squash, washed, dried, ends removed, sliced a ~hearty~ 1/4", half the circles if large

S&P

1. Cook bacon to your desired doneness (crispy for us), remove to paper towels.
2. Add onion to bacon fat, cook for a few minutes, until it starts to become translucent.
3. Add squash to pan, stir to cover in fat. Cook for a few minutes, until it becomes heated through, and to your desired level of doneness. We like to have a little bite, some folks like for it to get completely soft-you know your crowd.
4. Crumble bacon, add back to pan.
5. Sprinkle with S&P to taste. 

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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What's for Dinner?

Campbell's Easy Baked Beans -Microwave, Oven, Stovetop, Grill or Slow Cooker

If you've been around Pig In Mud for a while, you know I love beans:@) So I'm always looking for new recipes to try, and sometimes I fall upon one that's been around forever like these Campbell's Easy Baked Beans. And not only do they come together ~very~ quickly, they call for fairly standard pantry ingredients-gotta love that. The recipe is literally written up to be heated in the microwave, but anything goes. Oven baked or using a disposable pan on the grill would be great. I added a liner to my casserole crock pot, left the lid ~off~ and cooked for several hours on high. The vessel kept them nice and warm all through dinner. While these beans aren't going to make us toss our favorite recipe, they do have a nice, please the general crowd, type of flavor.

Recipe easily scaled down or up.

Easy Baked Beans-from Campbell's

Two 15 oz cans pork and beans

2 Tblsp brown sugar

2 Tblsp ketchup

1 Tblsp yellow mustard

1 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce

3 Tblsp bacon bits

2 Tblsp dried minced onion flakes, can use 1/4 C small diced onion instead

~Mix everything, thoroughly heat through. Yep, it's that easy folks!

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

ReView: BBQ Frozen Green Beans with Bacon & Barbie Summer Tops from Ribbon

Well folks, it's Memorial Day Weekend and you know what that means, it's the unofficial start of... Grilling Season:@) And while we all love burgers and other proteins on the grill, let's make sure we serve a veggie or two so we don't lose our Mom Card! These Green Beans with Bacon and BBQ Sauce go really well with just about any meal, and they're extra convenient because they start with readily available frozen beans. 

Today we're channeling our inner Daisy Duke:@) My inspiration was a really cute pink ribbon with white polka dots from Dollar Tree. It is 1.5" wide and has wire edges. I'm showing a couple options, each comes together in no time (well, as long as it takes for the hot glue gun to heat up)... These ideas will literally fit any size doll, standard, Curvy Barbie, skipper, and a thin ribbon would even work for Chelsea. And of course, you could use any ribbon design, red, white and blue for the summer holidays would be really fun!

Blonde:

Literally cut a length of ribbon long enough to easily wrap around chest and tie closed.

I removed the wire for this one.

The idea is to tie it as tightly as you can, double knot, then trim the loose ends,

creating a cute little bow.

Redhead:

✂What I did:

1. Cut length of ribbon long enough for about 1 1/2 times needed to wrap around chest.
2. Holding wire, gather ribbon to create cute puffy top.
3. Once it fits around the doll:
4. I folded each end over a good 1/4" or more,
5. folded the wire over the area I planned to hot glue,
6. and hot glued velcro, over the wire, to each side.
7. Then trimmed the excess wire off.
8. Scrunch the gathers towards the front to dress doll.
9. Optional: Glue on thin coordinating ribbon as shoulder straps.
10. Super easy😎

I'd say the girls look like they're ready for a picnic, canoeing, hiking, or any summer activity the Ken dolls have planned!

Thank you to all who have served!

Enjoy Your Weekend:@)

Oven Roasted Frozen Broccoli and Bacon

Kids or hubby wrinkle their nose at the mention of eating broccoli? As we all know, bacon makes everything better:@) And yep, that was the case with this Oven Roasted Frozen Broccoli and Bacon too. Super simple, I had a 12 oz bag of broccoli and chose to use 3 strips of bacon. Want to add more bacon? Go right ahead, you know your crew... 

Nothing ground breaking here folks,

just a nice way to add to the appeal of a $1 bag of frozen vegetables:@)

Try to keep the broccoli in a single layer and give it some room 

so it can cook and has time for the ice to evaporate.

Grilling out instead?

Don't forget frozen vegetables can be tossed into a hot grill pan too HERE.

Oven Roasted Frozen Broccoli and Bacon

12 oz frozen broccoli

3-4 slices of bacon

1. Place bacon on outside of baking sheet, spread out frozen broccoli.
2. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
3. Remove from oven, slice bacon into pieces. Stir broccoli into bacon fat and spread out onto sheet.
4. Bake for another 5 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, stir everything together, add S&P to taste.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Bacon Crescent Rolls

These Bacon Crescent Rolls were a very nice addition to Sunday dinner, and paired perfectly with a hearty beef stew:@) I saw this idea on Taste of Home, and made it even easier by using some pre-cooked bacon crumbles I had in the freezer. Nothing ground breaking here folks, just an easy way to turn canned rolls into something a tad more special. Don't hesitate to give it a try if you have some bacon to use up, I do look forward to making these again.

The original recipe saved some bacon and pressed it into the top of the rolls.

I just sprinkled on anything that fell out after I rolled them up.

Bacon Crescent Rolls

Tube of crescent rolls

Approximately 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Onion powder

1. Separate dough.
2. Sprinkle each with onion powder and bacon.
3. Roll-up and bake per package instructions.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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Saturday ReView: Christmas Pea Salad & Barbie Christmas Fun...

Looking for a new side dish that has Christmas written all over it? This red and green Pea Salad with Bacon and Red Peppers would be a very pretty addition to your dinner table. It's a nice tasty addition too:@) I like that it's a cold salad, just mix, and store in fridge until ready to serve.

🎄Too many ideas, and I'm running out of time folks!!!

Check out Barbie's trip to Cousin Rube's Christmas tree farm.

This is a ~pour a cuppa~ story for the dolls.

I hope it makes you smile:@)

And I just had to whip up a Santa Dress from $1 Wine bag...

Super easy DIY craft and lots of fun!

And yep, the hat is included with the Dollar Tree wine bag.

~Happy Holidays Everyone🎅

Saturday ReView: Barbie Recycled Grocery Bag & Amish Schnitzel Green Beans

Barbie tries to cut back on waste as much as possible and loves her new reusable grocery bags! They are made from the mesh bags that sometimes come wrapped around produce. I've seen them holding oranges, lemons, cantaloupe, garlic and onions, just to mention a few things. The open holes make it a great beach bag too. Or with everything clearly visible it could be a stadium bag for sporting events. And this one is kinda Eagles green:@) This project only takes a few minutes to complete, and it surprisingly holds quite a bit of stuff. Simply make it bigger or smaller by changing the length you cut it.

Barbie says she loves shopping but prefers that it be for clothes😉

How to make a three seam elastic waist skirt here.

What I did:

1. My bag has a metal clip on the bottom that holds one end closed. If yours doesn't, sew the bottom closed.
2. I stretched it long ways (bottom to top) and cut it about 5" long.
3. Keeping the tied/closed end outside, fold the open top over a good 1/2-1". Using cording, ribbon, elastic, yarn, etc, cut a long piece and weave it through the folded edge. 
4. Once you go all the way around the circle and the two ends meet, hold the ends, pull the other handle out from the other side, and scrunch the top together closing the bag. 
5. Determine how long you'd like the handles and tie a knot, trim excess off.
6. Open bag and flip it/turn right side out, so the bottom knot/tie is on the inside.
7. Fill bag with goodies and scrunch bag closed, pull two handles out on opposite sides so the doll can carry the bag.
   
   

   And I wanted to share these Amish Schnitzel Green Beans while we can still find fresh beans at farmers markets and our gardens are still producing. It also calls for some tomatoes, a little bacon and some vinegar and sugar. This is such a popular recipe with my family, my sons even make it for themselves! This pic goes back to 2013... Yea, it's time for an upgrade:@)

   

   
   

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   Have a happy day😊

BLT Macaroni Salad & Pasta for Shark Week

I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that this BLT Macaroni Salad was the hit of our Sunday dinner:@) I've seen plenty of recipes out there, what makes mine a tad different is, start with your favorite macaroni salad, and the rest is simply plating and presentation. I mixed some bacon into the salad, scooped the salad onto a generous bed of shredded lettuce and placed sliced tomatoes around the edge. This helped keep the lettuce crisp and the tomatoes didn't make the pasta salad watery. And of course a little crumbled bacon for garnish is always nice. 

And Shark Week starts July 11th this year folks, you really can't tell from the picture but, I used shark shaped pasta and some small shells for the salad above. Just a little something to help make things fun for the kids... Walmart had this Baby Shark Mac and Cheese, I used the pasta for this salad. I've seen big boxes of ocean shapes in the past at Walmart, Home Goods etc, and Aldi. My best tip: If using small shapes like this or small shells, set your timer for 8 minutes and immediately run under cold water to cool off so they don't over cook and get mushy. 

Cute!

Eat well, celebrate the little things, and have a happy day:@)

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Pea Salad with Bacon and Red Peppers -aka Christmas Pea Salad

This Pea Salad with Bacon and Red Peppers is a very pretty side dish. My addition was adding the red peppers for the holidays so I could call it Christmas Pea Salad, I just didn't get it posted earlier for some reason. And of course, this is a nice side dish any time of year, with or without the peppers. It also calls for some basic pantry ingredients or things we generally have on-hand, ya gotta love that! So if you're looking for a new recipe to try, it's kind of hard to go wrong with this one folks:@)

Christmas Pea Salad (Pea Salad with Bacon and Red Peppers)-adapted from Taste of Home

4 C frozen peas, thawed-approx 16 oz

1/2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 C ranch dressing

1/3 C onion, chopped-red or yellow onion

Diced red pepper, enough for color

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 slices bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled

1. Mix everything except bacon. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
2. Stir in bacon right before serving.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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