Sandra Lee

 I've been a long-time fan of Sandra Lee...I love her cookbooks, her television shows, magazines, and of course I'm a big fan of her cute, matchy-matchy tablescapes that coordinate with her kitchen.  I'm also not ashamed to say that I've been a fan of her semi-homemade (70% pre-packaged products and 30% fresh items) recipes for many years.

Recently, I've been following her announcement on her Facebook that she received a breast cancer diagnosis after a routine mammogram--which was followed by a lumpectomy, and then a double mastectomy during this past week.  My heart goes out to her and to anyone battling breast cancer...or any kind of cancer.  Many people battling this disease will be helped by her Sandra's openness and her sharing with the public of her personal experience and journey to recovery.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, I am preparing some of her recipes.  The Cheeseburger Bites* are so good.  These are little tasty sliders, with a meatloaf-flavor twist. Mama likes small portions, so these were perfect for her with a little bit of cole slaw.

My Cheeseburger Bites

In Sandra's words, "It's Cocktail Time!"  She now has her own Margaritas in the bottle...Key Lime or Strawberry.  We'll be sippin' the Key Lime Margaritas this weekend too!

*Recipe for Cheeseburger Bites:
1 1/4 lbs extra-lean ground beef
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tblsp meat loaf seasoning
1 package (7 oz) sunburst-shape cheese snacks (I used sliced American cheese)
8 hamburger buns, split iceberg lettuce leaves, cut into 2-inch-wide pieces
6 tblsp Thousand Island salad dressing
16 cherry tomatoes
16 pickle chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line baking sheet with foil.  In a large bowl, mix ground beef, ketchup, and meat loaf seasoning with wet hands until well combined.  Form into 16 patties slightly larger than 2 inches wide.  Place patties on prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 14-16 minutes.  Top each patty with cheese, return to oven, and back about 2 minutes more or until burgers are cooked through and cheese has melted.  While burgers cook, arrange halves of hamburger buns on a cutting board, cut sides up.  Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut mini buns from the large hamburger buns.  To assemble mini cheeseburgers, cover bottoms of mini buns with lettuce, a patty, and about 1 teaspoon salad dressing.  Add bun tops.  Skewer 1 cherry tomato and 1 pickle chip on each of 16 long cocktail toothpicks; push through the centers of assembled burgers.

Makes:  16 mini burgers

Keep it Simple, Keep it Smart, Keep it Semi-Homemade!
I'm sure even Sandra's harshest critics join me in sending gentle hugs and prayers to her for a complete and speedy recovery!

December 2010 "Friendship Gifts"

When I was reading the September/October issue of Sandra Lee's magazine "Semi-Homemade," I knew that I wanted to offer her s'more gift bags as my "Friendship Gifts" for December. These little gifts are inexpensive {I paid only 50 cents for each Hershey bar at Walmart} and everyone loves s'mores...especially at this time of year! They make a great gift for teachers or the postal carrier, a great little happy for children, and are the perfect gift for a hostess.

I placed two sheets of graham crackers, a Hershey bar, and four large marshmallows inside a cellophane bag. The bag tag I used can be downloaded at SemiHomemadeMag.com.

Of course the s'mores can be toasted over an open fire or placed on a foil-lined baking sheet and broiled for a few minutes in the oven.
Here's S'more lovin! Perfect little "Friendship Gifts" for December!

I'm back from my trip to Georgia...if you follow me on Twitter, you know that I had a great time back home. My first stop was in Savannah to visit with my longtime friend Miss Joy. We had a wonderful lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons. We also enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Paula's brother's restaurant, Uncle Bubba's Oyster House. Joy was a wonderful hostess and took me to all Miss Paula's former homes and her present home! Joy and I had a blast! She loves good food and is a shopaholic just like me. In fact when we said our goodbyes, Joy said, "Lord, if we lived in the same town, we'd kill each other shopping and eating!" Later this week, I'm gonna feature "Joy's Beach Cottage" here...be sure to check out that post. Her cottage is absolutely adorable y'all!

My next stop was to mama's house! As mama is getting older, I cherish the time that I spend with her. Mama is a senior shopaholic, so we got in some good shopping time together also!

Thank you for visiting with me today. Let's get this Christmas season started!

GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS!

I've been working in my office all morning...going through my Christmas magazines. I kinda have to lay out my ribbons and other objects to bring it all together. Do y'all do this?
Sippin' my Pumpkin Spice Coffee from The Fresh Market...Although I love the Christmas season, I never want to stop drinking my Pumpkin Spice Coffee. I'll probably still be drinking it when the Easter Bunny gets here!!!

So, thinking about the decorations for Christmas...

There will be some fleur de lis...of course!

My kitchen is decorated in cranberry and that frenchy-mustard color and black. I really don't want to bring in all the popular Christmas colors into the room, so I'm gonna attempt to make it Country French Christmas, using my own colors. After all...there is "Santa in France!"

I'll be using my cheetah ribbon from Ballard Designs, along with magnolia leaves and gold toned-ornaments in the den. I will probably throw some feathers into this mix.

Y'all know I'm big on dots right now and they will play a huge part in the whimsical look I will create for the front porch.

A little tartan will be thrown in for a soiree in December...

Not to forget Thanksgiving...I'm still decorating for that holiday. Southern Living's November magazine is beautifully done. They have a great "Mother/Daughter Style Find" section, some fabulous holiday tablescape ideas, and various seasonal menu ideas.

One of my favorite home magazines, this issue of Romantic Homes does not disappoint. I fell in love with the article written by Andrea Drexelius, "Notes of Christmas Past," featuring a home decorated for the holidays inspired by European customs and tradition. Many great ideas here...

The Victoria "Holiday Bliss" magazine is simply stunning! Great recipes, enchanting trees, timeless decor, and delectable treats!

Being a tea lover, Tea Time magazine has always been a must-buy for me! The recipes and tablescapes in this issue are perfect for the holiday season.

I love Sandra Lee...y'all know I channel her all the time. I guess I "get" her and her matching tablescapes and clothes! I have many turned-down pages in this issue of "Semi-Homemade" and it's stock full of great recipes and ideas for the season.

What can I say about the Christmas edition of my very favorite magazine ever?!!! It is full of great ideas for entertaining and decorating. And...you know what else I love about "Southern Lady magazine...I love the ads...cause they feature great businesses who have great Southern loot for sale!

The cover of the "Southern Lady" edition of "Holidays" says it is "Your Guide for Celebrating in Style!" So true! Again, another great holiday publication from Hoffman Media. Way too many creative ideas to mention!

Another Christmas magazine from Hoffman media...all the pages are turned down in this one also. What would Miss Janice do without Phyllis Hoffman and her publications???...I just love everything she creates!!!

Paula Deen's "Holiday" was another must-buy for me...the recipes and food gift ideas are keepers!

Paula Deen's "Christmas" magazine is one of my favorites this year. There is a section featuring her Savannah home all decked out for the holidays. Again...loads of ideas for Miss Janice!

The "Cooking with Paula Deen" magazine has awesome recipes...as usual. My fave this month--the Squash and Spinach Casserole--yum yumness in a dish!

So, that's what I'm doing all day...organizing and planning for Christmas. I'll be back later in the week with my holiday entertaining planning guide. Y'all have a wonderful week and thank you for visiting with me today!