FUNTASTIC FRIDAY LINK PARTY 455 AND GRATITUDE JARS

If you'd like to join us as a party host

contact Michele @ Coastal Bohemian

HI THERE! IT'S ALMOST OCTOBER SO WE BET THE HALLOWEEN AND THANKSGIVING LINKS WILL BE RAMPING UP--WHICH WE LOVE!

OUR LATEST POSTS ARE FALL-RELATED:

CHOCOLATEY CHIP CAKE MIX HALLOWEEN COOKIES

HOMEMADE VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP

NOW ONTO THE FEATURES FROM 454 AND THE PARTY!

Meet Your

HOSTS

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Donna & Staci @ Two Chicks and A Mom

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Heidi @ Building Our Hive 

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Michele @ CoastalBohemian 

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Features from last week:

MOST VIEWED

A Little Pumpkin Project from Thrifting in Wonderland

HOST PICKS

Heidi's pick:

Apple Coleslaw No Mayo from Midlife Healthy Living

Michele's pick:

Making Beads from Vintage Silverware from Fresh Vintage by Lisa S

Donna's pick:

How to Create and Use a Gratitude Jar from Perfectly Imperfect Life with Lindsey

Congratulations to all those featured this week!
Copy our party button and share it on your blog!

We're ready for all your fabulous linkups at this week's party!

Let's get to it!

Party Rules

1.  Post up to 4 links.

2. Family-friendly posts only.

3. Old posts are welcome.

4. Comment on at least one post at the party.

5. Follow the hosts on as many platforms as you can.

We are your online friends. 

Let’s interact, comment, and enjoy one another while supporting each other.

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Chocolatey Chip Halloween Cake Mix Cookies

Hi there! I have recently retired from nursing and as such, I have a bit more time to do blogging--this will be my third post in just over a week.  I have had some health issues at play for over a year and one year I will write about that. I didn't do much blogging during my treatments so trying to make up for lost time lol.

Today I am sharing another Cake Mix Cookie recipe. Easy to mix up and bake--I make them often for family and even send some to my husband's work (though he retired recently, too) or some of my kids take them to work to share. I love it when my son, who works at a gold mine nearby, takes them to work and employees from other departments come to his office and say, "I heard your mom made cookies. Still have some?" I guess I've made a name for myself with my cookie-baking skills.

Here's the recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

One Betty Crocker Super-Moist Chocolate cake mix (that is the brand I have always used)--choose from Milk Chocolate, German Chocolate, Fudge, etc.

2/3 cup shortening

2 eggs or 1/2 cup pasteurized liquid egg product

Add half the dry cake mix to a mixing bowl, add the shortening and the eggs, mix well. Add the other half of dry cake mix and mix again. 

Add 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the dough (or M and M's to match the season, white chocolate chips, etc.) and stir by hand.

Scoop about a 1-inch ball of dough, flatten with hand and place on ungreased baking sheet or sheet with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 8 minutes, depending on your oven.

As cookies are cooling on pan, add a white melting chocolate chip to center of each cookie (I used Chocomaker White melting Chocolate). As chip melts, add a few Fall or Halloween sprinkles to garnish.

Remove from sheet after about 5 minutes and place on cooling rack. 

The melting chocolate will set up in a few minutes. Store cookies in a sealable container, if they last that long lol. 

HAPPY BAKING AND THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

HOMEMADE VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP

Fall is here and with it, cravings of heartier meals and something to warm us.  Maybe even a recipe that was Mom's or handed down through the family over the years. 

My Mama loved to make Vegetable Beef Soup often during the winter months. As a child, I can't say that vegetables were my favorite thing but, I did love my Mama's soup. 

My mama in her Senior graduation photo. She graduated at 16!

Whenever I make Vegetable Beef Soup, I feel my mama nearby, even though she has been gone 18 years this week. I called my mom "Mama" because we are from the South and so she will always be my Mama.  I wanted my kids to call me Mama, too, but my husband had called his mother Mom so before I knew it, that was what I was to my kids. Oh well.

Recently we began purchasing a quarter beef 2 or 3 times a year from a local family who raise cattle without hormones, antibiotics, and that are grass-fed. The taste is amazing! I thawed out soup bones to make this soup and the amount of meat on the bones was surprising--much more than I expected. Really pleased with the quality and taste of the beef we receive. We recently placed our 3rd order for a quarter beef.

Yummy and lots of vitamins, minerals, and proteins!

Without further ado, I will present our

HOMEMADE VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP

1 to 2 pounds of beef soup bone

Salt and pepper to taste

1 TBSP minced garlic (I used Kirkland brand)

3 to 4 whole carrots, scrubbed or peeled and sliced

1 to 2 zucchini squash, washed and sliced thinly (about 1/4" thick)

One can green beans with juice added to soup

One can Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles (we like a little spice but you can also use a small can of tomato paste if you prefer)

In stock pot, place the soup bones and enough water to cover bones. Place on stove and bring to boil, cook till done/tender.  Move to large platter and pull meat from bones; add back to stock. Add salt and pepper, garlic, green beans, and Rotel or tomato paste. Add sliced carrots and zucchini squash and bring to boil. Stir as needed and cook till carrots are tender. Add more water if needed for the consistency of soup that you prefer. 

I do play with the ingredients at times with what I might have on hand. Sometimes I add kidney or garbanzo beans to the soup, other times I might add small potatoes in.  I think some of the best meals I have cooked, I just threw together and I bet that has been the experience of many!

I hope you enjoyed our post today. 

Thanks for stopping by!

MOST POPULAR POST AT PARTY #438!

Featured at Lazy Gastronome Sunday Link Up 439

FUNTASTIC FRIDAY LINK PARTY 455 AND EXCITED FOR FALL

It's Funtastic Friday and we had some great ideas from last week. It made it very hard to choose our picks this week!

  

DON'T FORGET TO WELCOME FALL WITH SOME PUMPKIN-FLAVORED

 TREATS! ONE OF OUR FAVES IS CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN CAKE

MEET YOUR HOSTS

If you'd like to join us as a party host

contact Michele @ Coastal Bohemian

PLEASE FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

Donna & Staci @ Two Chicks and A Mom

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Heidi @ Building Our Hive 

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Michele @ CoastalBohemian 

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Features from last week:

MOST VIEWED

Halloween Hershey's Kisses Stickers by Crystal and Comp 

HEIDI'S PICK

Tailgate Charcuterie Board by Three Boys and a Dog 

DONNA'S PICK

Pumpkin Painting and Starting a New Sunflower Medallion Quilt by Sunshine in the Attic 

MICHELE'S PICK

Faux Fall Tree by Penny's Vintage Home 

HOORAY FOR THOSE WHO WERE FEATURED? PLEASE COPY AND PASTE A BUTTON TO YOUR BLOG TO SHARE!

Ready to link up all your ideas and projects?!

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Party Rules

1.  Post up to 4 links.

2. Family-friendly posts only.

3. Old posts are welcome.

4. Comment on at least one post at the party.

5. Follow the hosts on as many platforms as you can.

We are your online friends. 

Let’s interact, comment, and enjoy one another while supporting each other.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

FUNTASTIC FRIDAY LINK PARTY AND FALL DELIGHTS

Hello! Thank you for joining our party! We hope that you are having beautiful late-summer weather where you live and are enjoying the great outdoors, even if a walk around the block or to sit in the backyard.

NEW POST ON THE BLOG: FAVORITE FALL BLOG POSTS

Hope you will take a look 🌻🌻🌻

MEET YOUR HOSTS

If you'd like to join us as a party host

contact Michele @ Coastal Bohemian

PLEASE FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

Donna & Staci @ Two Chicks and A Mom

         | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | BL |

Heidi @ Building Our Hive 

| Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram |

Michele @ CoastalBohemian 

| Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter |Hometalk |

| Linkedin |BL |

Features from last week:

MOST VIEWED

FRESH VINTAGE BY LISA S REPURPOSED SPOON HOLDER

HEIDI'S PICK

CRYSTAL AND COMP BEST APPLE BUTTER RECIPE

DONNA'S PICK

WALKING ON SUNSHINE RECIPES PUMPKIN MUFFINS

MICHELE'S PICK

THE LAZY GASTRONOME MUMMY POPPERS

HOORAY FOR THOSE WHO WERE FEATURED? PLEASE COPY AND PASTE A BUTTON TO YOUR BLOG TO SHARE!

Ready to link up all your ideas and projects?!

Don't forget our limit of 4 links per person.

Let's get to it!

Party Rules

1.  Post up to 4 links.

2. Family-friendly posts only.

3. Old posts are welcome.

4. Comment on at least one post at the party.

5. Follow the hosts on as many platforms as you can.

We are your online friends. 

Let’s interact, comment, and enjoy one another while supporting each other.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

FAVORITE FALL BLOG POSTS OF TWO CHICKS AND A MOM

Hello and thanks for stopping by! It's almost Fall and here in Northern Nevada, the nights have already begun to cool off a bit and the breeze feels like, well, Fall.

I do love me some Fall weather but where we live, sometimes we have Fall weather, which than converts to late Summer weather, and immediately into Winter lol. Gotta love whatever you get, I suppose. I do have our front step decked out for Fall, already. Thank you, Walmart, for getting mums in--I was worried there for a bit!

We want to share some of our favorite Fall posts from over the years. These are mainly Halloween and we do have a few Thanksgiving ones that we will share in another post. I hope you enjoy our little "stroll down memory lane" and find something you would like to try, too.

EASY SKELETON COOKIES are just that--easy! Made with a Gingerbread Man cookie cutter. 

HANGING BAT tutorial takes a bit of time but not too complicated at all. I usually make several at a time.

DOLLAR STORE FALL WREATH is inexpensive and you can certainly add your own creativity to it!

HALLOWEEN GIFT JARS W/PUPPY CHOW MIX is our MOST POPULAR post ever! Click on the link to find out why!

EASY HALLOWEEN WREATH is one that I made using what I had around the house already. That's the best kind!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Fall!