News with Naylors

Last year we spent an entire week celebrating Saint Patrick's Day! We did green food each morning, and a themed craft and activity each day. My two year old especially enjoyed hunting for these erupting MAGIC leprechaun rocks, going on an alphabet coin hunt and painting with frozen shamrocks (you can view these activities by clicking on the green link above). I wish I had planned more in advance this year, because there are so many fun Saint Patrick's Day activities to do. With all that said, we had a great Saint Patrick's Day morning this year! As I was getting things ready downstairs, I heard my three wake up and very enthusiastically yell, "It's Saint Patrick's Day!" My husband was luckily home and could distract him while I got the rest of our activities ready. When the kids came downstairs our leprechaun had made a big mess with our stuffed animals. They were all over the floor. Hidden in the stuffed animals were gold chocolate coins and a clue to ...

My mother-in-law often makes this meal for family Sunday dinners. It's one of my favorite meals on her rotation and perfect for adults and kids. This recipe can easily be doubled. Rating: 10/10 Ingredients: 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I prefer frozen) 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix*  *Note: I often use 1 1/2 packets of Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix for more flavor. Directions:  1) Combine soup, cream cheese and dressing mix. Pour over chicken in crock pot and cook 6-8 hours on low-heat.  2) Remove the chicken from crock pot and shred with two forks to pull it apart. Once shredded, return to the sauce in the crockpot. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

I will often bring these baked beans as a side dish to a larger event. The recipe states it serves 20. It's super easy to throw together and very flavorful. I leave out the bacon, because I don't prefer in with beans, so I listed it as optional. These beans are sweet and delicious. Recipe from The Favorites Cookbook. Rating: 10/10 (picture to come) Ingredients: 2 (31-ounce) cans pork and beans 1 (15-ounce) can great northern beans 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans 1 (16-ounce) can baked beans 1-2 green peppers, chopped 2 onions, chopped 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 (36-ounce) bottle ketchup 2 cups brown sugar Optional: 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled Directions: 1) Drain all beans. Mix ingredients in a 5-quart casserole dish. Bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours. (Can use any combination of canned beans)

These applesauce muffins are so good! We love them fresh out of the oven, dipped in melted butter followed by cinnamon sugar. Rating: 10/10 Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup shortening 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup applesauce 2 cups flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon Directions: 1) Cream shortening and sugar. Stir in eggs and applesauce. Blend in flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. (I do all of this in my kitchen aid). 2) Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. We dip the tops in melted butter followed by cinnamon sugar, but they are also good with butter and jam. 

My mom made a similar soup growing up, only without broccoli. If you don't mind the flavor of Velveeta cheese, you will love this soup. For leftovers, we served this soup in a bread bowl. Rating: 10/10 (picture to come) Ingredients (veggies): 4 cups cubed potatoes 1 onion, chopped 2 cups sliced carrots 2 cups chopped celery 3 cups cut-up broccoli  Ingredients (cheese sauce): 1/2 cup margarine 3 tablespoons flour 2 cups milk 1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1/4 teaspoon pepper 3 chicken flavored bouillon cubes (or 1 tablespoon bouillon granules) Directions: 1) Boil all veggies but broccoli in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and boil for 10 more minutes. DO NOT DRAIN.  2) In saucepan, melt margarine. Stir in flour. Add milk and cook, stirring constantly, until thick. Add cheese and other ingredients. Mix until smooth. Add to undrained veggies and heat together but do not boil.

These bran muffins are so delicious. I made this recipe a few weeks ago and it makes A TON of muffins. I could have halved the recipe and had enough muffins for the entire month for our little family. I love that the muffin mix can be stored in the fridge for 30-days to be used as wanted that way the muffins are always warm and fresh. They are great plain, but we often top them with home-made raspberry jam. This recipe is from The Favorites Cookbook. Rating: 10/10 (picture to come) Ingredients: 4 cups All-Bran cereal 2 cups boiling water 1 cup margarine 2 1/2 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 quart buttermilk 5 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 5 cups flour 2 cups Bran Flakes cereal Directions: 1) Pour boiling water over All-Bran cereal and let sit.  2) Cream margarine and sugar; add eggs then dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk. Mix in All Bran and water mixture. Last of all, stir in Bran Flakes.  3) Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes in gre...

I made this bread when I was first married and it immediately became a favorite bread of ours. This bread is easy to make, but it does require rise time. This bread is so soft and it's especially yummy right out of the oven with warm butter. We serve this with pasta dishes, soup or lasagna. Recipe from The Favorites Cookbook. Rating: 10/10 (picture to come) Ingredients: 1 package dry yeast 2 cups warm water 1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons salt 4 cups flour oil corn meal melted butter Directions: 1) Place yeast, water, sugar and salt in a warm bowl and stir until dissolved. Add flour and stir until blended. Do NOT knead. Cover and let rise one hour or until doubled in size. 2) Flour hands, remove dough from the bowl and place in 2 rounds on an oiled cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal. Let rise an additional hour.  3) Brush the top with melted butter and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and cook an additiona...

My three year old is obsessed with crepes. He would eat them every day, all day if I let him. We love this recipe (slightly adapted) from the Favorites Cookbook. Rating: 10/10 Ingredients: 1 cup cold milk 4 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons sugar 1 cup flour 2 tablespoons butter, melted Directions: 1) Put milk, eggs, salt and sugar into a blender; blend until mixed.  2) Add flour and melted butter and mix at top speed for one minute. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  3) Heat crepe pan (we use a large skillet) over moderate heat. For each crepe, lightly grease pan with oil or butter. Pour 1/4 cup batter into pan, rotating so batter spreads evenly. Turn when lightly browned to cook other side. Stack crepes and keep warm by placing a sheet of paper towel between crepes while cooking the rest.  4) Top with bananas and caramel, nutella and strawberries, whipped cream and syrup, or lemon juice and powdered suga...