Hello Friends. 

In an effort to keep my Heavenly Homemakers site a friendly and loving place, I am now turning off the comments on the Importance of Modesty post.  There has been just a little bit too much chatting going on in the comments section that hasn’t been edifying and just as I wouldn’t invite that kind of talk in my living room, I don’t welcome it on my blog.  I prayed over and worked very hard to word my post in such a way that would encourage us as women to honor and respect our husbands by dressing modestly.  I didn’t tell you what to wear, I simply wanted to encourage us all that modesty is an important part of being a good help meet to our husbands.

I’m going to go with the assumption that you all mean to say what you’re saying in love, but some of the comments and arguments shared as you “talk amongst yourselves” are starting to make my head (and my heart) hurt.

We all have different opinions about what modesty is and as long as you feel like you are dressing in a way that honors God and your husband, you’re doing a great job.  Follow where you feel God is leading you on this issue and do so with a loving heart.

I’m turning off the comments on this post too, just because.  Feel free to (kindly and lovingly) email me if you have more you feel you need to address with this subject.  I’m hoping we can all cheerfully move along to the Cheeseburger Macaroni post because unless you’re lactose intolerant, there’s not too much controversy there.   :)

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was sent a bottle of TABASCO® Original Red and told, “Try it in a variety of foods and let us know what you think.”  I was also told, “Tabasco is So Much More Than Hot!” meaning that adding a bit of Tabasco doesn’t just give food a spicy kick, it has the ability to enhance the flavor of your food, no matter what it is.

So I just had to know…would TABASCO® Original Red enhance the flavor of my Fudge Brownies? I mean, if I could unlock the flavor of chocolate?!  Bring on the Tabasco.

I splashed in just a few drops of TABASCO® Original Red into my brownie batter and baked them without telling anyone what I had done.  I couldn’t taste the Tabasco at all when I tested a brownie, fresh out of the oven.  It wasn’t spicy, but did it enhance the flavor?

Well, I just couldn’t tell, so I had to try a second brownie.  (It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.)

My conclusion:  I couldn’t tell.  The brownies were delicious, fudgy, rich and chocolaty like normal.  I couldn’t tell that the flavor was enhanced…but wow, were the brownies good!

We also used the Tabasco in our Sloppy Joes and Pizza and it was a hit!  Now with those…the flavor did seem enhanced.  AND they had a fun kick to them as well.  I’m thinking that if we have Pizza during the upcoming Super Bowl (because the Super Bowl is ALL about the food), I’ll be setting out the Tabasco.  Everyone in our family loved the addition!  Check out Pizza Perfected to see more ways to use Tabasco on pizza!

You should also check out Game-Day Party Menu for more Super Bowl recipes and ideas.  AND, click on TABASCO® Original Red  to print a coupon to use in all these recipes!

I’m pretty excited that TABASCO® Original Red only contains salt, red pepper and vinegar.  That’s it.  So many seasonings and sauces contain freaky ingredients and MSG.  I’m not sure why I never read a Tabasco label before, but now that I know that it’s such good stuff without crazy ingredients, we’ll be using it a lot more.

My husband is quite excited about that.

By the way…the family didn’t know the Fudge Brownies had Tabasco until I told them…after they ate them.  They were surprised and amazed.

And then they all felt like they needed a second one too.

This post brought to you by Avocados from Mexico. All opinions are 100% mine.

We love guac at our house.  It’s great party food!  If you recall, we came up with a very simple recipe that we all love.  Then one day, we discovered that Asa, our oldest, makes the guacamole MUCH better than I do.  Looks like someone just got a new job, huh?  (That’s okay…he’s always willing to make anything that involves eating chips.)

So, speaking of guac…ever taken a silly little quiz on the  that tell you something about yourself that you never knew before?  I took a few seconds to take the Guac Star Style quiz on the Avocados from Mexico Facebook page  (because life just can’t go on until you know your guac style…) and apparently I’m a Guac Geek.  I’m not surprised. 

It’s all about a chance to win some prizes.  Prizes are great, right?  Especially if they are free groceries.  I like free groceries even more than I love free trips, which of course, you could also win by entering this sweepstakes.  The Sweepstakes runs from now until January 28.  Prizes are as follows:   Prizes are asOPP

(2) Grand Prizes – Two “Fly Away” tickets for a special getaway that’s sure to rock! ($1,500 value)
(3) First Place Prizes- $100 in free groceries to help stock up for your next party!
(80) Second Place Prizes – $20 coupon good for Avocados from Mexico, the secret ingredient that makes ur Guac Rock!
 

If you’re interested, you’ll find some recipes from Avocados from Mexico here.  You can also follow Avocados from Mexico on twitter.

I love meal planning…I get a big kick out of it.  I think it’s fun to figure out what our main dish should be and what sides would taste good with the main dish, based on what we have in our freezers and pantry.  But that’s just me.  Food is a hobby and I just can’t stop liking it.  :)

I often have people ask me how I plan our meals.  I have “on my list” to write a more extensive post about what works for me with meal planning.

In the meantime, let me introduce you to one of our site sponsors, Say Mmm!  Well, you’ve just gotta love the name, huh?  Say Mmm is a wonderful meal planning site that not only gives you a boost with meal planning, it helps you plan your shopping lists and organize all of your favorite recipes too!

And did I mention that it’s all free? 

There are all kinds of other great features you can add for only $3/month, which I’d say is well worth it as you’re likely to save much more than $3/month by using this service to help you organize and plan your meals on a calendar, track grocery prices and much more.  Three dollars.  Great deal!

Of course, free is also a great deal and you’ll be getting a lot for free over at Say Mmm.

Here’s a great feature that happens to be just perfect for the Heavenly Homemakers site (food bloggers, listen carefully!).  As a blogger, I can use Say Mmm to set up grocery lists for each of my recipes.  We set this up on my Main Dishes Recipe Page for you to see how it works.  It is SO COOL. 

So lets just say you’re trying to figure out what to make for dinner tomorrow.  You look at my Main Dishes Recipe Page to get some ideas.  You can see the list of recipes and right next to each recipe link is a link that reads “Grocery List”.  You click on that and up pops a list of each item you’ll need to make that particular recipe.  Awesome, huh?  Here’s a sample from my Main Dishes Recipe Page:

So say you decided on Barbecue Brisket (which I have to say, is an excellent choice).  If you click over to the Barbecue Brisket page , you’ll also see a link there that will give you the list of groceries you’ll need to make this recipe. 

While we hope that adding this feature from Say Mmm on our site will be a help for you, we’re also hoping you’ll take advantage of all Say Mmm has to offer for you as you organize recipes and plan meals.

So, head on over to Say Mmm and check out what they have to offer.  It’s free, it’s helpful…you can’t go wrong!

Ever feel overwhelmed trying to keep up with normal healthy food preparations during the holidays?  Do you feel guilt because you’ve indulged in too many Christmas goodies?

I wrote my thoughts on the matter over at Deal Moon.  Head on over and see what you think…

The winner of the Chocolate Gift Package from OliveNation which includes 2 lbs Chocoloate Covered Almonds and 2 lbs Dark Chocolate Brandied Cherries is:

Nadine  (nmesch@)

The winner  of the Gluten Free Gift Set from OliveNation is:

Michelle T.  (michelle.tajchman@)

Nadine and Michelle T. email me with your full name and addresses and I’ll forward your info on to OliveNation…thanks!

The winners of the Thirty-One Gifts purse Giveaway are:

Angie P.  (aparrett@)
Melissa Hutsell  (mhutsell@)

Angie and Melissa,  email me and I’ll forward your information on to Laura A. for your prize!

GUESS WHAT?!  Now through noon on Tuesday, November 30, if you place an order through Laura at Thirty One Gifts, you’ll receive a 15% discount!!!  Plus, for every $31 you spend (before discount) you’ll receive a free Zipper Pouch ($12 value).  An excellent deal on these excellent quality, practical and CUTE purses!!!

To receive the discount go to Laura’s Thirty-One Gifts site, add your items to the cart and choose direct shipping.  The full amount will show as the total and Laura will take off your discount manually. 

Here is a list of the recipes you’ll find in Casseroles, Soups and Stews:  Hobo Dinners, Potato and Meat Patties, Jenny’s Enchiladas, Noodle Free Spaghetti, Pizza, Porcupine Meatballs, Kellee’s Meatloaf, Salsa Chicken, Fried Chicken, Zucchini Lasagna, Laura’s Spaghetti Sauce, Crab Cakes, Parmesan and Garlic Chicken, Stroganoff, Easy Breakfast Casserole, Hobo Stew, Butternut Squash Soup, Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder, Chicken and Rice Soup, Tom’s Chili, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Meatball Soup, Michele’s Cheese Soup, White Chicken Chili, Hamburger Soup, Deena’s Creamy Broccoli Soup, Broccoli Soup, Corn Muffins

Gluten Free Casseroles, Soups and Stews eBook
$6.95