Just~One~Donna

Today I am in the midst of some heavy duty cleaning.  We are getting ready to put our vacation home in Florida on the market and I am getting it ready for the online pictures to be taken and the subsequent showings.  While working up a sweat cleaning the floors, I thought I needed to share some of my cleaning tips for making this big cleaning job easier. How to Clean Your Floors Quickly and Easily This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience.  When you shop using these links I receive a small compensation that helps support publishing this blog. Floor Washing Made Easy This is the perfect time to get your heavy cleaning done in preparation for the holidays.  I like to do one deep cleaning now so I can spend my time on the fun things about holidays, like baking and decorating.  If you are like me, you dread cleaning.  That's why I have spent time figuring out how to get the job done as quickly and easily as possible.

With Halloween on the horizon, it is time to start thinking about your holiday baking.  Are you hosting a holiday dinner this year?   One of my favorite tasks in planning our holiday menu is thinking about the dessert options.  As I start thinking about the pie selection for our upcoming holiday dinner, wondering if I should try a new and different pie, or stick to tradition, the answer pops instantly into my head.  Tradition always wins in my family. A Bourbon Pecan Pie for Your Holiday Dinner Bourbon Pecan Pie One of the traditional pies that are always a favorite on our holiday table is a pecan pie because it is my Hubby's favorite pie.  This Bourbon Pecan Pie recipe adds a twist with the addition of bourbon for flavoring.

I like to have snacks and dips on hand for impromptu gatherings. Buffalo Chicken Dip is one of my favorite dips.  It is easy to make and always a crowd-pleaser.  Buffalo Chicken Dip can be served either hot or cold, so it is perfect for any situation. Donna's Buffalo Chicken Dip Buffalo Chicken Dip I start by poaching a chicken breast covered with water seasoned with salt, peppercorns, and a bay leaf.  You don't have the time for that?  Not to worry, you can easily substitute canned chicken, but if you have the time go ahead and poach your own chicken. With just five main ingredients, this Buffalo Chicken Dip is a simple dip to prepare.  You probably have all the ingredients on hand to make it right now.  I always think it is better to make a dip like this a day ahead of serving to give the flavors time to settle in.  Make it today or tomorrow and you'll have a tasty dip for weekend football watching or friends dropping by. Buffalo Chicken Dip Ingred

Baked pasta is delicious.  One of my favorite baked pasta casseroles is Baked Ziti.  You can make baked ziti a hundred ways, but today I want to share my four cheese baked ziti recipe.  The four cheeses you'll find in this recipe are ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and Romano. Yum! Four Cheese Baked Ziti for a Crowd This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  When you choose to make a purchase through one of these links I receive a small payment that supports the costs to publish this blog. Four Cheese Ziti Bake This recipe makes a large ziti bake that will feed a crowd.  That makes this a perfect recipe for potlucks and family gatherings.  If you don't need to feed a crowd, divide the ingredients between two baking dishes.   Bake one for dinner and freeze the other for another day. This is a multiple steps recipe, so to cut down on my time in the kitchen I like to use jarred sauce.  I use two twenty-four ounce jars of my favorite brand.  T

If you are a purist when choosing cookies you'll love these iced oatmeal cookies.  These cookies are all about the oatmeal, enhanced by a simple sugar icing.  Eating them might bring back memories of days gone by, after-school milk and cookies, or brown bag lunches. This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  When you shop using these links I receive compensation that supports this blog. Iced Oatmeal Cookies These iced oatmeal cookies are just as yummy now as they were then.  They are still great with a glass or milk, but I like them with a hot cup of coffee or tea. There's nothing complicated about making this recipe. Using your food processor to process the oatmeal into a finer texture is as complex as it gets.  I used my small Cuisinart Mini-Prep  for that. The cookie batter comes together by hand so no other kitchen tools are required. You'll want to keep these cookies in a sealed container for up to five days or freeze them for later. 

Today, the morning chill made me think how nice it would be to have something warm and tasty to accompany my coffee. The apples in the fridge reminded me of my favorite apple breakfast and snack cake. This apple cake is so easy to pull together, I knew I would be able to have a warm piece within an hour. Apple Breakfast and Snack Cake Apple Breakfast and Snack Cake This apple cake has been in my life very long time.  I had it for the first time when I was a fourth-grade student teacher.  My supervising teacher brought the cake in as a treat for the other fourth grade teachers.  I remember it took all of my self-control not to eat multiple pieces of the cake.  Instead, I asked for the recipe and made myself a whole one to eat! No need to worry.  This apple cake has the added benefit of being relatively healthy as far as baked goods go. One serving (when you cut the cake into nine pieces) has less than 200 calories.  It is so chock-full of apples you won't mind