I missed last week's weigh-in due to computer issues. I'm glad to be back and catching up this week!
Food:
I've kinda fallen off the bandwagon with low-carb and am not thinking about what I'm eating as much. After trying really hard with no breads,etc., I was disappointed that I still hadn't lost any weight. It all went downhill from there!
Water:
I'm doing well with drinking 3 quarts a day most days. I try to get the first two quarts in by noon and then getting the last quart is easy to do the rest of the day.
Exercise:
I'm still plugging along with running. I won't say that it's really gotten that much easier but I've finally reached a place where it is doable. My breathing has improved a lot. I haven't had to use my inhaler hardly at all in the past two weeks. Even though I'm still moving really slow, my feet aren't dragging the ground nearly as much as they were at first! My speed has increased a little, too, which is good. I always feel so great after running.
Challenges:
Portion control and getting enough veggies each day.
Staying on track through the weekends and while eating with friends.
Successes:
I'm still holding to my almost no-snacking rule. I have been having a small snack in the afternoon since I get really hungry: usually some celery and peanut butter or some fruit and a little protein of some kind.
Plans for next week:
Getting back to being mindful of what I'm eating at meals. Plan for more veggies again as well as seriously limiting the carbs once again.Resist the chocolate!
Weigh-in:
No weight loss yet, but no gain either. Hopefully, the consistent exercise will pay off in the long-term. I feel great!
**This post is part of Happy To be At Home's Weigh-in Wednesday.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Works For Me Wednesday: An Organized Bulletin Board
My kitchen bulletin board is the perfect place to keep phone lists, take-out menus, calendar, and any information that needs to be kept in a place where we'll see it often.
This wonderful bulletin board is also a clutter magnet. Papers keep getting put up on the board while outdated information doesn't get taken down. Everything is askew and we can't find anything without digging through a stack of papers.
When I took down our 2008 calendar last week and was sorting through all the stuff that was stored in this particular planning calendar's back pocket, I decided my bulletin board needed to be organized and updated!
I wasn't sure how to go about it but while thinking about how to make "pockets" for specific papers, I remembered these cute file folders-a Christmas gift from my Mom.
First, I wanted to change the background fabric. This Mary Engelbreit fabric has been there for four years. Time for a change. I've been liking the minty greens that have shown up in Target's spring displays so I searched through my fabric stash and found a nice green fabric that will look fresh but still coordinate with my kitchen. Changing the fabric was easy since I just staple it on.
I used two file folders: one for phone lists and business cards and the other for restaurant menus. A clipboard is a handy spot for keeping current store ads. Last I made a small pocket out of scrapbook paper to hold my childcare kids' contact information. As a carryover from my daycare days, I keep all their info on an index card.
Much better! I'm able to find everything I need in a second. An organized bulletin board works for me!
**This post is part of Rocks In My Dryer's Works For Me Wednesday carnival.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Another Week, Another Pot Of Soup
I've started nearly every week this winter with filling the crockpot with soup ingredients.
Soup is frugal and nourishing and having a big pot made means ready-made lunches for most of the week. It comes in handy on nights when there aren't any leftovers for lunch the next day. And soup can always be frozen in individual servings for quick lunches later, too.
Most of my crockpot soups end up being something I just make up as I go without a recipe. Here's a list of some of our most frequent soups:
--chicken(or turkey) noodle
--vegetable
--beef vegetable soup(recipe below)
--taco soup(recipe below)
--leftover soup using meat, beans, veggies,rice or pasta, etc. based on what I have on hand or need to use up.
--split pea soup with a ham bone if I have it, otherwise chicken broth adds a nice flavor.
--white chicken chili(I just put all ingredients except cheese in the crockpot and let it cook for 6-8 hours on low.Add cheese during the last half hour of cooking.)
Beef Vegetable Soup
1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
1 jar(26-30 ounces) meatless spaghetti sauce
3 1/2 cups water
1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed veggies
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced celery
1 teaspoon or 1 cube beef bouillon granules(I usually leave this out.)
1 teaspoon pepper
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until vegetables are tender. You can add a bit more water if it seems too thick.
Taco Soup
1 pound ground turkey or beef
1 can chili beans, with liquid
1 can kidney beans, with liquid
1 can whole kernel corn, with liquid
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 package of taco seasoning mix(or make your own)
chopped onion, optional
cumin to taste, optional
Cook meat and drain. Mix all ingredients in greased crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours.
Serve alone or with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.
**Use any combination of your favorite beans. If you cook your own beans, as I do, use 2 cups beans for every can called for. I usually add some water with them to make up for the liquid.
Soups are easy to throw together when you use the crockpot combined with pantry and freezer staples such as homemade broths, frozen or fresh veggies, cooked beans and meats, rice and pasta. Paired with some homemade bread or a muffin, this makes a warm and filling meal during the chilly days of winter.
For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy's Recipes every Tuesday!
Monday, January 26, 2009
I've Got A Grain Mill!
Well actually, I purchased it back in November, but am only now starting to use it.
I saved all year for this purchase so it was really special to finally buy and receive it. I eventually decided on the Nutrimill and purchased from Pleasant Hill Grain. Other than the fact that the Nutrimill has a larger storage capacity for ground flour and can be switched from fine to coarse for grinding, what really sold me on this mill in the end was that it is made by Bosch. I have a Bosch mixer and have always been pleased with it. Bosch is known for a very good heavy duty product, so I felt comfortable buying a grain mill that was made by them as well.
I ordered my wheat from Azure Standard as I couldn't find any locally. Since then, I've noticed that my health food store does carry two varieties of wheat berries. Soft white and hard red. After reading different blogs and googling about what kind of flour to use for grinding, I ordered soft white wheat(for pastries, muffins, cookies, etc.) and hard white wheat for breads. I only got a 5 pound bag of each so I could try them out and not be stuck with 50 pounds if I didn't like them!
For my next grain purchase, I'm going to check and see if I can order a large bag from the local health food store. I've known some stores to offer a ten or fifteen percent off for bulk orders. I'd like to buy locally; shipping gets very expensive!
Anyways, so far the Nutrimill works great! It took a little time to figure out how everything fit together. Several times I didn't have everything locked in and the flour came squirting out!
Fortunately, Rock was nearby to help with clean up.
A general rule is to not clean the kitchen until after grinding the grain. Even with everything together the right way, there was quite a bit of flour floating around, especially when I was cleaning the equipment off!
I made bread, breakfast cookies and banana-carrot muffins with the freshly ground flour and had good success with each one. I even soaked the flour for the bread for the first time using the above recipe link and the bread was delicious!
I'll be sharing more as I use my grain mill and learn more about soaking and using natural sweeteners. Stay tuned!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Changing Priorities and Routines
Every so often it's helpful to step back and take a look at my schedule and routines to see what's still working and what needs to be changed.
Sometimes, I am forced to look at changing up the schedule, because I already know from my stress level and feelings of not accomplishing much during the day that something is wrong. That's how I've been feeling lately.
Two main areas that have needed change and consistency are my quiet time with God and exercise.
My first order of business was to reestablish a consistent quiet time with God each morning. What was happening was that this very important time kept getting pushed back into small time slots when I only had a few minutes and could not concentrate, let alone hear from God! What is working right now is to get up at 4:30 a.m. and have 30 plus minutes with God. The house is quiet, I have time so that I'm not rushed and I have nothing else pressing to be done at the moment. So far it's working. I told Andy that for the first time in months, I feel as though I've got my main priorities in order just by having my quiet time early and first thing in the morning!
I am an early riser by nature and our schedules at this point have me out of bed by 5 or 5:30 each day anyways. The difference has been that I don't check my email or blogs until Andy leaves for work or later. Quite a bit of lost time has been found just by disciplining myself in that area!
I've been running as soon as it's light out so that I'm back in time before the childcare kids arrive. Their arrival times fluctuate quite a bit so it's better to be back and ready for them sooner than later! On the occasion that I can't get the exercise done in the morning, I'll go running in the afternoon instead. But I much prefer exercising in the morning!
Exercising and getting my time with God early in the day keeps me going and makes me feel great all day!
Next up: Reworking my cleaning schedule so that it actually works for me.
What about you? What priorities and routines do you need to rearrange so that they work for you?How have you reworked routines in your home?
Sometimes, I am forced to look at changing up the schedule, because I already know from my stress level and feelings of not accomplishing much during the day that something is wrong. That's how I've been feeling lately.
Two main areas that have needed change and consistency are my quiet time with God and exercise.
My first order of business was to reestablish a consistent quiet time with God each morning. What was happening was that this very important time kept getting pushed back into small time slots when I only had a few minutes and could not concentrate, let alone hear from God! What is working right now is to get up at 4:30 a.m. and have 30 plus minutes with God. The house is quiet, I have time so that I'm not rushed and I have nothing else pressing to be done at the moment. So far it's working. I told Andy that for the first time in months, I feel as though I've got my main priorities in order just by having my quiet time early and first thing in the morning!
I am an early riser by nature and our schedules at this point have me out of bed by 5 or 5:30 each day anyways. The difference has been that I don't check my email or blogs until Andy leaves for work or later. Quite a bit of lost time has been found just by disciplining myself in that area!
I've been running as soon as it's light out so that I'm back in time before the childcare kids arrive. Their arrival times fluctuate quite a bit so it's better to be back and ready for them sooner than later! On the occasion that I can't get the exercise done in the morning, I'll go running in the afternoon instead. But I much prefer exercising in the morning!
Exercising and getting my time with God early in the day keeps me going and makes me feel great all day!
Next up: Reworking my cleaning schedule so that it actually works for me.
What about you? What priorities and routines do you need to rearrange so that they work for you?How have you reworked routines in your home?
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Blogging Issues
We're currently experiencing some technical difficulties with our computer. One area it's affecting is not being able to paste anything after copying. All the posts I have planned with links or multiple pictures will have to wait until we get this figured out. The photos load onto the post just fine, I'm just not able to move them around to specific places throughout the post.
Hopefully, we'll get this all ironed out soon!
Hopefully, we'll get this all ironed out soon!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Roasting Pumpkin and Squash Seeds
Throughout the fall, I cooked several pumpkins. Each time, I also roasted the seeds. My husband has grown quite fond of them and they are nice on salads or as a little snack. Plus, pumpkin seeds are very good for you, too.
As I was preparing an acorn squash for dinner last night, I thought, "Why can't I roast these seeds, too?" I googled 'roasting acorn squash seeds' and sure enough, other squash seeds can be roasted, too.
I roasted them the same way I do my pumpkin seeds and they turned out wonderfully. Why didn't I think to do this sooner? Acorn squash seeds are a bit smaller and cooked a bit faster than pumpkin seeds in my oven. They are just as delicious, though!
Roasted Pumpkin and Squash Seeds
1) Rinse seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. (This is easiest just after you've removed the seeds from the pumpkin or squash, before the pulp has dried.)
2)Place the seeds in a single layer on an oiled or greased baking sheet, stirring to coat.
3)Sprinkle with salt and bake at 325 degrees until toasted, about 25 minutes, checking and stirring after 10 minutes.
4)Let cool and store in an air-tight container.
Not only are roasted pumpkin and squash seeds yummy and good for you, it's a great way to make sure that there's no waste!
As I was preparing an acorn squash for dinner last night, I thought, "Why can't I roast these seeds, too?" I googled 'roasting acorn squash seeds' and sure enough, other squash seeds can be roasted, too.
I roasted them the same way I do my pumpkin seeds and they turned out wonderfully. Why didn't I think to do this sooner? Acorn squash seeds are a bit smaller and cooked a bit faster than pumpkin seeds in my oven. They are just as delicious, though!
Roasted Pumpkin and Squash Seeds
1) Rinse seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. (This is easiest just after you've removed the seeds from the pumpkin or squash, before the pulp has dried.)
2)Place the seeds in a single layer on an oiled or greased baking sheet, stirring to coat.
3)Sprinkle with salt and bake at 325 degrees until toasted, about 25 minutes, checking and stirring after 10 minutes.
4)Let cool and store in an air-tight container.
Not only are roasted pumpkin and squash seeds yummy and good for you, it's a great way to make sure that there's no waste!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Weigh-in Wednesday
In keeping with my New Year's goals to drop a few pounds, I'm joining in with Weigh-In Wednesday over at Happy to be at Home. This will be a great motivator!
I'm not considered terribly overweight and I have a lot of people shocked at what size I wear since apparently, I don't look that big. I am a bit bigger boned, I guess. Over the past several years, I have put on about 30 extra pounds. So I really would like to get rid of that excess! My goal is not to be tiny-tiny, because well, I'm not. I just want to be a good weight for my height and build and take good care of my body so that I will be as healthy as possible. Especially as I'm now in my 30's!
Here's my progress this week:
Food:
I've cut out snacks and most carbs and am really focused on portion control. This week, I decided to not eat any breads, pastas, or rice and see if that helps any to jump-start the weight loss as the couple of weeks before, I had seriously cut back on carbs, still allowing myself to eat a few each day and no weight loss! I'm still eating lots of veggies and 1-2 pieces of fruit each day and focusing on cutting out "fast carbs" such as breads, etc. I've been eating a large salad with most lunches and dinners and keeping to only one helping of the main course. Low-carb dinners this week included: sausage, pepper and onion stir-fry; sausage, white bean and kale soup, acorn squash stuffed with chicken, apples and celery and rotisserie chicken with a salad. I'm planning day by day right now since I'm trying to be creative but still keep this cost-effective!
Water:
I'm trying to improve my water intake. I used to do really well but more recently have fallen away from drinking enough. What works best for me is to fill a quart jar with water and leave it out on the counter where I see it and am sure to drink it all and then keep refilling and drinking until I've reached my goal of 3 quarts a day.
Exercise:
I've been following an 8 week plan for running. On the days that I don't run, I walk, usually taking the dog along. Starting to run has not been easy at all; it's been very difficult. This is my 3rd week and I'm having a really hard time being able to run 4 straight minutes without having to stop and use my inhaler. I feel great when I'm done running, though. Time will tell if running a 5k was a realistic goal for me. I'm continuing to do my best and see what I can do.
Challenges:
Low-carb breakfasts. Any ideas? I've been eating plain yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs. I've had a half of a grapefruit with the above options a couple of mornings this week. Breakfast meats are an option which I don't have on hand right now.
Being able to breathe while running.
Making it from lunch to dinner without snacking. This is my hungriest time! Sometimes a bit of protein helps to keep me going.
Getting the right balance of healthy fats without overdoing.
Successes:
Not craving sweets and carbs that much. Not cheating and eating a cookie. I thought this would be a lot harder for me.
Being able to stand firm and not eat snacks while feeding the boys a snack, usually crackers or something carb-y.
Plans For Next Week:
Stay on the course with running, trying to build strength and stamina.
Drink enough water!
Weigh-in:
I haven't lost any weight yet. I feel really good and have more energy, though. I'm hoping that between cutting out the carbs and exercising regularly that I will begin to see some results. I'm not sure if this was a fluke, but after running consistently for one week, I was able to zip my boots(calf-height) up all the way, which has never happened. I was excited about that!
Are you trying to eat healthier or lose some weight? Head over to Happy to be at Home to read more weekly updates and join in the fun!
I'm not considered terribly overweight and I have a lot of people shocked at what size I wear since apparently, I don't look that big. I am a bit bigger boned, I guess. Over the past several years, I have put on about 30 extra pounds. So I really would like to get rid of that excess! My goal is not to be tiny-tiny, because well, I'm not. I just want to be a good weight for my height and build and take good care of my body so that I will be as healthy as possible. Especially as I'm now in my 30's!
Here's my progress this week:
Food:
I've cut out snacks and most carbs and am really focused on portion control. This week, I decided to not eat any breads, pastas, or rice and see if that helps any to jump-start the weight loss as the couple of weeks before, I had seriously cut back on carbs, still allowing myself to eat a few each day and no weight loss! I'm still eating lots of veggies and 1-2 pieces of fruit each day and focusing on cutting out "fast carbs" such as breads, etc. I've been eating a large salad with most lunches and dinners and keeping to only one helping of the main course. Low-carb dinners this week included: sausage, pepper and onion stir-fry; sausage, white bean and kale soup, acorn squash stuffed with chicken, apples and celery and rotisserie chicken with a salad. I'm planning day by day right now since I'm trying to be creative but still keep this cost-effective!
Water:
I'm trying to improve my water intake. I used to do really well but more recently have fallen away from drinking enough. What works best for me is to fill a quart jar with water and leave it out on the counter where I see it and am sure to drink it all and then keep refilling and drinking until I've reached my goal of 3 quarts a day.
Exercise:
I've been following an 8 week plan for running. On the days that I don't run, I walk, usually taking the dog along. Starting to run has not been easy at all; it's been very difficult. This is my 3rd week and I'm having a really hard time being able to run 4 straight minutes without having to stop and use my inhaler. I feel great when I'm done running, though. Time will tell if running a 5k was a realistic goal for me. I'm continuing to do my best and see what I can do.
Challenges:
Low-carb breakfasts. Any ideas? I've been eating plain yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs. I've had a half of a grapefruit with the above options a couple of mornings this week. Breakfast meats are an option which I don't have on hand right now.
Being able to breathe while running.
Making it from lunch to dinner without snacking. This is my hungriest time! Sometimes a bit of protein helps to keep me going.
Getting the right balance of healthy fats without overdoing.
Successes:
Not craving sweets and carbs that much. Not cheating and eating a cookie. I thought this would be a lot harder for me.
Being able to stand firm and not eat snacks while feeding the boys a snack, usually crackers or something carb-y.
Plans For Next Week:
Stay on the course with running, trying to build strength and stamina.
Drink enough water!
Weigh-in:
I haven't lost any weight yet. I feel really good and have more energy, though. I'm hoping that between cutting out the carbs and exercising regularly that I will begin to see some results. I'm not sure if this was a fluke, but after running consistently for one week, I was able to zip my boots(calf-height) up all the way, which has never happened. I was excited about that!
Are you trying to eat healthier or lose some weight? Head over to Happy to be at Home to read more weekly updates and join in the fun!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Gift Of Meat!
For the past few years, Andy's grandparents have sent us a box of Omaha Steaks meat for Christmas. They usually let us know ahead of time to be expecting the package and we eagerly await it's arrival! As you can tell in the picture, even one of the boys I babysit was excited to see what was in the box.
This year's box held one box of ground beef patties as well as several boxes of different steaks. Yum!
This meat is always really good and I try to stretch it out to make it last as long as I can throughout the year. :-)
Thanks, Nan and Poppie!
Friday, January 09, 2009
More New Year's Goals: Food
Along with my other goals for the new year, I also have some plans for learning and implementing some different ways of cooking.
Kimi of The Nourishing Gourmet is hosting a Nourishing Foods carnival today and has asked us to share our healthy eating and cooking goals for 2009.
I'm keeping it simple. Even though there's so much I want to learn and accomplish, I will have much better success with choosing a few key areas and working on those instead of a long list that will overwhelm me!
My desire is to continue learning about nutrition and preparing the very best foods that I can in order to promote good health for us. Our diet is already primarily whole foods and full of fresh fruits and veggies. We've made the switch to raw milk, better eggs,using good fats such as butter, olive oil and coconut oil as opposed to margarine and shortening and more recently I'm trying to purchase mostly organic or all-natural meats. There is so much more to learn! And baby steps seem to be the way to go about making these changes.
I chose four areas to focus on this year:
1)Learn to use my new grain mill.I'm eager to begin grinding my own wheat as soon as my grain order arrives!
2)Begin soaking grains.Start with bread and basic grains and beans and as I'm successful and produce a finished product that we both enjoy, branch out to include other baked items.
3)Drastically reduce our consumption of refined sugar products. I would like to eliminate them altogether but realize that may not be totally realistic right away. My husband has a major sweet tooth and we both love our chocolate! I've already reduced the amount of desserts we eat and will continue to make more healthy options available. My plan for this is to use Rapadura and honey for baking. We've been quite satisfied with the muffins and cookies I've prepared with Rapadura in the past.I just need to stick with it and make this a habit!
4)Eliminate high fructose corn syrup! This is in almost everything! Even canned beans. I make most of our foods from scratch already so where this affects us the most is with salad dressings, ketchup and barbecue sauce. I've already purchased some ketchup without HFCS and it is pretty good. More expensive, yes. But we don't eat a lot of ketchup so that shouldn't be too much of an issue. I'm going to experiment with some homemade salad dressings and barbecue sauce to find one or two that we really like!
Head over to The Nourishing Gourmet to read about more nourishing food goals or maybe join in!
Kimi of The Nourishing Gourmet is hosting a Nourishing Foods carnival today and has asked us to share our healthy eating and cooking goals for 2009.
I'm keeping it simple. Even though there's so much I want to learn and accomplish, I will have much better success with choosing a few key areas and working on those instead of a long list that will overwhelm me!
My desire is to continue learning about nutrition and preparing the very best foods that I can in order to promote good health for us. Our diet is already primarily whole foods and full of fresh fruits and veggies. We've made the switch to raw milk, better eggs,using good fats such as butter, olive oil and coconut oil as opposed to margarine and shortening and more recently I'm trying to purchase mostly organic or all-natural meats. There is so much more to learn! And baby steps seem to be the way to go about making these changes.
I chose four areas to focus on this year:
1)Learn to use my new grain mill.I'm eager to begin grinding my own wheat as soon as my grain order arrives!
2)Begin soaking grains.Start with bread and basic grains and beans and as I'm successful and produce a finished product that we both enjoy, branch out to include other baked items.
3)Drastically reduce our consumption of refined sugar products. I would like to eliminate them altogether but realize that may not be totally realistic right away. My husband has a major sweet tooth and we both love our chocolate! I've already reduced the amount of desserts we eat and will continue to make more healthy options available. My plan for this is to use Rapadura and honey for baking. We've been quite satisfied with the muffins and cookies I've prepared with Rapadura in the past.I just need to stick with it and make this a habit!
4)Eliminate high fructose corn syrup! This is in almost everything! Even canned beans. I make most of our foods from scratch already so where this affects us the most is with salad dressings, ketchup and barbecue sauce. I've already purchased some ketchup without HFCS and it is pretty good. More expensive, yes. But we don't eat a lot of ketchup so that shouldn't be too much of an issue. I'm going to experiment with some homemade salad dressings and barbecue sauce to find one or two that we really like!
Head over to The Nourishing Gourmet to read about more nourishing food goals or maybe join in!
Friday, January 02, 2009
Mom's Lasagna
It is a tradition in Andy's family to have lasagna for New Year's Day. I've adopted this tradition for my own household.
What better way to start the new year than with layers of pasta, meat sauce and cheese?
This is my Mom's recipe. We've all made it countless times for friends and family and always have requests for the recipe or for refills. ;-)
Mom's Lasagna
Brown: 1 pound ground beef
Add to meat:
1 garlic clove or 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups canned tomatoes
1- 6 ounce can tomato paste
Simmer uncovered about an hour.
Cook 10 ounce lasagna noodles according to package instructions.
Combine:
3 cups cottage cheese
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Grate: 1 pound mozzarella cheese.
1) Place 1/2 noodles in greased 9 x 13 pan.
2) Spread 1/2 cottage cheese mixture over noodles.
3) Sprinkle 1/2 mozzarella cheese on top of cottage cheese mixture.
4) Spread 1/2 of meat mixture over cheese.
5) Repeat until everything is used-ending with cheese.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly!
Serve with garlic bread and tossed green salad.
Free Pie & Ice Cream!
We had an unexpected surprise as we were heading out of our local Earth Fare store last night. The lady that had been ahead of us in line came back into the store and asked if we'd like a store coupon for a free apple pie and store brand ice cream. She had already used one and had forgotten that she had 2 coupons. They expired that day so she wanted to give the extra one to us!
Andy took the groceries to the car and I marched back into the store to redeem the coupon. I paid 11 cents tax for a half-gallon of ice cream and an 8 inch apple pie. Both are made with natural and wholesome ingredients-no artificial sweeteners or questionable preservatives. For a store-bought pie, it is really quite delicious!
What a sweet surprise!
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Continue On In 2009!
Happy New Year!
While the sauce for our traditional New Year's lasagna is cooking, I'll go ahead and post my goals and theme for this year. A specific list helps to keep me motivated and I tend to remember things that I've posted on my blog. It's also fun to read through the archives and see the phases that I've gone through and what was important to me at certain times. It does change, you know.:-)
While pondering what kind of a fresh start I would be making come the beginning of 2009, I realized that many of my goals were not new but go right along with what I've been doing and learning the last year or two.
At first, I was disapointed. Does this mean that I'm not really making a fresh start? Am I not learning new things or reaching my goals so that I can go on to new and different things?
Then I read this verse:
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2: 6,7 NIV
The phrase continue to live in him stood out. I knew right away that the word continue would be my theme for 2009. Continuing with what I'm learning and God is showing me and taking the next step in these areas.
Continue: con⋅tin⋅ue
verb, -ued, -u⋅ing.
–verb (used without object)
1. to go on after suspension or interruption
2. to go on or keep on, as in some course or action; extend
3. to last or endure
4. to remain in a particular state or capacity
5. to remain in a place; abide; stay
–verb (used with object)
6. to go on with or persist in: to continue an action.
7. to carry on from the point of suspension or interruption
8. to extend from one point to another in space; prolong.
9. to say in continuation.
10. to cause to last or endure; maintain or retain, as in a position.
11. to carry over, postpone, or adjourn; keep pending, as a legal proceeding.
In this new year, I will continue...
--to work on areas that I've let go.... exercise, eliminating/drastically reducing refined sugars from our diet
--to keep on... reading and meditating on God's Word, being diligent in prayer, especially for my husband, growing in Christ through lessons and circumstances in 2008
--to persist at...losing a little weight, saving for a down payment on a house
--to live in Him!
My specific goals at this time for 2009:
Spiritual:
--Reading and studying God's Word
Plan of action: Continue reading one chapter each day, writing down what jumps out at me and how it will change the way I live my life.
--Develop a meaningful prayer life.
Plan of action: Continue reading and praying through The Power of a Praying Wife as I seek to lift my husband up in prayer each day. Pray for people I know immediately as the Holy Spirit brings them to mind. Keep a list of ongoing prayer requests and a list of answered prayers.
Physical:
--Exercise 3-4 times a week.
Plan of action: Currently, I'm getting started running by following this 8 week program. My motivation is my first 5k that I'm planning on participating in on March 7. Yikes!!!
--Losing a little weight.
Plan of action: Continue watching food portion sizes, eliminating most snacks and limiting fast carbs(breads, sweets, etc.).
Homemaking:
--Simplify.
Plan of action: Simplify by continuing to declutter, carefully analyzing whether or not I need an item before purchasing, use what I have.
--Continue my quest for healthier living.
Plan of action: Find natural alternatives to all cleaning supplies and air freshener. Continue to cook healthfully by implementing more whole foods into and eliminating refined sugars from our diets. (More on this next week as I participate in this carnival!)
Financial:
I don't feel very comfortable divulging many specifics on this topic since I have many real life friends and family reading this blog. I love them all very much, but I do like to keep some things private!
I will say, though, that our main financial goal this year is to continue saving for a down payment on a house. Last year, our goal in this was to get a house fund started, which we did. We haven't yet established a specific goal for this year.
So that concludes my list of goals for the new year. I think it will be enough to keep me busy, don't you think?
What are your main goals as you begin a new year?
While the sauce for our traditional New Year's lasagna is cooking, I'll go ahead and post my goals and theme for this year. A specific list helps to keep me motivated and I tend to remember things that I've posted on my blog. It's also fun to read through the archives and see the phases that I've gone through and what was important to me at certain times. It does change, you know.:-)
While pondering what kind of a fresh start I would be making come the beginning of 2009, I realized that many of my goals were not new but go right along with what I've been doing and learning the last year or two.
At first, I was disapointed. Does this mean that I'm not really making a fresh start? Am I not learning new things or reaching my goals so that I can go on to new and different things?
Then I read this verse:
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2: 6,7 NIV
The phrase continue to live in him stood out. I knew right away that the word continue would be my theme for 2009. Continuing with what I'm learning and God is showing me and taking the next step in these areas.
Continue: con⋅tin⋅ue
verb, -ued, -u⋅ing.
–verb (used without object)
1. to go on after suspension or interruption
2. to go on or keep on, as in some course or action; extend
3. to last or endure
4. to remain in a particular state or capacity
5. to remain in a place; abide; stay
–verb (used with object)
6. to go on with or persist in: to continue an action.
7. to carry on from the point of suspension or interruption
8. to extend from one point to another in space; prolong.
9. to say in continuation.
10. to cause to last or endure; maintain or retain, as in a position.
11. to carry over, postpone, or adjourn; keep pending, as a legal proceeding.
In this new year, I will continue...
--to work on areas that I've let go.... exercise, eliminating/drastically reducing refined sugars from our diet
--to keep on... reading and meditating on God's Word, being diligent in prayer, especially for my husband, growing in Christ through lessons and circumstances in 2008
--to persist at...losing a little weight, saving for a down payment on a house
--to live in Him!
My specific goals at this time for 2009:
Spiritual:
--Reading and studying God's Word
Plan of action: Continue reading one chapter each day, writing down what jumps out at me and how it will change the way I live my life.
--Develop a meaningful prayer life.
Plan of action: Continue reading and praying through The Power of a Praying Wife as I seek to lift my husband up in prayer each day. Pray for people I know immediately as the Holy Spirit brings them to mind. Keep a list of ongoing prayer requests and a list of answered prayers.
Physical:
--Exercise 3-4 times a week.
Plan of action: Currently, I'm getting started running by following this 8 week program. My motivation is my first 5k that I'm planning on participating in on March 7. Yikes!!!
--Losing a little weight.
Plan of action: Continue watching food portion sizes, eliminating most snacks and limiting fast carbs(breads, sweets, etc.).
Homemaking:
--Simplify.
Plan of action: Simplify by continuing to declutter, carefully analyzing whether or not I need an item before purchasing, use what I have.
--Continue my quest for healthier living.
Plan of action: Find natural alternatives to all cleaning supplies and air freshener. Continue to cook healthfully by implementing more whole foods into and eliminating refined sugars from our diets. (More on this next week as I participate in this carnival!)
Financial:
I don't feel very comfortable divulging many specifics on this topic since I have many real life friends and family reading this blog. I love them all very much, but I do like to keep some things private!
I will say, though, that our main financial goal this year is to continue saving for a down payment on a house. Last year, our goal in this was to get a house fund started, which we did. We haven't yet established a specific goal for this year.
So that concludes my list of goals for the new year. I think it will be enough to keep me busy, don't you think?
What are your main goals as you begin a new year?
Monday, December 29, 2008
Our Christmas Baking
We love to bake cookies and other Christmas treats together each year. This year, we continued to simplify this process by whittling down the amount of varieties that we made. I can easily get carried away when baking. Everything is so yummy!
We decided on five different kinds and in the end, I narrowed it down to four, eliminating the time-consuming sugar cut-outs. I think I'll make some of those at Valentine's Day instead!
The treats we made:
1)Chocolate Peanut Squares
2)Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Rods(directions below)
3) Chocolate-Mint Cookies(recipe below)
4)Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies(recipe below)
The dough for the cookies was made ahead and chilled. We started the cookies baking then did the other two no-bake varieties. We kept the cookies baking the entire time-14 dozen in all! I also made 3 batches of the chocolate-peanut squares and then one bag of large pretzel rods and a half bag of smaller rods that I found this year.
We use a lot of these cookies for sharing. Some of our friends and family request specific kinds at Christmas.
The simplified list was much more manageable and we were able to get everything completed in a timely manner! Not having to frost or decorate anything sped up the process considerably.
We both decided that if we were to choose one kind the make next year, we would make the Chocolate-dipped pretzel rods. They are so pretty and everyone loves them. Plus they're so easy even a non-cook, like my husband, can easily do the whole process by himself. He does most of the work on these every year and does a wonderful job!
Once I made up a platter of our treats, I noticed the brown and tan theme! haha
From left to right, we have chocolate mint cookies, chocolate-dipped mini pretzel rods with toffee bits, chocolate-peanut butter squares and oatmeal raisin cookies. The middle row is a combination.
Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Rods
Ingredients:
--Bag of pretzel rods
--almond bark(white or chocolate) or chocolate chips
--toffee bits, sprinkles or nuts
Melt chocolate. I do this by pouring the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heating at 30 second intervals until melted, stirring after each time.
Dip pretzel rod in chocolate. Let drip off the best you can. Sprinkle with sprinkles, toffee bits or nuts and let dry. We try to rig up something to hold the rods up straight so that one side isn't flat, but you can lay them flat on waxed paper, too. A cooling rack with the metal grid works well for some of the rods, depending on the size of the holes.
After dry, you can melt a bit of the opposite color of chocolate to drizzle on the finished rods, if desired. We put white drizzles on the large rods we did(not pictured), but left the smaller one plain with just chocolate and toffee bits. Both were very pretty!
Chocolate-Mint Cookies
This is my own variation on a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe. Because I cook and bake, people bring me baking ingredients that they haven't used. Apparently, they don't have extra money laying around, just flour! A friend brought me several grocery bags of baking supplies last spring, with one bag full of fancy varieties of chocolate chips.
When it came to using the mint chocolate chips(Nestle Toll House Swirls), I was at first just going to add them to a plain chocolate chip cookie. While mixing the dough, I decided to add cocoa and mint extract.
Move over, Girl Scout Thin Mints! These are just as good or better.
The only bad thing about making up this recipe is that I now have requests for the cookies and haven't been able to locate more of the Nestle mint and chocolate chips around here. I've been using Ande's baking chips which taste about the same but aren't as bright green, which I thought was so pretty in such a dark cookie.
Ingredients:
--1 cup butter, shortening or margarine
--1 cup brown sugar
--1/2 cup white sugar
--2 eggs
--1/2 to 1 teaspoon peppermint extract- a little goes a long way, adjust as needed. You can also use 1 teaspoon vanilla in place of the mint.
--3/4 cup cocoa
--2 1/2 cups flour
--1 teaspoon baking soda
--1 teaspoon salt
--1 1/2 to 2 cups mint chocolate chips
Cream butter and sugars together. Add eggs and extract. Mix well. Stir in cocoa, flour, soda and salt. Lastly, add chocolate chips.
Roll into balls and flatten slightly. Place on greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
**Add a bit more cocoa if it doesn't seem quite dark enough. This amount has been good for me. A friend made it and hers turned out a lot lighter with the same amount of cocoa. Not sure if different brands would cause that?
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Dishpan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
This is an old fashioned recipe that my family has made for years. 'Dishpan' is in the title because this makes such a large batch of cookies that a dishpan would need to be used to mix the dough!
Ingredients:
--2 cups shortening or butter
--2 cups white sugar
--2 cups brown sugar
--4 eggs, beaten
--1 teaspoon vanilla
--3 1/2 cups flour
--2 teaspoons baking soda
--2 teaspoons baking powder
--2 teaspoons salt
--5 cups rolled oats(I like quick oats the best.)
--1 cup raisins
--2 cups coconut, optional
--1 cup chopped nuts, optional
--1 cup chocolate chips, optional
Cream together shortening and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Sift together flour, salt, soda, and baking powder and add to above mixture. Add oats, raisins and any of the optional ingredients. Mix well. Chill dough for at least one hour, then drop by teaspoon full on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes.
Makes about 8 dozen cookies.
**Recipe can be successfully halved.
Enjoy!
We decided on five different kinds and in the end, I narrowed it down to four, eliminating the time-consuming sugar cut-outs. I think I'll make some of those at Valentine's Day instead!
The treats we made:
1)Chocolate Peanut Squares
2)Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Rods(directions below)
3) Chocolate-Mint Cookies(recipe below)
4)Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies(recipe below)
The dough for the cookies was made ahead and chilled. We started the cookies baking then did the other two no-bake varieties. We kept the cookies baking the entire time-14 dozen in all! I also made 3 batches of the chocolate-peanut squares and then one bag of large pretzel rods and a half bag of smaller rods that I found this year.
We use a lot of these cookies for sharing. Some of our friends and family request specific kinds at Christmas.
The simplified list was much more manageable and we were able to get everything completed in a timely manner! Not having to frost or decorate anything sped up the process considerably.
We both decided that if we were to choose one kind the make next year, we would make the Chocolate-dipped pretzel rods. They are so pretty and everyone loves them. Plus they're so easy even a non-cook, like my husband, can easily do the whole process by himself. He does most of the work on these every year and does a wonderful job!
Once I made up a platter of our treats, I noticed the brown and tan theme! haha
From left to right, we have chocolate mint cookies, chocolate-dipped mini pretzel rods with toffee bits, chocolate-peanut butter squares and oatmeal raisin cookies. The middle row is a combination.
Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Rods
Ingredients:
--Bag of pretzel rods
--almond bark(white or chocolate) or chocolate chips
--toffee bits, sprinkles or nuts
Melt chocolate. I do this by pouring the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heating at 30 second intervals until melted, stirring after each time.
Dip pretzel rod in chocolate. Let drip off the best you can. Sprinkle with sprinkles, toffee bits or nuts and let dry. We try to rig up something to hold the rods up straight so that one side isn't flat, but you can lay them flat on waxed paper, too. A cooling rack with the metal grid works well for some of the rods, depending on the size of the holes.
After dry, you can melt a bit of the opposite color of chocolate to drizzle on the finished rods, if desired. We put white drizzles on the large rods we did(not pictured), but left the smaller one plain with just chocolate and toffee bits. Both were very pretty!
Chocolate-Mint Cookies
This is my own variation on a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe. Because I cook and bake, people bring me baking ingredients that they haven't used. Apparently, they don't have extra money laying around, just flour! A friend brought me several grocery bags of baking supplies last spring, with one bag full of fancy varieties of chocolate chips.
When it came to using the mint chocolate chips(Nestle Toll House Swirls), I was at first just going to add them to a plain chocolate chip cookie. While mixing the dough, I decided to add cocoa and mint extract.
Move over, Girl Scout Thin Mints! These are just as good or better.
The only bad thing about making up this recipe is that I now have requests for the cookies and haven't been able to locate more of the Nestle mint and chocolate chips around here. I've been using Ande's baking chips which taste about the same but aren't as bright green, which I thought was so pretty in such a dark cookie.
Ingredients:
--1 cup butter, shortening or margarine
--1 cup brown sugar
--1/2 cup white sugar
--2 eggs
--1/2 to 1 teaspoon peppermint extract- a little goes a long way, adjust as needed. You can also use 1 teaspoon vanilla in place of the mint.
--3/4 cup cocoa
--2 1/2 cups flour
--1 teaspoon baking soda
--1 teaspoon salt
--1 1/2 to 2 cups mint chocolate chips
Cream butter and sugars together. Add eggs and extract. Mix well. Stir in cocoa, flour, soda and salt. Lastly, add chocolate chips.
Roll into balls and flatten slightly. Place on greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
**Add a bit more cocoa if it doesn't seem quite dark enough. This amount has been good for me. A friend made it and hers turned out a lot lighter with the same amount of cocoa. Not sure if different brands would cause that?
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Dishpan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
This is an old fashioned recipe that my family has made for years. 'Dishpan' is in the title because this makes such a large batch of cookies that a dishpan would need to be used to mix the dough!
Ingredients:
--2 cups shortening or butter
--2 cups white sugar
--2 cups brown sugar
--4 eggs, beaten
--1 teaspoon vanilla
--3 1/2 cups flour
--2 teaspoons baking soda
--2 teaspoons baking powder
--2 teaspoons salt
--5 cups rolled oats(I like quick oats the best.)
--1 cup raisins
--2 cups coconut, optional
--1 cup chopped nuts, optional
--1 cup chocolate chips, optional
Cream together shortening and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Sift together flour, salt, soda, and baking powder and add to above mixture. Add oats, raisins and any of the optional ingredients. Mix well. Chill dough for at least one hour, then drop by teaspoon full on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes.
Makes about 8 dozen cookies.
**Recipe can be successfully halved.
Enjoy!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
A Late Merry Christmas!
We're back from almost a week away that was spent with family. We had a good time but are glad to be home again.
I had planned to have some posts scheduled for automatic posting while I was gone but it just didn't happen. So in the next few days, I'll be posting a few posts that I had planned for before Christmas.
I hope and pray that you all has a wonderful Christmas with your families!
I had planned to have some posts scheduled for automatic posting while I was gone but it just didn't happen. So in the next few days, I'll be posting a few posts that I had planned for before Christmas.
I hope and pray that you all has a wonderful Christmas with your families!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tour of Homes: Come see Our Christmas Decorations!
Once again, BooMama is hosting the Christmas Tour of Homes. I'm so excited to join in this year! We keep things simple but we always enjoy the decorations that we've put up. We're glad to share them with you!
Come on in! I know you are just miserable standing outside in the 60 degree weather!
Upon entering the room, your eye will be drawn to the mantle where our stockings are hung. The fireplace is not in working order, so no need to be afraid for a fire hazard! Yes, those are gifts set up all pretty on the mantle. We have limited space for items that will be out of reach of little ones and the dog. I used my $1 set of Cat's Meow village as part of the decorations this year. They were already up there; I just removed the fall trees and we have ourselves a winter village! I made the Names of Jesus garland new for this year. We love it!
We like to cut our own tree at a local farm. This year, we wanted a table top size. Again, out of reach of toddlers and pet. Also, small house! We got this child's tree for $5!!!
Every year, we add a new ornament to represent something for that year. We haven't yet received this year's ornament: a dog similar to ours sitting in front of a gingerbread dog house. I can't wait to get it and hope it's as cute as it looked online! We got our dog on New Year's Day so it seemed fitting to add a dog ornament this year.
Because of the size of the tree, we only used our favorite ornaments. And I bet you couldn't tell that the tree skirt is really a tablecloth! It covered the tree stand as well as the dresser on which the tree is setting.
Every year when we go to the tree farm, I admire their fresh wreaths that they've made from clippings. But I usually can't afford both the tree and a fresh wreath. But with this year's $5 tree, I was able to splurge on this beautiful wreath. It was too fat for our front door so it hangs in the living room instead. It smells wonderful! My husband spotted this music-themed Christmas ribbon in a free box while yard-saling this past spring. It made the perfect bow for our wreath!
On a bookshelf stands our nativity. One of my favorite memories from childhood was setting up the nativity each year. It was one of the only decorations we had in our home and we greatly enjoyed it!
The forest of tree candles you see here and on the mantle are handmade beeswax candles from Andy's mom and grandfather.
Isn't it funny how even without collecting, I can end up with enough snowmen for a themed display? These snowmen items have been given to me from various people. I thought they'd look cute on the desk in the dining room this year. My mom has given us some Christmas books which you see held up by snowman salt and pepper shaker "bookends".
Last,we make a stop in the kitchen where you see my intricate method of displaying Christmas cards. They're hung on the mini blind. I got this idea from my mother-in-law. No matter where I hung the cards, they'd always fall down. This solves that problem! The kitchen is a great place to look at pictures of our friends' cute kids, too.
This is the end of our Christmas tour. Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed yourself.
Merry Christmas!
Be sure and stop by BooMama's for a complete list of the Tour of Homes.
Come on in! I know you are just miserable standing outside in the 60 degree weather!
Upon entering the room, your eye will be drawn to the mantle where our stockings are hung. The fireplace is not in working order, so no need to be afraid for a fire hazard! Yes, those are gifts set up all pretty on the mantle. We have limited space for items that will be out of reach of little ones and the dog. I used my $1 set of Cat's Meow village as part of the decorations this year. They were already up there; I just removed the fall trees and we have ourselves a winter village! I made the Names of Jesus garland new for this year. We love it!
We like to cut our own tree at a local farm. This year, we wanted a table top size. Again, out of reach of toddlers and pet. Also, small house! We got this child's tree for $5!!!
Every year, we add a new ornament to represent something for that year. We haven't yet received this year's ornament: a dog similar to ours sitting in front of a gingerbread dog house. I can't wait to get it and hope it's as cute as it looked online! We got our dog on New Year's Day so it seemed fitting to add a dog ornament this year.
Because of the size of the tree, we only used our favorite ornaments. And I bet you couldn't tell that the tree skirt is really a tablecloth! It covered the tree stand as well as the dresser on which the tree is setting.
Every year when we go to the tree farm, I admire their fresh wreaths that they've made from clippings. But I usually can't afford both the tree and a fresh wreath. But with this year's $5 tree, I was able to splurge on this beautiful wreath. It was too fat for our front door so it hangs in the living room instead. It smells wonderful! My husband spotted this music-themed Christmas ribbon in a free box while yard-saling this past spring. It made the perfect bow for our wreath!
On a bookshelf stands our nativity. One of my favorite memories from childhood was setting up the nativity each year. It was one of the only decorations we had in our home and we greatly enjoyed it!
The forest of tree candles you see here and on the mantle are handmade beeswax candles from Andy's mom and grandfather.
Isn't it funny how even without collecting, I can end up with enough snowmen for a themed display? These snowmen items have been given to me from various people. I thought they'd look cute on the desk in the dining room this year. My mom has given us some Christmas books which you see held up by snowman salt and pepper shaker "bookends".
Last,we make a stop in the kitchen where you see my intricate method of displaying Christmas cards. They're hung on the mini blind. I got this idea from my mother-in-law. No matter where I hung the cards, they'd always fall down. This solves that problem! The kitchen is a great place to look at pictures of our friends' cute kids, too.
This is the end of our Christmas tour. Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed yourself.
Merry Christmas!
Be sure and stop by BooMama's for a complete list of the Tour of Homes.
A Stocking For Rock
Alternate Title: The Rocking.
Andy and I both have fleece stockings that I made for us the first Christmas that we were married.
Then, we went to Wal-mart and spent a considerable amount of time picking out the right fleece and embellishments. They were/are a simple design. Just sew around the edge, then blanket stitch with crochet thread. I added pom-pom fringe for me and a green ribbon on Andy's.
Fast forward a couple of years and we have a 3rd family member to prepare a stocking for--our sweet dog. I mentioned a stocking and Andy wasn't too sure at first. Then he said that would be fine if I made one instead of buying one that would be more expensive.
I have definitely grown in frugality since that first Christmas. I didn't even buy fleece. Or bother with purchased embellishments. The leftover thrifted red fleece blanket used to back one of these blankets worked perfectly. A brown scrap of felt and a bone-shaped cookies cutter provided the cute bone applique.
I positioned the pattern against the edge of the blanket to take advantage of pre-done blanket stitch for the cuff of the stocking. Then I used the same white crochet thread for the outside of the stocking as what was done on ours. Except for the hand-sewing, this stocking was completed in about 10 minutes flat!
**I still would like to embroider all of our names on our respective stockings.
Rock probably won't care about the stocking. But it looks cute to us and makes us happy.
He will like the bag of treats that will be inside come Christmas morning, though!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Bloggy Progressive Dinner-Three Different Appetizers
Today, Kate from A Simple Walk is hosting the appetizer portion of the Bloggy Progressive Dinner that is going on this week at various blogs. You can read the details of the progressive dinner here.
We love appetizers and I thought of 3 different ones that I could share.
Bacon-Wrapped Smokies, Smoky Cheeseball, and Buffalo Chicken Dip.
Bacon-Wrapped Smokies
My sister introduced me to these yummy morsels this Thanksgiving when I had a package of Little Smokies to use and wanted a good recipe. Is there anything better than bacon-wrapped nitrates? I didn't think so.
These are easy to make, don't have a long list of ingredients and can be frozen ahead.
Ingredients:
1 pound package Little Smokies
1 package bacon
brown sugar
vinegar
toothpicks
Cut bacon strips in 3rds. (You may have some left over. Use another package of Smokies or fry up the bacon and use for another recipe.)
Wrap a raw bacon strip around each sausage and secure with a toothpick.
Place in a glass pan.
Sprinkle the brown sugar over all and drizzle the vinegar over it. At this point you can bake or refrigerate a few hours to overnight.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. May remove to a small crock pot to keep warm, or eat right away.
Next on the list, we have a family favorite, The Smoky Cheeseball.
This can be made ahead as well as frozen. Make one recipe for a smallish ball; make a double recipe for a large cheeseball. I like to roll this in nuts but shredded cheese, parsley or just plain works just as well. Whatever you like! Before I was married, I made a bunch of these and sold them to my sister's coworkers at Christmas. They loved them!
Ingredients:
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese
1/2 pound grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke flavoring
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. onion salt
1/8 tsp. garlic salt
Mix all ingredients and beat well. A hand mixer works well for this recipe as does a food processor. Shape in to ball and roll in chopped nuts. Cover and store in refrigerator. Allow to soften a bit at room temp before serving. Serve with your favorite cracker assortment.
Makes 1 1/2 to 2 cups and serves 6-8.
Last but not least, I have a crock pot of Buffalo Chicken Dip to share.
I got this recipe from a coworker of my husband's. She makes this every year for the company Christmas drop-in. In fact, I'll get to eat some of her dip tonight. Yum! This is wonderful for football parties or a simple dinner at home.
Ingredients:
5 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 cup ranch dressing
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese
1 large bottle Frank's hot sauce(less if you don't want it too kickin')
Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Heat on low for several hours. Stir to combine every so often.
Serve with tortilla chips.
Head over to Kate's for more appetizer recipes!
We love appetizers and I thought of 3 different ones that I could share.
Bacon-Wrapped Smokies, Smoky Cheeseball, and Buffalo Chicken Dip.
Bacon-Wrapped Smokies
My sister introduced me to these yummy morsels this Thanksgiving when I had a package of Little Smokies to use and wanted a good recipe. Is there anything better than bacon-wrapped nitrates? I didn't think so.
These are easy to make, don't have a long list of ingredients and can be frozen ahead.
Ingredients:
1 pound package Little Smokies
1 package bacon
brown sugar
vinegar
toothpicks
Cut bacon strips in 3rds. (You may have some left over. Use another package of Smokies or fry up the bacon and use for another recipe.)
Wrap a raw bacon strip around each sausage and secure with a toothpick.
Place in a glass pan.
Sprinkle the brown sugar over all and drizzle the vinegar over it. At this point you can bake or refrigerate a few hours to overnight.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. May remove to a small crock pot to keep warm, or eat right away.
Next on the list, we have a family favorite, The Smoky Cheeseball.
This can be made ahead as well as frozen. Make one recipe for a smallish ball; make a double recipe for a large cheeseball. I like to roll this in nuts but shredded cheese, parsley or just plain works just as well. Whatever you like! Before I was married, I made a bunch of these and sold them to my sister's coworkers at Christmas. They loved them!
Ingredients:
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese
1/2 pound grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke flavoring
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. onion salt
1/8 tsp. garlic salt
Mix all ingredients and beat well. A hand mixer works well for this recipe as does a food processor. Shape in to ball and roll in chopped nuts. Cover and store in refrigerator. Allow to soften a bit at room temp before serving. Serve with your favorite cracker assortment.
Makes 1 1/2 to 2 cups and serves 6-8.
Last but not least, I have a crock pot of Buffalo Chicken Dip to share.
I got this recipe from a coworker of my husband's. She makes this every year for the company Christmas drop-in. In fact, I'll get to eat some of her dip tonight. Yum! This is wonderful for football parties or a simple dinner at home.
Ingredients:
5 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 cup ranch dressing
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese
1 large bottle Frank's hot sauce(less if you don't want it too kickin')
Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Heat on low for several hours. Stir to combine every so often.
Serve with tortilla chips.
Head over to Kate's for more appetizer recipes!
The Stable-A Story of God's Provision
This morning, Monica shared a heart-warming account of how God recently provided for her wants in the form of a child-sized Pottery Barn chair.
She asked for her readers to share stories of how God has provided for them. I was reminded of my stable story which I had not shared on my blog yet. But what a great time of year to share this with my readers!
This was my comment on her post:
"God has provided so many times it's hard to keep track, which is why I like to chronicle these things on my blog-so we don't forget what God has done for us!
One story that I haven't shared yet on my blog happened last winter. This was not a need but a want.
I have a nice nativity set that I purchased years ago at the Pottery in Commerce, GA for $1.50. I've used this for a long time. In recent years, I decided that I really wanted a stable to go with it as the $1.50 set only included the figures. Last fall(2007), I saved some money to purchase a stable. I started looking around in October. Hobby Lobby had one but I really didn't like it-some parts were flimsy. Michael's right out and told me they didn't"carry that sort of thing." Well, honestly,after a bit, I kind of forgot that I was looking for a stable and had come to terms with my holy family being homeless another year.
The day that I was going to set up my nativity, we stopped at a yard sale(in December, mind you!) on a whim. As soon as I got out of the car, I spotted a table of the usual tacky Christmas decorations but something wooden and rustic was sitting in the middle. My husband says that he's never seen anyone move more quickly than I at the prospect of a bargain and I practically flew over there!
Sure enough, it was a stable and exactly the style that I was looking for. They had $2 on it, which it was definitely worth, but after counting my nickles and dimes, I found that I only had $1.50. I asked if they would take $1.50 instead and after a bit of hesitation, they were glad to.
We got in the car and drove home, me holding my precious stable. My husband asked as he always does after we've seen God provide, "You prayed, didn't you?" Which I had, but only at the beginning of my search as I asked God to direct me to the right place to find what I was looking for and then I forgot all about it.
God did not forget, however. As I put up my nativity set this year, I was reminded of how I came to have the stable, and how if God desired to gift me with a house for a set of ceramic people, how much more He desires to care for us as His children!"
We have seen God provide in tangible ways in the past few years. This has grown my faith and trust in God tremendously. God is not my personal Santa giving in to my every want and whim, but He does desire to provide "good things for His children." Luke 11:13
As I include God in my daily activities and ask for His guidance in all areas of life, I am much more aware of how He provides. It's noticeable when God provides in a tight spot but how about when He provides for me to have a decent sized grocery budget which allows us to buy really good food and more than we need, a roof over our heads when it's raining,central heat and air when it is very cold or hot? The things I take for granted and see every day are the very things that I should be thanking God for.
For a few more accounts of practical ways God has provided for our family, you can read all about the $5 chair, the futon and even my husband's need for a belt!
Psalm 37:4: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart!"
She asked for her readers to share stories of how God has provided for them. I was reminded of my stable story which I had not shared on my blog yet. But what a great time of year to share this with my readers!
This was my comment on her post:
"God has provided so many times it's hard to keep track, which is why I like to chronicle these things on my blog-so we don't forget what God has done for us!
One story that I haven't shared yet on my blog happened last winter. This was not a need but a want.
I have a nice nativity set that I purchased years ago at the Pottery in Commerce, GA for $1.50. I've used this for a long time. In recent years, I decided that I really wanted a stable to go with it as the $1.50 set only included the figures. Last fall(2007), I saved some money to purchase a stable. I started looking around in October. Hobby Lobby had one but I really didn't like it-some parts were flimsy. Michael's right out and told me they didn't"carry that sort of thing." Well, honestly,after a bit, I kind of forgot that I was looking for a stable and had come to terms with my holy family being homeless another year.
The day that I was going to set up my nativity, we stopped at a yard sale(in December, mind you!) on a whim. As soon as I got out of the car, I spotted a table of the usual tacky Christmas decorations but something wooden and rustic was sitting in the middle. My husband says that he's never seen anyone move more quickly than I at the prospect of a bargain and I practically flew over there!
Sure enough, it was a stable and exactly the style that I was looking for. They had $2 on it, which it was definitely worth, but after counting my nickles and dimes, I found that I only had $1.50. I asked if they would take $1.50 instead and after a bit of hesitation, they were glad to.
We got in the car and drove home, me holding my precious stable. My husband asked as he always does after we've seen God provide, "You prayed, didn't you?" Which I had, but only at the beginning of my search as I asked God to direct me to the right place to find what I was looking for and then I forgot all about it.
God did not forget, however. As I put up my nativity set this year, I was reminded of how I came to have the stable, and how if God desired to gift me with a house for a set of ceramic people, how much more He desires to care for us as His children!"
We have seen God provide in tangible ways in the past few years. This has grown my faith and trust in God tremendously. God is not my personal Santa giving in to my every want and whim, but He does desire to provide "good things for His children." Luke 11:13
As I include God in my daily activities and ask for His guidance in all areas of life, I am much more aware of how He provides. It's noticeable when God provides in a tight spot but how about when He provides for me to have a decent sized grocery budget which allows us to buy really good food and more than we need, a roof over our heads when it's raining,central heat and air when it is very cold or hot? The things I take for granted and see every day are the very things that I should be thanking God for.
For a few more accounts of practical ways God has provided for our family, you can read all about the $5 chair, the futon and even my husband's need for a belt!
Psalm 37:4: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart!"
Monday, December 15, 2008
Menu Plan Monday
Looking back to last week' menu, I made a couple of changes throughout the week. Instead of roasting a chicken, I tried this Rotisserie-style Chicken in the crock pot. It was super delicious! The juices made wonderful gravy, too! I had planned three chicken meals to use up the chicken, but we ate so much at the first meal, I only had enough to make a batch of chimichangas(enough for dinner and a meal's worth to freeze).
I didn't get to the Garlic, Chicken and Spinach Spaghetti. Instead, I filled the crock pot with a bunch of odds and ends of meat, rice and veggies-even some veggie broth- from my fridge and freezer and made a yummy vegetable soup that fed us for dinner one night and several lunches over the next few days.
I also followed the Crockpot Lady's instructions for making chicken broth in the crock pot. It was so great! I didn't have to worry about it boiling over on the stove. It just simmered all day.
I'm really loving the Crockpot Lady's blog, by the way! There are so many wonderful ideas and I love having my crock pot slaving away during the day preparing goodies for us to eat!
After baking Christmas goodies all of Saturday afternoon, my sweet husband took me out to Chili's for dinner. We had a coupon for a free appetizer and we split an entree. Sweet! The hamburgers that I planned for that night's dinner will reappear this week.:-)
Now this week, I'll probably only be cooking 3 or 4 dinners at home. I have 4 planned as well as a few lunches since I won't have as many leftovers since I'm not cooking every night. I'm also focusing on using food up as we'll be away for a few days next week!
Dinners:
1)chicken gravy on toast;peas
2)hamburgers,celery and carrot sticks
3)salmon patties, baked butternut squash,buttered noodles
4)scrambled eggs, toast, fruit
Lunches:
-- pork bbq** sandwiches(2)
--leftovers(2)
--homemade pizza**(1)
--quick spaghetti(1)
Breakfasts:
--cereal, milk(2)
--bagels, cream cheese, apple slices(2)
--breakfast cookies**, smoothies (1)
--oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs, fruit(2)
**denotes ready-made freezer items
For more menu planning fun, visit Organizing Junkie!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Another Way to Simplify Christmas
After posting about how we are simplifying our Christmas baking this year, my husband and I were talking about what we each wanted for Christmas from each other. You know, getting ideas for sneaky Christmas shopping.
We were talking and all of a sudden one of us brought up, kind of tongue in cheek more than anything, the idea of not shopping for each other but rather taking the money we would spend on each other and pooling it together for a fun outing, experience or day trip.
We liked it. We'll still fill stockings for each other, which we both love to do, but we'll not do anything else in the way of gifts under the tree. You would not believe the stress that took off of me when we decided to do an "experience" gift instead of more shopping! My husband was relieved too. We do like to get each other gifts, don't get me wrong, this just seems like a great way to simplify this year!
Plus, it will give us something to look forward to during the more dreary winter months long after the gifts have been unwrapped. And it will be time spent together.
Now,we just have to figure out what we'd both like to do. We've tossed a few ideas around but haven't landed on a really exciting one yet. Even though, the amount we're spending isn't huge, I've become so accustomed to planning free or cheap activities that I'm not sure what to think of! Of course,we both love to eat, so we could go out for a very nice meal, but we really don't want to just eat our Christmas gift!
What about you? If you were going to plan a day out with your spouse and spend a reasonable amount of money, what would you do? I'd love to hear your ideas!
We were talking and all of a sudden one of us brought up, kind of tongue in cheek more than anything, the idea of not shopping for each other but rather taking the money we would spend on each other and pooling it together for a fun outing, experience or day trip.
We liked it. We'll still fill stockings for each other, which we both love to do, but we'll not do anything else in the way of gifts under the tree. You would not believe the stress that took off of me when we decided to do an "experience" gift instead of more shopping! My husband was relieved too. We do like to get each other gifts, don't get me wrong, this just seems like a great way to simplify this year!
Plus, it will give us something to look forward to during the more dreary winter months long after the gifts have been unwrapped. And it will be time spent together.
Now,we just have to figure out what we'd both like to do. We've tossed a few ideas around but haven't landed on a really exciting one yet. Even though, the amount we're spending isn't huge, I've become so accustomed to planning free or cheap activities that I'm not sure what to think of! Of course,we both love to eat, so we could go out for a very nice meal, but we really don't want to just eat our Christmas gift!
What about you? If you were going to plan a day out with your spouse and spend a reasonable amount of money, what would you do? I'd love to hear your ideas!
Christmas Happenings
I didn't plan for this week to be so sparse in the blogging department. I have a whole list of subjects to blog on and just haven't taken a few minutes to get them ready to post.
I focused this week on getting a lot of stuff finished for Christmas. I tend to leave things until the last minute, knowing what I need to do but with a list only in my head. My husband and I sat down at the beginning of the week and I wrote the main things down that needed to be accomplished on the corresponding day. That has worked!
What's been done:
--Christmas letter has been written. I can't quite justify just sending a card with postage as high as it is and we didn't have a picture to share this year. Plus, I always enjoy reading what others have been up to throughout the year, whether it is a form letter or a personal one.
--Christmas cards have been mailed with the Christmas letters. :-) Well, most of them. I still have a couple of new addresses to locate and a few people I forgot in the first round.
--Gifts have been bought. I'm making a few more but all shopping has been done for our extended families. We keep our gifts pretty simple and I was extra careful to stay in budget this year. I had a specific list and shopping was easy-peasy! I actually got almost everything at Target in about 1 hour of shopping! A first for me as I am not a speedy shopper!!! Of course, I had a few of the gifts already and I'm still making a few, but still....
--Gifts have been wrapped. The ones that are finished anyways! I let my perfectionist tendencies go by the wayside and kept this extra simple as well. I'm focusing on using up the same wrapping paper that I've had for the 4th Christmas now. I cut gift tags out of the wrapping paper for matching tags. No stamps, no stickers, no gluing on card stock-just simple wrapping paper tags cut into a tag shape with a hole for tying on. I used a plain tag from my craft box for a pattern and traced it on the wrapping paper. Took about 20 minutes for 30 tags. I tied all the gifts with raffia in Christmas colors that I had gotten on 90% off Christmas sales last year. I wrapped and tied and wrote the to's and from's last evening in about one hour-another record for me!
--Christmas donations have been made. I kept putting this off but it was done within 15 minutes by doing it online.
Still to do:
--Get Christmas tree. We want a small table top tree this year. Preferably a real one. We're going to the tree farm to look for a little tree this afternoon. Every year, we're looking for a little different style of tree to accommodate our needs . This keeps life exciting and is actually good, because we always forget what kind of tree we've gotten from year to year anyways.
--Bring in decorations and take fall decorations down. Yes, the pumpkin, fake leaf garland and bunch of Indian corn are still up. Please don't fine me!
--Christmas baking. I'm mixing all dough up today and we're baking tomorrow afternoon. This is simple too. I've pared down to 4 kinds instead of my previous simplified five.
--Christmas decorating. We're doing that tomorrow morning. It doesn't take us long but we enjoy doing it together.
--Clean house from top to bottom. I'm doing that today. I love to decorate in a clean house, with everything freshly vacuumed and dusted, windows sparkling and cobwebs out of the corners. Oh and fresh smelling trashcans...hopefully by tonight!!!
--Send packages. We'll be with Andy's family in Georgia for Christmas and also visiting my sister on the way. We have two boxes to send out-one to New York and one to Oregon. Talk about extremes! I'm aiming to get them out by Monday, since they are pretty much packed already!
What kind of progress are you making on your to-do list? Even with simplifying, this is one of the busiest(yet fun!) times of the year!
I focused this week on getting a lot of stuff finished for Christmas. I tend to leave things until the last minute, knowing what I need to do but with a list only in my head. My husband and I sat down at the beginning of the week and I wrote the main things down that needed to be accomplished on the corresponding day. That has worked!
What's been done:
--Christmas letter has been written. I can't quite justify just sending a card with postage as high as it is and we didn't have a picture to share this year. Plus, I always enjoy reading what others have been up to throughout the year, whether it is a form letter or a personal one.
--Christmas cards have been mailed with the Christmas letters. :-) Well, most of them. I still have a couple of new addresses to locate and a few people I forgot in the first round.
--Gifts have been bought. I'm making a few more but all shopping has been done for our extended families. We keep our gifts pretty simple and I was extra careful to stay in budget this year. I had a specific list and shopping was easy-peasy! I actually got almost everything at Target in about 1 hour of shopping! A first for me as I am not a speedy shopper!!! Of course, I had a few of the gifts already and I'm still making a few, but still....
--Gifts have been wrapped. The ones that are finished anyways! I let my perfectionist tendencies go by the wayside and kept this extra simple as well. I'm focusing on using up the same wrapping paper that I've had for the 4th Christmas now. I cut gift tags out of the wrapping paper for matching tags. No stamps, no stickers, no gluing on card stock-just simple wrapping paper tags cut into a tag shape with a hole for tying on. I used a plain tag from my craft box for a pattern and traced it on the wrapping paper. Took about 20 minutes for 30 tags. I tied all the gifts with raffia in Christmas colors that I had gotten on 90% off Christmas sales last year. I wrapped and tied and wrote the to's and from's last evening in about one hour-another record for me!
--Christmas donations have been made. I kept putting this off but it was done within 15 minutes by doing it online.
Still to do:
--Get Christmas tree. We want a small table top tree this year. Preferably a real one. We're going to the tree farm to look for a little tree this afternoon. Every year, we're looking for a little different style of tree to accommodate our needs . This keeps life exciting and is actually good, because we always forget what kind of tree we've gotten from year to year anyways.
--Bring in decorations and take fall decorations down. Yes, the pumpkin, fake leaf garland and bunch of Indian corn are still up. Please don't fine me!
--Christmas baking. I'm mixing all dough up today and we're baking tomorrow afternoon. This is simple too. I've pared down to 4 kinds instead of my previous simplified five.
--Christmas decorating. We're doing that tomorrow morning. It doesn't take us long but we enjoy doing it together.
--Clean house from top to bottom. I'm doing that today. I love to decorate in a clean house, with everything freshly vacuumed and dusted, windows sparkling and cobwebs out of the corners. Oh and fresh smelling trashcans...hopefully by tonight!!!
--Send packages. We'll be with Andy's family in Georgia for Christmas and also visiting my sister on the way. We have two boxes to send out-one to New York and one to Oregon. Talk about extremes! I'm aiming to get them out by Monday, since they are pretty much packed already!
What kind of progress are you making on your to-do list? Even with simplifying, this is one of the busiest(yet fun!) times of the year!
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
A Patriotic Little Side Business
Hi readers!
Andy here. I wanted to let you know about some great people that I recently got involved with. Products For Good is a company that offers patriotic products while generating money to help support our troops and their families. Particularly those who have been wounded in combat. Here's how it works. If you click on this link, it will take you to my Products For Good order page. Any products that you purchase will provide a little extra income for MaryAnn and me AND you'll be supporting our troops as well.
Let me try to give you a brief history of the company. In 2003, British and American troops were sent in to Basra, Iraq to secure banks and other key facilities. In the bank vaults were found approximately 6,000,000 uncirculated, decommissioned Iraqi coins. As it turns out, the coins were decommissioned in the mid-1990's because Saddam Hussein's face was not on them. He actually ordered the coins to be melted down when he replaced them with something that featured his face. The coins were later brought to the U.S. and were sold to the gentlemen who run Products For Good. With the sale of shadow boxes that feature the coins, as well as other military-branch specific products, they (we) are able to give to our troops and their families in times of need.
I have never served in our military. My disability prevented that from taking place. However, I have two generations of incredibly proud military service ahead of me in my family. I see Products For Good as a tangible way that I can finally serve my country. For those of you reading this post who are serving or have served, thank you for fighting for my freedom. For you civilians, thank a veteran. Of course I would love for all of you to purchase something from the site. But even if you don't, I encourage you to take a moment to think about those who make the sacrifice of fighting for our freedom.
Andy here. I wanted to let you know about some great people that I recently got involved with. Products For Good is a company that offers patriotic products while generating money to help support our troops and their families. Particularly those who have been wounded in combat. Here's how it works. If you click on this link, it will take you to my Products For Good order page. Any products that you purchase will provide a little extra income for MaryAnn and me AND you'll be supporting our troops as well.
Let me try to give you a brief history of the company. In 2003, British and American troops were sent in to Basra, Iraq to secure banks and other key facilities. In the bank vaults were found approximately 6,000,000 uncirculated, decommissioned Iraqi coins. As it turns out, the coins were decommissioned in the mid-1990's because Saddam Hussein's face was not on them. He actually ordered the coins to be melted down when he replaced them with something that featured his face. The coins were later brought to the U.S. and were sold to the gentlemen who run Products For Good. With the sale of shadow boxes that feature the coins, as well as other military-branch specific products, they (we) are able to give to our troops and their families in times of need.
I have never served in our military. My disability prevented that from taking place. However, I have two generations of incredibly proud military service ahead of me in my family. I see Products For Good as a tangible way that I can finally serve my country. For those of you reading this post who are serving or have served, thank you for fighting for my freedom. For you civilians, thank a veteran. Of course I would love for all of you to purchase something from the site. But even if you don't, I encourage you to take a moment to think about those who make the sacrifice of fighting for our freedom.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Menu Plan Monday
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and is ready to dive into a new week!
Here's what's on tap for meals this week:
**denotes pre-made freezer item
Sunday:
B-breakfast cookies**, yogurt, banana
L-sweet and sour pork over rice
D-Caesar salad(a kit from the store-a coupon deal!), molasses cookies
Monday:
B-eggs in a nest, banana
L-leftover sweet and sour pork, rice, cabbage salad
D-eating at leadership meeting
Tuesday:
B-Baked oatmeal
L-leftovers
D-roast chicken. mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans
Wednesday:
B-leftover baked oatmeal
L-leftovers
D-chicken chimichangas with sour cream & salsa, salad
Thursday:
B-breakfast cookies**, fruit smoothies
L-leftovers
D-chicken, spinach and garlic spaghetti, salad, baked butternut squash
Friday:
B-banana oat pancakes**
L-leftovers
D-appetizers(not sure what yet but something fun for the holiday season)
Saturday:
B-bagels, cream cheese, fruit
L-leftovers or frozen pizza
D-hamburgers, carrot and celery sticks
For more menu-planning, fun, please visit Organizing Junkie!
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Simply Living Saturdays: The Christmas Edition
This week's edition of Simply Living Saturdays is about ways to simplify our Christmas celebrations and focus on what is truly important.
One way we have scaled back and simplified is to limit the amount of Christmas baking we do.
One of our favorite traditions as a couple is to bake Christmas treats together. It started out as a wonderful idea of spending part of a Saturday completing all of our Christmas baking. It ended up, even the first year, as taking a whole lot longer to do with me planning too much and then still frosting and decorating cookies late at night. It became a stressful day instead of the peaceful and enjoyable tradition we had envisioned.
Not to mention that we had way too many cookies and treats left over after the holidays.
Last year, I decided to pare my list down and make it more manageable. Instead of trying to make the same stuff just because that's what I had always done, we prepared my husband and I's top 4 or 5 favorites and left it at that.
It was a little more manageable but still took more time than we wanted. And instead of having too much, we ended up almost running out of treats to share! I do enjoy giving a few plates or bags of treats to friends and sharing them at different get-togethers throughout the season, so I like to have enough for that.
This year, we're spending an evening doing the Christmas baking. I've made a list of 5 favorites. I'm still not sure if we'll do the cut-outs as they tend to take the bulk of time. They are my very favorites, though, and would add a different flavor to our other three favorites which are all chocolate! When deciding what kinds to make, I try to pick out a variety that would look nice on a plate together as that is how I often serve them at get-togethers and parties.
Maybe if I baked the cut-out sugar cookies ahead and only did a small amount, then we'd only have to decorate them.
Another favorite which is quite time-consuming but so yummy is kiffles. This is from my husband's side of the family. We'd like to make some of those to take to his family at Christmas, but only if we really really want to! This would be in addition to our baking night.
So as you can see here, I don't quite have all this figured out. Simplifying and changing what you've been doing for years can be difficult!
So the list of treats that I'm planning to make now is:
1)chocolate-peanut squares
2)chocolate-mint cookies
3)chocolate-dipped pretzel rods
4)oatmeal raisin cookies
5)cut-out sugar cookies(maybe)
Doing less and really enjoying the traditions that we do participate in is what makes the Christmas season so much more enjoyable!
What kinds of treats do you like the most? How have you been able to simplify this fun holiday tradition?
Thanks to Stephanie for hosting Simply Living Saturdays each week!
Thursday, December 04, 2008
"Naptime" Freezer Cooking
I have always loved cooking ahead and having a number of yummy main dishes, sides and baked goods ready to pull out and use whenever I want them.
Lately though, it seems I just haven't been keeping up with stocking the freezer. Between working at home and being a homemaker, I have a lot of different activities on my schedule each day. I love to cook and bake(which is why I don't just buy lots of pre-made foods) but it becomes tiring to cook a meal from scratch each night. Especially when I know I can cook ahead and save some time here and there! Having meals made ahead also really helps with hospitality.
One of these days, I would love to spend a whole day cooking freezer meals, but until then, I'm going to carry on with what I've termed "naptime" freezer cooking. With some planning ahead, I can schedule a few things to cook or bake while my childcare kids sleep. Doing this once every other week or so will ensure me a nice supply of make-ahead foods! Whatever I've planned should take me no longer than 2-3 hours to prepare and sometimes only about an hour will be involved. Perfect for a naptime or evening in the kitchen.
As I go along, I'll be sharing recipes, tips and ideas for things to freeze. There will be a variety of entrees, side dishes and baked goods as well as preparing specific foods such as pre-cooking meats or shredding cheeses to aid in fast meals later.
Today, I made pizzas and twice-baked sweet potatoes to freeze. (Not all my combos will make sense.:-) I will plan what to make based on what I have on hand. It all comes together when I menu plan each week!)
I made a double batch of my pizza crust and ended up with five par-baked crusts. I froze 3 plain and froze the other two with toppings, ready to go. The finished pizza in the bottom right has a stuffed crust(cheese baked into the crust). The other one is just regular.
Sweet potatoes were on sale for $.39 a pound last week, so I bought about 10 pounds of them. I knew I'd want to cook some and freeze them before they spoiled and also to enjoy later in the winter. I put the potatoes in to bake at lunch time and by naptime, they were ready to work with. I quickly mashed them in my mixer and soon they were ready for the freezer! These will be great for a side dish with any kind of meat.
I almost always double wrap my food before freezing with plastic wrap and foil. I have pretty good success with items in freezer bags not getting freezer burn. I double bag all of my bread or rolls. If you're going to go to the effort of cooking, you certainly want the food to be protected.
Another key aspect of freezer cooking is labeling. A permanent Sharpie marker is one of my well-used kitchen tools. I mark right on Ziploc bags and use sticky notes(attached with tape) or labels to write the name of the food, directions on how to heat, and the date it was prepared. Guessing what a frozen food is can be very difficult as they seem to often look the same after being frozen! Also, if cooking directions are clearly marked, there is no need to pull out the cookbook. My husband will also know exactly how to prepare the food if I am away.
Happy freezing!
What kinds of foods do you like to stock your freezer with?
Lately though, it seems I just haven't been keeping up with stocking the freezer. Between working at home and being a homemaker, I have a lot of different activities on my schedule each day. I love to cook and bake(which is why I don't just buy lots of pre-made foods) but it becomes tiring to cook a meal from scratch each night. Especially when I know I can cook ahead and save some time here and there! Having meals made ahead also really helps with hospitality.
One of these days, I would love to spend a whole day cooking freezer meals, but until then, I'm going to carry on with what I've termed "naptime" freezer cooking. With some planning ahead, I can schedule a few things to cook or bake while my childcare kids sleep. Doing this once every other week or so will ensure me a nice supply of make-ahead foods! Whatever I've planned should take me no longer than 2-3 hours to prepare and sometimes only about an hour will be involved. Perfect for a naptime or evening in the kitchen.
As I go along, I'll be sharing recipes, tips and ideas for things to freeze. There will be a variety of entrees, side dishes and baked goods as well as preparing specific foods such as pre-cooking meats or shredding cheeses to aid in fast meals later.
Today, I made pizzas and twice-baked sweet potatoes to freeze. (Not all my combos will make sense.:-) I will plan what to make based on what I have on hand. It all comes together when I menu plan each week!)
I made a double batch of my pizza crust and ended up with five par-baked crusts. I froze 3 plain and froze the other two with toppings, ready to go. The finished pizza in the bottom right has a stuffed crust(cheese baked into the crust). The other one is just regular.
Sweet potatoes were on sale for $.39 a pound last week, so I bought about 10 pounds of them. I knew I'd want to cook some and freeze them before they spoiled and also to enjoy later in the winter. I put the potatoes in to bake at lunch time and by naptime, they were ready to work with. I quickly mashed them in my mixer and soon they were ready for the freezer! These will be great for a side dish with any kind of meat.
I almost always double wrap my food before freezing with plastic wrap and foil. I have pretty good success with items in freezer bags not getting freezer burn. I double bag all of my bread or rolls. If you're going to go to the effort of cooking, you certainly want the food to be protected.
Another key aspect of freezer cooking is labeling. A permanent Sharpie marker is one of my well-used kitchen tools. I mark right on Ziploc bags and use sticky notes(attached with tape) or labels to write the name of the food, directions on how to heat, and the date it was prepared. Guessing what a frozen food is can be very difficult as they seem to often look the same after being frozen! Also, if cooking directions are clearly marked, there is no need to pull out the cookbook. My husband will also know exactly how to prepare the food if I am away.
Happy freezing!
What kinds of foods do you like to stock your freezer with?
Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
My sister made these twice-baked sweet potatoes for the first time for our Thanksgiving dinner.(We had both noticed the recipe in the November '08 issue of Country Home magazine and really wanted to try them!) They were so delicious, I knew I would have to make them for my husband and I too. I was pleasantly surprised how simple these are to prepare.
Best of all, this is a great make and freeze ahead recipe! The picture in this post shows the sweet potatoes ready for the freezer.
Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
8 medium sweet potatoes(about 3 3/4 pound total)
1/2 cup butter, cut up
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Line a large baking sheet with foil. Prick each sweet potato twice with a fork and place on the prepared baking sheet. bake in a 425 degree oven for about one hour or until nearly tender. Remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle.
Cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out the cooked pulp from 10 of the sweet-potato halves, leaving a shell about 1/4 inch thick. Remove all the pulp from the remaining sweet potatoes, discarding skins. Transfer pulp to a large bowl. (I used my Bosch mixer.) Add the butter, salt and pepper to the pulp and mash with a potato masher(or mixer) until the mixture is fairly smooth. Add desired flavor options to the puree.
Use a spoon to fill the 10 shells with puree. transfer filled sweet potatoes to a large airtight freezer container. Cover and freeze up to 3 months.
To bake, remove sweet potatoes from freezer. Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Transfer potatoes to a foil-lined sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven until heated through, about 40 minutes. Sprinkle plain sweet potatoes with ground cinnamon, if desired.
Makes 10 servings.
Variations:
Maple-Pecan: (We had this version for our Thanksgiving dinner! Yummy, yummy! ) Stir 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon into sweet-potato puree mixture. Fill and freeze as directed. When ready to bake, drizzle tops with 1/3 cup maple syrup and sprinkle with 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans.
Pear and Ginger: In a medium bowl mash 8 drained canned pear halves with a potato masher until nearly smooth. Add 2 teaspoons ground ginger and stir pear mixture into sweet potatoes. Fill, freeze and bake as directed. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup snipped, dried cranberries.
Manchego and Smoked Paprika: (I've never had this kind of cheese but it sounds great! I suppose you could substitute another kind of cheese for this.) Stir 1/3 cup finely shredded manchego cheese and 2 to 3 teaspoons smoked paprika into sweet potatoes. Fill and freeze as directed. When ready to bake, sprinkle tops with an additional 1/4 cup of shredded cheese.
Homemade Pizza
I love making our own homemade pizza. It isn't difficult once you master it and is less expensive than ordering out!
Even though pizza isn't difficult to make, I like to make extras and freeze them for busy times. Sometimes I freeze a completely prepared pizza and sometimes I just freeze the plain crusts. I love the convenience of frozen pizzas and it is cheaper and healthier to make my own. A frozen homemade pizza is just as quick to throw in the oven as a store-bought one!
Another benefit to making your own pizzas is the ability to customize them to however you like. Our pizzas generally consist of some combination of pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, and black olives. I also love making a pesto pizza with pesto spread on the crust instead of traditional tomato sauce and topped with yummy sauteed veggies.
The recipe that I use is a Taste of Home recipe from several years ago. I've tweaked it and made enough changes to the original recipe that I think I can safely call it my own!
I use my Bosch mixer to mix and knead my dough. This is a small enough recipe to be easily done by hand as well, which I have done a few times with great success.
This recipe makes two 12 inch pizzas. Making just two makes the crust quite thick, I think, so I usually end up making one or two personal pan size crusts along with the bigger ones. You can decide how you want to do yours!
Homemade Pizza Crust
Ingredients:
1 package(1 tablespoon) active dry yeast
2 cups warm water(110 to 115 degrees)
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
garlic powder, dried basil and oregano, to taste
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 -4 cups all-purpose white flour
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil, salt, spices, and whole wheat flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
Stir in enough white flour to form a soft dough(not too sticky and not too stiff). If kneading by hand, be extra careful with the flour amount as kneading on a floured surface adds more flour into the dough.
If using a heavy-duty mixer, continue to mix for about 5 minutes or so. If kneading by hand, turn out on floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.
Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.
Divide dough in half. On a greased surface, roll each portion into a 13 inch circle. (I start the rolling process on my counter top then transfer the dough to the greased pan and use my fingers and this amazing roller to roll the dough right in the pan. )
Transfer dough to two greased 12 inch pizza pans; build up edges slightly. bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. This step is called par-baking the crust.
Now, you can cool and freeze the plain par-baked crusts(double-wrapped in plastic wrap and foil) or you can top the pizzas and freeze the same way. To bake after being frozen, place on greased pan and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until done.
Or if you decide you want to eat the pizzas right away(imagine that!), you will top the crusts as desired and bake for an additional 15- 20 minutes.
**For pizza sauce, I add a little grated onion, basil, oregano and garlic powder to an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce. This makes enough for 1 or 2 pizzas, depending how much sauce you like. I spread it right on the crust then top with toppings and cheese. This is the simple way to make sauce and we like it that way! My sister likes to cook her sauce a little and then spread it on. Or you can use jarred spaghetti or pizza sauce from the store. Whatever you like!
**The pizza pictured above is a stuffed crust pizza. To make, I rolled the dough our to reach a little over the edge of the pizza pan. Inside the edge of the pan, I placed small sticks of mozzarella cheese. You can also cut string cheese for this. I like to cut slits in the dough all around and then roll it in under the cheese stick for kind of a twisted crust look, but you don't have to cut the dough but just roll it under the cheese all around the pan. Bake as usual.
Enjoy!
What kind of pizzas do you and your family enjoy?
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Yogurt In The Crockpot
I've been making my own yogurt for over a year now, using a small yogurt maker that I found at Goodwill.
I've often read about making yogurt in a warmish oven overnight and wanted to try it, mainly because I could make more than 1 quart at a time and also because I like to eliminate single purpose gadgets from my kitchen if at all possible.
Well, I hadn't gotten around to trying it in my oven but when I came across the Crockpot Lady's yogurt recipe, I just had to try it! You can make 2 quarts at a time(probably more if you wanted to) and it uses the crockpot which I already have.
This method of making yogurt is easy, easy too!
I tried it last week and sure enough, it worked! I was really nervous about whether or not the crockpot would be warm enough for the yogurt to culture, but it was!
I'll definitely be making yogurt in the crockpot again and again!
I've often read about making yogurt in a warmish oven overnight and wanted to try it, mainly because I could make more than 1 quart at a time and also because I like to eliminate single purpose gadgets from my kitchen if at all possible.
Well, I hadn't gotten around to trying it in my oven but when I came across the Crockpot Lady's yogurt recipe, I just had to try it! You can make 2 quarts at a time(probably more if you wanted to) and it uses the crockpot which I already have.
This method of making yogurt is easy, easy too!
I tried it last week and sure enough, it worked! I was really nervous about whether or not the crockpot would be warm enough for the yogurt to culture, but it was!
I'll definitely be making yogurt in the crockpot again and again!
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Menu Plan Monday...on Tuesday!
One of these days, I will stop being a slacker and actually have my menu plan up on Monday like everybody else!
But until then, enjoy reading my menu on Tuesdays!
Except for a small bit of pineapple-lime cranberry sauce(which is exceptionally good, by the way), we've snarfed down all remains of our Thanksgiving dinner. This is not including large amounts of roast pork that is left, but is safely tucked away in the freezer to be used whenever I please. Some of it will be making its way into our menu this week!
Sunday
B-cold cereal
L-white chicken chili (made with pork instead) in crock pot, sour cream cheese, salsa, tortilla chips,wheat rolls, chocolate cake
D- leftovers from lunch
Monday
B-scrambled eggs, wheat rolls, bananas
L-leftovers
D-leftovers
Tuesday
B-cold cereal, bananas
L-leftovers
D- stuffing-stuffed acorn squash(my own concoction-can you tell?!, but it was really good!), salad
Wednesday
B-toast, smoothies
L-leftovers
D-spaghetti, salad
Thursday
B-eggs, toast
L-leftovers
D-pork and veggie stir fry over rice
Friday
B-oatmeal with dried fruit
L- leftovers
D-homemade pizza, fresh veggies
Saturday
B-muffins, fruit
L-leftover pizza
D-pancakes, scrambled eggs
To read more menu plans, visit Organizing Junkie!
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