Homemade Christmas

     Someone stole my covered trailer with many of my things before the holidays.  Grrrr!!!  What is wrong with people?!?!?  All of my Christmas decorations were in the trailer.  There were ornaments from mine and my husband's childhood, ornaments that we collected for the last twenty years of marriage and ornaments that I was given when my daughter was born.  Our fake Christmas tree was in the trailer along with advent books, angel figurines that represented loved ones who had passed on, snow globes, a tree skirt, etc..  I realize that all of this is just stuff but it was MY stuff.  I'm sure that it will be thrown into the trash because it isn't valuable to anyone but me...

     I decided to have a homemade Christmas this year.  I bought a Charlie Brown tree and strung it with popcorn and cranberries.  I made homemade ornaments and present tags, and tied a big red ribbon on the top of my tree.  I wrapped all of my presents with brown paper bags and tied them with ribbon.  I made lots and lots of homemade cookies and gave them away to friends.  I wish that I could say that all of this made me feel better.  The truth is it did not!   It wasn't the Christmas that I had planned.

     I learned that I can survive without my things, I can choose to be thankful for what is right in front of me, and that Christmas isn't about me anyway.  It's about Christ's birth!  For that, I am forever greatful!  Have a Happy New Year!

Drying Herbs

     I brought all of my herb pots in the house so that they would not freeze.  They took up a lot of space, so I decided to dry my herbs.  I had mint, oregano, basil, and parsley.  I picked all of the leaves off of the plants and then chopped them up really finely with a knife.  I dried eat one of them on a paper plate for one week until they were thoroughly dry.  I put them in small, glass jam jars, labeled them and put lids on each of them.  I stored them in my spice cupboard and used them to flavor my meals.

Peach Smoothie

     I love canned peaches!  There are so many things that you can do with them.  They taste good in pie, cobbler, fruit salad, jam, chutney, etc..  They are also really good in a smoothie.  Here is a recipe that I enjoy this time of year.  I thought that I would share it.  I hope you like it too!

Peach Smoothie:

1 1/2 c sliced peaches
1 c plain yogurt
1/4 c honey
1 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1 c almond milk
1 c crushed ice

Blend ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

Crockpot Pork

     I found a pork roast on sale and decided to make pulled pork sandwiches for dinner tonight.  I love crockpot dinners!  It is SO nice to have dinner all taken care of early in the morning so that I can focus on more important things in the evening.  (Like spending time with my family.)

Crockpot Pork:

1 large pork roast
salt & pepper to taste
2 T minced garlic
1 t chili powder
1 T parsley
2 T minced onion
1 T worchesterchire sauce
1 1/2 c water
1/2 c BBQ sauce

Rub the roast with the seasonings and place in the crockpot.  Pour the water, BBQ sauce & worchesterchire sauce over the roast.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Shred the meat & mix in a bowl with more BBQ sauce.  Serve on toasted, buttered kaiser rolls.

Dessert Pizza

     Tonight was Friday night pizza.  I decided to make a dessert pizza to remind me of one of my favorite pizza places in Idaho called Primos.  They had the BEST dessert pizza!  I can't say that mine tasted exactly like theirs, but it was pretty good.

Dessert Pizza:

pre-made pizza dough
pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough (with grated chocolate chips)
pre-made white icing
cinnamon to taste

Roll out the pizza dough very thin.  Dot with the cookie dough and drizzle with icing.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Cut into slices and eat warm.

Leftover Beef Roast Recipe

     I made a roast a few days ago and we have been eating on it all week.  We had roast dinner one night, shepherds pie another night, and tonight we had barbecue sauce roast over brown rice.  It turned out really good.  It was a very quick recipe to make.

Leftover Beef Roast Recipe:

2 c finely cut roast
1 can tomato sauce
1 c water
1 T minced onion
salt to taste
1/2 t chili powder
3 T white rice vinegar
3 T raw sugar
cooked brown rice

Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan and cook on medium low until bubbly.  Serve over brown rice.

Tanya's Tasty Nachos

     My friend Tanya makes the BEST nachos!  We don't eat nachos very often, but when we do this is the recipe that I use.

Tanya's Tasty Nachos:

1 bag tortilla chips
1 whole rotisserie chicken shredded
1/2 c sliced olives
1 diced tomato
1 can black beans
1 can refried beans
2 c shredded cheese
1/4 c salsa (red or green)
1 bunch of diced cilantro
1/2 c sour cream
1 diced avocado

Spread out the chips on a large baking sheet.  Top with chicken, olives, tomatoes, beans, cheese, salsa & cilantro.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Dot with sour cream and sprinkle with avocados.

Pesto

     I am watering my neighbor's garden and flowers while she is out of town.  She told me to pick some produce so that she wouldn't be overwhelmed by it when she got home.  I picked a bunch of basil that was starting to go to seed and I made some pesto.  I didn't have any pine nuts or Parmesan cheese so I just improvised with what I had on hand.  It turned out delicious!  Here is the recipe:

Pesto:

2 c basil leaves
1/2 c walnuts
1 t garlic
salt & pepper to taste
3 slices of cheddar cheese cut into cubes
1/2 c olive oil

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.  You can add more olive oil if the mixture seems too dry.  I put half of my pesto into ziplock bags and place them in the freezer for later use.  The other half of the pesto I put in pasta.  It tastes really good with crackers or on a sandwich in place of mayonnaise.

Macaroni Tuna Casserole

     My daughter is learning to cook by herself.  Tonight, she made dinner for our family.  I was SO proud of her.  She even cleaned up after herself which was a bonus.  This recipe is one of the first casseroles that I learned to make when I was her age.

Macaroni Tuna Casserole:

1 box macaroni & cheese (we use Annie's or homemade works too)
1 can tuna in water
1 bag frozen peas
1/2 c. mayonnaise
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 c. shredded cheese

Cook macaroni & cheese according to the box instructions.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, place mayonnaise and drained tuna.  Stir well.  Add macaroni & cheese and fold in the frozen peas.  Salt & pepper to taste.  Place in a greased square pan and sprinkle the cheese on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Round Steak & Noodles

     I made this dish for dinner tonight.  It was delicious and it made my whole house smell divine!  You can serve it over rice, toasted bread or noodles.  My family likes to eat it on top of egg noodles.

Round Steak & Noodles:

1 pkg round steak
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 c. flour
1 T. coconut oil
1 t. parsley
1 T. dry minced onion
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. thyme
1 c. beef broth

In a large skillet heat coconut oil on medium heat.  Meanwhile, cut the steak into 1/2 inch cubes.  Generously salt and pepper the cubes.  Flour both sides of the steak & fry in the oil until brown on all sides.  Place the meat in a large baking dish.  Sprinkle with parsley, onion, oregano & thyme.  Gently pour the broth over the meat.  Cover & bake at 300 degrees for three hours.  Serve over noodles.

Peach Cobbler

  I got some peaches at the farmers market last weekend.  I have enjoyed eating them throughout the week.  They are SO delicious!  Today, I decided to let my sweet tooth take over and make some cobbler.  It turned out really well so I thought that I would share.  Enjoy!

Peach Cobbler:

1 stick butter, softened
1 c raw sugar
1/4 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c oats
1 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
4 or 5 peaches sliced with no skins

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  In a bowl, mix butter, sugar, flour, oats, vanilla & cinnamon.  Spread 1 cup of the mixture into a 8x8 pan.  Pour the peaches evenly on top of the mixture.  Sprinkle the remaining mixture on top of the peaches.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Crockpot Ham & Potato Dish

We recently moved into a tiny house.  The kitchen is so small that I can hardly move around in it.  There is no counter space.  When the dishwasher door is open all of the way it barely misses the oven that is right across from it.  Needless to say, I have had to be very creative with my cooking.  We have been eating a lot of crockpot dishes lately.  Here is one that turned out pretty well.  I hope that you enjoy.

Crockpot Ham & Potato Dish:

1 can cream of mushroom soup (or home made)
1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. diced, cooked ham
1 c. frozen broccoli
12 small potatoes
salt & pepper to taste
1 T. minced onion
1 t. parsley

Place all of the ingredients in a crockpot.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  Serve with bread. 

Emergency Bag

     My husband and I have been working on making emergency bags for each of our vehicles.  We have had a lot of snow, ice and fog here lately.  You never know when you might get stuck somewhere and need emergency supplies.  Here is a list of what we keep in our bags.  (It is important to make sure that you have enough supplies for each person that rides in your vehicle.)

1.)  backpack
2.)  wool blanket
3.)  water
4.)  granola bars
5.)  gloves
6.)  stocking hat
7.)  first aid kit
8.)  flashlight
9.)  jumper cables
10.) road flares
11.) sewing kit
12.) pocket knife
13.) hand warmers
14.) wool socks
15.) small shovel