there’s a turkey in the backseat…

November 26, 2012 3 Comments

howdy friends!

I know that Thanksgiving seems like it was sooooooo far away, giving the shopping weekend that followed, but I had a few things to share with you and couldn’t get around to it until now, so do me a favor.. fire up the Delorean and come back to Turkey day with me… just for a minute ( or 10 )

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a few of you have asked me what I did with Theo after his 2 day salt spa bath….. when I was ready to put him in the oven, I removed hime form the brine.. rinsed him and patted him very dry with paper towels. I place some carrots, celery, onions and fresh herbs in the bottom of a roasting dish , the placed a roasting rack on top ( this makes the gravy extra yummy ) I stuffed the cavity with fresh herbs, onions, lemon and clemetines. Trussed him, then stuck a few fresh sage leaves between the skin and the breast an brushed melted butter all over him. Season with salt and pepper.

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place on bottom shelf ove 425 degree oven for 30 minutes… then reduce heat to 325 and tent with aluminium foil…Roast for a few hours ( depending on the size ) basting every 45 minutes or so….

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oops….. dont hold it in the oven too long…. 😉

remove the bird when the internal temp in the leg is 165… then let rest.

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ok.. so I have a story…. pull up a chair.. ( I LOVE storytime!)

Every year, after the dinner, we bundle up and take a walk.. ( like everyone else does 😉 So about 4 or 5 years ago, we were walking in downtown plymouth when we saw a rollerblader. Unusual? hmm.. not so much.

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but the station-wagon chasing her ( clearly a family member) well… that was a bit odd.

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The driver of the car was screaming at her ” get in the car…. I’ve got the turkey in the back seat” and she in turn was rollerblading as fast as she could screaming back to the driver ” I’m trying to get away form you.. can’t you see that?” and again…. ” but the turkey is in the back seat…

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now I know we all have some sort of drama around the holidays ( myself included ).. and although I’m not making fun of what was happening…. when all was said and done… we all just looked at each other and said, did that just happen?

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so our standard thing to say was ” there’s a turkey in the backseat”..

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then I found this card…

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ugh.. the pic is horrible.. but it is a station wagon full of turkeys!

So the following year, as we headed out for our walk . we were remembering the crazy walk from the year prior and discussed how we wouldn’t see anything that crazy that year….. so we decided to change that. We began the ‘Thanksgiving walk o Shame”

we all dress up in crazy attire and sing and dance and ‘decorate’ the downtown

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this is a pic from last year

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you can’t miss us… trust me 🙂 Its fun and like I said, we sing a dance around and remember all the little things that we are thankful for !

the pic is dark, but here is Jo & i from this year 🙂

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I love crazy traditions… SO MUCH!!

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so I’ll leave you with a few pics from our holiday…

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<img class="alignnone wp-image-2580" title="Thanskgiving table with flowers form my kiddos

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and lastly… I found this on the web… and decided to tackle it…. I am super proud of it..

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It’s entirely edible!! I made it out of bread!!!!

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one very last note.. you may want to re read I’m Thankful again…. I was afraid that I would leave some out and it turns out that I did….. and half of the paragraph about Scott disapeared… it made me sound heartless, really..

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so I have updated it 🙂 smoooches!

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now.. head back to the future! it’s Cyber Monday! .

Filed Under: Dinner, family, goofy, holiday Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

i’m thankful

November 22, 2012 9 Comments

*for my mom and my dad ~or bringing me into this world, and for being there when I really ned them.. the advice & support that you both have given me ( the same btw) will guide me… thank you.. I love you both

* for my sista~ I’ve known you the longest and lord knows growing up was a challenge, but I love you dearly and wouldn’t change you for the world. you are simply amazing! SMOOOOCCH!

* for John, and Dick and Phyllis… for loving me like your own

*for my aunt~ a sweet woman with a huge heart and so much love. and an uncanny way of knowing the exact moment that I needed to talk.. and being that phone call

*for Scott~ married almost 24 years now, and although it has not always been easy, we are still here.. About to become empty nesters… With a whole lot of adventure in front of us :). Just think… We may end up in an osteo bi flex commercial or something 🙂 oxox

* for my oldest son, Jason~ the boy who changed my direction in life. I am SO proud of you and am thankful every day for what an amazing man that you have become..

* for my second child, Ryan~ who taught me in an instant that you can love 2 children with the same amount of undying love. For teaching me that you have to peel an onion so to speak to get to someones’ true self… never judge a book by its cover, the world is full of all types of people, and that its ok.. that there is NO obstacle in life that you can’t over come if you want to.. and that having a part of my heart across the country actually feels ok.. because I know he is happy and THAT makes me unexplainablly happy.

* for My Ali~ my ali…. Im thankful for the wonderful compassionate young woman that she has grown in to. I dont know of anyone else who thinks of others as much as she does. She will go far in life .. and be surrounded by people who love her… always

*for Amanda Sue~ Jason’s wife.. my wonderful daughter in law. I may not have given birth to her, but I love her like she is my own. She is a hard worker with a lot ahead of her and and amazing attitude.

*for Kim~ thank you for sharing Amanda with me 🙂

*for our grandparents~ gone too soon, this is a holiday that they are greatly missed, ( meme, pepe, papa, babchi, dzaciiek) but knowing they are in heaven looking down on us makes me smile :

* for my ‘shared ‘ sisters and brother … Krista, Bryan, Audra and Val… We may have grown up with different lives. But siblings we are .. And we’ll always have each other:).

* for Tian~ my exchange daughter from Hong Kong.. for opening my eyes to what life in China is like

* for my nieces and nephews~ watching them grow and become extentions of who we are is mind – blowing. It makes me think al the time about the circle of life… YOu are all amazing people and have bright futures ahead of you

*for my in laws- Linda and Pete… For helping Scott and I get a head start early in our marriage.. and all of your help along the way 🙂

*for Scott’s extended family~ I’m thankful that they raised a man with such drive and adimance… and with such love for his family

* for Erika~~ I love that I can just show up and have a cup of tea at your counter unannouced. and feel warm and welcomed and loved.. and I feel that i am an extended part of your family. I love Leah and Grif like they are my own.. it’s been a pleasure watching them grow…

* for Celia~ my closest friend that is so far away….. I love that you are in my life <;;3

*for Kara~ thank you for all of your help recently… it’s so nice to know that you have insight and can help talk me through some of this….. and the fact that we both love lunch doesn’t stink 😉

*for my ‘ho’ friends~ you know who you are. I love that they have been there always for me, and they are proof positive that real relationships are not affect but distance. they have become some of my very best friends.. and I look forward to someday traveling the country to meet up with all of them…. these are truly wonderful ladies

*for my ‘old time’ friends~ the friends that I went years without seeing, or even in contact with… this past week has had me in awe of how many of you reached out to me and really care. It has had me thinking at length about old relationships. and times spent together .. and about how lucky I am to have had you all in my life. YOu are all a huge part of who I am today… I feel so blessed whenever I hear from one of you..

* for Ali’s friends…the really special ones that make me feel loved every day. Sara and emmy I love that you know that our home is your home… Thank you for making her smile.. And Colleen. Because you know how much I love you !!!!.. And Alyssa… Ali’s younger sister and my second daughter…I love you girls!!

* for my pup, Fenway~~ I just love her to pieces and no matter where I am.. she is *right there*

* for my grandpuppies, bruin & Kallie…. because they love me so much and I can;t wait to make them home made frosty treats 🙂

*for yoga~ yoga has brought not only a ‘peace’ to my life, but a biggest understanding that the path that we are on is exactly the path that we are supposed to be on.. don’t always knock the broken road.. that’s usually the one that is getting you to where you are supposed to go…

*for Bruce Springsteen~ yes I went there……. I love this man’s amazing voice, talent, poetry, etc…… as long as I live I could never explain what his music does to me… I swear it hits a little lost part of my soul… I am thankful that I always can turn to his music.. no matter my mood

*for my blog readers~ you are what makes me want to keep on writing… you comments always make my day and I am thankful that you take time from your lives to read whatever was on my mind today. This is what makes us friends

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and lastly…… I’m thankful for the moon. because throughout my life, it has always been there… and I know that wherever I am, wherever I may be.. I can always look up.. and have the moon with me… and know that each and every one of you, wherever you may be.. will be under the same moon. possibly looking up at it, and thinking of me <;;3

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happy thanksgiving, friends.

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Filed Under: family, Uncategorized

taking a bath..

November 20, 2012 5 Comments

here we are friends… Thanksgiving week.  For some it is exciting, for some it is a difficult time of the year.

 

I have been on both sides if that coin throughout the years…I wish that I had advice for friends of mine having a tough time this year.. just know that I am thinking of you 🙂

 

If you have been following me for a while, or happen to know me personally, then you know that cooking  Thanksgiving dinner is my FAVORITE thing to do in the world!  To me it’s not a chore, it’s a privilege. The days leading up to Turkey day are just as much of a holiday for me as the actual day, You can read more about that  HERE..

 

Today is the Tuesday before, which I have dubbed ‘ big shopping day’…. NO not he day where everyone comes out at 1 am in their pajamas and runs over fellow human beings also in the holiday ‘spirit’ in order to save a buck on GI joe…. I;m talking about the day that I get up very early, go shopping for all of the food that I will need to prepare my meal.

 

Being organized is key. If you know me then you know that organization … yeah… not so much for me, *I* am a multi-tasker. A multi tasker of epic proportions…

 

in fact, while I am typing this, I am doing laundry, wrapping Christmas presents ( the 2 that I have) talking to Ali, listening to some pretty music and bandaging up my finger.

 

All at once.   So to calm my self to a place where I focus on *JUST* shopping for this one meal… it’s a challenge.  But I work myself up for it… and each year I succeed.

 

early in the morning, the grocery store employees are really nice… not that they aren’t nice later in the day, but they are tired..  really tired.  And who could blame them?

You also met other nice ‘early morning’ people… I met a lady this morning who went out of her way to tell me what a great buy the sweet potatoes were.  And where to find them.  I told her about the nutritional benefits of them, next thing you know, we were having coffee and we booked a trip to the Bahamas for a weekend retreat together.

 

just kidding.   everything beyond the coffee part was silly….  but people can be so nice sometimes that it makes you remember why you are thankful.

 

*****  she’s a- rambling again*****…….  ok.. down to business.

on big shopping day, I don’t really do a lot of cooking.. a lot of it is prep….

 

I do make my CRANBERRY SAUCE….. ( which by the way the recipe was from my old friend Mr.s M  who NEVER steered me wrong with a recipe.

A few years back, Scott and I decided  to try to brine our bird.  Brining does a lot of things…. the salt brings out the impurities, the flavor of what you brine with gets taken into the bird, and the salt helps hole the moisture , making for a very moist, delicious bird… But there is one extra benefit that we discovered after a few years of trial and error.

 

stick with me here….here is what is in my basic brine

Kosher salt ( very important to not use baking salt) I use Morton’s in the big blue box

Sugar…  I used brown sugar

peppercorns

citrus…  assorted.. have fun with it!

I onion, peeled & chopped

 

fresh thyme, parsley,  sage, and Rosemary

 

In the past we have tried to mix the brine in a large bowl and keep in in the fridge….   one year we brined in the sink, taking turns to get up and add ice al night long ( to keep the temp cold enough.

 

then somewhere along the way, we learned about this….

 

to you it may look like a cooler, but for our turkey of the year, it is a deluxe bathtub…..

I start by boiling about a cup of water…  add the salt and the sugar to the *clean* cooler then add the boiling water and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved.

 

cut the citrus in wedges and squeeze the juice in with the mix & drop the rinds right in there.  Rough chop the herbs, dump the peppercorns and fill the cooler halfway with ice.

Next, rinse the bird ( by now you should have named him…..  our bird this year is Theodore ) and careful submerge him in his custom made bath.

 

The only thing that is REALLY important here  you need to keep the temp 38 degrees or lower…  this is easy to do by adding ice cubes along the way…  just use a thermometer .. because you are using a cooler, the temp stays more regulated than if you used a bowl or bucket… Just make sure that you put the cover on tightly…

 

 

Now here Teddy is, all soaking…and you may be wondering.. what are the cranberries doing in there????  Truth is…  I ran out of ice and the temp wasn’t low enough…. but I did have an extra bag of frozen cranberries in the freezer……. so I added them, and presto, temp right where I wanted it to be 🙂

 

I usally brine for close to 48 hours.  anything for 24 on is fine.

 

the other cool thing about using a cooler, is that it frees up space in your fridge!  Teddy cam right from the store to his bath.. leaving my fridge open for all of the veggies that I look forward to preparing tomorrow!

 

sadly, after I got Teddy Bathing, I cut my finger pretty bad on broken glass in the basement.. timing couldn’t  be worse..  So I’m slacking on a little bit of the prep work this afternoon and taking it easy…..  but I have  all of the necessary things to wrap and protect it, so I’ll be ok.. and  full steam ahead in the morning!!

 

If you are cooking, have fun with it…. it you are a guest, have fun with that…. and if you are looking for a crazy after dinner tradition, come over to my house….  things get a little wierd Thanksgiving afternoon.

 

I can’t wait to share it all with you 🙂

 

be thankful <31

 

 

PST*****   Happy Birthday to my litte sister, Jodie!!!!!! whoo hoot!!!

 

 

 

Filed Under: Main dish, make-ahead, memories Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

jax love

November 18, 2012 7 Comments

happy sunday , friends.

 

Scott and I were headed out for a walk when a good friend of mine happened to call at the exact time I was turning the key in the engine to inform me of a marathon running right by my house.

 

Back inside we went.

 

So last month, life unexpectedly had me take a last minute trip to go to Jacksonville, Fla to be with my daugther in law, Amanda… you may remember her  from THIS POST

 

while I was there to help her through some medical issues ( my Son is still on deployment until NEXT WEEK!!!)  She and were able to spend a bit of time doing silly things that we both enjoy ….

(not a great pic of either of us, but we were having a blast)

Health Food Shopping!!!!  For about a year now, Amanda has educated herself on non-gmo foods and how to eat a healthy, balanced diet and has lost 30 pounds!!  Let’s here it for how amazing that is!!!

No lie, over my 2 1/2 day visit with her, we hit 5 health food stores !  silly silly fun ❤

 

And of course… we found time for food.

 

hold on to your hats here… even thought I posted pictures when I was Colorado about going  out for frozen yogurt.. But that was only for Scott and Ali.

 

*I* still had not caught onto the ‘fro yo’ craze…

 

until jax.

 

Amanda  has 2 places that she wanted me to visit with her. One was 

 

YOBE!!!

 

yum 🙂  in the event that I am NOT the last person on earth who has not got out for for yo.. I will share..

 

 

Here, we went to a wall o fun……  you serve yourself whatever flavors ( go wild with your combinations..) into your cup

* our favorite was Fat Free ‘taro’  made from a tropical asian plant that has similar nutritional values to spinach… trust me.. this was AWESOME!!!!!*

then you head over to the toppings bar

 

and go WILD!

 

 

 

 

yum 🙂

 

the other place that we went was called COZY TEA

Amanda had told me a few weeks back that when I ever got to jax again that we both must go. ( she loves tea as much as I do)  Neither of us had dreamed that I would actually be there so soon…..

 

but I was… so we went..

 

and it was a phenominal experience!

 

nestled in an amongst other shops in an older part of Jacksonville, it this darling tea shop.

 

 

the room is beautifuly eclectic…. with mis matched dishes, and linens and even chairs, it has all the feeling of a very special living room…

 

you begin by picking your tea..

 

 

so many to chose from ! it was hard to make the choice ( so hard in fact that I  bought some loose tea to bring home with me 😉

 

 

I chose the lemon grass  Chai. I forget what Amanda chose….  I think it was fruity..

 

 

 

 

the food is all home made and without a doubt some of the best that I’ve ever had…

 

 

 

everything is home made and the chef-owners were right there in the kitchen… a delight to to talk to.

 

 

 

 

and when your tea is done, there are so many hand made truffles to chose from!  Of course I brought a bunch home.

She and I also each picked out a freshly baked scone with cream and jam to bring back for after dinner that night

 

 

 

we headed back to her house to hang with the pups, Bruin & Kallie and to just hang out and relax. Relaxing was much needed 😉

 

we ended the night by toasting to Jason, knowing he’s be home soon..

 

 

I did a little cooking while I was there.. I’ll share that in the next post….

 

aren’t they adorable?? she looks a lot like her little sister in this picture :0

 

so pretty !

 

on a final note.. I finally have my own suitcase.  This may sound silly to some, but it has me feeling all grown up.  With all of the traveling that I have been doing recently, as well as much more to come, I’ve gotten pretty good at the packing thing and have discovered some handy tips that I will be sharing soon.

 

I feel like such a big girl when I am maneuvering through the airport..

 

ya know.. a big girl who still takes her blankie with her at 42 years old 🙂

 

smooches friends.

 

enjoy your Sunday ❤

Filed Under: travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Long lost poems

November 16, 2012 Leave a Comment

20121116-203926.jpg

Filed Under: random

a perfect week night meal

November 15, 2012 5 Comments

hi friends.

how have you been?  tough week for me, but I’m rallying thanks to some awesome family & friends 🙂

 

Ya wants a recipe? cool beans… I have one for you 😉

 

A few weeks ago I posted THIS quiche recipe. And truly, it’s awesome. It’s decadent. It’s worthy of my Easter table.

 

Let’s face it .. ANYTHING with pie crust is worthy. Yes? yes.

Which is why the recipe that I have to share with you tonight ( although still worthy of my Easter table) is just a little bit  easier to fit into a week night dinner line-up…  there is no crust 😉 Really? Really.

 

this recipe is thanks to my mother-in- law. She shared this with me when we were first married, and 10,000 years later, I still make it.

 

MANY years ago( like 165) when Scott and I were first married we had almost no money. He was in school still and I was a hairdresser and I picked up a shift or two waitressing when I could. Our grocery money was whatever I had earned in tips that week.. good or bad.. It’s what we lived with. Most weeks our budget ( for the 3 of us) was in the $30 range.

 

Ramen was good…. Boxed Mac & cheese was good. store brand spaghetti and jarred sauce were our friends.

I remember once, we bought a huge jug of peach wine. That just lasted us almost a year… ( who WERE we?) oh yeah… young and poor 😉

 

Funny thing is, the jug of wine came in a box  and I still havet that box… Scott’s Dungeons and Dragons stuff is still in there.

 

You think I’m kidding?

I could make this up if I tried.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:6]

 

 

I did not use pepperoni in this quiche… I used broccoli & red pepper… and garlic gold in place of garlic salt

 

 

a sprinkle of salt and pepper 🙂

 

 

 

 

pour mixture, then top with a bit of extra cheese

 

cheese is good. I called it.

 

 

I. KNOW!  RIGHT???  yum!!!!

 

so there ya have it folks…. inexpensive, quick and easy….

 

as the kids got older, I found myself throughout the week chopping up extra veggies each night ans saving them so that whatever night I made the quiche, I would pull out all of the veggies & they could ‘ make their own’ pie.

 

 

one last note.. since I brought up the D& D stuff I have to share that he actually took me on a date once to play D&D.

 

who was  I??

 

much love, friends…

 

oh one last thing.. if you follow me on Fb then you already know that Celia is the winner of the dryer balls.   I’m loving rafflecopter.  IT keeps track of all entries and is completely auto mated when it picks a winner….  That will make it easier for me to give ya’ll more stuff 🙂

 

 

xoxooxox

Filed Under: Dinner Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

puppy love

November 8, 2012 3 Comments

Ya’ll know how much I love my pup, Miss Fenway

 

isn’t she sooo sweet??

 

This past August she became very sick and we feared the worst.  She has a great group of vets who helped us figure out what was wrong with her and nurse her back to health.  During this time, one of Ali’s good friends ( and one of my honorary daughters’) who is amazing with animals and (*ahem, Sara…*  )SHOULD become a vet turned us on to Frosty Paws.. the frozen dog treats that are a pups’ version of a hoodsie cup.

We were basically spoiling her rotten while we were figuring out what was wrong with her.

 

Let me tell you .. she LOVES frosty paws. But they are kind of pricey.  about 5 bucks for a box of 4…  and when you read the ingredients in them.. I can’t even pronounce half of them.

 

So I got to thinking….. “self,” I said, ” we should try to make these”.

 

so I headed off to the on the line new fangled computer thingy.. and guess what? I found a recipe!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:5]

 

it’s no accident that i chose Princess cups to make her treats in 🙂

 

 

I used vanilla, but if your dog is diabetic, use plain yogurt

 

 

*side note*.. this is only half of the mix.. I ran out of cups, so just refridgrated the rest of it unitl I get more cups tomorrow..

I was so nervous and excited to see if she wold like them….

 

 

 

one last thing… I think that I may have confused everyone with the raffle… using the raffle copter fancy thingy below helps everyone to make sure that their entroes are counted and randomly generates a winner, BUT you have to click on the green button and that is what enters you..

 

where it says +5.. do it… click that.  that way your name will be entered.  I will try to go back and add you name in for those who have not done this, but using this hleps me to make sure that everyone has a fair chance..

 

toodles!

 

click on the link below to watch the video 🙂

Fenway trying her frosty treat

Filed Under: make-ahead, Puppy treats Tagged With: , , , ,

laundry balls ~ a giveaway!

November 7, 2012 6 Comments

where else could I possibly go after introdicing so many of you to SOAP NUTS??

 

dryer balls. yup… I have fun with my laundry… what can I say?

 

So ya’ll are wondering what in the heck are dryer balls?

 

here you go!

what do we do with these???  well.. you put them in the dryer with your laundry and they

1~ help you laundry dry faster.. making your dryer more effecient

2~ natural fabric softener… the bouncing of the balls between you clothes ‘softens’ the clothes and helps them to be less wrinkled

3~ you can put a dab of essential oil on the balls before throwing them in the dryer and they will make your clothes smell purty

4~ when folding your laundry, you can have the kids fish them out

5~ I happen to know that they bounce a little. making folding laundry a bit more fun

6~ they are just so darm cute 🙂

 

I’m going to show you how to make these..

 

*warning * they are addicting…

* yarn…  make sure it is 100% wool.  you can find it at any craft store.. and often find a coupon online as well

* scissors

* an old stocking… it’s ok if it has holes

 

start by taking your yarn and start to roll it into a ball… I like to keep my thumb in place so that it makes a little hole

roll your ball as big as you want it… you can make them all different sizes.. ( the more the merrier)

cut the tail and weave it into the hole.

if you want to make a design, take a scrap of yarn and randomly wrap around in any crazy design

dont worry if it seems loose, it will tighten up soon

 

next, take you ball and carefully insert it into a stocking… ( if there is a hole in it, knot it so that you create a ‘pocket’ so that the ball does not have the hole directly on it)

 

tightly knot the stocking around the ball, so that it is snug in there.

 

then add another..  and another.. make a whole chain!!

 

Next.. wash it in the hottest water that you can.

Ans stick in in the dryer..  I run it through a little extra cycle, just to make sure it is uber dry.

 

now.. the fun part.

 

using your scissors, carefully cut the stocking away from each ball…

 

 

and there you have it! dryer balls 🙂

Last month, Ali and her friends went white water rafting…  I washed a couple of the girls sleeping bags before they went.

 

when the girls got to the cabin, they unrolled their sleeping bag and snuggled in the bottom of one .. was one lonely dryer ball…  They ened up throwing it across the room at each other for entertainment.

yet.. another use for these babies.

 

sooo….  in honor of it being Wednesday… I want to share. ’cause I love you.

I’m going to give one of you your very own set of balls!

 

simply click on the comment box and the giveaway prompts are waiting for you!!!  enter using the “share on your wall” option once a day.. giving you extra chances!

 

ready.. set.. GO!!

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: , , , ,

veggie chili

November 6, 2012 5 Comments

Friends.

I’ve hesitated.

I have a veggie chili recipe that I have pretty much been making for years. And I love it. but  I have a really good friend who is sort of a chili making champion.  She lives in Texas and they take their chili VERY seriously.  IN fact.. I have had the pleasure of tasting her chili… it truly is out of this world… You should  can visit her at River Cat Chili.

She is just back form a very big chili challenge that I’m sure she will be telling us all about soon.. and I have seen some of the pics.. and trust me… you wont want to miss this.

Sharing my measly chili recipe has had me intimidated.  But today… I feel strong.  I am going for it!

So the other day I defrosted chicken and had to decide what to make for dinner. Given the fact that I had more then just 2 to cook for, I needed to get creative.

This is my favorite way to cook. I have always said that if I were ever lucky enough to have a cooking show.. that this would be my ‘spin’

Open the fridge… take inventory… combine with pantry items and come up with 3 possible ideas.. and make one.

Which is exact-a-lacktaly what I did.

so what did I come up with? my veggie chili .. cooking the chicken on the side for those who wanted it. It was perfect.

I started by chopping the veggies and adding all but he garlic to a pan heated with oil

season with salt and pepper ( avoid salting the mushrooms)  and let everyone get a nice little crust.

after about 5 minutes, add the garlic, stir together, turn heat off, add wine to deglaze.

Turn the heat back on… once the wine has evaporated add some veggie stock and jarred tomatoes ( these were second to the last batch from last summer.. *snif*)

Let the chili come to a boil, then reduce and let simmer until sweet potatoes are tender. Stir in beans. ( I used beans that I had made in the crock pot and froze.. just because I go throught them so fast, but feel free to use canned)

For the chicken, I cubed it.. tossed it in spices and sauted in oil over med high heat.  Then added chicken broth to deglaze , covered and let simmer until  chicken had reached 165.

At the last minute, stir in some chopped cilantro or Parsley…  I served it with the chipotle cream sauce and it was perfect. ( I added the cooked chicken on top of those who wanted the chicken.

This is easy, healthy and yummy 😉  I finished the rest of it for lunch today with 1/4 of a chopped avocado and some fresh lime juice. It is a perfect meal for a fall day 🙂

* a note on the ghost pepper salt*

I have recently REALLY gotten into finishing salts. I can thank Ryan for this. I make a few of them myself (Lavender salt, Rosemary salt) but I’m a sucker when come across different flavors.  I am lucky That Ryan goes to school near a fabulous little tea and spice chop.. and every opportunity that I have I visit and he and I try out the different salts.

and sugars

and spices

and teas

We came across this one last weekend.. and although the ghost pepper is UBER hot.. ( bought some powdered ghost pepper this summer…  you only need a spec.. this stuff is strong.) I knew I had to buy it.

I have used this every day. yumm..

it’s awesome. like you!

what am I thankful for today? for you .. my readers…  you make my day.. seriously.. it’s nice having y’all as my bffs 🙂

oxoox[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:4]

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field trip friday

November 4, 2012 3 Comments

back in THIS POST I explained how I shop at many different stores for different things.  These day , most of us have options, and to make the most of your money by utilizing these options just makes plain ol’ sense.   One of my favorite stores is none other than 

none other than Trader Joe’s..   Now some of you may be thinking… really a post about Trader Joe’s?

 

yes.

 

because I happen to know that some of you who read this have the luxury of living not to far from one and still have not yet been.

 

in contrast, I know many of you who do not live near one and would give anything to be able to go.

so yes, folks…  On Friday I went to Trader Joe’s… and this is my story ❤

~it all started one dreary Friday morning…  Lol.. jut kidding * giggle*

 

Tj’s is not your typical grocery store. In fact it is hard to describe. For those of you who think it is a high-end store, such as Whole Foods, you would be wrong. Tj’s is not a big store, but what is packed into each location is soe wonderful things.

They have tons of cheeses…  a food near and dear to my heart. I actually decided this past halloween that trick or treating would be MUCH more fun if it were trick or cheesing.

 

I’m serious. a different cheese at every house? how brilliant would that be?

but really.. it’s true.  they have a whole wall of cheese and it is the best price that you will find around… They have cheeses for all over the world! and often times some seasonal specials…see what I mean?  If you are lucky then you will go on a day that the cheese lady is making the rounds.. ( what a great job that must be 😉  This was a lucky day for me 🙂 cheese snack while shopping?

 

yes. please.

 

Next is the NUTS..  you will not find a better price on nuts anywhere.  And next to the nuts are the dried fruits.  if you are into making your own GRANOLA then tis is your haven….

 

and again…  you wont beat the prices.

 

They have a little counter where an employee is always cooking something to sample.. and a coffe urn for coffe samples. ( the free food samples is a great way to entice kids to go with you 😉

 

the frozen fruits and veggies are also a great deal here ( no pic… I’m sorry)  You wont find any name brands in here.. it is all their own brand … but trust me, the quality is second to none.  On the shelves above the frozen items are all sorts of snacks…  from mini sugar cookies shaped like cats to Ryan’s favorite, chocolate covered orange candies, seasonal crackers, etc….

 

you will find all sorts of canned items at fabulous prices… and lots of ‘meal starters’

 

you will find the friendliest of employees here. .. They truly love their job… love to talk food and recipes.  If you bring your own recyclable bag ( which y’all should be..) then you can enter a ticket into a drawing for a weekly Tj’s Gc!

let’s see.. have I forgotten anything….. probably… I’ll think of it at 3am…

 

so here’s my haul from Friday

 

* please forgive the carpy pics.. I’m currently having camera issues.. hopefully it will be fixed soon…*

 

I wont go over everything… but will talk a bit about what I bought..  The tube of tomato paste? 99 cents.  In the regular grocery store it is around 4 bucks. I bought parsnips… beacause Ry and i had parsnip puree somewhere and it was soo good! I need to work on a solid recipe so that when he comes home for Christmas, we can have it again:)

 

The chocolate bar… to die for!

Dark coconut caramel! yum!  and only 1 points plus per square for those who may be following weight watchers…

 

I bought 2 bags of the inner peas..  and I’m so glad that I did… they are a great snack!

Tjs almond butter is the best. I love this stuff.  Banana and almond butter on toast? yuminess.

 

and B12.. just because 🙂

 

 

the rosemary raisin crisps are one of my favorite things here! so. dang. good.  I think they are only available this time of year.. but I could be wrong.

pomegranate Kefir? yes. please.

 

the cheeses? both brie rounds and goat cheese rounds… each 2 pp and perfectly portioned.  Cute little mushrooms to stuff…  snow peas to steam right in the bag..

 

here is something else that you will find here…  great spice blends… with built in grinders…  all 2 bucks. beat that!

 

*do you see what I see?*

 

* the sugar, coffee bean and chocolate blend is amazing on hot chocolate! *

 

so there you have it… I hope that if you have not been to this store yet, you will find time in your future to do so. it really is like a little field trip;)

 

on lastly.. on my fb page ( like much of the free world) I have been posting what I am thankful for during this month of gratitude.  Today, I am thankful not only fo the extra hour of sleep this morning, but also that my pup, Fenway, is thankful for it as well..

happy Sunday friends 🙂

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