Christmas cards 2011

Cheesey smiles and all!

  

  

  

  

Somehow, out of all of the photos we took, we got a few for the Christmas card.  

Gina

A prayer of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 2011

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

 We thank you, Lord - amen!

Liquid gold

I'll have a great start the Thanksgiving with some homemade stock

I bought a couple of turkey wings and plopped them into the crockpot with a little water, some garlic salt, and some rosemary.  Underneath them I tucked some odds and ends of celery and some carrots.

After they cooked most of the day I strained the liquid into my Pyrex measuring cup and set it in the freezer to set up the fat that rose to the top.  I chopped the turkey and bagged it to make yummy turkey pot pie or turkey a la king for another meal.  

This cup of concentrated and seasoned stock is what I ended up with - about 1 1/4 cups for some tasty Thanksgiving gravy.  I just scraped the fat off - it comes off easily - and spooned it into a mason jar for storage in the freezer. 

Liquid gold!

It's jelly-like but will liquify when I heat it up to make gravy.  We like to brine our bird and sometimes it makes the drippings a bit  too salty to use.  So, just in case, I will pull out this secret weapon.  And if I don't use it for gravy, it makes an awesome base for delicious soup.

Gina

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Wreath of Thanksgiving

After I took down the Halloween wreath, I wanted to put up something different than this 

quickie wreath I made for 0 dollars:

Pretty, but I wanted something that really said it was the season of abundance and thankfulness!  I love all the burlap and monogram things I see in Bloggyland, so I combined the two (in my head!) and went to Hob Lob.

I already had a grapevine wreath, so I got a chipboard "C" and a couple of  Fall sprays.  

I figured I could pull the rest from my wreath making stash.

I love the colors, and the nuts and berries added in makes it even better - I've still got those huge acorns from last year and the tablecloth to match - love the simplicity of acorns and pine cones....I paid $4 for two of the sprays - and they will get used more than one, I'm sure!

 

The C was 1.99, and 40% off that.  I wrapped it in a long strip of frayed burlap 

and tied it on the wreath with more burlap.

I like how it looks natural, but so colorful and really full - it fills the front door.

Gosh, I am ready for cooler temps and Thanksgiving!

Sugar

"A cat improves the garden wall in sunshine, and 

the hearth in foul weather."

J.M. Riley

 
Sugar, Fall 2011

And she's just nice to have around.

Gina

Picadillo

I am always on the lookout for great new recipes for my collection and found this one recently at Frugal Follies.  It's got some interesting ingredients and sounded promising so I gave it a try.

Picadillo

2 T canola oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb. ground beef

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 small green olives with pimentos - I used the salad ones which are already sliced

1/4 cup raisins

2 t. chili powder

1 t. cumin

1/4 t. cinnamon

Rice

In a large skillet, heat the oil and add the onion; saute 2-3 minutes.  Add the green pepper (I didn't have any, so I left it out) and saute another 2-3 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute 1 minute more.  Remove veggies to a bowl and set aside.  Add beef to the pan and cook until it is no longer pink.  Add veggies back to the pan.

 

Add the tomatoes, olives, raisins, and spices, and turn heat to high until the sauce is boiling.  Lower heat and cover, simmering 15 minutes or so while you make the rice.  Serve over rice.  Serves 4-6.

I served it with steamed carrots and it flat out disappeared.  Hubby kept saying it was very good and so unusual - sweet from the raisin, salty from the olives.  Perfect for Fall weather with the flavors of cinnamon and cumin.  I will definitely file this one for future reference!

Gina

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