Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Unstuffed Pepper Casserole


This was a very easy and filling dish!  Kudos to Kraft.  I get a lot of good recipes from their website. 
 Unstuffed Pepper Casserole


1 lb.  lean ground beef  (I used Italian Sausage)
2 green peppers, coarsely chopped
3 cloves  garlic, minced
2 cups cooked long-grain white rice
1 jar  (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce (I like Newman's Own)
1-1/2 cups  KRAFT Shredded Italian* Five Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA, divided
Pre-heat oven to 350ºF. Brown the meat with peppers and garlic in large skillet; drain.   
Stir in rice, spaghetti sauce and 3/4 cup cheese.

Spoon  into 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining cheese.
Bake 25 min. or until heated through.
 Wow.  Look at all that cheese!
I served with a salad made of spinach, mushrooms, and olives and it all disappeared. 
Like magic! I will  be making this one again.




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Monday, November 26, 2012

Mealplan Monday #36 with Darling Darla

A pretty girl I lunched with at Panera:...
 and her alter ego "Darla".
 They really aren't all that different!  Both sassy.  And silly.

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Monday - Taco Rice (using up leftover rice with some cheese, taco meat, black beans), salad
Tuesday - Chicken (unsure as to how to fix...suggestions?)
Wednesday - Eggs, bacon, biscuits, OJ
Thursday - Pumpkin Ziti
Friday - Deli sammies and chips (boys camp)
Saturday - YOYO
Sunday - Leftover Thanksgiving freezer meal
******

 
Oh, my.
So glad both of her are enjoying college!






Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving morning, 2012

Such a beautiful day outside and in - the house is sleepy and warm and smells so good.  The turkey is brined and ready to roast, the briskets are thawed and ready to be smoked, all of the sides dishes await reheating, Chex Mix is set out, drinks iced in coolers, table set... and The Girl, Scout, and I are going to the Turkey Trot with Aunt Melissa. The most wonderful holiday of the year is here!  Let the feasting and fun begin!


So once in every year we throng
Upon a day apart,
To praise the Lord with feast and song
In thankfulness of heart.
~Arthur Guiterman, The First Thanksgiving




Monday, November 19, 2012

Mealplan Monday #35 and my kitchen topiaries

Thanksgiving is this week!  I can't believe how quickly it has sneaked up...the BEST holiday of the year in my opinion  (:  The menu this week is rather simple, as a lot of prepping and cooking happens on Wednesday and Thursday.  And I have so much shopping to do...but I spent 10 minutes last week crafting something cute for the kitchen window seat:
Little potted pines!  I so love terra cotta pots and burlap  

Monday - Scalloped potatoes with ham, salad
Tuesday - Dr. Martin's Mix, hot bread
Wednesday - Mom's Birthday!  Mom and Dad out, boys get freezer pizza and a movie.
Thursday - Breakfast is cinnamon rolls, bacon, gingerbread cocoa
                    Lunch is Thanksgiving Meal
                    Dinner will be turkey sammies
Friday - Turkey Soup for dinner, smoked brisket with all the trimmings mid-day
Saturday - Dad grill?
Sunday - Spaghetti and Meatballs, salad

  
Oh! Here's how I made my little pots:
 
  I started with a cheapo "pine table tree" from Big Lots.
Got a medium sized terra cotta pot (new) - but if I had empty older ones I would have used them - I love the patina on old terra cotta...
Set a can of tomatoes inside to help my little tree stand taller!
Stuffed newspaper all around it to stabilize it and fill the space.
Added in some natural moss.
 
And tied a sprig of burlap ribbon on the top, which I had folded over to make it stubbier... 
I think I will add the garland above this window and keep it simple on decor in here.  Whatcha think?  Gotten bit by the holiday decor bug yet?





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Friday, November 16, 2012

Scout's photography wall

Last week I hauled all of the Christmas decorations out of the storage boxes to see what I had, what I needed, and what direction to go with decor.  I felt a little overwhelmed, I have to say...so I pulled out what I wanted to use, made my list of what to buy, then put it all in an out-of-the way place until the day after Thanksgiving.
 It doesn't look like so much here, but this is just the portion I saved out. Even so, I hope to keep it simpler this year.
Next up, I wanted to focus on adding to and spiffing up the photo collage in Scout's room.
Hubby had brought home some some very well made metallic frames from his office - you know the ones with screws and plates holding them together?  A pain to disassemble, but nice and solid frames.  Just needed a change of paint color.
I used a spray paint/primer combo - longer drying time, which is bad for impatient painters like me, but nicer not to have to sand or prime separately. I just spread out some gigantic trash bags on my patio and got going.  I worked on it off and on all morning.
The dark steel finish color is  perfect for his room and the nature of the photographs.  By adding the larger frame, I was able to make the arrangement a little less stiff and predictable.  The prints are a mix of color and black & whites.
 
 I put a little bit of that sticky tack under the corners of each frame so they wouldn't shift around on the walls.
 ******
 Here is a peek at his work:







I'm a little biased about it - I love it.  Although he does mostly nature photography, I hope he can take the family pics for the Christmas card this year.
This gallery wall is a work in progress as we change out the prints every so often.  Now back to my list - several other projects to do before the holidays are here!  What about you? Got any non-Christmas decor projects lined up?





Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Favorite Thanksgiving foods

Every year I ask my peeps: "What's the one dish you need to have to make it Thanksgiving"?  We usually have cream cheese stuffed jalapenos for appetizers and the fixings for Bloody Mary's.  We munch on Crispix Mix and pore over the sale ads in the paper.  And there's a whole lotta cookin' going on!
The Girl always asks for Green Bean Casserole.  Always.  But last year I got her to make the Bourbon and Orange Pecan Pie and I think pie-making will be her specialty!  I also make a Walnut Pumpkin Pie that has a graham crust and a buttery walnut topping.
Firstborn doesn't have a favorite dish - that he chimes in with, at least. But he does love the sweet potatoes.  I bake Garnet sweet potatoes, cool and peel them, cut into chunks, then top with butter, brown sugar, and crumbled smokey maple bacon before re-heating in the oven.  Oooh, they are so good on leftover turkey Shepherd's Pie!
Bubbie loves this Watergate Salad, also lovingly called Gopher Guts at my house. (Don't ask, you'll see why)

Watergate Salad

1 small box instant pistachio pudding
1 small can crushed pineapple, un-drained
1 c. mini marshmallows
1 small container Cool-whip
Put un-drained pineapple in a bowl, add pudding powder and mix well.  (I strain the nuts out first cause we don't like the hard bits)  Add marshmallows, then fold in Cool-whip and chill, covered.
The cranberry sauce is my favorite.  I follow the recipe on the bag of cranberries and add the juice and rind of one large naval orange in with the measurements.  So good!  And the leftover cranberry sauce gets used in Cranberry Oatmeal Bars.
 Scout's  favorite is Corn Casserole that is super simple and very rich:

Corn Casserole

Melt one stick of butter in a 13x9 casserole dish.  Pour melted butter into a bowl to mix with:
1 can corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
1 package cornbread mix
1 small container sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
Pour all into the buttered dish and bake for one hour
We brine the turkey every year and our favorite brine calls for brown sugar, peppercorns, and bourbon.  And the dressing is always cornbread based, with lots of spices onions, and celery.  I can smell it now, the kitchen warm and cozy.
  Can't wait!




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Monday, November 12, 2012

Mealplan Monday #34, with nesting and sprucing, too

Recently I spent some time nesting, organizing, and cleaning...
Behold the wonder that is the crapified bar separating the den from the kitchen.  The lighting in here is terrible unless there is bright sun outside.  On Halloween night, the boys kept complaining that they couldn't see where the pizza was...
I moved the little bedside lamps from Mom and Dad's room to in here.  (I had a plan to get new lamps in the bedroom)  This is so much better, especially at night when we are in here watching TV or eating.  Not to mention cleaner, as I wiped everything down and did some clearing of the clutter.
They give off a soft gold glow, which is perfect at either end of the bar. 
On to the menus:

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Monday - Pumpkin Chili, cornbread
Tuesday - Chicken Piccata, rice, green beans
Wednesday - Turkey Sloppy Joes, tots
Thursday - Country Herb Chicken and Dumplings
Friday - Beef and Bean Burritos, corn
Saturday - Dad grill
Sunday - Freezer leftovers, salad
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Originally I was going to wait for the new Homegoods store to open and go scout out lamps and such.  But I found these pretty wooden bases on clearance at Target and bought two small and one large matching shades to spruce up our bedroom.  The light is brighter because it doesn't have to fight the colored shade.  Now I can read in here without falling asleep after 10 minutes.  It was a little too cozy.
 
And when Homegoods opens, I will go hunting for toss pillows and bed linens.  
Retail therapy AND nesting.  And a pretty home for the holidays!