6 thing Monday - yards, cast iron cooking, sweet potatoes, schtuff, cake, candles

The view from my front porch on a recent morning.  Everything is still green and beautiful.  The rain sure has helped the front yard.  The backyard is a grass-less wasteland.  So let's just focus on the front yard.  In the Spring I will work on the back.

I've been using my cast iron pan more and more.  I roasted a pork tenderloin surrounded by chunks of pumpkin, garlic, and onion that was outta this world!  I also used it for my pan of cornbread. It's nice and seasoned now, so it cooks things beautifully.  Better than pyrex!

I bought some purple sweet potatoes from Trader Joe's then forgot to cook them, so I just baked them up one morning, thinking I would freeze them for Thanksgiving.  Then I peeled them and they were pale yellow.  Tasted the same and all, but I still bought more from HEB because they are ridiculously cheap this time of year.  We'll have the orange ones on Thanksgiving, but that doesn't mean these will go to waste.  Sweet potatoes are my favorite thing ever.

 I "sold back" some PTO at work and bought myself a new purse for everyday.  I like tote styles as they can hold everything and generally have more pockets inside.

I also got some Converse.  Do they look silly on me?  Maybe.  However, they are wider than Keds and my toenail will not poke a hole through the top of the tennie; an annoying feature of Keds.  Happy Birthday month to me!

The middle of November is Radiologic Technology Week.  We got fed half to death at work, and I still managed to do well on my diet.  I made a cake for everyone on that Tuesday - I might have sampled it for breakfast.  Chocolate Cherry Fudge - it was the bomb.

Last year I couldn't get cinnamon pinecones I desperately needed wanted.  As soon as I saw them out at Michael's I grabbed a bag and made a little candle plate for the den.  Candles and this time of year just go together.  

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Gina

Tiny Christmas trees

I wanted to get Firstborn and The Girl each a small tree for their apartment.  But little pre-lit trees are really expensive, and I'm not sure they really have the space.  But at Tarjay, lookee what I found in the Dollar Spot - perfect little trees and tiny ornaments.

I cut the ornaments tube clean in half.  Then I tossed the flimsy sparkly string they included and fished my florist wire out of my craft stash.

I used the circumference of my finger as a guide, twisted the wire to close it and tucked the sharp edges in.

 A little hanger you will not be able to see once they decorate their tree!

 Then I put the all back into the ornament tube and put a piece of tape on the ends. I found a couple of small gifts bags to put it all into. (the shape of a wine bag would have been perfect!)

For $3.50 apiece a pretty easy and inexpensive little craft.  I hope these tiny trees will make them smile - perfect for their desk or kitchen counter.  I will send them home on Thanksgiving night - probably along with many leftovers!

Gina

Freezer Meals #14

I found some recipes I wanted to try for freezer meals this time around that I made minor changes to - using up some of what I already had on hand and substituting where I couldn't find certain things.  

Pesto Chicken
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts with pesto sauce slathered over.  I will pop it into the skillet from frozen and gently cook 'til the chicken is tender, then serve with some pasta

BBQ Meatballs
I mixed up half a jar of Raspberry Chipotle Marinade with some ketchup and poured it over store bought meatballs.  I will gently simmer til meatballs are heated through and serve with a salad, and some mashed potatoes for the boys. (This is just another version of the old grape jelly/chili sauce combo everyone and God knows about)

Autumn Harvest Chicken
Same as the chicken above, but with Trader Joe's Autumnal Harvest sauce and some chopped garlic.

Beef Barley Stew
Each gallon zip loc bag has:
1 1/2 pounds bonelss chuck roast, cut into cubes
4 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cubes beef bouillon
1 bay leaf
1 t each dried thyme and rosemary
1/2 barley*
(7 cups water, added at time of cooking on low in crock pot for about 8 hours).

 I searched all over HEB for barley, and finally gave up and bought this.  I think it will work just fine!

 

Fiesta Chicken
I added 2 large chopped chicken breasts to the  big zip loc bag, then added:
McCormick's Fiesta Chicken Seasoning
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
half an onion, chopped
1/2 a large seeded jalapeno
a can of black beans
and some fresh chopped garlic
I'll probably add a little chicken broth and cook on the stove top til the chicken is tender, then make some rice to go with. But I could just as easily plop this into the crock pot.

Lime Shredded Pork from New Leaf Wellness
I used 2 pounds boneless pork ribs, country style, well-trimmed of fat
the juice of two limes
1 T honey
1/2 t. smoked paprika
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
Added all of it and poured over the meat in a gallon zip loc bag.
I will cook this in the crock from frozen for  6-8 hours.

Sweet Garlic Chicken
2 lb. chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 package Stir Fry Seasoning powder
2/3 c. pomegranate balsamic vinegar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. water
1 T cornstarch
I added all the ingredients to a big zip loc and will cook, from frozen 8 hours, in the crock pot.

The best for last!  We had this beef recipe a week ago, and Hubby could not stop talking about it.  

Slow Cooker Roast and Gravy
2 lb. chuck roast
1 envelope onion soup mix
1/4 c. water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 a carton of mushrooms, each cut into fourths
Place all in large zip loc and cook from frozen 8 hours.  Cut the roast into chucks and serve over mashed potatoes or rice.

Gina

5 thing Friday - Halloween, friends, front door, chicken, not panicking

Throw back to a not-so-simple time:  With four kids under the age of 10, things here in 1999 was at stress level Britney 2007 (not my joke, but funny!)  Hubby and I sometimes didn't know whether we were coming or going.  But we sure did love our babies.

Darth Maul (9), Creepy Dad, Worried Baby (10 months), Devislishly Cute Girl (8), and a Birthday Boy Ninja (4). 

 Mango flavored cake mix made some colorful and interesting birthday cupcakes!

 

Scout turned 20 on Halloween - only one more teenager left at our house!  We celebrated with pizza and nachos and cupcakes and Dr. Pepper. 

And for fun they listened to very loud music and played Bean Boozled.  Nicest five 20-year-olds you'd ever want to meet. 

Happy Birthday, Dylan Conner!

 

 Bubbie and his GF carved a pumpkin that literally rotted and dissolved in three days.  We had to scrap it from the bricks, then scrub them.  It was a good time to throw out my now-dead mums, too.

I priced crotons at Wally World ($12!), and decided to go check out Home Depot.  Where I found two lovely ones that were just the right size - $2 each.  Into my car they went!  Crotons are lovely Fall-colored plants.  No flowers to die.

I am trying to keep up my good habits, and eat more veggies and protein.  Borrowing a tip from The Girl, I cooked some thin chicken breasts that I can freeze and add to my lunches with a salad or other steamed veggie.

Firstborn has come over a couple of times since moving - no money in his budget for groceries and with his tiny fridge, no where to put them anyway.  I don't mind him eating here, and I can give him a haircut now and again.  And when he told me he is still having heartburn, and found a roach swimming in his toilet, I tried hard not to look like the CWM I feel.  I calmly bought him some Tums and some roach motels, 'cause what else can I do?  
Can we go back to 1999 now?

Gina

Sewing for Mabel

Some of the sewing projects I've been getting done lately are purely utilitarian.  Case in point:  Hubby purchased a memory foam pad for Mabel, and enclosed it in a zippered waterproof cover.  It makes for a firm and comfy bed, but to get a fitted sheet on it is a challenge.  Enter the duvet cover.

It's just essentially a giant pillowcase for a comforter.  {In this case, a memory foam mattress pad}  When I laid it all out, I realized I probably could have gotten away with buying two queen size sheets for this, but having the extra fabric from the two king size sheets came in handy as the extra fabric went to making matching pillow cases.

I laid the pad out, trimmed off the extra fabric, then carefully pinned the edges, tucking the raw edges under while sewing so they wouldn't fray when I washed the whole thing.  {And I washed the sheets before I cut and sewed, too}

See those edges?  Perfect pillow case edges!  Mabel gets a complete set of new linens!

When I had finished sewing, I tucked the mattress pad into the new duvet, tied it up in a roll with a leftover piece of sheet hem.  This roll fits neatly into Mabel, behind the back cushions.  And wah-la, we now have a comfy pad covered by a remove-able sheet to sleep on.  I also restored  two very worn out camp pillows by making them into toss pillows with new inserts:

Now, where should we take Mabel next?

Gina