New Year's resolutions and a relaxing Sunday

Making good on our resolution to get started on big things at Highlands, Hubby bought a trailer:

and also a riding lawnmower with a dump cart attachment.  So now we can finish up the big trash pick up out there and order another dumpster to be delivered.

Once we get the storage shed, we are going to empty the barn and convert it into a guest house.  All of the junk on the outside will be moved and we will create a cute place.  And the swing will find a new home with a scenic view.

This is the view from in front of the barn - I would like to store the BBQ stuff in the foreground of this picture.  And that pergola will eventually be moved.  What you are seeing here is essentially our future back yard.  We didn't get a lot done Saturday besides the trailer and lawn mower, and general relaxing.  On Sunday we headed out under sunny skies to Driftwood, for the wine club pick-up at Wimberley Valley Winery.

There's a saying here that if you don't like the weather in central Texas, just wait a minute, it will change.

By the time we got to the winery it was much cooler and very overcast.  You would never know there was a wine club event out back - lots of open spaces under the trees to relax.  We were gifted a bottle by our favorite wine steward.  I can't say enough nice things about this winery - the wine, the beautiful place to hang out ..the fact that Hubby can smoke a pipe and we can bring a picnic lunch...plus the people there are very friendly. 

We enjoyed a cheese and crackers snack while playing cards.  It was a nice way to reward ourselves for getting some things crossed off the list!

Gina

Mealplan Monday #182

Monday - Beef tacos, salad
Tuesday - Crockpot Apple Bourbon BBQ pork roast, mac and cheese, freezer veggie
Wednesday - Pizza and Salad
Thursday - Brown Sugar Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, zucchini
Friday - Sweet Garlic Chicken, rice, chopped salad
Saturday and Sunday are TBA

Gina

Almost done Ted-sitting!

The girl will be here in a week (God-willing) to pick up this fine fellow:

It was very hard for her to leave him here back on New Year's Day, as I'm sure it was hard on him the first week or so, wondering where she was.  But we all survived.  I'm not sad he is going because I know he will be back.  And I am happy for her that we could keep him for her during her first busy season after her promotion.  It was tough for her, but Ted was in good hands and he has made himself quite at home! And I think that although we enjoyed his company and he was a good house guest, it will be awhile before we get a doggie of our own.  But it was nice to have him around!

He will be so thrilled to see his momma, and I'm sure she will be thrilled, too!

Happy Weekend! 

Gina

Mealplan Monday #181

Helping my mother this week, so dinners have to be easy.

Monday - Skillet Beef and Pasta, veggie (Hubby cooks)
Tuesday - Skillet Pork Chops with brown sugar rub, onions and peppers, steamed carrots, rolls (easy, I swear)
Wednesday - Leftover Carnitas, salad
Thursday - Ham and Cheese Strata (a Kraft recipe), deli potato salad
Friday - Sesame Chicken Crockpot, rice, peas
Saturday - YOYO - Mom and Dad at Highlands
Sunday - Chicken Sausage with escarole and oricchiette pasta, salad
Dessert this week is Pumpkin Cream Cheese Coffee Cake (another Kraft recipe) so I can use up that last can of pumpkin.  Two winery pick-ups this weekend mean some relaxing and fun downtime!

Gina

5 thing Friday - sandals, donuts, wine and burgers, houseguests, freezer meals

As a reward to myself for cleaning out the closet I bought myself a new pair of Alegria sandals:

Pretty much my favorite shoe brand, because after an 8 hour shift at work my feet don't feel like they will fall off!

 

 Valentine donuts for my sleeping in peeps...a Saturday treat!

I'm sure Hubby wishes I would stop taking awkward pics of him! We had such a good time at the Perissos pick-up last weekend.  When we finished the tastings, we found a table to enjoy grilled burgers and tempranillo.  After we ate, we grabbed two other couples we saw wandering around, gave them our primo table, then headed into the tasting room to listen to live music as it very slowly warmed up outside.  It was a relaxing afternoon, to be sure.

 Teddy is warming up so much to all of us - including Dutch!

I no longer have the heart to toss him off my bed, despite the enormous amount of fur he sheds.  Here he is making small noises as he sleeps next to me reading on Sunday night.  Wonder what he dreams about?  I'm sure he will be overjoyed to see his momma in a few days.

I was struck by inspiration on Monday and bought some extra meats and sauces to make easy dump-and-go freezer meals for the crockpot.

There's still space in there to add a few more, I think.  Pictured is Sesame Chicken, Beef Veggie Stew, Apple Bourbon Pulled Pork, and Apricot Chicken.  It took me all of 25 minutes to do, then I put a crockpot of pintos on with the leftover ham bone from Christmas.  Easy crockpot meals are my go-to nowadays!

Gina

Mealplan Monday #180

I posted this, and then I decided to make a couple of changes...cook's choice!

Monday - Carnitas Tacos with pico de gallo and etc.
Tuesday - Crock pot pintos with ham bone from Christmas!, corn muffins
Wednesday - Pomegranate Beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, Valentine's dessert!
Thursday - Sausage Quiche, fruit salad
Friday - Baked Chicken and Gravy, rice, green veggie
Saturday and Sunday - I am on call, so we are staying close to home and grilling.  But I do know I will be making The Pioneer Woman's Prune Cake

Gina

Chicken and Spaghetti

Here is another recipe I have had for years - a favorite of Hubbys' when he was growing up.  One weekend that we visited Galveston, his mother had a big batch if this all made up for him to take back to San Marcos.  I thought it was unusual and good and my future Hubby loved it, so I asked her for the recipe.  She let me go through ALL her recipe cards and pick out the ones I wanted!  Can you imagine?  Such treasure. 

Chicken and Spaghetti
Boil, debone, and cut up one 3 pound chicken, reserving the stock.  Set aside. (I used some leftover chopped turkey this time)
Cook 6 ribs of chopped celery, 1 medium chopped onion pepper, and 2 chopped bell peppers in 2 tablespoons butter until tender.

 I added more butter, though.  Maybe 4 tablespoons so it will cook a little easier.  You want the veggies to be tender.

Transfer to a larger pot and add:
1/2 c. Worchestershire sauce (do it!)
1 15 oz, can diced tomatoes
1 can mushrooms (didn't have those this time around and I prefer fresh anyway)
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Admittedly, this looks a bit unappetizing - stay with me.  Boil up your spaghetti in the stock, or if you started with rotisserie chicken or leftover chopped turkey, just salt the water for the pasta.  I used linguine this time around...see how I am changing it up?  Marie wouldn't mind, I'm sure.

 Anyway, simmer the sauce on low while you wait for the spaghetti to cook.  I used 16 oz of linguine and saved some of the water I cooked it in, just in case it seemed too dry later on.  Drain your pasta and add it to the sauce, along with the cooked chicken or turkey.

 This makes enough for an army.  I buttered two big casserole dishes and divided it it up.  At this point she advises to cool it down.  It took only a few minutes to do this as I cleaned up the kitchen, then I covered it with foil and wrote the directions on top for Hubby to re-heat it for dinner.  The second one went into the freezer.

I also grated up some cheddar cheese - one regular brick of it.  You can divide this up into two ziplocs to put with the dishes.

Her directions say to keep the stock handy to moisten it before warming.  After it has the chill off, top with grated cheddar cheese and heat thoroughly.  (My directions are a tiny bit different because it was in the fridge and very cold.)  This casserole freezes beautifully, so guess what we get to have again in a couple of months?  Comfort and memories, courtesy of Marie.

Gina

Mealplan Monday #179

An oldie but goodie from my favorite photographer:

Monday - Lazy Daisy Meatballs, mashed potatoes, peas with carrots
Tuesday - Beef Taco Rio in crispy shells, taco fixin's, chopped salad
Wednesday - Crockpot lima beans with ham, garlic toast
Thursday - Southern Fried Cabbage and Kielbasa, carrots
Friday - Crockpot Apricot Chicken, rice, green beans
Saturday - YOYO Hubby and I are going to two wineries!
Sunday - Parmesan Chicken, scalloped potatoes, brussels sprouts

5 thing Friday - storage, work woe, baby trees, reminders, the end of gifting season

The site of our new storage unit has a flat surface and gravel already:

Just need to buy the kit and build it, then move all of the barn contents into it so we can finish that out.  We want to do shiplap on a wall or two, and use some of the ideas we see in the tiny home at IKEA.

The hospital at night.

Things at work have not been rosy - I always want to feel hopeful because a lot of us that were there in the beginning still are, but there have been so many negative changes.  Its hard not to feel down in the mouth about it.  I remember we all had such great hopes.  While the new hospital was still on paper, the slogan was "do you see it?".  Now it might as well be "where did it go?"

Mother gave me some pecans that, while aren't especially good for eating as they are a year old, will grow into trees at Highlands given the chance.  Proof of that is a pecan tree that is growing smack dab in the middle of the fence line in our backyard.  The nut that was planted there by a squirrel many years ago was from nuts that we sat out there cracking, the kids and I.  Doesn't seem that long ago - less than 15 years, and it's a fairly large tree now.  I hope I can live long enough to see pecan trees at Highlands!

 

When we bought my Forrester, Hubby programmed a reminder or two in the memo screen that flashes on the dash.  One of them nags me for a week that his birthday is coming up, then on the actual day it posts a message.  It's fun - I need to program it to say random things throughout the year, just for grins.

In honor of his birthday I baked a Granny Smith Apple Pie.  He enjoyed getting a new pipe with some fresh tobacco, and a paper towel holder he wanted. (I'm not even kidding, he requested it.)  With his birthday done, it feels like the gifting season is really over.  It starts with The Girl's birthday in September and end Jan. 31 with Hubby's!  Welcome, February!  January was a long month.

Gina