Christmas Tradition

I love Traditions! I think they are what keeps us connected to each other and to our pasts. My Favorite Family Christmas Tradition in our Family is Our Nativity Manger tradition. My Mom had this tradition when my sister and I were growing up and I started it when my son was old enough to understand the concept of a good deed. My Mom has the most beautiful nativity that she painted a gazillion years ago at one of those paint your own ceramics places. I know it’s wrong but I covet that Nativity. It’s was so hard for me to find one that I liked because I was always comparing them to hers and really hers is just gorgeous! I finally found a small one at Wal-Mart, now it is nowhere near as nice as hers but it’s nice enough and most importantly to me the baby Jesus was able to come out of the manger! You have no idea how hard it was to find one like that! Since Jesus is born on Christmas our manger lays empty until Christmas morning, when Santa (I like to incorporate the two and I feel like it keeps CHRIST in Christmas for us) during the night has placed Jesus in his manger.

During the month of December, after our Christmas tree is up, we do good deeds, for each good deed we do we pluck a needle off the tree and place it in the manger, giving baby Jesus a soft place to lay. Now these good deeds are to be done in secret, no boasting about what you’ve done and no making a big deal about putting a needle in the manger. The deeds can be something small, putting your toys away without being asked (actually this one is kinda huge to me) or helping a stranger in some way. Or giving to a food drive or really there are so many ways to do a little good during this time of year. I love it when I catch my son doing a good deed! The whole family can participate it’s not just for the kiddos!

So go out there and get your good deeds on!

ENJOY!                                                                      

                                                                                   

Chicken Curry Stew

Have you ever been making dinner, and it doesn’t turn out right so you have to make it into something different? Well that happened to me tonight! I was attempting to make Chicken and Rice Soup in the Crockpot. I put the rice in at the beginning and that was where I made my mistake. A few hours later I had Chicken and MUSH! It tasted well just ok and looked even worse! I tried adding more spices but it still wasn’t workin’ for me. So I thought CURRY! I added a few tablespoons of Curry Powder to the Mush, it turned out GREAT! I love Curry and this is a new way to enjoy it! It’s not pretty but it’s yummy and that what matter most right? Sorry I don’t have pictures of the process here but I wasn’t planning on blogging the Chicken and Rice Soup but I had to share the Chicken Curry Stew!

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts

5cups Water

1 Carrot diced

1 Celery stalk diced

2tsp Garlic Powder

2tsp Onion Powder

1TBSP Curry Powder

1 cup Rice

Salt & Pepper to taste

Here’s how you make it:

Put all the ingredients into the Crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

I love it when a disaster in the kitchen turns into a new Yummy recipe!

ENJOY!

 

 

Chinese Noodles

Chinese Noodles

I love Chinese food! Like I mean I really really LOVE it! The problem is finding a good Chinese place when we get stationed somewhere new! I grew up with a great Chinese restaurant in my hometown! I wish I could order it online and have it shipped to me! Every time I go home I convince someone to go with me, usually I don’t have to try very hard, it’s everyone’s favorite place! So since I LOVE Chinese food but am always leery of going to new places (cause let’s face it bad Chinese is really bad) So I figured out how to make my own versions that while nowhere near as good as the restaurants are still pretty delish! Now I make this with Chicken but you can totally sub any other kind of meat, Beef, Pork and because it’s only a few days after Thanksgiving, this would be a great way to use that leftover TURKEY!

Here’s what you’ll need:

1-2 pkgs Ramen Noodles

½ to a ¼ of a small Cabbage cut up

2 Carrots cut up

1 Stalk Celery cut up

1 Onion diced

Soy Sauce

Fish Sauce

Sesame Oil

1TBSP Butter

Chicken (cooked and cut up in small pieces)

Here’s how you make it:

Melt the Butter in a frying pan on medium heat; add in Cabbage, Carrots and Onions sauté until Carrots and Onions are soft. Meanwhile place Ramen in a bowl and pour boiling water over it let sit.  Add in Chicken. Sprinkle on some Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce and Sesame Oil. I know sprinkle isn’t an exact measurement but it’s really how I make this. When Noodles are soft scoop them out of the bowl and place them into the frying pan, with some of the water in as well maybe ¼ cup. Add more Soy Sauce about a ¼ cup, and a few more sprinkles of Fish Sauce. Stir everything together and let simmer for a few minutes so the flavors combine.

*Serve over Rice

ENJOY

Taco Soup!

It’s been such a busy few weeks; I needed a Dinner that was going to be quick and easy! We had a Football game to go to, nope not for my Son for my Husband! It’s the Annual Turkey Bowl! Where the NCO’s (Non Commissioned Officers) take on the Officers in our Battalion! Fun right? It’s cold and rainy here in Washington right now so I needed a dinner that would warm us up after the game! Taco Soup sounded like it would do the trick for us tonight! I know it's Thanksgiving and the blogosphere is full of Turkey Day recipes so I thought maybe a departure from that would be enjoyed by some of you!

                        

Here’s what you’ll need:

1can Black Beans

1can Kidney Beans

1can Tomato Sauce

1can Pumpkin Puree (yep it’s my secret ingredient)

1 cup Frozen Corn

2 cups Water

1lb Ground Beef Browned

1 Taco Seasoning Packet

TOPPINGS

Sour Cream, Shredded Cheese, Tortilla Chips (optional)

Here’s how you make it:

Brown your Ground Beef until it is no longer pink. Empty all the cans into the Crockpot. Pour in the Corn and the water, along with the Taco Seasoning. Give it a good stir and then put the lid on and let it cook all day on low (about 6-8 hours).

Tips: You can use canned corn if you have that instead, I prefer frozen so that’s what I use! You can also add canned diced tomatoes; I usually do but didn’t have any on hand today! If you add the diced tomatoes reduce the amount of water by 1 cup!

ENJOY!

Twinkies

Okay so the Hostess Factory is closing and people are FREAKING out about not having any more of their favorite treats. We went shopping today and there were no Hostess treats to be found anywhere! CRAZY right? It sounds to me like the Hostess brand isn't actually going to go away, they are planning on selling everything including the names so it stands to reason that someone will buy the company and start producing the treats we all know and love. In the mean time you can make some of the treats yourself so you don't go into withdrawal!

I haven't made these myself yet but plan on trying them soon and when I do I'll post some pics on here for you! But in the meantime check out this YOUTUBE video on how to make them.

If you make them let me know!

Enjoy!

Pecan Pie Bars

Today’s post is for my Dad! He LOVES pecan pie! If you ask him what kind of pie he would want for Thanksgiving or Christmas he will more than likely say Pecan Pie! Now this is a hard choice, because my Grandma was the BEST pie maker EVER. Every Holiday she would make so many different pies and they were all AMAZING! Lemon meringue, Chocolate Cream, Coconut Cream, Pumpkin, Apple, and of course Pecan! How I wish that we had thought to write all her recipes down. We’ve tried a bunch of different recipes but none of them ever quite live up to the memory of her pies. Unfortunately she has Alzheimer’s so the recipes are locked away in a place she no longer has the key to. My advice to all of you if you have Grandparents that are still living, write things down now, while they still remember them. Don’t wait; you never know how long you have. Ok sorry got off topic a little. This is supposed to be about PIE and my Dad! I was thinking and looking for new ways to make pecan pie, a few years ago I did a “healthy” pecan pie that was more of a tart, and I don’t know it was ok, but it wasn’t Pecan Pie!  So I found this recipe for Pecan Pie Bars and I thought you know that sounds pretty simple and a much easier way to make pecan pie! I also love that it’s dipped in Chocolate, cause well that just makes it even BETTER! I’m sure my Dad would agree!

Here’s what you’ll need:

2/3 cup Sugar

½ cup Butter Softened

1 tsp Vanilla

1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour

2/3 cup Brown Sugar

½ cup Corn Syrup

1 tsp Vanilla

¼ tsp Salt

3 Eggs

1 cup Chopped Pecans

Semi Sweet Chocolate chips for melting

Here’s how you make it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 inch baking pan.  Mix together Butter, Sugar and Vanilla. Then add in Flour and mix until combined.This dough is going to be VERY crumbly. Spread dough evenly into the baking pan, making sure to press it about ½ and inch up the sides. Bake dough for 15 minutes until it starts to lightly brown. While the dough is baking combine the Brown Sugar, Corn Syrup, Vanilla, salt, Eggs, and Pecans. Pour the mixture over the crust.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until set. Run a knife along the edges of the pan while it is still warm. Allow to cool completely before cutting. Cut into bars and then cut the bars into triangles. To dip in Chocolate, melt chocolate chips with a double boiler and dip one side of the triangle into the chocolate. Set on waxed paper to cool.

 

So these are great and I’m thinking that I may have to send a few to my Dad!

ENJOY!

Thanksgiving Journal

I know you’ve heard of this idea before. I remember watching something about it on Oprah years ago and I’ve even had a Gratitude Journal in the past. I’m not great at it, I start out all ambitious and write in it every night, then life happens and I put it aside for a few days then pick it up then put it down for a few months or years. Anyway you get the idea I’m not great at journaling. BUT I want to be! Or at least I want to want to be! I also feel like sometimes we aren’t living life with a spirit of Thanksgiving like we should be. I mean we have so much in a world where so many have so little. How can I not be Grateful or Thankful for all I have? And sometimes I worry that my Son isn’t growing up to be as grateful as he should be. Sometimes it seems like things are so easy for him I worry that he doesn’t appreciate what it’s like for other people who are less fortunate than we are. So with that idea in my head and it being Thanksgiving I thought I would give our Family a challenge. Make a Thankful Journal. I didn’t want it to be anything too hard or necessarily too deep, but I wanted it to be something we can look back on and say hey maybe our lives aren’t so bad after all. So I made this little Journal just using a composition notebook and some fabric and glue. Then I am going to have my Son call, email, facebook or text all his Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, and some Cousins and ask them “what are you most thankful for?” Then we will recordeach of their answers along with ours in our Thanksgiving Journal. I think this would be a great tradition to start, and do every year.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Composition Notebook

Enough Fabric to cover Notebook (I used a placemat)

Glue (I used fabric glue)

Family or Friends

Here’s how you make it:

 

Lay fabric right side down, lay notebook open on fabric. I placed the fabric on the bottom where there was a sewn edge, and then lined one side up with another sewn edge Glue the fabric to the notebook. Fold over edges and glue. I had to use paper clips to hold the fabric on while the glue was drying. Then cut the top to fit and trim the other side to fit as well. You could also use a pretty paper and just cut to fit the notebook!

I saw this quote on Pinterest by Ralph Waldo Emerson and thought it's perfect for the inside of the Journal.

“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.”

 

Giving Thanks

Thankfulness

So this Thanksgiving season I thought I would do things a little differently. I thought I would take a few days out of my Blogging to Give Thanks. I’m sure you’ve seen people doing this for the month of November on Face book. I’ve always done it on there but thought I would take it to a bigger stage than just my Facebook friends.

I want to start my Thanksgiving with my Family. I am so Thankful for all of them. From the youngest babies to the oldest Grandparents. My Family is what has shaped me into the person that I am today. I love that no matter where in the world the Army sends us they are only a phone call away. Sometimes that is the hardest part of being an Army wife, being separated from your Family for long periods of time and not being close by for all the Holidays and family celebrations.

I am Thankful for my Parents all 5 of them! Yep I said 5! I love them all for the different perspectives they give me. For the Love that they have given me. For the Friendships that we have built as I grew into an adult. I think being friends with your parents as an adult is truly such a blessing!

I am Thankful for my Sister! She was my first best friend and is still my best friend. She is the first one I go to when I need advice or comfort or someone to just tell me that I’m not alone, that no I’m not the only one who is dealing with a kid who won’t listen or talks back or is just crazy! She has 4 kids so sometimes I feel a little bad complaining about my 1! But she gets it! We talk or I should say text almost every day, sometimes all day long! (so thankful for unlimited texts;)!) Thanks Sissy!

I am Thankful for the step siblings that I have. We never got to grow up together but I am Thankful that they shared their parents with me!

I am Thankful for my Grandparents. I only have Grandma’s left. And they are such wonderful strong Women. I have the best memories of them. I love to hear all their life stories, they all had such different lives but the one thread they have in common is how strong and resilient they are!

I am Thankful for my In-laws, the whole crazy bunch! I love the stories they have to tell of my Husband when he was younger! I love the perspective they give me on where he came from and how he came to be the Man his is today!

I am Thankful for my Son! He is my Joy! At times he tries my patience to max! But he is such a thoughtful wonderful young man. Sometimes I think I am getting glimpses of the Man he is going to become. I love that he loves to sing, and does it well. (which he did not get from me) I love that he likes sports and doesn’t care if the guys on the team make fun of him for being in Choir. I am thankful for these years that we have because I know that there are not too many left until he will be leaving and heading out on his own.

I am so Thankful for my Husband who keeps me grounded. My Husband who is such a great provider, and such an amazing Father. I am thankful for the way that he encourages me to do what I want to do. I love that he wants me to be a stay at home Mom for our son even though he’s in school all day! I love the way he cares about his Soldiers, and how he sacrifices so much for the Army and doesn’t even think about it as a sacrifice, but as his duty! I love that he brags at work about the food I make him, when I feel like I am just making dinner or whatever. I love that we have loved each other for almost half our lives. I can’t wait until we get to the point when we’ve been together longer than we’ve been apart!

I am so Thankful for all of my Family!

                                 

~Family~

 

Mini Apple Pies

These past few weeks seem to have just been crazy. I feel like we are going a million miles an hour with no pit stops in the near future! Maybe it’s just this time of year with Holidays, Sports and Army obligations. Don’t get me wrong I love this crazy life we lead, I just hope we are taking the time to savor these moments before they are gone.

This crazy week is starting off with a Bake Sale for my Husbands Unit. I was blessed with 3 HUGE boxes of apples from my Mom this Fall and so I have TONS of apple pie fixin’s already in the freezer, so I thought I would make some mini apple pies for our Bake Sale. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I thought maybe some of the Soldiers would enjoy homemade Apple Pie. I did cheat a little and used store bought crust. I mean it’s just too easy and it tastes good too so why not save some time when time is a hot commodity around here!

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 refrigerated Pie Crusts

Apple Pie Filling (if you are really pressed for time you could even use the canned stuff)

6 Cups Apples (peeled, cored & sliced)

½ tsp Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Nutmeg

¾ cup Sugar

 2 TBSP Cornstarch

 Here’s how you make it:

Pre heat oven to 425. Grease Muffin tin.

Unroll the pie crust, and cut circles out of it, I’m not sure of the size but they are a little bigger than the bottom of the muffin tins. 1 Crust should get you 12 circles with a little left over, place dough circles into muffin tins. Press down gently and then prick the dough with a fork in a few places.

Apple Pie Filling

Mix apples with cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and cornstarch. Cook Apple filling in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until apples are tender and the liquid has thickened. Turn off the heat and scoop spoonfuls of the apple filling into the muffin tins. You just want to cover the dough but not fill up the muffin cup.  Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes or until the dough is golden brown.

Since this is for a bake sale I placed each pie in a small cup to make it more portable.

ENJOY!