New Beginnings!!

2012 is here and I wish I knew where all the time went!! Do you ever feel like that?  So at the ripe ole age of ?? I'm trying to become more organized and a better planner!! Ok stop laughing at me!!Things can get out of hand so quickly when you work full time and are trying to run a household, do couponing, plan meals for the family, plan meals for the guinea piggers and blogging!! Not that I'm complaining - my life is full and rich with joy.  I am thankful for every wonderful day I have here on this earth.  That being said I really need some focus in my life.

In the first week of 2012 I did manage to organize my coupon binder and schedule meal plans for the guinea pig club and I did lay a menu out for the first week of January for the family.  I did NO laundry all week (Amber did all the laundry for me - my wonderful daughter-in-law who lives with me)! I did only the bare essentials as far as house cleaning goes too - dishes, scrub the toilet, etc.

So I guess I'm not off to a bad start.  I do want to be faithful to this blog too.  My goal is to post a couple times a week!! Wish me luck and I truly need your support!! I've been doing quite a bit of blog reading and trying to understand the blogging world and wrap my head around this wonderful world of blogging.  Hopefully I will post things/ideas/features that you will enjoy as well.  Keep me in check and if it's crap, let me know!!

Gratitude Not Attitude

I decided that I wanted to continue the Thanksgiving Day theme for my dinner with my guinea piggers.  We didn't have more turkey - I think everyone is pretty much turkeyed out after Thanksgiving but I did want to continue the thankfulness idea.  Hence the name of the dinner - Gratitude Not Attitude.  Well let's face it, us girls can have a LOT of attitude at times!!

Anyway on with the dinner.  First was the table setting.  These are branches I picked up from the back yard - always good if you can decorate from free!!

I know, it looks a bit bare and rustic but go with me on this - wait till the end! You'll see my vision!!

The meal was centered around sour cream.  I know - you're asking yourself what does sour cream have to do with Thanksgiving?  It doesn't - they just had a really good sale at Shaw's and I had coupons!! Had to use the sour cream up!!

So dinner we had Beef Stroganoff and Vegetables with Sour Cream Sauce.

This was not just my serving!!

Hard to see the veggies but they were broccoli, cauliflower & carrots

For dessert I made chocolate cake with sour cream and no it was not from a box!! It was covered with chocolate fudge frosting (also not from a can!) and I topped it with a squirt or two of whipped cream (yes from a can). 

Very rich tasting!!!

Before we started eating I told the girls about the theme and that I needed them to express their thankfulness for their fellow guinea piggers.  We each took leaves from the table and wrote one of the guinea piggers name on the front and what we were thankful for about them on the back.  Then we took raffia and hung them on the tree!! Now see our centerpiece.

Thankfulness!!

 

Although there were only 4 of us at the dinner (Danielle, Sharon, Colleen and me) we did manage to fill the "tree" with lots of gratitude!! P.S. Keep your eyes open and you will see how thankful we were!!

So I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and I hope that you are able to continue the attitude of gratitude all year long!

Candied Jalapenos!!!

Sorry about the delay in posting anything - I was away on vaca in AZ!!!  Arizona is so beautiful this time of year especially since at home on the east coast they had snow while I was enjoying 80 and 90 degree weather!!  Every time I go to AZ now I always bring home fresh tortillas - we pick them up while they are still warm from the store.  They are fantastic and make for a great meal each time.  This time I not only brought home fresh tortillas but also jalapenos - 3 lbs. that is!!!  I had read on The Pioneer Woman's blog about Candied Jalapenos (Cowboy Candy) and knew I had to try it. You start with 3 lbs. of fresh jalapenos.  I should have taken a pic of the peppers before I sliced them.  They were bright green, firm and large - nothing like what we get around here!  I sliced them all and put them in a bowl to begin the canning.

Yup - seeds and all!!

Next you cook them with sugar, vinegar, turmeric, garlic, celery seed and cayenne pepper.  Only 4 minutes!!!

The smell was incredible

Next they go into the lovely little canning jars.  I must admit that I did sneak a lick off the spoon when it was all said and done.  The syrup is sweet and hot - very weird but deliciousness!!!

 After they are in the jars you boil the syrup a little longer then pour the syrup in the jars and process the jars in boiling water for about 10 minutes.  I ended up with 14 jars of peppers and 1 jar of syrup.  The syrup I'll use on some mexican chicken or maybe add to a mexican tortilla soup!!!

A pyramid of sweet and hot!!

I think next time I will probably cram a few more peppers into each jar but all in all there are plenty of peppers in each jar.  Some of you can look forward to getting these little babies in your Christmas baskets this year!! Here's the recipe just in case you would like to give them a shot yourself.  http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/canning/candied-jalapenos-cowboy-candy/

And There's More Bread!!!

The bread just doesn't seem to end.  I'm using up the bread as best I can and as quickly as I can.  I made wonderful French Toast on Sunday morning.  Bryan was thrilled.  I made a few extras for him to eat while I'm away (oh yea - I'm headed to AZ on Wednesday)!!  Not that I'm thrilled or anything - tee hee!  Sunday afternoon I took the ciabatta loaf and made one HUGE sub and cut it up for us to eat while watching football.  Here are couple pics for you to enjoy!!

Although I will admit that I should have probably made this the very day I got the bread it was still delicious.  It was loaded with black forest ham, capicola, salami, bologna and provolone and american cheeses with lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles.  It made for a wonderful meal while watching the games Sunday afternoon. 

Bread and Butter

I recently purchased another deal on Groupon.  If you're not getting in on these deals you really should join (this is not a paid advertisement). I've found some really incredible things on there and this little gem was a wonderful find.  I live in Plymouth, MA which is a pretty big town, area-wise that is.  One of the cool things about living here is that just when you think you know the area you find something new!  A few weeks ago Groupon was offering a deal for 6 loaves of bread from a local bakery a $30 value for $15.  I was hooked because lets face it I love bread!!! You do don't ya?

We have plenty of bakeries in Plymouth but this one was in a location that I would have never guessed.  It's in the industrial park!  The bakery is called Hearth Wood Fire Bakery - here's a link www.hearthwfb.com.  Apparently they do baking for some local and area restaurants and stores.  If you're in this area you must check it out.

So back to my point here!  I walked in with my little Groupon printout and the gentleman baker showed me the wonderful loaves I could choose from.  I got 3 french, 1 rye raisin (this one's for the hubby), 1 ciabatta and one rosemary.  The loaves are enormous and I can't wait to dig into them.  Here's a pic so you can see for yourself.  There is no skimping in this place!!

Last night we had Roast Beef Sandwiches with Au Jus on the french loaves!! Sounds so fancy but it's really not - the beef cooked all day in the crockpot getting all those flavors married into it and becoming tender and juicy.........focus! focus!

Here's the recipe for this little gem too!  http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-roast-beef-au-jus-sandwiches-332615  I toasted the bread too.  It helps to keep the bread from getting to soaky!! Yum! O and next time I will definitely add a slice of provolone!

Oooo and the other things I have planned for this bread - I'm thinking French Toast, Onion Soup, maybe some croutons or maybe just a late night snack with some homemade jam!!! If any one needs some bread just give me a call - I have plenty!!

The Organizer

There are times when I go on a wild and crazy adventure and decide to become completely organized and orderly!!  (don't laugh - it happens) These moments are few but when they happen LOOK OUT! It's like a tornado is about to hit.  Now that you've regained your senses, I will tell you that this is not one of those moments however apparently Julia it was a moment for Julia.  Apparently she is an organizer!!  One of her favorite pastimes is unloading and reloading things.  It can be a purse, a drawer, a toy box or a cabinet.  ON this particular day it was a cabinet.  See pics below!

In order to organize you must remove everything!

WHAT?

Although this make look like a disaster trust me you are wrong.  She very quietly takes everything out and then she puts everything back - not necessarily in the same order - but she is quiet!  And let's face it we all want the children to be quiet especially when we are working.  I was busy making jam which Julia started out being my helper but somewhere along the process she felt the need to "organize" the jelly cabinet.

Flour goes here.

Cake mix goes next to the flour.

Perfect - just the way I like it!

She was finally done just in time to help me wash the dishes!! That's another blog for another day!! Do you have an organizer in your home?  Goodness knows I need to be a better organizer!

Pasta with ?? Sauce

I've been reading a few blogs over the past few days looking for something different to have for dinner.  If you know me I rarely make the same thing twice - much to my husband's chagrin!!  This week at Shaw's they had some blocks pecorino romano cheese on sale and a coupon attached discounted it by an additional $2.  I bought two and figured I would find something to do with them.  Tonight I gave it shot.  This was the result!!  Excuse the photo I just have a little digital camera for now - hopefully I'll graduate to the real thing some day!!

See all the cheese in there!!!

This is the recipe I created:

13 oz whole wheat spaghetti
6 tbsp butter (I know - not necessarily healthy but it tastes delicious)
1/2 red onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 sherry or white wine of your choice
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 lb pecorino romano cheese, grated
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Cook the pasta according to package directions - make sure its a little al dente!! If the pasta is done before the sauce, after you drain the pasta sprinkle a little olive oil on it and toss to keep it from sticking together.  In a large pan melt the butter, add the onion and cook until the onions start to caramelize (turn brown).  Add the garlic, salt and pepper and continue to cook for a minute or 2.  Pour in the sherry/white wine and simmer for another minute or 2.  Add the tomatoes - simmer for a minute.  Remove from the heat and toss in the pasta.  If the pasta seems dry add a bit more olive oil and toss.  Sprinkle in the cheese and toss so the cheese is evenly distributed throughout the dish.  Reserve a little bit of cheese to put on the top of each bowl.  Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

The taste wasn't bad but I don't know what to call it.  Any suggestions?  I also think the next time I will add some greenery - needs some spinach, broccoli rabe, capers!!! Maybe even some pine nuts for a bit of a crunch.  The possibilities are endless.

Bacon! Bacon! Bacon!

Oops sorry - focus Theresa!!  What are you creating in your kitchen? Let me know.