Home for the Holidays

I was really hoping that all this consruction would be finished and we'd be snuggeled up on the couch in our fuzzy bunny slippers sipping hot tea and watching A Christmas Story. Not even close.....but, the good news is the sheetrock is going up and the popcorn ceilings have started coming down! It looks better already. I can't wait for it to be finished, but I guess I'll have to...it will be really nice once it's finished...yes, it will!

Brian's Thankgiving Favorite

Ree's Sweet Potato Yummy-ness
Prep Time 45 Minutes


Cook Time 30 Minutes Servings 10 Difficulty Easy

Ingredients


• 4 whole Medium Sweet Potatoes
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Milk
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Pecans
• ½ cups Flour
• ¾ sticks Butter

Preparation Instructions

Wash 4 medium sweet potatoes and bake them in a 375-degree oven until fork tender, about 30-35 minutes. When they are finished cooking slice them open and scrape out the flesh into a large bowl.

Add 1 cup of (regular grandulated) sugar, 1 cup of milk, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of salt. With a potato masher, mash them up just enough—you don’t want to be perfectly smooth.

Now, in a separate bowl, add 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup pecans, chopped (that means measure a cup of pecans, then chop them), ½ cup flour, and ¾ stick of butter. With a pastry cutter or fork, mash together until thoroughly combined.

Spread the sweet potato mixture into a regular baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top.

Bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Potato Leek Soup

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour
Ready In: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Servings: 8

3 tbsp. butter
2 leeks, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 quart chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups heavy cream
crispy bacon......because I have to!

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook leeks in butter with salt and pepper until tender, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.

Stir cornstarch into broth and pour broth into pot. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the cream, reduce heat and simmer at least 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Another Inspection

I'm freeeezing....'cause it's November 6th? no....'cause the heater's not on?...no...'cause there is a big gaping hole in the saide of the house with a thin sheet of plastic keeping the 32 degree weather out?...yes, that's it!.....  Like I said, "Brrrrrrrr". The inspector was here yesterday and signed off on the fireplace...now comes the electrical work and another inspection, insulation, another inspection, sheetrock, painting and about a gazillion "little" things. And yep...another inspection.

Bourbon Baked Cranberry Sauce

I haven't tried this recipe yet but it sounds a lot like the cranberry sauce that I bought at Byerly's last year. It was a really great sauce but I think it had pecans in it...so I'm going to add some nuts and see what happens. I'll take it to Beth's if it turns out.

Prep Time: 10 min Inactive Prep Time: 1 hr 0 min Cook Time: 1 hr 5 min Level:
Easy Serves: 6 to 8 servings Ingredients

1 (12- ounce) bag cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
1/4 cup bourbon, or more

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small baking dish and cover. Bake for about 55 minutes. Remove the cover and stir to melt any un-dissolved sugar. Return the dish to the oven and bake for about 5 to 10 more minutes, or until the cranberries are soft and surrounded by a syrupy sauce. Remove the dish from the oven and immediately stir in the bourbon, to taste. Let the dish cool to room temperature, then chill for at least hour before serving. The sauce will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

One Down...One to GO!

I did it...I finished the last of the electrical classes I need to take!! I still have one more elective (business class) but compaired to this super technical, super dry, super boring electrical stuff it will be a breeze...hopefully! It's taken me over three years of taking classes and I am DONE, DONE, DONE! Almost. Close enough to kick up my heels and let out a little squeal of delight! EEEeeeeeee!

Crustless Spinach Quiche

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion-chopped
1 green pepper-chopped
1 10-oz bag of chopped spinach or 1 cup of chopped broccoli
6 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
2 oz. motzerella cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ cup cheddar cheese

Sauté onion and green pepper in butter and oil. Add spinach or broccoli and sauté an aditioanl 2 minutes. Beat eggs in bowl and add spinach mixture . add cottage cheese, cream, and mozzarella cheese, salt, pepper and any spices of your choice. Pour in a 9” pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. makes six servings

I LOVE a Good Challenge…..really, I do.

So they started a weight challenge here at work today. It’s not really much of a challenge. It’s a maintain OR lose weight through the holidays challenge. I’ve had enough with the maintaining. I’ve been maintaining this weight for too long and need to get serious about losing weight.
So here’s my plan.

1. Bring my lunch every day. The cafeteria food is loaded with calories and salt plus it ‘taint cheap folks!
2. Exercise at least four to five days a week. The treadmill is in the house now. I need to walk for at least an hour every day.
3. Drink my water…I’ve gotten into a really bad habit of drinking diet coke/lemonade instead of water. Problem is I don’t like the taste of the water at the house. I need to start using the purifier or have one put on the faucet.
4. Start taking more breaks at work. I have gotten to where I can sit here almost all day long. That’s right, as in NEVER getting up to move around much less use the bathroom…..I don’t drink water, remember?
5. Stop with the sugars and salts.

So, like I said the challenge start today and ends the 4th of January….that’s their challenge. I have a challenge out to myself to lose weight. That means eating well and exercising weekly. The only thing I want to gain is more energy!

Autumn Joy!

This is a really good soup and really easy to make...it's a go-to recipe once the leaves start falling. I made on Sunday so today I can come home to a nice salad and a warm bowl of tummy-yum!

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:
12 slices bacon
2/3 cup margarine
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups milk
4 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 green onions, chopped
1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
In a stock pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Mix in bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.

Let There Be Light!

I got my lamp in the mail and was still feeling a tinge of guilt over having made such an impulsive purchase.

I let the box sit there for three days before I finally decided that I could actually KEEP it. Well, I love it and my family even loves it. To quote Kyle, "Mom, that is a kick-ass lamp!" Well spoken Kylie, well spoken.

WoW!

The addition is looking fantastic! John thinks it's going slowly but that's because he's working so hard on it. He look a little break this week and hopefully this will help him to rejuvinate. He ended up in the emergency this weekend diagnosed with brusitus...very painful but is doing much better now.

Inspiration

"If you could only keep quiet, clear of memories and expectations, you would be able to discern the beautiful pattern of events. It is your restlessness that causes chaos. " -- Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Update.."Little Project"

It's coming along! I can't wait until the day comes when we can cut a hole in the house...and step into the new family room!!

Farmers Market Anyone?

There's a Farmers Market located not too far from my office. It’s only in the summer months and only on Thursdays which for some reason I forget about pretty much every week until I hear someone say “today’s the last day of the farmers market”…then I run over and fall in love with all the floral and fruits and veggies….ahhh, I love a farmers market. This is a pretty good sized farmers market but I even love the tiny one near home. The last time I went I got some great buys on veggie plants and some beautiful hostas! I'm headed over today to see what i can find.

The Great Minnesota Air Show!!

Yep, air + show = the greatest thing my boys/husband have ever seen. I’m the only female/chick/girl in the family; except for Suzy the cat, which I am reminded of when my world starts to feel a little testosterone heavy. In my world I get to experience A LOT of “guy stuff”. In my book air shows of any kind are immediately placed in the “guy stuff” category. I’ve actually been looking for an air show that the guys would enjoy so I was hap, hap, happy to see this one pop up when I googled.

Favorite Potato Salad-soooo good!

After years of gloppy too much mustard potato salad I found this amazing recipe....I love it and want it everyday!

Rosanne Cash’s Americana Potato Salad
per Smitten Kitchen-Adapted from Bon Appetit

This, to me, is the most American of potato salads — cluttered, crunchy and bright, and so busy, it seems only the kitchen sink was left out. Be warned, however, make this for one picnic and prepare to feel unwelcome if you don’t bring it to all that follow. It forms something of a habit, quickly.

Serves at least 8

3 pounds medium red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed
8 dill pickle spears or a handful of cornichon, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 celery stalks, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 small red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, chopped
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and cool, then cut potatoes into chunks and transfer to large bowl. Stir in pickles, celery, onion, eggs, mayonnaise, mustard vinegar and dill. Season potato salad to taste with salt and pepper.

Do ahead: Vegetables and dressing can be prepared and stored separately a day or two in advance. Mix and let stand at room temperature one hour before serving.

Project 7-31-2010

Starting to really look like something now!

Mine..it's ALL mine

After working, week after week and counting...counting and counting and counting. Counting what you ask? PTO of course! It took me forever to accrue more than 80 hours. Anyway, I finally took 40...well, 39 'cause I have a issue about using 40 hours.....anyway, we finally went on a vacation. We rented a cabin up north and packed too many clothes, some fishing poles and headed out. It was a great week filled with lots of relaxing and spending time together...we loved it!

Note to self: Let loose of the PTO and have more fun!

Wonderland

Is there anything in the world that a man/guy/boy/kid likes more than fireworks? Some people travel to Mecca….where do go on our annual pilgrimage? Wisconsin of course!…for fireworks.

Not just boring old fireworks you can get at the grocery store but the “REALLY GOOD STUFF” that is apparently only found in the land of cheese…who’d a thunk? So, that’s what we did….went on a road trip to Wisconsin.

We wandered the isles ohhing and aaawing…really? The experience was just as good as seeing them actually go off. Who thinks of these names anyway? You have your Ninja assortment, your Goliaths, Dragon shells, Above the Law and the ever popular Rip Snorter.

Someone tell me what a Scuba Diver Megabanger might be….scuba=water, water + fire = what? Smoke? I dunno, I guess it’s just not my thing. It could have something to do with my unnatural fear of all things fire…and watery.

Guess the Megabanger is not for me.

The Den of Terror

So, we hired and excavator to come out and dig the hole for our family room addition…then it preceded to rain, and rain….and then it rained.

We called a few people to come out and give us a bid on the concrete work and while one of the guys was surveying the hole, he slipped on the grass and fell in. Into the 12’ deep, sandy swimming pool. *sigh* He’s okay and is actually the one who will be doing the concrete work for us.

A couple years ago we had the roof redone and one of the guys fell off the roof and broke a couple of his ribs.

What is up with our house and contractors? I’m starting to think we need to put warning tape around the property….”BEWARE CONTRACTORS…ENTER AT YOUR OUR RISK”….or we could call it the Den of Terror and start charging admission.

So Many Cats!

Do you have cats? We do. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the critters, almost all kinds of critters but these cats are driving me nuts! We have four cats. I’ll list our cats in pecking order: Bilbo (you’ll see our nerdy Lord of the Rings obsession come out now), Gandalf the Grey (so nerdy that spell check tried to change his name to Randolph the Grey), Jellybean (you know, that Hobbit standing waaay in the back, the one with big feet), and Suzy...also called Babygirl…’cause she’s the only girl and ‘cause she’s little…I guess.

These cats love each other...then they hate each other, then they groom each other and then they try to kill each other. They are a dysfunctional feline family….to the extreme, to the point of needing counseling. Why do we have so many cats? Because of this book….that’s why.

Both of our boys LOVED this book when they were little. It’s my fault; I loved it too…back when we only had one cat. It wasn’t until we read this book and found out that “our one and only cat (KeeKee) was a sad and lonely cat”….Well, we had to change that and we did….right quick, by adding four more cats. Only thing is…KeeKee wasn’t lonely. He didn’t want brothers or sisters. He didn’t want to share lap time with anyone else. He didn’t want to share his food or water and he REALLY didn’t want to share a cat box. Can’t say I blame him. And you know what else? He didn’t, not once, want to slide down the banister to his awaiting fun-loving kitty family. What was KeeKee? He was pissed! And KeeKee stayed pissed all the way up until he left us. Not as in packed his furry mouse and hit the trail left but as in off to that sunny porch window in the sky left.

Anyway, my lesson learned?….sad and lonely ‘aint always a bad thing.

Rainy day Zoup?

Since it’s still raining and I don’t want to do things that I really should be doing (vacuuming and dusting would be two of those things) I’m going to do some cooking…and on a day like this I love me some soup! Not just any old soup, I’m pulling out the big guns for this! Zuppa Toscana...oh, great Olive-y Gardens of the world how I love the Zuppa.

We started making this copycat version a couple of years ago…actually my son who is a pretty good chef (if I say so myself) was having a craving for …you guessed it, kale. Kale? Really? Anyway, he wanted a kale recipe and there it was, right on the Google search…Zuppa Toscana.

Granted this can be a little time consuming but well worth it. You can use one large soup pan for the whole thing.

Zuppa Toscana Soup
1 lb. Italian sausage
1/2 lb. smoked bacon, sliced in 1/4” pieces
2 quarts Chicken broth
2-3 lg. russet potatoes - scrubbed clean, sliced with peel on (about 1/8” thick)
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 med. Onion, chopped
2 cups chopped kale, chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a pan over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain and set aside. In the same pan over medium-high heat, brown bacon; drain, then add onion and garlic and cook until clear. Add broth, sliced potatoes, sausage and bacon and simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Add kale and cream and season with salt and pepper.

Let’s Go Swimming!!

I left the house yesterday in the wee hours of the morning to return to a giant hole in the ground.

I love construction! I love seeing something I’ve pondered over, fretted and fought over, and like the UN have peaceable come to a decision over, start to grow from the dirt (okay, it’s not really dirt, it’s sand..the sandiest sand ever).

Today that hole is being transformed into a giant swimming pool because of course, it’s raining. Not just raining, but pouring. Remember that rain I asked for three months ago?…that rain.

If you really want it to rain where you are?…dig a great big ‘ol hole in your yard, stand back. The heavens will open up and dump on you…and your excavator.

A Little Project 2010

So we’ve started a little project. A little project we’ve been talking about doing for ohh, two years. A little project that The Hub thinks he can do all by himself.

I’m lucky. Very lucky to be married to the handiest guy in the entire world. He’s the King of Projects, the Prince of Plans the Lord of Lumber but this seemed like too much, even for him.

We got a few bids for the project and they came back for more than either one of us were willing to put into this house…we’ll give this house our sprained backs, aching shoulders and throbbing headaches...but hard, cold cash? No way. We’re Minnesotans for cry’ in in the mud! Well HE is. So now The King has decided that he is going to build it himself…except for the excavation work ….and the foundation…oh, and the block work.

This little project is already starting to be not so little.