It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

The most wonderful time of year has arrived! Busy schedules with church functions,
Christmas parties, family get-togethers, Christmas parades, and more lend to a hectic pace. But it's worth it all to celebrate the Reason for the Season! Here's a peek into how we celebrate...



JESUS!!! He's the reason we celebrate!!

Our Family Tree

This tree has a theme, and it's family. Every ornament on this tree was given to us by a family member, very close friends, or obtained on a special trip to remind us of our time spent there. There are usually a couple of new ones added each year to represent different events in our lives from the previous year. We also have 4 ornaments given to us by friends that were on our very first tree as a married couple 25 Christmases ago. Each ornament holds sentimental value to us and that's what makes our tree so very special to us!

German Hutch

This hutch was found on the side of the road in Germany while we were living there in the early 90's by some of our friends. They already had one, so they gave this one to us. It was a labor of love (and hate) to refinish it, but is was well worth the effort! I bought the dishes while in Germany also. 

Den Mantle
The theme here is Santa! Most of these were found during our time in Germany. 

This window came from my great grandmother's house. This idea was inspiration from a Pinterest photo. 

The Kitchen Tree

This tree is full of hand made ornaments from my daughters that were made at school and church over the years. It also contains their Disney ornaments from our trips to Disney World. 

My Grandmother's Cabinet

I love filling this cabinet with treasures from my friends and students and special things we've found while on vacation in different places. 

Our Guest Nook

This cozy spot in the kitchen seats friends and family before and after meals. 

My Garden Corner

This tree features official White House Ornaments from the last 13 years. They are given to us each year by a dear family friend. 

My Christmas Village

Guest Bath

My Christmas Cactus

This cactus is always right on time! I just love it!

Memories of New England

                                 


This past Columbus Day weekend, Trey and I took vacation to New England to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to see, first hand, the leaves change in New England. You see, fall is my favorite season. I LOVE to see the beauty of the Earth change with God's hand into a brilliant display of oranges, reds, and yellows. New England was everything I thought it would be and more. We flew into Boston, stayed in New Hampshire, and drove into Maine,Vermont, and all in between.  We reconnected with our country's history in Boston and Plymouth and stood in the footsteps of Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, the Boston Massacre victims, and the Pilgrims. We visited Fenway Park (I am now a SOX fan!) and Harvard and crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon (in a car).We drove the back roads and took in the beauty of the countryside and met locals who were just as friendly as us in the south.

Ash Street Inn

We stayed at the Ash Street Inn (http://www.ashstreetinn.com/ ) in Manchester, New Hampshire. It was one of the best Bed and Breakfasts we've ever stayed in. Each morning we were treated to our choice of pumpkin spiced pancakes, cinnamon vanilla french toast, omelets, eggs, bacon, sausage, or toast. Delicious! There were always homemade goodies out for snacking whenever we liked and coffee and an assortment of drinks to go along. Two of my favorites were the freshly made Cranberry Orange Scones and Apricot White Chocolate Scones. I couldn't get enough. So I asked for the recipes and got them! Cranberry Orange Scones were what we had for breakfast this morning....

Cranberry Orange Scones


2 cups all purpose flour                               1/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup sugar                                                1 tsp. vanilla extract
   2 tsp. baking powder                              1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda                                                                  
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. grated orange peel
1 cup Craisins
1 egg white mixed with 1/2 tsp water for glaze

Soak Craisins in orange juice overnight. Drain off the liquid. Preheat oven to 385. Grease baking sheet.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes and distribute over the flour mixture. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, stir together the eggs, orange juice, vanilla, and orange peel.  Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and combine well. The dough will be sticky.  With lightly floured hands, knead in the Craisins. Divide mixture into 24 pieces, about the size of golf balls. Space evenly on greased baking sheet. If desired, brush the egg mixture over the top and sides of each scone. Bake 15 minutes or until cake tester inserted into the center of the scone comes out clean. Remove and cool for about 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Uncooked dough may be formed into scones and frozen. Place scones on baking sheet place in cool oven. Once oven is preheated, the scones have thawed enough to cook as above.

Here's a peek into our trip.......

Bunker Hill

Old State House

Grave of the Boston Massacre Victims

Paul Revere's grave - TINY!

New Hampshire Coast

Plimouth Plantation

Paul Revere's House

Boston Harbor

Soup Weather

As I've said before, fall is my favorite time of year. In spite of busy schedules, our family still finds time to enjoy the fun parts of this season. One of the things we make time for is dinner together (most of the time), and one of our favorites when the temperatures start to dip is soup! French onion soup has long been one of our favorites, and it was requested by my girls tonight. It's rich, savory, and downright soul satisfying.  Cook yourself up a pot this weekend. You'll be glad you did!!

French Onion Soup

4-5 large yellow onions

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 Tbsp. all purpose flour

3 cans beef broth, undiluted

3 cups water

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

6 to 8 French bread

2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

1 cup grated Swiss or Gruyere ( I've used smoked provolone too)

Peel and slice onions thinly. Melt butter in a large saucepan or dutch oven then add onions and ground pepper. Saute onions frequently with a wooden spoon until onions are very tender and are a light golden brown. Sprinkle onions with flour and stir and cook 1 minute longer. Lower heat and gradually add beef broth. Stir in water and add bay leaf. Increase to high heat and bring to boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 30-40 minutes. 

Ladle soup into broiler proof soup bowls and place on a heavy duty baking sheet or jelly roll pan. Toast bread slices until they are golden brown. Arrange toast slices on top of onion soup. Do not push down into the soup. Sprinkle the toast with Parmesan and grated cheese. Place bowls under a preheated broiler. Broil the soup until the cheese is golden and bubbly. This takes a VERY short amount of time. DO NOT leave this unattended. It will burn to a crisp. Trust me. :) Serve immediately. 

**If you do not have broiler proof bowls, then bake oven proof bowls at 425 degrees until cheese is golden and bubbly. 

The End of the Week

Fall Friday nights are some of my favorite times. After teaching and playing taxi for my kids all week, helping them with homework, and just being me,I'm exhausted. To some, coming home to cook may seem like a chore. Not to me. It's my unwinding time. I turn on my 'Harry Conick Jr.' style music, pour a glass of vino, and cook my heart out. I LOVE nights like this. They don't happen very often, but when they do, I take full advantage.

Our family enjoys reality TV shows. The kind that 'families' can watch. We like HGTV Design Star, Food Network Star, and Food Truck Race on Food Network, and our all time favorite is The Biggest Loser. Last week while watching the Food Truck Race the contestants had to make an original Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza. I was inspired! Yes! Something new to whip up on Friday night. So naturally I headed over to Pinterest and searched. I found several variations, but I have combined those into my variation. I cheated a little and used a refrigerated pizza crust. Some people like the taste of homemade. In my opinion,why bother! ;) 

Deep Dish Chicago Style Pizza

Ingredients:

1 Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust

2 cups of shredded mozzarella

pizza toppings of your choice ( I used turkey pepperoni, chopped olives, and fresh mushrooms.)

Parmesan

homemade pizza sauce

Sauce ingredients:

2 tbsp. butter or margarine

1/4 chopped onion

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1 minced garlic clove

1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes

1/4 tsp. sugar

salt and pepper

2 tbsp. chopped, fresh basil

Place pizza crust in a deep dish. I used a large cast iron skillet. Pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella cheese on top of the crust. 

Make sauce by heating the butter in a pan. Add onion and oregano. Cook onion until moisture is drawn out and onion turns a golden brown. Add garlic clove, crushed tomatoes and sugar. Bring to a simmer, and reduce down for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, and basil. 

Add half of the sauce on top of the mozzarella. Put on your desired toppings. Cover with the rest of the sauce and sprinkle with remaining half cup of mozzarella. Sprinkle liberally with Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes at 400. Halfway through, it's a good idea to top with foil to prevent over-browning of the crust. Let it cool for 10 minutes after you take it out of the oven. Slice into big ole' pieces and enjoy! 

The Comforts of Home

Some people say that certain foods are 'comfort foods'. Well, all foods are 'comfort foods' to me because I like it all!! Here's a quick and easy 30 minute Chicken Tetrazzini that tastes like you spent a lot more time in the kitchen. It's a definite comfort food! Enjoy.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Ingredients:

*4 cups of chopped, cooked chicken

1/2 cup of chicken broth

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery soup

1 8 oz. carton sour cream

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 package of egg noodles, cooked 

2 cups of shredded cheddar (divided)

Mix first 10 ingredients with 1 cup of shredded cheddar in a large bowl. Pour into greased casserole dish. Top with remaining cup of cheese. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. 

*I usually cook several chicken breasts in my Crockpot all day and shred them and freeze in bags for casseroles. Just throw them in, season generously with S&P, add enough water to cover the bottom of the pot, and you've got deliciously seasoned and tender chicken without working for it! 

Fall is in the Air!

This morning we had that first, crisp, feeling to the air. It's one week before the 'official' start of fall, but it's enough to get me in the mood for fall decorating, homemade chili, and baking pumpkin bread. Fall is by far my most favorite season of the year! I've started my decorating, pumpkin bread is baking in the oven, and football is on TV. Here's a look into our home. I've also shared my pumpkin bread recipe and a fall snack mix.I hope you enjoy!! Happy Fall!

This old window came from my great-grandmother's house. The crocks were bought for a few dollars each at flea
markets in Germany while we were living there in the 90s. 

Our dining room table. 

The landing going upstairs to our TV room. 

Our dining room buffet.

This hutch was literally found on the side of the road in Germany. It took lots
of tough love to get it looking the way it does now. But it's one of my treasures.  

This hutch belonged to my grandmother. It sat on her back porch for years filled with
Mason Jars and other things. So glad to have it! 

Pumpkin Muffins - One of my favorite fall treats!

Homemade Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups of flour

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsps. baking soda

3 cups of sugar

1 cup of canola or vegetable oil

4 eggs, slightly beaten

t tsp. grated nutmeg

1 15oz. can of pumpkin

Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the oil, eggs, *nutmeg, and pumpkin.

Mix well and pour into 2 bread loaf pans. Make sure you thoroughly grease the pans first!! Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. 

Makes 2 loaves or 24 muffins or 1 loaf and 12 muffins, etc. You get the point! 

* NOW please read this!! If you do not use freshly ground nutmeg, you are missing out! Buy yourself a hand held microplane grater at Wal-mart, Target, etc. Get yourself some whole nutmeg and grate away. You will be glad you did! 

Fall Snack Mix

I always have some type of snack mix made up to just reach in a 'grab a bite'  and keep going. I love a candy corn and peanut mix, but I've added Reeses Pieces and semi-sweet chocolate chips to the mix. The pumpkin jar just sets it off!