Simple Things Sunday

I recently came across this tradition over at Simple As That-The Blog, and I absolutely love the idea. A simple post for Sunday, of something simple you celebrated that week.

So…my first Simple Things Sunday post…

Christmas – through the eyes of a child. 

I found a tutorial here on Pinterest explaining how to take cool pictures of your tree. I toyed around and got a different look that I love. My camera settings were f4.5, 1/10 sec, ISO 1600. If I can do this with my camera, you can too, trust me. Hope you enjoyed my simple things Sunday. I’m loving this Christmas season with my two kiddos.

Friday Faves–Key Chain

**WARNING: POTENTIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA BELOW**

I used to have an adorable keychain of my son’s 6 month old professional pictures. But, he just turned 4, and time has taken its toll on the keychain. I wanted to use our most recent family photos to somehow create a new keychain to keep, and this time include BOTH my kiddos. I’d been mulling it over until I came across this adorable keychain in Michaels (they were on an end cap near the frames section):Now you’re probably not caring wondering how I incorporated both my kids, right? That’s only one sweet face right there. I give you side two! No…unfortunately the keychain wasn’t SO cool to come this way. What I did was purchase two of them, and then used ANOTHER one of today’s Friday faves…

If you have never been savvy enough to use mounting putty, aka adhesive putty, allow me to introduce you.

My first introduction was probably maybe cheerleading in high school? Did I really just actually admit to being on cheer on the interwebs? Then, when I was an RA in college, holy moly did this come in handy hanging posters galore! And finally, most obviously, my teaching career. But, I do still use it periodically. Birthday parties, holiday décor, etc. Basically, it kind of works like you would imagine gum would, but it won’t ruin whatever it use you’re sticking it to. You do have to heat it up to get its sticking power to work. I wasn’t sure it would actually hold the two  keychains together, but so far its held up for almost 3 weeks now ON my set of keys! Yay! Basically, I just heated some up, put it on the back of one keychain, and smashed them together.

And it was a whopping $5 altogether (after coupons of course, they were $3.99 apiece). So, perhaps a Christmas gift for grandparents? Or a spouse? What are you waiting for? Go check out Michaels! They also have really cute initial keychains that are similar, but with a rhinestone initial next to a small square picture frame.

Thoughtful Thursday - Welcoming Neighbors

Neighbors…what feelings does this conjure up for you?

Kramer from Seinfeld? Quirky, far too comfortable bursting through your front door, yet hilarious and makes you smile?

Ned Flanders from the Simpsons? Always condemning and just ticking you off all the time?

Or do you have totally annoying pot heads who party hardy all the time and keep your baby awake? (yes, New Girl is one of my absolute FAVORITE shows)

OR…did you luck out and get a sweet old, super wise man who talks through all your problems with you, like Wilson from Home Improvement?

OR…did you totally, utterly, and completely luck out and get the sweetest, best friend, always-there-for-you kind of neighbors like Fred & Ethyl Mertz from I Love Lucy?

I had neighbors pretty darn close to Fred & Ethyl, so when they moved recently (thankfully only 5 minutes away), I was bummed, but knew I needed to put my best foot forward with the incoming neighbors. So…here’s what I came up with. I slightly altered the free printable tag I found here.

Tells my poor neighbors right off the bat that I’m super corny, but, why not reveal a little bit about myself from the get go? Yup, those are eclairs packaged up in there and the tag reads, “I declair you welcomed to the neighborhood”. My husband actually rolled his eyes when he saw what I was doing. hehe On the back I included a note that read as follows:

So, even if you have a horrifically terrible neighbor like…

Marlyse from Parenthood (yes, another fave of mine), it wouldn’t hurt to welcome them. Everyone needs love now and then. So, even if it’s a bouquet of flowers, or a Starbuck’s card, or a list of your local favorite restaurants, walk on over, knock on your neighbors door, and welcome them.

OR…maybe you’ve been in your house for like FIVE YEARS and still haven’t met them! Do a little something to wish them a Merry Christmas and introduce yourself. It will also teach your kids how to treat others. I had a blast doing this with my kiddos. =) Look at those adorable feet…and smiles. =)

Oh yes, and here’s my version if you’re up for making eclairs. YUM!

Enjoy, and have fun making friends with new (or old) neighbors.

Persimmons & Chocolate Bread Recipe

Persimmons and Chocolate Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. {white or brown} Rice flour -I used white rice flour-
1/2 C. Oat bran
3/4 C. Brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking soda
1/2 C. Unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
1/2 C. milk
3-4 medium ripe persimmons, cut into pieces + the pulp and juice. You can also use the persimmons skin if you like. (I left the skins on)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease loaf pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl add flour, oat bran, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix. (Or have your kids mix )

Then add the oil, milk, eggs, sugar and persimmons. (We only have the persimmons in the picture below, but aren’t they gorgeous?)Mix well until all ingredients are combined. Pour mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 50-55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean and the bread is just firm. When ready let it cool completely and serve. (I cooked mine for 50 and it was PLENTY. I’d actually check it at 45 next time).WARNING: Your kids may act like the crazy Target lady while waiting. Case in point…

Success!! =)

TOTT #25–Luggage Tags

I’m excited to share this one with you for SO many reasons!

#1 – They make me smile every time I see them.

#2 – It’s perfect for this season! Traveling, and gift giving.

I made these luggage tags as gifts a few years back for Christmas, worked great as stocking stuffers. I have the “I heart Baggage Handlers” on my HUGE suitcase and my “I could fly first class if I wanted to” on my carry on luggage. And now that I’m re-visiting them, I’m pretty sure I need to print out an “Are we there yet?” one for my son’s carry-on. Every time I travel, they make me smile. And I think they would make the airline workers chuckle, knowing they’re appreciated as they “toss” my pushing-the-free-50lb.-scale bag onto the plane. My husband (you know, the glass half empty in the relationship?) says yeah right, instead of chuckling they probably give it a good bang on the side of the plane before “tossing” it in. Either way, they make me smile, and provide important information lest my bag be misplaced.

So, here are your free printables! Feel free to attempt to line them up and print back to back. I just do it old school style, print them both out, cut and glue ‘em together. Just seems faster. I included a bag of zip ties with the stocking stuffer, something similar to this.

Probably the easiest thing to do would be to add the image to your document, put a text box to include your info, then print.

And here’s one more for any of you shoe lovers!

And, I’ve never asked my readers this before, but if you decide to use them, do me a solid and leave a message. It’s always nice to get feedback! =) Happy, smiling traveling!

Massage Monday (and an attempt at Menu Plannin’)

Okay…so I’ve mentioned to you all that I have mono, I’ve actually had it since early August. *sigh* And I’m realizing that, well, it’s not “just going to go away” like I’d hoped. Duh!!

So, even though I was only supposed to cook TWO measly meals this past week, not-a one happened. And I am TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY OKAY WITH THAT!!

And today, instead of meal planning? I went and got a massage, ‘cuz that’s what this girl needed today! So, instead of a meal plan for this week, I will “review” what happened last week, as well as give you the recipes to the previous week (‘cuz there were some good ones!)

Let’s start with the recipes I did actually cook from last week’s post.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

^Ingredients

^{2 onions chopped}

^{2 - 4 oz. cans chopped green chili's}

^{2 minced garlic cloves}

^{4 Tbsp canola oil}

^{*saute above together until tender}

^{Combine the following in a large pot -} 

^{22 oz chicken broth cilantro and fried}

^{22 oz beef broth corn tortillas}

^{2 c. tomato juice (V-8)}

^{3 c. water}

^{2 large tomatoes chopped (or you can used canned tomatoes)}

^{2 tsp cumin}

^{3-4 Tbsp chili powder}

^{2 tsp salt}

^{2 lg cans corn - no juice}

^{1 can (drained & rinsed) black beans}

^{4-5 cooked, shredded chicken breast}

^{Then, add sauteed ingredients, bring to a boil, simmer for 1 hour. Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro and tortilla chips of your choice! I halved the recipe, but even if you make this ginormous batch, it freezes and is delish!}

^{**Also, a time-saving trick, I cook the chicken breasts in the crockpot during the day. I throw the frozen breasts in and cook it on high for 4 hours. It flakes apart beautifully. In fact, you can do this to cook chicken for tacos, burritos, what’s that in your speedo and throw in a bit of seasoning at the end and you’re good to go. Easy peasy!}

twice- baked sweet potatoes

^Ingredients

14 sweet potatoes (each about 8 oz.)

½ c. sour cream

6 T butter, softened, plus 6 T cold butter

1 ¾ c. packed light brown sugar

4 tsp. fresh lemon juice

½ tsp. nutmeg

1-2 tsp. cinnamon

2/3 c. pecans, coarsely chopped

Marshmallows to top

Directions: Preheat oven to 400°. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork. Bake until soft, about 50 minutes. Let cool slightly on a rack.

Scoop out flesh, leaving a 1/2-inch border on skins. Put flesh in a medium nonreactive bowl, then transfer half to a food processor. Process until smooth; return to bowl. Stir in sour cream, 6 tablespoons softened butter, 1 cup brown sugar, lemon juice, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Transfer sweet potato mixture in batches to a pastry bag fitted with a very large round tip. Pipe mixture into 12 of the potato shells, dividing evenly; discard remaining 2 shells. Filled shells can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 day. Just before serving, top with remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar, the sliced butter, and pecans; arrange marshmallows on top. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet until hot and marshmallows are golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes.

OR…you can be lazy like me and just put them in a casserole dish to bake (I did about 40 minutes at 350 degrees after they’d been in the fridge overnight). They taste JUST AS GOOD and are hecka easier.

bacon wrapped pork loin

with cherries

Don’t let this one intimidate you, it’s easier than it looks!

^Ingredients

1 2-lb. piece boneless pork loin

½ tsp. ground allspice

Pepper

½ c. dried cherries, chopped

½ c. fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 T whole grain mustard

6 slices bacon

1 T currant jelly (I used cherry preserves this time around)

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season pork with allspice and ½ tsp. pepper, place on rimmed baking sheet.

In small bowl, combine cherries, parsley, and mustard. Spread evenly over pork. Lay bacon slices crosswise over pork, overlapping them slightly and tucking in the ends underneath. Roast for 45 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the jelly and vinegar. Brush over the bacon and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer registers 150 degrees, 10-15 minutes more. Let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.

To prepare and freeze remainder: (from Costco)

After covering pork with the cherry mixture and bacon, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, place in a large freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. To cook, thaw the pork overnight in the refrigerator. Gently pat pork dry with paper towels and follow the roasting and glazing instructions.

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In case any of you are curious as to how I fed my family this past week, I tell ya, I’m a blessed girl! Here was the plan from last week, and the changes in red below:

Monday – Meal Delivered

Tuesday – Butternut Squash Risotto, Chicken & Salad

Hubby picked up Rubio’s (‘cuz I was not fit to cook!)

Wednesday – Meal Delivered (but watch my blog for a new smoothie recipe!)

I DID get that up, check it!

Thursday – Dinner out for Polar Express!

Friday – Meal Delivered

Saturday – Butternut Squash Soup & Salad

A friend delivered home-made Turkey Noodle Soup!

Sunday – Meal Delivered

God made provisions where He knew I couldn’t handle it. =) Glee!

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If you’re STILL with me, kudos to you. Here’s an idea of what meal plannin’ will look like this week, ‘cuz I’m gonna have to whether I feel good or not, right?

Monday – Leftovers

Tuesday – Meal Delivered

Wednesday – Butternut Squash Risotto, Chicken & Salad

Thursday – Chard, Chicken & Potatoes

Friday – Spaghetti & Broccoli

Saturday – Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork Shoulder

(I know, I know, sounds advantageous, but it has bok choy in it, and we’re getting some in our Farm Fresh to You delivery!)

Sunday – Warm Fennel-and-Parmesan Dip, Chicken & Salad

Stay tuned to see how this week goes! =)