Monthly Roundup- Dec 2010

Hold me accountable.  I think it'd be great to do this every month.  Thanks Shannon for bringing it back to memory for me.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
I started "Power of a Praying Wife" for my goals for the year but didn't get it finished this month.  I've read several issues of "Sparkle World" and "Tinkerbell" while waiting for the kids' turn on the computer at the library.

What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month?
We watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", "Dora's Christmas Special", "Pooh's Christmas Special" and watched "The Nightmare Before Christmas" while wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve.  We also had a date night when we watched "Sex in the City 2".

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?
We visited the Clifton Mill lights display with our friends Jason & Fran and their boys as well as Evie and her daughter.  We also went to the Columbus Zoo lights display with my mom.
We also visisted my in-laws in Maryland following Christmas and visited our dear family friends in the process. Though a quick trip, it was nice to see them all.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
I was very happy to be able to fulfill my promise to my goddaughter and deliver a purple, crocheted blankie to her for Christmas in person this year.  I also enjoyed giving our annual family calendars to our relatives.  I received some very sweet gifts including a special ornament from a secret sister & several thoughtful gifts from my husband (a necklace, copy of The Artistic Mother, Josh Groban's New CD Illuminations to name a couple).  I also upped the balance on my Starbucks Gold card with some gift cards to my favorite indulgence.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
Booked our trip on the Disney Dream as a family vacation before my husband deploys.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
I'm still reacting very poorly to our move to this state and finally booked another appointment to discuss an allergy/skin rash/itch (fun, huh?) and got my very first root canal completed.  It will be followed quickly by #2 and#3 once the fiscal year resets as I maxed my benefit this year. :(  Oh, and we all had the stomach flu too which was awesome.

What were my accomplishments this month?
Completing the quilt for my friend Karen's baby.  Completing the Christmas shopping and preparations on schedule.

What were my disappointments this month?
I wasn't able to really get in to the Christmas spirit as I usually do.  I also wasn't able to participate in the local Jingle Bell 5K, but was able to maintain my weight this month.  I also didn't bake sugar cookies with the kids & didn't get as many craft projects completed as I would have liked.

How did I do on my goals for the month?
Pretty good, all things considered.

Anything else noteworthy to include?
I got back in to running, committed to running a half marathon, and completed my 2011 goals.

A week of recipes

I am happy to be home.  We've been busy since Christmas Eve and I am so happy to be spending tonight in my bed, with a pretty normal to-do list for tomorrow, but in complete denial that it's actually New Year's Eve!  I have a good amount to do between now and then.  But to start, I'm planning my trip to the grocery tomorrow.

Meals:
Friday: Turkey & Noodles (with leftovers from Thanksgiving- thanks freezer!)
Cheddar Cheese Fondue after the kids go to bed :)
Saturday: Pizza (from the freezer) possibly with friends
Sunday: Farewell Dinner out (bringing garlic bread & salad)
Monday: Pork & Cherries (recipe to come)
Tuesday: Santa Fe Crock Pot Chicken
Wednesday: Spaghetti with Homemade Tomato Sauce & Ground Beef
Thursday: Creamy Chicken Chili

So, what are your New Year's Eve plans???

Christmas Trimmings & Journal Your Christmas Sharing

I've been a tad lax in my journaling for Journal Your Christmas, just like everything else it seems I'm supposed to do "daily" this month.  Sigh.  Ah well, enjoy the sharing below!  Click the titles to see the credits at TwoPeas.  FYI, Jo Hanna's got all her kits 25% off this week at TwoPeas!

Previews of Kerry's new kits Christmas Trimmings Papers

& Christmas Trimmings Elements

Day 13

Day 19

Day 20

Hope

A new kit out from Wild Blueberry Ink available at Owl Tree Studios called Hope was released today.

It's a very versatile kit created in memory and appreciation for those who have battled cancer.  I used it to document my daughter getting rid of her pacifiers at age 2.

Be Strong

Also, WBI is hosting a CHAT tonight, 9pm at OTS and it's always worth the effort of popping by!

Menu Planning- Yippie!

Last week, the stomach flu hit our house and it took a few days before my stomach was ready to try regular foods again, so the result is some leftover meals from last week to this one.  Worse things have happened!

Sunday:  Dinner Out
Monday: Lentils and Beef
Tuesday: Skyline Chili at home
Wednesday: Fuss Free Ravioli and Cheese Bake
Thursday: Peppery Fish Chowder
Christmas Eve: Crescent Rolls with Nutella and Toffee Chips 
Pulled Pork and Scalloped Potatoes
Christmas Breakfast: Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
Sunday: Leftovers

Right now...

I found this little journaling type entry on another blog and modified it a bit but thought I'd share just a little snippet of today.

Right now outside... It's a bright morning with snow on the ground and clouds (the white fluffy kind) in the sky.

I am wearing...my pjs still.  And my husband's old Sigma Chi sweatshirt. :)


I am hearing...Dora and the kids chattering as they unwrap Candy Cane kisses for our fudge.

Tonight's family dinner...lentils and beef simmering in the crock pot.

Project for the week...Finish wrapping and complete 2 more projects for gifts.

On the nightstand...My Bible to catch up for Disciple this week and
The Power of the Praying Wife


I am thankful for...so many things...  most especially today my husband who loves us so much and that he does love what he's doing right now at work.  Even if it's requiring some adjustments from me.

In the classroom...School's out!

I'm praying for...Audrey, my pastor's granddaughter, who recently underwent her second round of chemo and first round of stem cell collection.  She was diagnosed before Thanksgiving with Stage 4 melanoma.  She's 5.  And Timothy who is receiving amazing care now at a new hospital and God's given his parents a place at the Ronald McDonald house to be close to him.

One of my favorite things...the first sip of a warm beverage.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Memories Template released today!

Hi All!
Another exciting new release day from Simply Kelly Designs.  She's got a great tree-template in her shop today.  Perfect for your holiday photos.  I chose to intersperse the still image parts of Christmas with photos of people I love the most, but you could do just your ornaments, just memories, heck even just circles punched from Christmas cards you receive if using as a paper template.  Enjoy & happy creating!
Christmas Moments Layered Template




And I'm having trouble with blogger and pics so this one is late, but better late than never! This time, her 2 page template called "Into Shape".  I chose to use the swirly part at the end as a photo and these are the first pages of our Disney Cruise to Europe.  These photos are all from Malta.

Non-edible Christmas Ornaments

I remember these!  The recipe came home with my preschooler on the newsletter for the month.  We'll tie them on packages for grandparents.

Makes about a dozen
1 c cinnamon
2 T Elmer's glue
3/4 c applesauce
1 T ground nutmeg
1 T ground cloves


Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl until it forms a ball (about 2-3 minutes).
Lightly sprinkle cinnamon on a counter top and roll out dough to 1/4" thick.
Use cookie cutters to make shapes & cut hole using a toothpick towards the top for hanging.
Dry in an oven on 200F for a few hours or in a sunny spot for 4-5 days.  When done, hang with ribbon.

Have fun!

Lentils with Beef

Lentils and Beef



1tsp onion powder
3 whole cloves 
6 cups water
1 pound lentils
2 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1 pound ground beef, browned 1/2 Cup ketcup
1/3 Cup molasses
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder

Into a large saucepan, put onion powder, cloves, water, lentils, salt, and bay leaf. Simmer for 30 minutes.

While lentils are simmering, in crockpot, combine rest of ingredients. Stir in simmered ingredients from saucepan. If needed, you can add additional water.

Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours or until lentils are tender. We like this over mashed potatoes.

Menu for the Week

Yeah, so this week, I discovered the brownie covered Oreos and confirmed they should NOT be made when you're the only adult in the house for the week.

Sunday- Frozen Ham and Spaghetti Bake
Monday- Pork Fried Rice (made with frozen leftovers)
Tuesday- Lentils with Beef and Mashed Potatoes
Wednesday- Skinny Fettucini Alfredo
Thursday- Sasha's Chicken Curry
Friday- Spicy Shredded Pork with macaroni & Cheese
Saturday-
Hosting a brunch, menu to include:
Sausage & Egg Casserole
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
Fruit Salad
Mimosas

Dinner: Peppery Fish Chowder

Journal Your Christmas...

Here's my page from yesterday.  I struggled on what photo to use but am happy with the end product.

Journal Your Christmas Day 6

Kit- It's Cold Out by DeCrow Designs

Template- Roadside Designs Freebie

Cluster- Ruth Melody Designs Freebie from MScraps

Why I love templates...

Seriously, 20 minutes.  How cute is this kit?  It's not the first one I'd grab to pair with a more "elegant" template but I had fun making this.  Hope you like it as much as I do... has me drooling for a cupcake!

SAS Cupcakes

Adorable kit new last week at TwoPeas by Lauren Reed: Yummers

template is from Tiffany Tillman- Storyteller 4 from Design House Digital

Menu Planning... back in the game

This week's menu is important for a few reasons...  it's a TDY menu, it's my recommittment to counting my calories again & well... I guess that's it.  Here goes:

Monday: Leftover truck stop biscuits over spelt bread (should be about 450 calories)
Tuesday: Dinner out with friends (will check menu online tonight so I can plan my calories tomorrow and allow myself to not feel guilty at dinner)
Wednesday: Beef & Cheese Burritos
Thursday: Tex Mex Calzones
Friday: Cheesy Chicken Cups
Saturday: Date Night- yay!  (If you're new to my blog, this is bedtime for the kids --> me + hubby + movie from netflix + wine + bread + cheese)  And it's the night I don't count calories
Sunday: Ham & Spaghetti Bake from Freezer

FWIW, I always end up with something that just doesn't get made.  Last week, it was the pork fried rice, so I'm freezing the pork to be used for next week.  Two weeks ago, it was my friend Megan's casserole.  Does that happen to you, too?

Journaling Your Christmas... Catch up

for the blog anyway...  I am caught up, but here's the 3 pages you're owed. ;)  If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out Shimelle's Site for details.

All templates are from the generous designer at Roadside Designs.

Kit: Dec Collab from Owl Tree Studios

Kit: Dec Collab from Owl Tree Studios

Kit- It's Cold by DeCrow Designs

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week!

Pumpkin Bread with Streusel

I love this recipe from the Pioneer Woman for two reasons...  it's delicious and it makes two.  It also freezes beautifully.  I thawed one for a party and you'd never know I hadn't baked it that day.  I did make a few modifications.  My recipe is below:

Steusel Topped Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
•¾ cups Butter, Softened
•¾ cups Granulated Sugar
•¾ cups Dark Brown Sugar
•1 teaspoon Vanilla
•4 whole Eggs
•2-½ cups Pumpkin Puree
•1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
•1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
•3 teaspoons Baking Powder
•¾ teaspoons Baking Soda
•1 teaspoon Salt
•1-½ teaspoon Cinnamon
•¼ teaspoons Ground Ginger
•¼ teaspoons Allspice
•¼ teaspoons Grated Nutmeg
•½ cups plain or vanilla yogurt
_____


•FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING:
•¼ cups Butter, Softened
•½ cups Brown Sugar
•¼ cups Oatmeal
•¼ cups All-purpose Flour
•1 teaspoon Cinnamon
•3 Tablespoons Ground Flax Seed
•¼ cups Chopped Pecans (optional)


Baking Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350º F. Grease and flour the bottom of two 8″ loaf pans. To make the topping, mix together all the topping ingredients using a fork or pastry cutter until combined thoroughly.


In a large bowl or mixer, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated. Stir in pumpkin puree.

In a separate bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, nutmeg and cardamom. Whisk together until no lumps remain. Add half of the flour mix to the pumpkin mix, blending well. Beat in yogurt. Add remaining flour mix and beat lightly until smooth.

Pour batter evenly into the two prepared 8″ pans. Cover each with half of the topping mix. Bake at 350º F for 70-80 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Slice and enjoy.

Journaling Your Christmas

I don't make this stuff up...  I pay more organized people than myself to hold my hand and lead me through it, which Shimelle does every Advent season since last year. ;)  You pay her once and she's generous enough to let you participate every.year. in the class.

I also love blogs because on blogs designers give away free stuff.  Like Roadside Designs who is giving away a template a day.

So with their cute templates & Shimelle's direction (adding in this adorable kit from Torta Gialla Designs who I'm 99% sure just created it because she knew somehow that I truly adore penguins & some word art by Karla Dudley in Handwritten You) and bam.  I'm journaling my Christmas.

Journaling my Christmas...

It's an awesome class done by Shimelle each year.  Pay once and you can do your Christmas every year.  I did it last year and had a wonderful memory book of our last December in our old home...  *sniff*


So here is my manifesto for this year:
Manifesto 2010

Credits:
Template from Roaside Designs (blog freebie- daily in Dec)
Kit- Torta Gialla Winter Love from Owl Tree Studio

A fabulous template out & on sale today!

Need a layout to feature all the holiday pictures we snap?  Or an event layout (birthday, etc)?  Check out the newest template from Simply Kelly Designs

15 Photo Template
Here's what I created with it...

Credits:

Simply Kelly Designs 15 Photo Template
Velvet Papers by Simply Kelly Designs- Blog Freebie!

Kit- Christmas joy by Ettes Design

Fonts:

Title- CK Becky & Brotbuttier

Journaling- Hero

(All free)



Truck Stop Biscuits

So, the holidays are coming and that means good food, cold weather and the means for weight gain...  Sigh.  I'm trying to be proactive.  Going back to my calorie-counting recipes, stopping eating after 7pm (including calories from drinks) and no wine during the week.  In going through my menu, I came across this recipe which I apparently have never posted, so here it is:

Truck Stop Biscuits
Serves: About 5, 1 cup servings

Ingredients:
1 (7.5-ounce) Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits
8 ounces ground beef - I like the Simple ones which are 100 calories each
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 1/2 cups skim milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 (8 oz.) pkg. low fat cream cheese


Directions:
Bake biscuits according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet sprayed with butter-flavored cooking spray, brown meat. Add spices.
In a covered jar, combine skim milk and flour. Shake well. Pour milk mixture into skillet with browned meat. Add cream cheese. Continue cooking, stirring often, until mixture thickens and cream cheese melts. Spoon gravy over biscuits.
NI for gravy: Calories: 279.9 Total Fat: 16.7 g Cholesterol: 60.5 mg Sodium: 334.0 mg Total Carbs: 14.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.3 g Protein: 17.5 g

We'll also be signing up to run a Jingle Bell 5K in the area as well and looking towards events in January to participate in to stay motivated.  What are your tips for keeping fit during the holidays?

Menu Planning for this week

It was a wonderful weekend for our family.  I pray it was for yours as well.  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and a special guest here in our home, then had some fun on Black Friday, put up our tree and finished with a wonderful message Sunday morning.

So, here's my plan to keep us on track this week:

Monday: Baked Spaghetti

Tuesday: 3 Packet Chicken and Polenta

Wednesday: Pork Tenderloin
Thursday: Truck Stop Biscuits
Friday: Pork Fried Rice (leftovers from Pork Tenderloin)
Saturday: no meal needed
Sunday: Leftovers

For lunches this week, we'll be working through the Thanksgiving leftovers. :)

Have a great week!

Reuse those Holiday Cards...

I unpacked all our Christmas decorations this past weekend following the Black Friday madness that was Target.  And stumbled upon a large, rubber banded stack of Christmas cards received in 2009.  I went through them, setting aside the photo cards from the cards with graphic fronts and thought of what to do with the later.

Then it hit me. 

Gift tags.

Supplies:
Holiday cards
Circle punch (square would work too, really anything- be creative)
Scissors
Hole punch
To/From tag- optional
Stamp Pad- optional
Ribbon

I punched out particularly nice areas of the card and then stamped the "To/From" (from the $1 bin at Michaels', by the way) and hole punched the top so I can easily add them to each package using curling ribbon.  Or you could omit the punch and just tape them on.

Have fun! 

What are some green ways you celebrate the holiday/advent season?

Have a blessed Thanksgiving... and Remember...

to keep in your prayers a safe day for those deployed servicemembers.

I remember when my husband was gone for our first Thanksgiving as a married couple to Iraq.  I was asked over the course of the weeks leading up to both Thanksgiving and Christmas innocent enough questions of "Will he get to come home for the holidays?"

The war(s) and defense of our nation do not stop because our enemies respect our holidays and traditions.  Our men and women miss holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, births of children and all the moments of daily life that we so often take for granted.  A first day of school, a first baseball game, the first broken arm.  So much.  Yet they almost always just nod and walk away uncomfortably when someone stops to say "Thank You".  They don't ask for recognition or praise.  They're just doing what they're lead to do...  And for that, I'm thankful to them (including my wonderful husband who ALWAYS puts our family first when given a choice) and their families.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ~

Christmas Cards- ordered!

Thanks to Shutterfly's ability to upload complete digiscrapped images for printing.  I used Jen Markatis's Deck the Halls from TwoPeasinaBucket.

4x8 Photo Card Print Your 4X8 Photo Card

Unique party invitations and greeting cards by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Menu Planning

So, for some inspiration this week, I popped over the the blog I post about meal planning on: I'm an Organizing Junkie and perused her menu from last week.  Definitely stealing a couple of those ideas!

Sunday: Crock Pot Honey Glazed Ham with mac & cheese
Monday: Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Couscous and Broccoli
Tuesday: Spaghetti Ham Bake
Wednesday: Ordering out Pizza or leftovers- a break during turkey day prep!
Thursday: We are responsible for: turkey, scalloped potatoes and corn casserole
Friday: Wild Rice & Turkey Soup (made with leftover turkey)
Saturday: Mexican Casserole ala Megan

What are your plans?  Hosting, traveling, volunteering? How will you spend Thanksgiving? 

And will I see you in line on Black Friday? ;)

Reflections

Some of you know me well enough to know the community I grew up in... rode my bike around...  walked to the post office to pick our mail up everyday... and the woods I hiked around while visiting my step-dad was shaken to the core this week.  I'm still in mourning for the lives lost and the senselessness of it all.  And the one survivor whose ordeal we will never understand.

I was also shaken by the realization that with it being dark out, being a mother (and having children to distract me during my every task), I am a target.

My kids gymnastics center was offering a free women's self defense course put on by a new dojo opening in 2011 and I thought "Thanks God.  I don't need another sign except this one staring at me right now."  So, I went.  I am so, so glad I did.  I'll be honest, it wasn't easy.  When I punched and acted through every scenario, I wanted to apologize profusely to the nice young men who were helping us by volunteering their time and bodies so that we could learn how to be better equiped at protecting ourselves and our families.  They challenged us to think ahead of time- what would I be willing to do to get home safe?  Who depends on me to do so?  And reiterated...  I AM worth fighting for.

We had a nice family day of just normal activities so I took the chance to journal about my day in a scrap page and also participate in my own challenge this week over at TwoPeasinaBucket.  My husband snapped a couple of pictures before we headed in to a birthday party and I used one in my layout. Click the title to see full credits.

Thanks for listening...  and to add the families hurting from these senseless murders in your prayers tonight.  We can't know God's plans but we can ask His healing for those in pain.

Reflection

Exciting News!

I love getting exciting news from the digicommunity.

Owl Tree Studio is now offering kits individually.  I've been saying membership to the site is a great way to go, but here's an example of why.  Each full kit is priced around $5.  Every month for a flat fee of $10, you get 5 kits.  See the math?  That doesn't even count all the freebies, extras and quick pages offered up to members too.

And the REALLY exciting part?  See the details here about winning $10 to use in the store!  All by helping spread the news...


Here's a layout I did about a concert in the park with my kids this summer using Felicity by Wild Blueberry Ink.

So go spread the news!

New Template- perfect for holidays!

You can seriously do so much with the latest template release from Simply Kelly Designs!  I used it along with her freebie "Power of Pixels". 

Circle of Memories

It's 30% off right now- go ahead.  You KNOW you'll start taking tons of photos next week through New Year's and having a fast way to scrap them will be fabulous.



Menu Planning

Menu planning for the week ahea-

It's a busy one... lots of evening activities which isn't something our family does much.  So earlier dinners with easy clean up was my goal:
Monday- Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Tuesday- Leftovers (husband has dinner out)
Wednesday- Asian Crock Pot Chicken
Thurday- Crock Pot Lasagna
Friday- Chicken Curry
Saturday: Megan's Red Pepper Soup
Sunday: French Dip Subs with parm zucchini rounds

I willl be asking my husband to make breakfast this weekend & requesting these Pumpkin Donut Muffins! Yum!

Simply Fabulous Templates by Simply Kelly Designs

I love working with designers.  Not only do they give me the benefit of using their products for my scrapping, but they understand that sometimes life just doesn't go as planned... and well...  it's life. :P

So, here are is my layout for Kelly's latest layered template.  I get asked ALL the time how difficult or complicated digital scrapping is, how you do it, and it's very hard to really explain.  But it's easy to see how having someone do the laying out of where things go, matching sizes of shapes, determining text paths for you before you even sit down to scrap yourself can be a time saver.  Simply clip your papers to the blocks as they're outlined and you've got a layout in a few minutes. The kit I used to make this was the awesome freebie available from the Blog Hop from Design House Digital last weekend.

Don't forget the blog hop that Kelly's participating in here. 

Along a Curve Template 

Blog Hop with Simply Kelly Designs

Hop Along Here!



It's Tuesday... and that means...

Another fabulous set of releases from the designers at TwoPeas!

My first work is using Jo Hanna's new kit Vanilla Sky.

Love



I really can't say how much I am enjoying being a part of the CT there at TwoPeas.  It's a lot of talent and I was really happy to be asked to guest during the call earlier this fall. 

Back to Menu Planning...

Monday:  Chicken Parm Sandwiches
Tuesday: Baked Potato with Chili & Cheddar cheese
Wednesday: Herb Baked Chicken with Mashed Potatoes
Thurday: Spaghetti Carbonara
Friday: Penne with Tomato Sauce
Saturday: None needed
Sunday: Open House with refreshments- order pizza after

Gratitude 2010- Days 3-5

Same credits...  Enjoy.  Oh and the second one?  Yup, that's a quilt I finished last night :)

Guest Who!

is guesting on the Creative Team over at TwoPeasinaBucket for November? :)

Here's my first layout as park of this awesome team of ladies.  Truly, what a treat to be asked. 
Using new kits this week from Polka Dot Pixels (Family Day) and Edeline Marta (Snap it Templates) this layout went together SO easily!  What great kits to pick up while the ENTIRE DIGI STORE AT TWOPEAS IS 25% OFF!

Lovely Day

Thanks for looking :)

Gratitude- Day 2

Once complete, they will be bound and printed at Shutterfly. 

Day 2:  Friendships

All layouts are using the November Collaboration Kit from Owl Tree Studio & the Date it labels from Wild Blueberry Ink from October's offerings at OTS.

Pizza Balls

Awesome recipe posted by a friend of mine that works well for packing in lunches and is a great "let the kids help" type of meal.  I used mini pepperoni on mine, but obviously you can use whatever you have/want.

Pizza Balls
Ingredients

Pizza Dough:
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105*-115*)
1 1/4 c unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
2T olive oil
2T honey
1 tsp salt

Filling
mozzarella cheese
pepperoni and any other fillings you'd like
marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.  You can make your own using tomato sauce (the kind that already has basil, oregano and garlic in it is an easy start), pizza seasoning and maybe a pinch of sugar.
parmesan cheese
olive oil
pizza or italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 400*.

Dissolve yeast in warm water in medium bowl.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Beat vigourously 20 strokes.  Let rest at least five minutes.

Roll dough out into a rectangle on a lightly dusted surface.  Using your pizza cutter, cut the dough into squares (mine made about 15-16).  Place your fillings and cheese in the middle of each square then fold them in until a little pouch is formed.  Don't worry about putting sauce in the balls, you'll dip them in it instead.  Place the dough ball into a lightly greased pie pan seam side down leaving a little space between each ball (they will continue to rise a bit).

Once all of your dough balls are in the pie pan brush the top with olive oil and then sprinkle with parmesan cheese and pizza seasoning. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until tops are light golden brown.  Let cool a bit and then enjoy!

Gratitude Project

It's a combination of things really...  combining the idea of the December Daily projects with the 30 days of Gratitude post I saw late last month.  So these simple pages (after all, when we think about counting our blessings, it almost always goes back to being thankful for the small, simple things, yet those are what we always forget in the hustle and bustle of our days) will be combined for a finished bound book when I'm done.  Each one will have a Bible verse about Thankfulness or Gratitude.

And of course, you'll forgive me for being a tad tardy in posting Day 1.  It's another TDY week.

Kit is from the November Collab from Owl Tree Studio

Oh and my menu for this week?  It's leftovers...  I think my fridge is seriously full of them.

November Releases are AMAZING

over at Owl Tree Studio

At 9pm EST, there will be a chat with designer of the month Karla Dudley.

Her stuff is seriously gorgeous.  And her kit "Be You" is no exception.  Here's what I created with it this month:

I also used it to create the cover for my son's annual book-

 Don't forget to join us TONIGHT at 9pm.  Be there or... well... ya know ;)

Creole Beef Casserole

Adapted from Simple & Delicious
November 2010

Creole Beef Casserole
Serves: 8-12

Ingredients:
1 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups light sour cream
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (30 oz) package frozen hash browns
2 cups cheddar cheese
1 lb ground beef (original calls for 1.5 lbs but I always cut back)
1 cup ketchup
1/4 c packed brown sugar
3 tsp Creole seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 c crushed cornflakes
1/4 c melted butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
In a skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat until the pink is gone.  Drain.
While beef is browning, in a large bowl, combine hashbrowns, onion powder, soup, cheese and sour cream.  Mix.  Turn in to a greased 9x13 baking dish.
Add the ketchup, brown sugar and remaining seasonings to the beef.  Spoon on top of potatoes in baking dish.
Top with combination of cornflakes and butter.
Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.

I think you could easily freeze this by allowing the beef to cool, then adding it to the top of the potatoes. You'd add the topping right before cooking. 

Maple Pretzel Chicken

I married a Vermonter. 
This means I now carry maple syrup with me to restaurants who are known to not have the "real stuff".
And that the jug of it currently in my fridge has some small portion of sap from the trees that are on the family's property up north.
And that any recipe that crosses my path including "maple syrup" needs to be tested.

It's easy to see why this one works- the nice combo of salty and sweet.  And the kids enjoyed helping me crush the pretzels up to use in the recipe, not to mention getting seconds of it for dinner.

Maple Pretzel Chicken
From Taste of Home Simple & Delicious Nov 2010

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 oz each)
1 egg
1/2 cup maple syrup
1-1/2 cup crushed pretzels

Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray and preheat oven to 375.
Mix together the egg and syrup in a small shallow bowl.  Place pretzels in another.
Dredge chicken through syrup/egg mixture then coat with pretzels and place in baking dish.
Bake until internal temp reads 190 degrees (about 40 minutes).

The original recipe calls for you to flatten the chicken, then fry stop top but I didn't want to do that- more dishes to clean up and this usually turns out just as nicely.

We served with mashed potatoes.