Caesar Salad in a Cup

Happy Tuesday!  Hope you are all having a good start to the new week.

Our week started off with a day/night with our nephew and nieces.  Our guest room was filled with three little girls and their favorite pillows, blankies and stuffed animals.  The boys were last to hit the hay...but I must say that I peeked in on all of them several times just to take it all in.  We enjoyed them so much!
You just forget how little ones are so excited about the simple things like waffles, favorite syrups and mounds of whipped cream for breakfast... tiny tea cups and lemonade mixed with orange juice, hanging Christmas bulbs and snow globe night lights and window seats!

Since we are all about simple I decided to post this again.

It is one of my favorite, quick go-to's when I have little time, but want to add a fun element to a meal.


Caesar Salad in a Cup

1.  Wash and dry Romaine leaves.

2.  Place several leaves in the bottom of a cup, standing straight up.  Kinda like a bouquet of  flowers. Be sure to have the bottom of the leaves at the bottom of the cup and the pretty, curly edges at the top.

3.  Sprinkle a few croutons around..

4.  Pour Caesar salad dressing into a condiment cup and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese.

Variations:  These can also be served in clay pots, a bowl lined with colored parchment paper or wax paper, little pails tied with a bell, a juice glass etc.

The best part about this?  Your guests get to eat their salad with their hands!  This is one sure way to get your kiddies to eat their greens, too!

ENJOY!

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A Simple Christmas List

Christmas should be simple...but how many of us have wiped our brow and moaned a "whew" on December 26th...knowing full well New Years is still to be had?
We become irritable and overwhelmed with finding new spots for newly acquired gifts, and our children can be equally as cranky feeling frustrated with being asked to pick up their things when clearly there is no room for more stuff.
When our children were still very small, we had decided {Yes, we were the parents and we took full advantage of this privilege} that Christmas was going to be kept as simple as possible.  We wanted to do special things together as a family, with friends and for others.
What we decided to do was simple, do-able, and fun...and it allowed us to keep our focus on the birth of baby Jesus which is why we were celebrating in the first place.
We have followed this every.single.year and it works.  The nice thing about the "GIFT LIST" is that it works with any budget.  Just be sure to have your kiddies include several ideas within each category so that they have no idea of what they are getting.


Simple Christmas Gift List:

1.  Something to read...I Spy was on THE LIST a couple of years in a row!

2.  Something to play with...sometimes the kiddies would coordinate with Build-a Bear toys...

3.  Something to wear...this was a favorite during high school years!

4. Something they wanted...dolls, guns, beads, beanie babies, pocket knives etc.

5.  Something they needed...like new jammies and socks

This made it easy for our children and even easier for us!

Our Holiday breakfast...Friday morning after Thanksgiving...was the first gift of the season which was a special ornament depicting something of importance from the last year.  This was always my favorite thing to shop for as it was a real challenge to be super creative in finding the perfect ornament!

We would also buy a family gift...it was usually a new card game, a bowling trip for the family, a night out to our favorite restaurant, maybe a new Veggie Tales movie, sleds etc.  There was no rhyme or reason to this...just something that we knew we would all love to do together!

I LOVED keeping Christmas as simple as possible and loved that our children knew what Christmas was all about.

Tucking our children in at night, with their rooms glowing from their own little trees is a memory I will forever cherish...but hearing them sing "Happy Birthday, Jesus" with their little voices was to me...a small glimpse of heaven  on this earth.  That song still makes me cry! It makes me long for simplicity and the the reminder of why we should keep things focused on the precious son of God who we are celebrating.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

These stockings are special because the same lady that made my hubby his stocking when he was little made the exact same ones for our littles!  Stockings with a story...

A very favorite Christmas book!

Look at our beautiful babes!!!

A cake plate, fresh cedar branches, 4 glass votive holders and one white pillar candle=a simple ADVENT centerpiece!

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Potato Soup

Warm, cozy nights are my favorite.  Nothing like a warm home and hot soup to soothe the soul.

Whether it is just YOU and maybe a little pet or a home full of family and friends, one thing is certain...you simply can not go wrong with a soup dinner...and maybe holiday cookies for members of the "clean plate club".  Who am I kidding?  Cookies for all...after all it is Christmas time!!

Potato Soup

1 cup butter

1 cup flour

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, pressed or minced {optional} or 1/2 teaspoon dry granulated garlic

4 cups milk

4 cups half and half

4 cups baby red potatoes, cut  into bite-sized cubes

½ cup white wine {we use Charles Shaw}

2 ½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon paprika

Directions:

*Cook potatoes in salted water until fork-tender…about 10 minutes.  Drain potatoes and let sit until you are ready to add them into the soup.

*In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and sautee onions until tender and add the garlic.

*Add the flour and stir away while cooking.  DO NOT let this burn.  Only cook for about a minute.

*Add in half and half and milk and whisk.  Let the soup start to bubble and add in potatoes, wine and spices.

*Let soup cook on super low so that it does not stick to the bottom and burn.

My favorite way to serve this is at a dinner party is to go ahead and ladle it into soup bowls, top it with chopped green onions and shredded cheddar cheese, place them on a baking sheet and bake at 350* until bubbly.  Your guests will love this!

Serve with a sparkling apple juice, fresh crusty bread, a green salad, and don’t forget the toppings!

Just pretend it is a baked potato and top it like you like!  Maybe sour cream, green onions, bacon {YUCK!}, and shredded cheddar cheese!

ENJOY!


Shared with:  stone gable

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Iced Molasses Cookies

Here is another cookie recipe from the archives.

Sometimes inviting company over for a meal can seem overwhelming...what about inviting a few friends for tea and cookies and maybe a few cheese and crackers?  You will be glad you did!!!

I hope that this Christmas season will be a time of JOY as you reflect on the birth of Jesus. It is this baby that changed the course of History in offering us hope for eternal life!


Iced MOLASSES COOKIES


Cream Together:

¾ cup butter, softened

1 cup organic sugar

Add:

¼ cup Brer Rabbit Molasses {unsulphured, mild flavor}

1 egg

Stir together and add to molasses mix:

3 cups flour{or 2 cups flour + 1 cup bread flour}

2 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. sea salt salt

1 tsp. each of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves

*Mix well

*Roll dough into balls...about the size of a golf ball

*Roll balls in organic sugar

*Place sugared dough balls on SILPAT or onto parchment lined baking sheets

*Bake for 10 minutes @ 375* or until cookies start to "crack". Let sit for a few minutes.  These are best under baked a bit so they stay soft and chewy!



Makes about 16 cookies.

Once cookies are cooled, melt white chocolate or candy discs and drizzle over cookies and sprinkle with coarse sanding sugar.



Enjoy!

Usually organic sugar is optional, but in this recipe it makes them oh.so.good!




"Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting Light, the hopes and fears of all the years, are met in Thee tonight."



Shared with:  Titus2sday

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Scott's Firehouse Peppermint Ice Cream

From the ARCHIVES...

I am the luckiest ducky in the world because my hubby is one fantastic cook and he teaches me things all of the time. I am his "official taste tester" and he is mine! {Amongst other friends and neighbors}.

Last night, he finally perfected his Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream. TO.DIE.FOR. and the best part about it is that he is sharing it with all of you. Now, we are all lucky little duckies {even though I don't believe in LUCK!}

Thank you, Honey, for workin' on it until you got it "right"! Such the sweetie you are!!!

Here is a fun idea for Christmas gifts or for entertaining during the Holidays. This is great because it can all be made up ahead of time. When dessert time rolls around, all you need to do is to pull out your tray of Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream containers. You may want to make two different sizes. The good news is there is no mess {YAY!} and no clean-up...EVEN BETTER!  If they are too full, they can take it home!

Your guests will feel completely pampered and pleasantly full!

Scott's Firehouse Peppermint Ice Cream

Scott Pearson



INGREDIENTS:

2-1/2 cups milk

2-1/2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2-1/2 cups half & half

1-1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp. TORANI PEPPERMINT SYRUP or MONIN

5 cups whipping cream

2 cups crushed peppermint candies


DIRECTIONS:

• Heat milk until bubbles form around pan.

• Remove milk from heat

• Add sugar and salt, stir until dissolved.

• Stir in remaining ingredients.

• Place into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions.{BUNNY FOO FOO!}

****This recipe makes 5 quarts of ice cream******

This is such a versatile recipe! Eventually you will come up with your own variations.

Another yummy option: Skip the peppermint candies and fold in two rows of Trader Joe's Candy Candy Joe Joe's, chopped...or if you really want to have a sugar coma, go ahead and roughly chop the whole entire box of chocolate cookies. Just FOLD in the cookies after the ice cream has already been made! This is hubby's secret!




Packaging Ideas:

As soon as the ice cream is made. Pour into whatever containers you plan on gifting and place in freezer until needed.

Simply place four embellished containers in a Take-Out drink carrier {My friends and family collect these for me year-round! THANK YOU!}

Placed cedar clippings around the containers and attached a sweet little label with the family's initial to a branch. That is it!


What are some ideas you have for Christmas this year?





JUST BECAUSE I HAVE TO SHOW OFF MY VERY SWEET DOGGIE...





Shared with:  Stone Gable

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Christmas Snow Globes

After seeing snow globes at Anthropologie last year and again on my friend Diana's blog, I decided to make a few...using Dollar Store supplies and leftover canning jars from the wedding this last summer.

My one little problem was that the globes needed a bit of light in them...so, I bought flameless candles and it was perfect!

They are super easy and take minutes to make!

Here is a "how to" for YOU!

Aside from the canning jars, which our Dollar Store also carries, everything was purchased there.  However you may  have the other supplies at home already.

Supplies you will need:

One 3- pack Dollar Store flameless candles

One 2- pack of Dollar Store bottle brush trees

1 Dollar Store spray bottle of snow in a can

1 Dollar Store small box of Epsom salt

Two canning jars OR two cheese shakers 

Ribbon, twine, string or jute

glue gun and glue sticks

Directions:

1. Take your cheese shaker or canning jar and HOT GLUE your little bottle brush tree into the bottom of the jar.  DO NOT spray the snow first as it is super greasy and your glue will do the slip-n-slide and will not stick to the bottom.  Trial and error.  :}

2.  Glue your flameless candle to the top of the shaker.  Make sure the on/off switch is under a hole so that you can turn it on or off with the help of a toothpick. :}

3.  Shake the can o' snow really good and then spray it just a bit with the nozzle pointed toward the bottom. You just want a tad bit so that you can still see your little flocked tree.

4.  Pour a bit of Epsom salt in the bottom.  I like the Epsom salt instead of fake snow...because it LOOKS like sugar and it actually glistens just like real snow when light reflects off of it.

5.  Take your ribbon, twine, string or jute and knot the ribbon evenly through a hole on both sides so that it is nice and sturdy and will hang straight.  This way it will not shatter into a million pieces once it is hung.

6.  Screw on the lid and hang with care!

If you are using a canning jar, punch a couple of holes in the lid and hot glue the flameless candle so that you can easily turn the light on and off with a toothpick or fork tine.

OOOPS...I totally forgot the ring on the jar.  You get the idea.

These are darling hanging from the ceiling, on the windowsill, perched on chunky candle holders, nestled in a basket with greens and winter berries.  The possibilities are endless!  I put one on a cake stand in the bathroom and it is adorable!  Lamp posts would also be fun if you aren't into bottle brush trees.

I know...blah blah blah, but one more thing.  I put them down our dining room table without our dining table light on and they are very classy looking.  Just right for a Christmas dinner party as they make your table glow.  They are not too fussy or too tall to distract from dinner conversation.  Okay.  I think I have exhausted this topic of conversation by now!!!

Have fun creating your very own!

When we have grandbabies, I think they will need these little Christmas globes for night lights...what do you think???

Shared with:  Stone Gable, http://time-warp-wife.blogspot.com/Titus2sday, see vanessa craft

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Scott's Firehouse Crock Pot Steak Fajitas

Okay, girls...this is a winner!
If ever there was the perfect recipe for feeding a crowd on a budget and when you are short on TIME, almost an order too tall to fill...this is it!
It takes minutes to make and it is divine.
My hubby combined his original recipe with YVONNE from Stone Gable's recipe and it is to.die.for!  Coming from a "happy without meat vegetarian wanna-be"...this is my favorite way to eat red meat!!!

Steak Fajitas

1 cup MEDIUM prepared salsa

1/4 cup deli sliced jalapeno peppers

3 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed

juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon molasses

1 tablespoon liquid smoke

1 squirt of ketchup

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 large yellow onions, peeled, cut into half and then sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 yellow pepper, sliced

1 orange pepper, sliced...any combo of peppers, really.  Whatever you do:  DO NOT USE GREEN PEPPERS.  Trust me.  {nastiness!!}

3 pounds Carne Asada

Directions:

*Combine salsa, peppers, garlic, lime, molasses, liquid smoke, ketchup, salt and pepper together.

*Place Carne Asada in the bottom of your crock pot.

*Cover with sauce.

*Make sure meat is covered in sauce.  Make sure the sauce is on the the bottom, too.

*Place onion and pepper slices on top.

*Put the lid on and cook on high for 6 hours...or until meat is falling apart.

*Ladle into a warmed bowl and enjoy!

Don't forget the tortillas, beans, cheese, sour cream, and hot sauce.

I made a large pot of rice and skipped the fajitas and made a stacki upi.  This is perfect for those with food allergies as they are able to top it with what they may have or for those picky eaters that don't like certain things!  Not that we have any of those in our family.  :}

To make this even easier, I cut the peppers and onions up the night before while I was cutting veggies for a salad...and just put it in a large bag so that I could just toss it in the crock pot.

****BLOGGER is no longer letting me add pictures.  Sorry about that.  My hubby will need to help me figure this out.

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