Sunday School Christmas Program

Ready for the Sunday School Christmas program. Crazy that we only have one left in Sunday school. Next year Jean will be in confirmation.

Danny Turns 17

Dan the Man turns 17! Happy Birthday Danny!

Pork Carnitas

 

 

Pork Carnitas

I made these tonight and we ate them in soft tortillas with taco toppings......cheese, lettuce, tomato and sour cream. They were delicious. This is going on my rotation of meals! Click on the Pork Carnitas to get to the website and recipe.

Back to Meal Planning

I got back to meal planning this week. It feels good during this busy time to not have to try figure out what we are going to eat each afternoon! 

I also had been reading about recipe etiquette. Bloggers and food sites love when you share their recipes but they would like you to link them instead of type them out. They like sharing but not only would they like people to give them the credit but they especially would like people to visit their websites. It works for me as it's a lot easier linking than typing out the whole recipe if I don't already have it on my computer. That said, being a foody and love collecting recipes, I don't always remember where recipes originally come from. Especially if I've been using it for years. Recently I've been trying to note where I get a recipe from when I add them to my recipe list on my computer.

Thursday - Grilled pork chops with seasoning from the Minnesota Pork Producers, Garlic Red skin potatoes, Zesty Broccoli
 
 Friday - Maple Salmon page 182 in family cookbook, Rice Pilaf page 92 in family cookbook and green beans
Saturday - Berry Stuffed French Toast and bacon
Sunday - Pick up pizza
Monday - Asparagus and Parmesan Pasta Toss p. 85 in family cookbook
Tuesday - Pork Carnitas 
Wednesday - Baked Chicken, Crash Potatoes and corn

Post Road Vintage Giveaway

If you want to get in on a great giveaway, go to this blog Post Road Vintage.

Danny's Hunt

Danny went out to scout for his big brother Saturday. I asked him if he saw anything. He said he "saw a whitetail deer." He didn't know if it had horns or not as he only saw the "whitetail."

Creatively Made Home e-class

I have been working on some projects. This is my latest. I may distress it or patina it. 

I am taking an online e-class. Creatively Made Home I did get a "button" that I could put on my sidebar but I don't know how. This class is phenomenal!!! I was lucky enough to win it in a give away from Post Road Vintage  but it is worth every bit of the $58 for the class. It is taught by five fun designers, (hosted by Jeanne Oliver)
Jeanne Oliver
Kimberly Taylor 
Jennifer Rizzo 
Tracey Leber 
Sara Ducket
There are so many things I want to do with my home but have just been feeling overwhelmed and didn't know where to start. This class has given me direction, helped me find "my style" and has inspired me to get started. This bench was one of my first little projects. It had the heart stencils from the 80's. It still has the heart cut out of the sides but I can't fix that. I also painted my bathroom vanity. I need to pick flooring, hopefully soon. I also painted one of the empty bedrooms to make into a sitting room. 

You can still join this class. It is five weeks of videos, information, tips, projects, ideas......You watch them at your leisure and they will be up until April. If you need to get inspired, check it out!  
 

Day #17 Hat

This might be kind of weird but I find it kind of comforting. This is my father-in-law's hat and scarf. When he passed away almost 26 years ago, we got this desk he had made. In the drawer was his hat and scarf. There they still are today.

Day #16 broom

As far as I'm concerned, there is only one broom. That is the Stanley Slim Line. If you need a resource, contact Avis S. She can get you one.

Day #15 Black and White

I don't know if my camera has a black and white feature. I so enjoy reading the black and white from any number of books!

Day #14 In the Kitchen

I found this jar at The Salvation Army last week. Molly went out in the yard and found the Mums and greenery to put in them. I think it is pretty although it almost looks Christmasy.

Day #11 Something You Do Every Day

I make my bed every day. I like to crawl into a fresh made bed at night.

Day #10 Sky

Nothing prettier than a fall blue sky.

Menu Planning Week #5

Thursday - picked up chicken fried rice and Gus' bread sticks
Friday - Ham, cheesy potatoes, green beans
Saturday - Grilled Pork Chops, Seasoned Mashed Potatoes, broccoli
Sunday - Picked up pizza
Monday - Leftover Beef Stew from freezer
Tuesday - BBQ Chicken Legs, Garlic Roasted Red Skins, Corn
Wednesday - Spaghetti, Garlic Bread

Day # 9 A Smell you Adore

Chocolate, garlic, newborns.......... this chocolate is the safest and less fattening way to enjoy this smell!

Day # 8 Street Light at Night

Okay, I'm trying to catch up on the photo challenge. Even if they aren't in order. I don't go out at night if I can help it. So this is my street light at night.

Day #6 12 Noon

I picked up this watch at a garage sale. Sometimes it's just not convenient to pull out your phone for the time.

Day # 7 Round

I have been doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred. But I love the "ball" exercises and may do these a day or two a week for variety.

Day #5 Signage

This sign is so, so exciting!

Day #4 Photo Challenge Your Handwriting

I guess I never use cursive. I print/write. Do they still teach cursive in the schools?

Day #3 Harvest Photo Challenge

I love all the different shape and colored gourds available. I got these at a garage sale, 10 for $1.

And It's Gone

He finally did it. The Dad has been threatening for years to take down the pool. I finally agreed with him after this summer. It simply does not get used. I think the two kids home here, swam in it about 10-15 days the.whole.summer. They aren't thrilled as you can see by the (blurry) look on Danny's face. Although, Danny did tell me later that evening, "I don't care that the pool is down. I'm just going to ignore it. Anyways, it's fall." The pool is heading over to Sara and Jon's. I know their kids will enjoy it for many years!

Day #2 Macro

I am going to miss this fruit when it goes out of season. It is my go to snack.

Photo Challenge

Today I'm starting a Photo Challenge Hosted by Yvonne. 
Today's challenge is a picture of you when you were little. Wow, that was quite a challenge. To find one, that is. I cropped this out of one of the pictures my brother Brian scanned of my Dad's slides.

I got kind of side tracked as I was looking for a picture of little me. I dug out a box of goodies. In it were ALL the letters Fred and I wrote while we were dating. Yes, we had to hand write on paper, put a stamp on and mail. I read a few. They made me smile. 

Also in that box, were my journals. I kept journals from November 1972 through December 1973. I was 15 and 16 years old. It was a trying time in our faith, so some of the entries made me cry. I remember I read the journals once, many years ago. I was still fairly young because I remember being so embarrassed about how I sounded. Now as I read several entries, about "haps" and people they made me smile and it was like reading something new as I don't remember a lot of the incidents. 

Menu Planning Week 4

Thursday - Beef Stew,http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Old-Fashioned-Beef-Stew Flat bread, http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Dad-s-Flatbread
Friday - Salmon, Rice Pilaf, Roasted Asparagus
Saturday - Leftover Beef Stew
Sunday - Pick up Pizza
Monday - Chicken Pot Pie p. 142
Tuesday - BLT's
Wednesday - Easy Shrimp Stir http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Easy-Shrimp-Stir-Fryfry, 

Menu Planning Week 3

I'm loving this menu planning. It doesn't always go as planned, though. My Mom and Dad happened to come to town last week so I picked up a pot roast and did that instead of the roasted chicken. Just because. I'm also trying to try at least one new recipe each week. I actually have three new ones this week.

Thursday -Vegetable Ham Stew http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Vegetable-Ham-Stew, Vienna Bread - This is a tasty low fat and healthy soup. I skip the cornstarch and water part. I actually forgot the first couple times I made it and loved it the way it was.

Friday - Barbeque Grilled Salmon, p. 183, Garlic Mashed Redskins, Green Beans - yes, again! I've been making fish every Friday. It's just a way to remember! We love this salmon recipe so I keep making it!

Saturday - Philly Burgers - I made my sister Sarah's Philly Burgers. They were awesome! We all loved them, except Jean who didn't try it. http://amatteroftasteblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/philly-burger.html

Sunday - Pick up Pizza

Monday - Spicy Vegetable Chili (new)  http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Spicy-Vegetable-Chili, Corn Bread

Tuesday - Roasted Chicken w/potatoes and carrots, Stove top dressing

Wednesday - Pork Tenderloin (new)*,http://www.food.com/recipe/perfect-pork-tenderloin-63828 Red Skins, Zesty Broccoli and Cauliflower http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Zesty-Broccoli

*Pork Tenderloin Recipe- (from my friend Sue S.)  Preheat oven to 525 degrees. Bake tenderloin exactly 5 1/2 minutes per pound. Shut off oven. Do not open for 1 hour. Take out and let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

I'm anxious to try the tenderloin. She said it was delicious! Notice it is a pork tenderloin. The little skinny ones. Not a porkloin. The big fat ones.

A Matter of Taste Blog

Oh my, am I hungry! I just ran through my sister Sarah's food blog. I lost her link and for some reason it just slipped my mind. She is one of my real sisters. We all pretty much inherited our mother's love for cooking. Several of her recipes I have and have made many times but I found some new delicious looking ones I plan to try soon! I put her link on my side bar so you can just click on it. http://amatteroftasteblog.blogspot.com/

Last night I had some fresh broccoli. Lately I've been roasting it in a hot oven drizzled with olive oil. I looked on Taste of Home's website and made this zesty broccoli. It was so good, I even liked it better than roasted. I did add a little of lemon juice also. Here is the link: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Zesty-Broccoli

Raspberry/Blueberry Jam

This is not a good year for my raspberries. I am getting them but not like most years. I tried a batch of raspberry/blueberry jam yesterday. I think next time I would add more blueberries. I did 50/50 raspberries and blueberries. Next time I would try 4 cups blueberries and 2 cups raspberries.

Just an FYI: We had the Pork Ole (recipe link in a previous post) and it was very good. It calls for peach preserves but I assumed it was for a sweetener so I just used strawberry jam and it worked. We made them up like tacos with tomato, lettuce, cheese and sour cream.

Fall

I LOVE fall. Last year as I was visiting with some ladies, they were admiring some pretty fall berry vines, I think bittersweet, that the hostess had used as fall decorations. They then started talking about other fall foliage to use for decorating. I started looking around and couldn't believe the different free accents a person can find. I cut these juniper branches with the cute tiny little pine cones today. I can't wait until the leaves turn as we have so many brilliantly colored trees in our yard alone. I'll just snip a branch or two and put in a vase. Although, that is where I am lacking. I really need to keep my eyes open garage saling and thrifting for unique containers.

Menu Plan Week Two

I have been hoping to blog more and maybe that will happen. I am posting my menu plan again this week in the hope that it may help someone who is in a cooking funk come up with new ideas. My girls are starting to rub off on me with their whole foods and healthy eating. I do try to use more whole foods than processed but I'm not 100% true all the time. 

Thursday - Sloppy Joes,(no recipe, I just brown hamburger and add quite a bit of ketchup, a couple squirts of mustard, a little brown sugar, a splash of vinegar & Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper)  Corn on the Cob

Friday - Barbeque Salmon(p. 183), Rice Pilaf, roasted assorted vegetables (red and yellow peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots)

Saturday - BLT's with thick pepper bacon from Aldi's

Sunday - Pick up Pizza

Monday - BBQ Meatballs(p.108), Garlic Roasted Potatoes(p. 79), Green Beans

Tuesday - Pork Ole http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Pork-Ole 

Wednesday - Roasted Whole Chicken with potatoes and carrots.

Meal Planning

I am back to Menu Planning. It is the number one thing that makes my life flow smoother. I usually grocery shop on Thursdays, so my plans start on Thursday. Here is this weeks plan:

Thursday - Slim Jim Sandwiches, Garden Salad (click on "recipes" on the sidebar to find the Slim Jim recipe)

Friday- Maple Salmon, Rice Pilaf, Grilled Asparagus (Tricia has the recipe for the salmon in the Torola Cookbook p. 182, and the Rice Pilaf is on p.92)

Saturday - Grilled Hamburgers, with sauted mushrooms and Swiss cheese.  Cherry tomatoes and Dill Pickles.

Sunday - Pick up Pizza

Monday- Pork Medallions, Boiled Redskin Potatoes from the vegetable stand, Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower.*

Tuesday - Stewed Tomatoes and Chicken Sausage served over brown rice. Green Beans.**

Wednesday - Picante Chicken, p. 154, Hasselback Potatoes, p.80, Corn on the Cob (from local stand). 

*(I have to learn how to do links)
Pork Medallions

1 porkloin tenderloin whole (1 pound)
1/3 cup flour
salt
pepper
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 Tablespoons salad oil
butter
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

About 30 minutes before serving: With knife held at a slanting position, almost parallel to cutting board, cut porkloin crosswise into 1/4" slices. With meat mallet pound each piece to 1/8" thickness. On waxed paper combine flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/3 teaspoon pepper. In pie plate with fork beat eggs and milk until just blended. Dip tenderloin into flour and then into milk.

Heat salad oil and 2 tablespoons butter. Add tenderloin pieces a few at a time and cook until golden on both sides. Add more butter as needed.

**Stewed Tomatoes & Hotdogs (or Chicken Sausage)

1 pkg natural casing Vienna hotdogs

1  can (15 ½ oz.) stewed tomatoes

1 teaspoon basil

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon sugar

1 garlic clove, minced

Cooked rice

Cut hotdogs in bite size pieces. Brown in frying pan. Add tomatoes, breaking up chunks. (or put in blender.) Add rest of ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over cooked rice.

Flowers at their Best

September is when the flowers are at their best. I try to enjoy them as I know an early frost can take them all. The barrel with the red begonia and yellow daisy didn't bloom all summer. They finally opened a week or two ago. My camera can't quite get the vibrant red and yellow they really are. And I love the Bridal Veil I have hanging in front. They really fill out and have tiny white flowers. I LOVE this time of year.

First Day of School

The junior and eighth grader are off to school. I'm not sure where Danny's smile was as he was grinning all morning. Maybe he thought it wasn't cool for a junior to smile for pictures.

Lake Superior Provincial Park, Agawa Bay

 Magpie Falls, Wawa, ON

Sandy Beach

Eating ice cream from Young's General Store in Wawa.

Kendall, the little biker.

Bummer. Paul and Amanda took down their tent and they were hiding a great sand box!

Great site at Agawa Bay.

Jumping in the Sand River.

Jean and Danny at Agawa Rock.