Well Said

A New Year's Resolution from 1909...

A Resolve For Every Morning of the New Year

I will this day try to live a simple, sincere, and serene life, repelling promptly every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity and self-seeking, cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity and the habit of holy silence, exercising economy in expenditure, carefulness is conversation, diligence in appointed service, fidelity to every trust and a child-like trust in God.

 Happy New Year!

Are You Ready For Some Football?

I am!

With the big Packers/Bears game tomorrow (go Bears!) and the Wisconsin and Iowa bowl games on January 1 (go Hawks!), I needed some good chili...

Something like the Simple, Perfect Chili by The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond.

Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
2 cloves garlic, chopped
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup masa harina (I skipped this)
One 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
One 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
Shredded Cheddar, for serving
Chopped onions, for serving
Tortilla chips, for serving (I used Fritos)
Lime wedges, for serving

Directions
Brown the ground beef in a large pot with the garlic over medium heat
Drain off the excess fat
Pour in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne
Stir together well, cover, and then reduce the heat to low
Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally
If the mixture becomes overly dry (mine did!), add 1/2 cup water at a time as needed (I used beer)

This is the part I skipped...
After an hour, place the masa harina in a small bowl. 
Add 1/2 cup water and stir together with a fork. 
Dump the masa mixture into the chili. 
Stir together well, and then taste and adjust the seasonings. 
Add more masa paste and /or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency, or to add more corn flavor. 

Then...
Add the beans and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve with shredded Cheddar, chopped onions, tortilla chips (Fritos!) and lime wedges.

I don't know if I'd call this chili "simple" or "perfect", but it is really good!

Merry Christmas!

December is the easiest "Goodwill Hunting" of the year.  Thrift stores are full of holiday decorations!

Remember Halloween?

Well, I liked those candlesticks so much, I decided to do it again.

Seven candlesticks for $1.38!  (Still in the box!)

A little red spray paint, and...

The best part is - I can use them for Valentine's Day and the 4th of July too!

I also found this nativity set for $1.50 (regularly $3, but on sale for half price!).  Someone had written Christmas 1988 on the box.  (It's officially "vintage"!)  I love the rustic wooden stable and everything is in perfect condition.

My favorite, though, was this little white Christmas tree for $3.

The hat was also from Goodwill, I had the ornaments, the scarf is just 1/4 yard of red fleece, the eyes and mouth are buttons, the nose is obviously a carrot, and I found the sticks in a park.  

And I "put a bird on it"!

Finally, I found two of my favorite holiday movies for $2 each.  I'm looking forward to relaxing with these after all the holiday fun!

Merry Christmas to all!

Hopefully Winavie at Lemons & Chambray found some great holiday deals too!

Next month - Happy New Year!

Early Christmas Present

A few months ago, I bought a snowblower at an auction for $35 (new snowblowers costs hundreds of dollars!) and sent it home with the cute copy guy, who can fix anything.

It was in perfect condition. But it wouldn't start.  And to fix it would cost hundreds of dollars.

I can shovel for free.

But last week, he showed up at my door.

With this...

He found another snowblower on Craigslist (for $25!) that was in bad shape but would start.

So, for $60, I can do this...

MUCH better than shoveling.

Oh Fudge

Every year, my mom made fudge for the holidays.

This year, I decided to try.

It's so easy!

And, of course, it's good (it's fudge!).

I used this recipe from Carnation...


Ingredients
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) Carnation Evaporated Milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups (9 oz.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Line 8-inch-square baking pan with foil
Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in medium, heavy-duty saucepan
Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly
Boil, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes
Remove from heat
Stir in marshmallows, morsels, nuts and vanilla extract
Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows are melted
Pour into prepared baking pan; refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm
Lift from pan; remove foil
Cut into pieces (they say 48, I say 16)

Enjoy!

"Unwrap the Magic of Christmas"

In Bellevue, the big holiday weekend is the weekend after Thanksgiving.

On Saturday, we have a craft fair...

Fireworks...

and a Lighted Christmas Parade...

 

On Sunday, we have a Holiday Open House Tour.

It's fun, but exhausting (when you're in charge of it).

Now, though, I can relax and enjoy the holidays...

These Hershey's Candy Cane Blossoms are delicious!

KISSES CANDY CANE BLOSSOMS

Ingredients
One bag Hershey's Candy Cane Mint Candies
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
Red or green sugar crystals

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F
Remove wrappers from candies
Beat butter, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl until well blended
Stir together flour, baking soda and salt
Add alternately with milk to butter mixture, beating until well blended
Shape dough into 1-inch balls
Roll in sugar crystals
Place on ungreased cookie sheet
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned
Cool 2 to 3 minutes
Press a candy piece into center of each cookie
Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack
Cool COMPLETELY (Don't touch them!  If you don't the candy will melt all over, and while they still taste really good, they're not as pretty.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

At one point this month I actually said to Winavie that I didn't really need anything Thanksgiving-y this year.

But the very next day, I stopped by a Goodwill and saw this...

"Harvest Home" is Thanksgiving-y, but I was unimpressed.

Then I saw...

Two, still in the box!  That's much better!

I wouldn't necessarily agree that this is "a perfect gift for any occasion...".

The fake flower ring was...

hideous

and sad.

But I had been thinking hurricanes would be nice out on the porch in the summer, and they were only $1.50 each.

Then I saw this on Pinterest...

Source

Mine aren't nearly as cute, but I like them!

I wish I would've put the red beans in the middle, but it's too late now.  Trying to separate them would be a HUGE mess.

That same night, I also saw this...

It's horribly ugly, but it's about giving thanks!  It's perfect!

It was $2, and I borrowed some spray paint and now it looks like this...

I like it!

Check out Lemons & Chambray to see what my friend Winavie is thankful for this year!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Next month - Happy Holidays!!!

Fall

I woke up last Sunday morning to this...

But I have this...

It works!

So by Sunday afternoon...

But...

So, Monday morning...

Repeat.

Happy Halloween!

I was in Goodwill recently, and saw this...

Two brand new candlesticks for $3!

But, brass?

So I bought a can of Rust-Oleum Gloss Protective Enamel in Black and these...

became these...

I love them!

(And it was so much fun!)

Then today I saw this post by Life as a Thrifter.

Now I just need more spray paint...

Hopefully Winavie at Lemons & Chambray found some good deals for her Halloween!

Bittersweet

One of my neighbors recently asked if I liked bittersweet.

"I've never tried it", I replied.

"You don't eat it."

Oh.

(Sounds like something you'd eat, though, doesn't it?)

The next day I came home and found this on my front porch...

Pretty...

I added a (very) little to a wreath I picked up for $1 at a flea market last weekend (it needs more, I know)...

Also Bittersweet...

Hint:  If you ever see "Big Head Todd" somewhere, don't tell him he was your favorite band in college.  He doesn't like that.

Wandering

One of my favorite things to do is wander.

In New York, I would get on the subway and wander around the Upper West Side, or Lower East Side, or somewhere in between.

I still wander around the "tri-state" -  Iowa, Wisconsin & Illinois now (instead of New York, New Jersey & Connecticut).

A couple of weeks ago, St. Donatus, a small town (population 135 in 2010!) just north of Bellevue was having it's Sorghum Festival (sorghum is like molasses).

St. Donatus is home to the Gehlen Barn.  Built in 1839, it is supposedly the oldest building in Jackson County and was recently included in an article in the LA Times about Iowa barns.

And it is COOL.

Just up the street from the barn is the St. Donatus Catholic Church.  I am not Catholic (at all!), but the church is pretty.

 

Behind the church is an outdoor Way of the Cross, consisting of 14 stations winding up a hillside...

to the Pieta Chapel at the top.

After that little hike, I headed to Kalmes Restaurant to rehydrate.

After a quick stop to check out the renovations at the Old City Cemetery in Bellevue,

I headed south to Gravert's Apple Basket Orchard just south of Bellevue.

Then I wandered across the river to Savannah...

(I did NOT get a tattoo.)

After all that, I came home and made another macaroni & cheese recipe.  I think this makes three, but can anyone have too much macaroni & cheese?

Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

16 ounces elbow macaroni (about 3 cups)

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 ½ cups milk, divided

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 lb cubed Velveeta cheese

8 ounce shredded Kraft Mild Cheddar Cheese divided

8 ounce shredded Kraft Monterrey Jack Cheese 

(I used a 16-ounce bag of shredded cheddar jack)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Cook macaroni until tender but not mushy, about 8-10 minutes 

Drain well and pour into a large mixing bowl

Melt on low the Velvetta Cheese and ¾ cup milk until melted (stir often)

Pour the melted cheese sauce over pasta and stir 

Add in butter, ¾ cups milk, eggs, 1 cup shredded cheeses, salt and pepper

Mix well and transfer to a 2 quart baking dish

Pour the remaining cheese on top

Bake until top crust is golden brown and casserole is bubbling, about 25 minutes. 

Enjoy!