Thanksgiving Day

For Thanksgiving this year my Parents had dinner at their house with just my sister and I, and our families, attending. So it was a smaller bunch, but we had a fun time together. My mom made the turkey, potatoes, gravy, and rolls. Charyn made a relish tray with the very important pimento stuffed celery, and pumpkin pies. I made the stuffing and the sweet potatoe casserole. All of the food was so delicious and we were all so full afterwards. It made it very easy to all contribute to the meal and not at all stressful. We played a few games together and then Matt and I went to visit his mom who is staying with his brother Jared right now because of a knee surgery. While we were there visiting Josh and Lydia came to visit and Brad and his boys. So we were able to see 3 of his brothers in one visit. We had good intentions of making it out to Moreland to see the Keller clan, but time got away from us and we didn't make it out there. It is getting hard to split the day into thirds and I am sure we are going to have to start rotating holidays soon, but how do you choose. We have such wonderful families, that we are lucky to get to spend time with all of them.

Superbowl Fun

We didn't really have a Superbowl party here at our house because I was on bed rest, but we still wanted to enjoy all the good food. So Matt decided to make his famous wings and my mom and dad came over and we enjoyed a feast of wonderful food. As we were planning what we were going to eat we noticed a theme....Cream cheese and bacon!!! can't have a party without it!!! We had Wings, fruit and veggie tray, chips and queso dip, stuffed mushrooms, bacon wrapped water chestnuts, tortilla pinwheeels, bacon wrapped jalapenos, Texas sheet cake, and sodas! It was delicious and we were all stuffed. Surprisingly I lost a pound at the doctor the next day!!

My Mother's Daughter

I am so my mother's daughter that it has become quite comical. People tell me all the time that I look like my mom and that I am very similar to her and share some of her attributes and personality characteristics. I think that is a great compliment because I love my mom and the person that she is. So if I can be just a little bit like her that makes me happy. We often have each other over for dinner when we are making something that is a big recipe or to help each other out on busy days. We also often make the same things within a matter of a few days of each other without knowing that the other has made the same thing. It has become pretty funny and happens a lot. Today for instance I called to see if she and my dad wanted to come over and have minestrone soup. Before I told her what I was making I heard her chopping in the backgrouns so I knew she had started their dinner already. I asked her what she was making....she said Minestrone soup!!!! What are the odds of that??? we were both making Minestrone soup, on the same day!! We both laughed and now we are both trying to come up with friends to share it with. It is a big recipe and I know my family won't want to be eating it for the next week. So today I am definitely my Mother's Daughter!!

Peaches, Peaches, Peaches

I have been feeling a little domestic in the canning department lately. I have done 9 pints of dilly beans, 8 quarts of pickles and I thought I would do peaches and pears. I got a really good deal on a 25 pound box of peaches for like $11 and the pears were $12. So I ordered two boxes of each and the day they arrived the peaches were ready to be canned. So I worked my little tail off for about 4 1/2 hours and managed to can 24 quarts of peaches. I was pretty proud of myself for accomplishing this all by myself, I have never done that big of a canning project by myself. I was exhausted by the time I was finished, but they sure look yummy and now every time I open a jar it will remind me off all the hard work. There is something about preserving your own food for your family, it really makes me feel that I am doing something good for them. My goal is pears this week!

Cream Puffs X 500

My sister is getting married next weekend and my mom and I doing all the food for the reception. We have been getting things we need throughout the last couple of months, but now that the wedding is less than 1 week away we are trying to get as much done ahead of time as possible. This includes making 500 cream puffs to stuff with chicken salad on the day of. I had made a test batch last night of cream puffs to see how many the recipe I had makes and how difficult they were to make and how long they would take. Well we (my mom and I) decided that they were fairly simple to make, but they would be pretty time consuming to bake because each pan full has to bake for 27 minutes. So today after I picked up my produce basket we got to work making 12 batches of cream puffs which will be over 500 cream puffs when were are finished. I have baked 170 and have 30 in the oven right now and about 72 left to bake. My mom has done the rest at her house so between us we have been making cream puffs like crazy! We are going to package them up and freeze them until the day of, then they will be filled as they are needed at the reception. I am really excited for Charyn and Mike and I look forward to the wedding and the wonderful evening it will be.

Bountiful Basket

My Sister-in-law was telling me about a produce co-op in our area and how she had just started participating in it and all the food she got for a great price. So I decided to check it out. The open the "donation" at 12 noon on Monday and close the ordering on Tuesday. So I made sure and was on the computer on Monday at 12 to put in the order I wanted. Today was the pick up date and I was so amazed at how much produce I came home with. I took a laundry basket and came home with it heaping full!! In the basket this week I got 5 bags of baby carrots, 7 small cucmbers, 3 bundles of asparagus, 2 heads of broccoli, 1 head Romaine lettuce, 2 bundles Swiss Chard, 2 5lb. bags of potatoes, 6 Apples, 1 lemon, 4 oranges, 14 bananas, and 1 container of strawberries! Can you believe it?!! I was so excited, my fridge is now overflowing with fresh produce that looks so yummy. I can't wait to eat it all. All of this only cost me $19.50 and next time I do it it will only be $16.50 (there is a $3 start up fee) I think this is my next big addiction, but at least it is a healthy one!! It made me even more excited about this after I had to run to the store for eggs and saw strawberries there for $3.98 for a small container. I know I got a great deal, there is no way I could have gone to the store and got the same amout of food for the price I had just paid. All I have to say is THANK YOU TARA for telling me about it!!!!