Happy New Year!

 

Happy New Year!  

I'm excited about a new crochet project, and it is a sort of a motivation tool for something else.  I'll be posting later about it.  Overall, it will reduce my time wasting internet scrolling, pointless social media scrolling (looking for recipes, patterns, exercises are all good scrolling minutes, he he!), procrastination station, and endless him-hawing.  Not to change the subject, but I mean some scrolling is needed to avoid endless days of shopping in stores looking for something my husband suggested we buy.

I found one close to what he feels we need at Harbor Freight, but it's wall mounted, and runs on batteries.

Does it even exist?  I'll be searching for it, but we may have to buy battery charged or a rechargeable light.  He wants a solar chargeable, motion sensor, small table light (sort of the brightness of a nightlight) for the bathrooms.  We lack outlets by the toilet, and do not want to put in a floor strip light, or wall mount solar lights.  Most motion sensor lights for indoors run on batteries or or rechargeable.  We want the motion sensor, so the light only comes on at night if needed.  I'll update later on this, after we have located and made a decision.

Okay, back to the post....

(sunrise 12-26-2024)

Sunday it rained all day long.  Last year we had warm enough weather the same time in December, that I was washing bedding and putting it on the clothesline.  We are pretty much flooded this year.

We decided together, that it was a good weekend to take down our Christmas tree.  Normally, we would leave it up for New Year's Eve.  The holidays this year hit mid-week, and I would much rather have help with it, than wait for an entire week to take it down and put it all back in storage.  

Well, the tree is still up, ha ha!  We had a few returns to take care of, some grocery shopping for fresh vegetables and fruit, and other errands.  I forgot to look for a plant for my planter, but we are also very limited with selections in the winter time.  I may be planting an herb for indoor winter cooking. 

Before decorations get packed back up, I decided it was time to toss out some very very old Christmas decorations, and donate others.  I added one book to the newest donation box, as my husband gifted me a new book too.

My husband gifted me a new bathrobe, so the old one was literally tossed out (not even worth donating ha ha!).  Sort of feels good to go into a new year with so many completed home projects, and a more organized homestead.

It's been a year since we have baked cookie cut-outs, so when I dug out the container, I purged those before returning them to storage. Good gravy!  I had cutters from when the kids had birthday parties in elementary school.  Whew!  Someone will be enjoying those, as they are being donated.

 

January is my month to focus on my health even more than ever.  It will be a long wait to see the doctor, but I thought about that too. It gives me a month to do specific exercises.  I really did a number on myself when I tripped twice later, after my stairway fall back in April of this year.  Anyway, every day I work on myself, is one day closer to back to normal or even better than normal.  Per a conversation on the phone with the doc's nurse, I am to avoid "heavy lifting" and have been the last two weeks.  It's a tough one, as a bag of chicken feed is not light weight.  I have learned how to lift more properly, so there is that.

I am already feeling signs of muscle improvement, less pain, and more flexibility, so doing these stretches may be a permanent addition to my daily/weekly fitness routine.

I need this body in good working condition, as I have ordered a tool to help start the next home repair project.  The kids left tape, those 3M sticky tapes, and other adhesives on the walls upstairs, and some in the higher to reach walls in the stairway.

It'll be a project for sure, but needs to happen before it's painted. After seeking advice, we need to buy some drywall mud, as the kids (and past hired help) put large gouges in the plaster walls.  It would be great to get this job knocked off the list by the end of January, so we can start working on the stair project (stair project is an entirely new project of it's own).

Speaking of health . . .

Hummus people, I have a quick question.  Do you ever add turmeric to your hummus for added health benefits?  I'm wondering if it tastes good in it, and how much to add?  We love the garlic in ours, so I'm not sure about adding it to our hummus just yet.

I'm already planning some new ideas for next Christmas, as we were so delayed by home repairs/renovations that had to happen.  I follow Betsy on Simple Lift of a Queen blogspot and, she mentioned exchanging advent gifts with her grand daughter.  Betsy, if you are reading this, I would love to know how to prepare the advent gifts.  Do you just wrap each one and place them all in a bag or box with numbers for the day of the month?  Or do you prepare them another way.  My brain is already chugging away at creating new traditions next year.

Also, Betsy where can I find the "Every which way filet" baby blanket pattern?  Thanks!

Sorry for the long boring post to start out this new week.  My kitchen is once again a hot mess from lack of being home, but it'll be spic and span clean this week.

I hope your weekend was good.  I may not be back to post, until the New Year, so Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! © December 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Angel Cookies ~ A Recipe that I found reading a library book!

 

Angel Christmas Cookies.  Recipe is online, but I found this recipe in a book I read years ago - Aunt Dimity's Christmas, by Nancy Atherton.  We use the recipe for our traditional cut-out cookies at Christmas, but Christmas has passed, so I made them "winter" themed this year - snowflake cookies.

I'm glad I went searching for the book on my blog, because the link does not work anymore, and the recipe has been changed over the years.  

In the book, the recipe is called "Angel Cookies" because she makes them all angels.  I make all sorts of cut out shapes with the dough.  Very easy to make and you can make it the day before to chill the dough.

The recipe states that if the dough is sticky to chill it, but every year we've made these cookies, we chill the dough.  I take half the dough out, cut the cookies, and take out more chilled dough as we bake them.  You can also chill this dough overnight.

Did you know that if your dough is cold when you cut your cookies out, they are more likely to keep their shape vs. puff out when baked?

Over the years, I have only used the frosting recipe that comes with this cookie recipe.  I noticed the only change in ingredients was the amount of butter in the frosting.

Recipe from the book says:  1/3 cup butter

Recipe online says:  1 cup butter 

All other ingredients are the same.  I used one stick this time, and had enough frosting for 38 of these snowflake cookies.

TIP:   I use parchment paper.  My notes (on my own recipe card) stated that I used air bake baking sheets and did not grease my sheets, but that is not the case.  I have no idea why I wrote that down ha ha!  These cookies will not come off the sheets without greasing them or using parchment paper.  I highly recommend using the parchment paper (original recipe states to lightly grease your baking sheets).

A little "ditty" about the cookie recipe. . .

The cookies were so popular with my kids, that one year a daughter took all of my recipe cards out and copied them.  However, when she filed them, she did not put them in the right place in my recipe box.  I had to go on my blog and find the recipe again for these.  Later I found the recipe card filed in my box under something else.

Another year, our youngest wanted to make this recipe.  She rolled the dough and cut the cookies, but forgot to grease the cookie sheet.  They all stuck to the baking sheet and she cried and cried.  I felt so bad for her that year.

Angel Cookies © Dec 2023 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Egg Soufflé (aka Christmas Morning Casserole)

 

Sharing one of our favorite Christmas morning breakfast dishes (again).  However, I have made it for other occasions.

The recipe is on my blog HERE.  I have made this with homemade bread, and it still turned out delicious.  Homemade sage sausage is good with this too.

The best part of this breakfast recipe, is it is made the night before, covered and baked the next morning.  You could also use leftover ham, or bacon, but we've always made it with sausage.

The recipe was given to me by a co-worker, many, many years ago.

The weather here is still rain. It's also causing a muddy mess outside.  It's definitely been a warmer December this year.

Egg Souffle © Dec 2023 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

This and That

 Not much to talk about right now.  Going into the Christmas holiday, and winter time seems idle at the moment.  We've now had more rain, and the weather is said to be rain all weekend.  Not what we wanted to hear, with the coop work in progress.

I'm still not listening to Christmas music, nor decorating anything else.  Maybe I'll get there, and maybe I won't.  I tried to listen to Christmas music at the beginning of the week, and I just couldn't do it.  Not yet.

I'm missing my Mom this Christmas. Last year, this exact time, we were ripping out our entire living room floor and replacing the joists and flooring.  I think we were so busy working, that we didn't have time to "feel" during the holidays.

I did dig through some Christmas totes (was not easy to get to), for one daughter's Christmas stocking.  She came home from the hospital Christmas Eve in this handmade stocking (donated by a local resident).  

I can't believe all the ornaments we've accumulated over the years.  I will be going through those totes whenever we get a day to purge the garage.  

Buying more yarn at the check out at our local Meijer.  Yep.  Out of all the yarn I own, I did not have enough to make a matching scarf for my husband.  Luckily, Meijer had 2 skeins left.  Oh, and by the way, they had a section of hooks up now.  The last time I went, there were zero hooks for sale.  Anyway, I'm hoping I have enough yarn to finish his scarf. 

I do not have all of my yarn put away in their homes.  Not yet anyway.  I had some in every room in the house, ha ha!  I have also written down all of my unfinished projects and tucked it into my planner, so I can focus on getting them all done (before starting a new one).  My poor husband.  I had so much yarn in the bedroom, that I had to put it in bags to take back upstairs, ha ha!

I am working smarter this time around with unfinished handiwork.  The half-made items, along with their patterns, were all put inside one tote.  I was even smarter, by writing down the hook size on any pattern that did not state size.

I have already crossed off one unfinished project.   The ends are all sewn in, and the hot pad is tucked into my kitchen drawer.  These were fun to make, and it is a way to use small scraps of cotton yarn (on the inner areas anyway).

I have lost one knob for the master bath hardware.  We took one to the hardware store to make sure the screws we bought were correct.  Well, now that knob is hiding somewhere.  I am sure it's in a bag around here.

I made a batch of Einkorn peanut butter cookies.  However, I warned my husband that these have brown sugar in them, and are rolled in white sugar.  I sent some home with one of the kids, and next time I make them, I will try monk fruit in them.

I do miss all the holiday baking I used to do.  I miss the kids sitting around the table helping roll the buckeyes, and frosting my famous butter cut outs.  There maybe cut outs this year.  I guess we'll see.  

I would love to return a tradition with my grandkids, but  worried my grand daughter would want to eat all the candy.  They built sugar cube candy castles.

Question:  does anyone have a sugar free powdered peppermint mocha coffee creamer recipe?  I'm looking for something that is giftable (why I said powdered), but sugar free, and sugar substitute free (other than monk fruit)?

I looked online, and found some with liquid vs powdered. Thanks in advance!

Egg Souffle (aka Christmas Morning Casserole)

 

(note:  you could use ham or bacon or any mix of meats really, but we've always used breakfast sausage)

The original recipe was given to me by a co-worker many, many years ago.  She had brought the dish in for a potluck, and it was amazing.  We've been baking this for Christmas morning every year since then, because you can make it the night before and bake it in the morning.

Brown one pound of organic (or homemade) breakfast sausage.  Drain. Set aside.

Recipe calls for "8 slices of white bread"

I use homemade white bread, and use about 6 slices, because my loaf is much larger than one from the store.

Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.  I've also used a thin layer of organic olive oil.

Dice the bread with kitchen sheers or a knife. Layer the cubed bread into the prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle the cooked breakfast sausage evenly over the cubed bread.

Grate 1 cup of organic sharp cheddar cheese.

Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the top of the cooked sausage.

In a mixing bowl with a spout, mix 2 cups of organic milk (I use whole milk), 1 tsp. organic ground mustard and. . .

6 large eggs.  Whisk.  I used 7 as my layers are still laying small-ish eggs.

Pour the mixture over the ingredients in the baking dish.

Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until eggs are cooked.

Christmas Traditions

We have had many fun and memorable Christmas traditions in our home.  First, I loved (loved!) being classroom Mom for the class Christmas parties.  I would literally try to sign up for them when school started.  I loved it!  I always made some sort of treat bag/treat container that was filled with fun.  By fun I mean a handmade ornament for each student, candy, and fun activities or toys.  Here are a few treat bags I made for Christmas.  Also, most years I hand wrapped each handmade ornament so the kids had something to unwrap.

Classroom treats were also made.  One year I dipped large marshmallows into melted butterscotch chips on a stick.

Link to this on my S.C.R.A.P. Blogspot

I had so much fun coming up with creative treat holders.  The one above was made from a toilet paper roll (bottom piece), and the top was an ornament that sat into the top.

Link to this on my S.C.R.A.P. Blogspot

Long time blog followers already know that I have a passion for making homemade ornaments for my family every year.  Well, every year until I got some comments that they "had too many."  Then I stopped, but I am making one this year.  The above one was made with gumball machine capsules.

Link to this on my S.C.R.A.P. Blogspot

Link to this on my blog

Link to this on my S.C.R.A.P. Blogspot

I made so, so many ornaments over the years.  Many are on my S.C.R.A.P. blog, and if you search my blog here, I posted many photos of some.  Search handmade/homemade Christmas ornaments.  The posts should pop up for you.

Another tradition when the kids were younger - sugar cube castle building with frosting and candies.

We still have a tradition of gifting new and wrapped jammies on Christmas Eve.  We are now down to just the 4 of us, out of a family of 8.  This year I will gift everyone a few days earlier, so we can all wash them before wearing them.

I'm going to start a new one this year, just different from the idea of it all.  I will share when that happens.

Of course when the kiddos were young, they would leave cookies and milk out for Santa.  Making all sorts of cookies and candies was a family tradition, and saving some of them for New Year's Eve.

Over the years, trying a new cookie/candy recipe for the holidays became a tradition as well. One year we even tried an alcoholic breakfast beverage (adults).

Overnight breakfast casserole has been a long time tradition for us.  We only make it for Christmas morning.  I thought for sure I shared my recipe on my blog, but can't seem to find it.  I guess when I bake it this year, it'll get it's own post.

This and That

My new Christmas bed quilt.  I have never done this for the holidays, so when my husband sees it, he's going to shake his head, ha ha!  Not a great day for drying outside, but better than hiking up the electric bill.  It's not handmade sadly.  Quilting is not something I have yet to teach myself.  

Things have just gone a bit wonky this week.  One day I put my shirt on backwards, one daughter went to work and forgot her purse, every time we try to make plans to cut wood Mother Nature stops us, one daughter's package is delayed in the mail, ....can't wait until next week.  I think we are all a bit stressed with the virus, lockdown, car repair expenses, election etc. going on this year.

We had another entire day of rain.  Like boat loads.  I need to wash several rugs, but the weather is just crazy for October.  I'm thrilled it's filling up the well though.

I emailed the home goods store (sells handmade items).  No answer back.  I was talking to my husband, and he feels I should just advertise on my blog/social media and hold off shows for next year.  I plan on going in to talk to them to ask about their booth rental rate though.   Just to know if it's even an option.

If you didn't see it (or follow it), MRH blog has a post for how to make your own homemade pectin.  I just wish they'd have a print friendly form of the article, but anyway for those looking for more self-sufficient ways to do things.  I've never tried it, but I may if pectin is in a shortage.  The last pectin (liquid) I bought, I brought home to find out that it expired last month.  A grocery store that is notorious for not fronting the shelves and selling expired foods this year.  Check your dates before buying anymore.

Tuesday Tidbits ~ Less Stress Christmas ~ The Trees are Up!

I'm no longer a fan of homemade shampoo.  It was drying our hair out.  I found a chemical free/organic store brand at my grocery store (of all places) with argan oil in it and we love it.  It even comes with a seal on it.

I had purchased extra cookie ingredients for this Christmas, but now I won't be using them.  I may donate them to the kids.  There will be no buckeyes, sorghum candy, homemade toffee, cut outs, etc.  It's gonna be way less stress, but odd.  I will at least bake einkorn peanut butter cookies.  We are all about to weigh a lot less.  

Speaking of Christmas, I got all the trees up.  I do need more lights.  Five up  - 6 if you include my bathroom Christmas tree night night.  I also got some garland with lights up, and some decor.

I put up a battery operated "camper" string of lights on my Christmas quilt rack.  I just love it. It's not very long, but long enough for the quilt rack.  

Every year I unpack my snowmen, I am filled with love and they truly make me smile.  My Aunt sent them to me one year.  She is no longer with us, but she is here in spirit.

Making Dirty Dishes....and then some....

Wednesday the weather was just about the same - high of about 44°F.  I woke up super exhausted, so I took my time early on (again).  

Here's why.

The night prior, Hubby and I drove to the other "Big City" to pick up some last minute baking supplies for the holiday baking.  However, there were zero half-pint canning jars anywhere.  Sigh.  Literally.  Even sugar in the smaller bags, and toothpicks were sold out.  Frustrated and beyond tired, we returned home to crash.  Someone please, please (I beg you) remind me to buy my holiday supplies in September.  I even stopped at the dollar store for parchment paper - zero in stock and lines so long I would've walked out anyway perhaps.  At the craft store, the lines were long, and one cashier.  I almost fell asleep in line.  Nope,  not doing it next year.  I'll order online if I have to.  It's crazy out in the people-y world.

The only reason you all get to read another post, is because I was once again downing coffee just to wake up and start the day.  Not to mention a bit of procrastination.

More baking went on at the homestead . . .

Salted Caramel Fudge, Peanut butter blossoms, more candy apple jelly, and one last batch of cashew brittle.  

I spoiled tater tot with some homemade dog food - organic oats, chicken, peas and a bit of bacon grease.  My original recipe calls for a "human" vitamin, but I did not add that.  I don't even take them, except for raw Vitamin C.  I didn't add the salt substitute either.  I figure the bacon grease is salty enough.  He devoured it of course.

The only bad thing about a gathering at our place, is we get pantry pirates.  I won't name names, but it's not my side of the family. Sigh.  Seriously, they open pantries and take canned goods.  They have no idea what work goes into a canned item - work the garden, plant the garden, weed the garden, pick the garden, can the garden....a LOT of work, and for organic food for the family of my own.  We had a terrible garden year this year, so it's slim pickin's in the stock-age here as well.  Not to mention the cost of organic seed/plant and the cost of canning supplies, double with the time involved in all of it.  I just find it downright disrespectful and rude.  I am not going to let it continue.  Okay, off my soapbox....I'm just going to put a few kids on guard this time.

Christmas Baking

I woke up Wednesday dragging my feet.  I was full force on Tuesday, and so happy with my progress.  Slowly, I got things rolling.  With a 3rd pot of coffee.  And some rock n' roll.  There is one radio station that plays all Christmas, but it's slow stuff.  I had to hook my phone up to the radio and get some rock n' roll going on.  

Baking resumed. More brittle was made too.  I called out to the kids and got reinforcements to finish the baking.

I literally gave the cashew brittle to my daughter and told her to hide it.  Otherwise Hubby would have it gone before the festivities started, ha ha! 

Good news.  Jesse ate his breakfast.  However, Daughter (his Mom) called me last night.  We are going back to all homemade food for him now.  He doesn't have many years left, and we will be spoiling him.

Tuesday Teabag Tidbits ~ Holiday Baking Starts ~ Cashew Brittle

Canning took up most of my morning yesterday.

We've been out of Candy Apple Jelly for over a year, so some of this is going in the pantry.

I had to whip up a batch of homemade ginger-ale syrup.  Youngest texted me that she was feeling pretty sickly.  Thankfully, I have club soda on hand, but now I'm out of honey.

Made my first batch of organic cashew brittle.  I hope to make one or two batches more yet.

Dinner was easy yesterday.  I used leftover mushroom gravy, combined with homemade condensed mushroom soup, and cooked pork chops it in the crock pot.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. . .

Tree #1 up.  Blue lights this year.  And yes, it's in one of the bathrooms.

Tree #2 up.  

Tree #3 up.

Tree #4  up.  Here are a few of the hundreds of handmade ornaments I made that will be going on it.  I'm reviewing them all to see what I'll be making and selling next year too.

Instructions on how to make this one is :  Here

Tree #5 is being debated.  I need a place to put it, ha ha!

In the midst of taking inventory, I realized we sold out of the dish scrubbies last weekend  I spent the day restocking, but colors are limited due to lack of netting.  I restocked the headbands, and added more color options too. Needless to say, the house is a mess due to lack of cleaning, ha ha!