Pioneer Woman at Heart

Happy New Year!  Did you stay up until midnight and watch the ball drop?  We did not, ha ha!  We were fast asleep watching "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."  We'll have to back up the next time we watch it, ha ha!  Hubby fell asleep way before me.  The deconstruction process of the Christmas decor has already started.  We'll have to bring in the totes and take them back out in one trip.  It's cold.  I do not make "resolutions" for the new year, I simply keep on, keeping on (but better). I made my first cup of hot basil tea.  Not "Holy Basil" but regular, good ol' herb garden basil.  I keep a fresh pot growing indoors during winter.  I ran out of dandelion root, then ran out of dandelion teabags, so I made basil tea for a "detox" tea.   It is said to help fight off illnesses and infections, clean the kidneys, builds the blood (purifying it), and kills bacteria. It's also said to be a circulatory stimulant.  My b...

Friday was like my typical Monday - busy, busy, busy.  I removed everything from kitchen counters, sorted, washed, washed and dried and put away, washed some more and scrubbed and .....reclaiming my kitchen.   I set the rules straight with the girls, but this morning I woke up to dishes drying on a towel.  Sigh.  I had high hopes they'd get the message when I told them the kitchen was closed until they finished their "to-do" list I gave them.  I want to wake up to a clean kitchen every morning now.  That is the goal anyway. I posted a few days ago, that I made our traditional Hot Cranberry Punch on Christmas this year.   I guess over the years I have forgotten to share the recipe.   Although it's a Christmas/New Year's tradition,  I have made this punch throughout winter.  Just be sure to stock up your fresh cranberries while they are in season in the fall first.  I freeze mine, and they work just fine for this reci...