This is a long time - go to - recipe that is both very yummy and frugal! I especially enjoy the flexibility of this recipe because it can be mixed up the night before so all I have to do is bake it in the morning or it is equally as yummy mixing in up and baking it right up. This recipe is always well received and is a great one to use during the holidays.
I have shared this recipe before, but it is worth posting again. This coffee cake can also be baked in muffins and I'm sure the delivery people, mail carriers and bus drivers would all appreciate a muffin this busy time of the year! We gave them to our snow plow driver one very snowy winter and they enjoyed them.
Overnight (or not) Coffee Cake Mix together in a large bowl: 2 cups flour 1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp cloves 1/2 tsp nutmeg
Stir in: 1 cup sour milk (1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice with the milk) 3/4 cup oil 2 eggs 2 tsp vanilla
Crumb topping: Cut the following together with a pastry cutter or with two knives until well blended. 2/3 cup flour 1/4 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon
Mix
and refrigerate overnight in a 9*13 GREASED baking pan. Top with crunch
topping in the morning. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until tooth pick
in center comes out clean. You can also just bake it right away without
refrigeration. If I am going to make it the night before I prepare the
crumb topping and just store it separate till morning. ENJOY!!
My sister is married to a man of Cherokee lineage. So much so that her father in law is named Tonto! How cool is that?? I have no claim to Native American Heritage. I do, however, come from some hardy stock.... the pilgrims! One very cool thing about my bloodline is that on my mom's side our family goes all the way back to the Mayflower!! I am an actual decedent of one of the original pilgrims! :)
I didn't have pilgrim outfits so my boys and I had a GREAT time dressing up as Indians for the Thanksgiving Feast at school yesterday. I LOVE Thanksgiving. Such a great day to set aside time to THANK God for all of our blessings.
Whatever you are doing this week take some time to THANK God for the blessings in your life. Happy Thanksgiving!!
You totally ENJOY a romantic Valentine's Day afternoon spent with your hubby out working in the barn!! LOL!! I spent the afternoon with my husband (and middle son) out rebuilding our chicken coop. We totally enjoyed our time together.... I know it is crazy, but hey, we are just country folk!! There is something so wonderful about working together and creating something that will benefit our family. We are both DOING people so working together suits us both just fine.
I have had chickens for six years and over that time our chicken wire has rusted and we had some holes... something got in and destroyed my flock... very sad day! Now, thanks to my husband's great uncle we are getting a new one year old flock! Yea! Our coop is totally fortified and ready to keep them all safe and sound. When I say fortified I mean it! This week I will once again have chickens.... I have really missed them! I am also missing my barn cats.... saw four mice yesterday... haven't seen live mice out in the barn in three years.... where oh where did my barn cats go?! I HATE mice!!
I'll post pictures of my new flock as soon as they are settled in.
My Grandmother called this morning and asked me to email her this recipe...... She said it is perfect for Valentines Day and I think she is right!! It is fun having a grandma plugged in to technology... she is one hip 85 year old even has a facebook page!! I just wish I was in Texas to enjoy these cookies with her!
Happy Valentine's weekend and enjoy the cookie recipe!
Cheery Cherry Cookies 1 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup butter 1 egg 2 TBL milk 1 tsp vanilla 2 cups flour 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp backing soda 1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and chopped 1/2 cup pecans 1/2 cup flaked coconut
Cream brown sugar, butter, egg, milk and vanilla. Combine flour, slat and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture. Fold in cherries, pecans and coconut. Drop by teaspoonful onto un-greased baking sheets. Bake at 375* for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 4 dozen.
Update time, but first of all I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus!! We had a special time with family and we are now back home and planning to enjoy the rest of Christmas vacation.
Some updates.... Still no POO and loving it!!! I don't plan on going back to shampoo or conditioner. The baking soda and apple cider vinegar work marvelously for me! I also use coconut oil as a leave in conditioner/freeze treatment for my curly hair. I am down to only using 2 store bought products (down from a total of 5-6). I still use a bit of hair gel and hair spray... not much just a tad. If you haven't given the 'no poo' thing a try what are you waiting for??
TV/Screen time DECREASE! Over Thanksgiving break we celebrated the week 'old fashioned' style with NO tv or computer. How did it go?? Well the first couple of days my children suffered from MAJOR withdrawal..... MAJOR. That right there convinced my husband and I that our family had indeed slipped into a serious problem with screen time. So for 2 weeks... it was off. then we decided that we would only allow tv for movies on Friday or Saturday nights and if they asked any other time they forfeited those weekend privileges. How is it going now?? WONDERFULLY!! The kids are playing more games, reading, coloring, doing puzzles, using their imagination, building things and getting the toys back out again. We have also played more games together in the past month than we had in the past year! We have had a TON of fun and plan to keep the LIMITED screen time policy in place. As you have noticed I haven't been blogging much either... it has been a good detox for me, too. Living life is much more valuable than passively watching or reading about what others are doing.... Living MY life, the life that GOD has given ME, is my priority. DOING things with my own family takes precedent over reading what others are doing with theirs. (though I will still read blogs from time to time.... just keep my priorities in check!)
Life's challenges..... yeah, we have had some this fall. Yeah, we are still dealing with some difficult issues, but we are working on them and have been blessed to have some very wonderful Biblical guidance and counsel that had been extremely beneficial. Through Jesus we are more than conquerors!!!! The victory is already won!!!!
Looking towards 2010 God is giving me some new convictions, goals, dreams. He has also given some opportunities to just completely trust him because my human eyes can't make heads or tails from what I see. Living my life DAY to DAY, with my heart in tune with what GOD desires is going to be a huge thing.... Heart issues, peeling back more layers of ME and replacing them with GOD.... that is what I pray happens.
Living Simply... this God given desire is growing even stronger as I have had a renewed passion for the ways of God. God's way is peaceful, God's ways are different from the world. The world chases after so much and even as Christians we get sucked in to the rush for more.... stepping back farther from the mainstream world is another family goal. It is so easy for my heart to get filled up with things that distract me from the most important things in life. Defining 'simple living' for our own life will be a continual journey but one that will take on more priority this coming year than last.
I look forward to writing on this blog and sharing with you the journey that God is leading me on. I'm not sure how consistent I will be posting, but will post as I feel led. My HEART must be right..... I can NOT post to feed my pride or gain popularity. My HEART must please Jesus, not myself. I learn so much from you all and will continue to do so. I have been so blessed by friends that I have met online and know that God guides us to each other for divine purpose!!
I'm a HUGE fan of chocolate and I am a HUGE fan of simplicity! Put those two together and this fudge recipe is perfect. I posted this recipe last year, too.... it is just so good I had to post it again. I usually start making it around Thanksgiving and make sure to have plenty to share and enjoy all the way through New Years. This is serious chocolate, one piece of this rich delight with a cup of coffee.....
Anyway, here is my favorite fudge recipe.... simple, easy and frugal!!
Amy's Amazing Fudge
Combine the following in a large bowl: 3 cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet is the best!) ½ lb. (2 sticks) butter, cut into chunks
In Sauce pan measure: 4 ½ cups sugar ¼ tsp. cream of tartar 1- 12 oz. can evaporated milk
Mix together and stir constantly over med-high burner. Keep stirring until it comes to a full bubbling boil- NOT a rolling boil. Time for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and pour over chips and butter in bowl. Add 1 tsp. vanilla, stir until chocolate is melted. Add nuts if desired. [Try dried cherries too- yumm-o!] Pour into GREASED 9x13 pan and cool. Cut into squares and serve. Keep refrigerated or at least in a cool place. Warning: Very rich- you must have a glass of milk or a cup of coffee. Eating more than 3 pieces at a time is known to give you sugar overload.
As follow up to this post, keeping Christmas simple is going well. We have scaled back the gifts this year (even more) and have been enjoying the simple things. Following my Christmas Control Journal (see flylady for more detail) and holiday meal plan is so helpful. Keeping things in perspective and not giving in to perfectionism is wonderful. For instance, our tree is up, but not decorated! I can't find the lights!!! (I only have 2 boxes of Christmas deco and the lights are NOT in them... I have no idea what I did with the lights last year!) Oh, well, we have enjoyed it plain till I get to town today for lights.
This year we "adopted" two elderly "shut in" women in the small town near us. It has been fun and felt so good to be focused on blessing them (they live on so little) and getting to know them. The little things mean so much to them... I can't imagine being so isolated! I am thinking about organizing a group of kids to go caroling at a nursing home..... honor the "forgotten" elders with some Christmas cheer.
My sister and I took our children to a local farm that goes all out with the Christmas lights... We drove their BIG loop THREE times with the kids. We sang Christmas songs and had an all around good time. My Grandmother gave me a BIG bag of Christmas material.... I had fun with all the kids making wall hangings. (Note: My 11 year old son is almost as tall as me and I am 5'9"!!!! YIKES!)
My sister took our family picture on Thanksgiving (Thank you Melissa) so we have a great picture to mail out with cards. I can't really post my home made Christmas gifts... don't want to let the cat out of the bag just yet (in case anyone is reading), but I can say I have been busy in the kitchen. I LOVE to cook and bake and these gifts have been well received in the past. The "boys" and I had a fun time in the kitchen making noodles.... they were yummy on
Thanksgiving and we froze a few more meals worth.
Christmas music plays in the back ground as I type up this post. Focusing on celebrating JESUS and turning our HEARTS towards Him. Go here to listen online.
I have also enjoyed listening to some Midday Connection programs about Christmas. Go here to listen to "Debt proof your Christmas". Paying CASH for all Christmas related purchases really does simplify Christmas..... no more after Christmas stress. Remembering that it is the TIME spent together, the memories made that are the real gifts that last!!!! Even "country girl" Thanksgiving memories!!!
This Thursday we will be having a "Christmas Party" with the parenting group I facilitate with a local pregnancy center. I have some home made goodies for each family. Nothing much, but just a chance to celebrate Christ. I am going to be sharing my testimony that night... so PRAY for me and PRAY that hearts are softened to Christ and that the salvation message be accepted!!!!! What better Christmas gift than the knowledge that Jesus LOVES us and that His GRACE is the BEST and only lasting eternal gift!!!!!!
From our home to yours.... Happy Thanksgiving! We have SO MUCH to be thankful for.... Freedom to worship as we please is in it self enough to make our hearts swell with gratitude! Enjoy your time with your family!
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the freedoms we have in our great nation. Mostly, thank you for our freedom to worship you in the way we choose! Thank you for being able to gather together with other believers without the risk of loosing our lives. Stir up in my heart a greater understanding and thankfulness for this freedom and help me to pray more diligently for those that are being persecuted. Thank you for this day set aside to give you thanks for all of our many blessings... for it is from you we are blessed! Thank you, Jesus!
Last year I made the most AMAZING fudge.... then I lost the recipe. I probably accidentally threw out that printed off sheet along with other random papers on my counter! So, thank you Amy, for helping me find it on your blog! This AMAZING fudge is easy to make.... just takes stirring skill... and I am going to make it this afternoon. The holidays just wouldn't be the same! (I now need to find a good peanut butter fudge recipe. We have friends that have given us peanut butter fudge every year for years! Now they have discovered that their 2 year old has peanut allergies.... not going to get the fudge this year!)
Amy's Amazing Fudge
Combine the following in a large bowl: 3 cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet is the best!) ½ lb. (2 sticks) butter, cut into chunks
In Sauce pan measure: 4 ½ cups sugar ¼ tsp. cream of tartar 1- 12 oz. can evaporated milk
Mix together and stir constantly over med-high burner. Keep stirring until it comes to a full bubbling boil- NOT a rolling boil. Time for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and pour over chips and butter in bowl. Add 1 tsp. vanilla, stir until chocolate is melted. Add nuts if desired. [Try dried cherries too- yumm-o!] Pour into GREASED 9x13 pan and cool. Cut into squares and serve. Keep refrigerated or at least in a cool place. Warning: Very rich- you must have a glass of milk or a cup of coffee. Eating more than 3 pieces at a time is known to give you sugar overload.
Thanksgiving is just a week away..... Christmas is just around the corner, but you can be READY and you can ENJOY the holiday meals by following these simple steps!
Keep the stress level down by following these few simple tips:
1)Start early.Decide what you are preparing and what you want your guests to bring.(Ask guests to bring something… make it a family affair!)Write it down (If I don't have it written down it isn't going to happen... just ask my 4 year old about why he tells me to "write it on your list, Mommy"). Don’t forget to plan drinks. Also, remember, everything does not have to be made from scratch!It is about the family time, not about “perfect” food!
2)Shop ahead of time with a list.Know what you need so you don’t have to make any last minute trips to the store.Stores are much less busy the week before a holiday.Do you need anything (linens, decorations, serving dishes) other than food items?
3)Spread out the preparation.If it is possible to prepare any of your dishes ahead of time (a day or two earlier or to freeze) DO IT!Any thing you can do ahead of time will reduce your stress.Remember to thaw out the turkey.
4)The day before…. Set out all of the serving dishes and utensils, prepare the table (linens, decorations, etc) and set the table the day before the big event. (You can cover the table with a sheet if you want to.)Get as much done as possible BEFORE the big day!
5)Baby steps!One thing at a time!Clean up the kitchen as you go so you don’t end up with a big mess to clean up.Fill the sink with hot soapy water and wash as you go.Then you won’t be frantically cleaning up the kitchen before guests arrive.
6)ENJOY the holidays; focus on building memories with your family rather than creating a “perfect” holiday!Kids won’t remember all the details, but they will remember our attitudes!A simple meal with a joyful, happy Mom is far better than any feast with a stressed out, grumpy Mom!
Turkey Talk!Happy Thanksgiving!
You DON’T need to be afraid of baking a turkey!You can do it with the simple recipe and instructions I am giving you.Enjoy the turkey left overs … aka: “Fast Track”. This is the way my Grandmother taught me to roast a turkey and hers (and mine) always turn out wonderful!
EASY Roasted Turkey Breast
Oven
*****THAW turkey breast in advance******
Ingredients:
1 turkey breast (bone in or boneless)
Onion powder
Paprika
Roasting bag
2 TBL flour
Directions:
1)Place roasting bag in a 9x13 baking pan.Sprinkle 2 TBL flour in bottom of bag,(this is important).
2)Wash and dry turkey breast.Sprinkle with onion powder, rub in.Sprinkle with paprika.Put turkey in roasting bag.
3)Close roasting bag and poke a few holes in bag according to bag directions. (IMPORTANT)
4)Bake at 350 for 20 minutes per pound of meat.(refer to the roasting bag instructions)
5)After baking allow turkey to rest for 15 minutes before removing from bag.Slice.
*** you can prepare a whole turkey the same way… if preparing a whole turkey you can stuff the cavity with sliced onions and celery***
This is a good recipe to use some of the left over turkey... aka... Fast Track!
Crunchy Turkey Bake
**Fast Track: Use left over turkey!**
Oven
Ingredients:
2 cups “fast track” turkey, shredded
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed (thaw by running under hot water)
I will admit that Christmas has never been a favorite of mine... don't get me wrong, I am in awe, reverence and am eternally grateful for our Savior.... I just find all the expectations and work of modern Christmas to be exhausting. It never seems like enough... we are constantly bombarded with the "stuff" of Christmas. From the perfect tree, the gifts, the parties, the cards, the decorations, on and on... it is stressful! NOT this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am glad that ValleyGirl is hosting this! Thank you, Tammi!
This year is going to be a SIMPLE celebration of our Savior... for without him I would be eternally lost! Because of HIS grace, I have an eternity in heaven to look forward to! I am in awe of HIS love for me and I want this to be expressed in Christmas.
We are going simple: home made gifts from the heart, simple things I have picked up throughout the year and time spent together, making memories not stress! Letting go of perfection and enjoying each moment for what it is, not some preconceived notion of what it was supposed to be like. How often does that happen?? Measure a moment by some ideal in my head for what it was supposed to be like...... rather than celebrate and enjoy life for what it is? Setting myself up for disappointment with unrealistic expectations????
Yesterday I put together this year's Christmas Control Binder (Flylady has one ready for you to print off). Flylady also has wonderful ideas for clutter free gifts. Having a Christmas control binder is something I started doing 3 years ago... it REALY helps!!! Knowledge is power and knowing what I am going to do is half the battle. Also, having the spending plan down on paper is great. I now have the plan.... what I am making/giving to each one on our list. Keeping things simple and doing something each day so that it isn't a last minute rush.
I already have many gifts that I have collected through the year as I have found them. Today I am going to pick up wraping paper and wrap up some gifts. Wrapping is something that I used to wait till last minute to do.... the past couple of years I would start wrapping EARLY and it was a HUGE stress reducer. Usually I buy wrapping paper after Christmas when it is marked down... I don't know why, but for some reason I didn't pick any up last year... boy am I going to hate paying full price!
In all honesty, it is a heart issue. Today, in this moment, I am choosing to be simple! Choosing to be content and not longing for the preconceived perfect! Enjoying this season, building memories, focusing on the Grace we have been given by accepting Jesus as our Savior! Having an eternity perspective!! Blessing others in a way that builds up the kingdom of God, not just falling prey to the worlds way of Christmas. Enjoying and yet being sepparate...From Presents to Presence!!!!
Sewing nightgowns! My daughter (pictured) and my niece are going to get matching night gowns for Christmas. I am also going to make matching night gowns for their dolls. It will be an ultra frugal project as well because I am using a king size flannel sheet set I got at a yard sale for $3 to make it all!!! (They are SO soft, and in perfect condition!)
I spent yesterday afternoon learning how to make a basic peasant top and then I expanded the length to make this (pictured) night gown for my daughter. I made it out of a sheet I had picked up at goodwill. It turned out great for my first one! If you have any sewing skills (and let me reassure you, mine are not much) you can do this. I used this tutorial, but DON'T cut out anything for the neck... only cut out for the arms! I made that mistake with my practice shirt.
I got my inspiration for this from Eyes of Wonder. If you have never visited her blog you are in for a treat!!!
"Thanksmas"?? My wise Grandmother (pictured here with my sister) created a family tradition MANY years ago... Choosing Simplicity means you do what works for the family. (Click here to see the "tour Tuesday" post I did about her for her 84th birthday) She (and Grandpa when he was living) travel to Texas for the winter. She hated missing Thanksgiving and Christmas so she combined the two and we celebrate the first Saturday in November. Thanksgiving food and Christmas gifts. She decorates the tables for Thanksgiving, but always has some Christmas deco out, too! This year my Aunt brought a little silver tree with lights (from Hallmark). If anyone left hungry it was there own fault! There was enough food for an army! Grandma has always been a wonderful cook!
We had a wonderful day at her Condo yesterday.... It was COLD out so they parked her car outside and set up the garage for a place for the kids to play... they had a blast!
In the other picture you can see my Grandmother looking on with a smile as some of her Great-Grands open her gifts. (left to right: my Ethan, my sister's Kenna, my Robyn and my sister's Wyatt) So, Happy Thanksmas!!! Choosing Simplicity means celebrating in a way that works for your family, not in the way "everyone" does!!
