So tired of winter!

So tired of winter - can't wait for some spring like temps later this week but first have to get through freezing rain tonight and tomorrow morning.  YUCK!

I do like to cook more during the winter months though - sometime so comforting about a big pot of soup on the stove or something in the oven warming up the whole kitchen.

Last week I made a big pot of Italian Sausage Pasta Soup.  Lots of fresh vegetables, turkey sausage and pasta.  How can you go wrong! 

And some homemade veggie pizza.  Whole wheat crust, caramelized onions, and sweet mini peppers.   I've made that several times in the last month and just added whatever veggies - like fresh mushrooms, fresh spinach or even sliced tomatoes in place of the sauce.

I've also been making omelets more frequently.   Our family book club read "My Life in France" by Julia Child and someone found some You Tube videos they shared.  One was how to make a French Omelet.  My pan is a little bit smaller but works very well with one egg.

I have not had a lot of time in the craft room but here are a few cards I made recently.

This card uses the Banner Blast stamp set and the Banner punch. Both are available free during Sale-a-bration.   Colors are Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe and Coastal Cabana.

This one used the Afternoon Delight Designer Series Paper paired with the colors, Coastal Cabana, Soft Suede, Wisteria Wonder, and Crushed Curry.

 

And this is my favorite project lately - a valentine for my granddaughter to give to her daddy. 

Stay warm everyone - spring is just around the corner or at least that is what I keep telling myself

Cold Weather Cooking

Something about cold weather makes me want to cook.  And on the weekend I like to cook a lot of food to eat throughout the coming week so I can just warm up or add finishing touches for a meal.  Makes our weeknights much easier.
I've also been trying to plan some healthier meals and work out with my Sweatin DVDs.

Thursday was Salad Bar night but we got off work a little early so I had time to put a batch of fresh bread but did not have enough white flour so I tried a recipe in the bread machine book.  

Whole Wheat Rolls were delicious brushed with some honey butter.  Mouth-watering!

Friday was Nacho Bake - like nachos but made in a casserole.  I served it with some warmed black beans to which I added some cumin and garlic powder.  A small salad on the side and it was a meal.

Saturday I made some Creamy Tomato Basil Soup  The Whole Wheat Rolls left from Thursday were great with the soup.  My daughter made some Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter muffins so I splurged and had one for a snack later - after working out.

Today I tackled a couple of the challenging items in the produce basket from last week. Spaghetti squash and pears.  Tom is not a fan of squash so I keep looking for different recipes. Today it was Spaghetti Squash Fritters  Heard no complaint. 

He also does not care for pears - just not a fan.  I made some cooked pears the last time we had them and he said they were pretty good so went with that. Baked Pears with Hazelnut Yogurt Sauce 

Oh and Baked Fish with Mango Salsa.  The fish was just dipped in eggbeaters and then in panko bread crumbs to which I added some Caribbean Jerk seasoning.  For the salsa, I used the recipe from Orange Crusted Salmon with Mango Salsa but left out the tomatoes. I had some diced mango in the freezer that I thawed and used for the recipe.  Not as good as using fresh - but it was okay. 

To get a start on the week, I made some Quick Chicken Curry today too. It made the kitchen smell so good.   We will have it tomorrow evening on rice with some stir-fried snow peas (also from the produce basket) and a small salad.   I enjoy cooking so it was a fun weekend. I also fit in a few movies and finishing a book for our family book club - and of course, the Sweatin DVDs.

Week one of Weight Loss Challenge

I joined a 12 week weight loss challenge on Facebook a week ago.  It has helped me already as I am much more aware of what I am eating and the competition was just what I needed to get me serious about losing those 15-20 lbs that have crept back on. 

And it has me thinking about what I am cooking and looking for lower calorie recipes. I found a real winner today - raves from the whole family. 

Chicken Verde (my name for it) was pretty simple. Using the frozen chicken tenderloins made it even easier.   I thawed the chicken breasts then placed them and the marinade in a big zip-lock bag.  Placed that in the frig for 4 hours.

While the chicken was marinading I worked on other parts of the meal. 

French Bread Rolls was one of those items.  Using the bread machine to mix up the dough makes them really easy.  I brushed these with some beaten egg before baking and they have a nice shiny crust. 

So far I have lost 4 pounds - weigh in tomorrow morning.   At least my pants are fitting a little better.  I don't want to have to go shopping for larger clothes!

Wreath project

My daughter and son-in-law were given a large 'N' (first letter of their last name) and wanted to do something with it. I suggested hanging it above their fireplace    The previous owners had put two good sized hooks in the wall but the N was not wide enough for those so I started looking for ideas. 

The idea my daughter liked was a wreath with the N in the center and decorated for the season.  So I hit up Michael's after Christmas sale and found a 3 foot wreath 50% off. 

I had some snowflake wired ribbon left over from some project years ago and just enough to make a nice bow 

The N is silver/chrome and the ribbon had white, turquoise and silver so thought that would go well 

I then cut out snowflakes with my Big Shot and larger ones by tracing around a cookie cutter that I have and planned to layer them to add to the wreath. I thought they needed some mid-sized piece between them so used a flower punch that was 6 sided. I tried both turquoise and silver for the mid-sized piece and let my daughter choose which she wanted. 

Here they are all scattered on my dining room table. I used some stickles glitter on the largest pieces. 

Here are some of the layered snowflakes on the wreath. 

Here is the finished wreath above their fireplace. We all liked it and I'll help her change out the ribbon and snowflakes in the spring. My granddaughter's first birthday is in early April. Maybe we'll add some die cut balloons for her party. 

Christmas crafts

AllI've done a couple unexpected Christmas crafts and it's only Dec 2!  

The first was a new wreath for our porch. The old one had the red styrofoam berries on it and several years ago the birds had tried to eat then exposing the white styrofoam centers. It was looking pretty bad. 

And last year or the year before the lights on it stopped working. So while us was shopping on Dec 1 I found a plain lit wreath for under $10 and brought it home to decorate. 

All I had to do was add some ribbon. This is a candy stripe ribbon I had. I think it turned out cute. Simple but festive 

I was given the task for the second craft by my boss. This year they are asking each dept in the hospital and medical group to create an ornament inspired by the 'healing arts' to help us focus on the positive. I was automatically delegated. 

They gave us a flat acrylic disc and we could use whatever supplies we liked. 

Here is what I came up with. I work in Information Services and wanted something that was related to our dept. I cut it in pieces and taped the two ends together then covered my tape with the banner. 

And since the disc was clear the adhesive showed through on the back so I had to decorate it too 

I think it turned out pretty cute. We will all gather in the lobby next Monday and hang the ornaments on a tree. 

Happy anniversary to us!

Our church has a cake and pinch reception for those couples hitting milestone anniversaries. Since we had our 25th on 11/26, our reception was 11/24. 

Here we are with the cake.  Tom got to bring home about half of that cake (white) and a couple pieces of a second smaller cake (chocolate).  

Tom's brother, Jeff, and his parents joined us for the celebration. And of course our two daughters, son-in-law and granddaughter.  Adelyn is trying to get my earring :-) 

On our actual anniversary, we went to see Catching Fire.  I loved it -would go again if I get a chance.

Saturday is Bake Day :-)

A beautiful Saturday - sunny and crisp.  After a haircut and grocery shopping, I got some baking done. 

 I had a butternut squash from the co-op produce basket so made some squash puff for dinner.   I prefer to think it is healthy eating even with the eggs and sugar that make it taste so good. 

  Soft Sandwich Rolls to take to Katie and Jake's for pulled pork sandwiches.   I experimented with the recipe, replacing some of the all purpose flour with whole wheat.  They were pretty good.  I have one fresh from the oven for lunch.  I have a second batch of bread in the machine now - French loaves. 

And what sweetness.  This is her 7 month photos.  She was too interested in all the sights in the living room since they don't go in there very often.  Not interested in smiling.   Looks how well she is sitting up and using her arms :-)