This song made me tear up in church today.
Happy Buy Nothing Day
Green Chile Stew
Another half time, another recipe. (Cardinals are not doing so well at this point 🙁 )
Looking for a great way to use up that leftover turkey? Make a stew. Here is a green chile stew recipe that you can help you use up some turkey.
Instead of using stew meat, I just threw in two pounds of cooked turkey after I browned the onion, bacon, and garlic. It is a fairly easy recipe with yummy results! It is even easier when your husband does all the chopping for you. 🙂
Cranberry Sauce
Okay it’s half-time (Cowboys are winning!) so I thought I would share the cranberry sauce I made. It is yummy! I know some people prefer the canned version but I never could get myself to eat it straight out of the can, just not appetizing to me.
Ginger & Pear Cranberry Sauce
Good Housekeeping November 2008
1 bag (12 oz) cranberries, picked over
2 Bosc or Anjou pears (1lb), peeled, cored, and chopped
1 Tbsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
1. In 3-quart saucepan, heat all ingredients to boiling on high, stirring occasionally.
2. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, 5 to 7 minutes or until most cranberries pop and pears are tender, stirring occasionally. (Mixture will thicken as it chills.)
3. Spoon sauce into serving bowl; cover and refrigerate 3 hours or up to 4 days.
I was tempted to make the Southwestern Cranberry Sauce that was offered instead:
Prepare cranberry sauce as above in step 1, except omit pears and ginger and add 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped, 1 teaspoon grated fresh lime peel, and 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice to cranberry mixture. In step 2, cook only 3 to 4 minutes or until most cranberries pop. Complete recipe as in step 3.
I think I will have to give that one a try sometime soon.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I am so thankful for everything in my life. I wake up everyday and am truly thankful for each and every day. Matt and I have an absolutely wonderful life and I wouldn’t change a thing, well except for Tom and Jerry to be here, but I am thankful for the process and all the sorrow and joy it brings.
I hope everyone has an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving and that the Cowboys and Cardinals win!
In Case You Didn't Know
You can sign up at the CPSC’s website to receive email notification when an item is recalled. You can sign up for all recalls or for recalls regarding a specific group, like infant/child. I signed up when we started buying stuff for Tom and Jerry and luckily we haven’t bought anything that was recalled. It is an easy thing to do and I get about one email a week alerting me to recalls.
Polar Bears
Sneak Peak
Matt started working on the nursery this week. I have not lifted a brush, but somehow I have managed to get paint on me and my clothes.
Matt getting ready to start
The Sky
A nice neutral base
Dirt
Friday Update – 11.21.08
Happy Birthday Michelle!!!
Adoption Update: There were four referrals this week all for infant girls. Congrats to the happy families. This week marks 8.5 months or 37 weeks of waiting. I am currently living with the thought that we could get the call any day now. I go to bed thinking, “Will it be tomorrow?” Then I wake up thinking, “Is today the day?” Fortunately for me it is NOT constantly running through my head all day long and I don’t spend hours just staring at my phone hoping Sharon calls. (Sharon you are welcome to call anytime day or night!) I know deep down it could be any day or it could be a few months. Anyway it is enough to drive a person insane, but I think I am handling it quite well.
Exercise Update: I have not been all that great at getting out and exercising. To be honest I wasn’t feeling all that great and finally went to the doctor. We figured out what was up and I should be back at it next week.
Random Stuff:
The weather was unusually warm this week, but things should be back to normal for Thanksgiving, by normal I mean the 70s.
The garden is starting to look good, we should have leafy greens here in a couple of weeks. I am hoping to start an indoor herb garden this weekend.
Cloth Diapers
For those of you debating cloth or disposable, I came across an article series today that makes an interesting read:
Why I Made the Leap to Cloth Diapering
Part II – Environmental Impact of Disposables
Part III – For My Baby’s Health
Do you plan on using cloth or disposable and why? I promise not to judge, just curious.
Bread Making
I’ve finally found a bread recipe that we both love! It has been a long process of trial and error and some not so yummy bread. This recipe works great for sandwiches and toast, so we are both happy.
Crunchy’s Favorite Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
2 1/3 cups warm water (110 degrees)
1/4 cup honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup dark rye flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Instructions
Mix the yeast, water, honey, butter and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer with a spoon. Mix in the rye flour, wheat germ, 1 cup of the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flours.
Add the remaining whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. Attach the dough hook and knead at low speed for 8 – 10 minutes or until the dough is shiny and elastic. If you don’t have a dough hook, knead by hand for 5 to 10 minutes.
Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm area for about an hour (or until it has doubled in volume).
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Gently press down the dough and divide in two. Form each piece into a roll 9 inches long and place into a buttered and floured bread loaf pan (9 x 5) with the seam down. Cover again and let rise for 30 minutes.
Bake for 40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 205 degrees. Transfer loaves immediately to a wire rack, letting cool to room temperature.
Farming in the City
I think this is a great idea if you are looking to start a CSA, but can’t purchase land. Another idea I see that could stem from this is sharing your yard with apartment dwellers. A lot of homeowners have yards and want organic, local produce, but do not have the desire or the time to work in a garden. I am sure a number of these homeowners know someone who has the desire to grow their own food, but does not have the space. The homeowners could allow their friends to farm their land and use their water in exchange for some fresh produce. Both parties get something they want out of the deal and it is better for the environment.
Friday Update – 11.14.08
Adoption Update: There were six little boys referred this week! One set of two month old identical twins (yay we moved up a spot!) and four infants ranging from two months to 19 months. Congratulations to all the happy families.
Matt and I both finally feel like this could really happen and had “Oh crap” moments in regards to preparing. It will still be 2009 before we travel, but with the holidays coming up we figure we should start getting some stuff done now. We are both procrastinators by nature, but neither of us truly want to put everything off until we get a referral because we will have enough to do before we travel, so we are trying really hard to get some stuff done. I mean trying really HARD, we much rather wait until the last minute, but are trying to avoid the added stress that brings. We have decided to start painting the nursery, we have lots of artwork planned, so it will take some time. I cleared out the room this week, except for some pieces of furniture and then we will start the painting process this weekend. I will take plenty of pics because I am not allowed to paint for the most part. Hey if you want it done right do NOT let me paint. We also went and got some more travel vaccinations today, yellow fever and typhoid. They might slow us down a bit this weekend, but we will see.
Keep the Browns in your prayers this weekend. Their court date is November 17!
I think that is it for now.
Friday Update – 11.07.08
Adoption Update: Today marks eight months or 35 weeks of waiting for our referral. I cannot believe it has been that long, time is flying by. There was finally a much anticipated sibling group referral this week, the couple waited just shy of 12 months, 4 year old girl and 18 month old boy. A six month old girl was also referred this week. Congratulations to the happy families!
Work-Outs: Let’s just say I took the week off! I was so lazy this week and I blame it all on Matt, had he not spoiled me so much for my birthday weekend I would not have been so lazy. It was really hard to get back to normal life! Matt woke up early and rode his road bike all week, he loves riding early in the morning, while I am content to be in bed.
Gardening: Things are sprouting away. It is so nice to see some green out there. We are having a little sunshine problem, with the sun being low in the horizon and our acacia trees getting so big, little is making it through to the garden. I am going to come up with some sort of reflectors out of used political signs to get a little more light on the garden. Thankfully this is only a problem for about four months out of the year.
Random Stuff: It finally is feeling like fall! I am so excited, the weather is absolutely gorgeous. I can keep the windows open all day and enjoy the fresh air. We were finally able to turn off the A/C for the year. I hope to keep it off until May again.
Cabinet Matt hung for me on my birthday, complete with kitty shelf.
Carter’s new favorite napping spot