Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a success!  I was worried we wouldn't have enough and of course I totally over compensated, like the 10 lbs of potatoes I peeled and mashed by hand.  I'm pretty sure only 3 lbs. got eaten! The green bean casserole was a huge hit!  The pumpkin bread pudding.... not so much.  The bread pudding was delicious, but I guess when there is pie the not-so-traditional desserts get overlooked.  The Parker House rolls were yummy and I even made them with whole wheat flour.

We had a crazy, busy, packed in 5 days in Oklahoma.  We were able to see some friends, lots of family, and of course eat alot!  One of my sisters is moving from Georgia to Colorado and were were able to spend about 24 hours with her and her hubby!  So the 4 sisters were together again!  Which includes lots of laughing, a few jabs at one another and laughing. 

We are so blessed by our family and friends in Oklahoma, being "home" makes me realize how much I miss everyone, but I'm so glad the Lord has given us relationships that can pick up where you left off.  Enjoy some pics.

Thanksgiving Menu

Thanksgiving with my family seems to be different every year.  The menu is pretty traditional, but my parents have always opened up our home to anyone for the holidays.  I love that about my family.   My sisters and I always had friends over and several were adopted the title "our other daughter" by my dad.

So this year our group will consist of my parents, my sister Mary, my sister Emily and her husband Chase, his parents and grandmother, my aunt, my dad's 2 cousins and their family. So that equals about 16 people.  The more the merrier!

Anyways.....I offered to come up with the menu and do most of the cooking.  I'm pretty sure my mom didn't even think for 30 seconds before saying YES! Soooo, I thought I would share my menu, just in case you need some inspiration. I even gave you links to the recipes I'm using. So hear we go.....

The Bird
Thank goodness my dad is smoking a turkey, so I don't have to worry about the "Main Event"

The GOOD STUFFing
I say the good stuff, because dressing is my favorite part of Thanksgiving. I prefer the white bread version, my dad likes cornbread dressing, so my mom is making the cornbread stuff and my sister is trying a crockpot version of the white bread version.

Green Bean Casserole
No canned stuff here! I'm actually making this from scratch!  I just finished making the cream of mushroom and it is smooth and oh so rich!

Honey Glazed Carrots
I'm not a huge fan of cooked carrots, but these are tooooo yummy. I think they would be a good replacement for sweet potato casserole, that is if you dare to replace sweet potato casserole.

Sweet Potato Casserole
So about that Sweet Potato Casserole...........I'm not making it....either my sis Mary is or someone is bringing it.  Nothing against it....just choosing to let someone else make it.

Mashed Potatoes
Have you ever baked your mashed potatoes? I think this is key to amazing, creamy, melt in your mouth  mashed potatoes. Ok maybe the butter, cream cheese and half and half have something to do with it.  Thank you Pioneer Woman!

Broccoli Salad
This has become a tradition at our family Thanksgivings. This recipe is pretty close to what we make with the exception of the pine nuts.  Plus, don't you feel healthier if you have a dish that's called a "salad".

Cranberry Sauce
So tell me this, do you really like cranberry sauce? I mean I know its tradition, but I'm not crazy about it.  I made this a few years ago, because I just couldn't put a can of what looks like red jello on a plate and call it a dish.  It actually was quite a hit!

Dinner Rolls
Why not?  Don't you have to have at least 3 carbs for the Thanksgiving meal?

And the finale........DESSERT!  We are actually going to be going to my brother-in-law's parent's house for dessert, so I offered to bring this, but really I've just wanted an excuse to make Pumpkin Bread Pudding.  I decided not to make both sauces, sorry but it just seems like too much.  I made the pumpkin bread today and it is delish!

So what are you making for Thanksgiving?

Much thanks to the following for inspiring my Thanksgiving Menu:
Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine
Pioneer Woman Cooks (love her and her cookbook!)
Food Network and Bobby Flay 

The Hubby's Favorite Meal-Potstickers

So my husband is my guinea pig when it comes to trying new recipes. Several years ago I experimented with making homemade Potstickers (got the recipe fro Everyday Food Magazine). It was time consuming, but fairly easy. A perfect amount of salty, crunch, and oh so savory goodness! This resulted in being my hubs favorite meal, which I don't fix often, because like I said, it is time consuming! So this ends up being a birthday meal, celebration meal, bribery meal, and a "make my hubby happy" meal.
So here are some step by step instructions on how to make a husband happy! Note: this recipe makes approximately 24 potstickers
Step 1
Place a 1/2 Cup of finely chopped Napa Cabbage in a bowl with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Mix and let stand for 10 min.

Step 2
Place cabbage in a tea towel or a double layer of paper towels and squeeze out excess liquid. Note: I'm cheap and therefore my paper towels are cheap.  Cheap paper towels tend to tear and you don't want to pick wet paper towel off your cabbage

Step 3
Return cabbage to bowl and add
6oz. of ground pork
3 scallions, finely chopped (or about a half cup of diced onion)
1 Tablespoon of finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger  (or about 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, but fresh is soooo much better)
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of totasted sesame oil
And then get messy and mix it all up, hands work the best!

Step 4

Working with one won ton wrapper at a time, spoon a rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of the wrapper.  With dampened fingers, wet the four edges of the wrapper. Fold one half over, making a triangle. Seal the edges over the filling. Transfer to an oiled plate and cover with a damp towel to keep moist.

Step 5

In a non-stick skillet with a tight fitting lid, heat 1 Tablespoon oil over med-high heat. Note: Using a stainless steel pan ensures that your potstickers WILL stick! If you are opposed to using non-stick because of icky chemicals, a well-seasoned iron skillet will work. Add half the wontons and cook, turning once, until lightly browned. About 1 minute per side.

Step 6

Carefully add 1/2 cup of water to pan, cover and steam until slightly translucent & just cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Be careful, it will splatter!!!  I can only fit 8-10 potstickers in my pan so I only add about 1/4 cup of water.

Step 7

Remove from pan dip in soy sauce and enjoy!!!

Freezing

I usually make a double batch of the filling when I make the potstickers, just because it is time consuming.  I have tried making the potstickers and freezing them uncooked. The problem is the corners tend to break off and they don't cook up very well.  So I freeze the leftover filling in a freezer bag and the leftover wrappers in a separate bag. This works very well.

Girls Weekend!

I just got back from a wonderful, fun, and relaxing extended weekend with some of the women in my family.  Every year in October, my mom's side of the family has an Aunts and Nieces get-together.  My mom's aunts and cousins all have a dinner with yummy food and hilarious conversation!  My mom and I hosted this year at my Granny's. We also had a Tea Party birthday breakfast for my cousin's little girl who turned 4. Here are a few pics from our Girls Weekend!

Fall Garden Prep/Raised Cedar Garden Bed

Now that we live in Nebraska the weather is a little more permitting for a garden. Well, you can have a garden in Oklahoma, whether it lives or not is the question. We have wanted to build a raised garden bed for a while and found a cheap and easy pattern from www.Ana-White.com.  Here is the link to the project plan. (http://ana-white.com/2010/05/hack-natural-rustic-cedar-raised-beds.html)

In a short Sunday afternoon we (well mostly the hubs) built one 18" x 72" raised cedar garden bed.  The great thing about this project is it cost about $12!  We used (6) 1"x6"x6'.  I won't bore you with the details because if you really want to make this you can find the instructions at the above link.

 Who can resist a man with power tools?

The finished Product! Pretty cool, huh?

 Just had to show our little helper. We cracked the garage door for a little breeze, and Ruger just had to see what was going on outside.

A Little Introduction

Well, for about a year I've been saying I should start a blog. So this is me following through. It might have taken me forever, but here goes nothing....

We've had a few BIG changes in our lives the past year.  In November we went from being Oklahomans to Nebraskans (even though in my heart I'll always be an Okie) and I went from being a full-time interior designer to being a stay-at-home wife. The reason? My hubby got a new job!  This was an answer to our prayers!  This also enabled me to stay home full time.  And I love it!!!  Most people ask me, don't you get bored? Believe it or not, I stay pretty busy taking care of our home, cooking, gardening, running errands, and now running my new Etsy store. (gracefullyrenewed.etsy.com) All of these changes have been good, brought us joy, new adventures, and of course growth in our faith in the Lord.

Stay tuned for posts on our Midwestern adventures, cooking experiments, and home remodeling shenanigans.