Hillshire Farms: GO MEAT!

I remembered to take a picture AFTER I had already put it on our plates.  :-)

I had some leftover Hillshire Farm Sausages links and wanted to use them up without eating them on a bun (again).  I found this recipe on Allrecipes and with the advice of the other viewers I modified it slightly and it turned out awesome!  My husband LOVED it.  An extra bonus was that I used a lot of leftover items and didn't have to go to the store. 

Yummy Kielbasa and Potato Bake

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup (I used chicken because I don't like mushrooms)

1 cup milk

Sour cream (I used what I had left, but you can add as much or less that you want). 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 small onion, diced

1 red pepper, sliced

6-8 Hillshire Farm Sausage Links, sliced thin

4 large russet potatoes, sliced thin (like scalloped potatoes)

Parmesean Cheese (or shredded cheese of your choice)

Directions

1)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2)  In a large mixing bowl, mix together soup, milk, sour cream, and pepper.
3)  In a pan, sauté onion, pepper, garlic, and sausage links and add to the soup mixture.
4)  Sauté potatoes for a few minutes.
5)  Stir potatoes into soup mixture.
6)  Pour mixture into casserole dish and bake for 30-40 mins, checking the potatoes to see if they are cooked.  The thickness of the potatoes will determine the cook time. 
7)  Add the cheese to the top and bake 5 mins or until cheese is melted.

Out with Thanksgiving, in with Christmas!

(This really isn't a great picture but it's the only one I took, next time I'm at my mom's and raiding the cookie jar I'll take a better picture.)

We make our Christmas Cookies every year like clockwork.  Christmas isn't complete without them.  We usually do them Thanksgiving weekend, since we are all together.  So here goes another year of fun and decorating!

My sister is in Florida this year, so the task was left up to my mom, other sister Cyndi, and yours truly...

even Jakob got in on the fun!

The table went from a dining room table, to craft table (for the cards the night before), and finally the cookie decorating table. 

To everyone's surprise, my dad started decorating!  Of all the years of doing this (and we've done it as far back as I can remember) I have never seen him decorate a single cookie.  And he did a really good job too!

John and I finished the night hanging out with friends for game night.  What a great group of people!

Thanksgiving Fun

I know this is a little late--but my life has been consumed with The New Super Mario Bros for Wii.  :-)

First off, let me say that I love Thanksgiving!  It allows us to really think about what we are thankful for and allows us to celebrate together.  Above all the rest, I love spending time with my family.  We always get together at my mom's house and chip in to help with the cooking.  This year's Thanksgiving certainly didn't lack things to do. 

I'd be lying if I said the food wasn't important on Turkey Day.  I love the...

turkey...

  

mashed potatoes, gravy, fruit salad, cranberry relish,squash, rolls, etc...

and of course the apple and pumpkin pie!  :-) 

The whole gang getting stuffed! 

After dinner, we started to tackle making the handmade cards we are going to send to the Holiday Mail for Heroes (also from a previous post).  We had a lot of fun and tapped into our creative sides.  We made a total of 29 cards to mail.

Here are the cards John and I made (okay I made the majority).  :-)

Here are the cards my ultra creative sister and my nephews made. 

And last but not least, even my in-laws got in on the action and did a pretty good job too!

To round out the day, we made our christmas cookie dough so it could sit overnight ready for us to cut, bake, and decorate the cookies the next day.  None of us can resist eating the raw cookie dough (yeah yeah it's bad for you, but that doesn't stop us)!  My little nephew, Jakob, was the lucky recipient of the bowl this year and he enjoyed every drop. 

Cranberry Relish--A Family Favorite

(not my picture, I will upload a pic when I get home but it looks similar)

I love Thanksgiving Dinner...it's one of the meals I look forward to all year long.  You always know what you are going to have--turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, fruit salad, pumpkin pie, apple pie, etc.  One of our family favorites that we only have twice a year (the other being at Christmas) is Cranberry Relish.  My husband never had it before we met, but since then it's become one of his favorite holiday foods.  The meals aren't complete without it.  I thought I would spread the joy of the Cranberry Relish and hope you all enjoy!

Cranberry Relish

2 packages Strawberry Jell-O
1 box/bag of cranberries, finely ground
Equal amount peeled apples, finely ground (we use Macintosh but you can use whatever apple you like)
1 cup nuts (walnut or pecans), chopped
Up to 3 cups Sugar

In a large bowl, add only hot water (2 cups) to Jell-O. Stir until dissolved. Place in refrigerator until cooled, stirring often.

When Jell-O begins to cool, ground the cranberries and apples, be sure not to do this too early or your apples will turn brown. After the Jell-O has cooled and begins to set, mix in cranberries, apples, and nuts.

Add up to 3 cups of sugar to taste. The tartness of the cranberries and type of apple will determine how much you need to add.

Let the mixture set-up and stir.

*Best when made 2 days in advance. Can easily be doubled (we always do).

When I'm a homeowner...

I can't wait to own a place of our own.  We are currently renting so our place lacks décor.  Quite frankly, we don't have room nor do I want to spend money to buy things that will fit the rental...so until then I will keep maintaining my mental log with all the wonderful ideas I come across.  I saw this on another person's blog (sorry I don't remember who it was but thanks for the idea).  The image itself is from Country Living.  I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.  In my future imaginary house, I would love to do this to my stairs...minus the candles.  The idea of candles in a walkway don't really settle well with me (perhaps it's because I'm clumsy and KNOW I would knock them over). :-)  It doesn't necessarily have to be the same quote--as you could make it whatever you wanted. 

As I was browsing Country Living, I came across handpainted murals on different walls in the home.  It reminded me of my babysitting days.  I babysat for a couple who had an artist paint their child's play room.  It was a mural from "Where the Wild Things Are" and it looked fantastic.  I would love to do this to my home.  What a unique way to add a little bit of something special to your place. 

Holiday Mail for Heroes

I saw an article about this today and knew I just HAD to participate.  This is the 3rd year the American Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes has ran this program.  Basically you send Christmas cards to a special PO box and Pitney Bowes screens the cards for hazardous materials   Then they distribute the cards to Red Cross Chapters who sort, review and distribute to servicemen, veterans, and their families.   I think this is an awesome thing to do!  My family and I plan on making Christmas cards Thanksgiving Day.  With so many things to be thankful for it only seems fitting Thanksgiving would be a the perfect day to do this and great way to say thanks to the soldiers and their families.  I'm so excited I can't wait! 

You can click on the link above for more information, but here are a few things from their website:

*ALL CARDS MUST BE POSTMARKED BY DECEMBER 7TH 2009. 
*Each card does not need an envelope--they just get tossed during the review process.

Holiday Mail for Heroes

P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Please don’t forget to follow these guidelines while preparing your holiday greetings!


Do...
Sign all cards

Entitle cards “Dear Service Member, Family or Veteran”

Limit cards to 15 per person or 50 for school class or business group

Bundle groups of cards in single, large envelopes

Don’t...

Send letters

Include personal information such as home or email addresses

Use glitter – excessive amounts can aggravate health issues of wounded recipients

Include inserts of any kind as they must be removed in the screening process

How John and I became US

John and I worked together for 8 months before even talking to each other. One day out of the blue we started talking and soon enough we were inseparable. After three years, John proposed! He planned the most wonderful weekend getaway. We started in Lexington, VA at the Natural Bridge and ended up at the beautiful Fort Lewis Lodge. He proposed by the fire on our first night at the Lodge and course I said yes! A year and a half later we tied the knot at the same place where he proposed, on a beautiful October afternoon. After 5 years, I can proudly say, we are still in the honeymoon stage. We still hold hands, ask each other how the day went, and kiss each other goodnight. We've been through career changes, losses of loved ones, and many happy times. As our lives change and we become adjusted to being newlyweds, our love for each grows more and more each day.

And they lived happily ever after!

(photo by Leah Stern Photography)