Two days later....

Happy New Year's Eve! Yesterday, I began cleaning my house for our family party. First on my list was the bathroom. I thought I would get the laundry pile washed and then begin cleaning. There was one problem, the laundry pile in our bathroom alone was big enough for the mob to hide a dead body in. I promise you, seriously, the police would never find it.

So, I spent yesterday focused just on that pile. As you can see from my picture, a huge chunk of it is still lurking there. It grew a little overnight. I am beginning to think it might be alive.

As the new year approaches, I begin cleaning things out. What will you be doing? Before 2012, I hope I can tame this monster.

Small Town Christmas

Ok, so I have been terribly cranky this year. But, there is nothing I love more than Christmas in our small town. For a little over a month everyone unites in one cause. To be sure everyone has a wonderful Christmas. The churches work together. Lights are strung. Every store front has a Christmas tree. People supply food for the food bank. Angels are put on trees so people can buy Christmas for those less fortunate. (All the angels were taken care of this year.) This year there is even a community dinner.

I forget sometimes that life is good here. How cynical  people can be elsewhere. This is the place were neighbors still bring gifts for Christmas. And when I am at our store, the last thing they say to me before leaving our door, "Have a Merry Christmas! "

Only cranky people apply...

Do to my lack of holiday cheer, I am no longer checking facebook. I have no desire to sing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." Nor will I be frosting a million tiny sugars cookies in Christmas shapes. My tree is decorated half way and it will stay that way.

I figured out something this year, if I don't perform my Martha Stewart-like duties, life goes on. So, I will bake what is necessary, wrap the bare minimum, and let the house look like a tornado hit it. If nobody else cares, why should I?

This might be my permanent approach. Have a wonderful Christmas with your family.

Oh Fudge .....

Three pans of fudge made. Everything is on track for a wonderful Christmas. All I have left is wrapping presents, cleaning my house, finishing the baking, and finding a present for my husband. Not that big of deal.

Christmas Eve is usually my favorite night. This year we are joining my inlaws. I didn't think how that would affect our Christmas Eve. We usually stay in town, go to my parents, and eat Casey's take out pizza. We are supposed to go to their house, but I have made a decision. Instead of booze and their total lack of food. I am taking a stand for the first time in 10 years. My good friend suggested I be honest with them. Tomorrow I make the dreaded phone call. Christmas our way, take it or leave it.

Wish me luck. To all of those dealing with inlaws, as a daughter in law, just remember one thing, you are always to blame. So why not stir the pot? Give yourself a great Christmas present. And possibly a pissed off husband....Merry Christmas to all! And to all a good fight!

No You Are Not Allowed to Give Fudge to the Woman Who Runs the Candy Store

So, in Christmas spirit, I have so many ideas of what I would like to do. I am truly like my grandmothers. One of my grandmother's loved a good practical joke. The other thought she could do everything and do it better. I loved them both and now know where they were coming from.

As you probably know, we own a small shop in our town. Our neighbor refuses to put up Christmas decorations. I, in my great wisdom, have suggested that he does so. He refuses. Over the past several weeks the tension has grown.

My answer to the problem was to paint a grinch on his door. Write bah humbug across windows. No, nobody will let me do that. So, instead I began posting about the grinch on facebook. Now, an icy stare is all I get, but satisfaction was achieved. Atleast, he knows where I stand. Bully-1, Wimp-0, atleast that's how I am being treated.

On to fudge.......Every year for Christmas, I make homemade candies. I come from a long line of bakers and candy makers in my family. So, I was vastly disappointed to find out the candy store here ordered all their candy and just made their fudge and popcorns. In my eyes, that's cheating. So, I take my kids once a week to said candy shop. I was looking at the fudge and informed my husband that she needed a new recipe. How grandma of me. I told him, when I make my Christmas fudge I will take some to her so she can see the consistency. Again, I was told no.

So, I thought I would be like kitty galore and write down my plans. Although I have no intention of taking over the world. Don't you see, I just want to help people. Hehehe...Until Next Time My Pretties.....

At least Santa's not drunk

I was thinking about Christmas this morning. When I was a kid, we always had a happy Christmas. That was the one day a year at our house that the extended his family got together and no one fought. I hoped as an adult the same would happen at my house.

We are the only family with children. We have the largest dining room. Plenty of seating for the entire family. A large christmas tree in our bay window. Decorations galore and plenty of goodies. The one thing we are missing is alcohol. So, my inlaws must have christmas at their house. Wouldn't be christmas without someone having too much to drink and saying inappropriate things.

People tell me Christmas is not about gifts. Obviously, they are right. It must mean, get drunk, upset the sober, and exclude the inlaw at all costs.

By the way, my christmas gift to myself was honesty. How do you like them apples?

Thank you to my new phone

I was worried I would never blog again. Technology is a wonderful thing. I can now blog from anywhere. Unfortunate for you, great for me.

I am going to change how I blog. I am going to be honest.  No more happiness or lies. I read some blogs in realized that they are not telling the truth. No one can be back happy all the time and be that together. The truth looks more like this.:

I have not forgotten...

I am temporarily unable to keep up with my blog, will be back in a few weeks.

What's The Word Turd, And Lime Curd.....

Yesterday was uneventful in the kitchen, but good for our craft business. My mom and I have the goal of 25 "likes" on our Rebel Roxie Rose page on Facebook. So, in order to reach out goal, we have incentive.  We will be posting prizes through out the week, that will end in a giveaway on September 30 at 8:00 am (central standard time).  Every person who has "liked" our page will be entered, plus their will be a bonus if that person gets a friend to "like" our page.

Here's yesterday's prize package, keep in mind you will only be able to pick one package:

Three hand-made feather hair clips, retail value: $12.00


Now, on to posting my lime curd recipe I made for the "Key Lime Cake Experience". I made the curd for the filling on my mom's birthday cake a few weeks back. It is fairly simple to make and a heck of a lot cheaper than jarred curd at the store. (Lemon curd is usually bought in tiny jars at the local grocery store for about $4.00.)

Here's what I did:

1. Bought Fresh Key Limes:

2. Pulled out a Grapefruit Curd Recipe and Modified it:

3. Put 1 cup of Sugar, 2 Tablespoons of Cornstarch, 1/2 cup of Key Lime Juice, and 1/4 cup of Water in a Medium Saucepan. Stir it all together. Cook and Stir on Medium, until it Thickens and is bubbly.

4. Pull out 6 egg yolks and beat lightly. Slowly add half of lime mixture into egg, mixing the egg while doing so to prevent clumps

5. Put that mixture into the saucepan. Cook and Sit for 2 minutes more and remove from heat: Slice 1/2 cup of Butter.  Add butter pieces, stir until melted.

5. Stir in 1 Teaspoon of Lime Zest. Stick in a sterilized jar.

It made two half-pints and due to it's short shelf life, I put the other half-pint in a freezer jar to keep for later use. In the refrigerator it lasts, 1 week, in the freezer, it will last up to 2 months. Many recipes call for all different kinds of curds, this was relatively easy.

I must go for now due to time constraints.  Have fun creating your own curd....

Chili and Cornbread...

It's fall, y'all, not really, but it is sort of getting cooler, so I am crockpotting it baby!!  I made my dad's favorite chili, with fire-roasted tomatoes.  What I didn't take into account was that the spices would become magnified when cooked all day, so it was spicy to say the least!  I am going to get right to the recipe this time.  Just as a reminder, I own the world's smallest crockpot, so this was a challenge.  And in the words of Barney Stinson,"Challenge Accepted!"

Just so you can see how itsy-bitsy my crock is, I took a picture of it next to my tomatoes:

First step: Scramble 1 Pound of Ground Turkey (93% lean)

While that is cooking, add these ingredients to the crockpot:
1 15 oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1/2 chopped yellow onion
2 teaspoons of onion powder
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
3 teaspoons of chili powder
1 teaspoon of oregano
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
dash of salt and pepper

Then add your meat:

Mix it good, mix it real good, then turn it on:

I put it on High at the time shown above!  I want this to be realistic and relatable, so this is really what I did!

I turned it down to low about four hours into cooking, at 3:30 pm I added a can of black beans and a can of light red kidney beans.  We were able to eat at 4:30 that day, during that time I returned the setting to high.

How exciting, huh?  Well, I did an interesting thing that day on the stove, I made poached pears. 

I am having a fight with my refrigerator, suddenly my fruit is getting too ripe in it, so I am going to have to cook it, so we can use it. 

Here's what I did to cook my pears, they were a big hit:

1. Peel 2 Ripe Pears, Halve Them, and Scoop Out The Seed

2. Stick Them In A Saucepan

3. Add 2 Cinnamon Sticks and 1 Teaspoon of Ginger

4. Add One Juice Box of Apple Juice

5. Add 3/4 Cup of Sugar

6. Add Enough Water to Cover the Pears

Stir and Bring to a Rolling Boil.....Once Boiling, Cover with a Lid and Simmer for 15 minutes

This is the end result:

Stick them in the fridge for 2-24 hours before serving. They are sweet like candy when cold.

Tomorrow I will give the recipe for the muffins which were made out of our pear juice. Crockpots beware, this gal is coming for you......

So Much For Everyday....

Alright, I give, obviously not going to be on here everyday.  Again, a weird schedule keeps me up on my toes, my husband's three hour lunches and my son's school stuff, is just the beginning.  I did enjoy yesterday's lunch though, I really did become my grandmother for a moment.  As soon as I knew Derek was coming home, I began to search for something to cook.  As I have said in the past, our goal is to eat at home as much as possible. 

So, out came the clementines I bought at Trader Joe's.  I peeled four, stuck two on eat plate.  I then began rummaging through my freezer, I have the smallest freezer on the planet. 

This is a picture of it before I went weekly shopping:

I found two partial bags of breaded chicken, one hot wing style, the other, nuggets.  I stuck them in the oven and looked for a side dish.  Just as a side note, this is the only meal we actually get to eat with him due to his long hours.  So, I pulled out french fries that none of us liked baked, they won't brown, and thought, "What would grandma do?"  The were in my way, so I fried them, at least I didn't waste them. 

That's right, I made greasy "bar" fries for lunch, I just don't make stuff that fattening.  We became fat eating junk food and drive-thru meals, not on my dinners.  That is why we are eating at home and have lessened the junk food in our house.


While doing this I decided to stick my dinner in the tiny crockpot I bought.  There are only four of us in our household, so I bought a two quart crock pot.  My friend has been making crock meals for a few weeks now, I decided to bite the bullet and do it myself, my way.  I'm not big on crockpot recipes, so I convert my recipes to the crock.

The recipe I used yesterday, was a variation on Rachael Ray's  Sloppy Janes, which I can no longer find the recipe for anywhere.

Brown One Pound of Turkey Meat (93% Lean)

In the crock:
1 Can of 16 oz Tomato Sauce
3 Tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar
4 Tablespoons of Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon of Hot Sauce (I use Franks Red Hot)
2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 of a Large Yellow Onion Chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper Chopped
1 Tablespoon of 7 Pepper Seasoning (any type of steak seasoning or pepper blend will do)
1 Teaspoon of Roasted Red Bell and Garlic

Horrible picture, but you get the idea. Set it on high and let it cook for 4 hours or set it on low and cook all day.

You can serve this on buns, just like sloppy joes, but I serve it on homemade cornbread.

It makes a great meal, I add veggies and call it a meal.

I will blog more later, enjoy your crockpotting...

Oh, The Places We Will Go....

Yesterday was a day of bargain hunting.  I went to the Kansas City Metro and shopped at my favorite places to buy the things that are not important to daily life. I travelled to Big Lots, The Wonder Bread Bakery Outlet, and Half of Half Clothing.  After I was done with my cheap chic trip, I made my usual stops at Old Navy for my son's school pants and Price Chopper for odds-n-ends. This trip, I made by myself, usually I have a toddler in tow, it was my chance to really bargain hunt.

First stop,The Wonder Bread Outlet, on Commercial Street in Lenexa:

I purchased close to date pumpernickel rye ($.99) to make Reuben's, Wonder hot dog and hamburger buns ($2.00 together), a loaf of wheat bread ($1.59).  I also purchased my kids favorite breakfast item, mini chocolate chip muffins (3 boxes for $7.00). 

Next, I stopped at Half Of Half Name Brand Clothing (just down the street from the bread store):

I walked away from this place with 4 bags of clothes for $38.  If you have ever shopped there, you know you have to inspect every piece before purchase, look for stains, holes, and missing beads.  I bought 1 pair of Pink jeans for myself, a pair of plaid slacks and a pair of velour track pants for my mom.  Each piece was $1.99.  I bought my son a pair of name brand jeans for $2.00 and my daughter two pairs of pants and a Christmas shirt ( all her items were under $2.00).  The rest of the stuff were shirts for my mom and I to wear for work.  It was a good day at Half of Half, sometimes you aren't that lucky.  I did buy one thing the wrong size and two things with holes, but at a $1.99, I can take the loss.

The last stop on the bargain trail was Big Lots on 75th Street in the Trailridge Shopping Center (my favorite one in the metro):

Lots of odds and ends here. I purchased a couple of cute little "Disney Princess" toys for our nieces, some that I had seen nowhere else.  Most of the purchases were necessities, sandwich bags, paper towels, napkins, trash bags, paper plates, pizza sauce, instant coffee, hazelnut spread, etc. Just stuff in other words. My bargain of the day was a giant box of "Reese's Puffs" for $3.00.

It is fun to make a trip like this once in awhile, but in all honesty, you have to go to a regular grocery store to get the real necessities.  I still need toilet paper and laundry detergent.  I am picky about what I use, so understand, I buy name brand items when I do this, the groceries are always produced in the USA, and nothing I purchase has expired or is close to expiration.  I will not allow sub-par items for a great price, it's not a great price if it is not up to my standards.

Have fun shopping or whatever you choose to do this weekend.  To being cheap and chic.....

On a Mission.....

Sorry I haven't been blogging, a difficult schedule and the computer in the dungeon (our unfinished basement), make blogging nearly impossible.  So, I have made a decision, sometimes my blogs will be short and sweet, but I will try to get down here daily.

Today, I am going grocery, pant, and birthday gift shopping.  I need some necessities for my fridge and bathroom. My son needs pants, he's always cold. And last, but not least, my nieces need birthday gifts. 

Wednesday my mom and I took a trial run to the store I planned on shopping at this week, Trader Joe's.  It is an all natural store, but is discounted because they use their private label.  Everything is dye-free, it is heaven for me.  We loaded the two kids in the car and headed to 119th and Nall in Leawood, the closest one to our house, 25 miles to be exact.  The kids had a blast, their favorite part of it all was the candy.  My son purchased dark chocolate peanut butter cups and my daughter purchased organic lollipops.  Everything in the store was reasonably priced and unique.  I will be using some of their products this week when I cook dinner and will post them as I use them.  I had four sacks of groceries for under $100, not bad in my eyes. I took a picture of the sacks so you could see what I am talking about.

By far, my favorite grocery store now. I can't buy everything I need there due to the cost, but I really enjoy the atmosphere of the store and having a few of their products. When we went there, it was like a mini-vacation, it was like being on the west coast.

Wednesday night I made my favorite meal, the recipe came off of the side of a box of Dreamfields Pasta I bought a few years ago. It is called Welcome Home Mac and Cheese (the actual recipe is at this link).  A grown-up version of mac and cheese, it makes a great meal.

First I pulled out all the ingredients:

Just so you know, I cheat a little, I use jarred garlic, dried parsley, and chop half an onion. So, I throw those things in the skillet along with EVOO and begin cooking.

 Takes about 5 minutes, they should look like this:

Once everything has browned and is ready, I put on the mac to boil and stir in the nutmeg, salt, pepper, and, I use just plain milk, for calorie reduction.

Don't forget to start your water before all this begins:

Once the sauce has cooked for 10 minutes and the mac is done, you combine the two with the 2 1/2 cups of cheese (again, I cheat, I used whatever shredded cheese is in the house, always include white and cheddar).

 Oh, that looks really gross, but you get the point.

Mix it really good! (Now, I really do sound like my grandma.) It says to use a 9x13 pan, but I always use an oval Pyrex to make it a little bit more moist. Don't forget to add Parmesan cheese to the top and I like to put breadcrumbs for looks.

 
Stick it in the oven for 20 minutes at 425.

Here's to good old-fashioned comfort food.

I need to get back to my real life now, my mission, I forgot to mention.  Right now, I am writing the contents of my kitchen into a notebook.  I am planning my meals for the next two weeks, lets see if I can do it.

Wishing you a wonderful meal until next time....You might want to pull out the Tums. I will post the contents of my kitchen in the next few days and post my meal plan.  Happy planning....

Our 10th Season Began....

Our tenth craft show season began last weekend with a bang.  We lost two pop-up tents last year and made a bold decision, use a plain sun canopy, if it rains we just don't go.  The one thing most crafters haven't figured out, if it's raining you don't have very much business anyway. The hard candy and lollipops were a flop, so I burnt my hand in vane.  But, the old standbys and my new hair clips were a hit. 

Here's what our booth looked like:

The ground was uneven, so everything had a tilt to it.  We didn't haul our large displays this year and went lightweight due to the distance we had to travel with our supplies.

 This year we put out a journal for people to put down their name and e-mail address. We will then contact them when our store is up and running. The Jayhawks were our big seller as usual. 

 We added bargain baskets this year.  We marked all of last years stock down in order to make room for the new items we are producing. 

I also set up a candy table. It attracted bees and was a terrible idea. Atleast, I learned something.

We ended up being referred to as the feather ladies.  Our feathered hair clips were the talk of the craft show.

We have the annual Eudorafest next, we have yet to turn in our form due to the fact that we always get a terrible location at this event.  It is rain or shine, so it is a real chance for us.  Plus, the only toilets are port-a-potties, not my favorite by far. I don't mind roughing it a little, but chemical toilets is a line I won't cross.

I took a break yesterday, went shopping with my friend.  We always have fun and it was nice to get out of the house and away from my craft show mess. 

We did eat at home yesterday, just like planned we have been eating at home.  The only exception was Sunday, we ate Burrito King. 

So, last night my daughter decides she wants pizza.  I explained to her that I didn't have the money to buy pizza right now, she had a solution.  She said,"Mom, I have money and it is enough to buy pizza.  You don't have to drive and get it, they deliver." She's three, she knew it was Beat-The-Clock Monday at Gambinos and it was almost 6:00 pm.  She did have $7, but I told her to wait and I would make pizza.  That went over like a lead balloon. 

Luckily, last week I had planned ahead:

Our son likes deep dish, so I pulled out a 9 inch round and followed the direction on the back of the pizza crust package.  They are used to me making real pizza dough with yeast and throwing it, but I was short on time. I bought this last week when I knew things were slim, because they would live on pizza if they could, it cost about $.30.

Next, a $.99 jar of Ragu Pizza Sauce, a true lifesaver. I personally thought they had too much oregano and basil in it, so it was a little sour.

We threw on cheese and stuck it in the oven at 425 for 15 minutes.


The problem was, we had half a jar of sauce left and I had no idea what to fix my husband and myself for dinner.  I didn't have all the ingredients for Greek Pizza, so I made my favorite pizza, just like the one I buy at the best pizzeria in the metro, Victor's Chicago Pizza.  It is a wonderful thin crust with pepperoni, peppercini, and garlic.

I used one more pizza crust, made it thin, use the rest of the jar of sauce, threw on the cheese, and pulled pepperoni out of our fridge.

Next I added:

Pepperocini, my favorite topping.

I took minced garlic and mixed it with a teaspoon of olive oil. I just dabbed it all over the pizza.

This is the end result, I then stuck it in the oven at 425 for 25 minutes.

My kids got their pizza and we had a grown-up meal, win-win.  This pizza costs about $17 at the pizza place.  This meal came in under $5 when made at home. 

We also got a nice surprise from it last night, indegestion. Just like we would if we went out to eat, how fun. 

Here's wishing you some nice homemade meals with a side of indegestion.