What is your favorite smell or smells at Christmas time?
I have many…but that will be a later post.
Trying to post more…try to keep up. ha.
Happy Tuesday.
Jerry Ann
Thanksgiving Thoughts and Recipes
Wow…it has been forever…I am so sorry.
Lots of wonderful things were cooked for Thanksgiving, but the main reason for the holiday for us is family. Whether or not you are truly family doesn’t matter. Just grateful for friends, family of friends, and my precious family.
Carmen was home all week from Auburn, and Tori was here from Spring Hill. Stephen was at school until Tuesday, and spent the night with a friend. So he finally made it home on Wednesday evening.
I am still trying to eat healthy, and so far lost 9 pounds. Healthier foods have been key in this life style change, and we reflected it at Thanksgiving as well. Carmen actually complained when I told her that I wasn’t making my Dad’s oyster dressing. So, I ended up making it, and it turned out just like his. I have tried in years past, but has not turn out right.
This year it was perfect. We made tons of gluten-free items for Tori, and what we made, the rest of the family enjoyed without realizing the difference.
Top Right: cranberry sauce (out of can), pink stuff, pickled okra, olives,
mashed potatoes, turkey, gluten-free dressing.
Top Left: Giblet gravy, green bean bundles, oyster dressing, carrots and parsnips.
It was really good, for us anyway.
Pink Stuff:
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1 small cool whip (lite)
1 small can fruit cocktail (in water or light syrup)
1 can mandarin oranges
1 can pineapple tidbits
1 regular package sugar free jello – I used raspberry flavored.
Drain fruit, pat dry if needed. Mix jello with cottage cheese, fold in cool whip. Fold in fruit, and chill for at least one hour.
Carrots and Parsnips:
Peel and cross cut carrots (large bag), and parsnips (there were 4 med-large). Try to make as even in size as possible. Toss in 1 tablespoon of olive oil with leaves from 4 thyme, add salt and pepper to taste. I roasted on the top rake while the turkey was finishing for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. Serve hot.
Green Bean Bundles:
2 pounds of whole green beans. Boil in salt water for 4 to 5 minutes. Pull out, and place in separate bowl with ice (to stop cooking). Cut center cut bacon in thirds (not cooked). Take 5 to 6 green beans and place in the center of a single slice (1/3) of bacon. Roll (stretch if needed), and place seam side down in casserole dish. Repeat until all green beans are rolled and placed in dish. Add 1 1/2 cups of beef broth to bottom of dish. Sprinkle the top with brown sugar (1 tablespoon – to 2 tablespoons), and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until beans are fork tender.
Oyster Dressing:
Saute 2 yellow onions, and one full stalk of celery (with the leaves for more flavor) in some olive oil. Add salt and pepper, and cook until translucent. Add parsley (about 1/2 cup), and stir. 3 days before cooking, bake cornbread (I used Jiffy corn muffin mix), and biscuits (1 sheet pan – side by side). Leave out to dry out (cover with tea towel if needed). Crumble into mixing bowl, add onions and celery. Mix well. Add dry sage to taste (we use a lot), and more salt and pepper if needed. Chop 2 pints of oysters (drain), and add to bread mix. Use broth from neck, and onion tops. I also used some chicken broth until soaked into the bread. stir until thoroughly mixed. Spread into casserole dish and bake until top is brown and crusty.
Tori’s Stuffing:
Tori’s mom sent her a care package to our house with some yummy jams, jellies and croutons for dressing that was gluten-free. I did the same thing with hers as I did the oyster dressing without the cornbread, biscuits or oysters. She really enjoyed it, as did David (apparently he doesn’t like oyster dressing).
Sorry to say that I only took pictures of the crock pot breakfast casserole and desserts which I will post later this weekend.
I hope your Thanksgiving was as enjoyable as ours.
Blessings,
Jerry Ann
Memory Verse #19
I know…I am way behind…but…and, I have borrowed from Beth…
“I continually look to the Lord for help, for He will free my feet from the enemy’s net.” Psalm 25:15 The NET Bible
Have a good week.
Blessings,
Jerry Ann
Steve Jobs
“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drown your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”- Steve Jobs
I have this quote on my Facebook profile. “Your time is limited” speaks volumes to me especially not having any parents or grandparents left to love on. Love on your family. Don’t waste it on trivial things. Be still, and listen.
Our time is limited. Are you doing what your best everyday?
Do your best. Encourage.
Share Christ’s love. Love one another.
RIP Steve Jobs
Blessings.
Jerry Ann
Finding Joy
I have never been busier, much to my dismay–ha. I love that I have an opportunity to work with preschoolers and children. Loving on them is easy. Time management is harder. I have to be organized with daily activities, and events. Big events seem to come easier than the day to day tasks. I seem to lose the little things lately. Too many interruptions to maintain concentration and completion of the tasks.
Time. Hurdles. Joy.
It seems that finding joy brings many hurdles. I am trying to discern the hurdles, and joy always surprises me.
Find some joy today.
Blessings.
Jerry Ann
Fried Okra
My parents used to have a moderate size garden. They had tomatoes, green beans, onions, yellow squash, and okra. I hated picking the okra. Everything about it was itchy.
My mom used to take that itchy stuff, and make the best fried okra.
A little corn meal, little flour, salt and pepper, and fry it in canola oil in an iron skillet. I have my mother’s iron skillet. I was gifted with garden fresh okra a couple of weekends ago. So…what else was I supposed to do?
I heated up the skillet with the oil until the oil smoked just barely.
The okra was already cut (nice!), so I added it in batches
with flour, corn meal, salt & pepper.
I used a zip baggy so that I could mix it well.
Fry until golden (or darker) brown, stirring occasionally.
Okra with rice, sliced tomatoes, London Broil, and broccoli.
It was yummy!
And, a lot like my Mom’s.
Enjoy!
Purses
I love purses. All different kinds. They can be large, small (not too small), leather, cloth. It doesn’t matter the color or brand.
That is all.
I needed the world to know.
=)
Blessings!
Beginnings Continued…
I say in the title continued, mainly because I am tired of all of the endings.
I was on vacation last week (my staycation), and accomplished a lot , but not near what I wanted to. But it is back to the daily grind with a little change.
My biggest accomplishment, I believe, are my children. Carmen left today for Camp War Eagle (Freshman orientation), at Auburn. It is the beginning of her being away from home. It is the beginning of just Stephen and I as far as school is concerned.
But a wonderful new beginning for her. She is truly excited, and for me it is bittersweet. I am so proud of her and what she has accomplished. Sad because she starts a new chapter in her life, full of adventure and without us. Truly the beginnings of adulthood.
Carmen at 2 (daycare picture), and one of my favorite photographs of her. Carmen’s smile is contagious. And, isn’t just like parents to remember them young and sweet. One of my favorite commercials is a little 3 or 4 year old getting ready to back out of her driveway, and her Dad sees her like that. But in reality, she is a grown woman. And the Dad just watches her go.
I believe her smile still is contagious. She is going to have a great time at Auburn. I also believe that we have raised her with a sweet spirit of fellowship and love. I pray that God places in her path godly friends that are strong in their convictions.
He has blessed us with such a precious gift. I love the woman she has become, and look forward to hearing of her beginnings.
Have a wonderful week.
Blessings.
Jerry Ann
Menu’s and Diets
Trying…needs to be thrown out the door. Diets are just that…diets. We (Carmen and I) have decided to go through our pantry and throw out what needs to go…some of this stuff has been in there since we moved in (6 years ago), and needs to go. Other stuff we just don’t use, haven’t used, will not use.
Change in mind set…not something so restrictive that I feel like I am punishing myself when I blow it, then justify it by saying it is okay today. But it is a daily battle. Constant. Consistent. Healthy.
One cookbook that has been changing the rules is Rocco Dispirto’s Now Eat This Diet.
I purchased it at Books-A-Million about a month ago. It has sat on the desk, or by the couch for that long as well. Carmen picked it up today, and asked if we could try some of the recipes. Absolutely. Not that I want to do all of the diet…never do…but some of the changes he makes are awesome, and completely doable. What I need to concentrate on is portion size. It has always been my downfall.
Okay, my plan is to work on this over the weekend. Pantry is cleaned out, and fresh veggies are in the fridge…now to plan the menu for next week.
I will keep you updated on this plan of mine…
Blessings.
Baby Bok Choy
The other day I was craving something fresh, crisp and not a salad (too many of those lately). So, I asked David to get us some on one of the grocery runs.
I used 5 smallish Baby Bok Choy, and rough chopped them.
Heated a pan with some canola oil, added 1/2 cup chopped onion,
2 tablespoons of garlic, and salt and pepper.
Cooked and drained these Japanese noodles…
Carmen helped!
Sauteed with some soy sauce, and chicken broth – 1 cup.
(I thought it needed a little something, so I added the broth and steamed it.
It made the flavor deeper.)
Tossed the noodles in, and yummy.
Fresh, crisp, and not a salad —but so good.
Enjoy!
mommajerryanns.com 