Blessings

I am thankful this year we as a family decided to have a smaller scale Christmas. We had a family discussion back around the end of September and decided to not go all out on things we really did not need or would use once maybe twice. I showed the kids what I had in mind for a handmade gift and they LOVED them. I have now finished each of the gifts and they have no idea what the final product looks like so that will be the surprise part of the gift on Christmas morning. I can not wait!!

My hubby even implemented the same game plan when we were at his holiday party. He thought about picking the Red Lobster gift card that would be used once and in the end we would have had to pay out of pocket for the overage with our large family but instead picked the Electric Skillet that he knew would benefit our family on a much larger scale. OH BTW ,We didn't wait to open it on Christmas it got used the next day ...LOL!

I know it sounds like we are taking the cheap way out but it isn't just about money. Yes four months of heart attack inducing AC bills did help push the money tightness issue but the main thing in all our minds was this holiday season we all wanted us to make memories and be together. This will most likely be the last Christmas with all three of my kids under our roof..... Come summer I might be birdless times two. Now having one child in house does have its shiny " holy cow we only have one kid to clothe and feed" thoughts but it also has it's " holy cow I have only ONE baby in house" thoughts. That knowledge is what drove us to our Memories Christmas idea.

We have had many Christmas movie snoogle nights. LOTS of hot cocoa, thanks to the polar air that has invaded Okieland. This weekend we have candy and cookie making planned. What a better way to spend the weekend before Christmas... not shopping but gathered around paenut butter, cookie cutters, almond bark and family.

I have always said that it is the small things in life that truely make one happy. This Christmas is proving that saying ten times over. I am so blessed to have children and family that know Christmas is not about the cost of a gift OR the ribbons and bows. I am so blessed to have children and family that know it is about our hearts and our minds.... the love we have in our hearts and the never ending loop of memories that play out like movies we have in our minds. That is what will last for years to come... long after the toy breaks or the game has been beaten a milliuon times... all that will need to be done is to close your eyes and there it will be.... the true gift ... the laughs, the tears, the memories. No one can ever put a price on that.

With ALL my heart I wish you a Very Merry Christmas and Holiday season. May your Loop be filled with much joy and love.

Christi

Sack Boy on a shelf update

I have a super busy three days ahead of me getting some late orders made and out the door and wanted to share what Sack Boy has been up to with you all before I forget. He has been a very busy boy.

Sack Boy seems to have gotten sick on his travels to the North Pole every night AND he used way too many of my bullion cubes for soup!

Sack boy seems to have found Adam's decks.

 

I think Sack Boy misinterpreted the song.

 

Sack Boy got busted on Hachi's Ipod playing Naruto.

Ok so Sack Boy is feeling better and felt like dancing... ya that is what we are going with.

One Tamale Two Tamale Three Tamale MORE!

 

I had never in my wildest dreams thought I would be making Tamales from scratch. That was what restaurants did and I thought it was just going to be too hard. Who isn't intimidated by the thought of rolling up a Tamale? I was! We went to that tube place on the net that You can upload videos to and the video we watched explained it ok but it was lengthy and I am a to the point  type of person. Mainly I do not want to be touching pause and play with yuck on my hands and to loop the video was waiting on the chic to go through 10 min of stuff I just flat didn't .... oh just show me how to roll up the dang corn husk so I can eat the Tamales!!!

 

This is of course in true Dragon and Christi style and is easy and quick(ish).  Dragon cooks the roast and my girls and I do the rolling of the little bundles of yum. So this can be a family cooking project. I hope you all enjoy.

 

 

Roast:



• 1 med onion
• 2 tblsp oil
• 5 lb pork roast
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tblsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp red pepper
• 1 tblsp Cumin powder
• 1 tblsp chili powder

In a dutch oven saute onion , add roast and seer on all sides.

Add chicken broth to pan and spices.

Simmer covered for 2.5 to 3 hours till fall apart tender.

 

MASA:

• 1 package corn husks
• 3 cups Masa Harina flour
• 1-3/4 cups water
• 1 cup lard or shortening
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tblsp Chili powder

 

FILLING:

 

• Shredded Meat
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

 

Directions

 

1. Immerse husks in water and let soak for 5 min
2. In stand mixer bowl, beat lard and salt until mixture resembles beaten egg whites.
3. Add masa flour and water, mixing constantly.
4. In a skillet add the filling ingredients to the shredded meat. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cool slightly.
5. Pat husks dry with paper towels and spread about 2 tablespoons dough (1/8- to 1/16-in. thick) on each, leaving 1-in. border.
6. Put 1 tblspn filling on masa and roll closed.
7. Place upright, folded end down, in Dutch oven with steam rack or oven-proof inverted plate on bottom. We use a can holder that is used to roast chickens.
8. Add 1 cup water or chicken broth to the pot. Bring to boil; cover and steam for 45 minutes, adding more fluid as needed.
9. When done, husk should peel back easily from dough.

 

Yield: about 3 dozen.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We no need no stinken elf

When we has a Sack Boy!!

My kids are older and we had never done the Elf on a Shelf thing when they were younger. We had seen a few pictures but didn't know what the deal was. Well this year we read up on it and thought it was a cute idea. The kids had kinda forgotten about it but over the Thanksgiving holiday I had moved my little crocheted Sack Boy and thought to myself hmmmm he fits our little gaming family better then the elf that everyone else has.... And Naughty Sack Boy was born.

So here it is December 6th and we have caught him in a different place everyday so I guess that means we have been really good cause Sack Boy has been caught doing some really naughty things.

Replaced all of dragon's brittle mix with peanut shells. 

 Got busted almost deleting a show off our DVR.

 Here he is destuffing Boomer's favorite mafoy! Boomer was not happy cause that is HIS job.

So now we know who to thank for this wonderful winter snow we get to play in. 

 I think beth slipped him a note to help her find out what her Birthday gift is. Naughty Beth AND Sack Boy!

Sausage Bay Balls

We have an addiction in our house..... to sausage balls. It gets worse in the winter because we play a lot of cards, board games, and work puzzles as a family. Snack type food is a weekend must during all this. It gets amplified to a whole new must have level when we have snow on the ground and are unable to leave our hood. I have learned to make these in a few batches and to hide half away or they will be gone in one night with this crew. Ya us moms have our sneaky tricks stop acting shocked :P.

This entry is my melding of two loves... Cheddar bay biscuits and sausage balls.I hope you enjoy!

 

 

Ingredients-

3 cups baking mix mix
1 pound uncooked  sausage
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (16 ounces)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp garlic powder 
1 tsp parsley flakes

Directions-

Heat oven to 350ºF.
Lightly grease bottom and sides of jelly roll pan lined with foil
In mixer bowl, add together all ingredients and mix on low with dough hook till well combined. 
Shape mixture into 1-inch balls and Place on pan.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brown.
Remove from pan and allow to cool before securing an air tight seal if not eating right away.

               

 

 

Roasted Chick Peas with a little spice

I reach for these before a bag of chips. We love this healthy snack!

Ingredients

1 16 ounce can Garbanzo beans
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon  pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Rinse chick peas and pat dry, very dry.
• Combine dry spices and olive oil in a small bowl.
• Coat dried chick peas with spice mixture.
•  Place chick peas on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil in a single layer and bake for 30 minutes shaking the pan to turn them every 10 min.
• Remove from oven and eat when warm or they can be stored in an air tight container for about 5 days.

Easy Chicken and Sausage Pazole

This is a must have on cold days staple in my house and it offered us some cool knowledge too. As you know I home school and for a research project awhile back we looked up the history of some of our favorite meals. This dish shocked us with it's history. We totally did not expect to learn so much from our must have meal.  

So here ya go a quick bit of info on Pazole (posole) I hope you make some new brain wrinkles too...

The dish is traditionally a celebration meal. Pozole was made to be consumed on special occasions. The conjunction of maize (usually whole hominy kernels) and meat in a single dish is of particular interest to scholars because the ancient Mesoamericans believed the gods made humans out of masa(cornmeal dough).

Now here is our take on a quicker easier version of the classic.


Posole

Ingredients-

meat from 1 rotisserie chicken shredded
1 lb sausage cooked - sage, mild or hot
3 tblsp cumin
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp paprika
1 tblsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 med onion , chopped
2 tomatoes diced
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
4 cans ranch beans, 60 oz
4 cans of hominy, 60 oz
1 small can tomato paste


Directions-

To a 12 quart stew pot add in all ingredients and stir to combine.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 30 min.

Can garnish with a dollop of sour cream , little pinch of shredded cheese or green onions.

Enjoy!

If you live in Okieland then you know

It is Christmas when you hear the BC Clark jingle. My kids can not get over how I sing this jingle word for word and with such enthusiasm you would think I was at radio City Music Hall. Well guess what kidos ... you will one day sing it the same way I do AND you will be amazed at how you can not remember what you did last friday but you can damn sure sing that jungle word for freaken word. Ohhh another one is the drabeck and hill jingle. Often imatated but never duplicated Drabeck and Hill. I know I am spelling it wrong but who needs spelling when it is a jingle in your dang head? Oh ya I guess you need that when you need to look up the phone number to use their services. Oh well.

So back to my main train of thought. It's Christmas time!! I have been a busy hooker and wanted to share with you what I have been up to.

Enjoy! Oh and your welcome for the jingles now stuck in your head. LOL!
If you think of more please comment them.

Bark... who goes there

I want to share this real quick like. Well cause it is quick and easy to make. :P
This is one of the snacks I keep on hand to not only help me from craving a Snickers candy bar but to help my family when the sweet tooth strikes.


Fruit and Nut Bark

1 bag dried pomegranates
1 bag dried blueberries
1 bag sliced almonds
1 package almond bark


Begin by prepping a jelly roll pan with waxed paper that has been very lightly sprayed with cooking oil.
In a large microwave safe bowl place the almond bark.
Heat the bark in your microwave in 30 sec intervals.
Once it is smooth add in your berries and nuts and stir to combine.
Quickly pour this mixture onto the wax paper and spread it out to the edges.
Let this cool in the fridge for about an hour.
Once cooled remove it from the pan and break into pieces. About the size of the circle your pointer finger and thumb make when touching. This gives a perfect sweet snack size that is not too big.
Store your bark in a ziplock bag or in an air tight container in the fridge.

You can use other types of nuts like pistachios or cashews. I used almond slices to give it a crunch without having large pieces.

With a little help and support

Hello again my freaky darlings!!

So as some may know but as most may not, I have made some changes in my life to get healthier and this blog has a lot of entries showing what some of them are. I am going to share with you a quick little peek into my world so you will know where I am coming from and where I am going.

The first change I had to make was .... Letting go of the drama in life. I used to dwell over things and bend over backwards to fix issues all the time. I had to take a good hard look at myself and realize I can not sweat the small stuff anymore. Life is too short to dwell over things I can not change ...be it people or just how things are in life and that is tough ... LIFE IS TOUGH! if it were a cake walk it would be boring so I embraced that and I have been a lot better health wise just from that.

My second change was I quit smoking. BEST DECISION EVER!! Yes I am vaping ... not an e-cig those look and make you feel like you are still smoking and that was not what I was wanting. They are also put out by the tobacco companies and have been rumored to have chemicals in them still. I know exactly what is in my vape juice and it has been awesome sleeping, singing, and walking ALL with out loosing my breath like I used to when on those death sticks. Like I said best decision ever!

My third change has been to my eating habits. I have been eating salads, trying to stay away from bread and pasta. I have been eating my veggies like a good girl too. If you read my foodie posts you will know I have even been eating spinach. * shock and aww*  I drink around 2500 ml of water a day AND keep healthy snacks on hand so I do not reach for a bowl of chips.
One of the biggest helping hands I have on my side is not just my wonderfully supportive family , who love me for me and are not judging me for being a BBW but are behind me 110% on getting healthy, is Plexus. It has boosted the changes I have made. This week I have lost 5 pounds and it was Thanksgiving week... the worst cheat day next to Christmas!Another " I have to be off my rocker " things is I am looking forward to taking my month after picture and THAT is saying a lot... I hate pics of myself. Ohhh example..... my Sarah, she is like a sister so I call her My Sarah(sister), anywho she took a pic of us to go along with one she found of us as kids. She then posted it on facebook!!! I wasn't unhappy!! WOW I wasn't unhappy seeing my face on facebook... cause it wasn't the same old face anymore. I could see where it was changing... my chin, my cheeks. I did the happy chair dance when I finished looking at it.  Anywho my point is  I love Plexus and how it is helping me reach my goal of getting healthy.

So please tell me you have noticed how I am NOT hell bent loosing weight , I am not dieting or starving myself and I do not have a picture of a 100 pound rag doll in my head. Please tell me you have noticed that I am getting healthy. I am making healthier choices when it comes to my food, I am walking quicker when grocery shopping and moving more then I was. These small changes are helping me reach my goal of Healthy. That might be 250 pounds... that might be 200 pounds. All I know is it is not the 334 pounds I started out at over a week ago. I am trying to focus on a 80/20 mind set. I am not going to kick my butt if I have a cheat food as long as that cheat does not happen more then 20% of the month. I am hoping this helps me stay on my road to healthy and keep these changes I have made active and not get saddened when my family has a juicy cheeseburger and I am having a grilled chicken breast.

I look forward to being a much healthier Christi in 2014. Why? Cause I have so many things I am missing out on and I am done missing out.

TTFN my freaky darlings!!!

A cream Pie like no other

Hello my freaky darlings!! I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving holiday. Ours was wonderful and relaxing.... till I realized we were out of dog food and made the mistake of all mistakes and went to walmart to save my dogs from a foodless thanksgiving night around 5 pm. Yes 5pm on thanksgiving ... now known as black Thursday. The day I swore I was not gift shopping. OH EM GEE! It was a mad house. Every parking spot was taken and I was scared to death to go in. Thankfully Dragon volunteered to just carry the food on his shoulder and fight his way to a register, that was roped off and people were in line with empty baskets waiting for family who were strategically placed through out the store. He had to get stern and say " I just need this dog food" so they would let him get to the registers. NEVER again! I will always make sure we have dog food from this thanksgiving on.  

So now onto the dessert I made for our family get together. The first time I had this dessert Oh Em Gee I thought I had died and gone to heaven.... It is THAT good. I was intimidated by this dessert for the longest time. It took our 365 days of new meals to get up the nerve to step out of my comfort zone and ask for the directions from my MIL.  Now she always made it in pie form. Well now with a family of 6 a pie just would not be enough so Dragon and I put our creative hats on and tried it in a 13 x 9. IT WORKED! Now we can ALL have some at family get togethers and no one has to wrestle for a piece. YAY!!  It is really a very simple dessert and is VERY worth the stages of cooking. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we have.

Graham Cracker Cream Pie

Graham cracker crust:

3 c graham cracker crumbs
2 tsp flour
2/3 c butter flavored Crisco
2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 c sugar

Mix together for pie crust. 
Take 2/3 of mixture and pack it into the bottom and up the sides of a 13 x 9 cake pan. Leaving the remaining 1/3 cup for top of dessert.

Custard Filling:

4 egg yolks
2/3 c sugar
4 tbsp cornstarch
4 c milk
3 tsp vanilla

Cook together until thickened. Stirring constantly. 
Pour into cake pan.

Meringue:

4 egg whites
8 tbsp sugar

In a stand mix pour room temp egg whites and whisk on medium high speed till soft peek stage.
Reduce speed to medium and add in sugar a tablespoon at a time.
Return to medium high and beat until stiff peaks form.
Spread the meringue on top of the custard.
Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over top of meringue.   
Bake at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes or until meringue has browned. This can happen quickly so keep an eye on it.

Can be served warm but not HOT out of the oven, room temp or cold.