New Years Traditions

Here I am planning out my shopping list for my New Year's meal and I stopped to do a little research. Did you know that there are certain foods that many cultures consider good luck charms if eaten on New Year's Day? Southerners eat black eyed peas and cornbread for luck and wealth. The ancient Romans served dates, nuts, and raisins. Dutch people consider food shaped in a ring to be good luck; the shape is symbolic of a completed year. Dark greens like kale and spinach mean wealth will come to you; these foods can be folded like money. Fish is a good luck charm. And the Italians eat sweets at this holiday for good fortune throughout the new year. The custom of eating pork on New Year's is based on the idea that pigs symbolize progress. The animal pushes forward, rooting itself in the ground before moving.

Looks like we'll be having a boneless pork ribs, coleslaw, corn on the cob, corn bread, and Texas caviar (black eyed pea salsa)!

Potato Soup

Have a ham bone that you don't know what to do with? Make soup! Here is a crowd pleaser for sure!

Potato Soup

Ham bone and/or ham pieces
6 cups of water
Egg Noodles (noodle recipe below)
3 or 4 potatoes peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
garlic
pepper

Cook ham and water for approx 1 hour. Remove ham bone and add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. If you use bought egg noodles, you may want to thicken with water and flour.

Noodles - in a bowl mix flour and 1/2 tsp salt. Make a well and add egg. Slowly mix egg into flour mixture. Mix/need until it will no long take flour. Roll out on floured surface as thin as you can get it. Cut into squares.

This is very yummy on a cold winter day!

Christmas Dinner

This year for Christmas dinner we had coleslaw, easy and fancy potatoes, pineapple cheese casserole, peas, bread, and ham. Everything turned out wonderful. I wish I would have taken a few pictures, but I guess I was too busy putting it all together and on the table.

Here are the recipes for the pineapple cheese casserole that I got from my mother and the easy and fancy potatoes that came from my mother-in-law.

Pineapple Cheese Casserole
Barbara Walter

2 20 oz. Chunk Pineapple
½ cup sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs

Drain pineapple (reserve 3 Tbsp juice). Combine sugar, flour cheese and pineapple and put into a greased casserole dish. Mix cracker crumbs, butter and juice and sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

FANCY & EASY POTATOES
Esther Barger

1 stick margarine (divided)
1 pint sour cream
2 cans of mushroom soup
1 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 lbs bag frozen hash browns, thawed
Cornflakes

Mix 1/2 stick melted margarine with sour cream, mushroom soup, salt, dash of pepper, and shredded Cheddar cheese. Add a 2 pound bag of thawed hash brown potatoes (the little chunk kind). Place in a 9 X 13 inch pan sprayed with PAM. Top with crushed cornflakes (I get the already crushed ones in the box) and drizzle with ½ stick of melted margarine over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes or until bubbly. Feeds a bunch.

Both of these recipes are very easy to make and are delicious!

Christmas 2009

Today was the big day for the kids....Christmas was finally here!

Santa filled every one's wish list and more.

One of Jack's favorite thing was the drums

My in-laws, Bob and Esther, came down last night and were here to see the kids open the gift this morning. It was truly a very Merry Christmas!

'09 Gingerbread Houses

One of our Christmas traditions is decorating a gingerbread house. This year I got two houses to decorate for my birthday. I love how they both turned out. Great job everyone!

Cracker Candy

If you like Heath Bars then this is the recipe for you. It is really simple and delicious!

Cracker Candy
15 sheets graham crackers
¾ cup chopped Pecans
1 ¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
½ cup semi sweet chips
½ cup white choc chips

Grease a jelly roll pan. Divide graham crackers into small sections and place in single layer in the bottom of the greased jelly roll pan. Sprinkle nuts over crackers. In a sauce pan, bring brown sugar and butter to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Pour over graham crackers. Bake 10 minutes at 350o. Immediately remove sections from pan and place onto waxed paper. Melt dark chocolate & white chocolate in micro wave and drizzle over cracker sections.

The only draw back to these little treasures, they don't keep for more than a few days. The graham crackers get soft. Usually, the disappear before they have a change to do this.

AUMC Snow Day '09

Today was the annual Snow Day at AUMC. It was a fun filled day with pizza, crafts, hay rides with Santa, and of course - SNOW! Living in Texas, I guess this is what my kids will think snow is.

They also had a nativity set up with all the clothes to dress up in. My kids were the cutest little angels I have ever seen.

We had fun time, even if it was Texas "snow"

Ingredients Project 2

Here is the 2nd Ingredients Project Bailey had to complete. This time the ingredients were: wood, colored paper, paper clips, balloons and a FREE item. For her free items she used a black magic marker. Their creations were judged and Bailey's "Santa's Sleigh" won Best Seasonal!

Fun Shoppin' Day in Tyler, TX

Yesterday, was such a fun day. Not only were we celebrating my mother-in-law's, Esther's, 60 birthday, but we also had a fun shopping day. Esther and I met my sister-in-law, Robin, in Tyler, TX to finish up our Christmas shopping. After doing a little shopping, we had lunch at Newk's Express Café for a 1/2 sandwich and a cup of soup. This was a perfect meal for a misty rainy day. Shopped some more to work up an appetite for DESSERT! We went to Chez Bazan French Bakery & Cafe for a coffee and something sweet. Then we finished up our girls day out with a little more shopping and headed home. What a great day!

Birthday Cake

Still celebrating!

Carriage Ride with Santa

Tonight we got to ride on a horse drawn carriage with Santa! It was so fun and the kids had such a wonderful time. We went Kristi, Maya and Logan. This was a great birthday gift and we just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Must have been some birthday luck!

Birthday Dinner

Tonight, my friend, Kristi, invited me and the kids out for a birthday dinner. Christian's football banquette was tonight so we were free. So we took the kids out to Los Cucos. After a wonderful meal, they sang happy birthday and smeared whipped cream all over my face. Which both of my kids thought was great!

It was such a fun night. I am so fortunate to have such a wonderful friend! Thanks Kristi!

The BIG 4-0

Well, tomorrow I turn FORTY. Here a some pictures of my past birthdays.

Here is my 1st birthday.

Here I am turning three. Love the Barbie cake!

Gotta love the crocheted vest I wore for my seventh birthday.

Turning 13 and becoming a teenager.

Sweet Sixteen!

Turning twenty...

My 28th birthday. The last one I celebrated in Maryland.

Here I'm turning 35.

Here I am almost 40. Celebrated early with Christian at Buca di Beppo.

Tomorrow, we'll have cake and celebrate!

Buckets of White Chocolate "Snow"

Here is what I put together for a few of my co-teachers this year. It is a cute snowman bucket filled with White Chocolate Popcorn. Can't wait to pass them out tomorrow!

Jack Helps Light Avent Candles

Today, at church, Jack was selected to help light the advent candles.

He did a great job!

Cranberry Fruit-Nut Muffins

As a little girl, I can remember my grandmother, Mary Ellen Getty, making these cranberry muffins. She made all sorts of wonderful cookies, muffins and breads, but some how these are what remind me of her. They are so easy to make, I thought I would share the recipe. In this picture I used a pan that made them more like little cakes, but its still the same yummy results.

Cranberry Fruit-Nut Muffins

Mary Ellen Getty

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup orange juice

1 Tablespoon grated orange rind

1 egg, well beaten

1/2 cup chopped nuts

2 cups fresh cranberries, chopped
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Combine juice and grated rind with well-beaten egg. Pour all at one into dry ingredients, mixing just enough to dampen. Fold in nuts and cranberries. Spoon into paper lined muffin tins and bake at 350o approximately 20 minutes. Makes 18 muffins

Handprint Snowmen

Look how cute these snowmen tiles turned out! We just stamped the green trees. Then painted the kids four fingers white to place on the tile. Then I added the snowman details and your done!

Let it Snow

Today was the 34th time on record that Houston received SNOW. It is a real treat for the kids. Even the small amount we received warranted a trip outside to play. In the pictures you really can't tell how much is was coming down. Here is a short video. This way we can have snow at our house anytime ;~)

December Picture of the Month 2004-2008

Here are the last five years of the December picture of the month. Can't believe I have been doing the picture of the month for that many years.