Sunday, November 25, 2012

Thanksgiving Break and a Recipe

Hi, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours was very nice. We spent most of the week at Mom and Dad's, and Mom always spoils us with her good cooking! She sent us home with the leftover gingerbread she made, so I'm going to make some sauce for it and we'll just finish it up! :)

My brother had very good success deer hunting this year, so one night we had some deer meat for supper. We all thoroughly enjoyed it! This is the recipe Mom used to make it.



2-3 lbs. boneless deer meat, about 1 inch thick
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive/vegetable oil
1/4 cup beef broth

For topping: 
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 tsp. brown sugar (optional)
1 tsp. ketchup
dried basil

Preheat oven to 350°. Cut meat into pieces and pound to about 1/2 inch thick.

Mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Dip meat in flour mixture. Coat both sides. Place butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat, and brown on both sides. Arrange in a 9x13 baking dish. Top the meat with brown sugar, ketchup, onion, and basil. Pour the beef broth into the skillet and cook on medium about a minute. Add to baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake about 45 minutes, then remove foil. If the meat looks dry, add a bit of water, and continue to bake for 15 minutes.
Enjoy!

~♥~

So, did any of you go shopping on Friday? Katie wanted to go 'Black Friday' shopping, so Mom and I took her out about 9 o'clock that morning.  I'm not much of a shopper, but we did find some good deals.

Yesterday when we were coming back home, we got a bolt stuck in one of our tires. Thankfully, we were near a Wal-Mart, so we pulled in and they were able to plug it. They had put on our new tires recently, and we'd also purchased the road hazard protection on the tires, so it didn't cost us anything to have it plugged! :-) We were so thankful that it happened as conveniently as it did. It could have been much worse! There was a field beside the auto center, so Katie took Lilly out for a good walk. The car was loaded down, and we were so glad that the tire didn't go flat. It wouldn't have been much fun trying to unload the car to get the spare out, especially since it was cold and windy.

So, we're back home now and have started a little bit of decorating for Christmas. Katie cut out some pretty snowflakes last night, and I even helped her in between loads of laundry. Home Alone was on TV , so we watched that while we cut out the snowflakes. We taped them to the front of our curio cabinet, and I thought they turned out very sweet. :) 

Today has been a pretty restful day, but it has turned cold. After church we had chicken in the crock pot with cream of celery soup. I made some rice and broccoli to go with it. Crock pot meals are what we usually have on Sundays. When church is over, we come right home and eat. After lunch, Katie went to see a movie with a friend, so I made some hot chocolate and spent a little time on the computer before Lee and I went to the grocery store to get the 'after vacation necessities'. We had oatmeal this morning because we forgot to go to the grocery store and get milk yesterday after we got home!

I enjoyed my break, but tomorrow it will be back to work. I know it may seem hard to believe, but the kids at school are a bit more rowdy in these weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hmmm...I wonder why. ;)

Before I go, I want to mention that I have been having issues with my Yahoo mail account lately. I try to make sure I respond to everyone who leaves a comment. Some of my replies haven't been sending properly, so please forgive me if you don't receive a reply. If your blog is set up 'no reply', I try to respond in the comment section.

I hope you all have a great week, and I hope to stop by and 'visit' with you soon! :)

Take care,
~Melanie

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Recipe for Strawberry~Rhubarb Jam

Hi, everyone. I hope you're all having a great weekend. Thankfully, I've had a very productive day of housecleaning. Now, if it would only stay this way! :)

Recently one of my new blogging friends asked me for my mom's strawberry rhubarb jam recipe, so I called my mom and she gave it to me to share with you all. She said a neighbor had given her this recipe many years ago. It's not very complicated, but it is so delicious!


Strawberry~Rhubarb Jam
10 cups of chopped rhubarb, fresh or frozen
8 cups of sugar
3 boxes of strawberry jello mix
*Optional-one small can of crushed pineapple, not drained.

Directions:
Combine rhubarb and sugar in a large pot and cook on low. Stir occasionally until it melts together and becomes syrupy.
If you choose to use the pineapple, add it here, then turn the heat up and boil hard for ten minutes, stirring frequently.
Add in the jello mix, stirring as you add.
Fill jars and seal.
Makes five pints.

In light of our recent election, I just wanted to share a bit of Scripture.
Romans 13:1  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
I Timothy 2:1-2  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

I have many concerns about our nation, but I am so thankful that my hope does not rest in any national or state leader. My hope is in the LORD!
~Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. ~Jeremiah 17:7

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday. Thanks for stopping by.

Take care,
~Melanie