Pantry Raid:Thanksgiving Cleanup Edition

How are you doing on your Thanksgiving Cleanup?

If you are like me, your list is starting to get long. With Christmas coming plus two birthdays in December, I have to practice what I P-reach.

The first P is Prioritize.

The second P is DO NOT Procrastinate!

My priority today is to finish this list so I can be completely done with one holiday before I begin another. Thanks for keeping me in line!

I am making progress. I have highlighted in bold the things I have completed. Hopefully they will all be done before I go to bed tonight.

Checklist:

~ Menu Plan for this week so I stay on track (done)

~ Make sure all china and special dishes are clean and put away (done)

~ Tidy up pantry (done)

~ Tidy up fridge

~ Put grill and pellets back under shelter (done)

~ Launder, hang dry, and put away fall tablecloths (drying now)

~ Put away fall decor to prepare for Christmas decor

~ Make broth from both sets of turkey bones. I just can't use the C word, it is too gross to me (both sets have been stewing all night)

~ Make plans for all broth and meat or freeze by Monday evening

~ Check pricing for another (humanely raised) turkey for the freezer and maybe one to give away to one of our pastors and his family (checked all the stores I know of around here and no one has turkeys on sale that I can find.)

Do you have a list? I am not putting up a Mr. Linky, but if you decide to post about your list just leave the specific URL in the comments section.



Next week will be "Pantry Raid: Craft Projects, Charity, Calendars and Cards" --

If there are craft projects you've said each year you are going to do, plan them now!

If there is a certain charity you'd like to help out with or a fundraiser you'd like to do, take the steps you need to take to get going on it.

If there is a certain activity(s) you want to participate in, find out the dates, put them on your calendar and prepare for them now.

If you are doing a Christmas photo of your family, take it this week (if you haven't already) and get your cards ordered. Make sure you have all of the addresses you will need to get them in the mail. Buy stamps.

Menu Plan Monday, December 1-7

If you don't want to read my Thanksgiving Menu recap but just came for Menu Plan Monday, please scroll down:) You can view more Menu Plans each Monday at www.orgjunkie.com. Also, you can click on this link for another post she did today and you will see some great information for making freezer meals. Whether you are a newbie at this or if you are a wizened old timer, you will find a compilation of helpful tutorials, tricks and recipes including making a month of meals. I will definitely be going back there after we have eaten alot of the stuff I froze this summer and actually have room in a freezer again!

Thanksgiving Menu In Review: I noted on last week's post that I did not make the snickerdoodles. I also did not make the green bean casserole as we already had more salad than we could eat.

The frozen turkey I brined with a homemade brine and smoked on our Traeger grill was the crowd pleaser. Everyone liked the free range, Williams-Sonoma brined turkey too. But for the added expense, with the obvious preference by most for the smoked turkey, I think I will save some bucks next year and buy 2 (humanely raised) frozen turkeys and smoke them both.

The apple pie was a first try recipe and it turned out wonderfully.My little girl and I made it together ( as we did most of the meal). The crust recipe turned out perfect. I will use this crust recipe even for other pies. I will be posting pictures on our family website later this week.

This week: I have a couple gallons of extra milk this week as one of our subscribers could not come and pick theirs up. So I actually get to make some things with milk. You'd think with our own cow I'd have lots of opportunity to do so, but we don't keep enough of it for ourselves to get to do this very often. So I will be making butter and cheese this week as well as some creme fraiche (as requested) for my MIL. I also started a buttermilk culture for a turkey brine and kept a quart of it for later. I will probably use this for pancakes or some other treat for the kids for breakfast.

I also finally found a sourdough crock for a reasonable price so am excited to start a "sponge" or "mother".

Monday: I will be on the run this evening taking kids to activities. Soup in crockpot. Trying a new turkey based soup for Soup's On! Saturday.

Tuesday: Maple Chile Glazed Pork with brussels sprouts

Wednesday: Teens to youth group, eat dinner early, White Sloppy Joes on homemade buns. I will again let the breadmaker do most of the work for the buns, but will let them raise longer as we don't keep our house very warm. I am going to "invent" a white sloppy Joe sauce using leftover turkey (frozen for freshness) as the base and will post a recipe of some sort later if we like it.

Thursday: Christmas Outing with friends early, dinner on the fly

Friday: Nacho Spuds

Saturday: Loaded BBQ Potato Casserole
I will make my own BBQ sauce and cook the pork outside on the Traeger that morning. The pork will be great for my college aged son to take in wraps for lunches next week too.

Sunday: Dinner in crockpot so it will be ready to eat when we get home from church. Also, 2 of our sons have a class today and for the next four weeks so we can't be as leisurely as we normally are on Sundays. Crockpot Barbeque Beef and Bean Burritos

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for "Pantry Raid: Thanksgiving Cleanup Edition".

Have a "get the Christmas lights up but revel in the true meaning of Christmas" kind of week!

Soup's On! Saturday: Turkey Broth

For Soup's On! Saturday! I just want to remind you to use your turkey bones to make healthful broth. We are having company for dinner tomorrow and I am using ours in place of chicken broth in a delicious recipe. Chicken and turkey broth is often interchangeable, though turkey does have a taste all it's own. The week after Thanksgiving is a great time to experiment with this.

If you click here you can view my post about using chicken for three meals. I can get many more out of a turkey! It also contains the link to the article "Broth Is Beautiful" if you want a reminder about how to make the best broth you can.

I am not using Mr. Linky this week, but I'd love to see your soup recipes, especially those using turkey, next week!

Pantry Raid: Refrigerator Edition

It is 11 at night and I just finished cleaning our fridge. It has been a busy day! I also was able to get many of the veggies cut up for our Thanksgiving meal.



Here is the main part of the fridge. I got all of our shopping for Thanksgiving done today and I was even able to fit it all in the fridge. Well, except for the two turkeys, which are iced in a cooler waiting to be put into brine tomorrow.

You can't see the containers very well, down in the produce bins, but I washed all of the produce in the produce wash and got it cut up and ready for use. This is often a goal of mine as I bring groceries home. I rarely get it done until right before I use it. So I am going to sleep tonight feeling like my ducks are at least sort of in a row.


Below is our refrigerator door. Obviously it is full. We have many condiments as well as health supplements in the door. The garage looking thing is a special compartment for dairy products. We can set it to stay cooler than the rest of the fridge.


Thanks for keeping me accountable. When people ask me how I have time to blog, I think about things like this, where blogging helps me stay more organized, and I can honestly answer people by telling them so. With the busy-ness of this week, I definitely would not have gotten this done if I hadn't told you I would be raiding my fridge! If any of you decide to do the same, post anytime this week.

I was thinking about what I'd like to make sure I get done for Pantry Raid next week. For me, it will be the loose ends I need to take care of from this week in the kitchen. I will need to make sure all of my special hand wash dishes get washed and put away and check the fridge and pantry to be sure they are still clean and straightened. I will need to make sure there is no gravy dripping down the fronts of the cabinets and no boil overs going rancid in the oven. I will need to make sure I make broth from the turkey bones and use or freeze the leftovers. And who knows what else? So next week, it will be Pantry Raid: Thanksgiving Cleanup.

Have a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving!

Menu Plan Monday, Thanksgiving Edition

Especially with the economy being weak, I know I am blessed. My husband has a good job, we have a beautiful, warm home and plenty to eat. My family is healthy, I have a bounty of friends and family, my life is full of love and good things. Mostly, I have a Savior who knows me and loves me -- not only despite my many shortcomings, but He loves me just the way I am. I hope that, no matter what your circumstances this year, you too can rest in His abundant love.

~ Don't forget about my Saturday carnival "Soup's On!Saturday. You can now take my SOS button (scroll down in right side bar for code)

~ You can also put my Tiara Button on your blog (code also in sidebar)!

~ And tomorrow (afternoon) is Pantry Raid: Refrigerator Edition

Now for my menu...

I will be preparing for Thanksgiving most of the week, so have purchased a couple pre-made Costco meals. I know it's scandalous, but I do it on occasion:)

Monday: Hubby and 4 boys to Blazer game. It will be just Mimmers, Little Man and Moi. I think I will pick up sushi on my way home from doctor's appointment.

Tuesday: Costco Meat Pizza (these huge pizzas are only $9.99 each)

Wednesday: Costco Chicken Fettucine

Thursday: See below for Thanksgiving menu

Friday- leftovers, make bread for sandwiches

Saturday- Nacho Spuds (if there aren't enough leftovers)

Sunday - White Chili with Fixins (use turkey broth in place of chicken broth)

Thursday: Thanksgiving!!! Most years I make the dinner and we have friends and family come share the day with us. Many times they are friends or acquaintances who don't have anywhere else to go because family is busy or out of town. We wanted to make sure there is always a place where our kids can invite friends, where people we know (or don't know) have a place to go to share this special day. This year, many of our own families are busy with their own children or out of town. So we will get to enjoy four or five of my single siblings, some friends -- and whomever else drops in, of course!

On the proposed menu:

Homemade Cranberry Salsa served over cream cheese with crackers (Made Monday)

Hot Artichoke Dip with Tortillas (Make Monday)

Baked Brie in Puff Pastry with fresh northwest apple and pear slices (Make on Thanksgiving Day)

Buttermilk Brined Turkey (started to brine Tuesday night)(bird in at 7:30)

Turkey with rub, brined, stuffed with citrus peels, smoked on Traeger Grill (smoking instructions here) (put in to brine Wednesday night)(bird in grill at 7am)

Cranberry Sauce from Trader Joes (YUM)

A token and traditional little dish of olives

A token and traditional little dish of pickles

Parmesan and Black Pepper No Knead Bread (made Tuesday, baked Wednesday. Doubled and cooked in 8 quart Le Creuset French Oven)

and

Dilly Rolls - I make these every year (Make Thursday)

Sparkling Juice

Mulled Cider

Layered Basil Salad - This is one of my favorite salads. Have I mentioned that I love basil? I will not include the ham (made Wednesday)

Green Bean casserole (I use the good ole Durkee Fried Onion recipe)

Broccoli Salad - Will omit mushrooms and substitute cranberries for raisins. (Made Wednesday)

Awesome Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing (I have made this for several years and my family loves it. In fact this is what my sons say is the most important part of the meal for them! I usually use pork sausage) (make Thursday)

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy DUH! -- My mashed potatoes are made from real potatoes. I mash them and add butter, sour cream, cream cheese and then fresh cream to desired consistency. Then season with sea salt. Yu-Hum. (make Thursday)

Dessert: I just love cookies dipped in coffee. That's the "me" in the dessert menu:)

Caramel Apple and Pecan Pie (hubby's choice) with fresh northwest organic apples (using Tyler's recipe, but adding toasted pecans with each layer) Served with farm fresh whipped cream (made Wednesday)

Peanut Butter Pie (my sons and brothers love this)

Frostbite Cookies (find basic recipe here, I have adapted it)

Toffee Studded Snickerdoodles (Skor or Heath toffee bits with no chocolate is very hard to find around here the past few years. I have one bag set aside which my sister brought to me from California) Not making. Will make at Christmas. Too much dessert planned!

Spice Cookies with Pumpkin Dip - These are the very best gingerbread type cookies I have ever had. Moist and chewy. I have made this every year for probably 8 or 9 years. I make the dough and put in fridge overnight. Then, it has become a tradition for my husband to make it into balls rolled in sugar with the kids. It is a fun way to mark the start of all of our holiday festivities -- it also takes a fairly time consuming task off of my hands:) (made dough Wednesday morning)

Fresh Coffee brewed in a French Press served with real, fresh cream
(Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce syrup added if you want:)

May your heart be reminded this week of your many blessings,

Soup's On! Saturday: Cream of Dill Pickle Soup

Do you see how suh-weet it is? My Fairy Blogmother made a button for me for Soup's On! Saturday! And she made me a little one too, so if you want to include a little bloggy bling in your side bar or in your SOS post, you can go to my sidebar and pick up the code.

While you are at it, you can also pick up the code for my Tiara blog button. Aren't they Uh-Door-ubble? Fairy Blogmother has been busy! Now we're talking TWO tiaras. Okay, so what if one of them is floating in a bowl of soup? If you do pick up a button will you tell me so I can go see how adorable it looks on your pages?

This week's soup is one I searched for for years. Wait, that looks awkward.

It is a recipe for which I had searched for many years. Still awkward.

I wanted this recipe for years and, despite searching high and low, I was unable to attain it. Okay, that's better. Proper without sounding too stuffy.

A few years ago -- okay, it was quite a number of years ago, I had this soup which sounds very unlikely to be as delicious as it really is.

My friend Evelyn was the leader for a pretty big Christian Women's Club in the Northwest. I did not attend her group but, this particular evening she had asked me to be the guest music. The evening I sang we went to a lovely restaurant called The Trianon in SW Portland (I sang Sandy Patti if that gives you an idea of how long ago it was. I think I was about 12, right?). It was a pretty fancy evening, and they had menus printed for the occassion. When I glanced over my menu and saw this printed, I was dubious - to say the least.

Cream of Dill Pickle Soup

But everyone was served the same thing, so my steaming bowl came whether it sounded appealing to me or not, and I decided to taste it. It was delicious!

As I mentioned so eloquently above, I was unable to locate the recipe anywhere. And, since the Trianon closed down, I had not even been able to find a restaurant that served it. Now I can find several recipes, but this lady says her recipe is THE Trianon recipe. Can you believe it?! I was so surprised to finally be able to find this, so many years later.

Are you curious? Are you brave? Do you trust me? I wonder if my friend Sarah at House of Homer will make it for the next girls night?

Cream of Dill Pickle Soup
3 Tablespoons Butter
1/4 cup very finely chopped Onion
1/4 cup White Wine
1 and 1/8 cup Flour (or to desired thickness. Sub thickening agent of your choice, be aware amounts may vary.)
5 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
1 and 1/2 cups Dill Pickle Juice
2 teaspoons dried Dill Weed (I prefer using fresh to taste)
1/2 cup Heavy Cream, Whipping Cream or Milk (experiment with sour cream or plain yogurt)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Julienned Dill Pickle for garnish

Melt butter in your soup pot, add onion and saute until soft. Add white wine until almost all liquid evaporates. Reduce heat to low and stir in flour (do not brown). Whisk in water and pickle juice. Keep stirring to a boil then add dill weed. Stir in cream or milk, season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish individual bowls with julienned dill pickle.

I will admit I just found this and have not made it yet. But it is tried and true alright. I'd say that yearning for it since the days of singing Sandy Patti to a cassette soundtrack qualifies:) And, as soon as I am off this RX diet, I'll be making it myself. Much to the shock of my family. But I bet they like it...

Have a surprisingly good week (after you link and comment of course),

Pursuit of God and... I Was Tagged.

On Couch: Michelle, Niina, Amanda, Nichole (on floor),Becca, Moi
Behind Couch: Kasey, Karen, Darcy, Laura, Peggy (kneeling) Breanna, Chandelle
Missed: Jessica, Dawn, Adriana

For the past twelve weeks I have been able to sit with this wonderful group of women, once per week, as we discussed A.W. Tozer's book The Pursuit of God. Wow. Each woman had so much insight.

The book is deep and very thought provoking. It's one of those books that changes your mindset about many different things. There is so much freedom in many of God's principles, if we can only grasp their true meanings and apply them to our lives.

Discussing the different perspectives we each brought and pointing out passages that touched us as individuals really opened up the possibilities and gave me so much more to "chew on". I can't imagine that I would have been tenacious enough at this stage of my life to read this book on my own. If I did make it through, I would not have gained nearly as much from it as I did sitting with this group of ladies who, through these weeks of sharing our hearts and baring our souls at times, have become my sister-friends.















There are so many distractions with kids, homeschooling, etc. and the book is so deep and intense that I found it hard to really concentrate at home as I read each chapter, especially at the beginning. Using my highlighter helped alot. But then there were so many memorable passages, at times I would catch myself highlighting whole pages. If I keep it at hand, and begin to implement the things I read and the things I've discovered about myself through reading it, it will be a life changing book. Gather up a group of friends and read this book together!




Incidentally, my friend Emily over at Diary of An Accidental Farm Wife tagged me. I've never been tagged on my blog before. Or if I have been, I didn't know it. This one is fun because it gives you a snapshot into what someone else is reading. Emily's is from a book called Grandpa's Box and is an excerpt about Joseph.

I am supposed to grab the book nearest to me, go to page 56, down to the fifth sentence and then copy the next few sentences. Not surprisingly, The Pursuit of God was one of three books in a stack closest to me. My Bible was one of the other two, and page 56 is the cyclopedic index for the words Appetite to Aratus. The other is Praying God's Will for My Son by Lee Roberts (since I do have five sons!), and page 56 is a page left blank for notes. So Pursuit of God it is...then, at the bottom, I am going to tag some of you!

"The soul has eyes with which to see and ears with which to hear. Feeble they may be from long disuse, but by the life-giving touch of Christ they are now alive and capable of sharpest sight and most sensitive hearing.

As we begin to focus on God, the things of the spirit will take shape before out inner eyes. Obedience to the word of Christ will bring an inward revelation of the Godhead (John 14:21-23). It will give acute perception enabling us to see God even as is promised to the pure in heart. A new God-consciousness will seize upon us and we shall begin to taste and hear and inwardly feel God, who is our life and our all. There will be seen the constant shining of 'the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world' (John 1:9). More and more, as our faculties grow sharper and more sure, God will become to us the great All, and His presence the glory and wonder of our lives."


I only have to tag two people but I can think of many more from whom I'd love to see a book excerpt. So I will tag FOUR. I bet each of these three will tag someone else I wanted to tag.

If any of you happens to also be closest to The Pursuit of God, then open to the very middle of the book, start at the second full paragraph and copy several sentences or where you think there is a natural break. Otherwise, do as I did above and go to page 56, 5th sentence down...

I am tagging Elizabeth at Elizabeth Embracing Life, Dot at Absolutely Fabulous, Niina at The Candid Housewife and Darcy at The Flowering Tree.

Pantry Raid!!! Catch All Pantry Post

Sorry I forgot to hit "Publish Post" yesterday. Geesh



Now's your chance to post any miscellaneous tidbits about your panty. I mean, pantry.

Did you decide to post pics after all? Do you have a wonderful list system to keep your pantry well stocked? Do you use another area of your house to store food?

Pantry tips and tricks are invited and appreciated. Like, my grandma used to say you should keep a saltine cracker in salt to keep it from clumping. Or, I like using Sharpies on the lids of my spices. Because of where they are placed I can identify them more quickly. SuperDave recommends bringing a flashlight and a flyswatter if you have a pantry like his. And so on and so forth.

What's your tip?

Because I want to keep on saying Pantry Raid, and because of requests I've received, I am going to continue with Pantry Raid. Starting next Monday. So, hmmm... let's see. It is Thanksgiving week. So let's do Pantry Raid: Refrigerator Edition! What am I thinking? Our fridge is a disaster. I can really use the excuse to make sure mine is clean before all of the baking I will be doing on Wednesday. And it just isn't any fun to say "Refrigerator Raid", is it?

Next Monday, post before and after pictures, only afters if you prefer (ME), tips about fridges, keeping food in fridges, safety tips like what temp your food should be kept out or thrown away, what are your favorite containers for storing food, what you like on the outside of your fridge -- or whatever suits your fancy.

I'll see you next week and you'll see those funny panties again too. They are so cute.

And now, it's time for.....MR.LINKY! Link It baby.

SPAM -- No, It's Not Just For Computers...

I have no idea why I am writing this dorky post. I guess I am just fascinated by the things people actually eat. I am captivated by the habits we create and the tastes we develop.

I heard on the news last Saturday that Spam is flying off the shelves. The company has gone way up in production. Apparently because of the economy, people are flocking to buy "meat" at a cheap price. You can get a 6 pack of Spam through Amazon for $16.95. Is that cheap?


There is Turkey Spam, Garlic Spam, Spam with Cheese. I see Hot and Spicy Spam, Lite Spam and Low Sodium Spam.

Then there's Spam Singles (ya know, so you can pack 'em in your kids' lunches), Hickory Smoked Spam and Spam with Bacon.

Holy Grail Spam is apparently named in honor of some Monty Python play called Spamalot. "It's a sweeter Spam." That's a whole new spin on Spam.

Right now, I feel as if I may write a poem about Spam with a Dr. Seuss flair. In fact, I shall ask you all, can you write a poem about Spam? If you can write about Spam, don't be on the lam, show me you can. Ahem. I am so totally digressing. Are you still here?

Do you eat Spam? What is IN Spam?

Did you know you can join the Spam Fan Club? I wonder if there is a Facebook Group for Spam?(I checked and you can. You can join, you can join, you can join for SPAM. Oh yes you CAN!)


"Food" for thought...


According to their website, Spam is made from ham, pork, sugar, salt, water, a little potato starch, and a "mere hint of sodium nitrate to help Spam keep it's color".

You can find out all sorts of Spam facts from that website. Now I know where Spam is made. I know I can go to their website and find tons of Spam recipes. I am The Spam Queen. I now know alot about Spam.

Wow. I do not think I have ever even bought Spam. But I might just have to go by a can and see what all the hoopla is about. What? There is no organic Spam? Well, I bet that is the new, up-and-coming Spam. All Natural, Organic, Grass Fed Spam.

You can visit a Spam Museum. You can make sushi in the shape of Spam. Oh yes, You can. Why does this make me laugh?

You can buy mugs, keychains, hotpads and bobble head Spam figures in the Spam store.

In addition, you can buy a Spam costume (yes, you dress up as a giant can of Spam) for $65.00, a pair of Spam earrings for $12.00, a fishing bobber for $1.75, charms for charm bracelets and even little kids character bowls with a Spam guy named Spammy on them.

I remember seeing these flip flops when I was younger. They leave the word SPAM in the sand when you walk in them. That's actually sorta fun and quirky.

Dude, there is even a SpamMobile!


Do you now know way more than you ever wanted to about Spam?

Donna, do you have a recipe for Way More Homemade Spam?

Christa, can you Transforme Spam? Maybe for your Etsy shop? I think that would be Absolutely Fabulous.

Sorry girls. I don't know what I am thinking.

This has been a pain in the neck to research because society has hijacked the word Spam. They literally Spammed Spam by using the word Spam in vain.

If the economy doesn't pick up, will you soon be buying Spam? Have you bought Spam? Do you like Spam? Do you have a college story about Spam?

Don't mind me. I have a very strange sense of humor. Please come back.

Here's a lovely recipe for Asparagus RollUps using Spam.

"I highly recommend this recipe. My family loved it. They didn't cry or nothing!"(not my quote.)

Asparagus Roll-Ups

Just one delicious SPAM® recipe of thousands.

Serves 6 30 minutes Easy

In small saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt, paprika, nutmeg, and pepper. Stir in milk. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, stirring constantly. Add cheese; stir until melted. Keep sauce warm. Heat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking dish. Cook asparagus according to package directions; drain. Cut asparagus crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Combine asparagus, SPAM®, and 1/4 cup of the Swiss Cheese Sauce. Remove crusts from bread; flatten by rolling with a rolling pin. Spread butter lightly on one side of each bread slice. Evenly spoon SPAM™ mixture along one edge on unbuttered side of each bread slice; roll up. Place seam side down, close together, in baking dish. Bake 15 minutes, or until rolls are lightly browned. Serve with additional Swiss Cheese Sauce. Refrigerate any leftover sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• Nutmeg to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 package (10-ounce) asparagus spears
• 1 can (7-ounce) SPAM® Classic, diced
• 12 slices soft white bread
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Menu Plan Monday, November 17-23

For more menu ideas you can go to Orgjunkie.com


Since I am eating pretty much only meat and vegetables for awhile, it is a bigger challenge to plan a menu for my family. I could make food for my family and eat something totally separate. But it is easier if I can just cook for my family, eat the same thing and skip certain parts of what they are eating. My menu is a combo of both, created while keeping in mind what I have in my refrigerator, freezer and pantry.


Monday: Spaghetti (moved from last week) with salad and homemade bread

Tuesday: Marinated Grilled Salmon with salad and asparagus

Wednesday: New Soup for Soup's On! Saturday

Thursday: Book Club Fall Supper, Escondido Wedding Soup (amend some meatballs to have no breadcrumbs for moi, in small pot with no pasta)

Friday: Tacos/ Taco Salad

Saturday: Steak, salad and baked potatoes

Sunday: Taco Soup (Crockpot) with bread

Soup's On! Saturday, Pumpkin Chili

(photo from Vegan Visitor where original recipe is posted)


Where I live, in the Pacific Northwest, a storm blew through this week and it rained quite a bit, but the air continued to stay somewhat balmy, especially for how wet is was. Although, thinking of my husband who has been in Florida for work all week, maybe "balmy" isn't the right word.

Today the weather is sunny, but not warm. Looking over the valley below us, nestled between the pockets of fog, there is an ever changing patchwork in varying shades of vibrant autumn hues.


Fall is beautiful and the pictures I see through my window are changing daily. Ah, Autumn. (By the time I took this picture the fog had evaporated. Did I say "ever changing"?) Do you see Mt. St. Helens in the background to the right?


Last week my friend Julie C. posted a link to her blog for a delightfully seasonal Pumpkin Chili. Those of us who know her have the secret code to get in. But woe to you who do not! So I decided to post it here on my blog for this week's Soup's On! Saturday (If you are a first time visitor to this blog, you can read about Soup's On! Saturday here). Oh, and if you are looking for past week's recipes, I am working on a link list. Look over to the right, in my sidebar, for the links I have so far.

I made this chili this week and it was yummy. I had to adjust the spices because my (old) coriander was not fragrant or flavorful and did not provide any flavor at all. But I am a huge fan of cumin so didn't mind any extra cumin flavor.

Julie said she didn't have carrots, I didn't have celery when I made it. We both started with dry beans too. It turned out well for both of us. So don't be shy. If you have beans of any variety, dried or canned, and you have pumpkin, you can play around with this recipe. You can view the original recipe by clicking on the link under the picture above.


Would you please pray for my friend Elizabeth? She has recently found out about some health problems which are looming large. They have to make decisions about how to proceed with treatments, as well as how to deal with all of the challenges it may bring. Please pray for a miracle of healing, for peace and for clarity. And maybe you could even leave her an encouraging comment so she knows you are praying for her:)

Enjoy Julie's recipe below and then link your own, or email it to me so I can post it here.

Have a wonderfully cozy week. May you find rest in knowing you are being held by the Creator of the Universe.

Pumpkin Chili

2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Onion, finely diced
2 Medium Carrots, peeled and finely diced
1 Stalk Celery, finely diced
3 cups Tomato Sauce
3 cups Fresh Tomatoes, skinned and chopped or 1 - 28oz can diced tomatoes
5 cups beans, soaked and cooked (I mixed red and pinto beans this time)
(could sub 2- 19oz cans beans, drained and well rinsed)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Crack of Black Pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon Dried Thyme, scant
1 teaspoon Ground Coriander Seed
1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
1 Cup Dice Pumpkin, roasted


Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Clean and cube half a good baking pumpkin.
Using about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil lightly cover the pumpkin, tossing to coat.
Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or until tender.
Heat the remaining oil in a large stockpot and add the diced onion, carrots and celery.
Sauté the vegetables until slightly softened and the onions are transparent.
Add the chopped tomatoes, sauce and spices then bring everything to a simmer.
Stir in drained, rinsed beans and continue to simmer for an additional 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft.
Add the cubed pumpkin.

Makes A Mom's Heart Sing

I love, love, love it when I see my older kids teaching my younger kids.

I love it even more when I see the older ones taking so much delight in the little ones, and the eyes of the little ones lighting up with admiration for an older sibling.

I walked in on this last week.

(My 18 year old reading and explaining things to my two year old. Ohh, look at those little piggy toes too!)

One of the most wonderful things about having kids so far apart in age.

Makes a mom's heart sing...

Me: On A Diet

I have been tired lately and believe in nutritional healing for many things, so I have begun seeing a new naturopath. She promptly put me on a diet for health (though it sure would be nice to lose some weight as an added benefit, since I seem unable to).

My diet calls for unlimited veggies. I love veggies. I have no problem with this. I am looking forward to trying all sorts of new veggie recipes. Last night I bought brussels sprouts, asparagus, squash and salad fixings.

I can have unlimited butter and olive oil. I have no problem with this.

I can have fruit, as long as it is an hour away from other food. I am not a fruit freak, so will probably pass this up.

I must eat a serving, at least the size of my palm, of dense protein, three times per day, and at least one bite of protein every 2 hours. Whhhhoooaaaa. Whatchu talkin' bout Willis?

This plagues me.

I am not very carnivorous.

But I'm gonna do it. Oh yes I am.
I'm gonna. Swallow. Every. Last. Bite.
Gulp.

I think I can do alot of it by adding chicken or steak to my salads. I love salads. And I can have whatever dressings I'd like as long as they do not contain dairy. I cannot have dairy. Oh well.

I cannot have bread or grains or nuts or seeds. This I grieve. Just the bread. Goodbye my beautiful bread. I will look forward to that day when we shall meet again.

I must take supplements, which are not bad in and of themselves. But I must chew them at least a little. This is not a good thing. They are not classified as chewable. I know why.

Thankfully I am supposed to drink at least 2 and a half quarts of water each day. So I slightly chew a mouthful of little bits of dehydrated fish and algae then quickly wash down. Then I can gnaw on a hunk of meat to get the granules out of my teeth.

Tea and coffee is okay too, but only 1 cup of caffeine per day, and it must be before noon. You know it will be Zhena's Raspberry Earl Grey. And thankfully my Zhena's Fireside Chai is decaf. Good ole Lemon Zinger and my Republic of Tea teas will be soothing too.

And, like I told my friend, I am so happy we added a beautiful bathroom to our house recently. I am sure with all of that water and tea, I will be spending quite a bit of time in there.

Pantry Raid, "After" pictures

Thank you Loyal and Brave Kathi for linking and joining in the Pantry Raid with me. I don't feel so alone. And, Kathi, I know you are anxious for all the other not as brave people who read this blog to see that your pantry is so much prettier now. So link away now, before you read the rest of this!


And the rest of you? Weeelll, I will give you an opportunity to make it up to me. Next week I will post another linky for Pantry Raid in case anyone else wants to join in with a before or after picture, a picture or description of your dream pantry, pantry organizational tips, what you consider "must haves" in your pantry or any other pantry related fodder. Cuz saying Pantry Raid is just too cool and catchy to only use for two weeks. It's just too much fun to imagine people reading it and thinking it says Panty Raid. And these undies are just way too lovely not to post again. Dontcha think?



My pantry probably won't look that much different to you than it did last week. But I know what has changed. I know how I spent most of my Saturday. Because, as you know, one thing leads to another. Therefore, straightening one's pantry eventually leads to more of the cabinets being cleaned out. And it might take awhile to get it all finished up. In other words, my pantry looks better but,uh, the rest of the kitchen? Well, notsuhmuch (...course it doesn't help that our dishwasher broke last week and won't be repaired until tomorrow). Hopefully by the end of today it all will be cleaned and I will move on to other areas like maybe the room where everything seems to get dumped Laundry Room.

The main thing that changed, which is what took the most time, is getting the silver metal racks with drawers out of the bottom of the pantry to make room for the 2-5 gallon buckets of bulk food items. These were stacked just to the right of the door creating a wall of sorts. Putting them down here really opens it up.



This door stayed the same. It holds spice items we use most frequently such as sea salt, pepper, and vanilla. The door also has a hook for the Pampered Chef Fly Swatter (the best one I have found) and a one page, one year calendar from our area Asian food store. Which is why it says "Year of the Rat". In case you were wondering. Being that it is hanging next to the fly swatter I didn't want you to get the wrong idea and to think we have flies and rats.


I rewrote names of spices that had rubbed off over time from these Costco sized spice containers. I do buy new ones occasionally, but many times I buy refills through one of the co-ops I use.


These glass boxes from World Market have been sitting on the counter. I think they are adorable. But I don't really like counter clutter and still haven't figured out what I am going to store in them permanently. So here they are. At least for now. They fit perfectly in this spot.


This area could hold alot more stuff. But recently I bought a griddle. I decided it helps me enough that it will earn this silly under-use of space. It is so dorky that the manufacturers didn't construct it so it could hang on a wall or something! Maybe in all of my moving things around I will discover a better place for this and free up more space for my flour (see below).


I have run out of huge containers for my bulk flour. The grocery store bakery where I got empty buckets before has now been told by the health department that they cannot let any empty buckets stack up. I can only get them if one happens to be emptied precisely when I go in. Fat chance. So for now these two bags are in one of those humongous Ziplocs, sitting on the floor. At least I have a pantry to set it in, right?


I love Tupperware Modular Mates. Yes, I know they are plastic. Yes, I know many of you are sucking in deep cleansing breaths right now as you look at this because plastic is bad and I am storing food products in it. And I am right there with you. But I decided that since I've been using some of these for 20 years, because I already have them, they look good, and they are not being heated up, I will continue to use them. And look at how effectively their shape uses the space:)

When I was first married they didn't have any color choices I liked much. So I went with blue. Then they stopped making the blue ones. So I bought a few tan ones, thinking they are neutral. But I didn't like those much either. Then Tupperware once again quit making my color. And I sold almost all of my blue seals on eBay and bought dark green ones. I am not going to keep trading out seals for the rest of my life. So now I have mostly green with a few blue and tan. And who knows what other colors they may offer next time I am in need. (Maybe if I find a new home for the griddle...)

(I just want to note that I just bought that gallon of honey two weeks ago. Well, I do use at least 1/2 cup each time I make bread. But geesh. Honey is NOT cheap!)


I did wake up on Saturday wishing I hadn't called this Pantry Raid to begin with. But, all in all, I am glad now that I did. It forced me to get at least that one area a bit more organized. Maybe I will call a Laundry Room Raid, A Kid's Room Raid, a Homeschool Room Raid a .... or maybe I WON'T!!!