What I Am Going To Do With The Leftovers In My Refrigerator

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I currently have a lot of shredded roast beef and a lot of turkey and mashed potatoes in my fridge! 

On Saturday night I put a small roast and a larger roast in my crockpot. They were frozen. I cooked them on high overnight and before we left for church we turned the heat down to low. When we got home from church, we shredded the meat for BBQ Beef sandwiches. I made a quick slaw sauce (I always use the Chick Fil A recipe) which I added to two bags of coleslaw mix from Aldi. We also heated up two cans of baked beans.

Even with 7 adults and one girl eating, we had a lot of meat left over. We don't mind this, but I want to use the meat for main meals, too. So I have a beef stew on the menu, and Tim has requested a Cottage Pie.

Since the beef is shredded, all I'll have to do for the stew is to cook some carrots and onions until softened, cut up some potatoes, and add those when I add the broth to the carrots and onions. Once the potatoes are almost done I can add in the meat. I like a thick beef stew, so I will likely thicken the broth a bit.

You can serve the stew with a can of biscuits or make your own. I'll probably do a quick artisan loaf of bread.

A Cottage Pie is the same as a Shepherd's Pie but made with beef rather than lamb. Since the meat is usually ground, I will mince my beef, likely, though Tim says not to bother. I'll add a layer of mixed veg, and use our leftover mashed potatoes from dinner last night.

I found a recipe {here}.

If you only had a bit of left over or if you live alone you could make little Cottage Pies in ramekins, and freeze them. When you wanted to eat one you could thaw it out and reheat in the oven or microwave!

I found one on Pinterest to show you.

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My leftover potatoes are from our turkey meal from last evening. I had a small turkey in my freezer, and cooked it the traditional way. Everyone liked it but I am spoiled by the slow roasting method!

Anyway, all the mashed potatoes is what gave Tim the desire for Cottage Pie! The leftover turkey has given me the idea of making my Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice soup with turkey! It would be delicious! I got my recipe from Marian at Miss Mustard Seed. {here}

There is no reason that leftovers have to be eaten the same way that the meal was prepared! 

This book was highly recommended by my friend Brenda at Coffee, Tea, Books, and Me, and still is highly recommended. I have it and it encouraging, especially during times of financial hardship for so many people. 

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In my mid 20's preparing to be missionaries, I learned to cook from scratch, make all my own sauces, dressings, taco seasoning etc. I still mostly cook this way. It is economical, and so much better for you than prepackaged foods. We don't eat out much anymore, so sometimes I buy prepacked foods rather than drive through somewhere when we need an easy meal. Also if we do something 'fast food' its usually pizza or Chick fil A. I buy Kyle and I lunch at CFA on our grocery run day. 

So, I'd love to hear what you'd make with my left over shredded beef, turkey and mashed potatoes!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

                                            

The Double Tree hotel chain has a famous cookie recipe that they are sharing with everyone during the Covid19 crisis. 

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I’m sharing it here.

DoubleTree Signature Cookie Recipe

Makes 26 cookies

½ pound butter, softened (2 sticks)

¾ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 ¼ cups flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch cinnamon

2 2/3 cups Nestle Tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 3/4 cups chopped walnuts 

Cream butter, sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes. 

Add eggs, vanilla and lemon juice, blending with mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then medium speed for about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy, scraping down bowl. 

With mixer on low speed, add flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, blending for about 45 seconds. Don’t overmix. 

Remove bowl from mixer and stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Portion dough with a scoop (about 3 tablespoons) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart. 

Preheat oven to 300°F. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and center is still soft. 

Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for about 1 hour.

Cook’s note: You can freeze the unbaked cookies, and there’s no need to thaw. Preheat oven to 300°F and place frozen cookies on parchment paper-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden brown and center is still soft.

The only difference I see between this recipe and the TollHouse cookies recipe I grew up on is the addition of 1/4 tsp of lemon juice, 1/2 of oats, and a pinch of cinnamon. Oh, and the baking temperature! Lower by 50°.

The Weekend, A Recipe, And Some Christmas Gift Giving Talk

My party for the co-op mom's was a good time.  This year we only had 11 of us, but those gathered had fun, and we were able to encourage one of the moms in the middle of moving from one home to another in the middle of the Christmas season!

Lighting in my home in the evening is not good, so I edited this one a lot so you could see these lovely faces!  I'm thankful for each one!

I love getting out tea cups for the ladies to use. I made my 'Holiday Tea' that is always so popular.

Here is the recipe - I double this for a large group.

Holiday Tea

5 tea bags of regular black tea

2 cups boiling water

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon

6 ounce can of orange juice concentrate

6 ounce can of lemonade concentrate

Pour 2 cups boiling water over the 5 tea bags and let it steep for about 15 minutes. Then add the sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients. This makes a concentrate. To serve one cup at a time, add 3 Tablespoons of concentrate to 1 cup of hot water. To serve a group use 1 cup of concentrate to 5 cups of hot water!

Saturday was a puttering day at home.  In the evening we went to see the lights in Nottingham.  Its our tradition.  We'll probably go several times before the season is over.

Sunday was church, and we came home and ate pulled pork sandwiches.  The young people went hiking, Tim napped, and I read.  We all watched a movie in the evening.

It was very restful.  This week will be busier - Sarah's choir will be performing tomorrow afternoon, and then all the choirs will perform in a big concert on Friday night!

I have Christmas shopping to do.  We are giving Emma's family an experience this year, rather than toys or games or clothes.  We might gift Nate's family with Disney +.  Trying to think of things that don't add clutter to small spaces.  

I'd love to hear what you do for your adult kids and grandkids!  Let's chat in the comments!

Blog Friends, Community, and Scandalous Scones

Last week I had a message from a sweet blog friend, who hadn't been blogging much for several years due to serious health issues.  She wanted to chat about things that we've both written about on our blogs - mentoring young women, encouraging homeschooling moms, our hearts for our homes.  We decided we wanted to not message back and forth, so we had a phone call on Thursday evening!  It was the best!  We plan to do it more often!  After we'd agreed to the call, I was a bit nervous, just like I've been when I've met other blog friends.  "What if their disappointed after meeting me?" "What if they are not anything like who I've thought they were?"  You know we all have these expectations of each other!  

Do you know Julianne from Life at Providence Lodge?  I am so happy to say she is truly who I thought she'd be - kind, gentle, heart for mothers and women in general.  

We spoke about our kids, things we've learned being parents of married adult children while still having younger kids at home.  I've got some good ideas for blog posts from our three hour conversation!  It didn't feel that long, and we hung up with a desire to talk again, and the sense that you are now "real life" friends and not just blog acquaintances!

One of the things we talked about was community - our need to have kindred spirits in our lives, and how so many of us have found them through blogging.

I'm thankful for those I have in my 'real life' too, that I get to spend time with at our co-op on Thursdays.  Great young women who are home educating their children, often without the acceptance or approval of family and friends.  These women are working hard to educate their kids, and to make a loving homelife, be good wives, and sometimes to be the only parent in their children's daily lives.

I love these women, and am thankful that they don't think I'm a fossil just because some of them are my older kids ages!  

One of the things Julianne and I spoke about was Trim Healthy Mama and for her being gluten free, and dealing with other food allergies.

She loves to have tea time with her kids every afternoon and really missed being able to have scones!  I told her I post this recipe, and when I went to the website the server is down!  I never printed the recipe because I just would go to the website and make the recipe from there, but I did google the recipe by name and I found someone who shared the recipe.

I hope this is exact.



                                                www.thebantingblondes.com



Scandalous Scones

2 cups of almond flour

2 eggs

1 rounded tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tblsp Oil (I use coconut oil)

***I add 3/4 xylitol***


Now notice they don't have any sweetener listed and the recipe from the original website didn't have any sweetener either.

When I made them the first time I put too little sweetener in (I like to use xylitol), but found that with the cream and the curd they were fine.

Then one day when I was making them, I realized that when I make cookies or scones with the same amount of regular flour, I put in way more sugar, so I decided to add more sweetener and they were just right to me!  I added about 3/4 of a cup of xylitol.  

I don't feel deprived when I eat these scones!

I think this recipe without the sweetener could be made into a savory scone with the addition of herbs and cheese.  Yum!

Have a lovely weekend friends!

Baking: No Knead 1 Hour Rolls

My Amish friend Katie shared a recipe with me for a roll recipe that you can make as dinner rolls or buns.  These rolls are quick to make and delicious!

I made some on Tuesday afternoon to have for dinner with grilled chicken.  They were used to make chicken sandwiches, or as a roll with dinner.

Katie hand wrote out the recipe after church one Sunday and we made copies for us ladies.  Here is the recipe with all her added notes.

I love homemade breads, and this one is one I will use over and over because of the simplicity of the recipe.  

I hope you try them.  If you do, will you let me know?

Here is a video I took yesterday morning, as I sat on our deck before the heat of the day began.  You can hear birds first, then cicadas, then our chickens, then a jet plane.  Just the quiet country life!

Secret Mission

 

 We are going out of town this weekend and it is for an exciting reason but I cannot tell you about it yet though.  


Vee has inspired me to join in on a Giving Thanks Challenge!

Leah at South Breeze Farm is hosting it starting on November 1st.  I will still be away but am going to attempt to start from the beginning!  I will do a post on the 1st then keep a running list on my sidebar.  It is so good to be Thankful and to remember to Whom our thanks should go!


I woke early today - a combination of a small boy climbing into bed with us and my hip hurting.  I decided to make Baked Oatmeal for the family for breakfast.  My husband will be so happy!


The recipe is simple but delicious.

Baked Oatmeal 

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup dried cranberries 

( I often add raisins instead and also walnuts.  You could add any fruit you like)

Preheat oven 350 degrees

In a large bowl mix everything together very well.  Spread into a 9x13 baking dish.

Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes.

It will smell divine while cooking and your family will love it!

Thank you all for your sweet comments at Emily's blog.

The photos are of one of my Red Sunset Maples in my front yard, in the early morning light.  They have turned so late this year.  Oh and you see that blurred spot in the middle of the photos?  It is a mark on the inside of the lens of my camera?  How does this happen?  I guess I really can justify a new camera!  One of these days.  When we stop taking unexpected but wonderful trips. Yeah, one of these days.

My Recipe Tin

I have kept my recipes in this tin since I was married back in 1988.  Not the ones I used out of a book of course, but the ones you copy from friends, our cut out of magazines.  This tin from Nestle came with 2 bags of chocolate chips.  Remember all the collectible tins that they put out?  I think I may have them all.

It worked well, for many years.  But lately, I am repeatedly frustrated at not being able to put my hands right on a recipe that I KNOW is in there!

I have been intending to make recipe books for my girls.  To copy the recipes by retyping them or photocopying them and putting them into a 3 ring binder in page protectors.

Of course, this would have been the perfect summer project, but the summer has flown by with other things...


Soon though, very soon, this will get done.  If it doesn't I may go crazy, my hair will turn gray, I will start to forget things...oh wait. That is happening already!  Oh, no!  Sigh...


I guess that is the result of getting older, gaining all that amazing wisdom, having a granddaughter, and being a busy Momma at home!  Well, at least it isn't because my recipes are a mess!

Make New Friends, But Keep The Old....

www.allposters.com - Afternoon Tea - Alexander Rossi

One is silver and the other gold.

Do you remember that little song?

I am busy preparing for our church's Ladies Tea. The theme this year is Friendship. I am decorating with fall things; pumpkins, leaves, natural things. But I am doing a little twist - the pumpkins are going to be either gold or silver. How will I do this? Spray paint! It is so fun to do. One lady at each table will have the chance to take the pumpkin centerpiece home.

I am bringing all the scones and all the things that go with scones; lemon curd, jam, Mock Devonshire Cream, Maple Butter.

I am making the Pumpkin Scones, regular sweet scones and I think Cranberry - Orange scones.

I also am bring the tea and all the tea items. Good thing I have been collecting for years! I also am making what I call "Holiday Tea." Here is the recipe.

Holiday Tea

5 tea bags of regular black tea

2 cups boiling water

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon

6 ounce can of orange juice concentrate

6 ounce can of lemonade concentrate

Pour 2 cups boiling water over the 5 tea bags and let it steep for about 15 minutes. Then add the sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients. This makes a concentrate. To serve add 3 Tablespoons of concentrate to 1 cup of hot water. To serve many use 1 cup of concentrate to 5 cups of hot water!

I usually make up the full batch, and serve it from my stoneware crock. It stays hot and is so delicious to drink. At many of the teas I have planned, this tea is the favorite. It is similar in taste to mulled cider. Perfect for fall and winter!

Would you like the recipes for the Cranberry - Orange scones and the regular sweet scones?

Cranberry - Orange Scones

2/3 cup sour milk

1 egg

3 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter, cut up

1 cup Cranberries (I use frozen)

1 tsp grated Orange peel

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Make sour mild w/ mild and 2 tsp vinegar. Beat in egg with a fork and set aside. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda in a large bowl. Add butter and cut in with pastry blender or rub with your fingers until it looks like fine granules. Add cranberries, sugar, orange peel; toss lightly to mix. Add milk mixture. Stir until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and need 5 or 6 times. Form dough into small balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes or until medium brown in color. Remove to a wire rack. Brush with soft butter and let cool.

Sweet Scones

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut up

1/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup milk

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Mix well. Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender or rub with fingers until looks like fine granules. Add sugar - toss to mix. Add milk and stir with a fork until soft dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured board - knead about 10-12 times. Roll out 1/2 inch thick; cut with a round cutter. (I use a small canning jar) Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 12 minutes until brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Making these scones will keep us busy this week!

What are you up to this week?

English Apple Pie

Monday was a gorgeous day. It was also the day of a Mom's Meeting for our homeschool co-op. I wanted to take a little treat along, so I made English Apple Pie. Since I had run to the local fruit market earlier in the day, I sat out on the deck with my iced tea and peeled apples. It doesn't take too long, and the end result is worth it. I actually made two, as it is my husband's favorite.
Look at that yumminess!

Here is the recipe so you can share it with your loved ones!

English Apple Pie

Slice 5 or 6 apples into your pie pan. (How many depends on the size of your pan)

mix 1/2 cup of sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon, and sprinkle over the apples.

Next beat 1 stick of butter with 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar. Mix in 1 cup of flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 3 Tbsp of water.

Dollop the topping on top of the apples, and bake the pie on the lowest rack in the oven @ 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

This is such a quick way to make pie and is so delicious you may never make regular apple pie again!

The funny thing was that several mom's were so surprised that I made it - one even said "You made it? How did you find the time? Did the girls do it?" I responded "I made it and I also made Potato Cheese Soup for dinner." These are easy recipes, and I mostly cook from scratch. This makes me wonder what other's do for meals, if they think there is no way I could have done this! My girls do cook and even Rachel is being to cook things by herself. I want them to have these skills!

Strawberry Jam

These strawberries were picked by Lindsay and myself 30 minutes ago in our garden.

I know I am so talkative today - sorry!

My cousin Nicole asked me for my strawberry jam recipe so I thought I would post it here.

Quick Strawberry Jam

2 cups of crushed strawberries

2 cups sugar ( I use less, more like 1 cup - 1 1/2 cups)

Cook until consistency of jam.

That's the recipe in its entirety.

Now I will tell you that I like to add Sure-Jell to mine for thickening, but you don't have to. It is quite delicious either way.

I boil my jars and lids, and then when the jam is done, I fill the hot, dry jars with jam, put a lid on and turn the ring until it is tight. It will vacuum seal itself.