Brats & Sauerkraut

In accordance with our new family tradition, well 5+ years new, I made one of our family dinners. We do have German heritage and I do love a good German meal so I whipped up something easy and tasty. Brats and Sauerkraut.  It's got to be one of the simplest meals in the world and tastes great served over Mashed potatoes. I need to work on my mashed potato making however.

Brats and Sauerkraut

1 package of brats

1 or 2 cans of packages of Sauerkraut

1/2 cup brown sugar

a little olive oil

Pour a little olive oil in a pan on the stove and heat it up. Then put brats in the pan to get them cooking.  After a few minutes you'll add the sauerkraut- as much as you desire and the brown sugar. Make sure you mix it all up for the best flavor. Let the brats and sauerkraut simmer until you can tell the brats are done. There you go! See, I said it was easy.

Wordless Wednesday

This is what happens when your parents leave you home alone on Christmas Eve while they go on an airport run. Saw this idea on Pinterest and off to the $1 store I went to find some stockings to craft. Unfortunately the joke was somewhat on myself when a blue glittered stocking slid down my newly white painted kitchen chairs. Oh well, the joke was worth it!

Pear, Blue Cheese, Red Onion, Candied Pecan Romaine

I am going to MAKE myself eat more salads this year. Not an easy feat for somebody who loves meat and potatoes and every other carb friendly food. I'll go ahead and say I prefer a salad from a restaurant but I have found it can be fun to mix things up and make a fancy salad.  To lessen the calories you should probably take off the blue cheese and candied pecans of said recipe below but it is a start.

Pear, Blue Cheese, Red Onion, Candied Pecan Romaine

1 Pear
Tub of Blue Cheese crumbles
1/2 red onion
1 cup of candied pecans
Bag of spinach leaves or romaine
Drizzle with vinaigrette

Spread spinach leaves or romaine on top of a platter. Slice Red Onions to lay in a slice like fashion and place on top of spinach leaves. Slice up the pear into long slices and lay on top of spinach and onion.  Sprinkle pecans and blue cheese on top of the salad. Drizzle with Vinaigrette.

New Year New You

We are going to be running the CHEAPEST deal for the #mgatriplecrownrun that we have ever run this weekend. You'll be able to sign up for the run using the code NYNY  from 1/1/16-1/3/16.  Just go to www.mga5k.com to sign up. Feel free to share the code to your friends, family, neighbors and co workers. We thank you for your support!

Wineraiser

I was at a fundraiser last month and saw the greatest idea to share. Several individuals had donated bottles of wine. They were then wrapped up and cutely tied.  A bottle of wine could be purchased for $20. With over 100 bottles of wine available and all being sold it was an instant $2000 for the charity!  I was lucky and got a lovely bottle of Francis Coppola! Part of the fun was the mystery behind the paper of what wine you got.

Dinner Party

A great Christmas was had by all, lots of nephew snuggles, so many fun gifts, lots of giggles and laughs, and tasty food and wine. I was thrilled to receive several pieces of the dining wear set I had asked for. In all my years of being an adult, I have only had hand me down dishes, currently my mom's old white Fiesta wear set.  Now I have the beginnings of my own, AND I didn't even have to get married. :) Dinner party anyone?

Qui by French Bulldog featured none other than at Target! Was quite a search to find dinnerware that included some PINK.  Of course there had to be PINK!

Feel Good Friday

It's Christmas! So thrilled to be spending today with my family.

Wordless Wednesday

And we are off! Here's to the road trip to Grammy and Gramps and hopefully  no peeing in the car on the gifts this year!

ZIPLOC for Cyclone Fans

Spotted these in Target. Ok, so probably not made just for Cyclone fans but rather the Christmas season. #redandgold 

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

and no I am not talking about snow! This year I was more pumped than usual to get my decorations out. As in every year I stock up right after Christmas on cheap finds and put them away in totes for the next year. It's always fun to see what I find as I open them. I usually forget what I have purchased. I really wanted to focus on the PINKs, purples and golds of my Christmas decorating this year and I am always on the hunt for holiday decorations with those colors.

A couple of years ago I oped to buy a 6ft skinny tree from Target online. It fits my tiny house at this time in my life. I can't wait for the time I have a bigger house and can get a BIG tree. I started collecting PINK and purple ornaments when I lived in Dallas and my Grandma Foss had given me a Pier One gift card. There was a GREAT Pier One outlet in Dallas and I scored some seriously good deals that year.

Also from Dallas is my Cowboy Snowman which I put on my armoire this year in between my two ISU snowman.

I picked up a few trees this year between the Overland Park Holiday Mart and Gordmans (which already has holiday decorations 50% off).  

Because I wasn't using the traditional colors inside I decided to use a few of them outside. I picked up this tree at Heartstrings On My Own Store in Overland Park.

I love this bulb garland in different shades of PINK. I got this a few years ago at Restoration Emporium in the West Bottoms.

I love shopping where you "dig" to find a bargain. These two pillows ironically are on a light blue fabric but with shades of PINK, purple and gold. How perfect. I found them at Nordstrom Rack.

I picked up this little feather tree at my friend Tara's Reborn By Tara shop! I love a good deal and Tara has good deals.

Same with this tree. When I saw Tara post it on Facebook with a price of $12 I had to snag it. 

My stocking holders are new this year thanks to Target's dollar aisle. They were $3. Had I known I would have little Riesy in my home when I shopped after Christmas bargains at a Crate and Barrel outlet some 5 years ago I would have purchased two of these feathered stockings. Unfortunately, Ries just gets a plain one!

As much as I love my little house with all the decorations this year, I can't wait to get HOME HOME to Mom and Dad's decorations and celebrate there. There's no place like HOME.

This is What You Shall Do

I don't think I've heard the name Walt Whitman since high school and that was a LONG time ago. Given that this was written some serious amount of decades ago, I thought the perspective was interesting. xoxo

Feel Good Friday

Pumpkin Poke Cake

I made a Pumpkin Poke Cake the other day and it was so tasty! Also so very easy.

Pumpkin Poke Cake
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 can of pumpkin
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tube of whip topping
Caramel sauce
Toffee bits

Mix can of pumpkin with the cake mix. Spread batter in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 23-28 minutes or until you can tell it is done. Wait 10 minutes and then poke holes in the cake with the end of a wooden spoon. Pour can of sweetened condensed milk over the cake so it runs in the holes. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes. Take back out and spread tube of whipped topping over the top. Then drizzle with caramel sauce and toffee bits. Keep refrigerated.

And once again, need to work on my food photo taking skills but you get the point! 

Wordless Wednesday

Apparently there is a new gold Kitchen Aid mixer. How have I missed this? Someday in my dream kitchen!

Cultured

I had a very "cultured" weekend. Jim Brickman Christmas concert at JCCC Saturday night and a little David Koechner stand up comedy at the Improv Sunday night. Super fun events, great giggles and good wine!

Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had half a bag of pretzels left from my #pinterestfail last week and decided to go ahead and try this recipe to use them up! Um, delicious! I quickly plated them and bagged them up to give to a few neighbors and friends for some seasons greetings. They did not need to go into my belly....

Feel Good Friday

When Did the World Become so Ugly?

I can't tell you how many times my jaw has hit the floor over the past month. Donald Trump makes fun of a reporter with a disability yet he leads the GOP Party by 20 points for their presidential candidate? Tell me how? How did we become a world so ugly (and I'm not just talking about his hair) Where this is ok?

A world where a large group of people wants to ban and defund Planned Parenthood but they want no regulations on guns? Tell me how that makes sense?

I've seen posts by people I'm related to by blood, wanting to ban refugees from coming into their states. What?! Really? When and where did you learn you were better than others? I am deeply bothered by this. Deeply bothered, by the fact that so many people toot their horns about how Christian they are but they are at the same time not willing to allow those in need into their communities.  Once again, what is that saying about glass houses?

I'm pretty sure God told us to "Love Thy Neighbor."  Think of how beautiful the world would be if we embraced each other, other religions, other traditions, differences and choices instead of trying to regulate so many things that have little to no impact on us. Love not hate. Peace not war. Acceptance. Educate yourself.  Take care of one another. Who knows when you could need a little help.......

Wordless Wednesday

Just sunning herself on a warm December Sunday

Burritos

As you recall from my Black Friday Mexican post, I made homemade refried beans to accompany the meal and have several containers frozen for later. I decided to take one of the containers and make Bean Burritos for lunches and dinners. Now they are no Taco Bueno bean burritos, but pretty good if I do say so myself!  Here is the recipe I followed from Pinterest.

Pinterest Fail

Remember those cute rolo treats I made for Thanksgiving. Thought I'd try the same with Peppermint Hershey kisses. Um, so they melt a lot quicker than rolos and then slide off the pan...... #pinterestfail

Baked Spaghetti

Spaghetti is a staple in my house. It's easy and for me it is a leftover I will eat. (This girl HATES leftovers) So spaghetti is a no brainer. My favorite spaghetti is my Grandma's Spaghetti sauce. But my range goes to my mom's rendition of Spinach Spaghetti. Always looking for new recipes to try. This weekend I tried Baked Spaghetti. The cream cheese definitely does not do much for it on the nutrition side but this recipe is delish and super simple!

I really need to improve my photo taking skills!

Keep Smiling

Over the last week I have encountered a lot of frustration. Arm still a bit achy from surgery the week before, I had caught cold and then work in the I/DD field in Kansas just sucks right now. Easiest way to put it. Thanks Sammy B, you jerk.

On Friday, my frustration came crushing down. I was going to a fundraiser Friday night, Will's Warriors, to raise funds for a dear little one diagnosed with cancer, the grandson of some lovely friends at church. I wanted to wear a winter dress and leggings so I am sifting through my closet and pull out the first dress I wanted to wear, get it over my head and can't get it to fit over my increasingly LARGE port in my left arm.  Frustrating, so I throw it aside and try another one. Same problem. This damn port in my arm has increased in size, imagine egg in your elbow and as winter hits I am finding it harder to get tighter clothing over it. Third dress was NOT a charm either. By this time, tears streaming down my face as I am left with the dilemma of what the heck am I going to wear now as well as now my arm is throbbing from trying on so many clothes and the movement. What dress is going to fit over this damn fat arm?  I finally get settled on an old short sleeve dress and threw a cardigan over it.  Head out and make a stop at the ATM for cash for the cash bar and silent auction items and as soon as my card goes in the ATM I get a notice on the screen that my bank account is frozen for suspected fraud.

By this time I am really angry so I pull up in a parking spot and hotly call Bank of America, connect with their fraud department and confirm my most recent deposits and purchases.  This is where I learn that my purchase Thursday of a Home Depot Gift Card for a Christmas gift has stopped everything in my bank account. I think I almost screamed WTF at the customer service rep at this point. I attempted to calmly tell her yes I purchased that for a Christmas gift, good grief and she undid the hold on my account so I could pull out cash. By this time, I almost was ready to go home and call it a night.

The fundraiser was fun and a lot of funds were raised for the little guy and his family. Up early and at 'em for Saturday as I felt I needed to attend the MGA Holiday Party since I am on the Board of Directors. You may recall that years ago I attended one support group and vowed to never go again because it made me feel so crippled and disabled and I was the only one there under about 60. I tried not to think about that as I drove to the party but once I arrived all the feelings came crippling back. I felt like I was at a nursing home variety show. The entertainment was this duo who thought they were hilariously funny with their mime and magic tricks. I was NOT amused and was all I could do to hold back tears. Through the lunch line a girl near my age asked me about traveling and how I did on airplanes. I was kind of surprised at the question and not sure why she was asking but said traveling usually goes just fine for me. Then she followed up with something about hearing how people with MG should avoid that kind of travel. By this time I really wanted to cry. What? Avoid travel? How are we supposed to live I thought?  I don't want MG to control my life. By this time it was all I could do to sit through lunch and then rush home to vow never to go to a support group event again.

I let these frustrations get and keep me down most of the weekend. My mind kept drifting to what if I didn't have to deal with a port or didn't have to deal with a chronic illness. Negative, ugly thoughts completely filled my head.

Then today I am brought back to reality, two girls, my age, both battling cancer are in the deepest of their fights, not certain of what lies before them. Or even little Will, battling cancer too young to even know what the heck is going on. I am lucky to deal with what I deal with, I can drive myself to and from places, sleep in the comfort of my own bed, have the energy to go to events, share in the bliss of the season and take my naughty dog on walks when I want. And the best part of it all, under all this frustration, a lady told me Friday night, that she definitely thinks my smile and face are looking stronger over the past couple of weeks. A true sign that the chemo is definitely working.

Keep Smiling.

#givingtuesday

I am several days late and a dollar short on this. The MGA sent out an email on #givingtuesday to our past runners to amp them up for the run and remind them of #givingtuesday, which you know follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday and is a world vision to GIVE to non for profits. In case you missed it, you can still donate here. We would LOVE your support.

Feel Good Friday

Just a Dog

Over the summer, somebody once said to me, "Ries is just a dog." Oh but she is so much more than a dog. This touched my heart.

Naughty, fiesty, ornery, but oh so sweet and protective. She's more than just a dog!

Merry Christmas

My Christmas cards are in the mail this week! I normally love Zazzle but this year not as impressed. I purchased a Groupon for my Christmas cards but they did not send enough envelopes and then I ran out so if you get a plain Christmas card from me, that is why! Holiday Greetings! xoxo

PS. Santa was NOT injured in this picture.

Wordless Wednesday

Tis the season. I like this view.

Consider This

Such good reminders and most so easy as I sit dreading going back into the real world tomorrow! Cheers to the holiday season!

Black Friday Mexican Style

My Thanksgiving company stayed around the day after. We went to the infamous Arthur Bryants for lunch, which I actually did not think was that great and then did some wine tasting at Amigoni Urban Winery. If you haven't been there yet, you must go! Great little place.  For dinner, I had planned ahead and made Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas and Slow Cooker Refried Beans.  I was very pleased with how both had turned out. 

For years I have made the same old Enchilada recipe with cream cheese and chicken filling. It was time to change it up. Naturally I had pinned several enchilada recipes over the years and had several to chose from.  Instead of using a rotisserie chicken as the recipe suggests I actually cooked a pound and a half of chicken in the crock-pot with 2 cans of diced tomatoes and green chilies.  After it cooled I shredded the chicken which made it easy to fill in the tortillas.

This recipe made two pans and they are easy to freeze.

I'll just go ahead and admit I love refried beans and it was so easy to cook them in the crock-pot. They also filled the house with an amazing smell, really! It was so cheap and easy and I have several containers frozen. I don't think I'll ever buy a can of refried beans again!

Enjoy!

I'm SO Proud

You were our coach. 

Sad day, not only did the Cyclones lose their last football game but it was the last of the Coach Paul Rhoads era. Talk about somebody with total class and brought passion to the Cyclones. 

Some of my favorites

Life isn't always all about winning. It's about building character and moving forward and that is what Paul Rhoads brought to Iowa State. I can only hope ISU can find somebody just as passionate.  Sad to see him go!

Let me leave you with this video of memories. Grab your tissues. Goosebumps.