Thrifty Finds

Over Christmas break, my mother in law visited, and James and I got out of the house for a bit. We headed off to a few local antique shops, and visited the used bookstore too. It was a lovely afternoon out, and I found a few great finds too.

I picked up two bags of yarn for $2.00! These will be used for another project that I’m working on.

I can’t resist Vintage Cookbooks! Both of these had to come home with me.

We found several Pyrex pieces too. The kitchen collection keeps on growing.

I was so happy to get out of the house for a bit. It has been a long Christmas vacation.

Jan 3

December’s Tasty Treats

I’m still catching up from December. I was in the kitchen off and on, but not as often as I has wanted to be. I had to skip Christmas Cookie plates this year, when the flu visited. I had planned on making Happy New Year Cookie plates, and I’ve had a cold for the past week, so maybe Hello February cookies.

I have lots of photos to share from my kitchen…

Cold Kansas weather calls for Hot Chocolate. I like mine with way too many marshmallows.

No Bake Cookies are always good to have on hand.

With all the yuckiness going on I have been making lots of yummy soups. I keep them in the freezer, ready to go for a quick lunch.

I’ve been tweaking my favorite brownie recipe. I’m trying to get the perfect amount of Milk Chocolate.

Breakfast for dinner is always one of my favorites.

James wanted Oatmeal Cookies, the kids wanted Chocolate Chip. I made both.

I cleaned out the fridge and pantry.

I made some pretty tasty Potato Soup out of the veggies that needed used.

Aunt Jill’s birthday is in December, so Agnes and I made some Chocolate Cupcakes for her.

Some of the cupcakes were frosted with Vanilla Cream Cheese frosting, and some were frosted with Chocolate frosting.

I made up a double batch of Cinnamon Rolls for another breakfast for dinner night.

I glazed some with Powdered Sugar glaze.

I had a bit of Cream Cheese Frosting left over from the cupcakes. I used it up on a batch of Cinnamon Rolls. They were crazy good!

I made up a big batch of no roll Sugar Cookies for Dylan’s Christmas party at school. I made a few extra for my kids too. They were light and delicious.

I made some super big Butter Rolls. Thade loves these.

When it was almost Christmas, we were finally all back to normal. The kids were out on Christmas break, and they were anxious to get started on Christmas treats.

They all had fun making Chocolate Bark.

When it was Christmas, I decided not to host a formal dinner this year. Instead I served appetizers around lunch-time, and desserts in the afternoon. It was really fun, and tasty too.

I served Coconut Shrimp with sweet & sour sauce.

I made lots of Crab Rangoon too.

The Panko Popcorn Chicken was a big hit with everyone. I think Fried Chicken just might become a Christmas tradition.

It was a fun and tasty month. I hope January is even better, and hopefully we’ll all be feeling all better too.

Jan 2

Januray’s Monthly Dinner Menu

Hello 2014, and hello an entire new year to menu plan. I love cracking open a new calendar, and planning that first menu.

It is snowy and cold here. Thankfully we got out ahead of the snow and re-stocked the house. The kids are home until Monday, and we were running low on everything. I hope to get the kitchen back in shape today, and get back to baking.

First things first… Here’s what I’ve got planned for dinner in January.

1/1/2014: Taquitos, Guacamole, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Tortilla Chips
1/2/2014: Salmon Bites, Romaine Salad, Homemade Breadsticks, and Pumpkin Pie
1/3/2014: Pulled Pork Tacos, Guacamole, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, Re-fried Beans, and Tortilla Chips
1/4/2014: BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Chips, and Homemade Milk Chocolate Brownies
1/5/2014: Pot Roast with Potatoes and Homemade Dinner Rolls
1/6/2014: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
1/7/2014: Beef with Rice-a-Roni, Hominy, and Homemade Breadsticks
1/8/2014: Popcorn Chicken, Tater Tots, and Cherry Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream
1/9/2014: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
1/10/2014: Chili, Saltines, Cornbread, and Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
1/11/2014: Pancakes and Bacon
1/12/2014: Fried Chicken, Hominy, and Fresh Biscuits
1/13/2014: Pulled Pork Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
1/14/2014: Chicken Chow Mien, Rice, Chow Mien Noodles, and Broccoli
1/15/2014: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
1/16/2014: BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Fried Pickles, and Potato Chips
1/17/2014: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Black Olives, and Homemade Breadsticks
1/18/2014: Cinnamon Rolls, Scrambled Eggs, and Bacon
1/19/2014: Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Butter Rolls, and Pumpkin Pie
1/20/2014: Taquitos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
1/21/2014: Chili, Saltines, Cornbread, and Dutch Apple Pie
1/22/2014: Popcorn Chicken, Tater Tots, and Chocolate Snack Cake
1/23/2014: Chicken Fajitas, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
1/24/2014: Pot Roast with Potatoes, and Homemade Bread
1/25/2014: Belgian Waffles and Bacon
1/26/2014: Turkey Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, and Homemade Dinner Rolls
1/27/2014: Steak Fajitas, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
1/28/2014: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
1/29/2014: Homemade Pizzas and Chocolate Birthday Cake
1/30/2014: Toast, Bacon, Scrambled Eggs, and Cinnamon Rolls
1/31/2014: Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, and Fresh Biscuits