Nancy on the Home Front

Christmas Countdown – Celebrate

You’ve worked hard during the last twelve weeks to get ready for the holidays. If you’ve been taking party in the Christmas Countdown, congratulations now it’s time to enjoy the holidays with family and friends! Take time to drive the neighborhoods to enjoy holiday lighting displays. Sit with a cup of tea and listen to the Christmas music that plays this time of year.

Do you have a special meal you enjoy only at Christmas? For many years it was our family tradition to have cheese fondue on Christmas Eve. It was a fun and easy dinner to enjoy before heading out to the Christmas Eve service.

Another fun tradition we had when our grown children would come home to visit was to make gingerbread houses. Yes, you read that right, houses as in plural! Each person would make his or her own gingerbread house. After a few days we would have an entire gingerbread village! It was such a fun activity and each house would be different.

Family traditions are such a part of the holidays. We always have had a game closet full of family favorite games. Another tradition we have when the family gathers is to play games. Whether it is a game of Crazy Eights or Gestures we love to play games! It is so much fun to gather the family together and participate in a fun activity.

Whatever your family traditions are, take time to enjoy this special time of year. Christmas comes but once a year so enjoy the special music you hear and the gatherings of friends and family.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the year ahead. Thank you for being a faithful reader of my humble little blog. I appreciate each and every one of you!

The Perfect Christmas Pie

I have shared this recipe before but when I think of the perfect Christmas Pie I don’t think of a pumpkin pie or a pecan pie, I think of Cranberry Apple Pie. My (ex) brother-in-law shared this recipe with me many year ago and I have been faithfully making it every year since then. I am so thankful he shared the recipe with me so many years ago.

Use the pie pastry recipe from King Arthur – it’s the best pie dough recipe. Perhaps it is because it only uses butter, but the crust is always flaky and delicious. I admit I have also used store bought piecrust as well and the results are also good. I’ve never had any complaints about this pie!

The Perfect Christmas Pie: Cranberry Apple Pie

Ingredients:

Use a basic pie crust recipe for a double crust 9” pie.

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp flour

¼ tsp salt

2 cups cranberries

½ cup raisins (optional)

4 tart apples (Pippin or Granny Smith work best), peeled, cored and thinly sliced

Freshly grated zest of one orange

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Roll out your pasty for the bottom crust and line a 9” pie pan. Roll out top crust an set aside.

In a large bowl stir together the sugar, flour, and salt. Add the cranberries, raisins, apples and orange zest. Toss to mix well. Pile the fruit mixture into the pastry lined pan and dot with bits of butter.

Cover with the top crust, trim and flute the edges. Cut a few vents in the top.

Bake 20 minutes at 425 degrees and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Continue to bake until the crust is browned and the fruits are tender – about 40-50 minutes.

Perfect to enjoy at the end of your holiday meal!

Always good to the last bite!

The Blessing Jar

Enjoy the long-term benefits of gratitude with the blessing jar.

Studies have shown that people who practice gratitude report experiencing more joy and pleasure, express more compassion and generosity towards others, and are even less likely to get sick.1

Here’s an easy way to capture a daily blessing reminder. Starting on January 1st write one good thing that happened to you on a card. Be sure to date each card, and then drop it into the Blessing Jar.

Here are ten ideas to inspire you and get you started:

• Something for which you are joyful
• Something for which you are thankful
• Something for which you are grateful
• Something that truly blessed you
• Surprise gifts
• Kind words from others
• Accomplished goals
• The beauty of nature
• Laugh-Out-Loud moments
• Fond memories worth saving

Then on December 31st open the jar and read all the amazing things that happened to you during the year. The blessing of reading the cards will surprise you. It will bring each memory alive once again for a double-blessing!

For the last two years my husband and I have been writing down daily blessing and putting them in the blessing jar. We write down anything that made us joyful, something we are grateful for, something for which we are thankful for or just a blessing in general. We have done this faithfully every day for the last two years. At the end of the year we have read all the cards over again.

It’s a double fold blessing. On one hand it helps you to get your mind around thinking about the blessings in your life on a daily basis. When you read the blessing at the end of the year you are even more blessed! It brings back all the things you were thankful for all year.

This year we decided to make up cards to make it easy for others to take part in the daily blessing jar. For the first time we are offering a My Daily Blessing kit that includes a jar to put all your cards in and a box with a years worth of cards to write on. Each card gives you a prompt; Joyful, Thankful, Grateful and Blessed, as well as a place to write down the date. Keep the jar in a convenient place, I would suggest near the dinner table. We usually write our card at the dinner table. If you have children at home take turns filling out the card each day.

Each kit is being sold for $45.00, which includes free shipping. The jars are mailed priority mail so if you order them soon you will have the blessing jars in time to give as a Christmas gift. Bless yourself or bless others and join us in writing down your daily blessing each day.

If you are interested leave a comment and I will send you a direct message with the ordering details. The $45 cost includes free shipping in the United States. Message me for details for shipping elsewhere.

1 Article: “Why Gratitude is Good,” from Greater Good Magazine.

Goal Setting Weekly Update #50

As we approach the end of the year my focus is thinking about goals for next year. Writing my goals down has been extremely helpful in getting the goals completed. Now to come up with the list for 2019.

~~1. Find a new hosting site for my blog and make it secure.~~ Done! This was the first goal accomplished this year and I am so happy to have a secure website.

2. Monetize my blog. This is an ongoing goal and will probably continue next year. I have set up two affiliate accounts. You may be noticing links to my favorite items on Amazon. I’ve also teamed up with an amazing heirloom seed company, Mary’s Heirloom Seeds. As we head into the New Year I plan to focus more on this goal. How nice it would be to cover the costs of having a blog! I recently received my first payment from Amazon, it may not cover my monthly expenses but it’s a start. Thank you my readers for helping support my little blog!

3. Create a cookbook. This is definitely getting put on hold. This is the goal I will put at the top of next year’s list.

4. ~~Be diligent about getting 10K steps in 5 out of 7 days a week.~~ I’ve decided to change this goal to 3 out of 7 days a week! We’ve been getting outside often this past week. Our weather has been gorgeous although very chilly. While the sun shines we figure we better get out and enjoy it no matter how chilly it is!

5. ~~As we continue to prepare for our house sale, continue to de-clutter~~. DONE!!

6. ~~Read 25 books this year!~~ Done! However this doesn’t mean I’ve stopped reading. This week I am so excited to start a book I’ve ben waiting forever for. It’s been on our library waitlist for months. Can’t wait to start The Baker’s Secret, hope the wait is worth it.

7. Have a consistent meal plan each week and prepare ahead. Work in Progress. My meal focus for the weeks leading up to Christmas is to eat healthy! Not always an easy thing with all the goodies around. On the menu this week: Cabbage Soup with Kielbasa, Coconut Chicken and Braised Chicken Thighs with Leeks and Mushrooms. Skinnytaste is a great inspiration for finding meals that are healthy and easy to make!

8. ~~Finish 4 knitting projects.~~ Completed! Having fun wrapping the two scarves I made earlier this year. Also looking ahead to what projects I plan to complete next year. Knitting or quilting or both? Two of my favorite books are Quick and Easy Projects for the Weekend Quilter and One-Skein Wonders. I may just pick my projects from these books!

9~~. Clean out our freezer.~~ Done! I miss having our larger freezers but I am not planning on stocking up while we live in this apartment. Shopping is done for the week ahead and that’s about it!

10. ~~Take a few road trips and visit family and friends on the east coast that we will not see as often once we move to the west coast~~. Done! Looking forward to visiting family on the west coast in 2019. I have a cousin in British Columbia, she and her husband own the first organic brewery in Canada, (Crannog Ales) not to mention an amazing farm. I can’t wait to plan a trip to visit!

“You can do anything if you set goals. You just have to push yourself.”

RJ Mitte

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For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting Nancy On The Home Front

Christmas Countdown: Final Shopping and Wrapping Week

Having a weekly reminder that the Christmas Countdown was underway has been a great help. As of today all of my boxes have been mailed, the Christmas cards sent out and I have just a few presents to pick up this week. This is the week to complete any last minute details.

Once the last minute details are complete you can then enjoy the holiday parties, concerts and other family activities. When we lived in Vermont our Christmas activities were pretty routine and the same from year to year. Living just outside the city of Tacoma there are so many Christmas activities we could take part in.

One of the popular activities is Zoolights. Zoolights takes place at the zoo and the grounds are transformed into a colorful winter wonderland with over 700,000 lights. They are very creative in their light display and even have a 100-foot giant octopus lite up in pink lights.

Every bush and tree is decorated with colorful lights. This was the perfect activity to attend with our daughter, son-in-law and our granddaughter. She absolutely loved all the lights. The lights are in place from November 23- January 6 from 5-9pm. They will be closed December 24 and the cost is $6-$12.

Zoolights is just one example of a fun activity you can enjoy during this Christmas Countdown. Another activity I am looking forward to is the Women’s Luncheon at our church. I was invited to attend and am looking forward to meeting new women and getting to know them better.

Whether you’re out looking at lights, attending school concerts or just enjoying the Christmas parties take time to relax this week. You’ve gotten the majority of the preparations completed and now is the time to enjoy the season.

The Simplest Butternut Squash Soup

One of the things that made the cross country move with us was my harvest of Butternut Squash. I love Butternut Squash Soup and have shared many different recipes over the years. There are numerous recipe in my recipe box including Smokey Butternut Squash Soup, Basic Butternut Squash Soup and even Coconut-Curry Butternut Squash Soup. However the Simplest Butternut Squash Soup is a recipe my sister gave me years ago.

This simple soup recipe only has four ingredients and takes almost no time at all to prepare. If you’re a fan of butternut squash try this recipe, it’s sure to become a favorite.

The Simplest Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash (3 lbs. or so)

3 slender leeks or 1 ½ large leeks, cut into 1 inch pieces

3 cups of whole milk

3 cups of water

Directions:

Peel the squash, remove the seeds and cut the squash into 1-2 inch chunks. Toss the chunks into a large soup pot. Toss the leek chunks into the pot. Add the 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes of until the squash is soft enough to mask with the back of a fork.

Process the soup in batches in a blender to puree the soup. Using an immersion blender also works well. Add the 3 cups of milk. If the soup is too thick you may add more milk or water to the desired consistency.

Serve as is or garnish with diced tart apples and toasted hazelnuts.

This is indeed the easiest soup recipe I’ve made and is perfect without any garnishes. If you are a fan of butternut squash you will love this creamy rich soup.

Best Christmas Gifts for the Kitchen

Perhaps you have a few people in your life that love to be in the kitchen. Are you looking for a special gift for them this Christmas? Here are a few ideas for you. Thee are all kitchen tools that you will find in my kitchen and I have to say they are the best Christmas gifts for the kitchen.

Silicon Muffin Liners

I have both regular size and mini silicon muffin liners. Not only can they be used over and over again but the muffins pop out so easily, no sticking! Plus I just love the bright colors!

Cuisinart Mini-Prep

I have a full size Cuisinart but my mini-prep is often the one I use. It is powerful for such a small size. It has two speeds for chopping or grinding and works perfectly for those small jobs when you just don’t want to get out your larger Cuisinart.

Electric Tea Kettle

My husband loves a cup of tea mid morning. The problem was he would come out of his office turn the kettle on and then go back into his office. Too many times the teakettle on the stove would come to a boil and boil away without my husband hearing it. The electric teakettle was the perfect solution. It’s heats the water quickly and then goes off. No danger of a hot teakettle on the kitchen stove boiling away until the water is gone!

Grater

I have two favorite graters in my kitchen. The box grater was given to me as a shower gift when we got married and it’s still going strong. Four sides with four different options; you can slice and then the other three sides are for grating everything from course to fine. This is one of those standard pieces of kitchen equipment! The microplane zester is another favorite of mine. I realize I could use the box grater to zest lemons and limes but this stainless steel ester is just perfect when you want to zest a lemon, lime or orange.

Measured Scoops

I have three different sizes of these measured scoops, one fro muffins, one for cookies and one for mini-muffins. They look like an old-fashioned ice cream scoop. They are so handy for baking when you want a uniform size and they make such quick work of making cookies or muffins.

Measure Ladles

These measured ladles original came form Weight Watchers. They measure out ½ cup or 1 cup. When you are trying to gauge your portions they are just perfect.

Nut Grinder

This hand cranked nut grinder makes an easy job of chopping nuts. I love the measurement son the sides so you know just the amount of nuts you are grinding.

Wine Saver

Occasionally I enjoy a glass of wine. The problem is what to do with the wine we don’t drink. The solution is this Vacu Vin Wine Saver with 2 vacuum stoppers. You insert the wine stopper into the bottle and pump until you hear the “click” which signals an airtight seal. The wine stays fresh until the next time you want to enjoy a glass.

If you have someone who loves to cook and you need to purchase a gift for them I would highly recommend any one of these items. They are the best Christmas gifts for the kitchen!

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site.

For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting Nancy On The Home Front

Goal Setting Weekly Update #49

Here we are in the month of December! Where has the year gone? In the midst of getting ready for Christmas I’m spending time on what my goals will be for next year. I’ll tell you if you ever want to accomplish your goals write them down and look at them every week! It sure helps!

~~1. Find a new hosting site for my blog and make it secure.~~ Done! This was the first goal accomplished this year and I am so happy to have a secure website.

2. Monetize my blog. This is an ongoing goal and will probably continue next year. I have set up two affiliate accounts. You may be noticing links to my favorite items on Amazon. I’ve also teamed up with an amazing heirloom seed company, Mary’s Heirloom Seeds. As we head into the New Year I plan to focus more on this goal. How nice it would be to cover the costs of having a blog!Last week I received my first check from Amazon, it may not cover my monthly expenses but it’s a start. Thank you my readers for helping support my little blog!

3. Create a cookbook. This is definitely getting put on hold. This is the goal I will put at the top of next years list.

4. ~~Be diligent about getting 10K steps in 5 out of 7 days a week.~~ I’ve decided to change this goal to 3 out of 7 days a week! When the sun shines we do our best to get outside and go for a walk. We’ve been having some pretty nice weather lately although a little chilly! We are not missing all the snow they’ve been having in Vermont lately!

5. ~~As we continue to prepare for our house sale, continue to de-clutter~~. DONE!!

6. ~~Read 25 books this year!~~ Done! I’m still reading and this week finished Craig Groeschel’s book Divine Direction. It’s all about the decisions we make that change your life. I enjoy Craig Groeschel’s book, he writes very clearly with a sense of humor. I would definitely recommend this book!

7. Have a consistent meal plan each week and prepare ahead. My meal focus for the weeks leading up to Christmas is to eat healthy! Not always easy this time of year but it’s my goal. On the menu this week: Sausage Lentil Soup, Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Salmon Cakes!
8. ~~Finish 4 knitting projects.~~ Completed! Having fun wrapping the two scarves I made earlier this year. Also looking ahead to what projects I plan to complete next year. Knitting or quilting or both? Two of my favorite books are Quick and Easy Projects for the Weekend Quilter and One-Skein Wonders. I may just pick my projects from these books!

10. ~~Take a few road trips and visit family and friends on the east coast that we will not see as often once we move to the west coast.~~ Done! Looking forward to visiting family on the west coast in 2019. I have a cousin in British Columbia, she and her husband own the first organic brewery in Canada, (Crannog Ales) not to mention an amazing farm. I can’t wait to plan a trip to visit!

“The trouble with not having a goal

is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.”

Bill Copeland

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site.

For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting Nancy On The Home Front

Christmas Countdown: Meal Making and Decorating Week

Congratulations! We’ve made it through Thanksgiving, the majority of your packages are in the mail and now we are in the final weeks before Christmas. The Christmas Countdown continues with just a little more than two weeks before December 25^th. Now is the time to prepare some favorite meals and other baked goods for the hectic days ahead.

Have you begun to decorate your house? This year we have cut way back on our decorations. It’s not because we don’t want to decorate but living in a tiny apartment there is just no room for any decorations! We did put a garland up outside around our French doors but that’s about it. Instead we will enjoy our daughter’s decorations this year. Hopefully next Christmas we will be back in a new home and I can decorate once again.

Now is a wonderful time of year to involve your children in making memories. I remember one Christmas when the children were little we decorated white aprons with handprints to give to the grandparents.. Such a fun project and the different size handprints looked so nice on the white apron.

Another year we made candleholders from white birch tress. Very simple decoration but I love the simple white of the birch trees with red candles.

Decorate your deck with homemade greens. If you’re lucky perhaps you can gather evergreens on your own property. If not maybe there is a local tree farm where you could pick up some greens.

Think head to your Christmas celebration meals, are there any dishes that can be made ahead and put in the freezer? I usually make my Sour Cream Coffee Cake ahead of time and freeze it until Christmas. It freezes wonderfully and I can defrost it Christmas Eve and reheat it Christmas morning. It’s such a great timesaver.

I usually bake a few batches of homemade bread as well. That way there is always bread on hand for company or sandwiches.

Mix up a few meals now to have on hand during this busy time of year. You’ll be glad you did and you can save yourself the money you might have spent on quick take out meals. Enjoy this busy month of December; remember the reason for the season and don’t be overwhelmed by the Christmas Countdown!

Quick & Easy – Sausage Lentil Soup

A few weeks ago we spent a week at my daughter’s watching two of our grandchildren. While there she left this recipe and the ingredients to make a delicious sausage lentil soup. It’s one of those quick and easy dinners that just takes a few minutes to put together. The ingredients are placed in the slow cooker and 4-5 hours later dinner is ready. It was so good I brought the soup recipe home knowing that I’d be sure to make it again.

Sausage Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

12-14 oz. sliced kielbasa sausage (I use turkey kielbasa)
2 cups brown lentils, cooked
2 carrots, sliced
1 celery rib, sliced
1 diced onion, about 1 cup
3 minced garlic cloves
15oz. can diced tomatoes
½ tsp. Italian seasoning
2 cups water

Directions:

For the best flavor brown the kielbasa and diced onion in a skillet. Pour two cups of water in your slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-5 hours. Not only will your house smell wonderful but the sausage and lentil soup will be ready in no time. Serve with fresh bread and or rice and a salad. Makes a perfect dinner on a cold winter night.