Nancy on the Home Front

Christmas Countdown – Shopping Week Two

This week try to complete as much shopping as possible. Take advantage of many items that are on sale before Thanksgiving. The Christmas countdown continues but if you’ve been following along you are getting prepared!

Before you head out this week check your Thanksgiving menus and grocery list and purchase any additional, needed supplies. Stock up so you are prepared for the Christmas menus as well. Often baking materials are on sale before Thanksgiving and it is a good time to stock up.

Now that Halloween is over the retailers want to clear off their shelves, you can find great deals on candy for stocking stuffers. November is also a good time to find deals on tool kits. Perhaps you have children who are just starting off on their own. This might be the perfect gift for them! Everyone can always use a basic tool kit.

Cookware is also on sale this time of year. Keep your eyes open for cookware for someone on your gift list. Other small appliances and vacuum cleaners are also on sale this time of year.

The biggest clothing deals are usually found in January but hats, gloves and sleepwear are often discounted and make perfect gifts!

Toys will be better to buy the closer we get to Christmas but DVDs and Blu-ray movies make good stocking stuffers and can often be found for under $5.00.

November is a big month for food. There is an abundance of seasonal food available right now. Stock up and fill your pantry or freezer. You can find apples, pears, cranberries, plums, clementine and pumpkins. Make some applesauce to enjoy now or to give as gifts at Christmastime.

In season vegetables you should buy this month include leeks, cabbage, squash, parsnips, celery, potatoes, turnips and yams. You’ll also find many great deals on turkey. Buy one to enjoy for Thanksgiving and another for your freezer.

It’s a busy time of year for everyone but stay on track and try to complete as much shopping as you can this week. Taking part in the Christmas countdown and doing a little bit each week will help you to be able to enjoy the holidays and not feel overwhelmed.

Quick and Easy Dinners – Beef Stroganoff

Finding quick and easy dinners during this busy season is not always easy. During the holiday season I love to have a few recipes on hand to make some quick and easy dinners. Our days are often filled with other activities and it’s hard to have delicious meals on the table during the week when we’re short on time. If you are looking for a quick and easy dinner try this Beef Stroganoff recipe. All you need for this delicious dinner is a total of 6 ingredients and a slow cooker and you’ll have dinner ready to go with just a few minutes of preparation.

We were babysitting our grandchildren recently while our daughter was out of town. She left all the ingredients and the recipe for this meal. I was able to put it together while the grandchildren were eating breakfast. In no time at all the entire house was filled with the tantalizing aroma of beef stroganoff!

Quick and Easy Dinners – Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

2 pounds of stew meat
1 pound of sliced mushrooms
1-diced onion
½ cup red wine
1 Tbsp. Beef stock paste (or 2 bouillon cubes)

½ cup sour cream

Directions:

Add 1 cup of water to your slow cooker before starting. Add all the ingredients EXCEPT the sour cream to the crock-pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. Stir in ½ cup sour cream just before serving. Serve with rice or noodles. Makes 4-6 servings.

Special notes: If you add the sour cream at the beginning it will curdle. If you plan to freeze this meal do not add the sour cream.

That’s it, such a quick and easy dinner. Put everything in the crockpot while the kids are getting ready for school and by the time they come home the house will be filled with delicious smells. Just the kind of meal I enjoy. A little morning prep time and when dinnertime rolls around all you need to do is mix up a salad and cook some noodles and dinner is ready.

Downsizing – Living in a Smaller Space

We knew that leaving our home in Vermont and downsizing into a smaller space would take some adjustment. We’ve discovered that downsizing and living in a smaller space is actually not a bad thing!

All of our belongings certainly wouldn’t fit in a smaller space so the first thing we had to do was decide what we would live with for the next 4-6 months and the rest would go into storage. As we packed I labeled the boxes we wanted moved into our tiny apartment with red tape. That way they were easy to identify and the movers wouldn’t have any problem knowing what boxes went where. The boxes with the red tape were set aside in our garage and were the first to be loaded onto the truck. The plan was to deliver boxes to our storage units first.

To our surprise we couldn’t even fit everything we thought we would need into the apartment. There is no room for company or entertaining of any sort. If we are to do any sort of family gatherings they will have to be next door at my daughter’s house! We have room for a few visitors to stop by. Usually my grand daughter comes to visit at some point during the day. She considers that we live in “the other house”.

Living in smaller space takes much less effort. There is very little to keep clean and since the space is so small you tend to keep things picked up so there is not a lot of clutter.

I miss my large kitchen with lots of counter space. I’m slowly adjusting to a much smaller prep space when I cook.

Our kitchen table serves as our eating area as well as a computer desk. The large desktop computer sits out of the way most of the time but when I’m working on blog work or my husband is doing freelance the desk top slides out and the table becomes a work space. We have to take turns working on the desktop but we each have a laptop and we can sit on the couch and work.

After living in Vermont for over twenty years one of the biggest adjustments is not having any outside property! I have no yard or garden work that needs to be done. I have a small collection of houseplant that moved with me but that’s it. My daughter has four nice raised beds where she plants her vegetable garden. I’m sure I could go out and pull weeds for her if I wanted!

This is not our forever home. We plan to start looking for our own place after the New Year. Until then we will enjoy living in a smaller space knowing that it is only for a season.

Goal Setting Weekly Update #45

Little by little we are adjusting to life in a “tiny home”, living in a one bedroom apartment is quite an adjustment from a four bedroom home! Nice to have all the boxes unpacked and having our little space now feel like home!

~~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. 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. Really don’t want to clutter my blog up with too many ads, however I sure appreciate any support in running this blog!

3. Create a cookbook. This is definitely getting put on hold. I had grand ideas of accomplishing this goal but I think it will go at the top of next years’s goal 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! Despite the beautiful weather we’ve been enjoying lately I have not been getting my steps in, this goal has been an epic fail! I hope to continue this goal next year, perhaps with some adjustment. We’ve had some nice walks with the grandchildren this week while in Portland, OR. Nice to see the fall colors still hanging on.

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

6. ~~Read 25 books this year!~~ Done! This goal may be completed but I am still reading! this week I finished the most interesting book called, A Warrior’s Circle of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow written by Lori Paul. It is an inspirational story of a man, Raymond Muckuk, who has run across the United States five time to raise awareness of the situations facing Native Americans. We had the privilege to spend time with Raymond three years ago when we spent a month in Keystone, South Dakota taking part in The Keystone Project. Very interesting and inspiring book.

7. Have a consistent meal plan each week and prepare ahead. This has been going pretty well. We are now off to watch our grandchildren in Portland so no meal plan for us this week. I’m sure my daughter will have a meal plan in place for our time spent with our grandchildren!
8. ~~Finish 4 knitting projects.~~ Completed! Made two hats and two scarves. This goal is completed but I would like to knit a few small projects for the holidays.

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! Having completed this goal we are now looking forward to a new year with new travel plans. I actually have a bit of family here on the west coast and it will be fun to catch up with everyone.

“You have to set goals that are almost out of reach.

If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought,

you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.“

Steve Garvey

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

Christmas Countdown – Shopping Week One

Here we are a few weeks away from Thanksgiving and the Christmas Countdown continues. This week as we are decorating our homes for Thanksgiving focus on gift giving from your prepared list. Having just made a cross country move our gift giving list includes many friends and family members on the east coast. Mailing gifts at the last minute is not going to work; instead I want to have gifts in the mail so they arrive well before Christmas!

Luckily I have my list of people I want to purchase or make gifts for and I am ready! I have some shipping boxes set aside as well.

Another option is to purchase gifts online and have them shipped directly to the recipients. You may choose to pay a little extra to have the items wrapped. As my mother got older she still appreciated gifts but preferred that they either be “combustible or consumable”! For the folks in your life that don’t want more stuff and gift of food is often a great idea.

Last year my brother-in-law’s wife gave an excellent gift. She made up a spice package to pair with one of her excellent recipes. It was so well packaged and something that everyone would appreciate. I thought it was the best gift ever especially since we were in the midst of downsizing and certainly didn’t need any more items to pack up and move!

When we lived in Vermont making a shopping trip took some planning. Even if you were planning to purchase your gifts locally you had to drive at least 20-30 minutes. Now we are living on the outskirts of a large city and everything is just minutes away! I haven’t found any quaint little shops that sell local merchandise but I’m sure they are here somewhere! I just have to keep looking.

Don’t let the Christmas countdown overwhelm you. Spend a little time this week getting some Christmas shopping started. You’ll be glad you did!

Thanksgiving Potatoes

Do you have a favorite recipe you use for your mashed potatoes? A number of years ago I stumbled upon this recipe from the Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook and it has been a family favorite ever since. It is perfect for those special holiday meals where you are trying to save time in the kitchen. These mashed potatoes can actually be made ahead of time and reheated just before serving. When we celebrate Thanksgiving with the extended family I am always asked to bring the mashed thanksgiving potatoes! These potatoes are very rich and we consider them a special treat. I do usually substitute low fat cream cheese and low fat sour cream when making this recipe. I hope you enjoy them!

Now a moment of confession. I wanted to share this recipe, but it is still a bit early to make them ahead for our Thanksgiving meal, so I will be sharing pictures of the ingredients rather than pictures of the process itself! Do try the recipe, you’ll be glad you did!

Best Ever Mashed Potatoes

9 large baking potatoes, peeled and diced
½ cup butter, room temperature
12 oz cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup sour cream
½ tsp ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the diced potatoes in a large saucepan, add water to cover and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until tender. Drain.

Place the potatoes in a mixing bowl.

(I put the potatoes through a ricer first and then add the remaining ingredients.) Using a ricer makes the potatoes so fluffy!

Cut the butter and cream cheese into small pieces and add to the potatoes.

Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in sour cream.

prudent living — Don’t forget to add the sour cream!

Add salt and pepper to taste.

The mashed potatoes can be served immediately or placed in a buttered casserole to serve later. To reheat place in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.

Makes about 8 servings.

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

French Style Mustard

Are you making gifts for others this Christmas? This wonderful French Style Mustard was made and given to me years ago. It was the cutest gift package; it included the jar of mustard, a tiny whisk and the recipe. If I have gifts to make you can be sure this is on the top of my list. Each recipe makes about ½ cup. This mustard should be keep chilled. I have filled gift baskets with a loaf of homemade bread, a jar of mustard and a bottle of beer, all you need is some deli meat and lunch is ready!

French Style Mustard

Ingredients:

½ cup dry mustard powder
½ cup water
1/3 cup white distilled vinegar
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. ground turmeric
½ clove garlic, finely grated
1 pinch paprika
1 tsp. cornstarch

Directions:

Whisk everything except the cornstarch together in a small saucepan until smooth. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring often.

About one minute before you want to remove the mustard from the heat, stir the cornstarch tougher with 1 tsp. of cold water. Then, while whisking, pour the cornstarch into the simmering mustard. Let the mustard cook for 1 minute to thicken.

Remove from heat and let sand one minute to set. Pour into the serving container to cool. Don’t you just love these adorable 4oz mason jars I found? they are perfect for putting mustard in. I doubled the recipe and had just enough to fill all four jars! The mustard may be served immediately, but the flavor will mellow after 3-4 days.

Bake up a little gift basket with the mustard, a little whisk, the recipe and some pretzels. This is one of the easiest gifts to make and your gift recipient is sure to be pleased. I have a second mustard recipe that is a Sweet Hot Mustard. If you would rather have a sweet mustard check out the recipe HERE.

Goal Setting Weekly Update #44

~~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.

3. Create a cookbook. This is definitely getting put on hold. I had grand ideas of accomplishing this goal but I think it will go at the top of next years’s goal list!

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

6. ~~Read 25 books this year!~~ Done! This goal may be completed but I am still reading! This week I read the book Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen.Another delightful read. the story of two people, Harry and Amanda struggling to overcome great loses in their lives and Amanda’s daughter Oriana who believes that Harry is the key to righting her world.

7. Have a consistent meal plan each week and prepare ahead. This has been going pretty well. We are now off to watch our grandchildren in Portland so no meal plan for us this week. I’m sure my daughter will have a meal plan in place for our time spent with our grandchildren!
8. ~~Finish 4 knitting projects.~~ Completed! Made two hats and two scarves. This goal is completed but I would like to knit a few small projects for the holidays.

“Seeing your goal written in ink, on paper will have a powerful effect on your mind.“

moneysaving mom.com

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: Gift Making

Can you believe we’re almost into November? The Christmas Countdown has begun. You don’t need to be stressed just put aside a little time each week to get ready and you’ll be able to enjoy the season. This week we’re looking at gift making.

I have to confess my list of gifts I would love to make is always much longer than the available time I have! As you know I enjoy giving homemade gifts and this is the week to focus my energy on completing the gifts to be made and setting aside the gifts that’s aren’t coming together.

It’s also a good week to write your Christmas letter and find family photos that are suitable for inclusion with your Christmas cards. I usually have cards printed up using a photo and if you order the cards before Thanksgiving you can get quite a discount.

This year I knit a few scarves to give as gifts, the good news is that these projects are completed however I’m bot sure which box they are in. Hopefully I will find them before Christmas!

This year one of the gifts I will be making are gifts of French style mustard. Most people enjoy mustard and I’ve found giving a little jar of mustard along with a mini whisk and the recipe I used is a perfect gift. I will be sharing this simple recipe on Wednesday if you would like to make some yourself.

In the past I have made gifts of seed balls. For the gardener in your life or even young children you can give a gift of seed balls. The balls can be filled with any type of small seeds such as marigolds and then scattered in your garden.

I have also made fleece pillow-blankets. Who doesn’t love a fleece blanket during the cooler months? There are various patterns online but I actually have a pattern that I’ve used before. Basically you only need two yards of two different fleece patterns. The only sewing you need to do is around the edges and then forming the pillow. A simple pocket is sewn on the outside and you can fold the blanket into the pocket to create a pillow!

In years past I’ve shared many of my ideas for simple Christmas gifts. I have made Friendship Soup Mix, Homemade Holiday Potpourri, Homemade Beeswax Candles and Homemade Snax Mix. I’ve also made Homemade Dog Biscuits, which are always a big hit with the dogs in the family. The Christmas countdown doesn’t have to be overwhelming, come up with some simple gift ideas and find time this week to put them together!

Easiest Focaccia Recipe Ever

Years ago a good friend of mine passed along this recipe and it’s been a while since I’ve made it. The other day I was making diner for my daughter and her family and I thought why not make the easiest focaccia recipe ever? This recipe never disappoints, it’s easy to make and is so delicious. It was gone by the end of the meal!

This easiest focaccia recipe is so easy I decided to make it again this week to go with our beef stew, instead of using rosemary I sprinkled a little thyme and oregano on the top. It was equally as good.

Easiest Focaccia Recipe

Ingredients:

1 tsp. sugar
2 ½ tsp. active dry yeast
½ tsp. salt
1/3 cup warm water
2 cups of flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ tsp. Salt
Fresh rosemary (or other fresh herb)

Directions:

In a small bowl dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water. Let stand until creamy, about ten minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the flour and salt. Stir well to combine. Stir in additional water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until all of the flour is absorbed. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly for about one minute.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes or so.

Preheat the over to 475 degrees F.

Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface; knead briefly. Pat or roll the dough into a sheet and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Dimple the top of the dough with your finger and brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Sprinkle your fresh herb of choice as well. Rosemary is a perfect choice!

Bake focaccia in preheated over for 10-20 minutes, depending on your desired crispness. If you like it moist and fluffy, then you’ll have to wait just about 10 minutes. If you like it crunchier and darker on the outside, you may have to wait 20 minutes. I cooked it for 15 minutes and it was just perfect.

If you are looking for the easiest focaccia recipe ever then this is the one. In about an hour you will be enjoying fresh focaccia bread!