The presents are unwrapped and life is slowing and returning to normal, but my house a mess. Time to find a home for our new toys and our old toys to find a new home where they will be loved.  The new year always has me wanting to de-clutter and organizing our home.  I just love getting things in order for the New Year!!

I have the habit of wanting everything to be perfect immediately, which usually has me burnt out and unable to complete the organization of the whole house, which is a huge project. A proverbial elephant, if you will.

 Best way to eat an elephant??? One small bite at a time….. We all know this saying, but fail to apply it to our lives. In our house, we apply this idea to paying down debt as well as cleaning our house.  If you view the elephant as the big goal your life depends on, you will be very disappointed.  Instead if you focus on smaller goals, you are able to maintain focus and celebrate each sucess, which helps you stay motivated!

Years ago I found the  ”Cleaning Grand Plan”  at the Organized Home webpage.  The Cleaning Grand Plan was written by Katie Lackey. This is a plan to clean and organize your entire home in 14 weeks.  By breaking the areas of the house down this plan allows you to complete everything without burning out.

I plan on embarking on the journey through The New Year’s Cleaning Grand Plan in 2012. By doing this, I will have my house organized and clean by April!  This allows me time to spend outside when the weather warms up.  I honestly hate spring cleaning….I don’t want to clean in the spring, I want to be outside and enjoying the Minnesota Spring!  So since I have to be inside during the winter, why not get the cleaning all done during those winter months.

Ready, Set, Let’s start the new year off right with a plan to clean/organize our house!!  I challenge you to join me in participating in the New Year’s Cleaning Grand Plan Challenge at Organizedhome.com!!

The Fourteen Weeks of the New Year’s Cleaning Grand Plan from Organizedhome.com:

Week 1: January 1 – Gather Your Tools!
Week 2: January 8 -  Entry/Foyer
Week 3: January 15 – Living Room
Week 4: January 22 -  Kitchen/Pantry
Week 5: January 29 -  Dining Room
Week 6: February 5 -  Family Rooms
Week 7: February 12 – Bathrooms
Week 8: February 19 – Master Bedroom
Week 9: February 26 – Guest Bedroom or Pick your Room
Week 10: March 4 -  Kid’s Room
Week 11: March 11 -  Attic/Basement/Storage
Week 12: March 18 -  Garage/Storage
Week 13: March 25 – Front Porch
Week 14: April 1 – Finish Up Week!

God bless you as you look well to the ways of your household!
Proverbs 31:27

Wishing you a Happy New Year!
Jen C  

 

Saturday 24 – Christmas Eve Appetizers Galore

Goat Cheese, Various Havariti and Garlic Pita Chips
Artichoke Dip – http://jasmine1931.tripod.com/Cooking/appetizers.htm#ARTICHOKE_HEART_DIP_
Shrimp Cocktail
Various Breaded Shrimp
Asian Chili Chicken Wings
Brown Sugar Smokies
Meatballs
Crab Spread

Treats
Pumpkin Ribbon Bread – http://jasmine1931.tripod.com/Cooking/breads.htm#RIBBON
Chocolate Oatmeal Drops – http://jasmine1931.tripod.com/Cooking/candy.htm#CHOCOLATE-OATMEAL_DROPS_
Sour Cream Cookies

Salted Peanut Caramel Bark

2 lbs. chocolate melting bark
… 2 cups of peanuts (I used dry roasted)
1 cup of caramel bits (found by the chocolate chips in the baking section at the grocery store)
Sea Salt

Melt the chocolate and stir in the peanuts. Let cool for a couple of minutes and then add in the caramel bits. Stir well and then spread out on waxed paper or a Silpat mat (love those). Sprinkle the top lightly with Sea Salt. Put in the refrigerator until the chocolate has set and the bark is easy to break into smaller pieces.

Christmas Morning
Spinach Bacon Quiche
Monkey Bread

Christmas Dinner: Prime Rib, Dutchess Potatoes, Mushrooms and Green Beans

 

 

Menu – 12/18- 1/1/11

Sunday 18 – Baked Pork Chop/ Squash Risotto / Broccoli (E-Mealz 407)

Monday 19 – White Fish/ Rice / Carrots

Tuesday 20 – Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole & Veggie

Wednesday 21 -  Chilli (crockpot)

Thursday 22 – Stir Fry

Friday 23 – Chicken Fingers, Garlic Bread, Fries

Saturday 24 – Christmas Eve Appetizers

Sunday 25 – Christmas Prime Rib, Dutchess Potatoes, Mushrooms and Green Beans

Monday – 26 – Leftovers

Tuesday 27 – Chicken Divan – Steamed White Rice – Mandarin Spinach Salad (Emealz 404)

Wednesday – 28 -  Unstuffed Cabbage

Thursday – 29 – Roast and Vegetables

Friday – 30 – Fish and Chips

Saturday – 31 – New Years’ Eve Appetizers

Monday – 1 – Going to Red Lobster

For more Menu Planning inspiration stop by and visit Laura at Organizing Junkie. and participate in Menu Plan Monday.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!!!

Happy Cooking!!

 

Let the planning start….. Exchange this weekend!!

Appetizer Menu
Easy Crab Dip
Artichoke Dip
Sun-dried tomato spread
Shrimp
Sour Cream Puff
Veggies and Crackers
Deviled Eggs 
Brown Sugar Smokies

 

Magnuson Christian School Bake Sale

Original Chex Mix

Chocolate Chex Caramel Crunch

Must make these bars….

 

 

Menu – 11/28- 12/11/11

Sunday, 27th – Unstuffed Cabbage

28th – Baked Ravioli

29th – Leftover Turkey Soup

30th – Turkey Biscuit Potpie

1st – Chicken Divan – Steamed White Rice – Mandarin Spinach Salad (Emealz 404)

2nd – (Friday)  – Monte Crisco Sandwich, Apples and Chips (Emealz 405)

3rd – Pecan Crusted Salmon/(Very Good Add to Site) Garden Vegetables/ Crusty Bread

4th – Loaded Baked Potato Soup

5th – (working Late) Easy Chicken and Rice – Corn

6th – (Working Late)

Duggar Family Tater Tot Dish
1 lb ground turkey cooked, seasoned, drained
2lb bags tater tots
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can evaporated milk
1 can cream of chicken
Brown meat & place in large cass. dish.
Cover with tater tots. Mix soup & milk together.
Pour over top. Bake at 350 for 1 Hour.
(One of Daddy’s Favorites!) Makes 1- 9”X13” pans

Add Mixed Veggies to meat before doing rest of recipe

7th – Tortellini and Sausage Soup – garlic bread (Emealz 405)

8th – Three Cheese Baked Pasta – Salad – Garlic Bread (Emealz 404)

9th – (Friday) – Papa Murphy’s Pizza

10th -   Cheesy Chicke and Rice Casserole  & Veggie

11th – Leftovers

For more Menu Planning inspiration stop by and visit Laura at Organizing Junkie. and participate in Menu Plan Monday.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!!!

Happy Cooking!!

This is the recipe my hubby made for Turkey soup with the leftovers from Thanksgiving.  It was very good!!

Turkey Stock with Turkey Carcass

Turkey Soup with Egg Noddles and Vegetables

I love it when my hubby decides to cook.  It allows me to get other things done around the house like laundry and cleaning Tommy’s and Grandpa’s rooms. 

It was super yummy!!!

Jen C

Menu – 11/13 – 11/27/11

 Recipes from last week that were a hit included the following:

Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed potatoes, Corn 
   Crab Salad Crossiants – Chips (simple Delicius Cookbook – 62)
Chicken and Dumplings 
Beef Stew in Dutch Oven

 

Sunday, 13th -  Lasagna Roll Ups – Salad – Garlic Bread

Monday, 14th (working late) – Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Rice and Green Beans

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

3 chicken breasts, thawed, halved and pounded
2/3 Cups mayo
1/3 cups grated Parmesan
5 tsp Italian Bread Crumbs

Combine Mayo and Cheese. Spread on chicken then sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

Tuesday, 15th (Book Group) –

Duggar Family Tater Tot Dish
1 lb ground turkey cooked, seasoned, drained
2lb bags tater tots
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can evaporated milk
1 can cream of chicken
Brown meat & place in large cass. dish.
Cover with tater tots. Mix soup & milk together.
Pour over top. Bake at 350 for 1 Hour.
(One of Daddy’s Favorites!) Makes 1- 9”X13” pans

Add Mixed Veggies to meat before doing rest of recipe.

Wednesday, 16th – Creamy Beef Strognaoff  – Peas

Thursday, 17th (Book Group) – Easy Chicken and Rice  - Corn

Friday, 18th – Pizza Hamburgers – green beans – corn muffins – E-Mealz 402

Saturday, 19th -  Split Pea Soup – Biscuits

Sunday, 20th - Honey Roasted Pork Loin - Mashed Potatoes – Corn

Monday, 21th (Pampered Chef Party)

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (*New Recipe)

Hot Artichoke Dip (PW Cookbook – pg 30)

Seafood Dip

Veggie Tray

Truffles?? (buy ingredients)

Tuesday, 22nd – Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Wednesday, 23rd – Seafood Alfredo – Garlic Bread

Thursday, 24th (Thanksgiving)

Simple Turkey

Notes: Turkey is on sale this time of year for around 89 cents a pound in my area. However I urge you to look for a grocery store that will give you a free turkey in exchange for purchasing a certain amount of groceries. This will help your bill greatly.

1 14-15 pound turkey
1 stick margarine, softened
Bay leaves
Adobo, to taste
1 carrot, chunked
1 stalk celery, chunked
1 onion, quartered
1 green apple, quartered
½ C. water

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Wash the turkey and pat dry (save the bags of parts for your gravy). In the turkey cavity place all your vegetables. Separate the skin carefully from the turkey and place bay leaves and slices of half of the margarine under the skin. Rub the outside of the turkey with the rest of the margarine. Season to taste with adobo. Place turkey breast side up in a roasting pan. Put water in pan around the bird not over, you don’t want to wash away the margarine or seasoning. Cover turkey tightly with foil, removing the foil about 1 hour before turkey is done to brown the skin. Cook turkey at 500 degrees for 30 minutes, turn oven down to 325 and cook for 3-4 hours or until done, a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh without touching the bone should read 180 degrees when bird is fully cooked. Let turkey rest for 30 minutes before serving.

Stuffing-Dressed Up

2 boxes of stuffing mix like Stove top
1 huge onion, sauteed
4 stalks celery, sauteed
1 lb. sausage, cooked

Prepare stuffing according to package directions, before serving stir in other ingredients.

Gravy – Jarred

Green Bean Casserole

Dilly Mashed Potatoes – Good Add To Site!

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
2.3 cup 4% cottage cheese
1.3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp butter (I actually used 2 TBS when I made it ..OOPS!)
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp salt

Cook potatoes in water, cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender, drain.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the cheeses, butter, dill and salt. beat until smooth and fluffy. Yield: 6 servings

Friday, 25th – Leftovers

Saturday, 26th- Pecan Crusted Salmon/(Very Good Add to Site) Garden Vegetables/ Crusty Bread

Sunday, 27th - Unstuffed Cabbage

For more Menu Planning inspiration stop by and visit Laura at Organizing Junkie. and participate in Menu Plan Monday.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!!!

Happy Cooking!!

Sunday – Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed potatoes, Corn

Monday -   Crab Salad Crossiants – Chips  (simple Delicius Cookbook – 62)

Tuesday – Baked Ravioli

Wednesday -  Chicken and Dumplings

Thursday -Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich – Hashbrowns – E-Mealz 420

Friday – PizzaHamburgers – green beans – corn muffins – E-Mealz 420

Saturday – Beef Stew in Dutch Oven

 

Sat – Rotis. Chicken, Risotta, Corn (House Warming party)

Sun – Pioneer Woman Roast  - Blueberry Coobler  (both very good – add to site)

24 (working late) - Stuffed Green Peppers

6 large green peppers
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 (16 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
salt and black pepper to taste
1 bag of instant white rice
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese     

Brown your ground beef and chopped onion in a large skillet on low. While it’s browning cut the tops off of each pepper. Rinse the seeds out from the inside cavity. Place in a baking dish. Boil your white rice according to package directions, drain out the water. In a large bowl combine: diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper and rice. Stir in the ground beef and onion mixture.

Optional: You can stir some chopped green pepper into this mixture if desired.

Spoon mixture into each shell. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Remove and sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Place back into the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted. Makes 6 servings.

How To Freeze

Let them cool. Wrap each individual pepper in plastic wrap. Place 4 at a time into a 1 gallon sized zipper closure bag. Label and freeze. They will keep up to 6 months in the freezer. When you are ready to use, defrost them in the microwave and then microwave reheat them for 5 minutes. Remove from microwave and sprinkle with some fresh cheese. Instant dinner on a busy night

25 (MPTP) – Beef Vegetable Soup – (Fix it and Forget it Book – pg 133) crock 8-10 hours)

26 (Tommy’s Birthday) Mom’s Mac& Cheese – Sausage – corn

27 Breaded Pork Chops – Spaetzel – Carrots – Pg20 -  Simple and Del.

28 (Friday) White Castle Sliders and Fries

29 (Date Night – Play) Slow Cooker Beef Stew

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped

Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt and pepper; pour over meat and stir to coat. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots and celery. Cover. Cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours. Serves: 6.

1 package (16 oz) hot dogs
1 tbls vegetable oil
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbls brwon sugar
2 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp spicy brown mustard
Dash Liquid Smoke, optional
6 Hamburger buns

Cut each hot dog into eight strips. In a large skillet, saute hot dogs in oil until goden brown.

Stir in ketchup, brown sugar, Worchestshire sacue, mustard and Liquid smoke if desired; heat through. Serve on buns. Yield 6 servings. Tip: Use your favorite bottle barbecue sauce for even quicker treat!!!  

1 – Sausage Rice Casserole/ Veggie/ Salad

2 – HASH BROWN SOUP/ Biscuits
1 sauteed onion (from freezer)
3 cans chicken broth
1 large bag frozen hash browns
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 pound Velveeta cheese

Combine sauted onion and broth, bring to boil. Add hash browns, bring to boil. Add soups (don’t dilute) and milk, bring to boil. Add Cheese. Heat until cheese melts. Optional, serve with bacon bits on top.
This is one of my family’s favorite recipes and it is quick and easy! – Menus4moms.com

3 - Beef Enchiladas/ Spanish Rice

4 (Tommy Family Party) – Sloppy Joes/ Chips/

5  Tommy Friends Party/Halloween party  – Pizza

6 – Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed potatoes, Corn

 

Recipes to Try in the Future:

Pesto Chicken Tortellini Soup 

Simple Chicken and Dumplings

 

Dutch Oven Recipes to Try:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/bbq-pork-sandwich-recipe/index.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/beef-stew-recipe2/index.html

http://lubbockonline.com/stories/031908/liv_259266577.shtml

 

For more Menu Planning inspiration stop by and visit Laura at Organizing Junkie. and participate in Menu Plan Monday.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!!!

Happy Cooking!!