Holiday Happenings 2016

As usual the holidays were busy and full of family with an enormous amount of food. My jeans are definitely a little more snug around my waist but the journey was worth it! Of course there will be a change in how we will be eating post holiday.... a lot healthier and watching what kinds of food we will be eating. Even though it is now the new year 2017 I wanted to share with you some of my holiday happenings from December 2016! We had many family and friend gatherings that we attended usually with a plate of food in hand. My goal is always make it as simple as possible as long as you aren't sacrificing flavor! And as always the presentation is half of the battle.... make it look spectacular! 

We will begin with the simplest dish I took to our Small Group party. It was a going away party for some very dear friends and everyone was supposed to bring snacks and appetizers. It was on a particularly busy weekend so I went super simple. My husband had received a gourmet cheese and meat box from one of his vendors. I cut up a few varieties of cheese along with summer sausage then surrounded it with beautiful, fresh rosemary! I added the crackers on the cute mitten plates and voila! 

Every year I have intended to make the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls for our neighbors. If you know me at all you know I am a superfan of Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. So naturally these rolls are a part of Christmas! They are also convenient for a quick and delicious Christmas morning breakfast! I made 10 pans of cinnamon rolls and made deliveries to our neighbors mid-December. They were so delicious and now a tradition for our family! I will do the baking and my family can help deliver!

Recipe: Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls

Each year since the kids have been born I have wanted to be diligent about making a Happy Birthday Jesus cake. Having a birthday party for Jesus on Christmas Day makes it more of a focus for the kids. I want them to know the real reason for the season. Because I want them to know how special His birthday is I always make a cake from scratch. The effort and love put into this cake is how I hope they someday will love Jesus! 

This year I went to Tammy Maltby's Christmas Kitchen Cookbook. I made her Red Velvet Sugared Cranberry Cake with a few modifications. I knew time was of the essence that day so I substituted a simple powdered sugar/milk frosting in place of the cream cheese frosting. This cake not only tasted AMAZING but the presentation speaks for itself! Look at these beautiful sugared cranberries below! I had to restrain myself from eating them all before they went on the cake. What I love about Tammy Matlby's cakes are that they look so fancy and beautiful but they aren't as hard as you would think! 

Recipe: Red Velvet Cake with Sugared Cranberries

This year on New Years Eve my wonderful in-laws took the kids for the evening so we could have one last hurrah with our friends who have now moved to St. Louis. We had fancy appetizers and yummy drinks. I made a simple appetizer that looked pretty and tasted great. The best part was it only took 5 minutes! Place one cherry tomato on a toothpick with one mozzerella cheese ball. Sprinkle the platter with parsley for effect. I added a basil pesto sauce for dipping and YUM!!!! 

What were you favorite holiday recipes this year? 

My Favorite Freezer Meal

Four years ago my husband and I were blessed with the adoption of our son Jack when he was just 3 days old. Three months later we found out we were pregnant with our daughter Lucy. They are just 11 months apart which made for a very busy beginning to motherhood! I discovered the art of making freezer meals. I even joined a freezer meal swap group. There were 10 families involved and each family made 10 of the same meal. Once a month the girls would get together at someone's house and we would enjoy snacks and swap meals. We came away with 10 different meals for the month! This was a huge relief for me once I had my daughter. Freezer meals were now a part of my normal monthly routine! 
As many of you know I am a HUGE fan of the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. She has so many great ideas for freezer meals but there is one meal she makes that is my absolute favorite. It's not healthy but it is the epitome of comfort food in one dish! I am talking about none other than Sour Cream Noodle Bake. While the name doesn't sound as appetizing as I would like the dish is absolutely amazing! I recently made this freezer meal for some friends of ours. She was put on bed rest for the next 8 weeks and her husband isn't a cook. They both loved the dish and the best part was they had the option to freeze it until they needed it or to cook it immediately. 
Freezer meals are something I usually start in August (making 3-5 a month) and I continue this trend through March or so. For our family freezer meals are best for fall when my husband works 12 hour days, 7 days a week for 4 months at the Libby Pumpkin plant. There are those days when I just am exhausted from the kiddos and have no desire to cook. Then once winter hits it's nice to have freezer meals available for my family in case I get sick which happens during the winter months. Most of the meals are no-brainers to cook. Usually my husband will have to thaw out the crock-pot meal (many of which he could just dump in frozen) and turn on the crock-pot. It's that easy!! A few of the meals like the Sour Cream Noodle Bake is one where you just have to thaw out and then put into the oven to bake. It's a complete meal in itself, but we typically add a side of vegetables or a side salad. Enjoy the deliciousness!

Sour Cream Noodle Bake 

PREP TIME:

10 Minutes

DIFFICULTY:

Easy

COOK TIME:

20 Minutes

SERVINGS:

8 Servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/4 pound Ground Chuck
• 1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 1-1/4 cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
• 1/2 cup Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
• 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients. 

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir. 

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted. 

Serve with crusty French bread.

Recipe found at http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/sour-cream-noodle-bake/