We have been busy!

I feel like I'm finally back! It always takes awhile for me to get back into a routine when I return home from California. And with this past trip being an especially long one, it seems it took me a little bit longer. But these past couple days I've been on FIRE! Let's see where to start? I finally got my cinnamon rolls to rise :) YES!! It's amazing what you can do with a good batch of yeast. So I made four batches to hand out to the neighbors, I wanted to be a little different this year. Who doesn't like a warm fresh batch of homemade cinnamon rolls? I forgot to take a picture, so you'll just have to imagine :) Go ahead I'll wait.

Last night I finally got around to making this amazing recipe for tortilla soup. You must make some for yourself you will not be disappointed. Here's a picture of mine.

Go here to make your own. YUM.

I have also always wanted to make a batch of her homemade BBQ sauce, so I did that too. I used this recipe, but I didn't have any peach preserves so I substituted with some apple jelly I had in the fridge, and oh was it good. I plan I using it on some of the chicken I got from WalMart for 99 cents while my moms here later this week.

Last week Izzie helped her daddy decorate both our Christmas trees, we have one upstairs and one downstairs. She was trying to smell the lights as Tim was putting them on the tree. It made me laugh so hard, it is so much fun having a 2 year old around...most of the time.

She was really proud of her tree, plus she just cannot pass up a photo opportunity.

I hope your holiday preparations are going well, and that this post finds you and your family happy and healthy because...... it's almost Christmas!!!!!

Homemade Pickles

This morning I made a batch of Homemade Pickles. Karen gave us two big, gorgeous cucumbers from her garden that I didn't know what to do with. I started looking over the recipes at Prudence Pennywise (your can find her button on my sidebar too) and found one! I didn't have 10 cucumbers like her recipe called for so I cut it down to this recipe with a few changes of my own.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

2 large cucumbers

3 cloves of garlic, sliced

fresh dill

3 cups of water

1 cup white vinegar

1/8 cup kosher salt

1/2 T. sugar

black pepper

black peppercorns

Using my 2 glass jars, I layered cucumbers, onions, black pepper, a few sprigs of fresh dill, a few peppercorns, and garlic. I did about three layers per jar. Or until jar was filled to the top. Now I didn't say how much dill or pepper to use because I think the amount depends on the person. we used a lot, we like strong pickles :)

After layers were complete in a 4 cup glass measuring cup I added 3 cups water, 1 cup white vinegar, salt, and sugar. I heated this to a boil in my microwave. After it comes to a boil take the measuring cup out and let it rest for 5 minutes. Then pour into your jars. The recipe said to refrigerate for a week before serving.

Stuffed Bell Peppers and Stuff :)

So my garden is doing super great in the tomato department, but those bell peppers have got some splaining to do! I have one lonely green bell pepper on the smallest of all my pepper plants. The other three had better start producing or I'm never going to be able to make one of our favorite recipes. I've been holding out on making it cause I keep telling myself that this is the week their going to start producing! So I'm thinking maybe if I share this recipe, send it into cyberspace, some good bell pepper energy will come my way! :)

Hopefully your gardens are doing better than mine and you can make this tonight!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice

1 cup water

6 green bell peppers

2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Place the rice and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes. ( Sometimes I fix a meal the night before that requires rice and set aside about a cup of rice and this meal comes together much faster!)

3. In a skillet cook beef until evenly browned.

4. Remove and discard the tops, seeds, and membranes of the bell peppers. Arrange peppers on a cookie sheet lined with foil, with hollowed sides up. You may have to slice the bottoms a little so they will stand up straight.

 

5. In a bowl, mix the browned beef, cooked rice, I can of tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. 

6. Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each hollowed pepper. Mix the remaining tomato sauce and Italian seasoning in a small bowl, and pour over stuffed peppers.

7. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, basting with your extra sauce every 15 minutes, until the peppers are tender.

And enjoy!

If your wondering why I have pictures.. I took these about 5 months ago with the intention of putting this recipe on my blog, but never did. Maybe thats why I don't have peppers? Hummmm?