It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

 Santa and Mrs. Claus catching some action in front of our new siding:-) It's so nice to decorate outside now!

Playing along with Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom and Wordful Wednesday on parenting By dummies:-)

The Best Milwaukee Has to Offer

My youngest sang at the Kenny Roger's Concert this weekend. The enclosed video shows her and the other kids with Billy Dean (she is the one in the black skirt and white shirt). He kept calling them "The Best Milwaukee has to Offer". Then, they sang with Kenny in the last clip and she is the one in the red sparkly Santa dress:-) (sorry about the video quality)

 

I feel like I swallowed a hanger. I can't stop smiling. We are so proud!

Playing along with Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom .

It Is DONE!

Remember this mess?

How do you like me now?

I got a new alcove and...

 

...a new porch:-)

YAHOO!! Now, we get to pay for it:-)

Playing along with Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom and Wordful Wednesday on parenting By dummies:-)

Thanksgivng Table 2011

I think I plugged in every shade of green in the house to create the table this year:

Playing along with Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom .

Susie's Roasted Turkey

I never knew how dry my turkey was until I had this one!!! This is the BEST turkey I ever made and now, it is a family standard.

Susie's Roast Turkey
For Brine
1 cup coarse salt, plus more for seasoning
2.5 cups sugar
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
1 dried bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp whole black peppercorns, plus freshly ground pepper
14 lb. turkey, thawed
For Roasting
2 sticks unsalted butter, divided.
6 fresh bay leaves
4 stalks celery, sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
2 lemons, zested
12 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
salt and pepper

1. For Brine

2. Put salt, sugar, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, and 5 cups water in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, stirring until salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat; let brine cool completely.

3. Add turkey, breast first, to the brine. Add enough water to cover the turkey. Cover; refrigerate 24 hours. Remove from brine; pat dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours.

4. For Roasting

5. After you prepare the brine, in a small sauce pan, melt 1 stick of butter and bay leaves. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Chill along side the brine so it returns to solid form.

6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack in lowest position.

7. Take bay leaf perfumed butter out to soften.

8. In a large bowl, mix the remaining celery and onion with the lemon zest, sage leaves and salt and pepper. Remove neck and giblets from the turkey.

9. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack set in a roasting pan. Fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside turkey. Loosely fill body and neck cavities with stuffing. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Fold neck flap under; secure with toothpicks. Rub turkey all over with softened bay leaf perfurmed butter.

10. Stir together the last stick of butter melted and wine in a medium bowl. Fold a very large piece of cheesecloth into quarters so that it is large enough to cover breast and halfway down sides of turkey. Immerse cloth in butter mixture; let soak.

11. Remove cheesecloth from butter mixture, squeezing gently into bowl. Reserve butter mixture for brushing. Lay cheesecloth over turkey. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Roast 30 minutes. Brush cheesecloth and exposed turkey with butter mixture. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Roast, brushing every 30 minutes, 2 1/2 hours more; cover with foil if browning too quickly.

12. Discard cheesecloth; rotate pan. Baste turkey with pan juices. Roast, rotating pan halfway through, until skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees and stuffing reaches 165 degrees, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Let turkey stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes. Garnish, if desired.

Servings: 20

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 minutes
Inactive Time: 24 minutes
Total Time: 4 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/20 of a recipe (14.7 ounces).
Percent daily values based on custom values.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. 3 of the recipe's ingredients were not linked. These ingredients are not included in the recipe nutrition data.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 761.78
Calories From Fat (48%) 369.11
% Daily Value
Total Fat 41.45g 74%
Saturated Fat 18.19g 165%
Cholesterol 306mg 153%
Sodium 2117.55mg 88%
Potassium 966.65mg 28%
Total Carbohydrates 28.96g 11%
Fiber 0.76g 3%
Sugar 26.3g
Protein 65.35g 103%

Recipe Type: Main Course, Thanksgiving, Turkey

Source
Author: Susan Ewing

Recipe Cost: $30.94
Serving Cost: $1.55



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I am posting this menu plan along with I'm an Organizing Junkie and $5 Dinners .

Herbs for the Holiday

Did you forget to plant your herbs for your holiday dishes? Me too! But no fear, Woodman's has a poultry pack for $1.99 and parsley for $.99. So, for under $3 and some old spice bottles, you can have this display:

I think that my table is going green this year. Lining these up down the middle will be perfect!!! Way cheaper than a centerpiece from the florist:-)

Cookie Dough Balls for Charity

I have two charity events coming up in which I am donating my wonderful cookie dough balls. One was fall themed:

And the other were snowballs:

Playing along with Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom and Wordful Wednesday on parenting By dummies:-)

Thanksgiving Planner

I am tackling a Thanksgiving Schedule  again this year for Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom . This is my plan and you can print it for your reference if you like. Keep in mind that my dinner is this Saturday instead of next Thursday. Your dates would move back and forth according to when you are hosting your dinner party:-)


Happy Planning:-)

Susie's Thanksgiving Savings

My road to health is going to take a slight detour for the pending holiday. I don't believe that Thanksgiving is the time to cut corners. It is about flavor and fat and salt and being thankful for all that. I will detox the next week and get back on track.

I also don't believe that I should have to pay an arm and a leg for a Thanksgiving dinner. So this week, I am posting my Thanksgiving menu and ways that I am going to make this the cheapest holiday ever!!!

Thanksgiving Menu 2011

Servings: 20

Costs Menu cost: $118.62 Menu serving cost: $5.93 Cost Per Menu Item Susie's Roast Turkey $30.68 Apple Cranberry Pecan Dressing $10.13 Mashed Potatoes $8.16 Cauliflower $2.98 Green Bean Casserole $17.39 Cranberry sauce $1.08 Honey Molasses Dinner Rolls $6.59 Pumpkin Pie $20.83 Pecan Pie $20.77

Thanksgiving Savings

Pick N Save l Condiments ¨ 1 jar Honey, strained or extracted (Honey Molasses Dinner Rolls) $2.00 l Canned vegetables ¨ 4 x 100g Canned green snap beans: On sale (Green Bean Casserole) $4.00 ¨ 2 cans (16 oz) Canned pumpkin (Pumpkin Pie) $3.52 l Canned fruit and juices ¨ 1 bottle Apple juice: Double Coupon (Apple Cranberry Pecan Dressing) $1.50 l Soups and gravies ¨ 5 cans (10.75 oz) Cream of mushroom soup: 10/10 w/ coupons (Green Bean Casserole) $3.00 l Meat and poultry ¨ 14 x 1 lb Turkey, young hen: Turkey Perk Points (Susie's Roast Turkey) $0.00 l Baking products ¨ 1 jar Active dry yeast: 25% Off (Honey Molasses Dinner Rolls) $2.17 ¨ 2 packages (6 oz) Bread stuffing mix: On sale (Apple Cranberry Pecan Dressing) $3.00 ¨ 2 cans Condensed milk (Pumpkin Pie) $4.00 ¨ 1 jar Light corn syrup (Pecan Pie) $2.15 ¨ 1 bottle Molasses (Honey Molasses Dinner Rolls) $2.99 ¨ 1 can Shortening industrial, lard and vegetable oil (Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie) $3.59 ¨ 1 bag Sugar: Double Coupon (Susie's Roast Turkey, Honey Molasses Dinner Rolls, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie) $2.39 ¨ 5 lb. Unbleached all-purpose flour: Double Coupon (Honey Molasses Dinner Rolls, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie) $0.50 l Dairy ¨ 3 lbs Unsalted butter: On sale (Susie's Roast Turkey, Apple Cranberry Pecan Dressing, Mashed Potatoes, Honey Molasses Dinner Rolls, Pecan Pie) $7.50 l International Food ¨ 1 bottle Soy sauce: Double Coupon (Green Bean Casserole) $0.00 Store Total: $42.31 Sam's Club l Food ¨ 7 cups Pecans (Apple Cranberry Pecan Dressing, Pecan Pie) $8.76 Store Total: $8.76 Walgreens l Canned fruit and juices ¨ 2 cans Cranberry sauce: Stacked Coupons $0.00 l Condiments ¨ 1 can French Fried Onions: Stacked Coupons (Green Bean Casserole) $0.00 Store Total: $0.00 Woodman's l Dairy ¨ 24 ea Egg (Honey Molasses Dinner Rolls, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie) $2.64 ¨ 1 gallon Milk (Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, Honey Molasses Dinner Rolls, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie) $2.85 l Liquor ¨ 3 bottles White wine (Susie's Roast Turkey) $10.00 l Produce ¨ 1 lb Apples (Apple Cranberry Pecan Dressing) $0.89 ¨ 1 lb. Carrots (Susie's Roast Turkey) $0.85 ¨ 2 heads Cauliflower $2.00 ¨ 1 lb Celery (Susie's Roast Turkey) $1.00 ¨ 1 bunch Fresh sage (Susie's Roast Turkey) $2.71 ¨ 5 ea Lemons (Susie's Roast Turkey) $1.65 ¨ 1 lb Onions (Susie's Roast Turkey) $0.99 ¨ 1 bunch Parsley (Susie's Roast Turkey) $2.71 ¨ 10 lbs Potatoes (Mashed Potatoes) $2.00 Store Total: $30.29 Grocery List Total: $81.36

That's a $37.26 savings which is 31%!! Not bad:-) That will make the holiday even more sweet:-)Here are the coupons in this plan:

Pick N Save
Old Orchard Juice 2/$5
Click here for $1/1 Coupon (can print twice)
Final Price= $.50/each w/ double coupon on Wedndesday

Campbells' Condensed Soup 10/$10 Buy 5
Click here for $1/5 Coupon
Final price= $.60/each w/ double coupon on Wednesday

Kikkoman Soy Sauce $1.84
Click here for $1/1 Coupon
Final price= Free w/ double coupon on Wednesday

Walgreens
Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce $0.99 with in ad coupon
Click here for $1/2 Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce
Final Price= $.49/each

French's French- Fried Onions 2/$3.00 with in ad coupon
$0.50/1 French's French Fried Onions (11/6 SS)
Final Price= 2/$2.00

Pair these with RR and they are free:-)



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I am posting this menu plan along with I'm an Organizing Junkie and $5 Dinners .

A Small Voice Sings with Kenny Rogers

An Evening of Christmas and the Hits with Kenny Rogers at

The Riverside Theater 

Sunday, November 27 • Doors Open at 6:30pm

"A holiday treat for the whole family! From Let It Snow to Lady, it’s a night you won’t want to miss. An unforgettable performance from an unforgettable performer!"

We will be attending this wonderful event because my youngest is going to one of 10 children singing on stage with Kenny!!! We are of course very excited and very proud of her!! What an awesome way to kick off the holiday season!!! 

Schar Gluten Free Sample

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Schar for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

On my road to a healthy lifestyle, I found Schar. This brand is the leader in gluten-free foods and they have just re-launched their gluten-free heat and serve items: Sub Sandwich rolls, Ciabatta rolls and Baguettes!With my pre-diabetic pathology, balancing carbs and proteins is a struggle. These products will help me with this balance and satisfy my carb-addicted husband!

I am most looking forward to trying the Ciabattab rolls. I think that they will be perfect in my French Onion Soup! And, I will get to try them because, for a limited time Schar is providing free samples of the Ciabatta rolls to the first 2,000 Schar Club members* who request them! Being a member has it's privileges Schar free sample,coupons, to advice on how to live a gluten-free lifestyle.

Free sample kits will only be sent to the first 2,000 members that request them. Once you sign up for the Schar Club, on the left hand side you will see a column titled "toolbox" under that column, you will find the word "Giveaways", click that and then you will be taken to the page to order your free Ciabatta sample!

I am totally doing this and you can too! What will you make with yours?

More Kitchen Dreaming

So, they finally started work on our home remodel! It has been a looooooong six months that we have been working on it and the siding and porch is finally going on our house. It looks really good so now, my creative juices and start chomping on another home remodel project (my husband is going to kill me:-)

I was doing some research and found some really cool deep kitchen sink. I am looking for those front apron farmhouse style but they can be really expensive. So, if I see one in my future, I better start saving now:-) But look at how pretty:

Then, I need a new energy-star microwave oven. I want a white one:-)

And I have never even heard of expandable console table but I think this will look good in my new kitchen too:

Even though my new kitchen is probably 3 years down the road (or more), it is never too early to do a little research, right?

Playing along with Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom .

This is a sponsored blog post however, all of the opinions are mine and mine alone:-)

Can You Feel a Brand New Day?

I had an absolutely fantastic appointment with my new doctor on Friday! I have never felt so heard by a physican in my entire life! She addressed EVERY complaint that I have EVER had!!! It was A LOT of information to take in so, I don't have a match-up of sales and recipes for you today however, I do have a cholesterol recipe at the end of the post, if you can make it that far:-)

If you are a "woman of a certain age" and you are having problems that just haven't been addressed, I HIGHLY recommend seeing a doctor that practices integrated medicine or at the very least, specializs in women's health. I can feel my doctor changing my life as we speak! She took on everything: my pre-menopausal symptoms, urinary frequency, my triglycerits that are through the roof, the intolerance to cold, the perpetual perspiration, the weight retention and getting sick after working out. EVERYTHING!! My other doctors said I just had to deal with it, do Keegels, take medicine, your thyroid is fine, eat less and work out more or I don't know what that is!!! Here is what my new doctor said:

My thyroid is NOT fine! Did you know that the scale in which we as women are measured for thyroid issues are based on a study of men from the 1980's?? We weren't even included in the study!! So, if your thyroid is 3 or over, talk to your doctor because that IS considered elevated!

Having an elevated thyroid explains most of my symptoms and THAT alone is HUGE!! So, we are going to finally address that. I also have a laundry list of supplements and a change in hormones to help get me back in line. I am getting a new general practioner that specializes in cholesterol issues and a holistic dietician. I really feel that success and health are in my new future! I am NOT going to have to spend the next 10 years exhausted and nauseous and bitchy. (My poor husband, I have been horrible lately!)

So, without further adieu (and so, you guys don't think I forgot about you), I give you my cholesterol recipe. Some of the ingredients are hard to find but it just took a trip to a health food store and GNC and I got it all. I get to stir this in my yogurt every morning. I feel lighter and healthier already!!

Ground Flax Seed- 1 cup
Raw Wheat Germ- 1 cup
Lecithin Granules- 1 cup
Brewer Yeast Flakes- 1 cup

Mix all together well. Keep refrigerated in an air-tight container. Take 2 tablespoons of mix and add to juice (apricot juice, preferably) or yogurt once a day.

I am posting this menu plan along with I'm an Organizing Junkie and $5 Dinners .

Happy Halloween!

I tackled a great Halloween with my butterfly:-)

Playing along with Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom .