After the Holiday... (and the turkey chili recipe)

We had a wonderful time in Tucson for the Holiday.
Plenty of laughs, traditions, and leftovers to feed a small army. If you are a bit hungry, you might want to prepare yourselves...

For Christmas Eve, we had a Mexican night. After all, we are in Tucson... We had the traditional 'greasy tacos' (family tradition on Adam's side, they make them throughout the year). They were complete with all the fixings (Adam considers ketchup a fixing, but we won't go there). We even made cheese enchiladas, and Adam's dad new recipe: Cheese crisps, made with a fresh flour tortilla. Delicious! The Prairiefire even made an appearance...

Christmas Day dinner was amazing. Adam's mom made stuffed pork tenderloins, fresh greens with cranberries and walnuts and a balsamic vinaigrette (one of my personal favorites!), spinach souffle, creamy mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, Grandma E. yeast rolls, egg nog dessert with raspberries, and I am sure I am missing a few things. It was complete with some wonderful wines...

So now, you can understand why there not an inch to spare in the refrigerator.

Even before that, we had made turkey chili.

Usually, I'm all about the ground beef in a chili recipe but sometimes I like to change it up. Ground turkey is available at most grocery stores and is considered a leaner meat.

Here's the recipe (not too exact but the flavors are amazing together):

1 lb. ground turkey, browned
1 large onion, chopped
1 bag of frozen corn
2 large cans of chopped tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
1 can of Rotel chopped tomatoes (the tomatoes with some peppers)
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of red kidney beans, drained
1 can of pinto beans, drained
1 packet of Ranch dressing (dry)
1 packet of taco seasoning

Combine and stir all ingredients in a stock pot, simmer 20 minutes. Makes for wonderful leftovers.

Enjoy!

Winter Wonderland

In the Midwest, there is a huge snowstorm underway. I love the anticipation... and even though this year I'm in a much sunnier and warmer place, I still have a habit of checking the weather back home.

This is probably the closest I'm going to get to snow this Holiday season... or maybe even seeing some snow on the top of Mount Lemon, one of the highest mountain peaks out here.

This is the table runner and Christmas display on the dining room table. The little 'dusted' Christmas trees remind us of the Midwestern snow and the Holiday candies often are sneaked after dinner. Since I like all things shiny and bright, I love the blown glass fruit ornaments on the pedestal- I especially love the grape and plum ones!

Just one way we keep the magic in the season, even in the most simplest of ways!

Happy Holidays

New Traditions...

Adam and I have spent a couple of holidays in Tucson, Arizona throughout the years. After we were married, it seems that traditions are more important than ever. Over traditions, we are sure to share some good laughs and create memories that are priceless.

Here is one of our favorite traditions: kolaches, a traditional Czech cookie. Adam's dad is 100% Czech, which makes Adam 50% Czech. They are a light, pastry like dough filled with greatness- like cream cheese, cherries, blueberries, poppy seeds- pretty much whatever you like! We have been trying to perfect these for years. This year we have come closer, but still not quite there.

This year went a little something like this:
Me: "Neil, are these more like what you remember?"
Neil: "No, not at all!"
Me: "Ok, someday we will get this right!"

Here is a pic of Adam and our peanut butter blossoms cookies. They are delicious. I have been having them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Its ok though, because its Christmas! (That's what we say).

We also like to pick oranges at Adam's grandparent's trees. We enjoy making fresh squeezed orange juice. It is quite refreshing, although a little tart. I was having a great time.

And finally, after all of this- heading out to the golf range for nine holes. Adam and I played, along with his parents. Adam and his dad are very competitive, and Adam's mom and I enjoyed 'learning'. We had lots and lots of laughs.

All in a hard days work.

Tucson, Arizona- home of a little R & R

So, I have dropped off the face of the Earth for a little while. Adam and I arrived in beauiful Tucson, Arizona.

This is the year we are in Tucson for the Holidays as compared to Chicago. Each time we arrive, the temps drop sometimes 10-20 degrees, and sometimes rain or snow! This year was no exception. They can't remember the last time they had rain... it down poured! Hopefully there will be snow on the Catalina Mountains, we will find out when the clouds clear. It is absolutely beautiful.

While here we are planning on hiking, walking, tennis, relaxing, shopping, cooking, and reconnecting with family. Plus, last night I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard, we all have a great time! Adam and I have been looking forward to this trip for quite some time. More pics to come very soon...

Stay warm... and yes, I really do miss the snow in Iowa. Even though Tucson is gorgeous and warm, there really isn't anything like a perfect white Christmas in the Midwest!

Spode Woodland, the China pattern

Sometimes you will stumble on some pics of our China, especially from the Thanksgiving posts. We chose Spode, manufactured in England, and the pattern is Woodland. It is actually considered a 'casual China pattern' because it is microwave and dishwasher safe. We stumbled on it at Adam's aunt and uncles home in Chicago, and felt that it fit us perfectly.

Each dinner plate, salad plate, bowl , etc. has a different animal scene. There are different collections, we have some in each collection: Traditional Woodland (like pheasants and ducks), Hunting dogs (black labs, spaniels), Horses (my favorite is the Thoroughbred), North American Fish, American Wildlife (like bison, mule deer and others), and new for 2010- Birds of Prey (includes the Snowy OWL, and you know how I am about owls!). They also have patterned serving dishes and platters. Check out some pics-

The Thoroughbred is one of my favorites... this was a gift from Adam's parents.

The reason I'm writing about this today, is that I stumbled on a discontinued piece and I snagged it to give to Adam as a Christmas present (he knows, no worries)! Within the last week, we also had a serving platter arrive from family. Since the wedding, we did receive quite a few pieces and its been fun to see what we have of the collections. Someday, I am hoping we have the complete sets but that might be a challenge because some of the patterns are not produced at the present time.

I know currently, you can find this pattern at Macy's or at some other China stores. Usually the pieces are priced individually and sometimes you can have sticker shock- like the soup tureen is usually $500.00, otherwise it is reasonable.

Enjoy!







 

The charm of the seasonal poinsettia

National Poinsettia Day is December 12th, so you have a couple of days to get ready for the celebration, if you haven't already!

Growing up each year we would pick out a poinsettia and bring it to our church, throughout the month of December to remember loved ones. The splash of holiday colors transformed any setting, but you can imagine how great a display of 25 or more looked. Next to a large Christmas tree, even as kids we thought it was magical. Me, being the 'flower child', I was especially drawn to them.

Poinsettias traditionally have been in shades of reds, however that has changed drastically with modern horticultural breeding programs.You can now find whites, dark pinks, light pinks, hot pinks, purples, speckled, two toned, or even artificially altered- hand painted or glittered poinsettias. There are also numerous leaf shapes and flower forms, such as the Carousel series-my favorite!

Contrary to popular belief, poinsettias are NOT poisonous. According to the American Society of Florists, poinsettias were first rumored to be poisonous around 1919 when an Army officer's son supposedly died of ingesting large amounts of leaves from this plant. Numerous children's hospitals have studied this and have not been able to link serious health issues to this plant. Paul Ecke, one of the most active promoters of poinsettias even appeared on a late night show, eating poinsettia leaves to prove they are not hazardous! That is a bit extreme and I will take his word for it...

Poinsettias are available almost everywhere- you may find them at your local independent garden center, florist shop, grocery store, home improvement stores-almost everywhere. If you decide to purchase one, it is best to have it covered by a plastic sleeve. Poinsettias are very cold sensitive (after all, they are a native of Mexico). Decorate in your home, but be cautious about warm or cold drafty areas- this has a tendency to cause stress, which leads to an unsightly plant. Water your poinsettia whenever it is slightly dry to the touch.  Unfortunately, they fall victim to over watering. My college professor once said, its best to underwater than over-water. That holds true with most plants (thanks Dr. Gladon).

After the holidays, most people generally toss them. If not, you may treat it as a houseplant and the leaves will gradually turn green. With some extra work and patience, you may see some blooms during the next year.

California Memories...

Right after college, I was working for a Midwestern garden center. Then, I decided to take a chance and focus more on the plant industry. That is how I ended up in Visalia, California working with Monrovia Growers as an inside sales craftsman. I met a lot of great people from all over the country, in addition to the workers in the field who made every order possible. Before being in sales, we all had to complete an internship in the field, working alongside the workers. Yours truly was pulling weeds, planting palm trees, counting ladybugs (as a biological, chemical free control), taking cuttings, trimming topiaries and trying to skate by in very little Spanish- every day was a new adventure. By the end of it, I did improve on the Spanish...

I was thinking about California lately. Here is a pic of the gorgeous Sierra Nevada mountains. This was the view from the nursery... courtesy of my friend, Hughes.

California was a great place, but I had a tough time settling in and getting comfortable. I did work with a lot of wonderful Midwestern customers, which I felt kept me grounded (and maybe sane, not sure!).

Being in California, we were surrounded by fresh, local produce- almost year round. The farmer's markets were usually pretty good. There was also a really great fruit stand near Lindsay, California where there were fresh grapes, oranges, tangerines, avocados, among other great items. I was focusing more on cooking, so I was in heaven. There were tons of citrus groves and in the early early Spring, it would be amazing to put the top down on the convertible and smell the orange blooms to and from work. Truly amazing.

I also liked to go explore the outdoors. The Sequoia National Park was really close and Yosemite was only maybe 20 miles away. I have heard the trout fishing was great but never explored it. Even once for work, we explored caves- as a team building project!

I did, however miss playing in the snow, even though you could go into the mountains if you had chains. It was a little strange for me to walk to the offices November- February with no snow or frost on my windshield...

Then on Valentine's Day, 2009- I made the move to Washington D.C. Still not the Midwest but that was to come!

A live Christmas tree? or the box?

I mentioned already, that Adam and I have a fresh cut Frasier Fir for Christmas. The ornaments are definitely random, but we prefer it that way. For one of my bridal showers this fall, the hostess had my friends and family bring a Christmas ornament, in addition to a present. I also like to buy an ornament each year, that sums up the year.While unpacking them all and decorating, it brought back memories.

For instance, Adam's sisters made reindeer with clothespins. Arts and crafts- remember those?
We also have everything ranging from a glass piece of cake, toadstools, Christmas pickle (German tradition, I'm German), owls, Mexican tin ornaments, pigs, barns, pinecones, and others.

This is an ornament for 2010, when I moved back to Iowa from the Washington D.C. area for work.

Decorating the tree made me think about my Grandma W's tree. She had this artificial tree that had to be put together by matching up colored dots. It was a nightmare and looked a little strange. However, in hindsight it really didn't matter because there were so many presents under this poor little tree. Each year, my grandma says its the last for the tree... I don't buy it. The tree will make an appearance again.

Enjoy the Holidays! 
  

The newest project... a vintage inspired quilt

There is nothing better than a handmade quilt especially on a very cold winter day. We all know how brutal Midwestern winters can be, so for me- its a perfect opportunity to get creative and keep busy. Plus, the end result is usually nice!

I made my first quilt as a 4-H project when I was a teenager. It was a log cabin quilt with varying blue and white fabrics. It won a grand champion at the Plymouth County Fair, and then advanced to the Iowa State Fair with a blue ribbon. Since then, I haven't really done too much in the ways of quilting.

The latest project is a vintage inspired quilt, made with reprinted 1930's fabrics... its been a little slow going but that is just fine with me. Here's a sample of the blocks...

Earlier this year, I did work on a couple of others. Currently, they are off to get quilted and I should expect to get these back in Spring sometime. 

This pattern is Ohio Buckeye. I chose brightly colored batiks. Batiks are fabrics that have a design created by hot wax. The patterns are 'painted' with hot wax and then the fabrics are dyed. The wax is peeled away, and sometimes the fabrics are re-dyed. That means, each yard of fabric can be very, very different.

And, sometimes I have 'help'. This is Rocco... I adopted him in late July, after he showed up at my friend's house and I felt sorry for him.

First Christmas tree

Just recently we had another first: the first Christmas tree.

The other day, Adam and I picked out a gorgeous 5-6' Frasier Fir. We did the fresh cut and let it 'fluff' in the garage overnight. Somehow, I was banned from putting the white LED lights on it (maybe because of my height, not sure). I am 5'3'', but we do have plenty of chairs- still, no luck of doing the lights.

Growing up, we always had a live Christmas tree but it was usually some sort of a pine. After several weeks, after it was nice and crispy- those needles were like daggers. I can't even count how many times I would be near the tree and then out of nowhere I would be screeching in pain and maybe even saying some choice words. And, that is why my preference is towards a Frasier Fir because they retain their needles well. (With any live tree it is a good idea to provide fresh water constantly, to keep it hydrated.)

I was running some errands the other day, and came across these ornaments. I especially like the blown glass, colorful ornaments and the more random, the better. These are tiny, handmade blown glass owls. I especially am into owls - we have an owl cookie jar (from Anthropologie, amazing!) and I have a few antique owl jewelry pieces.

I couldn't pass these up:

More pics to come of the finished tree... Enjoy the Holidays!