Canning Soup

Today was spent canning vegetable beef soup for my dad. We haven't had Christmas with my dad yet, will be seeing him on Saturday. As I was thinking about what to get for him (it can be hard as they get older) decided to give him some homemade soup. This makes a meal that is easy for him to prepare. This recipe made 16 pints. I know my dad will be happy with this, he likes soup but really has a hard time eating it out of a can from the store. Always says there is pieces in it that he is not sure what they are. Dad was use to mom making everything from scratch so eating out of a can is hard for him.

Beef Vegetable Soup

3 to 4 pounds beef stew meat or a roast
2 quarts sliced carrots (about 16 small)
3 cups chopped celery (about 5 stalks)
2 cups chopped onion (about 3 small)
3 quarts cubed, pared potatoes (about 13 medium)
1 - 1/2 T. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Beef Bouillon to taste
NOTE: Vegetables do not need to be precooked.
Cut meat into 1 1/2 inch cubes: brown in a small amount of fat.
Combine meat, vegetables and seasonings; cover with boiling water.
Pack hot into hot jars, leaving 1-inch head space. Remove air bubbles.
Adjust caps. Process pints 1 hour, quarts 1 hour and 15 minutes
at 10 pounds pressure.

From our house to yours we would like to
wish you a
HAPPY NEW YEAR

We will be having dinner with our friends tonight and spending a quite day at home tomorrow.
I will just enjoy having my dh home from work for a long weekend!

Winter Projects

With Christmas over and the New Year almost here I've been going through my cupboards and cleaning and getting rid of a few items. Today I went through my closets in the sewing room. Sorted through the scrap tub and got rid of most of it. I have not even looked in this tub for almost a year, time to let it go! Was a nice feeling to have the closets organized once again.

I am ready to settle in for a long winter! The temperatures are suppose to get colder this weekend and we were getting a few snow flurries. Our winters in Wisconsin are always long and cold, but I do enjoy the time it gives me for quilting and scrapbooking (I will admit that by the end of February I am ready for some signs of spring!) This is a picture of some of the projects that will get worked on this winter, don't want to even tell how far behind the scrapbooking is. Next I need to get the scrapbooking organized so it can be worked on also.

One of the things that I want to get back into doing is planning my day with my Grace Works planner. Was doing so good for a while and get so much more done when I keep my self organized. I will be working on this New Years Day.

Christmas Blessings

Merry Christmas to all!

I am looking out our living room window at the lights and watching it snow. It is so quiet and peaceful. Our area has been hit with snow and freezing rain, so we are celebrating Christmas with family tomorrow and my dh birthday. Today we just enjoyed a quiet day at home. Made a special breakfast of waffles with strawberries and whip cream and had homemade pizza for supper.

Have also taken some time to think about what God did for us by sending his son as a baby that first Christmas. How he grew into a man, willing to give his life for us on the cross and rose again so we could live forever with him some day in heaven if we only accept him as our personal Savior.

Pray you had a blessed Christmas!

Weekend Fun

Our grandsons had a sleep over on Friday. Always fun! The first thing they did was to help grandpa do some work on the chimney. Hmmm wonder if they told mom they were on the roof!

After they came in and had hot chocolate we decorated their ginger bread men cookies, Keiven put lots of frosting on, Jonathan did a little more decorating on his. They both enjoyed eating them when done.



After we did the ginger bread men, Jonathan helped me decorate some molasses cut out cookies. He did a great job. I thought we were going to just frost them white and put sprinkles on them, he had other ideas. So we got out the decorating tips and colored the frosting. We had a lot of fun. Every time there was a broken one he was trying to eat it on me, he did get his share.

Some of the cookies we decorated.

Jonathan also decorated the ginger bread house for me. Had a little trouble with the frosting to start with, but finally got it right. It turned out very cute.

Finished house

We also had a little celebration for Keiven's twelfth birthday. Where has the time went, it seems like it was just yesterday we were looking forward to our first grandson. They have both been such a blessing to our family.

We ended the weekend by attending our Sunday school program at church last night. They did a very good job telling the Christmas story and making the plan of salvation clear. The entire evening was a blessing.

Christmas Thoughts

I have been reading the passages from the Gospels of the accounts of the birth of Jesus. I wonder what it must have been like for Mary to have an angel give her the news that she had been chosen to be the mother of Jesus. For Joseph to hear the news, the things that must of went through their minds, the questions.

What a wonderful gift mankind was offered over 2000 years ago, a Child was born to be the sacrifice for our sins. As we think about what God did for us when he sent his son, what will we do with the gift that was given?

For God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world
to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might be saved.
John 3:16,17

Freezing Drizzle & Snow

Getting some freezing rain and snow right now. It closed schools in our area, perfect day for baking again!

It was a fun weekend, on Saturday went to the cookie exchange at my cousins, we had a lot of fun and was good to get together with cousins and my aunt. Always good to see family and spend time with them, I feel very blessed to be included with them as it is sisters, daughter and mom. Makes my mom seem close at Christmas to be with my aunt. Thanks Linda for the great meal and all of the work you put into it! Got lots of goodies, helps with the baking.

On Sunday we went to our grandson's church, they had a small program showing what they do on Wednesday nights, verses, a couple of songs, and the group recited the books of the Bible. It was good to see them growing in the Lord.

Today I am baking peanut butter cookies with Reese's Pieces cut up in them and Anisee Biscotti

Aniseed Biscotti
1 c. butter softened
1c. sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3-1/2 c. flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 to 3 tablespoons aniseed
1 c. chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening

1. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in aniseed. Combine flour and baking powder: add to the creamed mixture. Divide dough into thirds, shape into three
10 inch x 3 inch rectangles on a greased cookie sheet.
2. Bake at 325 for 25-30 m. or until golden brown. Carefully remove to wire racks, cool completely.
3. Transfer to a cutting board, cut diagonally with a serrated knife into 3/4 in slices. Place slices cut side down on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 for 12-16minutes or until firm and golden brown, turning once. Remove to wire racks and cool.
4. Melt chocolate chips and shortening, stir until smooth. Drizzle over Biscotti. Cool until chocolate is set. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container with waxed paper between layers.

Back to the baking :o)

Snow!

Yesterday we had snow, wind, and cold a perfect day for baking! Turned on the Christmas music and started making Christmas goodies!

Mocha nut fudge

Sandies

Peppermint Biscotti

Chocolate Coconut Neapolitans

Vanilla Cherry Cookies

The fudge and neapolitans recipes came from a Taste of Home Holiday magazine that I subscribed to this fall. The rest of them are ones that I have been making for a while. Still have some recipes that I plan on making next week from the Taste of Home magazine, also need to make my cut outs yet. Each Christmas a big ginger bread man is made for the grandsons which they enjoy frosting and decorating. You would be surprised how many sprinkles can be put on one cookie!

The Vanilla Cherry cookies were made for my cookie exchange on Saturday. Looking forward to getting together with my Aunt and cousins.

Stay warm, off to watch a Christmas special with my hubby.

We had fun this weekend with the grandsons, they came on Friday afternoon to spend the night with us. The first thing on the agenda was homemade pizza for supper. While the pizza was baking they each decorated some cupcakes for me. Always fun when you can put on all of the frosting and sprinkles you want! They each decorated one that was just for them. We watched Christmas movies and had Carmel corn until late (we did let mom know how late we ended staying up).

On Saturday they helped grandpa put the tree up and we decorated it after lunch. Youngest grandson kept putting grandpa's Packer ornaments very low and hidden on the tree (he's a Viking fan) oldest one and Grandpa moved them to the front!

After the tree they were able to go to the range with Grandpa and do some target shooting, they all enjoy that. Grandma has to check out the target when they get home to see how they did and they are getting really good.

Busy week ahead will be subbing three days at the school and have more baking to get done. Looking forward to the snow they say we are to get!!!! It should hit the day I am at home, so my plans are to turn on the Christmas music and bake!

Wrapping/Baking

I love this time of year, with all of the Christmas preparations. Have the house decorated all except the Christmas tree and started my baking yesterday. I have a cookie exchange next Saturday so my dh has volunteered to be my taste tester for a couple of different recipes that I want to try. :o)

Today I wrapped gifts, most of my shopping is done, just have a couple of things to get yet. Nice feeling to have this out of the way, usually I wait until just a few days before Christmas to wrap. I plan on addressing my Christmas cards tonight after supper. I actually got all of my cards made a couple of months ago, a first for me.

Even with all that is going on this time of year, I don't want to forget the true meaning of Christmas. It is only because God sent his son Jesus to us as a babe in a manger that we have a reason to celebrate. When we feel the stress of the season we need to stop and think about the real reason we celebrate Christmas.

Behold, a virgin shall be with child,
and shall bring forth a son,
and they shall call his name
Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is,
God with us.
Matthew 1:23