Potato Bacon Soup

This Christmas was a year of new traditions.  One of them was a cream potato bacon soup on Christmas Eve. This was thick and creamy, a nice, tasty, yet nutritious filling recipe that broke up all of the snacks and sweets!

Dark Chocolate & Fig Bites (No Bake)

I was chatting with Real Food Freaks about what to do with some dried figs I'd acquired - 3 lbs to be exact.  And though, the holidays are not an ideal time to experiment with new recipes, I thought there had to be a way to make these into a treat.  They suggested something similar to a recipe they were working on: Chocolate Covered Candied Orange (with date variation).

So, of course, I went blindly into a brand new recipe with very little input.  I was actually pleasantly surprised and it did end up turning out to be one of those recipes that gives a person "taste bud confusion" especially if you're not into dried figs or raisins.  You think you're not going to like this recipe, but it ends up being something I keep going back to "just to make sure."

In the future, I will definitely soak the figs longer and add lots of nuts to this recipe.  But, here was my kitchen science experiment for this holiday season. Trust me, one is enough!

Easy Double Chocolate Chip Brownies

This would not be considered a Real Food recipe, but rather a tweaked version with higher quality ingredients for holiday treats!

Can We Stop the Insanity?

As any parent would, I think about my kids and their future a lot. I've thought about how to approach the topic of relationships with my kids. From my own experience, my parents, my family, my friends and life, in general.

Of course, I don't know anything.   I'm far, far from an expert.

10 Staples in my Home that Make Great Gifts!

1.) Mr. Coffee Grinder – it makes any coffee taste more delicious, just by the fact you freshly grind beans daily!  It’s the first thing I fire up after making sure the kids are up & dressed each morning.



2.) Eight O’Clock Coffee – I’ve been a diehard Starbucks fan since before I drank coffee.  My parents shipped it in from Seattle when I was a kid after having tasted it while on a trip.  Now that I use a coffee grinder, it’s totally unnecessary to spend twice the amount.  Definitely a good buy for a the coffee lover on your list.



3.) Pandamania CD – the best $7 I ever spent.  To be fair, I purchased this as it was their VBS theme last year, but they want to listen to it daily!  Dad even burned a copy to keep at his place they request it so often!



4.) Purex Crystals – I’ve been obsessed with finding the perfect fabric softener for almost 15 years. (Yes, I know, I have issues.)  I finally found it this year.  It rocks and I could quit purchasing dryer sheets, which, annoyingly, always came out the legs of my pants, or a sleeve, in public.



5.) Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil – I use this oil daily: in my coffee, in recipes and to fry in.   The only other oils I purchase are olive oil (which I USED to use for everything) and tea oil.  I also use it for body & hair care.  It’s the perfect thing to add to the bath for dry, itchy skin, especially kids with eczema.  It’s also wonderful to use in homemade body scrubs.  Coconut Oil is the Windex to my Big Fat Greek Wedding, except I’m German and I’m not married. A little goes a long way, a jar will last a long time!

32-oz. - Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil - 1 quart











6.) Tropical Traditions Organic Moisturizing Cream – I love the Baby Silk & Unscented.  They are all great.  In my previous life, I only used a light moisturizer, because heavy creams weighed down my skin causing it to break out.  Their creams are made without parabens and alcohol.  They soak right into your skin, leaving it soft & moisturized, not with a coating. Great for hands, body & face – head to toe on the kids!

4-oz - Moisturizing Cream - Baby Silk





7.) Tropical Traditions Organic Shredded Coconut – I grew up HATING coconut, I’m still a little leery of it.  But, natural, dried coconut is not the same product as what is in mounds bars or the bags at the stores.  These have so many additives, you should question whether or not you’re actually buying coconut. I will still tell you I am not a huge fan of it, but it’s usually the “fake” flavoring that I am not fond of.  This product is awesome.  I use it for breading fish & chicken after dipping in egg and frying in oil or baking. 
1-Gallon Pail - Shredded Coconut







8.) Tropical Traditions Organic Lip Moisturizers – I could, and often do, use straight coconut oil on my lips.  But, the addition of Virgin Palm Oil and organic beeswax to the very simple ingredient list of these moisturizers made it worth the purchase.  I have one on me at all times, plus at my desk where I spend most of my waking hours and in my car!  Buy them – they are also on a Buy 1 Get 1 Sale until 12/18!! 

2 Lip Moisturizers - Unscented - Buy 1 Get 1 FREE!







9.) Simply Organic Spices – these are literally the best spices I have ever used.  I love them and they are reasonable.  I can add them to foods knowing they are Non-GMO and free of chemicals or pesticides.
Organic Spice: Garlic Salt - 4.7 oz.







10.) Crunchy Chipotle Chile Peanut Butter – I have never been a huge PB fan.  Mostly because, we grew up on plain label PB and only good “good pb” when there was a great sale or coupon.  That’s the way it is in a house full of kids and modest budget.  So, I was really surprised when I fell in love with this.  It’s awesome for sauces over noodles, on crackers or dipping vegetables.  I have to warn you, it has a little zing!  This stuff rocks.

Organic Crunchy Chipotle Chile Peanut Butter - 12 oz










Note:  I don’t blog about Tropical Traditions’ products enough.  But, if I did that, you’d never take my promotion of their products seriously since I work with TT for a living.  People often say they don’t want their recipes to “taste like coconut.”  My response is this, If you have only had coconut from a commercial grocery store in the states, then you don’t know what coconut should taste like.  I don’t find using the oil adds a strong flavor to foods, rather, it enhances the flavor much like spices or other ingredients.  Plus, no gut-aches because it’s traditionally made!

If you do happen to purchase any of the products above from TT, as a first-time customer, you'll automatically receive a FREE book that includes over 85 recipes automatically added to your order!

I hope you enjoy these unique ideas for your holiday shopping lists!

What do you do in Nebraska for fun?

I actually kind of hate that question to be quite honest.  

After all, we do have running water, indoor plumbing and our attire consists of more than overalls.  Really, this is all true.  I mean, what does anyone do in any state for fun?  But, because as a state, we do a poor job of branding the real Nebraska image, people really don’t know that we have urban centers, culture and things to do in general.  

I decided to capture a little bit from a fun trip I took last night to Omaha for our annual holiday lights viewing.  It’s about a 150 miles round trip and yes, we have holiday lights in our town.  But, that’s not how my crew rolls.

So, of course, we charter a bus with 27 of our closest friends.

But, not just any old bus.  

This WAS a Minneapolis city bus that has been transformed into an addition to the fleet of a local company who provides transportation for private events. What a great idea! A small town doesn't often have amenities like this.

This bug is fully equipped with a PA and rocking stereo system with iPod hookups, a bar, a restroom and built-in coolers under a few of the seats.

The inside of this bus is nicer than most of the dives I hung out in during college!  

The past two years, I have been our “navigator” since I lived in Omaha for over a decade.  We lucked out and happened upon a lake community that had this house that is completely decked out.  Last year when we arrived, they even had people in costume as Santa and a snowman.  Their lights are synced up with a radio station and so as you pull in, there is a sign asking you to tune to it.  It’s completely awesome and quite a site.  No Santa this year, but just as amazing of a display.

This is just one part of it, it’s a custom home on a large lakeside lot and the display goes across their lot plus the neighboring empty lot.  

We drove through another well-known neighborhood with our huge bus, through the snow packed streets and then decided against going into any more neighborhoods.  It’s a girls night out, after all, so we made a couple stops for cocktails, jazz and dancing.

This, of course, is where the pictures end. 

A fun holiday tradition two years running! 

Mid-Week Temperature Check

I can’t do Wordless Wednesday.  I always write too much.  So, instead, I’m writing a Mid-Week Temperature Check.

I’ve got some things on my mind that I’ve vaguely blogged about like Schadenfreude, Am I Tough Enough? and last, but certainly not least, 5 Tension Breakers for Hectic Lives.  

And also, the Holiday Season is upon us and I have been trained to dread it over the years. But, I have to admit, my children simply won’t let me.  Their spirit is infectious and if I just follow their lead, I can’t help but remember that excitement over a magical time of year.  I have been able to slow down and notice it, when otherwise, I might have been too busy to. I am grateful for that.  

Last Saturday, we were Making Holiday Memories driving around during a snow storm in our quaint, rural Nebraska downtown.  It’s fun to point out the things I remember being so cool from when I was still a kid.  And it’s also fun wishing new traditions existed when I was a kid, too.

I need a new Christmas Tree, but I am too stingy to buy a new one until after Christmas this year, so I gave in to my 7 year old son’s requests (for the past 2 years) for a white fiber-optic tree.  If you hear my comments about our “radioactive tree,” it’s because every picture we take by it looks like it to me.  But, this one is not too bad, granted, I ran it through some Instagram filters!

Officially: It’s 32 degrees F and sunny.

Holiday Memories in the Making

 

So, here we were on Saturday morning.  The humongous snowflakes had been falling on our town about 45 minutes or so.  The forecast was predicting over 4” depending on who you listen to, Omaha or Sioux City.  The kids & I decided we’d roll on downtown to see how cool it looked with the annual 3-4 story tall Christmas tree in the middle of main street and everything ready for the holidays. 

As we rounded the corner, we saw the community theater all decorated up.  This 100 year old building is currently being restored to its hey-day and is a beauty with it’s new roof, freshly painted tower, tuck pointing and brick work repair done and the beautiful large wreath above the front door.

4-1/2 year old Olive said to her brother, “Oh, Noah, when you look up at the sky and see the snow falling on us, it’s so cool!”

I put their windows down as we crawled on the slick old brick main street past the theater so they could better watch the snow from their seats.  Noah, 7-1/2, heard something and said, “What’s that?!” in surprise.

I had forgotten about the Christmas music that is piped in each year over the speaker system.  It was ringing out a nice mellow, contemporary tune.  For about a block no one spoke, just enjoying our own favorite parts of these moments.  We drove under the large Christmas tree we had come to see. The huge, puffy snowflakes fell on our faces from the windows and the music lulled us.  We all said we loved each other.

It was almost a magical moment.

At least I’m going to pretend that’s what my boy meant when he said it all seemed, “Weird.”  Magical and surreal. No one around, snow falling quietly and music ringing out in the town almost like a movie set.

“A Winter Wonderland,” he said later.  I agreed and said I knew it was silly to get so much enjoyment out of those moments, but it’s the simple things.  I recognize it now a few hours later that this moment will be a memory.

5 Tension Breakers for Hectic Lives

 

1. Giggle.

Find a funny YouTube video

A cat riding an invisible bike

Whatever trips your trigger

^{Google+ “Psych, Facebook!”}

We all just need to take a break and laugh.

2.  Get some goodness for your soul. Engage in conversation.  Check out Soul Pancake, a place for you to chew on life’s big questions.

3.  Yoga.  A great way to clear your thoughts, and strengthen your mind & body.  Find a studio in your area, a book that shows you how to begin or visit The Yoga Diet, a great blog on the yoga lifestyle run by South Method Yoga in Omaha.

4.  Take a Zumba class.  If you take life too seriously sometimes, (like me) this is a great way to work up a sweat and have fun.

5.  Get out into nature.  The Great Plains, specifically, Nebraska, is a wonderful place to start.  You can place yourself into some great wide-open spaces by viewing beautiful photos like these by Michael Forsberg, or better yet, take a road trip here to experience it in person.  There is also nothing like experiencing some awe to put things into perspective. 

Schadenfreude–What is that?!

 

Schadenfreude is a German word that describes a feeling of malicious enjoyment derived from observing someone else’s misfortune.  Literally translated, it means “shameful joy.” 

I think the best American example of that is the Simpsons kid, Nelson, who does just that every opportunity he gets.

I love that the Germans actually have a word for this.  One of those things that doesn’t easily translate into other languages.  More of a way to describe a dysfunctional feeling.  I take the literal translation to mean that people know they should be ashamed of themselves for being joyful over something horrible.

As feisty as I am, I am always taken aback when people can hurt me. 

This week I was the recipient of some “shameful joy” and I just couldn’t believe it was happening to me.  The person was smiling on the outside acting like the question they were asking me was totally legitimate, but in their eyes and what I could only imagine was going on in the inside, was the ugliest spiritual crisis.

I mean, really, how could anyone be so cold?

As cool and collected as I always hope that I seem, I was already on the verge of tears and, honestly, I’m not even sure I’d brushed my hair that day.  To me, the answer to their question was evident.

It really made me sad, because it was a person I’d known since I was 5 years old and I’ve actually defended their rude actions in the past.  Thinking about it, I would never outwardly do that to someone, even my worst enemy (if I had one).  And I’ve felt horrible when even the thought that someone I didn’t personally care for all that much meets hardships.

I try to put myself in other people’s shoes.  Maybe to a flaw.  But, that’s just how I am.  I don’t think I’m going to change that about myself, I think it’s a strength to be able to see things from other perspectives.

The lesson here, maybe, is that other people don’t always do that. They are too scorned and damaged by life to not take joy in others’ misery, because they themselves are just that. Miserable.

Maybe I’ll send them a fruitcake this holiday season instead.