Monday, December 25, 2017

Merry Christmas!!



Merry Christmas!!! Happy Birthday, Jesus!!!


His,
Mrs. U

Monday, December 18, 2017

Homemade Ornaments- Simple Dried Oranges...


It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here!!!  How 'bout at your house????

We've got the decorations up, the tree was finally purchased (from Home Depot- nope, not a fancy tree farm), cookies are baking, sweet treats are being consumed, lots and lots of trips to stores are happening, and YES lots of orders from Amazon!!  I LOVE ordering from Amazon!!!  

Last year, the we strung garlands of popcorn and cranberries for the first time. I LOVE the way that looked- old fashioned and warm and friendly.  This year,  we decided to try our hand at making dried oranges.  Y'all, it was SO easy!!!  Here's what you'll need to do...


Simple Dried Oranges

- oranges (I used 4 and did not use the ends that were just rinds)
- baking sheets
- parchment paper or baking mat 
- twine or some kind of string.

Simply start by slicing the oranges about 1/4 of an inch thick.  Then lay them flat on a baking sheet that has been lined with either parchment paper or a baking mat.  The oranges will release some of their juice as they bake and the parchment paper or baking mat makes clean up easier and keeps the orange slices from sticking to the baking sheet.  

Place in a 200 degree oven and bake for 4 hours.  Yes it takes a while, BUT if you try to bake them at a higher temperature, you will burn them.  Remember, you are just drying them out so it's a slow process.  Turn each orange slice over every hour to make sure they dry out evenly.  

After the four hours, let them cool completely on the baking sheet 4 hours or overnight. This dries them out even more.  

Then, using the point of scissors, make a small slit in the dried orange and string with twine. Tie together and hang on your Christmas tree.  This would be super cute tied on top of a present along with fresh rosemary, too!!!


So that's it. Simple. Inexpensive.  Homey.  I'm all about making our house a home even at Christmas and this is just one way that you can do that, too.  

Merry Christmas!!



Monday, December 11, 2017

What's a Bagel Dog???



Some of y'all have got to be sitting there asking, "What in the WORLD is a Bagel Dog?"


It's a combination of a hot dog and all the super yummy flavors of an "everything" bagel.  So sooooo good!!!

This recipe actually came from a low carb website!! (I adjusted the recipe for my family and this recipe reflects my changes.)  If you've been reading here for any time, you may remember me saying that I have been trying (emphasis on trying!!!) to watch carbs. Kind of hard when I love to bake!!!!!  But my family doesn't really care to limit the dear carbs.  This recipe makes ALL of us happy!!!  My children love hot dogs and this dough wrapped around it is so very tasty (and Mr. U even likes it!!!!). And the "everything" bagel flavoring on top is AWESOME!!! 


Whether you are low carb or not, this recipe is definitely one worth trying out!!!  



"Everything" Bagel Dog


8 hot dogs
3 cups shredded mozzarella (use the stuff already shredded in the bag)
4 T cream cheese
1 1/2 cups almond flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
3 eggs


“Everything” Bagel Blend:
1 T sesame seeds
1 T poppy seeds
1/2 T dried minced onion
1 tsp dried minced garlic
½ tsp pretzel salt or other coarse salt


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place mozzarella & cream cheese in a medium sized microwaveable bowl and microwave for about 1 minute. Stir.  Then microwave another 30 seconds.  Stir.  If it needs another 30 seconds, do so. Stir to combine everything. Make sure all the cheese is melted and the two cheese are mixed together very well.

In a separate bowl, add almond flour, 2 eggs and xanthan gum. Mix until combined.  Add the melted cheese mixture to the almond mixture and work them into each other. Using a rubber spatula works well, or wet your hands and knead it in the bowl.  Mix until you it is all well combined and it all looks the same color.

Section dough into 8 balls and with wet or oiled hands, gently roll each one out about 10 inches long.  Wrap one piece of dough around each hot dog. (Clearly, looking at my photo, I am not concerned with perfectly wrapped hot dogs). Beat remaining 1 egg in a small bowl to make your egg wash and brush onto each dog.

Mix all of the “Everything” Bagel Blend into a bowl and sprinkle the mixture over each rolled up hot dog. Place on lined sheet pan and bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees, the dough should be lightly golden.


If you don't want to make the dough like this, feel free to use refrigerated biscuit dough!  Just roll the dough into ropes and wrap them around the hot dogs. Then brush with a beaten egg wash and sprinkle the "Everything" Bagel Blend right on top.  Still SUPER delicious!! 

This recipe is a nice change to regular hot dogs.  


Happy Homemaking!!!



Monday, December 04, 2017

Disappearing Chili...





Anyone else a huge fan of Flip or Flop Atlanta???  It's my FAVORITE HGTV show!!  My #2  favorite is HomeTown and my #3 is Fixer Upper.   


Flip or Flop Atlanta features the talented couple Ken and Anita Corsini and their company Red Barn Homes.  They just seem so nice and friendly (and they're in Atlanta, too, so SURELY we should all be friends!!!).  


So, of course, it's 2017 and YES I follow them on Instagram  
and a few weeks ago, Anita shared her recipe for Disappearing Chili.  It looked and sounded so delicious so I knew I'd have to make it!  We had it this week and it's a keeper, folks!!!  

Below is the way I made the chili, but this is the link to exactly how Anita makes it.  I just had to use what I had.  I'm not super close to Trader Joe's.


Disappearing Chili

1 lb ground beef
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 chopped onion
1 Ccn of baked beans undrained
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans of tomato sauce 
3 Tablespoons of chili powder
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of salt
1 Tablespoon of brown sugar
Pepper to taste
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
½ teaspoon of onion powder
½ teaspoon of cumin


Brown the ground beef, season with salt and pepper and drain off the fat. Add onion and garlic and sauté with the beef over medium heat until slightly soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan. After 20 minutes, spoon chili mixture into a prepared 9x13 pan.



Now to make this Disappearing Chili - you will need…

canned jumbo biscuits
1 (8oz) block of cheddar cheese, cut into 16 squares
melted butter
Fritos, crushed

Cut each biscuit in half. Flatten out each biscuit half and place a square of cheddar cheese in the middle of each one.  Carefully wrap and cover each square of cheese with biscuit dough. You will end up with 16 little balls.  Then roll each biscuit ball in the butter and then roll in the crushed up Fritos.  The butter helps the Fritos stick to the biscuit balls.  Then place them on top of your chili in the 9x13.   Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.



 Thank you, Anita, for sharing your yummy recipe!!!!



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