Vanity, Oh Vanity

Last night I wanted to make my husband something hearty and delicious using ground meat. Meatloaf, meatballs, hamburgers.... anything with a good brown gravy and mashed potatoes. He'd been pruning the orchard all day in the wintry cold, and I knew he'd enjoy a hot and hearty meal.

But there was a problem.

One of the teens in the youth group came over for breakfast and did my nails. It was the first time in my life I've ever had my nails painted and decal-ed... and I liked them (you can tell from how short my nails are that I use my hands a lot for practical stuff).

I spent much of the day looking at them.

I didn't want to chip the beauty get nail polish in the ground meat.

So I made dinner from a box.

Well... dinner was okay but afterwards I had to face reality. I washed the pots and pans.

And my nails are shot. Serves me right.

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Free Friday returns.

In the interest of New Years resolutions which might include organizing, get some free Post-It Durable Tab Samples.


Then there's one for free baby wipes... but it requires going to Sams and taking a picture. See this link for details.

Taco Gyro

1. Instead of just drooling over other bloggers' food successes, I actually made one I thought my husband would enjoy (see below).

2. After sleeping in to insane hours over Christmas break, I've actually stuck to waking up at 6:45 or 7 all week (though I reserve the right to nap on my day off).

3. Despite countless temptations, both my husband and I have resisted eating all desserts and sweets. We're saving them for Sundays so they'll actually be a treat and not a staple. (This has also been, no kidding, the longest week I've had in years.)

Check out others' small successes this week at Faith and Family Live!

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Grab the recipe for Chicken Gyros at Annie's Eats, but here is my own version (with homemade thick tortillas instead of homemade pitas... I've been calling it Taco Gyro).

We don't have a rolling pin, but this thing works fine.

I like making tortillas.

They're so much cheaper than the store version, and they're never gummy.

And they're really simple. (4 cups flour, 1/3 cup Crisco or lard, 1 1/4 cups warm water, dash of salt, 1 Tbsp. baking powder... mix 'em all. The dough should be soft, not sticky. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then break off a ping-pong sized ball, roll it out really thinly and cook in a dry non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat.)

But we're filling 'em with Gyro stuffing. Gotta have tzatziki sauce! (I added dill to mine)

This stuff on its own goes great on a Triscuit.

The chicken is so flavorful!! (I did add some Greek Seasoning in addition to Annie's recipe)

Red onion, tomatoes, black olive... it was pretty amazing.

I'd call this one a small success!

Snowy Day Activity

It's a cold one. Nothing like cold gray days to make someone want to do a tedious project!

Start out by tossing 2 lbs. of pecans in 4-8 Tbsp. of melted salted butter (depending on how serious you are about those New Years resolutions).

 

It's rather imperative that you use a double boiler. The first time I made these, I did 'em by microwaving the chocolate. But the chocolate kept hardening up and I'd have to re-microwave it and it was a mess. As you can see, I don't have a double boiler, nor do I have a nice big glass bowl. But a small saucepan inside a large saucepan worked quite nicely.

In a double boiler, melt 1 cup of dark (or semi-sweet) chocolate chips, and 1 cup of white chocolate chips.

Throw in a large handful of roasted pecans. Using a large fork, fish 'em out of the ooey gooey chocolate.

Or take a whole bunch out at a time.

Tamp several times on the side of the pan to get rid of as much excess chocolate as possible.

One by one, slide them off of the fork onto wax paper. (Sure, you can pour all of them on and separate them after they dry, but they're much prettier this way... and I told you this was a snowy day activity -- where are you in such a big rush to go?).

It was a really snowy day... I made a lot of 'em.

Take pictures of the snow while you wait for them to dry.

I love snowy school days.

You'll have extra chocolate. Add 4 cups of milk (or so) and make hot chocolate!

It's a really cold day.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

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Aunt Debbie's Chocolate Covered Roasted Pecans

2 lbs. pecans
1/2 - 1 stick salted butter
1 cup white chocolate chips (or Almond Bark)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 275. Melt butter. Toss pecans in butter and put in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes.

In a double boiler, melt chocolate. Dip pecans a large handful at a time into the chocolate. Using a fork, remove pecans and tamp to shake off excess chocolate. Put dipped pecans individually onto wax paper and wait for them to dry before you devour them like a chocolate fiend.

They'll store well in a tin for up to 2 weeks, but there's no way on earth they're gonna last that long!

Lazy Dishwasher

When you're around someone long enough, you start to pick up their traits... both good and bad.

The dishwasher has been around me too long.

It does the plates beautifully but leaves the pots and pans.

Happily Stranded

The roads are covered in ice and snow. We're at my sister-in-law's house right now (near one of our hay farms) and can't make it home tonight.

But this is the first internet access I've had all week, so I'm not complaining.

Plus, their house is heated (with a wood stove). My breath won't freeze in my nostrils tonight.

Happy New Year! Happy Solemnity of the Mother of God!