Wintertime Hot Cocoa Bar!

I had such a hard time putting away my Christmas decorations this year.

Much more so than usual.  I tend to be chomping at the bit by New Year's Eve and 

New Year's Day usually finds all the decor safely tucked away and a cleaning spree in process!

But, this year I just seemed a bit more reluctant to start putting things away

and would you believe January 3rd! was looming on the horizon by the time 

all things Christmasy had been stored away for another year. 

I had planned to keep my hot cocoa bar up through New Year's Day,

and then put it away,

but I thought, "why not leave it up all through the winter?"

So I did!

I removed all the red and green and just created a simple array of hot cocoa fixings 

to look nice with my "winter" china. 

"Winter is the time for comfort,

for good food and warmth,

for the touch of a friend's hand 

and a talk beside the fire;

it is the time for HOME."

~Edith Sitwell

And, then, on Sunday, after evening worship, a sweet lady from our congregation

gave our family a care package of marshmallows, hot cocoa packets, popcorn 

and these incredibly cute mugs!

It was like it was confirmation that I should keep my hot cocoa bar up just a little bit longer! ;-)

Oven Baked Beef Tacos

This recipe was a big hit tonight.

Very simple, but just different enough to make it a new spin on a taco dinner.

My daughter was going out to eat with friends tonight,

but as she passed by the dinner table on her way out the door she said,

"oh, I"ll be having those for leftovers for sure." :-)

Very tasty and well received at my house!

Chicken and Brocoli Stir Fry

Super quick, easy and tasty!

You'll need -

1/2 cup butter

1 lb fresh chicken tenders cut into chunks

several garlic cloves, minced

 several green onions, minced

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

6 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

4 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon ginger

2 tablespoons corn starch

head of broccoli, chopped

Melt butter in saucepan over medium high heat.

Brown chicken on both sides in butter.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Add garlic, onions, and sesame seeds to saucepan and sauté for several minutes.

Combine soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sesame oil, ginger, and cornstarch in a bowl.

Pour into saucepan and stir until thickened.

Add broccoli and cook for several minutes.

Add chicken back in and cook until done.

Serve over rice and enjoy!

Menu Plan

Menu planning!  One of the best ways to keep your home organized and runny smoothly.  Do you menu plan? During the school year, I plan menus on Friday evenings and grocery shop on Saturday mornings.  On my menu plan, tried and true meals are in bold which means it is linked to the recipe.  This year I thought I'd also type new recipes that I'm trying in italics meaning recipe to come!  Happy menu planning in 2015! :-) 

Supper Menus

January 3rd - 9th

Saturday

spicy romano chicken, olive garden salad, rosemary bread

Sunday

saucy chicken sandwiches, tomato soup 

Monday

chicken and brocoli stir fry, rice

Tuesday

oven baked beef tacos, spanish rice, guacamole and tortilla chips

Wednesday

smokey paprika chicken, rustic bread

Thursday 

farmhouse beef stew, big daddy biscuits

Friday

leftovers or out for supper

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from Heritage Schoolhouse!

We took it slow and easy today. 

 Last week we hosted a Christmas party for friends,

hosted Mr. H.'s family for Christmas day, 

and hosted my family the day after Christmas.

Then we went on a 4 day fast and furious ski trip to New Mexico.

I am so glad to be home with a few more lazy days of family time left.

I tried out my new electric skillet this morning.

My son got it for me for Christmas.

I cooked 17 slices of bacon at one time! :-)

I also made Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls.

I make them every year on New Year's Day.

How can a year not be good if it starts with cinnamon rolls? ;-)

I'll gift out four pans and keep two for us.

Hoppin John and cornbread for lunch of course.

And I made a big batch of Chex mix for the 

"fifteen hours of football"

Mr. H. plans to watch today. ;-)

Happy New Year from my family to yours!

Italian Anise Cookies

I tried these Italian anise cookies to go with the Italian food meal that I cooked when we hosted my side of the family the day after Christmas. 

Anise is sweet and very aromatic, distinguished by its characteristic licorice flavor.

And..."Anise" just happens to be my middle name! :-)

~homemade christmas~

Most of the gifts that I give at Christmas to friends and family are homemade from my kitchen.

"Consumable" gifts, as my dad calls them.  :-)

This year I tried out gingerbread granola.

I kept a jar for myself and I thought it was really yummy!

I had a unique request from my sister this year.

She asked for a bucket of my homemade laundry detergent.

So I bought her a bucket, made up a batch,

and also included the ingredients for her next batch 

if she decides to continue using it.

I love a homemade Christmas. :-)

~the sweet smell of christmas~

orange slices

cranberries

rosemary

and cinnamon

~the sweet smell of christmas~

~easy christmas decorating~

While I was decorating for Christmas this year, 

I printed out a few chalkboard signs and put them in frames that I had on hand.

So quick and easy!  I really enjoyed these.

Just google christmas chalkboard signs.

~hot cocoa bar~

I'm hosting events three of the next four days, 

so I thought a hot cocoa bar would be enjoyed by all my company.

I set out cups and spoons,

cocoa mix and add-ins.  

Guests can chose to make a cup of coffee, cider

or cocoa and then add anything they like to their cup!

I'll probably leave it up through New's Years just to enjoy myself. ;-)

~christmas baking~

christmas breakfast casserole

gingerbread scones

christmas scones

cranberry crumb muffins

cinnamon quick bread

italian biscotti