If The Creek Don't Rise: January 2015

Friday, January 23, 2015

What?! A Huge Box of Produce Delivered to my Door?!

I love getting packages in the mail ...

AND surprise packages are absolutely the best!!

When I pulled in the drive yesterday & saw this big box sitting on my front porch, I was curious.

I wasn't expecting a delivery.

And a box labeled PERISHABLE?

What could it be, I wondered?

It was quite heavy, but I hoisted it up & carried it into the house to excitedly tear into it.

Much to my surprise, I found a large cooler filled to the brim with fresh produce!

Remember the blog I wrote earlier in the week about making my own bagged salad?

Well, I got an email from Ashley at Tanimura & Antle.

She had seen my blog, loved it, & asked if she could share it on the company website

AND she asked if she could send me some products to try.

I thought it was pretty neat that she had somehow seen my blog.

I had no idea, however, that the free products Tanimura & Antle would send would be all this!!

I thought maybe they'd send a coupon for a free item or two, not a cooler full of fresh vegetables!

How incredibly nice was this?

I cannot wait to make a delicious salad, roast the cauliflower & broccoli,

& slice up one of the sweet Italian onions for a juicy cheeseburger.

This is a company that I will continue to purchase from

& I encourage all of you in blogland to do the same.

Thank you, again, Tanimura & Antle.

Who doesn't love a good party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday         C.R.A.F.T Amaze Me Monday The Dedicated House
   I Should Be Mopping the Floor The Hankful House The Modest Mom
Tuesday    A Delightsome Life A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday    A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday Raising Homemakers       Savvy Southern Style Adorned From Above
                    The Thrifty Home   A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday Between Naps on the Porch   Serving Joyfully   Lamberts Lately
Friday    Rooted in Thyme The Thrifty Groove   Farm Blog Hop Best of the Nest
   French Country Cottage The Girl Creative
Sunday Nifty Thrifty Things Sew Many Ways

Monday, January 19, 2015

Making My Own Bagged Salad

Some convenience products are fantastic and I take take full advantage of many of them.

I usually buy cheese already shredded verses shredding it myself.
I like cheese best when I shred it myself, but I just don't take time to do it very often.

Another favorite: break 'n bake cookies.
I have to say, those handy dandy Nestle cookies can be 'breaked & baked' in no time flat ;)

However, there are many things that although they are convenient, they don't taste that great.
No matter how quick & easy they are, I pass them up for a better taste, value, or health benefit.

Today, I'm going to show you my favorite greens for a salad.
And it doesn't take that much time or effort to have them washed, chopped, & on a plate.
See there?!

This is the box of lettuce that I like to buy.
It's called Artisan Lettuce & it's usually $1.99 {at Aldi}.

Artisan lettuce is four fully mature, baby heads of specialty red and green lettuce.
There are two red and two green lettuce heads chosen from the best varieties available
in the field at the time.
There will be a combo of red or green baby Gem, Oak leaf, or Frillice {Tango} lettuce.

Gem lettuce is crunchy, dense & compact, & has a sweet mild flavor.
The Oak leaf lettuce has a ruffly leaf with a soft, full flavor.
This reminds me of a butter lettuce & is my very favorite.
Lastly, Tango is a curly leaf lettuce with a sharp, intense flavor, similar to endive or arugula.
Put these all together, you have a mix that makes a delicious salad.

credit

Now, opening a bag of spring mix or salad greens is definitely the quickest way to get salad on the table.
There's no question there.
My biggest aversion to bagged lettuce, however, is the smell & taste.
I'm not sure if it's the air in the packaging to keep it from getting smashed & bruised during shipping ...
OR if it's the chemicals & preservatives used to keep it fresh.
I just can't put my finger on it, but it's a chemical taste & smell that gets me every time.
It also seems to go bad so quickly.
If there's just a piece or two that's gone bad, the whole bag seems to take on that smell/taste.
I can eat it, I just don't prefer to buy it myself.
Funny thing, I buy bagged baby spinach, mustard greens, & kale.
I don't notice the smell & taste with any of these like I do with the lettuce.
Who knows.
It's a mystery.

Here's how I use the box of Artisan lettuce to make my own 'bagged lettuce.'
This method works perfectly.

After opening the box, I wash each head of baby lettuce, gently pulling apart the leaves a bit
to insure the water gets down inside.
I then turn the head upside down on a kitchen towel to drip dry.

I'm totally in love with chopped salads lately, so next, I chop each head of lettuce,
stopping about an inch from the core.
If there any dirt, that's where it settles.
Truthfully though, I rarely see any dirt on this lettuce.

If the lettuce seems a bit wet still, I use a paper towel to pat it dry as it's laying on the cutting board.

As each lettuce is chopped, I add it to a gallon size zipper bag.

With each addition of a different lettuce, I toss it around to mix it together.

And really, in just a few minutes, I have a full bag of fresh lettuce.
It's ready for a salad or to be added to a sandwich or a burger.
This keeps for about a week in the fridge.
{It'll keep a little longer if you tear the leaves instead of chopping them.}

I also like to use romaine lettuce & will often wash, chop, & store it in a bag just like this.
Another thing I often do is add a handful or two of baby spinach to whatever lettuce I am bagging up.
That way, I don't have to get into the bag of spinach each time I want to add to my salad.

For this particular salad, I used my chopped lettuce as a base, added heirloom baby tomatoes,
mini salad cucumbers, celery, cracked black pepper & feta cheese.
It was so vibrant & fresh ... it almost felt like summertime!

For the finale, I drizzled on California French with bacon dressing & I called it lunch!

Now, if bagged lettuce works well for your family, by all means, stick with it!
If you are looking to mix things up a bit, however, this is one to try.
And sometimes salad gets boring, but it doesn't have to with so many varieties of lettuces,
fresh veggies, dressings, & toppings.
Here's to keeping it fresh & healthy this year!

Thursday, January 8, 2015

More Than Just a Cup of Tea

I have the best of family & friends.
I mean, I really do.
Some of the sweetest things I own are not things I've bought for myself.
No, they are treasures that have been given to me from people that I love & hold dear.
And each & every time I see them or use them, my heart is full, all over again.

I was warmed from head ~~to toe~~ to heart tonight by a delicious cup of hot tea.
I could hardly wait to use this gorgeous tea pot.
Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea = amazing!
Especially after sweetening it with Winter White honey, straight from The Savannah Tea Company.
And how about the Charlie Brown cup?
On the back, it talks about being a friend.

Thank you, Stacy, for the tea pot, tea, & all the other goodies in the basket.
And to Jenny, our mutual love for Peanuts are the ties that bind ;)
Thank you much.
And lastly to Garrett & Winnie ...
they brought us back the honey when they honeymooned there in October.

All of these things came together tonight just like they were meant to be together from the start.

And that's how I think of us as family & friends ... we were just meant to be.

If I had a quarter for every time you've enriched my life, I'd indeed be wealthy.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Mongolian Beef

I just love it when I find a recipe that is spot on!
This one is so delicious.
And pretty too ... just look how pretty.

I wanted to do something with 3 small roasts that I had thawed out,
something other than a traditional roast, potatoes, & carrots
OR the Mississippi Pot Roast that I shared here before.
Just in the mood for something different.
My mind went to one of our favorite Chinese take-out entrees: Mongolian Beef.
After perusing Pinterest & looking at many recipes,
I found a couple that sounded close & decided to go for it.
I am SO glad I did -- we totally enjoyed this & I'll definitely make it again.

Crock Pot Mongolian Beef

1 1/2 pounds beef flank steak, cut into stir-fry size strips
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:
Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.
After placing cornstarch in a bowl, coat each piece of steak & place in crock pot.
Discard any remaining cornstarch.
Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over beef in crock pot.
Slightly stir to distribute liquid throughout the meat.
Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.
Serve over rice.

My additional recipe notes:
I doubled this recipe.
Instead of flank steak, I used 3 small cross rib roasts that I cut into strips, but any cut of beef will work.
That's what great about beef in crock pot recipes.
Any cut will tenderize & come out perfectly.
One recipe called for adding 1/2 cup shredded carrots in the crock pot with all the other ingredients
& sprinkling chopped green onions over the top just before serving.
I, however, didn't have these 2 ingredients on hand, so I made it without either.

I stir-fried some broccoli & onions -- and baked egg rolls to go along with the beef & rice.

So, if you get a hankering for some yummy 'Chinese-style' cuisine, this is the recipe try.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Pineapple Snowballs

Old man winter has arrived, I suppose.
From the time we left for church yesterday {8a} to the time we arrived back home {5p},
the temperatures had dipped considerably & the wind felt like it was cutting through me like a knife.
I wish I had worn a warmer jacket.
And gloves.
And a scarf.
And from the sounds of the evening forecast, we are due to get 4-6 inches of snow ...
& it's already started.

Come tomorrow, I'm sure all the kiddos {& the kiddos at heart} will be sledding,
making snowmen, & even throwing a snowball or two.
As for me though, I think I'll stick to telling you about a whole different kind of snowball!
How about a sweet pineapple snowball, shall we?
Sweets for the sweet ;)

I jotted this recipe down from a cookbook belonging to my mother-in-law several years ago
& made them for Christmas that same year.
Seems I had forgotten about these sweet treats until I was going through my recipes
to decide what I was making for the holidays in December.
Remembering how much my mom loved this, I added these to the list.

Pineapple Snowballs
8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz crushed pineapple, well drained
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 cups flaked coconut

Beat cream cheese, pineapple, & powdered sugar.
Cover & refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Form into 1 inch balls & roll in coconut.
I use a cookie scoop to get uniform size.
Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.

These also freeze very well.
Remove from freezer 15-20 minutes prior to serving.