A DIY Project Gone Wrong

Guess what?! The Hungarians (aka my mom's family) are in town!

And someone has discovered a love of my dSLR ... :)

But let's back up, shall we?  I've had quite a day.

Lunch was a big delicious veggie rice bowl.  Have you guys ever tried something like this?  Simple, quick and delicious.

With lots of leftovers - my favorite.

After lunch, we went up to my parents so Bruce could help my dad retrieve this -

Apparently their swing (their really heavy and bulky swing) went flying during the last storm.  I'm still trying to figure out how that happened.

The poor pool has seen warmer days.

Doesn't their house look so cute in the snow?

After that, things got a little ... dark.  Literally.

This sums it up:

What started off as an innocent attempt to DIY dye an IKEA chair cover that was stained turned into two hours of me scrubbing my deep, dark purplish-black hands with Bruce looking at me, repeatedly saying, "I'm so sorry."  It's a long story.  But I'm happy to report that my hands are ... well ... not AS purplish black as they were before.  I think it's a work in progress.

I'll spare you the photo.  It wasn't pretty.

We made our way back up to my parent's house for dinner to see my family!

I started with a glass of red wine because, let's face it, I died my hands black today.

My dad made a big batch of fried chicken and all sorts of delicious sides!

I am sooooo stuffed.


It has been such a wonderful night - full of food, family, football, stories, laughter, tears (and photobooth).  I couldn't ask for anything more.

Goodnight!

Countdown to 2011: Vegetarian Options

Good Morning!

Something has been tracking through our yard!  I thought deer, Bruce thinks it is several different animals, including deer, turkey, dog, cat and possibly mouse.  Thoughts?

Breakfast was a three-egg tomato and cheese omelet.  So delicious!  I've recently discovered that if you cook omelets on lower heat, they cook slower, but much more evenly and turn out looking nicer!

Are you enjoying the countdown to 2011, food blog style?  I'm loving it!  Today Finding Joy in My Kitchen is featuring some of their favorite meatless meals.  While I've been cooking without meat a lot lately, most of the recipes haven't ended up on the blog.  But here are some of my favorites!

Summertime Rice and Beans

This was one of those meals that cost $4 to make and fed me all week.  I was working in the hospital when I made it, so I separated everything into tupperware and brought it for lunch.  It was also fabulous with some melted cheese in a wrap as a vegetarian burrito.  Cilantro would be a delicious garnish.  So many options!

Creamy Cream of Mushroom and Veggies

This dish is actually more suitable for winter.  It's so hearty, yet so simple!

Simply Fancy Spaghetti

I am a sucker for a good Italian dish and this hit the spot!  Full of flavor and no meat.

I can't wait to see what everyone else comes us with.  I've found that cooking without meat can actually be much more inexpensive - and often faster - than cooking with meat.  Head over to this post to check out the other vegetarian options that people have linked up with.

My Other Countdown to 2011 Posts:
Breakfast
Soups and Stews

Christmas or Thanksgiving Day Leftovers Pie

Oh my goodness.

If you still have any leftovers from Christmas dinner - make this pie.  Please.  It's for your own good.

Christmas or Thanksgiving Day Leftovers Pie

My Mother-in-Law's Pie Crust Recipe

(This is the only part of the pie that actually requires effort - but trust me when I say that it is well worth it not to buy a pre-made crust for this pie)

Miscellaneous Christmas or Thanksgiving Day Leftovers

4 cups Gravy

Start by pre-making your pie crust so it has time to chill overnight.  I made mine on Sunday night with the intent of making the pie yesterday, but obviously that didn't happen. :)

Note:  This recipe makes TWO pies.  So you can either make two pies or cut the crust in half and freeze what you don't use.

 I chose to freeze the half I didn't use, but my mom and I are already thinking that we want to use it to make another pie!

Using a lot of flour, roll out the dough nice and evenly. 

Then very carefully roll the dough around your rolling pin - and then roll it back out onto your pie plate.

Make sure you leave enough to pinch the crusts!  But also make sure that you have enough extra for the top crust.

Now it's time to make your pie!  Start with the lighter foods on the bottom.  I layered the bottom with green beans, then added cubed turkey.

Then I threw on the rest of the stuffing, corn and mushrooms.

Meanwhile, heat the gravy on the stove so it is a thinner consistency when you pour it on the pie.

Then pour roughly three cups of the gravy onto the pie.

It is also helpful to heat up any potatoes you use in the pie so they are easier to spread.  I went with the mashed potatoes first ... 

... and then the yams.

Then roll out the extra crust ... 

... pinch the edges and cut four slits into the top (all the way through) for ventilation.

Bake at 375 for 40 minutes, or until the crust is a nice golden brown.

Like so!

Cut and enjoy.  Afterward we realized that we should have drizzled some of the leftover gravy on top of the slices after we served everyone - that would be an excellent addition!

With the exception of the fact that you have to make the crust ahead of time, this pie is so easy and quick!  I hope the fact that I uploaded 15 pictures doesn't deter you from trying it - I just like to be thorough.

I can't wait to hear what you all put in your leftover pies!