Sunday, January 27, 2013

Chicken Egg Rolls

Happy Weekend!! It's almost over, but luckily my mind got a little reprieve yesterday. I never expected that filing taxes for other people would be so stressful. Really. It makes me be all that more grateful for the cards that I've been dealt. But enough with this... Let's get to the good stuff!

Do you remember this post from emmons-blessings that I did the beginning of the year? I should have added "GRIND" to the vinyl lettering that I made to decorate the kitchenaid mixer, because we ground up chicken to make homemade EGGROLLS last night!!

Unfortunately I don't have a photo, but I do want to share the recipe.

CHICKEN EGG ROLLS

1 pkg of your choice of meat {we used chicken since we already had it on hand and we ground it.}
1 pkg of Premium Coleslaw mix. {comes with red and greed cabbage and carrots}
1 TBS of minced garlic {you can use 3 cloves of fresh, minced}
2 TBS of Coconut Oil {EVOO will work too, or whatever oil you have on hand}
1 1/2 TBS of Simply Asia Sweet Ginger Garlic seasoning. {found at BJs, but may be found at Sams' or Costco? I also found on Amazon, for those of you who internet shop.}
1/2 tsp of ground ginger. {you can use fresh, too.}
1/4 cup of Soy Sauce
2 TBS of brown sugar
2-3 inches of oil in a Wok or LARGE nonstick fry pan. {we used veggie, but you can use whatever kind you want. I didn't have peanut.}
1 pkg of Nasoya All Natural egg roll wraps {These babies are the BEST!}
1 beaten egg

Heat your coconut oil in a large fry pan. Throw in your garlic and saute it until you can smell the garlic aroma. Take the ground meat of your choice and it to the fry pan, mixing the garlic and the meat. Give it a couple turns in the pan and add the Soy Sauce and brown sugar. {I crumble the brown sugar over the meat.} Next add in the ginger and the Simply Asia seasoning to the meat and brown. {The chicken had some liquid in it, which was great when we added the coleslaw. If your meat does not, add 1/4 cup of water BEFORE you add the coleslaw.} Add the package of coleslaw and mix it thoroughly with the seasoned meat. {I stirred it until I could see the cabbage wasn't so crisp}Then put a lid on it to simmer for 5 minutes or so. Take the lid off and stir in the rice vinegar and resume simmering for 60 seconds. Remove from the heat and drain any remaining liquid that may be present. {I put it into a big metal mixing bowl and let the liquid drain down to bottom as the mixer was pressed to the side of the bowl.}

Open your egg roll wraps, taking a few out at a time. Using only 1 wrap at a time, face it towards you so it looks like a diamond. Add 1/4 cup of mix to the middle of the wrap.  Take the corner closest to you and fold over mixture, gently pulling back so the mixture is tight in the wrap. {Some may spill over, just use your fingers and tuck back inside.} Roll a half turn, then take the left corner and fold to the center. Do the same with the right corner. Brush beaten egg across the top {where the corners overlap} and roll until all the wrap is rolled up. Brush egg, again, across the top of the last corner. This seals the mixer in so it doesn't come apart when you fry them.

Turn on your Wok or fry pan. {Clean out your fry pan if you are using the same one. You don't want any residue from mixer lingering in with the oil that you will add.} Add your oil and heat. {I heat on medium high and we have a gas stove. I, also, use a water test, by taking my a drop of water on my finger and flicking it into the oil to see if it pops to see if it's hot enough. Probably not how you are supposed to see if the oil is ready, but I'm adventurous.} When the oil is hot, add 3-6 egg rolls, depending on the size of your pan. {When the wrappers are getting fried, they will turn a golden brown. if they are staying a bubbly white, your oil is not hot enough.} Using a pair of tongs, turn the eggrolls so they brown on each side. Remove and let drain on paper towels. Proceed making the rest of the eggrolls, repeating the filling process.

CAUTION!!! These babies are HOT even when they have been sitting for a few minutes, so proceed with caution when diving in to this deliciousness!

Do you use any sauce with your egg rolls? We used a jalapeno jelly that I bought last summer in Colorado. It was YUM! You can also make a hot mustard {you know the kind that burns your nose if you get too much of it} by taking ground mustard and adding a little water to it to make a paste. Add a dash of milk if it's too thick. 

If you try this recipe out, let me know how you like it.

We received about 3 inches of snow and a tad bit of rain making the roads snow packed and icy.  Work was called off on Saturday morning. I did take a few photos with my phone just to document that we did actually get some snow this winter.
 Do you see that we have some grass poking through the snow??!
On Thursday there was a trampoline that had blown into the brush across the street it was so windy.
 And the girls wanted to go outside and play in the snow. In and Out, just like little kids.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Much Love~
Miss T  




Sunday, January 20, 2013

Crop Dusting

And I'm not talking about when your son silently lets one off and runs out of the room, leaving you in the smog of awful stench.  Although that, too, is crop dusting.

Yesterday while we were hanging out waiting for friends to come over for the UFC fights that were free, we heard what sounded like a plane landing right on our house. And even though it didn't land, it was very, VERY close! He was coming straight through our back yard.


Do you see that?? It was INSANE, but totally cool, how close he came to our house.

BUT, ICK!! Look at the trail of pesticide he had left behind. There is a soybean crop field that is on the other side of the houses.


 This is right above our house.


He looped out around the neighborhood and I caught a picture of him and the moon. We thought he was done, so we went back inside. Only to hear him, once again, roaring over our neighborhood. I stepped out around the corner of the house and this is what I found.


No, he is NOT in the trees, but it kind of looks like it, though, right? He zoomed up and away, missing them by a hair. O loved it as the show went on for about 30 minutes with approximately 2 refills on the chemicals he was spraying. It was neat to watch because I've seen him around the area and have wanted to capture a few shots.

I'm going to leave you with this shake recipe that I found today, thumbing through some comments on a blog. Someone suggested to use sugarfree butterscotch pudding to thicken your shake in place of a banana. I thought, what a GREAT idea! James doubted, but later recanted his opinion.

Here it is:

Butterfinger Smoothie
2 handfuls of ice
1 tbs peanut butter
1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (I used EAS)
1 cup of milk ( your choice. I used 2%)
1 tbs sugar-free butterscotch pudding

Add in that order to your blender, ninja, magic bullet, or vitamix (whichever you may have). Blend and drink slowly. You don't want to get a brain freeze! You will NOT be disappointed if you like butterfingers.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know if you try it out!

Have a great week! It's bound to be a busy one for me!

Much Love,

Miss T





Thursday, January 17, 2013

Be The Good...

Over the weekend I had a conversation with my girl, Kelly. She shed some light on how I've been living just getting ready to move again. How true, I thought. Nothing went up on the walls in Maryland and Virginia. When I told her that I wasn't going to do anything to our new house because we were going to be moving to GERMANY next August, she gave me the face. You know the one.... the disappointed friend look; sad eyes and furrowed brow.

And before I fell asleep, I prayed for strength and wisdom. And you know what?? She was right! I have been living out of boxes with bare walls for the last four years. And you know what else? I hung something up. And it happens to be something that I made today... on my unexpected day off.


I have seen the pin on Pinterest over the last couple years, and have wanted to make it. I picked up some canvases over the weekend when I was with Kelly. I painted it the same satin Mystic from Valspar, that I used for this project a couple weeks ago. Next I used the Cricut to cut out the letters in the different fonts. Then I sprayed some adhesive on the back of the letters and stuck it to the wall using Command Velcro hanging strips. (Those are the coolest things ever!)

What do you think?

I will be working on my photo wall around the art piece as the months go on. I just wanted to show you that our house's walls are no longer bare.

Thanks, Kel, for giving me that push. I really needed it. Love ya!

We are supposed to get some snow here tonight. Pray for those drivers that never drive in it to have the wisdom to stay home.

Stay warm, and much love!

Miss T

PS~ Big Happy Birthday shout outs to my other friend Kellie~ YOU are the GOOD.  miss u


Saturday, January 12, 2013

SECRETS

Sometimes they are hard to keep.

Getting advice from
Everyone in your circle
Responding to questions that
Make those decisions you that have to make in a day's notice exceptionally tough,
Although they generate much excitement. 
Never minding the change that had already occured in the last four
Years. 

And because we all share the same platform of communication, share similiar friends and family members, and nearly everyone has been told.

We will be moving the FALL of 2014.

{and if you are really clever, you've already figured out to where it will be.}

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. And as more details become available, we will be sharing those with you, too. 

Much Love!

Miss T

Kiel, Germany


Friday, January 11, 2013

The Weekend Is Here!

Hello! Hello!

Glad to see that you made it through the week! I heard that it's supposed to be in the UPPER 70's here! I hate to keep saying that, but WOOHOO! All of you in the heartland of this country, stay safe and warm as your weather hits!

We are going to VA this weekend to see our friends who live on the water. There will be some crafting and I have a new recipe that I will share if it turns out. We are bound to have a fantastic time because we are also taking our Mexican Train Dominoes game. J's mom gave it to him many moons ago. Have you played this?

Cardinal Double 12 Color Dot Mexican Train Dominoes in Tin
You can pick it up from Amazon for about $15. It is a wonderful strategy game. Our family loves it and I hope yours does too! 

My Goodwill Hunting Chalkboard decided that it wasn't quite ready to display "Happy Happy Happy" a quote from Phil Robertson. J came home Wednesday and it had apparently fallen of the window ledge and broke. I will re-purpose the frame somehow.

I said on Facebook that I am busting at the seams with news. Sorry, you will have to have some patience on that one. I will let you know that it isn't BAD news.

Hope you're doing something fun this weekend whether it's shoveling snow, or basking in the sun. Whatever it is, make it count with who you're with.

Have a great one!

Miss T

Monday, January 7, 2013

Peanut Butter, Banana, & Nutella Smoothie

Hey there! I hope you had a great weekend! It seemed like it went by so fast. We de-decorated the office, taking down all the Christmas stuff. J made it known that the room now looks really boring. I would have to agree. With just the two desks, the large chalkboard, and a couple decorative suitcases it is BORING. Thankfully, I spent ALL that time on pinterest this weekend, cleaning out my like files, and found a tutorial on how to make subway art on my own. I'll mess around with that later this week. For now, I've got a scrumdiddlyumptious smoothie recipe for you.

Yesterday afternoon I was feeling a bit hungry. It wasn't because I was bored. (I was on pinterest, remember.)  And I'd already had a glass of water to see if that would satisfy this nagging feeling in my stomach. After rummaging through the cupboards to see if I could round anything up that was halfway healthy, I was reminded of my cousin, Kate, who told me about a smoothie she had.  If you can operate a blender, this one is for you!

Peanut Butter, Banana, & Nutella Smoothie

1 c of whichever Milk product you prefer. I used 2%, but would consider Silk Coconut
1 frozen banana
1.5 tbs of peanut butter - I used Skippy Natural
1.5 tbs of Nutella
1 handful of frozen grapes

I put the ingredients into the Vitamix in that exact order. (We have a Vitamix, but I have used a regular blender, Ninja, and Magic Bullet for most of the smoothies we have made.)




I started on 1 and slowly cranked it up to 10, blending for about 30 seconds. For those of you that have a vitamix, you won't want to go much longer than that.

When it starts to fold in on all sides, I usually let it go for about 4 seconds more and turn it back down to 1 and shut off the machine.
  YUM!! So rich and creamy!
Now, mind you... I said halfway healthy, not calorie free. It does have about 400 calories, but for a breakfast, lunch or dinner meal that isn't too bad. I had it again for breakfast this morning. If you try it out, let me know how you liked it. {And thanks, Kate, for the great idea!}

I'm outta here. Have a great week!

Miss T  



Friday, January 4, 2013

Goodwill Hunting (chalkboards)

It was a fantastic movie.

But that's really not what I am talking about here. I am talking about finds at your local Goodwill. Have you ever been to your local Goodwill? OR have you ever donated to one? I was first introduced when I lived in a small town in Nebraska while I was going to school. Then I moved away, and that was the end of that. I was reacquainted with Goodwill when I moved to Hawaii. There was one about a mile from our house. I found some pretty cool stuff there, including a pub-style table and a couple stools. SUPER CHEAP.

And so the love of Goodwill brings this post to you. If you happen to pop over to my other blog, you know that I have a love for chalkboards and chalkboard writings. I found a couple of old picture frames right away when we moved to North Carolina. They have been sitting in our dining room since about September.

Since deciding to keep up with the projects I already have going, I began the taking apart one of the pictures I had picked up. It had a photo that was printed in the 70's of a cross. Unfortunately, the backing on the picture was truly disgusting, so it was removed.

I lightly sanded the frame to give it some texture. Next, I put a coat of Valspar's Mystique on the frame with a sponge brush. It's a color sample I picked up at the big blue hardware store. I didn't paint it completely solid because I knew I was going to sand it again after it was dry. I took it outside and gave it light scuff here and there.

With the frame done, I cleaned the glass that was inside of it and painted it with Rust-Oleum chalkboard paint, rolling it on with a small roller. It took about 3 coats, and says you need to wait 3 days for it to cure. After the glass was all dry, I put it back together with the frame.  (The other chalkboard you see in the photo on the right is the back to another project I will post next week.)

{We received this pretty little container from J's auntie for Christmas. Isn't it awesome?!}

And there she is. Standing so tall and proud to be in our kitchen, for now. I am not quite sure where I will be putting her, but until she is completely cured, she will stay here.

If you are wondering about Chalkboard paint, it's really the simplest thing to use. I got mine at the five and dime store last spring. You can usually find coupons for 40%-50% on a single item at those kind of stores. With a good stir, and sponge brush you can be on your way in no time. If you do paint something, let me know, won't you?

So what do you think?

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Miss T

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta

Coming up with new ideas for dinner seems to be a challenge for me, especially when we are talking about dealing with weight management, or semi glutten free. I say that because you can get glutten free pasta nearly everywhere, and if you don't have access to it in your town, you can order from Amazon. Also, you can use any other nut flour, like almond, coconut, or flax seed.
 
This is a dish that was a huge hit last night with the boys guys. I found the link on Pinterest. You can find the recipe that we adapted from here. She got hers from BHG. Maybe you will add your own twist and hopefully let me know what you did so we can try it too.
 
 
Cheddar Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

1 pound short penne
 
1 tbs of EVOO
 
8 strips of bacon, diced
 
2 tablespoon butter
 
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces (I apparently MISSED this part, so do yourself a favor, and cut BEFORE cooking!)
 
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 packet ranch dressing mix

2 cups milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste
shredded parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions in boiling salted water; drain, return to pot. Toss with a bit of left over water or EVOO.

2. Meanwhile, cook bacon on a griddle over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Save 2 TBS and set aside. (We save the rest of the drippings and add them to the stock in the fridge.)

3. To a cast iron skillet, add the butter and bacon fat, and turn on med-hi. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet and give another pinch of salt and pepper on top for good measure. Cook until tender, no longer pink, and slightly browned.

4. Mix together the packet ranch mix and the flour in a measuring cup. Sprinkle the flour and ranch dressing mix over the chicken, coating evenly.

5. Stir in the milk, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in the cheddar cheese and half of the reserved bacon; cook and stir until the cheese is melted. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

6. Add the pasta to the chicken/cheese sauce and stir to combine. Then add remaining crumbled bacon to top of dish.
7. Serve with shredded parmesan cheese on top.
 
YUM!!
 
If you try it out, let me know how you like it! I've got to get back working on my project I started yesterday so I can post it later today.
 
Come back soon won't you?
 
Miss T
 

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Making Trash Pretty

Okay, at least the trash bin can be a pretty color.

As I stated yesterday, there are many projects that I would like to get done. Getting our home put together means completing projects I've started instead of having J think it's just crap stuff hanging out around the house. I have been pretty busy already. Let's take a look at the first thing that was on my plate today.

On New Years Day, we decided to finally stack the washer and dryer. When we were in the process of building the house, I had specifically requested that the laundry area be built to accommodate such an idea. Instead, this is what we were given.

Pretty unsightly, yes?

We will be putting cupboards up at some point, but for now, at least they are stacked and we have so much more room for crap bargains I find at Goodwill or online community sales. Joking, of course! I did have this nifty red garbage can that I picked up at the big dot super store awhile ago for only $2! We had been using it in the laundry room, but it's quite UGLY. Hot tamale red just isn't doing it for me.
I decided to spruce it up a bit with all the energy I seem to have today. Maybe I shouldn't have taken that Hydroxy-Cut MAX this morning.
I used some left over spray paint that I got at the big blue hardware store last fall. Looks pretty good, doesn't it?

I also added three felt sticky circles to the bottom so it would no longer scratch up the floor. I don't know if it was ACTUALLY scratching the floor, but every time I would hear someone move it, I cringed. It was like nails on a chalk board.

And that, my friends, is a hint to what my next project is that I will be working on. So come back tomorrow and see what I came up with!

Until then, thanks for stopping by!

Miss T
 

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Welcome 2013!

Welcome to Pigtails & Sassyfras!

It's a brand new year, and a fresh start in blogging. It's my intention to cover various things from DIY projects to personal growth with you all. I am a Pinterest fan, and just recently found Craftgawker. AH-MAY-ZING! Love all of the creativity!

I've blogged on another space, and you can check that out right here.

So first things first.... What do you think about my title?

The idea came from reminscing about my grandpa last night and the things he would say. Boy, do I miss him. He sure didn't put up with much sassyfras from us kids. Some stories will surely be told about that.

Here's what I've been working on lately. It's vinyl lettering cut out by my Cricut. Having the cricut makes me want to vinyl the whole house! (Don't worry, J... I won't. ) I originally posted this here. Of course, I got the idea from a pin from pinterest. I don't have a silhoute or whatever the other machine is that they were using, so it took me a bit to create the various fonts and size cutouts.

But there she is... waiting for the next go round. I gotta get crackin on my sister's now.

Thanks again for stopping by.

May your year be truly blessed!

Miss T