First Christmas Together

Christmas 2009 was our first Christmas together as a married couple.  It felt pretty special. :)  We don't do a whole lot of decorating, but we set up our cute little 3.5 foot tall artificial tree (we put it up on an end table so it wouldn't look so scrawny).

Thankfully there was only one incident of "redecorating" by the kitties this year (and really, how can you blame them?  Mike put some birds with real feathers within their reach!).  Although I was really concerned early on because I caught Mohawk watching us very intently as we set up the tree...

2009 also marks the first year I got my sh*t together enough to send out Christmas cards!  Go ME!
I love photo cards, and I thought that would be a great way to get some more use out of our lovely wedding pictures, but I was really surprised by the cost!  So we went back to good ol' vistaprint, and ordered some of their custom postcards (I discovered this wonderful website when I made our wedding Save the Dates).  I just waited for one of their frequent "100 free postcards" promotion, and just paid the shipping!  I even splurged and added 100 free holiday return address labels for a modest increase in shipping costs.  I sent the postcards in envelopes so that they would look more like real Christmas cards.  Here's what they looked like:

I'm really happy with how they turned out!  It feels like we're a real family now, sending out Christmas cards and everything. :)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

This soup was so simple, and really delicious!  By making it in the crock pot, you can just toss everything into the pot in the morning, and come home to dinner ready and waiting!  I feel like it's pretty healthy too, since you don't add any salt and it's low in fat.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb dried split peas
1.5 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups diced ham (if you're feeling lazy/in a hurry, they actually sell packages of diced ham - I'll confess, that's what I used!  But any kind of diced ham will work)
4 cups chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients in the crock pot.  Make sure there's enough liquid so that everything is submerged. Add some extra water if needed.

2. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

3. Just before serving, take a potato masher and crush some of the peas to give it a thicker consistency.

I would suggest seasoning it at the table, as desired.  I thought it tasted perfect as is!  My husband thought it needed a little pepper.

Sweet Potato Fries

I was a little skeptical about these, because I've never been a huge fan of sweet potatoes.  But I heard they were good, and good for you, so I decided to give them a try.  Since the first time I made them about a month ago, I've made them at least three times!  What can I say, they're delicious!!!  They make a great side dish to just about anything, but I especially love them with hamburgers.  And I don't have to feel as guilty about eating them because they're so healthy!  

INGREDIENTS:

5 sweet potatoes (try to find long skinny straight ones - it makes the slicing much easier!)

Olive oil

Lawry's seasoned salt (or desired seasonings)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Slice your sweet potatoes to desired thickness.  Thinner is better (they'll cook faster and turn crispier).  I cut most of mine into eighths, but it all depends on the size of your potato.  If it's too long, you might want to cut it in half first.  Also, a good sharp knife is really important, because they're not easy to cut! (hence why I suggested buying skinny potatoes)

3.  Coat your potato slices in olive oil.  I have a cool Misto oil sprayer that we received as a wedding present, so I used that.  I basically sprayed the pan, arranged the potato slices so they're all laying flat on the pan, then sprayed the other side of the slices.  You could also toss them in a bowl or a ziplock plastic bag.  But I think spraying worked the best.

4.  Arrange potato slices in a single layer flat on a couple of cookie sheets.  Sprinkle with your desired seasonings.  I used Lawry's seasoned salt, and I thought it was perfect!  But feel free to experiment with whatever you think would taste good.  I've heard of people using everything from just salt, salt and pepper, lemon pepper, garlic, paprika, Italian seasoning, and even brown sugar and cinnamon.  I don't think you can go wrong here!

5. Bake for 30-45 minutes.  Some recipes suggest turning them half way through.  If you're really picky about having them evenly browned, go ahead.  I'm kind of lazy and I thought it took way too much time to flip them, and wasn't really worth it.  Do keep an eye on them though.  Check them at 30 minutes, and about every 5 minutes after that.  They go from light brown to black pretty quickly near the end!  

My left over fries stored really nicely in sealed container in the fridge.  To reheat them, I popped them in the toaster oven for a minute or two, and they were just as good as the day I made them!  

My First Meat Loaf!

 

Ok, so I feel a little silly posting this recipe since I got it from the back of the McCormick's meat loaf seasoning packet.  But, it was really really yummy!  I've never been a big meat loaf fan, but I loved this recipe!  And the hubs couldn't quit eating it.  So I guess that's saying something!  Plus I'm proud that I finally made a meat loaf.  I feel all 50's housewife domestic now. :)

INGREDIENTS

1 packet of McCormick meat loaf seasoning

2 lbs. ground beef

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

2 slices of bread, torn into pieces

Ketchup (drizzled on top as desired)

DIRECTIONS

1) Preheat the oven to 375° F.

2)  Mix everything together in a bowl (except the ketchup) until well blended. 

3) Line a cookie sheet with foil, and shape the meat mixture into a loaf.  Drizzle ketchup on top if desired.

4) Cook for about 1 hour or until cooked through.