Around Our House at Christmas - More Than Decorations

I believe I may have more decorations for Christmas than the average household. Let's just take a little peek.

 I have a village with 91 house pieces, 2 bridges, an ice skating pond, and a plethora of people.

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I have a designer tree with 3 large Rubbermaid containers full of ornaments.

Keith has 35 different nativity sets.

This one was made this year by Katherine

We have our traditional tree.

This tree grew in size the moment we put it in our house!

We have a hall of snowflakes.

Then there are the little singing people on top of the TV cabinet, the snowmen in the hall, the nutcrackers on the stairs, and the poinsettias dotted around the living room.

So, you say? What if I told you that it was all in 2 rooms and a hallway? We are jam packed into our tiny living space! In order to make way for the traditional tree, I had to move my piano into the dining room....which has 2 six foot tables for the village plus the designer tree and a dining room table for 6! Then add 7 people into the mix and you have what I call a wonderful Christmas!

I love Christmas with all the traditions and trimmings. There is no better time of the year, as far as I'm concerned. We go to the Christmas parade, cut out snowflakes, put up decorations, make Christmas cards, go to the theatre, make cookies upon cookies upon cookes, go caroling, and so much more. And now, with Mandi in our midst, we've added a few more traditions, like watching It's a Wonderful Life, playing Take 2 (a very intense Scrabble type game), and Santa cookies.

But, I must say, my very favorite part of Christmas is giving. Giving presents, yes, but so much more. One of the many giving projects we did this year is for a sweet child named Evie. She is warm and funny and generous and....dying. She has end stage kidney failure and desperately needs a kidney. So, with Kimberly's encouragement, we decided to get Evie's Facebook page to 1000 likes by Christmas. Turns out that wasn't so hard. So we upped it to 1225 - you know 12/25 for Christmas. When we made that goal, we decided 2000 by Christmas, though Kimberly really wanted it to be 5000. We thought that was really unattainable. Then, when we stalled at about 1750, a mini miracle happened. Our big country music station picked up on the story and posted it as their facebook status. And guess what? We watched the numbers soar....2000, 2500, 3000, 3500, 4000, 4800 and then it stalled again. But we had caught the vision and just KNEW we could get it to 5000. It didn't happen in time for Christmas morning, but by late afternoon, Evie got her 5000 likes!

So, what did this accomplish? It made a little girl smile. (If you have facebook, go to her page and watch the video of her learning about the 5000 - plus, if you haven't already, like her page!! www.facebook.com/kidneyforevie ) That would be enough, but even more happened. Several people came forward as potential living donors and are beginning the paperwork to be tested. PLUS, Evie's contributions to COTA (Children's Organ Transplant Association) page more than doubled, giving them over 20% of their fundraising goal. (If you'd like to donate to Evie, do so here: http://www.cotaforeview.com). And finally, the joy was so great in helping Evie, that my entire family has joined Evie's volunteer team so we can feel the joy of Christmas throughout the year!

I have to admit that I love the glitter and lights and music of Christmas, but even more importantly, I love the giving. It is the same giving that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is known for. And I bear my testimony that giving as our Lord gives is the most wonderful feeling in the world!

Chicken Quinoa Stew by Hello Fresh

As I posted yesterday, our family tried a new food service called Hello Fresh (http://www.hellofresh.com/). When you go to the Hello Fresh website, you get to choose a box of food (Classic or Vegetarian) for either 2 or 4 people (Classic $69 for 2 and $129 for 4, Vegetarian $59 for 2, $109 for 4). When you receive the box through FedEx, you have everything you need for 3 full meals.

Today, I want to talk with you about the Chicken Quinoa Stew. It was divine. Our family had never tried quinoa before, so I was a bit concerned. However, when trying Hello Fresh, I decided to go for 2 meals that were unique to our table and one that was closer to what we would normally eat. I do regret that decision. I now wish I had tried 3 unique dishes because they were so delicious!

The stew took me 35 minutes to make, and despite being a box for 2, we had enough for 3 full bowls with quinoa, as well as a little more stew without the quinoa (which was gobbled up by my picky daughter for lunch the next day).

So, let's get down to the recipe. Here are the ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)
1 c quinoa (dry, not cooked)
1/2 oz fresh parsley
1 small onion
1 zucchini
1 tomato
1 lemon
2 chicken stock cubes
1 t chili flakes
2 T olive oil

Step One:

Put the stock cubes into a pot with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Dissolve the stock cubes and leave on lowest possible heat to keep warm.

Step Two:

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine strainer and put in a pot. Add 1 1/2 cups of stock and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil after covering with a lid. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside.

(I've learned that you can buy pre-rinsed quinoa. I would suggest that Hello Fresh try sending that in the box to make this meal even easier to cook.)

Step Three:

While the quinoa is cooking, dice the onion, chop the tomatoes, and cut the zucchini lengthwise in half, and then cut crosswise in half forming half rounds. Cut lemon into wedges and coarsely chop parsley.

Step Four:

Heat a pan on medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer the onions into the broth.

(Note: my family does not like the crunch of raw onions, so we cooked ours a big longer - until they were translucent)

Step Five:

Add zucchini to the pan along with the chili flakes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to broth.

Step Six:

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes, season with salt and pepper and add to the pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook for 5 minutes until cooked thoroughly through.

Step Seven:

Add the chicken to the broth along with the parsley. Simmer everything together for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Step Eight:

Split the quinoa into bowls, pour the stew into each bowl, and serve with lemon wedges

This photo courtesy of Hello Fresh. My camera malfunctioned!

 Hello Fresh is a great company. As I stated yesterday, I loved everything about the experience, but I feel the price is a bit high for my family's needs. However, the recipes were so good, nutritious, and simple, that I may try a box now and then as a treat for me and my family!


Would you like to try Hello Fresh? Use coupon code CPW9JW for $20 off your first order:

Want to hear what others are saying about Hello Fresh? Click here:  Mosaic Reviews.

DISCLAIMER: I was given a box of Hello Fresh to try with the requirement to write a review. My opinions are my own - I was not told what to write.

Hello Fresh is Hello Great!

I love to cook. I love to cook great meals from scratch. I love using ingredients that are fresh and wholesome. But sometimes, I have no idea what to cook, have little time to cook, or I don't have what I need in the house to cook. I have learned of a service that meets my loves and my "don't haves." This service is called Hello Fresh (http://www.hellofresh.com/)

I was invited to give Hello Fresh a try for free and, in return, I was to review the product. This is my disclaimer. I was not given anything specific that I had to say, and, you know me, I will not say anything about the company that I do not believe to be true. So, let's get on with it!

Hello Fresh is a company that sends you everything you need to make 3 complete meals for your family - all the ingredients, plus 3 recipes. Each recipe can be made in 40 minutes or less from start to finish. And, from my experience, these meals are delicious!

Here are 11 steps to take you through the Hello Fresh Experience.

Step 1. Go to http://www.hellofresh.com/. Sign up.

Step 2. Pick you kind of box. You have the option of the classic box or the vegetarian box.

Step 3: Determine if you want a box to feed 2 or 4. For my trial, I was given the box for 2. We were able to feed 3 adults per meal and feel plenty filled up.

Step 4: Add the box to your cart and make your payment.

Step 5: Once your payment is made, you can choose which meals you'd like in your box if you've chosen the classic box. Each classic box has 3 default meals and 2 additional meals. If you don't like the default, you can substitute one of the other available meals. The vegetarian box only has the 3 default meals.

Step 6: Wait in anticipation for your box to arrive!

Step 7: FedEx will deliver your box to you. Our FedEx man did not ring the bell when he delivered. I was concerned that the food would be worse for the wear sitting on my porch, but it was fine. Why? Because Hello Fresh does such a marvelous job packing the food. Here is a look at the box and the insulation:

  

Step 8: Oogle all the great food!

 Step 9: Decide which of the three meals to prepare first. WARNING: This is the hardest step of the whole process!

Step 10: Get out the handy-dandy recipe card and create your meal. The recipe card is fantastic.The front side of the card shows you the ingredients you will be using. The back side has the actual instructions. It is large enough for old eyes to see and is easy to read. The steps are clearly laid out with pictures. I used some ingredients I've never used before and felt very confident following the directions.

Everything I needed to create my meal, with the exception of salt and pepper to taste, olive oil, and a small amount of sugar, was in my box. When I needed a teaspoon of chili pepper, all I had to do was cut open the little baggie that was already measured for me. I needed vinegar for one recipe and that was already measured as well.

Step 11: Eat and enjoy!!

Here are the three meals that I prepared.

Chicken Quinoa Stew
Mine looked this delicious, but my camera malfunctioned!

Chili Dusted Shrimp

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Here is what I liked about the product:

• All the food was included
• All the food was fresh and looked appetizing
• The recipes were easy to follow
• I was able to try something new knowing that it would turn out well (all recipes are tested to be sure they work well each and every time)
• Customer service is excellent. 
• The package arrived when expected.
• You can get a box every week, but you can also choose which weeks you'd like a box and which weeks you'd like to skip. This makes it easy to fit your lifestyle.

What didn't I like?

The price is a bit hefty for me. $69 for the classic box for 2, $129 for the box for 4. (The price for the vegetarian box is $59 for 2, and $109 for 4)

Overall, I give Hello Fresh a B+, with price being the downfall.

Will I order again? It will depend on budget, but I do know this: If I do order again, I will love what we eat!

Would you like to try Hello Fresh? Use coupon code CPW9JW for $20 OFF your first order!

 

Want to hear what others are saying about Hello Fresh? Click here:  Mosaic Reviews

Chipolte Chicken Calzone

This was delicious!

One pizza dough (you can make your own)
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 c fresh spinach leaves
1 small can diced tomatoes or 3 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Southwestern Chipolte Sauce (I use Hidden Valley)

Make your dough into a rectangle.
Put chicken on one half of the dough, then layer each of the following ingredients, topping with the sauce.

Fold the back half of the dough over and seal edges by pinching dough together.

Bake at 450 for 15 minutes.