Notes from Tammy

Happy Thanksgiving!  Hope you all had an enjoyable holiday with your friends and family, and took time to reflect on what you have to be thankful for.

I noticed a local store putting out Christmas candy and decorations a couple of days before Halloween. I sure hope it isn’t the start of a trend to “skip” Thanksgiving, because it’s important… taking time to be thankful for our blessings, no matter how big or small, is always a good thing!

We were to have six family members come from OH to visit for Thanksgiving weekend, but they had to cancel… five of them were sick, and we were to get bad weather between here and there.  We called someone we were concerned might be spending the day alone, but he had plans.  We invited my parents down from PA, but the snow and ice between here and there kept them home too.  So we ended up having a quiet day as a family, which was very nice.

Our holiday menu was full of family favorites.  Besides the turkey and stuffing, we had Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Soufflé with Brown Sugar Crumbles, and Broccoli Cheese Casserole.  Grandma made homemade rolls.  For those pre-dinner munchies, I made a Party Cheeseball and Veggie dip.  And for dessert, Mom’s Pumpkin Pie filling, and Grammy’s Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.  And of course, the best ever Freezer Pie Crust recipe for the pies.

We enjoyed the leftovers, especially turkey sandwiches.  I also make Cheesy Chicken ala King, which is my husband’s favorite.  I need to experiment with that recipe and see if it’s freeze-able, or if the sauce separates and gets watery.  To use up the last bit of turkey, I’m making some Country Chicken Pot Pie filling for in the freezer.  Yummy!

Bonus Recipes from Tammy

My husband found a great site called Paperbackswap.com.  You register the paperback books you’ve read and don’t want anymore.  Other members can then select your books they want to read.  When they choose one of your books, you print out a mailing wrapper, wrap the book, put 4 stamps on it and drop it in the mail box.  When they receive your book in the mail, you receive a credit.  You also earn credits for listing your books.  Then you use your credits to “buy” books from other members.  They have hundreds of thousands of titles listed, so there’s lots to choose from!  It’s a great site and we’ve been very happy with it.  And, it’s free!!

I like to make cookie mix in a jar and give as gifts at the holidays.  I’ve thought about buying a new recipe book for those type of mixes, but was hesitant without being able to see the recipes to know if I’d like them.  But when I saw a Merry Mixes book by Gooseberry Patch at Paperbackswap.com, I figured I couldn’t go wrong… it was worth a credit to check out the book, and if I didn’t like it, I could re-post it for someone else to get it from me.

When I received the book in the mail, I had the option to email the sender.  I emailed her thanking her for sending the book so quickly, and asked if she had tried any of the recipes from the book, and which ones did or didn’t she like.  Carmen emailed me back, with her recommendation of a recipe or two.  My new friend said she lives in Puerto Rico, and can’t get all of the ingredients called for in the book, which is why she didn’t try more recipes.  She said she was trying to save money for her family by making gifts for the holidays, which is why she requested the book from the swap in the first place.

Of course I had to email her back and tell her to check out 30 Day Gourmet’s website!  I suggested she check out the Recipes tab at the top of the page.  I also told her if she can get the ingredients, I’d highly recommend the  Oreo Truffles recipe!  Carmen was so excited when she emailed me back!  She said she is always so surprised how God uses little things to bless her, when she isn’t expecting it.  She said me emailing her about 30 Day Gourmet was a definite blessing from God, and she was so thankful.  Not only did she get the gift ideas she needed, but she learned about freezer cooking.  She has a chest freezer, her husband is a vegetarian and she isn’t.  So she was really excited about trying freezer cooking.  She said she definitely is making the Oreo Truffles for gifts.  Then she said “I can’t wait to continue exploring the site!  It has so much recipes and information, it is like candy for my eyes!!”

If you need “candy” for your friends and family, figuratively and literally, check out our website!  For the figurative candy, go to our online store to buy the manual, software or ebooks.  For candy to tempt your taste buds, in addition to the links above, check out the Peanut Butter Crunch recipe.  Pretzel Turtles are so easy, and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are a big hit.  Don’t forget to check out the Recipes button at the top of the website… click on Snacks and Desserts for a full list of candy, cookies and snacks sure to please!

Final Thoughts

Well, that’s it from me this month.  Time to start gearing up for December!  I started my Christmas shopping on Black Friday.  I need to plan my own candy and cookie gifts for my list of teachers, bus drivers and the mail man.  Next time I touch base, it will be after Christmas, so best wishes from my house to yours for a wonderful holiday!  Don’t get so wrapped up in all the “stuff” that you forget the real Reason for the season!  Merry Christmas!

Click here to send me an email with any questions, ideas, suggestions or problems. I enjoy hearing from you all!

Tammy