leftovers; again…?

Guess what I had for breakfast today?

Nope… nope… nope… (to whatever you guessed) I actually had soup.

Yes. For breakfast. I’m kinda weird like that. I like to eat “out of the box” when it comes to meals sometimes. I mean who (besides my hubbie) doesn’t love having pancakes for dindin once in awhile? Right…? Now as gripping a storyline as this is thus far, I’m not actually here to chat about my breakfast habits. It’s really just a quick follow-up to yesterday’s post, “Thanksgiving dinner; repurposed”.

Yesterday was all about the actual leftover food; but – as I told you yesterday – I don’t like to waste anything! Including the (Ugh!) turkey carcass. So into a big soup pot it went yesterday with anything I could round up out of the refrigerator… onions, celery, garlic cloves, carrots, whole peppercorns and a huge handful of fresh herbs. Covered the pot with water, brought it to a boil, then reduced the heat and slow simmered for the better part of the afternoon. Once everything tasted “done”, I let everything cool for awhile. Once it was cool, I strained all of the solids out so that all that was left was a delicious hearty turkey broth. Easy peasy!!

Now, at this point, if you are asking yourself why in the heck I didn’t just toss that doggone carcass back in the very beginning; allow me to enlighten you. There are several great reasons. First of all, the house smells all warm and “comfort food-ish” for the entire day while the broth is on the stove. Second; Preparing for flu season. Who doesn’t love homemade chicken (or turkey) soup when they are down and out with the flu? I package up little baggies of homemade broth and stick them in the freezer so that I am ready to roll when someone is down and out. (Thaw the broth and add a little cooked rice or pasta… Voila!) Finally; Dinner. This was easy. Already had some leftover (cooked) pasta and oven roasted tomatoes from the night before. Into the pot they went. Along with a can of pinto beans and some (precooked) turkey meatballs that I had in my freezer (Thank you Trader Joes). The point is – Use what you have on hand. Keep it simple!

So that about wraps it up for our leftover 2014 Thanksgiving feast. OMGosh – Wait… the ham! Forgot about the hambone. Alrighty then. Looks like a little split pea soup is on the menu!? Ahhh…Thanksgiving. It’s just the gift that keeps on givin’…

thanksgiving dinner; repurposed

12 / 4 / 14

Thanksgiving was about a week ago. The glasses and dishes are washed and (finally!) back in place, the extra tables and folding chairs are stacked and stored away and the fall decorations are securely wrapped and packed away for next year (or, at a minimum, “carefully placed” in grocery bags and random boxes on the floor in the unfinished part of the basement; strategically placed so that you are forced to climb over them to retrieve 100 bags of Christmas lights??? Hmmm…) OK. Ya. New subject.

So do you know where your turkey leftovers are…? I will admit that I do enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers. It’s so relaxing to re-heat a plate of turkey and dressing and sweet potatoes and gravy… and then plop yourself down on the floor, in your ratty pj’s in front of the TV, with a glass of wine and no timers going off. Tastes SO much better the next day. But for me, that thrill lasts about, well… once.

Ya – I’m not one of those who can do the whole “Thanksgiving leftover thing” – day after day after day…! But I don’t want to waste anything, either. So what to do??? Simple. Repurpose that Thanksgiving meal! So earlier this week, that’s exactly what I did. I challenged myself to “get creative” with what was leftover.

I started with the roasted sweet potatoes and onions. A little chicken/turkey broth and some sort of milk (in our case, a mixture of coconut milk and almond milk for dairy free) plus a handful of fresh herbs… Voila! Sweet potato soup. I mashed up about half the potatoes with a potato masher which thickens the soup nicely without any additional thickeners. Delish!!

Next came the dressing. I started by forming it into little patties, kinda like a burger. I then made two little mixtures. First, an egg beaten with a little ground sage and thyme. Second, the leftover crunchy onion thingies that you put on top of the green bean casserole mixed with some Panko bread crumbs.

The next step was to heat a skillet with a little oil, dip the “dressing patties” into the egg mixture , then the crunchy topping and, finally, into the skillet until crispy on the outside and warmed through.

Last up was… the turkey. For starters, we did not have a lot of turkey leftover, so I decided to make a light little “turkey salad”. I cut up the turkey into bite size pieces and mixed with a little light mayo, some leftover fresh cranberry/orange relish, a handful of toasted pecans and a little green onion.

I decided to top the little dressing patties with the turkey salad and garnish with a little extra fresh cranberry relish, toasted pecans, green onions… Whatever floats your boat. So easy!! No recipe, just a little creative thinking. And that, my friends, is Thanksgiving dinner; repurposed!! Gobble, gobble!

gratitude 101

11 / 22 / 14

Today is a lesson (or two) (or three) in Gratitude 101.

When “the girls” (dogs) came in from morning potty today, they brought with them a single perfect little leaf. Not “perfect” in the sense of “PERFECTLY PERFECT”. Just perfect. As is. Lesson #1.

Picking up that little leaf created a pause within me. A moment to reflect on this fleeting moment that we call “Fall”. Never EVER long enough. One moment we are ablaze with glorious color, the next we are bare naked. “Mable”, the Maple tree in the backyard, is my fav. She waits until all of the others have succumbed to the early winds of winter. Like the end of an amazing concert, Mable waits until the stage has gone dark… and then she performs her breathtaking encore. Mable never disappoints. Patience. Lesson #2.

In glancing out the back window, it is plain to see that Mable is thinning with each day. Her leaves, once a brilliant red-orange, have faded. I feel sad. It’s a weirdly warm, foggy morning – so I decide to wander out onto the deck and whisper a little “thank you” to Mable for yet another stellar performance. Hopefully the neighbors won’t see me talking to my tree with the fog.

Our small deck is littered with a multitude of leaves, and I begin, almost subconsciously, to pick them up one by one. Where did they all come from? Where ARE all these different trees? Have these leaves been here all along? I thought that, aside from sweet Mable, the fall foliage was long gone. And here it was all along; right under my feet. I just had to open my eyes and take notice. Lesson #3.

Gratitude 101.

live happy

one week and counting…

11 / 20 / 14

My baby boy moved to Dallas in September. I miss him.

A lot.

How old? Twenty four. So what…!? You don’t just NOT miss your kid cause they are 24 with a real job… in their own apartment… in a fun area… surrounded by people their own age… in a big city… with a lot of golf and restaurants and nightlife… ??

Yep. I’m pretty much screwed.

So I simply hang on to whatever lands in my lap. A phone call, a ~~letter in the mailbox~~ funny text, an Instagram pic, a Snapchat video… Anything that brings him just a bit closer to home. But I miss still miss him.

A lot.

If you follow me on Instagram (creationsbycathy) you know that I have been posting every day during the month of November about things that I am grateful for. Spoiler alert… Exactly one week from today is Thanksgiving. A day for giving thanks for all of our many, many blessings. That being said, I can already tell you what I will be posting that day. “Someone” is flying in to spend Thanksgiving with his family… and mama bear, papa bear and sister are so, so, SO excited!! Three and a half glorious days!! The hugs. The kisses. Sitting next to him on the couch. Waking up in the morning with BOTH of my kids here… It’s almost too much! Yes, the countdown has begun…

tick, tock, tick, tock….

live happy

the gift of laundry

11 / 19 / 14

Sometimes we make the simple act of gratitude way too complicated.

Case in point; laundry.

So raise your hand if you enjoy doing laundry. Anyone…? Ya. Thought so. And who among you gets “slightly irritated” when someone says they “did” the laundry when, in fact, all they did was put the laundry into the washing machine?? OR… (and this is worse!) merely transferred it from the washing machine to the dryer?? Ya. Exactly. You know where I’m going with this, don’t you. It’s about FOLDING that doggone pile of laundry when it comes out of the dryer. Am I right?? Often times I find myself questioning how many times you can actually “re-fluff” before everything in the dryer becomes American Girl doll worthy…

But today was different. Kinda. Ya; I still refluffed a couple times, but once I finally dumped that (first, of many) load on the couch and started folding – I did so with a fresh new attitude. An attitude of gratitude. I decided to find five reasons to be thankful for the privilege of folding laundry. And, surprisingly; it wasn’t even hard to do.

I was cold and the clothes were toasty warm. I wrapped up in an oversize sweatshirt and fresh socks. Instant warmth xo
We are so fortunate to even HAVE these crazy inventions called washers & dryers! Can’t even IMAGINE washing all of this by hand! Our poor great grandparents!
I am so very, very, VERY blessed to have a wonderful hubbie; someone that generates all of these dirty socks and underwear that I have the privilege of folding. xoxo
We are over the top materialistically blessed. We have a home to do our laundry in, and a closet full of clothes to wear. Some have nothing.
Down time. In the midst of a busy day, folding laundry gives me a little time to quiet my thoughts, slow down and reflect on my day. And all of the many things I have to be grateful for…

Today I am thankful for the gift of laundry.

live happy…

thanks giving ~ giving thanks

11 / 22 / 12

Sharing with you a beautiful Thanksgiving paper chain that I am going to be doing today with my entire family. Print it off now, and celebrate the gift of gratitude. For one another as well as all that you have been blessed with. We are all guilty of taking people, situations, life… for granted. Today is a day to pause, reflect and cherish all that is a part of you in this world. We are blessed.

thanks giving ~ giving thanks.

oh; to define thanksgiving

11 / 20 / 12

November is one of my very favorite months of the entire year. Halloween, with all of the adorable little ghosts and goblins, is behind us. The craziness of the December holiday rush looms ahead. But November wraps us up in a warm, cozy blanket of giving thanks… of remembering what is important to us in our lives. A time to reflect and count our many, many blessings. I know that being in the retail world forces me to “jump the gun” on the Christmas season… and there is not much I can do about that. I do, however, have control over the way that I look at, and approach, the ENTIRE holiday season. You see, I have a little different perspective on everything. I actually see Thanksgiving and Christmas as being two parts of one beautiful season.

For me, the entire season is about family, friends, peace, love and gratitude. I know that a lot of people like to get a jump start on their Christmas decorations in November – but I still love to “decorate” my home for Thanksgiving – even though we don’t actually celebrate Thanksgiving Day here. Again – it’s not a “day” in November and then another “day” in December… it’s an entire beautiful season. There has been so very much going on lately – globally, and in my very own little world. Sometimes it reminds us to stop dead in our tracks and reflect on life… and what REALLY matters. I pray for “peace on earth” as we begin this most blessed “holiday season”…

(the above is an excerpt from my November newsletter… )

A couple of fun links for you to check out, as well as a few pics from “home”…

Tracy Porter napkin ring ideas

Thanksgiving tabletop ideas and inspiration

big ben

6 / 6 / 12

I have to admit that watching the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebration over the past couple of days has made me a bit nostalgic…

It seems like a hundred years ago, now; our life in London. It was 1986 when the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself to these two young, 20-something newlyweds. The next two years play out in my mind like a slideshow of beautiful memories, unforgettable friends and extraordinary experiences. Here we were, two young kids from the midwest. We were suddenly living in the heart of London, in a small flat (apartment), with a refrigerator that was not much bigger than a small “bar” refrigerator and a washer/dryer “combo”. (Yep. One contraption takes care of both. Go figure.) Two of the modes of transportation were a huge underground subway system (“the tube”), or a car (our little white Jetta) with the steering wheel on the right side of the car, that you were, somehow, expected to drive on the left side of the street! We learned that a “boot” is the trunk of your car, if you need an elevator, you ask for the “lift” and for goodness gracious, if you have to go potty, you need to find the “loo”!! We fell in love with Indian food, the theatre and the English countryside. I fell “head-over-heels in love” with “afternoon tea”… the finest tradition on earth, in my ever so humble opinion. I did not, however, fall in love with “pub food”. Just saying. We learned that drizzly rain is just that… drizzly rain; and it doesn’t stop anything. When the sun did make an appearance – it was a gift and a glorious celebration. We learned that no one there cares if it is Thanksgiving back home and that the holidays are a time that you really do miss your family… We made lots of friends, however. Good friends; with people from all over the US, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. Those friends, along with our many, many experiences, have proven to be truly unforgettable. There is so much more to share in future posts – but suffice it to say that our time in London was absolutely, positively “splendid”!! Cheers!

“From the top of the bus she could see the vast bowl of London spreading out to the horizon: splendid shops with mannequins in the window, interesting people and already a much bigger world.” – Julia Gregson