Welcome to 2015!

I cannot believe that 2014 came and went so quickly. I feel like it was just yesterday that I graduated high school, and now I'm going on 22! I know to most it doesn't seem like that long I'm still practically a baby! It's just crazy to me how fast the past few years have gone. Trace Adkins was right when he sang 'Your gonna miss this', that's why I encourage all the younger ones to stop rushing and wishing they were 18 or 21. In just over 8 years I'll be 30, looking back on this post and truly reevaluating how quick time goes. 

I truly hope that everyone had a great Christmas, or whatever kind of holiday you celebrated, as long as you got to spend time with the people you love, that's really what matters. 

For me being away from my family in Washington was difficult, but in the end I learned to appreciate it because I wa surrounded by people who love and care about me, even if I'm not where I originated from. My husband and I received some amazing gifts, of course that's not what truly matters, but I am very appreciative for all of it. We received a nice new pots and pans set and a knife set, both were much needed! It will all help contribute to my blogging! 

I also hope that you all had a great and safe New Years! I'm happy I got to spend mine with good friends and good company, and I'm glad I actually was able to stay awake til midnight! 

Our 2015 has started off pretty tough with having my husbands Memaw and grandad both in the hospital. Luckily Memaw is back home now after her heart surgery and she's recovering at home now thankfully. Now we are just hoping grandad has a good recovery. I pray for good health for everyone in 2015. Even my husband spent time in the hospital in December with pneumonia , which was a rough ride. 

Praying for good health for all, wealth, and happiness. Hopefully I can get in on some of that wealth before too long and get back to work! I love blogging and baking but I know my skills are much more advanced than that. But I will always continue blogging and sharing my recipes and crafts!

Happy New Year to all!

Roasting Garlic

Thanks to my husbands grandmother, we have a garlic roaster!

I've used it in the past and it's great! So I decided to use it again tonight for some home made garlic butter for some garlic toast to go with the split pea soup I made. 

The directions are on the box. But what you do is chop off one end of the garlic. Make sure you get ride of the loose leaves but not all of them; I made that mistake tonight, but I made it work. You place it on the bottom part of your roaster 

Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in a cold oven and let it heat up to 300 degrees. Set your timer for 30 minutes even while in the cold oven. 

Once your timer rings your garlic should just slip out of it's shell and you can do what you would like with it. But I mixed it up with a stick of softened butter and then spread that on 6 slices of bread. 

I put them in the oven at 450 for 10 minutes when I only should have done them at 400, so keep that in mind. Mine ended up a little burnt. I topped them with some cheese and put it back in the oven for 4 minutes. 

Gloomy Day Split Pea Soup

I remember my mom making split pea soup when I was very young, all the time. She was a crock-pot queen. So of course a few years ago she got me my very own crock-pot and I've just fallen in love.

Today I used it for my own split pea soup. Here's my recipe I used:

1 lb. split peas

8 C. Or 2 cartons of chicken broth

1 onion, diced

2 C. Diced ham

2 C. Shredded or diced carrots

2 C. Diced potatoes, about 3 potatoes

2 Tbs. Minced garlic, about 3-4 cloves

Place all ingredients, besides chicken broth, into the crock-pot. 

Once everything is in, it should look very pretty and colorful, pour in the broth and stir. Leave on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-5 hours. I cooked mine on high today and it was delicious! 

Chili Review

Well I definitely used too much hot sauce, at least for my taste. The hubby liked it!

Other than the fact of my mouth being on fire, it was really good!

I added shredded cheddar and saltines and it made a great meal!

Next time I will do it on the stove, but I just ❤️ using my Crock-Pot!

DIY Shotgun Shell Ornaments

One of my latest DIY creations have been shotgun shell ornaments. After making the string of lights and having a few shells leftover I wasn't sure what to do with them and couldn't let them go to waste!

So here's what you need:

A few of these 

Some of this and a brush

Glitter is a must!

Hot glue gun

Some yarn or twine for hanging the ornament

Now here's what you do:

Coat one shell at a time with your Mod Podge and then cover it with glitter

Shake off the excess glitter and repeat with however many you plan to make. I also put my excess glitter back in the shaker as to not waste any!

The next day you will want to coat each shell again in Mod Podge, over the glitter, and again allow to set overnight. 

Now when they're all dry and ready to be put on the tree you will want to heat up your glue gun first and foremost. Squeeze a dot on one side of the shell and press one end of your yarn or string onto it. Place the other end on the other side, try to get it perfectly adjacent, and squeeze a dot of glue over it. The glue will dry very quick so you will be able to place them on your tree immediately! All that hard work and waiting time has finally paid off! 

I put some up on my tree and I'm going to place a few on my Christmas gifts.

Crock-Pot Turkey Chili with leftover turkey

Today I am making turkey chili with leftover turkey that I froze from our Thanksgiving turkey, in my crock-pot!

Here's what you'll need:

Plus one more can of chili beans!

Shred and cut up your turkey to however you would like to have it in your chili. 

I used a secret hot sauce in mine but just a few drops because it is HOT!! But the sauce stays a secret, it's one probably only people in Houston know! 

Just throw everything in the crockpot and let it sit on low all day! I started mine around 10:45 this morning and will be serving around 6.

Review to come later

My Scrumptious Stuffed Mushrooms

Last night with my amazing spaghetti I served some delicious stuffed mushrooms! This is the second time I've done them and I will continue to regularly make them!

What you'll need:

1 pkg. white mushrooms

4 oz. Cream cheese, softened

8 slices bacon OR 1/2 lb. ground sausage OR both

Garlic Powder

Salt

Pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees farenheit. 

Gently rinse off each mushroom and then remove the stems and set them aside. 

Fry your bacon and/or ground sausage. In a small bowl microwave your cream cheese to soften, about 45 seconds - 1 minute. Once your bacon is done frying, crumble it all up and add to the cream cheese. If using sausage, drain the grease, then add to cream cheese. Combine completely. 

Dice up 8-10 of the mushroom stems you set aside and add them to the filling. Mix that all up and start filling up your mushrooms. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes