Friday, December 9, 2011

Have Yourself a Merry Little...Thanksgiving

The week after Thanksgiving, Kyle and I decided that we should take advantage of the after-Thanksgiving turkey sales at the grocery store.  So, we did. We bought a BIG frozen turkey. It was 50% off. We were pumped!

Since we always celebrate Thanksgiving with our families, we decided we would celebrate our own Thanksgiving & cook our own turkey. (Something we have never done before!)

So here is our feast. 
I forgot to mention that we watched Christmas Vacation while we cooked. Classic!












Yum. Yum!


Everyone knows that after you cook a turkey on Thanksgiving, you have TONS of leftovers. Well, this was the case for us too! Except there were only 2 of us to eat the rest of the turkey, ha.

I like to eat turkey, but when you eat it the same way for 7 meals in a row...I got a little tired of it!

So, I experimented with some recipes and came up with some delicious leftover turkey meals.
(FYI: The first recipe was the husband's absolute favorite. It was a big hit.)
I found it online, here.

Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients:
Pre-made double pie crust (10 inch)
4 tbsp butter
1 small onion, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped (I used 3)
2 carrots, diced (I used 3)
3 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
salt & pepper to taste
2 cubes chicken bouillon
3 cups water (I used 2 cups water/1 cup of chicken broth)
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 cups cooked turkey, cubed
3 tbsp flour
1 cup milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Roll out bottom pie crust and place in the 10 inch pie pan.  Place bottom pie crust in oven for 5 minutes to "pre-cook"
2. Place 2 tbsp of the butter in a large skillet.  Add the onion, celery, carrots, parsley, oregano, salt & pepper. Cook and stir until the veggies are soft. Stir in the boullon and water.  Bring mixture to a boil.
3. Place potatoes in microwave for 2 minutes to soften.  Then add to the mixture.  Stir in potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm.
4. In medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter. Stir in the turkey and flour.  Add the milk, heat through. 
5. Stir the turkey mix into the veggie mix, and cook until thickened.
6. Pour mixture into the "pre-baked" bottom pie shell. Roll out the top crust, and place on top of filling.  Flute edges and make 4 slits in the top to let out steam.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
8. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

**The ingredients make more than enough "filling" for one pie.  I used the extra "filling" to make a mini pie & used crescent rolls to top. Then, I baked it until golden brown & hubby took it for lunch the next day!






The next recipe, I saw on t.v. while I was watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.  I have no idea if it is online-(I'm sure it is somewhere)- but, I just remembered what the chef said on t.v. and attempted it myself! They were also delicious.


Crescent Roll Turkey Squares




Ingredients:
1 roll of crescent rolls
basil pesto
Italian blend/Mozzerella cheese
Turkey strips
Sliced Tomatos


Directions:
1. Spray 13x9 inch pan. Spread crescent rolls out flat. Spread basil pesto sauce on top of crescent rolls.
2.  Shred turkey into small strips. Place on top of basil pesto.  Cover entire pan with turkey.
3. Cover turkey with cheese and lots of it! :)
4.  Slice tomatoes and place on top of cheese. Sprinkle a little more cheese on top of tomatoes.
5. Bake in oven at about 375 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes.
6. Slice into squares & enjoy!



Yum! I'll definitely be saving these recipes for next year. Hope you enjoyed them!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Soon-to-be HOMEOWNERS!

I've been waiting for so long to announce that...we're buying our first HOUSE!!!
We absolutely love it & are beyond excited about having the opportunity of owning a home. It's definitely a dream come true! We never imagined that the Lord would bless us with such a beautiful place to call "home" & in the perfect area, too!

One of the most important aspects of the house is that it is a bike ride away from White Rock Lake in Dallas and in a beautiful neighborhood full of trees and hills. We looked at a handful of other homes as well, and when we saw this one--we knew pretty quickly that this one fit us the best!

A few facts:
 Built in 1962
It has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths,
2 car garage that is attached
The kitchen/family room/living room have an open floor plan - which will be perfect for having friends over :)
There's a pantry in the kitchen
It has a laundry room...yay!
It has a fireplace!
All hardwood floors
 There are FOUR huge, walk-in closets
Cute built-in bookshelves
It has a backyard
It has a huge tree in the front yard & pretty landscaping
 Everything is in beautiful condition, lots of new appliances & updates
There are still some "projects" that we will want to take on one day...but, for now it's perfect

{big tree in front}

We signed the contract on November 9 and have been learning all about the process of buying a house since then!
We settled on a final offer with the sellers,
had an inspection completed on the house,
a few minor repairs are being completed at this time,
Kyle has taken on a huge role & has been working on getting us Homeowners Insurance and Home Warranty Insurance,
we close on December 30!
After that, we will be "Landlords" for a week. Hmm..should be fun.
We will officially get the keys & begin moving in on January 8th!
We've learned that buying a house is a LOT of work.
We knew that it would be going into it, but it's a crazy ride through it all!



The week before Thanksgiving, Kyle's parents came to visit us and Chris & Jodi (my brother-in-law & sister-in-law that live in Dallas, too!) My parents were on their way to the Baylor/OU game in Waco that day. So on their way from Abilene, they decided to swing by Dallas to see everyone!  
(Sidenote: Dallas isn't really on the way from Abilene to Waco, in fact, it is probably an additional 2 hours out of the way- my parents are just that great!)
Since both sets of our parents would be here, we called up our sweet realtor, Debbie, who arranged for us to see the house altogether! We had a blast. Both of our parents are supportive and have been sharing in our excitment throughout the process!


We can't wait for December 30th to come. Until then, we're enjoying our last month in our 600 square foot apartment. Ha..we're counting down the days until the move!

At the end of the day, in the middle of the insane amount of paperwork & other meticulous things that go into buying a house, we're looking forward to creating priceless memories in our soon-to-be home!
God has been so gracious to bless us with this opportunity.
It is our hope & prayer that our home will be a place filled with unconditional love,
overflowing joy & a peace that surpasses all understanding...
...that God would be the rock and foundation...
and that he would receive the glory through it all!

 "God’s solid foundation stands firm.." 2 Timothy 2:19