Holiday Party Season

The holidays bring families together for parties that celebrate the magic of the season. Each year my dad's brothers and sisters get together at one of their homes to have a nice evening without the kids and grandkids. My dad has 10 brothers and sisters so when everyone gets together, the parties can get quite large. I think the latest count I came up with is: 26 first cousins, 14 significant others of those cousins, and 23 kids of cousins:) So doing just the brothers and sisters allows for them to talk and share about what their families are up to without the distractions the kids can bring.

This year my parents hosted and I helped them put the party together. Being the planner that I am, I helped my mom with the menu and she came up with the theme. I offered my assistance to them the day of the party, so they could both spend more time socializing and not worrying about the food coming out on time.

Here is the menu and recipes that I used to put the meal together. From what I heard first hand and from my mom after the party, the meal was very well received. My grandma loved the stew and was able to take a big container of it home.

Appetizers:
Southwest Egg Rolls with a tex-mex dip (made mini versions with wonton wrappers)
Cooked Shrimp with cocktail sauce (from my aunt)
Cold-packed cheese, crackers and sausage
Gardetto's snack mix

The Meal:
Beef Stew (recipe below) with garlic mashed potatoes
Wild rice stuffed chicken breasts in gravy (From Ray's Butcher Shoppe)
Corn
Green beans with bacon and onions
Cran-raspberry jello (recipe below)
Sweet salad (recipe below)
Dinner rolls (from the store)

Dessert:
Kringles (From O&H Danish)
Oreo cream stuffed brownies
Assorted cookies from the family

Once the meal went on the buffet table (only 3 minutes off from the scheduled time - quite impressive I believe), I quickly changed my clothes and headed out the door to my own party with my friends.

The family had a really great night together. My aunts and uncles stayed really late and it was even suggested that they should get together more than once a year because it was so enjoyable.

Instead of giving gifts to each other in the family, the collection of gifts at the party has been for a needy family in the local community. My parents chose to collect for the Veterans Assistance Program out of Union Grove, WI. My dad  and grandpa are both vets and they chose this organization due to their military ties. Many great gifts were given by my family and some families will be very happy to receive them in the New Year!


RECIPES:
Oven Baked Stew - from the kitchen of my mom
edits in ( ) because we omitted the potatoes for the party version

2 pounds beef chuck cut into 2 inch pieces
6 carrots, 2 inch pieces
4 potatoes quartered (With the mashed potatoes on the side, we didn't add the potatoes)
4 small onions, quartered
1 c celery cut in 2 inch pieces
3 T Minute Tapioca (might not need as much because of no potatoes)
1 t. salt
1⁄2 t. garlic salt
Dash of thyme
1 c water (might need more)
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 T. vinegar
1 Bay leaf

Mix and bake 250° for 4 hours. Just let it bake, but can stir every 1⁄2 to 1 hour.

Cranberry/Raspberry Gelatin - also from my mom

6 oz red jello
1 1⁄2 cups boiling water
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
16 oz. can crushed pineapple with juice
10-16 oz container of frozen raspberries (with juice) - thawed

Add boiling water to jello and dissolve. Add cranberry sauce and use a spoon or whisk to break and up and blend into jello. Add can of crushed pineapple with the juice and the frozen berries with the juice. Blend and refrigerate at least a couple of hours.

Sweet Salad - an original creation from yours truly
This is for a party size bowl-full

2 bags of bagged salad mix
1 bag of spinach leaves
1- 6 oz. container feta cheese
1/4 purple onion sliced thinly and then cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)
3 small tomatoes, quartered

Mix all ingredients except tomatoes together in a large bowl. Place the tomato quarters on the top. We supplied a Soy Ginger, Raspberry Vinaigrette, Ranch and French dressings as choices.

100 Happy Days: Week 4 & 5

I got a little behind on posting so I did two weeks+ at one time to get you all caught up in my happiness. I hope maybe this has influenced you to at least look for the happinesses in every day life. I am really focusing on those and not the negative things. What good is it to dwell on that when you can smile and be happy?!

Here are Weeks 1, 2 & 3. 

Day 23:

Running has been going well for me lately. A little nagging knee thing is happening so I am taking more days off but my time/mile is getting closer to where I want to be!

Day 24:

Here is where my geeky side comes out because I completely and totally loved the #PRSMS at Marquette. Learning that the Brewers use one gal to run multiple social media sites for the team really surprised me but made me happy too! One gal can do it all!

Day 25: 

Eat all the pumpking things! I love pumpkin and the all of these rock. Ok the Reese's is just thrown in for it's shape but you can't beat sweet & salty at the same time! :)

Day 26: 

Again I went to Lapham with a friend and did some pretty hardcore running. My knee definitely felt it after this one. But seeing these beautiful deer that didn't spook too much when we were near was really awesome! I hope to make it to Lapham this week and get some great pics of the fall leaves!

Day 27: 

 My friend Caroline invited my mom and I and another friend and her mom to her church's annual Mother/Daughter Banquet. It was a wonderful time where the men of the church waited on us for dinner. Many laughs were shared and we all really enjoyed ourselves.

Day 28: 

I forgot to post yesterday's happy. Spending time with friends new and old and celebrating birthdays!!! ‪#‎100happydays‬ ‪#‎day28‬

Bonus photo - I didn't post a picture of the day but found this after the fact. Beers were large, lines were long, but we all had fun. 

Day 29:

Spent the afternoon with my mom watching the Packers win, hemming up some of my pants and making Banana Blueberry bread. We each got a loaf and it was so tasty!

Day 30: 

Started a new book - a recommendation from Lauren Conrad (she knows what I like to read and we never even met). So far this one is pretty good. An almost 20-year-old finds out she has a decade left of site and decides to change her life plan to do all she can while she can still see. 

Day 31: 

Fall is here and I made my favorite fall soup - Butternut Squash/Apple soup. Sooooo good! 

Day 32 & 33:

I didn't post yesterday, but this is what made my last two days happy. Meeting up with friends and trying new places! ‪#‎100happydays‬ ‪#‎day32‬ &‪#‎day33‬ 😀

 Day 34: 

I love pumpkin beer. I bought so much last year that I actually had some leftover to drink again at the start of this year's season. I can't drink them in the summer because they are too heavy but it's all I want to drink from September to March :)  This was an excellent one and I may need to find more of it. Woodman's has had the best selection so far. 

Day 35: 

Saturday was a bummer weather day and so I decided to spend it cleaning and cooking. I made a broccoli cheese soup (with Gouda!), Roasted squash and sweet potato soup, gryo meat in the crockpot and pasta with pesto sauce. I have a fridge full of food now so I don't have to worry about what to make this week for meals. 

Day 36:

 My niece & nephew are my world and I got to spend a lot of the day with them. Alex is growing into such a smart little man asking all sorts of questions and helping me back cookies by counting out the Reese's for on top. We might have eaten a few. And Maddie is my little sweetheart sharing big smiles and belly laughs with me all afternoon. 

#100HappyDays

100 Happy Days: Week 2

 Day 8:

 Homemade Broccoli Potato Cheese soup. Even though the "whipper doodle" stripped out on this soup, I still was able to blend it up and it was just as nutritious and delicious. Soup season is upon us. 

Day 9:

 

 I have known Tony since preschool and we still keep in touch and try to meet up a few times a year for a drink and dinner. This was one of those times and it was another great night!

Day 10:

 Happy Birthday to my Mom - Dinner at Matty's and spending time with my family always makes me happy!

 Day 11:

 I just love this guitar in Waukesha - the mirrored state of Wisconsin is such a statement - I really like it. 

Day 12:

 The first day that I really noticed the leaves changing a lot in Waukesha - Makes me happy and makes me think of warm days, cool evenings, spiced cider, boots and sweaters!

Day 13:

My amazing nephew Alex had his 3rd birthday and he is such a cool kid. So friendly and saying hi and bye to everyone that comes to his house. He had so many friends to celebrate with and that was great to see. 

Day 14:

 Grandpa turned 97!!!! Seeing all the love in the room for his big day was amazing. He was so happy to see everyone!

#100HappyDays

100 Happy Days: Week 1

Day 1:

Couldn't find the original, but here is a screen cap from Instagram. We got Kacey (the guy) and JB (the dog) to run at Lapham Peak. We started with Asthma Hill and did a nice loop and ended at the tower. Big feat for both of them. And JB walked down the tower no problems. Up was another story for that little guy so he was carried. Extra workout for his mom. (Kacey did both on his own with only minimal complaining!) A great workout overall. 

 Day 2:

 It was a cold one this morning and I couldn't warm up at work. I was gifted some Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa and decided to try it out. Heavenly! The cup kept my hands warm and the cocoa is divine. Archer Farms (Target)

Day 3:

I went for a run right after work - the legs were ready to quit, but a few people said Hi and cheered me on to keep going and I did just that! Thank you's to all of them!!!!

Day 4:

My parents dropped off my bike a few weeks ago and I decided to take her out for a spin. It has been almost 2 years since I last went for a ride but it felt fabulous. Getting to the trail off of Meadowbrook was a little scary and I used my brakes a lot on the steep decline, but I am going to take that trail west someday! The hill up Meadowbrook was a good leg workout for sure! I have had that bike since 7th grade and she is still kickin!

Day 5:

I used a gift certificate I received last year for my birthday to treat myself to a massage. Huge shout out to Marlis at Serenity Spa for the BEST massage I have ever had. I felt more relaxed after than I have ever before!

Day 6:

Flashback to 3 years ago and our 2nd annual Brewers tailgate with the crew from Fox Run Sentry Liquor. Although the store closed 4 years ago this month, the crew still keeps in touch and we see each other often. I am so thankful for all of these people in my life and I hope the Brewers game tradition continues!

Day 7:

 

My niece and nephew are my world. I got to spend Saturday with them and my mom. Alex and I played trains, puzzles, baked cookies, and  talked a lot. Maddie is getting some teeth so she didn't want to sleep, but she liked to tell stories and be held. And I enjoyed every minute of it. 

#100HappyDays