Friday, December 31, 2021

We ate (very) well

I hope everyone (who celebrates it) had a nice Christmas. We did.  We certainly ate too much, but don't a lot of people do so around the holidays?

Christmas Eve my husband played at our church's 2 Christmas Eve services, one at 3 p.m. and the second at 4:30 p.m.  We wanted something quick to put together for dinner that night so we threw this Wild Mushroom Stew in the crock pot that morning.  Easy to put together and so delicious!  We had bread with it (and of course wine).  Doesn't look real appetizing, but truly the taste was very good.  We had enough for leftovers on Sunday night and to freeze some for hubby's lunch meals.  


Christmas morning we made a Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole (though we didn't make it ahead like you could according to the recipe).  We also used ground turkey instead of pork sausage to reduce the sodium content in the recipe.  

(Just a note, any recipe that says to use salt, we omit it since we are eating no/low sodium and we try to find substitutes for other ingredients, like no salt tomato sauce, no salt beans if the recipe calls for them, etc.).

It wasn't too labor intense, but did take some time to assemble and bake.  It had to sit for 15 minutes when the casserole came out of the oven.  



Here is how it looks when it is cut.  It was really good.  We had it with small bagels and strawberry cream cheese.  

(By the way, that bag of M and M's you see on the table came from my hubby for a little sweets on Christmas Day.  They are almond M and M's.  Let's just say if you like M and M's and almonds and chocolate, don't buy a bag of them.....)

(The Penguin's name is Wally; just in case you are interested).

The breakfast casserole serves 10.  We gave some to son/wife (the kids won't eat it) and had enough for 2 more morning breakfasts.  



We made a rum cake for dessert for Christmas Night.  It is really good and moist but after eating a lot of M and M's, I didn't have any of the cake except a little nibble to see how it turned out.  (I'm usually not a big dessert eater....unless it is chocolate.....)  We gave half of the cake to son/wife (the kids won't eat it).



Christmas dinner was salmon, twice baked potatoes, and crab/shrimp stuffed portabella mushrooms.  No formal recipe used; just how hubby wanted to prepare the dishes.  And wine, of course.  (Usually my dessert is wine, unless there is chocolate in the house).  

(I don't keep chocolate in the house except around Christmas and maybe a few other times during the year, but not often....)



We were in the kitchen a lot cooking/baking on Christmas.  Poor Winslow.  He had to keep an eye on us so he didn't get his usual naps.  He was one tired pup! 

All in all, it was a fun holiday season.  Now we are off to 2022! 

May you all have a Very Happy New Year!



26 comments:

  1. I would have been all over that salmon and twice baked potatoes and those stuffed mushrooms! So yummy! I have never had a rum cake. Can you taste the rum in it?

    We had a beef tenderloin with a mushroom wine sauce, spiral glazed ham, ranch red potatoes (crockpot recipe that did not turn out well, so never again), green beans, cranberry orange quinoa salad, and strawberry pretzel salad. The kids loved the pretzel salad the most, of course!

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    1. You can taste rum in the rum cake, but it is not a strong taste, if that makes sense. And it is perfectly okay for people under 21 to eat it as the alcohol in the rum bakes out of it :)

      Your menu sounds delicious too! Do you have the recipes for the beef tenderloin, cranberry orange quinoa salad and that strawberry pretzel salad? Those seem like they could be hits here too as well!

      betty

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    2. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/20338/strawberry-pretzel-salad/
      I halved the sugar and I think it tasted better this year because you could taste the cream cheese more.

      We just follow BettyCrocker cookbook meat cooking instructions for beef tenderloin. I clean mushrooms and cook in skillet with red wine, butter and pepper,thyme, whatever seasoning you like.

      The quinoa salad is just cooked quinoa chilled and then I added dried cranberries and toasted pecans. Dress it with a little olive oil and orange or other tropical juice.

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    3. Oh my goodness. I looked at that recipe for the pretzel salad. I can see why it was a hit! I printed it out to make down the road! Thanks for the other recipes too. I want to start eating more quinoa in the new year. That looks simple to put together too!

      Thanks again for the recipes and your cooking techniques with them!

      betty

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    4. It’s a very popular recipe in these parts! Let me know when you make it!

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  2. We really enjoyed your holiday coverage. FOOD LOOKS GREAT. We seldom spend a lot of time cooking. I have switched from the pressure cooker to the slow cooker for my 'one pot meals'. Sherry still does the meat and veggies thing.
    Anyway we tried the Christmas meal from the grocery store. It was okay, but not great. (Precooked turkey, dressing gravy etc.
    But for you and yours out there, HAPPY NEW YEAR and pray that it will be a wonderful time for Y'all.
    Sherry & jack

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    1. We have a pressure cooker (Instapot) and have yet to use it, lol. We do like our crock pot though! We have done the precooked meal from the store before. You are right, it is okay, not great, but super convenient. Thank you for the New Year wishes and prayers! Same back to you and Sherry!

      betty

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  3. Gosh, this has my mouth watering like mad! I love those breakfast casseroles; good tip(s) about reducing the sodium. Used to be I could identify a mushroom and set aside (trash, lol) in any kind of meal ... now I love them. Not sure why, but I've not made the stuffed in a couple years; time to correct that! I'm definitely going to try the stew!

    PS - Love your roses!

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    1. The roses were a gift from son for a special day :) They are still looking good too! Mushrooms do grow on a person. I remember not liking them as a teen; love them now! That stew is really good. It definitely is a keeper recipe!

      Happy New Year to you and Tom!

      betty

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  4. I have news - all four of us have come down with Covid. :(
    I would love to know those recipes since you are doing salt free. I don't know how you get it down to 500 miligrams.

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    1. I am so sorry to hear this Sandie. Prayers for everyone to make a complete recovery and a quick recovery! I sent you an email with the links to the recipes. Also, just google low sodium recipes. Tons out there. Whenever an ingredient is like for tomatoes, beans, whatever, I look to see if I can find a low sodium or no sodium version out there. Everything we have made low sodium/no sodium have tasted good.

      Hope everyone feels better soon!

      betty

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  5. Everything we buy at the store has salt, of course, as salt is the chief preserver agent. So I'm not adding any salt to my cooking. I'm used to this, so it's not as if something is missing. Salt and sugar are considered 'killers'.
    The round rum cake on the table, looks tempting!

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    1. We haven't added salt since the beginning of September and we hardly even miss it. There are so many other spices out there that are just as tasty! You are right, salt and sugar are considered killers. The rum cake is very good! My hubby at first wasn't "thrilled" that I was giving half to son/wife because he likes it so much but after he finished the half we kept (over several days) he was glad he didn't have the whole cake to himself. And especially glad when we weighed today and neither of us had really gained any weight over the holidays :)

      betty

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  6. When my BP started shooting up, I went on a low sodium diet. I always choose no/low sodium now. Your dishes look wonderful! I do the same thing, send the extra food and desserts home with the kids. Chocolate is not safe in my house.. if it's here, I feel like I NEED to eat it. So I try to make a practice of not buying it much. Oh, that rum cake! It looks fabulous! What kind of wine do you prefer? I love the port, but just a little with dinner on occasion. Thanks for sharing your day.

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    1. I'm with you on chocolate. I don't buy it because I will eat it all :) We like Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon wines the best :)

      When hubby's blood pressure went sky high, the first thing the doctor recommended was low sodium diet. It has been easier to incorporate into our eating too. I rarely miss the salty treats we would have, like chips. Healthier for us too!

      Happy New to you, Gary, and Gracie!

      betty

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  7. Merry Christmas to you, Betty. You were busy in the kitchen! I checked out that stew recipe and it looks wonderful as I love mushrooms. I don't eat beef, so I wonder how it would be with chicken?
    I love to cook but am surprised that I miss it since all the kids moved out. I totally understand all the "the kids won't eat it".

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    1. I'm thinking the stew would be good with chicken. I know we have substituted ground turkey for ground beef in a lot of recipes and can't taste a difference. Maybe cooking will bring the kids back home for a good cooked meal? Thankfully hubby is the cook in this family or I think we would starve! Again, I am so sorry about the tragic fire in Colorado :(

      betty

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  8. That's some impressive cooking. I am a poor cook. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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    1. You are welcome :) I'm a poor cook too :) My hubby is the cook here. I just help prep! Happy New Year!

      betty

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  9. Happy New Year to you and your family, Betty! I hope this coming year brings you health, happiness and peace!

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    1. Thank you Jeanette!! Same to you and your family!!!!

      betty

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  10. Yes the Holiday's are when most of us overeat! That stew looks yummy. The breakfast casserole looks delicious too. A awesome cake and a beautiful dinner. Very nice Christmas celebration at your house. Happy New Year!

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    1. Happy New Year to you too Debby!! So true how we tend to overeat for the holidays, but boy is the food so good!

      betty

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  11. The first thing that caught my attention in that photo was Wally :-)

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    1. We do like penguins in this household :) Thanks for visiting and your comment! Happy New Year!

      betty

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