Friday, December 26, 2014

A Merry Little Christmas

We did head back up to the country for Christmas, which has been lovely, but we also had our own little Christmas at the efficiency before we left.




We didn't have time to harvest a real tree this year, but I did find this gem for $2.99 at goodwill! It certainly looks fake, but it didn't have holes, and was the lowest priced one. It came with a stand, but since I didn't have a tree skirt I put it in the garden urn...which I think I like better.

I also got the cool crystal ball patio lights at goodwill... I decided to put them on the tree, along with the pink pearl garland I got from Painted Porch, to help pretty it up.





A typical pinterest project... my fridge snowman!




And then there are the stocking and gifts under the tree...and microwave. ;) 





And lastly, my above the counter decor. It's really just a random mixture of Christmas objects I had. Nothing actually goes together! However the faux white-pine picks were new this year. I just fluffed them up and stuck them up there. I got them where I work and am hoping there are still some there when I get back...just marked way down since it's after Christmas. :)


I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas!!
We sure did.


Blessings,
Olivia





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Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Venison Stroganoff {because I really love my husband}

Hey guys...I'm alive! 
I know, it's been a looong break from blogging, but Chardonnay (that's my puter's name) was sick. So, FYI: if you get an update that looks just like a regular computer update, but is for C++, do not do it! Husband thought it would be a good idea... Nope!

And honestly it was just nice to have a little break, since I was starting to feel kinda burnt out with having to come up with a post every week. I will probably switch to bi-monthly blogging now, and try to make the posts more "quality". ;)

........

So! This last week I was feeling really loving and decided I would cook my husband some venison. I say that because I'm not really a fan (of venison). I only know of two people that actually know how to cook the stuff in a way that makes me actually want to eat it (shout out to Julia Holum and Heidi Burger). It's just too gamey tasting. Eh!

Anyhoo... wanting to surprise Matt with some meat for dinner, (I cook a lot of vegetarian dishes) I decided to see if stroganoff would be a good disguise. 

I spent AN HOUR (literally, an hour - not exaggerating at all here) rinsing out the blood from the meat. *cringe here* Because I actually wanted to be able to eat it myself, and the thought of it cooking in it's own blood is absolutely repulsive to me. THEN, after that was done I had to touch all the pieces in order to cut it up! So. proud. of. myself. Seriously, I gave myself a few extra point for brave cooking. I was really feeling loving!

Well enough of my ramblings about venison... I should just share the recipe, because it turned out pretty well. If you like venison that is. ;) I let Matt have all the leftovers....






Slow-Cooker Venison Stroganoff


- 2 pounds of venison steak (rinsed and cut into bite sized pieces)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3ish cloves of garlic, smashed
- 1 package mushrooms, chopped
- pepper/garlic powder/beef bullion cubes etc. 
- 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
- 1 tub of sour cream
- 1 bag of egg noodles 

Combine the first 6 ingredients in the slow-cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. When it's almost done cooking, stir in as much sour cream as you like, (I used about 3/4 of the container) and make your egg noodles. And crescents, because errbody loves a crescent roll. 

*special note: I also used some cornstarch to thicken it up a bit at the end because I think I dumped some water in that was on the cutting board with the meat. I avoid touching it as much as possible when it's raw :). 






And there ya have it! Most loving wife award goes to... 


Alright, I promise I'll be back to blogging regularly now.
Thank you so much for stopping by and following along!


Blessings to you this week,
Olivia






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