Around the Campfire 🔥 (week 45)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at MMDC this week:

Posts ~
11/3: 🔥 44
11/4: pumpkin spice latte
11/5: tip-sy Tuesday: make your own pumpkin spice blend
11/6: canning jar ring pumpkin
11/7: my sis is hungry: pumpkin chili
11/8: salmon two ways
11/9: yogurt sauce

What's Cooking ~

• baked herb chicken, veggie tots, green salad
• pork tenderloin, kale salad, roasted broccoli
• steak, caesar salad
• grilled tuna, sticky rice, wilted spinach
• country ribs in mushroom gravy, cauliflower rice, roasted asparagus

Thanksgiving ideas...

I had a super busy week working around the house, not exciting or much to talk about - got in an organizing frenzy in my office/wrapping room/gift closet and pulled everything out and got rid of a ton. Love doing that but it's time consuming!

We are getting a new roof and I spent the whole week with a giant headache from the pounding, and from Sarge barking at them non-stop! He "chases" them back and forth from inside the living room across the picture window every time they walk by outside (which is all day long!). I tried closing the curtains but he just gets behind them and keeps yelling. Super annoying.

Got a new phone and of course that also takes up a lot of time! Love hate relationship with new devices - eventually it'll be great but first I have to do some researching to learn it...

Read "The Cactus" by Sarah Haywood, another Reese Witherspoon book club choice and I'm just going to say it - I think I'm not a big fan of her picks!This is like the third book I've read based on her recommendation and have been mostly disappointed. It's fine - predictable and the characters are annoying but it's a light nothing read if you're up for that. If you read it let me know if I'm wrong! I'll go ⭐️⭐️⭐️ only because I did finish it and it's not a complete waste of time hahahah. For the record, the cover says 'fans of "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" (which I loved) will love "The Cactus" - but that is not true!

Hope you had a great week - stop by this coming week for more recipes, crafts, reviews, whatever else I can think to make!

Sincerely,


Jill
camp counselor and grumpy book reviewer ;) 

Yogurt Sauce For Salmon

Janis gave me this recipe, I haven't tried it but she is a great cook so if she says it's delicious then you can guarantee it is! I'll try it next time I make either version of my go-to salmon recipes (click here for that post). 

YOGURT SAUCE FOR SALMON

1 cup yogurt

Juice of 1 lemon with zest

Salt

White pepper

Mix above ingredients to taste.  Delicious over salmon!  Also good with asparagus or other vegetables.

Salmon Two Ways

I'm not a huge salmon lover but I'll eat it because it's so good for you - these are pretty much the only two ways we make it tho -  probably because they both help tone down the "salmon flavor" of salmon! We usually bake the salmon until it's cooked thru, that isn't the popular way but it's how I like it...and since Dave is always after me to eat more fish he'll eat it however I want it...

• #1 (and my favorite) on the left - just spread bbq sauce on the top of the filet and bake or grill. And because I'm a dipper I'll usually add more bbq to serve. Sounds weird but it is really good!

• #2 (and a very close second) on the right - Al and Cathy get credit for telling me about Paul Prudhomme's salmon seasoning, it's been a salmon game changer for me. Brush a little melted butter or olive oil all over the top and sides of the fish, then sprinkle on the seasoning. Bake to your desired doneness. 

I'm hoarding cans of this in case they stop selling it! 

11.8.18: green tomato muffins (don't be scared, they taste like zucchini bread!)
11.8.17: the school psychologist is in sign
11.8.16: dish washing tip
11.8.15: provencal summer vegetable bake

My Sis is Hungry: Pumpkin Chili

Ahhhh Fall. Pumpkins, Sweaters, Chili.. my sister has somehow managed to put 2 of these things in the same dish. Guess which 2?! 

I was pretty excited to try this one, and not just because I was hungry, overworked and didn’t have time to cook this week....

First of all, I did not tell the husband that it had pumpkin in it. He thinks he doesn’t like pumpkin. I had a moment when I uncovered it and I could smell the pumpkin, I thought it might be a problem but lucky for me he didn’t try to sniff it before he ate it. This chili had what appeared to be a mix of turkey cubes and also turkey crumbles. This does not seem like something that would be good but the combo added interesting texture. I loved the flavor of this, it had just enough kick. I couldn’t taste the pumpkin at all but if that’s what was giving it the great flavor then it was good! After the husband gave his review which was a positive thumbs up, I then sprung on him the words “turkey” and “pumpkin” and he still liked it! 

All in all this was delicious. Not a traditional boring chili but not so crazy that it would turn off a traditionalist.  Great Chili! (He gives it a 7, I’m going 8). 

Ps.. my work is having a chili cook off with prizes if my sister would like to make this for me to enter- and pass off as my own.

Jill here: I based this chili on my usual recipe, made a couple changes including ground turkey and chopped turkey, added pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and cinnamon. The reason for the combination of meats is that when I went to the store I initially was only making this for Dave and I so I bought my usual one pound thick slice of turkey from the deli. After the deli lady put the turkey away I thought about making a larger pot of chili and giving to my sis...but then I felt too bad to ask the deli lady to get it back out and slice some more! LOL. I know, I know, it's what she does for a living but still, it seemed rude. So I bought a pound of ground turkey to increase the amount of meat - and it totally worked.

Pumpkin Chili ~

• 3 cans chili beans in sauce
• 1 large can plain diced tomatoes 
• 2 small cans chili ready tomatoes in sauce
• 1 pound deli turkey, chopped into chunks
• 1 pound ground turkey, sprinkled with garlic salt and minced onion, cooked thru, break up into small pieces
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie puree, there's a difference)
• 1 big spoonful brown sugar
• 1 T. chili powder
• 2 t. coriander
• 1/2 t. ground cumin
• 1/2 t. red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• minced onion, garlic salt for cooking the ground turkey
• salt and pepper, to taste

Add all to a big pot, bring to a simmer and let it hang on the stovetop for as long as you want. I usually do like an hour but just get it heated thru. Remove from heat; cool and refrigerate. When ready to serve, reheat. 

Canning Jar Ring Pumpkin

This is a very quick easy craft and look how cute it turned out. Simply tie canning jar rings together to form a circle, push a few cinnamon sticks into the center, add a length of burlap ribbon. Done.

If you don't have cinnamon sticks I'd use some plain ol' sticks from the yard - or wait, how 'bout a wine cork? Hold on, I'm going to go try that real quick! Be right back...

Sweet - it works, and I might like it even more than the cinnamon sticks! This just went from cute to awesome in my book hahaha. No matter if you put cinnamon, real sticks, or a wine cork in the center (or maybe you'll come up with something else entirely - share if you do!) I hope you'll make one of these canning jar ring pumpkins ;)


11.6.18: green tomato soup
11.6.17: football vase




















11.6.16: Kyle's white chicken chili
11.6.15: crocheted beanie

Tip-sy Tuesday: pumpkin pie spice

Don't have, and don't want to buy, pumpkin pie spice to make homemade pumpkin spice latte? I can help.

Mix together:

1 1/2 T. ground cinnamon
2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves (if you don't have cloves, substitute with 1/2 t. ground allspice)

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Hmmmm...I did not know that there is actually pumpkin puree in a pumpkin spice latte. Did you know that? I just assumed it's milk/cream in coffee, flavored with pumpkin pie spice - nope, it also has pumpkin. Interesting.

 I'll tell you a little secret that I'm worried makes me un-American or something...I'm not a pumpkin spice fan. I know, I know - shocking.

So what made me want to make a pumpkin spice latte from scratch? Well I came across a recipe, saw it has pumpkin puree in it, and I have leftover from making those pumpkin pie twists, and it was cold this morning, and I wondered if I made a homemade one if I'd like it better....I figured what the heck, let's try it. About 2 minutes later I was sipping this and for real, it's so much better (to me) than store-bought that I'm now a cautious convert.

I adapted the recipe I found here to suit my tastes - which is not overly sweet, fat-free milk, and cool whip since I don't dare have real whipped cream on hand (!). Obviously if you use 2% or whole milk, and add more sugar it'll be richer and more decadent - but I'm enjoying how mine turned out. Here's how I made it:

Put 1/2 cup milk, 2 T. pumpkin puree, and 2 t. sugar in a glass measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute until hot but not boiling. Whisk in a dash of vanilla, 1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice, and 1/2 cup hot strong coffee. Top with a spoonful of cool whip, sprinkle additional pumpkin pie spice on top.

me, before making homemade spiced lattes!

Around the Campfire 🔥 (week 44)

Dear Campers ~

Hope everyone had a good week? Here's a quick recap of what happened at MMDC in case you missed anything:

Posts ~

10/27: 🔥(week 43)
10/28: spa pumpkin
10/29: black cat string lights
10/30: decorated treat bags
10/31: succulent garden happy halloween!
11/1:  Natalie's lasagna
11/2:  cranberry-vodka punch

What's Cooking ~

• pumpkin chili (my sis reviews this coming week, along with the recipe)
• lemon-rosemary chicken, sweet potato "fettuccini", green beans
• stuffed salmon, grilled asparagus, cauliflower rice
• grilled tuna, sticky rice, creamed spinach
• meatloaf, mashed cauliflower, mixed veggies

Miscellaneous ramblings and other things keeping me busy ~

• read "Daisy Jones and the Six", got good reviews and was on Reese Witherspoons book list...um, sorry Reese but this was very mediocre, predictable, and kinda boring. I'll give it ⭐️⭐️ and I did read the whole thing so not saying it's terrible but... It's about a made-up rock band in the 70's and I'm pretty sure even I could write a better book LOL. Ok, maybe not (you've seen enough of my writing to agree that my rambling posts are one thing, writing a book is another hahahaha). Whatever, read if you want, let me know if you disagree. 
• got "A gentleman in Moscow" back from the library and finished the last half. I love the way the author writes, but this book was too heavy on the political/historical events of Russia and it bogged things down for me. Others love it tho so don't take my ⭐️⭐️⭐️ as gospel.
• working on "Better than Before" but only made it half way thru (again with not finishing in time!) before the library snatched it back. I put my name back on the hold list - it's about forming, changing, sticking to or giving up habits. Pretty good but not something that I'm going to binge read quickly.

Took this picture while packing up the RV from the summer campsite - the catchy "have fun at the beach" flag with the crashing waves, dropped leaves, and bleak sky caught my eye. 

The fact that it's November is freaking me out a little! I love fall - walking the neighborhood in the sunny crisp air, wearing a hat, and seeing all the gorgeous leaves makes me happy. Check back this week to see some fall crafts, recipes (hint: pumpkin spice), and whatever else I can think of to make! 

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor and leaf lover

Cranberry-Vodka Punch

My sis made this cranberry-vodka punch last year at Thanksgiving (I don't think I posted it?), it looks too pretty and sounds too good - so I have to share at the risk of accidentally repeating myself:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups vodka
• 1 cup cranberry juice
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 cup ginger beer (or ginger ale for a sweeter drink)
• 1 cup club soda
• 1 cup frozen cranberries
• sliced candied ginger for garnish, optional

Directions:

In a large pitcher combine all of the ingredients and stir to combine. Serve over ice and be sure to include some cranberries in each glass. Garnish with sliced candied ginger if desired. 

Note: obviously Jen made hers in a punch bowl - so I'm calling it 'cranberry-vodka punch'. I have no idea what the original name of it is but if it isn't 'Cranberry-Vodka-Something' then someone is trying too hard to come up with clever names hahaha. 

is it mean to say I'm impressed she has fall-themed wine glasses?
This is my sister we're talking about after all...;) 

Natalie's "Quickish Lasagna"

Oh. My. Gosh. How good does this look? Natalie sent me pictures and her recipe for ( I love this name) "quickish lasagna" and I'm pretty sad that I'm only looking at it and not actually getting to eat this! Seriously, I'm drooling. Here's what she did, in her words:

This recipe is for a 9x9 to feed 4—double for 8. 

• 1 box Barilla No Boil lasagna noodles. 
• Brown 1/2 lb lean ground beef, then add 1/4 c water, 1/4 t onion powder and 1/4 t garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer until the rest of prep is done.
• 8oz. Ricotta mixed well with 1 egg, 1/4 t garlic powder, 1/4 t dried oregano, 1/4 t salt, 1/4 c shredded parm
• 1 (24 oz) jar fave red sauce or homemade.
• 1 1/3 c. shredded mozzarella
• 1/8 c. grated parm

Place 2 dry noodles parallel over 1/2 c. red sauce in 9x9 greased square pan. Spread 1/4 ricotta mix evenly over dry noodles. Sprinkle 1/2 cooked ground beef evenly, then 1/3 c. mozzarella, then 1/3 c. sauce. 

Layer 2 more noodles perpendicular to last and press firmly down. Spread 1/4 c. ricotta mix evenly over dry noodles, remaining half of ground beef, 1/3 c. mozzarella and 1/3 c. sauce. Add 1/3 c. water to remaining sauce and stir well to hydrate remaining sauce.

Layer 2 more noodles perpendicular to last. Spread remaining ricotta mixture evenly over noodles, add 1/3 c. mozzarella and 1/3 c. red sauce.

Last layer—2 more noodles perpendicular. Spread remaining sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella. Sprinkle with 1/8 c. parm - I prefer grated and not shredded in this layer -lol. Cover tightly with foil. 

Bake in preheated oven covered on 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil for 10-15 and continue cooking until as brown around the edges as you like (keep foil on if you prefer it melty).

After 30 mins 

Took the foil off:

At 40 no foil

And Jimi likes it brown-so we are going for 50!

It’s cooked at 30!

50 and done! To Jimi’s liking-lol.

Color commentary: it’s easy and more assembling than cooking. Kids like it. It tastes better the next day. Looks like a real cook made it-lol. And can be doubled, tripled etc. and still works!