Make My Day Camp

Today is 'boxing day' - I have another post from '18 about boxing day that I'll repost below; I'm pretty much in the same boat as back then on this day after Christmas when the house is a wreck and I don't have anything else to write about LOL. My wish for this boxing day is that someone would come over and help me box all this stuff up! And also box up the huge amount of leftovers we have - the ham (which turned out terrific by the way, I highly recommend this recipe next time you want to make a ham! click here for that post) and scalloped potatoes (which also turned out amazing, not gonna lie I had them for breakfast and will most likely also eat them for lunch and dinner) are going to last us for many meals! Anyway - happy boxing day!

from 12/18:

I don't actually know what "Boxing Day" is - I thought it was an old English thing about packing up leftovers the day after Christmas to take to the downtrodden, but I randomly heard the other day it's a custom (not sure where?) that the servants/housekeepers/maids/etc. who had to work on Christmas Day received boxes of food the day after...I didn't ask 'uncle Google' so I don't know what the definitive definition is. This is totally beside the point - I only titled this "Boxing Day" because it's the day after Christmas and I don't have anything else to post because I spent the entire day, repeat the entire day, cleaning the garage. Which is nothing to blog about.

It kept me busy and was quite the chore; I'm super dirty and covered in glitter. Side note: if you don't know me and wonder why cleaning the garage makes me covered in glitter - (a) my craft room is in a corner of the garage, (b) when you are glittering something like a pinecone wreath and the garage door goes up mid-glittering, (c) glitter goes everywhere. Then (d) your husband asks repeatedly and in a very confused voice, "why is there glitter everywhere in the garage?", and (e) you realize that he rarely complains about the mess you make crafting ALL the time and you should probably (f) do your best to clean up said glitter. Whew, that was a lot of points to make - right?

Wish there was a picture to show you how much glitter I swept up. (PS: there's also a lot of dirt in the garage, it isn't only glitter. Just sayin'). So now it's nighttime, I'm tired and sweaty/glittery, and realize I didn't blog an actual thing today. Tomorrow for sure :).

12.26.21: 🔥 week 52

12.26.19: naughty gingerbread man

12.26.18: boxing day

12.26.17: chex mix

12.26.16: melting snowman cookies

12.26.15: Janis's crunchy fruity granola

Sunday, December 25, 2022

Merry Christmas 12.25.22 (🔥 week 52)

Awwww I'm just seeing last years post with this cutie picture of Sarge and I've decided it's too cute to not share again!

Merry Christmas! Hope you have a blessed day filled with love, laughter, Joy, peace, and good food! 🎄

Here's a quick recap of what happened at camp last week in case you missed anything:

Posts ~

12/18: 🔥 week 51

12/19: grinch heart rice krispie treats

12/20: tip-sy tuesday: Tesha's wrapping tip

12/21: crispy chicken piccata

12/22: crockpot white bean chicken chili

12/23: apricot-bourbon glazed spiral ham

12/24: Christmas lights garland (re-run)

Ghosts of Christmas's past:

Saturday, December 24, 2022

Paper Christmas Lights Garland

This is a repeat from 2015 that I'm sharing again in case you want a fun, easy Christmas craft for the next couple days (that you probably don't have to go to the store for supplies - 'cuz nobody wants that right now!):

LeDonna sent me an inspiration picture of this fun paper craft but no instructions - it's so simple I really could have played around with figuring it out on my own, but because I'm a little bit of a perfectionist I didn't want to just wing it if there was someone who could just tell me exactly how to make these somewhere online, so of course I googled and found a few different ones. I followed these directions and they worked perfectly.

Supplies are few:
- cardstock in a few different colors for the lights, and gray for the tops
- hole punch
-ruler and scorer (scoring isn't necessary but it did make the tops fold easily and look neat)
-glue stick or adhesive of your choice (I used my Stampin' Up rolling glue thingy)
- thick twine to string the lights on, I used about 48"

Directions:
Cut gray cardstock into 1 1/4"x 4" strips
Cut colored cardstock into 1" x 8 1/2" strips
(note I made 15 lights, so I cut 15 gray strips and 15 assorted colors strips).

Score the gray cardstock every 1/2". You could also just fold it neatly every 1/2" and run your fingernail along the edge to give it a sharp crease if you don't have a scorer.

Make a dot at 1 1/4" and 2 3/4" in (that turns out to be in the middle of the 3rd space and the 6th space, see my picture - I stopped making a dot after the first couple and just eyeballed it). Hole punch on the marks. Fold the paper on the score lines, glue both ends 1/2" flap to each other making a circle.

To make the bulb: fold a colored strip in half. Pinch the two ends together and push on your palm or table to get a slight bend in the sides of the bulb. Holding the ends together hole punch thru both layers about 1/4" down in the center.

To string them into garland, put the top of a colored strip into a gray circle matching up the holes. Run twine thru all 4 holes. Then continuing adding the lights until you have it as long as you want, making sure to line up the bulbs with the glued gray part all facing the same way. Spread them evenly on the twine.

One thing I did I have a second of trouble with is the twine fraying and becoming hard to fit thru the holes - I wrapped a small piece of tape around the end and that solved the problem.

12.24.21: saran wrap ball game

12.24.20: snowman place setting

12.24.19: appetizer wreath

12.24.18: animal figurine small gift holder

12.24.17: turkey breast and stuffing

12.24.16: Christmas eve thoughts

12.24.15: pop up gift wrap

Friday, December 23, 2022

Apricot - Bourbon Glazed Spiral Ham

I Googled for some new ham recipes and came across this one that sounds really good (and easy) so I'm going to try it for Christmas. I don't have a picture but will update this post after I make it - if you click the link below there's a video of how to make the recipe if you want to watch or have any questions.

It's recommended to buy 1/3 pound of ham per person if you're having boneless ham, or 1/2 pound per person if bone-in ham. I would buy more tho to make sure I have leftovers, because it seems like having leftover ham and the hambone are the only times a year I make ham-based soup - and I love soup so...

How long to bake a ham? Since spiral hams are already cooked, you’re really just warming it through, infusing it with flavor, and crisping the edges. To avoid drying it out, add water to the bottom of your roasting pan, place the ham on a baking rack above the water, and cover it with foil. You're going to want to bake until it’s 140° in the center (this should take 10 to 12 minutes per pound). Uncover it in the last 30 minutes when you’re glazing it, so those edges get caramelized.

This recipe serves 12

1
(8 to 10-lb.) whole cured, smoked, bone-in ham
1/2 c.
apricot jam
1/4 c.
light brown sugar
2 tbsp.
bourbon (optional)
1 tbsp.
Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp.
crushed red pepper flakes
1. Remove ham from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. Place a rack in a large roasting pan and cover the rack with foil. Pour 2 cups water in the bottom of roasting pan and place ham on the foil on the rack.
3. In a small bowl, stir together jam, brown sugar, bourbon, Dijon, and red pepper flakes. Brush ham with some of the glaze and roast, basting with more glaze every 30 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 140°, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.
4. Let rest 15 minutes before carving.
recipe found here

12.23.21: broccoli Christmas tree veggie tray
12.23.20: candy cane danish (rerun)
12.23.19: santa cheese plate
12.23.18: 🔥week 51
12.23.17: candy cane danish

12.23.16: caramel corn
12.23.15: Christmas table decorating ideas

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Crockpot White Bean Chicken Chili by Macey

Mae sent me this recipe and pictures and yum! This looks and sounds great, and I love the details she shared - thanks again Macey! Here's what she did, in her words (her last sentence made me laugh!):

Tonight’s dinner was a White Bean Chicken Chili prepared in the crockpot!

I began by carmelizing onions, (1 whole white onion) in Olive Oil and Butter… (salted butter is best). From there, I added minced garlic (this recipe calls for 4 cloves which I thought seemed like a lot, but it wasn’t)!

Once the garlic was just about done (seriously, only cook the garlic for less than a minute or you’ll run the risk of burning… yuck).

I added 1/2 can of northern beans with 1 cup of chicken broth into a blender and let it go until the consistency was smooth.

From there, both the contents from blender and onions/garlic in pan went into crockpot where I then added the remainder of the northern beans (1/2 can), a 1/2 cup chicken broth (not included in the blender), 1 can of whole kernel corn (drained) and a couple tablespoons of green chilies. ** the recipe calls for 1, 4oz can of green chilies but I couldn’t find at the store so I went with the best bang for my buck and figure I’ll make something else this week that incorporates the remaining green chiles 🤤 (no food gets wasted around here! HAHA).

There is two ways you can do the chicken for this chili. Either put the chicken in raw (breasts) and let it slow cook for 4 hours (turn on high for the first 30 mins and then bring to a low level on crockpot for the remaining 3.5 hours).

I didn’t do this way; rather, I took the chicken that I had in the fridge already (I like to cook a whole chicken once a week and use this as a way to make many many meals… I don’t cook the chicken fully so that it doesn’t dry out). But I used this chicken for the chili and shredded the pieces by hand).

From here, I added the oregano, salt and pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper, (all 1 tablespoon) and a few drops of lime juice to taste. It adds a nice zing to it without overpowering!

Once you are nearing time to eat, spoon a dollop or two of sour cream, (heavy whipping cream if necessary but I try to keep things somewhat healthier where I can).

I topped the chili with cilantro, and more salt and pepper to taste. You can add shredded cheese to the top as well, but I decided I’d rather drink those extra calories in wine than include 🧀 😜

12.22.21: funny secret santa

12.22.20: circle gift card enclosure

12.22.19: 🔥 week 51

12.22.18: wine cork reindeer ornament

12.22.17: coconut thumbprint cookies

12.22.16: santa ball ornament

12.22.15: hot chocolate spoons

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Crispy Chicken Piccata

This is another knock-off Home Chef recipe for crispy chicken piccata. It isn’t really a standard version of piccata other than the capers, it’s really good tho so no matter what we call it this is a keeper recipe. They served theirs with roasted red potatoes and green beans tossed with olive oil, garlic, and salt - I did buttered noodles with Parmesan and a Caesar salad; here’s my version:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup mayo
2 T. capers, or to taste
1/4 cup panko
Lemon wedges
Salt and pepper
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 425’

2. Pat chicken dry, season both sides with a pinch of pepper. Place in a baking dish, top evenly with mayo, panko, and 1/4 t. Salt. Spray with cooking spray.

3. Bake uncovered until chicken is cooked thru and reaches a minimum internal temp of 165’, 23-28 minutes.

4. To serve, top chicken with capers and squeeze lemon wedges overtop.

2 servings