Huntin Deer and Christmas Cheer

Three days before Christmas and I am finished with my shopping list. Actually, I finished on Sunday! I admit, I went to the mall this past weekend and joined the crazies in their last-minute gift adventures, but I am done. Insert sigh of relief. All I have to do now is sit back and relax and await the arrival of Christmas...
I take that back. On Christmas Eve, I have a very big job in our family. A majority of my family gathers (weather permitting) at my parent's house for Christmas Eve pizza. We have been baking them for as long as I can remember. As a curious child, I always involved myself in the pizza-making process some how. I would sit on the counter in flour, play with dough, eat the pepperonis. As I grew up, I took on more important tasks, such as topping the pizza, watching the oven, and still eating bits of topping before it could make it to the raw dough. Now, with the help of a few others, I am the pizza nazzi. Pizza making takes skill. Each year, I get a little better and it's perfected one year at a time. I still use the original hand-written receipe Papa Bob (grandpa) passed down to my mom and me and he still supervises our efforts. Although I am sworn to secrecy, I have a couple secrets to share: dough is made about 4 hours before bake time and the sauce is made the night before. It has to set and settle so all the flavors can shine through. That's all. I might wind up missing if anymore slips out. All homemade. All delicious. All exactly how we like it. I look forward to blessing my family with another great homemade pizza dinner on Friday night.

I have already watched Christmas Vacation for the past 4 nights as I fall asleep and I can't wait until the 24 hours of Christmas Story. Those bunny pajamas and piggy troff, get me everytime! Love laughter.

On other notes...Blake has been enjoying his break from school and hunting...a lot it seems. I'm okay with it because he brings me the game for future dinners. I have yet to cook game, with the exception of dove nuggets for Ashley's wedding shower back in August, but I am looking forward to it. Dove and deer currently occupy a space in my freezer and I'm sure duck will make it's way in too. If you have any good receipes I should try, please share. Otherwise, I will be exploring the internet for them, and hope they are actually good!
In all the years Blake and I have been together, I have never been hunting with him. It's a guy thing, right? Well that might all change soon. We are trying to find a time, before duck season ends, where I can join him and the dogs and "pound some ducks" as he would say. I have used a shotgun once in my life at a skeet shoot where, I might add, I shot about 4 out of 50. If I shoot one duck, I will be a happy hunter. Blake will start back up in January for his last semester. What a great feeling to be graduating!

And for New Years, Blake and I will be going to Dallas for New Year's Eve/New Year's and spending some quality time with my best friend in the whole wide world, Kasey! I couldn't be more excited, especially since I haven't ever gone anywhere for NYE. YEAH!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May His love surround you always and especially during this special time of year.

"infamous" sausage rolls

Ever since I can remember, my mom has made these delicious sausage rolls. These rolls are almost indescribable. They are flaky and crisy, but also creamy and savory. These little bites were a hit at every breakfast related event. I, myself, have only attempted to make these a couple of times. The latest time was for Ashley's bridal breakfast on the day of her wedding. I can't decide if this was a good idea or not, because I love the delicious breakfast item, but stuffing my face when I'm supposed to fit into a non-elastic dress might not have been so smart. What's done is done. And the dress still fit, oh by the way.

I thought I would share the "infamous" sausage roll receipe with ya'll! So here it goes...
1 pound sausage rolls
1 brick (8 oz.) cream cheese
2 packages crescent rolls

Crumble and brown the sausage in a frying pan. Drain grease and place in mixing bowl.

Unwrap cream cheese and drop in mixing bowl. Stir thoroughly until well combined.

Now for the "scary" part. Unwind the crescent roll wrapper until it pops violently (or so I think)! Roll out the crescent rolls and keep in their rectangular form. Pinch the perferation line together and pat down flat. Turn over and pinch the same line and pat down again. This will prevent the roll from separating in the middle.

Next, scoop out some of the sausage and cheese mixture on to the roll. Smooth flat across the rectangle and roll up. Store on a plate, in a tupperware, or some other kind of coverable dish and place in the refrigerator overnight. 

Now for the next steps, I am photo-less. I brought these to Ashley's house for her bridal breakfast and they were cooked and consumed so quickly, pictures were simply impossible. Take the cold rolls and cut into slices. I usually cut into slices about an inch thick. Place slices on a cookie sheet and place in 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Keep your eye on these little bites, they are delicate and can burn quickly, especially on the bottom. Let cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy!

delicious summer lemon pie

While flipping through the August issue of Southern Living, I found these lemon pie receipes and had to make them both right away! You can find them here and here.

Blake's grandmother used to make a lemon pie that many people in his family have the receipe too. I have never tried to replicate this pie, but after he indulged in a piece, he said it tasted very similar.

The difference between the two receipes is the ingredients. The "Your Way" pie is made with store bought items like lemon pudding, cream cheese, lemonade concentrate and a pre-made crust. The "Mama's Way" pie everything was homemade. Cracking and separating eggs, squeezing fresh lemon juice and pressing my own crust into a pan.

I squeezed this many lemons (plus another I already threw into the garbage disposal to make my kitchen smell pretty).

and I only got this much lemon juice. I suggest getting a large bag of lemons.

After starting the crust making process I realized that I didn't have a 9" pie plate the receipe called for (or any pie plate for that matter), so I opted to use a tart pan. It still turned out wonderful and golden brown.

I poured the filling into the tart pan and baked, cooled and chilled.

I devoured a piece of each pie. After all the stirring, mixing, baking and chilling, I think the "Mama's Way" (also known as Zesty Lemon Pie) is the winner! YUMMM...