Believe in the Magic Traci Diary

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  • Pork and Sauerkraut (A Slow Cooker Recipe)

    It’s a family tradition to have pork and sauerkraut for our New Year’s dinner.  My father-in-law would make a big pot of it and family members would eat the sauerkraut so that they would have good luck for the new year.  Since he died two weeks ago, I offered to make it this year.

    I made some changes to how it was cooked.  First of all I made it in my slow cooker instead of in a big stock pot.  I also roasted potatoes instead of cooking the potatoes in the slow cooker with the meat and sauerkraut.  Hubby loved it and was impressed because it didn’t have the bitter/sour taste you usually associate with sauerkraut.  He even took some to work with him to share with his co-workers.

    The boys did taste the sauerkraut so they would have good luck but being kids didn’t really like it.  At least they tried it which is better than on New Year’s Eve.  I made fish for supper.  The fish was cooked with olive oil and a seasoning mix from one of my Foodie Pen Pals.  Hubby loved it but the boys wanted to give me excuses on why they could not eat it.  They still had to eat it but it was interesting on what excuses they came up with.  The best one is their brain was going to explode since I told them fish is brain food.

    Now onto the recipe:

    Pork and Sauerkraut in the Slow Cooker

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    Stars of the recipe:

    • 1 -2 lbs. pork roast
    • 16 – 32 oz. of sauerkraut (depending on how much pork you have)
    • 1 big carrot or 2 small carrots, peeled and cut into small pieces
    • 1 apple, peeled and cut into small pieces
    • 1 – 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Steps:

    1. Drain and rinse the sauerkraut several times to remove the brine.
    2. Place the pork roast in the bottom of the slow cooker.  (Mine is 5 qt.)  Sprinkle salt and pepper on the pork roast.
    3. In a small mixing bowl, combine the rinsed sauerkraut, apple pieces, carrot pieces, and brown sugar.
    4. Place the sauerkraut mixture on the pork roast.
    5. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
    6. Shred the pork and combine with the sauerkraut.
    7. Enjoy with boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, or roasted potatoes (just serving suggestions)!

    Printable Recipe

  • Sausage Gravy

    My absolute favorite breakfast besides granola and yogurt is sausage gravy and biscuits.  Sometimes I treat myself to an order of them at our local farmer’s market.

    Since I was on winter/Christmas break and life was back to normal or almost normal, I decided I needed to make some for Hubby and my lunch.  The Wee One and the Imaginative One won’t touch the gravy with a ten foot pole.

    So if you are looking for a delicious lazy Saturday type of breakfast, this recipe is for you.

    Sausage Gravy

    Crumbs and Chaos

    Stars of the recipe:

    • 1 pound of bulk sausage
    • 1/2 c. flour (I used whole white wheat)
    • 4 c. milk or 2 c. milk and 2 c. half and half
    • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
    • black pepper and seasoning salt (or white salt) to taste

    Steps:

    1. Brown crumbled up sausage in a skillet on med. heat.  Don’t drain the grease off.
    2. Add the flour and stir until all of the sausage is coated with flour.
    3. Cook for about 2 minutes.
    4. Add the milk and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet.
    5. Turn the heat up to high and allow the mixture to boil.  (Keep an eye on the mixture.)
    6. After it boils, turn the heat down to med. low and allow to cook for 5 more minutes or until the gravy is thickened.
    7. Enjoy over biscuits!  Some biscuit recipes from my blog are 7-up biscuits, buttermilk biscuits, or buttermilk biscuits revisited.

    Printable Recipe

  • This Weather

    Many states in the United States are currently dealing with the Polar Vortex. From my understanding, it is always around, but this is the first time in 20 years that it’s gone so south and stalled. We are experiencing record lows that have not been felt in 20 years which was my first year in college. I am surprised I don’t remember that because I went to a community college and would ride public transportation to and from school. I would have to walk several blocks to catch the bus home even though I could ride a bus down there, but I decided to be healthy most of the time by walking. I don’t remember it getting that cold, or I just forgot.

    However, I remember coming home from Walt Disney World in January 1996. I had been down there for the College Program.

    Disclaimer:  Cell phones and the Internet were not as readily available as they are now. In fact, I did not use the Internet until the summer of 1997 and did not own my first cell phone until my first year of teaching (2000-2001 school year).   Even then, I rarely carried it around.

    This day reminds me of the day I came home from my Disney internship 18 years ago. (We have record-breaking cold weather. The forecast had been 8 to 12 inches of snow, and we only got 1.5 inches of snow.)

    I had talked to my mom before leaving for the airport. She told me that it was cold and snowy. It was 80 degrees in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, and I wore shorts during that phone call.

    Later that morning, I got onto the plane (no longer in shorts) and never heard about the connecting flight from Atlanta to Dayton. Another person who had done the internship and I had taken the same flight home. We took time calling our family in the Dayton area. (I had to use the pay phone) The other person waited in line to find out information about our delay. We knew more from our family than we did from the Atlanta airport.

    We finally did take off almost 11 hours after we were supposed to take off. (11ish at night). When we landed in Ohio, we were greeted with 8 inches of snow on the ground (I looked it up today). I put on layers because I had no winter coat with me. We then hunkered down in the baggage claim area, which was freezing because of the exterior flaps. One baggage claim carousals had some diet Pepsi and peanuts come through, so that was our middle-of-the-night snack. I had no pillow but did have a big Pumbaa stuffed animal. That ended up being my pillow. (It was about 2 am at this point.)

    Between 6 and 7 am, we found one cab driver willing to drive me home. Even though the other young man lived close to the airport, he rode with me to ensure I got home safely.

    I could not find the spare key outside the house, and everyone was asleep. Luckily my grandma woke up to go to the bathroom. She heard me outside and let me in. (No cell phone because cell phones were nothing like we have today.) Even though they wanted to celebrate Christmas since I was in Disney on Christmas Day, I told them I was ready to sleep.

    When I got up, we had to go to Walmart because I had left all my personal hygiene goodies in my apartment in Lake Buena Vista, and my glasses had broken right before I left.

    Oh, this was a Sunday into Monday ordeal . . . And we were only supposed to get 2-3 inches of snow that Sunday. (The dates were January 7 into the 8th).

    Four years later, I traveled down there with Hubby. It was our honeymoon a year after we had married. On the way home, we got stuck in Newark, New Jersey. They had a plane for us, but suddenly, there was no plane. We spent the night in the Newark, New Jersey, airport. The next 2 times we traveled to Walt Disney World were by car, and when we went in March, we were once again driving.

  • Honey Kettle Corn

    I like kettle corn, but not if it’s too sweet.  The microwaveable kettle corn packets are way too sweet for my liking.  The ones you get at fairs have the right balance of sweetness and saltiness.  When I found this easy recipe for honey butter popcorn, it reminded me of kettle corn with that perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness.

    It would be a great snack for a movie night.  Make some honey kettle corn, and then watch a movie.

    Honey Kettle Corn

    Finding Joy in my Kitchen

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    Stars of the recipe:

    • 6 c. of cooked popcorn (I use an air popper for my popcorn.)
    • 2 Tbsp. butter
    • 1/4 c. of honey (Spray the measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring out the honey.)
    • Salt to taste

    Steps:

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    2. Pop the popcorn and then put it into a baking dish.
    3. Place butter and honey in a microwaveable dish.  Microwave for 1 and a half minutes on high.
    4. Pour the butter-honey mixture over the popcorn.
    5. Stir to coat the popcorn.
    6. Bake in the oven for five minutes.
    7. Remove from oven, add the salt, and stir.  Bake for an additional 3 minutes.
    8. Remove from oven.  Allow cooling time.
    9. Enjoy!

    Printable Recipe

  • IHOP Pancakes (Copycat recipe)

    When my kids stayed overnight at the grandparent’s house, my father-in-law would make them pancakes for breakfast.  At his funeral, the boys asked me to make them pancakes.  At first, I told them no because I did not think I would have time to make them any pancakes.  I used a baking mix to make the pancakes because I did not have time to make them from scratch.

    I found this recipe from Finding Joy in my Kitchen‘s countdown to the new year’s linky party.  Mostly Homemade posted her list of best breakfasts.  This was one of her best breakfast recipes of 2013.

    When I made it for breakfast one morning, the Wee One licked his lips when I asked him what he thought of the pancakes.  He told me that licking his lips meant he liked them.  So he gives his seal of approval.

     

    IHOP Pancakes (Copycat Recipe)

    Mostly Homemade

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    Stars of the recipe:

    • 1-1/4 c. flour (I used white whole wheat.)
    • 1 tsp. baking soda
    • 1 tsp. baking powder
    • pinch of salt
    • 1 egg, beaten
    • 1-1/4 c. buttermilk or 1-1/4 c. milk with 1 Tbsp. And 1/2 tsp. Vinegar added to it
    • 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp. melted butter
    • 1/4 c. sugar

    Steps:

    1. Preheat griddle.  (I used my stovetop. I heated mine to med. heat.)
    2. In a med. Mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
    3. Add the buttermilk and beaten egg.  Stir to combine ingredients.
    4. Next, add the melted butter, vanilla, and sugar.  Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
    5. Grease your griddle or griddle pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
    6. Cook pancakes until bubbles form.  (I ladled the batter onto the griddle pan in 1/4 c. portions.)  Flip and then cook for another minute or two.
    7. Enjoy with butter, syrup, or even strawberry jelly!

    Printable Recipe

  • 2013 in review

    The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

    Here’s an excerpt:

    The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 25,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 9 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

    Click here to see the complete report.

  • Smells Like Grandma’s House Soup

    We had a turkey for Christmas dinner.  The leftovers were shared between my sister-in-law, mother-in-law, and my family.  I used the turkey to make soup for the next day’s dinner.

    When the Wee One walked into the kitchen for dinner, he sniffed the air.  Then he remarked, “It smells like grandma’s house.”  He was given a bowl and ended up devouring it.  While eating, he sang about Kookaburra birds, a Girl Scouts song.  My mother-in-law is a Girl Scouts leader, so this was an appropriate song.

    The other fan of the soup was my Hubby.

    So make this soup if you have any turkey or chicken left over from your Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even dinner.

    Smells Like Grandma’s House Soup

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    Stars of the recipe:

    • 1 c. chopped or shredded chicken or turkey
    • 1 c. leftover veggies or frozen mixed veggies (We had leftover mixed veggies and corn.  That’s what was in our soup.)
    • 4 c. chicken broth
    • 1 – 2 c. water
    • 1/4 to 1/2 box of small pasta (I used whole grain shells.)
    • 1 bay leaf
    • Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste

    Steps:

    1. Combine the chicken or turkey, veggies, broth, water, bay leaf, and spices in a dutch oven or big soup pot.
    2. Turn the burner to high and allow the broth/water to boil.
    3. Once the broth/water is boiling, add the pasta.
    4. Follow the directions on the pasta box for how long to cook the pasta.  (Mine took about 7 minutes.)
    5. After the pasta is cooked, discard the bay leaf.
    6. Taste, and if necessary, add more spices to taste.
    7. Ladle into bowls.
    8. Enjoy with pretzel rolls, a slice of bread, crackers, or a biscuit.

    Printable Recipe

  • Recipes Not Viewed

    Here are some lesser known recipes:

    1.  Yummy Sugar Cookie – Published in Sept. 2010

    2.  Brown Sugar Carrots – Published in Feb. 2012

    3.  Homemade Hamburger Helper – Published in Oct. 2010

    4.  Homemade Pizza – Published in June 2010

    5.  Chicken Stew with Parsley – Published in Feb. 2011

    6.  Mystery Cookies – Published in March 2011

    7.  2 good fruit dips – Published in Aug. 2010

    8.  Ginger snaps – Published in Dec. 2013

    9.  Brown Sugar Ham – Published in Feb. 2012

    10.  Pinto Beans and Ham – Published in Oct. 2010

    11.  Skyline Chili – Published in Sept. 2010

    12.  Easy Rolls – Published in July 2010

    Top Clicks of 2012

  • Reader’s Favorites of 2013

    Here are all-time favorite recipes from the beginning of the blog:

    5.  2 Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies  – Published 11/19/11

    4.  Pumpkin Granola – Published 10/09/12

    3.  Sausage, cream cheese, and Rotel dip – Published 03/09/12

    2.  Peanut butter blossoms – Published 10/24/10

    1.  Baked Spaghetti – Published 01/07/12

    Here are my favorite recipes of 2013:

    5.  Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

    4.  Homemade “Shamrock” Shake

    3.  Key Lime Smoothie

    2.  Almond Butter Protein Pancakes

    1.  Biscoff Mug Cake

    Favorite recipes of 2012

  • Candy Cane Peppermint Puppy Chow

    I had leftover candy canes and Chex cereal left over from making Chex Mix, so when I found this recipe, I knew I needed to make it. It may be difficult finding peppermint baking chips. Look for them anyway because this recipe is delicious.

    I decided to post it so I can put it on my Christmas baking and making page for next year.

    Candy Cane Peppermint Puppy Chow

    Daily Dish Recipes

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    Stars of the recipe:

    • 5 c. Chex cereal (rice or corn)
    • 10 oz. Andes  peppermint baking chips (red bag) or any other peppermint chips
    • 1 c. powdered sugar
    • 6 candy canes, crushed

    Steps:

    1. Place peppermint baking chips in a microwaveable bowl. Melt at 50% power in 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until the chips are melted.
    2. While the peppermint chips are in the microwave, place the Chex cereal in a big bowl. Pour the melted peppermint chips over the cereal.
    3. Stir until the cereal is coated with the melted peppermint chips.
    4. Put the powdered sugar and crushed candy canes in a gallon-sized bag. Add the cereal to the bag.
    5. Shake until all of the cereal is coated with powdered sugar.
    6. Store in an airtight container for 2 weeks.
    7. Enjoy!

    Printable Recipe

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