Till Then Smile Often

Homemade Sausage Stuffing

All my memories of Thanksgiving, are of spending it at my Aunt and Uncle’s house up on the North Shore. Only one do I remember when my Dad decided to try it at home and it put me off Turkey since I was 12 years old. Poor guy. Either way it is built on tradition and they cook all the food. What better way to go!! Kidding! I do make some of the desserts though. I have thought of doing a friends Thanksgiving though and this recipe would be a great addition. I have included below some things that I want to try adding to this when I make it again! This is based off this original recipe.

Homemade Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients: 1 loaf ciabatta bread torn or cut into bite-size pieces ~ 1 package of sausage ~ 1  cup chopped onion ~1/2 cup chopped celery ~ 2 teaspoons    thyme ~ 1 teaspoon sage ~ 1/2 teaspoon Basil ~ 2  tablespoons olive oil ~ 1 egg, lightly beaten ~ 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used a Horseradish Cheddar) ~ salt and ground black pepper to taste ~  1/2 – 3/4 cup chicken broth

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 2-quart shallow baking dish; set aside. Spread bread pieces evenly in an ungreased Cookie sheet/baking pan. **Cut the pieces a little smaller than I did.
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Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until bread is dry, stirring once. Transfer to a very large bowl; set aside.  Cook sausage over medium-high heat until brown. Drain off fat.
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Transfer sausage to the bowl with the bread pieces. In the same skillet, cook onion, celery, thyme, sage, and basil in hot oil over medium-high heat until onion and celery are tender.
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Transfer onion mixture to the bowl. Stir in egg, the 1/2 cup cheese (I used a Horseradish Cheddar – it added a very nice punch of flavor, but any cheese will do), salt, and pepper. Drizzle with enough of the chicken broth to moisten, tossing gently to combine.
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Transfer bread mixture to the prepared baking dish.* Cover and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until heated through.

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The original recipe also stated that this can be used to stuff a turkey up to 12 pounds but is a great stand alone dish too. This is optional but I finished it off with a sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese.
Homemade Sausage Stuffing
Items I want to add next time: Apples, cranberries, mulled wine in place of the chicken stock, use Chorizo in place of sausage.
What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?

Linking up with Jessica and Ashley.

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Nesting and Cleaning

I have a feeling that for the month of November my Weekend Updates may be really boring! I have a feeling I am kinda nesting. It is getting really cold here, and my friend Lynn even got some snow in New Hampshire! So I will try and spare you from too much boredom!

Friday: After work I was so tired I was practically falling asleep at my desk, so once I got home I took Seamus for a walk, then poured myself a glass of champagne. I am trying a few new brands in preparation for New Years. Never to early to start taste testing, right?! It was decent but don’t think it will make the cut. I also got caught up on my shows that I DVR’d.

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Saturday: I can’t say that I took many pictures because I was crazily getting stuff done. I hit some shopping first thing in the morning. First it was to the Christmas Tree Shop to snag a Christmas present for someone. I then went to A.C. Moore for a few supplies for cake decorating class. I then went to the Dollar Tree to pick up some storage bins. I ended up getting about 20 of them. I am using them for my pantry, for my basement, and for my toiletry closet.

storageAfter a few hours of doing laundry, cleaning my bathroom, baking cakes for my last cake decorating class (insert sad face), dusting every available surface in my house, and cleaning my humidifiers I watched the movie Mud (with Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon) while re-designing my blog header and sidebar. What do you think of the changes?

Sunday: I tried to hit the grocery store early because Sunday is always a little crazy. Then I had to rake my lawn. In my town the month of November is the only time when they pick up leaves curbside so I have to get it done since I refuse to put them in my car and take it to the dump. After about an hour I filled up 9 bags and ran out so I will have to resume next weekend. Did I mention I don’t have any trees in my yard??? This is all from neighbors trees or overhang from neighbors trees!! (Update: Getting into my car this morning there was a ton of leaves covering what I managed to rake up! 🙁

yardI cooked up some eggs for egg salad for the week while I took a quick shower. Then I made a quick lunch of egg salad on romaine lettuce leaves.

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I then had to make more icing for my class and do a crumb coat on the cakes I made earlier. I put together a new recipe too for Homemade Sausage Stuffing. It was really good, and of course I’ll be sharing the recipe.

stuffingThe night was filled with dishes, and more dishes and watching some tv while writing a few blog posts. I do not know how people do it! I am just one person and a dog household and I feel like my whole weekend is full of cleaning.

When do you clean?

How do you balance fun with getting chores done?

Linking up with Sami at Sami’s Shenanigans and Leann at Join the Gossip .

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Buy Me Things, please!

Happy Friday!! How is everyone recovering from Halloween? I managed to escape with having only eaten 3 Almond Joy’s and I didn’t take home any of the leftovers. Emily from Beauty and the Greek posted about doing a Favorite Things post, so I have to join in the fun! So here are just a few of my favorite things, because honestly I am exhausted and still recovering from near to no sleep!!

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This scarf is now on my Christmas list!! My Dad won’t buy anything online so this is up to my family or friends so if anyone needs ideas, this scarf is perfect and it’s on sale for $29!! Can’t beat it. The one below from the Gap runs a close second!

Gap Cozy Plaid Scarf - minty teal

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I am loving my cake decorating class and getting different ideas on Pinterest on even more ways to decorate cakes and cupcakes.  I saw this pin and immediately thought about my niece who loves Disney princesses. With a little more practice I am confident I could do this one.

Cupcakes!

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Via

What more can I say about the Red Sox that hasn’t already been said ….. Boston Red Sox Champs!!! Exactly, nothing else needs to be said!

Halloween

Seriously Halloween is my favorite Holiday!! I love dressing up and figuring out what to wear and decorating the yard. Seeing what all the kids dress up as, and the looks on their faces when I open the door all dressed up.

Now I am going to mope that it is over, but it’s time to start thinking about what i will be next year! It must be without face paint because that stuff starts to itch!!

Beauty and the Greek

Happy Halloween

Halloween is by far my favorite holiday! So while I am celebrating here is a quick picture of my costume! I will be posting more pics throughout the day on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter so be sure you are following me if you want to see more of my costume! I will also be posting my Dad’s house after I finish up the decorations this afternoon.

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Have a very happy and safe Halloween!!

Healthy Train Pulling In

Sorry guys but I am going to be a little short and sweet today since it has been a hectic week. It’s feeling like I didn’t even have a mini-vacation anymore!! Between my cake decorating class, the creeper who followed me out of the gym on Monday and blew kisses at me at the stop light, and trying to finish up my Halloween costumes I am beyond tired. So So minus a few indulgences during my vacation I am back on the healthy eats train and here is what I ate in a day.

 Breakfast: I am going with my regular shake, it is the only thing I can stomach eating so early in the morning. It is protein powder, 1/2 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup of almond milk, and 16-18 oz of water. Depending on the day I will add peanut butter or skip it and go with 12 almonds.

Mid-morning snack: This is 3 oz of chicken (leftovers from my Greek Chicken Gyro) and 1 cup of broccoli in cheese sauce.

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Lunch: Another 3 oz of chicken and 1 cup of mixed veggies. This was just a frozen mix bag but for some reason it tasted funny so I didn’t finish it! 🙁 It may be because I am not a fan of cooked carrots. I love raw carrots though, go figure!

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Mid-Afternoon snack: This is one scoop of protein powder and about 12-16 oz of water. I also had 5 oz of Greek yogurt with my sugar free jello powder (not pictured).

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Dinner: My go to for dinner is usually egg white scrambles or protein pancakes. This is 3/4 cup of egg white and 1 whole egg scrambled, with a small side salad. This was post gym so I basically woofed this down in 3 seconds!

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For those of you who missed it I also had a Greek Chicken Gyro that I whipped up this weekend. The recipe can be found here.

Greek Chicken Gyro

Since you have been kind enough to stick around this far, if you haven’t already please go over and like my facebook page that i just created this weekend. I know I am a little late to the game since this little bloggity blog is 10 months old but whatevs I do what I want! 🙂 Smooches!!

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Do you have any go to healthy meals?

Greek Chicken Gyro

I think I can trace the freshman 15 that I gained to the Greek Gyro place above the bars in Columbus on High Street not that I drank then because I wasn’t 21 yet! Hi Dad! The traditional Gyro is usually with lamb meat which is just as good, but it is not a meat that I am likely to have around, and this is a meal I can easily make on the fly with ingredients I normally always keep in my house. You can make homemade Tzatziki sauce (if so go to the original recipe here).

Greek Chicken Gyro

Ingredients: 2 teaspoons minced garlic ~ Juice of 1 lemon (2-3 Tablespoons) ~ 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar (I used fig infused Vinegar since I had it on hand) ~ 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil ~ 2 heaping Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt ~ 1 Tablespoon dried oregano ~ Salt and pepper to taste ~ 1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins ~ Red Onion ~ Tomato, diced ~ Pita (I used Joseph’s brand Flax, Oat, Bran pita bread – its low in carbs)

Directions: Mix the chicken with all above ingredients leaving the red onion, tomato and pita for final assembly. Marinate in the fridge for no less than one hour or overnight. I have done both methods and it has been wonderful each time so don’t worry if you are short on time.

Greek Chicken Gyro

Place the chicken and the marinade in a pan and cook thoroughly approximately 4 minutes per side. You could also use a foil lined pan and bake in the oven. I used tenderloins which are much thinner than chicken breasts so they will cook a little faster. Once cooked, let rest for a minute or so and then cut into cubes or thin strips.

Greek Chicken Gyro

Now it’s time to assemble. Place a spoonful of the Tzatziki sauce on a pita.

Greek Chicken Gyro

Next add the chicken, red onion, and then the tomato.

Greek Chicken GyroGreek Chicken Gyro

Wrap the pita in a piece of tin foil to help catch some of the sauce that will no doubt drip a little.

 Greek Chicken Gyro

Next, devour!! I will enjoy using the leftovers the rest of the week too!!

Do you have a favorite Greek dish?

Shameless plug, I created a Facebook page this weekend so please hop over and like my page here.

Linking up with Jessica and Ashley.

Most Restful Weekend Ever

Oh my, I can’t believe my mini-vacation is over. I feel like I did a lot but then I feel like I did nothing!! I guess it was a good mix. It started off with a bang that is for sure! I’ll try and spare you from most of it!

Thursday: Thanks to Facebook and my friend Lori winning tickets to the meet and greet to the Ed Kowalczyk the former lead singer of the band LIVE I headed out to a concert. So to burn off some excited energy I hit the hiking trails in the morning while listening to some of the older albums.

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We got to hear him play 4 songs, answer questions, then got to have a picture taken with him. We decided to stay for the concert as well, after a quick dinner. Did I mention I hate having my picture taken.

concerta little selfie action waiting to go inside // Ed singing a few songs // a little Q&A session
Ed singing a few songs // Morse Tavern for dinner // Angry Orchard Ale
Dinner – Steak Bomb and Sweet potato fries // Meet and Greet pic // After the concert getting my cd signed

Friday: The morning was all about getting a few shopping errands out of the way. First to the Vitamin Shoppe to get some protein powder. Am I the only one who gets excited to open a new tub of protein? My favorite flavors Graham Cracker and Peanut Butter & Chocolate.

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Then at home I did a little cleaning and took a little nap. Once I woke up I took Seamus for a long walk then it was snuggle time.

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That is his head on my thigh, talk about cuddly!!

Seriously that face, love him to pieces! Then it was a quiet night in with movies, popcorn and some Angry Orchard Cider. Perfect relaxing night.

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Saturday: I tried to get caught up on some blogging. I missed a lot on Thursday and Friday. I also created a Facebook page for my blog. I don’t know what took me so long! Feel free to head on over and like my page. I’d love you always!!

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I did a little more cleaning, watched some TV shows I DVR’d and got sucked into this ABC family show on NetFlix called Baby Daddy. I don’t know why but it happened. It is cheesy but cute. I then made some Homemade Applesauce using the Pioneer Woman’s recipe found here.

applesauceThen I watched the Ohio State game and the Red Sox game. Ohio State was much more successful than the Red Sox.

Sunday: I made some cupcakes for my class this Tuesday. Went grocery shopping, to Target, post office and worked out. Did more dishes, and more baking. Worked on my Halloween costume.

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I also cooked up this oldie but goodie favorite. It is a Chicken Gyro. It totally hit the spot. The Chicken alone is worth the recipe. I am looking forward to the leftovers. I will be sharing the recipe soon.

Gyro

The rest of the night was dedicated to blogging. It was such a restful weekend. I probably forgot some of the things I did, but I didn’t want to completely bore you. I needed this weekend to not be rushed and to be relaxing and it was all that and more.

How was your weekend?

Linking up with Sami at Sami’s Shenanigans and Leann at Join the Gossip .

Meet My Sister

As much as I want to shout from the rooftops about it being Friday and oh how glad I am that we made it, I started my four day weekend on Thursday so I am already in my pajamas and hope to be in them all day. See my friend happened to get free tickets to see Ed Kowalczyk from the band Live. He is dropping a new album on Tuesday which I got a signed copy of last night. He sounds amazing live and added a lot of humor and sing-a-longs! Such a great show.

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So since I am still recovering from such awesomeness I am going to turn it over to Stacia who is my Blog Little.  It had been so nice getting to know here and it has been great sharing experiences and sharing ideas.

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Hello lovely readers at Till Then Smile Often! My name is Stacia and I blog over at The Homey Owl where I share DIY projects and inspiration, recipes, and little tidbits of my life. I am enjoying getting to know Kerry through the Bigs & Littles Blogging Network and was thrilled when she asked me to share five things about myself on her blog!

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1. I’m newly married to my husband, Michael (we haven’t even hit the 6 month mark yet!) We are loving being married, and one of our favorite things is that everything seems like an adventure right now, and we are totally in that insane stage where we think we can DIY everything. So we usually end up trying, and I document the process so I can blog about it later.

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2. I am a rule follower…except when it comes to the kitchen. I think the best example of this is when I made penuche fudge – which turned out awesome, but I didn’t follow any of the normal rules, I just really wanted fudge. My recipes either turn out really well and I share all the details with you or they go terribly wrong, I share a funny story, and then send you somewhere that does the recipe the right way. It’s all about learning and having fun, right? (Pictured is my peach baked oatmeal.)

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3. I believe in celebrating life’s victories – big or little.

 

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4. I have a cat named Maximus, whom I adore even though he does the most bizarre stuff sometimes! Like the time Michael & I locked him out of the bathroom while we were bleaching my hair (cat + bleach = bad combination). Well, we’d been in the bathroom for a while and were finally washing the bleach out of my hair when we hear the scurrying of paws and Max throwing himself against the bathroom door in a desperate attempt to be included. Max also likes to help me with my various DIY projects, despite my attempts to dissuade this behavior.

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5. I love a good thrift store find, and try to find unconventional uses for conventional items. Going to the thrift store was one of my favorite things to do with my mom and sister all throughout my childhood. It was especially great whenever I could find a toy or book on my wishlist for a much cheaper price than what I would have needed to save to get it at the store. That thrill still hasn’t gone away even after my wishlist graduated to more “adult” items. Take, for instance, my new use for this vintage Lazy Susan pottery piece.

Those are five things about me. I’d love to learn more about you! Please stop by my blog, check it out, and leave a comment so I can get to know you. I look forward to meeting you!
xoxo,
Stacia

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So in honor of last night’s performance I leave you with an acoustic performance of Dolphon’s Cry one of my favorite songs.

Now what are you waiting for go visit Stacia’s Blog and show her some comment love. We bloggers love comments! Now go! 😉

Linking up with:

THE GOOD LIFE BLOG

Here an Eat, There an Eat

Happy Friday!!! What you mean it’s not your Friday today?! Well it is mine!! {Happy, Happy dance}

It is a nice 4 day weekend for me. Call it a mental health day or a staycation but it really is all about not working!! The end of the Gov’t fiscal year brings lots of stress and October brings like a million reports so this is my time to decompress!! There will be lots of naps, lots of walks with Seamus and probably 2 a day workouts. I am so looking forward to it.

So I haven’t participated in awhile in What I Ate Wednesday because my food has been all over the place. So here we go!!

Breakfast: This weekend I started off the morning with some Eggs and Bacon with a slice of low carb bread. Such a great way to start the morning and lots of fuel!

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 Morning Snack: Caramel Salt Free Rice Cake – with a Jif to Go cup of Peanut Butter

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Lunch: My go to favorite salad with 2 cups of romaine lettuce, tomato, red onion, cucumber, feta and 4 oz of chicken

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 Afternoon Snack: Small Pink Lady apple with Chobani 0% Greek Yogurt and a sprinkle of Orange sugar free jello powder.

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Dinner: I think this may be my new favorite dish! I love Chorizo and using it to make a Pot Pie was amazing! Not to toot my horn or anything. I have had this for dinner 3 days in a row!! For the recipe click here.

Chorizo Pot Pie

BONUS: I didn’t eat this but I did make it in my cake decorating class. I did make the same cake and frosting last week and I did get a “this is hashtag amazing” from a co-worker. It is just a plain yellow cake and buttercream frosting. The roses and the frosting are the hardest part.

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Chorizo Pot Pie

If you know me or been to my house you know my freezer is 90% frozen bags of veggies. Currently I had about 5-8 half full bags of veggies and I really wanted to get rid of some of them. You know to make room for more veggies. Crazy girl logic right there folks! I remembered baking this Chicken Pot Pie recipe for my Dad when he was recovering from knee replacement surgery and thought it would be a great way to use up some veggies.  I didn’t want plain old chicken though, and since I am Portuguese I had to add Chorizo.  This is a little spicier version of Linguica in case you are unfortunate enough to not have tried this delish sausage before.

Chorizo Pot Pie

Ingredients: 1 package of Chorizo (sometimes called Chourico) ~ 2 cups  frozen mixed vegetables (I used a corn and peas mix and a sliced zucchini) ~ 10 oz. Heavy whipping cream ~ 1/4 lb.  (4 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into cubes ~ 1 sheet  frozen puff pastry (1/2 of 17.3-oz. pkg.), thawed ~ 1

 egg, beaten -egg whites are acceptable)
Directions: Preheat oven to 400ºF. Remove the skin off the Chorizo and place the inner crumbled sausage in a pan until heated throughout. You can cut into cubed pieces if you don’t want to bother removing the skin.
Chorizo Pot Pie
Stir in vegetables, cheese and heavy whipping cream and heat until the cheese is melted approximately 5 minutes.
Chorizo Pot Pie
Spoon into a greased 9-inch square baking dish.
Chorizo Pot Pie
Unfold the pastry sheet and place over the mixture. Fold under edges of pastry; press onto top of baking dish to seal. Brush with egg. Cut several slits in pastry to permit steam to escape.
Chorizo Pot Pie

Bake for 30 minutes or until crust is a deep golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

 Chorizo Pot Pie

Willing to get a little spicy?!

Linking up with Jessica and Ashley.