Mantle Decorating for the Holidays

I'm updating this post because only 2 days before Christmas I just had to add the finishing touch on my winter mantle. I shopped around and found some more shatterproof Christmas ornaments that match the wreath I had made earlier. I cut 2 pieces of ribbon and made 2 separate strands of garland. I strung each ball onto piece of ribbon and tied knots in both ends. I was thrilled the ornaments were on sale now so I stocked up! I used 96 balls to make the garland, $24 total which is so much better than the $149 price tag at one of stores that had the pre-made garland strands. Since I absolutely adore these colors, I'm happy as a clam! I made my own bow for the middle with some ribbon I already had. I like the Command hooks so I attached 1 on each end and 2 in the middle to the top of the mantle. I love love love the look! I wish you could see it in person, it's simply beautiful and so soft and shabby looking. The rest of the project you already know since I had previously posted it after Thanksgiving. Thanks for stopping!

I thought I would share a DIY Christmas-winter decorating idea today. It seems like I'm still too full from our Thanksgiving meal to post a recipe! Before I started my Christmas decorating project this year, I sorted out items from last year that I was ready to donate. It helps to be organized before you start making a mess. I used my feather tree and my cone trees from last year. I made a coffee filter wreath, Simply DIY Coffee Filter Wreath, and found some vintage ornaments to hot glue around the outside. Strands of pearls work great to wrap around the bottom of the decorations on the mantle. I love to use a couple of sentimental items, this year I used two musical Santas that my Dad had given us at Christmas several years ago and placed them in the middle of the mantle. I like the semi-shabby chic look but I didn't want too many items so that it would look cluttered. Next to the fireplace, I found a small old pail in my treasures and filled it with cinnamon pine cones and added some pom-pom decorations. Using items I had and making the rest, my entire project cost $31.00, and I like that!
Happy decorating!

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Grandma's Bread Pudding and Caramel Sauce

I was trying to think of something for dessert last night and homemade bread pudding was my choice. Our Dad was not a dessert lover but bread pudding was one of his favorites. Our grandma made the best bread pudding, hope you like it! Ingredients : 5 cups slightly dried out bread, any kind. I used Italian bread. 1/4 cup raisins (optional) 2 cups milk 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 T vanilla 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cinnamon Caramel Sauce Ingredients 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 tsp vanilla Directions : Cut the bread in cubes. I cut some of the crust off (on about half of the bread). Place bread into a greased casserole dish or an 11x9 inch pan. Add raisins. Microwave milk and butter about 4 minutes on 60% power or heat in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Slowly add the mixture to the egg and milk an...

Grilled Orange Roughy

My favorite food choices are often related to family memories, so I wanted to share one of our favorite grilled fish recipes. Our Dad used to take us fishing and we grew up eating the fish we caught ourselves. Then came the time when we had to start buying fish, I searched for types of fish that didn't taste too "fishy". It's hard to accomplish that in the Midwest, we don't always have many choices. We were introduced to orange roughy during a trip to San Diego where my great-uncle treated us to some of the most wonderful seafood we had ever eaten at an establishment called Anthony's. It was the first time we had eaten orange roughy and it was white, flaky and not too fishy tasting. After a few experiments, this is my favorite method to prepare it at home. Serves 4 or 2 with leftovers! Ingredients: 4 orange roughy fillets 1/4 c fresh cilantro, I use a small handful * if you are not a cilantro fan use fresh dill, about 1/4 c chopped 2 tsp garlic powder o...

Homemade Goulash

Last weekend I made meals for the freezer. It takes a few hours but this will save you time during the week (in case you have nights like I do when you don't feel like cooking) and your family will love it! I adapted this recipe from Paula Deen (it's called Bobby's Goulash). I used organic ingredients but use the products of your choice. I would have liked to use fresh tomatoes from the garden but my tomatoes weren't quite ready. You can also make it gluten-free by using gluten-free elbow macaroni. It's so tasty - my family loved it! Ingredients : 1 pound ground turkey 1 pound lean ground beef 1 -2 small onions, diced ( I used red onions) 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce 2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice 3 cups water 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 T Italian seasoning 3 bay leaves 3 T soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce 1 T seasoning salt course ground pepper to taste 2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked) Putting it together: Brown meat and onions in a lar...

Natural Homemade Living

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