Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I know it's been too long since I posted my last recipe!  I am still up in South Dakota, and enjoying every minute of it, except for the fact that I caught a cold up here.  So between being busy and being sick, I haven't had much time to blog!  Sorry!

Here's a simple and comforting recipe for the beginning of Autumn!  My mom used to make this when we were growing up, and my older brother once ate 21 of these meatballs!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 1/2 pounds hamburger 

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons finely chopped onion

Sauce:

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 cup catsup

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Mix first 6  ingredients together.  Form into loose balls and place in a single layer in a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.  Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.  Spoon or pour the sauce over the top of the meatballs.  Bake for 1 hour.

I hope you enjoy these!  I will try to return with another post sooner rather than later! :)

Have you ever tried a Jicama?

My dad has always liked to try new things.  He buys unusual things at the grocery store, and also likes to grow unique things in his garden.  So as kids, my siblings and I ate a wide variety of foods!  One of the things we ate, (and liked!) was a jicama.
(pronounced hick-a-ma)

Now, jicamas aren't much to look at.  They are actually tubers, and look somewhat like a turnip, but with brown skin.  To look at them, you wouldn't think they tasted very good!

But really, jicamas have a light, sweet flavor.  Some people say they taste a bit like fresh garden peas.  Jicamas are nearly 90% water.

 

The outside of a jicama is really tough.  To cut a jicama up, I start by slicing it in half with a sharp knife.

Then, you can either cut or peel the outer layer off.   As you can see in the picture, there is a stringy layer under the 'skin'.  You want to make sure to cut all that off too, because it is tough.

Inside is the crisp white flesh that is so good for snacking on!  Once it is peeled, you can just slice it up whichever way you want.  I like to eat them raw and cold.  You can serve them with a cold veggie tray.  You can also add them to salads or coldslaws.  In Mexico, they douse them with lime juice and sprinkle them with chile powder. 

Check your grocery store and see if they carry jicamas!  Try something new today!

Sorry!

I apologize for not posting lately!

I promise I haven't been sleeping!

I am visiting South Dakota for a while, and I thought I would have plenty of time to blog while I am here.

But it hasn't exactly worked out that way...

For one thing, I don't have my own computer or photo software with me.

And we have just plain been having too much fun to spend time on the computer!

So I will try to get back on a schedule before too long,

but until then, I am going to enjoy South Dakota to the fullest. 

And I'll try to share a little with you too!

Decorating On a Budget - Cutout Silhouettes

Alot of my inspiration for decorating my house comes from my mom.  She's very creative and artistic, and has alot of fun making new projects.

Both of us like the western metal cutouts, but they can be a little expensive!  Mom came up with a way to have cutouts that didn't cost much.  Plus, you can make whatever silhouette you want!

For these, she used the mat board like what is used to frame photos.  You can either find silhouettes or pictures to trace, or you can draw it out yourself if you are artistic!  Trace the picture you want onto the mat board, then use an exacto knife to cut it out.   

Lay the cutout on some old newspapers.  Mix the color paint you want.  Mom used a kind of rusty colored brown.  To get the rusty metal look, add a little bit of fine clean sand to your paint.  Dab the paint on the cutout, thicker in some places than others.  Cover the whole cutout in paint, and then let dry.

The cutouts don't have to be the western variety, either!  I had a couple pictures that my husband and I took on the wall of our bathroom.  The wall still looked a bit bare and boring, so I drew out some cattails and a pond with some ducks.

For this look I just used glossy white poster board, and metallic antique bronze paint.  I wanted it to look more like brushed metal.  I used a wide brush to paint all in one direction.  It turned out looking really cool, but you can't really tell in the picture.  ( I had a hard time getting a good picture with the lighting in the bathroom. Sorry! )  Since this was going to be in a damp area, I also sprayed the front and back with a craft sealant.  Then I put them up on the wall using poster putty.

I made these trees just to add a little something behind the clock in our bedroom.  It adds color and more dimension.

Something so simple and cheap to do, but it really dresses up the room!  Like I said, you can make any silhouette you want, and any color.  The possibilities are endless!  Have fun!