Hash Brown Casserole

I came across this recipe on the back of a Tennessee Pride package of sausage and thought hmmm…. this actually sounds like something we would really enjoy around here!  So I figured why not give it a try …. and it turned out delicious enough I knew I had to blog about it so here I go!

Ingredients:

2lbs. of ground Sausage
1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup
8oz. container of French Onion Dip
1cup of Sour Cream
30oz. package of Frozen Hashbrowns (allow them to thaw for use in the recipe)
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Optional:
Chopped Onions to taste
Chopped Bell Pepper (recipe calls for green and red)



Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Meanwhile, brown 2 lbs. of sausage.

While your sausage is cooking, mix the cream of chicken soup, French Onion Dip, Sour Cream, Shredded Cheese and 30oz. package of thawed hash browns.  Also, if you are adding any chopped onion or bell pepper go ahead and mix it in with the rest of these ingredients.

Once the sausage is fully cooked, drain the grease off thoroughly.  In a 9x13 pan, spread the bottom with a layer of the hash brown mixture, then a layer of sausage.  Continue layering the ingredients until the ingredients are used up.  I topped my casserole with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake for one hour.


Obviously the casserole was over half gone before I got around to taking some pics for the blog… but hey.. at least it's proof the recipe was actually a really good one.

Deco Mesh Christmas Wreath

I have decided (yet again) to make another deco mesh wreath for the upcoming Christmas season.  For this project I started with a standard work wreath "pencil frame" which I ordered from www.trendytree.com.  The reason I opted for this wreath frame is because it comes with ties which are already attached to the wreath frame.

1)   I'm sure you can tell fro the picture below, I straightened out all of the ties on the wreath frame before I began working on the wreath.

2)  Start by using a 21 inch 10 yd. roll of deco mesh and gather the WIDTH of the roll together in your hand like the picture below.

3) Secure the gathered mesh down to the wreath frame by using a tie to tie down the mesh.  It doesn't matter weather you start with the TOP outer loop of the wreath frame or the BOTTOM.  The important thing is to just pick either top or bottom to begin with and continue tying down your deco-mesh until ALL of your ties (top or bottom) whichever you began with have been tied up with the deco mesh.

4) The next most important thing is that between EACH tie down you need the SAME AMOUNT of deco mesh.  I used a yard stick and measured 14 inches between EACH and EVERY tie down.  This method helps ensure even, consistent 'poofs' which you will want for your wreath.  If you prefer a smaller wreath you may want to measure out a SMALLER amount, or if you prefer a LARGER wreath, measure 14 inches or more…. just remember, no matter what size you choose to go with… make the measurements between each tie down the SAME for a consistent and even look.

5)  Once you have finished securing the deco mesh to the wreath frame you may see your results and feel a bit disappointed… however, DON'T be! … making a deco mesh wreath is a PROCESS that you have to stick with until you are finished.  the picture below shows a good 'rough draft' of what my wreath looked like once I was finished tying down all of the deco mesh.

6)  The next step was to choose other deco mesh, ribbons, bows, etc… to embellish the wreath.  I chose a 6 inch roll of deco mesh.  I started by tying down this deco mesh beginning with the same tie I used with the red deco mesh.  …. All you need to do is just untwist it a bit and then tie in your 6 inch roll of deco mesh.  Measure the same amount as before  --- 14 inches and work your way around the wreath tying in the 6 inch decorative mesh.

7) Ok, so…. here we are once I've finished tying in the 6 inch roll of decorative mesh around the wreath.  I still plan to add a few more embellishments to the wreath.

8)  The next step is to add the ribbon I chose for the wreath.  Again, I measured out the same amount as deco mesh and decorative deco mesh (14 inches) and cut numerous pieces of ribbon in that length.

9)  Because I knew I wanted to chevron the ends of my ribbon… I folded it in half like the picture below.

10)  Using a pair or scissors I cut each end at an angle in order to make the 'chevron pattern' for the ends of each ribbon.

11)  This is the second ribbon I opted to use for the wreath.  I measured out numerous pieces of ribbon (each 14 inches of length like the mesh).  I folded the ribbons in half and using a pair of scissors I cut each end at an able to 'chevron' the ends.

12)  I secured the ribbons to the same ties I used to secure the deco mesh, just untying and then tying the ribbons back into the wreath.  The picture below shows what the results were.

13)  Afterwards, I adjusted the ribbons, mesh, and other decorations to try and 'even out' the decorations on the wreath…. although I'm pretty sure there isn't much difference between the wreath below and the one above.

In the picture below I opted to add various other embellishments although I'm not sure you can see them too well.  The picture just isn't justice compared to the actual wreath …. if you look close you can see various other embellishments which I fastened down to the wreath frame.

Candy Cane Deco Mesh Wreath

If you prefer the wreath without all of the embellishments you can leave it plain like the picture below or maybe just add a bow for a pop of color.

I have seen tons of deco mesh wreaths… which, by the way, I LOVE to see!  It's just something about it! It's durable, pretty, stylish and looks good either indoors or outdoors!  At any rate, I found myself drawn to making one of those candy cane deco-mesh wreaths.  If you've ever wondered how to make one of those candy cane deco mesh wreaths you're not exactly alone!  I've been trying to figure that out for quite some time now! lol..

  Well…. the results… I have to say... this was WAY easier than making a traditional deco-mesh wreath!!  And it looks great for the holiday season!.

Supplies:

1- candy cane wreath form (I ordered mine on-line from www.trendytree.com)

1- 21" inch 10yd. roll of deco mesh of your choice (for this project… I chose the red\white stripe)  Also… you can get this at www.trendytree.com as well.

Various decorations, ribbons, etc… that you would like to use as embellishments for your wreath

Gather the ends of your deco-mesh together like the picture above.

Fold the end upon itself like the picture above so you done have the frayed ends sticking out at the bottom of your deco mesh wreath.

 Tie the folded end of your deco-mesh down to the lower right corner of the wreath frame.

Once you have the lower right end tied down…. move up to the next tie down ON THE SAME SIDE… I used about a 9 inch length of deco mesh before I decided my "poof" was big enough to make  it look full.

After you have tied your deco-mesh down to the right side of the frame… you will need to bend the deco-mesh back down to the left tie down (the first tie down on the lower left bottom) on the wreath frame.

Continue from the left tie-down and move the deco-mesh back to the right side tie-down (keeping your 9 inches of length the same between each tie) and use it to tie down/secure the deco mesh to the right side.  Work you way from left to right following this fashion.

Once you finish securing all of the deco-mesh it may look something like the picture above (or most likely it will look way better!, lol)…. at any rate, you can see some of the tie downs are still obviously visible from the front.  You will need to take them and twist them around towards the back of the wreath frame.

This picture shows a view from the back AFTER all of the ties have been twisted around towards the back of the wreath.

This is another view from the front with most of the ties hidden behind the wreath frame.  At his point, you can add embellishments, bows, ribbons and other decorations to your wreath.  I hope this was helpful!!

Roasted Acorn Squash

Something about the Fall and Thanksgiving season leaves me wanting a good tasting roasted acorn squash.  I figured I would post my own version of roasted acorn squash although I am sure there are tons more delicious and way more interesting recipes around… this happens to be one of my favorites so far.

Ingredients:

2 Acorn Squash

As Much or Little as You Prefer of:

Brown Sugar

Butter

Chopped Pecans
Vanilla Flavoring

Olive oil 

salt

I started by halving my Acorn squash and used a spoon to clean the seeds and 'insides' of the squash out so that it looked like the  picture above.

I also chopped the end of the Acorn squash off so that it would sit flat during the baking process and hold the filling that I plan to put inside of it.

The picture above shows both of my acorn squash with the ends removed as well as the seeds and insides.  At this point… I drizzled them with a bit of olive oil and added a sprinkle of salt to each half.

Add a bit of butter to each half.. I used a good spoon full, but you could use more or less if you prefer.

Then add the brown sugar, a drop or two of vanilla flavoring and some chopped pecans.

I baked mine at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes and they were very soft.  If you needed to take them out before then I'm sure you could test them after about 30 minutes and they would be done.

The finished product!  Yum!  I used a fork and sort of mashed mine as if it were a baked potato to combine all of the ingredients.

And finally, a nice big fork full of roasted acorn squash!  I thought it turned out great!  However, if you DON'T like 'sweet' vegetables such as sweet potatoes or other slightly sweetened vegetables you might want to opt for some of the other available roasted acorn squash recipes… just my opinion.

A Thanksgiving Table Scape

The pictures don't exactly do this Thanksgiving table scape justice!  This is a picture from Beverly's Home.  I like that it's festive, pretty and you can see everyone you are enjoying dinner with and not have to move or look over the decorations.

This picture below shows a view down the side of the table.

A small decorative pumpkin on the end plates.  It's decorative and super easy to move when you're ready to begin serving guests.

The centerpiece… it's nice and pretty but not obnoxious and it doesn't obstruct the guests view of each other.

And here it is again… from a different angle of course.

Deco Mesh Candle Ring

Occasionally I decide that making a candle ring is a great idea for my next crafting project.  This seems simple enough but actually making and crafting the candle ring requires patience  …. The good thing is, …. you don't even need skill or talent to make one!!

This is how I began with mine.

Start with the candle you plan to make a candle ring with.  Use floral wire  and measure the amount you need to circle around the entire candle.

This circle of floral wire shows the measurement for the candle I plan to use… I did make it a tad bit bigger than my candle but that's because I wanted to make sure I had plenty of space for adding my decorations.

The next thing you do is add the deco-mesh of your choice in equal portions to the floral wire.  You can tell from the picture above there are five sections which are tied to the floral wire with matching pipe cleaners.

With each "tied down section" add a decoration or decorative item.  Remember… the deco mesh is meant to serve as a 'backdrop' to the decorations so it doesn't have to be perfect.

The picture here shows how I fastened the decorative items to the floral wire.  I just wrapped the stem of my flowers around the candle ring.

You will probably be able to see where the flowers are tied down when there is no candle in the ring… This doesn't bother me but if you prefer not to see where your decorative items are tied to the candle ring you might want to use hot-glue to attach the decorative items.

I call this one a "War Eagle Christmas" …. although I am not an Auburn fan my dear friend is.. so this is for her.

This picture is a vertical view of the candle ring.

And this one…. is the candle ring with a candle inside.

This is probably my favorite candle ring… I call this one a "Roll Tide Christmas" …. I love the white flowers…. and if you look CLOSELY you can see a little red bow next to the white flower.

Now you can see the little red bow!

I placed the candle ring on a zebra-striped charger… which gives it a really nice punch of color.