Sara Reads Things

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. It was certainly interesting around here. Our youngest son was supper sick so my amazing husband stayed home with him while I took the older two to my families Thanksgiving and then in the evening, I stayed home while Jason took the older two to his families dinner. You do what you got to do. All the food though was so good. My favorite was the gluten free cheese cake that my mother-in-law made for me. Delicious! Did you have a favorite food? Now its back to the regular menu this week. Enjoy! Monday - Cheesy taco skillet Tuesday - Buffalo mozzarella pork chops Wednesday - Taco soup Thursday - Tortellini soup Friday - Chicken caesar salad Saturday - Mongolian beef Sunday - Dinner with the in-laws

I hope you all ate too much yesterday, I know I did. I also have a million pounds of leftovers to deal with and I hate nothing more than reheating dry leftover turkey. It's not appetizing or satisfying. Do you feel the same way? Instead of throwing all that food out or letting it go to waist sitting in the fridge, why don't you try some of these recipes to revitalize your after Thanksgiving meals. Leftover Thanksgiving turkey pizza  - I don't know about you, but I love pizza. With a good garlic sauce and crisp crust, this looks amazing. It might be one of the recipes I review on my blog next week. Mashed potato breakfast cakes  - You don't just have to eat leftovers for dinner. Try it for breakfast too. My Irish side loves this idea :) Leftover turkey barley soup  - This was a big part of my childhood. Anytime we had leftover meat, my mom would make it into a soup. Waist not, want not. Leftover turkey hash  - This looks like something my husband would love...

I have found a peace in baking lately. With all the stress of the holidays coming up and with the kids school issues, it's been a long few months. This mama needs a break. As with all my recipes, you can substitute gluten free flour and it still turns out amazing. I make everything gluten free so my middle son can eat it. This banana bread turned out so soft and moist. It was delicious beyond compare. We added a little buttercream frosting and it turned into a wonderful treat all my kids loved. Ingredients: 1 1/3 cups sugar 1 cup heavy whipping cream 2 eggs 2 tables spoons softened butter 3-4 ripe mashed bananas 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda Directions: Preheat oven to 350 Mix sugar, cream, eggs, bananas and vanilla together in a mixing bowl. Add flour salt and baking soda and mix well. Pour into a greased 9x10 pan or two bread pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. 

There are many methods for cooking a turkey. You can bake it, you can brine it, you can put it in a paper bag. My favorite way is to deep fry. I know what you are all thinking. That woman is going to set her house on fire! I'm pretty sure if i'm going to set the house on fire, its not going to be from a deep fried turkey. A spider is a more likely conclusion. Safety First. With anything you do with fire, you should make safety your first priority. We keep the hose ready and the fryer away from anything flammable (Including the house!). You also want to make sure that you are protected. If the oil does happen to splash, you don't want to be wearing shorts and flip flops. Not that you would in thirty degree weather, but I've seen some strange things in my life. Long pants and shoes that cover your toes are a great idea. Also long sleeves and gloves to protect your hands and arms. You can never be too prepared. Preparing the bird. We always take the turkey out of...

Well, the temp has dropped to freezing at night and there is a light covering of frost on the roofs across the street. I feel like winter has finally come. This will be our first winter in our new house and we are learning a lot about how to keep it warm and dry inside. House from the 1920's don't stay warm like newer models. Its also Thanksgiving week and I can't wait to to see all my friends and family. Sharing laughs and making new memories. My husband is going to deep fry a turkey again. Its amazing! I hope you enjoy this weeks menu and have lots of fun with your family on Thursday. Monday - Unsloppy Joe's Tuesday - Korean beef and rice Wednesday - English muffin pizza Thursday - Thanksgiving! Friday - Sesame chicken Saturday - Leftover turkey hash Sunday - Tortellini soup

As a mother of a child who is gluten free, I am always trying to adapt regular recipes into something that my kids will all eat. Every once and a while I get lucky and sometimes I tank pretty badly. This time around, it worked out pretty well. This is a recipe for normal pumpkin bread. To make it gluten free, just substitute the flour with gluten free flour. Ingredients: 1 Cup oil 2 Cups sugar 2 Teaspoons vanilla 3 Eggs 1 Can pumpkin puree 3 Cups flour 1 Teaspoon salt 1 Teaspoon baking soda 2 Teaspoons baking powder 2 Teaspoons cinnamon  1 Teaspoon pumpkin pie spice A sprinkle of powder sugar Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees Mix together oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs and pumpkin puree until well mixed. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and powder, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Pour into greased bunt cake pan or two bread pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes. let cool and sprinkle powder sugar over top before serving.

With the holiday season just around the corner, I find myself looking forward to all the amazing foods that we will be enjoying for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I cant wait to put together my menu for next week and share it with you all. Until then, enjoy this weeks yumminess. Monday - French Onion Chicken Sandwich Tuesday - Italian Sloppy Joe's Wednesday - Chicken Alfredo Thursday - Baked Mac and Cheese with Ham Friday - Unsloppy Joe's Saturday - Korean Beef and Rice Sunday - Dinner with the in-laws

There is one thing I've only had once in my entire life, that is a place for myself. I grew up in a small two bedroom home with nine other people. I shared a room until I was eighteen when I finally got a small space to myself. It only lasted until I got married a few years later and I was back to sharing everything with my hubby. When we purchased our new home, I wasn't thinking much about where I was going to hide away to write my books. I was in the mind set of finding a special place to raise my three boys where they could run and grow. So, when we purchased a home, it was no surprise that I didn't have a place to myself. My husband and I talked about converting the boys small front bedroom into an office one day when they are old enough to move into the loft, but that days is far from being here. Until that time, I will proudly display my computer on the kitchen counter where I can watch the boys run through the house on a rainy day and listen to the sound of the...

Every once and a while I like to do some crafting. In the past I haven't had the time or room to decorate for the holidays, but this year I have a new home and I'm super excited to fill my space. I picked a few crafts that are easy and fun to do. They don't take a lot of time and even the kids can get in on the fun. First up, we have the ever popular Thanksgiving turkeys made by my boys. Their Nana helped them with the construction, but the boys really got into the designing. Thanks Nana! I really like the three eyed one, lol. Next, is a small Christmas tree made out of sticks from our back yard, twine, hot glue and Christmas trinkets. I purchased everything I needed for less than $5 and had a blast putting it together. It took me less than a half hour to assemble. Last, we have a wine cork wrath for all you wine aficionados out there. I used the same bells and trinkets that I purchased for my little Christmas tree and with a little hot glue...

For some reason I woke up this morning exhausted, and its only Monday. So, my menu is going to be super simple since I don't feel like doing anything extravagant this week. Enjoy a week off of new recipes, but prepare yourself for some nummy goodies next Monday. Monday - Chicken quesadillas Tuesday - Sloppy joes Wednesday - Grilled cheese Thursday - Spaghetti Friday - Taco night Saturday - Pork schnitzel sandwich Sunday - Tuna sandwiches

I know I normally do Findings Friday today, but I wanted to share our Halloween costumes with all of you. The little one was baby bear this year. I found the fuzzy hoodie at the Goodwill for cheap and cut the ears off an old teddy bear that the boys didn't play with anymore. All together this costume cost me less than $5 and it kept the boy warm on the rainy Oregon evening. Middle man was Stampy cat. A character from his favorite game called Mine Craft. I guess its a guy that plays the game and posts videos on Youtube. I had to google this one because I had no idea what it was. It made me realize that I'm getting older and even though I'm only 31, I have no idea what kids these days are really into. Sad, I know. I bought an orange sweatshirt on sale for $10 and used a box and paint to make the head. I think with all the supplies I paid less that $15. Not bad when you have no idea what you are doing. This one was easy since the oldest boy ...

This is not a topic I write about very often, but with some of the realizations I've had lately about how my oldest son's brain works, I feel the need to share some of our experiences with autism so that maybe I can help other parents that are struggling as we have been. I've known for a few years now that there is something a little different about Phoenix, and it's not different in a bad way, just a different normal that we have to learn how to live with. It started a few years ago when we noticed that loud noises bothered him and he had a strange speech issue where he starts his sentences over and over until it comes out exactly how he envisions it. Recently, we've noticed how he has a hard time with change and the newest development is his need for logic.If he doesn't understand the logic in something, he has a breakdown. My husband and I made the decision a few years ago to homeschool him. Mostly because the schools in our area were terrible and we ...

Welcome to another week of yummy recipes and also my favorite week of the year. It's my BIRTHDAY week! That's right, I have reached an age where I get to celebrate all week and there is nothing anyone can say. To mark this momentous occasion, I have the day off of work and so does the hubby. He is going to take me to a movie and dinner. I still don't know where I want to go. Any suggestions? Enjoy this weeks menu: Monday - Creamy Parmesan chicken Tuesday - Breakfast Burritos Wednesday - Chicken tacos Thursday (Birthday!) - Creamy Bruschetta chicken Friday - Cheesy taco skillet Saturday - Tuna sandwiches Sunday - Dinner with the In-laws