Thank You Cards Made From Upcycled Christmas Cards

After the season is over I can't bear to throw away the beautiful Christmas cards that people shared with us. So here's an idea to upcycle those old cards into something new! I just cut up old Christmas cards, glued them to new card stock cards, added embellishments and stamped "Thanks" on them. I plan to send them out to family and friends who were so generous to us this year.

Lemon Berry Ice Cream Sundae

Vanilla ice cream is the best. It's so versatile and oh so yummy. This is just one of the ways that we like ours.

I took frozen berry blend and warmed it over the stove with a small amount of sugar, corn starch and lemon extract. We then served it warm over vanilla ice cream with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of chopped peanuts.

Buying only vanilla ice cream is also a great way to add variety to desserts though various toppings as well as save money only buying one type of ice cream.

Freezer Burritos

It's Pantry Challenge month and I've started a new thing that I'll be doing for years to come - freezer burritos! After the December food madness I had some leftover ham from Christmas dinner, chopped it up and wrapped it in a tortilla with some cheese and put it in the freezer. Viola! Instant hot pockets. I did the same with leftover refried beans.
For dinner the other night we had super burritos with chicken, leftover rice, beans and cheese. We served them smothered where I poured some green enchilada sauce that I had leftover and frozen in the fridge, melted cheese, fresh salsa and sour cream. With the leftovers I wrapped them up (unsmothered) and froze them for a later day.

I get the tortillas in a giant pack for less than $5 at Sam's and they last forever. I'm now in the habit of wrapping up leftovers in them, it makes a great and inexpensive (practically free) lunch. Just heat up the wraps in the microwave and it's as delicious as that!

John's Famous Cheese Biscuits

These cheese biscuits are apparently famous around his family. I wouldn't know of their goodness since John has never made them for me in the 5+ years we have been together but here is the recipe for you to enjoy even if I never will.

2 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 butter or margarine

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1. Measure flour, baking powder and salt in bowl

2. Cut in butter until crumbly

3. Add water and cheese, stir to moisten

4. Drop tablespoon sized amounts of patter onto greased baking sheet

5. Bake in 425F oven for 10-15 minutes

Pantry Challenge Progress

Well, so far I have kept to my goals! It's really hard though. It's like when you open up your closet and say, "I have nothing to wear" when you're looking at a whole closet full of clothes. I keep saying, "I have nothing to eat" but really there is a ton of food. I've been in a funk this week or so as far as food goes I'm really hungry but nothing sounds good. I don't think this funk is pantry challenge induced, more like I indulged too much at Christmas induced, but it doesn't help.