February has come to be known as the month of love. It’s good that it has received a positive association because here in the Midwest February can get pretty tedious. The upside is that I get to use this snow day to write this post and that I don’t have to be out in the deep, white stuff. Lil’Snookie had enough fun in it for the both of us and Smuffy shoveled a path, so I’m just happy to be warm and blessed.
Welcome to the First Friday of February! If you’re not new to Midwest Storyteller, you know that means it’s Freebie Day. And what might I have for you during this month of love? Let’s take a look –
This “Love is Enough” wood plaque is 7 7/8” square and can be propped on an easel or hung by its attached twine. The ivory background with a pale sage leafy floral design has a slightly distressed look and the lettering is done in a dark gray. Its colors are neutral enough to fit in with your Valentine décor and it can be used year-round as well. It’s a great find from Factory Connection.
To enter to win “Love is Enough” plaque, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “I love Midwest Storyteller!” See how I did that? I know how to get my Valentine wishes, don’t I? You’ll need to leave your comment before midnight TONIGHT, February 4, 2022.
NOTE: An occasional problem occurs with subscribers not receiving confirmation emails. Should this happen, email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com so that I can report it and have the issue resolved.
First Friday Freebies are for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, so you’ll want to subscribe over on the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can subscribe to Midwest Storyteller if you haven’t done so.
I hope you get excited about winning freebies and share them and my blog stories with your friends and family through all your social media. If you like an idea, recipe or story you see here, be sure to hover over the photo and “pin it”. Help me get the word out!
On the “Freebies”page, you can see what readers have been winning every month.
A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, February 4th, by leaving a comment which says, “I love Midwest Storyteller!”.
For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.
I love hearing from you and I love blessing you with a free gift. Love is all around!
With this first First Friday Freebie of the new year comes all my prayers and best wishes that you have a 2022 that is blessed, healthy and happy.
I fully disclose that as a Certified Lifestyle Coach I do, at times, receive monetary compensation as such. See The Fine Print on the “About Me” page of this blog.
Have you made peace with the fact that life is full of surprises? That, I believe, is a great step we all must take if we’re going to reach any measure of maturity. Going with the flow, rolling with the punches – whatever you choose to call it – we may as well face up to it – anything can happen and on any given day, it usually does.
I’ll tell the whole story soon, but you’ve probably already gathered that we had an unexpected Christmas surprise of the ugly, scary variety. The preparations for the big event came to a screaming halt. The duck was in the oven. The homemade orange sauce simmered on the stove. The “Happy Birthday, Jesus” cupcakes awaited their frosting. Then came “the thing” and the call to 9-1-1 and the responders who hauled my Smuffy out the front door and into the ambulance.
None of those special preparations mattered anymore. Pookie turned the oven off and threw things into the fridge. I found shoes and a sweater, hopped into the front of the ambulance and what was to have been our family Christmas celebration turned into hour after hour of uncertainty and prayer in the emergency room.
On the way to the hospital, I called some close friends for prayer and asked them to call others. Then, a thought occurred to me. How long would this ordeal last? I would go without food or water before I would leave Smuffy’s side and I might get shaky or not be able to think straight if this went on and on. I remembered something I had made up ahead and called Pookie, asking her to bring me the container of Chocolate Berry Boost Bars (a THM “S” treat) I had in the fridge and a big cup of water. If I needed sustenance, I’d have fuel that was protein filled and be able to hydrate myself and stay right by his side rather than wander around looking for a vending machine full of sugar-laden junk.
Home from the hospital, I needed to give Smuffy extra care and set my phone alarm to give him meds every three hours around the clock. He needed food and I needed food and (wouldn’t you know it?) I started getting sick.
I have never been so glad to be a food prepper in my life! I’ve always done some prepping, but eating according to the THM plan has really honed my skills. Rather than scrounging for junk, over-cooked and sodium loaded canned soup or boxes with frozen dinners, I was able to warm up whichever homemade, nutritious meals I had prepped ahead and frozen. Although we wouldn’t have been excited about the flavors in anything, this was a lifesaver!
We were able to have Egg Roll in a Bowl, Sweet Potato Oat Soup, Sunny Southwest Trimmy Bisque and more, just by taking it out of the freezer and reheating it. We didn’t have to impose on Pookie to come by and do cooking marathons or to do endless drive-throughs. She had enough Florence Nightingale duties to perform and she did them cheerfully.
I’ve learned to love to prep ahead because of the time, stress and mess it saves, but early on, I questioned myself a lot. Why would someone who is supposed to be an empty-nester need to be doing all this? Now, however, I’ve had a strong reminder of how anything can happen – and will – and how valuable this practice can be when it does.
It’s a new year and if you’ve had that gnawing feeling that you really could improve in this area, check out some of my earlier helps, such as make-ahead packets here.
Soups are one of the greatest prep-ahead meals. Make a big pot, have it for your meal and immediately dip it up into containers to freeze. I like to save my large containers from Fage 0% Fat Greek Yogurt, my very favorite yogurt in the world. This way, all my containers are the same and all the lids fit interchangeable and the 33.5 ounces is just right to thaw out and serve up for a meal for Smuffy, Lil’ Snookie and myself with some leftover. I also do a few single-serve containers for times when that’s all I need to thaw.
Here is how I prep and label soup to freeze. You may think you’ll remember what’s in that container, but don’t count on it! I use the super-sticky full-adhesive post-it notes to write the name of the soup and whether or not it’s an “S” (satisfying) or “E” (energizing) meal so I can easily plan what I’m having on the side. This Sunny Southwest Trimmy Bisque from the “Trim Healthy Table” cookbook is one of our favorites and Smuffy asks for it.
Trim Healthy Mama has not only helped us to eat healthier and lose weight, it has helped to mature me so much in the area of planning ahead for taking care of my family when they need it most.
You probably don’t need a resolution or a goal for this year as those tend to be abandoned pretty quick due to their loftiness. What you might really need is a turn-a-round. How about just going in a new direction in a healthier, better way and taking one step at a time?
If you need support in your journey to better health and weight loss, head to the Contact page and let me know. I’ll give you all the info on group sessions which I conduct locally in person on a weekly basis. Private coaching can be done in person or by phone. Share with friends and let’s see how many are ready to get Trim & Healthy!
The Trim Healthy Mama Plan is a great way to boost your immune system and we all need that right now, don’t we? Leave a comment and let me know some of the simple ways you like to prep ahead for the busy days and the unexpected change in plans
I’m so thankful to the Lord for answering the multitude of prayers for Smuffy that arrived at His throne on Christmas Day. Smuffy and I are filled with hope for the year ahead and gratefulness that we are still together! I’m so happy to have him back with me, healed and whole, and I’m happy to be a prepper!
Do you see a pattern here? December went out with an unpleasant bang for us as I alluded to in my last post and I don’t even remember how I managed to get to the computer and offer up the January First Friday Freebie. Then, wouldn’t you know it, the winner had her own set of troubles causing delays in my connecting with her so that she could actually receive her gift. Well, we are on to better days now so let’s meet January’s winner –
Vikki from Boonville, Missouri!
Congratulations, Vikki!
Vikki can now cozy up with this huge scarf if she has to brave the cold but I hope she doesn’t have to do that. I hope she is hunkered down as we are because I happen to know that a humdinger of a winter storm is headed her way. I can hear the stuff pelting down right now and later it promises to become deep, white and difficult to navigate with low temps falling below zero when you see this post on Groundhog Day. I don’t think anybody will be casting any shadows for a day or two around here.
Vikki is shown here holding the blush and gray scarf she won by commenting as directed on my post on the first Friday in January. Enjoy it, Vikki! It’s a great find from Factory Connection. . If you’d like to see past winners and their gifts check it out hereon my Freebies! page.
Not yet a subscriber to Midwest Storyteller yet? Freebies might entice you to become one – they are for email subscribers only.
NOTE: If you enjoy entering to win, make sure you subscribe with an email you intend to keep and will be checking the week after the drawings. This is my only means of letting winners know they’ve won and so if your email isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
The subscription area is easy to find on the “CONTACT” page. After subscribing, confirm your subscription when the confirmation email arrives in your inbox. If you’ve done that and not received a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribers don’t miss what’s new here on the blog. They get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE on the First Friday of every month.
Comment as directed on the post that offers the Freebie and you’ll be entered to win.
Freebies help me reach more people we wouldn’t want to deprive anyone of a good Smuffy story, would we? When you share with all your friends via MeWe, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free. Smuffy is spoken for, but his stories are free. Does it get any better than this?
Next up: Some meal prepping tips and February’s First Friday Freebie.
On February 4th, you’ll see a photo of the Freebie and you can enter to win at any point all day that day. Don’t forget to check the email that you used to subscribe for notification that you’ve won.
A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on the day of the drawing.
ONCE AGAIN (because you tend to forget): Pay attention to the email issue mentioned above. Check your email often in the week following the drawing to keep your prize from being offered to someone else. Smartphone reminders help with that.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Subscribers, be ready to enter to win on Friday, February 4th, 2022.
Do you ever feel blah in that space in time following Christmas and New Year’s Celebrations? Does it seem sometimes that nothing bright and cheery is happening until Valentine’s Day or maybe even till spring?
Well, we had a Christmas we won’t be forgetting anytime soon! It can all be revealed in an upcoming post, but the super-short version is that I came within a gnat’s eyelash of losing my beloved Smuffy and Christmas didn’t get celebrated until weeks later. New Year’s is a blur and Lil’ Snookie and I even ended up having our birthday parties together because of all the “stuff of life”. The bright side is that I’ve still got my Smuffy, he’s miraculously his old self and has provided me with fabulous fodder for the ultimate non-fiction story and if it all hadn’t happened and shaken up our world, I’d have never gotten to have a Baby Shark birthday party.
The frenzy of holiday preparations had me a little behind in announcing my First Friday Freebie winner and then when the stuff happened, it flew out of my mind like one of those snake-in-a-tube prank gifts.
Anyhow, let’s re-wind the holidays and make life festive again. Meet December’s winner –
Eva from New Franklin, Missouri!
Congratulations, Eva!
This girl has a smile that will cheer you up no matter how gloomy the weather. Perhaps it’s because she can now offer up cheesy goodness in style.
Eva is shown here with the black and white cheese server and spreader. She has the option of removing the black ribbon and replacing it with a seasonal one for a Valentine party or spring event. It’s a great find from Factory Connection. . If you’d like to see past winners and their gifts check it out hereon my Freebies! page.
If you’re not yet a subscriber to Midwest Storyteller they might entice you to become one – First Friday Freebies are for email subscribers only.
NOTE: If you enjoy entering to win, please make sure you subscribe with an email you intend to keep and will likely be checking the week after the drawings. This is my only means of letting winners know they’ve won and so if your email isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
Look for the subscription area. It’s easy to find on the “CONTACT” page and after subscribing, confirm your subscription when the confirmation email arrives in your inbox. If you’ve done that and not received a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribing is the best way to avoid missing what’s new here on the blog because you’ll get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE on the First Friday of every month.
Comment as directed on the post that offers the Freebie and you’ll be entered to win.
Freebies help me reach more people who may not have heard about this blog and we wouldn’t want to deprive anyone of a good Smuffy story, would we? When you share with all your friends via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free. Smuffy is spoken for, but his stories are free. Does it get any better than this?
Next up: January’s First Friday Freebie winner because not only am I playing catch-up, but the winner was under the weather and…Oh, well, you get the idea. Hello, “Normal”, I’d like to make a reservation for 2022…”
Then, February’s here so that means that this coming Friday, there is yet another Freebie! You’ll see a photo of the Freebie and you can enter to win at any point all day that day. Don’t forget to check the email that you used to subscribe for notification that you’ve won.
A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on the day of the drawing.
ONCE AGAIN (because you tend to forget): Pay attention to the email issue mentioned above. Check your email often in the week following the drawing to keep your prize from being offered to someone else. Perhaps a reminder in the good ‘ole smartphone would help.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
These four simple steps will have you ready to enter to win on Friday, February 4th, 2022.
To be exact, it is a whopping nine degrees Fahrenheit outside as I type this, making my January First Friday Freebie seem like the wisest choice ever! Let’s take a look.
I have friends who don’t wear scarves. They just don’t like them. I’ll bet they’re wearing them today or wishing they had one. This big, beautiful scarf by Justin and Taylor is buttery soft and will stop those single-digit winds from whistling around your neck.
The soft gray and blush tones keep the feeling neutral so it will go with many of your outfits and coats. The colors are separated into the four quadrants of this oversized scarf and as you can see from the photo, it looks like a plaid when arranged just right. On second thought, perhaps you can’t see, as I’ve had some issues getting the colors to show up as they really are. It is definitely as gray as it is blush, so you’ll just have to trust me on this one. Made of 100% polyester, it’s a great find from Factory Connection.
To enter to win the blush and gray oversized scarf, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Storyteller, it’s cold outside!” You’ll need to do that before midnight TONIGHT, January 7, 2022.
NOTE: An occasional problem occurs with subscribers not receiving confirmation emails. Should this happen, email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com so that I can report it and have the issue resolved.
First Friday Freebies are for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, so you’ll want to subscribe over on the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can subscribe to Midwest Storyteller if you haven’t done so.
I hope you get excited about winning freebies and share them and my blog stories with your friends and family through all your social media. If you like an idea, recipe or story you see here, be sure to hover over the photo and “pin it”. Help me get the word out!
On the “Freebies”page, you can see what readers have been winning every month.
A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, January 7th, by leaving a comment which says, “Storyteller, it’s cold outside!”.
For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.
Subscribe and confirm right now before you forget!
With this first First Friday Freebie of the new year comes all my prayers and best wishes that you have a 2022 that is blessed, healthy and happy.
All the songs tell us that we should be delirious with happiness right now. All the street lights should look like strings of lights and even the stop lights ought to be reminding us of ornaments as they blink a bright red and green. With people passing and children laughing, we should be meeting smile after smile and every jingle or jangle we hear should be the sweet sound of silver bells.
I love Christmas. My mom loved Christmas. She knew how to make something out of nothing and take joy in what she did have and set aside any thoughts about what she didn’t have. I love surprises and gift giving and if there’s one thing in life right now that has raised the joy in that, it is having our little Snookie. At almost two years old, he’s all wonder and happiness. Together, he and I have been making Christmas cards for him to give to his special people and when he “paints” with his markers, he is purposeful and pleased and understands that he’s making a beautiful thing that will make someone smile.
There are, of course, some of you who are having trouble mustering up a smile. Perhaps it is for good reason. There’s no getting around that for some people Christmas is a reminder of loss or past or present pain. Sometimes it can be fear of loss if illness threatens someone you love. It can also be the absence of someone due to miles or because there’s been a rift that you feel helpless to repair.
Whether you are decorating your heart out and baking mountains of cookies while the carols play or whether you are struggling, an extra smile can’t hurt, so I’d like to share one of our Christmas smiles with you.
When Pookie arrives each day, she asks me how our day went and how things unfolded with lunch, naptime and Snookie’s mood and behavior (which, by the way, is nearly always wonderful). Then on the drive home, she asks questions to get his version of the day. I had decorated for Christmas and placed the Baby Jesus candle in the room where he naps so that we could light it while we snuggle, sing “Away In a Manger” and talk about Jesus. (Do I need a disclaimer here to say that after he falls asleep I blow out the candle before I leave the room?)
The first day we lit the Baby Jesus candle, it was still fresh in his mind on the drive home. The conversation went like this:
Pookie: Did you have a good day?
Snookie: Candle! Pookie: Did Grandma have a candle? Snookie: Light! Pookie: You lit a candle? Snookie: Jesus! Pookie: Oh! You and Grandma lit the Baby Jesus candle? Snookie: I do. (Always his answer when he’s affirming an action or desire.) Pookie: Did you know Christmas is Baby Jesus’ birthday? Snookie: Cake!!! Pookie: Well, maybe we will have cake for Jesus’ birthday. Snookie: Try Mama.
So, now, though we’ve not had the tradition in the past, Pookie is thinking that maybe a birthday cake is in order for Baby Jesus. And, why not? He is the reason for the celebration after all.
Children and their understanding of Christmas can not only bring us laughter, but bring us back to a place of wonder. If you’ve wandered from your wonder into a place of commercialism, cynicism or down-heartedness, maybe it’s time to pray that your childlike joy returns. I’d love to hear your stories of how the children in your life have understood Christmas, so please leave them in the comments. I’d love to write a post filled entirely with those!
One of my favorites is when my niece was discussing the Christmas story with her mommy. They talked their way through it and when they got to the part about the wise men coming to bring gifts to Jesus, she asked what they tripped over. Now, this puzzled my sister and she asked the reason for the question. My niece gave the obvious answer: “Mommy, it says they fell down and worshiped Him. What did they fall over?”
I hope this has given you a smile. I encourage you, like Snookie, to “try”. Pull out your Bible and read through the portions of the book of Isaiah that promise us hope and tell us that the people walking in darkness have seen a great light. The Light is Jesus and it far outshines the candles we use in symbolism. Go to the New Testament and read the story of Jesus’ birth in the Gospels and ask Him to put that same “Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward Men” in your heart. It’s more than just something to be printed on greeting cards. Or, bake Him a cake!
Take the first step by going in search of the Christ-child. Just try!
Leave your comments with your fun Christmas stories, so we can all share Christmas smiles!
Subscribe either in the right sidebar on your computer or if on a device, navigate to the Contact page on the menu and you’ll see a subscription box. Be sure to “pin” this article and share it on your social media.
If you’re in need of a case of the out-and-out giggles, take a journey through my “Laugh” page and also the stories about my “Life With Smuffy”.
‘Tis the season. As we turn our hearts toward the celebration of the coming of our Messiah, the festivities and preparation for them begins. However and whatever you may be celebrating between now and the end of the year, I’m thinking there is a good deal of food involved.
Various treats tempt us during the holidays and many of them are sweet. High on the list, however, is a category all its own – cheesy goodness.
We’re cheese lovers at our house. We attributed much of the overstock to Pookie over the years, but after she married and left us to start her own home, we soon discovered that we still could barely get the refrigerator cheese drawer shut.
This time of the year, whether we grab a ready-made at the grocery store or make a favorite family version, we yearn for a cheese ball. At get-togethers, I confess to often thinking as I make my way toward the heavy-laden buffet, “Is there a cheese ball?”
December’s First Friday Freebie will help you serve yours up in style. This black and white cheese server and spreader are just so cute! It’s neutral colors will go with any of your décor and whether your other serve-ware is farmhouse, modern or somewhere else on the design spectrum, it just “goes”. You have the option of removing the black ribbon and replacing it with a seasonal one, whether it’s for the holidays, a birthday party, New Year’s Eve or your spring fling. It’s a great find from Factory Connection.
To enter to win the Cheesy Goodness serving set, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “I need cheesy goodness in my life!” You’ll need to do that before midnight TONIGHT, December 3rd, 2021.
NOTE: An occasional problem occurs with subscribers not receiving confirmation emails. Should this happen, email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com so that I can report it and have the issue resolved.
First Friday Freebies are for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, so you’ll want to subscribe over on the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can subscribe to Midwest Storyteller if you haven’t done so.
I hope you get excited about winning freebies and share them and my blog stories with your friends and family through all your social media. If you like an idea, recipe or story you see here, be sure to hover over the photo and “pin it”. Help me get the word out!
On the “Freebies”page, you can see what readers have been winning every month.
A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, December 3rd, by leaving a comment which says, “I need cheesy goodness in my life!”.
For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.
Subscribe and confirm right now before you forget!
Perhaps a nice cheese ball will get you into the holiday mood if your weather is not feeling Christmas-like. It’s been warm and wonderful here. If you’re in the Midwest, you know it’s bound to change soon, so enjoy your Christmas shopping and other preparations while you can and have a blessed Christmas season from start to finish.
Have you ever had one of those weird experiences when you are trying to give something away and it seems like it isn’t meant to be?
As you may have read in my last post, the October freebie winner had a change in email which set off a series of delays in getting the gift to its destination. Then, in November a winner was notified who also had a change in email and I am sorry to say, she lost out on receiving her First Friday Freebie because I had no other means of contact with her other than the email she used to subscribe. Then, (do these things come in threes?) when I had to re-draw a name from those who entered, the new winner also had a changed email and did not respond! I did, however, find another means of contact and she has, at last, been united with her First Friday Freebie.
Meet November’s eventual winner –
Heather from Prairie Home, Missouri!
Congratulations, Heather!
I was so excited that my freebie found a home that I threw in a bonus gift.
In addition to the cozy scarf in the original First Friday Freebie offer, Heather received the leather earrings you see pictured with her in the photo. Heather is a first-time winner. If you’d like to see past winners and their gifts check it out hereon my Freebies! page.
The scarf and the earrings are both Factory Connection finds and you can see the original freebie offer here.
If you’re not yet a subscriber to Midwest Storyteller they might entice you to become one – First Friday Freebies are for email subscribers only.
NOTE: If you enjoy entering to win, please make sure you subscribe with an email you intend to keep and will likely be checking the week after the drawings. This is my only means of letting winners know they’ve won and so if your email isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
Look for the subscription area. It’s easy to find on the “CONTACT” page and after subscribing, confirm your subscription when the confirmation email arrives in your inbox. If you’ve done that and not received a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribing is the best way to avoid missing what’s new here on the blog because you’ll get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE on the First Friday of every month.
Comment as directed on the post that offers the Freebie and you’ll be entered to win.
Freebies help me reach more people who may not have heard about this blog and we wouldn’t want to deprive anyone of a good Smuffy story, would we? When you share with all your friends via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free. Smuffy is spoken for, but his stories are free. Does it get any better than this?
Coming soon: December’s First Friday Freebie – that takes place on Friday, December 3rd. You’ll see a photo of the Freebie and you can enter to win at any point all day that day. Don’t forget to check the email that you used to subscribe for notification that you’ve won.
A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on the day of the drawing.
ONCE AGAIN (because you tend to forget): Should your name be drawn as the winner, you will be notified via the email you used to subscribe. That means you’ll need to check your email often in the week following the drawing so that you can respond and keep the prize from being offered to someone else. Perhaps a reminder in the good ‘ole smartphone would help.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
These four simple steps will have you ready to enter to win on Friday, December 3rd, 2021.
Next up recipes to please and smiles to add to your Christmas cheer!
Stuff happens. And if you’ve been keeping up here, you know that it’s been happening in my kitchen. We’re nearing completion, but at the time when I should have been announcing the October First Friday Freebie winner, it was really happening! Then, there was an email glitch and the winner didn’t get notified in a timely manner and I didn’t get it mailed out in a timely manner. I also didn’t get the announcement made. I’m starting to think that time has no manners.
Anyhow, give a belated cheer to October’s winner –
Jean from Hurricane, Utah!
Congratulations, Jean!
It is news to me that they have hurricanes in Utah, but maybe Jean could give us some history behind that name in the comments.
I love interesting town names. Once, in high school, my best friend and I got hold of an old zip code directory and found ourselves in fits of hysterical laughter as we perused the pages. I must do that again sometime on some gloomy day when I need a lift.
Jean won the pretty necklace you see her wearing in the photo and she agrees with me that it is much prettier than it appears in photos. Jean has won a First Friday Freebie in the past, so check out all the past winners and their gifts hereon my Freebies! page.
If you’re not yet a subscriber to Midwest Storyteller they might entice you to become one – First Friday Freebies are for email subscribers only.
NOTE: If you enjoy entering to win, please make sure you subscribe with an email you intend to keep and will likely be checking the week after the drawings. This is my only means of letting winners know they’ve won and so if your email isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
Look for the subscription area. It’s easy to find on the “CONTACT” page and after subscribing, confirm your subscription when the confirmation email arrives in your inbox. If you’ve done that and not received a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribing is the best way to avoid missing what’s new here on the blog because you’ll get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE on the First Friday of every month.
Comment as directed on the post that offers the Freebie and you’ll be entered to win.
Freebies help me reach more people with my stories, recipes and more. When you share with all your friends via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free. Are you catching on this is a free thing?
Coming soon: December’s First Friday Freebie – that takes place on Friday, December 3rd. You’ll see a photo of the Freebie and you can enter to win at any point all day that day. Don’t forget to check the email that you used to subscribe for notification that you’ve won.
A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on the day of the drawing.
ONCE AGAIN (because you tend to forget): Should your name be drawn as the winner, you will be notified via the email you used to subscribe. That means you’ll need to check your email often in the week following the drawing so that you can respond and keep the prize from being offered to someone else.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
These four simple steps will have you ready to enter to win on Friday, December 3rd, 2021.
Next up: November’s winner – in a more timely manner.
Don’t I sound humble? Well, when you’ve got six “Golden Ladles” under your belt – wait! Those were for soups. I’ve never entered a stuffing-making contest, but I’d have to admit, this would be my entry.
I’ve decided that there are three groups of people when it comes to stuffing opinions. Yea, even unto four.
First there are “the-nasty-stuff-shall-never-pass-these-lips” people. I don’t understand these people. After all, it’s a pilgrimage. Keep trying. I know I’ve personally swayed some nose-wrinklers with this recipe.
Next, there is a group of folks I don’t even trust. Someone walks in with a pan of something that resembles stuffing and I’m gonna ask what’s in it – and not so much because I’m concerned that they’ve loaded it with unhealthy ingredients. You have to give these people a second, meaningful look and ask exactly what’s in it. That’s because at some point in history, someone somewhere put oysters in stuffing and told people this was not only acceptable, but tasty. Your life is in your own hands, but my advice is to beware of this group.
Then, there are those folks who cling to the stuffing I grew up on. White bread, torn into hunks and drowned in seasoned broth is baked until it becomes…well, white bread drowned in seasoned broth. There might be an egg or two in there, but generally, you probably need a spoon and it’s nothing special. I take that back. It is something special – it’s memories. It’s what our granny made and it’s stuck in our minds as the thing to do. God bless these folks. May they happily feast on it and leave more of mine for me!
The final group is the one I call home. It’s the “let’s-go-all-out-and-throw-in-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink” group. Flavors, textures, aromas – all blending into a glorious symphonic culinary masterpiece. Don’t say I don’t know how to overdo it.
I like to give credit where credit is due. Many years ago, I checked a book out of the public library called “The Thanksgiving Cookbook” by Holly Garrison. (This was way back when healthy ingredients didn’t seem to matter that much in our household, especially on a holiday.) This book was loaded with yummy stuff and I still use the skillet green bean recipe. I checked and found the book is still available used on websites like www.discoverbooks.com , www.mercari.com , and www.ebay.com in the $5-$8 range. However, there seem to have been different editions and I don’t know how they differ.
The stuffing recipe in Holly’s book really rocked my world. I’d been looking for something “different” and this was not only something I’d never had before – it was hearty, delicious – it was a stuffing “experience”. Still, over the years I’ve adapted it quite a bit, not only to fit the THM plan as a crossover (XO), but to our personal tastes as well. Thanks to Holly Garrison for inspiring me with the basic idea of using sausage, sage and apples – something I never would have come up with on my own.
Be sure to check the notes following the recipe! And, don’t forget there’s a free printable – It prints as a double so you can share with a friend!
Coach Barb’s Stuffing-to-End-All-Stuffings with Sage, Sausage and Apples “XO”
1 pound turkey breakfast sausage, browned and seasoned with plenty of extra sage.
16 slices (20 ounces) sprouted grain bread, torn or broken into postage stamp sized pieces and DRIED
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons dried sage or 1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped fine
3/4 cup toasted, coarsly chopped walnuts
2 large (or 3 if smaller) golden delicious apples, peeled and cubed (1/2 inch or smaller)
2 teaspoons mineral salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
3 large eggs, beaten
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup chicken broth with NO SUGAR
1/2 cup heavy cream
Coconut oil cooking spray
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9″X13″ baking dish (or LARGER) with cooking spray.
In the VERY large mixing bowl where your bread has been drying, add the browned meat, celery, onion, sage, walnuts, apples, salt, pepper and caraway, tossing together with a large spoon as you go.
Whisk the melted butter, almond milk, broth and heavy cream into the bowl with the beaten eggs. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir well.
Pour into the baking dish. Cover and bake one hour or until done in center, removing the cover after 30 minutes to allow for some yummy crustiness on top.
NOTES:
Sage: There are years when the frost gets my sage plant before Thanksgiving rolls around, but that didn’t happen this year. Just remember that you’ll need half as much dried sage as you would fresh.
Drying Bread: I use a mixture of bread heels and chunks of homemade sourdough I’ve had frozen along with some store-bought sprouted grain bread such as the Knock Your Sprouts Off bread from Aldi in order to come up with the required twenty ounces. I put it in a huge mixing bowl on Sunday or Monday ahead of Thursday’s feast and several times a day as I walk by, I reach in and give the bread pieces a toss. By the time you’re ready to make stuffing, they’ll be dried out and crouton-like. This needs to happen or they will not be able to soak up the goodness you’re going to apply.
Veggies: Folks will be unhappy with chunks of squashy celery in their mouths, so please go to the extra effort to get the celery and onions pretty small. I leave the last inch or so at the base of a celery stalk connected as a “handle” and run a knife down the stalk separating it into four long strips. Then, squeeze them together and slice them all at once down to the base end and then toss it.
Broth: You could use bone broth or regular chicken broth. Just be sure to adjust the amount of mineral salt in the recipe based on the amount of sodium in the broth. I prefer to have minimal salt in the broth and add my own salt.
The Pan: I use a clear glass baking dish that, while it might be mistaken for a 9X13” at first glance, my other pans of that size will easily fit down into it with a little wiggle room. This is a big pan of stuffing, so if you’re serving just a few people, you may want to make a half recipe until you decide you like it and then you’ll probably want to make the whole thing and freeze the leftovers.
Now, grab your free printable and start your adventure and see if you don’t think this is the Stuffing-To-End-All Stuffings! Check out the THM on-plan Thanksgiving menu here that has been taste-tested and approved by the members I coach in my weekly Food Freedom sessions.
In the group coaching sessions I teach weekly, I do cooking demonstrations and in our countdown to the holidays, the members have gotten to experience several recipes that enable them to have a complete Thanksgiving feast and still stay on plan with THM. If you’d like our suggested Thanksgiving menu, click here.
Remember those “golden ladles” I mentioned earlier. If you’d like my all-time favorite soup, click here. This one is the winner of three of those awards!
If you need support in your journey to better health and weight loss, head to the Contact page and let me know. I’ll give you all the info on group sessions which I conduct locally in person on a weekly basis. Private coaching can be done in person or by phone. Share with friends and let’s see how many are ready to get Trim & Healthy!
Which stuffing camp do you belong to? Leave a comment and give me your thoughts.
