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The Perfect Ham and a Thanksgiving Leftovers E-Book
Have you all finished up the holiday leftovers or are you still working on them? We still have some turkey left, but the ham disappeared quickly. I tried something different with my ham this year and it was YUMMY!
Yummy Ham Secrets Revealed:
I’ve normally purchased a spiral cut ham, just because they always came out so much better. However, they’re pretty spendy. This year I purchased a regular old, bone-in, uncooked ham. The night before our meal I put the ham in an oven bag and rubbed brown sugar liberally over the ham. You’ll want to use about a cup of brown sugar. Just leave what falls off in the bag. Then pour in a cup of regular cola. Press as much air out of the oven bag as you can and tie it closed well. Flop the ham around to drench the entire thing well in the cola/sugar mixture. I set my bag in a baking pan just to be safe in case anything leaked. Over the course of the evening, flop the ham around a couple of more times. In the morning, cut a few slits in the top of the bag and place the pan in the oven to cook as directed. (Mine required 3 hours at 325.) When the time is up, simply pull out your ham and plop it on a platter. It’s SOOO good! And you won’t even have a pan to clean up since all the mess stays in the bag.
I’ll be watching for hams to go on sale so I can grab up a few more!
If you’re looking for some new leftover recipes you might enjoy this free Holiday Leftovers E- book from Hillbilly Housewife.
Super-simple perfect ham works for me! To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit We Are That Family.
Five Kernels of Corn ~ Give Thanks!
Years ago I heard the story of how, at one point, the Pilgrims were rationed only 5 kernels of corn a day. That year, at our Thanksgiving meal, each person found five kernels of corn by their plate. We all shared one Thanksgiving for each kernel of corn. This is a simple, yet meaningful tradition to add to your special meal.
You can find the original story here and listen to it on audio here. If you have a poet in your midst they might enjoy reciting this poem. And here is a page you can email to friends and family, to share the story with them.
We wish you all the best this Thanksgiving holiday!
Bathroom Vanity Makeover
I’ve been working all week on re-doing our bathroom. Everything needed a minimum of two coats of paint and I was working around a hectic schedule, but I finally have it mostly done. (My family is most grateful to have the bathroom back!)
I used a few tricks to help keep things frugal. I’ll share the first below. I’m heading out the door to finish my Thanksgiving shopping and will add more invo over the next few days.
The most dramatic change was probably painting the vanity. It’s a good many years old and the finish had worn off. I used the same paint I have on my lower kitchen cabinets and they have held up well, so I’m hoping for the best. I think it should be fine. I actually priced out new ones before deciding to go with the paint. They’re not cheap!
Here is the vanity before. I’ve already started painting the beadboard in this picture.
Here is a closer shot of the damage:
First, I removed the hardware and used sandpaper to lightly sand the entire cabinet, taking care to smooth down the parts with water damage. I then primed the cabinet with Kilz and followed with two coats of semi-gloss (Behr paint in Bear Rug). I believe one of the tricks to having the paint hold up well is to allow good drying time between coats. I left each coat 24 hours, at least.
Here is the finished product. I still have to do some minor touch-ups, but it made a world of difference.
A closer shot:
And the before/after shot. I think it made a pretty dramatic difference. Not bad for the price of a $25 can of paint. And yes, I use GOOD paint. Some things aren’t worth scrimping on, especially when you’re talking about painting cabinets. Stay tuned for more details.
Linking to Metamorphosis Monday, Tackle it Tuesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Show & Tell Wednesday
Tube Sock to Dog Sweater
Bella as a puppy
Our Cockapoo is a nut. She’s always been terrified of clippers and freaks out at any attempts to groom her. I’ve finally gotten her to the point that she will allow me to work on her with scissors, but she still looks pathetic. I finally bit the bullet and made an appt. with the vet to have her sedated and groomed (expensive!). Well, when I picked her up she looked like this:
Now, don’t blame the vet. They did make a point of saying she wouldn’t look like she would if she went to the groomers. Go ahead and laugh. I did! In fact, I was upstairs working on the bathroom and could tell when each family member arrived home and saw her by the screams and peals of laughter.
Yes, it’s sad. But we were facing a problem deeper than mild embarrassment (for both dog and family). We keep our home as cool as possible and this dog is now, for all practical purposes, naked. Now, I’ve always mentally ridiculed dogs that wear sweaters, but it was clear Bella needed some clothing. What to do? Remember, we live 30 miles from a Walmart or pet store and I wasn’t driving back to town for a doggie shirt.
I did consider calling one of my friends who had babies recently and asking to borrow an outgrown onesie that I might be able to make work. But then I thought about our massive sock basket. (I hope I’m not the only one who owns one of these!) I dug around and found one of hubby’s discarded tube socks. I was looking for a tube sock since it wouldn’t have a heel. I cut the toe off the sock, placed it over the dog’s head and figured out where I needed to cut arm holes. The finished product looked like this.
We were pretty impressed with how well the final product works on the dog. I think she even likes it! the cuff looks like a cute little turtleneck.
So there you go! Creativity always prevails! Right now she’s resting by the couch in a special box filled with a pillow and fleece blankie. Life is good! lol Remember:
Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without!
Linked to Thrifty Thursday, Frugal Friday, Feature Yourself Friday
Banana Math!
As a visual learner and homeschool mom, I’m always on the lookout for those learning opportunities that just happen with life. For example, my daughter’s introduction to fractions took place this morning as she was preparing breakfast. I had two bananas that had to be equally dispersed between 3 bowls. I told her to divide each banana up by 3 and then give each bowl two parts…Voila! Her brain just experienced a real-life, practical application of division and fractions; much more effective than learning it just from a textbook.
