Mama Gets Her Christmas Craft On

So what can a mama and her baby girl do with some 

old jars, old books, ribbon and miniature Christmas trees?

 A LOT

says 

Mama

A LOT!

Miniature Trees - Dollar Store

Ribbon - Mama's Closet

Old Glass Jars - Mama'a Garage

Old Books - Mama'a Basement

Mama 

is

a

HOARDER

YES

SHE 

IS

Sad but true!

How cute are these little guys?

Way Cute

says

Mama

Hot glue the trees in place.

Add a little shredded book pages 

or 

fake snow

Put the lid on nice 

and 

tight

AND

YOUR DONE!

Not a creature was stirring

not even 

a

Mama

Peace Out

Chinese Pepper Steak Mama Holli Style!

Before 

After

Long ago when Mama Holli's babies were young pups, she would load up her bus and haul the pups to Hallettsville, Texas to stay with Granny when her hubby traveled.

Granny LOVED to cook for her family but 

every now and then she

 would request one of us "GIRLS" 

to whip up some Chinese Pepper Steak.

It was a recipe not found in her usual amazing

repertoire of family favorites. Granny was Czech and Czech's did not cook up Chinese food, not even with a Texas twist. She would very quietly ask if I would mind making it for "DINNER" which was actually "LUNCH".

Then we would have leftovers for "SUPPER" 

which was actually "DINNER"!

This is the adapted recipe we would pull out.

The original was posted by Pam Post in the 

Holy Ghost Booster Club Cookbook

back in the 1970's!

Chinese Pepper Steak

1 1/2 lb Cubed Steak - cut in small bite size pieces

1/2 ts Ginger

1/2 ts Sugar

2 Garlic Cloves - minced

1/2 med Onion - sliced

1 Green Bell Pepper - sliced

1 med Tomato - sliced into wedges

1/2 C Soy Sauce

1 C water

1/2 C flour

Toss steak in flour. Brown steak in a skillet with about 3 tablespoons of oil. In a bowl mix soy sauce, ginger, and sugar. Add to steak and then add water. Gravy will thicken quickly. Add more water if needed to keep from sticking to bottom of skillet. Add garlic and simmer 10 minutes covered.

Add peppers, onions and tomatoes to meat, cover and cook on low until desired tenderness. Check every 5 minutes to see if more water is needed to keep from sticking to bottom as gravy will be thick. I usually cook for 10 - 15 minutes on low and then serve it hot over brown rice.

To spice it up add a little chili paste to your liking.

Have a Happy Day

and

REMEMBER

Nobody Puts Mama In A Corner!

Graphic courtesy 

of

Summer Dance Recitals! A Mama's Gotta Love it!

Go HERE to see more DANCE pics!

Ballerinas in The City
By Holli Nucci Photography

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Triple C Rolls

Chicken, Cheese and Cilantro 

This is so very yummy!

It is such an easy recipe to pull

put of your mama recipe box when 

you have some chicken left over!

I had made some extra chicken breasts

and came up with this quick recipe.

I had all of the ingredients already

so this was a 

Winner

Winner

Chicken Dinner

I'm thinking this would be a great appetizer

as well. I was also thinking if you wanted to make it really fattening you could dump some yummy queso 

on top of each individual serving!

It does have a yummy tex mex feel to it!

I want to serve it with some fresh pico 

and a guacamole salad

Triple C Rolls

1  pound of cooked/grilled chicken breasts (chopped)

3/4 block of cream cheese (room temperature)

2 Tbs of finely chopped white onion

1/3 cup of chopped cilantro

3/4 cup of Monterey Jack Cheese

1 refrigerated pie crust 

1 small chopped jalapeno (OPTIONAL)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Spread out one pie crust on kitchen counter.

Spread the chicken mixture on pie crust and roll up until it is one

long roll. Place the roll on a well greased pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust becomes slightly browned. Slice into bars

and serve alone as an appetizer or with a salad for dinner.

I dumped some pico on mine and sliced up some avocado.

It was yummy, yummy yummy!

I doubled the recipe when I served them as appetizers.

Best Queso Recipe 

is HERE!

Check out these lovely

vintage images from Mama Karen

Mama is FRESH! Fresh Salsa in The House!

Nana Nucci would call you

FRESH

if you sassed back,

told a joke,

flirted with a boy,

teased her,

pranced around in a new outfit 

or 

if you

did just about anything

other than be a bore!

"Are you getting FRESH with me?",

she would say and then gently cover her mouth and start

laughing out loud!

Mama Holli whips up some 

FRESH Salsa

about once a week for her familia.

It is very similar to the

CHEATER HOLLI HOTSAUCE

recipe but slightly different in taste and preparation.

Pull out the trusty food processor or a blender.

I like to use the FP for this recipe as it works best 

with fresh toms. Over blending the tomatoes can make 

your salsa foamy, which you don't want!

Mama Holli's FRESH Salsa

4 vine ripe tomatoes ( quartered)

1 to 2 serrano peppers

1/3 cup purple onion

1 garlic clove

1 cup or more of cilantro

1/2 tsp of sea salt

1 tsp of red wine vinegar

Blend pepper, garlic, onion and cilantro first until finely chopped.

Add tomatoes one at a time, pulsing a few times in between each one. Add the salt and vinegar. This part is up to you....you can pulse/blend it a little more to make it less chunky or leave it as it is. This Mama does NOT like chunky salsa so I blend pulse it a few more seconds. Not too long though or you will loose the fresh taste of the toms. 

FYI.......

This batch I photographed has extra cilantro. I was craving it that day! The fresh toms will blend more pink than red unlike canned toms, hence the greenish color of this batch.

Serve it up with some chips and you are good to go!

Enjoy!

Baby Girl #1 in LOVE

This Baby Girl is in LOVE!

In LOVE with the beautiful

people of Belize!

"I'm Going Back!"

She says with a smile.

Some Way Some How

"I'm Going Back!"

Small little benches for my 
long legged girl!

Teaching Belize Babies to read!

Sharing a home with the 
lovely Mayan people.

Learning to make tamales 
with the women

and playing soccer 
with the children.

Her new favorite food is......

Fry Jacks , Beans

and Eggs

for breakfast!

 You have to dump this all over it!

YOU HAVE TO!

Making Tamales!

Eating Tamales!

Living in solidarity 

with the 

people of Belize.

 and

sadly saying goodbye

just for a little while

And then there are days, 

when the world just sings to you, 

from the minute you open your eyes 

to the minute you shut them again at night.

-Roswell

Belize Delegation 2013

Stay Safe my sweet friends until I see

your beautiful faces again.

I will pray for you all each night before 

I lay my head to rest until I see you again.

Mama is HUNGRY!

HUNGRY!

YES!

I am craving this dish 

BIG TIME!

So I am slipping on my boots,

grabbing my pocket book, 
(as Granny would say)

and heading to town!

Eggplant & Chicken Parmesan

here I come

ready 

or 

NOT!

Go HERE 

if you want the recipe.

I want to serve it up on these

fun plates from Anthropologie!

HOW fun are these!!

WAY FUN!

Ok

I am off

and

running!

LATER

GATOR!

Ballerinas In The City!

Oh how much fun did 

Mama Holli 

have with this photo shoot!

TOO MUCH!

What a lovely day in the city!
Such beautiful baby girls
inside
and 
out!
Kudos 
to
their dance home,

Denver Academy
of
Ballet

Drunken Cheese Tray

Drunken Cheese Tray

• 1/2  cup  grape seed oil
• 1/2  cup  white wine vinegar
• 1/4  cup  fresh lime juice
• 1/2  (7.5-ounce) jar roasted sweet red peppers, drained and diced
• 3-4  green onions, minced
• 5  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2  teaspoon  white sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon  sea salt
• 1/8  teaspoon black pepper
• 1  (8-ounce) block Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, chilled
• 1  (8-ounce) block Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, chilled
• 2  (8-ounce) packages Cream Cheese, chilled 

Whisk together first 3 ingredients, add diced red peppers and next 6 ingredients. Set marinade aside.

Cut all 4 blocks of cheese in half lengthwise. Cut halves crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. cheese. The cream cheese can be tricky but make sure it is really cold prior to cutting.

Arrange cheese slices in rows in a shallow serving dish. Pour sauce over cheeses. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. 

Serve with your favorite crackers, bagel chips and bread at room temperature.

My favorite part.....

Any remaining leftovers can be used in the morning and spread on a toasted bagel!! YUM!! 
Another popular recipe here on my blog.........

Sausage and Cream Cheese Crescent Bars!

CRAZY EASY and SO AMAZING!