Snow, Snowmen and Taco Soup

You know how I was complaining that I wanted snow?  Well, we got it with a vengeance Friday!  It wasn't so much a blizzard with foot after foot of snow, it was zero visibility, layer of ice under the snow, freezing rain turning to snow weather.  What you see is a picture taken from my front porch.  I know-not so much quantity-just quick as a flash "here it is with all the trimmings" !  My husband and two sons were out snow blowing and shovelling Friday afternoon and cleaning up decks and shovelling a walkway for our poor dog to relieve herself throughout the weekend.  Me-I baked and crafted. 

This is a fun snowman I painted for my collection.  I love the primitive style.  I got the idea from a painting book I have by Karen Lamp.  It is "Simple Gatherings and Glad Tidings".  If you are a tole painter, you should take a look at this book.  There are quite a few ideas for several seasons.  She put a hat and stick arms on her snowman.  I just went with the scarf.  I am thinking it needs a stand, though.  It has to lean against the wall because it is quite heavy and tips easily.  I will probably just glue a little block of wood behind it to steady it.  I am sure hubs has some scraps in his wood shop.  I have several other snowman craft ideas in the works.  This time of year is all about the snowmen for me!  I am looking for a cute snowman garland idea for my mantle.  Let me know if you have one or have seen one.

       

I made a really good taco soup recipe.  The flavor is really unique because of the addition of a second seasoning packet.  Brown 2 lbs. ground beef in a soup pot.  Put the browned beef in a big bowl and drain most of the fat.  Add a little olive oil to the fat and sweat out a large onion, a couple of ribs of celery and a couple of peeled carrots-all chopped.   Return meat to the pot when the veggies are almost tender.  Add a 15oz can of kidney beans, a 14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, 1 packet taco seasoning mix, 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dry dressing mix and 3 cups water.  Simmer for about an hour. Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream.  The ranch really adds a unique tang to it. 

I notified the winner of my scalloped bag giveaway.  Thanks to all of you new followers.   I hope you all are staying warm and cozy wherever you are.  Happy crafting, cooking, and creating!  Take care.   Nancy