As I greet many of my clients at their doors, one of the first things said to me is "hope you are ok with dogs"...My favorite things to reply is YES and not to worry as we have 4 of them at the House of Payne :)  That usually puts the client at ease about their one or two that greet me at the door.  Yes, we have 4 wee beasties - all rescued, all small and all spoiled rotten.  Prior to this group we had two Jack Russell Terriers that were our kids before kids.  Around the holidays I like to make their favorite homemade treats to have in their stockings (yes our dogs have stockings along with all of ours = spoiled as mentioned before)...I've been making these since I got the recipe in 1998!! These are fun to make with the kids as its easy and low mess.  Hope your furry friends enjoy these!

"Chiken Inna Biskit"

2 c. whole wheat flour
2/3 c. yellow cornmeal
2 T. veg oil
1/2 c. chicken broth
3 eggs
1/4 c. milk

Heat oven to 350.  Mix 2 eggs and milk and set aside.  In second bowl beat 3rd egg and set aside. Mix flour and cornmeal, stir in oil, broth and egg/milk mixture.  Knead until dough is firm. Let sit 15-20 mins.  Can roll on floured surface and cut out like cookies or cheat like me and spoon into balls and flatten with fork.  Brush with beaten egg and bake 25-30 mins until brown. Remove and cool.  

Bringing it all out of storage is not.  Many trips up an down stairs, heavy boxes, few hands to help are usually the case BUT not when you call me in to help!  That's what part of my work this week has been - helping clients bring out Christmas decor and for one client - then we re-organized the basement storage area.  It'll be SO much easier putting everything away in January.  Mind you that can be made easier too - if you book a session with me to help you put it all away :)  I like doing the stairs and working hard with clients - saves me a trip to the gym and then I really earn my glass of wine at night!  Cheers!

Whew...well there went November in a flash as expected and I know I've been behind in posting on the blog but I've been busy just like you!  I've been helping all kinds of great clients get ready for the holidays.  I tend to post more often on my Facebook page so make sure to LIKE and follow me over there.  There is a link on the home page of the website.

OK so it IS beginning to look a lot like Christmas - how about making the house SMELL great too?  I love this "recipe" given to me by my sister some years back.  It is a great item to bag up and gift with an ingredient/instruction gift tag for neighbors, hostess gifts, teachers - anyone really :)

Christmas Scent:

3 Cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
1/4 c. whole cloves
1 lemon, halved
1 orange, halved
4 c. water

Combine all in saucepan and bring to boil,  Reduce heat and simmer, as long as you like, adding water as needed to keep mix from drying up.  Can be stored lightly covered in refrigerator for several days.

Here we are everyone - one month to Thanksgiving and Hanukkah and less than 2 months to Christmas.  I'm not sure about your clocks and calendars but it seems like mine all of a sudden hit warp speed right about now.  One minute carving pumpkins and handing out candy and next thing I know we have a family room littered with wrapping paper on Christmas morning.  Over the next few weeks my posts here on the blog and and on Facebook will be focused on things to help you stay organizing, prepared and peaceful so you can enjoy the craziness of the weeks to come.  

Each Monday as an alternative to our regular Crock Pot feature - I'll be featuring one of our family holiday favorite recipes.  I have also posted here before about the idea of gathering your family favorites and making your own cookbook via Shutterfly or similar site.  I did this several years ago and gave out as Christmas gifts to many people in my family.  It's fun to have all your beloved recipes in one place along with pictures to relive the people and places that made them special in the first place.

Today's feature Stuffed Celery is one of my husband's family's most beloved recipes and 20 years ago when I first had it - I wasn't a huge cream cheese or olive lover but I thought this stuff was the bomb. This is great all year long but is always a holiday staple - make in a double batch as I promise your crew will love it too.  The stuffing part can be made a couple of days in advance and then stuff celery right before serving.  Also great with other veg or even a spread for crackers.

8oz light cream cheese softened
2 garlic cloves  - chopped
1/2 c. toasted pecans
1/2 c. green olives with pimentos
4 or so shakes tabasco
1-2 T light mayo (for spread-ability)


Chop up the olives, garlic and pecans in food processor into small chunks. Add to bowl w/ softened cream cheese, mix with mayo to blend and add tabasco to taste.  Chill at least 1 hour to let flavors meld and then stuff celery. 

It's the start of another busy but fun week filled with clients and sports for the kids.  I'm smiling because my crock pot is full and cooking dinner for me while I'm out doing other things.  Here's what cooking today:  Line your crock and add:  
1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 can no salt added corn (dump in don't drain)
1 can rotel
1 can white beans, drained & rinsed
1 8oz package cream cheese (can use chive and onion also)
1 pouch ranch mix - My new FAVE is Mrs. Dash as its salt free, no MSG or other chemicals.  Look on a reg packet and you'd be mortified what's in there.  1 tsp. Cumin and Chili Powder each
Hot sauce to taste

Cook on low 4-6 hours.  Shred/Break up chicken and serve with toppings to suit your taste. Great for lunches too :)

Well kids are back to school so we've been trying to come up with some new lunch ideas.  They need to be quick, tasty and healthy.  The Buffalo Wings my boys love don't meet any of the above so I created a version that is for the crock pot that is lunchbox friendly.  Line your crock and add simply a package of boneless, skinless, chicken thighs  - free range chicken preferred and a half bottle of your wing sauce of choice.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  The chicken will be falling apart and easy to shred.  I made a batch last week and then made wraps for lunches.  Using a whole wheat fajitas size wrap we smeared bottom with chive and onion cream cheese, added chicken and topped with ranch or blue cheese dressing. The possibilities are endless for your wraps based on your taste :)

It really IS Christmas in July today - for me at least!  I've been having several issues with my desktop computer and my access to my weebly website editor so I haven't been able to post in a MONTH!  Thank Heavens today I sat down and dealt with computer support/tech support related to several things and at least I'm somewhat up and running again!  So back to my blog post...
Christmas/Chanukah in July??  Seems crazy but this is the BEST time to work on a great idea for the holidays...It's hot outside so spend some downtime inside and make those phtobooks you've been meaning to get to - they make such super gifts but not if you are scrambled trying to make them in November.  ALSO one of my favorite ideas and something I did several years back - Make a family cookbook using your favorite photobook site.  You can scan in the old recipe cards with the beloved handwriting of someone you love, scan in old/new photos, and use the text box to write out the recipe if you need to for easier reading.  I did one of these a  few years ago and gave out to several family members. I kept one for myself and love having all my family's long treasured recipes in one place!  Remember if you need help organizing your photos or making the books - I help with that too! 
You can click on the pdf to see what my recipe books looks like :)

The kids finished up school last week and that means for most of us here in the South our kids are now home full time the next couple of months...I worked with a client last week to help prepare for the kid "invasion" and set up some systems to help with their items and projects over the summer.  It's easy to tailor these ideas no matter where you are and what you have to work with...Big key is labeling for ownership and accountability :) 

Sometimes the only thing that stands in your way of parting with something is that you are not exactly sure where to donate it to if it's not a "Goodwill Type Item"....Here's a list of local (N. Atlanta) places that would LOVE to have your items - check each site to see what their needs are/what they accept and pick-up/drop-off procedures. Please message me through the website (contact tab) if you have any others I should add to this list - I am always looking for great sources for clients to be able to donate their items!


Provides housing/assistance to families in need


www.thedrakehouse.org


Provides housing/assistance to families in need


www.homestretch.org


Habitat for Humanity Store


www.gwinnettrestore.org


Collects women's business/dress clothes for women re-entering workforce


www.dressforsuccess.org/atlanta

The boys only have 8 more days left of school - I'm not sure where the year has gone but gone fast it has!  Since October I've been doing the Crock Pot Mondays feature because 1)  I love mine and trying new recipes and 2) I am convinced it's one of the best multi-tasking tools for anyone's home out there - let it cook dinner while you get to do other things:)

With that being said as we come up on high grilling season - I have to say I'm going to take a break from the Crock Pot Mondays and start back up in the fall...Mind you - I still use the crock pot all summer long.  In the heat of the South the last thing I want to do is turn on an oven but ideally we do grill a good bit and I'll be trying to do that as much as possible.

I've been working on some great projects with great clients recently and blessed to say Life is Good!!  I'll still be blogging this summer about organizing and other household ideas:)  Check out the Before and After pics tab for some new projects.  If you are in the Alpharetta GA area and need help - I'd love to help you start gaining!  Go to the contact tab to get in touch via the website.