Merry Christmas – Appreciation Give Away
Merry Christmas to all of you! I want to thank you for taking your precious time to read my blog! It means a lot to me and I feel as if I know you all. I wish that I could ask you all to come over and show you what I have been doing, feed you some awesome food, and hear what you all have to say!
Since that is impossible, I want to show you the homemade decorations that the girls and I have made this year
and show you a few pictures of my mantles.
If I could share a few things to eat, I would share my Duck, Cheese, and Olive Platter with you, and my Duck Meatballs then later I would serve you my hot Venison Bourguignon with garlic mashed potatoes and Crusty Bread.
I would want to hear all your stories about your children and your family traditions and especially what food you remember having your whole life on Christmas growing up.
I would ask you what you would like me to post about this next year. I have tons of ideas, but I am not sure they are what you want so I would ask you and I would beg you to tell me the truth!!!
After all of this gabbing, I would invite you to have a large piece of pie and the best coffee in the world and then I would wait for you to congratulate me on having the best coffee in the world (like Elf did in the movie ELF to the restaurant claiming to have the Best Coffee in the World).
Well, Christmas starts for me tomorrow night. Our immediate family has our “Christmas Eve” a day before the real Christmas Eve. It is our tradition to eat Venison Bourguignon, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Salad, and Crusty Bread every Christmas Eve! MMMMMMM.
We do this so that we aren’t so tired on the real Christmas Day and we get to spend time being lazy and slow about opening presents on the 24th (everyone else’s Christmas Eve) and not being rushed at all to get the house in order or to get somewhere on time on our Christmas Day! Yes, I know, it is a little confusing, but it works for us. We thought about changing it this year, but the kids didn’t want to.
Scott will read (rather tell) the Christmas Story from Luke 2: 1-40 while we drink hot chocolate by the fire (Scott amazes me…he has that memorized). We then will proceed to open one present each – well…it usually turns into two presents and then watch a Christmas movie and head off to bed to awake to a fire in the fireplace, soft Christmas music playing, hot coffee, and some kind of awesome breakfast – this year…SWEET POTATO WAFFLES WITH BACON!
Please pretend that you are here and tell me about your traditions. Ask me some of your questions and let me know anything this year you would like me to post about! Please let me know in the comments section. This is how you win the give-away.
Because I appreciate you, I am going to give gifts to 3 of you. All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment or question in the comments section. I will randomly select 3 people and notify you the 29th of December by email. You will get your choice of any one of my books or my DVD.
THE WINNERS OF THE GIVE-AWAY:
CONGRATULATIONS to TIM HOOVER, JULIE CLEMENTS, and AMANDA CAROL! Email your address and which book or DVD you would like!
I am off to make some SWEET POTATO BISCUITS! RECIPE COMING SOON!!
I pray that you all have a safe and very MERRY CHRISTMAS. Keep Jesus at the center! Enjoy your families!
Oh my goodness, I so want that recipe for venison bourgenon!! That sounds absolutely delicious!
The recipe is on this site. You will love it! We just had some tonight.
Merry Christmas . would love to be one of the three winners
Merry Christmas!
I’ve never had duck. I’m very skeptical about it. Your last years Christmas breakfast looks delicious.
From whom did you learn to cook from and such delicious foods?
I learned to cook from my grandmother. She was a fantastic Southern cook. She would go to farmer’s markets and get the produce that my dad would bring her from his garden as well as from her own and prepare it all summer for the winter months. She was the best cook that I have ever known.
It was fantastic. The hash browns are outrageous! I will have to post them soon. You will love them.
all of these recipes look so yummy!!
Thanks so very much! Merry Christmas to you!
Just beautiful…..my grandmother always taught me that you can tell when a lady is happy….it shows in her home and the love she has for her family. ….the pie looks yummy !
Now this is the encouragement that my heart needed today. Thank you so much. I totally agree with that statement. I might not have been able to verbalize it, but that makes a lot of sense. Thanks!
Glad I found your blog. Love it! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading the blog. I hope you enjoy my blogs for 2014.
I would love to hear or see anything pertaining to dutch oven cooking, breads, cobblers, stews, even fish. I wish you and your a Very Merry Christmas and a Very Blessed New Year. You make ppl feel at ease with your cooking. I like that. Terry B.
Merry Christmas to you and your family Stacy. I would really like to receive your Sustainable Living book.
Awesome! Merry Christmas!
merry Christmas happy new year,pic look great
Thanks! Merry Christmas!
Well, Mrs Stacy, some of us are only an hour away. 🙂
But seriously, I wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas, and a Prosperous New Year!
Not so far away, huhh! Well, Come have some pie!
I just found your blog and your posting today shows your beautiful home and beautiful recipes. Makes me want to eat at least one meal at your house during the Christmas holidays. I am 77 and I still cook a lot for my husband who is 78. I have lots of cookbooks but I am always looking for another good one. Therefore, it would be my pleasure to have one of your giveaways. Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy 2014. Juliette
You encourage me to keep on keeping on. Wow! I am proud of you for continuing to cook for your husband!! May God Bless You!
Your home is lovely and I so enjoy your FB page! Our Christmas traditions are probably much like others–time off, family togetherness, candy-making, shopping…but most importantly, keeping our eyes and hearts on Christ. 🙂
Absolutely agree with your traditions – especially keeping your eyes on Jesus. Thanks for keeping up with me on FB!!
Great photos! Our Family like yours tells/reads the Christmas story out of Luke on Christmas Eve, while we “feast” on sausages and cheeses from various “exotic” places (Spain and France which seem exotic to my children). I really enjoy your writing and photos. Merry Christmas!
I love the ideas of the sausages and cheeses from various “exotic” places. maybe we will do that next year. Thanks so much for letting me know what you like! Merry Christmas.
I don’t know how you do it. Your food looked so good. The house was as nice as the food was. Keep up the good work. Merry Christmas!
Thanks so much! Merry Christmas to you!
I am loving what I am doing. Thanks for the encouragement! Merry Christmas.
Stacy I would love to be one of your winners! I would also, like to have the name of your best venison cook book and information how to purchase it. Please and Thank You! Merry Christmas and God Bless You! Your Awesome!
Merry Christmas to you too! My books all have a variety of recipes using organic meat such as wild game, fresh vegetables, herbs, and fruits and healthy desserts. Happy Healthy Family Tracking the Outdoors In has a few tutorials as to how to can tomatoes and stuff and truss a loin along with a lot of family stories of our outdoor adventures.
Recipes and Tips for Sustainable Living has more “how to’s” rather than family stories, but still an abundance of recipes – lots of tips.
My DVD, Gourmet Venison covers 15 venison recipes from start to finish. My Recipes and Tips for Sustainability has most of the recipes that are on the DVD.
You can get them on the products page of this site or at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_12?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=stacy+harris&sprefix=stacy+harris%2Caps%2C182
I hope that you enjoy!
Gosh, where do I begin. I love the monastery table. How many fireplaces do you have? The two you showed are beautiful. Chocolate pie ditto. Is the duck wild or domestic? Love love love me some good coffee. Your venison bourguignon looks like the one I do. Is that parsley or cilantro? Posts for 2014…more wild game, more breads, more crock pot recipes, more of what you are already doing, more pics. of you hunting. Merry Christmas to you all.
Thanks, I love our table too. We have 3 fireplaces and they all actually burn wood. There are so many of the gas log type, but I love a real fire in the fire place. We cook wild duck, but I believe that the one in the photo is domestic. The herb in the Venison Bourguignon is parsley. Thanks for telling me what you would like me to post. Those are the exact things that I have in my plan to post and you are not the only one who wants me to post about bread. I cannot thank you enough for letting me know what you would like me to post about!
God bless your family. the New King has been born
Merry Christmas!
Every year we go to the Christmas Eve Service and come home to watch It’s a Wonderful Life. We want to remember the real reason for the season. Then my husband reads The Night Before Christmas. That is part of our tradition. Have things evolved as your children have grown or do you still have the same traditions year after year?
Hi Cassie! So good to hear from you. I love our tradition. Things have evolved, but some things remain the same. Scott always reads the story of Jesus’ birth, but we have only just begun having Christmas a day ahead. We have had the Venison Bourguignon tradition for a few years. Our kids are really wanting to stay at home on Christmas for the past few years, so that has changed as well. I am trying to be flexible because I know I will really have to be flexible in a few years when all my kids are grown. Have a great Christmas!
What a wonderful time!
Merry Christmas!
Sweet potato waffles or biscuits or BOTH sound lovely!
We don’t have traditions yet – this is our first Christmas morning at home, together, as a couple (married a few years ago). So I guess we get to decide!
I just started following your blog so whatever you want to post next year sounds good to me. I like everything so far!
After this year, you will have made your traditions! Congrats on being together this year. I am excited you like the blog. Yours is great as well!
Absolutely LOVE the homemade Christmas decorations. I use to do that with my mother when I was little. Your home is beautiful & the duck meat balls sound delicious. On Christmas morning we always have deer sausage with french toast along with hot chocolate:) Merry Christmas!
That breakfast sounds fantastic. I love hearing that your mom did the homemade decorations with you too. We tried to do a “project” everyday for the last 3 weeks, even if it was just a construction paper project.
Very nice!! We now have 7 kids and I try to do most of the cooking a couple days before Christmas so I am not cooking all day Christmas day. It is suppose to be about family anyway right!!!
We made home made decorations last year — cinnamon and applesauce — hmmmmmm, they smell wonderful. This year I am trying to make beeswax candles. We just had our 7th baby in October so moving slow this year.
DeLyssa
Yes, I see that you have a new baby! LOVE IT!! I am so excited that you have 7 now. It is very very fun. Make sure you stay rested. Yes, trying to maintain joy on Christmas Day (putting family first after the Lord and not “getting everything done”) is my goal for this year too. May God bless you this year. I am very excited to hear from you.
Hi Stacy. Your home and Christmas decorations are beautiful! I am trying to take some baby steps toward sustainable living and would love to win. Thank you for your blog!
You are doing great to take steps toward sustainable living. It is so healthy and I am proud of you! Thanks for the comment.
Have a Merry Christmas, and a blessed New Year! Good luck to all!
Merry Christmas to you too and a blessed New Year!
Merry Christmas to you and yours! Can’t wait to see what you bring to us in 2014!
Merry Christmas. I hope that you like what I post in 2014!
I’d like to thank you for sharing so many of your awesome recipes and letting us all into your home, which is beautiful! Love the table from Indiana, maybe because I’m from there and love seeing items from history being repurposed and used! Merry Christmas to you, your family, and all your blog followers!
Thanks Nathan! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Duck, Hashbrowns, and a Fresh Egg …. Breakfast is my favorite meal and you just took it up a notch I am ready to cook it myself! I already have one of your books and cannot wait to get the others
I am so glad that you like my book. I love breakfast food too!
need some tips for making biscuits . Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I will do Tim! One of the recipes that I plan on posting very soon is a sweet potato biscuit recipe. You are going to love this recipe. In the post, I will give my favorite tips!
I just love your blog! We are a blended family of 8 and are also blessed with land to live on, garden, hunt, and fish. Your articles are a great reminder of the many things we can do for ourselves using our natural resources as well as how important it is to teach our children the greatness of what they are surrounded by. Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you and your family!
I am so happy for you and excited that you are teaching your kids these valuable lessons! Merry Christmas!
Thanks Stacy! I’m making your VENISON BOURGUIGNON for New Year’s Eve! Merry Christmas!
Oh, that is great to hear! We had our family “Christmas Eve” last night and had our tradition of VB and it was fantastic! We have left-overs for tonight. Even better. I kind of like it the second day better!
Stacy – my husband, Scott, just gave me your dvd for a Christmas gift. I was so excited – you see, I have three and sometimes four hunters in my family. They are avid deer hunters, and we never have to buy meat. However, I did not grow up this way. My husband was a big hunter and fisherman when we got married in 1993. (Our stories are somewhat similar) 🙂 Anyway, I am always looking for new ways to make and use our venison – seeing that we live off of it. I like to read some blogs, but i am EXTREMELY thankful that my husband and son read about you in a magazine article and then bought me the dvd. I cannot wait to watch it. I will definately be looking to you for more helps and ideas. I am so excited!!!! I hope to stay in touch with you via blog. Can’t wait.
By the way, i also homeschool my children. I love being a stay at home mom – being able to rear my children to live for God.
Talk to you soon,
Tammy
Hi Tammy! I hope your Christmas Day is going great. It is so good to hear from you. We are in-between events and I had to reply to your comment. It makes me very happy. I hope that you will enjoy the DVD. Please let me know if there is anything that you would like me to blog about concerning anything. Which magazine did your husband and sons see me in? I am grateful that our sons hunt and that we still have the right to hunt in our country. I think it helps with the raising of our children. I think you are going to love the recipes. I also have a Youtube channel that I hope to be more consistent in posting to this year. Where do you live and how old are your kids? Please do keep in touch! May God Bless You! Thanks to your husband for buying you the DVD and introducing us to one another!
Hello Stacy,
We had a very relaxing Christmas Day. After reading the Christmas Story, we enjoyed watching our kids open their gifts. Then…. my husband sat down and watched your video with me. He was drooling; however, he wanted me to ask if there is something that I can replace the wine with. Right now I am in the process of writing out my grocery list for Friday. And, at the top of my list is the Venison Bourguinon. I cannot wait to give a few of these a try.
My husband said he seen your advertisement in Deer and Deer Hunting.
I have four children (3 boys and 1 girl). Barak is 19, Kandra is 17, Colton is 10, and Nehemiah is 11 months old. We live in the state of Iowa.
I am VERY thankful that my hubby bought me this dvd – and i hope that we can become friends as a reult of it. My husband is even excited for me.:)
Thank you for your reply on Christmas Day.
Tammy
I am so happy you all watched the DVD! It sounds like you have a wonderful family!! Iowa has fantastic deer too. I’ll bet with those great big deer that you have a ton of meat. As to the substitution for wine, you can certainly use undiluted beef broth or you may could use cranberry juice. I would probably stick to the beef broth. You will have a great result although you won’t get quite the flavor and tenderness that you would get if you used the wine. The acid in the wine tends to break the meat down a bit. You may use a little cooking sherry (a smaller amount that I call for in the recipe – that is the wine amount – maybe 1/3 cup and use the rest beef broth. You are going to love this dish! Let me know what you think. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
It’s all about Jesus and family!
Absolutely! It can be easy to forget with all the busyness! Merry Christmas.
Hi Stacy, Your home is beautiful! I really like the table, the one that came from a monastery in Indiana. This year, for the first time, we are having our Christmas dinner on December 26th. Rather than trying to do it all today December 25th, we just opened our stockings and presents, sat around and talked, read new books, listened to music, ate when we wanted to, in other words, we relaxed and had a wonderful Christmas day. We all go to church on Christmas Eve.
Yes, I would really like to have the recipe for your hash browns. They look so yummy!
As a Christmas present for myself, I bought your Sustainable Living book. I would love to be able to have either another one of your books or the DVD. Thank you for the opportunity to be able to get one of these items through your giveaway.
I am very glad that you are having a relaxed day. We did that yesterday with our family. It really makes life a lot sweeter not to be stressed. We are still working through what our traditions should be. I love hearing what you are doing. I am excited that you bought my Sustainable Living Book. I hope you are enjoying it!! I will post the hash brown recipe soon. Keep in touch! Merry Christmas.
Wow!! Totally in love with your blog. I am so thankful to have happened upon it. I am the wife of a Sportsman and cook with wild game. I cannot wait to order your books. It appears that we have much in common. I was a Home Economics major with a concentration in Foods and Nutrition. I love all things related to making a house a home. I love you sharing beautiful pictures with your posts. Please continue with pictures of your home, gardens, entertaining, etc. Blessings to you in the New Year.
I am so glad that you stumbled upon the blog too! Please keep commenting and letting me know what you would like for me to blog about. I think you will love the books. Keep in touch!
I only recently found your website and have enjoyed your articles. This one was the best so far! What a beautiful home you have…I love your dining room. I also enjoy the recipes. Thanks.
Thanks for letting me know what you thought about the post. We spend a ton of time in our dining room and we do enjoy it. Thanks! Keep in touch!
gmail
Merry Christmas!