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12/16 Closings & Delays:

Frederick County Schools – CLOSED, offices open with liberal leave for employees, all afternoon and evening activities are canceled

Montgomery County Schools – CLOSED, all community activities in school buildings canceled, administrative offices open

St. John’s Catholic Prep High School – CLOSED

St. Maria Goretti High School – 2 hour delay

St. John’s Regional Catholic School – CLOSED

Mt. Airy Christian Academy – CLOSED

Maryland School for the Deaf – CLOSED

New Life Christian Academy – CLOSED

Carroll County Schools – CLOSED

Washington County – 2 hour delay

Jefferson County Schools – Closed

Berkley County Schools – closed

Hampshire Co Schools – CLOSED

Howard County Schools – CLOSED, code orange, offices open w/ liberal leave

Loudoun County Schools – closed

Clarke County Schools – Closed

Greencastle – Antrim Area School District – 2 hour delay

Morgan County Schools – closed

Waynesboro Area School District – 2 hour delay

Gettysburg Area Schools – 2 hour delay

Fairfield Area Schools – 2 hour delay

Shalom Christian Academy – 2 hour delay

Hood College – opens at 11; first exam 11:30

Penn State Mont Alto – modified schedule

Eastern West Virginia Community  and Technical College – opening at 11AM

City of Frederick Offices open and on time with liberal leave

Maryland State Government – Frederick,  Carroll and Howard Counties on liberal leave until 10AM

Ft. Detrick – 2 hour delay for non essential personnel

Daybreak Adult Day Services – 1 hour transportation delay

{Katie’s Kitchen} Italian Sausage and Peppers (Low-Carb)

Cookies, fudge, appetizers, dinners all get crazy this time of the year!

If you need an easy weeknight dinner that is low-carb, can easily be Whole30 and paleo as an option – you would just be sure to use sugar-free sausages, this is a great filling recipe.

Start out by heating a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the sausages (we used mild, you can also use hot or sweet Italian) and sautee 1-2 minutes per side, until browned. The sausage does not need to be fully cooked through, you will finish it later.

While cooking, chop your vegetables– onion and red and green pepper.

Then, remove sausages and set aside onto a plate. Once cool enough to handle, slice into 1″ coins.

Add the peppers and onions to the dutch oven, toss in the rendered sausage fat, and sautee, stirring until the edges are charred, about 5 minutes.

Add minced garlic and sautee until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pot, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom. Cook until the liquid stops simmering, 1-2 minutes.

Then, add tomatoes and their juices, spices, and sausage back to the pot. Stir to combine. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until the sausages are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir every once in a while so it doesn’t burn.

Stir  fresh basil into the sausage and peppers and serve over mashed cauliflower (low carb option…we did this and it was delish!) or rice or pasta!

INGREDIENTS: 
Low Carb Sausage and Peppers : I got the recipe here! 
  • 1 lb sweet italian sausage pork or turkey
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 red bell pepper sliced into 1/2″ strips
  • 1 green bell pepper sliced into 1/2″ strips
  • 1 yellow onion sliced into 1/2″ strips
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 28-oz can diced fired roasted tomatoes
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp red pepper flakes optional
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp sea or kosher salt
  • 3 tbsp fresh chopped basil

{Katie’s Baby Blog} Holiday Traditions with Lily

This will be Lily’s second Christmas! Last year she was only a month old so we didn’t really celebrate much. Thanksgiving we were just out of the hospital, so we stayed home and for Christmas I was still recovering from my c-section so we didn’t do too much that day either.

But…this year, I want to start our family holiday traditions! I know she is only 1 year old and probably won’t remember much from this year but it will be fun for us, too.

I’m sure our holiday traditions aren’t much different from yours, we always put up our Christmas tree and decorations after Thanksgiving and decorate the outside of our house with lights, too.

I love baking cookies and making hot chocolate and watching cheesey Hallmark movies; so I can’t wait until she is old enough to do those things with me. I can start by letting her watch me bake cookies and helping with taste testing!

On Christmas Eve, we always go to my grandpa’s house for dinner and to open presents during the day. We love to go to Christmas Mass that evening. Then, when we go home, before bed we like to watch a Christmas movie. My mom always gave my brother and I one present to open Christmas Eve and it was always PJ’s to wear to bed. I love that tradition so I definitely am going to start that with Lily this year!

Milk and cookies will go out for Santa and carrots for the reindeer!

Then, we will wake up early Christmas morning and open presents, have a delicious breakfast and then go spend the rest of the day with our family!

Just spending time with your family during the holidays is so important to us. Rushing around gets hard sometimes, but if we didn’t do it, I know we would wish we were with our family and all of the craziness that comes with the holiday.

It’s all so special and I am so excited to create fun memories for Lily!

<3 Katie Ryan

{Katie’s Kitchen} Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Cinnamon Butternut Squash

Brought to you by Catoctin Mountain Orchard

I made this dish for our Thanksgiving dinner and it was a huge hit!!  With the holiday season in full swing this is definitely an excellent addition to any meal…and it’s easy!

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss your brussel sprouts in olive oil and salt and cook for 20 minutes on a pan in the oven.

Toss your cubed butternut squash in olive oil, maple syrup, and cinnamon, then roast for about 20 minutes or until fork tender.

Then, in a large bowl combine your brussel sprouts and squash along with dried cranberries and your lightly toasted pecans.

For pecans, I roasted them with butter and brown sugar…yum!

Add a little bit more maple syrup, if needed and toss everything!

Ingredients: I got the recipe here!!! 
Roasted Brussels Sprouts:
  • 3 cups Brussels sprouts ends trimmed, yellow leaves removed
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt to taste
Roasted Butternut Squash:
  • 1 1/2 lb butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cubed into 1-inch cubes (Yields about 4 cups of uncooked cubed butternut squash)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Other Ingredients:
  • 2 cups pecan halves
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 2-4 tablespoons maple syrup optional

 

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