Category Archives: Recipes

Pinterest “Did It”, May 30

21 Thursday May 2015

Posted by in Menu Planning, Recipes, Uncategorized

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Now that school is out for Summer, I am looking forward to actually doing some of the projects and making some of the foods from my pinterest boards.  I’ve made a Did It! board and will be blogging about some of my successes, and a flop here & there is likely too.

This week I made Carrot Cake Pancakes.  The batter looked lovely to me, but some of my kiddos walked in and sincerely questioned what I was making.  Each of the kids did eat some of the pancakes but they were not a hit.  The batter was too heavy, so I added water mid way through the batch.

Being a girl who enjoys carrots and pineapple, I did enjoy the pancakes.  But for my kids’ sake, I will drop the pineapple off the recipe and try again the next time I have an abundance of carrots in the fridge.

Another fun Did It…GAK.  This was a fun DIY and my grand daughter was not the only one who had a lot of fun playing with the GAK.  I love how quickly this project was completed, maybe 10 minutes total!

All you need to make GAK is a 7 or 8 oz bottle of Elmer’s Glue, Food Coloring, Water, Borax, a large bowl and storage containers.  Here is the recipe I used.

add the whole bottle of glue

add the whole bottle of glue

Gak

Purple!

IMG_6208

GAK

add borax

GAK

stir til dissolved

GAK

combine with glue and stir

IMG_6217

GAK

Store in a gallon ziplock

I am really looking forward to this summer challenge, of DOING my pins.  How about you?  Do you regularly do what you pin?  Or do you need some inspiration to choose some pins and do those activities?

White Chili Recipe

30 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by in Menu Planning, Recipes, Soups, Uncategorized

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White Chili has become a family favorite, or at least a favorite of the ladies of the home!  My hubby is a beef guy through and through, but he does enjoy this chili with a large dose of Louisiana Hot Sauce!  Beef or not, we are a beany family, hee hee.

Since being treated to this new to us spin on Chili by my sweet sister in law, we’ve put it into our monthly rotation of meals, and of course changed it up a little.  Here is the recipe for the homemade Chili Seasoning.

 

 

 

 

white chili

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think of it.  I’d also love to hear what others top their chili with!

 

Ebelskivers, Too Fun to Keep 2 Myself!

02 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by in Celebrations, Menu Planning, Recipes, Uncategorized

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So,  my kids and hubby always spoil me!  Christmas is not about the gifts, but my family knows that my love language is gifts.  And it’s not about expensive or “what I want.”  It’s more seeing creativity blossom in each of them, and then having them share with me!.

One such gift was this:

Ebelskiver and Boursin IMG_4724

Talk about a fun gift.  My oldest daughter is a creative cook and has lots of fun ideas in the kitchen.  She sent us the Ebelskivers cookbook and the pan!

The first morning, I made the Ebelskivers with raspberry jam, simple enough.  My family thought they were GREAT and we started discussing all the options we could think of.

Ebelskivers

Raspberry Jam Ebelskivers

The next morning I pulled out raspberries, blueberries, Brie and a new cheese product, Boursin.

Ebelskivers Boursin

Ebelskivers Boursin

 

Ebelskiver with Boursin

We already knew that Brie goes nicely with raspberries, but it was our first time trying Boursin.  I received the Boursin as a free review product from Smiley360.  You can see it there in the picture.  It was rather crumbly, but the taste is nice and mild.  After the holidays I think I will try making less sweet/fruity Ebelskivers and try to make some savory.  We also have Boursin garlic & herbs and a pepper variety.

All in all, I have to repeat, Ebelskivers with fruit and cheese is 2 Fun 2 Keep to Myself.  It is delightful to have a versatile variation on a old favorite!  Filled Pancakes, 2 thumbs up.

 

Thanks to Nikki  for the Ebelskiver gift and to Smiley360 for the introduction to Boursin!

Soups! Sausage Tomato Soup

14 Sunday Sep 2014

Posted by in Recipes, Soups, Uncategorized

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Sausage Tomato Soup

1/2 lb favorite ground sausage or meat

1 med Onion, chopped

1 28oz can diced tomatoes

1 14 oz can broth (beef, veggie, chicken depending on sausage)

1 14oz can tomato sauce

1tsp dried basil

1/2 t dried oregano

Mozzerella cheese shredded to sprinkle on top

Brown ground meat with onion in a sauce pan.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer.  You can make this ahead of time and keep hot in the crockpot for an easy dinner after a busy afternoon.

What I’m Into, August 2014

31 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by in Books and Thoughts on Books, Celebrations, Education, Gratitude, One Life, Recipes, teens, Uncategorized, {This Moment}

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What I’m INTO August 2014 Edition

This month has been full of dust, sun, new starts, laughter, frayed edges as the remodel work continues, as new school year gets going and summer dwindles down. Week four of no kitchen left me feeling out of it, and I discovered that while I am not frustrated or discontent, the adventurous energy that I started this venture with has dissipated and I feel as though I have frayed edges. Still holding it together and pushing forward, but with a little less gumption.

Read and Reading:

The Antelope in the Living Room by Melanie Shankle  This book was a delightful piece of comic relief as my home continued  the craziness of kitchen & bathroom remodel and sending the kids off to new school situations.

Sheba’s Song was another quiet time blessing.

Currently reading:

Where There Was No Church, Families Where Grace is in Place, Clutterfree with Kids, Generous Justice

(I completed _2_ books this month, but read a chapter or 2 or more in several others.)

TV:

We turned Netflix back on and started where we left off with Dr Who. Slowly, the 5 of us have become Whovians to varying degrees.

Music:

I’m really enjoying the classical station on the way to school on Monday morning, and listening to the Newsboys as we continue to work on the house.

Things I Love:

This bench and these plans. Thank you for sharing Ana White!

What I'm Into, August 2014

grilled nachos

your one life

Beautiful words

Winnie the Pooh

an old favorite shared with a new generation

 

porcelain tile

progress

friendship

friendship

The Newsboys in Concert

Singing the Gospel

1GirlNation, Lindsey

Young women encouraging each other

In the Blogosphere:

~ “I’m slow to process, slow to think, slow to respond. Rather than fight against that, I’m learning to celebrate it in my own way.” Oh Emily, thank you for the admonishment to stop fighting my slow processing thoughts and responses! Spending some time this month pondering the idea of celebrating that aspect of introverted me.

… take no relationship for granted. 

My sisterinlove recently shared a link on facebook that led me to The Imagination Tree, oh my.  This playdough looks like a recipe for fall fun with a precious little one I get to spend a few days a week with!  I just can. hardly. wait. for the new kitchen!

On The Blog:

I shared

why my family is committed to child sponsorship

and my “back to school” plan for September/October

 

Your turn, what are you into this grand month of August?

Linking with Leigh Kramer

 

 

Camping and Hobo Dinners

22 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Garden and Home, Gratitude, One Life, Parenting, Recipes, teens, Uncategorized

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We haven’t done a lot of camping in recent years, and I haven’t made “hobo dinners” since my daughters were pretty young.  Early this summer the kids were after us to plan a “real” camping trip with Dad as last summer we girls got out and did some camping, but Dad was away working.  So a camping trip was one of the first items put on the summer calendar!

And as this post shows up on the blog we are at camp, in a beautiful tent site on the river.  Our hobo dinners are in the cooler all ready to be cooked for the next 2 dinners.

Two mornings while the kids were all at vacation bible school earlier in the month I set to work.

The veggies were prepped.

hobo dinners prep shredded veggies

Shredded Carrots & Cauliflower

chopped carrots

chopped carrots

Veggies all prepped

Veggies all prepped

The ingredients all measured and mixed together for Turkey Veggie Hobo Dinners, using this recipe

Pretty Eggs

Pretty Eggs

Turkey Veggie Hobo Dinner

Turkey Veggie Hobo Dinner

I tore out 8 pieces of foil that were about the size of a small rectangle cookie sheet.  I spooned the mixture onto the first sheet and began folding and shaping the packet.  Once I had the shape I wanted I rolled the foil on top.

folding hobo dinner

folding hobo dinner

Then I pressed and patted it all again to make a nice rectangle and folded the ends up somewhat like a present.

hobo dinner assembled!

hobo dinner assembled!

Finally, I wrapped the hobo dinner with another layer of foil.

Five packets fit nicely into the gallon freezer bag, so I ended up with 2 bags for the 8 servings.

hobo dinners ready for freezing

hobo dinners ready for freezing

Hobo Tacos is another set that I assembled.  We’ll eat them with tortilla chips and fresh veggies.

hobo tacos

hobo tacos

Keeping the hobo dinners in the gallon bags inside the cooler keeps everything nice, with no waterlogging our dinners and no contaminating the other items in the cooler.  The bags of dinners also help keep the cooler cold!

Do you make Hobo Dinners?  And what recipes do you fill them with?  I’d love to expand our hobo menu!

 

 

Community Potluck & Honeycrust Chicken Tenders

01 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Books and Thoughts on Books, Garden and Home, Recipes, Uncategorized

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Third Thursday Community Potluck Cookbook

Third Thursday Community Potluck Cookbook

The Third Thursday Community Potluck Cookbook Recipes and Stories to Celebrate the Bounty of the Moment

By Nancy Vienneau
Published by Thomas Nelson

Book Description

“This is not your grandma’s potluck.

The cliché is unavoidable. At the third Thursday potluck, you won’t find canned soup casseroles or whipped delite, as much as you may love them. What you will find instead is an array of dishes in sync with the season.

Each month offers up an appropriate menu. July is for tomatoes; August for figs; December for gifts from the kitchen; February for staying warm. Gouda Risotto with Fresh Peas, Cider-Braised Pork with Pears, Crab Mac-and-Cheese, or Brown Butter Honey Cake, they each appear in their seasons at this lively community potluck.

Hosted by a group of goodwill-wielding friends and strangers, the potluck’s beneficiaries have one thing in common: a love of good food. The premise is simple; on the third Thursday of every month bring a seasonal fresh dish for sharing. The result is gloriously rich: new friends, fun, and good eats.

Whether you’re looking for instructions on assembling your own potluck (the first clue: no rules), or recipes for imaginative, honest dishes, whether it’s for a group of six or thirty, the inspiration in this book will suit anyone who wants to celebrate good food and good neighbors.”

On only one other occasion that I can remember have I ever “read” a cookbook.  I cannot say that I have read “The Third Thursday Community Potluck Cookbook” through, but I have enjoyed the slow walk through the pages.  My list of recipes to try is growing and I look with anticipation for the seasonally available ingredients that I can gather from the local farmers markets.

The cookbook with a list of recipes to try

The cookbook with a list of recipes to try

Milk bathed chicken tenders and seasoned flour

Milk bathed chicken tenders and seasoned flour

Honeycrust Fried Chicken Tenders

Honeycrust Fried Chicken Tenders

My husband and I talked about the concept of a Third Thursday Potluck and I think we may have found so “food for thought” for building more community for our family.

Third Thursday Potluck was sent to me in exchange for my opinions by BookLook Bloggers.

I review for BookLook Bloggers

Homemade Vanilla Extract!

29 Thursday May 2014

Posted by in Compassion International, Garden and Home, One Life, Recipes, Uncategorized

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About a year ago our family began making our homemade vanilla extract with organic vanilla beans from Olive Nation.  It has been a lot of fun, and so nice to be able to add another quality ingredient into our weekly baking.  After sharing this vanilla as an end of the semester gift for our children’s teachers, we have had wonderful feedback.  So we decided to make another batch, and offer it for sale.

vanilla extract

Homemade Vanilla Extract ~ 4oz, 8oz, 12oz

Sizes
4oz $15.00 USD
8oz $26.00 USD
12oz $35.00 USD

 Prices include shipping!

Your purchase helps support our family ministry through Compassion International.  We hope to travel in 2015 to meet our sponsor children and will be working hard to raise funds.

Thank you for your purchase and support!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turkey Veggie Patty Recipe, Gluten Free

20 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by in Recipes

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Tags

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Once again a food sensitivity/allergy is taken me on a new journey to ensure my family gets good nutrition that is tasty and safe.  This recipe originally appeared on Heavenly Homemakers.

I have tweaked the recipe to suit my family.  I love that it is full of protein and veggie goodness. and that each member of the family enjoys it!  I don’t mind the clean up as much when I’ve doubled the recipe and have some to put in the freezer for another day!

Image

If you try this recipe, please do let me know what you think, and what adjustments you make!