Broccoli Cheese Soup
Today, Sera and I made Broccoli Cheese soup for lunch. Delicious Broccoli Cheese soup. Earlier in my life, before I was married and had children, I spent many years giving piano lessons in the evenings after having worked all day at my "regular" job. Often I would teach in the homes of my students and there were certain families who always insisted I eat supper with them. One such family would from time to time serve Broccoli Cheese soup over a baked potato. It was delicious. The mother in this particular family was a very dear friend. Years later when I got married, she remembered how much I loved the soup and gave me her recipe along with two beautiful soup mugs. Here is her recipe:
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 stick butter
*(I also add 2 chicken bouillon cubes and 1-1/2 cups water)
4 T flour
2-6 cups milk
4 cups cooked (or frozen - thawed) broccoli
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Cook cut up broccoli in microwave for 5 minutes. Chop half of broccoli in bite size pieces. Chop remaining half in food processor.
Cook onion in butter until transparent. *(add broth) Add broccoli. Mix flour with 1 cup milk. Add to broccoli. Add remainder of milk. (for thicker soup use less milk, for thinner soup use more milk :) Cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes. Add grated cheese and serve.
Hummus
The Best Hummus You Will Ever Eat
1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp ground cumin ( I have never had this on hand and have thus never used it...but it tastes great without so its ok if you don't use it either) (note: we had cumin and we used it - tastes good!)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp hot sauce
1 1/2 cups of canned chick peas, drained and rinsed
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree. Place in bowl, sprinkle with paprika, and serve with pita wedges and chopped veggies.
Although we bought both veggies and pita chips, we didn't take the time to prepare the veggies and just dug in with the pita chips. Very yummy!
Bread Pudding
For as long as I can remember, a favorite comfort food of mine has been Bread Pudding. I have my grandma to thank. Her recipe was plain and simple, nothing fancy about it at all, but I loved it! Today I took her recipe and modified it just a little bit and served it for breakfast. Waves of nostalgia swept over me as I talked with the kids about how my grandma used to make the best bread pudding. My grandma used stale white bread or heels, regular milk and sugar. Here's my version:
1-3/4 cups coconut milk
1 T brown sugar
5 eggs, beaten well
cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Tear bread into small pieces. Place in a prepared baking dish (I used a pie plate). Mix together the eggs, milk and sugar and pour over the bread. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until a knife inserted comes out clean. Let set for about 5 minutes.
The coconut milk adds a sweetness that allowed me to use less sugar. I wondered about using the Ezekiel 4:9 whole wheat bread, but it was delicious. I know some people like their bread pudding with raisins. Unfortunately, I am unable to handle the thought of raisins, and therefore I cannot even imagine what that would be like or why someone would want to ruin a perfectly good bread pudding in such a way! I'm so glad my grandma always made this yummy dish plain and simple. :)
Meatball Muffins
I saw Meatball Muffins for the first time on Pinterest recently. Immediately, I repinned to my "Recipes I Want to Try" board. The original recipe was from Rachel Ray, however, I eventually found another recipe that seemed more to my liking on My Recipes.com.
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, extra lean (raw)
1 cup finely crushed fat-free saltine crackers (about 20)
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cool.
Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.
Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.
I modified the recipe just a tad by using green and yellow bell peppers in place of the carrots, 2 pounds ground beef instead of 1-1/2, and 1 cup Quaker Oatmeal instead of the saltine crackers. I also preheated the oven to 450 degrees and baked for 20 minutes.
The meatloaf muffins were delicious. I received rave reviews! (always love when that happens :) Today I served the meatloaf muffins with mashed potatoes, peas and a spring garden salad with a new favorite delicious homemade dressing -- I'll be posting about that soon!
Leftover meatloaf muffins are now stored in the freezer. I'm anxious to see if they freeze and reheat well. I wonder what this recipe would be like with ground turkey. hmmmm.....
Corned Beef and Cabbage
For St. Patrick's Day I decided to try my hand at Corned Beef and Cabbage, a traditional Irish meal. I found a recipe on Pinterest that said to cook the meal on top of the stove for 4 hours or so. This did not seem doable to me, so I went on a search for a crock pot version of Corned Beef and Cabbage. Allrecipes.com is always a great place to look and sure enough I found a recipe that looked easy and delicious.
St. Patrick's Day fell on Saturday and our schedule was such that it just wasn't going to be possible to have our traditional Irish meal until Sunday. So Saturday night I put the food in the crock pot on low to cook for 10 hours. When I got up this morning I set it to "warm" for another 2-1/2 hours. No one in my family, including myself, remembers ever having Corned Beef and Cabbage -- but everyone seemed to find something they liked about it. (yay!!!)
Here's what mine looked like today.
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 pound baby carrots
3 cups water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (3 pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet, cut in half
1 small head cabbage, cut into wedges
Place the onion, potatoes and carrots in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine water, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, pepper and contents of spice packet; pour over vegetables. Top with brisket and cabbage. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.
I bought my corned beef brisket at Earth Fare and the spices were already on the brisket. My potatoes were not peeled and I put the meat on the bottom, potatoes and carrots around the meat, onions on top of veggies and cabbage on top of everything. My garlic seemed old so I used about 1-1/2 tsp. minced garlic in a jar.
The meal was served with a spring mix and spinach salad with tomatoes, broccoli, snow peas and a apple cider/balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing. For dessert I added strawberry/banana and mixed fruit smoothies. Shamrock shakes would have been great, but I didn't plan ahead well enough. :)
Happy "belated" St. Patrick's Day!
Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups
This morning for breakfast we made these delicious Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups. They are so incredibly easy -- my kids helped and could definitely do this themselves.
Ingredients are:
sandwich bread (we used whole wheat)
eggs
bacon (we used uncured turkey bacon)
salt
pepper
butter or cooking spray for muffin tin
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a muffin tin. The recipe said to use a rolling pin to slightly flatten the bread. We didn't do this. I completely forgot that step -- but ours turned out fine.
Cook the bacon. Place one slice of bread into each of the muffin cups. When the bacon is done cooking, place a piece of bacon on top of each slice of bread. (I cut the bacon in half before cooking and only used 1/2 slice in each cup. Seemed sufficient and it fit better.) Crack an egg into each of the bread cups. Add salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
I liked that the recipe is healthy, easy to make, and most importantly -- the kids loved it. This would be a fun breakfast to prepare when company comes.
I was looking for a recipe to make these Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups and found this one on MarthaStewart.com
Cauliflower Pizza Crust
1 cup riced cauliflower
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic salt
olive oil (optional - to brush on top of crust before baking.)
The cauliflower needs to be "riced" which simply means you cut the flowers off, put them in a food processor and stop when it looks like rice. Then cook the cauliflower in the microwave for 8 minutes. Once the cauliflower is cooked you can prepare the crust. Mix the ingredients together, place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking oil and then flatten the mixture into a pizza crust shape. Bake at 450 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Next add the toppings of your choice and broil for about 3-4 minutes. Your toppings need to be pre-cooked since you are only broiling it to melt the cheese.
We made three pizzas: Ham and pineapple (for my hubby), chicken with onions and green peppers, and chicken with tomatoes and broccoli.
The crust was delicious!!!
Next time I need to figure out how to use the pizza sauce without causing the crust to become mushy. Without the toppings it was amazing. With the toppings it was really great, but the consistency changed. I was very surprised how easy it was to make. All in all, I think the recipe is a keeper. Even if we just use the crust as a cheesy bread.
Pinterest is such a great place for getting ideas. Recently I saw where someone had made pancakes on top of a slice of bacon. I thought this might be something my kids would like. At first I tried making them using the full slice of bacon. The pancake seemed too long and was difficult to flip so I cut the bacon in half and they turned out much better. I used Turkey bacon and whole wheat pancake batter. This is a healthy breakfast that's easy to make, freeze and microwave. Topped with some pure maple syrup, raw honey, almond butter or fresh fruit. Yum! Oh ... and the kids love them!!! Home made taco seasoning
The other day on Pinterest I came across a recipe for home made taco seasoning. Today I had a couple pounds of ground turkey that needed to be cooked so I decided to make tacos and try out this new recipe.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t oregano
1 t paprika
1 Tbsp cumin
2 1/2 t salt (I used Sea Salt)
2 t pepper
Combine the above ingredients in a bowl. Add 2 T of mix per one pound of ground meat. We added about 1/2 cup of water and simmered for a few minutes. This was a huge success with everyone in my family. I made a soft taco with a layer of brown rice (that I mixed with a little left over black bean soup), a layer of the browned taco seasoned turkey and a little sour cream. It was very delicious. I don't see any reason to purchase the little yellow packages of taco seasoning at the store -- anymore!
Now I need to find a pretty storage container for the large quantity of taco seasoning we are going to make! The web site where I found this recipe also has a ranch dressing mix recipe and one for onion soup mix. We are definitely going to try those two, as well.
Thanks to the website One Good Thing by Jillee
...and thanks to my daughter, Kathryn, for her spices artwork!
Oatmeal Waffles (with double yolk egg)
I bought a new waffle maker the other day and used it for the first time this morning. The recipe I used was the same one I use for Oatmeal Pancakes -- with a little extra milk added. The surprise came when I opened up the egg. Sera's chickens give us plenty of fresh eggs, and I love it! Today I cracked open a double yolked egg! Since I wasn't sure how that would affect my waffles I went ahead and doubled the oatmeal, milk and baking mix. They taste yummy! Here's the recipe:
1 1/2 c. Bisquick *heart smart baking mix
1 c. reg. or quick-cooking oats
1 2/3 c. milk (for waffles I used about 1 3/4 c.)
1 egg
1 c. reg. or quick-cooking oats
1 2/3 c. milk (for waffles I used about 1 3/4 c.)
1 egg
(Not sure that I'm real happy with the waffle maker -- the bottom of the waffles look great but the top doesn't seem done. Ugh.)
Christmas morning make aheads
So I've been thinking about food for Christmas morning. I came across some ideas. The first recipe I read sounds so yummy I think I may like it even though it has bacon in it. And I don't usually like bacon.
click here for muffin melts recipe. Oh my, they sound so yummy!
or copy and paste this into your browser:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/07/make-ahead-muffin-melts/
A place of restOur dear friend came this week and decorated our home for Christmas. She is so gifted and has amazing talent for creating beauty.
This morning I was enjoying sitting in front of our beautifully decorated fireplace. My youngest came to enjoy the warmth of the fire while doing his school work.
Most of the house is in disarray. Pretty much everywhere I look I can see mess and clutter. But here in front of the fireplace it is peaceful, beautiful ... restful.
The cleaning and de-cluttering will come. But it won't happen today. I am blessed by my friend's generous sharing of her gifts and talents with my family. And this morning I am thankful for this beautiful space of rest.
Peanut Brittle
I made a batch of Peanut Brittle on Saturday night. In order to not eat it all myself, I've been giving it away...quickly! The recipe is one my great aunt used and my mom has used it for years.
It is possible that peanut brittle will be packaged and given as Christmas gifts this year. The problem is, I will have to package it immediately after it cools or risk the possibility of it being eaten ... by my husband, my children and myself.
Recipe
2 cups sugar
1 cup white syrup
1/2 cup water
(prepare and set aside: 2tsp baking soda and 1/4 stick margarine or butter)
Boil sugar water until it spins.
Add 1-1/2 cups peanuts.
Cook until it's a light tan
Remove from heat and add baking soda and margarine. Stir quickly.
Pour out on a buttered cookie sheet. (I used two)
*My mom always pulls her peanut brittle which makes it thin and crunchy. Butter your hands and pull the edges as they cool. I used a knife to help lift the brittle while pulling because it's so hot. :)
Potato Soup - Delicious Comfort Food
One of my favorite comfort foods is Potato Soup. Unfortunately, most recipes I've seen call for bacon and I don't like bacon (or bacon grease) in my soup. So over the years I've come up with my own recipe. My kids think it's very yummy and I've had to start doubling the recipe just so I can have a bowl or two. :)
Potato Soup
Place the following items in a stock pot and bring to a boil:
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 large carton of chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Add potatoes, onion and celery:
3 cups diced potatoes
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, sliced
Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.
Mix together 4 T flour and 1/4 cup milk and add to soup.
Then add 4 T melted butter and
2-3/4 cups milk
Cook uncovered on low for 10 minutes.
Note:
I like to use a mix of red and yellow potatoes...and I don't remove skins!
When I double the recipe I only use 5-6 T of butter.
Simple Salad for Lunch
Today for lunch I prepared a simple salad that was -- according to the kids -- yummy. Roasted chicken on top of a baby spring mix with sliced Gala apples, broccoli, choice of almonds or pecans, feta cheese, and choice of dressing (I had poppy seed). After we were finished eating I remembered that I had planned to slice some boiled eggs to go on the salad. Maybe I'll remember next time.
Tuesday Night Crock Pot Cooking
As I've mentioned before, our day time and evening schedule on Tuesdays make it a great day for crock pot cooking. Last night we had Beef Stew. It is so nice to walk in at the end of the day and not have to worry about preparing supper or waiting for supper to be ready. Here is the recipe we used for the Beef Stew. I cut up the veggies and Kathryn put everything in the crock pot. I love team work!
Beef Stew
2 lbs. beef chuck, cubed
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4-1/2 cup flour
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
1-1/2 cups beef broth *
half garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf
4 carrots, sliced
2 onions, chopped
1 rib celery, sliced **
3 potatoes, diced ***
1. Place meat in slow cooker
2. Combine flour, salt, pepper, paprika. Stir into meat until coated thoroughly.
3. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well.
4. Cover. Cook on Low 10-12 hours, or High 4-6 hours. Stir before serving.
* we used almost 2-1/2 cups beef broth (last time we made the stew it was a little too thick -- the extra broth made the stew more to our liking)
** we cut up 3 ribs of celery
*** we used 5 red potatoes
Creamed Eggs on Toast a Huge Hit for Lunch!
Crock Pot Cooking Saves the Day
Our Tuesdays are very busy and have become our Crock Pot Meal day. This morning I put a chuck roast, some carrots, potatoes and a couple of onions in the crock pot to cook on low for about 8 hours. Normally I add some cream of mushroom soup or just cook the roast plain. Today I tried something different. I put about 1/2 cup of steak sauce on top of the roast. Tasted yummy. Everyone seemed happy with the meal. Crock Pot cooking is a huge blessing!
Fabulous French Dip
A friend of mine sent me a crock pot recipe for French Dip. She told me it was the best thing that had come out of her crock pot in a long time. My husband happens to really like French Dip and often orders it when we eat at certain restaurants. I admit, though, that I had never tried making it for him at home. The recipe I got from my friend said the meat was supposed to cook for 10-12 hours on low. This, in itself, was a challenge for me because I don't usually plan that far ahead for meals. But last night I filled the crock pot with all the ingredients from the recipe I had been given and let it cook over night. (My friend said she adjusted the recipe a tad and increased the number of peppercorns to 10.) I purchased a couple of loaves of French Bread at the store yesterday. Today for lunch we had French Dip and everyone loved it! It was fabulous. Delicious and easy. This will definitely show up on our table again and again. :)
Directions
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/French-Dip-Sandwiches/Detail.aspx
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
6 sweet potatoes
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons margarine
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Bake the sweet potatoes at 350 for 1 hour. In a large bowl mix together the cream cheese, brown sugar, margarine, vanilla, salt and pepper. After the potatoes are baked, slice them in half and scrape out the pulp. Mix the sweet potato pulp with the other ingredients and fold in the walnuts. Return the potato mix to the potato skins and bake for 5 minutes until heated through.
Chicken and Rice Soup
I am loving this cooler weather! It's got me thinking about how much I enjoy eating soups and chili. Recently I posted this recipe for chicken and rice soup. It was very easy to prepare and my kids really liked it!
32 oz. chicken broth
2 cups minute rice or long grain
3 pieces uncooked, skinless chicken tenderloin
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 cups water
1/2 - 1 cup chopped celery
1/2 - 1 cup chopped carrots
salt and pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup (and one can water)
Make rice according to directions and set aside. Place chicken broth, bouillon cube, vegetables, water, chicken, salt and pepper in large pot. Cook until veggies are tender and chicken is no longer pink. Take the chicken out and chop into small pieces. Return chicken to the pot and add the precooked rice, cream of mushroom soup and can of water. Cook on low for 5 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings.
Sept 6, 2011
We just returned from a fun and relaxing Labor Day weekend family get-away in Helen, Ga. A first for us, we rented a cabin on the Chattahoochie River. Staying in a cabin meant I was going to need to prepare our meals while on vacation. So I decided to try planning ahead and preparing the food at home so that it could be transported and prepared quickly and easily.
I am very excited with how it turned out. For breakfast meals we had spinach quiches, granola bars, breakfast casserole and oatmeal pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream topping. We also took chicken fajitas, sloppy joes, toppings for making pizzas and other easy snacks and sides. While we were there Sera and I made a cheesy baked artichoke dip shown below. It turned out that we didn't have to spend a lot of money eating out and I didn't have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing meals or cleaning up afterwards.
This experience allowed us to add a few new recipes to our meal rotations. :) The spinach quiches are a keeper (thank you, Amy) as is the artichoke dip (thanks Gina) and the breakfast casseroles (thank you, Jill via Laura and thanks Carol). We also found out that we can cook ahead and freeze which was something I had been wanting to try.
Sept 2, 2011
A friend just pinned this recipe on Pinterest. I'm thinking this might be something we need to make and add to our Labor Day meal plan. Cheesy Baked Artichoke Dip. Yum!
http://www.pickycook.com/appetizersandsnacks/cheesybakedartichokedip.aspx
Sept 1, 2011
I am excited to see how our preparing and freezing works out. With my recent commitment to more diligence in meal planning, I have two goals: preparing food in advance and freezing AND using the crock pot more. Hopefully our "freezing" experiment will turn out and the food will be delicious. It's a journey we're on to being more purposeful in meal planning. Seems to be going well so far. :)
August 27, 2011
I tried another recipe for Oatmeal Pancakes and it didn't go so well. This recipe called for buttermilk, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, flour and oats. It was supposed to be made the night before and left in the refrigerator over night. I think we all agreed we don't prefer the oatmeal to sit in the batter overnight. We also were of the same opinion that so far we like the first oatmeal pancake recipe best. I was so excited about trying this new recipe .... I liked the idea of using the buttermilk and I was ecstatic that I was using 3 fresh eggs from our very own chickens. Guess I'll keep looking to see if there is another recipe out there that we like. If not, we'll just stick with the original one. August 22, 2011
Over the weekend we moved Sasha from the house to the cottage. Kathryn has moved into Sasha's old room. She is taking an on-line interior design class this semester and her class project will be decorating her new room. Today I purchased an inexpensive desk and brought it home for the kids to put together.
They did a great job!
It's going to look awesome when she paints the walls, hangs some shelves and bulletin boards (and other things) and gets a real chair! I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of cute storage ideas she comes up with.
August 22, 2011
Oatmeal Pancakes
Last night I made oatmeal pancakes for the kids to have for breakfast this morning. I was a little surprised that everyone seemed to really like them. :) The recipe I used was from Bisquick and was extremely quick and easy to make. There are other recipes (from scratch and with buttermilk) I think I'll try now that I know the kids like Oatmeal pancakes!
1 1/2 c. Bisquick *heart smart baking mix
1 c. reg. or quick-cooking oats
1 2/3 c. milk
1 egg
makes 18, 4" pancakes
(I must have made mine a little larger because I came up with 9 -- the kids each ate 2 and there was one left for me!)
Do you have a favorite oatmeal pancake recipe?
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August 17, 2011
Chicken and Rice Soup
Today we had soup for lunch. This was a new recipe I put together. It got all thumbs up from the kiddos ... even a "best ever" from a couple of them. It was very easy and probably took less than 30 minutes from start to finish. I made it on top of the stove but I think I could also do this in the crock pot and may try that next time. Here's the recipe:
32 oz. chicken broth
2 cups minute rice or long grain
3 pieces uncooked, skinless chicken tenderloin
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 cups water
1/2 - 1 cup chopped celery
1/2 - 1 cup chopped carrots
salt and pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup (and one can water)
Make rice according to directions and set aside. Place chicken broth, bouillon cube, vegetables, water, chicken, salt and pepper in large pot. Cook until veggies are tender and chicken is no longer pink. Take the chicken out and chop into small pieces. Return chicken to the pot and add the precooked rice, cream of mushroom soup and can of water. Cook on low for 5 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings.
(I would have snapped a picture but the pot was empty when I got there. :)
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August 16, 2011
Yesterday, Sera made chewy granola bars. We started with a recipe but ended up having to make several substitutions along the way. I felt they turned out great! She served them for breakfast this morning along with some fruit. Everyone liked them and I think they will be included on the monthly menu plan from now on. We can mix it up from time to time with the varied ingredients.The original recipe:
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup of semi-sweet or bittersweet chips or chunks (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries
1 can (14 ounces) of sweetened condensed milk
Mix together and bake in 9 sq. inch pan at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.
Our substitutions:
Instead of the wheat germ, which we didn't have, Sera ground up 1/2 cup rolled oats in food processor. (This could be a gluten-free option for those needing to avoid wheat.)
We didn't have any almonds so Sera chopped some candied pecans.
In place of the chocolate chips Sera used white chocolate.
I allowed her to omit the dried fruit (this batch) but would like to see them in the next one.
The big substitution came when we realized we didn't have any sweetened condensed milk in the pantry. I sent Sera to the internet to find a substitution and she returned with a recipe of:
2 eggs
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
The original recipe said they could be stored one week in an airtight container or frozen. Our baking pan was a little larger than 9 sq. inch so our bars are a little thin but still chewy. We used them as part of breakfast, but I think they will also make great snacks.
August 10, 2011
With the exception of moving the big blue trash barrel full of dirt and sand, the stone pathway project looks complete. I love it!!! Thank you, Steve (and Sasha). I think it's beautiful!
August 9, 2011
Kathryn has completed the cushion slipcover (except for the velcro closing) and is working on the chair. I am so please with how it is turning out.
Steve (with the help of Sasha) has been working on putting in a stone pathway from the deck to the pool. It is just about finished and looking really nice!
August, 4, 2011
The ottoman slipcover and a pillow are complete! Yay! Now work begins on the chair cushion. Kathryn is taking an Interior Design class through Currclick this semester. I told her this project needs to be documented and put in her portfolio!
I love progress!!! Here are some pictures of the chair project.
Newspaper was used to form a pattern. Then the pattern was laid out on the fabric. Way to go Kathryn!
So last night I went to JoAnn's and found this fabric on sale. I like the way it matched up with the other and I think it will wear well on the ottoman (which is where we've decide to use it -- along with one side of the seat cushion.)
All of the fabric is cut for both the chair and the ottoman. I've suggested she make a pillow to go with the chair using both fabrics. I think I hear the sewing machine in the other room. (She's doing such a great job!) :)
August 2, 2011
Today I've given my oldest daughter the challenge of designing and sewing a slipcover for a chair and ottoman. I know she can do it. It should be fun watching her realize that herself. I have some upholstery type fabric that I think will work. If not, I guess we'll run over to JoAnn's and look at what's on sale.
My plan is to move this chair to the cottage for my oldest son (when he moves out).
Notice the bookshelf sitting behind the chair? I bought this at Target on Saturday and my oldest son put it together for me over the weekend. yay! more book storage space!!!
Well, she's already working and seems very excited about the challenge! She is putting together a pattern made of newspaper.
July 29, 2011
I am soooo excited about some changes we are making at home. (in addition to the meal planning thing that is slowly getting off the ground). We are going to be redecorating a bedroom for Kathryn and assuming that goes well, we will tackle the girls bathroom. So right now we are thinking about colors and gathering information about the use of color in study spaces, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.
Kathryn will be moving into the room being vacated by Sasha. We are going to set Sasha up in the cottage where I used to teach piano. I am also looking forward to helping him get moved in. We'll move my piano out first to give him more room. Then move a dresser and couple of other things in to give him some storage space. This is an opportunity for him to make a small step toward independence but still be attached to us and our provision. I am very excited for him.
After Kathryn gets moved out of the room she currently shares with Sera, there are some plans in the works to do some rearranging in Sera's room. I love seeing wheels turning in their creative imaginations as to decorating and placement of furniture. Fun stuff!
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I had to delete the previous "My Heart at Home" page because of the odd spaces that were occurring. Starting over. :)
