What If..

      What if today was your last day on earth?  Would you stop to admire the sunrise or would you rush out the door?  Would you hang on to your child's every word or would you half heartedly listen to them?  Would you eat dessert with your girlfriends or would you eat a salad?  Would you take advantage of your husbands caress or would you give him the cold shoulder?  What if..

Spicy Oatmeal Drops

      This is another one of my grandma's recipes.  The name doesn't really sound appealing but they are tasty.  If you don't like raisins, just replace them with chocolate chips.

Spicy Oatmeal Drops:

1 1/2 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cloves
1/2 c lard
1 c brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 c milk
2 t vanilla
1 c walnuts (optional)
1 c raisins
1 c oats

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  In a seperate bowl, cream lard & sugar.  Add egg, milk & vanilla.  Add to the dry ingredients and mix well.  Add nuts, raisins & oats.  Drop by tablespoon onto a greased baking pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.

Kale & Bacon

     I am a weirdo!  I LOVE KALE!!!  I think that it tastes super yummy and it is good for you.  Here is a recipe  to use up that kale that is hanging out in your refrigerator.  Just try it.  It's yummy.

Kale & Bacon:

1 large bunch of kale (washed & torn)
1 pkg turkey bacon. (cut into bite sized pieces)
1 T minced garlic
1/4 t pepper
8 red potatoes (washed & quartered)
1 T olive oil

In a large skillet, fry the bacon until crisp.  Remove from the pan & place on a plate  lined with paper towels.  Wipe out the skillet  and pour in the olive oil.  Fry the potatoes until done.  Add the bacon back to the skillet along with the garlic, pepper and kale.  Cook until the kale is withered and dark green.  Serve warm.

Sunday Morning Parfait

     Some mornings I need a quick breakfast to feed my family.  Here is one that satisfies and looks pretty.

Sunday Morning Parfaits:

1 large container of your favorite plain yogurt (store bought or homemade)
3 c granola (store bought or homemade)
3 c blueberries
3 c raspberries
honey
cinnamon

Line up three or four glass cups on the counter.  Place a dollop of yogurt in each cup.  Top with  a bit of granola and drizzle with some honey.  Place a layer of blueberries & raspberries on top of the granola and sprinkle with a little bit of cinnamon.  Repeat with a layer of yogurt, granola, fruit, etc..  Breakfast is served.

Grandma'a Chocolate Chip Cake

     Sometimes you just need to eat something sweet.  Here is a recipe that I think you will enjoy.  It came from my grandma.  She loved nuts in all of her baked goods.  If you don't like them or if they don't appeal to you, feel free to leave them out.

Chocolate Chip Cake:

1 1/2 c flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c lard
1/2 c milk
1/2 c pecans (optional)
3/4 c chocolate chips

Cream together lard, sugar and eggs.  Add the dry ingredients with the milk.  Stir in the pecans & chocolate chips and mix well.  Pour into a greased glass pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Sugar Scrub

     The dry air can really get to my skin.  Sometimes I just need something to exfoliate and hydrate my skin all at the same time.  A sugar scrub is simple to make and it works really well to hydrate my dry skin.  If you have essential oils you can play around with  scents.

Sugar Scrub:

1/2 c olive oil
1 c sugar
2 t lemon zest
10-15 drops lavender oil
1/2 t vanilla

In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients really well.  Pour into glass jars.  To use:  Take a generous amount of the mixture and gently rub on skin.  Rinse thoroughly.

Flavored Water

     Sometimes I get tired of drinking plain old water.  I know that it is good for you so I jazz it up with flavor.  My favorite flavored water at the moment is to take an orange, slice it up and put it in my water along with a handful of blueberries,  I also enjoy sliced strawberries and lime slices together,  lemon slices with peppermint leaves and apple slices with a cinnamon stick.  Pinterest and Google are great resources for  flavored water ideas.  You should give it a try.  It may change your life.

Good Friends

     It is so important to have good friends in your life.  I am blessed with many friends but only a handful are "good" friends.  Trust me, there is a huge difference between the two.

     A friend is someone that you enjoy being around, someone that you enjoy talking with and someone that you care for.  A friend will flatter you and try not to step on your toes.  A friend will hang around when life is good and make themselves scares when it's not.  A friend will disagree when others are talking about you behind your back but they will remain silent.  A friend will feel bad for you when you are sick.  A friend will tell you all of the things they think you need to hear when you are devastated.  A friend will miss you at the girls weekend when you don't get to come because finances are tight.

     A "good" friend tells you the truth even if it is not what you wanted to hear.  A "good" friend sticks by your side in the good and bad times.  A "good" friend knows when you are not yourself and calls you on it.  A "good" friend stands up for you when others are talking bad about you.  A "good" friend brings you a meal when you are sick.  A "good" friend sits in silence with you when you are devastated.  A "good" friend pays for the girls weekend when you are broke.

     What kind of friend are you?

Egg Salad Sandwiches

     I was talking to a dear friend on the phone yesterday about what to do with leftover hard boiled eggs from Easter.  Egg Salad Sandwiches were on the top of my list.  Yummy!!!

Egg Salad Sandwiches:

8-12 hard boiled eggs
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 t paprika
1/2 c mayonnaise
sourdough bread
2-3 avocados

Remove shells from the eggs and place eggs in a large bowl.  Add salt, pepper, paprika and mayonnaise.  Blend with a blender until smooth.  Toast desired amount of bread and top with the egg mixture and slices of avocado.

Meat Casserole

      This is a flavorful casserole that you can throw together quickly for dinner.  It is very adaptable.  You can change the veggies, meat & seasonings around and it will still taste good.

Meat Casserole:

1/2 onion diced
1 pkg ground beef, sausage, chicken, etc..  (whatever you have on hand)
1 1/2 c wild rice
1 c chopped veggies (broccoli, celery, carrots, etc..)
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 t garlic salt
1/2 t paprika
1 t parsley
3 c broth (chicken or beef)
1 c shredded cheese

In a large skillet brown the meet with the onion.  Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 5-10 minutes.  Pour into a glass dish and bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees.  Sprinkle cheese in top and let it melt before serving.

Happy Easter!

     I just got back from camping at the sand dunes over the weekend.  It was so much fun but I am exhausted.  I thought that Easter weekend would be quiet in the campground.  It was really noisy.  In fact, the campground was full.

     There was a crazy windstorm last night. Things were flying everywhere.  This morning the wind died down and all was calm.  We had an Easter sunrise service by the dunes in front of the lake.  It was freezing!!!  The sun was shining and the birds were chirping.

  I hope that you had a happy and blessed Easter and that you were able to enjoy the day.  The best part if the day for me is celebrating the fact that HE IS RISEN!!!

Camping

     I enjoy camping!  It is something that I look forward to every summer.  While I enjoy cooking and eating good food, I do not like to fuss with high maintenance cooking while I am camping.  The week before I go camping I start cooking the food that I am going to take with me.  Cooking and freezing makes quick warm up meals while you are away from home.  Here is a sample of a camping menu for a weekend camping trip:

Fri
Dinner:  hot dogs (cooked over the camp fire), fruit salad (made ahead), cut up veggies

Sat
Breakfast:  burritos (egg, potato, sausage, cheese, bacon, etc..  made a head of time, wrapped in foil & warm up on top of the fire grate)
Lunch:  sandwiches, fruit salad, veggies
Dinner:  chili (cooked ahead of time & frozen, heat to warm up on a camp stove) cornbread (warm up in tin foil on the camp fire)

Sun
Breakfast:  bagels & cream cheese, fruit salad
Lunch:  calzones (filled with beef, tomatoes, cheese, etc.. wrapped in tin foil & warmed on the camp fire)

By the time you are ready to leave on Sunday afternoon, there is hardly any clean up and you can focus on getting the rest of your things packed up.  I hope this helps you as you plan camping meals for your family.

Sweet Potato Fries

     I don't usually have sweet potatoes laying around at my house.  No one in my family likes them except me.  When I do get to have them they are a treat.  Here is a quick recipe that satisfys my craving for fries.  Make sure to stir them around a couple of times during baking so that they don't burn.  Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Fries:

1-2 sweet potatoes
1 T olive oil
1 t garlic salt
1/4 t pepper

Peel the sweet potatoes with a potato peeler.  Cut into rounds and then quarter the rounds.  Place the potatoes in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil.  Sprinkle with seasonings and stir well.  Grease a cookie sheet and spread out the potatoes in one layer on the cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25-35 minutes.

Looking Good

     Yesterday my daughter and I both had hair appointments at the beauty salon.  I got my hair colored and she got her hair cut.  When we walked out of the salon to go home I said, "Wow, it seems like we spent all day in there."  She flips her hair (like a Cover Girl commercial) as she turns to look at me and says, "Mom, it was worth it!  I look fabulous!"

Walking

     I am not a fan of exercise.  I don't like sweating and I heard a rumor that if you exercise that you will have more energy.  (When I get done exercising I want to take a nap!). That being said, exercise is good for my body.  So what do I do?  I suck it up and sweat!

     I found an exercise DVD that is just perfect for me.  It is called The Walk Diet by Leslie Sansone.  You can choose to walk one, two or three miles.  Most days I walk two miles but sometimes I am done after one.  If you are looking for a program that is easy to follow and is not hard on your knees, I would recommend this DVD.

   

Dog Treats

     My dog loves his treats and we love giving them to him.  I have several treat recipes but, this one is my favorite.  It came out of a children's magazine.  We use a heart shaped cookie cutter to make his treats.  They are so easy to make that even my daughter can make them by herself.

Dog Treats:

1/2 c flour
1 c whole wheat flour
2/3 c peanut butter
1/4 c oil
3/4 c water

Mix flours, peanut butter, oil & water together in a large bowl.  Knead the dough into a ball.  Roll it out on a floured surface until it is about 1/4 inch thick.  Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter.  Bake 18 minutes at 375 degrees.

Dandelion Root Tea

     I heard that dandelion root tea is really good for digestion and has beta keratin which our bodies convert into Vitamin A.  I bought some yesterday at the store and decided to make iced tea out of it.  I figured that it would taste better cold than hot.  To my surprise, it actually tastes really well.

Dandelion Root Iced Tea:

1 large pitcher
water
ice
3 dandelion root tea bags
2 T lemon juice
1 T honey (optional)

Fill up a large pitcher halfway with water and ice.  In a saucepan bring 4 cups of water to a boil.  Turn off the heat & place the tea bags in the water.  Cover and let steep for 3-5 minutes.  Stir in the lemon juice & honey.  Pour into the pitcher.  Add more ice if necessary.  Keep in the refrigerator.

Breakfast Cups

     Breakfast is the most important meal of the day (or so I've been told).  I am more of a brunch person.  I prefer to eat a bit later in the day because eating first thing in the morning makes me feel sick.  I like to start the day off with a hot cup of coffee or tea and work my way into eating breakfast. Here is a delicious meal to start your day.

Breakfast Cups:

6 eggs
2 T cream
salt & pepper to taste
4 slices cooked bacon (chopped)
1/2 c cooked breakfast sausage
1/2 c shredded cheese
1 T minced onion
1 T parsley
1/2 c chopped yellow & red pepper
1/4 c chopped spinach or kale

Beat eggs & cream in a bowl until smooth.  Season with salt & pepper.  Stir in the remaining ingredients and pour into greased Ramekins.  Place Ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Brittany's Breakfast Sandwiches

     My friend Brittany makes these delicious breakfast sandwiches.  They are simple to throw together on a busy morning and everyone in my house loves them.  Happy Friday!!!

Brittany's Breakfast Sandwiches:

1 pkg bagels
sliced Canadian bacon
hashbrown patties
sliced cheddar cheese
eggs
1T olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook the hashbrowns according to package directions.  Toast desired amount of bagels in the toaster.  Place a cooked hashbrown on top of each bagel.  Pour the oil in a skillet and fry the desired amount of eggs.  Place the egg on top of the bagels.  Top with a slice of cheese.  Fry the Canadian bacon until golden brown. Place on top of the cheese.  Enjoy your sandwich!

Ouchy

     I was putting my wet clothes into the dryer and I scraped the top of my hand on the washing machine as I pulled the wet clothes out.  It started to bleed.  I got the first aid kit out and the only band aid that would work was Strawberry Shortcake.  (Note to self: buy more band aids)  Later in the afternoon I decided to make myself a green smoothie.  It was very healthy.  It had spinach and kale in it.  As I took the last gulp of my smoothie, I noticed that my band aid was gone.  I frantically looked on the floor, in the garbage can, on the counter, etc..  I have a Vitamex so I am pretty sure that it will blend up anything.  I feel myself starting to get sick and for the rest of the day I was a bit nauseated thinking that I have just been drinking my blended up band aid.  Luckily I can report that my daughter found my band aid on the kitchen floor.  I did NOT eat a band aid!

Useful Tips in the Kitchen

I put together a list of things that you might find useful while cooking in the kitchen.  Some you may already know.  Hopefully, there will be something useful here.  If not, sorry!  Have a great Wednesday!!!

Useful Tips in the Kitchen:

1.)  sear large pieces of meat to seal in the juices

2.)  use squash instead of pumpkin for pie for a delicious taste

3.)  cut up & wash fruit & veggies as soon as you buy them (it saves lots of time when cooking meals)

4.)  feed veggie peels to chickens (it makes them very happy)

5.)  when making hard boiled eggs, use very cold water before you boil (this helps the peels to come off easily)

6.)  use 1 cup vinegar in a sink full of water to wash fruit & veggies

7.)  cook homemade pizza at 450 or 500 degrees for 8-10 min. to get a chewy crust

8.)  brush melted butter on bread & rolls as soon as they come out of the oven so they stay soft

9.)  put an opened box of baking soda in the refrigerator to absorb odors

10.)  freeze herbs & olive oil in an ice cube tray to preserve the herbs until you are ready to use them

Simple Veggie Stir Fry

Toward the end of the week, I gather up all of the veggies that I have left in my refrigerator and try to find a recipe to use them up.  Stir fry is a very simple dish to make and a great way to use left over veggies.

Simple Veggie Stir Fry:

Broccoli (chopped)
Carrots (chopped)
Kale (chopped)
Sugar snap peas
Zucchini (chopped)
1/4 onion (minced)
1t ginger
1T garlic (minced)
1 T soy sauce
1/8 t pepper
2 T olive oil
1 c rice
1 1/4 c water
1 T sesame seeds
1/4 c peanuts (whole or chopped)

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add veggies & cook until they are just starting to get soft.  Add ginger, soy sauce, pepper, rice & water.  Bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until rice is done.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and peanuts.

PB Grill Cheese

     Don't knock it til you try it!  I know peanut butter and cheese sounds disgusting but it is really tasty.  I promise.

PB Grill Cheese:

2 slices of bread
I large slice of cheese
creamy peanut butter
butter

Spread a thick layer of peanut butter on a slice of bread.  Put the slice of cheese on top of the peanut butter.  Butter the outside pieces of the sandwich.  Toast in a skillet until the cheese is melted.  Serve warm.

Essential Oil

     Have you ever used essential oils?  I have been using them for several years now and I just love them.  It is important to use high quality oils.  I recommend DoTerra.  There are several other brands out there that work just as well.  

I wanted tell you about a few of my favorite oils and what I use them for.  

When I am having trouble sleeping at night, I rub some chamomile/lavender oil on my wrists and sleep with my hands by my face so that I can breathe in the scent.  This works really well for me.

When my daughter is having growing pains in her legs, I rub some eucalyptus oil on them.  Eucalyptus oil also works really well for cuts and scrapes.  

For cleaning, I put lavender, lemongrass, rosemary and tea tree oil in 1 cup of vinegar.  I then add 2 cups of water and shake it up in a squirt bottle.  This is a great all purpose cleaner.

These are just a few ways that essential oils can be used.  If you are interested in trying them, I encourage you to buy the book The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood.  It is an easy to understand guide to using the oils.  

BBQ Chicken Sandwich

      The sun is starting to come out in my neck of the woods.  It makes me want to barbecue everything!  Last night I made this tasty chicken sandwich for dinner.  Enjoy!!!

BBQ Chicken Sandwich:

1 pkg boneless skinless chicken breast
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
1 pkg bacon
sliced cheese
romaine lettuce
sliced tomato
1 pkg sour dough bread
butter

Rub:
1 T parsley
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t paprika
1 t onion powder
1/2 t turmeric
1 T sugar
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t sage
1/4 t coriander

Place rub ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Generously massage the rub into the raw chicken.  Heat up your barbecue to medium & cook the chicken until done.  Brush the barbecue sauce on the chicken the last 10 minutes of cook time.  While the chicken is cooking place the bacon on a wire rack with a cookie sheet underneath. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes on 375 degrees.  Butter slices of bread & fry in a pan until crisp.  Layer the bread with chicken, cheese, bacon, lettuce & tomato.  Take a huge bite.  Yum!

Snicker Cookies

     A good friend of mine gave me this recipe.  These are some of the BEST cookies that I have ever eaten in my life.  They are soft and chewy with a little surprise inside.  Whenever I make these cookies they never last long.

Snicker Cookies:

1 c. butter
1 c. peanut butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. soda
1/2 t. salt
2 pkgs. mini snickers

Combine butter, peanut butter and sugars in a large bowl.  Add eggs & vanilla.  Mix in flour, salt & soda.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.  Unwrap snickers & shape 1 tablespoon of dough around each snickers.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Rainwater

    For a while, I have been looking for some barrels to catch rain water.  The Costco ad came out this week and there were a couple of them ranging from $100-$300.  My husband was able to find some on Craigslist for $5 a piece.  (He rocks!!!)  We purchased them last night.  I heard that in some states it is illegal to collect rainwater so I started researching it on the Internet.  I was shocked to find out this is true.  In fact, I read an article about a man in Oregon who was put in jail for 30 days and had to pay a $1,500 fine for collecting rainwater.  All that I can think to say is WOW!  Before you know it we are going to be charged if we get too much sun, breath in too much air, laugh too much, etc..  I am SO glad to know that God wins in the end!!!

Rhubarb Crisp

     Years ago my husband and I were invited to dinner and Rhubarb Crisp was served.  It was delicious!  It tastes the best with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream.  I made sure to get the recipe before we left.  Here it is:

Rhubarb Crisp:

4 c diced rhubarb
6 T flour
2 eggs
2 c sugar
1/2 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c butter
1 t cinnamon

Mix rhubarb, flour, eggs & sugar in a bowl.  Pour into a 9x13 pan.  Mix flour, brown sugar, butter & cinnamon together & crumble over the batter.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

April Fool's Day

     I heard a story about a mom who put vinegar in her family's milk.  When they drank it, there was spitting, crying, etc..  I heard another story about someone who put half Sprite and half soy sauce in an empty plastic Coke bottle and gave it to someone to drink.  How about the guy who threw a Baby Ruth into a swimming pool?  There are some brilliant tricks out there.  While I think the idea of these jokes are funny, I would not like to be on the receiving end of one of them.  In my house, we choose not to participate in April Fool's Day.  Call me boring if you want to.  I am ok with missing out on this tradition.