Yummy Food

Happy Thanksgiving!

Try-it Tuesdays Heart Healthy Lentil Soup

We have had so much rain the past few days. The whole area is on flood warning, We have one section in our basement that is about 2" deep and still rising even though we live on a hill. We're used to it. It seems to happen once a month. Projects never cease to end. We'll tackle that one in about a year. Crossing my fingers while writing this
Anyways something warm on a chilly wet day is always nice, so I thought I would post this yummy recipe. Goes great with a loaf of sourdough bread.

Lentil Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large chopped onion
bag of carrots sliced
couple stocks of sliced celery
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound lentils, rinsed
1 -2 chopped tomatoes
1 quart chicken broth

1 to 2 quarts water
dash of cumin

Place the olive oil into a large 6-quart Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and salt and sweat until the onions are translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes. Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, cumin, water and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes.

Note: You can add corn, cauliflower, slices of kelbasa suasage, etc. to fit your taste.

Quick October

It’s already November. When did that happen? Every store is decorated with gift-giving ideas -showing that Christmas is right around the corner. Before I look ahead, I wanted to post some October photos. We had such a fun month.

We had family come for Halloween and were so sad to see them leave. My kids relish any time they have with cousins.

We thoroughly enjoyed going to

Carthage and Nauvoo. We went during the off- season and were glad to be able to do all the wonderful things without the crowds. It was peaceful. We stayed at a nice place called Nauvoo Log Cabins.

Thanks Cousins for coming to our neck of the woods!

Happy Halloween

My kids love watching their faces dance around. So funny to hear them giggle. Before you press the arrow, go down to the bottom left hand side of my blog and pause the music.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Try-it Tuesdays Pumpkin Spice Cookies

This is such a fun fall recipe. I came across this recipe years ago in the grocery store. I make these every year during the fall season and these cookies always come out just right. It's a keeper.
Hint-You can substitute fresh pumpkin instead of canned. If you don't like chocolate with your pumpkin just omit the chips. Tastes great either way.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 can (15 oz.) Pure Pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
• VANILLA GLAZE (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease baking sheets or just use your sil[at. 

Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in pumpkin, eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets. 

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle or spread with Vanilla Glaze. 



For Vanilla Glaze: 
Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl; mix well.

Monday Gratitudes

Okay I love older homes. The architecture and character of an old home is just something you can't achieve in the new housing markets of today. But then you have to contend with the numerous mistakes the previous owners have made over the years.
We need to redo this old grandma kitchen! it is desperately in need of some help. The cabinets are fairly new but so flawed. The drawers are only 2 inches deep and don't even hold a utensil tray correctly. So sad but it needs to be redone.

If you have any ideas or photos, please share! It definitely needs a splash of color. The yellow is no longer on the walls. Now it just has a coat of white primer.
I've been thinking of white cabinets and some fun colors? This second kitchen was in another house that was on the market when we bought this house. I loved that house but it had no yard for the kids to play in. Compromise is always good. Right.
I am truly grateful to have a roof over my head and am more grateful that my hubby is able to work on a lot of the projects in this old house of ours. Right now one of our hallways is torn apart. I would love to take photos but there is so much dust in the air, I;m afraid it would ruin my camera. More to come

Monday Gratitudes

My sweet little boy started preschool for the first time this past week.
I was worried. No, I was petrified.
Since my stroke this past January he's been very clingy and will not leave my side. He is literally my shadow.
But guess what.. he had an absolutely wonderful first day and seems to like the kids in his class.
Miracles still happen -even small ones. I am grateful for this.

Monday Gratitudes

I always thought that Labor Day was a holiday to squeeze in one last trip to the lake as summer gives way to fall or one last excursion to buy school clothes at all the great sales. Oh, I also thought it was the last hurrah before the start of a new school year (so not true, since my kids seem to be starting school earlier every year). All joking aside -that's well and good, but maybe we should be thankful for those who have and continue to faithfully perform their jobs here in this good country and those who serve this country abroad.
American workers have risen to the occasion in times of crisis. They have increased productivity. They have been responsible for innovations and discoveries that have enhanced our quality of life and the rest of the world's.They have toiled to produce the greatest country in the world.
Americans deserve a holiday for a job well done.
I am thankful for those around me that are the backbone of this country and who truly get the job done.

I am truly thankful that my hubby (who is at work right now) has a job. How blessed my family is.

So enjoy your family and friends today and take a minute to thank yourself and others around you for the hard work you do.

Try-it Tuesdays Caramel Apples

My family and I love caramel apples. Such a fun treat to make for a sleep-over, birthday party, Halloween, you name it and anytime is a good time.
I have tried several recipes and found this one to be the best for caramel apples. Try them, you'll love it.
Caramel
2 cups light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
2 cups sugar
pinch of baking soda
1 stick butter
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk

In a heavy 4 quart saucepan, combine corn syrup, water and sugar. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes to a boil. Add soda and stir well. Clip on Candy thermometer. Add butter and stir well. Stirring constantly and without allowing mixture to stop boiling, slowly add milk.. Continue stiring yo keep mixture from scorching. Caramel is done when it reaches 242F. Remove from heat and allow to cool to 200F. Dip apples until thoroughly coated. Place on a bed of nut, chocolate chips, m&m's, etc., Hint: Silpat's work great if you only want a caramel apple!

Monday Gratitudes

Ranleigh and I had such a nice weekend. We were able to attend Mike and Karen's wedding in Detroit. Everything was beautiful. Mike and Karen are such great people. I'm grateful to know them.
This weekend also gave me time to reflect on my relationship with my hubby. I'm grateful for him, he is such a good man. He is kind, loving, great with our kids, smart, funny and very handsome.
I'm grateful for our marriage.

Monday Gratitudes

I am truly grateful for all the wonderful canners in my church family. This past week the kids and I were able to snap a ton of green beans at the home of our wonderful Sister Bridges. She was so kind to help us and take the time out of her busy schedule. We were able to can 14 jars! Good experience.
I'm excited to can peaches next. Love it.
I'm also grateful that my children start school this week. I wish that the summer was a little longer but I think it's time for them to make new friends and hopefully renew the friendships they made last year.
I'm also grateful to be on this earth and alive. I know that I've said it before but I'm so glad to be here for my family. These past several months have been pretty hard for my kids. I know that we are blessed.

Monday Gratitudes

Today was so hot and humid that it was hard to see any reason to be grateful for this time of year. But as the scriptures say there must be 'opposition in all things'. Were it not so, then value would cease to exist. I know better than to complain about the humidity and the crazy things that my hair does-the fact is- that this is going to happen over and over again. Hey this is the midwest -where the corn grows as tall as en Elephant's eye. So I must learn to accept the humidity and try to be thankful for it. Which leads me into truly looking forward to crisp fall days.(picture of Noah)
All kidding aside, I am thankful to live in this part of the country. It truly is a beautiful place.

I'm also grateful for my brother Matt (picture of him lighting our bonfire) who is serving in the military. He has a beautiful family in Utah and this is his third deployment to Iraq. My sister in-law is raising 4 kids by herself, while he is away, and she has a positive attitude. Makes me even more grateful for my hubby being home.
I am grateful to have all of the kids school shopping done. This is their last full week of summer vacation so we're going to plan a fun weekend for them.

Up town girl give-away link -Darling

This is the photo from the cover of the ‘up town girl’ pattern created by the incredibly talented and gifted Aussie designer and blogger Toni from Make it Perfect.
It’s the next piece of kids clothing that I want to make. I need a pattern for a coat. I can wing it for a skirt, …but a coat. A coat I need a pattern for.
If I’m lucky I might just win one! Pop over to Handmade Kids and have a look. Leave a comment and you could be in the running as well. Just make sure you don’t win though okay…because I want to!

Try-it Tuesdays Spinach Salad

THis is such a fabulous salad and the dressing is absolutely yummy. If you like mandarin oranges you can add those too.

10 ounces fresh spinach
1 cup sliced celery
1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced

Poppy Seed Dressing
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dry mustard
2/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
14-1/2 red onion
2 cups oil
3 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)

Combine sugar, salt, mustard, vinegar, and red onion in blender. Blend and slowly add oil. Add poppy seeds. Refrigerate.

Caramelized Pecans
1 cup sugar
1 cup pecans

Place sugar in a heavy pot. Once sugar begins to melt add pecans. Slowly cook until the sugar is melted onto the pecans and they are browned a little. Immediately place on wax paper. Cool.

Fun Giveaway

Rachel at PS I Quilt is having a fun giveaway, check it out.

try-it Tuesdays Chicken Pot Pie

I love homemade pot pie. It is such a comfort food. I tweaked the recipe to slim down the calories and it still tastes great. Sometimes I don't even use a two crust pie to eliminate more calories. But this recipes is a keeper. Try it -I know you'll like it. I usually double this recipe to make 2 pies but I don't double the butter. This recipe is very forgiving and can be tweaked many ways.
Prepare your favorite Pie crust recipe for 2-crust pie using a 9" pie pan.
Filling:
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup fat free 1/2&1/2 or milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed. In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and 1/2&1/2, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened. Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

monday Gratitudes

Grateful that this has been a nice summer. It's been delightful to not be stuck with the normal humidity. We were also lucky to sneak in swimming lessons these past 3 weeks. Our Bishop's daughter had the summer off from BYU and gave private lessons in their pool. The kids have made great strides in improving their stamina and confidence. Noah was the only one that would let me take a picture with Laura.
Grateful that Isaak is learning great things in scouting.
Grateful for peace and quiet music yesterday morning. Sunday morning was so nice and albeit too quiet. It scared me a little because my kids are usually heard throughout the house. Well, something had to be happening and that usually means nothing good. I quickly investigated and was sweetly surprised to find all the kids upstairs playing with Legos. Ah! Peaceful mornings! You have to love em.

Self Reliance 72 hr kit Giveaway!

Shelf Reliance is excited to offer you a chance to win the Providence Essential 72-Hour Kit. This kit includes supplies for two people.
Shelf Reliance is giving away a 2-person 72 hour kit. For description and details, click here. Hurry offer ends Friday!

Try-it Tuesdays Strawberry-Lemon Trifle

To fulfill a scouting requirement, Issak had to make dessert for his upcoming Court of Honor. Trifle is an easy dessert that will feed a lot. We decided to double the ingredients and use a punch bowl instead of our regular trifle bowl.

Trifle:
Pound Cake (home made or store bought) (can also use a sponge or butter cake or ladyfingers)
1 1/2 cups Strawberry Sauce (Puree strawberries with 1/4c. sugar)
1/2 pound fresh strawberries, sliced
1 1/2 cups Lemon Curd (home made or store bought)
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

To make the whipping cream: beat cream and 3 tbls. sugar, until stiff peaks form.

To assemble: In the bottom of your trifle bowl place slices (about 1/3 inch thick) of the pound cake. Fill in any gaps with pieces of the cake. Pour half of the strawberry sauce over the pound cake. Top the strawberry sauce with half of the sliced strawberries. Then pour half of the lemon curd over the strawberries. Top with half of the whipped cream. Repeat the layers. Cover and refrigerate for 8 and up to 24 hours to allow the flavors to mingle. Then enjoy!

Monday Gratitudes

What's your favorite fruit?
. What would summer be like if there were no fresh fruits? BORING!
This is one of my favorite times of year
I'm grateful that fresh fruit is in abundance and tastes so yummy. I love watermelon, grapes, peaches, plums, strawberries, etc. Oh the list could go on,
but my absolute favorite fruit has to be bing cherries. My parents had 2 huge bing cherry trees in our back yard and when the cherries were ripe that is where you could always find us, not to mention the neighbor kids as well.
Such fond memories of spitting out the seeds and seeing who could spit the farthest or flick them the farthest.
Give me a big juicy, crunchy, sweet bing cherry any time of day! I don't even mind the pit; If it wasn't for the pit - to slow me down - I'd definitely eat them even faster. Love Cherries!

Monday Gratitudes

We had so much fun in Nauvoo this weekend. The kids were able to take a horse drawn wagon ride, pull handcarts, see the Nauvoo Temple, and participate in a number of pioneer games. The high light was getting to see the Nauvoo Pageant.
I didn't know this before but Nauvoo was once home to thousands of settlers and rivaled its neighbor Chicago in size. It's a pretty amazing place to visit.
I'm grateful to be close to so many wonderful places.

Summer with Isaak

Isaak has a lot of outdoor pets. His favorites are his toads. They even have names. The other morning he found one of his toads smashed on our driveway. It was so sad. He had to give him a proper burial. He placed twigs around it, so that we wouldn't accidently step on him.
The next photo is Isaak with his cub scout troop. They were putting on a funny skit. He loves scouts. It's fun to watch him grow and see his interests change.

Try-it Tuesdays Ebelskivers

These light, fluffy pancakes are delicious! Tastes great with lingonberry or raspberry jam. You can even fill them with berries of any kind or my kids favorite nutella! You can buy an ebelskiver pan at Williams sonoma
3 eggs, separated
2 C buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk on hand you can make some by mixing 2 Tbs lemon juice with enough milk to make 2 cups and letting it sit for 5 minutes )
2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbs sugar
Zest of 1/2 lemon or 1/2 tsp almond extract
2 Tbs oil
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, granulated sugar, salt and lemon zest. Set aside.

In another bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks. Whisk in the buttermilk and oil. Whisk the yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the mixture will be lumpy. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry peaks form. Gently fold the whites into the batter in two additions.

Put 1/2 tsp. butter in each well of a filled-pancake pan. Place over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 2 Tbs. batter into each well, Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Using 2 wooden skewers turn the pancakes over and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
Dust the pancakes with confectioner’s sugar and serve warm. Makes about 30.

Monday Gratitudes

Wow, truly so many things to be grateful for!
First off my family!
Friends!
And grateful that we had such a nice and safe 4th of July weekend!

I am truly thankful to live in this beautiful country!
The United States is truly an amazing country!
We have almost every climate type.
We have people from all nations and walks of life.
We are blessed to be leaders in scientific research and have some wonderful technological advances. I personally love having a washing machine and dryer!
We also have the worlds oldest surviving constitution!
Another thing that makes our country unique is out Patriotism.
God Bless America!

Happy 4th of July!

Why do we celebrate the 4th of July?
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. It signifies the colonies’ break from England and the rule of George III. On July 2, 1776 Congress voted to declare independence from England. After two days of debate and some changes to the document, on July 4th, Congress voted to accept the Declaration of Independence. This is why we celebrate July 4th as Independence Day. It's the birthday of our great country. I am thankful for those that came before me to pave the way of freedom

Try-it Tuesdays Chocolate Cherry Bread

If you like chocolate and cherries together- then this recipe is for you!

2 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 Xlarge eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup cream or milk
3/4 cup sour cream
2 cups cherries (maraschino or dried)
1 cup chocolate pieces

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Add melted butter to the dry mix until the mixture is crumby or powder dust. Add 2 cups of cherries & 1 cup of your favorite chocolate pieces. Mix well into the dry mixture. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, vanilla, cream & sour cream. Mix until smooth & well blended. Add liquid egg mixture to the dry mixture by folding together until just incorporated throughout. Place in a well-greased large bread pan or 2 small bread pans. Top the mix with a few of the cherries & sprinkle with sugar. Place in a hot oven: 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and continue baking 35-45 minutes or until the center springs back on touch.
Cool and top with your favorite drizzle

Land of Lincoln-Monday Gratitudes

I love living in this place where I'm surrounded by history of all kinds. When I reflect on the past and consider the trials that Lincoln went through it amazes me that he still had so much wisdom. It probably came from going through all those trials. A quote that I recently came across -is really one that needs to be read by every American.I would love to know your thoughts!
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.

.....Abraham Lincoln

Still Here

It's been so long since I've posted anything that I feel rusty. Just a few days after my last post, I suffered a Stroke. I know Crazy, huh! I've gone through numerous tests and am really in great shape except for the part of my brain that processes my vision. It is slowly getting better - or is my typing just getting better? Who knows!
For the past 5 months they would not allow me to drive so I've been feeling like a prisoner. Running on the bike trail in front of my house everyday has really helped to break up the monotony. I also think it has helped me to heal quicker.?
My sincere thanks to all of you for the kind e-mails, pretty flowers and the awesome support, packages, Loved the packages!! I wish I could personally thank each one of you, I will someday. I want you to know that I'm so thankful for your love and prayers. It truly means a lot to me.

Here we go again?!!!

This picture describes what the last couple of weeks/month feels like. Before my server drops me again- I'm still having server issues and the fourth guy from my internet company is coming tomorrow to hopefully fix the problem? We'll see. I'm starting to get quotes from other companies. One word sums it all up FRUSTRATION!