Monday Gratitudes-a day late

I have a good excuse for being late. Yesterday was a packing and cleaning day.
Well on Friday I arrived at the church for our regular exercise hour and was so shocked to find that the ladies, with whom I exercise, surprised me with a going away breakfast. Each one of them brought something yummy to eat. I think that the table is missing Chelsea's ham & egg surprise-she was probably pulling it out of the oven when this picture was taken.
It's too bad that I didn't get a picture of the whole group, but I'm so glad that Sherilyn had her phone and took these photos. They also gave me the cutest scrapbook with photos of people from the ward. Tricia also put together a Fleshman Family word search that was so fun and then we played a fun game called Imaginiff.
I will truly miss these ladies. I'm grateful for them. Each one of them is so sweet and I can truly call them sisters.

I'm grateful for another chapter in our lives as we get ready for our next move. It's been interesting to have moved 4 times in 4 years. I know that it's not always easy for my family especially my kids to leave their new found friends, but I think my kids are resilient. They will do fine and will learn to love our new area as well as they've loved it here and everywhere else we've been.

Try-it Tuesdays

I couldn't think of a better name to go with tuesday so Try-it Tuesdays will have to do until I can come up with a better tag. I'm open for any ideas.
This is a good easy recipe.
Broiled Parmesan Tilapia
1 lb. Tilapia filets
5 Tbls. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 Tbls. soft butter
2 Tbls. fat free Mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbls. lemon juice
Generous pinch of dried basil, black pepper, onion powder, garlic salt, dried parsley
Preheat broiler and grease a broiling pan. In a small bowl mix together cheese, butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice and spices. Arrange filets in single layer on broiler pan. Broil a few inches from heat for 2-3 minutes. Flip and broil another 2 minutes. Remove from oven and spread Parmesan mixture on top side. Broil 2 more minutes or until browned and fish flakes easily with a fork.
Tip- If I don't have onion powder then I just add an extra pinch of garlic salt. You can change the seasonings to fit your taste buds. It's very forgiving.
I usually serve this with a slightly chicken flavored Couscous and yummy green beans. My kids love it and always want seconds.

Monday Gratitudes

I am grateful for good recipes, the kind that just can't go wrong if you follow them correctly. A year ago I took part in a wonderful recipe club. It was with a group of women who met once a month. Each lady brought a fabulous dish with enough recipes for each member and we were able to try each dish and decide if it was something that we would make again. I was given some wonderful recipes and have used quite a few of them over the course of the year. I will try to start posting my favorites on Tuesdays - have to think of a catchy title.
I am grateful for children's motrin and tylenol. My youngest son had an on again-off again fever last week and the medicine helped reduce the fever and I was able to get some sleep throughout the week.
I am grateful for a restful night. I am a much better person, mother, wife, etc. when I get enough sleep.
I am grateful for Old Fashioned Oats. Okay that might sound strange but I love to eat them in many ways. Sometimes I grind them up and use the flour in recipes that call for flour, they're great in crumbles, meatloafs, breads, granola bars, etc. or just add milk to them and they make a great breakfast. Here is a great recipe: The ultimate comfort cookie.
Chocolate Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
2 c. sugar
2 c. packed brown sugar
2 c. butter
4 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla
6 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. raisins
1 bag of chocolate chips
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl combine first five ingredients and beat until light and fluffy. Add oats, flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. beat until soft dough forms. Stir in raisins and chocolate chips.
Drop by heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-15 min. or until edges are golden brown. Let cool 1 minute before removing from cookie sheets. Makes 8 dozen cookies. Enjoy!

Growing a Garden

I mentioned in an earlier post that I'm really excited to start growing a garden in my own soil. I wanted to grow one while we were living in Cleveland but the area where we could have planted a garden only had a few sunlight hours due to the huge trees surrounding us. In our new yard we are blessed to have plenty of sun and space.
Well a couple of weeks ago a member of our church, Jim Kennard who travels to many countries and teaches people to garden, was giving a fireside on the Mittleider method of Gardening that is a proven, efficient, High-yield method of success in growing veggies and field crops in any type of soil and with no waste of water. His website states that it combines the best features of soil-based gardening and hydroponic gardening, but without hydroponic expense! It's a complete, easy-to-follow plan that eliminates guesswork and ensures success anywhere: an apartment patio, a city yard, a country lot, or a farm. The method is based on maximum utilization of space, time, and resources. Crops are large because plants are close together, nourished by supplemental feedings of natural mineral nutrients (as in hydroponics), but with no special equipment.
I had to post this to show how nice and clean the rows are.You can see how the garden is growing and it still looks clean.Growing vertical has some great advantages, less space is needed and insects and disease can be eliminatedThis shows an excellent crop of tomatoes. You can see how strong the stocks are.
If your starting a garden check out the above website and as soon as I get my garden growing I can tell you first hand how great it is.

Monday Gratitudes

Since I didn't post anything yesterday I couldn't let today go by without honoring and sharing my gratitude for my mother, my grandmother and all the other wonderful mothers out there.

There are so many things that my mother and grandmother taught me-I don't even know where to begin.

Just a few things-
-My grandmother was very talented in anything that had to do with arts or crafts. She definitely passed this talent on to my mother and I. As I watch my children grow I see that they also share these talents.
-My mother never gossips. (I'm still working on this)
-She is the ultimate hostess. If anyone ever popped over for a visit she would always have something delectable on hand to offer. She has some of the tastiest dishes in the world. (Her Roladen is excellent!)
-She also knows how to throw a really fun kids birthday party - never a dull moment.
-She is a great shopper and can always find the cutest clothes at the best prices.
-She is kind to everyone and always helps others in times of need.
-She never complains. (I'm still working on this one too)
-My mother is reserved (definitely not an obnoxious soccer mom)-in a sense, almost shy- but will make anyone feel at ease and comfortable.
I love you mom!

Best Playdough Recipe!

I have tried many playdough recipes and have found this one to be the best. It's not messy when the kids play with it and if you keep it in an airtight container or ziplock bag when it's not being used, it will last a long time.
For parties or special occasions you can add glitter and food coloring to it.

1 1/2 c. corn starch
1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 c. salt
1 T. vegetable oil
2 c. water
Mix all ingredients together in sauce pan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until mixture gathers on your stirring spoon and forms a dough (see picture). This should take about 6 minutes. Dump it onto wax paper until it is cool enough to handle and knead it until it becomes pliable. Store in plastic bag or airtight container.

Yuck!

Okay...this has to be the funniest quiz that I have ever taken.
I absolutely dislike mint chocolate chip ice cream and it is my dear hubby's favorite flavor - so I guess the personality part is close.
Ha Ha! Take the quiz and see what flavor you are.


I took it again and I do like this flavor!
Just another funny quiz! I must not have a lot to do today - I better get working!

Monday Gratitudes -Tuesday

I had some posting issues yesterday so my regular Monday will be a day late - better late than never!

-We just got the final approval for the loan on our new house. Yahooooo! We are so thankful for this huge blessing in our lives. It's funny.. after owning our home in Cleveland, I never thought we would have to rent again...I spoke too soon but that's the residency/fellowship life. We would love to have everyone visit us in our new home and we should have plenty of space.

-I'm thankful for spinach-okay I know this one is weird.. but I love spinach salad. I have a wonderful dressing that was given to me by a friend in my recipe club- that goes so nicely with it. I'll post it when I get a picture.

-I'm so thankful for good Doctors...more to follow.

-I love spring when all the flowers are in bloom and the trees are starting to bud.

-I lastly wanted to say that I'm thankful for the good earth! I'm planning on starting a garden as soon as we move. I'm so excited-we are still working on the layout!

Marzipan

I found this picture of a baby made from marzipan-here is the recipe.

1 pound finely grated blanched almonds
1 pound sugar
4 tbls rosewater (optional but good)
2 egg whites whipped
powdered sugar

Mix first three ingredients. Place in heavy-bottomed saucepan over very low heat. Cook and stir until the mixture is dry; do not let it brown. Then knead 2 whipped egg whites into mixture and add some powdered sugar until the paste is smooth enough to shape.

Marzipan Cake

This easy recipe makes a medium sized ring cake. For those of you that don't have a metric measuring unit -I put the american measurements in parenthesis. You can usually find marzipan in the baking section of the store - for those of you that can't find it here is a good recipe.

175 g. soft unsalted butter, plus a bit extra melted (1 1/2 sticks)
175 g. soft marzipan, cut into pieces (3/4 c)
100 g. sugar (1/2 c)
a few drops of almond flavoring
a few drops of vanilla
4 eggs
100 g. cake flour (1 c)
1 teaspoon of baking powder
Icing sugar to sift over.

Put your cake tin in the fridge and preheat the oven to 325°F.
Mix the butter, marzipan, sugar and essences together until smooth. Add the eggs one by one then the flour and baking powder and beat until smooth.
Brush the cold tin with the melted butter which will solidify right into any pattern there might be.
Pour batter into the tin and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until golden and tests cooked. Cool in the tin before turning out.
Sift over a bit of powdered sugar to make it look pretty.