Posts Tagged ‘Good eats’
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Yesterday my SIL and I decided to treat our three youngest by letting them help us bake snickerdoodles. Rare is the day that I bake with both my girls helping, let alone three. Each mom manned a counter and had the girls take turns helping us measure, pour and stir.
The girls had a blast helping. It was so much fun to be baking with Christmas music playing in the background and the girls laughing and having such a good time. Hannah especially liked the mixing spoon. Who can blame her? 🙂
*Another adventure this week was my new hat {see picture}. What do ya’ll think?? Is it a keeper?
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
Top Ten Holiday Highlights
Posted on: November 30, 2010
- In: Life
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Our Thanksgiving was quite the event. Lots {lots} of traveling, eating, shopping and time with family. It was a wonderful time and made me so thankful to see what our future will look like being in the same state with family for the first time in six years. Here are my top ten highlights from our week:
1. Flying with the girls – I’ll admit I was a little timid about flying solo with both girls, but they did amazing. However, I gave them a candy cane towards the end of the flight which lead to extreme hyperactivity. Never an easy thing when confined to a 3×2 foot space. But at least it was only the last 20 minutes and most of the passengers thought it was cute/funny.
2. Eating Mexican food – I’m sure having Mexican food will eventually get old. But nothing starts off a move to Texas quite like fajitas, queso and warm, fresh tortillas.
3. Baking, baking, baking – I love baking. My sister-in-law loves baking. Put us in the kitchen together making Thanksgiving goodies and we were two happy little mamas.
4. Shopping, shopping, shopping – My SIL, brother and I decided that it would just be a fabulous idea to stay up all night Thursday night/Friday morning to participate in Black Friday shopping. Yeah, maybe that idea ranks up there with giving the girls sugar on a plane.
5. Being with family – I adore my brother’s family. My two nieces are precious and I love seeing them and their interactions with my girls. It’s pure delight. *sigh*
6. Drastic weather change – When I left Iowa it was freezing, hailing and rainy. When I got to Texas it was 85. Now, I’m not thrilled about no longer having winter-ish weather, but I think come January I’ll be pretty happy.
7. Texas – I’m not sure there’s much to say other than “It’s good to be home”. Although, I do feel like I’m on vacation, since we’re still with family while Jonathan is in Austin this week starting work and waiting for the movers to deliver our belongs. Still, just being in Texas is a sweet, sweet thing.
8. Coffee – My SIL makes coffee several times a day. Yesterday we had coffee at breakfast, coffee again after the girls got up from naps and then again when my brother came home from work and made up ice cream lattes. Ah, I could get use to this kind of coffee drinking.
9. Being with family – I know I already said this one, but it’s so warms my heart. I just love the closeness, the familiarity, the feeling of belonging that comes with being with my family.
10. Reliance on God – Despite all my highlights, the last week hasn’t been a cake walk. But God has shown me His continual faithfulness in the midst of trials. Things haven’t gone according to plan, Jonathan is in Austin while we’re in Ft. Worth, our stuff is on a moving van somewhere in the Midwest and life happens. But it’s allowing me to constantly rely on God and not myself.
How was your Thanksgiving? What are your highlights?
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
No Sugar is No Fun
Posted on: November 8, 2010
- In: Life
- 16 Comments
I spent the month of October taking a break from sugar. I wanted to explore what effects sugar was having on my frequent headaches. I realized these two things:
1. Sugar DOES increase the frequency my headaches.
2. My headaches are linked to hormonal changes.
When I first started my experiment, I had no headaches for two weeks. Then as my cycle shifted, I got some intense headaches for two days. After that I was back to normal. Once I started eating sugar again {which was the last week of October} my headaches came back. This unfortunately coincided with another hormonal shift, so I can’t fully blame sugar for the headaches. However, I can say that the duration and frequency were higher while I was consuming sugar than when I wasn’t.
Where will I go from here?
I’m not sure yet. I’m back on sugar for now. But I don’t want to be – I’d like to substitute with agave and honey. I’m looking into raw sugars and whether I might have more luck with it since it’s not processed as heavily {any thought on that??}. I’m slowly stocking my agave supply for cheap, thanks to Rachel. I think if I can get a good handle on not having sugar in the house/having a good supply of substitutes than I will make the switch full time.
What are your suggestions??
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I made these cookies Monday for Jonathan’s coworkers. They never got delivered, so I’ve taken on the arduous task of disposing of them before they go bad {in others words, I’m eating them all}. And it would be a shame to not pass along this amazing recipe to all of you.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.
Absolutely delicious. Every time I open the container a wave of pumpkin fills the air and it’s a-maz-ing. I do highly recommend eating them with a glass of milk, because they are super rich!
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Today’s guest post is from a fellow Texan/Iowan, who currently lives in Scotland. Emily is a funny gal that you will just love to follow!
For most, fall is officially here, though in Scotland we call it autumn and it has been here for a while! Regardless of where you are or come from, though, Halloween is fast-approaching. Instead of panicking about all the logistics of the holiday, why not enjoy some simple treat as a family. I’d love to share two of our new favorites: homemade hot chocolate and candy corn popcorn balls.
Homemade Hot Chocolate
- ¼ of a Hershey’s chocolate bar (feel free to use more!)
- 2T sugar
- 2T cold water
- 1t vanilla
- 1 c heavy cream
- Hot milk
Combine chocolate squares (3) and water over low heat on stove top. Stir chocolate until it melts. Add sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool completely. When it’s time to serve, whip heavy cream and then fold it into chocolate mixture. Ladle 3-4 T of chocolate mixture into each cup and fill with hot milk. Makes 6-8 servings.
Candy Corn Popcorn Balls
Candy Corn Popcorn Balls
- 8 c (light) popped microwave popcorn (about 1 bag)
- 1 c candy corn
- 1/4 c butter
- 1/4 t salt
- 1 (10-oz) bag marshmallows
- cooking spray
Combine popcorn and candy corn in a large bowl. Melt 1/4 c butter in a large saucepan over med heat. Stir in 1/4 t salt and all the marshmallows. Reduce heat to low; cook for 7 minutes or until the marshmallows melt and the mixture is smooth. Make sure to stir frequently.
Pour marshmallow mixture over marshmallow mixture, stirring to coat well. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray; shape popcorn mixture into 20 (2-in) balls.
{Plus, check out this site for fun candy corn crafts!}
Emily {aka Miss Mommy} has been blogging from the States and even across the pond for over 4 years. She is a stay at home/work from home blogger and copy editor. Neither of her children is in school yet, yet her husband is working on his 4th degree….Emily prides herself on keeping them all alive and their family afloat without going crazy.
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I have a mild obsession with Mexican food. And by mild, I mean, I eat some form of Mexican at least four times a week. I am not exaggerating. It’s mostly bean and cheese tacos, meat tacos or some variation. You’d think I person would grow tired of it after a while, but I haven’t. In fact, I love it so much that since being on our trip I’ve had Mexican nearly everyday. And one day I had it twice.
Tuesday night we had dinner with some friends in Austin. It was a Tex-Mex/Southern joint that served enchiladas on the same menu as chicken fried chicken and burgers. You know, a place a girl like me instantly loved. I was in a burger mood, until our friends and waiter suggested I get the fried avocado. Avocado. Fried. Topped with more avocado. Served with beans and rice. Hallelujah.
I can’t give the meal the justice it deserves. Seriously it was amazing. While we spend the next few days in the Ft. Worth area I am going to try making it for my family {since avocados are so much cheaper here}. Hmmm….. Just writing this makes me hungry.
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
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Top Ten Fall Recipes I Love
Posted on: October 12, 2010
- In: Life
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Despite a heat wave putting a slight damper on the awesome fall weather, I’m still cooking like it feels like fall. I’m a big fan of soups {easy to make during naptime} and of course all the sweets I can eat. Or could eat. Here are some of my all time favorite recipes.
1. Maple Dijon Chicken – This is one of my personal favorites because of the sweet potatoes. It’s a great crock pot meal that is tender and juicy.
2. Baked Potato Soup – I’ve been making this recipe for years and it’s amazingly simple {again a crock pot meal}.
3. Spicy Chicken Soup – Jonathan loves this soup. Add in cheese and serve with some hot rolls.
4. Cider Baked Butternut Squash Soup – I just made this for the first time two weeks ago. If you can get past the orange color, the taste is divine {I kid you not}.
5. Cream of Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwich – A fall/winter staple for me. Easy, perfect for lunch and great with pepper jack cheese.
6. Beef Chili – Chili. Cold weather. Need I say more?
7. Easy Chicken and Dumplings – Nothing like Southern food made easy. Refrigerate biscuits as dumplings. Makes for good leftovers too!
8. Pasta Fagioli – This soup taste just like Olive Garden’s. Hmm… garlic bread sticks.
9. Apple Pie – Can’t make a fall food list without apple pie. I love apple pie. Which might explain my apple orchard obsession.
10. Pumpkin Bread – I use to think I didn’t like pumpkin. Oh, I was sorely mistaken. I LOVE pumpkin. Love. It. And pumpkin bread smothered in butter {or whipped cream} is mouth watering.
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
My Top {Ten} Non-Sugar Sweets
Posted on: October 5, 2010
- In: Life
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I spent some time last night figuring out good “sweet” options for this month’s no sugar/no coffee diet. After being so tired all weekend and then taking a 2 hour nap yesterday, I realized I need something to give me a pick me up. So here’s the list I decided on as my sweet alternatives:
1. Granola – A faithful standby, I love granola. I got some from the co-op last night that is their house special {rather than baking my own}.
2. Peanut butter – You have to be a little mindful, since most peanut butters either have high fructose corn syrup or sugars, but those that don’t are a great sweetener.
3. Honey – We have raw honey we bought from the farmer’s market this summer. It is finger lickin’ good {yes, I have actually just put it on my finger to eat it – don’t judge ;)}.
4. Agave – Since my no sugar/no coffee diet I haven’t baked anything, but in the past agave has been a great substitute for sugar and I’m hoping to bring it out again over the next few weeks {I’m missing out on all the awesome pumpkin recipes this month!!}.
5. Grapes – More so than any other fruit, I think grapes are super sweet. Which is good, because I never feel too bad if I sit down and eat an entire bowl of grapes. Unlike when I eat an entire bag of cookies.
6. Fruits – Someone posted in the comments yesterday that apples supposedly give you a boost much like coffee. I’ve not researched it, but I do know fruits help give me a little something.
7. Yogurt – Similar to peanut butter, you have to read the ingredients on yogurts. Ours has evaporated cane juice, which we agreed tonight might be okay to try, since it’s not processed {like sugar}. We’ll see how my body react to it over the next couple of days. Worse case, I go to plain and add honey.
8. 100% Juice – Along with fruit, just having juice or making yummy popsicles to snack on.
9. Fasting – Ok, since the whole idea of my goal this month is to avoid sugar, then fasting will take place.
10. Your ideas – Whatcha got?? Throw them at me!
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top {Ten} Tuesday.
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As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I really, really love sugar and coffee. But I’m wondering if my two loves could be the root of my long term headaches. While I haven’t been drinking coffee as long as I’ve been eating sweets, I do tend to drink a lot of coffee. {Depending on what you consider a lot. Maybe 2-4 cups a day – usually closer to 4.} Oddly, I don’t put sugar in my coffee, which might be a plus for what is about to happen:
I’m giving up sugar for the month of October.
Now there are a couple of ground rules:
1. I will continue eating yeast breads that contain sugar {i.e. yeast rolls, sandwich breads, etc}.
2. I will stop eating sweet breads, cookies, cakes, etc.
3. I will continue eating natural sugars – honey, agave, peanut butter {without added sugar}, fruits.
4. I will in addition cut back my coffee to once a week, drinking one cup at house church on Sundays.
I’m giving myself two weeks to see how my body handles the changes. If I don’t see much improvement in my headaches, I’m going one step further and eliminating all sugar {basically cutting out sugar from my yeast breads}.
I’ve already cut out the coffee this week. It’s not been as hard as I expected, but I do miss it something fierce. I’m not as concerned about eliminating coffee from my diet as much as I am cutting it back and being mindful the timing of when I drink {better before 9/10 am}.
I’m a little nervous about this new “diet” adventure. I’m imagining having night sweats when I just have to have something sweet and can’t. Hopefully my imagination is just a little overactive. I’m keeping a date journal to see how things go, chart my improvements {fingers crossed} and if there is anything more that might trigger my headaches.
*Please keep in mind that I am not a medical professional and my crazy no-sugar diet is my personal exploration for headache remedy and not medical advice.
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
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Sugar addict? Check.
Coffee addict? Check.
Massive headaches all the time? Check.
I’ve been getting headaches for years. You think I’m exaggerating. I wish. In high school I had an MRI because the headaches were getting so bad. It came back inconclusive and I got some medicine. Took it once and decided never, ever to take it again. Over the years I’ve had long absences without headaches {weeks at a time} and then times where they come daily {and then lasting for days}.
Over the last few years I’ve been more in the daily category. My friend, Rachel, asked if I’d charted when the headaches occur most. I hadn’t really, but decided to try it this last month. And the results: They are random with some increased intensity if 1) I don’t drink coffee till the afternoon or 2) I am close to my cycle and eating more sweets. That lead me to wonder how my diet might be effecting my headaches.
Does sugar really harm me? Is coffee that bad? Would my headaches decrease {or even disappear?!} if I cut one or both out??
Friday I’m starting a new “diet”. I’ll be posting about the details tomorrow, so be sure to stay tuned.
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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