blueberries, baking soda and blizzards

This winter has been full of fun in the fluff. Fluffy snow that is! We've been having our fun inside and outdoors.


I decided to combat the chilly blues with scrumptious blueberry scones. Blueberry scones with a zesty lemon glaze- a personal favorite of mine. I chose to go with Tyler Florence's recipe. I didn't follow the glaze recipe exactly. I used a fraction of the lemon juice (a couple tablespoons) and added in some milk.Sadly enough I didn't have any zest, which is my favorite part, well, besides the blueberries.

These were delicious but did need the extra lemon and zest. I baked for the minimum amount of time and the were soft and fluffy. Some may like their scones a lot more dense and dry, but these were good. Joined with my organic coffee and I would choose mine over an expensive one through a drive through any day!

A short while back we had some friends over for the weekend. When we have a large group I have a few go-to recipes that will feed a crowd (I'm slowly learning how to cook for larger groups). Chili is a favorite of our family and is so easy when feeding a big group. I love to use my crock pots for making chili. I start out the morning of or the night before cooking my beans. I like to mix half black and half red kidney beans. My favorite way to cook them is in ONLY water (no salt until the VERY end) and on low, for 6-8 hours. I then season them up in the last 30 min-hour (onion, red peppers, garlic and salt). Then I drain and add all my chili favorites. My biggest suggestion for chili is cilantro. It is so flavorful, fresh and good for you! Can't get enough myself. However, this can lead to a dirty/stained crock pot! I had given up on my beautiful crock pot bowls after all my bean and chili cooking. But my friend was helping me clean up and she didn't think all hope was lost. She sprinkled the bowl with some baking soda then took a warm wet rag and it wiped right off!!!

This pan had been slightly stained for ...years...
Who knew that baking soda was the silent stain assassin. I sure didn't! And how cheap it is! She had found that it was wonderful after horribly scorching a pan. She just warmed water and baking soda in her pan and a couple times through and it looks like new.I know that from now on I will stay stocked up on baking soda!
*Not only for the kitchen but a nice, gentle cleaner for the tub, sinks, toilets....

The blizzard that hit most of the US did not miss us. So I couldn't pass up the opportunity to post a picture of the "storm of the century." There was still a few hours left of the storm when I took this cold photo. We faired well and had no need to get out and about nor anyone needing to get home. We enjoyed the excitement of God's power shown through nature from the warmth of our sweet home. We are thankful for our safety and comfort. I hope that if any of you were affectedvthat you faired well too.

Yay for snow days!

It may be after Christmas but "Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow!"
We woke to a beautfiul "Winter Wonderland" as my four year old called it. I thought they would never leave the window.



I didn't plan on having a "snow day" today. I had hoped to keep plans as usual and do "school" with Joy. However, they were in such a good mood and were playing together so well, an unexpected phone call and it was all out the window! And not much later and we were out the door to play. But I was able to start the day with focusing my thoughts with the help of a great new devotional from Love Worth Finding that I've subscribed to and suggest to all of you!
One thing I did plan on was a pot of hot soup. I just made the soup for me...the rest of my family are not fans of soup. So I made a nice spicy tortilla soup!

I just throw in some:
raw chicken (about a pound)
some favorite veggies
corn
celery
carrots
onions
Southwest blend of
onions
green bell peppers
red bell peppers
and
some black beans.

I give it a good amount of
cumin
chili powder
fresh cilantro (I could live on it)
lots of salt
a little
pepper
cayenne
thyme

It was delicious. I think next time I will thicken it slightly. Maybe with a can of condensed tomato soup or a small rue (butter and flour done right :)
I garnished with sour cream, cheese and and a bit of tomato sauce or paste and of course at least a sprig more of cilantro.


After nap time we headed out for some snow fun.




We then warmed up with some hot chocolate (I don't know which was more anticipated). I had a "grown up" hot chocolate and made it with coffee, hot chocolate mix and a candy cane for a poor mans peppermint mocha.




Happy winter fun to all of you! What activities do you most enjoy?

satisfied with saturday

all the promises and hopes that await on a saturday morning. errands and shopping done now my home is ready for some attention. I'm always excited with the thought of sewing and reading the day away on a Saturday afternoon. Most of the time life overtakes and I get minimal amounts done but the hope and excitement is still there every weekend.





So, this morning, I have my americano brewed and ready(in my great new cup I got from a friend for my birthday!), my material washed and waiting to be pressed. all that stands in my way is a house to be cleaned and a few remaining Christmas decorations that have escaped under radar...however I'm not
giving up my snowmen yet!



if all that is accomplished then I have my reading set out for me!


my most anticipated read:



Friday night is late night around here for the kids. now little Isaac doesn't get to stay up too late but he does enjoy the popcorn and pillow mountain. last night I got to use my new stove top popper I got for my birthday. I usually use a heavy bottom stainless steal pot (the read popper I had did do the job) and I have to be careful and "lift" and shake because I have a glass top stove. But now I just turn the handle :)



After last night's festivities my night began. I got out loads of material to get my brain going...all for one important baby gift. Just a simple gift and idea but to me its the proof and fruits of lessons learned. I new the material I chose was hard to work with and I would have to baste. basting is a little time consuming sometimes but it is absolutely necessary. just a simple hand stitch around the blanket kept everything where it should be and kept it nice neat. the other thing that I learned lately and got to apply to the blanket (no pun intended- this time:) is how great iron-on facing is. using iron on facing allows me to make my own appliques or design cutouts with so much ease. So while many of you will look at this and wonder why on earth I would put this out for all to see I am still happy with it. signs of improvement and growth!


repurposed (my favorite thing to do) appliques from Joy's shirts:


As long as she likes it right?


I leave you with a verse that has meant a lot to me lately.

Philipians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.


God has laid it all out for us. There's little room for anger, bitterness, depression, selfishness, hate, fear, anxiety, worry...when we are always dwelling on Him and His goodness!

what are your favorite hobbies to indulge in on the weekends?

Sunday Fun

Sundays are so wonderful to all in our household. Now, starting into apple and football season has brought on a load of new enjoyment. I started off this Sunday morning with delicious home made apple muffins. They got GREAT reviews...even from a husband who doesn't care much for fruit.
I found some apples off a tree in an abandoned area and I just couldn't help myself.
I used a recipe from allrecipes.

The apples turned out to be delicious in flavor and texture. Not as tart as a granny smith but I good zing and not mushy at all.



I like to use a pastry blender for a nice even crumble for the topping.


When like to use yogurt in my pastries (muffins and pancakes and waffles) to make them moist and fluffy. I've noticed a big difference! My favorite scoop process has been an ice cream scoop:


Warm and yummy!


I didn't stop there. I did applesauce and apple butter in my crock pots:


In all this fruity fun we just cannot leave the children out. Some days I'm ready to make a mess and do some fun projects, but there are days when a low mess, high fun activity is required. Those are sometimes the best. (Children don't like all the prep and clean up time anyways).
Daddy grabbed some paper bags out of the pantry and turned our children into robots!




And here is a photo of Joy showing off her hard work to decorate the door with the marigolds from my garden:

Tamale Tuesdays are back!

So, during the chillier weather of Fall, Winter, and Spring I enjoy making Tamales about once a month or so (depending on my motivation). I learned how to make these on a mission trip to a remote area in Mexico. Since then I've watched a few videos on it and read some recipes and I think I've finally gotten this down to a point where we like it. The dough (or masa) has good flavor and is moist. This can be a fun process to try!



You'll need:
Dough
40+ Dry Corn Husks (some people use banana leaves but I don't even know where to find those)
2 1/4 cup Maseca (corn flour- I used Minsa this time)
2/3 cupShortening (I like to use the butter flavored)
2t salt
1 3/4- 2 1/4 hot water/chicken stock


2T- 1/4 cup salsa or chipotles in adobe (optional)
1t cumin
1t chili powder
2 chicken breast or whichever meat or filling you want to try

I use 2-3 chicken breasts. I season with whatever I have on hand. Cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. I like to use some sauce and peppers from a can of chipotle adobe peppers, or I really like to use Herdez Red salsa (I think it's the five pepper jarred sauce). Cook up the meat and allow it to rest.



Meanwhile, pull out enough corn husks, probably need about 30-40. Grab a large bowl, or I use a 9X13, and hot water from the faucet. Place the husks in the water to get them to be pliable to they will not tear. To keep them submerged I use the biggest/heaviest coffee cup I have and place on top.



To start the dough place corn flour, salt and shortening (or lard)in the mixing bowl. If using a mixer then just start mixing on a medium high level. This cuts the shortening in. If no mixer than a pastry blender or even some knives can be used but a mixer just does it quickly and evenly.





Then add in the chicken broth/water. Slowly add in 1 3/4 cup to 2 cups. If needed, more water can be add later and as you go. The desired texture is soft and smooth and not crumbly but not runny. When the dough is pressed it should be somewhat firm but smooth easily. In this picture I pressed my finger into the dough to give and idea of what it will look like after mixing and when pressed.

Pull or dice meat.

If larger tamales are desired than more corn husks must be used for each tamale. This is accomplished by overlapping top to bottom and/or sides. There needs to be enough leftover to fold over the tamale. I like to use about 1/3 cup or so of dough and 2 Tablespoons of meat. Flatten dough onto corn husks. Sometimes a plastic spatula or fingers work well. If using hands, a little cup of water comes in handy and keeps the dough moist and from sticking. Place meat in the middle and then roll/fold sides and the top and bottom, so it now a nice little package. I then lay the folded sides against the pan. The biggest thing here is to make sure it's folded well enough so nothing falls out. If the tamale is all folded up and there is not enough extra to over lap then place the tamale seam down into another husk and wrap it up again.











I like to use a large pasta pot or steamer. There are tamaleros (big galvanized pots) but the pasta pot works really well.



Once you have all your tamales in, then you should steam them on medium high for 2-3 hours. Be sure and watch and makes sure you don't run out of water. I've scalded my pans quite a few times but I just add more water and then they come clean easily. :)

They're finished when the corn husk is pulled away and the tamales stays firm. If the dough is still gooey and clings to the husk then it needs more time.



We like to serve the tamales with red enchilada sauce and Monterrey Jack cheese.

These are a lot of fun and get easier and quicker to make every time I do it. If you have older children then call them into the action and have a tamale making party!

Cream of Chicken and Fishing at home

Think about any recipe that you use that calls for a can of cream of chicken...now go grab that can and look at the ingredients, one that really sends off the alert sign is the big fat MSG (mono sodium glutamate). I've recently realized that MSG gives me migraine headaches and has made me violently sick. If a "spice" can do this to us then should we be consuming it at all? Let alone in SO many things. I've come across a great recipe for chicken pot pie in which called to make the cream of chicken from scratch. After seeing how terribly easy it can be to make your own cream of chicken, I'm hoping to do it a lot more often. You can find the recipe at

I didn't use store bought chicken stock, I just used the water that I boiled the chicken in for the stock. I also made it dairy free, so I used soy (I'm not a big fan) and I used an empanada dough recipe for the crust - it called for shortening and water. FYI if you're dealing with a dairy allergy then I must say don't used butter flavored shortening. The empanada recipe I got from kraftfoods.com and just put empanada into the search. I love this recipe for pocket pies as well; a wonderful alternative to poptarts for breakfast.
I've now made it more than once and I've tried green beans instead of peas and I added potatoes and used only bacon for the rue for the chicken stock.
My results:


I used the cream of chicken part of the recipe and two bags of frozen green beans and a large cannister of fried onions for green bean casserole on Thanksgiving. It turned out well.

I've recently been making it a point to do more fun activities with my sweet little girl. I found an excellent website to help me to keep locked and loaded with an arsenal of ideas.
This site is really great and we've had fun. One day turned into a fish activity day:
We made fish out of construction paper, then since my paper clips weren't metal I used safety pins on their mouth. We got a stick from outside and tied a bit of yarn and glued some old magnets on the other end of yarn. We found a blue blanket, a toy bucket, and a sun hat and we went fishing. We had a fish shaped sandwhich for lunch.
And that evening we read the story of Jonah and the whale and watched the Veggie Tale movie. I can't say that I planned all this out, it just sort of happened. And it was fun! She really enjoyed coloring the fish and she wanted to throw in a whale and alligator too. She played with those fish so much for days. I never thought it would have been such a hit. And it didn't even cost me a thing.






“Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”- John 14:6

Cheaper or Healthier

This is my reminder that I'm simply sharing the things that I have learned as of late and I don't consider myself an excellent source of information or of...anything!



I LOVE to save money (who doesn't?), it's almost like an obsession. I also like to cook healthier by doing more things by scratch. I think it's a common misconception that the two go hand and hand. I was surprised when I first started cooking how expensive it was to do some things yourselves when you could go buy a packaged item for a fraction of the price. There is one thing that I believe is well worth the extra time and money, bread. I thought it was going to be too hard but it wasn't really at all. I found it relaxing and fun!





That was three years ago, and now with less time I picked up a bread maker (for $5 at a garage sale!). I don't bake in the machine but I let it do all my kneading. It saves on time and mess :). My favorite recipe is out of the Better Homes and Gardens Bridal recipe book. The great thing about making your own bread is that you can control what's inside. Have you ever read the list of ingredients? Wowzers. Then, if you want to you can beef it up all you want. Use unbleached white flour, buy your own freshly ground wheat, add some milled flax seed or wheat germ...the options are endless.
Now that my daughter is older she loves to help with the bread. I love kid friendly recipes.
My few hints for bread making that I notice not very many instructions have: activate your yeast. Put the warm water (I just let my faucet run as hot as it will get) and sugar and yeast and allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes.
Allow rest time in between steps.
And use a bread maker for kneading :D.

Ta Da! Fun and easy!



The other thing I love that does save money and is healthier is stove top popcorn. I could eat so much popcorn that making it myself I don't feel as guilty about the price or health factors. I was doing my popcorn just in one of my pots but my mom found me a popper like hers and I LOVE it. No matter what, you have what you need: I buy the cheapest bag of kernels, use a couple of tablespoons of oil and then salt. When I feel like splurging we buy the butter flavored salt (less than $2 and it lasts for quite awhile). Splurging on the flavored salt really makes it taste like your not missing out on anything. The directions suggest letting the oil get hot but I have better success putting the kernels in right away. If you don't have a pot that turns inside, just grab your favorite medium to large pot (with lid!) and just make sure to shake it -horizontally- to keep it from burning. When we moved into our new house and I had to go from a gas to electric stove I didn't think I was going to be able to keep making stove top popcorn but it's working out.
I love "kettle corn" the sweet and salty stuff we all love. I've tried it out once or so, just throwing in salt and sugar when I put in the kernels. Is that the best way. I'd love to hear what everyone's favorite popcorn recipe/topper is: parmesan cheese, caramel...?

I love my popcorn "maker." Thanks, Mom. :)