The Beautiful Basics

My word for 2012--BELIEVE

2012-01-01T18:45:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year to you all!

This year we had the honor of being one of the first people to usher in the new year! I think New Zealand is first and Australia is second...but don't quote me on that!

I decided to pick a word that would encompass my goals and motivations for the year. My word is BELIEVE!

I want to:

BELIEVE that Heavenly Father wants what is best for me and will lead to my ultimate happiness, so I must BELIEVE in Him and myself to make that happen.

BELIEVE that I can complete a mini-triathlon in Sydney in October.

BELIEVE that life is meant to be lived actively and not sedentary.

BELIEVE in myself.

BELIEVE in families and work hard to make mine even better, closer, and more wonderful that they already are.

BELIEVE in the goodness in people. Deep inside there is always something good. (Sometimes you have to look really deep!)

BELIEVE that I can become an "academic". (This goes along the whole PhD quest I am currently in.)

Even when you think you can't...BELIEVE that you can.

Grad school and believing

2011-08-20T20:21:00.005-05:00

Hello folks,

I haven't posted on this blog for a while...sorry about that! Since I also blog about our Aussie experience over at Aggies In Oz , sometimes I just forget to update this little old blog over here. There is also the whole 'working on my PhD' thing that sometimes takes my time as well.

As I sit here in Australia at 11:25 am Sunday (Australian time) it is 8:27 pm Saturday night in Texas...land that I love. My little boy and I are staying home from church today because we both aren't feeling well, we have your typical winter cough with a chance of an upper respiratory infection coming, so we are trying to take it easy and get some rest.

Life here is good. It seems like when we first got here we thought life was a slower pace here and from talking to my Aussie friends, that is the case here on the coast but when you get up closer to Sydney, it is just as fast paced as what I am used to, they think. However, now that we are settled and working and schooling and everything else, it does seem like has sped up a little.

I am teaching 3 classes this semester in Tourism Marketing and I love it. Classes are set up differently here, you have one big lecture that includes all the people in the subject and it could be as many as 800 people, I hear. Then, each lecture is broken into sections of 25 people and I teach 3 of those sections. So, I get more direct experience with the students and I do the grading and such. So far, it has been great and I do like it although it does make life seem a lot busier.

My thesis work is moving along and it is always a juggling act. When you are in academia, there is this balance among going to conferences, presenting, writing in academic journals, writing your thesis/dissertation, teaching, researching, etc. that seems to be a real juggling act. I think I spent the first semester just figuring out what everything was and what it entailed. I feel like I have a better idea now...it is a little daunting but who ever said this would be easy? As big of a task as a PhD is, you just have to take it one step at a time and just keep on plowing through...just like everything in life. Sometimes it is hard, sometimes it is intriguing, sometimes it is exciting, sometimes you feel dumb, sometimes you feel brilliant, and sometimes all those emotions happen within a 15 minute span! However, through it all, I fell blessed to have the opportunity to be here and I feel like I have already learned and grown just in the last 7 months.

7 months, we have been here on our adventure 7 months...it has flown by! As we are ending Winter, I am excited to have the Spring come because I am sure it is breathtakingly beautiful here. I can already start to see the budding of a few flowers and can only imagine the splendor of Spring in bloom here. I am sure it is magnificent!

A few weeks ago, some friends of mine went and spent a day up in Sydney for a women's conference called 'Time Out for Women'. This is a program put on by Deseret Book and it was a full day of speakers and singer Hillary Weeks. It was really one of the most wonderful experiences. There were almost 2000 women there from all sorts of cultures and backgrounds but they all had one thing in mind, making themselves a better person. I came away from the day feeling inspired and grounded. It was something I needed, it was a nice break from studying, it was fun to be with my friends, it was fun to laugh and share in our struggles as women, and the presenters were wonderful and you just felt like they were speaking right to your heart. It was one of those weekends where you feel like your bucket is full and you want to go spread the message that you are a loved child of God and that times may be hard but you can become something great. The theme was "Choose to become" and that referenced the scripture in Mark 9:23 that says "all things are possible to him that believeth." We all left there believing that we would be okay, that we would try harder, not be as hard on ourselves, and that we were in this thing together. We are here with each other and with our Heavenly Father to make it through this life and to truly become what we are destined to be. It is a beautifully basic concept but one that it is good to be reminded of from time to time.

So, as I head into my birthday week and get another year older (gad!), I am reflective on the last year or so and am just amazed at the change my life has taken, but it has been a good change and one that has been great for our family too. We didn't really know we were in a rut, but we were and I am glad to be out of it, even though it was an uncomfortable and unexpected climb, but the view is much better back on the road. We all have ruts in our lives, times where we are just in a routine and not really growing or expanding and just kind of surviving. Although I think there are times when we have to do that just to survive, I hope we can all see clearly enough to want to see the view from back on the road, moving upward and onward and stretching ourselves to grow.

So, this week, look for the beauty in yourself and see what you can do to polish yourself up a little and give you more shine, because you are so worth the effort.

Love from Oz,

Heather

A few pictures from our fun weekend!

Cornbread Recipe

2011-06-20T18:34:00.002-05:00

One of the things we miss here in Australia is the availability of corn bread mixes! I have tried a few recipes and this is the best one so far and my hubby loves it.

Ingredients:

1-½ cup Flour
½ cups Cornmeal (We don't have cornmeal in Australia so I use ground polenta, which is the same thing pretty much)
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Salt
⅔ cups Sugar
1-¼ cup Milk
2 whole Eggs
3 Tablespoons Oil
½ cups Butter, Melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine liquids in a separate bowl. Add liquids to dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Don't over-mix. Pour into a greased square 8″ or 9″ pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until top is golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Chicken Nuggets

2011-06-02T17:52:00.002-05:00

I made these last night and they were a hit! My little boy loved them and we thought they were reminiscent of Chick-Fil-A, which doesn't exist here in Oz so were were excited for that.

Ingredients
1 wholeLarge Egg
1 cupMilk
2 wholeSkinless And Boneless Chicken Breasts
1-1/4 cupFlour
1-1/2 TablespoonPowdered Sugar or Icing Sugar (that is what they call it in Oz)
2 teaspoonsSalt
1 teaspoonPepper
4 cupsPeanut Oil Or Canola Oil, For Frying (I don't think I used quite this much)

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and stir in the milk. Trim any fat away from the chicken. Cube chicken into bite size pieces. Place chicken in the milk mixture and cover. Let it marinate for 2–4 hours in the fridge. This will make the chicken very nice and tender.

In a gallon size resealable baggie, combine flour, powdered sugar, salt and pepper. Seal and shake to combine.

Place about 2 inches of oil in a medium deep pot. Over medium high heat (more towards the high side) heat oil until hot. If using a thermometer let the temperature reach 375°F. If you don’t have a fancy gadget like most people, I always test my oil by dropping a few drops of water into it. You want it to sizzle and not pop too much. Adjust your heat if necessary.

Using a fork or tongs, remove the cut chicken from the milk mixture and place into the flour mixture. Seal and shake until nuggets are completely coated. Place about 6 to 8 nuggets into the hot oil and let them cook until golden brown, turning halfway through once the edge of your chicken starts to turn white, about 1 minute each side. Always double check to see if any chicken you make is cooked through. I always just make a tiny cut to see if it’s pink. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Repeat until all nuggets are cooked.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce!

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-06-01T19:50:00.002-05:00

I made this for a church lunch the other day and have been asked for the recipe, so here it is! Easy, spicy, and so good! This recipe is from Tasty Kitchen http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/nearly-famous-chicken-tortilla-soup/

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 cup Chopped Onion
2/3 cups Chopped Cilantro, Divided Use
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
14-1/2 ounces, weight Can Of Diced Tomatoes
3/4 Tablespoons Ground Cumin
1/2 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
2 wholeBay Leaves
4 cups Chicken Broth
2 whole Large Carrots, Sliced Thin
1 whole Chicken Breasts, Sliced Thin
1-1/2 cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese, Divided Use
3/4 teaspoons Salt
1 bag Tortilla Chips, 12 Ounce Bag
1 whole Avocado, diced

In a large stock pot, heat the oil over high. Add onions, 1/3 cup cilantro and garlic, sauté 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and spices, then bring to a boil. Add the broth, carrots and chicken. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook another 10-12 minutes. Stir in half the cheese and 1 cup of crushed tortilla chips and combine. Remove bay leaves before serving.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with remaining cheese, fresh cilantro, fresh avocado, and more tortilla chip pieces.

Serves 4+.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

2011-03-13T18:09:00.004-05:00

Hello,

As I sit here working at my desk, I can smell the banana bread baking in the oven. Yum! My poor older sister has an allergy or aversion to bananas, so let's all just take a moment to feel sorry for her, because bananas are good! Anyway, this recipe is from Karen at kneadfulthingsnow.com. Her website is a treasure trove of information on wheat, food storage, bread techniques, and recipes. I have tried many a banana bread and this one is by far the best I have ever had. The streusel topping takes it over the top. I admit that this time I am making it with just regular old flour from a bag at the grocery store, but we just won't tell Karen. I have made it before with fresh ground whole wheat and it is fabulous. I hope the regular old flour has a good turnout as well. So, just to share in the love, here is the recipe...from Karen

Banana Nut Bread with Streusel Topping
Bake at 350
50-55 minutes
Makes 1 large loaf—enough to share if you are forced into it.

Pre-heat oven to 350
Lightly butter a 4X9 loaf pan and set aside

Nuts
Spread out 1 1/3 Cup Walnuts ( side note from Heather, I use pecans) on a cookie sheet. Roast in 350 oven for five minutes. Stir and roast an additional 3-5 minutes. The walnuts will quickly begin to smell very sweet and nutty. Oooo so delicious. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile Combine
2 Cup mashed well ripened banana
1Cup Dark Brown Sugar

The juice from the bananas will melt the brown sugar making a very soupy mixture, don't be alarmed. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients:
2 Cup freshly ground whole wheat flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Set aside.

Nuts
Coarsely chop your walnuts. Measure out 1 cup and add to the banana mixture. Finely chop the remaining nuts. These will be used for the struesel.

Struesel Topping
1/4 Cup freshly ground whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Roasted Walnuts Finely Chopped
2 Tbsp Butter

Combine flour and sugar, mix well working out any lumps of sugar. Add nuts and mix. Using a pastry cutter, or your fingers (my technique), cut in the butter until the mixture is thoroughly combined and has a variety of crumble sizes. Set aside.

To the banana mixture add:
3/4 Cup Coarsely Chopped Walnuts
2 tsp Vanilla
2 Large Well-beaten Eggs
1/4 Cup Melted Butter

Stir until well combined.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients all at once and stir gently just till thoroughly combined. Working quickly, dump the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Spread all of the streusel topping evenly over the top of the loaf and very gently press the topping slightly into the batter.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cover loaf with a foil tent. Continue baking an additional 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.

Allow the loaf to cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate overnight. You're gonna love it.

Enjoy!

End note from Heather...that last paragraph about letting it cool completely and wrap and wait.....never happens at my house, I love it warm and freshly baked!

Texas Sheet Cake

2011-03-12T01:44:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, I made Texas Sheet Cake...some people outside of Texas call it Chocolate Sheet Cake, but don't be fooled, it is Texas Sheet Cake! It is rich and chocolatey and feeds a bunch since it is a shorter cake and you make it in a jelly roll pan. It is Heavenly, and I have tested a few recipes and found that Ree Drummond of The Pioneer Woman, has the best recipe.

Ingredients for ....THE CAKE:
2 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
2 sticks Butter
1 cup Boiling Water
½ cups Buttermilk
2 whole Beaten Eggs
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla
_____
FOR FROSTING:
½ cups Finely Chopped Pecans
1-¾ stick Butter
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
6 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

It is amazingly rich, chocolately, and won-der-ful...especially when you make it while you are in Australia and it tastes like home. Mmmmmmmmm

German Chocolate Cake

2011-01-21T09:46:00.003-06:00

My family LOVES German Chocolate Cake, and to be honest, I really don't love it. I love chocolate cake but this cake has coconut in the frosting and I am not a huge fan. However...I made this cake for my mother's birthday and it is Heavenly. Best German Chocolate Cake I have ever had and everyone ate it up quickly. Legend has it that it is probably not German in the sense that it is from Germany, in fact my brother said that in Germany they had no idea what he was talking about when he asked about German Chocolate Cake. It is believed that the creation came from the German Sweet Chocolate Company, hence the name. I really don't care, it is just darn good. This recipe is from Stephen Pyles book New Tastes from Texas. Here we go!

German Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:

Cake recipe
1-4 oz package of Baker's German Sweet Baking Chocolate
1/2 cup of water
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
2 cups of sugar
4 large eggs, separated (You use these at different times, so pay attention! Plus you need more for the frosting)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

Frosting
1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 and 1/2 sticks)
4 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and scraped
1-7 oz. package of shredded sweetened coconut (about 2 and 2/3 cups)
1 and 1/2 cups chopped pecans, toasted

Cake instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of the three 9 inch round cake pans with wax paper.

Heat the chocolate and water in a heavy 1 quart saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate medium bowl.

Beat together the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate mixture; add vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beating after each addition until smooth. Beat the egg whites in another bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the batter. Pour the batter into the waxed-paper lined pans trying to make them all even in height.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the cakes spring back when lightly touched in the center. Remove from the oven and immediately run a spatula around the sides of the pans to loosen the cakes. Cool 15 minutes. Remove from the pans and remove the wax paper. Cool completely on wire racks. Spread the frosting between the layers and over the top of the cake.

Frosting instructions
Combine the evaporated milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla in a large saucepan. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat about 12 minutes or until thickened and golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut and pecans. Cool to room temperature to reach a desired spreading consistency.

Tequila Lime Chicken

2011-01-20T11:46:00.002-06:00

I tried this recipe over the holidays and loved it. It is from The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond and it is so tasty. If you don't want to use Tequila, just leave it out or I used some apple cider vinegar and it worked well, too.

Tequila Lime Chicken

Ingredients:

■3 whole Limes, Juiced
■5 cloves Garlic, Peeled
■1 whole Jalapeno, Sliced
■1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
■½ cups Cilantro
■½ cups Tequila
■5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
■4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
■1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
■Pico De Gallo
■Refried Pinto Or Black Beans
■Mexican Rice
■Sour Cream
■Avocado Slices
■Flour Tortillas

Preparation Instructions
Combine lime juice, garlic cloves, sliced jalapeno, salt, cilantro, and tequila in a food processor or blender. Pulse until combined. Turn on the blender/food processor and drizzle in the olive oil until it’s all combined.

Slightly flatten chicken breasts with a mallet or cut them milanese style so they are all uniform thickness. Place in a plastic bag and pour in marinade. Seal bag and marinate for several hours or (preferably) overnight.

When ready to cook, remove chicken from bag and place on the grill. Cook until completely done. Toward the end of cooking, top chicken breasts with grated Monterey Jack and allow to melt. (You can also top chicken with cheese and melt under the broiler.)

Serve topped with pico de gallo or salsa, alongside refried black beans, Mexican rice, sour cream, avocado slices, fresh flour tortillas…and whatever other garnishes make you smile!

This has become one of my favorite ways to make chicken. I love the lime flavor in the chicken.

I hope you try it and let me know how it goes!

Honey Pecan Crusted Chicken

2011-01-20T11:38:00.002-06:00

This chicken is really yummy and full of flavor. My mother is a house director at a sorority house and this is one of the meals they serve to the 39 girls that live there and it is one of their favorites. It is elegant but easy! ( I hope they have pecans in Australia!)

Honey Pecan Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
4 skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup of honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 and 1/4 cup of finely crushed cornflakes
1/2 cup of chopped pecans (Texas pecans are best, in my opinion)

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Combine honey, mustard, paprika, and garlic powder in a bowl. Combine cornflakes and pecans in a shallow dish. Brush both sides of the chicken breast with the honey mixture, then dredge in the cornflake mixture. Place chicken on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 40-45 mintutes.

YUMM!

Recipes

2011-01-20T11:16:00.002-06:00

Howdy,

Well, I leave for Australia next week and I am trying to post as many recipes on here as I can so that I have my favorites easily available at my fingertips.

So, expect a bunch today and in the days to come!

Snickerdoodles

2010-09-07T20:46:00.002-05:00

Hello!

Long time no blog! What can I say? Life is busy!!

I have been talking to some lovely Australian ladies a lot lately as we prepare to make the big move and I have discovered they do not have Crisco shortening! Tragic! I don't use Crisco a whole lot but I do have a few recipes that are better with Crisco. Anyway, one of these ladies was making snickerdoodle the other day and I found out it was a cake! Here we make snickerdoodles as cookies, so I started looking for a snickerdoodle recipe that used butter instead of shortening. So, in one of my trusty church cookbooks, I found one. So, I have posted it below. When I was learning how to make cookies when I was young, I was told that butter makes them flatter and shortening makes them puffier, so these may be a little less puffy but I hope they are good nonetheless. Enjoy!

Snickerdoodles cookies

Cooking time 12-15 minutes
Bake at 375 F

Ingredients:
1cup of butter
1 1/3 cups of sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Cream butter and sugar. Beat eggs and vanilla, add dry ingredients. Roll into balls and roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Moving to Australia

2010-07-08T08:47:00.002-05:00

Hello all,

BIG HUGE changes have happened in my life in the last 2 weeks and it looks like we are moving to Australia! Wow, I know.

I have been offered a fellowship to get my Phd at the University of Wollongong, about an hour south of Sydney and so we are planning to sell the house and almost all the contents and move across the world.

There is a lot to do between now and then and I hope to keep you updated as I have free time...which lately has been nil but hey, I will give it the old college try!

Ta ta for now!

Heather

Homemade Ingredient Recipes

2010-04-29T12:31:00.002-05:00

Hello all,

I know, I know, it's been forever since I have been on my blog. Life got busy, what can I say? I start my masters in a month and I am really excited for that....who knows how it will effect my blog....probably adversely but we will see!

I have recently found some recipes for homemade ingredients, like chocolate milk mix, won ton wrappers, graham crackers, etc and I am going to give them a whirl and see how they turn out and I will let you know! I have made homemade pasta noodles before and they are very simple and easy, its just hard to get the noodle really thin without a pasta machine.

So, I am going to get back in the kitchen and get to cooking and share what I come up with on here! (Contain your excitement, please!)

So...stay tuned, I will be back! (I think!)

H

Well, I fell off the face of the Earth....again

2010-03-06T08:45:00.002-06:00

My how life takes turns just when you were getting comfy!

I have decided to go back to school and get my masters. So, this means that the last month or so have been spent studying for the GRE (Graduated Re-entrance Exam) which is required by most schools to apply for grad school. Wow, I had not studied things like Algebra, Geometry, and Standard Deviation in a while so my time was spent every night trying to unearth those things in my brain...some of which I wasn't very good at the first time I learned it.

I admit, it was difficult, in fact I can think of dozens of things I would rather do that take that exam again....things like go to the dentist, do 100 loads of laundry, etc. But hey, it is done and while I did not do stellar, I at least got into my graduate program and will probably begin this summer taking statistics....oh boy, doesn't that sound like fun??!! But truly, I am excited to get started and I figure I might as well get that class out of the way first before I get into the fun stuff.

In studying for the GRE, I was nervous. I prayed for help to take the test, I even got a special blessing from the priesthood at my church to help me think clearer and remember the things I had learned, etc. And while I think I did okay on the questions I answered, my problem was speed...I just wasn't fast enough. I could not get all the questions done in the amount of time given.....not to mention I had not taken a standardized test in 20 years. (20 years??? Is that possible??) However, as it usually works out, while I prayed for a good test score, what I got wasn't that (or at least not what I wanted to get). However, by talking to a different professor and changing my focus to a different area within my grad program that is a better fit, that professor accepted me into the program and said I did not have to take the test again. So, my prayers were answered with a better answer than a good test score, instead, I just got into the program I wanted.

So, remember that Heavenly Father is the big air traffic controller in the sky. He can see down our path farther than we can and he almost always blesses us with something better than we were even asking for or expected.

I will try to do better about posting....but its a SUPER BUSY YEAR and with my masters starting soon, I make no promises but to try to do better.

Be beautiful!

H

21 Days

2010-01-15T08:04:00.004-06:00

Howdy all,

My friend Lori follows a special way of eating that has really changed her life. You would think that cutting out alcohol, animal products, gluten, etc would be hard and that the food would be bland but I have tasted her food and it is great! Truly it is!

She has started a blog about how to do it, you just follow the "diet" for 21 days and then you can gradually add back in those items you left out however she and her husband felt so much better that they have limited how much they eat of the those items you avoid for 21 days. They have both lost weight and feel great! So, I wanted to share with you her site, in case you might be interested.

http://lori-twentyone.blogspot.com/

Recipe:Creme Brulee French Toast

2010-01-06T10:07:00.003-06:00

This was what we had for Christmas morning this year. I love it because you make it the night before and then just pop it in the oven the next day. I have used both Texas toast for the bread and a loaf of sliced French bread. They both have positives. The Texas Toast is a little easier to cut but it didn't caramelize around the edges quite as well as the French bread. I hope you love it!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup of packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons of corn syrup
1 loaf of Texas toast or French bread cut into slices
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups of half and half (you can use the fat free with pretty decent results, it was still yummy.)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup over medium heat until smooth, storing occasionally. Pour mixture into large, greased jelly roll pan (18X13X1 it says but I would have had to use 2 for the 12 slices to fit, I could only get about 6 whole slices on the sheet and some half slices around the edge). Spread to cover surface. Place 12 slices bread in a single layer to cover pan. Mix together eggs, half and half, salt and vanilla. Spoon mixture over each slice of bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and serve. If not serving immediately, turn each slice of bread over to prevent them from sticking to the pan. It says to serve with syrup butter (1 1.2 cups of butter mixed with 3 cups of maple syrup) but I honestly did not need to add anything. A sprinkling of powdered sugar would look nice too. This would also be good with fruit on the side.

I hope you love it!

New Year's Word

2010-01-06T10:03:00.003-06:00

Happy 2010 All!

This year, my brother gave us the idea to have a word that exemplifies our resolutions instead of a long list of resolutions. You just find one word and make that your word for the year. For instance, one of my sisters said her word would be MOVING.

She is planning on moving her body more and loosing weight.
There is a possibility she may move with a job relocation.
She also wants to move all the junk out of her house.
Hence, her word for the year if MOVING.

So, what is your word?

I have been working and thinking and have not quite come up with my word yet. These are some I have tossed around...

Less (eat less, weigh less, less clutter, spend less money, etc)
Beautify
Faith
Believe
Save (Save money, save time, etc)
Strength
Serve

So, I am still working on it....but I would love to hear a word that embodies what you want to accomplish this year!

Poinsettia Information

2009-12-11T12:56:00.003-06:00

Happy Holidays!

If you are like me, I always get poinsettia plants given to me as gifts each year. Some years my house starts to look like a poinsettia forest but they are lovely plants. I had had white, pink, spotted, red, and maroon poinsettias and they all have lovely characteristics.

I just read this article and thought it was really interesting. It also gives tips on how to care for your poinsettia once you take it home....which is good information because I have been known to kill a poinsettia...or 10!

So, here is some handy dandy information from the Texas A&M Agrilife News

Poinsettia Death Trip
Most consumers kill their poinsettias with neglect in about two weeks
After East Texas growers take great pains to produce beautiful poinsettias, plants free of diseases and pests that could live for years, most consumers will take the plants home and kill them within a couple of weeks due to improper care, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service experts.
"Poinsettias are not poisonous. That's an urban myth," said Dr. Karl Steddom, AgriLife Extension plant pathologist. "But from a poinsettia's viewpoint, most consumers are lethal. Consumers don't mean to kill the plants. They just don't know how to take care of them."

Each year, East Texas plant nurseries will produce several million poinsettias in 6-inch pots for the holiday season, according to Steddom.

"Color Spot Nurseries in Troup alone will market more than a million poinsettias this year," said Dr. Scott Ludwig, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialist. "And that's only one of many nurseries in Cherokee County."

Both Ludwig and Steddom, who are based at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton, work closely with the ornamental plant growers in northeast Texas, whose sales total more than $500 million annually, they said.

East Texas growers may start work with holiday season poinsettias as early as June or as late as August, Ludwig said.

"It's complicated, as some may start with pre-rooted cuttings, others may purchase unrooted cuttings and root their own, and still others may grow their own poinsettia root stock plants and take cuttings from them to root," he said.

Because of labor costs and the need of dedicated facilities, the more common method is to start with cuttings which are usually imported. The cuttings usually come pre-rooted in "Oasis Cubes," a small block of foam similar to that used by floral designers to hold flower arrangements. The cubes are sterile and can be saturated with water, but drain well.

Keeping the growth medium as clean as possible is important, because poinsettias can be host to a multitude of plant diseases, including molds, foliar diseases, blights and root rot. None of the diseases are of any risk to human health, but they can reduce the attractiveness of the plant, Steddom said.

The cubes are planted into growth medium, most commonly in 6-inch pots. Again, to limit soil-borne diseases, clean potting soil is used.

Insects can be a problem, particularly whiteflies, but not if growers keep a close eye on their crop and take prophylactic measures, Ludwig said

Another growing demand involves "black-clothing." The time which poinsettias bloom is determined by daylight hours. Poinsettias are native to Mexico, where changes in daylight cause them to turn from green to bright red right before Christmas, Ludwig said.

"We say 'bloom' but that's actually a misnomer, because it's the leaves that change color, not the bloom," Ludwig said. "But in most of the U.S., growers have to cover their greenhouses in light opaque shrouding to cause the plants to change color in time for the holiday season."

Growers will typically black cloth in stages, timing the operation so that some poinsettias change color by November for Thanksgiving, then at other times for various shipping periods up to Christmas, Ludwig said.

Of all the plant diseases to which poinsettias are susceptible, pythium root rot is probably the most common, Steddom said.

"Every year, some producers have at least small losses to pythium root rot," Steddom said. "The pythium organism can be found everywhere, but it is encouraged by over-watering and poor drainage," Steddom said.

Proper watering methods are essential. And as the disease is water borne, so growers have to take precautions about the disease being transmitted from one pot to the other by drainage.

Pythium root rot is also the most common scourge of poinsettias in the home, Steddom said. The slick holiday paper wrapped around pots prevents drainage. On top of that, consumers are prone to over-watering the plants.

"If they want to keep their poinsettias alive, remove the wrapper as soon as possible," Steddom said. "And don't over-water. Simply stick your finger in the soil and if it feels damp, don't water it. If you let the pot sit in standing water for any length of time, you'll probably kill the plant."

Steddom said they can put the holiday wrapper back on after they let the pot drain.

"Except in South Texas, where poinsettias might survive in an outdoor landscape, to keep the plants alive, consumers are going to have to give them lots of light andkeep a close eye on soil moisture levels," Ludwig said.

Poinsettias can be made to re-bloom for the next Christmas season, but it's an arduous chore, Ludwig said.

The plants need about 14 hours of darkness alternated with 10 hours of bright light for eight to 10 weeks, he said. Even a few hours of too much light will scuttle the process. The temperature has to be regulated too.

"Most people will kill the plant trying to get it to re-bloom," Ludwig said. "Considering all the work that goes into commercially grown poinsettias and the low cost consumers pay for them, it's easier to just compost them and buy a new plant the next holiday season."

By: Robert Burns, 903-834-6191 Contact(s): Dr. Karl Steddom, 903-834-6191, sk-steddom@tamu.eduDr. Scott Ludwig, 903-834-6191, swludwig@ag.tamu.edu
http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1584

Wassail

2009-12-11T12:51:00.002-06:00

I was at a party the other day and they had this fabulous wassail there....it was one Heavenly elixir and I love wassail! I asked the hostess and this is her secret. She puts this in apple cider and thows in an apple with cloves pushed in it and lets it stew for hours. It was really wonderful and I am rushing to my nearest Hallmark store to find some! She said its $3.95 for the box.

YUMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Reading for Christmas: For I am Mary

2009-12-04T09:35:00.002-06:00

Hello!

Last night at church we had a fun evening called Christmas Around the Ward. We went to 3 church menebers houses and had little spiritual Christmas thoughts at all of them and sang songs then ended and had refreshments. It was a lovely evening.

One of the ladies in our church did a reading called "For I am Mary" that was lovely. She was dressed as Mary and recited these words and the group of ladies attending sang the Christmas Songs listed in between her prose. I thought I would share it with you because it was such a nicely done program.

For I am Mary
And I am woman -- like unto other women. Divine in that we are all divine. A child of God. A servant of God, but chosen of God above all women . . .

For I am Mary -- chosen of God. My soul in agony with too great an honor. My heart torn with inadequacy. And from afar the voices of Angles ring out, and the voice of Heaven seems to say. " Adore Him, worship Him, attend Him well, for he is Mine."

And in my heart already, I see Him, and in my mind's eye, I imagine this small wee mite, and so think I as thoughts press hard. "Ah, if but to love -- What joy is mine. What grace that I might have Him, and teach the things I know from Thee -- that He is Thine." Again I recall the awful moment when I knew, that I, lowly and fleshly mortal, should become thy handmaiden, and I shudder with the weight of unknown responsibility, that, what no mere woman could ever aspire to, should come, unsought, to me. Praises, my Lord, that of all the regal personages in high positions, Thou hast chosen me. My heart breaks in wonderment and humility. Blessed by Thy Lamb.

And Joseph, dear Joseph, by my side as the little gray animal toils his way, laboriously, for I am heavy -- heavy in body and heavy in the knowledge of the precious burden within me. Ah, I am tired, and Joseph again slows the beast. It is getting late. Is that village, faint but real, to be our destination, or is it just a glimmer of hope in the distance. Lord, dear Lord, my hand and heart grow weary. Surely the time is near.

Song: Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem. Verses 1 and 3

The inn is full -- no room at the inn. I heard the words he told Joseph and my heartaches as I hear my Joseph beg. Ah, is there no place this night, that might make ready to receive the Savior. Men so eager for earthly things, so careless for their soul. O, that I might say, "The Son of God is about to come forth among men. Lay open your best houses, lay out your silks and spices. Anoint His little body with precious oils. Fall in worship before him. Make ready to receive the Savior of Mankind." But I am Mary, I am silent. I am not the Lord's messenger. I await the will of the Lord. We come at last to the stable. We, Joseph and I, are grateful. The hay is sweet, the air is soft, the light is alive, for He is come.

Song: Away In a Manger Verse 1

Behold the Lamb of God, that but for Him would the world be plunged in death. That, but for Him, would sin be unforgiving, and hopeless be our day. Arise and countenance Him, and hope and solace know. The Lamb of God is come to awake our soul, and I am full to break with wondrous love. It seemed I saw shepherds in the hills, poor and untaught -- yet blessed beyond the value of men. For the Angles appeared and brought glad tidings while yet we slept.

Song: The Chorus of Far Far Away on Judea's Plains

And the Shepherds come and stood in wonder and awe -- silent and ever watchful. There is light in the stable, but not the light of men. The eternal light that shelters and protects and keeps man warm. This is the light that shines for them -- for the shepherds come down from the hills. The smallest Shepherd reaches out his hand and for a moment, I see glory in his eyes, and I know he will never feel cold again. They drop to their knees. Little one, they know. They are a witness unto this hour. They of all the hundreds unaware, know that Thou art the Christ.

Song: The First Noel Verse 1

Little one, Thou art His Son, but Thou art my babe. Thou art the world's hope, but my joy. Thou art the soul's savior, but my heart. My arms ache with desire to shield from Thee, all the hurts that be. Sleep in the shelter of my arms, Nestle deep into my breast. Feel the love I shelter Thee. Sleep my little one while night is nigh. Rest thy head upon my arm -- it pillows thee. Clasp Thy hand around my finger -- it anchors Thee. Sleep my little one. Rest upon the fragrant hay -- symbol of humility. Lullaby -- Lullaby. Close thy eyes, I'll watch for thee, and safely keep, till it be day.

Song: The Virgins Lullabye - soloist

Days have passed, but the wonder of this dear sweet babe is close to me. The world is strangely quite. Bells ring not, nor do people sing praises to the most High. Life seems placid enough, but underneath the sham of civilized man -- evil persists. I see still the torment and pangs of the starved, the ill and the weak. Is there no where on earth that there was light at His birth. The Shepherds -- true. But they have come and gone. Have they forgotten? Ah, who knocks? Come. Surely thou art kings! What precious gifts you have and for whom? Of course, for Him -- For the King of all Kings. And the Lord gave light unto the Kings far to the East who are wise unto fulfillment -- and they have come. They kneel in their robes of silk, and the room is heavy with the delicate perfume of the East. Thank thee, oh Lord, another witness unto His Birth.

Song: We Three Kings Verse 1

And now my son, Thee have growing to do and strength to gather, and deeds and words, and work for Thou art given that man might live. Already the sorrow of eternal woman is mine. To bear, to care, to relinquish. Give me, Oh Lord that I might succor Him, May I bathe His baby bruises. May I ease His childish ills. May I give comfort and peace and offer a refuge of love for all His days. Oh Lord, let men remember this life He gives for them. Let them ever hear anew, and turn not away. Strange that man might fail to praise and worship Thee when Thou art near. Awake, Man, thy deliverer is come. A message He brings to a world full of trouble. To a world of sorrow, he brings joy, And where there is hate, love, Where there is indifference, compassion, Where there is darkness, light, Where there is doubt, truth. Where there is man there is salvation, and all this to every man the Christ is born because God so loved the world.

Song: Silent Night

Holiday Potatoes--Sweet and Mashed (Paw Paw's Taters)

2009-11-20T07:58:00.005-06:00

Hello My lovelies.....

I thought I would post a few of my favorite holiday recipes and I will start with potatoes!

I tried the sweet potato recipe from The Pioneer Woman last year and my family all agreed that it was divine and we never missed the marshmallow topped version of sweet potatoes.

The link to her printable recipe is here http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/11/if_you_think_you_dont_like_sweet_potatoesthink_again/

Sweet Potatoes
Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 10

Ingredients
4 whole Medium Sweet Potatoes
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Milk
2 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Pecans
½ cups Flour
¾ sticks Butter
Preparation Instructions
Wash 4 medium sweet potatoes and bake them in a 375-degree oven until fork tender, about 30-35 minutes. When they are finished cooking slice them open and scrape out the flesh into a large bowl.
Add 1 cup of (regular granulated) sugar, 1 cup of milk, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of salt. With a potato masher, mash them up just enough—you don’t want to be perfectly smooth.
Now, in a separate bowl, add 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup pecans, chopped (that means measure a cup of pecans, then chop them), ½ cup flour, and ¾ stick of butter. With a pastry cutter or fork, mash together until thoroughly combined.
Spread the sweet potato mixture into a regular baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top.
Bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

And my favorite Mashed Potato recipe is Paw Paw's Taters. My grandfather, who, we call Paw Paw, made these one year and we all wanted to lick the plate....hence the name!

The link to the original post is here http://thebeautifulbasics.blogspot.com/2008/09/recipe-paw-paws-taters.html

And here is what I wrote....

Paw Paw's Taters

Pretend like you are going to make regular old mashed potatoes (which, by the way, you will never want again after you have them Paw Paw's way). So, take potato pearls, potato flakes, or actual real potatoes and cook 'em up! Now, all you do is add a block of cream cheese (use Neufchatel if you want 1/3 less fat) and a medium sized container of sour cream (fat free or lite is a-okay as well!) and mix them up with the potatoes. If you are making a wee amount (aka, single or double serving) then use far less this would probably be enough for an 8X12 pan. Now that it is all mixed and fabulous...add salt and pepper to taste and then put in the dish and spread out. Now top with some pats of butter and sprinkle with paprika and put in the oven for about 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. It is SO YUM! In fact, I may need to run home and make some tonight! (By the way, I know I spell Potato(e) the old fashioned way, but I just like it better that way!)

I also have started adding about a tablespoon of Mrs. Dash when I am mixing it together and calling it Herb Party Potatoes (in the formal setting) or just Herb Paw Paw's Taters.

Other variations....
add some shredded cheese for Cheesy Taters
add some mashed sweet potatoes for Potato Delight Taters
add some bacon bits, cheese and chives for Twice Baked Taters
really, the possibilities are ENDLESS!

I will try to make the above mentioned dish and post a pic soon!

Cleaning Potatoes

2009-11-20T07:54:00.000-06:00

Hello! Happy Friday to you all! I was reading an article about things you can safely do in a dishwasher and one of the suggestions was clean potatoes. If you are needing a large amount of potatoes (say like for Thanksgiving potatoes or a big old potatoe salad) then you can put them in the top rack of your dishwasher (with nothing else, just potatoes, no dirty dishes!) and put them through a rinse cycle on your dishwasher. They should be all clean and ready to cook. It makes cleaning a bunch of potatoes a snap! I thought it was a great idea so I thought I would pass it on.

Yum! Potatoes!

Shortage of Wheat and Sugar

2009-11-06T12:54:00.002-06:00

Hello,

I went to a seminar a few weeks ago and they talked about the wheat shortage that is about to happen in this country. Evidently, the droughts and wheat stalk rust (that is not the technical term for it) has cause a vast majority of the wheat farmers across the world to not have a wheat harvest. Pretty scary!

I was chatting with a mom today who is a food buyer for a major company in our area. I asked her about the wheat shortage and she agreed and said that sugar was also going to be in shortage and the prices would continue to rise, especially as we head into baking season!

Eeek!

So, I hope you are or can get prepared for these shortages. It is scary to think that everything made with wheat, flour, and sugar will be going up in pricing!

It pays to live providently!

Canning Carrots & Pears

2009-11-06T12:51:00.004-06:00

I am going to post some of my canning expereience here, just in case anyone else tried their hand at this. One of the things that I have found is that I don't always know how much to buy. So, I canned carrots yesterday and bought a 5 pound bag and it gave me 8 pints once they were canned.

We bought a box of pears, which I think is around 30 pounds, and we got 27 pints of sliced pears and 6 pints of pear sauce (like applesauce). We had about 9 pears that were bad so we could have had more. We got a really good discount on the pears since they were ripe.

Autumn

2009-11-06T08:23:00.004-06:00

I don't know about you, but we have been having lovely Fall Texas weather this last week. I personally love not having to turn on my air conditioning and my pocketbook likes that too!
I have been canning and trying out new recipes, so I am sorry to have abandoned posting as much as I usually do. Life has just been hectic!!!
As I have been canning, I have been to some seminars and demos and everyone says that this book is the Bible of Canning, so I wanted to share it with you.

This book is simple, easy to read, and has pictures! All the things I love in a cooking book. It takes you through the basics step by step. I have already canned pears, pear sauce (think apple sauce but with pears), loganberry-raspberry jam, and carrots. I have found real satisfaction in canning these things and looking at my pantry shelves and seeing those beautiful cans. A friend of mine and I have resolved to do canning at least once every other month and we are going to try to do some dry pack (aka suck the air out of the pouch or jar) canning as well. I prefer to always have essentials plus more on hand in case of emergency, so it makes me feel at peace to know that I have food in my pantry to feed my family. After my husband lost his job last year, we ate from our pantry a lot and I was so glad that I had extras on hand to get us through the financially hard times. While things certainly are not super stable in the economy, I want to rebuild my food storage and be even more prepared if that happens again.

I also want to send my heart and thoughts out to the people of Fort Hood and the tragedy that occurred yesterday with the gunman. My heart weeps for you and your loss. It is sad and maddening that a fellow soldier would do that to his own.

I hope you all can enjoy this beautiful Friday and a great weekend!

Seek out the beautiful in life!

Heather

My Canning Adventure

2009-10-28T09:33:00.002-05:00

I spent yesterday canning....quite an adventure! My friend Erin and I were able to can 33 pints of pears (6 of which were pearsauce, like applesauce but with pears) and 36 pints of raspberry loganberry jam. It was quite an undertaking but rewarding and I feel like I really accomplished something. I have pictures of the final product, so I will post that in a minute, its on my phone so its not the best but it makes me smile to look at all we were able to do.

We have set a goal to do a day of canning every other month at least. Our next time we are going to do ham....I hear its easy and really good, so off to a ham adventure! Plus, it is currently pork slaughter season, so pork is cheaper than normal and I can just put it in my freezer.

The weather here is cooling off....I love this weather.

I will try to post some holiday recipes and other stuff over the next few weeks.

Take Care,
Heather

Howdy Mr. President

2009-10-20T07:59:00.002-05:00

Well,

As you can see my blog has been neglected over the past week. We had a huge event in our area, and me being the leader over the Event Managers in my part of the world, meant that we were up to our eyeballs in all sorts of preparations for the President, yes, THE PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES, President Obama.....along with President George H. Bush and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Can you say security with a little more security and a little dash of security on top of that? Really, there were 6 security check points you had to go through before you ever got into the actual event.

Anyway, it is done, it went great, and I was totally exhausted! But, we are off and running in another week, so I hope to get back in the groove and post some more.

I hope all is well in your part of the world! Its cool and a little crisp here today....YEA FOR AUTUMN!

Heather

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

2009-10-20T07:57:00.002-05:00

This is by far the best banana bread I have ever had....really...and its made from whole wheat!

I got the recipe from kneadfulthingsnow.com

I have been to 2 of Karen's seminars in the last month, one on bread making and one on food storage and bother were awesome. She really is a fountain of knowledge on this stuff.

Anyway, I decided to try out this recipe and I have already made it twice! So yum!

Banana Nut Bread with Streusel Topping
Bake at 350
50-55 minutes
Makes 1 large loaf—enough to share if you are forced into it.

Pre-heat oven to 350
Lightly butter a 4X9 loaf pan and set aside

Nuts
Spread out 1 1/3 Cup Walnuts on a cookie sheet. Roast in 350 oven for five minutes. Stir and roast an additional 3-5 minutes. The walnuts will quickly begin to smell very sweet and nutty. Oooo so delicious. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile Combine
2 Cup mashed well ripened banana
1Cup Dark Brown Sugar

The juice from the bananas will melt the brown sugar making a very soupy mixture, don't be alarmed. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients:
2 Cup freshly ground whole wheat flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Set aside.

Nuts
Coarsely chop your walnuts. Measure out 1 cup and add to the banana mixture. Finely chop the remaining nuts. These will be used for the struesel.

Struesel Topping
1/4 Cup freshly ground whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Roasted Walnuts Finely Chopped
2 Tbsp Butter

Combine flour and sugar, mix well working out any lumps of sugar. Add nuts and mix. Using a pastry cutter, or your fingers (my technique), cut in the butter until the mixture is thoroughly combined and has a variety of crumble sizes. Set aside.

To the banana mixture add:
3/4 Cup Coarsely Chopped Walnuts
2 tsp Vanilla
2 Large Well-beaten Eggs
1/4 Cup Melted Butter

Stir until well combined.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients all at once and stir gently just till thoroughly combined. Working quickly, dump the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Spread all of the streusel topping evenly over the top of the loaf and very gently press the topping slightly into the batter.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cover loaf with a foil tent. Continue baking an additional 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.

Allow the loaf to cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate overnight. You're gonna love it.

Enjoy!

Gardening: Planting Bulbs for the Spring

2009-09-30T19:23:00.002-05:00

Hello!

I was looking through my "Southern Living" Magazine the other day and it said that October is the time to start planting bulbs for the Spring. So, check out your area and see what bulbs need to be planted now for them to be ready and beautiful and blooming late February through April. The magazine mentioned daffodils, hyacinth, snow flakes.

Its also time to plant pansies for the Fall. Pansies are such a happy little flower!

I am ready for a little bit cooler temperatures so that we can get working in our garden and getting it ready for the Spring. The drought we suffered here in Texas pretty much ended all our lovely produce but I loved it while it lasted! The heat also impeded my husband from mowing as much so there were times when the grass was too tall for me to be out in the garden....because unfortunately, we live in snake country and Copperheads seem to really like our area because we have a wetlands area behind us.....lovely, I know.

However, for snake problems, I love to use "Snake Off". Its a powder product that you sprinkle around your house and yard and it smells like cinnamon. You can order it at http://doityourselfpestcontrol.com/ and after I used it, we did not see any snakes around our house/yard for 3-4 months but its time to apply some again.

I also have been reading the book about "Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholemew. It is REALLY interesting and you learn lots of ways to save space while gardening. I am excited to put his techniques to work for me this Spring.

I hope you are all doing well and loving the fall weather. I love the colors of fall, they are beautiful!

Heather

Food Storage

2009-09-25T06:18:00.000-05:00

I went to a bread making class last night and learned some new methods for making bread. I would gladly share them with you here if I could....however I am going to have to work on this and figure this all out before I can share it! It was a 3 hour class and included chemistry lessons and such and I am still soaking it in....and kneading my bread....I swear I think we kneaded (kned?) our bread for hours! We just didn't quite have the technique down. So, let me work on that and see if I can put it together into cohesive thoughts and share it with you....but don't hold your breathe....it may take a while. ( Forgive me if that is the wrong use of breathe or breath....I always get those confused!)

Anyway, at our class she also talked about food storage and being prepared in case of emergency, famine, loss of job, etc. and she gave some really good advice. I wanted to share her "How to get started" information of getting going with food storage because I thought it was really practical and easy to understand.

This is the link to her page on how to get started http://kneadfulthingsnow.com/howitsdone.aspx

Good luck! I will post more as I learn more!

Have a GREAT Friday!

Heather

Recipe: Curried Shrimp with Cilantro, Lime, and Garlic

2009-09-23T16:38:00.004-05:00

I made this recipe the other day and my husband and I really enjoyed it. It is from Robin Miller's cook book. It was super easy and light and had great flavor. Not too much curry, just the right amount. I think you could do the same thing with chicken, just make sure you get the chicken good and done because shrimp cooks so much faster.

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

3 medium shallots, minced (I used a small onion)

2-3 cloves of garlic, to taste, minced

1 1/2 tsp of curry powder

1 cup of reduced sodium chicken broth or vegetable

1 1/4 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 T. fresh lime juice

1/2 cup of low fat sour cream

1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Add the shrimp and lime juice and simmer until the shrimp are bright pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

This is great over rice or noodles. I even ate it the next day almost like a soup!

Happy Fall Y'all

2009-09-23T14:37:00.002-05:00

Happy Autumn to everyone! The first day of Fall brought unusually mild temperatures to Texas for September and we are loving it. We had a scorcher and drought filled summer so we have welcomed some rain and temps in the 60s-70s. LOVELY!

I changed up the background a little to celebrate the season of football, pumpkins, and the lovely colors and smells of fall. When I was a student, we referred to the first colder days in the Fall as "bonfire weather" because that was the time of year we started to prepare to build our bonfire and burn it around Thanksgiving for the big football game. Our beloved bonfire came to a tragic end on November 18th, 1999 when it fell and 12 Aggies lost their lives while building our beloved tradition. We will always remember those 12.

So, appreciate every day you have with your loved ones and savor the colors, sights, and sounds of the Fall, they are near and dear to me. Its one of my favorite times of year.

Make your life beautiful!
Heather

Recipe:Blue Ribbon Biscuits

2009-09-23T14:25:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine just had her son win a BLUE RIBBON at their local county fair for some biscuits he made. When she told me the recipe, I was floored at how simple it was....and how utterly fabulous they must be....hint hint** don't look at the calorie count!

So, You take a cup of flour, a stick of butter, and a half a cup of sour cream, mix it all together and roll out and you can make 12 mini biscuits or 6 regular sized ones. That is it, that is the whole recipe....and her son won a Blue Ribbon at the fair yesterday for his entry. Isn't that wonderful and amazing!?!?! I was so proud for all of them! Her family actually brought home 9 blue ribbons and a grand champion in the cooking and arts and crafts categories! Needless to say, they were all eating their cooking entries on the way home and loving every morsel after such a fabulous day of winning!

I will have to ask her the temperature and time for cooking, but its probably similar to any basic biscuit. I would guess 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Cleaning Product: Fabuloso

2009-09-23T14:21:00.004-05:00

Have you seen this product?

I had never heard of Fabuloso until my friend Lori mentioned that she uses it and it leaves a wonderful clean smell to your house when you are done. And, once I started to ask others about it, I heard more rave reviews and it was even recommended by 2 professional cleaning ladies. So, I decided to try it! The bottle I bought is actually blue, not pink because it is a new kind with OXY in it and I have to say that it is pretty great. I also love the nice clean and non institutional smell that it leaves and I just plum love saying the name. It is Fabuloso!

So, if you are looking for a general cleaning product, I liked this one. You take 1/4 a cup of it and add it to a gallon of water and then start cleaning. The bottle I bought was $2.99 at Target so that seems pretty economical to me!

I have been gone!

2009-09-23T14:14:00.002-05:00

Sorry that I have totally neglected this blog. Its no neglected its embarrassing!

Anyway, I have been out of town at a conference in Vail, Colorado for a week. It was a fun and educational conference plus I had to present during 2 sessions so the weeks before I was preparing and doing laundry and packing and trying to get everything ready so my son and husband could survive whilst I was gone. We all made it through and we are slam bam in the middle of football season so LIFE IS BUSY! (But I secretly love being busy so its really okay with me!.....and I am not sure that is really so secret anyway!)

Plus, since I am serving in the presidency of our women's group at church, I am surprised at how busy I am. It doesn't generally take up a huge amount of time but it does take up a lot of small bits of time that once you put it together, ends up being a lot. However, I love doing this and working with the sisters so its a labor of love for sure!

I also have my fun little sister and her kiddos here visiting this week....so, like I said, life is busy!

I am actually off today because the laundry and housecleaning was getting the better of me and I needed to just take a day and get things done around the house. Of course, mid-stride and right about the time I thought I was really going to get a lot done, the washer decides to stop spinning....not sure why but that is a bummer! So, my dear hubbie will have to come home and take a look. I hope its just a belt or something that needs fixing.

So anyway....here I am, busy and not providing much info to you but I am going to try to redeem myself and get a few things posted today!

Love ya,
Heather

Cool Tool: The Vidalia Chop Wizard

2009-09-07T21:59:00.002-05:00

Howdy friends,

I must say, I am a sucker for the "As seen on TV" aisle in Target and I bought the Vidalia Chop Wizard on the recomendation of a friend of mine. I have to say that I love it!

I can chop an onion and a bell pepper in less than 40 seconds and it is neat and clean and so easy. You do have to use a little muscle to push down on the lever, but I just put my weight into it and VOILA! Its all chopped.

I love mine. Here is the link https://www.chopwizard.com/?s_kwcid=vidalia%20onion%20chopper2130969259&gclid=COK4h7qC4ZwCFQKdnAodwzLLIg

In case you ever wondered if it reall works....it does! I really love to make stir fry and this has made it go so much faster.

Canning and Strawberry Jam-Part 2

2009-08-31T08:01:00.002-05:00

Here is The Pioneer Woman's follow up to her basic canning and jam post.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/08/strawberry-jam-part-ii/

The Basics of Canning

2009-08-29T09:42:00.002-05:00

Howdy all....Life has been busy....I mean really busy...busier than I normally am and normally I am really busy. So, here is the rundown....

At work we are closing a major building for reconstruction...I mean major, like over 300,000 square feet. And to do so, we have to take out every picture, every chair, every, table, everything. This has been a HUGE undertaking and we have finally finished but it took months!

Also, in the midst of it all, I pulled my Achilles! So, I have been walking around with a boot air cast thingy on my foot for a few weeks. It is tiring and quite frankly there are times my foot just hurts! So, when I get home after a long day of standing and such, I just sit on the couch and relax and try to recoup from the day....hence...me being even further more no posting!

So, I have been slacking in the blog department...forgive me people, the guilt is killing me! :)

So, I found this basic information and I thought I would pass it on. Its about canning and has great info there. Its from one of my favorite websites, The Pioneer Woman, and the link to the canning info is here http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/08/canning-101-and-strawberry-jam-part-1/

I would swear to you that I will post more often but I have to be frank here....football season is about to start which is a terribly busy time for us, my husband and I both have jobs that deal with football at the university and we work a lot....so I cannot make promises that I will post more, but I can promise that I will feel guilty when I do not! Does that help any?

Be beautiful!
Heather

Survivor Enrichment Night

2009-08-17T15:43:00.002-05:00

Howdy Friends....

Life has been busy and I have been booted....literally! I have pulled my Achilles heel so I am in one of those boot casts temporarily so I am hobbling around here and there. I should only have to wear it about 2 weeks but it sure does get in the way!

Anyway, we had an Enrichment Night this week that was really fun and hopefully educational. We were big meanies and did not tell them what was happening, we called it a "Mystery Night".

We did a mock hurricane drill and taught people about first aid, building a shelter, surviving without electricity and water, and food storage. Everyone I heard from thought it was really educational!

Hurricane season has started for us, so we chose that as our disaster, but I am sure you could modify yours to whatever might happen in your area. Here is a link to the source we used. We did not have the sisters bring their 72 hour kits, since ours was a surprise!

http://www.sugardoodle.net/Home_Family_and_Personal_Enrichment/SurvivorEN.shtml

Last year, with Hurricane Ike, we had people in our region who were without electricity and water for more than 2 weeks, so we are trying to help people prepare for the worst with the Hurricane Season underway this season already.

Recipe:Sweetened Condensed Milk

2009-08-17T15:38:00.002-05:00

I got this recipe from a food blogger friend and this to me sounds so handy to have around. I too have been plagued by that sweet tooth on Sunday night only to find I am out of sweetened condensed milk and cannot make a fun dessert! And it sounds economical!

This is a great alternative!

Alternative to Sweetened Condensed Milk

3/4 C powdered milk
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C HOT tap water
Put hot water in blender. With blender going, add sugar and dry milk. Blend until smooth. Makes about 1 can of Sweetened condensed milk.

The Cuban Sandwich

2009-08-07T08:09:00.003-05:00

I was watching an episode of Diners. Drive Ins, and Dives and they made what they called a Cuban Sandwich and I thought.....hey, I could make that!

This is what they did....

First, you take a pork butt (which is actually a bone in pork shoulder, in case you were wondering.) and you jab it with a knife and stuff the holes with minced garlic and then smear the outside with garlic. Then salt all over liberally. Then, you cook it for 7.5 hours at 250 degrees. I have a giant roaster that I put it in.

Once its done cooking, allow it to cool for a bit and then tear it all apart with your hands into small pieces so you have a huge pile of pulled pork.

Next, take a loaf of French Bread or a baguette and slice it horizontally. Cover the bottom slice completely with mustard. Then cover that with full layer of hamburger sliced pickles. Then a slice of ham, then the pulled pork, then a slice of cheese. The joint on the show used mozzarella but traditionally Swiss is used. I used Swiss and Havarti. Then on top of that you sprinkle garlic salt and top with the other part of the bread.

So, here are the layers in the order if you were looking at the sandwich:

Bread
Garlic Salt
Cheese
Pulled Pork
Ham Slices
Pickles
Mustard
Bread

Then, slather on a little melted butter and if you have a panini press, you can press it in there and toast it up. If you do not, then I took my cast iron griddle and warmed it up, then put the sandwich down on it and topped it with a cast iron pan and put a can of soup on top for weight so it really smushes the sandwich down. I cut my big French loaves into 3s to make this easier. You toast it until it is crispy brown and then flip over and do again. Then, cut them into triangles about the size of a normal sandwich cut into two vertically.

These were great! I made 2 French breads and a small baguette and had plenty for 6 adults plus enough for almost everyone to take a sandwich and eat for lunch the next day.

I hope you try this! It was relatively simple and the flavor was great!

Have a great Friday!
Heather

Recipe: Basic Muffins with variations

2009-07-31T10:03:00.001-05:00

I made these muffins the other night and I love how versatile they are! You take a basic muffin recipe and can make oodles and gobs of different kinds. You can even make up the dry mix in advance and it is ready to go when you feel the need to bake!

Basic Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups Flour
1 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Salt
1 whole Egg
¾ cups Milk (or As Needed)
⅜ cups Oil (that Is 1/4 Cup Plus 2 Tablespoons)
1 cup Any Optional Additional Ingredients

Preparation Instructions
Stir together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and any optional ingredients and stir just until moistened. (Adjust amount of milk depending on how moist your add-ins are - add less milk for moist things like banana, crushed pineapple, or pumpkin and add a bit more if needed for dried fruits.) Scoop into greased muffins tins (an ice cream scoop works well for this), sprinkle the tops with sugar if desired, and bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until done.

You can mix up a large batch of the basic dry mix (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) and store in a sealed container in your pantry. To have fresh muffins in the morning, stir the mix and measure out 3 cups of mix for one dozen muffins, add the wet ingredients and the optional ingredients and bake. Or, for a large group, make a large batch of the basic mix and make one dozen each of a variety of flavors with a lot less work.

NOTES : Variations:

1) Banana Nut - add 1 cup mashed bananas and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

2) Blueberry - add 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries.

3) Pina Colada - add 1 small can drained crushed pineapple (8 ounces) and 1/2 cup coconut.

4) Apple Spice - add 1 peeled chopped apple, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and a dash nutmeg.

5) Coffee Walnut - add 1 teaspoon coffee extract and 3/4 cup chopped walnuts.

6) Pumpkin Spice - add 1 cup canned pumpkin, 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spices, 1/2 cup nuts.

7) Mincemeat - add 1 cup prepared mincemeat and 1/2 cup chopped nuts.

8 ) Date Nut - add 1 cup chopped dates and 1/2 cup nuts.

9) Cranberry - add 1 cup chopped fresh cranberries, 1/2 cup nuts, 1 teaspoon orange rind.

10) Chocolate chip - add 1 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, nuts if desired.

11) Cherry Almond - add 1 cup chopped dried cherries and 1/2 cup toasted flaked almonds.

12) Chocolate chocolate chip - add 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 cup or more chocolate chips.

13) Anything else you can think up. Adjust amount of milk in batter depending on the moistness of the added ingredients.

How To Cut Up a Mango

2009-07-24T15:14:00.002-05:00

I was asked today how to cut up a mango and as I was writing the instructions, I figured it would be easier to just show them. So, I found this demo and thought I would share it here for anyone who wants to eat a mango!

Enjoy!

Recipe: Easy White Bread

2009-07-24T07:50:00.002-05:00

Hello people,

It's a Friday and I love Fridays! I spent last night working in my garage and trying to get rid of things and get organized. It literally makes me want to go buy every kind of rubber container there is and label and stack everything in nice neat little rows....if I only had an extra $1000 or 5 to spend on containers, I would be in heaven! Anyway, about 2 nights ago I tired this new Easy White Bread recipe and I really liked it. I used bread flour but the original recipe called for All Purpose, so just use what you have. I also added the dough enhancer because I think it makes my bread stay fresh longer, but it is totally optional. I know white bread is not supposed to be as good for you as wheat and other whole grains....but I still love it! I only make it occasionally because it makes me want to eat the whole loaf!

Ingredients:

4 cups Warm Water
8 tablespoons Sugar
4 tablespoons Yeast
4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
4 teaspoons Salt
7 cups Flour (I used bread flour but AP works fine)
2 tablespoons of dough enhancer (optional)

Directions:

Makes 3 large loaves or 20 mini loaves

Add sugar to 1 cup of the warm water (I just use hot steamy water from the tap) and then dissolve yeast in the sugar water. Let sugar/yeast mixture rest until doubled in size.

Pour oil in bowl, add sugar/yeast mixture, rest of water, and salt. Add dough enhancer to flour and add flour 2-3 cups at a time. Knead (a gentle massage) to make a soft, not sticky dough. *Tip: You’re done kneading if when you touch it, the bread doesn’t stick to your finger. If it sticks to your finger, add more flour. Sometimes you’ll use up to 9 cups of flour so don’t be nervous if you use more than 7. It just depends on the day, how much flour I use.

(If you’re making this is a Bosch or Kitchen Aide mix on level 2 speed with the bread hook for about 6 minutes).

Cut the dough into four equal pieces. Set on greased counter top, cover with towel, and let stand for 15 minutes.

Pound each piece with a wooden spoon for 1 minute (gets the air bubbles out). Massage each piece as you form into loaves and place in greased loaf pans.

Allow to raise until doubled in size. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes (19-20 minutes for mini loaves as seen in the picture) or until golden on top. Rub butter on top while it’s warm.

To store, wrap in plastic wrap and place in a zip-top freezer bag. Our favorite uses for this bread are: butter-slathered toast, french toast, grilled cheese, and gifts for the neighbors.

Random Thoughts: Declutter

2009-07-23T09:08:00.002-05:00

I am trying to de-clutter my life. Really, I am. I am one of those people who thrives on organization, cute containers, a "place for everything and everything in its place" kind of girl.....however.....my husband is not this way and my little boy is, well, a little boy who thinks trains should be everywhere, all over the house...the proper place for a train is near wherever he is....at least in his mind.

I went and visited my lovely Aunt Nancy's house when we went to see "Wicked" (which, by the way, I still LOVE and sing the songs in my head constantly...they are addictive!). She has a beautiful home....I mean it is just beaut-i-mus! Everything is neatly organized and clean and WOW! It inspired me! I thought....I can live like this....and while I really can't live just like that with a three year old, I can live in a similar way. So, I have been going through my house and de-cluttering. It is very cleansing.....but it takes a long time....and I have lots of years of things to go through....but slowly we are making some progress! Tonight we are going through stuff in our garage! After work, my parents are coming over and we are cleaning out and reorganizing. My parents have been storing their stuff in our garage for 3+ years now because my mother's job provides a furnished apartment. So, we have used some of their furniture and then stored some of the stuff in about a third of our garage. They will be moving into their own home again soon so we are going to go through it and get everything in a spot that will be easy to load up. Meanwhile, I will have the chance to go through and get rid of (hopefully) a bunch of my stuff as well. I am hoping that once they move their stuff, My house has FAR LESS clutter and I can park 2 cars in my garage. Right now I can only park one plus their stuff. :)

The Fall is generally the busiest time of the year for my household, so if I can accomplish this, I see an easier fall for us!

I will try to take pictures!

Heather

New Recipe Site

2009-07-21T10:39:00.003-05:00

Howdy Folks---

I hope you are all safe and sound and happy! We had tornadoes all around us last night with pouring rain, lightening, hail, and wind.....lots and lots of wind! My brother, who lives on the other side of town, called me to tell me that the weather man had just pinpointed a tornado and it pretty much was right in my neighborhood close to my house! Eeek! Don't fret friends, all is well, we made it through just fine! We hear there is more headed our way this afternoon and evening....oh boy!

Anyway, I wanted to share with you a new recipe site that just launched. Its called Tasty Kitchen and is an off shoot of The Pioneer Woman website that I love. Its a bunch of people sharing recipes, just like the good old days. I have already found some great recipes! I hope you do too!

So, come join the recipe sharing community!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/

Love ya!
H

Painting and Decoupage: My latest project

2009-07-17T06:19:00.000-05:00

I have been working on this project over the last 2 weeks and am really pleased with how it has turned out. I have this old dresser, desk, and shelf that I have had in storage and I am going to fancy it up and move it into my guest room.

We are having a college student live with us for a semester while she goes to school so I wanted the room to look nice. This dresser is from my childhood, in fact it was my dresser all my growing up years. I had a lovely canopy double bed that matched it and I acquired the desk at some point in high school from a garage sale. Its the old while with gold trim style that was HUGE in the 70s. It was cute then but now it just looks dated and it is a little ruffed up from storage so it needed a new life. I decided that I would paint it white and then I wanted to add a little more so I decoupaged this lovely fabric on the top. I really like the way it has turned out. I think I need to do a few more little things, I think I will put a few black touches on it as well to match the toile-ish bedspread. But, since I have been MIA, I thought I would at least show you what I have been doing.

I put on 2-3 coats of the plain white and then put down a layer of modge podge on top, placed the fabric down and removed any wrinkles or bubbles, then topped it with probably 3-4 coats of modge podge.

So, if a piece of furniture is getting a little tired looking, paint it and decoupage! Its so fun! (After, of course, making sure it is not some priceless antique from the Elizabethan age or something.)
Have a great weekend!
Heather

Desk before.....
dresser before (with most the drawers removed)

drawers before

Shelf before

desk painted with decoupage

dresser painted with decoupage

I will get the final product done, hopefully this weekend, and put up some pictures. It was actually really easy!

Recipe: African Peanut Stew

2009-07-15T06:43:00.001-05:00

Here is another gluten free and vegetarian meal from my friend Lori. I was surprised how much I liked this stew!

African Peanut Stew

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon finely minced, peeled fresh ginger root
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
4 cups vegetable broth
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups shelled edamame(soy beans, HEB has them in the frozen
vegetable section)
1/4 cup creamy or crunchy natural peanut butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teas salt

Heat olive oil in a 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add onion, bell pepper, carrot, and celery; sauté until soft and
translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic, ginger and curry powder and sauté until fragrant, about 1
minute; do not brown garlic. Add tomatoes and cook, uncovered, until
tomatoes are slightly reduced.

Add broth and sweet potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low
and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in edamame and peanut butter until
combined. Cook until thoroughly heated, about 2 minutes. Stir in
cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Fill serving bowls 1/4 full
with rice and then top with stew. I also like this served on Quinoa.

Vegetarian & Gluten Free Recipe: Cherry Chipolte Chili

2009-07-02T16:20:00.004-05:00

My friend Lori had a cooking night the other night where she made some fabulous recipes for us. This one sounds strange but was oh so yummy! She is mainly vegetarian and gluten free, so I will share some of her recipes over the next few days.

Ingredients:
2 c vegetable broth
1 c dried cherries (our grocery has them by the raisins)
1 T olive oil
1 c chopped onion
1 T crushed fresh garlic
1 bottle roasted red pepper chopped, or one fresh red pepper chopped
4 t chili powder
1 1/2 t cumin
1 t ground coriander
1 t dried oregano
4 c petite canned chopped tomatoes
1 16 oz can black beans
1/4 c chopped cilantro
avacado to taste

For chips:
Spelt Flour tortillas
Coconut oil

Directions:

Heat 1 cup of broth in microwave. Place cherries in small bowl and add hot broth and set aside.Heat olive oil in a 4 quart sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion (and red bell pepper if not using bottled roasted bell pepper); sauté about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add chopped bottled red pepper (if not using fresh), chili powder, cumin, coriander, and oregano. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and remaining broth, bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered about 5 minutes. Stir in beans, cilantro, and cherry mixture. Continue cooking until thoroughly heated. I cut one tortilla into wedges and fry in coconut oil and stick the triangles in one side of the bowl and then chop a half of avocado and put on top of the chili. If you can find spelt tortillas, they don't have gluten, have only 100 calories and are yummy.

Yep, I feel off the face of the earth....

2009-06-30T14:54:00.003-05:00

Yep, I fell off the face of the earth....and landed in Oz!

I have been out of town and life has been busy and my blog has suffered for it! I am so sorry! I just returned from a trip to see "Wicked" the broadway musical and I have to say that it is now my favorite! I didn't think anything could ever top Les Miserables but it is right up there! Wicked is clever and fun and the cast was just amazingly talented!

So, treat yourself to some culture and go see a play or musical.....and if you haven't seen Wicked, go see it! You will not regret it!

I promise to post some fun things soon and get back on the old blog bandwagon!

Be beautiful!

Heather

Feedback--How do you welcome people?

2009-06-15T20:43:00.001-05:00

Hello all.....

Life has been super busy lately and the old blog has suffered as I get pulled in lots of directions....but life is good and I like to be busy so I am okay with it.

I was wanting to know how you welcome people to your church or neighborhood? In our local level of our church, we have "Welcome" folders that we give to people who have moved into the area. we include things like a listing of phone numbers of the local church leaders, the times for our meeting schedules, calendars, newsletters, a babysitting list of teenage girls who babysit, and local information that you can pick up from your local chamber of commerce or Convention and Visitor's Bureau, like maps, things to do in the area, etc.

I would like to see what you all do. I need to add a few things to our "Welcome" folders and maybe you can give me some good ideas!

Thanks!
Heather

Summer Fun: Rolled Vanila Ice Cream

2009-06-08T21:39:00.002-05:00

This sounds like a fun way to make ice cream with your kids this summer. Remember to use pasturized eggs if you are at all concerned with raw eggs!

Roll into summer with an easy homemade ice cream

This is a fun recipe for everyone. Be sure to have plenty of ice to replenish as it melts, especially if you are working outside.

Change the flavor with the included variations or improvise your own. Makes 3 cups.

COFFEE CAN ICE CREAM
* What you'll need:
1 (1-pound) coffee can
1 (3-pound) coffee can
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten (optional: pasteurized eggs are a good choice)
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup chopped strawberries
Rock salt
Crushed ice

* How to do it:
Pour whipping cream, milk, egg, sugar and strawberries into the 1-pound can and stir well. Put the lid on and place in the larger can. Alternate layers of rock salt and crushed ice around the smaller can (about 4 cups ice and 1/2 cup salt).

Put the lid on the large can and let the kids roll it back and forth on the floor for 15 minutes.
Open the larger can and pour out the excess water. Remove the small can, wipe the lid and open carefully. With a spatula, scrape the well-frozen ice cream from the outside edges and blend with the softer mixture in the middle.

If the ice cream is too soft, put the small can back inside the larger can and repack with ice and salt. Roll 5 to 15 minutes more or until hardened.

* Variations:
Vanilla: Increase sugar to 1 cup, and add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Omit strawberries.
Chocolate: Substitute 1 cup chocolate milk for 1 cup milk, and 1 cup mini chocolate chips for the strawberries.

Cooking Tip: Vanilla Paste

2009-06-08T21:37:00.004-05:00

I came across this article in The Eagle Newspaper and I thought it was really interesting. I had never heard of vanilla paste but think that I need to order some and test it out!

Here is the article, its a Q&A with Chef Lisa:

Vanilla paste adds rich flavor without liquid

Dear Lisa: I am an avid Southern Living magazine follower and really enjoy the recipes. Lately, several recipes have called for vanilla paste. I have called several craft stores and whole foods markets in the area and have not located it. Is it possible to make it at home? -- Sheila B.

Dear Sheila: Vanilla bean paste is a sweet concentrated vanilla extract that also contains vanilla seeds. Cooks prefer to use it when they want an intense vanilla flavor but not the additional liquid that extract would add. For instance, when making frostings, even a few extra drops of liquid can compromise the consistency.

Vanilla paste is used measure for measure with vanilla extract. In other words, 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste equals 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean.

The seeds in vanilla paste are a bonus. They add the gourmet appearance -- without the expense -- in dishes that require splitting a vanilla bean and scraping out the pulp and seeds. Homemade ice cream, custards and crème brulee are just some of the foods made sublime with vanilla paste.

I haven't found a local source, either, and it would be cost prohibitive to make vanilla paste at home. You can find it at Williams-Sonoma and there are several online stores that carry it, including Amazon.com.

Busy Summer!

2009-06-08T16:20:00.001-05:00

This summer is off and running and life is busy! I am sorry for not posting but will try to have some great ideas for you soon!!

Free Rootbeer Floats at Sonic Wednesday June 3rd, 2009!

2009-06-02T16:35:00.002-05:00

All Sonics will have FREE Rootbeer floats tomorrow night from 8:00pm to midnight!

Go enjoy.....free....ice cream...root beer.... (Sonic ice is awesome too!)...who could ask for anything more!

Welcome poem for new women at church

2009-05-31T09:13:00.003-05:00

Hello!

I love summertime! It sure is getting hot but I just love the fun atmosphere of summer and I also love that the population of my town goes down by about 30,000 during the summer and the traffic is gone! Wahoo to that!

Anyway, I have been asked to serve as the Secretary of our Women's Group at church and we are using a little poem that was sent to us. (I am so excited to be serving in this calling, I love the women who I go to church with and I have missed them the last year and a half that I have been helping with the children's class) The poem is attached to a little bag with all the highlighted words included in the bag. Its like a "welcome to our group" and "here is your starter kit" kind of thing but its got this cute poem attached to it and I thought I would share it. We give these to women who just join our church and to women who are graduating out of high school and entering the women's group that we call Relief Society. Its a Sisterhood of women!

Anyway, here is the poem. We printed it out and matted it on cute decorative card stock and tied it to their bag. You could also use a basket or substitute items as needed.

When you come join us, we'll be glad to welcome you,

Into our WORLDWIDE SISTERHOOD, and to a group that's new.

So here's a little something to help you on your way,

As you head off for Relief Society and to a brand new day

You'll need a lesson manual with precious truths inside,
The lessons strengthen testimonies as they are taught worldwide.

Now when you find the meeting great and need to remember what you heard
Just use the pad and pencil to write down every word.

The tissues are for wiping tears when lessons touch your heart,
And we know you will love them all, right from the very start!

Here's a bookmark for your scriptures.
Please take them every week.
We'll study them together, as guidance we will seek.
You'll benefit if you will "CHEWS" to mingle with the flock,
By attending Enrichment Activities, you'll find
Relief Society really ROCKS!

And last, an invitation in which every word rings true,
"Cause you should know that Relief Society
Has a special place for YOU!
With Love,
Your Relief Society Presidency

Recipe: Wilted Spinach Salad

2009-05-27T07:48:00.002-05:00

My mother has made this salad ever since I was a little girl. Its yummy!

Wilted Spinach Salad

1 Recipe of Wilted Spinach Salad Dressing (see below)
1 cup of sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup of fresh baby spinach greens
2 slices of bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled or use bacon bits
1 green onion, finely sliced

You can also add a cut up boiled egg, French's fried onions, or nuts, if desired.

Prepare salad dressing, set aside. Place mushrooms in bowl. Pour half of the dressing over the mushrooms, microwave one minute. Prepare salad by placing spinach, onions, and bacon in a bowl and top with warm salad dressing. Add more dressing as needed to lighlty coat salad.

Wilted Spinach Salad Dressing
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1/2 cup of salad oil or olive oil
1/2 cup of sugar
1/s teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of prepared mustard
1 Tablespoon of grated onion
Mix all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth

Keeps for 3 weeks in the fridge

Recipe: Peanut Butter Bars

2009-05-27T07:40:00.003-05:00

I love peanut butter and these bars are like Reese's peanut butter cups in flavor. My friend Melissa used to make these at her house when we were in high school and I loved them then as I do now. I am not sure if this is Melissa's exact recipe, but its simple and doesn't require an oven so it can keep the house cool during those hot summer days.

Peanut Butter Bars

12 whole Graham Crackers, rushed
1 cup of butter softened
1 cup of peanut butter
3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1 12 ounce package of chocolate chips (use whichever kind you prefer)

Combine crushed Graham crackers, butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Pat firmly into a greased 9X13 inch pan. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until they are spreading consistency. Frost bars with chocolate and refrigerate. When chilled, cut into small squares. You can also just spread the bars with chocolate chips and pop them in a hot oven for a few minutes until they melt and spread it that way, but that requires heat and we are avoiding making the kitchen hot!

These are so yummy. I am sorry to all the people out there with nut allergies, nut allergies are such a bummer.

Be beautiful!
H

HFPE Idea: Summer Cooking

2009-05-25T21:07:00.000-05:00

With the heat getting turned up and summer coming at us full throttle, I think its a great time to offer a summer cooking class for your Ladies club nights for church. Slow cooker and crock pot recipes are great because they are easy and don't heat up the kitchen. Cool summer treats like sorbets, sherbets, and ice creams help keep you cool, and great food on the grill all make good summer food. These make for fun cooking classes and poolside parties. I will be sharing recipes this week that are great summer foods and ideas for easy foods and cooking classes.

Stay tuned for great Summer foods!

Every summer I pull out my ice cream maker and experiment with different recipes. So far I have made strawberry sorbet and a low cal peach ice cream (where I used half and half and 2% milk to cut some calories). The difference between these and ice cream is texture. The sorbets are almost like a frozen snow cone since there is no cream. Sherbets use milk instead of cream so they are a little creamier but not as rich. The peach low cal ice cream, which may be closer to an ice milk, was very tasty and had a consistency more like the ice cream we made from snow when I was little. It was very good....and I can hardly stop eating it and my guests loved it....but its not overly creamy like a good quality ice cream....but it probably has more than half the calories and I have really enjoyed it. I am willing to give up the creaminess so I can save some calories and the taste is just as good. I will post that recipe soon!

I hope you all have a fun and healthy summer! Stay tuned for yummy recipes this week!

Simple can be beautiful!

Heather

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-25T21:03:00.000-05:00

Happy Memorial Day to all. Its been a really fun and relaxing weekend for us with time spent with family, gardening, yardwork, and naps! I would like to send out my thanks to all the service women and men out there past, present, and future, who sacrifice so much for us to live the lives we do and have these freedoms. I also truly appreciate the families of these individuals who also sacrifice so much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Recipe: Lentils with Fresh Chiles and Cilantro

2009-05-22T14:26:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday and Memorial Day Weekend!

I love me a good 3 day weekend! I have no huge plans, just some gardening and work around the house....with no timeline whatsoever....I am excited about that. I also need to buy groceries....the cupboard is bare!

So anyway, I have a yummy recipe to share with you that is from my friend Lori. She made this for a healthy eating HFPE Night at church and it got rave reviews!

I hope you enjoy it!

Lentils with Fresh Chile's & Cilantro

2 cups split red lentils (Our local grocery store has them on the bread isle in the Indian section)
1 16oz can Garbanzo Beans or chick peas, drained
3 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic-pressed
2 tsp fresh ginger root-pressed
2-3 fresh Anaheim green chilies, seeded and chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
4 cups warm water
1-2 teaspoons salt
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves-chopped

Wash lentils and let soak for 30 minutes. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, preferably nonstick, over medium heat and add the onion, garlic, ginger, and chilies. Stir fry the mixture until it begins to brown.

Drain the lentils and add to the onion mixture together with the cumin. Reduce the heat to low and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, then pour in the warm water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.Stir in the salt, cilantro. Serve garnished with the strips of chile and tomato. I serve this dish on top of basmati or brown rice.

Recipe: Strawberry Banana Sherbet

2009-05-20T12:53:00.003-05:00

I started making this years ago and love it because it is light and fresh tasting and not too high caloried. I got this recipe from a Martha Stewart show I watched one summer.

Strawberry Banana Sherbet
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

4 cups (2 pints) strawberries, stemmed
4 medium, very ripe bananas, peeled
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup (about 4 oranges) fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, (about 1 1/2 lemons)
2 cups whole milk

Directions
Place strawberries in a large bowl. Using a potato masher, mash strawberries, and set aside.
Place bananas and sugar in a medium bowl. Using the potato masher, mash until smooth.
Add banana mixture to strawberries, and mix well. Stir in orange juice, lemon juice, and milk. Divide the mixture among four metal ice-cube trays, about 2 cups per tray. The sherbet can also be poured into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish and placed in freezer. Stir every 30 minutes until frozen, about 4 hours.

And also, Dreyer's is doing a contest for 1,500 free ice cream parties for your neighborhood. I thought this was a fun idea and who can beat a free ice cream party? You just have to write a paragraph. Here is the link http://edys.neighborhoodsalute.com/

Each ice cream party will include:

Door-step Delivery of ten (10) cartons of Dreyer’s/Edy’s Slow Churned ice cream and thirty six (36) Dreyer’s/Edy’s ice cream snack size cups
One (1) “Party In A Box”, which includes:
* 100 bowls/cups
* 100 plastic spoons
* 10 plastic scoops
* 200 napkins
* 1 disposable camera
* 1 yard sign
* 1 marker
* 100 name tags
* 2 table covers
* 25 door hanger invitations
* Commemorative ice cream scoop
* Wipes for sticky fingers

Recipe: Pizza Roll Ups

2009-05-18T13:23:00.003-05:00

My sister just sent me this recipe and it sounds great. It has her stamp of approval and I think I may make it tonight for dinner!

Two summers ago she helped to put together a family Recipe Exchange & cookbook for her family reunion. Well, last week she tried this recipe & LOVED it.

Pizza Roll-Ups
Submitted by Lynae E.

Crust:
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons oil
3-3½ cups flour

Mix yeast in warm water in large mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt and oil. Stir well. Add flour and stir until well combined. Knead for 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth. Cover and let raise at least 30 minutes (and up to an hour) in a warm place.

Filling:
½ of 6 oz can Italian tomato paste
Garlic powder
Parmesan cheese
Shredded mozzarella cheese, about 2 ozs.
Small amounts of one or more of the following: Broccoli, pepperoni, olives, bacon, ham, etc.

Roll crust into large circle on well floured surface. Spread with tomato paste and sprinkle with garlic powder, Parmesan cheese and other toppings. Using a pizza cutter, cut circle into 16 pie-shaped pieces. Roll up from outside into center. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy.

Random Thoughts--Yay for Fridays

2009-05-15T10:10:00.002-05:00

Fridays are fun....even when I know I have to work on Saturday, I am always glad to get to Friday.

This weekend we are going to visit some of my hubbie's family and I am excited to see them and get a change of scenery....and hopefully have some really yummy food!

Bootcamp Week 3 just ended and next week is the last week of my 4th bootcamp. I have to tell ya that I feel great. Honestly, I feel so good. I feel healthier and stronger and it really is empowering. I was the ultimate couch potato for years and boy do I think that was silly. I should have done this years ago.

Have any of you seen "Wicked"? It is coming to San Antonio and Austin this summer and I am trying to work it out so I can go....I want to see it SO BAD! I already love it and know all the songs and the storyline, but I want to see it live and in person!

I am so pleased with our garden. I now cook on a regular basis with the squash and peppers from the garden and I can't wait for the tomatoes to start coming....and when they do I better have a huge basket and a big kettle so I can start canning and making hot sauce and whatever else I can think of, because it looks like we will have quite the harvest! I also have some cantaloupe and watermelons that the plants are getting huge on and I think they may take over that section of the lawn.

I have been asked to do a new "job" at church and I am thrilled. I no longer teach the 11-12 year old girls, I am back with the women's group (aka Relief Society) as the Secretary to the President. I am so excited to be back among the women and to be helping in this capacity. I truly love the women we have at church....even the ones who tend to drive me crazy at times....so I know that is Heavenly Father blessing me with the ability to love them in spite of what they might do to my nerves. :) Although, I must say that really happens few and far between, they are a lovely group of ladies.

I haven't posted very many Enrichment or Ladies night ideas lately...sorry about that....the end of the semester this year has been totally crazy and busy but things are quieted some now that finals are over. I will strive to be better! I went to a fun Enrichment night the other day where we took personality tests and got in groups so we could see who was like us. It was really fun! I am trying to get some of the materials from the leader and will post that when I can.

I made a yummy lasagna last night that I will have to post. It was a basic lasagna with and extra layer of roasted squash, onions, and peppers and it was just fabulous. I have also been working on my whole wheat bread recipe for sandwich bread and I learned that after its all mixed, its best to knead it for about 7 minutes, I use my mixer, then let it rise twice.

I do not have any huge plans for this summer...except hopefully seeing "Wicked"....but it is already in the 80s here and we will be in the 90s soon. When I work out in the mornings, I turn into a sweat monster. Literally I have sweat dripping off my nose and down my face....that is what 100% humidity and 84 degrees will do to you....I am sure it will only get worse! But, I feel so good when I am done that it is so worth it. And, I believe I have now lost about 2 dress sizes....so that is awesomeness in a bucket!

So, I hope you all have a lovely weekend and relax a little and get some things done. I will try to get everything done tonight before we go visit tomorrow!

Be beautiful!

Heather

Random Thoughts:A post Mother's Day greeting

2009-05-11T08:05:00.003-05:00

I hope all those nurturer's and wonderful women had a great day in your honor. Whether you are a mother or not, its a day to honor women! I know as a wife without kids, I thought Mother's Day was a little silly when people would tell me happy mother's day....but now as a mother, I see all these wonderful women in my life who help me get through it all and I realize, you don't have to have your own kiddos to still have a mothering spirit!

I worked out at boot camp this morning and I am so pleased with my progress! While the workouts seem harder, some of the things I hated to do because they were so hard are now much easier....and clothes fit better and I just generally feel great. Sure, I am tired by the time 10pm rolls around and I am in bed earlier than EVER, but the feeling I have after working out and sweating profusely (especially these days when its already 80 here at 5:30am) is worth it.

So, do something nice or maybe hard for your body. Challenge it today to do something you didn't think you could do and work toward getting good at it. Repetition is the key and doing it over and over again with good form will eventually make it easier and easier.....and then you have to step it up a notch!

Be good and be beautiful!

Heather

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T07:33:00.000-05:00

I hope all the nurturer's out there have a wonderful Mother's Day!! You don't have to have given birth to be honored on Mother's Day...its for a those women out there who nuture and care for others.

I hope you feel beauitful today!!!

Heather

Recipe: Pretzels

2009-05-09T14:31:00.000-05:00

Well, it seems that I only talked about the pretzels I made a while ago and never posted the recipe! Shame on me!

Here is the recipe....and like I said earlier, I would roll the dough out so its slightly thinner than you think it should be before you make a pretzel. These are yummy and fun and I think it would make a fun Ladies Night lesson at church or a fun kitchen project with your kids. I know my son thought it was oodles and gobs of fun to play with the dough!

I have pictures at home I will post as soon as I have a free 20 minutes! For the original recipe from Smitten Kitchen, go to http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/02/knotted-and-stacked-disappearing-acts/

Soft Pretzels
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Updated with a few tweaks 2/20/2009

Makes 16 full-sized or 32 miniature

Ingredients:
2 cups warm water (100°F to 110°F)
1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons canola or other neutral oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1 large egg
Coarse or pretzel salt
Vegetable-oil cooking spray

1. Pour warm water into bowl of electric mixer fitted with a dough hook*. In a small bowl, combine water and 1 tablespoon sugar, and stir to dissolve sugar. Sprinkle with yeast, and let sit 10 minutes; yeast should be foamy.

2. Add 1 cup flour to yeast, and mix on low until combined. Add salt and 4 cups flour, and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat on medium-low until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup flour, and knead on low 1 minute more. If dough is still wet and sticky, add 1/2 cup more flour (this will depend on weather conditions); knead until combined, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a lightly floured board, and knead about ten times, or until smooth.

3. Pour oil into a large bowl; swirl to coat sides. Transfer dough to bowl, turning dough to completely cover all sides. Cover with a kitchen towel, and leave in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size.

4. Heat oven to 450°F. Lightly spray two baking sheets with cooking spray (parchment paper, ungreased, also works). Set aside. Punch down dough to remove bubbles. Transfer to a lightly floured board. Knead once or twice, divide into 16 pieces (about 2 1/2 ounces each) or 32 if making miniature pretzels, and wrap in plastic.

5. Roll one piece of dough at a time into an 18-inch-long strip. [I find the pretzels much easier to roll on an unfloured board, oddly enough, but see what works for you.] Twist into pretzel shape; transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel. Continue to form pretzels; eight will fit on each sheet (you may need a third sheet if making miniatures). Let pretzels rest until they rise slightly, about 15 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, fill large, shallow pot with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Add baking soda (and step back, it foams up quickly) and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Reduce to a simmer; transfer three to four pretzels to water. Poach 1 minute on each side. Use slotted spoon to transfer pretzels to baking sheet. Continue until all pretzels are poached.

7. Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush pretzels with egg glaze. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack, or eat warm. Pretzels are best when eaten the same day, but will keep at room temperature, uncovered, for two days. Do not store in covered container or they will become soggy.

Note from Smitten Kitchen * These days, I mix all of my bread doughs by hand, with a wooden spoon. I find it a fantastically easy process, and not very hard to stir by hand. No need to mix for several minutes, just a minute or so after it looks combined. To save even more dishes, I rinse out the bowl, oil it and use it for proofing the dough. And you thought making bread wasn’t simple!

Gifts: Teacher Bags

2009-05-08T09:32:00.004-05:00

I made these bags for the teacher's at my son's school for Teacher Appreciation Week. They were simple and easy, just a little time consuming if you have to do a lot but really not too bad. I stamped their names on with Stampin Up Craft Ink and then did iron on flowers and dragonflies. I think they turned out super cute! They probably work out to be around $3.50 per bag, I think but you could do it for less if you use different decorations or smaller bags.

They came in a 3 pack with denim, pink, and green.

Here is the full shot of one bag.

Here is what it looked like once I rolled it all up and put a thank you card on it that I stamped.

This is just the overhead shot once they were all done.

And a front shot. The 2 denim ones in the back were for his two teachers who are with him the most so I put apples, oranges, and pears in theirs as an additional treat.

It would probably take me 2 hours, start to finish, to do all these, make the cards, roll them up and completely finish. And.....they are so cute!

I think I will make one this weekend that will be my new lunch bag!

Random Thoughts: The Runner's group

2009-05-06T20:35:00.003-05:00

Well, I have moved up to the runner's group in my boot camp. I am certainly not the fastest...in fact I am the slowest probably.....but you know what....I feel GREAT and I just plain feel good and healthy! This morning as I drive to work the thought crossed my mind...."I wonder if there is a 5K this weekend that I could run in?" Whoa.....

This boot camp has changed me, its changed my life, and I am such the better person for it. I feel better, I am happier, and dog gone it...people like me! (Ooops, sorry, I digressed to Saturday night live in the 80s there for a second)

But truly....if you are sitting there thinking you can't do it....then you are probably just being a Negative Nellie and you really probably can....start slow....but work hard. There is nothing easy about it, but the pay off is great. I can truly say that I didn't know that I was feeling that bad before until now I feel this good and think how sluggish and tired I always was before.

So do it....get up....walk the neighborhood....then after a few days....jog a bit....then walk for 2 minutes and run for 1 minute....then lengthen the run and lessen the walk. It IS baby steps but they are baby steps with weights on your feet and they are hard.

Stop telling yourself that you are the fat sister and you are okay with it. That has been me for a long time. I will no longer be the fat sister. I have 2 beautiful sisters who are both smaller than me and I will not be the fat one any longer. ( I can probably out do them in push ups as we speak) Don't be complacent, don't be a complainer....don't be less than you are capable of being. Its all a waste of effort....turn that effort into a jumping jack and burn some calories and you will see that you start to eat better and feel better.

I love ya....now love yourself and be beautiful!

Recipe: Pie Lemorange

2009-05-06T20:20:00.003-05:00

Sounds Fancy doesn't it? Pie Lemorange....say it with a French accent and you sound very culinary.

This is actually one of the simplest pies I have ever heard of. I received a cookbook that was my grandmother's, the one who passed away last year, and I love the simplicity and frugality of the recipes. It is a local church cookbook from her community and it is printed on "ditto" sheets and put in a three ring binder. As I first started to look through this book, I found things amusing, like using "oleo" instead of butter....and one of the recipes was how to make your own salami! But as I looked at each recipe, they are simple and inexpensive. I think today we are a little spoiled with the Food Network at our fingertips. These women had ingenuity and stretched their budgets to accommodate growing families, friends, and funerals...whatever they and the people in the community needed.

I saw this recipe and thought it sounded too simple....I didn't even know you could whip evaporated milk! Anyway, I made this and took it to an office party and it was quickly gobbled up. I also like it because it is light and not heavy on the calorie count either.

The original recipe called for orange jello, but I had lemon so I used it instead. I am fairly certain you could use any flavor of jello and it would work.

Ingredients:

1 cup of evaporated milk
1 cup of orange juice
1 small box of lemon jello (I used sugar free, and again, I think any flavor would work)
2 tablespoons of lemon juice (I used the stuff in the little plastic lemon)
1/3 cup of sugar
1 graham cracker pie crust, 9 inches

Chill the evaporated milk in the refridgerator for at least 20 minutes but I put it in overnight and it worked great! I think longer than 20 minutes would be better.

Take the cup of orange juice and microwave it until it is warm. Dissolve box of jello into the orange juice and add the sugar and lemon juice. Stir all together and let sit for 20 minutes to thicken and kind of gel.

Once the gel is thickened, take the evaporated milk and place in a mixing bow and mix with a whisk beater until stiff peaks form. Once they are formed, gently fold in the gelled mixture until the jello mixture is thoroughly mixed throughout the milk. Pour into a pie crust and chill for 2 hours. Garnish with a sprig of mint if you like.

EASY!!! Without the waiting and such, the total work time is like 5 minutes. Its a light, smooth, and a fairly health conscience pie!

Enjoy!

National Teacher Appreciation Day! And Cinco De Mayo!

2009-05-05T09:06:00.001-05:00

Today is National Teacher Appreciation day and Cindo De Mayo! So, tell your teachers thank you and go have a burrito!

We celebrate Cinco De Mayo every year at our house!

Make it a beauitiful day!

Heather

Recipe: North Texas Student Union Coffee Cake

2009-05-04T06:31:00.000-05:00

I made some of this coffee cake for Mom last night to see if it was like the "real thing" that she loved when she was in college and she said from the looks of it, it was! So, thanks to my grandmother and her Bridgeport Methodist Cookbook, we now have the recipe....it also helps that I must have guessed right on a few of the vague instructions, like add vanilla....didn't say how much, just to add it!

So, here is the recipe for one and all....

North Texas Student Union Coffee Cake

Cake Ingredients:
4 cups flour
4 Tablespoons of Dry Milk
4 teaspoons of backing powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 1/3 cup of sugar
12-14 Tablespoons of shortening (I used the butter shortening because I had it open)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla (I used the real vanilla, not imitation)
1 1/2 cups of water

Topping Ingredients:
1/2 stick of butter
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of flour
1 Tablespoon of cinnamon

Combine flour, milk, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

Add shortening and cut in as you would a pie crust.

Add eggs, water, vanilla, and beat (I used my paddle attachment on my kitchen aid and barely had to mix it, just mix until it is incorporated nicely.) The mixture will be fairly thick.

Pour into a greased (I greased my glass 13X9 baking dish with butter because I was out of Pam) baking dish.

Melt butter and pour or brush it on the top. Mix the sugar, flour, and cinnamon for the topping and layer on top and pat down a little. You can top with chopped pecans if you like.

Bake for about 55 minutes until a toothpick in the middle comes out fairly clean. This puffs up pretty tall, so it take a while. My instructions said to cook for 35 minutes but I found it needed a lot more, so just keep an eye on it.

This is a great cake for breakfast or a brunch. I am sure it is good with coffee as well but I don't drink coffee so I had it with milk!

Recipe: Pretzels

2009-05-01T07:59:00.002-05:00

Howdy all....YEA for FRIDAYS! Our semester here at the university is drawing to a close and finals are about to start for the students.....which means glorious and lovely summer is almost here and about 30,000 of our students go home and traffic is so nice! Love it!

Anyway, we had a torrential downpour here earlier this week and it was on a day I took off to go down to Houston for the day but there was flooding from here to Houston so our trip was cancelled.....and since I already had the day off, I did a little baking and made these pretzels from Smitten Kitten. They are good. Mine turned out a little too chewy but I think the humidity....all 10000000% of it made it a little chewy. My only advice would be to make the little "snakes" that you roll out thinner than you think they should be because once they rise and such, I didn't have any holes in my pretzel!

But anyway, I thought this would be a fun thing for kids. My little boy pulled up a chair to the counter and stood on it and "helped" me roll out and make the pretzels.....and by help I mean that he played and played with the dough of one to two pretzels and had a blast!

Happy Pretzeling!

Book Club: Twelve Mighty Orphans

2009-04-30T11:58:00.001-05:00

This is one of our current book club books and I cannot put it down. Its a great story about orphans at the Masonic Home in Fort Worth, Texas and their quest to become great. I can hardly put it down at times. You will especially love it if you love Texas football, but I think anyone would like this book about overcoming great odds.

Twelve Mighty Orphans by Jim Dent

Gardening update!

2009-04-26T20:54:00.001-05:00

I was reading my Gardening magazine....because I am a gardening nerd....and this is the time that Texans need to prune their pear trees down to 2 blooms per cluster. It brought back so many memories of all of us up there at the good old pear tree on Glade Road thinning out the pear tree so we could have luscious pears every year......hmmmm....that memory is actually a little fuzzy....hmmm.....I am thinking that maybe because we NEVER did that, that might be why the pears were so yucky!

Anyway...I was out in the garden today gathering some of its goodness. I am so pleased with how well it has grown so far. I have taken a salad from my garden to work for lunch probably 7 times lately plus had some for dinners and such at home. My lettuces have just been great! And my radishes are also doing really well. I have almost pulled up all of the first harvest section. I had read to plant them every 2 weeks or so, so that you have a continual harvest. I also read to plant your radishes and carrots together....to actually mix the seeds together and plant them because the carrots won't really start to grow until you have harvested the radishes. So, now that I have pulled the radishes, the carrots are getting into their growing season and I can't wait to have fresh carrots at my doorstep!

Here is my latest gardening endeavor....its an herb garden that I just planted last week. I have 2 of these full of herb seeds and I already have a few little sproutlets coming up.

This is my basket of bountiful goods from the garden today. These are radishes and Bibb Lettuce.

This is my garden after I had already harvested some lettuce and radishes, the right are my lettuce plants and the left are my radish and now mainly carrot plants.

Below on the right are my onions, the middle is the pepper plants that have baby little peppers on them now, and the far left is lettuce.

And THESE below are my wonderful tomato plants that I am SO EXCITED to start harvesting from. I have 2 yellow pear tomato plants (the 2 on the outside) and the one in the middle is a cherry tomato, I think its a celebrity 100 (off the top of my head). There was a 4th one that was a Mr. Stripey tomato plant but it died....those just never seem to work for me so its the last year I try! The tomatoes on the other plants are little green marbles and I am excited to eat me a fab tomato salad!

Aaron called me at work last night (we had a special event going on ) to tell me that we had a snake in our garden. So, I will be heading to Home Depot tomorrow to get some Snake Away. I had 3 people t work verify that it works for them and they have no snake problems when they use it, so I am going to get me some! I hate snakes, by the way.

Anyway, I hope you are all doing well and trying your luck at some gardening! Let me know how its going!

Aaron works late all this week so Landry and I will be entertaining ourselves at night. We may spend long hours walking the halls of our fav store....HOME DEPOT!

I start boot camp back up in the morning....so life gets crazy again at 5:00 am!

Love ya!

Heather

Country Bob's Secret Sauce Winner

2009-04-26T18:56:00.000-05:00

and the winner is ROBYN!!!!!

Robyn...email me your address and I will send it to Country Bob and he will send you 2 free bottles of sauce! ENJOY!

Thanks everybody for entering!

Heather

Blog Food Giveaway!

2009-04-23T21:57:00.000-05:00

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for some free Country Bob's Special Sauce! Check out the blog below!

Product: Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce, Pork Slow Cooker Recipes

2009-04-22T12:45:00.005-05:00

Howdy all! Have any of you every tried this sauce? Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce!

I just got some and cooked with it this weekend. It has a similar feel and taste to Worcestershire sauce but I like it better because its a little less caustic to my taste buds. I think this is great for man pleasing meals, because my husband likes almost anything with Worcestershire sauce on it but for me I get a little tired of the taste....but this was a nice compliment! It wasn't too harsh and still had good flavor. I have 2 bottles of this stuff so I used an entire bottle when I made the pork roast and then I used about 2-3 tablespoons of it when I made the pork chops. I think this would be really good in some baked beans too because it would give it a little bit of smokey flavor too.

Its available at Wal Mart and other stores, so you will have to check it out if you have a chance. My husband kept talking about how much he liked it, so it scored big points with him!

Here are the recipes!

Pork Roast

1 large or 2 small pork loins

1 cup of soy sauce

3 garlic cloves. minced

1 T Fresh Ginger, grated on the fine grate side or a microplane (you could use ground too)

1 Bottle of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce

3/4 cup of water

Salt and pepper

Season the pork with salt and pepper and then place it and the above ingredients in your slow cooker. If you like, you can throw some potatoes and other root veggies on top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Take the pork and veggies out and add a little flour and whisk, then turn the cooker to high and cook for a few minutes to make a nice sauce/gravy.

Good Stuff!

Pork Chops

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/4 cup ketchup

2-3 tablespoons of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce

3/4 cup of water

4-6 pork chops (I used the boneless kind)

Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

And now for some more BLOG CANDY!

I am giving away 2 bottles of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce for free to one lucky winner! To enter, just post a comment on this post with the answer to this question....What is your favorite kind of sauce? The contest will end Saturday morning and I will choose a winner from a random drawing sometime over the weekend!

Enjoy!

Here is the link to the company http://www.countrybobs.com/

Beans: Cheap and Good

2009-04-21T17:32:00.000-05:00

With everyone trying to be a little more health conscience and a little more healthy, I found this blog on beans and how to measure them, how to cook them, and the value of different kinds of beans. I thought it was very useful so I wanted to post the link. She talks about black beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, etc

http://healthyfoodonabudget.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/how-about-%e2%80%9cthe-benefits-of-beans%e2%80%9d/

Its a great way to add some heft to a meal without adding a meat. Black beans are seen a lot these days in burritos and other dishes to replace meat. Buying dried beans is cheaper and generally has less sodium than the canned variety, plus they can be easy to store in an air tight container and last a really long time.

Blog Candy Winners!!i

2009-04-19T22:15:00.000-05:00

Congrats to Dolls123 and Tiffaneep!!! If you can both email me at beautifulbasics@gmail.com with your addresses, then I will send you your prizes!!!

Thanks to all who entered, I will have some more blog candy coming up this week...this one is food related!!

Happy Sunday!

Heather

Scrapbook Week Day 6--Choo Choo Trains

2009-04-17T17:59:00.004-05:00

This is one of my favorite layouts ever!

I have a son who LOVES LOVES LOVES Trains!

This layout is made from using a bunch of strips of paper that I had as scraps and creating a background with those. After I adhered all those to the paper, then I just added pictures and the words CHOO CHOO TRAINS to the page. My friend Mickey has a cricut so she cut the letters out on her machine for me. The train along the bottom is the new Stampin' Up Train Set in the Spring Mini. The photos are backed with SU Chocolate Chip paper.

I love the colors of this and that I used up some scrap pieces of paper! You could adapt this to any number of styles or themes!

Its pouring down rain here today, so I hope you are all staying dry!

Scrapbook Week Day 4

2009-04-17T17:47:00.003-05:00

Its raining its pouring....I wish I was snoring and taking a nice little nap or reading a good book....its one of those days where that you be the best thing to be doing!

**Don't forget to enter to win the blog candy here **
http://thebeautifulbasics.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-candy.html
contast ends Sunday at 5pm CDT for some scrapbooking tools!

Here is another scrapbook layout. (click to enlarge)

This layout features some crafts that my son has done at school. The sunshine has cutouts of his hands as the rays of sun and the tukey is made from a hand print. Cute stuff!

I added the green box on the bottom to write in all the things that he loves to do and eat and just some little facts about him at this age, and then there is a picture of him at school at his table. These kind of layouts go quickly because the crafts become the design. I used die cut cardstock stickers for the frog and other embelishments.

Craft: Men's Shirts to Little Girl Dresses!

2009-04-17T12:14:00.001-05:00

**Just a reminder to check out the BLOG CANDY a few posts below, the entering deadline is Sunday at 5pm CDT for some scrap booking tools! **

My friend Amanda posted these cute dresses she made and I was floored to see that they were made from Men's shirts! What a clever way to not have to sew buttons! I have sent her a message to see if she has a pattern but I thought I would go ahead and post them so you could see them and maybe figure out how to do these on your own.

You take a normal men's button up shirt.....

and turn it into a cute girls dress.....

the front buttons on the men's shirt becomes the back of the girls dress....

Again, men's shirt....turns into...

A cute dress!!!

and you don't have to sew any buttons!

I love this idea....and I would probably run home and do one if I had a little girl! I guess I should do some for my nieces!

What a cute idea! I searched around the Internet and found the tutorial for this here http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=170402.0, it looks pretty straight forward. I think this would be a fun thing to do for a women's night at church....or even for a service project.

Happy Sewing!

Heather

End of Boot Camp One Mile Run

2009-04-17T08:39:00.002-05:00

Well, today was the end run for this round of boot camp which means we do a one mile run test. We do it at the beginning and end to see how far we have come.

I am not a runner....never have been....so and usually the thought of a one mile run scares the beejebees out of me! I have been thinking about this run for a while now and doing some positive self thought and trying to psyche myself up for it. I even wore my favorite workout outfit and had the timer on my watch ready to go so I could watch my time...I even went early so I could stretch more and my arches have been bothering me so the trainer gave me some tips on getting them more stretched so I did that too. I was ready!

So, we started out and once you get going, those negative thoughts start coming in....for me, its hard in the beginning and hard to get going....I first told myself I was going to try to run the whole mile....then I said that I was just trying to beat my time, so if I walked a little, it was okay....and then my stubborn side said NO, WE ARE RUNNING THE ENTIRE TIME!

So, I keep going and I am doing well....I get to the .6 mark and that is where the walkers end their time....so that is tempting because you think "Hey, I can stop right here and be just groovy!" but no, I kept going....when you work out enough, you notice that at some mid-point, you hit a wall and then if you push it and keep going, just give it 1% more and keep going, you break down the wall and then it actually gets easier....you get in your stride and you can even push harder....so at this point I was looking for the wall, in fact I was welcoming the wall because I knew I could bust through it and keep going and it would get easier.....so I kept going and going and then I am around that last turn and I can see the finish line...one of the trainers came and ran with me and encouraged me and another boot camper came and ran behind me and said "I will get behind you and push you!" (Not literally push me, but mentally) and I picked up the pace and I am now running, pretty much all out running....and I keep going and going and going and I am there.....I finished and I RAN the WHOLE WAY!

This is a big deal...this is humongous....this is awesome!

And to beat all that, I shaved 40 seconds off my last time and finished just a hair over 11 minutes! 40 seconds is a long time when you are running!!!!!

So, I was totally stoked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And then, we had to do the push up test....we have 1 minute to do as many push ups as we can. I used to do the girly push ups on my knees but this boot camp I decided I was going to do the real full out push ups. My first push up test I did 22 in a minute....and this time I did 36! While that is not that impressive, its still a great improvement!!!

So, I am on a total endorphin high today and feeling like I accomplished something major! And, I went and weighed in yesterday and I have lost 10 pounds during this boot camp, so in one month.

I am feeling GREAT! and STRONG! and AWESOME!

So, the moral of this story is this....I would have never thought that I would be exercising as much as I am now....I never would have thought that I could be this strong.....I never would have thought that I can eat healthy and like it...I never would have thought that I could walk away from a dessert and not be tempted....I never would have thought that I could do this and I have!

Don't tell yourself you can't do something....don't tell youself that you are not worth the effort....don't think that you are weak because we all hit those walls in life and its now time to bust it down....run harder...be stronger...defy the odds....and prove to yourself that you are worth every bit of it!

Love ya all! Happy Friday!

H

Scrapbook Week Day 5--Memorial Layout

2009-04-17T06:54:00.000-05:00

Scrapbook Layout--A Memorial to my Grandmother

Here is another scrapbook layout. This one is a memorial to my grandmother. Some people think its weird to scrapbook things from her funeral, but I wanted to remember her for who she was and the things she loves. I included the program from her funeral but the other items will all be about her. I have a picture of her when she was little and I need to find a picture of her they way I remember her. She was lively and fun and so vibrant! She loves birds and raised them, hence the birds nest and bird house. She also played in a ukulele band so I may try to incorporate that. I also want to write some of our memories on here. this page is not finished, but the basic layout is done and I wanted to share. I love the Spring colors on these pages and I love that it is all about the things she loved.

I miss you Maw Maw!

Heather

BLOG CANDY!

2009-04-16T07:02:00.000-05:00

Howdy all---I hope you are ready for a Scrapbook tool give a way!

In honor of scrap booking week....I decided I would give away a few simple tools that I really like. So, this prize will include 1)a Stampin' Up Adhesive Remover (that I highlighted as a great tool earlier this week), 2)some Stampin' Up Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue Adhesive, and 3)a Stampin' Up Journaler marker (its has a fine tip end and a larger end...I use mine all the time!), plus a few more goodies that I will throw in!

There will be 2 lucky winners! To enter, just comment on this thread and tell me your name, favorite thing to scrapbook or papercraft, and where you are from! This contest will close at 5pm Sunday Central Daylight Time and winners will be announced Monday! (Winners will be randomly drawn! Only one entry per person please!)

Good luck!

Heather

Book Club: Sundays at Tiffany's

2009-04-16T06:55:00.000-05:00

Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson

I just read this book and thought it was a fast read, really imaginative, and fun. There are times when you are dying to turn the pages to see what will happen yet and also at the same time, afraid that the story will end too soon or something terrible will happen. It does have a few scenes with some adult content, but not too much where I didn't recommend the book to my mother and she is reading it and loving it....so it must be okay!

The story is about a young girl and her imaginary friend and how this friend effects the rest of her life. It made me think about this question.....What if....when we get to Heaven....we find out that imaginary friends really do exist its just that no one else can see them?

I hope you enjoy it!

Heather

Scrap book Week:Day 2--Garden Page

2009-04-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here is another layout that I did at my Spring Scrap booking retreat a few weeks ago. This one was showcasing the making of our garden (click on the pictures to enlarge). We worked on it pretty steadily for about 2 weeks and it was documented with lots of pictures so I chose this layout so that I could have quite a few pictures plus some squares to journal in. I love the flower overlay to make it pop.

Recipe:Cinnamon Rolls

2009-04-14T18:55:00.002-05:00

I made these Cinnamon Rolls this weekend for Easter Brunch and they were super yummy and a big hit!

Use 1/2 recipe basic bread rolls found here
http://thebeautifulbasics.blogspot.com/2009/04/homemade-rolls.html

and roll 1/4" thick. Spread all over with softened butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture consisting of:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 T. cinnamon.

Roll up and cut into 1/2" thick slices with serrated knife. Let rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 for 18-25 minutes. Can drizzle with water/powdered sugar glaze.

Homemade Rolls

2009-04-14T18:43:00.004-05:00

This is a homemade roll recipe from my friends the Stratons. They make a great roll dough!

Instead of using all purpose flour, I used half whole wheat pastry flour and half all purpose flour.

Ingredients and Instructions:

Part 1
3/4 c. warm water
2 T. yeast (2 pkgs)
1/2 tsp sugar

Stir until dissolved and let rise in small bowl

Part 2
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. melted butter
1 c. water
Mix in large bowl
3 eggs

Beat and add to above mixture. Add yeast mixture to large bowl.

Part 3
2 tsp salt
7 cups flour (or half whole wheat pastry flour and half white)
Mix all together for 7 minutes in bread mixer at high speed. Let rise 1 hour; punch down. Cover and refrigerate overnight. {Does not have to be refrigerated but is best that way.} Divide dough into 2 equal parts.

Roll out each part into a circle. Use a pizza cutter to cut into 16 equal pieces. Roll up from larger end to shorter end. Place in pan seam side down. Let rise 3 hours, until double in size. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Brush with butter.

You can also only raise/cook half the batch and put the other half straight into the freezer on the baking sheet for 4 hours. When frozen, take rolls and put into ziploc bag in the freezer. Voila!

Scrap booking Week Day 2--Road Trip Layout

2009-04-14T18:30:00.004-05:00

Our first road trip scrap book page!

This layout does not have many pictures, it really just has information. This is the first page of a series of pictures from the first road trip my husband and I took together a few years ago. We drove from Texas to South Dakota and back and had a really fun time and saw much of the middle of this beautiful country of ours. I was amazed at how each state had their very own distinct personality. So, on this page, I took pictures of state signs and other items and just made an information page about where we had gone on our trip, then the following pages will have more specific information about our destinations.

Not all scrap book pages have to contain tons of pictures, I will show you some throughout this week that are packed with pages and others that have none....so stay tuned for some ideas!

For this page, I used some die cuts, some photo cut outs, like the state signs, and an actual old atlas for the map of the US. Then I put some blocks so I could journal about our trip. Remember to journal your thoughts and feelings, because in 10 years, you may not remember where that picture was taken or which states you visited on that trip!

Stay tuned for some BLOG CANDY later on this week! I will be giving away some fun stuff!

Have a good one!

Heather

Scrapbooking Week Day 1-Cool Tool: Adhesive Remover

2009-04-13T21:39:00.004-05:00

I am going to start of Scrap booking week with a new tool that I just got and have used it a lot since I got it. It doesn't look like much but its an adhesive remover....to me it looks like the rubber sole of shoes back in the 70's....which is probably exactly what it is...but you use it to remove excess adhesive. I have used it on numerous scrap booking pages but I have also used it on new books that have stickers on the front....why do they do that? My son received a beautiful book from my mother and it had a big sticker on the front touting some award it received or something of that nature...when I removed the sticker, I was left with all this sticky stuff catching dust and looking ugly on this beautiful cover....so I put this to the test and it removed it all! It took some time and I was very careful, but the results were great!

I also use it on scrap booking pages when I have used too much adhesive or it has gone over the edge. Just rub it on like an eraser and it gets rid of it. When the edge or corner gets soft or crumbly, you just cut it off and keep going until its all gone, which I believe will take a long while.

So, I hope you find this tool endorsement helpful!

Good luck and Happy Scrapping!

Heather

Forgive me for being LAME LAME LAME

2009-04-08T08:32:00.005-05:00

Yes, please forgive me for being LAME LAME LAME! My scrap booking extravaganza and puttered out quite quickly! A dead camera battery is to blame....and me being lame doesn't help!

I will try to remedy this situation "toute suite"!

In the meantime....here is something RANDOM....

I bought some Greek Yogurt the other day because my cousins said it was from the Gods. Well, now that I think about it, he probably didn't say that since he claims he is anti-theist....or atheist....so he probably just said something like "this stuff is unbearable delicious." But anyway, I digress....I bought some....and to me, it got a thicker consistency than your plain old yogurt, to me its like a good sour cream...not the low fat kind, the real stuff. So, I looked at the label and it seems like it has less fat that the same amount of sour cream....so I think this would be a great substitute for it.

I used it in a 7 layered dip....which now that I think about it was probably more like 8 layers....this weekend and it worked out just groovy.

I love lower calorie things that are good for you and closely mimicker the real thing!

Now, I have to warn you that this stuff is more expensive than the regular stuff...I think this big old tub was around $4, which is pricey...but it is a good low cal sub for sour cream....so there you go!

I think I will postpone SCRAP BOOKING WEEK to NEXT WEEK so I Can be sure to get my camera all in order and functioning again. (Sorry people)

For now...be good....be good to yourself....eat healthy stuff....and go burn some calories!

Heather

High Heels--The Epiphany

2009-04-06T08:26:00.001-05:00

I had an epiphany today....it was cold this morning at 5:20 as I went outside to wait for Angie to pick me up for my workout. I actually stood there in the cold wind and thought "if Angie slept in today, it won't be so bad....I could go get back in bed!" But low and behold, she did not and she picked me up like always and we trudged on to boot camp. Mondays at boot camp are always hard, although I think Fridays are the hardest, followed closely by Thursdays......come to think of it, Tuesdays and Wednesdays can be boogers too! Oh Lawdy, what's a girl to do?!

Anyway....as we started our cold runs and skips and such up and down the hill (that is our warm up), I thought to myself (the same as I do on Thursdays and Fridays and sometimes the other days) to just get through it....just keep moving and keep going and you will have accomplished something....I can at least say I worked out and was there...if not mind then at least body and maybe half a spirit.

But as we were moving on to the hard stuff, I thought to myself "just get thorough it" again and then the other part of my brain said( or actually kind of yelled) this to me "YOU GOT UP AT 4:45 THIS MORNING!!!!! WHY ARE YOU DOING A HALF WAY JOB, you dork, YOU MIGHT AS WELL BURN LOTS OF CALORIES, otherwise you could have just STAYED IN BED! You cheat yourself if you give it a half cracked effort!"

So, I said back to my self...."Self, you are darn right....lets burn some calories and get stronger!"

So, I did and I feel all the better for it! It was a great workout and my friend Diane even said I get the "hustle" of the day award for working hard....she didn't even know I had had this whole conversation with myself in my head.

So, there you go...my thought for the day....if you are going to do a half cracked job, you might as well go back to bed! So , do your best and have NO REGRETS!

Love ya,
Heather

Scrap book Week: Day 1

2009-04-05T21:12:00.007-05:00

Howdy Folks....

This is the last picture I took before my camera battery died, so I am recharging them as we speak so I can post scrap booking ideas all week long.

This is a fun cover page that I am using for Landry's scrapbook. This actually started out as a name plate that goes in a frame and you hang on the wall but we ended up not using it for that so I glued it to the black and white polka dotted paper and made it the title scrap booking page for a scrapbook.

But look how cute just the red part was...it made a super cute little name plate for a door, just pop it in an inexpensive frame and its a fun gift for someone.

So...this is the beginning of scrapbook week...so stay tuned! I hope those batteries get charged so I can show you much much more!

Good night!

Heather

Gardening: Update

2009-04-05T20:48:00.003-05:00

It was a beautiful weekend here in Texas and I spent a lot of the day Saturday out in the wonderful weather working on my garden. I see how so many people love gardening, its so addictive!

Here are a few pictures of my weekend work...forgive the fuzziness, my real camera's batteries are dead.

Above is my front planting area in my front yard. We had added the stones, pulled out numerous ugly spiky bushes and replaced them with....starting at the top at 12 o'clock....dahlias (they are still small), a peony (can't see it, planted it yesterday), a pink rose bush, a yellow miniature rose bush, some Salvia, some marigolds (also planted yesterday and can't see), and I transplanted some of Maw Maw's Iris's. There are also some Sweet Peas and Bells of Ireland in the back but those were also seeds planted yesterday. I have also added black mulch, which I love, I thin kit matches the shudders and gives it definition...plus it helps keep weeds out!

This picture is of my garden...Top right is my Bibb Lettuce....I could make a salad! that makes me really excited! When I first planted them, they would have gotten the "most pathetic looking lettuce" award (if it existed), below that is a marigold plant, to the left is one of 2 of my strawberry plants.

Above is a close up of the lettuce, marigold and in the back are some sweet pepper plants.

The are some small onions.

And this is one of my tomato plants....I have 3 that are looking great and one that plum died on me....oh well! I didn't want a Mr. Stripey tomato anyway...I haven't had success with those yet!

Anyway--it was so fun to be outside and see the growth of my little plants!

Happy gardening!

High Heels--Get your deck of cards!

2009-04-03T07:44:00.003-05:00

Howdy all,

I love Fridays....they are the best....especially knowing that I can sleep in past 5:00am tomorrow is especially wonderful to my brain!

For this high heels workout, you need a deck of cards, your body, a mat, and some hand weights (if you choose an exercise like lateral lifts or something that requires weights, otherwise, you don't need the weights).

First assign each suit of cards to a specific task, for instance....
Clubs (or puppy dogs feet as we called them) could be sit ups
Hearts could be squats
Diamonds could be push ups
Spades could be lunges

Then assign something hard to the Jokers, like 10 burpees, or 30 mountain climbers....

Then do a normal 5 minute workout and then take a short jog to get you warmed up....

Then you go with the deck of cards....shuffle them....then start at the top....Whatever you draw, you have to do, so if you draw a 5 of hearts, do 5 squats. If you draw a king, queen, or Jack, then you do 15 or 20 of that item. After every 5 cards, go jog (or speed walk or run) another lap. Do that until the deck of cards is done!

Its a booger....but its a good workout!

And write down what you assign to each suit and put it where you can see it, because about half way you may forget what you assigned where.

Be good, eat healthy, splurge a little, and have a beautiful weekend!!!!

Heather

Work Through the Pain

2009-04-01T19:01:00.002-05:00

Well, I am a week and a half into this round of boot camp workouts. This is the first time I have done the full throttle program of 5 days a week for an hour at 5:30am. I can't say that it is easy by any stretch, but I do love the way I feel and my clothes are fitting better and I have lost about 7 pounds in the last 3 weeks or so....I wanted to lose 10 pounds before my family pictures next Saturday, so that is totally do-able....I hope!

Anyway, this morning we did running intervals mixed in with arm thrashers. Basically we would run about 250 meters up hill then walk down, then run it again. After that, we did 30 seconds of push ups, 1 minute of band work with forward punches, 1 minute with butterflies with bands (like giving a big hug), then 30 seconds more of push ups. We did that set 3 times, so 6 sprints, and 3 rounds of arm thrashers....then after all that fun....we still had 30 minutes of torture left so we went up to the normal area and did a bunch of other stuff...which my brain has conveniently blocked out right now....it must have been that bad, I seriously cannot remember what all we did! Anyway, I do remember at one point we were doing sit up crunches....and we had already done a round or two....and it was hurting! So, as I was sitting there putting myself through this, I thought of the phrase the other boot camp trainer used all the time....

"It's mind over matter!" (pause) "If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!"

Meaning that it is just pain...work through it, meet it head on, go to it, and keep going....make yourself stronger! Basically to do it even if it hurts.

So, as I was doing this and probably trying not to think about how much my abs were hurting at this point, I started to think about that phrase and realized he is right. If you don't mind the pain, then it really doesn't matter if it hurts, you just keep going. I think there are a lot of things in life that are the same way...we may shy away from it because it may cause us pain...emotional or physical. But those are also pains that we have to work through....and we get stronger when we do.

I have kind of always had a paranoia about people I love dying...and although I know that there is a Heaven and that Families can be together forever and that I know that Jesus Christ was my Savior and that through Him, we can all be in Heaven together again someday...I still fear that pain. Even with knowing all that, its still hard to imagine the pain...and heartbreaking to go through....and even hard to fathom. However, if you realize that the pain can make you stronger and you rely on your faith and you persevere to not let it beat you...you will be stronger and it won't matter that there was pain, it will matter that you didn't let it stop you. I am not saying to not mourn or to feel bad if you are sore or depressed....just push through it, keep going, and overcome it.

We all hit walls in our life....even in a workout there are times when you feel like you are worn out....but when you push through it, it gets easier and you hit your stride and realize you are going faster or stronger than you were before.

So remember....it IS mind over matter....if you don't mind, it doesn't matter!

Push through the hard stuff...I know its hard and I know it hurts...but think of the strength you will glean from it when it is over.

Be Beautiful, People!

Who loves ya? I do!

Heather

P.S. Next week is SCRAPBOOKING WEEK! I am going to feature different things we did at the Scrapbooking retreat to hopefully inspire you to document your life!

P.P. S. For those who have lost loved ones...and if we haven't yet, we know we all will, my heart goes out to you. Its hard to get used to them not being around, we miss them terribly, we want them back...but I always try to focus on the big WELCOME HOME party that is going on in Heaven with all their loved ones who went before them....that has to be one fun party!

Conference References

2009-03-30T14:31:00.000-05:00

For those who are LDS, its conference weekend and here are a couple of links to some good resources for entertaining those kids during the 2 hour meetings for church! This is compliments of my super talented and awesome friend Robyn! Thanks girl!

downloads.sugardoodle.net

http://d.scribd.com/docs/1y8qkrk113z9gvo5cbsu.pdf