Monthly Archives: August 2008

Summer’s Over-Already?!

Hey wait a minute, I thought summer was just getting going? Don’t we still have another month or two? It’s September I know, but my garden is still wanting more sun. Last week we had a LOT of rain and wind and colder weather and I went out the other day to check on my garden (between the heavy rains) and was sad to see that my one tomato plant that was in full bloom and bearing a lot of fruit, was completely dead. It’s still got a little bit of fruit that I can pick this weekend but that will be it. So sad, but I got my money’s worth for sure, and was able to bless a few families with the fruit as well.

Ripening pumpkins

Here are my pumpkins, I’m hoping that we get a little more sun to make sure they can mature and ripen. They are so pretty even if they don’t ripen :)  There are rumors that we will have an Indian Summer but after these two weeks of tons of rain, I will believe it when I see it!

Corn!

And we have tons of corn!  I don’t know if they will continue to ripen if we don’t get more sunshine, I will have to see. It’s been a hard year for a successful garden, a late start and an early end. But it’s been a learning experience and I will definitely do it again next year with a year of successful gardening under my belt.

Green Pumpkins

So let the fall come, I actually really look forward to the fall season it means that our baby is coming soon. I especially love apple season, I will forever have the emotionally charged memory of the smell of cooking apple butter filling the house connected with the labor and birth of our sweet Eamon. Who knows, maybe the week I’m expecting this new one I will get up the energy to make a bunch of applesauce. I also love all the changes that fall brings, the colorful changing leaves, the harvest season, pumpkins and pumpkin pie, and all the lovely warm soups and hearty meals I find myself preparing for our family. Good times.

Oatmeal Coconut Pecan Squares with Chocolate Chips

Oatmeal Coconut Peacan Squares

I have a confession to make. Tonight I went to Starbucks to work on some blogging (which is not a good idea considering I was really distracted by all the conversations going on around me, I got to know these two people sitting next to me, way more than I wanted to!) My Confession: I did order a drink, but I brought my own dessert to eat with my coffee, I wrapped it in a napkin and put it in my purse :) I had been wanting to try this recipe from everybody likes sandwiches all week.  The only thing that I changed about her recipe was that I doubled it and used a 9×13 inch pan instead of the 8×8. And wow, what a delicious dessert bar! The flavor was amazing and the smell in the kitchen was very inviting, it finished cooking  before dinner which made it hard to want to eat dinner first. I’m glad I tried this recipe, thanks!

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Batter Fried Fish

Batter Fried Fish

Last Saturday my two-year-old daughter, Guenna, and I went to the store to get some donuts for the family, a Saturday morning treat. She cracks me up! We get into the car and she did not stop talking the entire time we were on our little date! Anyway, after we picked up our donuts (which she wanted to eat before we purchased), we were walking to the check out and I spotted the fish and got a crazy idea, I should make some batter fried fish. I’ve never made it before but my mom was coming over and I thought she could help me. So I bought some fish, and headed home. A little unsure that my plans would turn out, and even more unsure that my kids would like the fish.

We found a recipe for the batter and got it started when we realized that it called for 3/4 cup flat beer. Hmmm, we have some beer but it’s not flat. And we didn’t know how to flatten it quickly, anyone know the trick? So we subbed 3/4 cup milk and added 2 teaspoons of baking powder, the batter was perfect! Yeah! And the kids loved the fish, Guenna thought it was corn of all things! The boys especially loved the batter but they ate the fish as well. So it was a successful experiment. I love it when it when my experiments actually turn out :)  So now I have another recipe to add to my, “the family likes this one” list!

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Healthy Egg and Vegetable Breakfast

Healthy Breakfast

Contrary to what previous studies have shown, coconut oil is actually very good for you! I often start my day with a tablespoon of coconut oil, no I don’t just eat it by itself! I melt it and put it in a smoothie or put it in my oatmeal sometimes, but my favorite way to get my coconut oil is cooked with eggs and vegetables. There are so many health benefits of coconut oil; weight loss, lowering chances of heart disease, it aides in digestion, contains anti-fungal properties, to name just a few. I found a great article on the benefits of coconut oil on Organic Facts. I created a simple recipe here for a really healthy breakfast. Hope you enjoy it!

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Keeping Cilantro or Fresh Herbs – Fresh!

Keeping Cilantro Fresh

Today after church we went to Chris’ parents house for lunch and a time of visiting with family. The above picture is what I saw in her window sill. I didn’t really pay attention to what it was until sometime after dinner. Then it hit me, “that’s cilantro and I bet she’s keeping it fresh, not using it as a flowerless flower arrangement!” I’ve never seen this before, and yet it makes perfect sense! My mother-in-law, Joan, explained to me that when she gets cilantro or other cut herbs home from the store, she cuts off the ends, puts them in a glass of water and puts the glass in the fridge! What a no-brainer! So I thought I would share this great tip with you too! I’m always looking for easy ways to preserve food.

So, how about you? Do you have any simple tips that solve seemingly endless problems (in the kitchen that is:) Would love to hear them!

We Have Some Winners!

Congratulations to Becky R. and Judith Greenberg! They were our winners for the drawing for two 12 oz bags of Fidalgo Bay Coffee, I hope you enjoy the coffee! And thanks so much to Fidalgo Bay for sponsoring the giveaway, it was lots of fun! Thanks to all of you who participated in the drawing as well, it’s always nice to see a bunch of comments :) Have a great weekend everyone!

Oat Waffles

I really wanted to title this post, “Real Men Cook with their Wives!” But I thought “Oat Waffles” might be more accurate for search engine purposes ;)

Oat Waffles

I must say, cooking is not my husband’s forte, but I love how he is always willing to help me out when I need it. He made this batter all by himself. I will admit, I consider it very romantic to wash dishes while my husband is cooking next to me, what wife wouldn’t appreciate an extra hand in the kitchen (especially one that is capable of stirring batter without making a huge mess! ;)

I will have to add the picture of our waffles, the only waffle iron we possess is a cute Mickey Mouse waffle iron. It is really cute but not the most practical waffle iron because you can only make one small waffle at a time, and each of the kids want 2 or 3, by the time this pregnant woman has had one, I’ve been standing for quite some time! We manage though and the kids LOVE eating Mickey Mouse waffles. Without further ado, here’s the recipe.

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Free Coffee Giveaway Reminder

Hey, if you haven’t done it yet, don’t forget to enter the drawing for a FREE 12 oz bag of Fidalgo Bay Coffee! It’s so simple to enter to win, all you have to do is pick out the blend that sounds the best to you and go back to my original drawing post and enter your choice in the comment section. Good luck and hope you join in the fun! And by the way, thanks so much to Fidalgo Bay Coffee for donating the coffee, they are a generous local coffee roasting company and they really do have amazing coffee! I will drawing our winners tomorrow night at midnight PST so get your name in quick!

And for those of you who are interested in toddler craft ideas, please go check out my post on Toddler Crafts-Homeschooling with Toddlers.

Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo Suace with noodles and sausage

I consider this more of a “Poor Man’s Alfredo Sauce” ;) I have a hard time spending $6-$8 on a small hunk of Parmesan cheese when I can buy a large amount of cheese for the same price. So I’m always looking for ways to modify recipes to make them more affordable, and still taste good. This particular recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of fresh grated Parmesan cheese which I substituted with sharp cheddar, it turned out very smooth and tasty, and seemed very much like an Alfredo sauce. I was highly impressed with the flavor compared with that I have purchased from a jar, and it was not much more difficult than just heating up a jar of prepared sauce, and I know what’s in it! I hope your family enjoys this sauce as much as we did!

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How to chill a bottle of wine in six minutes

Wine Image courtesy of yashima

Hello friends,
This is Christian, Jenni’s husband with a guest post. I am going to try and post on her kitchen blog once a week. We will see if I can do it. My wife is a much better at writing than I am.

I wanted to bring to your attention to a trick that I have yet to do, chill a bottle of wine in 6 minutes. The key to making this work is one ingredient Continue reading