Food for thought....

 

From our home to yours,

Mary

Veggie Salad

Very very simple and doesn't heat up the house on those summer days. Best part???!!!! You get to use those veggies out of the garden or from the market.

 

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Bell Pepper (more colors, prettier salad)

Onion

Carrots

Cheese (cubed)

1/2 cup olives (optional)

3/4 cup mayo

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch mix

 

Cut up all veggies to bite size.

Mix all ingredients.

Allow to set overnight before serving.

 

See how simple!!!!

 

 



Summer Time

With summer comes lots more work! Yards to mow, weeds to kill, fire ants to run from one place to another...pretending that expensive stuff you bought killed them, and the list goes on.

Let's face it, I live in the country and love being able to work outside but it leaves little time for "playing" on the computer. I also work outside the home and at best have a very erratic schedule.

I started this blog as a way to post some great recipes and thoughts on my little tiny section of the world. I have been doing that but have slowed down lately as summertime approaches. I promise to continue to post and will try to do at least one post a week. I only hope that this blog continues to grow and grow till maybe one day I can quit work (yeah I know but a girl can dream).

 



Mother's Day craft - Part 2

Mother's Day craft part-two. This first post was about making a flower. This one is about making a gift package which we added a very special gift (kisses). And what mom doesn't love kisses!!??

 

These are also very easy and cost effective. I let my scouts do these also and give them along with the flower. I did a little more prep work with these before the girls got them but if we had more time then they could have done it too.

 

Lots of kisses!

 

 

Ok, so as you can see these are made with toilet paper rolls. My prep work is I gave them with several coats of paint. Then when dry I let the girls decorate any way they liked. I supplied stickers, markers, sharpies, and crayons. They were only limited by their imagination.

The "package" is made by folding down both ends of the roll.

Now the inside...

We filled them with hershey kisses! So when the girl's give them to their moms they are giving them lots of kisses.

All of the girls "got it" and loved the idea.

 

From our house to yours, Mary

 

 

 

Mother's Day craft - Part 1

This will be a two-part post since I have two crafts to show everyone. I did both of these crafts with my scout troop. The girls ranged in age from kindergarden to 3rd grade and all loved it.

 

Mother's Day Flower

 

 

Sweet, simple, and cost effiencient.

I started out in microsoft word (any word/drawing program will do) and made the stem. This was done by drawing a long rectangle. The leaf is two archs put together. I also added a large circle at the top to glue the petals to. I printed these on card stock and got two per page.

Next I drew some hearts slightly elongated for the petals and a smaller circle for the center. I fit 7 hearts and the circle per page which makes one flower. I did this on card stock too, just to make things stronger.

 

Now it's the kid's turn to do all the work!

 

I had the girls write on the hearts what they love about their mom. I gave them all the sharpies I could find in the house to do this so it was something very special...to get to use a sharpie. Then I had them color and cutout the flowers.

I put on the glue and they did the rest. Wala, mother's day flowers.

 

This craft allowed the girls to practice all of their fine motor skills and have something to be proud of afterwards. I didn't help them at all (even with spelling). Each one is unique to that child. We have one girl that is younger so she wrote a few words then drew pictures on the rest of her petals. As an afterthought I should have put magnets on the back so they would have been fridge ready.

 

From our house to yours, Mary

 

 



Breakfast Rolls

With warmer weather coming it means I spend alot less time in front of the computer and alot more time outside. I appoligize for my post for being so few and far between lately.

 

Here is a quick easy breakfast roll recipe that is sure to please. Put together the night before and let sit out all night, cook in morning.

 

 

Ingredients:

frozen rolls, 1 stick butter, 2 teaspoons cinnanmon, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 small package cook style vanilla pudding

 

Directions:

Grease bunt pan, add rolls.

Mix sugar, pudding, and cinnanmon, sprinkle over rolls.

Pour melted butter over top.

Let rise overnight. I put a dish towel over them to prevent flies.

Bake at 325 degrees for approx 25 minutes.

 

ENJOY!!!!!

 

From our kitchen to yours, Mary

Chocolate Pie

Doris's Chocolate Pie

 

Doris is my mom and this is her never fail from scratch chocolate pie with meringue. My mom still does things the old way especially when it comes to cooking, she says "that jiffy stuff is bad". Sooooo here it is:

 

Pie Ingredients:

 

1 1/2 cup sugar, 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 cups milk (use 1 cup half-half for richer taste), 4 egg yolks (beaten), 3 squares melted chocolate or 9 tablespoons cocoa, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 4 tablespoons butter

 

1 pie shell 9inch baked

 

Directions:

 

In saucepan mix sugar, flour and salt.

Gradually add milk.

Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

Remove from heat.

Stir about 1 cup filling into egg yolks.

Return egg mixture to saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.

Cook and stir 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, butter, and melted chocolate.

Beat mixture with electric mixer and pour hot filling into piecrust.

 

Meringue Ingredients:

 

4 egg whites, dash salt, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter, 8 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

 

Directions:

 

Beat egg whites with cream of tarter and salt until soft peaks form.

Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until stiff and glossy.

Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing meringue to pie crust.

Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.