Life Changes and We Move With Them

Life had changed so much for me since I started blogging.  When I started here I had little kids.  I stayed at home and took care of them.  I gardened and did what I could to be self sufficient so I could afford to stay home with them. 
Today, my children are teens and young adults..... and one tiny baby.   We had a surprise baby this year.  She has been the most amazing adventure we have all been on.  There is a 21 year gap between her and her oldest sibling.  She is beautiful, loved, and such a joy.  I always knew she would be part of my family but I had given up hope years and years ago that she would be mine. 
I still stay at home.  I am so blessed to be able to do this and spend my time with my littlest one and my other children.  I still garden and farm.  We still do all we can to be self sufficient so that we can enjoy this simpler life. 
Other life changes that have happened are that we have discovered that one of our daughters is now Celiac.  This has brought huge changes for our life.  We now have 2 kitchens.  One is devoted to being gluten free and the other is not.  This allows me to fix food safely for her (and myself) and still allows me to fix bread for my other children who are not gluten intolerant. 
I have watched both my parents pass away since starting here.  My father first nearly 10 years ago and my mother 2 1/2 years ago.  Both were my life and my children's lives.  We were happy with them.  We moved my mother in with us after dad died and took care of her till her end.  See, 45 years ago, I was a surprise baby to my two aging parents.  I was their bonus baby girl (they decided to be brave and have another baby so I wouldn't be alone and so I have a fabulous little brother.)  I learned so much from them and so did my children.  I miss them daily and there is an ache inside that I know that my little one doesn't get to grow up knowing them in this life.  I know all the things people say about that... all the cliche words... but I was that kid.  I know how sad it is on grandparent's day when you don't have one... and never really did have one.  My grandparents all were all gone but one by my first birthday and he was far away most of my first 8 years so I rarely got to see him.  I love to watch my little one look off to the corners of the room and coo and giggle at thin air.  I know my mom and dad and my mother-in-law are there letting this little one know how much she is loved.  I am glad that is there.  My job is to tell her their stories, to share their love,  and show her their things.  That is what I had and I loved it. It's what I had.
I hope to be able to get back into blogging.  I have been asked and asked to please do it again.  We have lots to share.  Being a baker, I have not taken the transition to Gluten Free quietly.  I refuse to eat food that tastes and feels terrible.  I have made some amazing discoveries (for me) and need to share them.  My GF friends that come to eat with us are always amazed that I have figured out how to make certain things GF and that they taste as good if not better than their memory of the original.  Bread is another story... I can't make anything that doesn't taste like baked play dough but... I am sure we will figure something out... sometime. 
I am going to have to learn how to blog all over again.  I can't even remember how to add a picture.... ack.  I will do my best.  Life is fun and we will figure this out.  I will have to do some new learning.  Thank you for coming back for a visit.  I am looking forward to sharing more with you.
Lots of love,
Mama Byrd

Creamy Mac 'n Cheese

*****I will add photos as soon as I have them *****

Major comfort food here!  My mom made this when I was little and when I started cooking, she pointed me to this cookbook and said "Learn!"  So I did.

This is my all time, favorite American Food cookbook, James Beard's American Cookery.  It isn't the junk side of American cooking but the homemade, melding of traditions cooking.  I love it.  And... as a kid learning to cook, I loved that he always told you where the dish came from and listed historical facts.

My favorite recipe from this book is the Macaroni and Cheese recipe.  Apparently at one time it was called Macaroni pudding.

So Here goes the Creamiest Macaroni and Cheese as adapted from the James Beard cookbook.

1 pound macaroni
6 Tbsp butter
6 Tbsp flour
3 cups milk
2 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
2 dashes Sriracha sauce
3 cups shredded cheese
Buttered Bread Crumbs

Boil the macaroni in salted water till just tender.  Drain well.
Prepare white sauce -  melt butter in a heavy saucepan, blend with the flour, and cook several minutes over medium heat.  Heat the milk to the boiling point, stir into the flour-butter mixture, and continue stirring till it thickens.  Add the seasonings and simmer 4 to 5 minutes.
Butter a 4 quart baking dish or casserole.
Arrange alternate layers of macaroni, sauce, and cheese, ending with the cheese.  Cover the top with the buttered crumbs.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned and the sauce is bubbly. Serve at once.

I used to mix the cheese into the sauce and melt it and I have also used prepared mustard instead of the dry mustard... I like it both ways BUT this way is creamier and I think tastes better.  My kids agree.  I have found that when you melt the cheese in the sauce it can go grainy... not good eats for a texture issues child.  So... This way wins now and is much easier.
Enjoy!

Beans and Peaches

Tonight's dinner is the cheapest yet.  Beans!

I think I spent less than 2 dollars on the beans we cooked up tonight.  I keep dry beans on hand all the time.  They make for a fairly quick, filling meal.
I got this recipe for my friend's blog.  You can get the recipe here.
I have been making it for several years now.  It is so simple and so good.  All my kids like it and eat it up.  It has no meat in it.  It can be added if you want but it isn't required.  We pair the beans with fresh bread or corn bread to complete the protein.  We also had home bottled peaches for desert.  We haven't had them for so long.  It was a great year for peaches in Missouri this year.  We were lucky and got more than 60 quarts bottled up.

They are a real treat.

Spicy Tomato Soup

This is another recipe we have been making for more than 25 years.  I got the recipe from my sister-in-law, Lee.  It is my favorite and I crave it.  It reminds me of my brother and his home and that always makes me happy.  I always use home bottled tomatoes for this recipe.  If you don't have that, look for a large can of stewed tomatoes.  A bottle of tomatoes is about 32 oz. so look for something comparable.  This recipe also calls for cloves and nutmeg.  They may sound a little weird at first but they give this soup it's signature flavor.  The whole house is filling with the smell of this spicy soup..... Oh and hot fresh bread.  My daughter made some to go with the soup.  Again... we are on budget and all this food came from the pantry.

Spicy Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 quart of bottled tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth (if you make your own bone broth... it makes the soup even better)
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sugar
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp pepper
salt to taste

Melt the butter in a stock pot.
Add the onions and saute until limp.
Add the bottle of tomatoes and the broth.
Add the herbs and spices.
Bring to a soft boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Serve with fresh bread or yummy cheese sandwiches.

My sister-in-law is a talented artist.  She also makes the most amazing salve, Mom's Stuff.

She has been making this stuff for years.  We love it.  One of the key ingredients is pinion pine pitch.  It smells so lovely and reminds me of home.  We use it for dry skin on hands, feet, and face.  We use it for cuts and scrapes.  My son uses it on our farm animals to help heal up minor cuts and scrapes.  It is a must around here, especially in the winter.  You should really give it a try.

Butaman

These are the Japanese version of the Steamed Pork Bun.  We love them.  My sister-in-law from Osaka taught us how to make these.  They are comfort food for my kids now.  I am sure you will love them too.

Miyuki's Butaman

Ingredients for filling:
2 pounds ground pork
1 8 oz can bamboo shoots, minced
6 shiitake mushrooms, minced after hydrating
2 tsp fresh ginger grated or ground
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp miso paste
4 tsp sugar
pinch of black pepper
4 tsp corn starch
1 onion, minced
2 tsp salt
1 green onion chopped
2 Tbsp sesame oil

Brown 1 pound pork with the bamboo, mushrooms, and ginger.
Mix the soy sauce, miso, sugar, and pepper.
Mix into the pork.  Remove from heat and set aside.
Coat the onions with the corn starch.
Mix with the raw ground pork, salt, green onion, and sesame oil.
Add to the cooked pork and mix well.  Set aside to cool.
(I have added other vegetables to this part of the mix... shredded cabbage, grated carrots, etc. My kids like it with more veggies.)

Ingredients for the Buns:

Mix A:
3 1/3 cups flour
2 cups Warm water
4 tsp sugar
4 tsp yeast
Mix well and set aside to proof for 30 minutes.

Mix B
10 Tbsp evaporated milk
2/3 tsp salt (ish... 3/4 is ok)
6 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp butter
Combine and warm in a sauce pan.  Be careful not get it too hot.  Add to Mix A after it is done rising.

Mix C
3 1/3 C flour
4 tsp baking powder
Mix and add to Mix A & B.  Kneed until smooth.  Divide in 32 equal pieces.

Assembly:
Divide your cooled filling into 32 equal portions.
Roll a ball of dough, place a portion of the filling in the center and pinch the dough up around the filling, forming a little bundle.  Place the little bundle on a small square of parchment or waxed paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.  The parchment paper keeps the dough from sticking to the pan when cooking and to the counter when making the bundles.
Steam the buns on high heat for 10 minutes.
Serve with soy sauce.  We like it with a mix of mustard and soy sauce.
To steam them we boil 2-3 inches of water in a large stock pot that has a steamer basket and lid.  My sister uses a bamboo steaming basket.  There are may other options.  If you are worried that they aren't cooked through... check one.  We have found that 10 minutes on high heat works for us.
I am sorry there aren't any more pictures... we had company tonight and we were in a rush and almost didn't get a picture at all.  The sad little but we did get a picture was the very last one... they snaffed them all.  This made enough for 9 people with each person getting at least 2 buns.  The finished buns are very large... about 3 1/2" wide and about 3" high.

We are still on budget.  This dinner came from shopping at home.  The pork came from our own pigs we had processed this past year.  Everything else came from the fridge or pantry.

Bolognese

Bolognese won this weeks "from the pantry" challenge because I had things we could make this with.  It is also a big winner because it is a great way to "hide" vegetables from your family.  I am all about that.  My husband eats more veggies now but when we were first married... he wouldn't touch them.  I love vegetables and wasn't going to give them up so... I had to get sneaky.  This recipe lets you get really sneaky.  This recipe uses carrots, onions, celery, and mushrooms.  I sent them all through the food processor to chop them very fine.  The all just disappear into the sauce.

Basic Bolognese

1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped or grated carrots
1 large onion chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
2 cups brown mushrooms chopped
1 to 2 pounds ground beef
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp Mrs Dash table blend (optional) I don't like pepper so I use this
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
2 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
5+ cloves garlic minced
1 Tbsp sugar
2 jars bottled tomatoes (OR 2 - 28oz cans of whole tomatoes)
1 Cup half & half
1 Cup milk

Heat the oil in a heavy pan.  Add the carrots, onions, celery, and mushrooms.  Cook for about 5 minutes.
Make a hole in the center of your veggies and add your ground beef.  Cook until browned and stir into the veggies.  Cook for about 5 more minutes.
Add the herbs and spices.  Let them cook in for a couple of minutes.
Add the Tomato paste and let that cook in for another couple of minutes.
Add the vinegar, salt, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and bottled tomatoes.  Mix well.  Let it cook for another 5 minutes or so, till it is all blended well.
Add the milk and half & half.  Bring to a boil again.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Serve over your favorite pasta.  We like to use homemade noodles.

Isn't that sauce beautiful!?  I think I am loving this.  I am so glad we did this challenge this week.  It is forcing me to get creative.  Next time (meaning tomorrow's leftovers) I am going to try tossing the fresh noodles right into the sauce and letting them cook there.  It will soak up all the yummy juices.  I can't wait for DH to try this.  I think he will love it!

Homemade Pasta

I have had this recipe since I was 16.  It is my favorite and I use it all the time.  It is great for any noodle dish you are making.  I like to use it for lasagna (only we don't cook them first, we just put them right in the pan).

Homemade Noodles

2 cups flour (white, whole wheat or a combo)
2 tsp sea salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp water

Put the flour and salt in a bowl or on your counter top.  Make a well in the flour.  Add the eggs, water, and oil.  Start blending with a fork and then your hands.  Kneed for a few minutes till it all comes together and forms a ball.  Sometimes I have to add a little more water to make it all come together.
Wrap in a damp cloth or some plastic wrap.  Let it rest for 10 minutes.  Then roll thin and cut into noodles.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken and noodles is a Southern comfort food that makes my husband very happy. I on the other hand... don't like it because there are no vegetables in it. So... we compromise and make this thicker chicken and noodles soup. We are both happy and love it.

When making our soup we start with one of our farm fresh, hand raised chickens. My husband and son raise these all summer so we can have the freezer full of chickens. I have found that you can find equally good chickens at our local farmers' market. They are worth the money. You get a much better chicken. We also make the noodles from scratch from our tried and true noodle recipe. We also always add turmeric and pink Himalayan salt. We like the way it tastes and I like that added minerals it gives.

Yummy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

1 whole chicken

4 -6 carrots cut up

2-3 stalks of celery chopped

1 small onion chopped

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp Mrs Dash table blend (any spice blend you like is fine)

½ tsp thyme

1 Tbsp parsley flakes

3 Tbsp flour

1batch homemade

 to the pot for another hour to get more of that lovely collagen and minerals out of the bones. Add water as needed.

Remove the bones from the broth and strain the broth and return to the stock pot.

Add the carrots, celery and onions to the pot. Bring to a boil. Add the herbs and spices.

Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Increase the heat to a full boil and add the handmade noodles. Cook for about 8-10 minutes more.

Mix the flour with a little water. Stir into the soup. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Add the chicken pieces back to the pot and heat through.

Serve.

Makes 8-10 servings.

We think it actually makes more than this because there is always enough left over for lunches the next day.  

Weekly Meal Menu for January 3rd-9th

We are trying a little challenge this week.  We have set a rule that we can only shop from our fridge, freezer, and pantry for meals this week.  The only problem I can see is that we might have to buy a carton of eggs... I don't see that as cheating.  We shall see... We have chickens right now but... it is winter here in Missouri and they are on a little break from egg laying.

This Week's Menu

Sunday - Chicken Noodle Soup
Monday - Bolognese with homemade pasta
Tuesday - Butaman
Wednesday - Tomato Soup with Bread
Thursday - Basic Beans
Friday - Egg roll in a bowl
Saturday - Slow Cooker Chili con Carne on Fries

New year... New Goals.

We are participating in the 31 days 2 get Organized Challenge.  So far, so good.  The challenges are small enough that I can keep up... BUT... they do make progress.  They are easy enough that the kids are also "playing along."  I like that part!
Another challenge that as caught my attention is The Great Grocery Challenge of 2016 over at Going Reno.

 I love her blog and enjoy her real life challenges.  The point of this challenge is to take control of you groceries.  I can budget in many areas of our life BUT groceries have a way of slipping way off track each month... I always seem to end up at the end of the month and the grocery money is gone... So I use other money and that never works!
We have some advantages right now because we live in the country, we have a farm, a garden, and a good farmer's market.  I hope to be able to post some of our deals and ideas to save in the kitchen.  Another big advantage that my oldest son has come to really appreciate... I can do stuff.  That is how he said it.  I can cook and I know how to make things from scratch.  Canned soups and mixes just don't exist in our house.  When I quit my job as a teacher to stay home with my own children, I had to make up the difference somewhere and prepared foods were the first to go.  I don't remember the last time I bought a can of cream soup or a packaged meal mix.  I missed them at first but now... they don't even register... and I think they taste nasty now... and happily... so do my kids.
So... I will try, this year, to post my weekly menu list (with recipes, links, etc...).  Having a Menu plan helps keep the food budget in order.   It is random, hungry shopping that blows my budget... I end up with Nutella and Cheese puffs when I don't plan...
To help me plan ( because I am a very random person!!!), I have to narrow the options.  I came up with a weekly food plan a few years ago, and when I follow it... life works better.  Here is my current food plan.
Sunday - "Sunday Dinner" type food and we eat with my brothers 2 weeks out of the month
Monday - Burger/Taco/Spaghetti night - means anything that fits those meal ideas
Tuesday - Ethnic Food night - We like too many different kinds to have individual nights of the week
Wednesday - Soup/Stew/Chili
Thursday - Crock pot/ Casserole/Meat pies
Friday - Kids Cook - The kids all know how to cook something and are learning how to cook others
Saturday - Pizza/Sandwiches/ Fun Family Foods
I have linked each of these to a pinterest page I use.  This helps me organize my many ideas for meals.

I also have a breakfast plan... I am looking at that again and am trying to re-work it to fit our needs better.
Now to go watch a family movie with my kids and DH on our last day of Christmas Break.... while I collect this week's recipes.

New Scriptures and Case for the New Year

We are starting the new year with a new scripture study plan.  The kids and I are excited about it.  We will work together using The Red Headed Hostess Book of Mormon study pages.  I like the way she helps you learn to break things down yourself.  The kids like that there will be pictures... I just like that we are doing it together.  Now to go make five more bags for the kids today while perfecting the pattern.  I love that I figured out how to make the bag with only 2 pieces of fabric (one inside lining and one outside.. oh and the handle but  that doesn't count.)  I love how excited the kids were to unwrap their new scriptures.  They are so new, crisp, and smell great.  We were excited to start making this new set up.  They are only for family study time.  They have their large sets for personal study and church study.

Gratitude

Several events have happened in the last 48 hours (and I guess a little longer) to make me really think about my life and what I want and what I have.

To start off I have been reading a lot of interesting books about thoughts and intention.  The whole concept of changing your thought, changing your life appealed to me.
I recently found the author Barbel Mohr and her book Instant Cosmic Ordering.  My husband actually heard about her in a random pod cast he listened to while working.  The book was 99 cents for the Kindle so I figured... what the heck.  She does a very good job of explaining thought and intention and how what you think does affect what shows up in your life... I think she does a better job than most of explaining why it happens.  I admit though... if I had just seen the title... I might not have read it because it does sound weird.
Well thinking about that... Here are a couple of things that happened this week that really made me think.
1.  Christmas is over and I have been looking at my budget that is totally blown... We do live simply but... I did still spend more than I should have of my budget...  This information does not do much to make one think happy thoughts about money.  So... In the back of my head, I was wishing that I had more... not satisfied with where I was.  (so this is what is running in the back of my head)..
2. My sister and her family came to visit this week.  We spent a lot of time talking and having a good time together.  While talking (very late one night this week)... I mentioned a super good deal I get on printer ink.  It really is a good deal.  I have been doing this for years.  For half  of what I would normally spend on ink for my printer, I can get about 6 months worth of ink.  That is a good deal.  My BIL flipped.  He threw his hands in the air and said "How do you do that?!"  I am was like.. .what do you mean??  He said that he has noticed that things I need just show up for me.  *blink blink*... I hadn't noticed this about my life, but it is true.  Things I need to show up.  Because of life choices of being a stay at home, homeschooling mom... I don't earn the salary I would if I were working at the career I was trained in and thought I would be doing all my life.  I have had to make do.  If I want something bad enough for me and my children, I have to find a way for it to show up within my budget... and it does.  We do live simply but well.   This has made me think about my life and the really cool things that do show up that I hadn't been paying attention to.
3.  Last night... as I was thinking about what I didn't have... I thought... I would really like $500 right now... it would really help with a couple of things I wanted to do.  I was looking at the lack of this money.  Over the last year, I have found a few interesting and fun... somewhat fluffy... sites.  My friend introduced me to card reading... It isn't something that I have ever taken seriously because it isn't something I do.  But I don't mock it.  A friend of mine showed me a couple of online card sites that are fun to play with.  I don't really take them seriously but found them entertaining.  Well, for fun last night, I went to one of the sites and I did a one cared draw.  It was for fun.. The way it works is... you think of a question or problem you have... you pick a card draw and you get a card with a message on it.. .kinda like fortune cookies... Well... I thought... I could really use some money... I want some money... Can I have some money... So that was my question.  I picked the one card draw and waited... and giggled a bit... And then I got my card and was really surprised at the answer.  Out of all the cards that could have come up in the random draw, I got the platypus Oracle card.  It came from this site.  ( I don't support this site or anything, it just came up when I was goofing around).  The Platypus card said... "Stop complaining, focus your attention on the blessings in your life."  I was struck.  That was exactly what I was doing.  I was complaining.  I was not noticing the good things in my life.  That really made me think.  I went to sleep last night thinking about this and the blessings that ARE in my life.
4.  This morning when I got up, one of my old friends from my collage days (who just recently found me on facebook) posted a picture of a gratitude jar.  I LOVE this idea.  I am going to give this a try.  Starting a new year of gratitude.  Only... I don't want to use just any jar... I think I will get one of my cookie jars from my collection and start filling it.  This is a resolution that I know I can keep.

  

Pinwheels

It is fall here in the Ozarks.  It is always such a treat to watch the leaves change.  Our family enjoys so many fall events every year.   However.... now that we have 3 kids in High School we have discovered that they have almost all been trumped by band and FFA trips.  Sigh!... The bright side is that the kids love what they are doing... Right?!
The one fall event that I look forward to MOST is our semi-annual Quilt retreat.  I LIVE for this!  I am quilt guild president again (a job I LOVE!) and so am in on the planning and execution of this event twice a year.  This time... my lovely committee took care of most of the details themselves and that meant I got to play!!! Thank you ladies!!!
I only participated in one class this time (I think I signed up for all of them but quickly amended my choices).  I took a mini twister class.  You take lots of little 2.5" squares, sew them together, and cut them up again and sew those together to make a tiny 10" or so quilt.  Here is what I finished on Saturday.

I made it with the Itty Bitty Primitive Pinwheels pattern and cutting ruler.  I have several more ideas to try this way... I might even post a tutorial.  I am in progress right now with a strawberry pattern I drew up... and I might make a tomato just for fun since I work in the shop at the Strawberry and Tomato farm during the growing season.

Smile

Day two of this challenge is SMILE.  I am grateful for the ability to smile.  I love that Happiness is a choice.  When you seek to find it on the outside, you never will truly find it.  It is a choice from the inside.  It may be one of the hardest choices for some and at some times but, it is still your choice.  No one can MAKE you be happy.  You get to chose it, and choosing it makes all the difference.
I stumbled across the writings of Louise Hay this year.  How I had never found them before, I do not know. But I love them.  It was through listening to her and reading her word that I learned just how powerful the choice of happiness is.  It has changed my life and I hope, the lives of those I love.  Go check it out yourself. You just might love it too.
I love this song "Smile", sung by Nat King Cole.  It sums up how I feel about smiling at it's best.  Life is always still worthwhile.

Here are some of my favorite people smiling.

Gratitude ... and Cream Puffs

I have accepted a 30 day Gratitude challenge.  It involves taking a photo and recording the things you are grateful for.  I hope to blog them all but... you know my past record.
I have been thinking about gratitude a lot lately.  I watched a random Youtube clip this fall that really got me thinking.  It is by Robert G. Smith and he tells about a Gratitude Journal.  It really got my attention.  We are experts at focusing on what makes us unhappy and putting our energy into that.  Things like.... oh... your looks... that weird scar on the end of my nose from Shingles a couple of years ago... The fact that no matter what I do... the weight isn't coming off... $$$, failures, etc... you get the picture.  I am sure you could make a list of your own... but WHY?!  Robert said to make a list of all the things you are grateful for.  Then... think about them.  You will find yourself being happy for NO REASON.  I could use some of that.  So... As part of my Gratitude Journal, I am recording some of my favorite things, things I AM grateful for, things I love!... Things that I can think about and BE happy for NO REASON.
(Oh if you want that youtube link... here it is).  (oops my bad... it is the Happy journal with the Gratitude list .... call it what you want... it is a great idea!)

So... Today, November 1st (yest I know it is midnight but hey...)  I am grateful for food, and in particular... I am thankful for Cream Puffs.

Cream Puffs were one of my Grandma Wood's specialty desserts.  She used to make them and bring them to my parents home on Sunday evenings, with my grandpa, and they would have Family Home Evening with my family.  I wasn't born yet when this happened.  So... I have different memories of these delightful pastries than my siblings to.  The cream puffs I ate as a child were made by my mother.  And, when she would make them I would get to help.  When you cut a hot, fresh cream puff open, you have to scoop out the remaining eggy filling inside.  I loved doing this, helping, and getting the yummy eggy bits inside.  As I would help with these, my mother and older sisters would tell me stories about my grandmother.  She died the week of my first birthday.  I never felt deprived of her presence as a child because I always felt her close in the home.  They would tell me stories about her amazing cooking, her wonderful needle skills making lace, and sewing wonderfully warm blankets.  They told me about her life of service to her family, church and community.  She was a social worker and did a wonderful thing for families in California.  They told me how kind she was, how wonderful it was just to be near her.  I was given one of her last blankets when I was little.  I still have it.  It is made from scraps of old wool suits and is backed with red flannel.  It was so warm and cozy when I was little.  I would curl up in that blanket and could feel the love in the stitching (that is one reason I quilt today).
Cream puffs are a tradition in our family.  I make them now for my children and tell them the stories about this amazing woman.  I have always looked up to her.  It makes me feel good to be compared to her when I do things that are good and right and meaningful.  I do actually have on physical memory of her before she died.  I will have to share that someday... not today.
Here is the recipe as I got it from my mother, who got it from her's:

Grandma Wood's Cream Puffs

1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Boil the water, butter, salt, and flour together and stir rapidly.  Cook stirring constantly until the mixture forms a ball that doesn't separate.  (always looked like play dough to me)  Remove from heat.
Add the eggs, one at a time and beat quickly so you don't cook the egg.  Stir until the mixture is smooth before adding the next egg.  Repeat with all the eggs.
Cool and take by spoonfuls and arrange on a cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
Bake in a hot oven (450* F) for 15 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 325*F and bake for 25 additional minutes. When they are cool, cut off the tops and clean out the eggy goodness inside and fill with cream filling and top with chocolate frosting.

Filling
1 cup milk
1/3 -1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour (I use 1/4 cup corn starch)
2 egg yolks or 1 whole egg well beaten
Vanilla extract
Mix together sugar and flour in sauce pan.  Add milk and stir until mixed.  Heat, stirring constantly until thickened.  Remove from heat.  Take about 1/2 cup pudding in a small bowl and mix in egg with a wire whisk.  Add egg mixture back to remaining pudding and mix well.  Add flavoring, mix.  Cool completely.  Store in refrigerator until ready to use.  Store all leftovers in the refrigerator.

Chocolate topping

3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk
Mix sugar, butter, and milk in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil. Boil about 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and add chocolate chips.  Stir until melted.  Drizzle over cream puff... or what ever you want... ice cream, cake... your finger.... :)

I hope you enjoy this little recipe and the story that goes with it.  Watch the youtube clip... Make a gratitude list of your own and find something that you can make you happy for no reason.

Garlic Spaghetti

Heaven in a bowl!

16 oz spaghetti
2 large eggs
14-16 cloves of garlic peeled **
6-8 Tbsp butter
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried basil (or a handful or so of fresh basil)
salt & pepper
Bacon bits (optional ... fabulous but... it is still good without)

Cook the pasta to your liking.
Warm the bowl for the pasta (I use a big glass bowl).
Combine eggs, garlic, butter, Parmesan cheese, basil, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Buzz and scrape down the sized until you have a thick paste.
Drain the pasta. Put it right into the heated bowl and glob the garlic paste right on top and stir in quickly. Toss and enjoy! You can top it with a bit more cheese if you want.

** I found that I like the garlic roasted just a little.... the raw garlic is a bit hot and sometimes... I am in the mood for that ... but... sometimes... I like the more mellow taste of roasted garlic.

Cakey

I had to share!

I came home from running my oldest son from point A

to point B and found that my 12 year old Daughter, Cakey,

had made this lovely cake!

It is as delicious as it is beautiful. I didn't help her at all....

....wasn't there to...

I don't do book reviews often BUT...

I have been nothing but impressed with this book

(and the other books in this line).

The recipes are all simply marvelous.

The instructions are clear and easy to follow.

(My 12 year old did it all by herself.)

The books also include a DVD that teaches you baking tips and tricks.

I simply love it!

BTW... the cake she made is the "Strawberry Filled Cake" from this book...

I am no way affiliated with this book or it's authors...

I am just sharing a super, fabulous find that we are in love with...

you just might find yourself there too.

Their Pie book is to DIE FOR!

Mushroom Burgers

One of my friends shared this idea with us. We love it!! No recipe is really required.

You just take ground meat (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, etc could even be vegan stuff),

mix in the spices you like (salt and pepper work great)

Form Meatball sized balls of the mixture,

Flatten the meat to form a patty and put it inside a mushroom you have cut in half.

Place them on a lined cookie sheet.

and ... Bake ... We baked ours at 400 deg F. for about 20-25 minutes or until the meat was done to our liking.

The yummy juices from the meat cooked right into the mushrooms.

Then we just added what yummy extras we wanted like cheese, onion, tomato, avocado, etc. No need for condiments. They are yummy as is. AND... there is no need for a bun they are veggie high and carb low. Love It!

Wash Cloths

A dear friend in my Quilt Guild has been knitting up these wash cloths for years. She says they are great therapy and help you unwind after work. She is right... I don't work outside the home much but I do work here.... Quite a bit. And knitting while I am watching a movie with the kids, waiting on an appointment, etc. does help me de-stress. I also don't sit still very well and it is nice to have something "to show" for your down time.

Now, I am not very good at knitting. I have been mostly self taught... meaning... I didn't learn as a little girl like all my big sisters did. I didn't pick up needles until I had at least three little kids and was dieing to make something lovely and yarn-y for my kids. Well that was a disaster. After a couple more years, I decided to give it a try again. By then Harry Potter was a huge interest in my Son's life and I decided to make him a scarf. As it turns out, that is a great place to start. I learned how to knit in the round which just so happens to knit and purl itself as you go round and round for dozens of rows. What it taught me was how to loosen up my stitches (I tend to put too much tension into my work) AND it helped to learn to see what the stitches were supposed to look like. I learned how to count rows and such. I learned what it looked like if I got things backwards. I also found a book and a couple of DVDs along the way at our local library that really helped me "wrap" my head around the whole knitting concept.
Knitting for Dummies is my favorite beginner book. The picture instructions are amazingly detailed so it is easy to follow right along as you turn the pages. The DVDs I found were, The Art of Knitting and I Can't Believe I'm Knitting! In Motion: Beginner, and my favorite (demonstrated by an amazing 6 year old boy) The Art of Knitting 4 Kids. I watched these over and over and finally got the hang of what I was doing, I even managed to teach my oldest daughter how to knit without needing my help. That was great.

So.... Here is the pattern for making these wash cloths. After working on scarves this is pretty easy and the pattern isn't hard to keep in your head. I love the mindlessness of simple knitting. The rhythm is very soothing.

I am going to link to different tutorials all along the way so you can watch someone else do the stitches, and so you can see several other people knit and get to know their sites. The Internet is such a wealth of information, posted there by very generous people.

For this tutorial you will need to know how to
Cast On
Knit
Yarn Over
Knit 2 Together
Bind Off

Simple Knit Wash Cloth

Supplies:


Cotton Yarn - Peaches and Cream seems to be a leading brand. ( I used white yarn that I hand dyed.)
Size 6 to 8 knitting needles

Instructions:
Cast on 4 stitches

Row 1 : Knit 4 (this link includes an additional way to cast on)
Row 2: Knit 2, Yarn Over (YO), Knit across the row.
Repeat row 2 until you have 44 stitches on your needle.

Now you will decrease.
Row 3: Knit 1, Knit 2 together, Yarn Over, Knit 2 together, knit to the end of the row.
Repeat this until you have 4 stitches left on the needle.
Bind off the last 4 stitches leaving about a 6 inch tail.
Take a yarn needle or a crochet hook and weave the loose ends into the washcloth and trim the ends.

Pear Pie

I crave this pie (OK I crave lots of pie but I really do love this one!)

I first had this pie at my Brother's house in Spring City Utah. My sister-in-law, Lee, is an amazing cook and shared this recipe with me 20 years ago. The beauty of this pie is that it can be made with fresh or bottled pears.

Lee's Open Face Pear Pie
9" pastry shell
4 medium pears*
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar (we cut this to 1/2 cup)
1/4 cups flour
3 eggs
Pinch of Salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp ground mace**

Directions:
Peel, halve and core the pears.
Brush w/lemon juice.
Place pears cut side down in pie shell w/narrow ends toward center.
Cream together butter & sugar.
Beat in flour, eggs, vanilla and salt.
Pour over pears, sprinkle lightly w/mace.
Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes and cool.

* Can use bottled or canned pear half (or even chunks, as long as you have 4 pears worth.)
**Can substitute nutmeg for mace