Snow Ice Cream

We are home from school again for the third day in a row. I think that I am starting to get a little stir crazy. But, my kids are thrilled to be home to play in the snow another day. Yesterday I mentioned to my neighbor that I planned to try out a recipe for Snow Ice Cream that I had seen floating around on Facebook. He said to me, “I was always told, don't eat the first snow.” I grew up in Maine and I had never heard this before. But, yesterday afternoon when I spoke to my Aunt Shirley, who lives in Deleware, she said the same thing. So I did an internet search on it. Some people say that the first snow contains lots of germs, etc. However, I wasn't able to find any real proof of this.

We made the Snow Ice Cream anyway and we all loved it. We just stirred together the ingredients with a spoon and ate it immediately. I have a feeling my kids will want to make it again today.

Snow Day!

My three kids along with one of their best buddies.

Snow is rare in North Carolina. So, when there is a prediction of a flurry, people get excited. So excited in fact that yesterday school was cancelled without a flurry in sight! Very disappointing. However, we woke up this morning to a blanket of snow and thankfully our second day off is justified. 

My kids wanted to go outside immediately this morning, but I insisted on breakfast first. I put some Mandarin Muffins in the oven, and while they baked, we gathered together all of our winter gear. Sadly, only my two younger kids had the correct clothing, but this didn't stop my oldest from going out to play. (She is hot natured at least.) 

 

Over breakfast, I learned that my son got up in the middle of the night and looked out the window and saw all the snow. He then woke up the girls to show them too. All of this happened while I was sound asleep!

I anticipate a day filled with outdoor play and hot cocoa. And, that sounds just about perfect to me. 

Happy Birthday!

This week my oldest celebrated a birthday. For her birthday dinner she requested hot dogs and chips with nacho cheese dip. Not exactly “real” food choices, but I was happy to comply for my birthday girl. And, instead of a traditional cake, she asked for Chocolate Chip Cookies, which were homemade. (I will share my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe soon.) I think that this was the most simple birthday meal I have ever prepared! And, my birthday girl was thrilled.

New Year's Kitchen Goal

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Last year I shared with you my New Year's Frugal Kitchen Goal. Overall, I feel like I have achieved that goal. However, I have to admit that I abandoned the part of my goal where I aimed to prepare more homemade convenience foods. Although this had worked for me in the past, I felt like it was unrealistic concerning my new family dynamic. 

This year, my goal is a bit different. In 2014, I plan to simplify my time in the kitchen. This means that I would like to cook meals with fewer ingredients, cook/bake less often, and provide school lunches with minimal fuss. Plus, I want to maintain my current grocery budget and my commitment to serving “real” food. 

I have already been prowling around my grocery store looking for new options. Over the last couple of months, I have introduced some new things to my kids and they have been pleased. For example, I have found that my kids really like natural cashews and pistachios. In the past, I had only bought peanuts, almonds, and pecans. 

Do you have some simple recipes or "real" food solutions that your family loves? If so, please share! 

Happy New Year!

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Today I Am...

… home with a very sick little girl. This is the second time in two weeks she has gotten this stomach flu.

 

 

… sipping on freshly ground coffee with Homemade Peppermint Mocha Creamer. I love this stuff!

 

… pleased to have a few more gifts ready to give. I made these yesterday using a half recipe for the Chocolate Cookies I told you about earlier this month.

… looking forward to sharing a new recipe with you for Cracker Candy. 

 

Today I Am...



... feeling sluggish. Although I have had a very busy week and I am moving in slow motion today, I am glad to say that last night I was able to get a babysitter and go out with some friends to see a live production of Sweeney Todd. 

 

... glad that my kids were off from school on Monday. We spent the day visiting a state park, picnicking, and enjoying nature.

 

... thrilled that two out of three of my kids completely created their own Halloween costumes. We celebrated by going with friends to a Trunk or Treat event at our church and by trick or treating at a few houses in our neighborhood.

 

... wondering why I have such a hard time getting all three of my kids to look at the camera and smile when I take their picture.

What has been happening with you this Fall?

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks the two year anniversary of You Can Make That! I am having just as much fun sharing recipes here with you today as I did two years ago. And, hopefully there will be many more years to come. In honor of this two year mark, I thought that you might enjoy seeing the recipes have been the most popular with the You Can Make That readers.

 

These two recipes are at the top by far. Both have had about the same number of views, but the Honey Mustard Dressing and Marinade was posted in February 2012 and the Pumpkin Spice Creamer was just posted last month. I wonder which one will win out over time?

 

Honey Mustard Dressing & Marinade

 

Pumpkin Spice Creamer

 

Other Popular Recipes:

 

Homemade Amaretto Creamer

Homemade Onion Soup Mix

Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

Corn Cakes

Homemade Ranch Dressing and Dip Mix

I find it interesting that several of the most viewed recipes have been homemade convenience foods. Have you found a recipe here that has become a favorite at your house?

A Fun Filled Fall Weekend

Over the weekend we visited a local farm. We went especially to go through the Corn Maze. It was geared toward young children with educational questions that gave you directions through the maze. There was only one way in and one way out with no possibility of being lost for hours. My younger two loved it, and my older one was gracious about the fact that it was not more challenging.

At the end of the maze there were more educational activities that they enjoyed. Plus, everyone got a free pumpkin. After the maze, we got some homemade ice cream that is made right on the farm. It was a lovely day and the kids were pleased with all of it.

After we had gotten home, and the kids were off playing in the yard, I saw this pumpkin sitting on my living room couch wrapped up like a baby in a basket. I couldn't help but to take a picture. My little one is definitely in love with her pumpkin!

This pumpkin baby reminded me of another interesting baby that my little one fell in love with over the summer. Meet pumpkin baby's cousin, corn baby. My little one certainly has a unique attraction to produce!

What are you doing to celebrate Fall?

Have You Missed Me?

I know that some of you have. I have received e-mails, phone calls, and text messages all asking me where I have been. Well, where do I start? My kids have been in school for three weeks now, and we are all making the adjustment to beginning another year in school. Two of my kids have started music lessons which takes us out of the house for several hours one night a week. And, I have started working again part time. It has been a flurry of activity at my house lately, so I apologize for my absence.

I am happy to report to you though that I have been using my “new” bread maker at least twice a week. It has been a fabulous time saver and my kids are so pleased to have homemade bread again. I have also been streamlining my lunch system to save time and money. One of the things that I have done is to purchase more containers for the school lunches. Having more containers has kept me from having to hand wash the containers every day to make sure that there are plenty for the next day. And finally, my youngest takes vanilla yogurt every day to school. So, now that I have enough containers, I am able to fill them only once a week instead of daily. This has helped me to save time too.

Although our transition to a new school year has not been seamless, it is shaping up to be a good year for us. How are you handling the new school year?

Today I Am...

... sad to see the summer end.

... glad that my kids love their new teachers.

... pleased to have discovered a nut free sandwich spread that my son likes since he is in a nut free classroom this year.

... hopeful that this year we will all thrive and not just survive as we did last year.

What is happening in your world today?

Vacation #2

We have just returned from a two week trip home to visit with my family in Maine and New Hampshire. 

We spent our time visiting with my parents, touring a Colonial village, swimming at the beach,

...camping with the cousins, roasting marshmallows, fishing,

...catching up with dear friends, driving the John Deere, roasting more marshmallows,

... and celebrating my mom's birthday!

We have had a full summer! But, we planned it that way and we have enjoyed every minute of it. Has your summer been full too?

Perishing Potatoes

A couple of weeks ago I came across a great sale on potatoes at the grocery store. They were buy one get one free, so I gladly purchased them. Sadly to say though, the potatoes were not a good investment. Close to half of them have perished before we could eat them. Normally potatoes have a long shelf life, but these must have been at then end of their life before I even brought them home. After making such a great effort to reduce food waste this year, I hate to see any more rot, so we have been working diligently to eat them up.

Tonight we are having Parmesan Potatoes along with some "Reduced for Quick Sale" steak.

The other day we had Fried Potatoes along with Meatloaf. The last few potatoes I may use to make a potato salad.

Has anything gone to waste in your kitchen lately?

A Visit with a Dear Friend

Over the weekend my dear friend Tamar came for a visit. We haven't seen each other in over ten years. But, as with all true friends, we picked up exactly where we left off. We shared our struggles, our hurts, and our joys. We went to the park, ate homemade ice cream, and stayed up late. This weekend marked the one year anniversary of my husband's death. Tamar knew that, and her visit made our weekend special instead of sad.

Tamar brought some lovely gifts that I thought that you might enjoy seeing. One was a bottle of wine that she made herself! Such a labor of love, her wines take anywhere from six months to two years before they are ready to drink. Tamar began the process with this Blueberry Delight in November of 2011, and it is delicious!

Another gift that Tamar brought was this personalized kitchen towel. She also made this herself and I am so pleased with it. I'm not sure if I can bring myself to use it though, maybe I will display it instead. Good friends are invaluable and they make our lives rich and meaningful, thanks Tamar for making our difficult weekend a precious memory.

This post has been linked to Inspiration Monday.

Happy July 4th!!

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Vacation

We have just returned from a trip to Red River, New Mexico. We vacationed with a group of dear friends and we had a blast!



 

 

We spent our time hiking,

 

 

fishing,
 

 

 

four wheeling,

 

and hiking some more.

 

 

And, I'm looking forward to telling you more about it soon. What are your summer vacation plans?

School is Out!

 

Let the Summer fun begin!!

Strawberries!

 

We are so excited to be in the middle of strawberry season here in North Carolina. The kids have looked forward to strawberry picking all winter and over the weekend, we headed to a local farm and picked two baskets full.

 

 

The kids had a blast running through the rows looking for the biggest and reddest strawberries that they could find. And, they were even more pleased to fit as many strawberries as possible into the above baskets. The strawberries were not sold by weight, but were a flat price. So, no matter how many you fit into your basket, it was still the same price. We saw some people with huge towers of precariously positioned strawberries in their baskets, and my kids took it as a challenge to do the same.

  

We came home and devoured as many strawberries as our bellies could handle and then I made jam. I put up 8 pints and we have already enjoyed it on homemade biscuits. We also shared our berries with friends at two different social events this weekend. And, I'll tell you more about those recipes soon.

Are you as excited about strawberry season as we are?

Farm Stands, Lettuce, and Fresh Eggs

We are just now seeing a limited amount of fresh, local produce become available here in North Carolina. I drove by a farm stand on Monday that had a sign saying that they now had strawberries. And, if it hadn't been raining cats and dogs, I probably would have stopped. Over the weekend though, my next door neighbor began delivering fresh lettuce from her backyard. How much more local can it get? She grows enough every year to share with the neighborhood and I'm thrilled to have received not one, but two heads of lettuce. 

I have also discovered that one of the families at my church has chickens. And, they are glad to share their eggs, free of charge! The only thing that they ask is for you to bring your own cartons. I am so pleased with this, for many years I received fresh eggs from a local farmer who was glad to supply our family with eggs whenever he had an overabundance. It has been a long time since I have had fresh eggs to serve and the difference in quality is amazing.

Are you starting to see local produce in your area?

This post has been linked to The Thrifty Home's Penny Pinching Party.

Today I Am...

...pleased with my Hummingbird. We went to a festival over the weekend with some friends and I saw this Hummingbird made out of a spoon and some forks. I had to have it for my flower bed! The artisan was also selling other garden decorations made out of silverware. There were dragonflies, butterflies, frogs, and turtles. So fun, now I need to fill up my empty flower beds with actual flowers.

...looking forward to leftover cookies. Yesterday I made some Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies to share with friends. There are two leftover cookies and I'm looking forward to having them with my lunch.

...headed to the grocery store. I usually do my grocery shopping on Monday. And, I can usually find a good selection of "Reduced for Quick Sale" meats when I get there early. This has been a great money saving trick for me over the years and it allows me to offer my family a larger variety of meats without crushing my budget.

What is going on with you today?