"This Economy"

There are a lot of things "this economy" has been or not been for a lot of people.  Many are struggling.  For many this economy has been a trial and hardship.  All of us can feel it or see it at times.  I feel so very blessed and thankful for our situation when so many friends around us struggle.  Dan and I have been very blessed during these times with Dan's steady job that allows our needs to be met and allows me to stay home with our daughter.  That alone is a blessing and a dream I had always hoped for.  Now, we are receiving another great blessing.  We are buying a house!!!  Sadly, our great blessing and fortune is coming from another's misfortune.  But were it not for this misfortune or "this economy" as it is in our area today, we would not have the privilege to by our first home.  I didn't expect this day to come this soon, but next Monday (as long as all goes well), we will be closing on our first house.  I am one blessed girl, and I know it.  I am so thankful for all the blessings that I have.  I did not do the "thankful" days of November as many did, but I am reminded everyday when I look at my family,  as I breathe, as I realize my freedoms to believe as I choose, make my own choices, to not live in fear of my life, to be fed, clothed, and have a home.  Truly I am blessed.  I thank my Heavenly Father for all of these blessings and so many more!

We Made It Monday: Mandarin Orange and Lettuce Salad

We made this yummy salad tonight with dinner.  I substituted the golden raisins for some organic Thompson raisins a friend gave me.  I've learned a neat trick with raisins.  SOAKING.  I am not a huge fan of just snacking on raisins and as a result I just don't have them around.  BUT if you keep a little jar of raisins soaking in water they get nice and soft, plump, and juicy.  Perfect for hot cereal, oatmeal, baby snacks, adult snacks, salads, smoothies, even if you were baking with them.  It makes a HUGE difference.  As for the toasted cashews in the recipe I almost didn't do it because I thought it wouldn't make that much of a difference, but it did make a nice twist of taste and texture.  This is a really simple recipe and is very yummy.  I used Wishbone Italian dressing on ours since it is gluten free, but I'm sure you can use your favorite dressing.  I bet a rasberry vinagrette would be yummy.  When tangarines come in season I am going to try this recipe with
fresh oranges since canned mandarin oranges have so much sugar in the syrup.
ENJOY!!!

Mandarin Orange and Lettuce Salad

- About 6 Cups (or a 16oz pkg) of lettuce or salad mix

- 1 (11oz) can mandarin oranges, drained

- 1/3 Cup golden raisins (soaked overnight is BEST)

- 1/3 cup toasted cashews

- 1/2 commercial Italian dressing OR sweet-and-sour dressing OR favorite dressing of choice

Directions

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a salad bowl. Pour salad dressing over salad, and toss. Serve immediately.

Forcast Report: Brainstorms Brewing at the Brewer Blog!!!

What would Mrs. Santa Claus say? 

If Mrs. Santa Clause had a message to give to a group of women before/about/or regarding something Christmas what do you think it would be?  It can be spiritual, funny, or helpful tips.  

What do you think she would want to tell women who are mothers, not mothers, old, young, 

married, unmarried, working, not working...all women?  

What would she want women to know?

Halloween at our house...

THE PRINCESS

  It was all about the princess this year!  Charlie-Marie dressed as a beautiful princess in pink. (Thanks Mookie!).  She was honestly the star of the night at our trunk-r-treat at church on Saturday.  As you will see in videos she had a HUGE gathering of women and grandmothers all surrounding her and laughing at her first experience with candy...a delicious lollipop.  It was so fun!  I dressed up as her fairy god-mother, although that hardly matters with the glow of my princess!  We sure missed having Dan with us that night.  He would have loved it!  On the actual Halloween night we only had one knock from trick-r-treaters.  3 Ninjas.  They were cute, but that was the total of our visitors.  Not many people do the old fashioned door-to-door anymore.  Although I can't say I blame them.  Nowadays malls, grocery stores, churches, and many other safer, better lit, and reliable places are hosting trick-r-treating.

 

THE FIRST CANDY

After the Party

WAY past bedtime

NEEDED a bath

SUGAR HIGH!!!

We Made It Monday (Halloween Stuff a little late)

 

Spooky Halloween Tree - Meant to be entirely edible with the Graham cracker bottom, frosting dirt, candy corn fence and pumpkins, and black licorice tree.  However, none of the wire I had on hand to put inside the trees to be able to bend them was working so I used black pipe cleaners.  

Might be a fuzzy bite if you do try to eat it.

 

Church Relief Society Dinner-In-A-Pumpkin

Mummy Candy Dish.  I used some old round baby food cups and cut and glued gauze to the outside over a cotton ball nose and around 2 googly eyes.  It is hard to tell from the pictures, but they were really cute! 

Note the baby footprint ghost (Thanks to Charlie-Marie) and the cool bat - They were meant to be hung upside down around the room over the tables, but we ran out of time

All in just 9 Months!

9 Months Old

10-21-10

9 Months Ago

1-21-10

9 Months Before That

(April-May 2009)

And Roughly 9 Months Before That

(Summer 2008)

It is AMAZING how much can change in 

9 short months!

My First Movie (Appropriate for a Baby Halloween Thriller)...

Ok, so this is my first "movie".  

Yes, it is super corny, but I love corn.  

Yes, I am still learning to splice and dice and cut down, but hence the "learning" and is there really such a thing as too much of a good thing (meaning Charlie-Marie)? 

Yes, it is a bit over dramatic, but that is what I was going for...?  

Yes, the music is a little odd, but since I am not the savviest of computer savvies I only had access to a handful of my thousands of music clips from iTunes (not sure why).

So enjoy this 4 minute Halloween Spine-Chiller...At least Charlie-Marie thought it was creepy...

I Made It Monday: Homemade Produce Wash

So, this really isn't FOOD or COOKING...but it is related and I was pretty excited about finding out about it.  I've always wanted to wash my produce better than I have been and commercial produce washes are all so expensive.  So I was pretty excited when I found out about this home made recipe.  I think it works great!  I keep the spray bottle right under the sink for fast easy access.  I wash a lot of my produce now before it even goes in the fridge after grocery shopping.  Just don't prewash produce that will breakdown or go bad faster like berries, lettuce, mushrooms, etc.  Our system is that if it is in the fridge and not in it's original store bag than it has been washed.  ANYWAY, I'm rambling so here is the recipe.  MAKE SURE you follow the direction about using a deep container or you will have a mini volcano overflowing!  :O)  Enjoy!

Produce Wash Recipe

1 Cup water

1 Cup vinegar

2 Tbs baking soda

2 Tbs lemon juice

Directions:
~  Mix ingredients in deep container (there will be fizzing from the baking soda and vinegar.
~  Pour into clean spray bottle.
~  Spray vegetables and fruit generously.
~  Let sit for a few minutes then rinse off well.

Shake your booty!

I Made It Monday: Nigerian Bean Stew with a Peanut Sauce

Before you look at the ingredients and think "YUCK!  Peanut Butter and BEANS?" you just have to try it.  You actually don't taste the peanut butter, it just makes the sauce creamy.

For my birthday my parents sent me a new cookbook called "World Vegetarian" by Madhur Jaffrey's and this is the second thing I made from it.  The first was lentils and rice.  I have been trying to cook more with beans so this book has been a big help!  I definitely takes some forethought when it comes to soaking and cooking the beans, but super easy to do soaking over night or cooking during the day since you don't have to hover over it.

We ate it over rice and I thought it was really good.  Dan really liked it, but had to add his Franks red hot sauce to it...but he adds it to his spaghetti too so it doesn't say much.  He just likes hot food!  I did agree that it might need a little something, but then I did forget to add the salt which we tried to add in later.  It was even better the next day (I thought).


Nigerian Bean Stew with Peanut Sauce
1 1/2 cups dried red kidney beans soaked and cooked per directions.  Do not drain the beans from the cooking water
2 tsp salt, or to taste
3 Tbs peanut or canola oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic gloves, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 large green pepper, seeds removed and cut into small dice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbs smooth peanut butter.

~  Soak and cook beans per directions, but do not drain after cooking.  Add salt to the beans, stir to mix, and leave the beans in their cooking liquid
~  Put the oil in a wide, medium pot and set over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, and pepper.  Stir and fry just until onion is translucent, turning the heat down as needed.
~  Add the cumin and stir once.
~  Put in tomato sauce, cayenne, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of water.
~  Stir and bring to a simmer.  Turn the head down to low and simmer gently, stirring now and then, for 15 minutes.
~  Meanwhile, put peanut butter in a small bowl.  Slowly add about 6 Tbs of cooking liquid from the beans, mixing as you go.  Stir this mixture back into the pot of beans
~  When tomato mixture is finished cooking, pour into pot of beans as well.  Stir and simmer.
~  Cover, turn heat down to low, and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve hot.