{this moment} and, a recipe

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Shanda

M O M E N T

A friday ritual. A single photo, capturing a moment of the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember.

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M U F F I N S

I made muffins this morning for the children. Seth (in picture up there ^^) requested chocolate chip muffins. I typically don’t care for chocolate chips in breads or pancakes, but I mixed up a batch of muffins, making a few changes to a favorite recipe. They turned out chocolatey from the chips, but not too sweet. The whole family liked them, including Rich, so I thought I would share the recipe with you in case you want to make them for Saturday breakfast.

Summertime Chocolate Chip Breakfast Muffins (makes about 18, depending on how much you fill the cups)

4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Add all dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk together. In a separate bowl, miss together the wet ingredients thoroughly. Dig a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the milk. Stir until just mixed and no more…..then, add one and a half cups chocolate chips (fold into batter gently). Place batter into muffin liners with an muffin scoop. Bake 20-25 minutes or until done. (firm to the touch, lightly browned around edges, or a clean tester inserted into middle of a muffin).

Let rest 10 minutes so the paper can be peeled off without sticking to muffin.

They were so good that I sent Caleb up to the neighbors with four in a brown paper bag, wrapped in paper towel and still warm from the oven.

first morning in may

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Shanda

“Oh give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.”

Robert Frost

He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. Joel 2:23

It is the first morning of May 2014. Little Sarah went with me to the chicken coop wearing her pink water boots. Oh, we had a lovely time. There were plenty of clear, cold puddles for us to walk through, and a roaring stream to visit, too.

Grace had a dentist appointment at 10am. Our family dentist is right in town so these times are nice. I like to take the opportunity to spend quality time with whatever child has an appointment (last week it was Jacob). Grace has been working overtime in her High School musical, “Singing in the Rain”, the rehearsals are each afternoon until 8pm and opening night is tomorrow. I haven’t seen much of her lately because when she gets home she has to do homework and get to bed and sleep. We had a lovely visit today, she talked and talked to me after her appointment was over. She didn’t want to go right back to school so we went to the thrift store and then to the diner for lunch. I love looking at her pretty face and hair as she talks and laughs. She’s such a good girl, so level headed and secure in herself. She loves school and her *people* (the word she herself uses). I am just so proud of her and who she is becoming.

Meanwhile, Seth and Sarah were a terrible twosome and when I came home after dropping their big sister off I had to sit down and give them a little lecture. I can’t tolerate nonsense while shopping. I was at Rite Aid with them while Grace was getting her teeth cleaned and they would not stay with me and would not stop touching every interesting thing they saw. After about five minutes, I put them both in a cart and it still didn’t help, they were full of it. Oh well, it’s all part of the training we must do as mothers, but it does get old after a while. They seem to think going to Rite Aid is right up there with Six Flags. I plan on “practicing” with them here at home by taking their hands and walking around as I go on and on about Proper Shopping Behavior. They will love it, I’m sure.

It rained lightly all morning long, but it has stopped for the moment, the sky is pure white with clouds. The road is starting to dry. I wonder if the boys will have their little league games this evening?

It’s a laundry day and things are humming. I do love the smell of clean clothes.

I finally remembered to buy matches and I have some pretty candles lit in the kitchen.

For the moment it is quiet and peaceful, a nice beginning to this new month.

Happy May!

What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet,
Long live the weeds and the wildness yet.
~Gerard Manley Hopkins

*****

Lavender-Lemon Shortbread

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried lavender
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
3 tablespoons sugar

In a medium bowl, and using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon extract until creamy.

In a separate medium bowl, sift together flour and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until combined. Fold in lavender and lemon zest.

Shape dough into a ball or disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Using a 2 inch cutter, cut cookies, re-rolling remaining dough only once. Place cookies on prepared sheet, and evenly sprinkle each with granulated sugar.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges of cookies are slightly browned. Cool on pan 1 minute; transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 36 cookies.

Recipe source: Victoria magazine, April/May 2008

{this video moment} “how to crack an egg”

Video

A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. inspired by soulemama

today we had chicken and biscuits for dinner

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Shanda

The cooking onions think it’s springtime and are growing!

2 organic chickens, 8 cups of stock, 3 onions, 6 carrots, and 2 bay leaves

My son is like I was at 16 years old. As soon as spring was in the air and the ground becomes mud, I wanted to be in it. I remember one spring when I rubbed mud from the dirt road on my face (I was so weird when I was 16) and guess what happened? My face turned sore from the road salt in the mud.

ETHAN was outside with his little brothers. They started out on the trampoline, but as I drove off to pick up Jacob from school, I saw the four of them tramping off into the woods, all in BARE FEET. Mind you, there is still quite a bit of snow and was only 46 degrees. They were all thrilled to do it, and Ethan was kind enough to carry Seth part of the way. I wish I had a picture of them disappearing into the trees as a clump of happy, joyful country boys. They told me later it was a “barefoot adventure”.

I had to get some groceries after I picked up Jake and there were flowers 75 percent off. I bought 2 bouquets of roses for 5 dollars.

Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity. John Ruskin

I love having flowers and plants in the house.

While I worked on dinner, Seth, David, Sherlock the cat, Caleb, Sammy the cat, and Sarah watched a Winnie the Pooh movie. (the one from 2011, I love it, it’s such a cute movie).

They looked so cozy that I had to take a couple pictures. I adore how they snuggle up together.

I had to laugh when I looked down at the dog while I was taking pictures of the children, he was waiting for his turn.

He even brought his own prop to the photo shoot.

What he really wanted all along was chicken bits. 🙂

I left Jacob (my hardworking helper) to dice the cooked chicken and veggies while I once again drove to school, this time to get Grace.

As soon as I got home, we finished everything up.

veggies, chicken, and gravy; right before I put the biscuits on top

The children were all eager for it to get DONE. I made a double batch — a big lasagna pan and a 9 by 13 pan.

Comfort food

I’m hoping that if you want the recipe, you will click on the photo and it will enlarge enough for you to read it, as it is quite a bit of typing. I remember when I started making this dish almost 20 years ago. It was a recipe I found in a Taste of Home magazine. Rich’s grandma used to renew my subscription every year and I enjoyed studying each issue. I wasn’t used to cooking or baking when I got married and I found this recipe laborious. It is still time consuming, but much easier to put together. Rest assured, with practice, working in the kitchen gets more enjoyable every year. It just goes to show that if you stick with something you WILL get good at it!

The children all liked the meal, I think, although Seth did object to carrots. “Don’t you remember, I throw up when I eat these?” And I know for a fact that Caleb didn’t appreciate the mushrooms because he had to tell me; “I LOVE the mushrooms, MOM.” So I wouldn’t feel bad because I’m a mind reader and know that he doesn’t like them. David simply said nothing and left all his mushrooms in his bowl. I ate them later on. Jacob asked me if we could add flour to the gravy to make it thicker even though it was already completely baked. Rich said, “mmmmmm”.

If you have read a book that is impossible to put down because it is so well-written and fascinating, I would be grateful for the title. I’m getting ready to go on vacation on Monday and I need a few books on my kindle. I’m reluctantly leaving War and Peace at home because it weights so much. thx

st patrick’s day

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Shanda

“I arise today through the mighty strength of the Lord of creation.” St Patrick

I just ate two perfectly fried eggs from my own backyard hens. Delicious.

I’m still in my pj’s and big red fluffy robe. (my little seth and sarah call it a “rope” by mistake–so dear).

The sky is clear and blue, the sun is shining but it is only 19 degrees outside. Inside it is cozy and warm because of the sunshine. Seth and Sarah are watching Winnie the Pooh. Sarah didn’t sleep well last night, she had a nightmare and ended up in Grace’s bed with her for the night. Both my girlies will be tired out today but I loved seeing the love and care that Grace showed for her sister.

Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day and I am not Irish, however, I very much admire St. Patrick and honoring him with his own day. I wore green and went to a brunch with the CBS leadership in the morning. We had coffee, tea, and coffeecake, then a time of prayer and devotion, and then Carol taught us an Irish dance, which filled the room with Irish music and lots of laughter. I absolutely love all these women. We enjoyed organic pizza and salad for lunch.

Afterwards, I went to the grocery store with Seth and Sarah so we could pick up supplies for our suitable dinner.

I had wanted to decorate my tree for St Patrick’s Day but didn’t figure out the best way to do it until Saturday, when I noticed at the thrift store downtown someone had decorated a tree in the window with green gumdrops. How easy and fun, I thought.

I got two bags of store-brand wintergreen gum drops for 99 cents a bag, and then a box of large paperclips for 2.50. For less than five dollars I was able to do a theme for our tree and Seth and Sarah had such a fun time helping me. We sat cross-legged on the floor as we worked.

sweet and simple

While they took their little afternoon catnaps, I mixed up a batch of brownies. After they cooled, I frosted them and sprinkled a bag of mint M n M’s over the top.

When David got home from school, he ate a big piece, with joy.

I drove down to school to pick up Grace and drop off a bag dinner for Jacob, who decided to stay after until the variety show at 7pm.

When we got back home, I started making dinner~ corned beef and cabbage (a boiled dinner).

It takes a good three or more hours, so we had time to go outside for some fresh air.

While the boys jumped on the trampoline, I visited the chicken coop……

This funny hen was curious and brave, and pecked at my hand and ring.

The stream is melted, all except the edge, where I found thin, delicate and beautiful ice.

I broke off a piece to hold it up like rippled glass.

This section was so thin and intricate, it was formed to the edge of the bank and the water was running underneath, leaving a space of about 4 inches.

Like spun sugar.

I called Caleb over to show him, too.

He ate quite a bit.

I ran back up to the house, freezing cold, and found my husband home early at 4:30. The funny thing was, I had run right past his truck without even noticing it. He was on a conference call in the kitchen. I squealed with joy to see him.

St Patrick’s Day table with my green fiesta dishes and gumdrop tree to tempt the children.

Irish soda bread with raisins and caraway seeds (store bought).

cabbage for the pot

Caleb was the only school child who wanted to wear green for the day.

boiled vegetables with a drizzle of mustard glaze

platter of corned beef with the pitcher of glaze.

Caleb took one look and said horrified, “Is it RAW?” (I haven’t made this dish in years)

I wasn’t sure how the kids would like it but they did rather well with it. Seth did throw up his last bit of veggies, but he was fine.

They all got a gumdrop (or 2, or 3) for dessert.

Looking at these pictures makes me want to go warm up some leftovers and eat them for breakfast.

After dinner, I took Grace and Ethan to school and we watched the Variety show. It was such a fun night, the kids all did so well, with singing and playing of instruments, and dancing, too. We have some talented kids in our town! I loved it all and it was a special night to be out with my teenagers.

***

Today is a day with no plans or appointments. I think I’m going to go turn off that noisy TV and invest some time into my little ones…maybe give some bubble baths, vacuum their rooms, read books, snuggle, sing, listen to music, color. All nice preschooler things to do.

Another lovely quote from Patrick:
“Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.” —Saint Patrick

You are loved, my friends. God is very near. Enjoy Him today as you work and go about your day.

good to be home

Image

A Simply Lovely Life

Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. 1 Corinthians 7;17

***

It’s easy to be losing patience with the end of winter here in the North, where the ground is frozen and the snow is rock-hard. The little ones are finding even more creative things to do around the house, for example, squirreling into the drop ceiling downstairs (!) like common mice.

The desire of my heart is to settle in, and content myself with my HOME, and what it means to me, to all of us, to be here day after day, my purpose, my life, my all, my joy.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2

We are in the world, but not of it, because everything we do is sacred, with Jesus in our heart and soul. It’s not about me, it’s about God.

Flipping pancakes with blueberries, serving them up with real butter and Grandpa’s maple syrup from New York (place of my childhood).

Listening to Seth say, “You should make pancakes on every tomorrow.”

Satisfaction in trying to make them the very best I can, even if one tears in half when I go to flip it. The children love them, and the dog gets a leftover *if there are any*.

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15, 16

Sunshine through a ready bowl of apples. Nurturing the family with crisp and juicy fruit. I’ll even peel it or slice it for you.

Thankful for the fresh eggs of our flock of hens, who are beginning to lay as they should (a sign of spring). Brown and sage.

My Mom taught me to keep my roses even after they dried, to use in simple rose garlands.

It only takes about five minutes to snip the pretty flowers off their stems and string them on a piece of thread with a needle, for a garland.

Homekeeping can seem like such a solitary life but He is always with us.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever–the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

The comfort of His daily bread.

The beauty of a daughter.

The silliness of a daughter.

My friend Barb makes her own baskets but ours are from Target. Wouldn’t it be fun to make one?

I adore gray and pink together, and I still remember my Grandma telling me that she did, too.

Saying “yes” to fancy dress because life is short and little girls grow too fast.

Legos all over the house.

Snickerdoodles, a cookie I’ve made my whole life beginning with Aunt Colleen in Grandma’s kitchen, and just lately, in my own kitchen.

1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cream of tarter
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

2 3/4 cups flour

****

mix in small bowl:

1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375. Cream shortening, sugar, and eggs together till smooth. Mix in dry ingredients. From into 1 inch balls. Dip into sugar/cinnamon mixture. Place onto ungreased baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are lightly browned.

Oh they are so good. So good.

Sarah said, “Can I have a kitty? I mean, a cookie?”

Be on the look out for end of season sales. I bought two Valentine placemats from Pottery Barn kids for next to nothing.

(Surrounding them with beautiful things.) Feathering the nest.

A sweet place to play.

A little glass pig on the kitchen windowsill.

My little rose garland (they can be extended easily with future rose bouquets) and the Dottie Angel wire heart decoration that I made myself this year for Valentine’s day.

I used things from my own stash of pretty (scroll down if you click) and I love how it turned out. All starting with a wire hanger, don’t you know. LOL

These are the Chocolate Crinkle cookies I made yesterday for the children as they watched Frozen together on the couch. The recipe is from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion cookbook that I got for my birthday. They turned out great, in fact, there are only 2 left.

Sarah! Is writing her name now! I just can’t stand it.

And my Seth. They learned about Blind Bartimaeus yesterday in Community Bible Study.

Look:

Isn’t that the dearest thing? You lift his “blind face” to see his new one, with healed eyes. There is no doubt that THOSE eyes can see! 🙂

Praise God.

Last night, small Sarah fell asleep so softly with her head on my arm as her Dad read to us all from our #1 family favorite book:

Last night we read about the Wanton woman, and Mr. Talkative.

We never heard about Mrs. Wanton in “Little Pilgrims Progress” so we were kinda like, bug eyed, but Rich said “Apparently someone in this room needs to hear this.” All boys do, right? Look out for Mrs. Wanton! Don’t follow her enticing ways.

And Mr. Talkative does the talking but not the actual living a life of grace. “I have heard that you are a man whose religion consists only in words and that your everyday life contradicts what you say.” Oh, there is a lesson in that as well.

*****

Thankful for:

Grace brushing my hair last night.
Seth’s hug that was more like a tackle around the legs. (He almost took me down with it!)
Sunshine pouring through the windows as I type.
The beautiful mess of a busy household.
The laughter of teen age boys.

happy valentine brunch

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Shanda

Beloved,
let us love one another,
for love is from God,
and whoever loves has been born of God
and knows God.

1 John 4:7

This morning I had a little brunch for a few of the ladies from my Bible study and used Valentine’s Day as a theme for decorating.

My friend Christina recently sent me three handmade buntings that I was so thrilled to use today. I put one on each fireplace mantle, and I used one as a garland for my seasonal tree. Thank you, Chris! xoxo

Sarah loves this tree and spends a lot of time taking everything off it and then putting the ornaments all on one branch, making up little stories all the while. (I adore 3 year old girls!)

Sweet little ornament from Dawn.

I collect fiestaware and took out all of my red, pink, and white dishes to use. This round platter is black with cherries on it. I love cheerful cherry things, and have a cherry apron and placemats, too. (also perfect for Valentine’s day decorating!)

I always light candles when company is coming. This one was from a shop downtown. The gold leaf is charming.

This candle, from anthropologie, is orange scented and the red jar is thick and lovely. I’ll be able to use the jar again when the candle is used up.

Whole cloves are like tiny pieces of wood.

I put a 7 pound ham in the oven at 8 so it would be done by 10, when my friends were to arrive.

I scored the ham and inserted a whole clove in each cross section.

I used a glaze recipe from my old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and it was delicious. You take a cup of orange juice, two teaspoons of finely grated orange zest, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of ground mustard, and 4 teaspoons of cornstarch, and whisk together in a pot on the stove. Cook until thick and bubbly and brush on the ham in the last 20 minutes of cooking time. The resulting Ham was delicious, simple, and elegant served on a big white platter.

Just be sure to remove the cloves as you carve. Not many people enjoy eating whole cloves.

(they are like tiny pieces of wood)

(actually, cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, Syzygium aromaticum, native to the Maluku Islands in Indonesia)

We had an assortment of coffee, hot chocolate, and tea to chose from. The sugar and creamer were served from rose fiesta ware. (but of course!)

One more beautiful heart, made by Dawn. Dawn loves me. 🙂

The ladies and I had a fun time gabbing at the table while eating ham, pasta, apple slices, and scrumptious muffins. We talked about everything from our children’s mischief to the problems of internet, with lots of laughter. Thank you Kate, Diane, and Paula for a wonderful morning!

“If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” 1 John 4:12

easy cornmeal muffins

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Shanda

“Oh I could sing forever of Jesus’ love divine,
Of all his care and tenderness for this poor life of mine;
His love is in and over all, and wind and waves obey
When Jesus whispers ‘Peace, be still!’ and rolls the clouds away.

“It’s just like Jesus to roll the clouds away,
It’s just like Jesus to keep me day by day,
It’s just like Jesus all along the way,
It’s just like His great love.”

Edna H. Worrell

Hello, my friends. We are at the end of another precious day, this one made all the better because of a highly anticipated snow day. The whole family was home as the snow came down, down, down. Breakfast was soon over…….and quickly the little ones were running wild. Even though I really didn’t want to, I took my craft book and sat on the floor to make a yarn chick. It ended up being fun. The children flocked around me like little chicks themselves and watched. And as they watched, they began to (peep) beg. They wanted to make one, too. Which was the general idea. It kept us quite busy. Dave’s was green, Caleb’s was gray, and Seth’s was pink. We made them by putting together pom-poms, one for the body and one for the head. After tying them together we glued on eyes and a beak. But Sarah decided she wanted to make a crown.

David remembered that he knew how to make a loom.

Grace got busy making bracelets. (She pinned the end to the couch so she could braid.)

Dear Ethan polished up his old crocheting skills.

I suppose if I tried really hard I could remember my own childhood better but right now I’m lost in raising children and being part of their childhoods. I do remember the excitement of “no school” and being HOME and bundling up to go outside in the fresh clean snow.

For now, I’m busy, working, working hard as a mama, getting on the floor to wrap the yarn, break up arguments, planning meals.

Grabbing the camera whenever a picture appears for the memory books. I love you all.

Ethan played his guitar while his sister and Dad sang.

What a joy to see the children spending time doing things that they love; like Jacob and his rock and coin collections.

homemade New England clam chowder

Rich worked from home.

Sarah lost a golf ball down the crack by the dishwasher. I love how little kids can fold up like this. It took her a while but she got it out of there.

As soon as the glitter on her crown dried she had to put it on. And if you put on a crown you simply must put on your fanciest dress.

Her’s is a very large crown.

It’s exhausting being queen.

Jacob fell asleep after lunch and didn’t wake up until dinner.

I cut up the Williams Sonoma catalogue and made a new journal page. It left Sarah breathless. (all those hearts)

The kids were soooooo cute outside. Seth, Caleb, Sarah, David, and Ethan all went out while Rich plowed the driveways.

They shoveled tunnels in snow piles with their Dad’s help.

I yelled down to ask Rich to take a picture of them in their tunnels and he sent me a picture of YELLOW SNOW. (!)

I made chili for dinner and a new cornmeal recipe from a cookbook I got from Rich’s Grandma. Even though they were titled “easy” I didn’t think they were that easy. I’ve made easier. But, they were different and so good I want to share the recipe.

EASY CORNMEAL MUFFINS from the National Grange Bicentennial Year Cookbook

1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 c. cornmeal
4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk

Cream butter and sugar in bowl. Sift flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt together. Beat eggs until lemon colored and thick; stir in milk. Add to creamed mixture alternately with cornmeal mixture; beat thoroughly. Place in buttered muffin cups. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until done. Yield: 12 muffins

The day is winding down. Good night.

Hold my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not. Psalms 17:5

Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings. Psalms 17:8

Thou requires little compared with what I am ready to give. I will help thee, saith the Lord. Isaiah 41:14

All thou needest to make thee blessed, supremely blessed, is to be with Christ. Charles Spurgeon

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 4:2

Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. Psalms 95:2

christmas food

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Shanda

I’m in the new addition and a fire is quietly burning in the fire place. I can look across the room and see that the light of this day *is gray, snow is falling, and the children came home early from school. When I check the temperature on my phone, I see that it is 19 degrees, but we are warm as toast inside. Rich cleaned out the wood pellet stove so a fire is going in the livingroom, too. Ethan is on the floor in front of it with his dog, playing video games.

I am at Rich’s desk and behind me is another window. Sammie the cat is on the sill looking out. When I stop to pet her, she honors me with immediate purring. Sarah just wandered over and carried her away, “Poor little Sam,” she coos.

Grace is texting with her friend Jenna, they are both all excited because the new Sherlock episode aired last night. They have been wondering for over a year how Sherlock faked his death….and now they (sort of) know.

Rich just got done running on the treadmill and I asked him if he would make me some coffee. “yes”

I don’t know….today is calm. Today is lovely, dark, and quiet. Christmas is over, Jacob’s birthday is over, New Years is over. I might be sad tomorrow, but today I enjoy the feeling of nothing pressing, nothing on the “to do” list.

I’ve enjoyed puttering around, making small little improvements, going through old stacks of papers, putting up new calendars, throwing things away, taking down the Christmas tree (with 9 nerf bullets in it!), wrapping up Joanna’s Christmas gifts to mail out later.

Rich and I took a nap on the couch.

Christmas was a week ago now, and I thought it would be fun to do a food post.

The Christmas Menu.

spiral cut Cracker barrel ham

mashed potato bake

homemade rolls

corn casserole

green bean casserole

strawberry congealed salad

MASHED POTATO BAKE

One day, while I was out, my friend Mary was babysitting the children for me. When I came home I discovered that Ethan had asked her to make this dish (we hadn’t made it yet) and she did. I couldn’t believe that she went to that much trouble for him, and it was so good! I consider these Ethan’s special mashed potatoes and I shared the recipe on my blog five years ago, when he turned 10. The original recipe is from Taste of Home magazine.

5 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup sour cream
2 pkgs (3 oz each) cream cheese, softened
3 T. butter
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Boil potatoes 20-25 minutes until very tender, drain. In a large mixing bowl, mash potatoes. Add sour cream, cream cheese, butter, salts, and pepper; beat until fluffy. Transfer to a greased 2 quart baking dish. Dot with butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Yield: 8 servings (can easily increase recipe slightly by throwing in a few extra potatoes)

CORN CASSEROLE

Years ago, Rich’s grandma gave us a Hospital Guild community cookbook. As I was looking through it, the recipe for corn casserole caught my eye. I made it and we liked it. very much. I only realized later that it was his grandma’s very own contribution to the cookbook! I make this for every holiday meal.

1 can whole kernel corn (do not drain)
1 can cream-style corn
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup soft butter
1 pkg. Jiffy corn muffin mix
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl on medium speed until well combined. Pour into a greased 2 quart casserole dish. bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes or until lightly browned.

HOMEMADE ROLLS from this link.

My mom and I both use this recipe, but we only use half the sugar. The recipe is for loaves, but it is very easy to use the same dough to do rolls. One batch made one 9 by 13 pan of rolls, just enough for our dinner and some leftover, too.

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

First, I made my own condensed cream of mushroom soup substitute, using this recipe.

Drain 2 cans of French cut green beans, added the cream soup, and 1/2 tsp. of onion powder. Pour it into a baking dish, sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese. Crush some ritz crackers in a bowl and added 2 T of melted butter, toss with a fork and then sprinkle on top of casserole with your fingers. Bake at 350 until hot and bubbly.

CONGEALED STRAWBERRY SALAD

When I was visiting Jekyll Island this spring with my parents, I bought myself a cookbook called Mrs. Wilkes’ Boardinghouse Cookbook. This recipe was included.

1 (6 oz) pkg. strawberry jello
2 cups boiling water
1 1/4 cups sliced fresh or 1 (10 oz) pkg frozen strawberries
2 large bananas, mashed
1 cup pecans
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup dairy sour cream

Dissolve the gelatin in the hot water. Add the strawberries, bananas, pecans, and pineapple and mix. Pour half into a 9 by 9 inch dish. Chill until firm. Spread the sour cream over the firm half, then pour the remaining half over it and chill until firm. Serves 6-8

The food was received with grateful hearts.

Of course we all ate off fiestaware!

Rich took most of these pictures…..

The congealed strawberry salad is in that vintage pyrex dish (another favorite thing to collect at thrift shops).

After dinner we had energy to burn so I went outside and played two games of PIG with the boys (very fun) and Michael came over to visit, too.

He totally looks like a relative, doesn’t he? We’ve only known him for 2 years, from church. One of our first special services was seeing him get baptized at the apple farm. (in the pond). Anyway, he’s like a member of the family.

Nerf war!

And a very Happy New Year to you, too.

*by the time I am done writing this, it is black, 5pm

cookies

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Shanda

It’s a beautiful, cloudy, cool morning outside. There is a heap of laundry to fold and some sloshing around in the washer getting washed, as I type. It’s a soothing sound. Seth and Sarah are playing with the kittens. The dog is at my feet.

Awake at 6, I spent half an hour with my older ones before their bus came. They talked to me about things that were important to them. Jacob had a field trip yesterday to Salem, MA. Grace and I sat together on the couch. Ethan was busy getting ready for school. I have come to enjoy the early morning visits together. Sometimes Grace asks me to braid her hair.

Rich has been gone on a business trip and will be home later tonight. He’s still parenting, though, and I had to laugh when Jacob told me that last night at 10:30 he got a text from him, “Jacob, are you behaving yourself? It’s time for you to get to sleep.” Jacob and Ethan were in the middle of playing a computer game together so it was a good thing they got the instruction from their Dad, I was sound asleep at that time. They felt like he was watching them and I’m thankful for my husband.

I had a frightening experience this morning but now I’m laughing about it. Caleb was ready for school early enough to play with Seth and they were downstairs in his room when I heard screams to stop my heart. Caleb was screaming for help in the most terrifying manner. I ran down expecting glass? blood? broken bones? a wild animal attack? electrocution? These screams said the worst was happening to my precious boy. I got down there and found him: upside down. head first and completely inside not one, but two sleeping bags. on the floor. with his pant leg caught up on the dresser knob, with the dresser about to fall on him, and Seth just standing there. Apparently Caleb was originally on the bed when Seth pushed him off. I was more upset with him for being so dramatic than anything else, so the lesson learned (one hopes) was “Do not Scream and Cry for Help so Terrifyingly Unless Things are Truly That Bad.”

My son David has been reading nonstop, that new Percy Jackson book. I stopped by Barnes and Noble yesterday to get it for him. Ethan wants it next, than Grace.

David’s remarks when reading:

“I love reading a new book. Because there is suspense.”

“I love home.” (getting curled up with book on the couch and smiling)

“Mom? Isn’t it funny when you’re reading a book- you can’t wait to get to the next page but then when it’s at the end you wish there was more?”

**********

The fall colors have peaked at our place. Most of them have dropped off the trees but there are still some steadfastly hanging on.

This is the red tree I was sitting under just last week…..now it’s mostly bare branches.

The pines by the pond have been dropping their old yellow needles.

Carpeting the ground beneath with them. They smell so good I think about making a pillow.

pine needles and leaves on the pond

I find it so fascinating that this bee’s nest was being built and was hanging up in the trees and we never saw it until the leaves started coming down. (down by the other pond)

Old Sunflower; I waited for so long to bloom that I can’t bear to pull it up just yet.

Leaves in the stream

vine in the trees

I took these a few weeks ago when Rich took the boys out into the woods to collect fire wood.

He is blessed with a fine crew of sons.

It’s no wonder I’m always making cookies to fill these hard working stomachs.

Oh that reminds me. On Saturday Rich was gone at Jacob’s football game and I had a hair appointment so Grace and Ethan were watching the little ones for us. When I was in the chair my phone rang and it was David, wanting to know if he could make cookies. He is eleven and has some experience with baking so I said “yes”.

When I arrived back home, I was greeted with the sight of the ugliest cookies I’ve ever seen. They were caramel colored, spread out over the entire cookie sheet, and glued to the pan. There were three pans of them, a big, deserted bowl of dough, and no one around in the kitchen. Poor David! He did perfectly fine except for the fact that he put powdered sugar in the dough instead of flour. These particular chocolate chip cookies were made with three kinds of sugar only, and no flour whatsoever. It took a long time to get them off the pan. They practically WERE caramel.

I made some on Monday with Seth. I love making cookies and have perfected chocolate chip, if I may say so.

I share my tips:

the recipe off the bag of chips

pure butter; no shortening ever

an extra teaspoon of vanilla

plenty of extra flour to make a softly stiff dough (I added two and a half more cups for a double batch on M. but it was a rainy day)

add only half the amount of chips called for in recipe; I always double the recipe and add just one bag of chips

no cookie scoop, chocolate chip cookies that are all the exact same shape and size are boring (just like people)

I always enjoy eating raw dough and give spoonfuls out to the children, too, raw eggs be darned!

bake ONLY until very slightly brown around the edges, take them out when still half done and leave them on the tray for about five minutes, (they will continue baking) then remove to cooling racks.

this is the way to chocolate chip cookie perfection; tender, soft and not too sweet

Ahead of me is an entire day of staying at home. Later on this evening I will go out to gather up the older children from school, but for now I can putter around in my pajamas, care for my little ones and do some home-making. I have a big pork roast in the fridge to figure out for dinner and perhaps I will make more cookies, since the ones I made on Monday are gone.
“Only the heart, with love afire,
can satisfy the soul’s desire.”

~James Terry White