My Little Loves

Enjoying....

fresh cut flowers from my garden...

a homemade grapefruit vinaigrette salad dinner...

and serving a special brownie dessert to my family...

Here is the recipe for the Grapefruit Vinaigrette Salad.  It's really refreshing and yummy!

Grapefruit Vinaigrette Salad

8oz chicken breasts (boneless, skinless - cooked and shredded or sliced)

4 cups mixed greens

1/4 c. red onion (sliced)

1 T. slivered almonds (toasted)

1/2 c. mandarin oranges

1 red pepper chopped

1/3 c. jicama (optional)

vinaigrette:

1 ruby red grapefruit (juiced)

1 T. lemon juice

2 T. honey

1/2 tsp fresh thyme (chopped)

1/4 tsp salt and pepper (each)

1/4 c. olive oil

Heat grapefruit juice in a saucepan to boiling.  Boil 1 minute and remove from heat.  Add remaining vinaigrette ingredients except oil.  Mix well and let cool.  Gradually add oil, whisking for 2 minutes.  Toss shredded or sliced chicken with 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette.  Combine greens, onions, peppers, chicken, oranges, almonds and jicama in a bowl.  Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette. (serves 6)

The leg...

I just received the coolest ornament in the mail yesterday....

This came after a conversation the day before about two shops in town that have the real lamp in their store front windows.  One is an electrician's shop and the other a typewriter shop....yes, a typewriter shop....I think it's a front for something else.  So needless to say I was so excited to get this ornament.  Thank you Ruth and Don!

Nissa and I have been making a few gifts for our friends.....

If you don't get one of these it's most likely due to the fact that I ate most of the chocolate chips.  Crap!

The importance of hobbies and some muffins...

Indian summer is upon us and this weekend should be amazing.  With just Boden and I around the house, I plan to get some stuff done.   I finally picked out a lace scarf pattern so I can use this gorgeous silk yarn that I bought a few years ago....the colors remind me of the beautiful golden leaves I see when I'm driving around my town.  The hank went onto the winder yesterday and Nissa helped me ball it.  I'm so excited to get started!  If I remember correctly, I don't even think I picked up the knitting needles last year.  I was talking to a friend earlier this week about hobbies and how we never seem to have time for them.  It made me realize that if you don't make time for them, they easily fall to the wayside.  When that happens, I think you begin to lose a part of yourself....and that place fills up with, well, life and work and whatever else can easily seep in to replace it.  It is so important to do the things you love.  It makes you a happier person...a better person.  I'm ready to reclaim a part of my joy....

Today I have been baking and going through my recipe book looking for some good fall recipes.  One recipe I have been wanting to share with you was my favorite vegan muffin recipe.

Best Vegan Oat Bran Muffins (adapted recipe)

1 ½ cups oat bran
1 ½ cups unbleached white flour (don’t substitute wheat…it’s too earthy tasting)
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp. flax seeds (ground finely) with 6 Tbsp. water (this is the egg replacement – mix separately and let sit for about 5 mins before adding)
1 cup applesauce
¼ cup safflower oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or grease muffin cups.  Blend together dry ingredients.  Add flax seed mix, applesauce and oil.  Mix until well blended.  Spoon batter into muffin cups and let stand for 10 minutes.  Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

These are a staple around my home.  You will love these....I promise.

And I'll leave you with this sweet picture of my little man.  I bought some yummy honey crisp apples the other day and he wanted to have a bite....

Brownie days...

For some reason I had held onto my Brownie outfit and it's been in a box under my bed for a few years now.  I never made it to Girl Scouts and I'll tell you one of the reasons....I had a mean troop leader.  Here is something that traumatized me (well, traumatizing to a little girl) when we had a camping weekend.  Let's just say that I have always been a picky eater.  In my youth, my lunches generally consisted of an egg bagel with pepperoni slices.  That was what I ate every day in my lunch for years and years.  Well at camp, you could imagine they didn't serve that.  But they did have sandwiches....peanut butter and fluff on that crappy Wonder Bread.  Of course I didn't want to eat that, but the lady made me sit at the picnic table  all by myself until I ate that thing.  And I was sitting there a long time crying and crying all by myself.  Nice...thanks Brownie troop leader.  You sucked. 

Nissa was looking at my Brownie sash and noticed a few badges that perked her interest....two in particular- one for being in a parade - and one for selling cookies.  She knows that Girl Scouts sell cookies so she wanted to be a Girl Scout today too.  She decided to bake some cookies and bring them over to the neighbors.  She would wear her (my) sash and be a 'real' girl scout.  Though she wasn't too excited to be photographed...I couldn't resist...

Notice the hat....I think it had been eaten by rodents at some point.....

Here are the cookies we made.....no offense but these are better than Do-Si-Do's and thin mints....ok, maybe not thin mints......

Spooky cake and a bag or two....

I realized I haven't posted anything in awhile so here are just a few snapshots from the past week.

Grandpa Jim's birthday cake.  Nissa's idea was to make a one-eyed spooky monster cake.  Here is what we came up with...

 

For the record, Grandpa Jim does not have one eye.

I'll let you in on a secret project I have been working on.  I'm not sure if anything will come out of it but the fact that I got a chance to try something like this means a lot to me.  Someone at the children's hospital asked if I could come up with something for the heart kids to take home with them when they left.  I like a good tote bag myself so that is what I thought would be useful for them and their family.  Here is a sneak peek at one design....

Here is a little bit of interior flair.  I think having one unique surprise inside indicates that it is a special handmade item instead of your usual fare......

The bags are made from a grey duck fabric and lined with blue poly/cotton broadcloth.  For this bag I made the handles from the same fabric.  The other bag didn't have a pocket, was a bit smaller and had navy blue woven handles.  I got a rubber stamp with the wagon and made my own stamp pad with acrylic paint and stamped it onto a small duck cloth square that I unraveled the edges just a bit.  Then I ironed it on.  They would be putting their logo onto it as well but I really wanted to add a personal touch.  What do you guys think?

It's all about the pumpkin...

Whenever we go to the library, I find myself in the children's section browsing the shelves for kids craft books or kids cookbooks.  I have found great books there that I have not been able to find in the adult section.  Case in point...The Great Little Pumpkin Cookbook.  Wow....this cookbook rocks.  So far I have made the pumpkin cornbread, pumpkin maple ice cream, their low fat pumpkin pie crust (with the filling recipe from Martha of course) and my favorite yet, low-fat pumpkin oatmeal muffins.  I am a big fan of baking low-fat....and that is pretty much how I bake.  I don't see the need to add a cup of oil to muffins or bread when you can bake low-fat and it still tastes really good....sometimes even better.  Though I do like to indulge a little in homemade ice cream....that is a true treat that frozen yogurt cannot replicate.  Lately, I have been cooking with the best ingredients I can find.  Starting with organic flour, eggs, and milk and buying only the best quality spices.  It finally clicked for me that using the best ingredients really does make a difference....not only in taste (which it really does makes a HUGE difference - try it and you'll see) but in health for my family.  I used to rely on the cheapest spices I could find....I had this grande size bucket of cinnamon that I bought the year before for a craft that never came to be.  I had been using this in my recipes until I finally broke down and bought the quality stuff and man what a shocker.  They say you should only keep spices for 6 months.  I think I had some spices from 6 years ago.  Not really but not far off.

The book has all things pumpkin....not just desserts but soups and meals. 

Here is the recipe if you'd like to try...

Low-fat Pumpkin and Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:

1/4 cup walnut oil or other vegetable oil
2/3 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 egg whites
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
pinch salt
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup seedless raisins

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly spray a 12 muffin tin with non-stick vegetable spray.

In a large bowl, combine the oil and brown sugar.  Add the pumpkin, egg whites, and buttermilk and stir until smooth.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt.  Combine the flour mixture with the pumpkin and the oats.  Add the raisins and stir until just mixed.  Spoon into the prepared muffin tins, filling almost to the top.  Bake for about 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 1 dozen muffins

Enjoy!!

Beautiful weekend.....

Don't you just feel giddy when you go outside and it's perfect.  I'm talking a slight breeze, sunshine with puffy white clouds floating by on a bright blue background and a perfect temperature in the air.  I am in awe of days like those and I just want to soak it all in and hope that it never ends.  I want to run, skip, walk, garden, and laugh.  Our weekend was like that here. 

Perfect weather to accompany our family that came to town for a short visit.  It's always nice to have people here so the kids gets lots of extra love.  And the nice part is we don't have to really provide any entertainment since the kids antics are pretty much all you could ever want to keep entertained anyways.  We also had a neighborhood block party with all the usual suspects.....though I wish the unknowns would come out to say hello.....but perhaps we scare them off a bit with our boisterous kids and our loud laughs.  I brought my usual white trash appetizers of pigs in a blanket.  Those are always the first to go so making those is my thing. 

One reason I love having people over is that it gives me a chance to make lots of fun food that I normally wouldn't make...mainly because I have no self control when it comes to sweets.  I made these chocolate chip cookies.  TRY this recipe.....it is probably the best chocolate chip cookie I've ever made.  I also made some blueberry buttermilk sherbet that is incredible.  My ice cream maker has been used more this summer than ever before!  I also made a batch of cornmeal sandies to go with it.  A perfect blend of blueberry sweetness and a saltier cookie.  Here is the results...

Blueberry-Buttermilk Sherbet

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries 
1 cup sugar
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnishes: fresh blueberries, lemon rind strips

Process blueberries in a food processor or blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Press blueberry puree through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl, discarding solids. Add sugar, buttermilk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to bowl, and stir until well blended.

Pour blueberry mixture into freezer container of a 4-quart ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Garnish each serving, if desired.

Yield:  Makes about 4 cups

More fun with honey....

We've been testing out several recipes this week for a low fat granola, but for some reason mine always turns out burnt or is soft instead of crispy.  Luckily I came across a low fat honey granola bar recipe.  These are really sweet but very good.  They remind me of these healthy apple bakes that I used to have in my lunch box when I was a kid.

Here is the recipe if you are interested....

Honey Granola Bars

1/4 c.  quick-cooking oats
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. toasted wheat germ
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 c. plus 2 tbsps. honey
1/3 c. dark raisins or chopped dried apricots ( or mix dried cherries or cranberries with the raisins)

Combine the oats, flour, wheat germ, and cinnamon, and stir to mix well. Add the honey, and stir until the mixture is moist and crumbly. Fold in the raisins or other fruits. Coat an 8" square pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pat the mixture into the pan, and bake at 300°F for 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool to room temperature, cut into bars, and serve. Note. The recipe may be doubled. Makes 12 servings.

I doubled the recipe and made mine with wheat bran instead of wheat germ (since I had lots of that) and it was really good though I bet it might be better with the toasted wheat germ.  And no.....this will not become a recipe blog so no worries.  Since I've been busy making honey recipes....thought I'd share those with you.

As for the family, Nissa and I have been studying about bees this week.  I have really wanted to instill the love of nature with her and have been making sure we get out of the house and explore.  There are some great books out there that give you ideas on helping to encourage your child to appreciate nature by exploring and through crafts and hands on activities.  Not that you need a book to take them on a nature walk, but it provides a lot of ideas to get you started on guiding them towards a life long love of nature.  Check out some of these books if you get a chance......

I'll be sharing with you some of the things we have been doing and learning too.  It's been so much fun! 

Fresh from the honeycomb....

For the past several years, we have been purchasing large quantities of honey directly from local beekeepers.  This past summer, we bought about 10 quarts.  We haven't used it all up yet and I still have about 4 jars left so I have decided I need to get crackin' and finish our supply......so I'm planning on making honey based recipes (about one a day) for the next week.  I got this book at the library and it had a bunch of good recipes.

I've been wanting to make some homemade ginger ale for awhile now and this book had a recipe for a ginger honey soda so now was my chance.  Easy to make and it turned out great.  If you like Reed's Ginger brew...it tastes about the same, which is good because I LOVE that stuff.  Here is the recipe if you want to try it out yourself. 

Ginger Honey Soda

for the syrup...

4 oz fresh ginger (a 6" piece of gingerroot)
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup honey
2 T lime juice
2 T lemon juice    
     Ice
     Seltzer or sparkling mineral water
     Lime or lemon wedges

Peel ginger and cut into thin julienne strips.  Simmer ginger in water, covered, for 15 min.  Remove from heat and add honey.  Let steep, uncovered, for 20 min.  Strain, pressing ginger solids against strainer to extract as much liquid as possible.  Discard solids.  Add lime and lemon juices to ginger liquid.  Let cool, then pour into a clean bottle and refrigerate.  To make soda, fill a tall glass with ice.  Pour in 1/2 cup of syrup and top with sparkling water.  Stir and garnish with a wedge of lemon or lime.

Yield:  4 cups syrup, enough for 8 servings

Although it calls for a 1/2 cup of the concoction per serving, I just added a dash to my glass and it tasted really good.  Perfect for a hot summer day....

What's next?  Probably some muffins, granola, bread, honey cake and possibly some baklava.  Man, I love baklava....but I'd eat it all myself.  I need to make this for sharing.  They also have recipes for face scrubs and body polishes.  Might try one of those as well.  I'm open to suggestions if you have any good recipes.......let me know!

Playing with rocks....

Nissa and I were on a mission today to find some neat rocks for a special project we are working on together.   I'll share that with you when we are done.  We have a creek not too far from our house, so that is usually where we go when it's nice outside.  It's a short bike ride away but we drove this time since it was a bit chilly out today and a little rainy.  We were the only people there which is nice.  It's fun to have the whole place to ourselves....throwing rocks in, sneaking some in a bag to bring home.  Are you not supposed to take stuff like that?  I know in parks you aren't supposed to take plants but rocks??....hmmm....not sure on that one.

My other mission has been to try to save money on groceries.  Sometimes I can't believe how much it costs to feed a family of three.  So I decided to go all prairie mama and try to make some of my own staples like crackers, cereal, muffins....things like that that should be easy to make right?  Well, it takes way too much time to do.  Making a batch here and there is fine but trying to do this all the time....don't think that is gonna work.

But here are some of the wheat crackers we made today....

They are really tasty and a lot healthier than the one's in the store.  I'd do this one again since Nissa likes it.  She usually doesn't like the healthy stuff I make and try to send her way so anything that does appeal to her is a keeper!