Wordless Wednesday

No Joke

Unless he's cutting teeth, my boy is serious about his food.

And that is a huge blessing, even if clean-up afterwards is also no joking matter.

Crockpot Granola

I recently posted my own CRUNCHY QUIZ just for kicks.


How fitting that I recently gave this recipe a try. It has quickly become a household favorite, so I thought I'd share it. It comes courtesy of my friend Stephanie Yoder--I'm not sure if it's her own creation or something passed along.


It is super easy, healthy, AND requires no bending over a hot oven door to stir, only to spill it everywhere! Or am I the only one that does that?


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4 c. old-fashioned oats
3/4 c. slivered almonds
3/4 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. coconut
1/2 c. oat bran (or wheat germ, ground flax seed...)
*dried fruit (optional)

Sauce:
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. honey
1/8 c. pure maple syrup
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Measure dry ingredients (except fruit) into crockpot.
2. Bring sauce to a boil, stirring, then pour over dry ingredients and mix to evenly coat.
3. Vent lid with a chopstick and cook on HIGH for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.
4. Spread onto wax paper to cool completely before storing.

*Dried fruit should be added after cooled.

**THE ONLY CHANGE I MADE: stir more frequently during the last 20 minutes, just so none of it blackens.

Makes about 9-10 cups.

The Things They Say...

Natalia's going to have some competition in the SILLY SAYINGS department I think. Adam is adding new words every day it seems, and while we still hear some incoherent babble, we're understanding more! He's turning into quite the character!



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Recently, Natalia has made similar remarks as we've been crossing over the Susquehanna River bridge or driving along a high ridge that looks down and out over a large area of farmland. "Mama! I can see the whole world from up here! LOOK--there's Belgium! And over there is California!"

(Belgium is where Uncle Tek lives, and California is where Uncle Ryan and Aunt Sarah live.)





A few weeks ago while we had a patch of warmer weather, we grilled up some hamburgers. As we were at the table eating, Adam pointed to the jar of mayonaise and said, "DA-DEES MAN-NAZE?" (For those of you not familiar with Pete's love of mayo, let's just say he considers it a food group. He couldn't have been more proud of his son in that moment. LOL.)





Other things Adam is pointing out to us and saying:

FWOWER (flower)

DACK DOOR (tractor)

BUS

CAW (car)

HEE HAW (what a donkey says)

GACK (what a duck says)

HONEY (he called Natalia this the other day bc I call Pete, "Honey")

DAH-YAH (Natalia)

IT HORT (something hurts)

I YEE YOO (I see/hear you!)

EE-YI-EE-YI-OO (when he's "reading" a book, or to mimick us spelling something we're trying to talk about in disguise)

PWEEZE (please)

DA-DOO MAMA/DADDY/DAH-YAH (Thank you, Mama, Daddy, Natalia)

DOOZ ME (Excuse me)

IT YOO! (when pointing to a picture of himself)



And his favorite sentences:

HORSEY, BARN, NIGH NIGH (The horse is in the barn, going night-night.)

I HON-GWEE! (I'm hungry!)

Bourbon Chicken

I found this recipe online somewhere months ago, and have been anxious to try it, but Jim Beam bourbon whiskey is not something I usually have on hand. :-P



I found a small (8 oz.) bottle of it for $5, a good size considering that the recipe calls for a few tablespoons, and I didn't want to make a return trip if we really liked the dish and I'd make it often.



We really liked this dish and I will be making it quite often!!!



IT COULDN'T BE EASIER!!! It is an excellent way to use up all of the legs and thighs I have in my freezer. Those cuts are always the last ones remaining, despite our family enjoying the dark meat as much as the white. I just don't have many different ways to prepare bone-in chicken.



Let me know if you give it a try!


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4 chicken quarters (4 legs and 4 thighs)
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. light soy sauce
4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
4 Tbsp. bourbon whiskey
4 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. dried minced onion, (or 1/8 c. raw onion, diced fine)
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic


Mix all of the marinade ingredients in a 9 x 13 baking dish, then put in the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Turn the chicken occasionally to marinate on all sides.


Preheat oven to 350, then bake the chicken, uncovered, in the marinade for 1 hour, turning every 1/2 hour. (The chicken we raise is more muscular, so I baked it 1-1/2 hours.)


Makes 4 servings.

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Juicy and delicious! A perfect balance of sweetness and spice.
We like this with rice and honey-glazed carrots.

Book Reviews

I recently finished Kathryn Stockett's THE HELP, a title I've long been wanting to read. Finally a copy was available from my local library.

What an wonderful web she weaves! I have nothing but praise for Stockett's maiden voyage into the world of literature.

THE HELP is a piece of historical fiction, set in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960's. The chapters offer alternating glimpses into the daily realities and minds of 3 women, two of them middle-aged, black maids, the other a 20-something, college-educated, white woman.

I found it extremely well-written, and though the dialect used for the maids is a bit tricky to navigate at first, it fits the characters so well. Without being black herself, Stockett sure does a magnificent job of climbing inside their heads, and her handling of such a sensitive subject and tumultuous period in our nation's history is wonderfully balanced. It's infuriating and endearing, suspenseful and funny.

For days afterward, I kept thinking of all of the black maids, lovin' on those white children, basically raising them. And the children, returning that love, until they grew old enough to adopt the prejudices and hatred of their white society. I was encouraged by the "exceptions" in this book, because I know they must have existed, even in the deep South.

I couldn't put it down! I think I may just buy a copy to re-read!

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The other book I finished recently is Maya Angelou's autobiographical, I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS.

This one was a much slower read, but still interesting. The abuse she suffered at a such a young age, and the constant moving back and forth between her "disinterested in parenting" parents and grandmother was heartbreaking. But what a strong woman she becomes, despite the challenges life continues to throw her way.

Her writing is beautifully poetic, and though I expected as much from her, it didn't lessen the thrill her handling of the English language provided.

A book to be enjoyed, slowly, morsel by morsel.

Wooly Bears

There is a nip in the air. I love it!

Aside from all the other things I love about autumn, there are these WOOLY BEARS to snuggle with.

Awwww...see?! They DO love each other! They DON'T always fight like alleycats!

Homemade Condensed Cream Soup

I've been seeking to minimize the amount of processed foods in my pantry and use as many natural ingredients as possible in my cooking.

I've now cut out creamed canned soups thanks to this entry in the Lancaster Mennonite High School's recipe book I inherited from my grandmother.

It doesn't take much time at all, uses ingredients I always have on hand, and my family thinks the recipes taste so much better!

The following recipe makes the equivalent to 1 (10 oz.) can of creamed soup.

3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. milk, stock, or 1/2 c. of each

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour and salt. Cook until bubbly, then whisk in milk/stock and cook until thick and smooth--stirring often.

Variations:
MUSHROOM--Saute 1/4 c. chopped mushrooms and 1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion in the butter before adding the flour and remaining ingredients.

CHICKEN--Add 1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning or sage and cooked chicken (if possible). Be sure to use broth w/the milk.

CELERY--Saute 1/2 c. chopped celery and 1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion in the butter before adding the flour.

BROCCOLI--Saute 1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion in the butter before adding flour and remaining ingredients. Then stir in 1/2 c. chopped, cooked broccoli.

CHEESE--Add 1/2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese and 1/4 tsp. dry mustard.

*Recipe courtesy of Elaine W. Good, Class of 1962

Enjoy!

Sorta' Crunchy

Ever take one of those online quizzes to determine your "crunchy"-ness?
You know, hybrid-drivin', granola-makin', cloth diaperin', veggie gardenin'...okay, you get the idea.

I am not a huge fan of online quizzes...most of them are quite silly and pointless in my opinion. However, I was curious where I would fall on the crunchy scale.

I was kind of disappointed. I thought I'd be more crunchy. I wasn't even middle-of-the-road!
I thought surely raising chickens would be worth something...nope! Nada, zip, zilch.

Fine! I'll make my own crunchy quiz.

Join in if you'd like and post your score in the comment section.
(***This quiz is for fun--not condemnation! Different strokes for different folks, right?)

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1. CHILDBIRTH:
4 points--homebirth, unassisted
3 points--homebirth w/midwife
2 points--hospital birth, no pain med.'s
1 point--hospital birth

2. DIAPERING:
3--cloth diapers, wash own
2--cloth diapers, diaper service
1--disposables

3. FEEDING:
4--breastfeed
3--breastfeed, pump
2--pump and formula
1--formula

4. FOOD:
3--buy only organic/grow own, health food store, vegetarian
2--buy some organic, grow some, limited processed foods
1--buy some natural, whole grain foods, local

5. VEHICLE:
4--bicycle or walk
3--hybrid
2--compact car/station wagon
1--minivan/SUV/truck

6. AU NATURALE:
4--herbal remedies, little-to-no makeup, chemical-free hair/skin products
3--some herbal remedies, some chemical free hair/skin products
2--herbal remedies
1--vitamins

7. HOUSEHOLD:
3--green cleansers, make own
2--green cleansers, buy
1--some green

8. THE 3 R's:
5--compact florescent bulbs, consignment shop, recycle glass/cans/paper, market bags, compost
4--compact florescent bulbs, consignment shop, recycle glass/cans/paper, market bags
3--compact florescent bulbs, consignment shop, recycle glass/cans/paper
2--compact florescent bulbs, consignment shop
1--donate clothing, household items

9. COOKING:
3--soak grains, raw milk, meals from scratch
2--some homemade bread, natural ingredients, most meals from scratch
1--some meals from scratch

10. SCHOOLING:
4--homeschool/co-op
3--desire/plan to homeschool in the future
2--private (religious based) school
1--public school

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Okay, tally them up:
25--33 Totally nutty
16--24 Can't deny the crunch
10--15 Kinda' crispy
0--9 Instant oatmeal

Goodbye Holes, Divots, and Scuffmarks!

We had just signed all the paperwork making it ours. As I walked into the kitchen of our new place 3 years ago, my eye immediately zeroed in on the grapefruit-sized, paper-bag-brown spot in the middle of the floor. The previous owner had disguised it well under a small rug during showing. Her chocolate lab apparently didn't lose sleep over such silly things as holes in flooring.



Even though the vinyl linoleum was on the thin side, throughout moving day as I was unpacking the kitchen, I found myself sidestepped the hole--my peripheral vision and the slight unevenness of the floor enough to make me feel off-balance. I've since then added to my list of things that make me feel off-kilter, but that's a whole other post and not what you signed on to read today, is it?



I've made patches to no avail. I've tried everything on the scuffmarks. The divots were beyond my control. And then I just had to make my peace with it. It was going to look ugly until we had the funds to replace it.

3 years later...


BEFORE:




Is there something wrong with me? I'm alittle giddy because of a piece of linoleum.
AFTER:




It is obvious that the kitchen walls have not been painted since the house was built 12 years ago. Now I just need to find a nice, light, neutral color to offset the white trim, backsplash, and shutters.

Retreat

Time with other women. WONDERFUL.

Uninterrupted conversation, gales of laughter, delicious food, shared tears...family. PRICELESS.

It was a first.

The first that I've been part of anyway. With my mom's oldest sister and her adult children spread across the U.S., and many of my cousins and I being in the young family season of life, it is downright rare that we are together without children.

A few weren't able to make our getaway...and we sorely felt their absence. In the end there were 8 of us, ranging in age from early 20's to upper 50's. Sisters, in-laws, cousins, mothers, daughters.


It's been a year of joys, challenges, celebrations, and loss since my grandfather passed away last October. This retreat was oh, so timely for all of us. It surely did wonders for my heart and soul.

I hope we can make it an annual thing.

Lastly, I only took one picture! I can't believe it...ONE! Guess I was too busy flappin' my gums and gigglin'.