10,000 Things That Make Me Hungry

The goal was to update my recipe book. I wanted my grown kids to have access to their favorite recipes, but I also wanted to go through and remove recipes I never use, add in a few new ones, and update the recipes we know and love around here so that the instructions include all my shortcuts and modifications. It felt so overwhelming because, honestly, that job is never done. As soon as I finished printing an updated copy, there would be new recipes and further changes I wish were in there.

That's when I remembered my hungry blog! I started it in 2013, added a bunch of mostly main dish recipes in 2014, added six more in 2016 and one in 2017 and then forgot about it. But as I contemplated my recipe dilemma, I realized my blog is the answer. I can update and add to it anytime I want and no one has to print anything out or worry about it becoming outdated. 

And so in January I got to work. I made sure the recipes already on the blog were current. Then I put in almost all the rest of our tried-and-true recipes. I'll update it as I think of additions, and make changes as I find better easier ways to do things. ;) I've already been able to give out links to specific recipes upon request. It's so easy! 

So click here to enjoy my no-frills recipe blog. Please let me know if you find something you love!

Tip: in the desktop version, there is a search bar to hopefully help you find what you're looking for.

The Next Generation

You may have noticed from our Christmas card that Savannah is sporting a little baby bump. Yes, it's true! Jeff and I are going to be grandparents in May. While I don't feel old enough to be a grandma, my age says otherwise and I'm very excited to welcome this little guy into our family. Here's a sneak peak to get us through until he makes his debut in just three months. It's been way too long since I've snuggled a newborn. I can't wait!

Ultrasound has come a long way! Isn't he cute? :)

Easy Cheesy Garlic Pizza Bread

This is one of our favorite quick meals around here. When the world shut down and the kids were home everyday, we must have eaten this for lunch at least 2 or 3 times a week! It's super easy to make and only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. 

Easy Cheesy Garlic Pizza Bread

1 or 2 loaves Jimmy John’s day-old bread*

Butter or margarine

Garlic bread seasoning (Click here for the recipe)

Shredded cheddar cheese

Pepperoni

     Cut each loaf of bread in half lengthwise. Lightly butter each piece and sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning (substitute with garlic salt, if needed). Sprinkle with cheese and cover with a row of pepperoni slices. Place under broiler for 3-5 minutes, checking every couple of minutes, until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Cut each piece into fourths. Serve warm.

*You can ask for "day-old" at Jimmy John's. At the location near us, which happens to be store #00001, it costs 50 cents a loaf and you can buy up to 4 loaves. Sometimes they sell out, but they seem to have it 90% of the time around here. If it's not available where you live, you can always use French bread or Italian bread loaves instead.

Merry Christmas!

Lip Sync Battle 2017

My boys were a hit at the Youth Lip Sync Battle on Saturday. Their number was a definite crowd pleaser and lots of fun! The competition was a little stiffer than last year so they didn't bring home the trophy, but from the many comments they received afterward, they should have! :) It was all in good fun so there were no hard feelings.

I love seeing what these three come up with. The choreography is all theirs and came together pretty quickly once they decided on a song. They were having a blast! Enjoy their performance of "Once There Was A Snowman," by Inside Out.

Seussical Success

I will do my best to get a sharper photo after tomorrow night's performance, but I didn't want the day to end without mentioning how much we enjoyed Seussical, Jr. this evening. Oh, it was SO good!! From the costumes to the props to the brand new sound system, everything came together tonight and these kids put on an amazing show. Really, top notch all the way!

We can't wait to see it again!

3/4/17 Update: Tonight's performance was every bit as good as the first. What a fun show! This is a great group of kids who really stepped up to the plate to pull off such an impressive play. (I'm sticking with last night's blurry photo because the ones I took tonight only have a few cast members.) 

February Everyday

Last February I decided to post a blog entry every single day to help me focus on happy things during my least favorite month. Well I did it again. I didn't make a big deal about it because, honestly, I didn't know if I'd remember to do it. There have been several nights where I've been ready for bed before I remembered I still needed to post something. Argh! But somehow I pulled it off and it helped me find joy in the little things. I hope you've found many happy moments in your February, too. 

For this last day, I've got something that's sure to make you smile. This little donut was made entirely by Sadie. She got a little stitching kit for Christmas with patterns and supplies to make all sorts of mini food items. She hand stitched this adorable donut and made it entirely from scratch. Isn't it the cutest? 

On that note, I'll sign off and see you next month!

You know, February really isn't all that bad. ;)

Top Down

February is usually a pretty grim month here in the Midwest. If it's not snowing, it's gray and dreary and cold. There isn't nearly enough sunshine and it's hard to put on a happy face. Just look at this picture from February 2014:

This year it's a different story. We've had the most amazing weather! It's been sunny and mild like a beautiful spring. This week the temperatures got up into the high 60's several times. We may have even hit 70º. I don't know that we've ever had a February where I could ride around in my little car with the top down before. I could get used to this!

Tomorrow should be nice, but then we're in for a week of cooler weather. I won't complain. February is almost over and it's been great!

My Wish

Maybe it's because Sam and Savannah are away at school, forging ahead toward a (hopefully) bright future. Maybe it's because Spencer will graduate from high school in 3 months. Maybe it's because life can be tricky at times and I want the best for my kids. Or maybe it's just because I'm feeling sentimental...

Whatever the reason, I've been listening to "My Wish," by Rascal Flatts on repeat. It's one of my favorites and does a great job expressing what I wish for my kids. If you're not familiar with it, listen to the lyrics. You'll see what I mean!

(I'd hoped to find an official music video by Rascal Flatts, but there isn't one.)

Merry Christmas!

Pen Perfection

I will admit it, I am a pen snob. I have had favorites over the years, but I have never loved a pen as much as I love the Pilot G-2 with the 0.38 tip (ultra fine point). My handwriting is better when I use this pen. I love to doodle and practice various fonts and lettering techniques with this pen. I have placed them in strategic locations around the house, in my car, in my purse, so I can avoid using inferior instruments whenever possible. 

As I was shopping online this morning to replenish my supply, I came across a rather convincing review on Amazon. I was laughing through tears as I read the following to Jeff:

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was written with a G-2 pen. The only thing Thor’s hammer cannot crush? This pen! Harry Potter was only able to defeat He Who Shall Not Be Named because his wand contains a single Phoenix feather and also a G-2 Pen. When Navy Seals perform emergency tracheotomies in the heat of battle – they only use the shaft of the G-2. And no matter how intense the fight becomes – No G-2 is left behind! When Rambo writes love letters to his knife – what does he use? The G-2. Yo momma’s like a Pilot G-2. …Everybody wants to get their hands on her. Kevin Costner didn’t have gills in Waterworld. He was just snorkeling with a G-2 pen. Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to a G-2 pen! And with the G-2, no more chicken scratch – just beautiful calligraphy. Why won’t Donald Trump change his hair style? Because that is where he hides his golden G-2! Where have all the cowboys gone? They’re in Office Depot doodling on tiny paper scraps with sample G-2s. What is truly in Area 51? The Ark of the Covenant filled with G-2 pens. That's why you die if you touch the Ark. NOBODY steals God's G-2s! Captain Hook's favorite hand replacement? His G-2 attachment. How did Stevie Wonder go blind? He looked directly at the shimmering glory of the G-2 pen. How did Houdini pull off the impossible so many times? The answer was always a G-2. Little Known Fact: When Ghandi died he had only 10 possessions. 9 of them were Pilot G-2s and the 10th was a tracking number for ink refills from Amazon. Stephen Hawking can actually talk. He's just speechless after experiencing the unmatched brilliance of the G-2. What was the secret behind Mother Theresa's kindness, enlightenment, and peaceful tranquility? She owned a Pilot G-2. Why isn't Tony Stark content with his billions of dollars? Because he has not been able to invent the G3. The G-2 is virtual perfection!

Thank you, R. Fuqua, whoever you are. You made my day. :) 

And yes, my new box of G-2's should be here next week. Hooray!!

For the record, this is not a paid endorsement. I don't get paid to promote anything on this blog. I don't get money or brownie points if you click on a link or if you buy something. I just wanted to share something that made me laugh (the review) and something that makes me happy (the pen). That's all. :)

Go the Distance

Happy September! I think a new Vocal Point video is a great way to start the month. This is a good one. (Savannah was bawling!!)

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. :)

The Lake House Revisited

Remember the lake house where we spent Spring Break? When we were deciding where to go for a family vacation with Sam, I wanted somewhere that we could really be together without the pull of outside distractions (like facebook, e-mail, instagram, etc...).

The lake house had all that and more because 1) there is no internet and 2) no cell reception. While that may sound like a teenagers nightmare, it is this mother's dream!! :) Fortunately, my kids were good sports and our friends were very generous in allowing us to use their lake house again. So we spent the first week of August - five relaxing days - truly together. 

We enjoyed eight kayaks, one dock, a trip to Nauvoo (more on that later), loads of good food, plenty of games, music, movies (we got to share Kung Fu Panda 3 and Star Wars VII with Sam!), books, swimming, and laughing. 

My dream of having my little family all to myself (all to ourselves) was realized and it was awesome! I hope we can do it again soon.

Sadie loved this swing. The older kids were totally afraid of it. :)

Even during meals we had a beautiful view, but no bugs on the fully screened deck.

Savannah and Sterling put together some really cool guitar/violin duets.

Not a great picture, but one of my favorite parts was kayaking. I loved it when all eight of us were out together.

Savannah loved doing yoga on the dock, especially the day she was up with the sun.

Diving lessons.

1...  2...  3...

...jump!

(the end.)

Elijah

Because all five brothers were going to be in town at once, we knew one family would need to stay at Jay's house.  (Jay, Jeff's youngest brother, lives across town from Jeff's parents). I quickly and happily volunteered our family so that we could spend the most time with the newest Stowell. 

I love our Idaho family and it was really great to spend time with everyone. We don't get to see each other nearly often enough! As much as I enjoy spending time with the adults and all my nieces and nephews, the highlight for me was baby Elijah. Elijah is barely a month old and oh, so sweet! 

I'll admit it, I hogged him. I held him while he cried. I held him while he slept. I bugged other people while they held him. I LOVE newborns and I can't get enough.

The next time we see little Elijah, he'll likely be walking and probably won't want anything to do with me. But for the past several days, we've been buddies. It's my favorite part. 

Sadie sewed this cute little puppy for Elijah. :)

Just Picked

Straight from the garden this morning:

Ready for lunch tomorrow:

Two Batches of Freezer Jam!

Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam just seems to taste better when you grow the strawberries yourself! The first time I made freezer jam years ago, we decided we'd never be able to eat anything else. It's so much better than anything you can get from the store. 

Here's the recipe I use:

Strawberry* Freezer Jam

2 c. pureed strawberries

4 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Combine and stir very well. Let stand for 10 minutes.

In a small saucepan, combine:

3/4 c. water

1/3 c. pectin**

Stir constantly, over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. 

Pour pectin mixture into strawberries and stir for 3 minutes. Pour into jars (I use old Skippy peanut butter jars). Let stand for 24 hours before storing in freezer. 

One batch makes about 3 jars

*I've substituted peaches or I've used half strawberries, half peaches with great results. Other berries can be used as well. It's pretty versatile. 

**I get my pectin in Amish country, but I used to use a boxed variety (where I originally found the recipe) from a local discount grocery store. 

Pretty Things

I have a few pictures from the last several days that make me smile. I thought maybe they'd make you smile, too.

Spencer picked some beautiful peonies from one of our rental properties. The large flowers wilted fairly quickly, but this little bud is alive and well and so pretty! It makes me happy when I see it sitting on my dining room table. 

We've had a lot of rain lately. This upside-down leaf was on our deck the other day, wet from the morning rain, but beautiful in contrast to the rough deck paint. 

Jeff and Spencer went on a quick overnight campout last weekend. This is the property where they stayed. Isn't it pretty? Unfortunately, it was rainy and windy and muddy - so much so that the van got stuck and had to be pulled out by a tractor. It just adds to the adventure, right?

Our little birds are growing up! Momma and daddy bird are very attentive and spend all day feeding these hungry babies. Any movement around their nest and all three heads pop up with beaks open wide. So cute! 

Last, but certainly not least, here is our first ripe strawberry of the season. You wouldn't believe our strawberry patch this year! It's lush and full and LOADED with strawberries! There are hundreds of really small and very green berries, but every day or two we've found an unusually large and bright and sweet red berry. Yummy!

Happy Pi Day

Hands down, this is my favorite pie. It's the apple pie I grew up with, the one I'd sneak into the kitchen for to steal loose bits of the yummy top crust when no one was looking. It's so yummy served warm with vanilla ice cream or cold out of the fridge for breakfast the next day.

It's the perfect pie for our Pi Day (3.14) celebration. It's super easy to make which makes it even better!

Mom's Apple Pie
1 bottom pie crust (not deep dish)
4+ large Granny Smith apples (or 7-8 smaller apples)
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Combine sugar and cinnamon. Peel, core, and slice apples. Place them in unbaked pie shell and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar after each layer or so. Continue until apples are heaping in pie shell.

Topping:
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. flour
1/3 c. butter or margarine
With a pastry blender, combine until crumbly. Spoon over apples and pat down with hands to form the top "crust." Bake on a foil lined cookie sheet at 400° for 40-50 minutes. (My oven is on the warm side so 40 minutes is plenty. I gently place a piece of foil on top for the last 10 minutes to keep the top crust from getting too dark.)

Enjoy!

Maltesers

One of the things I miss about Scotland is the sweets. (Why is it that European chocolate is so much better?) With little corner shops located at the most convenient locations, it was easy to stop in and pick up a "sweetie" or two.

Side note: One of my missionary companions was very generous in sharing her sweets. She would usually hand me half of whatever she was eating and say, "Better your butt than mine." Ah, memories. :)

Anyway, I was pretty excited yesterday when I was shopping at a nearby salvage store and found Maltesers, one of my favorite Scottish treats. I hurried and grabbed several packages and then thought about it and grabbed a few more.

Do you like Whoppers? Maltesers are basically the same thing, but better! I've come across them before so Jeff and the kids are already fans.

What a happy surprise! :)

The Great Food Contrast

At the end of January, Jeff and the boys went on the annual Scout Klondike Derby. This is an event I will never understand. Let's all go sleep outside in the middle of winter. Definitely not my idea of a good time.

Anyway.

With Savannah away at college and Soren old enough to go with the boys this year, Sadie and I were left to enjoy some one-on-one girl time together. After sleeping in on Saturday (a luxury we don't often enjoy around here) we made a yummy brunch of chocolate chip pancakes, bacon and chocolate milk.

I snapped this picture to send to Jeff --

My words: "Mmmm. Yummy brunch!"

This is what he sent in return --

Jeff's words: "Anything tastes good when you're hungry." 

It really doesn't help the let's all go sleep outside in the middle of winter argument, does it? :)

Our Thanksgiving Surprise, part 3 - Family

Cute little turkey! :)

The best part of our Thanksgiving trek was spending time with family. The highlight for me was seeing the look of surprise and joy on my parents' faces. They had no idea we were coming. With us there, it meant the entire family was together (36!) - minus only Sam and Jake, our missionaries.

Because my mom was making table favors for each place setting, my sister-in-law Jenny told her she'd invited a friend and her family who had nowhere else to go. My mom thought that was a little weird since the group was so large already, but whatever. She made enough favors for everyone and didn't think too much of it.

My mom was standing by one of the tables when we walked in. She said "Hi" as she looked up. And then recognition set in and her smile changed to complete surprise! When Jenny walked in, my mom said, "Is this your friend?" :) Yep!! It was much the same when my dad entered the room. He was so surprised and happy that everyone would be together. He got choked up when he said the dinner prayer later that afternoon.

When we left for home early the next morning, I sent a quick text to my parents saying, "On our way. Wish we could have spent more time. So glad we got to see you! Love you!!" Now something you need to know about my dad is that he doesn't text. He'll read them if we send them, but he'll pick up the phone and call if he has something to say. But immediately I got a text back from my dad that said, "Please drive safe. We love you and will never forget this special surprise." I'm pretty sure I cried for a half hour after that. I still can't think about it without crying. It just meant a lot to me.

We may be a motley crew, but I sure love these guys! (And I'll replace this with a less-grainy version once I locate one.)

In addition to my parents, we surprised my two youngest brothers as well. We saw Jeffrey (far right) the day before at my sister's house where Savannah was staying during the break. He pulled in after us and saw our van in the driveway. Not knowing we were there, his first reaction was, "Why did Savannah bring the VAN to school?" That's especially funny if you know of Savannah's unfavorable feelings for the van.

Surprising Savannah was tricky. She kept calling the house and, obviously, no one was home. Then she'd call my cell phone and start in with 20 questions. I was trying really hard not to lie to her, but I was getting quite creative with the truth. In the end, she was so suspicious that she figured out that we were out west somewhere! But she had no idea when she'd see us. When we finally showed up at her dorm on Tuesday night, Sadie set her teddy bear outside Savannah's door and we knocked and hid around the corner. When Savannah came out and saw Teddy, she SCREAMED!! She freaked out for an extended period of time and made us all feel really good about sitting in the van for an entire day to get to her. :)

Savannah and her cousin, Andrea

In Utah, we stayed with my younger sister, Amy. That's always a treat, spending time with her kids who always seem so excited to have us there! (Aren't they adorable?)

CUTEST. KID. EVER!!

My family wasn't the only ones we were able to surprise. Our first stop on the trip was to Jeff's parents house in Idaho. We were only there for a quick 24-hours, but we had a great visit and they seemed genuinely thrilled to have us there. It was fun to see their beautiful new home and just spend time together.

Jeff's youngest brother, Jay, who lives just a few minutes from his parents, was surprised to see us as well. His wife knew we were coming, but he and the kids had no idea. Jay's daughter was ready for a bigger violin so we personally delivered a 3/4 violin to their door. We spent Monday evening with their family. I'm so glad the kids had time to catch up with their cousins. Sadie was especially happy to see her BFF, Ana. :)

I could go on and on. We loved the time we spent with family. They made the whole trip worth it! It was pretty much our best Thanksgiving ever!