A Proverbs 31 Kind of Day

The uncertainty of the last several weeks may have you and your family eating at home more. Perhaps you have gathered around the table more in these last two weeks than you have during the last year. And maybe with the stress of cooking more, you're wanting some new recipes to try. While the days may be uncertain, I am thankful we can find reason to rejoice. With one of my Cherubs at home when he should be at University, completing his junior year, I am thankful to have this time with him. With my other Cherub completing her senior year of high school, I am thankful to have some quality time with her without the distraction of obligations. I am also thankful for the many times a week we place our feet under the table and enjoy good food and great conversations. Conversations filled with laughter that are making many memories to hold tightly. One thing that has happened for me is a return to creative cooking and trying new recipes. With our fruit salad to...

This is one of those desserts that honestly, I remember my mom making when I was a little kid. I also remember not being especially found of it. Not for any particular reason. But fast-forward a few years. . . ok, a lot . . . and now I like apple crisps. This dessert, though, often gets overlooked. I don't know if it is because it's too "simple." Too "homey." Doesn't "present well." And while all of those might be true, the truth is, apple crisp is a great option to offer your family and friends! Most of the time, you have the ingredients to make the dessert. It's easy enough you can throw it together, and what's even better . . .it's homemade! Like -- who doesn't like THAT! In a time when homemade is a forgotten language, this dessert is sure to please! You know me, what I love about this is the flexibility! Add in some pecans, if you wish. Or maybe some raisins or cranberries. Top...

I hate to admit it, but I will. I'm not really sure when I realized that "fig" was an actually fruit, and should be said, "a fig . . ." Rather, I grew up thinking "fig" was part of a cookie name, as in "fig newton." Now, before you rush to judgment, I'm not hating on fig newton cookies. I grew up where these cookies were kept in the cabinets. Honestly, I don't remember packages of Chips Ahoy, Peppridge Farm, or even Oreos. I remember fig newton cookies. So I like them. Which made me think, I must like figs. Because after all, it's in the cookie; right? Since those early days, I have come to learn that figs are a fruit. A fruit I have never bought. Until today. While grocery shopping, I saw some black mission figs and bought several. Having no idea what to do with them, I came home and learned. Thank goodness for google and youtube! I learned how to know when a fig is ripe, when a fig is in...

When we lived in Texas, there was a grocery store that I loved! It kind of sounds weird, but the Mr. and I like to go to grocery stores and look around. You can find some of the most interesting things to try! This particular grocery store has a great "ready to eat" market area. One of the visits, I found this salad and just had to try it. Several times after that, every time we would go, I'd get a small amount of the salad to enjoy. One day, I thought, "why am I buying this -- it is so easy to make." So I stopped buying it and started making it. Of course, they don't list the recipe for all to see, but I merely went on what I tasted and saw. Easy Grape Salad Grapes, cleaned and stems removed (I prefer red seedless grapes for this salad) Blue cheese, crumbled chopped walnuts* Wash grapes and remove stems and toss into a bowl.  If you have time, cut some of the grapes in half and leave some whole.  This is my preference when making...

To try to explain the mach speed we are running right now would be futile! There is something everyday . . . and we're trying to cram in great activities before my boy cherub heads off to his first year of college. There's more about that later, but ultimately, it is such a fun time of life! Tonight, we are heading over to my mom's house to have dinner. To make it easier on her, I offered to bring a picnic supper, which would hopefully make it easier on me. I'm not too certain that I was successful with that part! However, when I asked the cherubs and the Mr. what they would like for dessert, it was clear they had forgotten that time was not readily available! You should have heard their suggestions! Needless to say, I made a mental note of what sounded good to them, and went out on my own! Since we are deep in the heat of summer, I opted for light and fruit. There are rare times that my family thinks fruit is a "dessert." Toni...

We are finally all home, together again, as a family! My boy cherub lived in DC this Summer and was a Page in the U.S. Senate. My girl cherub and I spent time at different camps and on mission trips. The Mr. did a little bit of everything, including a smidge of travel for work. So it's been awhile since we've all been together, under "our" roof. Now that we're back together . . . I really like it! Since my boy cherub was away, I have spent time making him some of his favorites. After his first "home cooked" meal, I made this for dessert. On a whim, we added vanilla ice cream to it; and just like that . . . A new dessert was made! We were kind of sad when we ran out of the fruit mixture! Ok, not really! But we did say we'd need to make this again! I like that it was super easy! Fruit and Cream 1 regular can of sliced peaches, cut into bite-sized pieces 1 regular can of pears, cut into bite-sized pieces 2 bananas, s...

We really do love mango. I'm not certain what it is about this fruit that is so enticing. Maybe it's their beautiful color!  Seriously!  Look at the picture!  The yellow, green, red, and orange  . . . they're amazing! And they can sometimes be a little expensive. But not necessarily in the summer. That's when the mangos are the best! Yesterday, the girl cherub and I bought a box of mangos. Now, we like mango . . .but my boy cherub is the one who really digs mango! But he's not at home this summer. So with that in mind, I needed to come up with some things to make with our many mangos. One of the things I want to try is mango agua fresco. I think it would taste great! But until I figure out how to do that, I want to share with you the recipe for mango salsa that my girl cherub made. The Mr. and my boy cherub are gone, so we girls made fish tacos for dinner. Topped with mango salsa. She looked at different recipes and discovered t...

My sweet cherubs . . . they're spoiled! Not necessarily spoiled in the way you might think. They're spoiled in their thoughts about . . . breakfast! Yes! Breakfast! If they have to eat cereal more than 1 morning, they grumble. Or, if they have to eat the same thing twice in week, they mope. For example: Two days ago, my girl cherub made one of her favorite breakfast wraps. It had been a l.o.n.g.  time since she had one and she whipped it up for breakfast. The next morning, we were in a hurry to get out the door, so I made her another breakfast wrap. Here's how it went: "Mom, what's for breakfast?" "I made you a breakfast wrap, like you made yesterday." "Anoooother wrap." "I'm sorry; I thought  you liked them?" "Yeah, but not day after day." Really?   . . ."day after day?" I hardly consider that "day after day!" They're really good kids: compliant, ...

While it may not feel like it outside, the calendar tells me that it is Fall. There are so many things about this season that I absolutely love! I like the falling leaves, and to watch the squirrels gather their food, and where we live, we have deer . . . so now I like to watch them too! I also love Fall food. One of my favorites are apples! I'm not really sure, but in the Fall, I love to nosh on apples. It's the strangest thing! Maybe it's because they are more crisp, or their color is more appealing. Whatever the reason, I'll go with it! Today, both of the cherubs were wanting an "after school snack." Looking at the apples on the counter, I offered apples and dip. Since I didn't have any dip, I made some! I took three things that my girl cherub really likes and I mixed them together. I just mixed; no measuring! If you like these ingredients, just mix yourself some dip and and enjoy an apple! Peanut Butter and Nut...

I'm tired of unpacking. I'm tired of heat.  I'm dreaming of Fall. I drive down the street and there are beautiful pumpkins at the garden centers. Gorgeous pots of mums line the drives. I'm beginning to think about Fall food . . . And I have the air conditioner on! Something is wrong with this picture! I want to wake up and throw the windows open and have a long sleeve shirt on. I want the days to warm to the perfect temperature. And I want to be able to sit with the family around the uncluttered table to a great bounty of fall food. But that's not happening right now. As I'm dreadfully unpacking yet another box, I had the idea of a "crustless apple pie." One reason for this is I have no time to make a pie right now. Another reason for this thinking is back to line #4 -- I'm dreaming of fall food. Apple pie is Fall! The third reason for this idea is being gluten free; I haven't attempted a gluten free pie cr...

I was away when the Mr. and the cherubs went to lunch. My boy cherub called me afterwards, all excited about this salad he had eaten. "Mom, it's so good!  You're going to have to make it!" Mind you, he had a general idea of the ingredients. By general, I mean what he could see! No thought of the ingredients that might be in it, but unseen! This week at the store, I bought the ingredients to make this salad he has raved about. To be fair, I want you to know that I've doubted this as remotely being something I would want to eat. It doesn't sound good. But he and the girl cherub say it is! I even splurged on real Greek Feta cheese. The one in the brine. Just like we had while in Greece. It DOES make a difference! I had no idea, but that's for another post! I measured nothing, but went my sight and the cherub's taste. I am delightfully surprised and I actually like it. I will be making this again, that's for sur...

I love friends like this . . . "Hey! What are you doing for dinner tonight?" "I don't know . . .what are y'all doing?" "I have no idea!  I've got chicken." "O.K!  I've got bacon." "I can bring some chips and ice cream." "O.K!  I've got caramel sauce and tea!" "Great!" "Perfect!  Y'all come down about 6." I looked in the cabinets to see what else I could bring to the table; literally! I had a couple of apples. I thought an apple slaw, or apple salad, or something with an apple sounded good. I went pilfering and here's the result! I just guessed at the measurements and went by sight on the cranberries and nuts. You can make adjustments where you need and according to your taste and the number of people you are serving! We did not have too much left over from our impromptu dinner with friends, but my girl cherub and I had the wee bit of left over ap...

Many years ago, I met a girl from our church and we became great friends. We shared many things in common, but a real thread that bound us was a love for Southern Living cookbooks! Yes! It's been that long ago when we would pour over the magazines  and collect the annual cookbooks and share our love of trying a new recipe! We ate many Sunday lunches at their house. Two reasons for that: They lived close to the church . . . and we didn't They could leave right when church was over . . . and we couldn't By the time we got to their house on Sunday afternoons, she was able to have all the last minute things done and they were standing around waiting on us. That's the life of having a pastor over for lunch . . . you spend a lot of time waiting for them to get there! Anyway; it's been a very long time since we've seen each other, but I still make a lot of our shared recipes. This one, however, was not a Southern Living recipe. I'm ...

The Mr. and I celebrated 20 years of marriage last week. With my mom agreeing to keep watch over the cherubs, we took off to the beautiful New England states for a few days!   It's kind of a sad reality when, at our age, we view going to New England in the Fall as "fun!" At least we didn't make the trip on a charter bus! Although, there is nothing wrong with that . . . and there were p.l.e.n.t.y. of buses that we saw. But I would like to think that we are young enough to still want to travel by ourselves! What I did discover is that we were called "leaf peepers!" That's what the weather people in the New England states would say when giving the weather report for the following day. OK -- and the fact that we watch the news . . . maybe another small sign that age is creeping up on us! We stayed in B & B's most nights, except for one, and that's called a "memory" that will be held over the Mr....

When the kids went back to school, so did I! What I mean by that is that my subbing schedule picked up right where it left off! I really enjoy being able to sub and particularly love subbing at our school! However, on the days I sub, breakfast is a little less "prepared"  then on the days I do not. I've confessed it before, but I feel the need to confess again: most of the time, the morning breakfast routine is managed by the Mr. There are days, however, that I contribute greatly to the success of it! Last week, on a day I didn't work, was one such experience! This recipe will be great for company, school-morning breakfasts, or Saturday brunch! While I made it gluten free, I believe that all purpose flour would be just as great! Apple Raisin Bake 1 large apple, washed, cored, and sliced thin (I used Granny Smith) 1/3 cup raisins 3 TBSP brown sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 4 eggs 2/3 cup milk 2/3 cup gluten free flour (or regular, all-pur...

I added grilled tilapia to the menu this week. I have to admit: if it's not grilled salmon, I don't make a lot of fish stuff. I'm not really sure why. I think I'm afraid! I don't have too much experience cooking fish. So I don't really have a great technique. Also, I don't want my house to smell like fish . . . for days! I'll forgo eating healthy omega 3 stuff for not having a smelly fish house. Truth. With grilled tilapia on the menu, I decided we needed something with the fish. Like a salsa. I see it in the magazines all the time. After all, don't most of your dinners look like something out of a magazine? Yeah, mine either! Since my boy cherub was home, studying for final exams, he took a break and helped me. Together we created this little sauce to top our fish. Honestly, we didn't measure a single thing. We threw the ingredients into a blender and went with it. For you, I'm giving a real gues...

Over Christmas, we had brunch with my brother and his family. My sister-in-law made mixed fruit with dip. It was so yummy! I asked for the recipe and she willingly shared; as long as I gave her credit! Maybe I should call it "Jen's Orange Fruit Dip!" When I actually got around to making it again for my family, I couldn't find where I had written it down! I searched the internet and found several recipes that were similar, and many that were the very recipe she had given me!  I believe the one she used is from Kraft. I love this because it's yummy, easy, and can be used for more than fruit! Dollop it on pound cake, pancakes, French toast, and of course, fruit! Orange Fruit Dip 1 cup  plain, nonfat yogurt (I used Greek Vanilla; it's what I had) 1/4 cup sugar 1 TBSP orange zest 1/4 cup orange juice 2 cups thawed Cool Whip   Whisk the yogurt and next 3 ingredients together in a bowl. Fold in the cool whip. Ref...

For Christmas lunch, my mom made a ham and this delicious pineapple sauce. We all instantly loved it! We have eaten cold and we've eaten it warm. We have thought about all the ways to use this sauce: with grilled chicken with grilled/roasted pork with baked ham on sandwiches as a dip mixed with cream cheese wrap brie and this sauce in puff pastry and bake to serve as an appetizer My cherub's really loved this and have already asked for me to make more of it! They're favorite thing right now is to make a grilled ham and pimento cheese sandwich and use this as the spread! They call it "the ultimate ride!" Mix this condiment up and see how many recipes you can create with it! Pineapple Sauce 1 - 20oz can crushed pineapple, undrained 1 cup brown sugar 1 TBSP cornstarch 1/4 tsp. salt 2 TBSP lemon juice 1/2-1 TBSP Dijon mustard Combine the brown sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Stir in the pineapple, lemon juice, and mustard. Cook over me...

I've made reference to our trip last Summer to different European countries. My prized souvenirs are cookbooks from each country. I'm not sure, of the 4 cookbooks, which is my favorite, but I surely enjoy the one I purchased while in Greece. I'll tell the quick story: We were in an open air market in Greece, searching through antiques and junk. Along the perimeter of where we were shopping were business. In typical European fashion, outside one of the restaurants was a young man leaning against the doorframe, as if to summon customers into his restaurant. When he heard our English, he asked where we were from, as he had studied in the States when he was in school. That question led to a great conversation and he invited us into the restaurant which he and his mother owned.  We sampled all sorts of incredible foods that afternoon and when I told him that I would love to have a cookbook because of the great experience we had just had, he showed me the co...

My cherubs are on minimester this week. Minimester is a ministry or education opportunity that students participate in during the week before Spring Break. This year, my boy Cherub went with his class to Washington, D.C.  It was both an education and a ministry trip. My girl Cherub went with her class for an outdoor science camp.  I went as a chaperon to the science camp. It was fun. But for 2 days I've been in the blowing wind, learning about all sorts of interesting "scienc-y" things and eating camp food. To their credit, this camp did offer lots of options in the camp food experience and there was always a salad bar. But after 3 days, I was ready for some variety. And I was ready for something from my kitchen. Me and my sweet girl cherub decided we wanted kabobs! Off to the store we went when we got back from camp and we bought all sorts of veggies and some chicken and beef so that we could make grilled kabobs! We also picked up a ...