A Proverbs 31 Kind of Day

Seriously!  My cherubs ask, "What's for dessert?"  every night! I have created a monster! Sometimes I give the look like, "Why are you asking me that?" And I point to the pack of gum on the counter! Other times I will say, "Do NOT ask what's for dessert, or there won't be any dessert!" And then I surprise them with a cake! I wish we didn't want a little dessert after dinner, but we do. I'm trying to accept it . . . embrace it  . .  . enjoy it! The Mr. and the cherubs are wanting me to perfect gluten free pie crusts. But right now, there isn't the time to wrestle with that task. So this week, while really wanting to make a pie, but not wanting to be defeated, I looked at different ingredients in the pantry and refrigerator and came up with this cake. It was super easy and the Mr. and the cherubs really liked it! This is not a "counter" cake, as the frosting will need to stay refrigerated....

Unfortunately, my picture has a lot of orange color . . .not sure why! But typically these energy bits look like peanut butter with yummy stuff mixed in! Some time ago, at an activity, one of the moms had these little treats out for the kids. I had one and knew that not only are they great for a snack, but it would be great for a breakfast at our house too! I've made these energy bites several times and what I like about them, besides the convenience, ease of preparation, and taste, is that I can keep make a large batch and keep them in the refrigerator or freezer for an easy-to-go meal! Now . . .you know the Mr. He doesn't like peanut butter. And now he has the cherubs a little spoiled to preferring almond butter and the like. So, my next effort is to make these, but substituting the peanut butter with a different nut butter. Just to see how it goes! If it's bad -- then I'll stick to the tried and true! Obviously, we've been glut...

My girl cherub loves French Dip Sandwiches. It's kinda weird, because I really don't know what she loves about them! Because truly, a French Dip sandwich is really basic. Yet, if done right, the flavors are simply . . .yummy! I know it's customary to put cheese on the sandwich. But honestly, I'm not certain that it really enhances the sandwich. I guess, ultimately, it is a matter of preference. But the Au Jus? That is NOT a matter of preference! That little component is the essence, in my opinion, of the sandwich! That's one reason why you need crusty bread. To dip the sandwich. The dip of the crusty bread that will adequately absorb the Au Jus and not get soggy to the point of falling apart . . . that is the art of the French Dip Sandwich! Beef Dip Sandwich   3 pound roast of choice 3-5 cloves garlic, whole 1 can beef broth 3 TBSP soy sauce, gluten free 2 tsp. browning sauce (I like Gravy Ma...

"Breakfast is ready!" "What is it?" "Blueberry Muffles!  Or maybe it could be called Blueberry Waffins!" "WHAT?!?!" "Blueberry muffins made in a waffle iron!" "OH!" I didn't have time to wait on the muffins to bake , I didn't want to take time for muffins to bake. So I thought the quickest, and tastiest way to correct the problem, would be to cook the muffins in the waffle iron. Sure!  I could have made a "cup of muffin" by cooking them in the microwave, but truthfully, it would not have been as delicious! The waffle iron was just perfect! Together, with the gluten free muffin mix and the Belgian waffle iron I whipped out breakfast in a matter of a few minutes! There's no real recipe here, other than what's printed on the back of the package. My only recommendation is that I did two things: I made the batter a little bit thinner than the direc...

      I sat and wrote the post for this marinade. At the very end, I thought to myself, "I wonder if I've ever posted this before?" Well . . . guess what! Here's the link to the very recipe that I was going to post today, that I've already posted several years ago! http://karen-proverbs31.blogspot.com/2012/05/grilled-chicken-marinade.html If you are needing a new recipe . . .or maybe to be reminded of a good recipe, give this marinade a try! Happy Grilling!

Have I ever told you how much we love all kinds of nuts? Not that we are nuts . . . although, that might be debatable! But our entire family loves all kinds of nuts. Now -- there are some of us, who shall remain nameless, who prefer the more "expensive" nuts. Like walnuts or pistachios. Some prefer cashews and pecans. But in October -- there are only 2 who will search out dry roasted peanuts to pair with candy corn. While making a salad recently, I wanted to put some candied glazed nuts in the salad. You know the kind -- they're thin slivered almonds, usually, that are found at your local store. I didn't have any of those; which, to be truthful, I haven't bought those in a very long time. But needless to say, I became a wee bit demanding in my mind that I wanted glazed nuts for our salad. So I made some. I've posted something similar, nearly 4 years ago, if you are interested in such. Today, though, ...

This past weekend, the Mr. and I went out to eat 3 times! The cherubs were at a discipleship weekend at church, so in between our volunteer times we took advantage of enjoying some local restaurants. On Saturday morning, we were waiting for breakfast and I grabbed a local magazine to read to pass the time. The entire magazine was dedicated to coffee. Now, I like coffee, but I'm in no way a connoisseur of such. I know what I like; and I definitely know what I don't! Pretty much, I'm a coffee snob. I don't like dark coffee. Or strong coffee. Or nasty, taste like an ash tray, coffee. I must have cream. And lots of it. Like I don't even apologize for how much I use. I don't use sugar. But I use more than the legal limit of cream. So, back to the magazine. In it was an article about coffee-flavored mixed drinks. Each drink used coffee syrup. Like simple syrup -- but coffee flavored. So...