A Proverbs 31 Kind of Day

By the looks of it, you might think it's been a slow month at our house! Truthfully, though, it's been kinda busy. Just this month, we have spent a week in the mountains, prepared for the start of school, and I've gotten to share with a group of ladies about meal preparation. That's why I decided to write today. Because of my time with the moms. It got me thinking. One of the things I did at the cooking class was show how to prepare five meals with five pounds of ground beef. Easy enough. But there was really more to it than that. The "more to it" was this: eating at home is cheaper than eating out. cooking at home tastes better than eating out. cooking takes a little bit of prep, but it's worth the effort eating dinner together, as a family, is more than the meal; it's about sharing together   For some, cooking is intimidating. But I've shared this thought with so many . . .and I shared it with the moms at the cooking c...

Everyone has their favorite chicken salad. But if you're like me, you're always on the search for "the best" chicken salad. I've scoured lots of church cookbooks, tea room recipes, and magazines searching for an even better chicken salad recipe. Truthfully, I've had some delicious chicken salads. But this one . . . this is one of my favs! I've used this recipe for more than 15 years. Honestly, though, I don't make it a lot. And for that, I'm not sure as to the reason. Bust as we planned a get-away this Summer, I decided to make this to take with us. When we travel to the mountains, that is our let down and relax time. I don't mind cooking . . .but I want to do it at home and just take it with us in the cooler. That way, while we're away, I feel like I'm getting a vacation too -- rather than having to spend so much time preparing meals! Chicken Salad 3 cups cooked & cubed chicken (I roast a whole ch...

If you're like us, you are glued to the TV for the next few days. As in, glued to the Olympics! Since the Opening Ceremony, we have been watching relentlessly! There is something about the Olympics that we love! Matter of fact, we'll watch sports, that at any other time, we're not really interested in! For example, the last time we watched ladies volleyball was . . . four years ago. But put the infamous 5 Olympic rings on the screen, and we become mesmerized by sports! Along with the sports, is the excitement of the host country! We like to learn a little about the country, think of things we'd like to do if we could ever visit, and look at the pretty landscape of the host country as we learn about it through the watching of the Olympics! Typically, on the evening of the Opening Ceremony, I'll make food from the host country. This year, I planned to do that, but our schedule kept us from having a watch party. But I still had the ing...

We were having a weekend of guests. Not over-night guests; just a weekend with a variety of guests. Breakfast guests. Hang-out-after-church- guests. Neighbor guests. That got me thinking. "What can I serve to drink besides the regular stuff?" Which that got me looking at different options. I went to one of my trusty cookbooks . . . the one my mom put together for me when I was getting married. She collected recipes from family and friends, from both sides of our family, and compiled all the recipes into a cute little cookbook. Which I still use today. This recipe is from our "Auntie Ronda," who, more than 30 years ago, started out as a neighbor and turned into family! There, in the appetizer section, was this recipe. Note:  maybe that's why I've missed it before . . .it was in "appetizer," rather than drinks, or miscellaneous . . . . But for whatever reason, I saw it. The ingredients are simple. At the bottom...

One Saturday, we were having guests for breakfast. But to do that, you have to start the prep work a bit earlier than I really want to function on a Saturday morning. I looked through my recipes to find some of our favorites . . . that were easy! And by "easy," I mean not extremely time consuming but tastes good! I decided on a menu that included fruit, breakfast cake, yogurt, egg cups, and . . . GRITS! Yes, grits! We love grits! What I particularly love about grits is their unassuming ability to take on just about any flavor! Plain grits. Sweet grits. Cheese grits. Savory grits. You can't go wrong with well-done grits! Even people who say they don't like grits will love well-done grits! Our guests had to end up changing plans the night before, but I went ahead with our brunch plans for our family. The best memories are made around the table, laughing, talking, and enjoying a Saturday morning together! Cheesy Breakfast Grits 1 ...

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...