A Proverbs 31 Kind of Day

The other day, while visiting with friends over dinner, I noticed my dish had delicious tomatoes tossed in. When I read the menu, it said, "Roasted tomatoes." I've done roasted tomatoes before, but they never turned out like what was having that evening. When my girl cherub and I were working on dinner the other night, I thought I would try for the roasted tomatoes again. The difference between the restaurant and what I had done in the past was simple. I always tossed the tomatoes, whole, with seasoning and roasted. While I do like them this way, what it causes the tomato to do is burst open. Which is fine. Except that affects the texture of the tomato. This time, we made one simple change. We cut the tomatoes in half. Yes, it was a lot of cutting, because all I had where cute little cherub tomatoes. But with two of us cutting, we did the entire pint lickety-split! We loved the end product! Matter of fact, we wished we had done more. ...

There are so many good thoughts running through my mind. Pasta! Fresh pasta! Gluten free pasta! YES!!  Five years of being gluten free and having marginal pasta, this was a win! Thank you, Aldi! While shopping at Aldi, I found a FRESH, GLUTEN FREE pasta! Can you even believe it? Me either! I almost didn't care what it tasted like, I was just thrilled to be able to buy fresh pasta. OK -- so I did care what it tasted like.  I kind of over-exaggerated that point. The day Mr. and I were shopping, and I spied this -- I grabbed a few and texted my friend, Sheila. Sheila is a great hostess.  It was during a soirees that my girl cherub had Ms. Sheila's Alfredo sauce. That was several years ago, but I remember my girl cherub raving about it. As you know, I do not really care for pasta. I mean, it's ok. But the Mr. and two cherubs -- they L.O.V.E pasta. The kind of love that never gets tired of having pasta as a meal option. But as for ...

Lately, the Mr. and my girl cherub are having to pick up a little more of the chores around the house. OK -- so maybe all of the chores! Cooking, cleaning, laundry, packing lunches. Everything! Over the weekend, I fell and broke my foot. It didn't sound like it was any big deal with the doctor at the ER, but my Monday follow up visit shed a wee little different light on the situation. So I'm still cooking . . .from the living room. The Mr. says, "ok, what's next?" and I tell him what to do with the recipe. It's been kind of interesting, but everything, so far, has turned out just great! After dinner the other night, he kept asking if there was something he could make. I couldn't think of anything simple, but I dreamed up this little treat that I knew would be easy. This little gem of a treat has me thinking about all the things that can be created with almond bark! The girl cherub made brownie bites for a school project tom...

I've had a moment of reflection only to discover that I love cranberries. Not to pop one of the tart fruits in my mouth to savor, as that would pucker even the strongest of women. But the red-jeweled fruit is amazing, I think, and often under valued. While shopping this week, I saw the first opportunity to purchase cranberries. There were two options; the small 12 ounce bag, or the large two pound bag. It's when I took note of the thought in my head when I saw the options that I realized, "I really do love cranberries!" While shopping, I began to think of the ways I'd use the cranberries, and also wondered if I needed to grab another bag, "just in case one bag wasn't enough." Today, I made roasted cranberries. I think this will be delicious as a smear on a chicken sandwich or wrap a topping in a quinoa bowl with a bit of crumbled goat cheese, roasted butternut squash, and a few chopped pecans a sauce for a turke...

It's hot and we're on this "money saving" program with our air. Which means while the Mr. is at work, practically freezing everyone out of the office, I'm at home, conserving energy and agreeing to his "money saving plan" like a Proverbs 31 kind of wife. He comes home, and says, "Oh my word!  It's hot in here!!" Oh really?  "I thought the sweat beads on my forehead were from my fervent cleaning I was doing before you got home!" No? Hum . . . not sure! So back to it being hot in the house. The energy is cheaper after 7:00. Well, if I start cooking dinner at 7:00, my cherubs would think they weren't going to get fed. They'd be ravenous if I didn't do something speedy. Taco pizza fit the bill this week for something quick! Using your favorite pizza dough, whether pre-made or a mix, prepare the crust. Then get ready for this easy-peasy taco pizza! Taco Pizza 1 pizza crust (I used a glute...

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...

By the looks of the blog, we haven't been eating, but by the looks of my waist-line, that's not the case! While we have certainly had meals between the last post and today, there hasn't been just a lot of time to experiment with new recipes. However, we have made a few new dishes and enjoyed laughter, friends, and family around the table. Now that school is just around the corner for our youngest cherub and we just moved our oldest cherub back to college for dorm living, I hope to resume to blog posting. What that translates for my family is "food!" This summer, we made this easy-to-fix, easy-to-serve salad several times. While the corn growing season may have already passed it's peak, you can still find fresh corn at farmer's markets and your local grocery store. And with just a few simple ingredients, that you probably already have on hand, you can toss this up in no time. What I like about this salad is the flexibility; whether...

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...

Yes!  The picture is sideways!  I can NOT get it right!   Waaaay back in 2015, we were moving from Dallas, Texas. Some sweet friends of mine made a "going away" basket for me. It was filled with darling things, that I still enjoy . . . including the cute basket! One of the things in the moving basking was a very yummy and versatile spice mix. One of the girls made it. I've used it on so many things and I'm continually impressed with how it tastes. Of course, I couldn't go without the recipe! So when I asked, she willingly gave! Which means I am willingly sharing with you too! I don't know the name of the mix and I do know she found the recipe somewhere. I've never seen a recipe just like this one . . . and I really dig this one! I didn't know the name, so I named it after my friend. I'm creative that way. This mix does take several ingredients, but would be so good to share with friends. You could give it a Chri...

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...

That can of fat free refried beans in the picture; It's my favorite brand. It's from Aldi's. There's no reimbursement or compensation for my opinion on this can of beans. Truly, Aldi doesn't even know I exist. But I know they exist! I am a fan of the store. I'm also a fan of these beans. Not that I would want to just "open and serve" this, but it's a good foundation for other tasty creations. With Cinco de Mayo today, I wanted to give you a quick bean dip. It's super easy and is great for dipping chips or rolling in tortillas for a super fast lunch. If you were having company, you could keep this warm in a small crock pot and have the toppings out and your friends could "build their own" nachos. Because I use this brand of refried beans, I don't add a bunch of seasoning. If you make this, and your canned refried beans aren't seasoned, then you may want to tinker with some flavoring . . . and ...

"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!

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...

  With the winter weather still around, I find my skin has that "winter feel."   You know the feeling -- dry, and more dry.   Not only does my skin feel dry, but it looks dry.   My hands look "aged."   I'm sure that's not a winter-weather thing, as much as it is a sun-thing.   But I'd rather blame it on the dry winter weather!   One of the things I like about Imperial sugar are all the recipes they have on-line.   Of those, I love the sugar scrub recipes! I've made several and have loved them.   I've even given them as gifts!   So this morning, while I was lamenting my dry hands, I took a stroll over the Imperial Sugar website.   I found this easy little sugar scrub that I whipped up in a matter of minutes!   I changed the type of oil I used and I omitted a couple ingredients.   There's no "reason" for the changes -- it's just what I had . . .or didn't ...