My New Blog

As you know I've been Gluten-free since mid-July. I have tried many GF recipes and let me just say that a whole bunch of them are just plain awful!

Over the past couple of months I have begun to find some recipes that we as a family truly do like, and I wanted to share them with others.

There are only a few recipes on there so far. While I've made more, I want to include a photo with each posting, so you know for sure I've actually made this recipe.

Here's the link to the blog: Gloriously Gluten-Free

And here's the link where it explains in more detail why I started this new blog: Introduction

If you know of anyone who is GF, be sure to send them by! As a matter of fact, you don't even HAVE to eat GF to enjoy these recipes. Just rest assured that these recipes ARE good, and they have even passed inspection by the two picky eaters I live with. :)

The Littlest Apple Tree

 This little guy to the left is a 4 yr old dwarf apple tree. Isn't he cute? Still just a baby as far as trees go, and just as confusing as any toddler can be as well.

We were told when we bought this tree that it takes at least 4 yrs for a tree to start producing fruit. He didn't grow at all until this year. Seriously, it was shorter than me until a few months ago. I'm only 5' tall, so you know how short it is.

Well that very next Fall, our little 1 yr old tree, gave us 1 cute little apple that you can see here.

Last year, our little 3 yr old tree (that was still barely 4-5 ft tall) gave us an entire tree full of apples. I seriously don't think another apple would have fit on there. It was amazing! Granted, they were all about the size of golf balls, but hey...we had apples!

Now we are on year 4. This is the year we would really start raking in the apples. I was so proud of my little tree for doing a nice job of growing over the past year. It was now around 6' tall and I couldn't wait to see just how many more apples we'd get this year. I waited and waited all year (apples are my favorite fruit after all). I could barely stand the excitement.

I thought of all the applesauce, apple crisp, and apple pies I could make, as well as fresh apple cider. True, I'd never actually make any of those things, because that requires using an oven, and mine is only there because I've heard kitchens without them look silly.  But...if I did want to, I'd have plenty of apples to do it with.

 Earlier this week I went out to see how the little apples were growing, and to get a guesstimate on how many apples we'd get this year. Look to the left. How many apples do you see? Zero? Me too.

Here I waited anxiously all Summer long, and wouldn't you know it, there is not a single apple to be found anywhere on that silly little tree. Not even one!



I am highly disappointed.

Farmers Market

Jay and I got up VERY early this morning to drive an hour to the Des Moines Downtown Farmers Market. They block off a large part of downtown and it's a festive atmosphere. It goes on every Saturday through October and it features all sorts of vendors: veggies, fruits, crafts, and food. There were several Asian stands with vegetables I had never even heard of.

Looking west towards the Court House

 

Did you know that Chinese green beans are like 2 feet long? Neither did I!

This food market is four city blocks long, including the side-streets for each block. We were told to get there early as the crowds arrives quickly, and oh my goodness I am so glad we listened. The market opens at 7am and we were there by 7:15. By 9:00 when we left, it was so crowded that it was hard to see the stands (especially for someone like me on the scootermobile lol).

 Jay paying for some sweet red onions

Jay was great and opened his wallet anytime I found something I wanted to get. He never once complained, even though I'm sure he was thinking "I got up early for some vegetables?" lol. He even took one load to back to the parking ramp where we were parked since the baskets on my scooter were full. What a guy. :)

I bought the usual things like green beans, onions, peppers, tomatoes, sweet corn, watermelon and cantaloupe, but I also found extra things like raspberries, freshly popped kettle corn, homemade dog treats, salsa, and fresh basil and parsley (I keep going to the fridge and sniffing those two items because they smell so good. LOL)

As you can see, the peanut butter dog biscuits were a hit!

Every other corner found a musician playing different songs. One couple played folk type music, one gentleman and his guitar sang oldies songs, one man had different horns and he was more of a jazzy crooner, and there was also an awesome jazz band. I loved the party type feel of the whole area.

One of the many stands full of all kinds of fresh produce, and some of the goodies we bought.

If you're ever in Des Moines on a Saturday morning, I highly recommend setting your alarm very early and going to the farmers market. We have been told that it's one of the top farmers markets in the country, and from what I have now seen, I believe it!

Blueberry Muffins

Have you ever heard of Udi. Chances are, unless you eat gluten-free, you haven't. Currently, Udi's Gluten Free is in more than 500 stores nationwide, in 36 states, including Hawaii.

When I get groceries, I buy 1 Udi's item to try. This past week I bought their blueberry muffins. I tried one this morning, and let me just say, my tummy is singing!

I consider myself a "snob" when it comes to bakery type items. I like them soft, which is why I'm struggling with most gluten-free foods. Udi's bread is good, and I love it for toast, or a grilled sandwich, but I'm still not totally sold on it for a regular sandwich bread.

Therefore, I was skeptical about the muffins, but I decided to give them a shot, and yes, I am super happy I did! I took one directly from the freezer and popped it in the microwave for 30 seconds. It was soft and sweet as if I had just baked them myself (well, more like if someone who can bake them without burning them had made them). A.maz.ing!

If you have anyone that you know must eat gluten-free, do them a favor and tell them about Udi's products. Udi's sells bread, bagels, cinnamon rolls, muffins and granola. They can also order online if it's not in one of their stores.

You're friend will love you for this!

Taco Soup

I am trying to get back into regular blogging now that school is back in session and things are settling down a bit. It was a busy Summer, but so much better of a Summer/Fall/Winter than '09 was for obvious health reasons. That fact also has me a little sad because here we are, the last day of August. Summer weather is about over here in Iowa, and I have enjoyed it so much. I have not been pain-free by any means, but I have felt better than I have in over 2 yrs. I was able to be up and around more during the day. My naps were 1-2 hrs instead of 3-4hrs. I could get groceries by myself! I know that cold weather is the worst time for FMS, and I really don't want this "better-feeling-me" to end. I'm trying to stay positive though. If I could survive last years brutal Winter, I can survive anything. :)

Anyhow, to try to get me started again, I wanted to share a recipe that was shared with me. I made it for my mom who came up to help organize my pantry for me (yes, that's right, I'm organizing challenged).

Crockpot Taco Soup

2lbs ground turkey (can also use beef)
2md diced onions
3 (15oz) cans of beans, undrained  (can use pinto, kidney, black or garbanzo) -I used a  mix of kidney & black
1lg can crushed tomatoes
1lg can diced tomatoes -I used petite-diced because I'm not a fan of big chunks of tomato
1-2 small cans diced green chilies
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (let thaw while getting everything else ready)
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 envelope ranch dressing mix

Brown the ground meat and onions in a skillet; drain the fat, then pour into a crockpot.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Cook on low for 6-8 hrs.

Optional garnishes: sliced green or black olives, shredded cheddar or jack cheese, pickled jalapenos, crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado or guacamole, sour cream, chopped onions, chopped green peppers, corn bread.

This recipe is super yummy, super easy, and it's also gluten-free!

Is Your Crockpot Too Hot?

I have 3 crockpots. One is smaller for dips, but I use them all a lot, and love them. They are especially great in the summer when I don't want to heat up the kitchen just to have a good hot meal. However, I have one that seems to cook much faster than the other 2 and it can be frustrating to use. I read a great article not long ago on how to test your crockpot:

Some of the newer crockpots seem to cook at a hotter temperature, probably because manufacturers are concerned about food safety. You can check the temperature of your crockpot this way:

• Place 2 quarts of water in your crockpot
• Cover and heat on low for 8 hours
• Lift the lid and immediately check the water temperature with an accurate thermometer
• The temperature of the water should be 185 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is higher foods may overcook and you should reduce the overall cooking time. If the temperature is lower your foods will probably not reach a safe temperature quickly enough, and the crockpot should be discarded.

I checked mine and yep...the one was closer to 200 degrees. Now I adjust the cooking time when using that one so I don't burn things.

Am I A Paula Or A Rachel?

Ok, question....does Paula Deen bake? Or does she just cook? Because I feel I am slowly (think snail pace) starting to get a grasp on cooking. Baking on the other hand is still light years away.

I know Rachel Ray has said she can't bake, so maybe I'll just try to aspire to be like her.

In regards to the scalloped potatoes and ham (with the ham inadvertantly left out); I did not open the pans back up and put the ham in. By the time I had endured all that I had in that ordeal, I was beyond ready to be done. Therefore, I took the easy way out...I put the ham in freezer bags and taped them to the top of the baking dishes. LOL I figure that when I thaw the dishes out to cook, I'll toss the ham in quick at that time.

Being a glutton for punishment, today I decided to tackle baking. Keep in mind that I need to bake something that is not only gluten-free, but also sugar-free. Converting a recipe to gluten-free is much more difficult, so I have been selecting GF recipes and then using Splenda or Stevia.

For today I selected something that I thought was an easy recipe: a crumb cake. Easy peasy right?

WRONG!

The recipe I chose uses a flour mix that you have to make up ahead of time. Soooooo, I got out those ingredients and got that all mixed up. Then I had to mix up the crumb topping so I got out all those ingredients and mixed that. Then, finally I was able to tackle the cake mix. It wasn't that it was hard, but holey-moley did it use a lot of ingredients. Keep in mind, I'm a reforming Betty Crocker cake maker. Eggs, oil, & water - boom, you're done.

By the time I got the cake in the oven, my kitchen looked like a bag of flour threw up all over it. Seriously, it was everywhere. It wasn't pretty. I also found some crumb topping in my hair. I have no explanation for that.

I do have to admit that the cake smelled yummy-licious as it was baking. When I took it out of the oven, it looked yummy-licious as well.

Jay came in the house and said "ooooo, is this a cake?" (not much gets past him lol). "Is this an afternoon on a Friday kind of cake?"

Me: "Would you like to have a piece of cake? LOL" (this man loves cake)

We cut the cake and each took a piece. I told Jay that I wanted his honest opinion. If I am going to have to cook/bake, the last thing I want to HAVE to do is cook/bake one thing for them, and one for me. I mean, I don't like cooking, remember? As if I want to have to do double duty? I don't think so.

I ate my piece of cake and thought it wasn't too terrible. Not a fav recipe for me, and I tried to think of ways to make it better. It was just dry, and I want a moist cake - like Betty makes. Plus, it had an after-taste from the Stevia. Splenda would have been better to use.

Then I made the mother of all mistakes. I asked Jay what he thought - keep in mind, I had asked him for his honest opinion.

Me: So, what did you think? (trying to sound super positive while noticing his piece of cake was still on his plate, only missing one - maybe two -bites)

Jay: The crumb topping was ok.

Me: You haven't finished your piece of cake yet.

Jay: No I haven't.

Me: You going to?

Jay: No I'm not.

Ok then.

Yep, I'm thinking me and Rachel Ray might have something in common.

A New Fav

Do you know what this fruit is? A golden delicious apple perhaps?


How about this view?


Actually is a Korean pear, and it is my newest favorite fruit. They have the flavor of a pear, but the texture of an apple. I love pears, but the problem with them is telling if they are ripe. I always seem to get them too ripe, or not enough. You don't have that problem with Korean pears.

Oh, and I cut them into slices and I left one slice on the counter for 4 hours and it didn't get all brown and gross like apples get. Another bonus!

If you get a chance to try them, I highly recommend it! They are yummy!

Working To Embrace The "New" Me

When I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia this past Fall, I was at first so thankful to finally have a diagnosis, but also scared for what the future held.

I was started on Lyrica, which is the only medicine approved for FM that I am able to take (due to reactions with the others). I was desperate for pain relief and prayed this would would work for me. Due to concerns about reactions, I was started slowly, with just 1 pill a day.

As time passed and intense pain remained constant, the amount of pills I took daily increase...2...3...4...5...6. Six is the maximum number allowed.

I have been on 6 pills a day now for a little over a week. One of my concerns (other than reactions) was weight gain. I've read that many people gain significant amounts of weight when taking Lyrica. So far that hasn't been a problem - Praise God!

While it's still too early to tell how effective the 6 pills daily will be (it can take up to a month to know that for sure), I have noticed my pain level does seem to have decreased some.

The pain I've had in my feet for over a year is almost completely gone. I notice the pain seems more "trunk" generalized and not spread to my limbs (although I have had temporary flares to one spot or another - for example, yesterday it felt as though my left thumb was broken. Today, it's fine.).

I still have the "hot poker" stabs of pain, but those are in the 2 spots where my pain began almost a year ago. I don't know if I ever completely expect those to go away, but they do seem to be decreasing in how often I get them, and how long they last.

So, while I feel there have been positives, I still have some concerns, such as if I am already at the maximum amount of medication allowed, and I am only 46....what happens when I'm 56, 66, 76, and God willing...beyond that.

I spent a lot of my "down" time doing research on the internet. I have read over different exercise options that will work, and different food options, as well as supplements. What I have decided to act upon is what I feel is right for me, I'm not suggesting this would be right for anyone else.

I found overwhelming evidence that gluten and sugar are two main things that those with any type of chronic pain should eliminate. Studies have shown that many people have dramatically improved their quality of life, and decreased their amount of pain by doing this.

So, I decided to embark on a gluten-free, sugar-free lifestyle. I had originally decided this a month or so ago, but it is pretty restrictive and I didn't wholeheartedly embrace it. But as the number of Lyricas I was taking increased, I just felt more and more drawn to it.

I'm learning that going GF is not as easy as substituting let's say rice flour for whole wheat. You have to adjust and/or add other things with the flour to get the consistency right, or something. That's going to involve more research than I am prepared for at the moment, so I again got on the internet and found GF/SF cookbooks and ordered 3 of them.

It's only been a week - and one of the WORST weeks I could have decided to embark on this journey. AF was here. Uh, hello....bad timing there girlie! Well, it has taught me that if I can survive that week, then I can definitely commit to this 100%. It has also taught me that I am so grateful for sugar-free chocolates that saw me through those darkest hours. LOL

I'm having to cook now way more than I ever figured I would do, or even care to. But, when you have pain as your motivation, it seems easier to get started.

I have to admit that I have been very pleasantly surprised so far. The recipes have been great! I made a lasagna last night and both Jay and Austin took just a small amount, and both went back for more.

I also found a pre-made pizza crust that I love, love, love! I can honestly say that I will never miss eating a crappy frozen diet pizza again, or any other store bought frozen pizza. I don't believe I'll even miss ordered pizza. It was that good!

There are other lifestyle changes that I'll write about later. I'm sure your butts are already numb from reading this long (sorry for the rambling, but I guess you're used to that from me by now...ha!).

Have an awesome day! It's a blizzard outside, so I'm going to go make up some recipes to freeze. :)

Slow Cooker Liners

For starters, I don't know if it's a geographical thing or what, but I call my slow cookers "crockpots". No one around here calls them slow cookers...even though they are the same thing.

I thought I had mentioned these before, but since I have had lots of people (3) ask me about them recently, I thought I'd post about them again.

Pay close attention - these are life changing. Seriously. This is how great they are.

I LOVE my crockpots, and use them several times a week. I have 3 - one oblong, one round, and one small. The one thing I don't like about them, is the clean-up. Something always seem to get cooked on around the edges and it's like concrete. I have to let the inner crock soak for a while, and even then you still have to scrub to get it clean.

Not anymore!

Slow Cooker liners are amazing and make my life so much easier. You can find them in the same area you find baggies. They fit both round and oblong crockpots and I have even knotted it up to make the bag smaller to fit my small crockpot. No more scrubbing baked on cheese! Woot!

The best part is, when you are done cooking, and have removed any leftover food, all you do it lift out the bag and throw it away. Then all you have to do is a quick wipe of the crockpot to clean it, and voila...you're done.

I never use my crockpots without them now. They are truly one of my favorite kitchen items.

Here's our pumpkins. Well, some of them anyhow. Ashley & Chelsea have each taken 2 to their dorms, and we have good friends who have 3 young children and they each got one. I know we have given others away as well, but as you can see, we still have plenty left, plus 4 or 5 still on the vine.

While they are festive for decorating, I would actually like to attempt some baking with them.

For this reason I am asking people to please share your favorite pumpkin recipe. It can be for cake, bars, cookies, bread, etc. Just not pie! I do not make pies. My "aunt" Sara Lee makes the pies around here. ha.

Please keep in mind that I am the cooking opposite of Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray and Julia Childs. In other words, I sometimes struggle with boiling water properly. What I'm saying is, please share recipes that are so easy a child could make them. I still struggle with those, but am getting better.

I look forward to trying all the yummy recipes!!!

Bad Day

You know it's a bad day when you open your chicken taco ...





... and find it empty.

Friday At The Fair

I went into the 4-H builing today and saw all the exhibit items that had been selected to go on for juging at the state level. Some of the items are pretty amazing.


There were posters that are health related, such as this "Stop The Pop" one explaining why you shouldn't drink soda (kind of ironic that I stood there reading it while sipping on a diet coke).







There were projects an posters related to animal health. There were also many woodoworking items, sewing projects, creative arts, and home furnishing items.






When I saw the craftsmanship and detail that went into the woodworking projects, it was often hard to remember that these items were made by children.







One of the most creative things I saw was this tractor made entirely of soda cans.They were all spray painted and welded together and the wheels actually turned.








They also have baked items on display. Everything from pies or cookies that are recipes handed down from Grandma, to new creations they came up with on their own.






I went back to the ag building and walked through the rows and rows of vegetables, fruits, seeds, and flowers that have been judged. I saw 5 plates with 5 cucumbers on each. What makes one of those plates the blue ribbon winner over the other is beyond me!





Outside the ag building they have the largest pumpkin competition. These people are serious about their pumpkins. I talke to a woman who said their family was on pumpkin duty in shifts. During their shift is was their job to make sure the pumpkin was watered every hour. They also spread something on it daily, but she wouldn't tell me what it was, because that's their winning secret. At night they draped a wet sheet across the pumpkin, if it was your shift, you got up hourly to make sure the sheet was still wet. See......they are SERIOUS about this pumpkin stuff!

Remember how I posted a couple of weeks ago that we had something that had started growing out by our front steps? Well, it turns out to be a pumpkin plant. This shot was taken right before left home to come to the fair. We're pretty excited to see no less than 7 or 8 pumpkins growing on it, but I can guarantee you there will be no assigning of shifts, and I will not be breaking into anyones house to find out what to wipe on it. If they grow, they grow. If not, well, better luck next time. ha!

Well, that's it until tomorrow!!

Diet? What Diet?

FOOD ON-A-STICK

The Iowa State Fair boasts nearly 200 food stands and more than 50 items available on-a-stick.

I'm not going to take the type to type all those foods out, but if you go HERE you can read the list for yourself.

Anything on there you haven't heard of?

Anything on there you wouldn't try?

I've tried a few "stick foods". The salad on a stick, is basically a salad-ka-bob that you dip in dressing. I've had that a few times. It's a nice alternative to a walking taco or a hot dog.

But by far, the best food on a stick is the very very popular porchop on a stick. I honestly think that started the stick food craze at the fairgrounds. People stand in long lines to get one, they are THAT good!

The silliest item ever was "beer on a stick". A couple of years ago you could get these. Basically they were a cup holder with a long handle attached and you could set your beer in them. That was an idea that never really caught on and they were only sold that one year.

If you're not in the mood to have your food on a stick, there are plenty of other options available to tempt your palate. The full list of food available can be found here. As you can see you have quite a variety!

Jay & I each have our favorites at the fair. I love to go to the ag building where I can buy a chicken ceasar wrap that is awesome!! It's a little pricey, but then again, at the fair...what isn't? I resembles the picture of the wrap you can get at Chic-Fil-A.

Jay likes to go to the beef producers stand and get the hot beef sundae. It's potatoes, gravy, beef, cheese and topped off with a cherry (tomato) on top. Put together in a bowl to look like a sundae. I'm not a fan of gravy, so I haven't tried it, but he says it's delicious.

Do you attend your state fairs? If so, what's your favorite fair food?

With us camping at the fair, it would cost a small fortune to eat every meal on the fairgrounds, so I do a lot of cooking ahead of time and freeze food that can be reheated. Things like spaghetti, lasagna, etc. We eat one meal a day on the grounds, and the other meals are from the camper. Not only saves us money, but makes those yummy treats we look forward to even more tempting. :)

Cavatina

I posted on Facebook last week that I was looking through my cookbooks to find recipes to make for the fair. I wanted things that I can freeze in individual containers so the kids can thaw them out and reheat them in the camper. Tends to help save money by doing that when you are camping at a State Fair for 2 weeks.

My mom mentioned a particular recipe, Cavatina, and I already knew I would be making that one, because when I asked my kids what they'd like, all 3 answered with that recipe. It's been a favorite of mine for many years, and of my kids also.

Chel from Leaving A legacy, and 2 different non-blogger friends asked what it was, so here's the recipe ladies. If anyone decides to make it, be sure to let me know what you (and your families) think!

Cavatina
1/2 box Rotini noodles
1/2 box shell macaroni
1/2 box mostachelli noodles
2lbs ground beef, browned & drained
3 cans pizza sauce with cheese
1 lb mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Boil all the noodles together. Put 1/2 the noodles in the bottom of a large baking dish.

Combine the ground beef and pizza sauce.

Pour 1/2 of the meat mixture over the noodles.

Top with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese.

Put remaining noodles, sauce & cheese in the dish in the same order as before.

Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.


Tips: This recipe makes a LARGE amount. When I normally make it, I put it into 2 pans and freeze one. This dish freezes well.

If I am freezing it, I will add in 1 extra can of sauce, so it's not too dry when reheating. I don't think it's too dry, but my family prefers more sauce.

If you don't tell your family, you can substitute ground turkey for half (or all) of the ground beef, and they'll never know the difference (but you didn't hear that from me *wink*).

Mother Hubbard No More

Before we left for the county fair I used up as much food in the house as I could so nothing would spoil while we were gone. Great idea, however, we've been back almost a week now and I hadn't restocked.

This "Mother Hubbard's" cupboards were bare! And so was the fridge (notice I only have one diet coke left...that's when I knew this was getting serious!!):

Today I finally went shopping, much to the delight of my family. Ahhh, much better.

We're cutting up the watermelon tonight after supper and I can't wait! I love seedless watermelon.

Fun At The County Fair

Starting with Tuesday...

We have finally arrived. For starters, I have told my husband a bazilion times already that I am so grateful for the 4" memory foam that he placed on our bed in the camper so that we no longer have to try to endure countless lumps, bumps and backaches. aaahhhh!

Tuesday started off by us setting up the camper once we got set in place. There is a long standing joke about the giant red underwear that started the first year we camped and now the big red grannie panties are a "tradition". People find our camper by looking for the red panties. They HAVE to hang out there, so of course, those were one of the first things set up, along with our chairs and a few fun signs.

Tuesday also included fun activities like a day long dog obedience show, young children being told by their parents to stay in groups and to stay away from the carnis, kids of all ages asking their parents for money, and it was topped off by the fair parade which official kicks-off the county fair. It also included Chelsea having to do papers for her summer college classes. Nothing like sitting on a camper bed working on Childrens Lit. LOL

I stayed away from it all except the parade. Ashley & Chelsea were in the parade, riding their horses for the saddle club they are members of. Horses are of course at the very end of the parade (so no one has to risk stepping in any gifts they leave behind), so we sat through 2 hours of tractors and other implements, floats for local businesses as well as businesses from neighboring towns, and there were groups that walked the entire route, which is why it lasted as long as it did. Oh well, the horses came through, the girls looked great and had fun, and then it was done. I have no pictures of that to show yet, because that is one of the few times I actually remembered my camera and I haven't downloaded those yet.

Oh but wait...let me back up. The highlight of the day was kmart! LOL Ok, not really. But embarrassing my son while I stood outside the store taking a picture of the lightbulb character was! Kmart is the only store in this town, and I honestly haven't been in a Kmart in forever, so it was a novelty for me.

Wednesday we had a busy day. Ashley & Chelsea both helped with the horse show and then Chelsea and I helped with the rabbit show. I used to be one of the 4-H rabbit project leaders and Chelsea raised rabbits and showed them, not only in 4-H & FFA, but in open shows around the state. The ladies that run it are the same ones I ran it with, and they asked if we'd help out and we both said yes right away. Here is Chelsea showing me that she's really doing her "official" paperwork for the show.

Afterwards, Chelsea participated in an Alumni rabbit showmanship competition and she won with a perfect score of 100! Although, I do have to say that she had an unfair advantage since she's only been out of school one year and she's won showmanship several times in the past. It was still fun and she had a great time.

Wednesday evening was the coronation ceremony with the crowning of the new county fair queen. It's hard for me to believe it's been an entire year since my girls were in that competition. WOW! Time has sure flown!

Tomorrow the pigs get weighed in and my nephew Jacob will be showing his sheep. Friday all the pigs get a bath, I make my usual "friday during the fair" trip home to do laundry, and Saturday is our super busy show all day long - the pig show!

Every day (per doctors orders) I'm to rest and lay down quietly for an hour. Well my hour is up, so I'm off to go sit outside with everyone and visit. LOL. I'll update again soon!

Camping Promotes The Hotel Business

We finally got our camper out, dusted off and packed up for one of many weekends we'll spend this summer at the lake nearby. We actually pulled it over there earlier today. Jay & Austin are talking about staying there tonight, but it depends on the thunderstorms that expected to roll through and just how severe they will be. I'm not quite ready for 3 full nights of "cramping" yet. I am not a camper by heart, so I kind of have to ease into the whole camping thing each year.


I recently found out that there's a name for people like me: "glamper". We glampers like the idea of being with nature, we'd just prefer to do it with a soft mattress, indoor plumbing, and maid service.



I love the family time, and because we camp at a nearby lake, the majority of people camping are people from the neighboring towns, which means we know most of them and that makes it a lot of fun. As a matter of fact, I know we will have two families who are good friends of ours camping right next to us. Super fun!



If only we didn't have to pack the camper, do the cooking, do the dishes, then unpack the camper, clean the camper and then do it all again over and over every time. There's never enough room, and the dirt....I have yet to find a campground with concrete slabs to park on, and thick luscious grass everywhere else. Nope, mostly dirt. And no matter where I sit, the smoke from the campfire comes directly at me. Guaranteed. I'm not kidding...I'm a smoke magnet!



And don't even get me started on campground showers!! Anytime I feel the need to wear flip flops in a shower to avoid the risk of catching something, that's not a good thing in my book.



As I said, the fellowship part IS a lot of fun, but I could have just as much fun if we were all sitting around the pool at a 4 star hotel. Seriously, someone else does the work, and there's no campfire smoke.

I have always said that my idea of roughing it is staying at a motel with only one outlet in the whole room and I have 3 things to plug in. That's about as rough as I like my life to ever get.


The one thing I am looking forward to is the chicken kabobs I made for the grill. Yum!

Have a great weekend!!

To Milk or Not To Milk

I tried a new recipe and I have it posted on my other blog. The main reason I'm telling you about it, is because there is one part that has me confused. You can find the recipe by clicking here: Broccoli Pasta Bake

Go ahead, head on over there, read through the recipe, wipe the drool from your chin (yep, it's THAT good), and then come back here for the question. Go on, it's ok, I'll wait.

*insert jeopardy theme music*

Hey there....welcome back! Doesn't that recipe sound sooooo good? Let me tell you, it IS good! It is also one that I have bookmarked to make again and again. I want to try freezing it (both before and after baking) to see how it handles that. It would make like easier if it could be made ahead of time.

Anywhooooo....on to the question:

In the recipe, it calls for dry milk powder. You have to buy a big ol' box of that stuff for 2 little tablespoons. Recipes like that make me crazy, because, while I do LOVE this recipe, it'll take me a months worth of making it just to use up all that dried milk....if the box doesn't tip over and spill all over the pantry before then.

Plus, did you notice what I'm adding it to? Milk.

So my question is.....can't I just add more skim milk to the recipe instead of the dry milk? Would it really make a difference?

Come on all you cooks and chefs.....help me out here. :)

Because I Like To Help You Be Informed

Some Fun Facts About Food:

An ounce of chocolate contains about 20 mg of caffeine. (Have a king-sized chocolate bar and a Big Gulp of Mt. Dew...wheeeeeeeeee!)

Three quarters of fish caught are eaten - the rest is used to make things such as glue, soap, margarine and fertilizer. (makes you wanna run right out to Red Lobster doesn't it?)

In September 1999 Dustin Philips of the US set a Guinness World Record by drinking a 400 ml (14-oz) bottle of tomato sauce through a straw in 33 seconds. (Why?)

There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes. (Can you name them all? Ready. Set. Go!)

The can opener was invented 48 years after cans were introduced. (How in the world did they open them before that?)

Wine is sold in tinted bottles because wine spoils when exposed to light. (So does that mean the Boones Farm wine sold in the convenience stores isn't real wine? Say it isn't so!)

Watermelons are 97% water, lettuce 97%, tomatoes 95%, carrots 90%, and bread 30%. (So I'm guessing that if I have a BLT with some carrot sticks, I better stick close to a bathroom)

An onion, apple and potato all have the same taste. The differences in flavor are caused by their smell. (I don't get this one.....If you can tell the flavor by the taste, and you can't taste without smell....then if you can't smell them, how do you know they taste the same?)