I'm a former educator and counselor who now sells crafts and freelance writes to pay the bills. It allows me to stay home with my daughter every day, so life is grand.
This site is all about things I make, or made and things I nourish or try to care for. Food, crafts, the environment, my daughter, well, you get the picture.
I know it’s only January, but I live in Phoenix, Arizona where it is always planting season. With rain in the forecast for next week, I decided to take time to plant some seeds both inside and out. For the indoor seeding I decided to reuse some Styrofoam egg cartons I came across. Here’s a quick, clean and easy way to make planters for seeds until they are ready to be transferred to their permanent home.
Take an egg carton and slice off the lid and the side tabs. The lid is going to serve as the saucer under your makeshift planter. It has a nice little hump that will allow the seedlings to get the moisture and humidity from any dripped water, but will keep them from being saturated.
Next, you will flip the carton over and puncture about 5-6 holes using a toothpick. Make sure the holes are big enough for water to drip through. That’s it. Flip it over, back into the lid, and you’re ready for the soil and seeds.
Here’s a picture journey of the planter and also a link to an assortment of seeds for only $10. you can never have too much herbs.
I did it. I feel like I’ve accomplished a pretty big culinary goal. I made homemade croissants. I used the recipe dear Julia offered and they came out beautifully. Here’s the book the recipe came from.
While it did, indeed, take about 12 hours. It did not take 12 consecutive hours. It’s one of those tasks that allows the baker to perform other tasks and even errands. I was able to clean house, home school, speak at a teen group and write a few articles all while waiting for the many risings. It’s not an easy recipe, but it is definitely worth it.
We often visit a local cafe, Vincent’s Bistro, for breakfast and they offer these delightful little croissants. I’ve often thought about making them, but until Rebecca kinda made me do it, I had never been brave enough. Thanks to Miss Rebecca and my daughter, who thinks all moms can just whip up any culinary treat in the world, I did it.
Here’s a photo diary of my day. If you wonder if they are worth the trouble…they soooo are!
This year I am trying to eat healthy and make as much of our food as possible. We love to go out for pizza, but it’s a shame to spend money when I have a capable little pizza stone just waiting for action. We also have a lemon tree that’s full of those beautiful yellow orbs of citrusy goodness. I thought the lemon zest would probably add some delicious taste to the crust and make our kitchen smell heavenly.
I used Jay’s Signature Pizza Dough Recipe and man, this guy knows his pizza dough. The crust was gorgeously golden and had just the right amount of crunch and a beautiful chewiness on the inside. We used fresh basil, mushrooms, black olives and mozzarella for the topping. My husband made his perfect pizza sauce of simply tomatoes, basil, peppers, olive oil, garlic and black olives.
Here’s a picture journal of my homemade pizza adventure.
The world lost an extremely brave woman who changed our lives for the better and yet there was little fanfare. Miep Gies, the woman who helped keep Anne Frank and her family hidden from the Nazis, kept Anne’s famous journal safe until her father was able to retrieve it. He would be the only surviving member of the Frank family. Miep often told how Anne truly believed she and her family would be safe and she would one day become the writer she often dreamed of. History has an ugly side though, and Anne would die of Typhus in a cold and uncaring death camp.
I ask that people take time today to talk about Miep Gies with the children in their lives. Her story can be discussed at any age with details left to the discretion of the child’s age. Scholastic has a great site about her which can be used for most ages. Here’s the link. For very young children the importance of safety can be discussed and how this woman worked to keep Anne and her family safe.
I am simply appalled that our society has fallen so low as to allow the passing of a great woman to stand less important than pop news we’ve already tired of.
If you don’t know who Miep Gies, than you may be young enough to have suffered from America’s failing educational system. Miep was the brave Dutch woman, who helped Anne Franks family stay hidden away from the Nazis. She risked her own life to ensure their care and remained loyal saving Anne’s diary hoping to someday give it to her. Of course she never was able to hand it back to the young girl, she did hand it over to Otto Frank, Anne’s Father. He was the only surviving member of the Frank family.
I ask that everyone tells children about this woman’s bravery. As a child, I would often fear the loss of history. I often wondered about what happens to the stories that are never told or forgotten. Please don’t let Miep be one of those lost tales.
My husband is a bit under-the-weather, so I decided to make a roast to bring up his spirit and boast his health. There are some foods that just make you feel better, and this is one of his. I could have also made some homemade rolls on the side, but we had these hiding in the back of the freezer. I didn’t want them to feel neglected so I went ahead and used them for this hometown kinda meal. I also steamed some frozen broccoli in Amaretto water and added lemon zest, slightly ground almonds, bread crumbs and mozzarella. Of course I had to make a gravy with all those delicious drippings and onions.
My dad loves finding us great deals on meat. It’s almost like a game and quite exciting when he comes with chicken kabobs at half price. Since there were only four kabobs, and five of us, I decided to make chicken tacos instead.
I went ahead and sliced up the veggies into strips and began sauteing them in a little olive oil. I cut the chicken into smaller, bite size pieces and added them to the veggies. I moved the veggies to the outer realm of the pan giving the chicken the spotlight of heat. While the chicken was cooking I started on the rice.
This is how my mother makes Spanish rice and how her mother did it, and her mother and so on and so forth. Add a little olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add some onions and the raw rice and saute. Some of the rice will brown and the onions will just begin to get soft. I also throw in some garlic at this point, but be careful not to burn it. Then, you’ll add a small can of tomato sauce and either broth of water. You’ll want to sauce and liquid to equal to appropriate ratio of water for your rice instructions. Cover the rice on medium stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick.
Back to the chicken…I stirred in a bit of cream, about 2 tablespoons, and then added about a cup of cheddar in small tablespoons at a time. This is going to become a creamy sauce. I didn’t have a lot of cheese for topping the tacos, so I made due with what I had and made a cream sauce. Of course, Pato Sauce, is a cooking staple in my house, so that was added as well.
Go back to the rice. I used up leftover peas and carrots and some frozen corn by adding them to the rice. This is always a great way to get a little more fiber into your meal while adding more flavor and texture, not to mention color.
I heated up some corn tortillas in the oven and we were set.
