Baby Steps to a Healthier Life

Baby steps. Baby steps. That's what I keep telling myself. But I'm terrible at baby steps. I want to do it all ~ all at once. Two days later, I fall off the bandwagon. (I can only diet for 2 hours at a time. Wry grin.) Last year, though, I started taking baby steps toward a healthier life. Some things worked, some didn't, but progress was made. Here is the short list:

In 2008:

What worked:

*Spinach smoothies (with banana, OJ, and frozen berries). LOVE. Still drinking 2-4 a week.

*Air-popped popcorn (instead of microwave popcorn). Daddy and the boys enjoy making popcorn. I just received a stove-top popper so I can make kettle corn! Yum!

*Local, natural pork. We purchased 1/2 a pig from our neighbor. The pork is soooooo delicious. We'll enjoy eating it throughout this next year.

*Had water filter system installed. Finally. No more bottled water. It was so inconvenient to drink water (so I didn't very often), and I hated all the plastic. Now our tap water tastes great!

*Caught up on dental work and had silver fillings replaced.

*Replaced swiffer mop with washable terry-cloth mop covers and natural spray.


*Organic oatmeal. One more choice for breakfast and Levi and Leif love it.

*Unbleached flour (white and wheat) from Bob's Red Mill (in Oregon). Natural and fairly local. I try to use a combination of white and wheat in baked goods.

*Began adding wheat germ to banana bread (we eat often). I love my recipe. I suppose I need to share it here sometime.

*(Whispering: Taking antidepressant/anxiety meds.)

What didn't:

*Reusable shopping bags. I always forget to take them into the store!

*Apple cider vinegar. I tried drinking a couple tablespoons in a glass of water with honey or maple syrup. Didn't last. I'm not sure why.

Goals for 2009:

*Severely limit Dr. Pepper. I'm working on this one, but it is sooooooooo hard.

*Drink more water. This happens naturally when I don't drink Dr. Pepper.

*Add green tea (or white, red...). I've been having a couple cups a day. Love Good Earth Lemongrass Green Tea with a smidge of honey. (And I'm not a tea drinker.)

*Add quinoa as a staple menu item. We've had this a few times now. Delicious with a splash of olive oil.

*More extra virgin olive oil. I've used extra light olive oil almost exclusively in baking and cooking for the last year or two, but I need to use the extra virgin olive oil when possible. Even better if I have a warm, crusty loaf of French bread to dip in it. Ahhhhhh.

*Edamame. I've purchased the dry roasted stuff with a little sea salt. Not bad. Crunchy and salty. Healthier than anything else I enjoy snacking on... Nice salad topper, as well.

*Buy reusable cloths for window cleaning. Done! I had some last year, but they disappeared. Just purchased a few more.

*Try apple cider vinegar again.

*Take multi-vitamin.

*Try reusable shopping bags again.

*Find local beef.

*Shop more often at farmer's market and local produce stand.

*Eliminate HFCS in our diet.

*Use more local honey.

*Eat out less!! (Both Russ and I love to eat out.)

*(No more diapers!)

*Floss teeth.

What baby steps are you taking this year to create a healthy lifestyle for yourself and your family?

Thai Chicken Salad

I came across this recipe the other day and decided to give it a try. It looked interesting, but I wasn't sure I'd love it. I loved it. The dressing adds so much punch and flavor. The combination of the apples and red peppers was delicious and added a satisfactory crunch.

It would be simple to make a larger batch of the chicken mixture and toss it with the greens whenever you were in the mood for a salad over the course of a few days. It would also make a great potluck salad. Perfect for using up red peppers and apples in the late summer harvest!

Thai Chicken Salad

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into short sticks

1 apple, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Honey Vinaigrette Dressing (recipe below)

Mixed greens

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Combine chicken, bell pepper, apple and cilantro in bowl. Pour Honey Vinaigrette Dressing over and toss well to combine. Spoon over greens on plates and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Makes 4 servings.

Honey Vinaigrette Dressing: Combine 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1/4 cup honey, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon yellow mustard in jar; shake to blend thoroughly. Makes 2/3 cup.

(I boiled a few frozen chicken breasts and then chopped them up. Easy and no thawing. I didn't have fresh cilantro on hand (for shame) so I used dried. I should have mixed the dried cilantro in with the dressing. I used mostly baby spinach leaves for greens.)

Blackberry Gingerbread

Blackberry Gingerbread

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup mild-flavored molasses

3/4 cup warm water

1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh blackberries

(1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 2-quart square baking dish. Set aside. In a medium bowl combine the 2 cups flour, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter and brown sugar. Add egg and molasses; beat 1 minute. Add the dry mixture and water alternately to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until combined. (Toss frozen berries with the 1 tablespoon flour) and fold berries into molasses mixture. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle top with sugar (preferably coarse sugar) and bake 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

I serve the gingerbread warm with whipping cream, a few fresh blackberries, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. (This recipe would also taste delicious made with blueberries rather than blackberries.)

'One Berry, Two Berry...

...Pick me a blueberry.'

20 pounds from a farmer's stand just miles from our house. Next year we'll pick them ourselves, but I just wasn't up to it with the three little boys today (particularly the almost 2 year old).

We did a little grocery shopping afterward. The fresh-picked, very local blueberries were $2/lb. Blueberries at the grocery store (in 2 lb plastic clam-shells) were $5/lb. Organic? $10/lb.

We'll be snacking on blueberries all day.

Time to get out the berry books. How about Peter in Blueberry Land? I adore Elsa Beskow's books!
We even have a Peter in Blueberry Land kid's dish set!Then there is the beloved Blueberries for Sal. Can't miss that one!
Jamberry is one of my favorite board books. I love the rhyming text!
Thoroughly in a berry mood, I headed outside to pick a lovely bowl full of God's free food gift, blackberries! They're just getting started, but I have more than enough for Blackberry Gingerbread Coffee Cake. Or shall it be blackberry cobbler? Or both? I'm starving! Heading to the kitchen now...

Scones

Cranberry Lemon Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried lemon peel

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup dried cranberries

8 ounces sour cream

1 beaten egg yolk

1 slightly beaten egg white

1 tablespoon coarse sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cranberries. In a small bowl combine sour cream and egg yolk. Add to dry mixture. Stir just until moistened.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface. (Mine was very crumbly and I had to press it together.) Knead 10 to 12 strokes. Lightly roll or pat until about 1/2 inch thick. Use a knife to cut into small squares or use a biscuit cutter for circles. Brush tops with egg white and sprinkle with coarse sugar. (I've tried regular sugar which works if you don't have coarse.)

Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet and bake 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm with toppings such as sweetened whipping cream, jam, lemon curd, or Devonshire cream.

*These scones are moist and delicious. The sugar on the tops sweetens the deal. They are great on their own, but are out-of-this-world with Devonshire cream!

Devonshire Cream

4 oz cream cheese
6 oz sour cream
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

Blend all ingredients until smooth. If you don't want it lumpy (like mine), be sure to bring the cream cheese to room temperature and then blend alone before slowly adding the remaining ingredients.

Out of Africa

Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales From Africa is a beautiful collection of stories from various regions in Africa. A simple map is provided at the beginning of the book to locate the origins of each tale. A short list of African words and definitions precedes each story.

Misoso captured the attention of both Levi and Luke as I read many of the tales aloud. Levi was able to finish up the book on his own. The illustrations are bright and entertaining. The book contains a variety of stories, some short and some a little longer. I felt the African flavor was delightful. Another book on my recommendation list!

I appreciate any excuse to cook and bake, particularly the 'educational' excuse. An African feast was in order. Not that this was a perfectly authentic menu, but it was what I could handle this week. We ate Moroccan Chicken over Couscous with Almonds and Raisins, baked yams, and date bars. The plantains I purchased are still sitting on the counter. Maybe we'll get around to frying those up on Friday.

This certainly isn't my usual line-up of spices:


Leif and I cleaned our plates. Russ ate his without complaining, Levi quickly ate everything but the couscous and date bars, and Luke (my notoriously picky eater) managed to eat his chicken and a date bar. Not bad...

Mmmm. Food.

Last week got a little crazy meal-wise with birthday stuff, out of town stuff, and Russ working late stuff. I did try a Manicotti recipe that was delicious. Manicotti is one of my favorite things to order at Italian restaurants. The cheese filling is mmmm good. I'll be putting that on the keeper list.

The line-up for this week looks like this:

Monday: Veggie Beef Soup and French Bread

Tuesday: Chicken and Broccoli Salad

Wednesday: African Feast (to go with our history studies). It may be any combination of chicken, couscous, yams, fried plantains, and date cookies.

Thursday: Spaghetti (jarred sauce with pureed veggies and ground beef and whole wheat noodles), corn, and green salad.

Friday: Sesame Pork Ribs with stir-fry carrots and snow peas over Yakisoba noodles.

Saturday: Leftovers


I was inspired by Carole to try drinking 'green' smoothies daily. They are a perfect way to start my day out with a few servings of fruits and veggies. Levi was quick to point out that they are actually 'maroon' smoothies due to the frozen blackberries I add.

I'm starting out with a generous handful of baby spinach and adding orange and carrot juices, banana, pineapple, and frozen blackberries. Unfortunately neither Levi or Luke care for it, and Leif makes a mess out of proportion to the amount he ingests. I, however, think it's refreshing and tasty.

Thai Chicken Satays

(Yes, I cheated. That is the picture in the cookbook.)

Thai Chicken Satays

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I use powdered.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed (I used a bit of garlic powder.)
1 pound chicken tenders (I cut frozen skinless chicken breasts up into chunks.)
6 (6-inch) pita bread rounds, cut in half*
Choppen fresh cilantro (I prefer fresh, but had to use dried this time.)
Plain yogurt


COMBINE: 1 cup yogurt, coconut milk, curry, lemon juice, ginger, salt, pepper and garlic in medium bowl; reserve 1/3 cup marinade. Add chicken to remaining marinade; cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours. (I don't always have 8 hours...)

SOAK 12 (10 inch) wooden skewers in water 30 minutes; set aside.

REMOVE chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread chicken onto skewers. Place skewers on broiler rack coated with nonstick cooking spray; place rack on broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat source 4 to 5 minutes. Turn skewers; brush with reserved marinade. Broil 4 minutes more or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

REMOVE chicken from skewers. Fill pitas with chicken and top with cilantro and dollop of yogurt.

Heidi's Tips:
*I served the chicken with whole grain wraps which weren't as dry and didn't fall apart as easily as the pita pockets. The kids loved them! I offered a green salad, but we used the lettuce in the wraps. Instead of adding the remaining marinade while broiling, I saved it and served it as a dressing instead of the plain yogurt.

The chicken is rather mild tasting and all three (picky eater) boys love it!

Coconut milk can be found in the Asian food section at the grocery store. It comes in a can. Use the remaining coconut milk to make smoothies, hot chocolate, or cream of wheat.

Spring Treats

Rice Krispie Treat Nests are one of our favorite spring treats. I simply use greased muffin tins to form the nests before the treats cool, making a dip in the center to hold candy eggs. Easy, festive, kid-friendly, and delicious!

Menu Planning

I'm still working on my menu planning notebook, but here's what we've got on the menu plan for this week:

Monday: Ginger Beef with Greenbeans

Tuesday: Thai Chicken Satays with Whole Wheat Flatbread and Green Salad

Wednesday: Tomato Beef and Broccoli over Whole Wheat Spiral Noodles

Thursday: French Dip Subs and Veggies

Friday: Gnocchi with Sausage and Spinach

Saturday: Shredded Beef and Black Bean Tacos

Sunday: Birthday Party!

Meals, Menus, and Planning

I know that I chose Celebrate for my March focus word, and that I am still finishing up my Finances from February, and that Routine is still a conscious priority, but do you think I should do something with my meal planning notebook?

As we set a tighter family budget and I continue to work on our routine, it seems as if getting dinner meals under control would be a big help. Levi now has Tae Kwon Do three nights a week and piano one (late) afternoon a week, and that seems to be doing a number on my throwing-dinner-together skills. I need a plan. I need a stocked pantry. I need easy access to my recipes. This mess isn't doing it for me.

I could use a little help. I am in need of easy recipes that can be thrown together with little effort, that 3 picky boys would eat, and that are more substantial (and healthier, home-cooked, and cheaper) than chicken nuggets or fish sticks.

Just to be fair, I'll share a few of my favorites with you:

+Chicken strips (pre-cooked or homemade from frozen chicken breasts), grated cheese, lettuce, tomato, and salsa wrapped in flour tortillas (I buy the uncooked ones at Costco and heat them on my flat stove-top griddle).

+Taco Soup: a can of chili heated with a can of diced tomatoes, topped with Fritos, grated cheese, chopped tomatoes and olives. A pan of cornbread served with honey-butter.

+Spaghetti: jarred spaghetti sauce with browned ground beef added (and steamed, pureed veggies if I'm industrious) and whole wheat noodles. Bread, salad, and corn served as well.

+If I'm feeling lazy but still have the time, we love to eat glazed spiral ham and cheese potatoes with a veggie.

I have two boys who don't care for potatoes, one who doesn't want to eat anything with tomatoes/tomato sauce, two who don't care for anything spicy... I need to get better about making the kids go hungry if they don't care to eat what is on their plate!

So, favorite (preferably easy) recipes you all would like to share?

Baking, Growing, and Crafting

Randi over at i have to say... is hostessing The Recipe Box Swap today. I've added my grandmother's grape salad recipe. Consider participating, or at least checking out the delicious recipes others have shared.
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Unveiling my attempt at out-of-the-box decorating:

I purchased this old metal wagon at a flea market years ago. It was coated with white paint, which has since started chipping away to show the original red. (Every room in my house has white and red...perfect!) I love found items, but rarely am able to put them to use. I had to hunt around for the wagon. Eventually I found it, out in the rain, upside-down in the dirt. It was begging for purpose.

The instructions for this simple project were posted a little while ago, but for the procrastinators and visual learners (I hope you can see my grin) I will show you how I planted this wagon of grass.

I decided to line the wagon with a plastic garbage bag. It is pretty rusty, and I didn't want water leaking on my books or armoir.

I filled the wagon an inch or two from the top with potting soil.
I scattered wheat grass seed liberally.

(For those of you having trouble finding seed, I purchased wheat berries in the bulk food section at the supermarket for 69 cents a pound. They seem to be sprouting just fine!)

I covered the seeds with more potting soil and watered. (It doesn't take much soil to cover the seeds. I added too much and had to remove some when the shoots were having trouble pushing through.)

The picture at the top is less than a week later, if you are wondering how quickly the wheat grass will grow. If it gets too tall, feel free to give it a good haircut with a pair of scissors.

Jen had the great idea of planting chives rather than wheat grass. The seeds are easier to locate, they will have a similar visual effect, and they are yummy.

I love the quote she posted on her blog:

Of all the wonderful things in the wonderful universe of God, nothing seems to me more surprising than the planting of a seed in the blank earth and the result thereof. ~ Julie Moir Messervy

Just so you know, time is never up in Project Heidi world. If you complete a project or challenge months after I've posted it, please. please. feel free to share. Leave a message in the comments, give us a link to your blog post about it, or email me pictures. [heidi (at) poetsgarden (dot) com] I would love to share pictures of your projects and links here on my blog. I don't want this to be all about me.
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Next week, we will be making silhouette cut-out valentine cards, so this is your chance to get photos ready. This is the hardest part of the project. Try to get exact profile shots. Vertical pictures work the best, with the head filling as much of the frame without getting cut off. They don't have to be fancy or pretty. These are the simple shots of the boys that I used to create their silhouettes:

A New Favorite

My grandmother was kind enough to send me this recipe. It is on my new favorites list. Crisp-fresh grapes, tangy-creamy dressing, and a scrumptious-sweet-crunchy-nutty topping. You have to try it to believe it. I've convinced myself that this salad is incredibly healthy. Fruit, dairy, nuts (have to get your protein somehow!). I think we'll just have grape salad for dinner.

Grape Salad

3 pounds seedless grapes, (red, green or mixture, cleaned)

8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
l tsp vanilla
1/3 cup sugar

Mix together these 4 ingredients with electric mixer and add to cleaned grapes. Pour into serving dish (long, flat dish like 9x13 works best to give some topping for each spoonful). (A full batch makes a very creamy salad. You can use as little as 1/2 the creamy mixture and still have a delicious salad!)

Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup finely chopped pecans (or walnuts)
2 Tbs melted butter or marg.

Mix together and spread on baking sheet and bake for 6-7 minutes at 350 degrees. Keep an eye on it as it burns very easily, stirring a couple times. When cool, crumble and spread over grapes and refrigerate overnight.

Warning: Do not, under any circumstances, be tempted to snitch some of the topping. Not even the tiniest bit. Believe me, in two minutes you will have no topping left to put on the grape salad. (Ask me how I know.) If possible, make a double (or triple) batch of topping. Snitch some, put extra on the salad, and save a bit for ice cream. I'll be making batch #3 today.

The World's Easiest Recipe

Well, it's only the world's easiest recipe if you happen to be home for a couple of hours and are the patient type.

Dulce de Leche

Begin with a can of sweetened condensed milk (or two or three... I usually do at least two at a time) and a large pan filled with water.

Place unopened can(s) in the water. Bring water to a simmer. Leave cans in simmering water for 2 1/2 hours. (I turn them occasionally and add water when needed to cover cans.)
Remove cans from water and let them cool a bit. When ready to serve, open can, remove contents, and stir until smooth. Add a bit of vanilla.

Now, the general public would enjoy dipping sliced apples into this delicious caramel, but you haven't tasted anything until you have slathered warm dulce de leche on hot, crusty French bread. This is one of my favorite childhood foods.

Sour Cream Pastries

Sour Cream Pastries ~ They are a family favorite!

Start with 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of butter (chilled, cut into pieces):

Using pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut butter into flour

until mixture resembles fine crumbs:

Add 1 cup of sour cream. Mix with a fork:

After mixing well, press dough together and chill for at least four hours:

(Preheat oven to 400 degrees.)
After chilling, divide dough into 2 parts. Take first half and roll into a 10 inch circle. (Tip: use a lot of flour on counter or board before rolling out dough.) Spread with cinnamon sugar and finely chopped nuts. Cut into 16 wedges:

Roll each wedge from outside in, creating a crescent shape. Place on baking sheet.

Repeat with remaining half of dough:
Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Prepare Glaze:

Mix together 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1-2 Tablespoons of water (not too much!), and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.

Place pastries on a cooling rack over waxed paper.

Drizzle glaze over warm pastries.

Enjoy!

Breakfast Is Served

The nice thing about not hosting Thanksgiving dinner is that I'm still in the mood to cook breakfast in the morning! It is a cinch to toss the pan of cinnamon buns in the oven in the morning. They are a favorite for Thanksgiving and Christmas breakfasts.

LAND OF NOD CINNAMON BUNS

20 unbaked frozen dinner rolls
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins or chocolate chips if you are really feeling sinful (optional, of course)
1/3 cup butter, melted

Lightly grease a 10 inch Bundt cake pan. Place frozen rolls into pan and sprinkle with brown sugar, pudding mix, ground cinnamon and raisins. Pour melted butter over rolls. Cover with a clean, damp cloth and leave overnight at room temperature. In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake rolls for 25 minutes, until golden brown. Turn rolls out onto a serving plate and serve warm.


*Heads up: For anyone interested, I finally posted a picture of the bread and jello salad with the recipes below.

Thanksgiving Feast

What are your favorite Thanksgiving foods? I have spent every Thanksgiving with my parents, usually at their home. We always have a traditional dinner of turkey, bread dressing, mashed potatoes, candied yams (with marshmallows, of course), green salad, bread, jello salad, sparkling cider, and pies--pumpkin, apple, and/or (chocolate) pecan.

I am always in charge of the 'jello salad.' While I'm actually not all that fond of traditional jello salad, our recipe is a bit more like a cold, fruity mousse. And it is delicious. I have had more requests for this recipe than anything else I have made. My family is so fond of Orange Cream Souffle, we have it for every holiday. I make the original orange version for Thanksgiving, lime for Christmas, and lemon for Easter. Raspberry is delicious for July 4th. Try it. You'll like it!

Orange Cream Souffle

6 oz pkg orange jello (or lime, lemon, raspberry...)
2 cups boiling water
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup orange juice
1 small container of whipped topping or 2 cups whipped cream

Dissolve jello in boiling water. In separate bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar--mix until well blended. Gradually add jello, cold water, and orange juice. Chill until slightly thickened. Fold in whipped topping. Pour into serving bowl. Chill. (I always make this the day ahead of an event.)

And then there is the bread. I'm a bread addict. I can eat an entire loaf by myself. But no bread compares to Swedish Limpa, especially in the fall. It is dense, dark, rustic, and slightly sweet. It makes incredible leftover turkey sandwiches... which makes it a must on the Thanksgiving menu. I am sure there are numerous limpa recipes floating around, but here is the one I follow:

Swedish Limpa

Cook 1 medium potato. Mash and use cooking water, adding enough liquid (water or milk) to make 1 quart. Add 1 cup dark corn syrup (part molasses), 2 Tablespoons melted shortening, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 Tablespoon salt, juice and zest of 1 orange, 1 1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seed, 2 Tablespoons yeast (I proof the yeast first in a cup of warm water), 2-4 cups whole wheat (or rye) flour, and about 7-10 cups white flour. Knead until smooth. Let rise in greased bowl until double. Punch down and form 4-5 round loaves. Place on greased cookie sheets. Let rise again until double. Bake 45 minutes-1 hour in 350 degree oven. Place on cooling rack. Cover tops with melted butter. (I just take a stick of butter and rub it over the hot bread.)

I usually freeze one or two of the loaves for our St. Lucia celebration on December 13th. More about that later...


Enjoy your Thanksgiving feast!

Thanksgiving
(Old Rhyme)

The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go.
The harvest is all gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.

Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain.
So open wide the doorway--
Thanksgiving comes again!

Around the World Apple Pie

Need ingredients for an apple pie, but the market is closed? You'll need to pack a suitcase and catch a steamship bound for Europe! How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World is a picture book full of vivid, whimsical watercolor illustrations. Gather wheat in Italy, cinnamon in Sri Lanka, and sugar cane in Jamaica! When you have finished reading this story, your mouth will be watering for hot apple pie. Luckily our neighbors have an apple orchard, although Vermont would have been lovely!
Because I had a five-year-old and a three-year-old helping (and a one-year-old under foot), we experimented with an easy press-in crust rather than rolling out a traditional pie crust. The boys loved getting their hands messy (and the counter, and the floor....).

Walnut-Pear Sour Cream Cake

Walnut-Pear Sour Cream Cake

This cake was on the top of the 'to try' recipe stack. It was as delicious as I had hoped.

I used pecans instead of walnuts and plain yogurt with 1 tsp of baking soda instead of sour cream.... because that is what I happened to have on hand. It would be amazing with whipped cream, but it didn't last long enough around here to be embellished.

Fall Treats

What foods say 'fall' to you? This is my favorite season for cooking and baking. My stack of recipes to make (some new, some favorites) is a mile high. I'm throwing out the scale because I don't even want to know what the next three months are doing to me.

We had Swiss steak over mashed potatoes and pumpkin biscuits for dinner this evening. Talk about comfort food! And remember my weakness for Anna's Ginger Thins and vanilla ice cream? Well, I found out it gets better.... top the ice cream with hot, homemade applesauce! I love the contrasting sensations of hot and cold, soft and crispy.