Memorial Day and Delicious Non-Traditional BBQ

This Memorial Day was pretty low-key, and that's the way I like things most of the time.  It was just me, my Handsome Hubby and our Nephew who is staying with us for a bit until he finds an apartment while going to school.  Our house is kind of like a boarding house sometimes.  It seems like more often than not, we have a guest.  I really enjoy this aspect of our home.  Anyways, back to our BBQ.  I picked up some wild-caught Alaskan halibut (my favorite fish) for an excellent price at Safeway and was dying to incorporate it into our BBQ.  Biggest obstacle: my Handsome Hubby hates halibut...

Peppered Beef Shank in Red Wine : Slow Cooker-Style

Having bought a quarter of a cow from a local ranch, I've had to cook parts of a cow that I've never cooked before.  This has really been a lot of fun and it's brought some really interesting recipes to my table.  This week, I defrosted beef shanks and looked to the web to provide me a recipe for this new (to me) cut of beef. 

Adventures in Paint: Cheap and Simple Home Decorating Part 2

Welcome to the second installment of my two-part series showing how I decorated my house on the cheap with paint.  If you missed Part 1 of this series, check it out HERE.  So many people I know, are afraid of paint.  I even used to be one of them.  But then it finally dawned on me: if I don't like the paint, I can always paint over it.  This was such a freeing revalation.  Here is how I decorated my first son's room.

Sweet Potato Crackers

One of my fabulous neighbors brought me these crunchy nibbles and boy, they are delicious!  She had made them as a snack for her toddler, but found that she was eating most of them.  I'm so glad she shared them with me.  Not only was my 14 month old Baby Boy begging for these crackers, but I found myself crunching on them as well. 

Adventures in Paint: Cheap and Simple Home Decorating Ideas Part 1 of 2

I don't like bare walls.  So when we moved into a large home, I had lots of walls to cover.  Unfortunately, our mortgage was equally as large as the home, so I had to do it on the cheap.  Thank goodness for the cheapness of paint.  This is Part One of a two-part series featuring super easy decorating with paint. 

Grandma Carol's Oatmeal Cookies

These amazing oatmeal cookies have been a consistent theme in my life.  They have ruined me for all oatmeal cookies.  Perhaps it's the "secret ingredient" that makes them so amazing.  Perhaps it's the chewiness of the oats.  Whatever it is, you won't be able to stop after eating 1... 2... 3... 4... 

My Mother’s Day Gift

I have to admit, this post was going to talk about the American marketing machine and how terrible it is that they try to convince us that only flowers and jewelry are appropriate Mother’s Day gifts.  But then I realized that those are perfect gifts for some moms.  Just because they’re not my favorite gifts doesn’t mean that they aren’t the favorite gifts of others.  So what’s this post about?  My Mother’s Day Gift.

Vacation Plans Are Set!!

 I am excited to finally have our summer vacation plans set.  We will be spending a week in Oregon to visit my family and a week in Missouri to visit my husband's family.  I have to say that I am a bit biased and am looking forward to our Oregon leg of the trip the most.  This  is not to say that I enjoy one family over the other, but to say that I feel most at home in Oregon.  It's only natural, since that's where I was born and raised.  Missouri is a bit foreign to me.  I'm not used to the humidity and the bugs.  But you bet I'm going to be prepared this time. 

Brown Rice Spaghetti with Homemade Marinara (in 15 minutes!)

I love this sauce recipe!  I found it while doing a little detox (wheat, sugar, and dairy-free) as a beginning to the Harcombe Diet (I'll post about it later).  I've since discovered the awesome-ness that is brown rice pasta.  It cooks and tastes just like that delicious, but oh so bad for you, white pasta.  The plus is that it's a whole grain pasta and is much lighter than whole wheat pasta.  But the best thing about this recipe is the sauce.  I was amazed at how easy and tasty this sauce was in just 15 minutes; ok, 20 if you include prep time. 

Everything but the Kitchen Sink Soup

When I have a bunch of leftovers and remnants of produce I make soup.  Or should I say I "wing" soup?  I think I've followed a recipe for soup maybe five times in my life.  Soup is such an easy and versatile dish that you can make it with any combination of ingredients.  That is what I love about soup.  Pair it with a salad and some crusty bread and you're suddenly a domestic goddess, serving up homemade comfort food to your family while not letting things go to waste in the refrigerator.

Healthy School Lunches - Spring Edition

Well, the school year is winding down.  In my area, the last day of school is in the third week of May.  So with about a month left, I'm looking forward to a break in packing school lunches.  I do have to say that this year has been fairly easier than other years to pack lunches.  I think the biggest difference for me are the great compartment-ed containers I found.  They are super cheap (less than $1 each) and I don't mind if he forgets them at school.  Lately, I haven't had too much time to spend on bento techniques, but I've still managed to make some healthy, fun lunches.  Here are some examples. 

Oh My! Curry!

I love a good curry.  It's really only something I only get when we go out because not only have I never made it before, but my Handsome Hubby isn't too keen on it.  So, I took an opportunity to make some delicious curry when he had other dinner plans away from home.  Oh, how wonderfully this turned out and how wonderful my house smells.  This bowl of coconutty-curry goodness is definitely going to make an encore appearance on my dinner table next time Handsome eats elsewhere.  Maybe I'll even try serving it to him, just to see if it changes his mind towards curry...

Is This Really My Pantry?

Let me start off saying that I recently did some spring cleaning and my pantry actually got organized, so did my pantry look this neat and clean a few weeks ago, nope.  But, as I was looking for something to make with dinner the other day, I couldn't help but be amused by the transformation my pantry has undergone.

My Favorite (and most flavorful) Fats

I love to cook; and what adds richness and flavor to food, well fat of course!  Just over a year ago, my favorite fat to cook and season with was olive oil.  That was about it.  But since discovering the wonderful world of whole foods and educating myself on the role that fat plays in nutrition and what are good and bad fats, I use a wide variety of fats.  Boy oh boy, does my food taste immensely delicious!

Lord Help me Find Balance

I am a woman who seeks balance.  Some say it’s because I’m a Libra, most say that’s the way God made me.  Either way, I’m am hard-wired to strive for peace and harmony in all areas of my life.  An area I’ve really been focusing on lately is the food that I prepare and feed to myself and to my family.  This should  be easy, but I tell you, it is not.  I would love for each meal I prepare to be well-balanced, whole, fresh, local, organic, and free of any artificial flavors and dyes.  But then there’s this thing called a budget and another thing called time.