I found a recipe online for Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken which sounded yummy. I made a few alterations, added the same mixture to my potatoes, and baked both at the same time. I started this recipe by altering the preparation of garlic because I prefer to Peel Garlic The Easy Way! Once the garlic was peeled and warm, it needed minced and mixed with olive oil and brown sugar. I thought my Vitamix Continue Reading >>
Peel Garlic the Easy Way and Wake up the Flavors at the Same Time!
I just found out the easiest way to peel garlic cloves -- microwave them first! Once you microwave a garlic clove for about 30 seconds the clove will pop right out of the peel and be ready for mincing or throwing into your Vitamix or blender with a marinade. I put ten or twelve in the microwave at a time for this recipe, but you could put 30 in at a time! This dramatically cut my preparation time. Continue Reading >>
Kids Can Make Their Own No-Sew Fringe Blankets (With a Little Help)
No-Sew fringe blankets are fairly easy to make and fun to cuddle up with. My oldest daughter made a blanket for Caleb when he was born. She was just 6 years old and did most of the cutting and tying herself with my supervision. I guess it partly depends on the dexterity of the child. A few months ago, we decided the twins needed their own big boy blankets since their crib blankets were too small Continue Reading >>
Yucatecan Chicken Marinade (p.142-143 of Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless)
I was just telling some of my friends that I could eat food from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless every day of the week. This isn't officially a book review, but I highly recommend this cookbook! The recipe for Yucatecan Marinade on Chicken is one of several favorites! Plus it is a really quick meal to put together. Just mix up the marinade in the morning and put your chicken in the refrigerator. Continue Reading >>
How to Make A Puffy Paint Snowman Craft with Shaving Cream
I love to teach preschool to my children with themes. Right now, my twins and I are celebrating the theme of snow. We are reading books about snow, coloring pretty pictures with snow, and creating snow crafts. This week, one of our suggestions for preschool was a puffy paint snowman craft. Unfortunately, it was just a suggestion with no real instructions - I had to figure it out myself. I'm saving Continue Reading >>
Easy Cheesy Quesadillas
I don't know about you, but I am always looking for super easy, fairly cheap meals to feed my kids. I know I am not the only person with lots of mouths to feed and a shortage of time! Last night I was at my wit's end trying to come up with a meal from our somewhat sparse pantry. I seem to have lots of ingredients but nothing went together. After studying the contents of my pantry and refrigerator Continue Reading >>
Book Review and Giveaway! Chess is Child’s Play by Laura Sherman and Bill Kilpatrick
Have you ever been intrigued by a book simply from it's title? Before I ever saw this book I heard the title Chess is Child's Play ($13.57) and I was caught. I've always believed that small children are capable of so much more then we expect. And the key to unlocking this potential is through play. A book that teaches chess through play was a captivating thought. When the book arrived I was Continue Reading >>
Curriculum Review: Creative Writing Made Easy with Isabel’s Closet and Isabel’s Secret by Jan May
"As Isabel and Star crept into the dark abyss, Star's body tensed up and her hand gripped her sword even more tightly." This sentence is found on page 33 of my daughter's new writing curriculum called Creative Writing Made Easy published by New Millenium Girl Books. She wrote those sentences all by herself in response to a section on using a description of body language to enhance writing. What Continue Reading >>
Cheesecake Spritz Cookies for your Cookie Press
Growing up, I was never a big fan of spritz cookies. They all tasted dry and bland. A few years ago, I wanted to make spritz cookies with my children because it seemed like a fun way to make cookies. We bought a Cookie Press (last year I bought a new Cookie Press that I absolutely love) and I went in search of the perfect spritz cookie recipe. The recipe I found included cream cheese. Cream Cheese Continue Reading >>
Celebrating the Second Sunday of Advent
We celebrated the second Sunday of Advent tonight by lighting the third candle... I think I already mentioned that we started a week early. Anyway, we read our Scripture and sang O Little Town of Bethlehem. I found a picture of the nativity in my files to print and the children had fun coloring while I read. This is a great way to keep the little ones still! We also enjoyed Cheesecake Continue Reading >>