Artichoke Salad

A friend of ours (Mary Goodman) made this salad for us a few years ago, and I’ve loved it ever since. We have it in the summer and winter. Great side dish!

Oat Bran & Spinach Muffins

The title doesn’t sound very good, does it. But it  really is VERY Good!!   I’ve need to continue and look for ways to sneak in extra greens and protein for my health.  By the way these will take on the greenish color from the spinach, they could be a fun thing for St. Patrick’s Day

I took the “KROGER” box of OAT BRAND Muffin mix, and instead of adding 1 cup of water, I mixed together 1 cup of bean juice (from baked pinto beans) and 1 cup frozen spinach, in a blender. When it was all nice and smooth,  I poured it back into my 1 cup measuring cup and that’s what I had – 1 cup mixed bean juice and spinach. This was now ready mix in a bowl with the “KROGER” OAT BRAN Muffin Mix. Then bake at 350 for 20-25 min.

NOTE – I cooks pinto beans a lot with my crock pot, this is where I get my extra bean juice (sometimes I’ll even put more water in on purpose for the juice). I’ve been using it more and more in cooking and baking. It adds a little texture and flavor. I use the juice quite a bit in the summer with my smoothies. The juice is simply part of my water.

Short Bread

This is a great recipe that is soo tasty and simple to do. I don’t usually like short bread, but this one is the exception. I remember my grandma Mary having this already made and bringing it with her when she would come to spend Christmas with us, these are good-warm memories. I have to admit that I haven’t made this in years only because I get carried away with making the fudge and Krispy treats – will just have to fit it in again.

SHORT BREAD

(from My Grandma Mary)

Cream  –    1        lb.     Butter

1  C.  Sifted Powdered Sugar

                                                      5       C.      Sifted Flour

Form into cube, cut in half, place 1 part between wax paper. Roll out to fit into 8” pan. Repeat with second half in another pan.

Bake in slow oven @ 300° for one hour.

Cut as soon as taken from oven.

Make small holes on top with fork, by just touching through the surface throughout the top to making a spotted design.

Peach & Apple Pie

Have to say that today, with the help of my husband, WE made a really good peach pie. Had enough dough left over to make a nice little apple pie. Used our Pie Crust recipe, with Betty Crocker’s Apple pie filling & Peach pie filling recipe, (out of my book).  I ate the peach pie first and it was WONDERFUL!!

If you would like, here’s the link to Bettycrocker.com  for the Apple pie recipe, it’s the same one I used. YUMMY!

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/scrumptious-apple-pie/a41b6992-efb5-4b8a-998c-26d25f05e05a#?st=6&term=apple pie&src=SH&ps=9&pi=9

 

Welcome to my smorgasbord of Hobbies & Interests, lol.

There is just so much in life to do, I LOVE IT!!

How could anyone ever get bored? I’m not great at managing my time, but each day I do my best. My daily challenge is living with Multiple Sclerosis. But I’m very fortunate not to be in a wheelchair all the time….. only sometimes. 

 Lately I’ve become very interested in Family History, and there is sooo much to do with that. There’s the research, gathering your own family records, learning of their histories is exciting. And then there’s the   pictures that are pretty cool to see. Pictures of the grand parents, great grand parents, and so forth can bring a sense of belonging. 

It’s hard not to explore History while I’m doing Family History. It all goes together, as it should of course, and it’s fun to discover or rediscover.

From my own history, my life experiences, I’ve found quite a few events to write about.  I write short stories and poems. I’ve finished more poems than stories, but I’m workin on them. I like to keep to the cute and funny side of things. 

I’ve always enjoyed crafts – I don’t knit or crochet anymore, so I’ve become interested in scrap-booking. I actually haven’t done too much with this yet, but hope to some day soon, I have lose pictures that can’t be found very easy, I plan on  putting them together with different themes. 

 Baking is a very comforting to me, the scents of cinnamon & nutmeg filling the air are warm and wonderful. Homemade fudge,apple pie and so much more make the kitchen “the” place to be, and the home easily inviting to friends & family. But let’s not forget the healthy foods – the harvest time of canning all those good home grown apples, peaches, tomatoes, ect.  Also drying some to store a different way, and even freezing some. Healthy foods are very important to me, my body can certainly tell the difference. I feel very blessed to be in an area where I’m able to have fresh produce from the backyard – mostly from my neighbor who graciously shares their overabundance.