Today is National Iced Tea Day!

I had a glass, or two. :-)

Honestly, I celebrate iced tea everyday.  

Other than oj at breakfast and the occasional glass of almond milk,

it's pretty much all I drink!  Unsweet, with lemon or mint is the way I enjoy it.  

Are you a tea drinker?

Mediterranen on the Menu

I tried several new recipes tonight with a greek flavor.

I really wasn't sure if Mr. H. would like them or not,

but he ended up loving everything!

My favorite recipes always start with fresh ingredients.  Mmm!

First up was an easy, classic mediterranean salad. 

For four servings you'll need -

6 small tomatoes, sliced into quarters (campari are my favorite kind!)

1 english cucumber, chopped (sometimes labeled "seedless")

1/4 red onion, diced

16 kalamata olives

1/4 cup feta cheese

1/4 cup olive oil

juice from one lemon

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Place tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives and cheese in a large bowl.

Combine oil, lemon juice, oregano, and pepper.

Pour dressing over vegetables and toss.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Next was tabbouleh lettuce wraps.  

For four servings you'll need -

1/2 cup bulgur

3/4 cup boiling water

1/8 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/8 cup fresh mint, chopped

1 tomato, chopped 

4 hearts of romaine lettuce leaves

Pour bowling water over bulgur and let sit for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Add oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic, parsley, mint and tomato.

Toss.

Serve on lettuce leaves at room temperature or chilled.

Homemade pita chips!  Why not from a bag?

Because these were better, cheaper and so easy.

You will need - 

2 pita breads, separated and cut into 24 wedges

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

salt and pepper

Place pita wedges on a cookie sheet.

Combine oil and garlic.

Brush oil over wedges and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Turn wedges over and again brush with oil and season.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until chips are brown and crispy.

Homemade hummus!  Again better and much cheaper than store prepared.  Also very easy.

You will need -

1 can chick peas (also called garbanzo beans)

1/3 cup olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in blender.

Blend until smooth.

Yummy, different, healthy and fun.  

And Mr. H. approved. :-)

Menu Plan Monday

My last day of work for the school year was Friday.  I'm out of my neck brace for six hours each day this week.  And, the kids are at camp.  So, I'm more than ready to try out some fresh, new recipes just for me and Mr. H.  Hold on - we're headed around the globe this week. :-)

Supper Menus

June 9th - 15th 

Monday - Mediterranean 

greek salad, tabbouleh lettuce wraps, homemade hummus and homemade pita chips

Tuesday - Asian

asian chicken and orzo salad
Ok, Mr. H. decided to take me out to eat.  I'll be making this for lunch on Wednesday. ;-)

Wednesday - Italian

roasted tomatoes over pasta, green salad

Thursday - Mexican 

mexican chopped salad

Friday -
out for supper

Saturday - the kids are home! :-)

I'll be making or picking up whatever they request. 

Sunday

out of town

Linked to Menu Plan Monday.

Pimento Cheese on a Rainy Day

Nothing like a simple pimento cheese sandwich for lunch on a dark, rainy day.

Now, I'm not talking grocery store pimento cheese, mind you.  Sorry Prices! ;-)

I'm talking good 'ol, old fashioned, homestyle pimento cheese.

Homestyle Pimento Cheese

makes 8 servings

1 pound velveeta cheese

2 oz jar chopped pimentos

4 tablespoons mayonaise

onion salt to taste - a little goes a long way

Grate cheese into a bowl.

Add pimentos, mayonnaise, and onion salt.

Stir until combined.

Serve immediately.  

Refrigerate leftovers.

Best served with Ruffles potato chips and a glass of iced tea. :-)

Menu Plan Monday

Supper Menus

May 26th - June 1st

Monday

take-out bbq

Tuesday

hamburgers, french fries, ranch style beans

Wednesday

make your own individual pizzas

Thursday

soft tacos, spanish rice, pinto beans

Friday

out for supper

Saturday

breakfast for supper - pepper bacon, scrambled eggs, hash brown casserole, biscuits 

Sunday

pot roast, salad, dinner rolls

Such a happy day!

Today marks 10 weeks that I have completed in my neck brace!

My next doctor appointment is just a week and a half a way. :-)

Happy, happy day!

~Keurig Love~

Well, I'm on the Keurig bandwagon now.

I got one for Mother's Day and for the past week I have absolutely loved it.

I got a couple of boxes of our favorite k-cups at the grocery last week.

But then my amazon order came in of 36 different kinds and 

that sent me from keurig believer straight into keurig love! ;-)

My whole family had fun looking at all the different kinds!

And, then I loaded up my carousal. 

The assortment came with plenty of coffees of course, plus hot cocoas and ciders,

teas and decafs,

and flavored varieties.

I said this one, called "dark and handsome" must have been sent for Mr. H. ;-)

My daughter and I said we'd fight over the "pumpkin vanilla creme" one. 

(Of course I'll let her have it though!)

The first one I tried was the "peanut butter and jelly sandwich" crazy cup flavor!  How fun!

I plan to also get an insert that keurig sells were you can just use your own regular coffee in your machine instead of the k-cups.   

But, for a while I will love, love, love the novelty of a whole coffee shop sitting on my kitchen counter!

I am just loving my Keurig.

I can't wait to have company over and have them be able to select and make

 any hot beverage they'd like.  How neat is that?! :-)

Flowers, flowers, everywhere!

I just love how our property explodes with 

black eyed susans every May!

Literally hundreds everywhere you look.

I just had to snip a few to bring inside to enjoy. :-)

Pristine, manicured lawns in the 'burbs have never been for me.

I like the woods where there is always a surprise at every turn. :-)

Homemaking

“It's sad if people think that's (homemaking) a dull existance, [but] you can't just buy an apartment and furnish it and walk away. It's the flowers you choose, the music you play, the smile you have waiting. I want it to be gay and cheerful, a haven in this troubled world. I don't want my husband and children to come home and find a rattled woman. Our era is already rattled enough, isn't it?” ~Audrey Hepburn

Six Years Blogging

Well, my six year blogging anniversary came and went without me realizing it!  

On May 4th, six years ago, I was home one evening sick with a cold and I decided to start a blog.  

On that first day I shared - 

my first menu plan, 

a picture of Daisy, 

a favorite recipe, 

a quote, 

a movie I was watching, 

and a poem.

2,363 posts later…

 and the rest is history!

Thanks for visiting all these years. :-)

And, if you've never said hello, I'd love to meet you!

Menu Plan Monday

Back to menu planning after nine long weeks!  Woohoo!

Supper Menus

May 12th-18th

Monday

leftovers

Tuesday

texas chili, country cornbread muffins

Wednesday

potato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches

Thursday
leftovers

Friday

baked lemon chicken with new potatoes and vegetables, lettuce and tomato salad, rustic bread

Saturday
invited to friend's house for supper

Sunday dinner

pot roast, lettuce and tomato salad, dinner rolls

Ma Ingalls

“This earthly life is a battle,' said Ma. 'If it isn't one thing to contend with, it's another. It always has been so, and it always will be. The sooner you make up your mind to that, the better off you are, and more thankful for your pleasures.” Little Town on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder

National Strawberry Month

May is National Strawberry Month!

You can go here to find lots of our favorite strawberry recipes.

And her are a few more!

~strawberry delight~

~strawberry shortcake cookies~

~strawberry cupcakes~

~strawberry syrup~

It's Dewberry Time!

"I smile when I look back at the troubles that have strengthened me.  What seems to be insurmountable struggles then are now beautiful ornaments illuminating my soul."

~Dodinsky

Our Favorite New Potatoes

Dig up three or four potatoes per person.

Scrub under cool water.

Boil until tender.

Toss with butter.

Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Enjoy!

~Fresh Garden Onions~

"The first supermarket supposedly appeared on the American landscape in 1946.  That is not very long ago.  Until then, where was all the food?  Dear folks, the food was in homes, gardens, local fields, and forests.  It was near kitchens, near tables, near bedsides.  It was in the pantry, the cellar, the backyard." 

~ Joel Salatin, Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, 

Healthier People, and a Better World

Home is Where the Heart Is

Sometimes I find myself missing our house in town.

The house where I could keep the floors clean

because we had sidewalks and paved drives.

The house where I had picked out every paint color, floor covering, counter top 

and light fixture.  And everything matched!

The house where I could walk to the corner store if I had to.

Four years ago this week, we sold that house and bought a quirky home in the country that someone else built.  And, in my opinion, very little matches!

I never seem to linger on my thoughts of missing that house in town too long though

because I quickly remember this home is where I hear our duck quacking 

and splashing outside my window.

Where I have wildflowers in my front yard.

Where I don't have an HOA telling me what I can and can't do.

Where I have room to roam and room to breathe.

And where I have pets that feed me breakfast. :-)

Home is where the heart is.  And my heart is certainly right here. 

Lone Spring Kitten

Reeces had a spring litter of kittens in early March.

She had two - a gray and a tiny calico that didn't make it.

We didn't see much of the little gray kitten the first month.  Reeces kept it near the back shed mostly.

I would see it just for a little bit usually in the early evenings.

It looks so much like little Leche from last spring.

It's been coming out in the yard a little more and more

and doing a lot of playing with Chiclet and Chupa.

The kids named it "Luttrell" since it was the lone survivor this spring.

And this weekend Reeces let it start coming on the back porch.

Luttrell loves cardbord boxes as all the cats do. :-)

Red Potatoes from the Garden

We've been digging up potatoes as we need them and boy are they good!

Bring them in, cook them up.

From ground to plate in less than 30 minutes.

It just doesn't get any fresher than that!  Yum!