Strawberry Bread

Strawberry bread
Preheat oven to 350

3 cups all purpose four
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sugaar
4 eggs beaten
1 cup cooking oil
2 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
Mix it all up by hand.
Add berries last and fold in gently.

Bake fro 35-45 minutes in small loaf pans or about 1 hour and 10 minutes in 2 large loaf pans.
Remember each oven is different so be sure to UNDER set your timer so you don't OVER bake!

My Notes-
When the loaves are cooling,I cut a section out of the bread lengthwise down the center of the loaf  (but keep the cut shallow so you don't cut through the bottom of the loaf!)and fill with cream cheese.

The School Of Life Teaches Again..

agoraphobia

–noun Psychiatry .

an abnormal fear of being in crowds, public places, or open areas, sometimes accompanied by anxiety attacks.

 

I had a client recently with this disorder. She was very upfront and honest about it. I was thankful for the opportunity to meet her yet I realized I had zero knowledge on the subject,or how to help make being in my chair easier! Once we got chatting the appointment went very well. She shared with me her struggles with agoraphobia,praised her patient husband and 3 happy children and her new style was cut and dried before she knew it. Victory! She had survived,she felt beautiful AND she had fun! Victory! I love my job....;)

  compassion 

–noun

a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

 

 

Feelin' Chesty...

I SCORED at a garage sale today!

I got a chest freezer for $25!

Funny thing..I wished for a chest freezer a few weeks ago when I realized trimming the food budget means buying in bulk.

We are true carnivores at this house and meat is a huge percentage of the food budget!

Plus fishing season is coming soon..

If it goes as well as last year we will fill that freezer full of salmon in a week!

All that zucchini in the post below equaled 16 cups of grated zucchini!

I froze it in 2 and 4 cup sized for making my Mom's recipe for chocolate zucchini bread.

I love watching people wolf it down having no idea how healthy it is..

especially people who claim to dislike zucchini..he he

Seems I lost that recipe when I had the computer bug a few months ago,

damn internet.

I will post it after I call my Mom and get it

:)

I found a great deal on strawberries and made a few loaves of strawberry bread today.

I filled one loaf with cream cheese-it's beyond words it's so good.

Are you drooling?

Do you want the recipe?

I will try to freeze the rest of the berries before I am tempted to make more bread.

It disappears fast!

The rock tumbler is still tumbling in the garage.

Week one of medium grit sand accomplished.

Now it's in week one of polish grit.

Then one more week of another polish...

But

The rocks are starting to look impressive!

Smoother than river rocks and soon to be shiny like gems for jewelry!

Back to work tomorrow..

pray the back to school rush is gentle on me

:)

Friday...Again ALREADY?!?!

I have done my best to savor every little bit of falling in love and starting a relationship. We have been together 2 1/2 years and yet we still have so much to share and learn as a couple.I love the newness of it all,learning how to communicate and how to best be supportive of each others' needs despite life's ups and downs.I saw a great quote once that explains what I'm feeling-"I can tell you in an instant that I love you but it will take me a lifetime to show you how much". I feel lucky that I get to learn how to love and care for a man that loves me as much as Vern does!I might sound old fashioned but I take great pride in keeping my man happy and my house in order (as much as possible,keep reading..)!
My newest lesson hit me today. When Vern works 7 days a week for more than 2 weekends in a row..I need to pitch in more with housework! I didn't realize how much he does before I get home in the evenings!We have our hands full taking care of Del AND his house and yard! So I am switching gears and preparing to do some meal planning tomorrow and some much needed dusting and cleaning before I go back to work for the week. The make ahead meals were a life saver last week, so I thought I would do a few more for this week. As for the house,I will bleach and vacuum what I can and sanitize and windex the rest.The deep cleaning will have to wait. I appreciate my hard working man,I will continue to do my best to support him anyway I can :) Even if that means I have to keep cleaning up after his 48 year old brother..*sarcastic sigh*

 On a lighter note,I wanted to share this weeks harvest from our garden! The little corn were so delicious despite the fact that they looked a bit funky! haha Tomorrow I am grating and freezing all that zucchini for bread this winter.Thankfully this year I have a food processor,thanks Vern!

AND THEN..
I found these cute little things at Rite Aid and couldn't pass them up..

I am going to spray paint them...just not sure what color yet. Perhaps I will see what we have in the garage..
I want to use them for planters yet...they would be cute inside too...like maybe with sand and candles or magazines...or a houseplant. Hmmmm? Any suggestions creative friends?
PS- I edited my mole and crow's feet out of the pic above for the "Botox" effect(haha) and erased under eye circles! Did you notice? What do you think? I don't think I look different enough to ever consider getting stuff injected in my face!

After a long day..

We still found time to celebrate!

Congrats Babe!

You are an awesome Dad,

you have been a VERY patient ex husband.

I am excited to watch you continue to enjoy being a father,

without being made to feel like a monthly paycheck.

As always,

I am here to support and love you,

no matter what,

with all my heart,

forever and ever

:)

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

Happy Birthday Trevor!

The zoo was a blast!

We had fun hanging with the birthday boy and his girlfriend Shelby today!

Yes...

I rode the camel!

It was a bumpy ride and very short

But..

Check another one off the bucket list,

-Ride a camel.

haha

Manic Monday

I am officially sold on the "Make Ahead Meal" meal thing. It's the working woman's dream! Today I took a meatloaf out of the freezer at lunch and it was a delicious homemade meal by 6pm. Did I mention I also worked a 12 hour day? Vern even said it "Wow,you worked a 9 hour day and still made a delicious dinner? You are amazing!" I love it when I have a happy man with a full tummy :) I have to give him credit though,he put the meatloaf in the oven and steamed broccoli,what a great man! I will be making this a regular habit. 1 day of cooking = 8 effortless,budget friendly, homemade meals,I'm hooked!

Tomorrow is the big day..Trevor is 18!! I am so excited to go to the zoo! I really,really hope that they (Trevor and his girlfriend Shelby) don't change their minds and decide not to go...I would be secretly crushed! There is also an aquarium and flower gardens at the zoo too! Oh and I want to ride a camel! My 4G memory card in my camera will come in handy tomorrow! haha Listen to me-geesh! Who's birthday is it?! LOL! Although....Vern and I have reason to celebrate too! We are officially done with all financial and legal matters with both of our ex's!!!! Yay! Ironically enough I had a friend request from my ex husband on Myspace this evening. Somewhere between realizing who had sent it and the decline button I saw he had added a little note asking about the dog...how nice. How many times must you tell someone to go away? I thought the timing was a little humorous though.

Something strange happen in my fridge.So strange I am willing to admit it on the internet. We had a few cloves and bunches of garlic in a plastic sandwich baggie in the fridge. I think they had been forgotten about 6 months ago. I noticed tonight they sprouted green starts!
In a baggie.
In the dark cold fridge.
Weird!
So I took them out and set them in a shallow dish of water in the windowsill. We'll see what happens. I didn't plan on growing garlic in August! I don't even know how! Sounds like another "Google"project.....

Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze

Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze
For the Cake:
1 Yellow Cake Mix
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree
For the Glaze:1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons apple cider
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Empty the contents of the boxed cake mix and pumpkin puree into a large bowl.  Using a hand-mixer or stand mixer beat until well incorporated.  The batter will be very thick, but will come together nicely.

Pour batter into a greased  7 x 11 X 2 pan.  This is the small, rectangular-sized pan from your Pyrex set.  You know, the set you had to have when you got married and rarely ever used all the pieces.  Finally, you have a use for it.

Bake at 350 degrees for 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Do not overbake.

Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then flip onto a platter.

Make the glaze while you're waiting.

Combine powdered sugar, apple cider and pumpkin pie spice.  Glaze should be thick but pourable.  Add more sugar or cider if needed.  Pour over the cake while still warm.  Reserve some to pour over each slice when served.

Serve warm or room temperature.


My Notes:
This recipe is one of my "secret weapons". Everyone likes it. Everyone. I don't even like pumpkin pie and I love this cake!
The smell is heavenly. Making,baking and eating this cake smells like....deliciosoyumyumscrumpdidillywowowness. Yes. That good.
Buy the cake mix and pumpkin in duplicates(it's a great recipe in a pinch) and splurge for pumpkin pie spice and cider.You will make this again :)

EASY Meatballs

EASY MEATBALLS

 COOKS.COM

---

1 lb. ground round
1 sm. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 chopped sm. green pepper
1/2 c. uncooked rice
1 egg
1 can tomato soup or tomato sauce (10 3/4 oz.)

In a soup pan empty the can of soup or sauce and fill 3/4 way with water and let it start to cook. Mix all the remaining ingredients together and form into small balls. Drop them into the soup or sauce and cook for 1 hour. Serve over noodles, mashed potatoes, or any pasta.

 

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1626,149188-250204,00.html

My Notes:

This was the first time I made meatballs. These were suuuuuper easy to make. I especially like how simple they taste so that they are more versatile for different meals.

Make a double batch. You will eat (with help) the first half of the first batch,right out of the oven and have none to freeze for later!

I froze the meatballs as soon as they (and the pan) were cool first and then put them into a freezer bag. Otherwise you will have a glob of frozen meatloaf after you defrost.

Family Classic Meatloaf

Family Classic Meatloaf

From Kraft.com

prep time

5 min

total time

1 hr

makes

6 servings

What You Need

1-1/2 lb. extra-lean ground beef

1 pkg.  (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1 Onion, chopped

1   Egg, beaten

1 tsp. Dried thyme leaves

1 can  (10-3/4 oz.) condensed tomato soup, divided

1/4 cup Chili sauce

Make It

HEAT oven to 350°F.
MIX first 5 ingredients. Add 1/2 cup soup; mix well. Press into 8x4-inch loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray.
BAKE 55 min. or until done (160ºF). About 10 min. before the meatloaf is done, cook remaining soup and chili sauce in saucepan on medium heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.
REMOVE meatloaf from pan; top with soup mixture.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/family-classic-meatloaf-90487.aspx
My Notes:

This the BEST meatloaf EVER! If you don't like meatloaf,try this recipe and give meatloaf one more chance!!
I don't use the chili sauce. Plain ol tomato soup works for me. We usually top our meatloaf with cheese or gravy.
Substitute ground turkey for beef-sooo good.
I add shredded or small cubed cheddar cheese to the mix.This is over the TOP! Bad for the muffin top..haha
Top meatloaf with the following before baking or during last half hour depending on ingredient:
mashed potatoes
cheese
bacon
sauteed mushrooms/onions/zucchini
any combo of the above..
Remember,you might as well make a double batch and freeze one or two....
:)

Cabbage Rolls

CABBAGE ROLLS

Printed from COOKS.COM

---

2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground pork
3 medium onions, chopped
4 cups cooked white rice
1 cup bacon bits
3 tablespoon butter
3 medium heads cabbage, frozen and thawed
salt and pepper to taste
onion, garlic, basil to taste
3 x 28 oz cans tomato sauce

This is a great recipe for those who do not want to boil the cabbage and brown the meats.Place cabbage heads in a chest freezer for 2 or 3 days prior to day of making the rolls. The night before making the rolls, remove cabbage from freezer and allow to defrost overnight. Remove core from cabbage heads and discard. Line aluminum baking pan with a thin layer of tomato sauce, topped with first few cabbage leaves.
In skillet, melt butter, add onions and bacon bits. Sauté until tender.
Meanwhile, prepare rice as per box directions.
In a very large mixing bowl, combine beef and pork, onions, bacon bits and cooked rice. Add salt and pepper and all spices. Mix together very well.
Peel cabbage from head (the cabbage leaves will virtually fall off), spoon meat mixture onto cabbage leaf. Roll leaf, folding ends in and place in baking dish seam side down. Continue until baking dish is full. DO NOT STACK ROLLS.
Add a coating of butter to the top of each roll. Pour tomato sauce over top. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 90 minutes.
Let stand for 10 minutes and serve.
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1626,134182-250195,00.html

My Notes:

I don't care much for onions so I used less and added garlic.
I used 2 boxes of Rice A Roni Spanish Rice mix plus a little instant rice instead (this was a TON of filling)
I made the leftover filling into "riceballs" that I baked and froze for a later meal.
We love cabbage and although we liked the recipe I will use spaghetti sauce next time instead of tomato sauce. Also,to the filling, I will add a diced green pepper and more fresh cooked bacon bits instead of premade bacon bits in a jar.
Picked because it was a good "Make Ahead Meal' to freeze for later. The recipe makes about 2, 9x13 pans (two meals).

Recipe Time!

I wish that I were talented enough..... to photograph,share and comment about the recipes I make,all in one blog...but I'm not. I'll work on it but... don't expect miracles. Per request of my friends and blog followers I will start sharing my favorite recipes! For those of you who don't enjoy the cooking part,sorry! Bare with me as I share one of my favorite hobbies :)

"Make Ahead Meal Day"

I am exhausted.

Today I accomplished a small miracle in my kitchen.

I made:

2 meatloaves

2 chicken casseroles

meatballs(for the first time)

2 pans of cabbage rolls(new recipe)

"riceballs"(From the leftover cabbage roll filling)

Double batch of chocolate cookies-some baked and some dough in the freezer for later)

24 vanilla cupcakes

24 chocolate cupcakes frosted with too much chocolate,vanilla and german chocolate frosting.

AND...

Aside from 2 lbs. of beef , 1 lb. of sausage and some veggies from our garden etc that I already had...

I only spent $55 to make it all!

6 meals in the freezer for nights we need a no brainer dinner!

With some practice I could get good at this..

I love saving money

AND

I love no brainers 

:)

PS.

Yes I remembered to make sweet little 3 year old Madison a "Carapackage" of cookies and sparkly cupcakes

;)

My-Day Friday

What did I do today?

I slept in until almost 11am. 

I love sleeping in 

but I don't like waking up feeling like half the day is already gone.

Chip and I went for coffee and a Milkbone and returned home,

just me and my favorite dog

and our favorite show,

those crazy Kardashian girls...

We also sat in the sun and shared stories with Del and Mikey.

They were setting up to work on the siding and porch overhang today.

Sometime around 1pm I became motivated enough to shower.

Vern came home and we escaped to go garage sailing. 

We scored a great REI back back for $10!

Ironically the sale was at Sheila Shannon's house!

(remember the previous post about how I was reading her book and she came to me for a haircut?)

Funny how I keep running into her.

She is sweet as pie :)

We took a detour through the mountains up beyond Mt. Peak.

At a lookout we pulled over to enjoy the view and I snagged a great chunk of moss to take home!

I love free "gifts"from Mother Nature!

(well, except the monthly one..haha)

I was a happy girl :)

As we rolled into the driveway I saw an awesome surprise!

My new solar powered lanterns were hung just the way I wanted them on the back porch!

The guys had pulled a fast one on me..and I loved it!

I hear it was all Del's idea but I know Vern and Mikey were in on it too ;)

I am a lucky girl!

As you can see the finish work is still coming along...I cropped out the lumber/power tool mess in the yard.

I have no desire to remember that!haha

While the camera was out I tried to take a few pics of Chipper but that crazy little dog never seems to cooperate during a photo shoot.

So here he is in one his more popular poses..

"May I have the treat?!"

I didn't even have to cook-

Vern took me out to eat at our favorite spot,The Lee.

A little local restaurant with good food and an entertaining parade of "regulars".

Trevor also works there as a cook/dishwasher but wasn't working tonight.

With full bellies we waddled home and...

There I was again-

snuggled in bed,

this time with my favorite person,

and some of our favorite shows.

Whale Wars I think..

Tomorrow I am cooking "Make Ahead Meals" to freeze for future dinners.

I am buying and preparing fresh beets and also quinoa for the first time in the next few weeks.

These two sound like cheap and simple super foods that might help change things up in our usual ol' menu.

I am also making cookies and cupcakes.

Cute cupcakes.

  Cute enough to wow a 3 year old girl..

She requested the "cookie lady" make her some cupcakes too! haha

How can I say no?

Oh I am going to have fun with this!

I will take pics :)

Independence.... Rocks

This was a long week. I wish I had the brain power left to make this a proper blog but...I don't,so bear with me :)

It's the time of year all cosmetologists secretly dread....back to school. Don't get me wrong,I love what I do but this time of year salons are packed with teenagers,one of the toughest age groups to please. Appearance is everything at that age and insecurities run high.

Thankfully it's only about 4 weeks a year and we are half way done :)

A friend of Del's gave us a rock tumbler.We have been needing one badly as we have numerous buckets of agates. This is all a new experience for me and I am super anxious to see all my beach finds polished and smooth. We added about 6 pounds of rocks into the tumbler,4 tbls of medium grit sand and enough water to cover the rocks 2/3.We put on the lid and wah la! Somehow I knew there would be a catch......So you put the tumbler on the machine and it turns and churns the rocks..but get this-you have to leave it on for 24 hours a day for 7 days! WhAt?! I have to be patient?!! That was NOT in the instructions and that's a LONG TIME! Let's just hope that means that they will look especially beautiful because good things take time? So in the meanwhile I sit here listening to what sounds like a little rock slide in our laundry room...and I will be...for 5 more days.Trying not to peek ;o) I'm hoping they look something like this..

Vern's son Trevor turns 18 in a few days.He wants to go to the zoo..I'm thinking they'll try to keep him!Haha Just kidding! I couldn't be more excited to go to the zoo! I have lived here almost 14 years and have never been-that's just stupid!
18 seems to be a bittersweet time for a parent and child. That time when every parent knows that what they have taught their children will be put to the test. The child goes charging off into the world with his new super power of "independence". All the while, the parent knowing how unforgiving and tough the world can be...and how quickly that independence can be taken away.
For a divorced father this is also the joyous time when he gets to stop sending the child's mother support! Yay Vern!! How weird a song just jumped in my head.."Ding dong the....

Let's be clear though-Vern will always be there for Trevor no matter what age he is. He is an awesome father and has always made sure Trevor had nice clothes on his back,food in his tummy and a few bucks in his pocket. The hard part was watching Trevor's Mom drink the support money away at the local bar. We see her rig there 3-5 nights a week if not more. I could go on but I won't. I could blame her for a lot of things but I won't.

I(We) will allow myself (ourselves) to celebrate Vern's (our) "independence" from her. I guess independence does feel good...and I can't blame the kid for wanting to experience it for the first time too,even though I know it's so hard for his Dad :')








We have harvested a cornucopia of veggies from the garden! Cabbage,broccoli,zucchini,green beans,snap peas and one ripe cherry tomato! The sunflowers are 8 feet tall and blooming like crazy! Mother Nature may I have just two more months of sun? Pretty pretty please?! I still have so many summer projects to do and not enough money to start the interior ones yet! I yi-yi-yi-yi....

Right now..Del is making me a grilled ham and cheese sandwich yummmm. Midnight munchies from him are always a cardiac arrest of goodness. I could say no..but I won't. But I do need to say ta ta for now-my sandwich is ready :)

Sekiu,WA August 2010

We had a wonderful 2 days on the coast!

I started my vacation off with a much needed nap in the peaceful quite woods.

All snuggled up on my sleeping bag with Chipper.
The sun was made the camping trailer warm and the buzzing boats in the distance lulled me to sleep.

It was bliss.

An hour and a half of warm sleepy bliss.

The perfect way to start vacation.

We spent most of our 2 days there beach combing and soaking up as much sun as possible.

The weather was perfect!

We ended the first day with a bonfire on the beach,eating s'mores and watching the meteor shower.

 The dark night sky sparkled with millions of stars.

It was so clear you could see the Milky Way!

We woke up early and walked the beach until we had to start out journey home.

Oh sadness,I hate to leave this place :(

Thankfully ....

Vern knew that a shower and a dinner date at King's Buffet in Silverdale on our way home would motivate me!

Goodbye Sekiu..

I'll be back soon.......

See You Monday

One more day of work and then off to the beach! 

Off to celebrate a friend's birthday and get some much needed beach therapy. 

Happiness :)

That means tons of new pics next week..

stay tuned.

Have a great weekend!

48 Hours

For the most part I did what I said I would today. 
 I slept in until almost 11am and then I finally rolled into the shower sometime around one.
I did my best to ignore all the chores begging to be done and watched a good dose of Keeping Up With The Kardashians,oh how I secretly love those Kardashian women...
BUT as the day rolled on and Vern got home I felt inspired to do some cooking.
I made a huge 9X13 meatloaf for dinner and topped it with cheese and frozen hash browns (Schwans has the BEST hash browns).
Here it is starting to bake in the oven,mmmmmm...

My secret to meatloaf is adding a box of Stove Top stuffing instead of bread or crackers. It's delish with beef or  turkey meat loaf.I made a huge meatloaf in hopes it will keep Del fed for a few days and I like to keep these types of left overs in the fridge :)
I also made a pumpkin cake with apple cider glaze.(It's the easiest recipe I know) I would share the recipe but due to a computer virus they were deleted from my system.
If you want any of my recipes,please let me know I am happy to share,I just need to type it out.
THEN I made a double batch of "Melody's Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies". I baked half and froze the rest. I love having cookie dough in the freezer for a last minute sweet tooth!
Whew,so much for taking it easy! Everything turned out great and I am making "Cara Packages" to share with our  coworkers.
I also took a little time to share the progress in my yard this summer...
Here's the view from the chairs in our side yard. Those sunflowers are 7 feet tall!

And blooming like crazy!

See my Zinnias and Dahlia's growing there in front of the fence? Yay for perennials!lol

We also picked our first harvest of broccoli!

Nothing is better than home grown produce! I think it just tastes better when you grow it yourself..haha
One more pic because I had mentioned Chipper's new haircut and I don't think I have shared a picture yet. Here he is in his handsome sweater,I tell him it makes him look smart ;p

We are off to the beach this weekend for a quick over nighter. I am very excited to get away!
Living with Del has a lot of positives but it's hard  not having much privacy and tolerating the continuous barrage of friends and family that stop by and never call first. Oh and did I mention his mother has a key to our house? Yes, she stops by a few times a week unannounced. If the door is shut and locked she just let's herself in...isn't that nice.
In 48 hours..I will get 48 hours away. Fair enough :)