I'm not usually an overwhelming fan of chili...but something has changed. Brown sugar!
Here is our current favorite recipe.
Crock Pot Chili
1 10 oz can of Rotell Tomatoes (whatever spice you like)
1 14 oz can Diced Tomatoes -no added salt
1 14 oz can Northern White Beans (rinsed)
1 14 oz can Black Beans (rinsed)
1 14 oz can of a red bean: Red Beans, Chili Bean (no rinsed), Light Kidney...
1-2 lb. ground beef (browned with minced onion and garlic on the stove)
1 teaspoon (aka. a couple shakes) Franks Hot Sauce
hearty amount of fresh cracked black pepper (1/2 - 1 T)
1 t. dried basil (or fresh)
1 t. dried oregano
3 T. Chili Powder (or more or less to taste)
1/4 c. brown sugar (again - I usually just sprinkle it in without measuring. The goal is to have it cut the acid of the tomatoes, sometimes I use more and other times less.)
Let simmer in the crock pot on low for 2-6 hours. Everything is cooked, so it just needs to get warm.
Really any beans work - use what's in the cupboard. We just like the color variation of white, red and black. It makes each bite a little more interesting :)
Some of our favorite toppers: a scoop of cottage cheese and snipped cilantro! Enjoy with a cornmeal muffin!
This meal freezes great for Denver's lunches! When I make a batch I dish some up directly into glass (old peanut butter) jars, before we've even eaten. They freeze well, thaw well and he can re-heat it in the same container at work. Sigh...I know what we're having for dinner :)
Monday, October 15, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
An oven!
After living here for two months without a stove/oven (which wasn't so bad, believe it or not!) we now have an oven. It arrived on Saturday and so today for lunch I made cornbread muffins to go with our chili. It is so much fun to expand the possibilities of what to make :)
The Lord used the lack of oven to teach me thankfulness and contentment. I was so thankful for the generosity of the Yoder's for letting us use their electric hotplate. Denver had a griddle and a crock-pot, both which I was very thankful for! And the Lord used the lack of stove to show me that cooking my "best meals" wasn't what Denver was needing in a wife. Rather a wife who welcomes him home with love and a gracious attitude; to be pleasant and be thankful for what the Lord provided for us (food and home).
While I enjoyed the Lord using that season of no stove to teach me things, I am also looking forward to having an oven and using it. :) Denver is out deer hunting and I thought it would be fun to have an apple pie ready when he gets home. Off I go to cut up apples...
The Lord used the lack of oven to teach me thankfulness and contentment. I was so thankful for the generosity of the Yoder's for letting us use their electric hotplate. Denver had a griddle and a crock-pot, both which I was very thankful for! And the Lord used the lack of stove to show me that cooking my "best meals" wasn't what Denver was needing in a wife. Rather a wife who welcomes him home with love and a gracious attitude; to be pleasant and be thankful for what the Lord provided for us (food and home).
While I enjoyed the Lord using that season of no stove to teach me things, I am also looking forward to having an oven and using it. :) Denver is out deer hunting and I thought it would be fun to have an apple pie ready when he gets home. Off I go to cut up apples...
Friday, October 12, 2012
A Good Ol' Favorite
Dump Cake - it has the worst name, but the best flavor. Yesterday I was trying to think of something quick I could bring to Bible study. A couple days ago I was telling Denver about dump cake and questioning if it could be made in the crock pot. Anyway - it has been on my mind ever since then. So yesterday I figured it would be a quick easy dessert. I called up our pastor's wife and asked her if I could bake it at her house (since study is there anyway). She kindly said yes and I whipped it up and brought it over.
Since it is quick enough to literally "whip" up and is transportable enough to bring pre-baked over to the other side of town, I figured it earned a spot of recognition on the blog :) Plus the rave reviews last night. It's so easy I almost feel bad about all the compliments.
So here's the recipe:
1 can chunk pineapple (with the juice)
1 can cherry pie filling
1 yellow cake mix (I had a white cake in my cupboard and it turned out just fine)
1 cup of butter (cut into "tabs")
nuts and coconut to sprinkle on top
It's this easy. Add the ingredients into a greased 9x13 pan in the order given. Spread the pineapple and pie filling out evenly across the bottom. Sprinkle the dry cake mix on top of the fruit. Place the cut butter over the cake mix evenly. Sprinkle nuts and coconut on the top. Done!
Bake at 350* for 1 hr
Here's what was left over after Bible study last night :)
Since it is quick enough to literally "whip" up and is transportable enough to bring pre-baked over to the other side of town, I figured it earned a spot of recognition on the blog :) Plus the rave reviews last night. It's so easy I almost feel bad about all the compliments.
So here's the recipe:
1 can chunk pineapple (with the juice)
1 can cherry pie filling
1 yellow cake mix (I had a white cake in my cupboard and it turned out just fine)
1 cup of butter (cut into "tabs")
nuts and coconut to sprinkle on top
It's this easy. Add the ingredients into a greased 9x13 pan in the order given. Spread the pineapple and pie filling out evenly across the bottom. Sprinkle the dry cake mix on top of the fruit. Place the cut butter over the cake mix evenly. Sprinkle nuts and coconut on the top. Done!
Bake at 350* for 1 hr
Here's what was left over after Bible study last night :)
Painting Project
The white walls and cupboards and doors, window trim, (everything)...was needing to change. Denver and I gathered paint samples at every hardware store we visited and started our own little collection :)
Earlier this week we decided on two colors: one for under the peninsula counter and another color for around the door that goes upstairs. When I brought the color samples in they were able to mix the darker color perfectly. But the lighter color they couldn't get right and it turned out even lighter than the sample (Denver said it looked like a baby nursery color).
So we started with priming and painted the spot under the counter
Before:
After:
Here is the light yellow for the door:
And how I "fixed" the situation :) I just used the darker color.
Then I thought our kitchen needed some accents of yellow in it... and painted a vase
I feel like I could be likened to the mouse in the book When You Give A Mouse A Cookie ...only my day/book is titled When You Give A Girl Paint & A Paintbrush :) catchy title, huh? Off to do more painting - only this time with acrylics and watercolor!
So we started with priming and painted the spot under the counter
Before:
After:
Here is the light yellow for the door:
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| It doesn't look very light in this picture, but it is a light lemony color |
And how I "fixed" the situation :) I just used the darker color.
Then I thought our kitchen needed some accents of yellow in it... and painted a vase
 |
I feel like I could be likened to the mouse in the book When You Give A Mouse A Cookie ...only my day/book is titled When You Give A Girl Paint & A Paintbrush :) catchy title, huh? Off to do more painting - only this time with acrylics and watercolor!
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Time Savers
Have you ever wondered what foods you can throw together and have it turn out tasty? I was wondering that last night. Usually I'm pretty good about planning out dinner early in the day and either putting it in the crockpot or doing the prep work of cutting things up, etc so its all ready when Denver gets home.
The last couple days I have not been so prepared. All weekend I asked Denver what he was hungry for and tried to throw something together quickly.
Here are some tips I have come up with for helping me "throw meals together" quickly.
Onions: Who likes cutting up onions and getting "crying" eyes just before dinner. I have omitted onions from my recipe simply because I didn't want to deal with the assault to my eyes. A while back my (two!) bags of onions got wet. I feared all the onions were going to all go bad if I didn't use them quickly and not wanting to eat JUST onions for the next week I tried to think of how to preserve them. I cut them ALL up and sauteed them slightly in olive oil and put them in the fridge. I put them in canning jars - one jar of diced (I just my food chopper and saved myself many tears) and the other jar is rings. I have had them in the fridge for over two weeks now and I can safely use onions without tears!
Salad Veggies: If you are like me, you have pulled out just salad greens before and called it "salad" without any toppings. It takes a while to peel and cut up all those veggies that make a salad so pretty. What I did this morning is when I was making a salad for Denver's lunch I just finished cutting up all the vegetables (carrots, cucumber, green pepper, banana pepper) and put them into a second tupperware for a quick grab. Instead of cutting up only the amount that I needed I did a little extra. All my prep for salad is done now. I don't have to wash the utensils again and I don't have to pull out my cutting board. I'm always for health being easy!
Pesto: We made pesto earlier this fall and it is a wonderful addition to almost every savory dish. Last night we had (a thrown together meal) zucchini, banana pepper and broccoli sauteed/steamed in olive oil/water. It seemed a bit lacking in flavor, I smothered it in cracked black pepper and then remembered we have pesto in the fridge and so I added two small teaspoons of basil pesto = full warm flavor. We topped the dish off with feta and parmesan cheese; it was tasty!
Pesto recipe to follow in another posting. It's so easy!
Dehydrated fruits and fruit leather: quick "grab and go" treats around the Hayward Brown's are fruit leathers. They aren't the prettiest, but they are the tastiest. Tia just told me about pineapple banana combo and we loved it. Currently I need to make another batch (they are all gone)
That's all I can think of for now. I'm off to make a batch of fruit leather and put some venison in the crock pot (tonight I'll be ready for supper. venison in the crock pot and my salad veggies cut up already!)
The last couple days I have not been so prepared. All weekend I asked Denver what he was hungry for and tried to throw something together quickly.
Here are some tips I have come up with for helping me "throw meals together" quickly.
Onions: Who likes cutting up onions and getting "crying" eyes just before dinner. I have omitted onions from my recipe simply because I didn't want to deal with the assault to my eyes. A while back my (two!) bags of onions got wet. I feared all the onions were going to all go bad if I didn't use them quickly and not wanting to eat JUST onions for the next week I tried to think of how to preserve them. I cut them ALL up and sauteed them slightly in olive oil and put them in the fridge. I put them in canning jars - one jar of diced (I just my food chopper and saved myself many tears) and the other jar is rings. I have had them in the fridge for over two weeks now and I can safely use onions without tears!
Salad Veggies: If you are like me, you have pulled out just salad greens before and called it "salad" without any toppings. It takes a while to peel and cut up all those veggies that make a salad so pretty. What I did this morning is when I was making a salad for Denver's lunch I just finished cutting up all the vegetables (carrots, cucumber, green pepper, banana pepper) and put them into a second tupperware for a quick grab. Instead of cutting up only the amount that I needed I did a little extra. All my prep for salad is done now. I don't have to wash the utensils again and I don't have to pull out my cutting board. I'm always for health being easy!
Pesto: We made pesto earlier this fall and it is a wonderful addition to almost every savory dish. Last night we had (a thrown together meal) zucchini, banana pepper and broccoli sauteed/steamed in olive oil/water. It seemed a bit lacking in flavor, I smothered it in cracked black pepper and then remembered we have pesto in the fridge and so I added two small teaspoons of basil pesto = full warm flavor. We topped the dish off with feta and parmesan cheese; it was tasty!
Pesto recipe to follow in another posting. It's so easy!
Dehydrated fruits and fruit leather: quick "grab and go" treats around the Hayward Brown's are fruit leathers. They aren't the prettiest, but they are the tastiest. Tia just told me about pineapple banana combo and we loved it. Currently I need to make another batch (they are all gone)
That's all I can think of for now. I'm off to make a batch of fruit leather and put some venison in the crock pot (tonight I'll be ready for supper. venison in the crock pot and my salad veggies cut up already!)
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
A Sunny Sunday Afternoon
On our way home from church we stopped by our favorite strip of yellow trees. It is a spot close enough to home that we have walked here often - we love it...and we love each other. It is such a joy to share this fall together!
It was such a beautiful afternoon!
This Sunday was also our large group gathering for Element (church). It was only the second time meeting together on Sunday. It feels a bit like a family reunion to all be together - since it started off as one weekday Bible study and now has become three different studies. So we don't see each other all together until the Sunday "Large Group" meetings.
Denver and I helped with children's ministry this week. We loved it!
After a Sunday afternoon nap (25 kids at church) we went out scouting for new spots to deer hunt.
We walked through the woods, holding hands, enjoying being together. It was an absolutely perfect Sunday!
This Sunday was also our large group gathering for Element (church). It was only the second time meeting together on Sunday. It feels a bit like a family reunion to all be together - since it started off as one weekday Bible study and now has become three different studies. So we don't see each other all together until the Sunday "Large Group" meetings.
Denver and I helped with children's ministry this week. We loved it!
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| Denver led the "big kids" |
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| I helped with the "babies" |
After a Sunday afternoon nap (25 kids at church) we went out scouting for new spots to deer hunt.
We walked through the woods, holding hands, enjoying being together. It was an absolutely perfect Sunday!
Friday, October 5, 2012
Autumn Harvest Crisp
This dessert or special breakfast treat doesn't have a name yet - but it's a favorite around our house. It's quick and made from things that I normally have on hand. Best of all it was a combination of Denver's and my ideas = success! It's always a joy to be in the kitchen together.
Harvest Crisp
Applesauce - heat in a skillet
I use homemade applesauce that is already spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves....so if you are using store bought applesauce I would recommend spicing it up a bit with "fall" spices.
Make apple crisp topping (or granola if you are making it for breakfast and want it to be quicker)
-oats, chopped nuts (walnuts), crasins, coconut, cinnamon - mix together and add melted butter or coconut oil to make it stick together into crumbles
*You may be thinking in this step that it doesn't sound like something "on hand." Well, when I make a batch I double or triple what I will need for the crisp and put the rest in the refrigerator so it's "on hand." Pre-made granola would make this step easy also. (I have never used granola, since I like the crisp topping so well and always have that extra minute.)
Ok, back to the crisp topping. Heat it on the stove till its sounding hot - when the nuts are sizzling. Careful the nuts burn easily at this point.
In a separate pan make Fried Bananas.
-Slice bananas (I usually do one per person) either length-wise or in rounds
Put into a pan with butter/coconut oil/ ...oil of your choice
-Let bananas soften slightly then sprinkle with vanilla (I use the best vanilla we have since it doesn't bake into the recipe like if you are making a cake)
-sprinkle with cinnamon (if you like cinnamon - keep in mind all three layers have cinnamon in them)
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| Fried Bananas turn out kind of mushy. I think they are done when they stick together and are very soft. |
Combine the three parts in order given. I keep the apple sauce in the pan, but it can be put into something prettier. Then put crisp topping over the applesauce. Place the bananas evenly around the top of the dish.
Fun variations: Add small apple chunks to the applesauce. Or peaches or any fruit that you have on hand that you think will go well with apples and bananas.
Enjoy with yogurt for breakfast or with ice cream for dessert!
Baby Shower Invitations
There is a couple in our Bible Study who is expecting their first baby the end of November. So a group of Bible Study friends wanted to throw them a shower. We do not have a printer at home, but we have paper and pens and colored pencils...
Here's what I came up with for invitations
Here's what I came up with for invitations
Quick Pumpkin Tiramisu
Last night I threw together left-overs for our picnic dinner. Hardly a scrumptious picnic. There was no red checked picnic blanket either. It was a windy, chilly day in Hayward, so we ate in the car again this week; this week with the doors and windows closed.
We bring treats to Bible Study for the visiting time afterwards. I usually enjoy thinking about what to bring the day before. But yesterday I was busy with other things (baby shower invitations - I will show them later).
Here's what I threw together: Pumpkin Tiramisu (QUICK!)
-Pumpkin Butter
-Yogurt
-Egg Nog
-Graham Crackers
-Coffee/ Chai Tea Mix
I keep Pumpkin Butter in the fridge at all times. Denver likes it on toast or yogurt, etc. I make mine from a can of pumpkin, but Trader Joes also sells a nummy one.
My Pumpkin Butter Recipe:
-can of pumpkin (heat in a small sauce pan)
-spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves
-sugar, honey, brown sugar (little bit of the sugars. I have found honey helps smooth the texture)
-vanilla
-lemon juice (sometimes, and just a little bit)
Taste to make sure you like the flavor, add more or less of anything till it's how you like it.
Warm till a low simmer. It makes the consistency smoother and less mealy.
So...back to the Tiramisu
Mix Pumpkin butter and Yogurt (I prefer vanilla sweetened yogurt, so I sweetened our plain yogurt with vanilla and honey). Probably about even parts 1 c. of each.
Smooth a layer of pumpkin butter/yogurt in the bottom of a small baking dish/ pretty serving dish.
Layer completely with Graham Crackers
I had extra pumpkin on the bottom layer so I pushed the graham crackers in towards the bottom and squished some of the bottom layer up - then I covered this "new" middle filling layer with instant chai tea mix and powered coffee grounds.
2nd Layer of Graham Crackers - completely covering to all edges
Mix Egg Nog (can add milk to make it go further) and Pumpkin Butter. About 1 - 1 1/4 c. Egg Nog to 3/4c. -1c. Pumpkin Butter. (I heated it on the stove to help it soak in and soften quicker).
Pour Egg Nog over the 2nd graham cracker layer. Sprinkle the top with some cinnamon, or coffee for looks.
Place in refrigerator for 3-4 hrs. or overnight (it gets better with time)
Denver and I were talking about how to improve this recipe last night and we came up with substituting cream cheese (you would need to also add milk to thin it) for the yogurt. The yogurt has a tang that I'm not totally in love with. Anyway, enjoy this fun, quick, fall tasting and melt-in-your-mouth dessert.
We bring treats to Bible Study for the visiting time afterwards. I usually enjoy thinking about what to bring the day before. But yesterday I was busy with other things (baby shower invitations - I will show them later).
Here's what I threw together: Pumpkin Tiramisu (QUICK!)
-Pumpkin Butter
-Yogurt
-Egg Nog
-Graham Crackers
-Coffee/ Chai Tea Mix
I keep Pumpkin Butter in the fridge at all times. Denver likes it on toast or yogurt, etc. I make mine from a can of pumpkin, but Trader Joes also sells a nummy one.
My Pumpkin Butter Recipe:
-can of pumpkin (heat in a small sauce pan)
-spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves
-sugar, honey, brown sugar (little bit of the sugars. I have found honey helps smooth the texture)
-vanilla
-lemon juice (sometimes, and just a little bit)
Taste to make sure you like the flavor, add more or less of anything till it's how you like it.
Warm till a low simmer. It makes the consistency smoother and less mealy.
So...back to the Tiramisu
Mix Pumpkin butter and Yogurt (I prefer vanilla sweetened yogurt, so I sweetened our plain yogurt with vanilla and honey). Probably about even parts 1 c. of each.
Smooth a layer of pumpkin butter/yogurt in the bottom of a small baking dish/ pretty serving dish.
Layer completely with Graham Crackers
I had extra pumpkin on the bottom layer so I pushed the graham crackers in towards the bottom and squished some of the bottom layer up - then I covered this "new" middle filling layer with instant chai tea mix and powered coffee grounds.
2nd Layer of Graham Crackers - completely covering to all edges
Mix Egg Nog (can add milk to make it go further) and Pumpkin Butter. About 1 - 1 1/4 c. Egg Nog to 3/4c. -1c. Pumpkin Butter. (I heated it on the stove to help it soak in and soften quicker).
Pour Egg Nog over the 2nd graham cracker layer. Sprinkle the top with some cinnamon, or coffee for looks.
Place in refrigerator for 3-4 hrs. or overnight (it gets better with time)
Denver and I were talking about how to improve this recipe last night and we came up with substituting cream cheese (you would need to also add milk to thin it) for the yogurt. The yogurt has a tang that I'm not totally in love with. Anyway, enjoy this fun, quick, fall tasting and melt-in-your-mouth dessert.
It's Home....or We're Home!
We have been married for two months now and our house feels like home. It's such a wonderful feeling and what makes it that way....is it smells, or seeing your things all settled in? I know a lot of it is being here with Denver and knowing that anywhere that he is I could make "home."
Welcome, let me give you a tour of our home.
We are really enjoying living in Hayward and being together! It's wonderful. Almost every week, one of us will comment on how great it is to be together - in the same house, town, state, continent...after being apart (in many different ways) we are appreciating seeing each other every day.
Thanks for coming and taking a look at our house. I need to go make dinner and then off to Bible Study tonight. On Thursdays I go in and meet Denver after work with a picnic supper. Last week it was a little chilly so we ate in the car. It's been a fun way to connect on "busy" days.
Welcome, let me give you a tour of our home.
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| Entering our house from the garage |
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| Our Front Door - which enters into the kitchen |
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| There are a lot of shelves in the kitchen |
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| What you see when you enter our front door |
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| Lots of counter space :) |
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| Bathroom...not much more to say |
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| Our bedroom |
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| The other side of our bedroom |
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| stairs to the loft |
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| The Loft - great for storing all our "extra stuff" |
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| the closet |
Thanks for coming and taking a look at our house. I need to go make dinner and then off to Bible Study tonight. On Thursdays I go in and meet Denver after work with a picnic supper. Last week it was a little chilly so we ate in the car. It's been a fun way to connect on "busy" days.
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