Happy Memorial Day!

Image courtesy of Corbis

Memorial Day weekend is here and the weather is cooperating beautifully! We will have sunny skies and warm temperatures all weekend – just right for swimming, cooking out and outdoor activities. We will be doing all of these this weekend, as well as celebrating a couple of birthdays for my two oldest sons!

I hope you have a nice weekend with your families and can spend some time relaxing and enjoying the time. May we always remember and honor the soldiers who paid the highest price to win and keep the freedoms that our forefathers founded our country upon.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!

Blessings,
Nancy

Parmesan Chicken

I received this recipe from our associate pastor’s wife when I got married 27 years ago. I have cooked it many times since then – it is a flavorful alternative to fried chicken and one that we enjoy very much.

Parmesan Chicken

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 clove garlic (minced) or 1 tsp. garlic salt
1 stick melted butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup Pepperidge Farms stuffing
salt and pepper to taste

Mix melted butter and garlic in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mix Parmesan cheese, stuffing, salt and pepper. Dip chicken into butter mixture and then into cheese/stuffing mixture. Coat well. Place chicken into 9 x 13 pan and drizzle with remaining butter. Put a tiny bit of water in the bottom of the pan. Cook uncovered for 1/2 hour at 350 degrees and then for another 1/2 hour at 300 degrees, until chicken is cooked through.

I served this earlier this week with new potatoes and green beans. I often serve it with rice, as well. It’s a real family pleaser at our house!

Blessings,
Nancy

Bowling Fun!

Have you heard about the “Kids Bowl Free” deal that is being offered at bowling alleys around the nation? You can sign your children up for 2 free games each day, any day, all summer long. Or to make it a family event, you can buy a family pass for just $24.95 – a one time payment – and each member of the family can bowl 2 games free each and every day this summer. All you pay for is shoe rental. You can find out all of the information and sign up here – www.kidsbowlfree.com

Jeff heard about this and signed us up for a family pass a few weeks ago, and we’ve already started putting it to use. Here are a few shots of the kids bowling -

We had a great time, and two games took us about two hours, which was just about right. The bowling alley we went to added a new dimension to our fun when about halfway through our second game, the bright lights went off and the fluorescent lights came on making our pins, balls, and even our shoes glow in the dark – the picture doesn’t really do it justice -

We plan on taking advantage of this deal all summer long. Be sure to check it out – cheap summer fun is always welcome around here!

Be back soon ~

Blessings,
Nancy

The Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ May 24

Here is my Daybook entry for today ~

Outside my window. . .sunny, breezy, and warm. A mother bird is feathering last year’s nest on the front porch – preparing it for new eggs; the baby Barn Swallows on the back porch are getting big, and will soon be ready for flight school.
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I am thinking. . .about summer plans.
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From the learning room. . .school books are quiet now for awhile, although Anna has been excitedly looking through her new Math book that arrived in the mail last week.
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I am thankful for. . .fun times with my family.
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From the kitchen. . .Parmesan Chicken, green beans and new potatoes for dinner.
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I am wearing. . .navy t-shirt and denim capris.
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I am creating. . .working on the Star Medallion quilt, and finishing up May’s block for the Thangle quilt I am working on.
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I am going. . .to be baking my first loaves of bread this week, using my new grain mill (just delivered this morning!) and Bosch mixer – exciting!
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I am reading. . .“Hearth & Home” by Karey Swan.
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I am hoping. . .to get much cleaning out done this week.
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I am hearing. . .Matthew and Laura negotiating a pizza order for lunch, Sarah chatting to me about – what else? – HORSES! (her current obsession), chidren playing in the living room.
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Around the house. . .piles to clean up, dishes to wash, the laundry room still being reorganized.
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One of my favorite things. . .clear, clean surfaces.
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A few plans for the rest of the week. . .grocery store, dentist, library, sewing, skating, swimming, bowling, bread making, and cleaning.
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing. . .

Edward dreaming the day away.

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Thanks to Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook for this wonderful meme. Visit Peggy starting Tuesday to find the list of participants in this week’s Daybook.

Have a lovely day!

Blessings,
Nancy

My dear little friend is back!

I have been so sad since my camera – my beloved blue Kodak that Jeff gave me for Christmas – stopped working one day mysteriously. It has been a couple of months now, and while Jeff was kind enough to loan me his camera for the duration, it just wasn’t the same, and I found myself just not really taking many pictures. And no pictures puts a serious dent in my blogging – as you may have already noticed.

Anyway, we were a bit slow in getting all of the information we needed to get it sent in under the warranty, but we finally did it and off it went to the camera hospital. I was nervous about sending it away, because if they couldn’t fix it they would be sending me a refurbished substitute – which I would be thankful for, but face it, I was attached to my pretty blue friend, and didn’t want to part with her.

The service company was great on the customer service end – notifying us when they received the camera and then notifying us again in less than a week when they shipped it back to us. But, their e-mail didn’t say whether they were sending my camera or a stranger.

The other day UPS delivered a small package to me which when opened revealed my dear little friend herself, all fixed up, cleaned up, and ready to be put back in service. She was even returned in her original box, that we sent her off in. Immediately I tested her out and she complied beautifully!

The only thing to do was to blog about it and in the course of coming up with the title of this post I happened upon the perfect name for my camera (which I had been searching for “in my spare time” ever since I received it). So, my little blue Kodak has now been dubbed “Dlf” or “Dear little friend” to borrow from Narnia’s C. S. Lewis ~

“Look here,” said Edmund, “need we go by the same way that Our Dear Little Friend came?”
“No more of that, your Majesty, if you love me,” said the Dwarf.
“Very well,” said Edmund. “May I say our DLF?”
“Oh, Edmund,” said Susan. “Don’t keep on at him like that.”
“That’s all right, lass – I mean your Majesty,” said Trumpkin with a chuckle. “A jibe won’t raise a blister.” (And after that they often called him the DLF till they’d almost forgotten what it meant.)

Oh, such excitement over such a silly little thing!

Blessings,
Nancy

Thankful Thursday ~ May 20

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Here is my thankful list for today ~

~ I am thankful for the return of my camera – back from being repaired and ready to go to work.

~ I am thankful for my new washer and dryer and the help they are to me.

~ I am thankful for calm, peaceful moments amidst the chaos of everyday life.

~ I am thankful for Matthew 11:28-30 ~

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

~ I am thankful for my van – back from the repair shop sporting a new radiator, which seems to have finally fixed the problems we’ve been having with it in the last few months.

~ I am thankful for the beginning of summer coming upon us – for relaxed days, swimming and playing together.

~ I am thankful for each new day – which brings with it opportunities to love and grow.

~ I am thankful that even though I am so imperfect, God loves me and is constantly working in my life for my good and His plan.

Thankful Thursday is being hosted this month by Laurie at Women Taking a Stand. Stop by Laurie’s site to find the list of participants in this week’s Thankful Thursday.

Blessings,
Nancy

Mix and Match Quick Bread Recipe

Here is the recipe I told you about yesterday that is perfect for a wide variety of tastes. You use the basic bread recipe and then mix and match any of the ingredients in the list to make so many different types of quick breads. As I mentioned before, I found this recipe on Dawn’s blog By Sun and Candlelight a few years ago – she credits it to Frozen Assets.

I keep this recipe in my scratch cooking notebook so that it is always handy. I have only used it so far for Pumpkin Nut bread and Banana Nut bread, but want to try a number of other combinations in the future. I hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Mix and Match Quick Bread

3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups Mix and Match ingredients (see list below)
3 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (if desired)

Sift together dry ingredients. In separate bowl, beat eggs; add oil and sugar; cream together. Stir in Mix and Match and vanilla. Add dry ingredients; mix well. Stir in nuts. Spoon into two well-greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour. When cool, wrap bread in foil and freeze if desired. Makes 2 loaves.

Mix and Match (one or more of the following to equal 2 cups)

Apples, grated or chopped
Applesauce
Apricots
Bananas, mashed or chopped
Berries
Carrots, cooked and mashed or grated
Cherries
Coconut
Cranberries, dry or raw, chopped
Dates or figs, pitted and finely chopped
Lemon, 1/2 cup juice
Marmalade (omit one cup sugar)
Mincemeat
Oranges, chopped
Orange juice, 1/2 cup juice
Peaches, fresh or canned, chopped
Pears, fresh or canned, chopped
Pineapple
Prunes, chopped
Pumpkin, canned (or fresh, cooked and mashed)
Raisins
Rhubarb, finely chopped (add 1/2 cup more sugar)
Strawberries, well drained and chopped
Sweet potato or yams, cooked and mashed or grated
Zucchini, grated and well drained

Pumpkin Bread

Just typing out this list has me eager to try some new combinations ~ especially with some of the summer fruits. We are looking to have a bumper crop of blackberries this year, so I will definitely be throwing some of those in.

Have a wonderful evening!

Blessings,
Nancy

Banana Nut Bread

Here is the recipe I promised you last week for Banana Nut Bread – better late than never! I made this a few weeks ago to take to our Mother’s Day Tea at church, but whenever I make it around here, there are many smiling faces.

The recipe that I use came from Dawn’s blog By Sun and Candlelight. Dawn credits it to Frozen Assets. It is actually a recipe called Mix-and-Match Quick Bread, which gives the basic bread recipe plus a lovely long list of Mix and Match ingredients that you can choose from to mix into your bread to make all different kinds of quick breads. I use this recipe for Pumpkin Bread in the fall. The possibilites are endless.

I’m going to give you just the Banana nut variation that I bake today, and will post the entire Mix-and-Match recipe tomorrow, so stay tuned. (I will come back and link the new post when I get it written.)

Banana Nut Bread

3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups ripe mashed bananas
3 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans)

Sift together dry ingredients -

In separate bowl, beat eggs -

Add oil and sugar – cream together -

Mash bananas (I use my potato masher) -

Stir bananas and vanilla into creamed mixture -

Add dry ingredients and mix well -

Stir in nuts -

Spoon into two well-greased loaf pans (sorry for the blur) -

Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour -

When cool, wrap bread in foil and freeze if desired. Of course, we just eat it up pretty quick!

Enjoy!

Blessings,
Nancy

The Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ May 17

Here is my Daybook entry for today ~

Outside my window. . .sunshine and warm temperatures, baby birds have hatched in the nest on the patio and I peek at them out the back door every time I pass by.
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I am thinking. . .too many thoughts swirling around my head – I’m getting a bit overwhelmed by them all and trying to focus on what is really important.
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From the learning room. . .life lessons.
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I am thankful for. . .my new washer and dryer – they can handle twice the size load than my old ones using less water and drying time – should make laundry easier and more cost efficient – maybe I’ll even get the laundry caught up for a few days at a time now!
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From the kitchen. . .Chef’s Salads and Blueberry Muffins for dinner tonight.
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I am wearing. . .white t-shirt and denim capris.
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I am creating. . .I have finished all of the 4 patch squares in the Star Medallion quilt. I am now sewing 9 of these together to make one large square which will be duplicated until I have 16 large squares.
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I am going. . .to run in my favorite primitive store sometime this week – I have a gift card from Mother’s Day!
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I am reading. . .“What the Bible Says About Healthy Living” and “The Excellent Wife” for Bible study.
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I am hoping. . .that my grain mill arrives soon – should be any day now.
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I am hearing. . .children giving play by play information on the comings and goings of the mother bird to her babies in the nest, someone in the kitchen fixing lunch, David singing the ABC song, myself correcting a certain boy who considers irritating his sister to be great fun (classic).
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Around the house. . .we are reorganizing the laundry room, which is getting a good cleaning out due to the arrival of the new laundry pair, plus a freezer that we purchased off Craig’s List last week. There are cleaning supplies all over the dining table to be gone through, weeded out and placed back on the shelves in the laundry room. Around the rest of the house, there is clutter on just about every surface I see – much work to be done today.
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One of my favorite things. . .spiral notebooks with pretty covers.
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A few plans for the rest of the week. . .ice skating, dog groomers, library, Stamp Club, Ladies Bible Study, shopping, sewing, voice lesson for Laura, and our first swim of the year!
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing. . .

Boiling fresh eggs for Egg Salad Sandwiches.

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Thanks to Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook for this wonderful meme. Visit Peggy starting Tuesday to find the list of participants in this week’s Daybook.

Have a lovely day!

Blessings,
Nancy

The Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ May 10

Here is my Daybook entry for today ~

Outside my window. . .a cloudy and breezy morning. The patio garden is coming along nicely – I need to get it weeded and thinned this week.
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I am thinking. . .about all of the things I want to get done today.
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From the learning room. . .just a little bit of reading to do, which we will fit in as we go about the days – we are basically done with formal schooling for the year – the learning continues in informal ways. Tommy is teaching himself French, Sarah is writing a mystery novel, Laura is researching rabbit raising and breeding – she is wanting to start a new business, Matthew fiinishes his first semester of college this week.
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I am thankful for. . .a wonderful weekend filled with family, fun, and lots of love.
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From the kitchen. . .Cheeseburgers cooked out on the grill, fresh corn on the cob, and baked beans.
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I am wearing. . .white polo shirt and denim capris.
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I am creating. . .a summer calendar of events for our family – not filling it up, but just planning ahead for some special moments amid the welcome slower pace of the season.
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I am going. . .to enjoy some fun shopping thanks to my family, who blessed me with giftcards to some of my favorite shops yesterday for Mother’s Day.
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I am reading. . .“What the Bible Says About Healthy Living” by Rex Russell, and perusing the books that I purchased at the Homeschool bookfair this past weekend.
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I am hoping. . .to get this day started soon and put things back in order after a busy weekend.
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I am hearing. . .children chatting, crows cawing outside, as well as the wind blowing around the house.
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Around the house. . .beautiful flowers given to me by Matthew for Mother’s Day, a new Bosch mixer in the kitchen ready to start working for our family, a 50 lb. bag of wheat on the table waiting for the new grain mill arriving later this week – did you guess? – I am going to begin making the bread for our family homemade using freshly milled wheat – can’t wait to taste it and to see the health benefits in our lives.
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One of my favorite things. . .getting my kitchen all cleaned up, spic and span.
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A few plans for the rest of the week. . .shopping, ice skating, cleaning out the laundry room, sewing, reading, and a trip to the zoo.
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing. . .

Banana Nut bread ~ fresh out of the oven. I will post the recipe later this week.

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Thanks to Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook for this wonderful meme. Visit Peggy starting Tuesday to find the list of participants in this week’s Daybook.

Have a lovely day!

Blessings,
Nancy