A Promise of Spring

Every year, for as long as I can remember, I have looked for the first daffodils to come up. There has been a patch of daffodils near a tree in our front yard since before I was born. The daffodils always have been a sign that winter will soon be over and warmer spring weather is not too far away. The daffodil has been my favorite flower because of this.

Well, last summer we had our front hill re-landscaped and I forgot about the daffodils. I was pregnant and it was very hot, so I neglected to transplant them. I just realized last week that my daffodils didn’t come up this year. I was sad that these flowers, that had always been a promise of spring, were not going to come up again. I felt like I had neglected one of God’s beautiful creations and let them be destroyed.

Yesterday we were outside for a few hours enjoying the day when we noticed a small patch of daffodils coming up in our new front hill. As we looked closer we found about 10 patches of daffodils. One was even starting to bloom. I was so happy that the flowers had survived a backhoe trampling them and moving the dirt they were planted in all around. Now, I know that they are just flowers and there are more important things in life. However, I am grateful that I can once again enjoy my little blossoms of sunshine each spring.

A Promise of Spring

Crocheted Hat

I made another Granny Summer Bonnet from this pattern for my daughter. I used cotton yarn in a fuchsia color. I added 3 more rows to the main part of the hat like I did for the Easter bonnet because the original pattern was too small for her. Then I changed the last row of the brim again. This time I chained four, skipped a sc, and slip stitched into the next sc, repeat around. This made a ruffly border.

Crocheted Hat

Pancakes, Biscuits & Cornbread Recipes

I have a few more of my recipes typed up. These are some that I use frequently. I make pancakes at least once a week.

Pancakes



1 Egg
1 Cup Milk
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1 Tbsp. Sugar
½ tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Flour

Preheat a griddle on medium low heat. In a bowl mix the egg and milk with a whisk or fork until blended. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined (do not over mix). Pour the pancake batter on the griddle in ¼ cup increments. Turn when lots of bubbles have formed and cook on the other side until golden brown.

I cook 4 pancakes on my griddle at a time. This recipe usually makes 16 pancakes. Larger or smaller pancakes could easily be made. I have made this recipe most Saturdays for many years, and have had it memorized for so long I had a hard time typing it up. I like to use a 1 quart glass measuring bowl that has a handle and pour spout to mix the ingredients. This makes it easy to pour the batter on the griddle and creates fewer dishes to wash. 

This recipe is my variation of one in a Betty Crocker cookbook I have.


Baking Powder Biscuits



2 Cups Flour
4 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Sugar
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Cream of Tartar
½ Cup Shortening
2/3 Cup Milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in shortening with a fork or pastry blender. Make a well in the center and add milk. Stir just until the dough clings together. Knead on a floured surface. Roll to a ½ inch thickness. Cut with a cutter or a cup. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 450 degrees. Makes 12 biscuits.

I like to use either coconut oil or lard in place of the shortening. I also like to bake them on a baking stone.

This recipe is from my mom.


Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix Copy Cat Recipe



My family loves cornbread, and we have now found a recipe that we really like. I found the recipe at this site.

Pancakes, Biscuits & Cornbread Recipes

Crocheted Easter Hat

I made this hat for my DD to wear to church on Easter. I used Paton's Merino wool in the natural color. I used this pattern, but modified it some. I added 3 more rows (before the brim part) to make it the right size for her. I also did the last row of the brim as a scalloped edge (5 dc in a sc, skip 2 sc, sc in next, skip 2 sc, repeat around).

I made the flower and leaf from a pattern in a trial copy of Crochet World magazine I got last week. I made them out of the natural wool and then I dyed them with some extra Easter egg dye we had just used for coloring eggs. I soaked them in some warm water with vinegar. Then I squeezed out the water and placed them in the respective containers of dye. I kept them in the dye for about 10 minutes then squeezed most of the water out. I microwaved them for 1 minute 3 times (I took them out of the microwave for 3 minutes in between). When it was dry I sewed the flower to the left front side of the hat. Julia loves the hat and I am pretty happy with it.

Crocheted Easter Hat

Meatloaf Recipe

Everyone has their own meatloaf recipe, but here is mine. This recipe is mostly based on what my mom does to make her meatloaf. I decided to separate the combining of ingredients and mix the spices and liquids together first. I think this allows for everything to be incorporated better.

Meatloaf



2 lbs. Ground Beef
3 Eggs
¾ Cup Tomato Juice or 1 Cup Ketchup
1 Tbsp. Sage
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsp. Dried Onion Flakes
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp. Pepper
½ tsp Celery Salt
1 Cup Oatmeal or Bread Crumbs or Crushed Crackers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ground beef and oatmeal (or bread/crackers) in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix all other ingredients together with a fork or whisk. Add this mixture to the ground beef mixture. Stir well or use hands to incorporate all ingredients. Form into a loaf shape and place in a roasting pan (lined with foil for ease of clean-up) and put the lid on. Bake in 350 degree oven for ½ hour. Take pan out of oven and add cut up and peeled potatoes, carrots and onions. A little water added at this step will help the vegetables be tender. Pour a little ketchup or Country Bob's on the top. Put the lid back on and bake for another hour, or until everything is cooked.

Meatloaf Recipe

Amigurumi Chocolate Bunny

I found the pattern for this bunny here. I thought it looked cute. So, I sat down Monday evening and started it. I finished it last night. I used some acrylic yarn I have had for a long time. I used black and pink yarn for the face details. The pattern called for safety eyes, but I figured yarn was safer (and I didn't have those type of eyes anyway). Mine didn't turn out as cute as the one pictured on the site, but I think he has character. I made it for the baby and I am sure he won't care that the tail is off center. :-) I haven't added the ribbon around the neck yet like the pattern called for.

Front


Back

Amigurumi Chocolate Bunny

Pumpkin Cake & Main Dish Recipes

I am still working on typing up my recipes. My husband says I don't need any more irons in the fire, but this is something I have wanted to do for a while. When I am motivated to do something I need to act on it. :-)

Pumpkin Cake



4 Eggs
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Cups Pumpkin Puree
2 Cups Flour
2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs. Add sugar. Mix well. Add oil in a slow stream. Beat well. Add pumpkin and continue mixing. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add to the 1st mixture and beat well. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan or angel food cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean. Serve with whipped topping or powdered sugar.

I made this recipe using frozen pumpkin puree and it worked well. The original recipe called for canned pumpkin.

This recipe came from my grandma.


Taco Seasoning Mix

1 Cup Dried Minced Onion
1/3 Cup Chili Powder
2 Tbsp. Cumin
4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
1 Tbsp. Oregano
4 tsp. Garlic Powder
2 tsp. Onion Powder

Combine all ingredients and put them into a jar with a lid. Store in a cool dry place.

To use in Mexican dishes: Use 1 tablespoon per 1 pound of cooked ground beef, chicken, or beans (more if you like extra flavor). Add 1/4 to 1/2 of a cup of water and heat in a skillet.

This recipe came from somewhere on the internet, but I don’t remember where. My kids love tacos and this recipe makes lots of taco meals.


Beef & Noodle Humble Helper

This is a recipe we really like. I found it at www.hillbillyhousewife.com. It is a tasty dish. The only change I make is to use sour cream instead of ketchup at the end.

Pumpkin Cake & Main Dish Recipes

Sloppy Joes and Macaroni & Cheese Recipes

I guess I have nothing better to do today than post for the second time. :-) Here are two more recipes that I fixed last night.

Sloppy Joes



2 lbs. Ground Beef
1 Cup Ketchup
1 tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Vinegar
2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

Brown meat and drain. Add all other ingredients and stir well. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve on hamburger buns or as Coney sauce.

I have used this recipe cut in half with success.

This recipe came from a family friend.


Macaroni & Cheese




1 Cup Macaroni (uncooked)
2 Tbsp. Butter
2 Tbsp. Flour
2 tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Onion Powder
½ tsp. Paprika
1 Cup Milk
1 1/3 Cups Cheddar Cheese

Boil the macaroni in 6 cups of water until tender. Drain. In another pot melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook until bubbly (only a minute or two). Add the milk, salt, onion powder and paprika. Whisk until smooth. Add the cheese and cook on low until thick. Pour over macaroni and serve.

This recipe is my own concoction after looking at several mac & cheese recipes.

*Recipe update:  I have been replacing the cheddar cheese with mozarella.  Then I add 2 ice cubes of frozen cooked and pureed carrots for color and added nutritional value.  

Sloppy Joes and Macaroni & Cheese Recipes

Dessert & Quick Bread Recipes

I have decided to start typing up our favorite family recipes and taking pictures of the food to go with it. I plan to print them out, put them in page protectors, and store them in a binder. Below are the first recipes I have typed up. These recipes obviously aren't extremely healthy, but I say all things in moderation. Enjoy.

Chocolate Chip Blondies



1 ½ Cups Brown Sugar
½ Cup Butter (melted)
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 ½ Cups Flour
½ tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Salt
1 Cup Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla just until blended. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to brown sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread into a greased 9”x13” pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

I like to only bake them for only 20 minutes and then let them cool for several hours before cutting. These are a favorite of our family.

Recipe from Quick Cooking Magazine.


Double Fudge Brownies



1 Cup Butter (softened)
4 Eggs
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Chopped Pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. Add cocoa and flour mixing well. Finally, add chocolate chips and pecans. Spread into a greased 9”x13” pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes in 325 degree oven, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool. Cut into bars and serve.

I have made these with and without the pecans. Walnuts could also be substituted for the pecans. They are very rich, but yummy.

Recipe from allrecipes.com.


Zucchini Bread



1 Cup Oil
3 Eggs
2 Cups Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 Cups Zucchini (Peeled & Grated)
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Baking Powder
1 ½ tsp. Cinnamon
1 Cup Chopped Nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until frothy. Mix in the zucchini. Add baking soda, salt, baking powder, flour, cinnamon, and nuts. Mix well. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

We have left out the nuts and the bread has tasted good also. I would like to try this recipe with applesauce to replace the oil, honey in place of the sugar, and whole wheat flour to replace all or some of the white flour. I haven't tried it, but I am sure it would make a much healthier bread.

This recipe is family recipe.

Dessert & Quick Bread Recipes

Crocheted Soaker

I found this free crochet soaker pattern a few weeks ago. I crocheted one out of Paton's Merino. It went together pretty quickly. I found one mistake on the pattern and it was where it says Row 42-52. It should have been 2 sc in next st after it says to sc across to last 2 sts. At least that is what made sense to me and made it work out correctly. I made the medium, but it looks pretty big. My 3 month old is in a Medium MHM, so that is why I went with medium. However, this one seems to run big. Below are pictures of the front and back. I had my DD use her knitting mushroom to make the tie. The pattern wasn't hard to understand. This was my first soaker to crochet.

Front


Back

Crocheted Soaker

Crocheted Food

I crocheted these apples over the weekend. The kids were excited to add them to their play kitchen set. I found the pattern here. There are several other patterns here that I would like to try. The apples were fun to make.

Crocheted Food

Crocheted Hats

About 2 weeks ago I crocheted hats for my kids. They are simple double crocheted hats done in the round. I used Paton's Merino wool yarn for the boys' hats, and Licorice wool yarn for my daughter's hat. I found the pattern for the hats on Diaper Sewing Divas. It was written by one of the moms there. I shortened the pattern so that it didn't turn up at the bottom. I also used a small amount of blue I had leftover from a wool wrap to add accents to my older boys' hats. I obviously made the baby's hat smaller, but with the same pattern idea. They were quick and fun to make. The kids have enjoyed wearing them. Winter doesn't seem to be finished here, so they may get more use out of them than I thought they would.

Julia


James


Joshua


Joseph

Crocheted Hats

Crocheted Washcloths

Two weeks ago I started making some crocheted washcloths. I made ten in four days. They went very quickly. I used Lily's Sugar'n Cream cotton yarn. I had bought 5 skeins of yarn, and I was able to make two washcloths out of each skein. I also had enough scraps left over to make two smaller washcloths. Below is a picture of the ten full size washcloths I crocheted. They will be gifts for Christmas. I don't think I have ever gotten Christmas gifts made in February before. The pattern for the wash cloths can be found at here.

Crocheted Washcloths