I am going to take advantage of the abundance of vegetables growing in our garden this week. On Monday morning I am going to broil a couple of pounds of chicken, chop it up, and use it cold in salads. I am hoping that the variation in the salad seasonings will distract my family fromRead More

I love growing lavender, but I am not really a potpourri person. Loathing for anything to not be used to its fullest potential, I did some research to find alternative uses for lavender. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it can be used in cooking! I found some heavenly scone recipes at Hood RiverRead More

I replaced last week’s scrambled eggs night for frittatas. I found the frittatas recipe on The Frugal Engineer and felt it was more conducive to using up leftovers than scrambled eggs. And you know how I like using up leftovers! Monday – Teriyaki Chicken, Brown Rice, Glazed Carrots Tuesday – Use leftover chicken and carrotsRead More

I love Numi’s flowering tea gift set and have given this to a couple of the tea drinkers in my life. Of course, I also bought one for my daughter and I to enjoy! It comes packaged in a nice bamboo box. Inside the bamboo box is a glass tea pot and a box ofRead More

Revisiting the Idea of Reusing Butter Wrappers: I know you are thinking, “can’t she just throw some things away”. Well, actually, no I can’t. At least not without thinking hard about any potential uses the item might have.   When baking I set the butter (or margarine) wrappers aside and use them to grease theRead More

Monday – Roast Chicken, brown rice, corn, and garden salad Tuesday – Use leftover chicken in tacos, use leftover brown rice to make Spanish rice, refried beans Wednesday – Use leftover chicken in taco salad (I also will toss in any leftover chicken and Spanish rice) Thursday – Kitchen Garden Skillet (This was a hitRead More

This is a repost with an update. I decided to try Ball’s Natural Gel No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin ($1.56 at Walmart. There is a .50 cent coupon inside, so you can buy one then use the coupon to buy the next one if you like it). With this pectin adding sugar is optional. YouRead More

My daughter will be hosting a Jane Austen themed tea party for her college friends later in the month. We have been reviewing recipes trying to finalize the menu for her tea. There are many decisions still to be made, but Raspberry Lemon Scones already have a spot reserved on the table. I adapted thisRead More

I made pork chops with mustard sauce this evening. I did not have time to take a picture of our entire meal because we were running late for a graduation party. I quickly took a picture of a leftover pork chop, so you could see the consistency of the mustard sauce. It is lovely andRead More

Monday – Grilled Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, and Peas with Basil. I was supposed to make this yesterday, but I decided to stink up the entire house baking Salmon for my husband instead (I am such a loving wife). Tuesday – I am not sure what I will make. I want toRead More

I learned the secret to creamy, lump-free, mashed potatoes from my mother-in-law. The secret? She doesn’t mash potatoes, she rices them. Scoop a couple spoonfuls of cooked potatoes into the ricer and then squeeze. Repeat until all of the potatoes are riced. Stir in butter, milk, and pepper to taste. That is it! It isRead More

Monday – Garlic Chicken (I am going to bake this the night before according to the directions and then have my husband “grill” it to heat it up and put stripes on it on Memorial Day), Roasted Potatoes, Baked Beans, Strawberry Spinach Salad, and Corn on the Cob. (I am making lots of side dishesRead More

Monday – Spaghetti with Red Sauce, Broccoli Salad (inspired by the local deli), Gluten Free French Bread (wish me luck!) Tuesday – Tacos, Refried Beans, and Spanish Rice Wednesday – Use leftover taco meat and cheese to make Taco Salad Thursday – Use leftover taco meat, spaghetti sauce, black beans, and Spanish rice to makeRead More