Check Out These Great Carnivals

Today is Tuesday again, so don't forget to check out these wonderful sites with all their wonderful tips, ideas and articles:

Make It From Scratch Carnival is hosted today by Heather at It's All For The Best

Kitchen Tip Tuesday is over at Tammy's Recipes

The Festival of Frugality is being hosted today by Lazy Man and Money.

The Carnival of Homeschooling will be up later today at the The Voice of Experience.

and the Homesteading Carnival is at The Homeschool Blogger Front Porch.

Check Your Oven's Temperature!

I have been baking my own bread for about 8 months now and have finally solved the dilemma of why my bread was either not rising or falling before it was done baking! My oven temperature was too low. When I set it for 350 degrees, it really only heated up to about 300, if I was having a good day:-) Or I would put the bread in before it finished heating up and didn't want to open and check it a little later (would let out heat:-). I decided to quit making loaves and just make rolls (we like them just as well anyway) until last week. Then somewhere I read that if the temperature is too low, the bread won't set up when it rises in the oven, so then it will fall down again. The temperature needs to be hot enough to set the bread pretty quickly when it rises to its fullest height. So, I decided to try setting my oven to 400 degrees or so and waiting about 1/2 hour before putting the bread in the oven. Voila! Perfectly risen and browned bread! I was so excited! So now I can make beautiful loaves, too! And I am getting stoneware loaf pans this week that I ordered with my Christmas money, so I am a happy camper (er...baker?)

You have to understand that I don't have a great track record for baking. I have always been a great cook, but baking has always been a challenge for me. Usually due to oven problems!! When we were first married, I wanted to make cookies for my husband. We were really broke, so the only ones I could make with what I had on hand were sugar cookies. I tried (and failed) at 4 different recipes before I discovered that my oven temperature was way off. My husband bought me an oven thermometer (which I still have over 20 years later) and that helped me alot, but my "baking self-esteem" has never fully recovered. And it didn't help that when I tried to bake bread in my bread machine, it never rose and was always squatty and pretty dense.

Now, I bake beautiful loaves and buns/rolls and feel so good about what I am providing for my family. Isn't it funny how homemade bread can change your life?

Weird, but True...Homeschooling and Real Life

We are currently studying earthquakes, and guess what just happened?!! We had an earthquake!! No kidding!! It was centered about 25 miles away in Baja California and was 5.1 on the richter scale. I was typing on my computer and the whole table started moving!! My husband said the walls even moved! Yikes!! My son, standing a few feet away didn't even feel it, but he saw the water in the cooler moving and the hanging basket in the kitchen swinging.

So I went online and found the info about it from the U.S. Geological Survey site, and sure enough, there it was! Within the last hour! They have a place for you to report what you experienced, so I filled out that page and submitted our info. How cool was that to be able to participate in their research? We have felt a few small earthquakes here in the 5 years we have been here, but thankfully nothing really big.

Well, that was enough excitement for one day:-)! Hope there isn't anything bigger!

Keeping Up With the Laundry

Over at Biblical Womanhood, Crystal asked for ideas on how we keep up with the laundry in our homes. I chose one day of the week (Thursday) to do laundry. There are only 4 of us, so I am talking only 5-6 loads total per week. I bring out my sorted laundry into the kitchen before I take a shower. Then my kids sort their dirty clothes into the separated baskets so that I can start the laundry right after I shower. My biggest challenge is not forgetting to change the loads. I get so wrapped up in whatever we are doing that day, that I OFTEN forget about the laundry. Since the washer and dryer are outside, I don't often hear them buzz. I use homemade laundry detergent, so that saves in the pocketbook. I also hate to fold clothes because (don't laugh) I get dizzy when I am folding clothes. I have to take frequent breaks to clear my head - do you think that is psychological?LOL I try to get all the clothes folded (and the kids put their own away) before bedtime that night. I can't stand for laundry to take over the rest of my week, so I confine it to one day and that has made it manageable for me.

Oh, and that contraption over the washing machine is the way my husband finagled to get the heat exhaust from the dryer vented into the bathroom:-).

Breakfast Pizza

Ok, I did make Breakfast Pizza today and it turned out great! Here is my recipe adapted from a recipe I found over on the BreadBeckers website:

Pizza Crust
1 cup warm water
1 tsp. Sucanat
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. Olive or Canola Oil
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (freshly ground)
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast

Mix ingredients in mixer with dough hook for 5 minutes until soft dough forms. If too sticky, add a tiny bit more flour. Grease or spray a bowl with canola oil and put dough into, coating all sides. Cover with towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375-400 degrees. Form pizza crust with dough on a pizza stone, making edges a little higher to contain egg mixture.

Pizza Filling/Topping:
1/2 lb. ground turkey sausage, browned
1 cup shredded cheese (or perhaps a little more)
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 eggs (I used leftover eggwhites from the Key Lime Pie I made yesterday)
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Top dough with sausage, cheese and spinach. Combine milk, salt, pepper and eggs, stirring with a whisk. Carefully pour egg mixture over the sausage mixture on the crust. Sprinkle with parmesan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes or until crust is browned.

My gang really loved it - in fact, my son gave me an ovation after tasting it! I guess this will have to become a regular breakfast option here. I just have to plan ahead to save time in the morning:-).

Sound Off: What is your favorite breakfast recipe?

Meal Plan Monday? Sort of..

If you have been reading my posts, you know that I don't LIKE to plan out my menus for the week. But with my hubby working (and different schedules), I don't have time to "think" about what I "feel" like cooking for each meal. So I have put together a list of meals for the week based on what I have on hand from prior shopping trips. This way, I can know what I am going to make in advance and get it ready on time for him. So here we go:

Monday - Chicken'N'Chilies Casserole
Tuesday - Gyros (whole wheat pita, meat made from gr. turkey, Tzatziki sauce)
Wednesday - Dinner Out for birthday/Valentine's Day combo!!
Thursday - Maple-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes
Friday - Don't know yet:-)

Here are the breakfasts I have lined up:
Apple Oatmeal Casserole
Banana Muffins
Egg sandwiches
Nut and Whole Grain Pancakes
Eggs in the Middle of Toast (Valentine's edition)
and today I am thinking about making Breakfast Pizza!

Well, we will see how well I follow this:-) and decide whether to continue or not. Have a wonderful Monday!!

Today is My Birthday!

I'm not gonna say how many years, but they have been blessed years! Lots of them!

It was a quiet day because my dear hubby had to work. After running him to the border (he rides his bicycle from there), I went back to bed and found my daughter there. She woke up about 10am and left. Then my son came in asked me what I wanted for breakfast. So he brought me coffee and a bagel with cream cheese in bed! He has been well-trained by my husband! He said he knew dad would do that for me, so he was filling in. How sweet!

Tonight, I made homemade corned beef hash with eggs for dinner when my hubby came home and we had a fresh key lime pie for desert (my favorite and the kids made it for me).

It has been a very nice day, quiet and relaxing. I talked to several relatives on the phone and even shared a very long, but good, conversation with my brother.

We will officially celebrate on Tuesday or Wednesday when hubby gets a day off - I am so looking forward to that. I miss my hubby when he is working!

Pepperoni and Granola and Bread....Oh My!

It has been quite a busy day! When you make just about everything from scratch, guess what? You run out and have to make more!! You can't just run to the store and pick up some more:-). So today was a day to make batches of some essentials in our house. I baked a loaf of bread and 15 rolls, baked a batch of granola cereal, and mixed the meat for another batch of pepperoni. The bread came out beautifully! I hadn't made any loaves for quite a while (we really like to use the rolls for so many things) since I had been having trouble with my bread falling. But then I realized that my oven wasn't getting hot enough and cranked it up to 425 degrees setting in order to get it to bake at 350 degrees. That solved the problem and now my bread comes out b-e-a-utiful!!
I made up another batch of Granola Cereal for my kids - they LOVE it! And that makes me so happy - I just cringe at the thought of the eating that sugary store-bought cereal, but occasionally I just don't have time to cook a nice hot breakfast. And I mixed together the meat and spices for another batch of spicy turkey pepperoni. I added more paprika this time to see if it comes out more red. Then, for dinner, I decided to try Ham and Split Pea Soup. It turned out great! Everyone really liked it - even me (and I HATE peas!) I used turkey ham and started with dried split peas, so it took about 2 1/2 hours to cook, but it was worth it. That recipe will be a keeper.

It Feels Like Spring, So Let's Make Salad!

Ok, I realize that most of you are still in the peak of winter with plummeting temperatures and snow. But we live in the Sonoran Desert and our winters are usually beautiful. These last two months have been quite cold for us and I have been making hot stews and soups alot to keep us warm (we do not have heat in our house, so temps in the 40s at night is really chilly for us inside the house).

But yesterday felt like spring with a gorgeous 78 degrees and, of course, sunshine! We only see clouds a few days each year, so our weather is pretty monotonous:-).

Now that some of you want to beat me with a stick, I will share my recipe for this delicious pasta salad I threw together. I started with some whole grain penne pasta, cooked and drained. I left it to cool while I chopped what I had in the frig: carrots, celery tops (I used to throw them away), onion, tomatoes, cucumber, baby spinach, and broccoli. To this I added about 1/3 of a piece of turkey ham (very frugal meat - about 3 meals for $2.00), chopped into cubes. When the pasta was cool, I tossed it all together with some balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and topped with some Parmesan cheese.

Everybody loved it! And my hubby took the leftover (not much) for his lunch at work today. Since most of the produce I got from our community food bank, the whole meal probably cost me about $2.00! That fits my frugal budget, how about yours?

Hurray for the Community Food Bank!

I try, as often as possible, to take advantage of the community food bank's Harvest Club. For $22 (it just went up from $18), anyone can purchase a "box" of food. It is really a FULL shopping cart full! I wish I had been able to take a photo of it all, but time didn't permit and I was really tired! Yesterday, for example, I came home with a dozen eggs, gallon of milk, 1 lb. of ground beef, a whole chicken, package of hot dogs, several cans of corn, several boxes of crushed tomatoes, Oreo cookies, Nestles giant chocolate bar, two apple pies (well, my kids were really excited about all these sweets:-), 4 heads of cabbage, 4 bunches of leaf lettuce, big box of baby spinach, several bags of leaf lettuce, several bags of salad mix, two pkg. of celery hearts, a bag of carrots, huge bag of chopped onions, 5 lbs. of red potatoes, big bag of grapefruits, 2 boxes of macaroni and cheese, 5-6 loaves of bread, hamburger buns, 3 large pkg. of flour tortillas, 2 2-liter bottles of grapefruit soda, several cans of applesauce, apple jelly, peanut butter, box of elbow macaroni, can of chicken noodle soup, big box of Rice Krispies and a bunch of other miscellaneous stuff I can't remember right now. Talk about a bargain!! Of course, since we live in the main agricultural area for lettuce for the U.S., we get ALOT of produce in the winter. Not so great a deal in the summer. But this REALLY helps my family keep our budget low, and the items that we don't eat (mostly the processed stuff) or is too much to consume before going bad, we give to a men's rehab center that really needs the help. So we are able to share alot and still save alot!

If you have a community food bank, check it out and see if they have a program like this. This helps them raise the funds they need to provide the emergency food and programs for the needy. You don't have to qualify in any way to buy this box of food. And, especially here in the winter, it can be a GREAT bargain! And share what items you might not like to eat with someone you know who will appreciate them.

Crayon Rolls - custom order!

These are my first custom order of these crayon rolls. See the cute fishy theme for Joshua?
And how about this adorable butterfly and swirls for Emily? It came out absolutely adorable!
These rolls each hold 24 crayons, but I can make them for any amount of crayons. I am going to set up an Etsy store to sell these and other sewn items, but in the meantime, if you would like to order one of these for your little ones or for a birthday present (that is what these were for), then just email me (or submit a comment and I will reply with my email). I have enough fabric to make a 16 or 18 count roll in each of these fabric combinations for $12.00 each plus $6.00 for personalization (appliqued name) if desired. Shipping is $3.00 in the continental U.S. I also have many other fabrics, or you can request a particular color/theme, etc.

Romancing Our Children....? Sounds Great!

I just came upon a blog about Romancing Our Children over at The Heart of the Matter. It really made me think and gave me some great ideas for Valentine's Day. Check out Christina's ideas and add your own if you have any.

I'm thinking LOTS of little notes written on hearts hidden all around the house when they get up on Valentine's Day (for hubby, too:-). I will also be making special meals that day like heart-shaped pancakes (whole grain and nut, of course) or eggs-in-the-middle-of-toast using a heart cookie cutter. You just take a piece of bread (preferably whole grain) and using a heart cookie cutter, cut out the middle of the bread. Then melt a little butter in a skillet and place the bread and the cutout part in the skillet. Break an egg into the middle of the bread and cook until bread is toasted (flip for other side). My kids LOVE this!

I think cream puffs with pink cream inside would be a very special dessert, too! And since steak is so rare (pun intended) in our house, I think that will have to be the special Valentine's Dinner for us.

What are your plans for Valentine's Day? Care to share?

Breakfast Chilaquiles - Mexican and frugal!

This morning I had the "What Am I Going to Make for Breakfast?" quandry. I KNOW I should plan my menus ahead, but I really like being spontaneous because I cook what I feel like - weird, huh? Well, I only had two eggs and three people to feed (hubby was already at work). Yesterday, I fed my children homemade cream of wheat (for the first and last time - not a favorite, so I won't share the recipe:-) and didn't want to make oatmeal the very next day - I like variety!

So I looked into the refrigerator to see what I could come up with. There was a packet of corn tortillas sitting there looking like they might get stale, so I decided to try Breakfast Chilaquiles. I put some canola oil into the pan (enough to just cover the bottom) and fried up the tortillas (about 7) cut into 1" wide strips. When they started to get a little crispy (that's how I like mine), I scrambled the eggs and added them, along with some chopped up turkey. I stirred that around for a couple minutes till the egg started to set. Then I added some shredded Fiesta Blend cheese, covered the pan, turned off the heat, and let it sit for just a minute or two until the cheese was melted.

I served with hot sauce (Tapatio and Chalula are our favorites) and a dab of sour cream - YUM! They were REALLY good! And I accomplished my goal of feeding my children something warm, satisfying and mostly healthy. Sometimes lack of ingredients brings about the greatest of creativity and invention! What did you have for breakfast?

We are so blessed! And thanks for hot water.

Just a little bit ago, my son came in to say goodnight and his hands were freezing. He said it was from washing the dishes. Well, my husband went out to the van for something and saw that the neighbor boys were washing their dishes as well - outside at night with cold water!! We live in Mexico and there is poverty all around. Our next door neighbors live in a plywood shack with no running water indoors, just a hose outside. They don't have ANY hot water, so that must have been a pretty tough chore. But that is not unusual here. Needless to say, my son was counting some of his blessings tonight rather than complaining about his chores. He got to use hot water and wash the dishes in a sink inside the house. Just a reminder to be thankful continually for all the blessings God bestows upon us daily!

Books, books, books!

Over at Rocks In My Dryer, she asked us to list all of our favorite places to shop online. Well, I can say that most of my online shopping has to do with books. Amazon.com is a favorite place, especially since you can also get used books there for a small price. Half.com is another site I always check out, and CBD.com usually has pretty good prices, even on homeschooling stuff. But most of all, I like to "shop" at PaperbackSwap and BookMooch. And now I here there are a few more sites like those that I will have to check out. What is better than swapping your books for just the cost of postage? We go through books so fast in our house, who needs new?

Warm Up with Turkey Noodle Soup

The photo doesn't do it justice, because it was really yummy! I had some turkey left over from last week (I cooked a whole turkey that was extra from Christmas when they were cheap) and decided to make some hot turkey noodle soup. I don't know about you, but I don't really use a recipe when I make these kinds of soup.

Here is what I did:
Chop up 1/2 an onion, 2 cloves garlic, some left over celery and carrot sticks. Saute in oil until onion is soft. Add 8 cups of water and about 2 cups of leftover turkey gravy. Sprinkle in a little chicken bouillon (about 1 Tablespoon). Bring to a boil. Add one can of corn, about 2 cups of turkey cut into bite-size pieces and a bag of whole wheat egg noodles. Season with a little 21 Seasoning Salute, salt and pepper. Cook until noodles are tender. Then eat! I served with some homemade whole wheat croutons and it was delicious!

Do you use a recipe when cooking turkey or chicken noodle soup? Care to share your recipe?

When Science Class, Breakfast and Pancake Day Collide!

What's a mom to do!!?? So today, in honor of National Pancake Day and our study of rocks and minerals, we had Metamorphic Rock Pancakes. OK, so maybe they aren't so nutritional (with chocolate chips and marshmallows), but I still used fresh ground whole wheat and oats. How is that for rationalizing:-)? It was fun and memorable - that's what counts today! My daughter thought she was still dreaming when I woke her up telling her I was making pancakes with chocolate chips and marshmallows. LOL

100 Things You Can Make Yourself

While perusing the Festival of Frugality, I came across this list of 100 things you can make yourself. If you have read my blog at all, you know I like to make things from scratch rather than buy processed foods. So this is right up my alley! And many of these I have done. Check it out and see if there is anything you would like to try to make. I am going to make yogurt, cream cheese and maybe mayonaise this week. I'll let you know how it comes out.

Tuesday is Carnival Day!

And I'm not talking about Mardi Gras! For those of you who didn't know, Tuesday is a day when there are lots of blog carnivals about many different things. There are a few I love to check out every week:

Carnival of Homeschooling is over at About.com:Homeschooling

Kitchen Tip Tuesday is always hosted by Tammy's Recipes

Festival of Frugality is at BeingFrugal.net

and you can find the Make it From Scratch Carnival at Stop the Ride!

This is the first week I was able to participate in all of these, so check out my posts!

Studying "The Messiah" by Handel

As part of our unit study on Ancient Rome, we have been studying and listening to The Messiah, by George Frederick Handel. My sister-in-law sent the 2 disc set to me for Christmas and while I thought it was a nice gift, I wasn't particularly excited about it. But little did I realize (since I didn't look ahead much) that we would actually be studying and listening to the entire production as part of our next unit! How excited I was when I realized how God had used My dsil Karen to provide exactly what we needed!

And I want to tell you that is has been so wonderful! Over the last couple of weeks, we have been listening to several parts each day and reading the scriptures they were taken from and discussing how the music "acts out" the words. It as been so educational, as well as beautiful! I want to thank Dorian Holt (author of Learning Adventures) for including this incredible study in her curriculum.