Spring is about here ( I hope) , and after checking our storage shelves downstairs, the jam was almost gone.  Now.... I don't make jam, but my man does.  He mixes strawberries, blackberries and raspberries and when you taste his jam, you will never want any other.  We really don't like being without it at any time.  We tried a bottle of grocery store jam when we ran out once but we could hardly eat it. It just didn't seem to have any flavor.  He uses fresh berries but when we can't find them, he uses the good frozen berries.  We pick our blackberries all summer and freeze them for just such moments as this.  Mmmmm, I can't wait until tomorrow's toast. 

Someone Help Me

For some reason my template, new layout and the newer look didn't all mesh.  I would rather use the older look but can't figure how to get back to it.  Help????

The Gourmet Group Eats Again

We had our gourmet dinner group again at the Welton's home. Paul and Susan hosted and made gourmet pizzas. (They left off the goat cheese for me)  Oh, thank you.  Some of them had Greek olives, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and mozzarella cheese, some had sausage and some had chicken and cheeses. They were delicious. Susan had made the homemade crusts.  They were cooked on clay pizza stones.

I made a spinach salad.  The dressing is really good and so are the crunchy bits. I got the recipe from Colett.

                                     Spinach Salad                                  

bunch of baby spinach

roasted garlic sliced almonds

craisins

Italian cheese blend shredded cheese

1/2 package bacon cooked until crisp and chopped

Dressing

In a blender combine:

1/2 c. sugar

2t. dry mustard

2 t. salt

6 oz. vinegar

1 t. pepper

1/4 onion

2 c. oil

2 T. poppy seeds or to taste

The dressing makes a lot and you will have enough for several salads.

The Ahlstroms brought a fruit platter and dip that really went well with the other food.  I neglected to get her dip recipe though.

Sorry Julie, I caught you with your eyes closed but you still look really cute!

Jaymie Utley made the dessert.  It is so simple, elegant and beautiful... but guess what?  We ate it after we had visited for a quite while and I forgot to get a photo of it.  Here is the recipe though, and you will LOVE it.

Sherbet Delight

1/2 gallon pineapple sherbet (softened)

1 pkg. frozen raspberries, thawed with the juice (10 to 14 0z size)

2 diced bananas

Blend with a mixer and scoop into small waffle bowls

garnish with  a Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie on top

Musings Day 5 Chemicals

My daughter Amy sells do terra essential oils.  The company only uses organic flowers and plants that have not been sprayed with chemicals and they are super concentrated so a little goes a long way.  I decided to buy some just because they smell so good.  I make my room sprays with the orange, lemon and grapefruits oils. That means no chemicals in the air.  That's the only thing I used them for.... at first.  Now I can use them for cooking (the peppermint, lemon and oregano are great). I was watching a doctor on TV saying that most of our environment is so full of chemicals that we should be careful of the things that we put into our bodies, especially processed foods because we can't always know what's in them.  I really think that's true but I also know that it's almost impossible to eliminate all of them.
We get coupons every week in the paper for processed foods that are on sale.  Almost all of the coupons are for these kinds of foods and we never buy them. Rarely do you find coupons for whole wheat bread, lettuce or strawberries.  We rarely buy  processed foods, bologna being an exception as we know. They are too expensive and contain unknown additives that we can't pronounce. We just don't think they taste as good as home made either. Why buy Alfredo sauce when you can make it so easily and quickly?  Why buy canned soups when they are so easy to make?  When you read the labels on so many of these products, it's mind boggling how many ingredients are in them.  We had some ice cream once with a list a mile long.  I know ice cream isn't a healthy food to begin with but sugar, cream, eggs, milk and vanilla sound a whole lot better than what is in some commercial ice creams such as:

caroxymethyl cellulose, butyraldehyde, and amyl acetate diethyl glycol -- a cheap chemical used to take the place of eggs, which is also used in anti-freeze and paint removers.
Aldehyde C-17, flavoring for cherry ice cream, is an inflammable liquid used in dyes, plastics, and rubber. Piperonal, used in place of vanilla, is a lice killer. Ethyl Acetate, a pineapple flavor, can also clean leather and textiles. That is according to  NaturalNews.com.

I am not a purist by any means  but I want the best for us and if we can eliminate a lot of those things, maybe we will be healthier as we live longer.  A lot of the things we have  in the cupboard clean very well and are non toxic.  I use these a lot....soda, vinegar, lemon oil and hydrogen peroxide.  I have not given up everything potentially toxic though because I believe in the benefits of alcohol, and bleach too when needed, but I am open to any good alternatives. 
I try not to microwave in plastic, and I use distilled water, vinegar and alcohol to clean the granite counters,  I  limit my use of antibiotic cleaners because they say we shouldn't use them too often and the monster germs are becoming immune to them.  I do however, use hand cleaning wipes at the grocery store to clean the cart handle every time.  Until this year, I hadn't had a cold for several years and haven't had the flu for many years.  I'm knocking on wood as I type.

I am not giving up my makeup though.  I'm sure there are bad things in them, and I hope one day the manufacturers will start making better choices in these products.  My vanity has gotten the better of me here.  I'm hoping the chemicals in them will stay on the outside. 

Musings Day 4 Books

I love books.  I love reading.  I love exploring unknown and unexplored places and times through reading.  I try to read all the books I own but I am still behind a few and yet I still want more.  I envy my daughter in law Kee because she reads so quickly.  She is a speed reader and can read a book in a couple of hours.  I just don't get it...how it's done.  When I read, it's at the same speed I would read if reading out loud.

I usually give a book about 80 pages before I decide it's just too boring.  I have not read too many books where I can't plow through and find redeeming content.  I belong to a book club that I love to attend, I am on "Goodreads" so I can get good recommendations from friends,  I have lists from the library that list classics and book club favorites, I read Oprah's pick list, I borrow books from my daughters and learn what they are reading in their book clubs and I go to Amazon a lot to see the 5 star book picks on there.  I have a Kindle that serves me well and love it when I can get a new book for less than the book store price ( not always, but usually)  and I haunt thrift stores and garage sales to get others.  My problem?  I don't have enough time to read all the great books in the world.  I always feel like I'm missing out.

I read my scriptures on the church web site and I love that I can read it screen size and can click on a link  for references.  I have my study guides from Institute and that helps too.  I am grateful for all these resources.  I can also listen if i choose instead of reading them.

I also have a few book on tape and that frees me so I can craft while listening to good stories.  We all like to multitask don't we?  We had XM radio that enabled me to listen to stories while traveling and looking at beautiful scenery at the same time.

I like to read stories to my grandchildren and love it when they say they are reading certain books.  I have loved reading since I learned how.  I lived a block from the library when I was growing up and went as often as I could.  I loved the days of Nancy Drew and Mary Poppins.  I loved that I had a card that could take me anywhere I wanted to go through words.  I still have a library card.

My Dad was an avid reader ...maybe too avid at times.  It was hard to get his attention as his face was always in a book but he gave me the desire to see what all the fuss was about at a very young age.  I love that all my children and grandchildren love to read too.  I think you have a great advantage in school if you are a good reader.  I sent a link to my book club ladies, but I will add it here too.  It is a sweet story.  Make sure you go clear to the end.

Click here: Father Read To Daughter Every Night Until College : Video Clips From The Coolest One