Recipes for you

You know me...I'm a bit of a health nut. I make most everything from scratch, not only because it's more economical, but because we can avoid all those yucky ingredients like soybean oil and high fructose corn syrup. I wanted to share 3 recipes with you. They are so easy to make and super yummy too.

BBQ Sauce
Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan:
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. celery seed
1/4 c. brown sugar (I use honey)
1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1 c. ketchup (I use Trader Joe's organic ketchup)
2 c. water
Stir and bring to a boil.
Voila - use as a baste on your steak, chicken or anything you plan to grill this summer.

Creamy Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
1/3 c. honey
1/2 c. lemon juice (I use fresh lemons from Costco and juice them)
1/4 c. mayonnaise (I use Trader Joe's mayonnaise - there is NO soy in it!)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. olive oil (Trader Joe's extra virgin cold pressed)
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
Whisk all the ingredients together until well combined. Store in a glass bottle in the frig.
This is a wonderful dressing on top of spinach leaves with sliced strawberries and slivered almonds.

Caesar Dressing
4 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, minced
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 grated Parmesan cheese (either fresh grated from a brick or just from the can)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Whisk all together until smooth.
My foodie friend from California gave me this fabulous salad dressing recipe!
Often when I have to make a Costco run (which for me is a 3 hour errand, since we live close to nothing!) I pick up their rotisserie chicken, their romaine lettuce heads, and seasoned croutons.
Use this Caesar dressing on top and you have a winning chicken Caesar salad. Be sure to save the chicken bones in a Ziploc bag and boil them at a later time - makes an awesome chicken broth! - and then you are 1 step ahead on another meal.)

More Fun

We have heard great things about this game, The Settlers of Catan. Hannah had played it once before with friends and loved it. This past weekend we went to a homeschool convention and found it there, so we bought it. The kids have been having so much fun playing it together. It has even won the "Game of the Year" award! Can't you tell by the looks on their faces that they are having a ball settling the isle of Catan?!

Preschool...Pur et Simple Homeschool style

Ellie learned 1 letter per week this school year. She decorated these large letters with things that began with that sound. She had tons of fun especially when it needed her to cut and paste!

Birthday Girl

Ellie is turning 5! Where does the time go?

She's cheeful and helpful and absolutely in love with Babe Mary. She likes bugs and snakes, pretty dresses and tea parties. She LOVES to talk. She talks about anything and everything to everybody. She has a beautiful smile and a fun laugh and she always, always brings me flowers that she picked outside. So Sweet! I am so grateful to God for giving her to us.

My Wordless Wednesday post (that I couldn't post until Thursday)

Sarah and her fuzzy bunnies

Sarah still has Honey Bunny. He is 10 - almost 11 years old! (Really, I never knew bunnies lived that long) He's almost like a cat with 9 lives. He's had some near death experiences. Our neighbor found 3 wild rabbits on his job site and brought them home to nurse them to good health with the intention of setting them free. Well, those three bunnies inspired (tempted, more like) Sarah to get some more bunnies. She now has 5!! I think she is a "crazy bunny lady".

Mary and her little lamb

Very happy Mary

This baby is such a happy baby! She's already 10 weeks old! She's up to 12 pounds-2 ounces.

I just can't tell you how thankful I am for this new addition to our family. I really can't imagine life without her. SHE'S.SO.MUCH.FUN!!