Basil Vinaigrette

We had lunch with our dear friends a couple of weeks ago and she made two wonderful salads for lunch - a simple pasta salad and a quinoa salad.  Both were delicious, but what made them that way was the fabulous salad dressing!

I love homemade dressings.  They usually only have a few ingredients (all of which you can pronounce) and are so fresh and flavorful.

I asked Kimberlee for her dressing recipe, but she is a "little of this and a pinch of that" kind of a cook.  Anyway, I have recreated it to the best of my ability and I wanted to share with you.

If you like the taste of basil - you will really enjoy this dressing.

1 c. olive oil
1/3 c. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. yogurt or sour cream (I prefer yogurt with all the good probiotics)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced (depending on how "hot" you like things)
1 very large handful of fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash pepper

Kimberlee put all the ingredients in a wide mouth quart canning jar and then blended it all with an immersion blender. (How ingenius is that?!)

My immersion blender died, so I just put it all in my blender to immulsify it.  Then I transfered it to a bottle.

Her quinoa salad was so simple - cooked quinoa, cooled; 1 cucumber sliced (the slices were then quartered); 1 medium sized zucchini, sliced (those slices were also quartered) and I think one other thing, (grape tomatoes?)  It really was just so good.

Won't you give it a try...and then tell me what you think.

Gad Zukes!

We've had a nice supply of summer squash from our garden.  Have you?  I thought you might like to try a new recipe or two.


Mostaccioli with Ratatouille (serves 8)
2 green peppers, chopped
2 small onions, quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. mushrooms, quartered
2 zucchini, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 cans (16 oz. each) tomatoes in puree
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 package (16 oz) mostaccioli (or other pasta of choice.)

Cook and stir peppers, onions, and garlic in hot oil in large sauce pot until crips-tender.  remove and reserve.  Add mushrooms, and zucchini to saucepot; cook and stir until tender.  Sit in eggplant, tomatoes, seasonings and gree pepper mixture; bring to a voil.  Reduce heat and summer, uncovered 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions.  Drain.
Toss with vegetables.


Sloppy Joes (Serves 6)
1 lb. ground beef
1 bell pepper, chopped fine
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 zucchini, chopped fine
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. catsup
1-2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Hamburger Buns or Kaiser Rolls

In a skillet, cook beef until browned.  Darin fat.  Stir in bell pepper, onion and zucchini. Cook until onion is tender.  Stir in tomato sauce, catsup, Worcestershire sauce and salt/pepper.  Heat to boiling, reduce heat to low and summer 10 minutes. 
Spoon onto buns.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1 c. butter

½ c. oil

1-3/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

½ c. sour milk

4 Tbsp. cocoa

2-1/2 c. flour

½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

2 c. chopped zucchini

½ c. semi sweet chocolate chips

Cream together butter, oil and sugar.  Add eggs, vanilla and sour milk.  Add cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir in zucchini.  Spoon into PAM sprayed pan.  Sprinkle top with chocolate chips.  Bake @ 325 for 40-45 minutes.  Test with toothpick.

Cool on wire rack.

 

 

I always like finding new and yummy ways to use up the goodies from the garden.

These are tried and true favorites from my family to yours.  :-)

 

Hope you enjoy!

Twins and 24

Ever have one of those days where you start out cheerily about the tasks on the "to-do" list for the day only to realize....God has other plans for you?

Yep - just had one of those days.  I started my laundry first thing only to discover my dryer wasn't working.
Tried to troubleshoot with the manual and the internet, but really it needed my master mechanic. After testing several things, Eric concluded that given the age, and the possible parts needing to be replaced,  that it would be more prudent to replace than repair. 
 
We've replaced the dishwasher, the oven, the refrigerator and now the dryer.  That in mind, we decided to replace the washer at the same time - instead of having to likely replace it next year.

Found a great deal on these.....

Yep!  Can you believe it?  Wild cherry red!  They were cheaper than the white ones.

 

Unfortunately, they don't arrive until later this week, meanwhile, the laundry was piling up!

I decided to take a trip to the local laundry mat.  Reminiscent of my college days, I loaded up the laundry, detergent, and a good book from the library.  (In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan - Highly recommened!!!!)

Oh MY!  Let's just say that it costs a small fortune now. 

{ Note to self.....find a good place to hang a clothes line.}

 

Since we'll have these snazzy new RED "twins" as we now call them, I thought it might be fun to rethink the laundry room.  The room is small, but it functions well.

 

 

Eric made the sorter for me a few years ago. (On the left)

The best thing about it is that the laundry is sorted and out of the way all the time.

 

But, I saw this idea I really liked it.

 

With the baskets underneath, it saves even more space.  There are even plans for it!  Eric made it this weekend.

 Would you believe after all that....it's not going to work for us unless we replace the cupboards.  Yep, the pedestal puts the washer and dryer too high; we would need shorter cabinets. 

I need the larger ones for storage.  Can you believe it?  I'm so dumb.  We measured everything to make sure it would fit, but didn't even think about the height.   UGH!

If you are local and interested in a really great wood pedestal for your front loader washer and dryer - leave me a comment and let me know.  I plan to paint it white.

 

I think I'll find some cute retro/vintage art to put in red frames and call it good!

 

In the morning, all things look brighter. 

Today is a new day....and my 24th wedding anniversary!

 

 

We planned for a simple celebration...dinner at a nice restaurant.

Good thing with the unexpected twins and all!

 

Next year being our 25th, we are hoping to celebrate it in Hawaii!  I've been saving and saving.  Everytime I want to buy a latte when I am out, I put the money in an envelope instead and just make one when I get home.  I've saved enough for 1 plane ticket so far!!! 

 

Lord willing, we shall share a Shaved Ice with our toes in the Hawaiian sand.

I am so blessed to be married to a Godly man who loves me as Christ loved the church...unconditionally and sacrificially.

 

Happy Anniversary, Eric.  You are the man of my dreams!

 XOXOXO and.....aloha

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Just stuff

Summer was in full force these last couple of weeks.  We've been enjoying it so much.  Our days have been full of just stuff....a little of this - a little of that.

Enjoying the garden....Ellie has been my little gardener - always wanting to check out what is growing and harvest what is ready.  The few things we planted did well, and have given us  ideas for next year.

Zucchini and beets and green beans are still growing. 

Tackling projects... Replacing a culvert in the road went quickly with all the neighbors pitching in. Matt affectionately called this compactor his "automatic pogo stick."
I think his teeth might still be chattering.

Buying a car...Caleb bought his first car - a Suzuki Sidekick. 

Visiting with family.... The Aunts and a cousin came for a couple of days.

Playing with Daddy!



This week I saw signs of fall.....Maple leaves with a hue of red.  Spiders are active.  The sunrise is a bit later now, and the sunset a bit earlier. 

Just a couple more weeks until Monterey kids, we'll be canning peaches, pears, apples, green beans, and getting back to a more regular school routine.  The lazy days of summer are almost over.

Ingenuity

It is said that, necessity is the mother of invention, but I believe limited means play

 a good role in that too .

So what do you do when you'd love a new, summery dress?

You turn to a fitted sheet,a pillowcase, and a sewing machine, of course!

TA DA

Hannah designed the dress herself! 

Isn't it darling? 

You can't really tell in this picture, but it laces up the back with white ribbon.  Super cute!

She did it all herself, designing, removing the elastic and seams from the sheet, and all the sewing. 

A couple of dreary winters ago I had bought this sheet set simply for the flat sheet.  I found this twin set on clearance at Target for $7.  I wanted a new, cheery shower curtain for the girls' bathroom, but couldn't find anything I liked.  The bathroom is small.  It needed light and bright, and these colors just perked it up perfectly. All I had to do was sew some button holes in the end of the sheet to allow for the curtain rings.  

 I had held onto the pillowcase and fitted sheet, simply because they were part of the set, but I never used them.  Remember a few posts back when I mentioned how we have sorted, purged, and organized closets?   That's when Hannah found the sheet and pillowcase and asked if she could have it.

Frauleine Maria isn't the only one who can repurpose household linens. ;-)

Giddy!

 Do you see it? Straight ahead!!

Now close your eyes and breathe deep...smell it?

Ahhhh - the beautiful sea.

I feel just like Lewis and Clark..."Ocean in view - OH THE JOY!"

The little house we have the privilege to stay at is just 1/2 mile from the Fort to Sea trail.  It's a 6 mile walkable trail that leads from Sunset Beach to Fort Clatsop.

The beaches in the Northwest are so different from the ones I used to go to when I was a little girl.  Some beaches have little rocks instead of sand, some have the forest almost meet the sea, some have grasses.  Most of the time, it's a bit windy/chilly, but ALWAYS beautiful, always soothing.

This trip was no exception!

Once the cars were loaded, we began our 4-5 hour trek south.  Heading down I-5 is rather hum-drum, but we did have a Lamplighter audio drama (The Robber’s Cave) that we listened to.  The rest of the way, we listened to an eclectic mix of music…loudly. 

The first priority once we arrive and after unloading the cars is filling the frig.

Since it’s my vacation too, I try to make shopping and cooking simple and easy. It’s a small beach town with only only a couple of stores, but there is a Costco close to the cottage, so I made it my little game to see if I could feed my family healthy meals with things only purchased from there, buying organic when it was available.  This is what I came up with.

Breakfast (rotated twice)

·         Greek yogurt with blueberries (and homemade granola brought from home.)

·         Eggs and toast

·         Honey Nut Cheerios (after all, it’s their vacation too J )

Coffee

Lunch (same thing, every day)

Sandwiches (pb & j) to take to the beach

Bananas, cantaloupe, blueberries, string cheese, Fruit & Nut

Dinner

·         Chicken Cesaer Salad (romaine lettuce, rotisserie chicken, croutons, cesaer dressing, parmesan cheese)

·         Taco Salad (corn chips, rotisserie chicken, kidney beans, avocado, pico de gallo, Colby-jack cheese.)

·         Turkey Burgers grilled on the BBQ, cantaloupe and blueberries

·         Costco Take Out pizza

·         S’mores (of course!)

As for Hannah with her GF/DF needs, we just bought almond milk so she could eat granola & milk for breakfast.  She also brought some gf/df donuts that she made. I’ll post on that soon.  They are really good.  We also brought Tuscan Italian salad dressing from Trader Joe’s so her Cesaer salad had that on it instead.  She didn’t eat the pizza, she had a big salad.

Not quite the healthy eating we do at home, but not bad for my limited resources and my little game.

The mornings were often overcast which allowed for sleeping in! (Eric and I are up at 5 am each morning, so this REALLY felt like vacation!!!)

After a leisurely breakfast and quick clean up, we loaded up the surfboards and piled in the truck. The big kids rode the truck bed.  They love that.

Driving on the beach is allowed and so fun, so we just drove to a spot that looked nice to call home for the day.

When the tide is out some sand bars are exposed. On the shore side of them pools of water gather.  It’s the perfect place for the littles to play since the water is warmed by the sun and it’s pretty shallow.  It makes it enjoyable for us parents too – not having to worry about the undertow.

When the tide is in, those pools are covered, as the big kids discovered! The first day the older ones ventured to the water and found out the hard cold way.  Watch out - the first step is a doosy!

The first couple of days it stayed gray and overcast and a bit windy.  My hoody stayed on, but the kiddos played and played.

They all had a ball skimboarding.

But back at the house, it wasn’t windy.  Across the street is a little park with a slide and swings.  How cool is that.  The littles love playing there.  That’s where we go if the beach and surf is too blown out.

That little green house in the background is the cottage.

One cooler day, we went to Seaside. We shopped, ate salt water taffy, rode the carousel, walked the promenade, poked in surf shops.  Fun stuff.

The last few days were sunny and warm.  Surf was still small, but….

Hannah gave it a try and is now hooked!

Look close - Hannah on the left riding a wave!

Wipe out.

I’m whimpy and really prefer warmer water so this is my version. ;-)

Caleb found a large branch and some baling twine so he made a make-shift volleyball net using the car mirror to hold the other end of the twine.

Volleyball, kite-flying, swimming, surfing, sunning, shell searching. FUN

Babe had her kind of fun.

I kid you not, she LOVED smearing wet sand all over herself.  Go figure.

She loved the beach.   We all did.

God had another little nature lesson for us.  Up on the porch light a mama bird had three babies in a nest.  Kinda cool to be able to see.

 Another morning we went to the wreck of the Peter Iredale.

We also visited Fort Clatsop. 

That was timely as I just finished a unit study on the Westward movement.

It was so fun to be able to get away together. I am so thankful for my family {and neighbors who let us stay at their beach cottage!}