7 Quick Takes: Food and Fall

As always, check Jen out!
**1**
In Rockford, IL which is about 45 mins from my home, there is a horrific abortion mill. It isn't just a women's clinic or a place where babies are killed, it is truly a den of evil. For years now us pro-lifers in the area have been praying and fasting for it's closing. Priests in the area have also been saying prayers of exorcism over the place. The owner is a man filled with hate and anger for God and His people. My parish in Lent did a 40 Days for Life for the closing of this clinic and many wonderful people are always there praying. Well tonight, there is some great news. The state has shut down this clinic due to many health violations. Hopefully it is permanent, but only time will tell. I wanted to share this news with all of you because so often we don't see the fruits of our prayers. Praise God!

**2**
In lighter news, I finally used my bread machine for the first time! We got it as a wedding gift and I always wanted to use it, but I had to run it empty first and just never did that. Well my wonderful husband cleaned and ran it empty for me last week (while I napped with babykins!!) I just cut up our first loaf of whole wheat bread and it smelt and tasted AMAZING.

**3**
I'm never buying bread in the store again! It always bothers me when I look at the list of ingredients and it contains a bunch of stuff I've never heard of before. This way I know exactly what I am eating and giving to my husband and child. Plus I save money and it is much tastier! Bi-Winning.

**4**
I'm one step closer to never buying any foods in the store that I could easily make myself. I partly blame my farm upbringing and partly blame Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship. Love, Love, Love her site. If you haven't checked it out, do it! There is so much to read so you may want to pencil a few weeks in you calendar to absorb everything.

**5**
I also made cinnamon pumkin pancakes for dinner tonight. Yum Yum! I love this time of year. Though I have to say I am mourning the end of my garden. But I think I'm ready to embrace Fall.

**6**
Yesterday my family made homemade apple cider with homegrown apples and the ole cider press.

It is so tasty, and always brings back great childhood memories. Thanks to my grandpa and siblings for picking up all the apples!

**7**
As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, I'm in the midst of some intense spiritual warfare. I'm doing my best to keep the evil one at bay and am clining tight to sweet Jesus.  I've been going to adoration at least once a week and even made it to daily Mass today, where Dominic did great! I didn't have to take him out once and it was awesome. The battle rages on and St Michael, and my guardian angel are staying close.

Have a great weekend!

Thrift Thursday: An Unused Wedding Gift

This past Saturday my dear SIL, Robyn, and I went out for a day upon the thrifty town.
The spoils were great.
My favorite score of the day were these beautiful vintage mixing bowls.
They were a wedding gift to a former nun who got married in the 70's. For some reason, she never used them.
Perhaps the reds and oranges didn't match her kitchen decor,
maybe she was afraid of birds,
or maybe they were just too pretty to use.
But my kitchen is yellow, I like birds-although not usually in my house (except on the dinner plate)-and I think pretty kitchen things were meant to be used, so they will be used and often in my house!
I got this set of four Pyrex bowls for $10.

I read on Pyrexlove.com that these bowls are from 1971,

and the pattern is called "Friendship".

So far they have helped me make berry banana bread and guacamole.

They mixed wonderfully and are a welcomed addition to my kitchen family!

Happy Thrift Thursday!

Ham It Up Baby

Those of you tuning in expecting a cute story about my little baby,

who indeed, is quite a ham;

I'm sorry to dissapoint.  For I am talking about actual ham!

I have come to answer the age old question,

what do you do with leftover ham?

Well I thought I would share some of that good 'ole home cooking with you, 

straight from the hearts of my grandma and mom. 

Whenever I make a ham, I usually use some leftovers in my scrambled eggs, and almost always make Ham Broccoli and Rice casserole, but everytime (and this is in fact required in my family) I make ham and bean soup.  My whole family loves this soup, which is why we all make it I suppose.  Although each of us make it a little different to our tastes. My mom throws every type of bean known to man in there (garbanzo, kidney, northern, green, coffee beans*).  Whereas I'm not as big of a fan of beans so I use less.  This is how I made it earlier this week, and like I said before I don't really measure so I'm estimating what I used.

-Reserve juices from ham when it was cooked

-1 ham bone with ham on it

-4 cups chicken broth

-2 cups water

-3 carrots

-3  sm potatoes

-2 celery stalks

-1 onion

-2 cloves garlic

-2 bay leaves

-fresh parsley

-1 can great nothern beans

-2 cups green beans (I used frozen)

This makes a huge vat of it, it filled my 6 Qt crockpot to full, so you can easily cut in half if you don't want quite that much.  Basically what I did, was put everything in my crockpot and cooked it on high for 4 hrs. Then I took out the ham and cut it off the bone into little pieces and put it back in for another 15 mins or so just to get warm again. Super easy. IMHO the key for this soup being yummy is the reserve juices. Simply pour in a container and put in the fridge after you cook the ham. Don't worry about the fat, it will harden and you can take it out easily before you make the soup. You can easily play with the spices (be wary of adding salt though because with the juices and chicken broth it is already quite flavorful).

Good luck! 

Thanks to my mom and grandma for passing this on to me!

*Sarcasm detector: Please don't actually put coffee beans in your soup.  ;)

A Pinch of This

I love to cook.

I grew up living on a farm with my grandparents right across the driveway, which was such a blessing.  Some days the men would be out in the field all day long, and us women (my grandma, mom, sisters, and little girl me) would be in the kitchen cooking wonderful meals.  It is like I went to culinary school all my growing years.

We always used fresh veggies and herbs from the garden, and we even had fresh chicken, pork, lamb, and beef depending on what our animals were for 4-H that year.

I was truly spoiled.

When I was wed and finally lived in a house all my own,

it was my turn to be the head chef.  

I wasn't sure how I would do without the wisdom of mom and grandma there,

but I soon found out that it was in my blood. 

And those times when my blood failed me, mom was just a phone call away.

It seems like 50% of my phone calls to her are cooking questions.

Cooking is truly an art form.

I love being creative with it and making up my own recipes.

A pinch of this, a dash of that.

"How much should I put in?"

You know, whatever looks and feels right.

And my husband will tell you that my experiments thus far have turned out really good.

Granted he will eat anything and is slightly biased, but I'll take it!

I hope to share some of my favorite recipes with you in coming weeks,

if I can figure out what to write down.

It's Breakfast Time!

Today was one of those moments as a mother that I want to remember forever. I made Dominic pancakes for the first time! It may not seem like a big deal, but I see taking the time to make breakfast as a mark of a good mom. I was blessed to have a stay at home mom who is an excellent cook, a genetic gift I like to think she passed to me. :) Sure some mornings we had cereal, but quite often my mom made those yummy breakfast foods; waffles, french toast, cornmeal mush (my fav!), crepes, egg muffin, etc. Everything, no matter how big or little the effort was made with such love, also known as bacon. But today, making pancakes really hit me as a special moment. It was a little "I love you" to my precious growing son. We may have a busy day ahead of us, but let's take some time in the morning to sit and eat yumminess together. I hope one day it means as much to Dominic as my morning breakfast memories do to me. Thanks mom!

Ode to a Crockpot

Oh crockpot so big and perfect

where have you been?

Packed away in a box.

I have missed you.

But today is a new day and you are back in my life.

Oh what joy!

I throw a bunch of food in, and you make it tasty.

We have many happy days ahead of us.



Ham and bean soup.  YUM!