Quote of the Week

Learn to be satisfied.  It is

just as easy as being

dissatisfied-- and much

more pleasant.

Jacob de Jager

The Price is Right Game Night

Soo Much Fun!

Last night we had some friends over to play the price is right.  I am sure you could just buy a boxed game, but this was way more fun.  I am going to call this a craft because making the props took all my crafting skills. Of course Plinko was the big hit of the night and if you are going to make this buy a lot of dowels, it took me 5 trips to home depot before we had enough. Here is the list of all the games we made and hopefully you can tell from the picture what some of them looked like.  I am really excited to use this for birthday party's, family reunions, church activities and more. If you think you might want to try and make this stuff leave me a comment and I will tell you all the mistakes I made. 

Games:

It's in the bag

One Away

Bulls eye

Coming or Going

Plinko

Dice Game

Cliff Hanger

Check Game

Lucky Seven

Thats Too Much!

Hole in One

When and how to fertilize raspberries

 We got a lot of snow this weekend, which makes it the perfect time to fertilize raspberries.  Late winter, while there is still snow sprinkle some azalea food on top of the snow.  That is all.  As the snow melts the fertilizer is absorbed and believe me I have seen a difference in the years I do this and the years I forget.

Breakfast for Chickens

  Here is a quick picture of my chickens enjoying their breakfast of scrambled eggs and shells.

When I first got my chickens they were eating each others feathers so I did a little checking around and found out they needed protein. So I spoiled them and let them out of the coop to eat bugs.  That worked well in the summer when there was bugs to eat but what they really go crazy for is chicken scraps, eggs, shells and elk meat (I'm sure any red meat).  Now I am not going to give them good food, but the part of the chicken I won't eat or the egg left over from making french toast, or the left over roast I never got around to re-using.  It makes them happy, saves their feathers and makes bigger eggs.

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

Last weekend my nephews slept over and requested "normal pancakes" for breakfast.  I said whats a normal pancake and they said the white kind.  So I made buttermilk pancakes for them and my kids said they were blahh.  So this is what a normal pancake at our house is.  It is a great recipe because it does not require a grinder and has so much flavor you can eat just with fruit, or a bit of honey or syrup if you like.

Blender Pancakes:

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup wheat berries (just the regular wheat grain)

Add the following and blend for 1 to 2 min on the highest setting

Then add:

1 egg

1tsp. salt

1/3 cup of oil ( I never use oil you can easily substitute with applesauce or cottage cheese)

2/3 tsp. baking powder

2 tbs. honey

Blend all ingredients for 2 to 3 more minutes.  The thickness of your batter will depend on your blender so if it is too runny you will need to add more wheat or less milk then next time and just add some regular flour this time.  If the batter is still gritty then blend longer. I always double this recipe for our family of 6 and that leaves a few leftover for snacks later in the day.

Quote of the Week

For some reason this quote will not leave my mind lately.  My brain must be trying to tell me something.  It is from Jane Austins "Emma"

"Vanity working on a weak

mind creates all sort of mischief."

Quinoa Black Bean and Corn Salad

 I can not wait until summer, and not because of warmer weather and garden fresh veggies, but so I can eat this salad for dinner at least once a week.  It has a great lime and cilantro flavor and usually lasts for 2 to 3 dinners as a side dish.  I hope you like it as much as I do.  I  found the recipe on the Internet a while ago and have made it work for us.  First of all I have never been able to find red quinoa, and second of all I never put in the jalapeno peppers because that is going too far with the kids. I do prefer it more the second day after the flavors have mixed and sometimes I warm it up.

• Red Quinoa, black bean and corn salad
• Red quinoa and black bean salad
• FOR THE DRESSING:
• 5 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 whole Garlic Clove, Finely Mined
• ¼ cups Finely Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin, Or To Taste
• ⅓ cups Olive Oil
• ½ teaspoons Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
• _____
• FOR THE SALAD:
• 1-½ cup Red Quinoa (sold In Health Food Stores)
• 1 Tablespoon Table Salt, Add When Boiling Quinoa
• 1 can (14 Oz. Can) Black Beans, Drained, Rinsed
• 1-½ cup Corn Kernels, Fresh (cut From About 2 Large Ears)
• 1 cup Finely Chopped Colored Sweet Bell Peppers
• 1 whole Jalapeno Chilies, Seeded And Minced (wear Rubber Gloves)
• ¼ cups Finely Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• ¼ cups Finely Chopped Green Onions

Preparation Instructions

For the dressing:
In a small bowl whisk together lime juice, salt, minced garlic, chopped cilantro, and cumin and add oil in a stream, whisking. Add pepper to taste. Set aside.

For the salad:
In a large bowl soak quinoa for at least 15 changes of minutes. Drain in a large fine sieve.  Bring quinoa and 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and let cook for 20 min. covered.  Fluff with fork and cool completely.  ( I like to do this the night before and just put it in the fridge)

Combine in a large mixing bowl the beans, corn, remaining vegetables, herbs, and cooled quinoa. Toss gently with the dressing. Can be prepared a day ahead for flavors to combine. Serve at room temperature.