Homemade salad dressing

Making homemade salad dressing is unexpectedly easy.  You can mix just about anything that sounds good together.  The best part is that it doesn't have any artificial flavors or preservatives.
Tonight I made Parmesan Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette.  It was quite tasty.
Here's how ya do it:
1/4 c. olive or salad oil
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar (most vinaigrette recipes would call for a 1:1 ratio of oil to vinegar but I like it to be more tangy and have less fat)
1-2 T. real parmesan
1 tsp. minced garlic (about 1 medium clove)
salt and pepper

You can mix it up in any old bowl or pick up a dressing bottle that has a top and allows you to just shake it all up and then store any extra in the refrigerator.  They can be found at any grocery store with the packages of dressing mix.  One thing to note is that since there are no added preservatives, all the dressing should be used within about 2 weeks.

Another vinaigrette that I think is really wonderful is Rosemary Vinaigrette. 
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1 T. dried crushed rosemary
1-2 T. real parmesan, optional
salt and pepper

Two store bought combos I like mixing are salsa with light Ranch for taco salads (about 2:1) and, get ready for it, mixing light Ranch and Balsamic Vinaigrette together (about 1:1).  My mom actually came up with the second combination one time when she was about out of salad dressing.  It sounds scary but is actually very good, especially with cucumbers and tomatoes!

Closet dreams

Jason and I are building a closet for our three girls.  They share a long room upstairs that never had a proper closet.  I am so excited that they'll finally have a little more space and we'll be able to get rid of the ripped cloth one they've been using for the last few years.  I'm using this opportunity to start fresh in their room so after the closet is completed, new paint and bedding will be coming next (and hopefully new flooring as well).  I'll post pictures of our progress.
Here are some of where we're at now (of course I didn't take any true before pics):



Super Models

I bet you didn't know that I have two fabulous moms who just happen to be supermodels, did you? My mom is a super-model because she has showed me that when you do something, you should do it with all your heart. That hard work is important. That creativity is worth the effort. That God finds me beautiful. That children can't be spoiled with love.

My mother-in-law is a supermodel because she has showed me that loving is serving. That generosity is much more than just money. That spontaneity and flexibility are choices. That family is family, no matter the blood. That children can't be spoiled with love.

Old Fashioned Chicken

Recently I wanted to make a cake but was out of eggs. I searched online and found that you can use soda pop as a substitution. I tried it and it worked! I wanted to make chocolate frosting to go with it but was out of milk and cocoa (Are you noticing a theme? I got my hiney to the store today). I ended up using evaporated milk and a chocolate bar and we all thought it was quite good.

Because I had an almost full can of evaporated milk from the experimental frosting, I pulled out the only recipe that I could think of that uses evaporated milk: Old Fashioned Chicken. This is a dish I grew up with, athough I'm not sure if my mom came up with it or if it's been in the family for generations. It's not something I would typically make during the summer because the oven and stove are used, which heats up my kitchen, but once it was cooking I was so glad that I was going to get to eat it!


Old Fashioned Chicken
makes 8 servings

4 lbs. chicken, cut into pieces
1/4 c. flour
salt and pepper
cooking spray
8 oz mushrooms, quartered
3 cans whole potatoes
1 medium onion, cut into thin rings
2 cups evaporated milk, can use skim
1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper


Mix flour, salt and pepper in a large zippered bag. Throw a few pieces of chicken in the bag and shake. Heat heavy skillet, spray with cooking spray and add floured chicken. Continue adding chicken to the bag, then into the pan until all the chicken is browned on both sides. Place in a deep pan. Add potatoes, onions, and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with evaporated milk. Cook in 350 degree oven until tender and the sauce thickens (a little over 1 hour). This is delicious served along with roasted asparagus!

The Laundry Bandit

This picture makes me laugh.

Every time I see it.

These are a few of my favorite things

Last night as I climbed into bed, I took in the fresh smell of my clean sheets and felt so relaxed, happy, and content. I started thinking about how sometimes even really simple things can be absolutely wonderful. Here's a short list of some of those simple things for me.

Coffee in the morning
Clean, crisp sheets
Little kid laughs
Naps
A good book
Sewing
Weekends
Dancing
Spending time with girlfriends
Sushi
Bedtime stories with my kids
Talking and laughing with my husband at the end of the day
Having my hair played with
Running in Autumn

Pushing buttons and Underwear

She's touching me!
He looked at me!
She took my toy.
He ate my gum!
She's wearing my shirt.
She choked the dog!
She called me a baby.

Because it's summertime, my kids are spending quite a bit of time together. We all are spending almost every moment together, in fact. The kids' conversations these days remind me of my brother and I when we were kids. He loved to see if he could get me to lose my temper. I don't think he ever failed.
He knew what to say and do to drive me up the wall. The thing that he loved to do more than anything was to pretend to open the top drawer of my dresser. This drawer contained my underwear and to a 6 or 7 year old girl, especially a super modest, neurotic girl, that was absolute torture. He didn't have to even go in my room, all he had to do was make me think he was thinking about opening that drawer and I would go ballistic.
One time, when I was about 4 or 5, my older sister had a check-up at the pediatrician's office and I had to go along. While we were waiting I asked my dad to take me to the the bathroom. When I was finished I told him I needed some help getting my pants up. He reached down to pull my pants up but they wouldn't budge. He pulled up a pair of panties. Then another pair. And another. He pulled up 5 pairs of underwear before he came to my pants. He asked me why I was wearing so many pairs of underwear. I told him that way the doctor couldn't see me naked.
Luckily, none of my kids are quite as strange as I was (or should I say am?). But they do know how to make each other crazy. After the first few weeks of summer I instituted our daily quiet time. It lasts one hour and no one is allowed to talk or make requests during that time. I try to make it happen every day when they all have had enough of each other, fighting, noise, or when they're just plain tired. They actually seem to like it, or at least accept it and the Momma loves it! This is one summertime tradition that may see a comeback next year!