Recipes

Light and Fluffy Waffles and Snow

/ Lee Reynolds
This was a shot from our deck at 7:30 this morning…our first snowfall of 2014

To put you in the mood as you read this blog post, play the following YouTube video clip. It’s from one of my favourite Christmas movie’s called, “White Christmas.” It’s called, “Snow.” (click on the hyper-link if you can’t view below)

Snow, white and fluffy, reminding me of the ivory snow flakes I put into my homemade laundry soap, softly drifted down from the heavens last night. I felt the possibilities of such in my bones, as I went to pick up the children from school yesterday. At the time, only heavy wet rain drops were plopping on my windshield but later, when I had to take Grace to her Christmas choir rehearsal, it had changed to the white stuff. Oh the first snowfall of the year is glorious.

I LOVE snow. A peaceful feeling and memories of childhood envelope me, as I’m in awe over our first snowfall. One of my favourite memories from childhood, was being bundled into my red one piece snow suit and going outside with my family to play in the snow. This was when we lived in Hope, B.C., back when my Dad was still alive. We made a massive snowman, taller than my dad and he even had a lap for me to sit on. Pictures of me with my three older sisters and Dad, and of course our snowman, are treasured photos now.

The smell of crisp, cold winter days also fill me with joy, as I remember the times when my step Dad, Bud and I would go and feed our horses. As our green Ford truck would come into view, our horses would lift up their heads and snorts of mist would puff from their noses, as they sauntered over to meet us at the gate. My horse, Blondie’s velvet nose would push me in the tummy, and she would nuzzle me until I gave her the carrot or apple in my pocket. Knowing she was as happy to see me, as I was to see her, made those cold, snowy days, magical moments. She of course is long gone, along with my father, and my step father but as snow falls, my thoughts of them bring them alive once more.

Last night, the little ones had a hot tub before going to bed. As we lifted the hot tub cover, steam rolled up into the night sky. Safely, under the cover of our upper deck, the children floated around and their excited voices echoed into the blanketed white. “Can we go and play in it”? They asked? “Sure,” I said, so they climbed out wearing nothing but their birthday suits. They ran to the edge of our deck, gingerly touching their naked toes on the white ground, and then they ran back to the hot tub, giggling, filled with glee. My step Dad, Bud would have looked at me and said, “making memories.”

At bedtime, all warm in their fleece jammies, we read a story called, “Big Snow” by Jonathan Bean. It was about a little boy who while “helping” his mother do some holiday cleaning, was antsy as he kept a watchful eye on the progress of the winter snowfall. He was hoping for a big snow. Inside, he is underfoot, turning  white sheet changing and tub scrubbing into imaginary whiteouts. I love when his father comes home early from work and the whole family goes out for a walk in the deep snow.

It was the perfect book to read to our children on our first night of snow. I hope they have magical memories of this special time of year.

This Saturday morning, I had to get up early and take D to the hospital where he was undergoing a colonoscopy. Groan! Yes, I know, not the most fun procedure in the world and certainly not delightful to prepare for. I felt truly bad for him as he was up most of the night. I’ve just returned from dropping him off at our local hospital and also taking our oldest son, Clark to his job at the Science Centre. There was a sleepover there last night and Clark is on the first shift this morning, getting the kids their breakfast, making flubber, etc. I’m sure they will be talking about snow and perhaps looking at snowflakes through a microscope, exploring the marvelous world of science. Serious fun!

I’m going to make a quick batch of my light and fluffy waffles for the kids. Harrison was at a birthday party last night. Do you call it that when teens are turning 16? It was suppose to be a sleepover but at 10:30 he appeared home and as he poured himself a bowl of cereal, he said they had done everything he had wanted to and he knew his Dad was going to the hospital in the morning and I may need him. Yes, there were moments this week when I had to shake my head at some of his teenage judgement calls, but then he rises to the occasion, like last night and I think, “okay, maybe he will be ready to learn to drive soon.” He turns 16 next month. I have a month to ponder that.

So I’m making waffles this morning and realized I haven’t put a breakfast recipe on my blog yet. Do you want a great waffle recipe? This one has a few extra steps than the basic waffle recipe but it results in light and fluffy waffles. Waffles your family will remember as being the best they have ever eaten! So make up a batch for your family, serve them near a window, so they can eat and enjoy the magic going on outside, no matter where you live in the world. Making Memories!

Hope’s Light and Fluffy Waffles

  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1¾ cups whole milk
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 oz (½ stick) whole butter
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)

Directions

    1. Pre-heat your waffle iron to its hottest setting.

 

    1. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

 

    1. Separate the eggs. Put the whites in a glass bowl and the yolks in another.

 

    1. Melt the butter over a low heat, then remove it and let it cool

 

    1. Beat the yolks thoroughly. Whisk in the milk, oil and melted butter.

 

    1. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff. Then add the sugar and continue mixing until you get nice stiff peaks. (This makes the waffles fluffy)

 

    1. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and mix gently until combined.

 

    1. Carefully fold in the beaten egg whites to the batter, don’t over mix.

 

    1. Spray both surfaces of your waffle iron with cooking spray.

 

    1. Pour ½ to ¾ cup (depending on your waffle iron) batter onto the iron and close it.

 

    1. Cook until the waffle iron’s indicator light shows that cooking is complete, or until no more steam comes out. The finished waffle should be golden brown and crispy.

 

  1. Lift the waffle out of the iron with a pair of tongs and either serve right away or transfer it to the oven to keep warm.
I add some fruit, some syrup and sprinkle it with icing sugar and serve it to the girls.

 

The little girls have been wearing their bear hats all week…Bears love waffles!
Me yelling, “Harrison” come and get it….I really have to start using a bell at mealtime

 

 

My older kids love weekends when we make waffles etc and take time for breakfast
Grace is always up for a smoothie

Add a fruit smoothie to the breakfast and you’ve given your family a healthy start to the day along with memories of icing sugar sprinkled waffles on snow covered mornings.

Fruit Smoothie

This is the one I make most often as all my children love it.

Add some crushed ice to the bottom of your blender…I use about 1- 2 cups.

Then I fill 1/2 of my blender, about 4-6 cups with whatever milk we have on hand….almond, rice, or cow’s milk…let your taste be your guide

I then add 1 – 1 1/2 cups of yogurt…strawberry or blueberry is our choice

Add a banana and then frozen fruit…we like blueberries and strawberries. The more you add the fruitier the smoothie…also my girls like more strawberries for a pink colour smoothie ….but lots of blueberries looks great too…not to mention loaded with antioxidents.

Blend it until everything is well combined and serve.

(Note…I like to add some ground flax seeds for extra fibre for my smoothie but some kids don’t like it) 

Well, blog readers, I hate to leave you mid blog but the hospital just called and it’s time to pick up D and bring him home. I’m going to add some scrambled eggs to his breakfast when he gets home. He must so hungry since he hasn’t eaten since Thursday night!

While I’m off, I’m going to leave the little ones home with Harrison and Grace. I’ve promised them a special video to watch while I’m gone. Have you ever watched the “Snowman” movie? I’m adding a link below and maybe you can watch it with your family on the next wintery day. (unless you live in Florida like my good friend, K)

The music is hauntingly beautiful and reminds me of when my older children were playing their violins and cello, with our local Carriage House String Orchestra.  Alyssa also, played it on the piano and I wonder if Grace, who is now taking voice lessons, will sing it in the future. Tingles cover my arms as I listen, knowing angels are listening to it with me. Wrap yourself up with warm memories and know, each moment you are making more magic in the world.

Okay, I’ve got to run but I hope you enjoy this movie and the music as well. Here’s the YouTube video of “The Snowman.”...for young and old. (click on the hyper link if you can’t view below)

 

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

 

Lest We Forget and Lentil Soup

/ Lee Reynolds

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

~An excerpt from Laurence Binyon’s poem, “They Shall Grow Not Old”~

What does Remembrance day and lentil soup have in common? Well from as far back as I can remember, November 11th was normally cold, dreary and wet, so soup just seems to be the appropriate thing to eat. Warmed the bones and the heart. Also, it’s something that you can make easily that doesn’t take tremendous effort and yet it’s satisfying at the end of the day.

But today the weather is glorious. I woke up to blue skies and although I knew it was cold outside as there was frost, FINALLY, on the ground. Even though the weather was nice, albeit cold, I still felt like soup. On a day when I think of my step father Bud and all the war stories he told of his years in the navy, I want to wrap myself in a blanket, eat soup and be thankful for those who gave up their lives so I could live in freedom.

Before starting my soup though, I decided to go out to the garden, one last time to salvage any remaining vegetables so I could make one last fresh juice from our garden. So with clippers in hand, out I went picking an assortment of things.

I picked kale, swiss chard, parsley, and even some lavender and also gathered some leek seeds
In the war days people were encouraged to grow Victory Gardens and these last vegetables of the season would have been precious.

 

So with the last vegetables form our garden, I juiced a a delicious vegetable drink with a bit of ginger

 

This is the stuff that helps me keep up with these little ones

 

D, who had been out in the garage attic, looking for skates, skis and winter boots, came in for a drink….Cheers D!

 

Bottoms up, Victoria and Kate

 

Will, who was outside helping D find skates…came in when he heard the juicer…he LOVES his green drink!

So with delicious juice in our tummies, the boys went back to the garage attic, and the little girls continued colouring, (check out the Activity Village site for great free colouring pages you can print off…there is something for every age) and I got started on my lentil soup for dinner. I wanted to get the soup made and simmering, and then head back out to the garden. The weather was really nice and since our compost bin was full, I needed to dig a hole to put our kitchen compost scraps somewhere.

I love soup. It’s my ultimate comfort food and as a mom, I like how I can make it early in the day and it just gets better as it simmers on the back burner. I know we are going to eat a healthy dinner without any mad scramble at the end of the day and I can spend a good bulk of my day, doing what I  love or dig into a bigger project. Literally, today I would be digging holes to put debris I couldn’t cram in the compost any longer.

If you like making soup too, join me as I chop and talk. I don’t need a recipe for soup, I just start with my stock pot, some extra virgin olive oil, onions, garlic and seasoning and then add what I have on hand. Here’s how I’m making my soup today.

And before we get going, let’s put on a song called, “We’ll Meet Again.” by Vera Lynn…this takes me back to when I was small and even though I was born at the tail end of the baby boom generation,…I remember hearing these songs from my childhood and they left a lasting impression

Hope’s Remembrance Day Lentil Soup

Ingredients

2 cups of dried green lentils
1 cup chopped onions (2 large onions)
1 cup chopped leeks, white part only (depending on the size, maybe 2 leeks)…from my garden, yes!
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup medium-diced celery (3 stalks)
2 cups diced carrots (3 to 5 carrots)
8 cups of vegetable stock
2 fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup of tomato sauce,,,,I had some left over spaghetti sauce in the fridge
2 tablespoons red wine or red wine vinegar
Sour Cream, fresh parsley for topping….opt freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Saute onions, leeks, garlic with olive oil. Add seasonings, cook for 20 minutes until the vegetables are translucent.

 

 Add the seasonings and continue to cook. Ahhh… layering the flavours
In a large pot, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

Add the celery and carrots and cook for 10 more minutes.
 Add the tomatoes, cook for another 5 minutes
Add drained lentils and vegetable stock

 





Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are soft. Taste the soup and add any last seasoning to taste. Add the red wine and serve hot, topped with sour cream, parsley, grated parmesan cheese.

 While the soup is simmering, let’s make my easy and quick, dinner buns.

I love the smell of bread baking in the kitchen don’t you? Pure comfort!

Hope’s Quick and Easy Dinner buns

    • 4 1/2 cups flour

 

    • 4 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

 

    • 1 cup milk

 

    • 3/4 cup water

 

    • 1/2 cup margarine or butter

 

    • 1/3-1/2 cup white sugar

 

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

 Directions

1. Mix 2 cups of flour and yeast in a large bowl

2. In a separate bowl, heat milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to a lukewarm in the microwave or on the top of the stove

3. Add all at once to flour mixture and mix until smooth. I use my kitchenaid stand mixer

4. Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough..2 -21/2 cups

5. Mix well until dough is soft and slightly sticky, then turn out onto a floured surface and let it rest under a greased bowl for 15 minutes.

6. Shape dough into balls and place on a greased baking pan…I like to top the buns with a mixture of oatmeal, ground flax seed and sunflower seeds but you can top it with anything you have on hand…or nothing.

7. Cover with a tea towel for 45 minutes to let it rise

8. Bake in preheated oven at 400 F for 12 to 15 minutes

  So with the soup on the back burner, and the buns rising, I decided to make some healthy cookies as well since our cookie jar was empty and tomorrow the kids are going back to school.

I always think of my mother in law, Doreen when I make cookies. My husband says that his mom never made cookies for him and 3 siblings. She used to say, “I would make cookies, but they will just get eaten.” Which I always thought was so funny. Another thing D would say if we hadn’t heard from her in a while (since they didn’t live in our town and to connect meant we had to call long distance) she would say, “I would have phoned, but I didn’t know if you would be home.”

Now don’t get me wrong at all, D’s mom Doreen was a LOVELY lady but she was quirky sometimes. I certainly had my moments with her when she was alive and some things really set me off, but when I hear other women complaining about their mother in laws, I wish I could give them some advice and tell them to treasure the days. If stuff is coming up, then it’s a good thing and an opportunity to look at yourself in the mirror.  I wish I had been a more tolerant and loving daughter in law. I see it now but it’s all in hindsight, although on this Remembrance day, I’m not just thinking of the veterans, I’m thinking of lost moments with people like Doreen. She was a special person and I don’t know if I ever told her that when she was alive. 

In memory of Doreen and things that I’m learning, my kitchen motto is, “you can never have too many cookies and the faster they get eaten the better.” ~by Lee Reynolds~

So with that, here is the Cookie Recipe I’m making today.

I have a general basic cookie recipe that I use and I just change the add ons based on what I have in my pantry and often the time of year as well. Today, it feels like we need a cinnamon type cookie…something soft, chewy and a bit spicy.  Something that feels like a comfort cookie. Wish you were here Alyssa….you too Doreen!

 Hope’s Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of margarine

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups oatmeal

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

Now this is where you get creative…today

1 cup of walnuts

1 cup of dried cherries…which I love but my husband said he wished I had put in raisins

My older kids said they wished we had white chocolates and pecans….but I didn’t….and anyway that isn’t as healthy but you see what I mean…this is where you can create your own cookie combo….today for us..it was walnuts and cherries…oh almonds and coconut…maybe with a few chocolate chips would be good too. Okay, you see, the cookie baker in me gets carried away. These turned out really chewy, a nice soft texture and not too sweet…the cherries were a nice touch 

Directions.

Cream the butter in a large bowl…I use my kitchenaid mixer

 Add the white and brown sugar

 Add the 3 eggs, mixing well after each addition

 Mix all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, the flour, oatmeal, etc and then add them to the butter, sugar and egg mixture. See the consistency below.

 Now the part I often ask my kids to help me with so I can get outside…whoever is in the house and there is usually one older child lingering around the kitchen…usually our 15 year old Harrison although today it’s Clark……I get him to bake the cookies in a preheated oven…350 degrees F…for 10 minutes or until golden brown…if you over bake the cookies they will be crunchy…we like them soft so we find around 10 minutes is perfect.

As you can see from this picture, the sun is shining into my kitchen…time to get outside

 The cookie jar is full, AND there is a tupperware container of cookies in the freezer as well. This makes 3 dozen, nice size cookies

 But first, since D has been trying on skates, I thought it would be nice to offer a cookie…..

 

And also offer one to Harrison who was out raking a few leaves for my compost pile.

One of my compost bins…absolutely full. So I decided to do some trench composting. (Makes me think of the men in the trenches during war.) Have you heard of it? It’s where you dig a hole in your garden and deposit your kitchen scraps and leaves or any debris from your garden and at this time of year…there is LOTS. Everything decomposes exactly where you need it.

So whenever we have a full bucket with kitchen scraps, which is daily in our house, we dig a big hole, put the scraps in and top them with leaves…nothing like composting in the spot you want to enrich your soil. The little girls have really gotten into helping mom as you can see.

 

The top two pictures were taken last week, when my tomatoes etc were still in the garden

 

 

 

These pictures were taken this weekend…it’s really taken a turn towards winter but we can still dig in the garden

So after being out in the garden in the afternoon, it was nice to come in and have a cup of hot cocoa and a cookie and chat about what Remembrance Day means to my children

They do understand the sacrifice others have made for them and appreciate the peace we are living in right now.  Lest we forget.

 And now it’s time to dish up dinner, open up the Pumpkineater ale my brother in law B gave us. It’s from Howe Sound Brewing on the Sunshine coast…brewed with barley, fresh roasted pumpkin, hops, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, water and yeast. Apparently produced in very limited quantities. Thanks B…wish you were here.

Now, I’m not normally much of a beer drinking but I do recall my mom and her friends all going to the legion after the Remembrance day ceremonies so I’m giving it a go….plus doesn’t it sound like it would compliment lentil soup? (It was good…but strong)

Clark is showing me how to pour the ale

 

Our 21 year old drinking his protein shake AND the ale at dinner…thanks for baking the cookies Clark

 

 

D, loves when I’m taking pictures for my blog…as he doesn’t have to dish up himself!

Before we eat, let’s give thanks for the abundance in our lives and today, for those who fought bravely so that we could live freely and in peace. Amen

 

If you are unable to see the YouTube video of the Remembrance Day…last post click on the hyperlink

This blog post is dedicated to my step father, J. R. Finch, my uncle Stan Herrling, my uncle Gordon Clark, and also to my mother in law, Doreen. May you all rest in peace and know how much you were loved

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

(p.s. this post was written on November 11, 2014…but didn’t get published until the 12th)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vegetarian Chili~Growing Older and Wiser?

/ Lee Reynolds

Dearest blog readers, I’m sorry I haven’t written many posts this week but it’s been a birthday week for me. First, to celebrate my best friend T’s birthday on the 5th, and then mine yesterday. I’ve spent the whole week being introspective and reflecting on my wishes the last time I blew out a blaze of candles. I have grown a year older, but I wonder, am I any wiser?

At the beginning of the week I was feeling rather blue. I know it had a lot to do with the consumption of sugar from Halloween, which I tried to curtail but in the moment it’s fun to try a little of everything from the treat bowl. It takes me right back to my childhood but now I understand how damaging processed sugar is towards our health. It’s evil wrapped in brightly coloured packages.

As we ate a few treats with our children, D and I were remembering the little boxes of raisins, the handfuls of peanuts and the apples we would receive during our childhood trick or treat forays. Whatever happened to those? Our kids looked horrified and said, if they received anything like THAT, it would be suspect and they would probably have to throw it out. I was thinking, NOT if we knew our neighbours better. Anyway, this isn’t a blog about Halloween treats, but the sugar dump from that occasion prompted my depressed feelings.

Sadly, I kept them growing, (have you ever done this?) by allowing myself to think about both of my parents who are no longer on this earth school. You’d think I’d get used to that loss, after all I have spent most of my life without my Dad physically present and it’s been 2 1/2 years since my mom passed away. On special occasions, like Halloween and my birthday week, it doesn’t get any easier. Do you know what I mean?

Thankfully, I snapped myself out of my glum at least a bit, by banning the sugar. I took all the kid’s Halloween loot and our remaining candy bags that we didn’t give out and  put it all in the garage.  Now you may be thinking, “why did you take the kids candy too?” My response is, because just like clockwork, a few days after the candy gorge, all my little ones, and big ones started to feel yucky. Hmmmm, no wonder. Am I getting any wiser? At the twin’s preschool class, after their morning circle time, I heard their teacher asking whether they had any candy left from trick or treating, and one child said they traded in their candy for a toy. What do you think of that?

Anyway, my plan was, we would forget all about the said candy and when we did find the hardened candy bars and stale chip bags the next time my husband did a wood working project, my children (and me) would not find it appealing any longer. Can you compost that stuff? PROBABLY NOT! I transgress.

On Monday, I started my meditation with Dr. Deepak Chopra and Oprah, (are you joining me?) and my first session stirred up some emotions I thought I had let go. The meditation series is called, “The Energy of Attraction.”    and day one was about the Nature of Desire. The centering thought was, “my life moves forward through desire,” and the quote for the day was;


“You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed.” ― Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
As I explored my feelings, I realized I was still grieving over the loss of our Christmas tree farm and  if my deepest desire wasn’t coming true, what did that make me? I had so wanted to be living in the country by this birthday.
So Tuesday started with me being rather glum again, until I found my sister C at my doorstep with hugs, kind words and a lovely lavender coloured bag heavy with birthday surprises. She also brought a few keepsakes that belonged to my father and mother. She had kept them all this time and wanted me to have them. Although she was with me only a short time on Tuesday, the connection was sweet, loving and meaningful. (thank you C)
My sister C said that since I was writing, (and our daughter Alyssa too…check out her Introvert in the Corner blog) perhaps I would like our Dad’s typewriter (he was a writer as well) and a few of our mother’s beloved books. Perfect for reading by the fire throughout the winter. After C left, I place them on mom’s Hope chest in our Den, under our family portraits with a little angel between them.
I felt so buoyed by her impromptu visit, that I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and join a meditation support group that was held at our local library Tuesday night. I felt safe very quickly and the evening was wonderful and restorative, but  L O N G. We sat in a circle and during our second meditation session, I sensed rainbow filled light energy slowly circling around us and above us, creating a tunnel with vibrating, coloured light and at the top was brilliant white light.

Before the session was over, the newcomers continued to meditate, while the regulars in the group, laid hands on our heads with silent blessings. Before the first hands were felt on my head, there was a soft rush of warm air and the feeling of peace.

It was an amazing experience, until I went to get up. After sitting cross legged for almost 2 hours of meditating, chanting and discussing experiences that brought us joy, my right foot had gone totally numb. When I went to stand, my foot didn’t move and as I looked down at my non functioning appendage, it appeared to resemble a rubber fake foot, totally disengaged from my leg. Ahhhhh! Looking back it was so funny, but in the moment I thought I would never walk again.

After that Tuesday night meditation session, my week got even better. On Wednesday, I remembered how blessed I was to have a best friend in T as I sent her a birthday card and wrote a blog post about our friendship . How can we ever stay in a place of sadness when we start to count our blessings. Thanks mom for that lesson and to you, T for being my dearest friend.

Then on Thursday morning, D came home to watch the little girls, while I attended the PAL’s kindergarten program, where parents are inspired to assist their young learners towards literacy, numeracy etc. I came home excited to rearrange our family room, so our children could access the various play things we had in our home. They just needed to be organized to a degree where they were readily accessible. As I worked away, before the older kids came home from school, I dropped into a funk again, as I recalled how functional the Christmas tree farm house would have been. It was the perfect lay out and flow for our family dynamic. While our current home is great, it wasn’t designed to house 6 children, not to mention 8, when everyone is home.

Later that night though, my spirits soared as I found out Harrison’s volleyball team did really well at their play-offs. His high school is known for, “Honour and Excellence” and isn’t the largest high school in our small town but they are known for their strong academics. Normally, the boys sports teams don’t do incredibly well at play offs but this year they made it to third place.  That is HUGE and so while others may wonder why we were so happy, the fact they didn’t come in last was a big deal for a rag tag team.

And if that weren’t enough, while at the volleyball play-offs, D received a call that Grace had been chosen to play the lead, “Holly Day,” in our elementary school’s Christmas concert. She will have the most speaking and singing parts of anyone. We were absolutely thrilled and Grace, who is 11, and is in grade 6, as well as grade 6 in piano with the Royal Conservatory, and a voice student at our local music school, was stunned when she heard. She thought she did well at the audition but she came home saying there were some girls with wonderful voices so she wasn’t holding out much hope for a big part. Did I mention she is humble? I however am very proud of her and it really was another highlight in our week.

So many great things happening in one week and yet, I still felt sad, like a black umbrella of dark emotions covered my head.

I don’t know about you, but I always find I’d rather skip my birthday totally, as so much STUFF comes up. On my actual birthday, yesterday, November 8th, I woke up wanting to sleep the day away rather than face what was to come. Since it was Saturday and nothing was planned, I thought sleeping in a bit would wash away the negative feelings, but it just made it worse. When you are a mom to 8 kids, 6 of whom are still living at home, you know you can’t take even a day off, let alone a morning from ANYTHING. So when I finally did get up, the kids were hungry, the laundry pile was huge, the dishwasher needed to be emptied and filled again, the cats were meowing. Well you get the idea. You don’t really have a day off…even on your birthday.

Now I’m not normally a person who believes her glass is half empty, as you have probably figured out from reading any of my blog posts but I kept looking at what I didn’t have in my life. I wouldn’t be selling Christmas trees this holiday season or baking cookies in my new farm kitchen. I wouldn’t be organizing a large children’s play room or getting chicken eggs from our coop. Oh crap! What a roller coaster of emotions…UNTIL.

My sister J came to our door, totally unexpected but boy was I happy to see her shining face and feel her warm hug. Amongst the mess of our house and chaos of noisy children, we somehow shared a pot of “David’s Mother’s Helper tea, my oldest sister B had given me during her last visit in October. (see the Get Grounded Earthlings post…thank you B) It was lovely to sink into a chair and talk to J about the week and also share some of my feelings. Do we ever really know how deeply we touch each other? And also, why  certain people are put onto our path and in our lives.

I don’t think my sister J knew the extent of my blues. I like to believe I’m quite an upbeat positive person and as a result good things keep showing up for me but for some reason when my birthday comes around, I feel sad. Is it about getting a year older? Maybe. Although one of my mantras is, “I’m ageless!” Seeing my cake glowing brighter with more candles every year though reminds me in one sense, how many years I have experienced on earth and then it also reminds me that I AM growing wiser as well. I am more enlightened. Feeling melancholy is okay, and actually part of the process. We need to feel the depths of sadness in order to recognize great joy when it arrives. It’s part of growing as a soul.

After J left, I picked up my socks, literally and figuratively, since my laundry pile was knee high (and full of socks to be partnered) and she had lifted my spirits. As I cleaned and organized, our 15 year old son Harrison, made me a decadent chocolate cake, complete with bits of left over Halloween chocolates on top. (I gave him some of the stash) D and I made dinner and the evening turned out really better than I had ever expected after such a emotional week.

I blew out the flurry of candles, to cheers from the children, and then marvelled over the thoughtful gifts everyone had chosen for me. I felt more and more blessed. Today, as I look again at all my new treasures, I see there is a theme, as if everyone got together and chose something unique and special that belonged with the next gift. Although, I don’t have my farm, YET, everyone gave me a little piece of HOPE to keep my dreams alive.

The collection of thoughtful gifts given by my sisters, friends and even our oldest son took time to find something for his me

 

So Happy Birthday to me!….I’m getting older…and yes a bit wiser.

And since I’m a fall baby, perhaps you want to share in cooking one of my favourite fall dinners, Vegetarian Chili…recipe is below. Can you believe that as of today, we still haven’t had any frost in our area and I still had tomatoes, green peppers, hot red peppers and carrots etc. growing in our garden. When you find abundant blessings this late in fall what do you do? Make vegetarian chili.

Can you believe we are still eating from our garden…and it’s November!

The little kids helped out in the garden today…it’s starting to get cold now but…

 

I’ve never picked anything in our garden this late in the fall…tomatoes, peppers, carrots, kale, swiss chard, parsley..all still going,,,,but tomorrow is bringing cold weather at last

 

While I was at it, I put some of my hot red chili peppers in the dehydrator for my next chili

If you are wanting something to lift your spirits, make this chili and think of me.

Hope’s Vegetarian Chili

It helps to get everything chopped ahead of time
Ingredients
  • 2 large 28oz cans of whole tomatoes and their juice or if you canned any of your own….a large jar of stewed tomatoes..also if you have some fresh tomatoes, chop and use as well
  • 2 can of beans, drained and rinsed (I used kidney..but you can use anything)
  • 2 cup of frozen corn
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 2 small peppers or one large pepper, diced (I used a green but you can use any colour)
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 large onion, diced…I used two smaller ones
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons of cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1-3 tablespoons chili powder (more will be spicier)
  • ¼-2 teaspoons of chili flakes (I used fresh red hot chili peppers from our garden)
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Optional toppings: sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro,  parsley, diced avocados or green onion.

 

Instructions
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 1 minute. .Add celery and saute until tender. Add spices and cook stirring for about 30 seconds.
2. Add carrots, peppers and cut up fresh tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Once the chili begins to simmer, reduce the heat to a medium low.  
3. Add beans
4. Add corn
5. Add stewed tomatoes

6. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium low. Continuing cooking chili for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ready to serve anytime you are ready to eat. 

We served our chili on a bed of rice, along with a corn meal muffin and kale salad. We also like sour cream and grated cheese on top but tonight we put a sprig of parsley…still growing in our garden. 

What a great, healthy fall dinner…..perfect for celebrating fall birthdays.

And to top a fall birthday dinner….chocolate cake of course…made specially by our son Harrison
This is the recipe from my blog post, “The Places that Scare You”

Thanks Harrison. I know I said taking Foods at school was a waste of time since we also teach these life skills at home, But you are turning into a really good cook and gee, since we have to eat everyday for our whole life this is a good skill to hone. I’m now a big proponent of these life skill courses in the later grades in school. Yummy!

Even May Ling is interested in cake

I listen to a wide variety of music but this week, whenever I got into my van…ha…Van Morrison sang to me. This particular song spoke to me this week, “When God Shines His Light.” (click on this hyper link if you are not able to see the YouTube below)…..I don’t know why but it lifted me up…I hope you enjoy it and know one of the blessings I count each day, is having you reading my blog. THANK YOU!

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

Halloween Sugar Cookies and Fruit Pumpkins

/ Lee Reynolds
This year I made a scary Farmer out of paper mache and surrounded him with pumpkin friends

 

Over our front entrance is a large spider made out of a stuffed garbage bag

It’s over for another year! Spooky memories and fun dress up moments are behind us. My camera packed with oodles of pictures remembering another tradition marking our little one’s childhood years. Our big ones too.

Harrison ready for the dance

Our Halloween celebrations started when I went to my Sacred Circle book club last Wednesday to discuss the book, “The Places that Scare Us.” by Pema Chodron. While we were talking about our fears, my 15 year old was at his high school Halloween dance. He pulled an outfit together after school on Wednesday,  don’t ask me what he was wearing, a cross between a Mexican Amigo and a prisoner. Notice his striped pants which I thought were odd but he felt it went with the ensemble. Who am I to judge?

I really miss our older son Mitchell, who is away at his first year of University. He always used to come up with the most creative outfits with minutes to spare. It used to drive me crazy since I’m a huge planner and a bit controlling, okay, who am I kidding, a lot controlling, but he seemed to enjoy the whole process of selecting his Halloween outfits.

Mitchell dressed up at his Campo Cello summer camp…..I think this was the year they were playing songs by The Beatles

On Friday I dropped the little girls off at their preschool where they were having a Halloween party.

 

 

As soon as I dropped the girls off at preschool,

Fireman William

I raced over to help at Will’s kindergarten class
where his teacher had planned a Scavenger hunt, Halloween bingo, a craft centre making Witch’s hands (plastic gloves, with candy corn for fingernails, filled up with popcorn, then tied with an elastic and the finishing touch, a plastic spider ring on one of the fingers, and an imagination
table full of Halloween stickers and stamps.

They had a great time and the snacks were yummy too.

Here’s a few pictures of his kindergarten party.

 

 

 I love, LOVE the fruit pumpkins that a few moms brought to the party…check it out!
Also, tucked behind, is the basket of sugar cookies I brought…notice it’s almost empty!

 

  After Will’s party, I raced home to relieve D of the little girl’s care. After preschool he picked them up and brought them home as the kindergarten party was longer than their time at preschool. He returned to work where they were having a Halloween social luncheon and the girls and I put the finishing touches on the outside decorations, see above, and dragged our old mini stereo outside so we could play scary music for the trick or treaters later.
Grace invited a friend over for a Halloween sleepover, so after an early dinner, they headed off first into the night….dressed up as flower children from the 60’s.  Again, no input from me, like her brother, she pulled the whole outfit together from our tickle trunk. I was really proud how sustainable and creative we were this Halloween, using what we had without consuming.
Not the best picture but the girls were so anxious to get out the door….peace out!
Then it was time to get the little people dressed for the night. Did I mention that it rained most of the day? Thankfully, the showers stopped long enough while they were out trick or treating, however it was a lot of fun avoiding puddles wearing long princess gowns.
Happy Halloween 2014, Will is a Ninja, Kate is a Fairy Princess, Victoria is a Queen, of course!
 Notice how bundled the little ones are….there are layers and layers under their dresses and Ninja Costumes….but hey, when I was little, our mom would put our coats on over our costume so I think this is so much better from a dress up point of view. At least we don’t live farther up north!
Well that is a few snap shots into our Halloween in case you were interested. What I am really happy to share with you is a long time favourite recipe for Sugar Cookies, which I make for every occasion. At Christmas, they are our fav cookie and we decorate trees, angels, stars and candy canes all out of my sugar cookie recipe, but at Halloween time, OF COURSE they are Pumpkins.
If you don’t have a great Sugar Cookie recipe, you have to try this one. The secret is in the nutmeg, not rolling them too thin so they are chewy and of course not over baking them.
So tuck this recipe away until next year, or save for the next holiday where you need sugar cookies. I hope it becomes a tradition for your family too.
Enjoy!
Hope’s Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
4 cups all purpose Flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional…but I never delete it)
11/2 cups of butter…I use half margarine and butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups white granulated sugar
4 eggs
 
Directions
 
Measure flour without sifting, add baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Stir well to blend.
 
Cream shortening in mixing bowl until fluffy. Add vanilla and gradually add sugar mixing until creamy.
 
Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add dry ingredients. Combine thoroughly.
Chill dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours/ overnight is best
I break the dough into four packets…wrapping it in wax paper.
When you are ready to bake, roll out chilled dough on a lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin. 
Cut out cookies close together using floured cookie cutters….I use a Tupperware Pumpkin shaped cutter.
Place on lightly greased or sprayed cookie sheet 2 inches apart…for chewy cookies make sure they are thick…unless you like a crunchy sugar cookie then roll out thinner
Bake in a preheated oven 375 degree F. for 8 to 10 minutes…watch it closely. Put cookies onto a cooling rack until cool.
Frost with a butter icing and decorate with candies of your choice. I love the spearmint green chewy candies for the stems and then like candy corn for the nose although this year we couldn’t find them at the Super Store…all sold out…so I improvised. Chocolate chip pieces are great for eyes and mouths…although this year the little girls and I selected different candies for the eyes and nose…be creative!
And here is the basket of sugar cookies I took to the Kindergarten party.
my sugar cookies…they went fast!
Thanks so much for coming for a visit. Hey and before I go…don’t forget about Dr. Deepak Chopra’s meditation challenge...it starts tomorrow/ There is still time to register for this free guided meditation session. I’d LOVE if you joined with me….and I hope to write a few blog posts about meditating, and also creating the life we desire.
 I’d better get to bed as I’m going to get up early and connect with my soul. Here’s the link….or click on the hyper link words above if you are using an apple product.

 

 

Life is so good! I hope you join me in the meditation challenge called, “Energy of Attraction”…..let Deepak “mind the time” as you connect with the greater part of you. May all your dreams come true.

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

The Places That Scare You!~Chicken Casserole with Chocolate Cake

/ Lee Reynolds

BOO!

Okay, so you’re not scared. It’s only a picture of our twins, trying on the Halloween outfit they will wear to their preschool party on Friday. I couldn’t resist though as they were so darn cute. But going back to the word,”BOO!” Was I ever a bit scared four years ago this week, when I went in for my first ultrasound after finding out I was pregnant. I’ll never forget the ultrasound technologist telling us that she wasn’t a Doctor and therefore couldn’t tell us anything….but she said she could show us “something”, and then she moved her ultrasound wand across my lower belly and said, “here is one “thing”, and here is two.”

My husband who was casually chewing gum and holding Will throughout the exam didn’t stop chewing, instead he said,”look Will, there is your new baby brother or sister.” He hadn’t picked up on what the technologist was showing us AT ALL

I, on the other hand am an old hand at ultrasounds and was heightened to every word she uttered from the time she asked us to follow her into the exam room. You see, I had been spotting and was so scared  the first words I would hear were, “I’m so sorry there is no heart beat.” So when I saw those two flickering heart beats I was elated, truly excited, but yes also extremely scared.  We called them our Boo babies at the time.

When D and I left the building I stopped him before we got to the car and said, “you know what she was showing us don’t you?” And he just went, “Huh?” And it was then I uttered the words, “Twins!” He stopped chewing his gum and just went quiet. He was in that state for many weeks and although I was scared, I was just so happy to have babies with heart beats. When you have tried a long time to complete your family and you are finally pregnant, you just enjoy each day that comes and try not to be fearful about the future.

Thankfully, the pregnancy went well and the girls are thriving and healthy. Talking about my fear, reminds me of the fears of many women. The fear first that they may never find a partner in order to have a child, or the strength and courage to choose motherhood as a single person if they are partnerless. Then there is the fear of infertility, which can be devastating, debilitating and sadly, in many cases cause severe depression. As if infertility isn’t bad enough, often women then have to pull themselves out of the trenches of deep darkness to fight their battle for a child.  And even when that dream finally comes true, they then have to deal with issues from post traumatic stress while trying to find some semblance of happiness being a new mom.

Then still others have the fear of  not experiencing a healthy pregnancy, dealing with a painful labour, difficult delivery and finally having a living, breathing child.. And that is all before their baby arrives on earth. Don’t get me going about once the baby arrives as I will let your imagination take over from there, although I will leave you with this one story of  when our first baby slept through the night for the first time. I asked D to check on her as I was so scared we had lost her in the night. You see, our OB-GYN who delivered her, had just lost his infant son from sudden death syndrome a few months earlier and I thought, if it could happen to him well we are not immune. Irrational I know, but this is the stuff of life. FEAR!

Well, I could go on and on with regards to fears, but what I wanted to say was thisHalloween time of year reminds me of the day, 4 years ago that we found out we were having TWO BOO babies……and it’s been a wonderful experience. Yes, my hands are full as many people often comment, but they are full of multiple blessings. The biggest thing that scares us is often fear itself.

This post though is REALLY about a book review I wanted to share since tonight is my Sacred Circle book club meeting and the book we are discussing is, “The Places that Scare You, a guide to fearlessness in difficult times,” by Pema Chodron. I don’t know if you’ve had the chance to read this book or not, (I invited you to be a sacred sister on one of my blogs in September) but in case you haven’t and in case you have your share of anxiety and fears, this book gives one many insights to  contemplate and incorporate  into ones life.

Front Cover

I have recently written about the terrorism that occurred in Canada on a prior post (Earthlings Get Grounded) and a thought that really rang home to me was on Page 7 of this book. The author wrote, “Hatred never ceases by hatred-but by love alone is healed. This is an ancient and eternal law.”

On page 42, Pema Chodron writes, “In cultivating loving kindness we train first to be honest, loving and compassionate towards ourselves.”

And on Page 52, she says, “As a result of compassionate practise, we will start to have a deeper understanding of the roots of suffering.”

It was quite timely to read this and so I thought, “I send love to all terrorists around the world.” I know many would not understand this way of thinking but if we truly believe we are all connected, I’m only hurting myself by thinking anything but love.

In Chapter three, “The Buddha taught that there are three principal characteristics  of human existence. They are, “impermanence, egolessness, or dissatisfaction.”

Recognizing these qualities, to be real and true in our own experience helps us to relax with things as they are.

I loved this concept since the theme of my life is all about surrender It’s a life lesson that runs through each moment of my life as I attempt to not attach to anything, instead, just notice what I’m reacting to and then letting it go. I’m not brilliant one day and a screw up the next. I’m not what I do, or what people think if me. IF I don’t attach to anything, then nothing, NO THING, can influence me or make me feel good, or bad.

It’s a journey for sure but something I’m finding easier as I’m getting older. Good thing too since one of the biggest fears most humans have is dying. Accepting that our earthly body is always in a state of change, and will eventually stop functioning is either a freeing idea or scary to some. Understanding that we ARE, not the human body, that this is only our vehicle while on this earth and eventually it will stop working, makes it easier to let go of even dissatisfaction, like aging, or a part of our body that appears not perfect to us.

The other main idea that was presented in this book has to do with the sweet spot in life. Is it when things are going great and all our dreams are coming true? Nope! It’s when things are really tough and difficult. When we are able to remain in that place and stand our ground, that is when we become true warriors. It’s when we really soften and become more compassionate towards ourselves, and others. It’s when we glimpse the idea that we are all connected.

On page 122, Chodron writes, “The fact we spend a long time in the middle, the juicy spot is  the fruitful place to be—resting here completely—steadfastly experiencing the clarity of the present moment is called, Enlightenment.”

I loved the quote at the beginning of Chapter 7 on Loving Kindness-

“Peace between Countries must rest on the solid foundation of love between individuals.”                                    ~Mahatma Gandhi~

“No matter where we are on the journey-we are always stepping further into groundlessness. Enlightenment is not the end-it’s just the beginning of fully entering into we know not what.”

The last words of that sentence….WE KNOW NOT WHAT….isn’t that our worst fear? That we don’t know what is ahead of us and that is something that is really hard for most people to deal with…letting go and trusting that ALL SHALL BE WELL.

Before I close my book review, I liked how Pema Chodron brought in stories of her experiences with her teachers. A few simple words they said to her in response to her training came back to me and resonated with my soul, they were, “It’s no big deal.” and “It’s Okay.”

Although this book was rich with wonderful ideas, at the end of it, I was just thinking to myself, I’m okay, and it’s no big deal. And that is what I’m taking to book club tonight.

As we are about to head into Trick or Treat season, when scary creatures are ringing our door bell, literal or figuritively, I thought I would leave you with a comfort food recipe that I made last night. PERFECT for making this weekend, “Country Chicken Casserole and Biscuits” and a recipe for a quick “Chocolate cake,” you can whip up really fast and delicious enough to impress your scariest guests.

Happy Halloween! if I don’t get the chance to post again…it’s really busy around here this time of year although I had hoped to get my famous sugar cookie recipe on my blog…stay tuned for my pumpkin cookie recipes. I have to make it for Will’s kindergarten class party so I will try to bring you in the kitchen for some fun creations. Enjoy this special time of year when we really have to look fear in the face and say, BOO!

Hope’s Country Chicken Casserole with Biscuits

Ingredients
  • 3-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cups diced potatoes
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup sliced celery
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 cups of vegetables whatever you have….I used brocoli, cauliflower, swiss chard and kale,
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • if you have some sage and parsley they make a nice seasoning that you can add when you cook the celery, onions and garlic

 Note: If you want a really creamy sauce double the sauce ingredients above

 

Instructions

 

  1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
  2. Bake chicken pieces until lightly browned, no longer pink. ( it took 40 mins for my breast pieces which were quite thick) Remove from oven, cut up into small 1 inch pieces. Set aside
  3. Cut up potatoes into nice big chunks and boil until almost done, add carrots and the rest of the vegetables…cook until all are tender. Remove and drain water.
  4. In a sauce pan, melt 2 tbsp butter, cook celery, onions, garlic until tender. Add chicken broth and cook until boiling. Remove.
  5. Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and then slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper if you wish.
  6.  Put chicken and vegetables into a a casserole dish along with the chicken broth and  white sauce, mix well.  

(Make biscuits  and put on top of casserole….bake in hot oven 450 F for 12 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown)

This is what it looks like before adding the biscuits….since this was such a large pan though, next time I would add more white sauce…and also next time I’m going to do the English Pea and carrots….my kids aren’t crazy about peas but I LOVE THEM ..my Grandma Clark used to say, “they will put hair on your chest!”

Hope’s Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups All purpose Flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup milk

(For our larger family I double the recipe….any extra biscuits get eaten with jam the next day)

Instructions

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture is the consistency of course cornmeal. Make a well in the centre of these ingredients; add liquid slowly. When all the liquid has been added, stir dough rather vigorously until it comes freely from the side of the bowl. Turn dough onto lightly floured board and knead lightly for a few minutes. roll or pat out to desired thickness–about 1/2 inch thick. Bake in a hot oven, 450 degrees F. Makes 12 biscuits

 

David loves it when I’m cooking for my “blog” because he often gets a glass of wine too….

Tonight we added a nice white wine that my sister J and brother in law B, gave D for his birthday. B says it is the best quality white wine for it’s price…we love B.C. wine! Thanks J and B!

 

Perfect with my Country Chicken Casserole with Biscuits….ENJOY!

And for another comfort food that will surely chase anything you are scared of, AWAY>>>>

Hope’s Comfort Food Homemade Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder (opt)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water…I had left over coffee so I added a cup of hot coffee

 

Instructions

 

  1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring or 1-13×9 pan.
  2. For the cake:
  3. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
  4. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water(coffee if you have it) to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
  5. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans or in one large pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan or let cool completely and ice in pan. .
  7. Frost cake with a Buttercream icing….I added a tsp of hot water with instant coffee for a mocha flavour to my icing
 I was in such a rush, taking kids to piano, picking up University kid, Skyping other University kid from a distance to see how his Mid term exam went, and texting high school kid to see when Volleyball practise ended that I was lucky to ice this cake…turned out really great although the decoration of coconut and almonds weren’t the greatest…hey but it’s life. I’m glad I don’t have all the time in the world to set up my blog posts looking perfect because you know, life isn’t like that…not real life and that is nothing to be scared of. It’s sometimes messy but tastes GREAT!

This cake was the perfect comfort dessert after the Country Chicken Casserole with biscuits…I hope you try it out on a day that you need some home cooking to comfort you.

If you are interested in hearing more from Pema Chodron, on Fear and Fearlessness.…check out this YouTube video.

 

And another one with Oprah…..why fear is nothing to be afraid of

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy, peaceful…and FEARLESS!

Blessings from Hope

 

Chicken Club Pizza and Urban Farming Symposium

/ Lee Reynolds

Rhode Island Red It’s TGIF day (thank God it’s Friday)! I feel like I have to spell out that acronym since my 15 year old didn’t have a clue when I said it this morning. He is always making fun of me for my lack of social media expertise and other computer tech skills but there are still a few things I can still teach him, like, silly end of the week acronyms and how to make a really good pizza.

Anyway, I’m so EXCITED that Friday is finally here. That means one more sleep and D and I are off to experience  our first Urban Farming Symposium.The symposium is being organized by Patchwork Farms, which is an organic community collective farm situated next to our local college. The purpose of this event, is to teach enthusiastic people like me, to learn more so we can integrate urban agriculture practices into our daily life. I’ve been putting this out into the Universe since last winter when I saw some cool workshops I wanted to attend in Vancouver, but of course the distance makes that difficult with a family in tow. But here it is, being taught in my own backyard. Well practically since I can see the farm from my back deck.

Some of the topics on the agenda are:

1. From lawn to mini-farm
2. The Urban Beescape
3. Grow your own bread
4. Winterize your soil
5. Sustainable Environment Network Society presentation
6. Figs in the Okanagan
7. Food Farming and Community…and more

I did not see the topic of raising chickens on the agenda but I’m going to network and see what I can find out with regards to changing our by-laws. I want to know what others are doing in our community to increase awareness on the benefits of backyard chickens.  Did you know that one chicken can eat a large amount of your kitchen waste which reduces landfill gases and the long term results are improved soil for the urban farmer?

The ironic part of all this, is our nearby city of Vernon allows their citizens to have 3 or 4 chickens per household. However, we rural residents, aren’t allowed the luxury of a few eggs every day, despite the fact our community motto is, “Rural Living at it’s BEST.” I guess they mean, the peace and quiet and quick boat access to the lake, but no chicken noise or smell.

Like anything else, I’m going to put my attention on what I want, “chickens” and know it’s just a matter of time before we have a few in our backyard. Bees too. Just like I attracted this symposium to occur. Don’t you just love the, “law of attraction!” I’m interested in learning more about keeping bees in our organic garden and of course honey would be a nice side benefit not to mention great pollination on our homestead. Our daughter Grace keeps asking for a bunny or two as well, which I understand produces excellent, immediate garden waste. A side benefit to this is she gets a pet she doesn’t have to walk. (Don’t get me going about my dream for a Golden Retriever, that wish comes with a country farm, lots of space and room for the dog to roam)

This picture reminds me of my sister C’s retriever Sunny….I’m holding the vision of a country farm and a new puppy

 

So tonight, I’m going to make enough pizza so the kids have lunch tomorrow since this is an all day event. Oh did I mention, lunch will be served at the symposium as well. For a mom who makes 21 meals for my family each week, PLUS snacks, well I can’t tell you how marvelous THAT IS! Our older kids agreed to care for the younger ones which is also another huge gift. They know how important growing my urban homestead is and also I’m sure they are planning to take turns watching the little ones so they can have some free time playing computer games, etc. without me nagging about getting outside, doing chores in the house or doing their homework. Hey, it’s a WIN/WIN.

Well, enough about what I’m doing this weekend, How would you like to join me in making an amazing pizza. I tell you, other than my pesto sauce pizza….this is a winner.

So if you want to grab your apron and join me in the kitchen, let’s get the flour out.

We started making these when my 15 year old son Harrison said he really liked my homemade pizzas but he missed the ‘ole chicken club pizza we used to get from Panago Pizza. So I started doing some experimenting and came up with, I think, even a better version of this particular pizza. (no offence Panago, IF I had to buy take out, it would be from you)

Okay, here is what you need to make this pizza. Of course a good pizza starts with an amazing crust. I can whip this up in my sleep now.

Hope’s Homemade Pizza Crust recipe

Ingredients

3 cups of flour
1 tsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of salt
11/2 cups of warm water
1 tbsp yeast (I buy the quick rising kind from Costco’s…it’s in a large box for around $5.00 dollars.)
1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Non stick spray for the pizza pan

Directions

Add 11/2 cups of warm water to a large bowl
Sprinkle 1 tbsp of yeast on the top of the water and let it sit for at least 5 minutes
Mix the flour (and I like to use unbleached white with some whole wheat…the combination can be your choice…We like 1/2 and 1/2 but if you aren’t use to whole wheat flour use less at first) then
the sugar and the salt together until well combined.
Then take a fork stir the water and yeast really well, making sure the yeast has dissolved really well into the warm water…it should be frothy. Then add your tbsp of olive oil and mix well again.
Finally, add the dry ingredients to the wet and combine. When a ball has formed I put it on a lightly floured counter and turn it over and over, kneading it like bread with my hands. I continue to mix until all the flour is worked in. This usually takes about 2 minutes. Sometimes it’s still sticky and if that is the case, then add a tiny bit of flour to the mixture so your hands don’t stick to the dough but not too much or your crust will be heavy.
Then I let the dough sit in a warm bowl with a damp cloth on top for at least 15 minutes. The longer you let it sit the more it will rise but I’m usually making mine right before dinner so I don’t have time to let it rise higher. If you want a thinner crust you can split the dough into two balls but we like our crust thick so this recipe is used for one large pizza. 

Now for the fun part.

Pizza topping for the Chicken Club

Spray the pan or lightly grease with olive oil
Take the dough and spread it evenly over the pan, working out from the middle.
I find it easiest to have a 1/2 cup of flour handy, I make sure my hands are well floured and if the dough is sticky, then I sprinkle a little flour to make it easier to spread.

Everything you need, crust, mozzarella, cooked chicken, onion, ham, ranch dressing and Parmesan cheese, opt bacon pieces

Chicken Club Ingredients

About 1/2 cup of Ranch dressing…I use Hidden Valley we buy at Costco
1 cup of thinly sliced black forest ham
1 cup of cut of cooked chicken pieces (I pre-cooked 6 boneless chicken thighs) 
1/2 of a red onion thinly sliced….if I were making it just for me…I’d use a whole red onion
Parmesan Cheese
2 cups of mozzarella cheese
(opt) bacon bits

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F

1. Spread the ranch dressing all over the pizza crust until it’s well covered

 

2.  Spread the thinly sliced black forest ham

3. Scatter red onion on top of the ham

 
4. Layer the cooked chicken on top of the ham and onion

5. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of the ham, onion and chicken (note if you want to use bacon bits as well this is a good time to sprinkle it on top of the ham, onions and chicken)

6. Spread the mozzarella over the entire pizza

 Now it’s time to put into a preheated oven @ 425 degrees F…middle rack for 15 to 20 minutes or until it’s cooked to your taste. We like our pizza crust soft and chewy so we don’t cook it as long as someone who would want the crust a bit crunchier. Just watch closely after 15 minutes.

Ready for the oven and as you can tell, the crust has  risen quite a bit since I first spread it on the pan. This is the pizza for dinner but I’m also making a cheese pizza so the kids have something for lunch tomorrow as well.

Here’s their cheese before going in the oven.

The little kids like three kinds of cheese; Parmesan, cheddar and mozzarella on a basil tomato sauce

Here it is….TGIF Chicken Club Pizza…enjoy!

Happy TGIF day! Add a Caesar salad and dinner is served.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and it becomes a family favourite in your house.

Oh and stay tuned as I will take notes and maybe some pictures too at the farm symposium tomorrow. It’s going to be enlightening and anything I learn, you will hear about it first.


If you can’t see this YouTube video, click here, Jack Johnston’s “Home” song at a Farm Aid 2012 concert .I like how genuine he is…and isn’t it true, home is wherever your heart is…nothing has to be fancy, In fact the simpler it is, the better in so many ways. Love out to Farmers!

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

Thanksgiving Vegetable Dishes and Liver Support with Beets

/ Lee Reynolds

 

 

Thanksgiving 2014 is behind us and while I missed two of our older children, Alyssa teaching in the U.K. and Mitchell, studying at the University of Victoria, there was still much to be thankful for.

For instance, I’m very grateful that there is such a thing as Skype. When my sister J traveled the world in her early 20’s, there was no such thing as Skype, or even email.  I know my mom was on pins and needles between letters. Additionally, 100 years ago when my grandfather, Robert Clark left England for Canada, my great grandmother Jane must have been beside herself with worry, since letters only came a few times a year, if that. I was able to “see” and talk with both of our children on the weekend and give them a kiss on their forehead. (via the screen) They are both happy and living their dream. What more can a mom want for her children?

Another reason to be thankful, is that I have a sister and brother-in-law who can pop in for a quick visit, or spontaneously join us for Thanksgiving dinner. Also, my oldest son Clark’s girlfriend, joined us as well. Times are changing and this is going to be a new normal as our children grow up, move away from home or come home with loved ones whom they have found out in the world.

When I heard we were having more than just “us,” I went into “company mode.” Which is what D calls it when I start to clean and cook rather madly. I want to make sure the dinner would be extra special. Although I probably would have done several of these new dishes for our immediate family, because I believe, to live a gracious life means making every moment special. We all deserve candlelight, linen napkins and clean glasses, even if we are alone. Maybe ESPECIALLY then.

I was so happy with the results of our dinner, I thought I would write a blog about it AND also include something my brother in law, B, sent me awhile ago after I blogged about making borscht. B’s ancestors are borscht makers from way back, so beets etc are in his blood. If you have read my blog you know about my morning green drink and how I like to support my liver by juicing lots of veggies, particularly green ones. I think it gives me the energy I need to keep up with our family. Also, it’s another way of balancing hormones and boosting immunities. I did not know that beets were so highly acclaimed so I thought I would pass this on to my viewers. Here are some thoughts from my blog guest, my brother in law, B.

He wrote:

We admittedly love beets, which not all people can say about themselves.

The lowly beet is gaining some respect lately as health consciousness rises
across the population. One point that caught our attention is it’s roll in
the secondary breakdown of nutrients in our liver. That aside, put some
colour in your life! Live it up!

There are as many borscht recipes as their are cooks. The key IMO is to get
it into those stomachs around us. My own family tradition would likely have
been related to my swede/Irish mother from my Georgian/Ukrainian father’s
childhood recollection. In turn our recipe is my own version of that
concoction. I will spare you the minute details and just say that we use
mega dill and beets, all the other usual suspects, and as can be seen from
the pic, chard or beet tops. Another key memory for me is the finish with a
tablespoon of butter and the same of vinegar.

 
 


B sent me a picture of his borscht and sadly I couldn’t copy and paste it here….but the picture above, gets your saliva juices going hey?….his picture had chunky beets in his soup…oh happy LIVER.

Thanks B. for sharing your thoughts on the lowly Beet and I hope it inspires my homesteading friends to plant a good portion of this unremarkable vegetable in their garden next spring. (don’t forget you can eat the tops too and they keep really well throughout the winter, making them excellent in your sustainable root cellar/garage/basement.

Now onto my Thanksgiving line up of new dishes, oh my, if you love vegetables like I do, hold onto your seats. Next year we may even say goodbye to Mr. Turkey, who sadly was only a side player this year. Don’t get me started on our movement towards being vegetarians. It’s a process.

Okay, here were the new dishes, drum roll please….ta, ta, ta, ta, ta,

Green and Yellow Beans with /Wild Mushooms
Candied Yams with Apples
Brussel Sprouts and Pancetta and Rosemary
Roasted Garlic Squash and Crispy Sage Brown Butter (yum)

My sister also brought homemade roasted carrots with maple syrup…(she must have just picked them as they were amazing!)

For my Canadian friends, making these dishes for Thanksgiving 2014 is too late, but maybe you can incorporate them into your December holiday dinner menu. For my American blog readers however there is still time. Source out your supplies and start planning a really special Thanksgiving feast. The nice thing about Canadian thanksgiving in mid October, is that a lot of the herbs etc are still growing in the garden. Also, my butternut squash supply is still intact. (Thanks J for the big one)

Also, I have to give total credit to the web site,”Delish.com.” As the name implies, these dishes are/were, they went fast, delicious. If you are looking to spice up your holiday table, I hope you try them out and add lots more vegetables to your meals. Any day can have a special vegetable dish…if we truly love ourselves…and want to support our liver etc.

Here is vegetable dish #1

Green and Yellow Beans with Wild Mushrooms

Serves 10
Total time 35 min
Prep time 20 min
Cook time 15 min

Ingredients

U.S. Metric Conversion chart

 

  • 1 pound(s) green beans, trimmed
  • 1 pound(s) yellow wax beans, trimmed
  • 3 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 clove(s) garlic, minced
  • 8 ounce(s) wild mushrooms, such as chanterelle, oyster or porcini, trimmed and sliced (see Substitution Note)
  • 1/2 teaspoon(s) kosher salt, divided
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste

 

 

Directions

 

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add green beans and wax beans and cook until tender-crisp, about 4 minutes. (Cook for another minute or two if you like your green beans more tender.) Drain well.
  2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they release their juices and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.
  3. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the mushrooms for garnish. Add the cooked beans to the mushrooms in the pan and cook, stirring to combine, until heated through, 1 to 3 minutes. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Serve topped with the reserved mushrooms.
  4. Substitution note: If you cant find wild mushrooms, use button or cremini mushrooms.


Vegetable dish #2

Candied Yams with Apples

Serves 8
Total time 1 hour/30 min
Prep time 15 min
Cook time 1 hr 15 min
Oven temp 350 degrees

Ingredients

U.S. Metric Conversion chart

 

  • 3 pound(s) yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 pound(s) Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 medium onions, cut into 1-inch wedges
  • 4 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup(s) honey
  • 1 teaspoon(s) salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon(s) nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon(s) cayenne pepper

 

 

Directions

 

  1. Roast the yams: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss all ingredients in a large bowl to combine. Transfer to a baking dish and bake, stirring occasionally, until yams are tender, about 1 hour. Increase oven to 500 degrees F and bake until liquid evaporates and yams are browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Vegetable dish #3

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Rosemary

Serves 8
Total time 26 minutes

Ingredients

U.S. Metric Conversion chart

 

  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 container(s) (10 ounces each) Brussels sprouts
  • 1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
  • 2 ounce(s) pancetta, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon(s) chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 cup(s) pine nuts (pignoli), toasted (I used almonds)

 

 

Directions

 

  1. In covered 5- to 6-quart saucepot, heat 3 quarts water and 1 teaspoon salt to boiling on high. Meanwhile, pull off any yellow or wilted leaves from Brussels sprouts; trim stem ends. Cut each sprout in half.
  2. Add Brussels sprouts to boiling water and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes. Drain. Plunge Brussels sprouts into large bowl filled with ice water to chill quickly. Drain well. If not continuing with recipe right away, place sprouts in plastic storage bags and refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium until hot. Add pancetta and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until beginning to brown. Stir in rosemary and cook 1 minute.
  4. To mixture in skillet, add Brussels sprouts and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook on medium-high 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring frequently. Add pine nuts; toss to combine


 Vegetable dish #4….my personal favourite as it was so easy and I love garlic and sage

Roasted Garlic Squash with Crispy Sage Brown Butter

Serves 8
Total time 1 hr 30 min
Prep 15 min
Cook Time 1 hr 15 min
Oven 350 degrees

Ingredients

U.S. Metric Conversion chart

 

  • 1/2 cup(s) peeled garlic cloves
  • 4 teaspoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 (3-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3×1-inch chunks
  • 1 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
  • 5 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter
  • 24 fresh sage leaves

 

 

Directions

 

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss garlic with 1 teaspoon of the oil; wrap in a foil packet. Put squash on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with remaining oil, salt, and pepper. Place squash and garlic packet in oven; roast squash 1 hour, turning pieces several times, or until browned and tender. Roast garlic packet 45 minutes or until cloves are tender and soft. 
  2. Five minutes before the squash is done, melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sage leaves and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until butter is lightly browned and smells nutty and sage leaves start to crisp. Remove the skillet from heat; transfer sage leaves with a slotted spoon to a paper towel; reserve the brown butter.
  3. Transfer roasted squash and garlic cloves to a large serving bowl. Drizzle with browned butter. Top with crispy sage leaves.

.And voila……

I dished up and then realized something was missing…I added some gravy, cranberry sauce and a dill from my stash…oh and one of my homemade dinner buns too…see my dinner bun recipe.

 

Sorry this was blurry…everyone was waiting for me to join them in the dining room…”are you taking pics for your blog again mom!”

Okay, I know this doesn’t look very pretty, but we did our dinner buffet style around the kitchen island and well, the cook (me) was the last one to dish up. Everyone was patiently waiting for me to join them in the dining room, I thought I had better just pile it on and dash. Do you skip lunch on Thanksgiving too? It all looked so good and was delish.

My personal favourite were the beans and the butternut squash ,but even the potatoes were whipped beautifully (thanks B) and the gravy was the BEST I have ever had at my house and that credit goes to my sister J who made it and gave me some tips for next time. (thank you…no lumpy gravy in the future) We were all helping out, while D carved the turkey. We pulled off another Thanksgiving dinner! Thanks to all who attended. It was a special memory for the little ones.

Will, Victoria and Kate (close up) enjoying their meal at the little table…does everyone do a little table?

The kids dashed off to watch Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving video, while we enjoyed our pie in relative peace and quiet…..but isn’t all that little people noise just the BEST! They were so excited and helped me to remember, we are always creating memories but the present moment is IT!

 

I made the pies. An apple and a pumpkin, the night before Thanksgiving, along with my ambrosia salad....Although they aren’t the most beautiful pies, they were made from scratch, Tenderlake lard, flour, salt and water, really easy but the trick is in the rolling. I will have to blog about pie making…a lost art in my opinion. I had an Auntie Geordie who was a master pie maker. I wish I had studied with her before she passed away. With it being so easy to buy pumpkin and apple pies at Costco for low cost, I think we are loosing the fine art of pie making but don’t you just love PIE?

As I leave you, I thought I would suggest a great Thanksgiving movie to watch with your family. Also, something for the little kids.

Check out the movie called, “The Old Fashion Thanksgiving” based on a short story by Louise May Alcott (she wrote Little Women) and of course the classic of all time, “Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving.” (if you can’t see the clips below, click on the highlighted video titles above for a connection link.

 

Well that’s Thanksgiving until next year.

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

Ambrosia Salad~Grateful Hearts

/ Lee Reynolds

Warm sunshine, blue skies and the scent of apples fills the air as we get ready to celebrate Canada’s Thanksgiving weekend. It’s been a busy week but truly glorious. Last Saturday, was the twin’s bike a thon fundraiser for their preschool. I was at a loss how to decorate their bike, yes, singular, since our other tricycle fell apart literally a few weeks before the big event and was unrepairable. We tried to find another bike for them second hand but was unable to find anything that fit or was in decent shape so they shared our old radio flyer. Hey it worked great and reinforced our family’s mission statement, to use what we have and not buy more stuff. And was good advertisement for my blog.

Victoria was a shining example of green power at it’s best

On Tuesday, Will’s  kindergarten class had a field trip to the fire station near his school. That night, David purposely burnt toast so our smoke alarm would go off, while I read the little ones stories. As we escorted our excited bare footed children, wearing nothing but their jammies, out into the clear, cold night,  I was hoping our neighbours weren’t calling 911, as the sound of the shrill alarm rang through our cul-de-sac. Then if they heard shrieks they may REALLY think there was an emergency, well, maybe not, since that is a common sound coming from our home. It was lovely being out in the evening though as we marvelled at the full harvest moon.

Then on Wednesday, I accompanied the little girls and their preschool friends to the Pumpkin patch. I can’t tell you how many times I have taken THAT tour (with each of our older children, often twice, once in preschool and then in kindergarten) but it was really fun to see it through their eyes. As I bought a large box of apples and a big bag of pears after our morning at the farm, I was thinking how thankful I was to be able to experience this once again.

The tractor ride trip to the patch was a highlight, bumpy bump, giggle, giggle.
While very commercial, I am thankful for farmers who have a vision to create a place for children to see pumpkins growing, some were still attached to their vines and some were still flowering.
Victoria sits on her pumpkin, I was thankful for the big bag I brought
Kate and her new pumpkin “pie”friend

Of course, Harrison and Grace also kept us busy driving them to their jazz band, drum, piano and voice lessons, the later two being for Grace. And the week was also speckled with volleyball practices and games which thrills me to no end, since I played volleyball as a teen and so far none of the older children have taken to the game despite me purchasing a really expensive volleyball and net several years ago. The boys ended up using the end poles for weapons of battle and the ball is probably under one of our huge cedar hedges as we speak.

Thursday, Oct 9th, was D’s birthday so it was a quick dinner of fish and chips, coleslaw and cheesecake from Costco’s, which was delicious by the way. Have I mentioned I LOVE Costco? After dinner, cake and gifts, we went to watch another volleyball game. It wasn’t a total failure. Thankfully, our school team won ONE of the games. They are a school known for their honour and academic excellence, but not their athleticism, we are lucky to be mid way in the pack after a season. I love sports as it teaches us how to play in life and hopefully, with a detachment of the outcome. Still, you can hear me cheering with the best of them. I inherited that from my Dad, M, who was a brilliant hockey coach, assistance soccer coach and loved to cheer encouragement at my older sister’s basketball games.

Did I mention we also had a guest on Thursday? Will was so excited to introduce Fluffy, the bear, to me when he arrived home from school. Fluffy is the kindergarten mascot and each evening he is sent home with a lucky child to have a sleepover. The child is to draw a picture of what they do with Fluffy and perhaps write some words if they are able. After school we took Fluffy to the library and of course he was a birthday guest and then came to the volleyball game as well.  As Will clung to him at bedtime, I let go of the idea that Fluffy could also see the inside of my washing machine while he visited us.

Will, thankful for having his time with Fluffy at the library where we picked a book called, “Bears Day Out.”

After such a busy week, while the girls were at preschool on Friday morning, I picked up the Thanksgiving weekend groceries and then came home to throw a load into the washing machine and make beds. The day seemed to fly by though but was highlighted with a visit from my sister J and brother in law, B. They are doing some major projects around their homestead and it’s always exciting to hear about the latest. Building a pizza oven with their kids was a big addition and hopefully soon it will be cured enough to start baking some pizza and enough bread to feed their rural neighbours.

So here it is, Saturday morning. We took the turkey out of the freezer first thing, D made pancakes shaped, he said, like GHOSTS, and while I write now, he is getting our swimming hole winterized. We haven’t had any frost here yet but it’s around the corner. This morning we woke up to see leaves scattered everywhere as the fall winds blew overnight. I have to get out and cut the rest of my herbs and bring in the last of the tomatoes. YES, they are still growing but changing colour very slowly now as the hot days of summer are far behind us.I also want to cut a few stalks of corn to decorate our front entrance for Halloween.

Before the weekend grabs a hold of me and takes me on a whirlwind of gardening, cleaning, and cooking, I thought I would pause to wish all my Canadian blog viewer’s a very Happy Thanksgiving weekend. For those of you, (waving to my daughter in the U.K.) and to my other readers around the world, (Waving Hi to those in France and Trinidad…wow) each day is perfect for giving thanks. Greet the morning as you rise with, “thank you.” As challenging, stressful and full of suffering life is at times, knowing our heart still beats, we have another moment to make a difference and time to enjoy the abundance here for each of us, well that is something to embrace in our grateful hearts.

Something my mom, E was always thankful for was having a LARGE helping of Ambrosia salad at Thanksgiving, so I thought I would share the recipe with you in case you haven’t been initiated into this tradition. It’s a favourite for young and old and is extremely easy to make. I like how it lightens the palate and brightens the Thanksgiving plate too. So without much ado, here’s my family’s Ambrosia recipe. Dedicated to my mom E, my daughter Alyssa and my son Mitchell (in the U.K. and at University in Victoria). You are all in my heart and I’m thankful for the many Thanksgiving weekends we had together.

Hope’s Ambrosia Recipe

Ingredients

1- large bag of coloured mini marshmallow
1- 500 ml tub of sour cream
1- can (14 oz) of pineapple tidbits (drained…save the liquid and make a smoothie)
1- can (14 oz) of fruit cocktail (drained)
1/2 cup of coconut flakes, walnuts, dried cherries….whatever you have in your pantry

(optional)…you can always use a can of mandarin orange slices instead of the pineapple)

 

 Instructions 

Mix all ingredients together really well in a large bowl. Pour them into a casserole dish (with a lid) and top with the nuts, coconut and cherries. Put the lid on and place in fridge overnight. 

That’s it! Easy peasy…and if you are a family with little children and going to someone else’s house for Thanksgiving….perhaps this can be your contribution. It’s easy, it’s something your kids will surely eat AND I’m sure your host(ess) will appreciate it as well.

“Many will be the blessings and short will be the time, so let’s rejoice, let’s be thankful, for the abundance in our lives. ” 

                                                                         ~Lee Reynolds~

Before I leave you, if you have the time, check out this You Tube video clip on being thankful.
(If you have problems connecting with the video, see the highlighted words above..on being thankful)

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

P.S. I’m thankful for my readers….we hit over 3000 views a few days ago….WOW for being up and blogging such a short time I just want to say, “thanks for sharing your life with me. ”

 

Crazy Bread~Law of Attraction

/ Lee Reynolds

L

Last Friday, I experienced another law of attraction experience. The day started much as it always does with a hurried scramble to deliver all the children to their various school settings. While the twins were at preschool, I spent the morning doing some birthday shopping for D, whose birthday is on October 9th. I went from place to place looking for just the right gift. He is difficult to shop for since everything he would REALLY want is expensive but there is always his favourite things; Starbucks coffee, a good book and socks. Everywhere I went though I saw things I would LOVE if it were my birthday, but it wouldn’t be my birthday for another month.

I collected the little girls who were all excited about their upcoming Pumpkin Patch tour and as we drove home they asked me what they would do at Davison Orchards. (the farm we would visit the following week) I told them that Mr. Davison would take them on a wagon ride up into his pumpkin patch where they could select their own pumpkin. They were thrilled. “REALLY mommy?” they asked. “Really,” I said. Their eyes were shining as they said, “Wow!”

Our pumpkin harvest from our little ‘ole pumpkin patch

I guess they would much prefer to travel across town, pay $7.00 each to have a tractor ride up to a field and choose a small pumpkin of their own, than head into our backyard homestead and choose one of our many pumpkins for their very own. We have been abundantly blessed with pumpkins this fall, even though I only planted one pumpkin plant. Regardless, I was pondering how excited little children get over the smallest things and how the smallest things makes them so joy filled. Hmmmm.

While the little girls ate their lunch and chatted about the things twins talk about (still often their own language in many ways) I flipped through our Friday edition of our Morning Star. (our local paper) There wasn’t really anything interesting in the paper but when I went to pick up the pile of flyers I had set aside before reading the paper, one flyer caught my eye. On the front of the flyer was a picture of the food processor of my dreams. I know, I know, REALLY, a food processor. Yes. That is one of the things that I dream about.

When I made my energy bars awhile ago, I wished I had a better food processor as the kids were complaining that the dates weren’t cut up fine enough, although I liked the chunky texture, but I knew even my hummus would turn out better with a higher quality food processor. I couldn’t even imagine how delightful my coleslaw would be with a new food processor. I try to live in a place of gratitude. However, there are days when I’m presented with something I REALLY want and when that occurs, I say, “yes THAT is what I want. I put it out into the Universe and let it go. Then I return to being happy in the moment TRUSTING it’s on it’s way to me.

Last Friday, was no different. I looked at the food processor in the flyer, which was on sale, 50% off it’s regular price, AND if you spent over a certain amount the store would give you a $20.00 gift card on top of that. This was a great deal. I went through how I could manifest this food processor NOW, but then remembered that D’s birthday was the following week and I still wanted to pick up a really nice gift for him. Something more than coffee, a book and socks. The food processor would have to wait. I looked at the flyer longingly one more time and put it on my desk.

As the afternoon wore on, I got busy making a homemade pasta sauce. The kids came home from school and I started to make my crazy bread recipe when the doorbell rang. As one of the kids opened the door, I heard familiar voices. My sister J and my brother-in-law, B, in for a visit. Oh yes! I brought them into the kitchen so we could visit, as I continued to work on my crazy bread. We caught up on the latest in each other’s lives and they mentioned  they were really stopping by to give me the last of our mom’s legacy.

My mom, E, died in February 2012 from a stroke. Although her death was sudden, we knew she was failing fast from dementia and her quality of life was quickly changing. She was becoming more fragile each day and it was really a blessing that she left the earth so quickly and with my sister J beside her as she took her last breath. Mom had been frugal most of her life but was generous to her family while she was alive and beyond. I wasn’t expecting anything in the way of monetary funds after all it was 2014 and all the earthly proceeds had been processed shortly after she had passed, but here J and B were with a final gift from mom. They left the bills sitting above my desk in the kitchen, J, telling me not to forget about the money.

My Mom, E, who taught me early on to count my blessings. She lived in a state of gratitude and grace.

After they left, I finished my crazy bread  and then took the folded bills and sat in my mom’s old wing chair in my family room. Gratefully I said, “oh mom, you continue to give.” As I unrolled the money and counted, I heard the words, “now you can buy the food processor!!!” Those words seemed to come from the chair itself and were spoken with as much excitement and joy as when our little girls talked about their upcoming pumpkin patch tour.

How fast does the Law of Attraction happen” F A S T!!! Well, in this case it was really fast. I have had other experiences that took what felt like a lifetime. I have learned that there is a process that needs to be followed. Mostly, it has to do with wishing, believing, trusting,and letting go. And then feeling the joy of knowing it’s on the way. Anticipating whatever you dream about is almost as much fun as having it in your arms. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are using the law of attraction all the time. Each moment of every day we are presented with choices, do you want this, or that?

I started studying it when I was trying to conceive our last few children and I’m a strong believer, especially when you can manifest something NOT of this earth and then it comes into your arms. If that can occur, then we are limitless and can achieve anything we want,

 

It’s lovely to dream but even better when it comes true. Thanks Mom!

And look what is sitting on my kitchen counter today? And the cool thing is along with the food processor, I also received a $20.00 gift card that enabled me to buy a little something more for my husband’s birthday. Bonus. The Universe always gives us even more than we can EVER dream!

So what do YOU want? Close your eyes and make your wish. Blow your dream out into the Universe knowing it is already on it’s way to you. Rejoice. When it comes to you, whisper, “Thank you.”

Now to bring you a piece of my Friday manifestation here is my Crazy bread recipe…perfect for any pasta dish.

My kids love this stuff! It has looked prettier but when J and B were here I forgot to cut it before I baked it so it was not in nice rectangles as usual….oh but I would MUCH rather have visits  than perfect food…next time J and B…you have to stay for dinner!

Hope’s Crazy Bread recipe

I make a large batch because it goes fast..and my kids like to snack on it the next day…but you can half the ingredients if you have a smaller family.

Ingredients

5 cups flour
5 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
5 tsp yeast
450 ml hot water

Topping;

125 ml (1/2 cup) melted butter
2 tsp garlic powder

 

30 ml Parmesan
sprinkle basil and oregano

Preheat oven to 425 F.

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and yeast.
2. Add hot water to make soft dough.
3. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter.
     Knead until smooth and elastic, about 2 minutes.
4. Cover with a damp paper towel. Let rest 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, combine melted butter and garlic powder
6. Roll out dough to 1 cm thickness. Cut into shapes.
7. Using a pastry brush, brush on half of the melted butter and shake on the basil and oregano
8. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
9. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Watch closely.
10. Remove from the oven.
11. Brush with remaining melted butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. 

 

Our Friday fun dinner, pasta, salad, crazy bread…and for D and I, a nice glass of red wine. Salute!

Another manifestation for me is this blog….I dreamed about it and every time I finish a post, I have to pinch myself, it’s really real. I hope some of the stuff I ramble on about touches your life and you remember to let go and let God. Enjoy your life.

(Noe, if you are having problems connecting with the YouTube videos below, check on the highlighted links below)

If you want to learn more about the Law of Attraction check out this YouTube video. It’s a story Oprah tells about a strong woman not giving up on her dream.

And if that story isn’t inspirational enough, check out Oprah’s story on the art of allowing, the key is in surrendering.

 

Absolutely amazing hey! Allow Miracles to happen.

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

Chocolate Quinoa Cake AND Symptoms of Inner Peace

/ Lee Reynolds

My 5 year old son, Will woke up early this morning. TOO early. “Time to get up Mommy,” he sang out to me as he bounced around my bed. I cracked an eye open to peak at the clock beside my bed and groaned, “Will, it’s too early to get up.” With that he crawled into my bed and curled up next to me, wrapping his chilly bare feet around my legs. Oh to only have another 15 minutes of deep sleep would have been heaven, I thought.

As if he had read my thoughts, he promptly kissed me on my forehead, which is our sacred place for kissing one another. He has tried a number of times to kiss me on my lips but I always tell him that is where Daddy kisses me and I want my children to have their own special place to physically show love. We have chosen the third eye area which seems so appropriate since he is so much “in” soul.

That kiss, warmed my grumpy spirit and I started to think about the upcoming day. My monkey brain turning already. As soon as I wake up and am somewhat conscious, it likes to take over and run my life. It was going to be a busy morning getting Will and Grace ready for school and on the 8 am bus and then  since the high school bus no longer picks up in our area, (don’t get me started) I would have to drive Harrison to school. Then return home quickly, get the little girls ready, drive our oldest son to the University bus stop and then the twins to preschool. So much rushing in such a short amount of time.

Will interrupts my running silent dialogue and asks, “can I start the bath mom?” I look at the clock again and see now it is time to get up so reluctantly I say, “oh all right.” He pops out of our warm cocoon and a moment later, I can hear water running in the bath.

We have a morning ritual before the little girls wake up. Will and I like to have a bath together. We have been doing this since he was around a year old and sadly I can see the end coming since he is now in school and getting too old to bath with his mom. (Usually around kindergarten time, at least in our house, that is usually the signal for more modesty) But for the present time, he is still my bath mate.

One good thing we did when we built our house was install a really big, deep tub in our master bathroom and it has been delightful bathing with our  little ones over the years. I’m a bath person. I could spend hours in there and in the old days, before children, I used to read whole novels in one sitting, (or rather bathing) replacing the hot water every hour or so. I hardly think about those days now for having a sweet little boy to bath with and chat the morning away is so much nicer in my opinion.

Here is a glimpse into our master bath…you can get a tiny sense of the tub etc that I could while away my days…or chat with my little people while they are enjoying a ritual bath.

When I think the bath must be full enough I get up and see Will in his birthday suit and poised on the edge of the tub. He is deep in thought and looking out of our large bathroom window. It looks straight down the lake which is below our house. My husband always says, how many houses do you know where you can sit on the throne and look down a lake? Did I mention the back of our house is private too? So this is where I find Will this morning. I ask him, ‘what’s up Bud?” and he turns to me with a glowing smile and says with tons of enthusiasm, “Isn’t nature BEAUTIFUL Mommy?”

This is the view of the lake from our lower deck..outside the back of the house…it’s not exactly the view out of the bathroom window…which is even better…but gives you an idea.

I walked over to the edge of our tub to look down the lake. We have lived above the lake for over 20 years and although this was one of the main reasons we built our house here, I often take it for granted. It’s only when we have people at our front door and their mouth is gaping open as they look through our house, out to this panoramic view of the lake, that I stop to appreciate the view. But this morning I stopped to see it anew. White mist is lingering over the glistening grey/blue water and the sky is starting to glow lighter and brighter as the promise of another lovely fall day begins..

I looked down at my son’s blonde curls and was in awe at his coming. His BEING. At his ability to always bring me right back to the moment appreciating beauty of the here and now. This awareness reminded me of the 12 Symptoms of Inner Peace I used to recite regularly to ensure I was in that state. I haven’t looked at those signs in years because I am often reminded daily, through my children’s eyes, how spectacular earth is and how blessed I am to be alive.

In case you don’t have a daily reminder, check out the 12 Symptoms of Inner Peace. How many can you count occurring in your life lately?

SYMPTOMS OF INNER PEACE

 

by  Saskia Davis

 

 

 

Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace. The hearts of a great many already have been exposed;  and it is possible that people, everywhere,  could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what, up to now,  has been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

 

        

 

         Signs & Symptoms of Inner Peace

 

A tendency to think and act  spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences

 

 

 

An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment

 

 

 

A loss of interest in judging other people

 

 

 

A loss of interest in judging self

 

 

 

A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of   others

 

 

 

A loss of interest in conflict

 

 

 

A loss of  ability to worry

 

                                                         

 

Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation

 

 

 

Contented feelings of connectedness

 

with others  & nature

 

 

 

Frequent attacks of smiling 

 

 

 

An increasing tendency to let things

 

happen rather  than  make them happen

 

 

 

An increased susceptibility to love extended  by others  and  the uncontrollable urge to  extend it

 

 

 

WARNING

 

If you  have  some or all of the above symptoms, be advised that your condition of inner peace may be too far advanced to be curable. If you are exposed to anyone exhibiting any of  these symptoms, remain exposed only at your own risk.     © 1984
     
                                                       
Isn’t that GREAT?
And if you would like to add to your Inner Peace quotient, check out my recipe for Chocolate Quinoa Cake.
You won’t be able to contain your smile once you taste a bite of this moist, decadent cake.
This recipe was given to me by my soul sisters, Yania. She made it for one of our Sacred Book club meetings. She is one of the most conscious consumer of healthy food products I know, other than my oldest daughter Alyssa.  This is now a regular favourite in our house. I hope you like it too.
Yania’s Chocolate Quinoa Cake
You will need the following ingredients:
The only other thing you need, not shown is sugar and salt
 Ingredients:
 
2/3 cup white or golden quinoa
11/3 cups water to cook quinoa
1/3 cup milk (any milk will do but we use almond milk)
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup butter melted and cooled (you could also use coconut oil which would give it a nice taste)

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 white or cane sugar (this was originally 11/2 cups but was cut in half and is still great)
11/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Bring Quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. cover, reduce to simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Keep moist. Turn off head and cool a bit.

Bring quinoa and water to boil, put lid on and then simmer on low heat for 10 minutes



Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease two 8 inch round or square cake pans. Line with parchment paper.

Combine milk, eggs, and vanilla in a mixer/blender or food processor. Add 2 cups of cooked quinoa and butter and continue to blend until smooth.

Adding the cooked quinoa to the milk, eggs and vanilla



Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add the contents of the wet ingredients and mix really well. 

Mixing the sugar, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda together



Divide batter between pans and bake on centre oven rack for  40 minutes. The key is to not over bake. Our oven, like Yania’s whipped this cake up in less time than that…30 minutes for us until the toothpick came out clean. 

I just sprayed my pans with a cooking spray but next time I’m going to put down parchment paper



Let sit for 5 minutes in the pan and then turn cakes onto a rack to cool completely. I put our cakes into the freezer for a bit because I wanted to ice them quickly and serve the cake after dinner. It was great because it was easier to frost.

I put jam between the layers and frosted it with a traditional chocolate icing, topping it with dried cherries and a few almonds. The next time I make this, I’m going to make the cake with coconut oil and also make the chocolate icing with coconut oil as well…did I mention I love coconut. But let your taste buds be your guide. My husband would also like me to make a chocolate mocha icing another time as he loves coffee and then I would put a few chocolate coffee beans on top as a garnish.

I added little pieces of dark chocolate to the icing for a little extra something…topped the cake with dried cherries and almonds


This cake is so moist and wonderful. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

And when you eat it, think of a blonde little boy who loves life and who lives in a state of Inner Peace…he inspires me daily.

It’s all good!

 

And serving up my little man first who reminds me that chocolate cake adds to our Inner Peace

 

What a nice way to end a wonderful day!

I hope you try this healthy and yummy chocolate quinoa cake….and while you are eating your piece, enjoy a song that Will and I like to sing before bed….”I see skies of blue, clouds of white, the bright blessed day and the dark sacred night….la, la,la, la…la”.

(If you are using an Apple product, you may not be able to view the following but hopefully this link will bring you to the YouTube video, Louis Armstrong’s song, “It’s a Wonderful World.”

It’s a WONDERFUL world!

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

 
 

Caesar Salad and Living Fully

/ Lee Reynolds

What does a Caesar salad and living fully, have in common? Very little, unless you look at it from my perspective. A few events and experiences in the last week have inspired this blog post and finally this morning everything is formulating clearly in my mind.

If you aren’t interested in the connection, then scroll down to find my easy and delicious Caesar salad recipe. If you have a cup of tea nearby AND the time to immerse yourself in one of my novellas, then I invite you to read on.

Our oldest son “Clark,” which interestingly enough is old English and means scholar, likes to watch our National news whenever he emerges from his room. We usually only see Clark at meal time and on the rare occasion he wishes to be with his family, which is usually only at mealtime. Now, I don’t want to give you the idea that Clark is anti social or anti- family. Far from it. After all he chose to stay home and attend our local University, even though he had been accepted at an excellent University a distance from our home.

Clark brought home dry ice from his day at the science centre

He can be quite an extrovert. He can talk to anyone about anything, anytime of the day.  For only being 21 he is quite accomplished, having achieved his second Dan black belt in Tae Kwon Do, became an accredited lifeguard, as well as excelling in playing violin and sax in our local youth symphony and jazz band. When he isn’t studying Science at University, you can find him in our local gym lifting weights, creating music and playing games with friends or working at the Science Centre. He is known as the Science guy in the birthday party set, as he can make a mean cup of flubber and give you a wild ride on the gyro chair. When he does come home, he is pleasant, regales us with a few interesting tidbits from his day and then he heads to his room to recharge. I also think he squeezes out his sponge, so when he re-emerges he is capable of absorbing more knowledge.

When he does make that entrance, it usually coincides with opening the fridge and turning on the T.V. to our news station. I suppose this is one of his many sources for knowledge but personally, I find the news too disturbing. Terrorism, countries fighting and killing their neighbours, and even our  own federal government politicians squabbling like little children. It all seems to unnerve me and put a damper on my daily enthusiasm.

Clark appears to be unmoved by the events transpiring all over the world. He is able to watch with detachment but with interest as he forms his own ideas about the world he lives in and perhaps too, how he would like to help it evolve. His is the next generation to create change and if Clark is any indicator of how they will manage, it will certainly be with conscious intent. He lives fully in the moment and makes wherever he is a better place.

Another source of news comes from our local paper. The “Morning Star.” It brings a piece of community into our homes and reminds us how closely we are all connected. Even though it’s only a few dozen pages in length, at most, I usually don’t have much time for this, published three times a week paper. Thankfully, while the little girls played, I took the time last Wednesday to flip through the pages as I would have missed out on something that has impacted me. Maybe this is how Clark views his obsession of watching the global news.

When I turned to the obituary section, I got hit in the gut with shock and sadness over seeing a friend’s picture. I say friend, because whenever I saw ” Erin,” I always felt good. She was the best sort of friend. One who always makes you feel happy that you ran into her. I met her for the first time when her oldest child was in preschool with my 3rd oldest, Mitchell. She had a lovely laid back attitude and a quick, light laugh that filled the air with joy. I loved that she didn’t bat an eye when her little daughter wore a tiara to preschool every single day throughout the year. I used to be more controlling and would have encouraged our child to leave the head piece at home, so when I asked her about it she said, something like, “well I’m going to let her be a princess for as long as she wants.” I LOVED that about her. I aspire to be more like that.

Over the years, I would bump into Erin at our local music school, where we would discuss the benefits of music lessons and how to encourage practice without pushing our children. Then there were the times I saw her at soccer games, me yelling my head off but her with a relaxed, “whatever” attitude. She was always interested in our ever growing family and would always say, “I don’t know how you do it!” Which made me feel stronger somehow and even though things may have been difficult the morning I saw her, after her comment, I would dig deeper and find the best of myself to mother our brood.

I haven’t seen her in a number of years as although our children attended the same high school, once children become teens they aren’t always accompanied by their parents. It wasn’t until I was helping out at the grad decorating afternoon last June when I heard someone say, “did you hear about Erin?” And I said, “no, what are you talking about?” Over the years I have been so absorbed raising our family and have not kept my ear to the community gossip. I had heard our family was often the subject, with our larger size and us having children well into our 40’s. I preferred to distance myself from people who were in the “know.” But this had put me at a disadvantage as well, since I wasn’t aware when someone was having a hard time.

I had no idea she had been battling brain cancer and was in the final days of her fight. Throughout Mitchell’s graduation weekend, I kept thinking about Erin, her two children, her family and how they were doing. It impacted me. D said he saw her not looking so great at the grad picture gathering but I had missed her. Mitchell too had been affected by this news. He knew all about it of course because of social media/Facebook, but he hadn’t ever said anything to me until I asked him about it. I know he was thinking in his teen terms something to the effect,”by the grace of God go I,” in that his mother was physically well and his classmate, he had known since preschool, was losing her’s.

Over the summer, I was on my guard every time I opened the paper wondering if this would be the day I would hear about Erin leaving the earth. The summer came and went and she presumably fought on. Then on September 18th, as we had just heard  the teacher’s strike was over and our kids were going back to school, she lost her fight. She was going home. I was so sad when I saw her face on the obituary page. She shouldn’t be there. Heck, we are almost the same age. Her youngest still hasn’t even graduated from high school. Do you ever wonder about life? How things don’t seem fair. Beautiful, kind, generous people, leaving the world while evil persists in all sorts of individuals.

Of course if you have read my blog, you know about my husbands co- worker, whose young teen son was killed in a boating accident this past June. And then, our oldest daughter’s high school friend dying in May, from complications after a double lung transplant. She had fought CF with hope and optimism her whole life and would have turned 24 last June.

While all these events touched me, I was thinking, the one thing we have in common is that we are ALL going to die.  This used to be a joke in my husband’s family since his Dad sold cemetary property and planned funerals. He used to say, “none of us get out of here alive.” The other thing we have in common is we have a choice how we are going to live?

My 11 year old daughter Grace had a sleepover on Friday night. Early in the week she had come home from her first days at school a bit depressed since her good friend had moved to Alberta. When I suggested a back to school sleepover party on Friday night she perked right up. I knew she was excited about it because when I went into her room to collect the garbage from her wicker basket under her desk, I saw a piece of paper outlining fun ideas for her party. “Dinner, 2 hours at our local rec centre pool, movie/popcorn, games”…it just made me smile.

As I was thinking about my friend Erin letting her little girl be a princess when she was small, I thought about my Grace and how I wanted her to enjoy her princess years too. She is going to be leaving childhood pretty soon and becoming a teen and I wanted her to have some wonderful memories of this special time.

I decided to make a homemade pizza, which is often our Friday night dinner anyway, and also make a caesar salad which is Grace’s all time favourite. When I was at the grocery store though I forgot to pick up the dressing we usually purchase. The old me, would have called D to bring some home after work (using more gas to drive to the store) but the new me, trying to be frugal while being more sustainable, with a can do attitude, decided to make it from scratch. I Googled a bunch of recipes and came up with a creation for our evening’s salad. It absolutely amazes me how empowered I feel when I don’t need a product….cross out caesar dressing off my grocery list. I can now make it from SCRATCH.  I know weird but I get a great sense of satisfaction from little things in life, like THAT.

Grace and her friends, I was admiring all the girl’s long hair and of course, I was seeing their invisible princess tiaras too.

The pizzas turned out delicious (cheese being the top choice for the girls but wow..the vegetarian I made was superb, if I do say so myself) and the salad was sensational. I made a large bowl but every last bit of romaine was eaten. A great sign of success! Especially among tweens, who don’t always like their veggies. The sleepover was smashing too. The girls liked the dinner, the pool time, the movies, the popcorn/licorice. In morning, D got up early on Saturday to make them pancakes with fruit, syrup and whipped cream and I made them a fruit smoothie. One of the girls had to get up early to go to her gymnastics class and then she said her family were off for an afternoon hike at a mountain about a 2 hour drive from our hometown. This family is always living life with “gusto.” They always are doing something physically challenging.

The celebration of life service for my friend was later that afternoon. I didn’t attend. I thought about it but then felt a better place for me to remember her was in my garden. So while D puttered around the garage, I mowed the lawn, cultivated around my still growing herbs and turned the contents in our compost bin. Once living grass, leaves, vegetable and fruit peelings are now rich, dark fertile dirt. Full of potential for new living things to grow in next spring.

We all are going to die but we also have a choice how we are going to live.What things can we grow in our fertile lives. What do we want to create,  how we can be a service to those around us, how we can help those who are struggling all around the world. It’s a reality check that brings me daily back to how I want to live fully.

A while ago, I did a meditation challenge with Dr. Deepak Chopra and I wrote down something on his web site that touched me.

“Today, and everyday, I give that which I want to receive.” I nourish the Universe and the Universe nourishes me.”

Yes, sometimes it’s just about making a great ceasar salad and letting my daughter be a princess for a bit longer but mostly it’s living life with gusto. Giving all of me to the world. I have a lovely quote on a book mark I use for my soul filled books and as I absorb new ideas and thoughts, I close my book on this idea;

“If there is light in the soul…..there will be peace in the world.” ~Chinese proverb~

Today, what I can share with the world is my caesar salad recipe and my light.

Buddha said~”Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”



Today, I’m thinking of Erin. All the kind, encouraging things she said to me and all the laughs she shared with me. All the light she brought to the world. I hope she is at peace.

“Precious Lord, take my hand.
Lead me on. Let me stand.
I am tired. I am weak. I am worn.
Through the storm,
Through the night,
Lead me on to the light.
Take my hand, precious Lord
and lead me home.”

~African-American Spiritual~

Please join me in lighting the world and living fully while we are here, for my friend Erin, for all the people struggling, and for the people whom you have loved and hold close to your heart.

.

AND now, finally here is my caesar salad recipe…..for after all, we have to eat too. This is part of living life with gusto, my dear Italian friend Jane would wholeheartedly agree!

Here’s are the main ingredients you will need

You will also need croutons, bacon bits,

Grace’s Caesar Salad 

Ingredients

1 head of romaine lettuce
1 cup of homemade croutons
1/8 cup bacon bits (you can purchase vegan bacon bits too)
2 cups of croutons (easy to make)
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese


Dressing:
1/4 cup vegetable_oil
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp white_wine_vinegar
2 tsp Dijon_mustard or 2 tsp of dried mustard
2 tsp  anchovy_paste (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1/2 tsp Worcestershire_sauce
3 tbsp light mayonnaise 

Preparation

1. Dressing: In bowl, whisk together oil, cheese, vinegar, mustard, anchovy paste, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk in mayonnaise until smooth.

 

 

 

 2. Tear lettuce into bite-size pieces to make about 20 cups (5 L); place in large bowl. Add dressing, croutons, bacon bits and cheese; toss to combine.

 

And here is our Friday night, sleepover dinner. A dinner fit for princesses!

 

 

We loved this so much, that I made a lentil soup on Saturday night and ANOTHER caesar salad, this time, adding roasted chicken pieces to the salad. It was sooo yummy, and hopefully it will go down as one of Grace’s childhood favourites.
As for me, “I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.”

~John Burroughs~And all the blog posts I want to write. Thanks dear family and friends for sharing in my life, reading my novellas and lighting the world with your love.


Live life with your heart wide open

 
Until we meet again, may you be well, peaceful and happy.Blessings from Hope

      Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup

      / Lee Reynolds

      Tis the season. Soup season that is. Nothing says home, more than coming in the house after a long day to smell a delicious aroma drifting from the kitchen. Knowing it’s healthy and satisfying makes it our family’s fall comfort food. After a season of raw vegetables, salads and fruits, it’s like putting on a wool sweater to warm your body.


      I was inspired to make this soup when Harrison woke up feeling under the weather. He had had his braces tightened, was feeling headachy and on top of that, felt like a cold was on his doorstep. I knew I had to make something easy to chew and filling. I went out into the garden to be inspired and when I saw the butternut squash, gleaming in the sun amongst the dying vines, I thought PERFECT!

       

      (I planted 6 butternut squash plants in an area that wasn’t ideal. I had pulled up yucca plants from this area and I didn’t get all the roots up so I had little yucca plants growing up all around my squash this summer….but despite the competition for water and sun, the squash prevailed. Sadly, we won’t have any to store for the winter as we LOVE squash and have eaten almost all of it. Next year, I’d like to plant twice the squash for our size family.)

       

      I probably focus on our 15 year old Harrison’s growing needs the most lately, since he literally grows a 1/8 of an inch every night. Okay, maybe that is an exaggerations. Let’s just say, his basketball coach is going to love seeing him this year! Anyway, I get worried when his braces are tightened as his food consumption drops a lot.

      Then I came inside to rummaged around the pantry (noticing that many of my bottles needed to be topped up and it’s generally disorganized….another blog post for sure) and found some ginger root. I had purchased the ginger to make some tea but had forgotten all about it. Another PERFECT ingredient. I also dug some boneless chicken thighs from the freezer and although this soup is lovely with just vegetables, I find adding some pieces of chicken and broth very satisfying, especially for our son who basically lives on smoothies for days after he has his braces tightened.  If you are a vegetarian, of course please disregard the chicken aspect and use vegetable broth.

      So without further ado, let’s get cooking.

      Hope’s Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup

      Ingredients

      • 1 butternut squash (peeled, seeds removed, and cubed)
      • (note, you can use 2 butternut squash instead of the carrots
      • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
      • 4 large carrots 
      • 3 tbsp minced fresh ginger
      • 3 tsp cinnamon
      • 2 tsp nutmeg
      • Salt and pepper
      • 1 cup thinly sliced onion
      • 3 large garlic cloves
      • 1/8 cup brown sugar
      • 1 lb chicken
      • 8 cups chicken broth
      • 2 cups cooked rice (I used a Basmati because Harrison loves that…but personally I prefer a nutty brown rice
      • Chopped fresh parsley
      • Sour Cream for a topping, (opt)



      Directions:

      Put the rice on and while it’s cooking;



      Peel, the squash, remove the seeds and cube. Peel and chop the carrots. Mince the ginger, set aside 1 tbsp for later, and then crush 1 garlic clove.



      Pour 2 tbsp of olive oil on a baking sheet and add the squash, the carrots, 1 crushed garlic clove, 2 tbsp of ginger, 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of nutmeg and sprinkle with sea salt with freshly ground pepper. Coat all really well in the oil and put in the oven to roast at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

      If you are using chicken, you can cook it on a separate pan while the vegetables are roasting.

      While the vegetables are roasting, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan, add 1 cup of chopped onion, 2 of the remaining garlic cloves (minced). Cook onions and garlic until translucent. Add 1 tbsp of minced ginger, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of nutmeg and 1/8 of a cup of brown sugar. Cook until carmelized. 



      Transfer the onion mixture to a soup pot, add the chicken and cook well until both are sizzling, add the chicken broth at this point. Bring to a boil, then add the rice and the roasted vegetables.


      Add the chicken to the onions
      Add 8 cups of chicken broth…less if you want to puree it
      Add your roasted veggies and your rice




      The magic in this soup is layering all the seasonings, otherwise it will be bland. Finally, if you aren’t using chicken, if you wish, you can puree the soup in your food processor. I wanted our soup to have soft chunks for a filling main dinner soup. It would make a delightful fall soup prior to your entre. For our family, soup, salad, a rosemary dinner bun and old fashion rice pudding for dessert was perfect.




      Ladle your soup into a bowl, add a sprig of parsley and a dollop of sour cream which is refreshing and a nice complement to the ginger. This is a warming soup full of flavour. Enjoy!

      As if that wasn’t good enough….finish it off with some old fashion rice pudding. Oh my, talk about comfort food or WHAT!

      This was the creamiest rice pudding ever! Harrison ate his portion and before bed he sat down to finish off the rest of the casserole dish.

      I don’t know if it’s more enjoyable to eat all this wonderful homemade stuff or to hear my family’s contented sounds as they consume it.

      This to me is one of the best parts of nurturing my children. Watching them appreciate food and grow.

      If you are also interested in making the Rosemary dinner buns here is the recipe.

      Rosemary Dinner Buns

      Ingredients

      *1 tbsp white sugar
      *1 cup warm water
      *1 package active dry yeast or 1 tbsp (I buy Red Star active dry yeast from Costco )
      *1 tsp salt

      Our rosemary plant next to the Kale
      *2 tbsp softened butter
      *2 tbsp rosemary….I went to the garden and picked it fresh
      *1 tsp Italian seasoning
      *3 cups bread flour…although you can use an all purpose as well
      *1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
      *1  beaten egg (opt)
       
       

      Directions

      1. Dissolve the sugar in warm water in a medium bowl, and mix in the yeast. When yeast is bubbly, mix in salt, butter, 1 tablespoon rosemary, and Italian seasoning. Mix in 2 cups flour. Gradually add remaining flour to form a workable dough, and knead 10 to 12 minutes.
      2. Coat the inside of a large bowl with olive oil. Place dough in bowl, cover, and allow to rise 1 hour in a warm location.
      3. Punch down dough, and divide in half. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly grease paper. Shape dough into 2 round loaves, and place on the baking sheet. I like to shape my dough into balls and put on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining rosemary. Cover, and allow to rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
      4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
      5. Brush loaves with egg. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brow

      The Rosemary buns were such a nice flavour, next to the warming squash/ginger soup.

      Finally, if you are a lover of Rice pudding, then you have to try this recipe. I actually had Harrison make it while I was making the soup and the buns. (he wasn’t feeling that bad) We have been working in the kitchen together for years. I like to encourage all of our children to help me in the kitchen from the time they are small. We like to  make muffins, pancakes, cookies; things they are excited to eat.

      Once they are around 11 or 12, I like to get them working on main dishes and of course teach them to cook the foods they love. Harrison was more than happy to make this dessert for this meal and ended up eating the majority, which was good since he hadn’t been eating much since visiting his orthodontist the day before. This is an excellent recipe to make if you have left over rice. I just made extra rice, when I made the Butternut Squash and Ginger soup.

      Okay, get ready for comfort food extrordinaire……

      Old Fashion Rice Pudding

      * 3/4 cup uncooked white rice,
      * 2 cups milk, divided
      * 1/3 cup white sugar
      * 1/4 tsp salt
      * 1 egg beaten
      * 2/3 cup raisins
      * 1 tbsp butter
      * 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
      *  2 tsp cinnamon
      * 1 tsp nutmeg

       

      Directions

      1. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan; stir rice into boiling water. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
      2. In a clean saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg, and raisins; cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

       

      After cooking the rice pudding on the stove top, pour it into a casserole dish, sprinkle it with cinnamon and nutmeg, put a lid on top and put it in the oven at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or until it thickens. Pour into dishes with a little piece of mint on top. It’s a wonderful finish to this evenings meal.

      We doubled the recipe for our gang but this is perfect if you have a family of 4, unless you love rice pudding. Then there is never enough!

      Put in a fancy dish, add a sprig of mint and it looks like something from a restaurant

      I hope you try this delightful trio of recipes. Thanks for coming today, it’s always a pleasure having you in our kitchen.
      Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

      Blessings from Hope

      Vegetable Borscht~Grateful Gardens

      / Lee Reynolds
      Look what I have found in my garden this summer?

       

      This was the first one I found in my garden. EVER!
      And look where I found it.
      I know hey, a jumble of pumpkin, raspberry bushes, somewhere under there are also potatoes growing in containers …but then cantaloupes have been discovered too.
      This mysterious cantaloupe appeared in my pumpkin/raspberry/potatoes in container/ garden this summer, …next to one of my compost bins.
      Yes, I know, it’s lucky I found anything in this mess but one day, when I was out hand watering this patch, I was counting pumpkins and boy was I SHOCKED to find a cantaloupe.
      I didn’t plant ANY cantaloupe seeds. I’m actually surprised too that anything grew in this patch down by my compost bin.  My sister J says raspberries grow anywhere…thanks btw J, for the new raspberry plants. I’ll put them in as soon as I clear out this mess this fall.
      After I planted my main garden, I still had a few plants left and I just randomly planted them in this bed, not thinking anything would come up at all. After all, it isn’t on our underground irrigation system and the dirt is terrible.
       For years we had a weeping birch planted in this space. Although I really like birch trees, that one was always needing pruning and well, it also absorbed a ton of water and wasn’t producing anything for us to eat. When I started thinking garden sustainability, one of the first things to go was that birch. Before I planted down there this year, I meant to remove the stump and improve the soil but I never got around to it/ Was I ever surprised ANYTHING grew down there. One of the reasons I had the compost put in this area was I was wanting to build up the soil in this location. Smart thinking on my part to place my compost bin, where I wanted the new, improved garden area.
      So SURPRISE, surprise, surprise….I grew a cantaloupe.
      And boy was I feeling like a real farmer when that happened.
      But then, on another occasion, I found another one, again surprise! Did I mention this area gets little sunshine (no water, unless I get down there with the hose) and from what I have read melons love the hot sun.
      And I wasn’t the only one surprised at our bounty. Harrison who is always happy to see food even posed with our new melon friend…to be eaten forthwith.
      Then it happened two more times.

       

      From a plant  I didn’t even “knowingly” plant, we received four glorious cantaloupes. YOU can bet  I saved the seeds for us to plant in this same spot next year. I know four melons isn’t a lot in the big scheme of things and even eating but hey…when you have bonus food that you weren’t expecting, and it’s fruit that your family loves to boot, well you are GRATEFUL!
      Then there is the produce you did plant that turns out beautifully. I have never planted cabbage before as I was concerned about the notorious white cabbage butterfly infesting our garden but this summer our first cabbages turned out beautifully. I planted two varieties this year, a green and a red. They grew to enormous sizes and 6 plants of each fed our family all summer. Next year I’m doubling that as I want to put some away for winter. Cabbage keeps great I hear.
      All summer we ate coleslaw and I added cabbage to my kale salad but I was hoping that there would be one cabbage left in September so we could have our first pot of Borscht of the season.
      And look what was waiting for me in the garden the other day. Another reason to be grateful.
      Isn’t this Red Dynasty Cabbage a sight for sore eyes…..something my grandmother would have said…but it’s beautiful.
      And that wasn’t all. Down in that infamous pumpkin patch, I tipped over one of the containers I planted with Yukon Gold potatoes and I was happily surprised to find enough potatoes for several meals. We can go through 10 pounds of potatoes in no time if all the older boys are eating.
      Potatoes grown in one of the containers down at our pumpkin patch
      If you live on an urban homestead as I do, I would recommend growing your potatoes in a container. It was so easy and  as I was pouring my lawn clippings into the compost bin, I would top up my potatoes with a bit of mulch and throw a bit of dirt as well. By the end of summer the container was topped up and it was full of veggies. I was surprised by how many potatoes we received.
      With  our newly dug potatoes and this beautiful cabbage, I’m going to make a vegetable borscht. Come and join me as I cook.
      Pour a cup of tea and let’s get cooking. We can chat about being grateful as we go.

      Let’s see, where is my recipe, oh here it is:

      Hope’s Homemade Vegetable Borscht
       
      Ingredients
      • 3 medium-size beets, peeled and grated
      • 2 large carrot, peeled and grated
      • 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
      • 2 large tomatoes, diced
      • 2 tbsp of water
      • juice from ½ lemon
      • 2 L of water/vegetable broth
      • 1 tbsp of salt…or salt to your taste.
      • 6 medium-size potatoes, or the equivalent, diced
      • ½ cabbage….you can use green or red
      • 1  onion, diced
      • 1 tsp olive oil
      •  black pepper/pinch of salt
      • 2  bay leaves
      • 1 tbsp dried parsley or fresh finely chopped.
      • 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped or minced as you desire
      • 1 tbsp of dried dill or a large bunch of fresh finely chopped
      Directions
      1. Heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add grated beets, carrots and diced tomatoes.


      2. Add 2 tbsp of  water and lemon juice to the vegetables and stir.
      3. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
      4. Meanwhile, boil 2 L of water in a kettle and add to the shredded vegetables, that have been on simmer for 20 minutes.
      5. Bring to a boil and add salt to your taste
      6. Add diced potatoes and shredded cabbage to the soup and cook for another 10 minutes


      7. While that is cooking, saute the onions and garlic over medium heat until golden


      8. Add onions and garlic to the pot and combine well.
      9. Add freshly ground black pepper, salt, bay leaves, parsley and dill to the soup. Cook for 15 minutes. 




      10. Now the best part, pour into bowls, add a big dollop of sour cream and a sprig of parsley.


      Serve with salad and dinner buns (recipe below) for a complete and delicious meal.

      This recipe feeds 12-14 people. It fed us for 2 nights which I’m grateful for as the second night was after being at the dentist with the whole gang and we were hungry when we arrived home. If you don’t need a whole pot full, please know it freezes really well. Perfect for a cold fall night.

      Let’s say Grace….

      Don’t you think when you come from a place of gratitude, even more gifts are bestowed. Let’s say grace.

      And before I close this post, I just wanted to jot down my dinner bun recipe. I used this also for my black bean burger recipe…but I make the buns a bit smaller for dinner.

      Ingredients:

      Serves: 12-15
      • 4 1/2cups flour
      • 4 1/2teaspoons dry yeast (2 8g packages)
      • 1 cup milk
      • 3/4cup water
      • 1/2cup margarine or 1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup of oil
      • 1/3-1/2cup  white sugar
      • 1/2teaspoon  salt

       

      Directions:

       

        1. Mix 2 C flour& yeast in a large bowl.
        2. In a separate bowl, heat milk, water, oil, sugar& salt to lukewarm in microwave.
        3. Add all at once to flour mixture and beat till smooth. (Approx 2 mins in a Kitchenaid stand mixer).
        4. Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough (2 – 2 1/2 Cups).
        5. Mix well until dough is soft and slightly sticky, then turn out onto floured surface and let rest under a large greased bowl for about 15 minutes.
        6. Shape dough into 12-15 small balls and place on greased baking sheet to rise until doubled in size. (approx 45 Mins).
        7. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven 12-15 minutes.
          I add some ground flax seed and oatmeal to the tops of the dough as I’m making the buns

           

          For some reason, making bread and buns is such a nurturing experience

       

       

      So there it is my blog friends. A home cooked meal, nothing extravagant but when the ingredients come from your garden, you are even more thankful. I have to tell you our kitchen smells heavenly between the borscht and the buns cooking.

      Our cat, May Ling, a blue lynx point Siamese, has snoozed the whole afternoon away on the window seat in our kitchen. There is nothing like homemade soup, buns and a cat dosing in the kitchen in my books.

       

      When she hears my camera click, she starts slightly but only just…in a second she is dreaming about mice and quail again

      Thanks for coming today……..

      Until we meet again, may you be well, peaceful and happy.

      Blessings from Hope

       

       

       

       

       

      Hummus~Growing Healthy Children

      / Lee Reynolds

      Hi! Come on in and let’s talk about hummus and growing healthy children.

      As you may know from reading my blog, I’m currently homeschooling but perhaps for not much longer since it looks like the Province and the Teachers may have struck a deal. Only a vote away will tell whether I’m a home-school mama much longer.

      It’s been a lot of fun. Overwhelming at times managing different age groups and certainly challenging to stay a step ahead of everyone but rewarding to see the kids light up as they learn. I’ve decided to shift my perspective with regards to education. Yes, the teachers have our children for 6 to 61/2 hours everyday, but they are all mine after school and on the weekends. We can continue working on things  they have shown an interest in and continue our homeschooling in that fashion. So while the school bus may be coming next week, (Will is excited about that) I will look at the time they are gone as prep time for when they come home.

      In the meantime, we have been working on all the major subjects with our older children but with the little ones, we have been practicing following a simple set of instructions and accomplishing small projects. Sitting still and keeping their hands on their own work is a journey unto itself but we are making progress. I try to have some baroque music on while they work, to stimulate their brains.

      Of course we are doing lots of reading and sounding out words while remembering our sight words. We count all the time, from the moment they wake up from how many buckets it will take to rinse the shampoo out of their hair, to how many apple pieces are on the plate and calculating how many each child receives.

      I found a great web site I wanted to share with my blog friends, who have young children and want to print off simple sheets for their little ones to colour, perhaps cut out and paste.There are also many activities and even a Whiz kid math program if you have older children. (This is a U.K. site…waving Hi to my oldest daughter Alyssa teaching in the U.K.)

      Here is the cool web site, “Activity Village”     I have found and these are the sheets that I have printed off for the kids. Every day we do a new letter and when completed we put it their own individual books to look at throughout the day.

      I found these under printable alphabet sheets….on the Activity Village web site

      And while the kids are happily colouring, cutting out and pasting their pictures, I like to take a few moments and make one of our favourite snacks. Hummus.

      A few of my friends have asked how we encourage our children to eat their vegetables since their children won’t touch anything in the veggie category. This is so simple that I don’t know why other parents haven’t figured it out. “We” are the ones who do the shopping and prepare the food. If the kids want to stay alive, and they do believe me, they will eat anything you put in front of them, EVENTUALLY!

          Having your children help you in the garden, growing food inspires them to try all sorts of vegetables.

      There have been studies done on healthy eating showing children who have been given a wide range of vegetables from early age develop a desire to eat those same foods later into what would normally be their picky years. Plus, here is another benefit; they achieve higher IQ’s.

      Now I have to tell you we have had our fair share of picky eaters out of our 8 children. It was frustrating at times but we just kept offering them healthy choices and encouraged them to try a little bit of everything. Sure, there was a time when they resisted foods that mixed together, like soups and casseroles but those same (older children) are food cultured now.

      So be persistent and positive with your little ones and I hope you try my hummus recipe

      .Here’s what you need to make hummus.

      Do you have chick peas, garlic, olive oil, tahini and lemon juice?..you have the makings for hummus

      Hope’s Hummus recipe

      1- 19 ounce chick peas drained and rinsed
      2 tbsp tahini
      1 or 2 garlic cloves….I prefer my hummus really garlicky
      2 tbsp of virgin olive oil….maybe more if you like your hummus really smooth
      4 tbsp of fresh lemon juice

      Now, for the easy peasy instructions. Into your food processor, put your chick peas, tahini, garlic and lemon juice and mix it really well, then slowly add your olive oil until the hummus is the texture you desire.

      Well that’s it…now decide what you want to eat your hummus with. Today I cut up some vegetables and served them for snack time. My oldest daughter likes to put her hummus on a piece of celery and put a line of raisins in a row…yes she is 24 but some of us never truly grow up.

      The old ants on a log is great with hummus

      The cool thing about making it today is I have some hummus for the twins preschool snack tomorrow
      .BONUS!

       

      Come and get it!

       

      Dig in girls

       

      Will has loved hummus since he was a toddler

      And on the topic of growing healthy children, if our children are going to watch T.V. or videos, I like the message they are receiving to continue with the theme we are trying to teach at home. Like the following as it just emphasizes my thoughts about junk food.

      My kids are obsessed with The Berenstain Bears books and videos lately. Check out this one below however note if you are using an Apple product, you may not be able to view it…check out the link below.
       
      D and I have been reading these books and watching Berenstain Bear videos with our little ones for over 20 years now. They never get old
      I hope you enjoy the hummus recipe. A great source of protein and lovely as a snack with veggies.  And as far as growing healthy children, whether we have them ourselves or not, we can all contribute to raising the next generation of healthy children.  I believe that statement Hilary Clinton made about it taking a village to raise children.
      It does.
      I’m glad my village is close to getting our kids back into the classrooms.
      Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.
      Blessings from Hope

      Homemade Energy Bars

      / Lee Reynolds

       

            

      What is energy? Have you ever thought about that? How is your energy depleted and how do you refill your tanks? Don’t you think when you are doing something you love, the energy just comes even though you may be physically exhausted.

      This reminds me of when our twins were newborns and I was physically fatigued all the time but somehow, the energy I needed to care for them came. I was madly in love with those little people and just caring for them each day, helping them to grow stronger, gave me energy I needed. Caring for my family gives me energy.

      I think our children are inherently active and they know the secret.

       

      Grace is a fish and loves to swim

       

      Mitchell passionately plays the striker position in soccer…he’s on the left side of the picture, in blue.

       

      The little girls love to jump
      If  I’m ever looking for Harrison, I just need to listen for thump, thump, thump and then a pause, swish
      And 9 out of 10 times, it goes in.

       

      And then there is Will, who is non stop action, I’d love to harness his energy source

      Well if you have read my blog at all, you know I’m all about energy. While I believe we are energy at it’s source, it does get depleted and we need to recharge. Whether that is from rest, meditation, or food, I want to get my fuel from a source that is as healthy and positive as possible.

      Along with my morning green drink, I thought I would share a recipe I made recently for our family. Particularly for our two older sons. (Sorry Mitchell, I will have to send you some in your next University care package)

      Our oldest son, Clark, has been working on building his body for over a year now. He counts calories, ensures he is getting a broad range of foods and it’s important that he has some sort of protein source right after his strenuous work outs in order to build the muscle he desires. Now I would love it, if he were doing “crop fitness,” on our farm, but on our small scale urban homestead there isn’t the extensive physical work required, so after a day at University, he heads to the gym. When he comes home he likes to eat something full of protein right away.

      Since we are moving slowly in the direction of becoming vegetarians, (for environmental and ethical reasons) I have to really plan and ensure we are getting the requirements all of our children need based on their activity levels, brain and physical development. My mother always taught me that moderation of anything was the key and I believe she was right. My advise to our children is that energy creates more energy, so stay active and eat foods as close to whole as possible, as fresh as possible and as colourful as well.

      These protein bars are really delicious, so I thought I would share the recipe with you. I have made energy bars before but I always follow a recipe closely, to ensure they turn out. I’m becoming more adventurous of late and our kids will even eats things that don’t turn out all that great. It’s a WIN/WIN.

      Today, I just looked in my pantry to see what we had and made the bars from what was there. You can be as creative as you want. Personally, if I were making these just FOR me, I would have put the dried cranberries in them, but I knew the boys wouldn’t eat them, (OR at least been reluctant to, all the while complaining saying, “these would be soooo good without the cranberries, mooom”) so here is what I came up with.

      Hope’s Energy Bars

      1 cup of dates
      1 cup of almonds
      1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
      1/4 cup ground flax seed (I grind them freshly every time I use them)
      1 cup of whey powder
      1 cup of organic peanut butter

       

      What’s in your pantry? Thank heaven I had some whey left from Christmas. Is it still good? The kids did a gift exchange and the boys had made energy bars for each other along with tie-dyed t-shirts, so I still had enough whey for these bars…yeah!

      I just went into the pantry to see what was available and came up with this mix…you can be as creative as your pantry is full.

       

      Add the dates, almonds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and the whey powder. into a food processor and mix them really well.

      Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and add
      your peanut butter….sorry if you are allergic…we would die around here if we couldn’t eat peanut butter!

      Mix until well combined.

      I made the balls into 2 biters…big biters that is….now put them in the fridge or freezer to firm up

      At this point you can either form them into balls as I have done above, or you can spread them out in a pan and flatten them to 1/2 an inch high. Put parchment paper underneath and lay another piece on top. Put it in the fridge overnight and then carefully cut into desired shapes the next day. I personally like the ball shape as they pop into your mouth in two bites….or at least that is how many it took my kids to eat them today.

       

      “Mom, are you taking this picture for your Blog?” said Harrison on the right.

      I think these energy bars are going to go pretty fast by how well received they were before they even went into the fridge to set up. That’s okay though as they were quick and easy to make and next time, I’m putting some cranberries in them….for me.

       Clark works out at the gym 6 days a week and will enjoy these energy balls

       

      As for me, I get energy from feeding those I love. I hope you enjoy this post and make some energy balls/bars for your family.

       

      I do believe we’re all connected. I do believe in positive energy. I do believe in the power of prayer. I do believe in putting good out into the world. And I believe in taking care of each other.
                                                                                                                                    ~Harvey Fierstein~

      Until we meet again, may you be well, happy, energized and peaceful.

      Blessings from Hope

       

      Black Bean Veggie Burger~Homemade Burger Buns

      / Lee Reynolds

      It’s around the table and in the preparation of food that we learn about ourselves and about the world.
      ~Alice Waters~

      It’s a gorgeous September Saturday here in the Okanagan. Welcome!

      View of Kalamalka lake from our deck

      I’m thinking it’s the perfect day to prepare my black bean burgers so they are all ready to barbecue tonight.

      Please come in and join me in my kitchen and we can prepare them together.

      The first thing we need to do is saute 1 large onion in a skillet with about a tbsp of oil.

      Once onions are tender and translucent, place in a large mixing bowl and let them cool.

      When they have cooled, add the following ingredients:

      1 clove garlic, minced
      1 tbsp cumin
      11/2 tbsp chili powder
      1-19 ounce can of black beans, drained, rinsed and roughly pureed
      1 tsp oregano
      1/4 cup parsley or cilantro, chopped
      2 tbsp sesame oil
      1/2 cup almonds, roasted and chopped
      1 cup sunflower seeds, roasted and chopped
      3 cups of fine bread crumbs
      1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
      5 eggs
      2 cups grated carrots
      2 cups of oats

      Mix all ingredients really well,

      I like to add my eggs one at a time and mix really well.

      then shape into patties. Dredge lightly in flour.

      These burgers hold their shape really well and make enough for my large family plus lots to freeze for another night

      You can cook these burgers a number of ways. You can bake them in the oven on a greased pan at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or you can heat vegetable oil in a large pan and brown them on each side until they are heated through and ready to eat. We like to barbecue them. They keep their shape and often I’m grilling zucchini, corn etc to serve along with the burgers.

      Tonight, since I have some red dynasty cabbage still in my garden, I’m making a coleslaw to accompany them.

      We like to slather guacamole on our buns, along with  tomato and lettuce…I like mine totally loaded with everything I’ve listed plus some red onion. Let your imagination with toppings inspire you.

      Since the burger has cumin and chili powder in it, it’s got a southern flair and I like to serve some tortilla chips on the side with lots of guacamole for me, some of our kids like salsa

      It is so rewarding making the burgers, the buns and the slaw all from scratch…Delicious too!

      If you want to make your own buns like we do…here is my easy to make burger bun recipe..although I also use this recipe for dinner buns all year round as well…with my burger buns I just make them a bit bigger and the recipe below makes about 10 BIG buns.

      Hope’s quick and easy burger buns

      Ingredients:

      Serves: 12-15
      • 4 1/2cups flour
      • 4 1/2teaspoons dry yeast
      • 1 cup milk
      • 3/4cup water
      • 1/2cup margarine or butter
      • 1/3-1/2cup white sugar
      • 1/2teaspoon salt
      • (opt: cheddar cheese, dill, rosemary, or any herb you would like)

      Directions:

        1. Mix 2 C flour& yeast in a large bowl.
        2. In a separate bowl, heat milk, water, oil, sugar& salt to lukewarm in microwave.
        3. Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough (2 – 2 1/2 Cups).
        4. Add grated cheese or herb of choice is you wish here…
        5. Mix well until dough is soft and slightly sticky, then turn out onto floured surface and let rest under a large greased bowl for about 15 minutes.
        6. Form into balls, top with sunflower seeds and ground flax and let the buns sit on a baking sheet for a further 45 minutes to rise.
        7. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven 12-15 minutes.
          Side note, I like to add a mix of ground flax seed and oats and sprinkle them on the top of these buns before they start to rise…you can you any combination of seeds etc of your choice. My kids also like a cheesy bun so I will also put grated cheese on top as well as in the mix. The smell in the kitchen is fragrant and homey. I’m so glad you came today and joined me in preparing food for our families.

      Finally I should say if you have a large gang like I do this recipe makes enough for one meal AND another to freeze for another night. (which we busy moms need) I made 16 large burgers from my recipe today and they are BIG, the little kids just eat 1/2 a burger each.

      I made some homemade lemonade to accompany the dinner tonight. It’s an end of summer celebration

      I want to thank my friend Alison  for inspiring me to make these burgers. When the twins were newborn, she came over with a large container full of delicious food, along with freezer bags full of black bean burgers and lentil burgers. Lemon pound cake…oh it was absolutely the BEST gift a new mom could receive.  I know I phoned her to thank her but I don’t  think I ever told her how AMAZING it was to receive. Since then, black bean burgers are our regular summer fare and take me right back to when the babies were tiny and I needed to eat A LOT to keep my milk supply strong.

      So this post is dedicated to her and other generous people who go out of their way to give of themselves. Don’t even get me started about my best friend Tamara, who brought me tons of healthy muffins, even though she lived a days drive away from me when the twins were born.

      These are the earth angels surrounding me and they inspire me to give back. How can you help another person as the summer ebbs away? Maybe you can make a batch of black bean burgers for your family and give the other 1/2 of the batch to a new neighbour, or friend in need or invite a new family to join you for dinner.

      To Alison and Tamara, you are earth angels!  Thank you for being there and helping me stay healthy when our twins arrived. People like you are the light workers we need on earth.

      Thanks to my blog readers for joining me today.

      Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

      Blessings from Hope

      Green Energy Drink~Elixir to Radiant Health

      / Lee Reynolds

       

      Yummy kale in our garden

      As you know from my last couple of posts, I’m a homeschooling mama now and since I know many of my friends are also in the same boat, I thought I would do a post on the energy elixir I discovered a number of years ago.

      I started thinking about this being the perfect blog post last night as I was plugging in my cell phone to charge it for the evening and I was thinking, “wouldn’t it be cool if we mamas could re-charge our batteries so easily.” Cell phones are a crucial way of staying connected in our fast paced lives but when they run out of charge they are useless.

      Mothers are useless as well when they run out of steam. They are the back bone of society and are true warriors as caring for children and the family is a 24/7 job. Being a mother is daunting and overwhelming at times and often all that keeps us going is coffee and sticky kisses. Personally, I don’t partake in coffee, so the kisses have to be REALLY good. At the very least we need respite care to re-charge our drained batteries.

      Yes, sleep is one way to rejuvenate and restore ourselves but I only get a really deep sleep every now and then these days as there is always someone up and about in the evenings. If it isn’t an older child waking me as they come home late, (I sleep with one eye open until all my chicks are in the nest) or a little one with a night terror, it’s me, getting up to attend to my urgent bladder of which has never been the same since the twins birth. So, yeah, me and sleep, let’s just say we are passing strangers in the night.

      Then there is something to be said for meditating.


      The practice of which helps us reconnect with our soul, which is eternal and when we connect with the deepest part of ourselves, which is creative energy at it’s core, we can fill the tanks nicely. You have to get in the groove though and seated meditation isn’t the easiest thing to do when you are a mama as it requires sitting STILL, and you either have to get up earlier than your kids (in my house that means I’m up before the birds) or stay up late at night which I do, do…but often I’m writing or reading. Still, this is a great way to re-charge at the soul level and I think people who meditate a lot look ageless.

      Then there is always doing something outside your comfort zone which stimulates and excites you. Have you ever taken a course even though you didn’t think you could find the energy and somehow you  are walking on air and looking at your life through new lenses?

      Well those are all great ways to energize yourself but what I’m proposing is giving your body some juice (literally and figuratively) to boost your energy.

      I don’t know about you but we ate really healthy this summer. LOTS of different salads and various veggies from our garden. Most days our treats were all the summer fruits available in our area of the world. We did however eat our fair share of ice cream and baked treats. I knew Alyssa and Mitchell would be leaving home in August and I wanted to give them all their fav desserts. We had carrot cake, brownies, lemon pound cake, date squares, oh the list goes on and on. I know as I was waving goodbye to our beautiful children I was feeling sluggish and it wasn’t solely a deep sadness but was my body saying I had to let go of a few pounds and find balance again.

      Now we are all different but what I discovered 10 years ago was when I indulge in any dairy products, anything processed and definitely sugary type foods, my body reacts strongly and I feel exhausted. When I was trying to conceive in my early 40’s, I had read when we assist our liver by clearing toxins out of our diet, our hormones balance and work more efficiently. A side benefit was having great skin, glossy hair, beautiful nails and hey, I looked younger too. I think I have found the green elixir to ageing gracefully.

      So if you are in need of an energy boost, want to lose a few pounds or even look younger, head out into your garden (or check out your local farmer’s market) and gather as many colourful vegetables as you can find and join me back in my kitchen.

      When you start your homestead, plant your fruit first because it takes a number of years for them to produce. This is the first year that we allowed apples to grow on our three year old trees…This is our Spartan apple tree.

       

      A bowl full of energy, carrots, parsley, kale, swiss chard, and apples.

      Now if you know me or have read my blog at all, you will know that I’m not a high maintenance type of gal. Last fall when D gave me a new compost bin, you would think he had given me a diamond ring for how ecstatic I was, so when he gave me a Champion juicer for my birthday a number of years ago, I WAS BEYOND thrilled. Plus, our family has benefited with greater health.

      If you don’t have a juicer (yet…I hope my post convinces you to buy one) you can certainly buy some green powder, or go and become a wheat grass junkie at your local health food store (like I used to be) …that is the next thing I dream of…a wheat grass extractor with a fridge in the garage to store my wheat grass trays….it will come.

      I found a great powder by Webber Naturals at Costco for a great price ($25.00) and often this is what I start my day with. I shake up a cupful and drink it about 1/2 hour before I eat my oatmeal which aids in the digestion and jump starts my day. Below my breakfast of choice.

      When I make my oatmeal, I also add a scoop of 8 grain cereal to the cooked oatmeal, along with some ground flax seed. Then I go crazy with walnuts, almonds, cranberries, raisins, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or frozen fruit I keep for my smoothies. I find that when we are in a rush and if I’m wanting the little kids to eat their oatmeal fast, then I add the frozen fruit and it cools off the oatmeal quickly…although I like to savour my oatmeal before I start my day.

      Oh I like adding all sorts of things to my oatmeal…today there was soy yogurt, walnuts and bananas

      So if you don’t have a juicer, check out all the powder greens to give your liver a boost and help with your digestion. This one addition will give you a big boost.

      If you want to see what you are eating however, gather your vegetables, the skies the limit.

      Today, I gathered kale, apples fresh off our tree, parsley, swiss chard, cucumbers, carrots, and ginger. What I forgot, but I usually put in all my juices is some celery…but this is what I love about juicing, each time it’s a bit different. The ginger is a warming herb and great for digestion, plus gives it a zing.

       

       

      Parsley is a diuretic and great for your liver

      Here is my Champion juicer in action….you can put the pulp in your carrot muffins, yum!

      Oh look at that beautiful green colour!

        Cheers!
      To make silly cracker people, spread some hummus, add a cucumber slices, 1/2 a cherry tomato for eyes and a slice of apple for the mouth…the kids were moving the tomatoes around and laughing like crazy…food is fun!

      And voila! my afternoon snack with the kiddos. I drank the green juice but we all ate the crazy WASA cracker/hummus people. Our kids will drink a carrot, heavy to the apple and a tiny bit of ginger juice (apple/carrot zinger) but when I add too much of the green stuff they scrunch up their little noses. That’s okay. They eat their greens by way of broccoli, beans, cucumbers, etc. Their little bodies regenerate so fast and they haven’t the toxins built up from years of damage yet so they don’t have to eat pounds of organic vegetables to re-charge. We are certainly mentors when they see us chug our green drinks and chase them for a messy kiss with our green moustaches afterwards.

      I wish you could come over for a juice.  Although I think my friends Tamara, Jane, and Laura have partaken and certainly my sisters B and J have caught me juicing. They all know I have to stay young and energized to keep up with Will and the twins. Hey, and if you think that this may be too much, just try each day cutting up a bunch of veggies and over the course of the day munching on all that raw power. You will feel GREAT!

      Life is so good and needs all our enthusiasm and gusto to enjoy it.

      Here is a YouTube clip I found on juicing…if you are wanting to learn more check it out.

      (If you are using an Apple product, you may not be able to watch this video below, if so I hope this link works for you, “The Benefits of Juicing.“)

       

       

      Wishing you a radiant, energetic, life.

      Until, I see you again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

      Blessings from Hope

       

      Basil Pesto Recipe

      / Lee Reynolds

      Yum! I love basil pesto.

       

      One basil plant growing in my garden…I have lots!

      I discovered my love for pesto when my new friend Susan, whom I met while working at D.S. Gardens this past spring, brought it to our employee luncheon party. Although the picnic table was loaded with delicious and healthy food, all I wanted to eat was her pesto.

      After that, I believe I was solely responsible for selling out all of the basil plants we had in stock. If I saw anyone walking around with a tomato plant, I would bring over one of our beautiful 6 pack basil plants and say, “Did you know that basil is a companion plant for tomatoes?”…and then I would offer them a free sniff. As soon as the basil was under their nose I knew I had sold another 6 pack. My motives weren’t to just make money for the garden center but to ensure no one left without having what I think is THE BEST herb for their garden. Well, I do like oregano, dill, sage, parsley, ha….okay I like herbs, but Basil is at the top of the list. There were a few occasions where customers wavered  even after a whiff of the herb but all I had to say was, “do you like pesto?” and that would be it. They would smile and take my 6 pack, sometimes two packs.

      Suffice it to say, I planted a lot of basil myself this spring, right in front of my tomatoes. And it wasn’t long before I was making pesto several times a week. We even started putting it on our pizza instead of our classic tomato sauce. Yeah, we love pesto around here…and did you know it freezes well too?

      So on the heels of my post about what to do with all the tomatoes, I have to share my basil pesto recipe. I hope you grow to love it as much as I have this spring/summer. Next year, I’m going to plant even more because I want to freeze it….it never makes it into the freezer with our family. I’ve been eating so much this year I won’t have any to dry either. Oh, and don’t you think all that green is good for our bodies! You bet…up there with Kale!  Here is my recipe and some pictures.

      Here are the main ingredients,,,thanks for the garlic dear brother in law Barrie!

      Hope’s Basil Pesto Recipe

      Ingredients

      2 cups of basil
      2 garlic cloves
      1/4 cup of pine nuts or walnuts
      1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
      1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
      (not in the picture but additional items, kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, sprinkle of lemon juice)

      Directions

      Put basil, garlic cloves and nuts in a food processor and pulse it until they are ground really well.

      Once well processed, add the oil, slowly to the consistency that you desire. I like my pesto a bit thicker but if you are making pesto to spread on a pizza or as a pasta sauce, you may want to add a bit more olive oil to make it thinner.Taste as you go.

      Add the parmesan cheese and process really well.

      Finally, add a pinch of salt, some freshly ground pepper and a
      squeeze of fresh lemon, mix again then you are ready to dig in.

      I like to eat my pesto with Triscuit crackers (Rosemary and Olive oil is my latest fav) but our oldest daughter Alyssa likes to eat it with a spoon, a big spoon, and if caught she has a guilty smile on her face. I wish you were here now Alyse to eat my latest pesto, ’cause it was delish, but interesting note, it did go farther than usual. It lasted all of an hour today.

      I hope you like my recipe and plan to double your basil plants for next year too. Enjoy! In JOY!

      This is a great afternoon snack for my family…but boy does it go fast!

      Until, I see you again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

      Blessings from Hope

       

      Homemade Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies

      / Lee Reynolds

      What makes you happy? For me, chocolate is right up there. Up there with eating chocolate, is making something chocolatey for someone I love. So on the heels of expanding my happiness quotient, I decided to share my recipe for Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies, CHOCOLATE, ice cream sandwich cookies. Just for you. Expanding happiness everywhere. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family did.

      Will with the last bite of his ice cream sandwich

      When I was at the grocery store recently I “almost” picked up a box of 4 ice cream sandwich cookies for my kids, a few of my kids. The cost was around $5.00 for this box, so  to feed my family it would have cost me at least $10.00 for 8 cookies. A few of us however would be looking on longingly. I made double that amount for half  the cost. It was healthier, PLUS, no packaging required.

      First you need to make a batch of our
      Country Fair Cookies

      Ingredients

      11/2 cups of butter
      2 cups of sugar (your choice on how you sweeten it)
      2 eggs
      2 tsp vanilla…or other extract flavouring of your choice
      2 cups of flour
      11/2 cups of cocoa mix
      2 tsp baking soda
      1 tsp of salt
      1 cup of adders of your choice…we use more chocolate..a cup of chocolate chips.

      Directions:

      In a large bowl beat 11/2 cups of butter until whipped. Gradually add 2 cups of sugar. Mix well.

      Add two eggs, one at a time and beat until well mixed.

      Add 2 tsp of vanilla or flavouring of your choice
      Now add the dry ingredients together as well as 1 cup of chocolate chips, nuts or whatever you want in your cookies at this time.
      This mixture takes awhile to come together so mix well, until you can make balls of dough.
      Place one inch balls on a greased cookie sheet and press down….I also make a few larger balls for the bigger kids.

      Before I bake the cookies I shake some coloured sprinkles on a few of the cookies.

      (This cookie sheet has made thousands upon thousands of cookies…it doesn’t look great but it’s sacred in my kitchen)

      Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes. When you bring them out of the oven, let them sit for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before lifting them off so they set up. Then let them cool fully on racks. I put them into the freezer before I start spreading ice cream  between them.

       

      Now the best part of making these ice cream sandwich cookies is next. Decide what kind of ice cream you want to put between the cookies…the choice is ENDLESS.  Personally, I like old fashion vanilla ice cream between this chocolate cookie.
       Our oldest son likes to make ice cream from scratch for the kids at the Science center where he works in the summer….they think he is awesome.
      Here’s  how to make homemade ice cream
      Now take the ice cream and with a spoon and butter knife spread the ice cream on one half, then put the other cookie on the other side. Press gently. If you push too hard, you will break the cookies, (and oh gee, you will have to eat that one) but it helps if you have frozen the cookies slightly before you work with them.
      You can eat them right away but they taste even better when you have allowed them to set up in the freezer and you can pull them out the next time you want to spread some happiness.
       TA- DA!

       

      Ta da, chocolate cookies with ice cream. Summer happiness.

       

      These are girls after my own heart. They love chocolate.
      Until I see you again, may you be well, happy with chocolate and peaceful.
      Blessings from Hope

       

      Homemade Pizza night

      / Lee Reynolds

      It’s Friday fun night and I’m planning to make a pizza or two for my crowd. We have chicken left over from last night so I’m thinking my weight lifting teenagers will opt for that instead of “peasant food” which is what our oldest son calls pizza. Then he regales us with the history of pizza. He’s a science major at our local University and a bit of a know it all about everything.

      My oldest son brought home some dry ice from the Science Centre where he works in the summer time. This is him drinking something with that ice. He is always regaling us with his vast knowledge about sciency stuff and of course peasant food.

      Suffice it to say, he will eat our chicken so I’m thinking I will make one big pizza.

      Classic Cheese on one side and a veggie on the other for those of us who like eating stuff from the garden, us peasants. Which is most of our family, thank heavens!

      So help me by grating the cheese and cutting up the veggies and I will make the crust.

      Here’s how I make one large pizza crust that is thick and holds lots of veggies. If you like your crust thinner and crispy just add a bit more flour and split the dough in half and spread it on two pans. We like ours thick….which our oldest also says, ‘”is not a true pizza crust, it’s suppose to be thin”

      Hope’s Homemade Pizza Crust recipe

      Ingredients

      3 cups of flour
      1 tsp of sugar
      1/2 tsp of salt
      11/2 cups of warm water
      1 tbsp yeast (I buy the quick rising kind from Costco’s…it’s in a large box for around $5.00 dollars.)
      1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
      Non stick spray for the pizza pan

      Kate and Tori help to mix the dough

      Directions

      Add 11/2 cups of warm water to a large bowl
      Sprinkle the yeast on the top of the water and let it sit for at least 5 minutes

      Mix the flour (and I like to use unbleached white with some whole wheat…the combination can be your choice…We like 1/2 and 1/2 but if you aren’t use to whole wheat flour use less at first)
      the sugar and the salt together until well combined.

      Then take a fork and make sure the yeast is mixed really well into the warm water…it should be frothy. Then add your tbsp of olive oil and mix well again.

      Finally, add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix really well. When a ball has formed I start to turn it over and over kneading it like bread with my hands. I continue to mix until all the flour is worked in. This usually takes about 2 minutes. Sometimes it’s still sticky and if that is the case, then add a tiny bit of flour to the mixture so your hands don’t stick but not too much or your crust will be heavy.

      Then I let the dough sit in the bowl with a damp cloth on top for at least 15 minutes. The longer you let it sit the more it will rise but I’m usually making mine right before dinner so I don’t have time to let it rise higher.

      While you are waiting for it to rise you can grate the cheese and cut up all the veggies.

      Grace Elizabeth grates the cheese

      The combinations are endless and like my chocolate chip cookies, my pizza’s always turn out a bit different each time. It’s endlessly interesting and delicious. I can’t believe the days that we used to order pizza out.

      After the 15 minutes are up you can spread your dough on your lightly sprayed pizza pan. If you want you can let the crust sit on the pan to rise once again…another 15 minutes makes it light and soft and you will have an even chewier crust.

       

       

      You can make pizza sauce from scratch or use your fav spaghetti sauce

      Spreading the pizza sauce of your choice is the next step…..I just use whatever we have in the house. Usually it’s the organic tomato sauce from Costco’s but this year it’s going to be from my own tomatoes as I have planted enough to keep us going all year. Stay tuned later this summer for all my “what to do with the tomatoes posts.”

      So that’s it for the crust.  Now let the creativity begin by letting your palate be your guide. Whatever we have growing n the garden or in the fridge is what I throw on our pizza.

      Right now we have red onion, spinach, mince garlic (from my garden…I’m thrilled with my garlic this year.) basil, tomatoes (sadly, from the store, hey I’m in Canada and we are just starting to see them turn colour now, although I did have a few red cherry ones that were yummy) and of course zucchini and feta cheese. For the cheese side of the pizza just pile on the mozzerella cheese and some cheddar…our kids like that and a bit of parmesan cheese too.

      And  voila!

      A few weeks ago my sisters C and J were in town and I made them my new pesto sauce pizza….it was delish….I will for sure do a post on making pesto so you can try it out. It is amazing if you like basil and garlic. But try anything you like and you can’t go wrong with a Friday night fun food like pizza. I think I will pull out an apron and an old hat when my older son comes home and welcome him to peasant land. It’s a good place to be.

      I also made a Kale Salad to go with our pizza and some cut up cucumbers and carrots from our garden as well. Did you know that Kale was also peasant food in the ‘ole days. Nobler folks wouldn’t touch it. Last summer I was reading how marvelous Kale was…a top 10 healthy food choice for sure. Oh that makes me think of doing another blog post on my green Kale drink….stay tuned for that.

      Well, if you have gotten to know me at all bu reading my first few blog posts, I often write a novella so I will stop here and get on with cleaning up the kitchen….that is a picture I won’t show you but I’m sure you can imagine what it looks like when you have kids helping you and you are trying to write your blog. We also made homemade ice cream sandwiches this afternoon as well. (for another blog post day) If you could smell the chocolate wafting from my kitchen you would be in heaven (that is if you like chocolate….we love it around here)

      So bon appetite!

       

      My taste tester, who has been painting the living room

      You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients. – Julia Child

      Until then, may you be well, happy, tummy full and peaceful.

      Blessings from Hope

       

      Sun Ice tea

      / Lee Reynolds

      Hello, how nice to see you, please come in as I was just making some refreshing Sun Ice Tea.

      Here is everything I need to make my tea:

      I have this large old pickle jar that I fill with boiling water. I then add whatever tea that I’m craving. I’m showing David’s tea summer sampler pack but today I decided to go with 3 big scoops of dried Earl Grey tea. I normally let it steep in the sun out on the deck for a few hours but you can let it steep until it’s as strong as you want it….more for a stronger taste….today I just let it steep as I was cutting up zucchini bread and puttering in the kitchen. I also love to throw a bunch of peppermint from my garden to give it a refreshing taste. Just before you serve, add honey to the jar and stir, really well. Then pour it into glasses that are filled to the top with ice because they will melt really quickly…then add more ice before you serve….a slice of lemon, a leaf of peppermint and you have a refreshing and healthy ice tea for your guests……or for your favourite daughter….at least one of them.

      Let’s take our tea and zucchini bread (check out my Summer’s bounty post for the zucchini bread recipe)….out to our front yard and have a nice visit. What have you been up to?

      This my favourite place to sit in the morning….please join me?

       

                            There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart. ~Celia Thaxter

      Thanks for coming to visit, let’s do it again soon.

      Until then may you be well, happy and peaceful.

      Blessings from Hope

      Zucchini Bread~Zucchini Chocolate Cake~Summer’s Bounty

      / Lee Reynolds

       

      Okay, maybe it was crazy to start a blog and start writing about my homestead right in the middle of summer. I mean, gesh, as though I’m not busy enough with my 8 kids, summer camps, having family come to visit,  agreeing to take care of the neighbour’s flowers (and I’m not talking about a few pots, they are everywhere, but don’t get me side-tracked) as well as hosting a long weekend family re-union (which was amazing and so worth every moment…I have to write about that in another post)….all while I’m trying to stay on top of my garden and the harvest.

      Recently, I went out to check on what was growing and was absolutely shocked to find, not a few zucchinis ready but a basket of them and more ready only a day or two behind. (What do you do when you have a dozen zucchini in a  few days time? This past spring I worked at a wonderful garden center as a garden consultant, where I kind of got known as the veggie lady because I was imparting my gardening knowledge with gusto (often would get hungry just talking about growing veggies) to those who wanted to grow things they could eat.

      Early in the season we had single zucchini’s for sale and those got snapped up….smart people, or not. Later, our growers provided zucchini’s in a 6 pack. Each time a customer came in and asked where our zucchinis were, they would moan and groan when they saw our lovely, healthy 6 pack of zucchinis. They didn’t know a good thing when they saw it.

      I told them I would give them a few great recipes to go along with the 6 pack and they just smiled. Most people left with the beautiful zucchini 6 pack but said they were going to find me and drop the extras on MY doorstep. Ooohhhh that made me want to sell them all the more…..or so I thought at the time. The way I look at food though is you can always do something with the extra bounty and if not, there are always people looking for food. Even zucchini.

      As I write this post though, I wonder what was I thinking to plant  6 zucchini plants in “my” garden and don’t get me started on the butternut squash or the pumpkins growing right next to them.

      “One” of the pumpkin growing on our homestead

      But again, I transgress. What I intented this blog post to be about was sharing a couple of great recipes if you too are blessed with a summer’s bounty of zucchini.

      After I brought a few of the green giants into my kitchen, I started by grating them with my food processor. Then I pulled out my recipes. Yes, I still have them in old fashioned recipe cards.

      I thought I’d make some loaves for eating right now, freeze some, and make a delicious chocolate zucchini cake that I could also throw in the freezer for our upcoming family re-union. I was also able to fill several large freezer bags with grated zucchini so in the middle of winter I could remember the blessings of summer. I just love the smell of zucchini leaves, don’t you?

      Here’s a few picks./pics from my garden…..I hope you In JOY!

      Zucchini Bread

      Preheat Oven to 325 degrees
      Spray 2 loaf pans with a non stick vegetable oil spray

      Ingredients:

      3 eggs
      2 cups of sugar (1 white/1 brown or you can use honey)
      1 cup of vegetable oil….lately we use a lot of coconut oil but I used a sunflower oil this time)
      2 cups of grated, glorious, under appreciated zucchini
      1/2 tsp vanilla
      3 cups  of flour (I like to use 2 white unbleached white to 1 cup of whole wheat)
      2-3 tsp cinnamon
      1 tsp sea salt
      1 tsp baking soda
      1 tsp baking powder
      opt….we love nuts…so we add 1/2 cup walnuts to our bread

      Beat eggs until frothy, stir in sugars, oil, zucchini, and vanilla
      Mix dry ingredients really well….then add to the wet ingredients. Mix until all combined.
      Pour into prepared loaf pans

      Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the toothpick comes out clean.

      Let sit for 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge of the pan and then turn out on cooling rack.
      We like to eat it warm from the oven and I put the second one in the freezer or share with a friend.

      And here is the finished product….yummy.

      Now I also wanted to share another recipe we made but sadly I didn’t take any pictures of the results as my kids ate it so fast that I didn’t even have a crumb to show you but oh my gosh, this was a delicious, moist cake so here is the recipe for our chocolate zucchini cake.

      Hope’s Chocolate Zucchini Cake

      Ingredient

      2 cups of flour (again….I prefer 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of unbleached white)
      2 cups of sugar (1 cup brown, 1 cup white)
      3/4 of cocoa powder
      2 tsp baking soda
      2 tsp baking powder
      1 tsp cinnamon
      pinch of salt
      4 eggs
      11/2 cup of vegetable oil….(and again you can use coconut oil if you prefer)
      3 cups of grated, glorious zucchini
      3/4 cup chopped nuts…we use walnuts

      Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
      Grease and flour a 9×13 baking pan

      In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and a pinch of salt.
      Add eggs, one at a time and oil. Mix well, then fold in the zucchini and nuts until they are well distributed.

      Pour into pan.
      Bake for 50 to 60 minutes and done when the toothpick comes out clean.

      Cool and eat…or spread with a chocolate glaze.

      We made a chocolate glaze for icing. Some icing sugar, cocoa, and coconut oil…oh yummy. In Joy!

      If you are blessed to have a bounty of zucchini, like us, I hope you try these recipes. If not visit your local Farmer’s market and I’m sure you will find them plentiful at this time of year.

      You can also grill your zucchini or do what we do, just cut thinly sliced pieces, drizzle some olive oil on top, add some garlic, fresh basil and oregano…(I have to blog about my herbs another time) and garlic, and of course some parmesan cheese, All my kids love this and it goes with so many other foods, make some quinoa, wild rice, a green salad and you have a complete meal……and gosh anything that is easy, healthy and stretches our budget is what I love so I can spend more time with family or my garden.

      Stay tuned as I want to share my sun ice tea recipe next. It goes great with my zucchini bread and is a perfect choice when family or friends pop over for a summer visit.

      Until I see you again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

      Blessings from Hope