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Apple Chips for your Next Care Package
Are you looking for something new to put in your next care package? How about a slice of home? A reminder of autumn? The taste of crispy apples. But how do you get it overseas without it turning bad, mushy, yucky? Enter the power of the dehydrator! To make these yourself you will need: Apples – 4 or 5 per batch An Apple Peeler / Corer (Here is an example over at Amazon) A Food Dehydrator (An example at Amazon) Wash and core your apples, but leave the peals on for some yummy added fiber. If you use a corer similar to mine you can simply push the peeler-arm back and it won’t…
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Perfectly Sweet Healthy Birthday Snack
A very Happy Birthday to my middle-son today! 7 years old and I feel like he should be turning 3 or 4. How does time pass so quickly? Every child loves to bring in a sweet treat to school to celebrate their special day. Before Spring Break I sent in a note to his teacher asking if I could send in cupcakes, a sweet-tooth favorite for the birthday boy. The note that came home was a bit disappointing. “We would love a birthday treat, but please send in something healthy.” Humph… My thought, ‘Come on! It is a Birthday!’ But I polled Facebook friends for a healthy, yummy treat that would satisfy…
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Tasty Tuesday with Sweet Potato Muffins
We went to the pumpkin patch with 2 of the grands today. Fun. Each ran and found their beauty. They surprised me in that they didn’t go for the big one… but each chose their favorite from the ones at the farthest end of the garden… as if the pursuit was the prize!With a little muscle help from Grandpa, the vine came loose, and the chilly orange orb was theirs! Since it is Tuesday, they wanted to perform in the kitchen, and pumpkin was on their minds. Muffins seemed the perfect treat for this chilly afternoon. We got out the ingredients, put on the aprons and set to work. One…
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Tasty Tuesday Blackberry Scones
Blackberry Scones. Right there, I am drooling!Warm, wet and wonderful hot out of the oven; berries popping out the sides of blackberry scones. From start to finish, these are ready to eat within the hour using everyday shelf items: with the exception of those juicy berries. We have berries growing and thriving and multiplying like 60. Dale picks them, I clean them; we eat them. Simple! Today we had oatmeal with blackberries for breakfast, a 10 o’clock snack was a blackberry muffin from last night and lunch will be a garden fresh tossed salad topped with… Yep! Blackberries, plump purple and delicious. The scone idea is new. Neighbors are coming…
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Final Days of the School Year
My boys are pumped! *E* and *C*’s last day of school is Tuesday and today is their final Friday in 2nd grade and kindergarten.Soon our routine will change. We’ll spend more time outdoors. more time at the library, more time doing ‘summer jobs’. more time staying up later than we should. more time with neighbors and friends, barbecues and sparklers. I love summer vacation just about as much as my boys do! Kindergarten has had an A-Z Countdown since the beginning of May. Each day has been a letter and a theme. For example, ‘H’ was hat day; ‘P’ was pajama day; today we are at ‘X’ and it…
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Pumpkin Muffins
I love the Thanksgiving Season! The sights, the smells, the colors, the sounds. Through the years I am finding the joys in baking and cooking. I spent some time earlier last week making Pumpkin Rolls with my mother-in-law; I am working with my mom so that I can help with the Thanksgiving meal; and today I made the most DELICIOUS muffins I have ever had in my life. (I had to taste test them after they came out of the oven after all!) This afternoon I had ‘Pumpkin Muffins’ on my list to bake. I called out to my brood, “Who wants to help me bake?!” *E*, 8 years old,…
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Coming Back After Being on the Bench for a Bit
Today is a big day for me and the rest of the team for MilitaryAvenue! I am able to return from a short time away due to medical issues. I seriously missed my communication with you our friends on MilitaryAvenue, whether on the site, Facebook or twitter! After being in top health for so many years of flying I never considered the possibility and impact of multiple surgeries, long hospital stays and pain medications. Although, the pain meds have created some great moments of humor for the family, friends and me! Always trying to find a bright spot from a bad thing can be a challenge and I use humor…
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Tasty Tuesday Dress Me Up Salsa Pico De Gallo
Salsa is a staple at our house, and has been for years. Tell me… WHO can live without tortilla chips and salsa? Or quesadillas with salsa? The occasional late night nachos with salsa? You get the picture. I used to have a truck load pumped into the house… back ‘er up and fill the tank. Well, not really, but if felt like that. I would wipe out a whole shelf in the commissary each time I went.So, naturally after canning a gazillion tomatoes the light bulb went off as to how to use these red beauties and the first thought: Salsa.There are several recipes for this mainstay, here is my…
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Tasty Tuesday: Great Snack Bits
After a great late lunch in a touristy type town in Florida, evening had a way of showing up. Dinner promised to be as good as the long walk, the shops and laughter. This was not going to be a heavy sit down affair, as we were ready to nibble. Mary and Ed had it all planned. We picked out a movie to watch, Mary served up a chilled bowl of gazpacho and then filled up snazzy serving bowls of Great Snack Bits. Perfect food, wonderful fun and memories that I will hold dear. Isn’t that the way it is when you visit good USAF folk! The snack mix is…
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Daffodil therapy
Daffodils. Great name for a flower I think. Something daffy is well, happy, a childhood memory made tangible and moments without pressure: pure frivolity. Prior to when Dale retired from the USAF, I went into a panic mode. What in the weeda world (a Norwegian expression from my fabulous grandmother) were we going to be doing? Good night, he would be home all the time. A life time of crew rest. OH MY!!My Mom was a great gardener. She could take a clump of dirt and transform it into a living breathing eye-grabbing spectacle. I thought the gardens were just for show… now I know differently.Bring on the daffodils. The…
