Breakfast for Supper

Last night, after Kylie's softball game, I made breakfast for supper. First, I made biscuits from an old Betty Crocker cookbook. I've made other biscuits recipes but always return to this one.

Baking Powder Biscuits
1/4 c shortening
2 c all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 c milk

Heat your oven to 450 degrees. Cut shortening into the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until mixture is fine crumbs. This step is important. I bought a pastry blender just for this and it works so well. Stir in enough milk so dough leaves the sides of the bowl and makes a round ball. Too much milk = sticky dough and too little milk = dry biscuits.

Then, put dough on a floured surface and knead lightly 10 - 20 times or about 30 seconds. Roll or pat until 1/2 inch thick and cut out with biscuit cutter. Don't be afraid to use a little extra flour here, your biscuits will be higher and taste better.

Put on ungreased cookie sheet with sides touching. Bake 10-12 minutes. This makes about 10 or so biscuits.

Anyway, I sliced and cooked up some sausage.

Then, I made a white gravy. I used about 2 Tbsp bacon/sausage grease in the bottom of the pan. I added flour until it thickened (about 2-3 Tbsp) and then I added about a pint and 1/2 of two of milk and I took a wisk to the mixture to bring everything together. As soon as it was smooth, I kept stirring it so it wouldn't be lumpy. It thickened and I added salt and pepper to taste.

Then, I sliced open the biscuits and put a piece of sausage in each. Finally, I topped each biscuit with the gravy.

I know this isn't a meal to enjoy all the time, unless being the size of a barn is your goal but it sure went down easy last night.

So good that I forgot to take picture before we gobbled it all up.

Cinco de Mayo

I was making green chili to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Using the awesome chilies called Dynamites from Colorado, I cut them up and added them to the pot.

I've had a unusual spring this year in that I have had allergies big time. I really suffered with them in Colorado but when I moved up here, they stopped. This spring they came upon me with a vengeance! Sneezing, scratchy throat, watery and itchy eyes, runny nose. Pretty much all of it. I was talking to dan and reached up to scratch my eyes, first one and then the other.

Uh, BIG mistake! I knew the minute I touched my eyes that I had screwed up! They felt like they were on fire. I spent a few minutes with my eyes closed before the heat subsided from the skin around my eyes.

I know this is a dumb thing to do. I just wasn't paying attention. Next time maybe?

My Kids LOVE Pizza

Made some homemade pizzas tonight.  This isn't even close to the first time that I've made pizza but tonight I went for a thinner crust. 

Shelby helped decorate the pizzas with a rustic sort of artisan style. 

The best part was eating them. Great crust...awesome pizza!

Annual St Pat's Day Parade

The parade this year was fun! The weather was the best weather we've had for the parade in years! As I've said before, everyone is so ready to get out of their houses for some fun and excitement.

Our town is quite small and we had an estimated 20,000 people attend the parade with almost 100 floats! 

 A lawn chair, something to eat and drink, the kids dancing for candy, good friends and good cheer! What a sweet afternoon!

It's Me...

Yup I'm still alive. Just busy (as is most everyone) and having a hard time writing my words down on this page. I'll think about blogging something and then the thought gets replaced by other things and days turn into months.

I'm at a women's retreat that our church does each year. And for once, I'm not doing anything. I'm not on the committee, not teaching a craft. I'm here to fill my spiritual tank back up. 

My friend, Amanda, is here with me. She called me Friday wondering what I was doing this weekend. I told her about the retreat and they were able to slide her in to a spot and here we are. She's been going through some tough things lately so she needs our prayers. 

Here's a picture of us together. May God bless Amanda and her family. 

Christmas Cookies

Christmas music is playing. It's snowing outside. The kids are making gingerbread men (and women) and Christmas cut out cookies. 

Mmm, I LOVE this time of year!

Vacation

We had the most spectacular time in Captiva, Florida! We flew out from Minneapolis at six in the morning. We had a layover in Atlanta, Ga and then on to our destination.

We picked up our rental car and headed west to Captiva. We stopped and bought groceries off the island because we were advised that it would be much cheaper. Loaded up the mini van (yes we actually drove a mini van) and proceeded to our destination.

We check in and then drove to our house. Our house had three different levels. We opened the door and the kids ran every which a way. It was so fun to check out the super spacious house. The kids were claiming their bedrooms as they discovered them.

The week was filled with lots of beach time, swimming and sunshine, some shelling on an uninhabited island, good eats and seafood. It was a relaxed time and just what we all needed.

We reluctantly boarded the plane for home. The week went entirely too quick.

I have a funny story to tell. They left us a 6 seater golf cart to get around the island on. It was so fun tooling around on that thing. Anyway, the first day we all piled into the cart and drove it to the little general store to get a few things we forgot.  I ran into the store and came back out to the parking lot. There was an almost constant beeping noise. I got to the cart and Dan was looking quite embarrassed because the beeping was coming from our golf cart. I got back in and we decided to head back to the house as fast as we could go. We avoided eye contact with others because whatever Dan did, the beeping wouldn't stop.

We parked the golf cart in the garage and turned off the key. Dan looked at it and tried to find the source of the problem. A bit later, Dan laughingly told me that the horn button was on the floorboard and without knowing it, his foot had been on the horn the whole time! We had a good laugh over that.

We are so thankful to the Dream Foundation for this wonderful vacation. It was just amazing how God put it all together and at just the right time.