Month: April 2016

Let’s Camp

Published by

  All packed up and ready to roll…       We’ve been beach camping for years. It started as a neighborhood thing, then a neighborhood plus family thing, now… it’s just a thing, we have to do it. It’s like part of our whole. Our summers are not complete without it. And if we can’t camp summertime, fall works too!      Here are a some Dutch oven recipes for you to try on your next camping trip, enjoy!  http://50campfires.com/35-incredibly-easy-dutch-oven-recipes-camping/       Our corner spot, not our silver bullet… insert cry. 😦    Cheesy Chile Beans & Dutch Oven Cornbread, hit the spot. 

Plated Petals…

Published by

 Such beautiful garden art!     Follow them on Instagram @PlatedPetals     This company puts out gorgeous pieces of garden art.                   Their pieces are just stunning. A welcome addition to any garden! I was blessed enough to have them donate one of their beautiful works of art to our MS fundraising team, we were able to use it as a fundraising raffle prize, this generous donation helped us raise more funds to fight MS. How good are they, Plated Petals… doing good things.  💛  I can not wait to own one for my own yard! 

Skinny Mac and Tuna Drop Salad 

Published by

So here’s the skinny on my Skinny Mac and Tuna Drop Salad. You might be asking, why drop? Well here’s why…    that’s right, just drop all your ingredients into a zip lock bag, zip it up, shake, and you are ready to chill. (it)     Here are some of the ingredients I used.     All mixed up and ready to chill…     The finished goodness, no kidding the spices give this salad an extra flavor goodness punch, so good!  So here is how I did it…  Ingredients  1/2 package small salad macaroni cooked al dente 3 Tbsp chopped red onion 1 12oz can tuna in water, drained 1/3 cup chopped kosher dill pickle  1/4 cup non fat Greek yogurt  1/4 cup light mayo 1/2 tsp dill  1/4 tsp garlic powder  1/4 tsp celery salt 1/4 tsp old bay seasoning 1/2 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp salt For mixing   1 gallon zip lock bag Dump all the ingredients in your zip lock or sealable bag. Zip up/seal the bag.  Shake/mix ingredients until the salad is …

Aunt Joan’s Lima Beans

Published by

Okay so I will always think of my husband’s/our late dear Aunt Joan when I think of lima beans. She would prepare them often for her husband, my husband’s uncle, our dear Uncle Dan. They always sounded so good and they looked even better as I watched them being served to our Uncle Dan. Now the thought of them just brings back loving and warm family memories. Back then at times, my husband would ask me, “Gina, how come you don’t make more lima beans?”. At the time, I didn’t make lima beans period. Having not grown up with these tender morsels as a staple in my young diet, I really had no clue which way to go with them, back then, in my early married life cooking days.  This year at Easter time I decided to make my husband and myself an Easter feast. Ham was to be the main event. When I got to the grocery store I was faced with the dilemma, buy a big (giant) ham for a great price or …

Gone Snowshoeing…

Published by

In February, while on a home trade to Denver Co., we decided to head outdoors to explore. Oh what a treat, John Muir was right!   We had originally intended on snow-showing but that plan had to be scratched as conditions just weren’t optimal for it. I was lucky enough to get a small taste of what snowshoeing is like though. Boy was I thrilled as I parading around the visitors center, looking quite tourist-like (yes I know), before we set off on our wonderful hike. The trail… Oh but the sound of the wind making it’s way through the canyon, what an amazing delight. Family hikes are the best hikes… That snow, that hike, that mountain… what a delight. Aw, that fresh air though…   Friends for life, enjoying the beautiful outdoors together. Onward and upward… We did it! Trail complete! Sure it was a very short trail, but still for this California snow novice, it was quite an accomplishment.  Just to recap, hahaha, uh huh, what a thrill! Too hip got to go…….. 😉 This day …

Mexican Squash, my Calabasitas Tejano

Published by

Last year I had the great fortune of being able to visit my sweet family in El Paso, Texas. I spent many a wonderful summer there when I was just a girl. The trip for me, was like going home again, albeit a home away from home. One evening my cousin, 2 of my dearest aunts and I decided to cook a meal together.  What fun we had, cooking, sharing stories, and recipe secrets. This was one of the side dishes we prepared with the fruits of my cousin in laws labor. He maintains a garden during spring and summer. From what I understand, his zucchini harvest each year is extraordinarily good. I know this zucchini dish that evening sure was! Oh my yumminess. You will not be disappointed with this recipe. I like to add the cheese when I serve it up. It’s a fair amount of chopping, but so worth the effort. Healthy and delicious. The jalapeño is totally optional. The cooking process goes quite fast. and there you go… I give you, Calabacitas Tejano Now… prep, prepare …