Trying New Things

Several months ago, I found something that was an answer to some very desperate prayers of mine.  I was listening to Dave Ramsey on the radio and heard him endorse E-mealz, which is an online menu planning program.  You go to their website, pay $15 for three months (that's only $1.25 a week!), and you get not only dinner menus for the week...but you also get the grocery list for the dinner menus!

The main benefit is supposed to be that the meals are now budgeted--which saves money on grocery trips. But even bigger for me is the fact that I have ideas for dinner!  More than just 5 rotating meals with no vegetable side dishes!

Trying new recipes has been pretty fun...for most of us.  Joshua really hasn't been very thrilled with many of the meals, but he knows that he has to at least try everything on his plate.  He doesn't always do it with a smile.  And he doesn't always do it quickly.  In fact, he often takes his own sweet time--most likely in the hopes that we will lose track of what he has tried and what he hasn't.

Here is one of those beautiful side dishes that was so much fun to make but didn't go over very well.

Spinach with Orange Zest

Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan; add one teaspoon orange zest.

Add one bag of spinach to pan in small batches until the spinach is slightly wilted.

Remove from heat; add three tablespoons orange juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Toss gently.

Carrie was my kitchen helper last week, so she helped me out with zesting and juicing the oranges.  I've never, ever zested an orange.  Carrie saw it done on some cooking show, so she is the one who always volunteers to do it. 

I say "always" like I zest oranges frequently.

I don't.

But when the recipe calls for orange zest, then she's my girl.

See her zesty thing to the right of the glass juice bowl?

It's really just a grater.

Matthew is my self-proclaimed kitchen helper.
I was the first to proclaim him my kitchen helper, but since that very first time, he proclaims it loud and clear.
He likes to be a helper.
When he wants to be.

I don't quite remember why his dinner preparation attire is lacking on this particular afternoon.
Most likely an after-nap kind of accident.
Not sure.
Not unusual.

Mmmmm...
A sip of juice from a real live orange and not a box with a straw!
Mmmmm...

Hey!  There's something that boxes of Juicy Juice don't do!  That orange is talking to me!

And here is the finished product.

It really was just beautiful...and I thought that the flavor was pretty good...especially the orange juice!  But you know how spinach is.  

It's flavor is a little loud and green.  

We will still have spaghetti, tacos, hamburgers, chili, and meatloaf.

Just not every week.

In that order.

Enjoying the green things,

A Taste of Home

Not too long ago, I asked my kids what they might think of someday when they thought of home.

I was really hoping that they wouldn't say, "Mom yelled a lot" or "Mom was always cleaning" or "Mom never cooked supper."

What they said made me smile..."The smell of just-baked banana bread and coffee."

I smile because it's those same sorts of things that make me think of my childhood home. Those yummy, homey kinds of scents that are way better than even the very best smelling Yankee Candle (which, in my opinion is the Spiced Pumpkin candle).

Those are the scents that can take me back to my childhood in an instant!

One of those very special memory foods is Apple Pizza Pie.
Mom made this one every fall.

For years now, we've made it a tradition to visit our local apple orchard (the very best apple orchard ever--that's just another one of my opinions). Each September when the Jonathan apples fill the trees, we pick a great big bag of those sweet-tart apples, bring them home, and make an Apple Pizza Pie.

It's something that we all look forward to...a very special part of our fall.




"Mommy's Yummy Pie Crust"

(This is copied directly from a recipe card that I must have copied when I was in the fourth grade...maybe 9 years old?)

For an 8 inch Two-Crust Pie
(I use a really big pizza pan, so I double my dough recipe.)

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening
3 tablespoons water

Combine flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in shortening. Add water. Mix with fork.

Roll out dough and place in a pizza pan. Trim and flute the edge.




Apple Pizza Pie
I have no idea where this recipe came from. Mom's recipe cards usually give credit to the person who gave her the recipe...but this one, written in someone else's handwriting, has no original baker's name on it.

Arrange the slices from 7 - 8 apples (more or less) close together and neatly over round crust.

Sprinkle apples with 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice.

Combine 3/4 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Sprinkle desired amount over apples. You may also add some nutmeg if you like.

Combine 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar; cut in 1/2 cup butter till crumbly; sprinkle over top.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the crust is brown and the apples are tender.

Now...drizzle with a thin confectioner icing. This is listed as optional on my recipe card, but we don't consider this an option in our house. :)




Yesterday afternoon...a beautiful, sunny, 70 degree day...we visited the apple orchard and picked a bag of Jonathan apples.

My brother, Rob, and his fiance...my soon-to-be sister-in-law (soon meaning three weeks away!)...were with us.

We took those apples home and made them into a taste of home.
Now I know why there is a recipe magazine with that name!

It's amazing how my childhood memories can make a connection to my children's childhood memories.

To me, Rob will always be my little brother, Robbie.
Silly Robbie!




Is it any wonder that I can't lose any weight?!
I'm busy trying to make some memories for my kids!
That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!


Enjoying the Journey,