Welcome BlogHoppers

July 3rd, 2009 · Away from home

My Dear Readers, I’m trying something new today. MckMama, a beautiful woman whose blog I’ve followed for a long time, is starting a weekly Blog Hop. I think it’s a great idea to find new blogs and make some new friends.

If you’re stopping by from the MckLinky Blog Hop, welcome! I hope you’ll have a look around while you’re here. If you take a look at my header, you will see links to my favorite topics. My favorite posts are usually recipes and kitchen tips, craft ideas and tutorials, fun things for toddlers and preschoolers to do, and (of course!) pictures of my Pumpkin. I also post product reviews and giveaways at Feels Like Home Recommends.

I’m so glad you stopped by! Please visit again some time.

MckLinky Blog Hop

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The Best Macaroni Salad

July 1st, 2009 · Home Cooking

My friend, Joanne, has a sister who is the ultimate homemaker.

Except that she works a full time job, but we’ll ignore that, m’kay?

Joanne’s sister, Mil, makes all sorts of wonderful foods to bring to every picnic and party she attends. Almost every time I see her, I say, “Mil, can I have the recipe for this?”

Mil is very generous with her recipes. I have dozens of recipes from her. Cucumber pasta salad. Popeye chicken salad. And this wonderful macaroni salad.

The Best Macaroni Salad

  • 2 cups uncooked macaroni
  • 1 cup Miracle Whip
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons spicy brown or horseradish mustard
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup brown vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons celery salt
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • dried parsley (I use a handful.)
  • salt, to taste
  1. Prepare pasta according to package directions, cooking to almost al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water until pasta is cool.

  2. Whisk all other ingredients together in a mixing bowl. I measure the Miracle Whip, mayo, sugar, and vinegar, and I eyeball everything else. Mix until well
  3. Pour the sauce over the pasta and refrigerate at least one hour.

Happily submitted to the Ultimate Recipe Swap, Family Recipe Fridays, Favorite Ingredient Friday,   Finer Things Friday, Hooked on Fridays

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2 Going on 13

June 30th, 2009 · Homefolk

I have to sigh every time I see this pictures.

Who is this kid and what did she do with my baby?

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These are from Grace’s second birthday party.

Happily submitted to Wordless Wednesday, 5 minutes for Mom, The Not-So-Blog Blog, Wordful Wednesday, Go Graham Go, Mom of 3 Girls, Newlyweds!, What’s that Smell?, The Coupon Coup, Mommy Bits, Pink, Like the Color, Things I Love Thursday, A Thousand Words Thursday, Show and Tell Friday,PhotoStory FridayHosted by Cecily and MamaGeek, Beautiful Life Friday, and Friday’s Foto Finish Fiesta

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Quick & Easy Pesto Primavera

June 30th, 2009 · Home Cooking

I prefer to use fresh and homemade ingredients. They taste better, they’re healthier, and they’re free from nasty preservatives.

Except most of the time sometimes, I don’t have the time to make all of the parts from scratch before I make dinner. I would like to, but it’s not realistic. For that reason, I keep some premade, commercial products in the pantry to use in a pinch.

Yesterday was one of those in a pinch days. I had a doctor’s appointment (still treating my back injury from the car crash on May 1), so we didn’t get home until almost 6 pm. Joe was working overtime, so he wasn’t home, either. Grace and I made dinner, but we got a very late start.

For these occasions, our pantry holds an assortment of commercial pasta (Ronzoni Healthy Harvest or Barilla Pasta Plus because they’re healthier than the regular stuff), our homemade canned tomato sauce, and commercial sauces (alfredo, cheese, and a refrigerated pesto).

Because we used a box of pasta and the refrigerated pesto, we threw this primavera together in under a half hour. It would have been less if Grace hadn’t tossed the snow peas so vigorously, but she got a little carried away with the washing. We had to collect them from all over the kitchen floor.

Pesto Primavera

  • 1 box of spaghetti, or whatever pasta you prefer
  • olive oil
  • 2 zucchini squash
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 pint of fresh snow peas
  • 2 garlic scapes (chopped) or 1 garlic clove (pressed)
  • 3-5 spring onions, chopped
  • 1/2 to 1 cup prepared pesto - if you made pesto ahead of time and froze it, you could use your own
  • Feta cheese
  1. Prepare the veggies first. Slice the squash into rounds, and cut the rounds in half if desired. Chop the onion, and cut off the ends of the peas, removing the string. Chop the spring onions and the garlic scapes, if you’re using them. If you’re using a clove, you can press it directly into the pasta pan.
  2. Prepare pasta according to package directions, but subtract 2 minutes from the cooking time.
  3. In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Add in the peas and onions first and let them cook for a few minutes. Add in the squash and cook until veggies just begin to soften.
  4. When draining pasta, try to leave a couple of cups of cooking water in the pan. Dump the pasta back into the water in the pan and return it to the stove over medium heat. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil and stir the pasta to distribute it throughout.
  5. Transfer the cooked veggies to the pasta pot. Add the spring onions and garlic or garlic scapes and stir through.
  6. The pesto was a little tricky. I have a very large jar of refrigerated pesto from Sam’s Club, and I wasn’t sure how much to use. I added it a few heaping spoonfuls at a time and mixed it through the pan. I kept adding until the pasta was green enough for my taste. I think I added a little less than a cup of pesto all together.
  7. Just before serving, sprinkle with feta cheese. I love feta, so when I sprinkle my spaghetti with it, I probably use a 1/2 cup.

Happily submitted to Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tuesday Toot, Tasty Tuesday, Tackle It Tuesday, Talk About Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, and Works for Me Wednesday

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Happy (Belated) Birthday, Eric Carle!

June 26th, 2009 · Homegrown

Is there anyone who doesn’t love Eric Carle’s colorful children’s books?

I can’t imagine that there is.

I distinctly remember reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar as a child. I was a very hungry kid, and I related to the chubby bug.

Except for the turning into a beautiful butterfly part. I’m not sure I got around to that.Eric Carle Books

I noticed yesterday that its author, Eric Carle, was turning 80, so I dug around through our living room to see how many of his books were sitting around. They are in the photo at the right. A few are library books, but most are from our personal collection.

Grace’s favorite among Eric Carle’s books is Have You Seen My Cat? and mine is 10 Little Rubber Ducks.

I’ve been keeping up with his blog ever since Allie featured it on No Time for Flashcards. He doesn’t post a whole lot, but I have really enjoy reading his thoughts on his books, his art, and his life.

Eric Carle also has a website full of information, including resources for parents and teachers and a complete list of his books. There are dozens of books I’d not heard of before, including Why Noah Chose the Dove, The Mixed-Up Chameleon, and Draw Me a Star.

Mr. Carle founded the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Massachusetts, and I’m going to make a push for a visit.

You can should also watch Eric Carle on YouTube. I am happy to say that he is just as I’d imagined (except that he likes sushi, that was a surprise).

If you love Eric Carle’s books, and you want to share them with some little people in your life, you might consider some of the following activities:

I’m sure I’ve missed some great activities. Will you list yours in the comments?

Happily submitted to Finer Things Friday, Hooked on Fridays, and Monday’s Muse

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