Granola - Homemade Yummy-ness!

I was inspired by a recipe I found in Bob Greene's "Get with the Program! Guide to Good Eating" Let me tell you I Y Granola!

I tweeked it some, taking into account that I didn't want to buy anything - my plan was to use up some things I had on hand.

Here is the original with my tweeks highlighted.

Homemade Granola


3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup oat bran (I omitted)
1/2 cup whole raw almonds ( I used some raw mixed nuts I had instead)
1/2 cup apple juice concentrate (I used OJ concentrate)
1/2 cup honey (local and organic)
1 tsp cinnamon (I used more)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup raisins or currants (I used golden raisins)

Preheat oven to 350F Spread oats on a large nonstick baking pan and toast, stirring often for 30 minutes. Cool. Reduce the oven heat to 275F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, oat bran if you are using it, nuts, juice concentrate, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla. In a separate mixing bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Add the sugar and beat 1 minute more. Combine the oat mixture with the egg whites and spread evenly on a nonstick baking sheet. Toast for 30 minutes, stirring often, until evenly browned. When cool, add raisins. Store in an airtight container.

This is so good! I eat it straight, or my favorite way is with yogurt and fresh fruit. Scrumptious!!

easy peasy lemon squeezy!

When You Know the Notes to Sing.....

This is a wonderfully happy Youtube video. I think it was filmed in Amsterdam. It will make you want to smile, dance and sing along!

Flies Flies Everywhere

Over at Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy I posted about making your own flystrips. Riveting reading if you ask me. You didn't? Well I promise it is worth a click if you want to get rid of all those pesky flies and don't want to buy the flystrips full of chemicals. I'm just saying!

April Showers bring May flowers

April was a hard, long month full of sadness and introspection. I mentioned the death of my great nephew - an infant not quite one. My husband's uncle/godfather passed away and so did my uncle. All three happened in a little over a week.

I am still struck by how sad I can be when I think of the loss of Baby Stephen and how his death affected all our lives. But I am also greatful for the time we had with him and would never ever trade that for anything. I feel the same about my own baby Luke.

Lent and then Easter were also a huge part of my April. Those 2 great seasons of the Church Year always bring their own sadness at my sin and personal responsibility in the suffering and death of Jesus. But then I remember that Easter follows Good Friday. Without the cross there can be no Easter. It is the same in my own life. Without the cross that I must pick up each day to follow my Lord and Saviour I will have no Easter, no Resurrection. In order to spend eternity with God I must embrace my cross.

I believe that into every life there will be little "May flowers" that will also happen. I am banking on them.

• The Pure Fashion Show is today - Tessa is a model. Her daddy will be walking with her in his tuxedo - be still my beating heart. And my sweet little girl Sylvia is making a guest appearance as a flower girl in the Bridal set. I cannot wait.
• Cassie will graduate in the top of her class. She is an amazing girl and I am very proud of her.
• Tessa, MollyK, Toria, Patrick and I all celebrate birthdays!
• Spring weather!
• Planting of my garden.
• Sophia will be 6 months - she gets more and more wonderful each day I adore my grandbaby!
• Mother's Day. Need I say more?
• Flowers, birds, new life everywhere.
• The Ft. Wayne Children's Zoo is open.
• My brother's wife is having a baby someday soon.

Thank You dear Lord Jesus for the flowers you put into my life!

I was inspired to make this list from the Inspired Room - she posted on 20 little happy things to celebrate in life (including a $100 gift certificate) I am also inspired by Tuesdays Unwrapped at Chatting at the Sky.

Makigami

Over on my other blog I wrote a post about Makigami. Makigami is an innovative new way to produce many things that are currently being made from plastic. Makigami is made from recycled paper and water. You don't get much greener than that!
It is worth checking out the link - and be sure to watch the youtube video also!

Baby Stephen

Baby Stephen passed away today. Please pray for his mommy and daddy and his Gigi - my sister. He would have turned 1 at the end of this month.

I know he is out of pain and in heaven. He doesn't suffer anymore. It is those of us left behind who will miss him everyday that suffer. I am certain that Baby Stephen is in heaven with my baby Luke and together they are with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and they are eternally happy.

To see a picture of this sweet baby go here.

Did You Know

A thought provoking video about the age we live in.

Spicy Potato Soup

I posted a yummy crockpot soup over on my new site Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy.
Check it out!
Easy peasy lemon squeezy!!

Holy Week Suggestions

Tomorrow begins the Holiest of of Days - when we remember and observe Jesus Christ's Passion and Death.

How are you observing these days?

Might I offer some suggestions, many of which we do at our home.

1. One way we can prayerfully live the mystery of the salvation of mankind is by immersing ourselves in the gospels. I suggests reading the Passion of Our Lord during Holy Week in the following manner:

• Wednesday of Holy Week- the Passion according to St. Matthew
• Holy Thursday- the Passion according to St. Mark
• Good Friday- the Passion according to St. John
• Holy Saturday – the Passion according to St. Luke
  

2. Because it can be very challenging to enter into the spirit of the Triduum with the constant noise of our world around us, you may also voluntarily choose to abstain from media ( TV, radio, internet etc… unless the subject matter is related to the mysteries the Church is celebrating) from Holy Thursday until Easter Vigil, and avoid the distraction of social or entertainment engagements, to create a climate of quiet reflection in which it’s easier to hear God’s voice more clearly.

3. Find out when your Church is holding Holy Week services and attend all that you are able, bringing your children with you.

4. Fasting and abstaining from meat on Good Friday, in remembrance of Christ's suffering.

5. Not quitting your Lenten resolutions until Sunday, even though "technically" Lent ends on Wednesday.

6. Offer prayer for those entering the Church this Easter.

I pray that you have a Holy and Blessed week and that on Easter Sunday you will be filled with the joy and hope of our Risen Lord.

God Bless, Christy

Mother-in-law Cake

While I wonder why it is called this - it doesn't prejudice me from attempting to bake it!

Mother-in-Law Cake

2 cups sugar
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup butter (original calls for margarine - but I never cook with it - gotta love butter)
1/2 cup Crisco (imagine that!)(I use coconut oil)
4 Tbs cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 slightly beaten eggs
1tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine sugar and flour in bowl. In a saucepan combine butter, shortening, cocoa, and water. Bring to a boil. Add boiled mixture to sugar and flour. Add remaining ingredients. Beat well. Pour into greased 9" cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

And if it doesn't turn out the first time -check here to see why.

It must be called Mother-in-Law cake because it is so stinkin' good and you can butter her up with a piece!! Duh!

From the marvelous little book: Food Wonders Common and Simple, Fort Wayne Christian School

Welcome to the Roman Catholic Church Newt Gingrich

It seems that while being "tight-lipped" about his conversion story, Newt Gingrich has indeed joined the Catholic Church this Easter season.

In an interview with OneNewsNow he was reluctant to say more than:

"I haven't talked about this much in public, and I'm not going to for at least six months or a year, but I will say that I found myself deeply comforted, and a deep sense of belonging and of finding a peace in my soul
in a way that I just found very, very powerful," he explains.

I think it is wonderful. More than wonderful, it is a powerful Easter Miracle for Newt and his family.

Happy Holy Week Everyone!

It's Birthday Time Did Your Cake Turn Out??

It is April and April is Birthday Time in my family.

Josh and Sylvia have birthdays along with my Mom, Mother-in-law, 2 sisters, a brother, a niece, a nephew and a a great nephew .

So, the thought of birthday cakes comes to mind! I have always thought that how they came out was something of a crap shoot - NOT SO! In a lovely old church school cookbook, I found some great recipes. Which I am putting in separate posts. But what I thought was the real find was the following list of common problems and the reason why.

What a great find!

I don't bake a lot of cakes but when I do I want them to turn out.

Cake Failure?
What Happened?

Cake too brown
1. Baked too long
2. Oven too hot
3. Too much sugar

Not brown enough
1. Too big a pan
2. Too little baking powder or inactive baking powder
3. Not baked enough
4. Too little sugar

Holes in cake
1. Too little mixing
2. Too little liquid or shortening
3. Too cool in oven

Crumbly texture
1. Too little mixing
2. Too much shortening or sugar

Dry cake
1. Too little shortening or sugar
2. Too much baking powder
3. Over baked

Heavy cake
1. Too much shortening or liquid
2. Wrong proportions of sugar and flour

Cake humped or cracked in the center
1. Too hot an oven
2. Too much flour
3. Or a combination of the above

Sticky (?)
1. Too much sugar or shortening
2. Under baked

Cake falls
1. Under baked
2. Substituting self rising flour and not reducing leavening

Food Wonders Common and Simple, Fort Wayne Christian School

Catholics respond to President Obama and the Notre Dame scandal

Father Jonathan Morris provides an update on how Catholics across the country are responding to the Notre Dame commencement invite to President Obama and the honorary law degree he will be receiving there.






It saddens me to know end the the University of Notre Dame would so blatantly honor the most Pro Death President we have ever had.

I want to go on record as thanking the over 13 Bishops who have come out against it. Especially Bishop D'Arcy of the Fort Wayne South Bend Diocese. It is too bad he can do little more than boycott - unless of course he takes away their Catholic status.

So I was just thinking...

So I was just thinking - why am I a closet earthy crunchy enviromentalist?? Do I believe in global warming - heck no. Do I think any animal, plant or ecosystem deserves more protection than unborn babies (or live ones for that matter) NO. Do I care about my carbon inprint - a tad.

So why am I an earthy crunchy person?

• Because it is right.
• Because it is good.
• Because it is part of being a good steward of this earth we have been given.
• It often supports my local economy -which I care a lot about.
• To reduce, reuse and recycle is also using the gifts God has given me wisely.
• And I love how often being green and living frugally overlap - which I Really Really like!

I wanna be green, but only after I have acted in accordance to my Christian beliefs.

God Bless,
Christy

President Obama

It certainly seems that the only promise he has kept is to kill the unborn. Sigh. Our nation, our world is in dire straits. Only the holiness of the Christians and their willingness to speak up, to mobilize, to act for life, and for liberty and for economic stability will save us all. I cannot help but be sucked into the doom and gloom about his "handlers" - we cannot just sit back and do nothing!
I wonder what others are doing?

check out this link: http://www.prisonplanet.com/the-best-way-to-wake-up-the-world-to-the-obama-deception.html

Or if you don't like that version of President Obama's agenda read this article from the Washington Post.

If you want to purchase the sticker above for $4.99 go here.