Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing

Today I made Chicken Caesar Salad for dinner. I make the dressing, it is my aunt's recipe and super good so I thought I would post the recipe here.

Auntie Marjatta's Caesar Salad Dressing

1 cup mayo
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Mix together in a small bowl and that is it.

This is also great as a veggie dip and even a chip dip. ~smile~

Happy Friday!
Blessings,
Liisa

Wednesday's Happenings, Chocolate PB Macaroons and Picadillo!

This morning after devotions I made my hubby a mushroom, pepper and cheese omelet for breakfast.
He then had a business call so I got busy in the kitchen.
First I made Mark's lunch for work then made some Chocolate, Peanut Butter Macaroons. That may have been a mistake since I have had several now. *sigh* I need more will power and less cookies but they were super good!

Here is the recipe for them - quick and easy. Always a good thing!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Macaroons

2 cups sugar

4 tbsp. cocoa

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup margarine

Mix together in a pot. Bring to a boil.

Boil for 1 minute - remove from heat and add-

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup peanut butter

3 cups oats

Mix well and drop onto wax paper or tin foil.

Let cool. Cookies are sticky for quite a while so leave on counter until they firm up.

Mark and I went for our walk - We drove it the other day to see how long our route was and it turns out to be 2.6k.m. It is a beautiful route and we really enjoy it.

I had my very first on the phone doctor's appt. today. That was a very different experience. I discovered a lump on the side of my neck the other day and was concerned. I had to email pictures of my neck to the doctor's office and a time was arranged for the doctor to call me. It turns out to be a swollen lymphnode  and is nothing to worry about unless it does not go away or gets bigger. I am very grateful first for our medical system that enables us to have free healthcare. Also for the technology that lets me send photos and have a doctor's appt. from home. I was very relieved to not have to go into a doctor's office. We do not have many cases of Covid 19 in our area but still I feel better being able to avoid places like the doctor's office.

This afternoon I sewed a mask for a friend who asked me for one, and cleaned the upstairs of the house, changed the bed, etc.

I made Picadillo for dinner. I love Mexican food. Well as long as it is not too spicy! I love, love, love olives so anything that has them is a big hit for me. My hubby loves this too. Here is a picture - 

We like it on rice but you can serve it on tortillas too. Here is the recipe - 

 

Picadillo

1 tbsp. oil

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1 lb. ground beef

1 can tomatoes with chilies(Rotel) drained.

1/4 to 1/2 can spaghetti sauce

1/4 to 1/2 cup sliced olives

1 tsp. cumin

Heat oil in a non stick skillet over medium high  heat. Add onion, pepper, garlic and beef. Cook until beef is done and browned well. 

Add tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, olives and cumin.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened.

Enjoy!

I went for a walk this evening to drop off the mask, and really enjoyed seeing the rabbits, chickadees, cardinals, blue jays, sparrows, black and grey squirrels, all the flowers and just the incredible beauty God has blessed us with today!

It has been a good day!

Happy Wednesday!

Blessings,

Liisa

Growing Sprouts

I love to grow sprouts at home. I was reluctant to try it at first because a lot of the how to videos I watched made it looked like such a pain but once I tried it I was hooked. So easy! So I thought I would share how I do it and what I use.

 First, the seeds I use Mumm's Sprout Seeds which we buy at a health food store but you can order them online here.

I use a wide mouth 1 litre jar, and some window screen cut into a square big enough to cover the top of the jar with some hanging over.

I start mine in the evening - I place 2 tbsp. of seeds in the jar and add enough water to cover them. I put on the screen and screw on the lid. Place jar on the counter overnight. 

In the morning I pour off the water and turn it upside down on an angle in a bowl or I use a glass loaf pan. I put rubber bands around the bottom of the jar to keep it on the edge of the pan so it does not slide in.

Each day all you have to do is rinse the seeds morning and night draining off the water and setting it back in the pan. 

This is how they look on day 2. You can see that they are just starting to sprout!

Day 3 sprouting a little more.

Day 4 - they are starting to get tiny wee leaves!

This is how they look on the last day - To finish them rinse in the morning as normal and drain them. Place them in the window to green them up. At the end of the day the jar will be full as it can be and the sprouts will be green and have bigger leaves.

Next take the sprouts out of the jar and put them in a medium bowl. Cover with cool water. Press the sprouts under the water and shake them around a bit to loosen the seeds. Spoon off the seeds - they float to the top, drain the water and place the sprouts on a tea towel to dry a bit. 

There is an amazing amount of sprouts that come out of the jar! These ones are the sandwich booster mix. So good but my favourite ones are red clover. 

We eat them on sandwiches, in salads, and sometimes just as they are! ~smile~

That's it! Easy, healthy, yummy!

Happy Wednesday!

Blessings,

Liisa

New York Crumb Cake

A few days ago I made a New York Crumb Cake that is one of our favorites. Mark's German family loves it and our German neighbours do too -they call it a Streusel Cake.

I thought I would share the recipe today. ~smile~

New York Crumb Cake 

Mix together -
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

In a separate bowl mix -
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. oil
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix dry and wet mixtures together and press into a greased 9x13 pan.

Mix together -
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Cut in 2 sticks of butter (1 cup). Crumbled over the top of the batter in the pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 20-30 minutes rotating half way through. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. ( I usually skip that )

Enjoy! Wonderful with a cup of coffee or tea. ~smile~

Happy Tuesday!
Blessings,
Liisa

Monday, Flour Tortillas and Hummus

Well that is quite the title isn't it! Hahaha! It pretty much sums up my day though. ~smile~

My kitchen adventures started this morning with making my hubby a mushroom omelet for breakfast. I saved the stems from our stuffed mushrooms yesterday and diced those up. I fried them a bit before adding the eggs. He just had that with some toast. We had leftover bacon I was going to serve with it but Mark was such a fan of the BLT's that he wanted to have that for his work lunch today. So I made up his lunch while the eggs were cooking.

After breakfast we went out for our walk. I came across this pretty door and decided I needed to take a picture of it. Everyday on our walk I take pictures of flowers or other pretty spring things and send a " Pic of the Day" to a couple of friends of mine who aren't able to get out as much. One of them just told me that she found it a real encouragement. I am so glad!

Mark decided to get some yard work done while I came in and started the tortillas for dinner. I have been making my own tortillas for years. They are not like the ones in the store but they are still very good and are really inexpensive to make.

Here is the recipe and how I do it. I got this recipe from Laines Letters many years ago.

Flour Tortillas

1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp. salt
2 cups flour

Put flour in a medium bowl and stir in salt.
Add in oil and then water. Stir.
Knead until in bowl until it is a nice ball.

Take it out and put it on a plate and cover with a bowl.
Repeat for as many tortillas as you need. I usually make 4 batches to get 16 tortillas.
Let rest for 20 minutes.

Cut balls into 4 pieces for 4 large tortillas 8 for small tortillas.

Heat skillet over medium high heat - cast iron works the best but I am not able to lift those anymore so I use a regular skillet and it works well.

Take a piece of dough and cover up the rest again with the bowl. Roll the piece into a ball then roll out into a thin circle. Just roll it right on the counter no need for added flour or anything.

Cook about 1 minute per side until lightly browned.

While it is cooking you can get your next one ready.  That is it -simple but good.

Today we had Steak Fajitas for dinner which is why I was making the tortillas. Mark had bbq'd extra steak last time we had some and I sliced it up for the freezer so all I had to do was defrost it and quickly fry it up with peppers and onions. I served that in tortillas with sour cream, lettuce and cheese. Normally we would have salsa on them too but we were out. Still yummy!

While I was waiting for the dough to rest I made some hummus for wraps we will have for dinner tomorrow. We love Hummus wraps! All you do is spread some hummus on a tortilla and add lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber feta cheese and olives. You can add tzatziki if you like.

Here is the recipe for the hummus....

Hummus
4 cloves of garlic minced
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup of chickpea water (reserve some more in case you need to thin out the hummus at the end. Some canned chickpeas are drier than others)
4 tbsp. lemon juice
1 can chick peas, drained
3/4 tsp. cumin
1 1/4 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne

Blend in a food processor until smooth .

The rest of the day has been filled with cleaning - it is my day that I clean the main level, laundry and baking an apple fritter loaf my sister sent me the recipe for. 

A great day!

Happy Monday!
Blessings,
Liisa

Hello Dollies

I thought today I would share the recipe for the Hello Dollies I mentioned yesterday. They are super yummy and so easy to make.

Hello Dollies


Crust -
1/4 cup melted butter (or margarine)
1 cup graham crumbs

Top -
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 can sweetened condensed milk.

Melt butter and pour into an 8" square pan. Spread it evenly in pan then sprinkle graham crumbs over butter and pat them down with a fork.

Next sprinkle chocolate chips over top, followed by butterscotch chips, coconut and pecans.

Pour milk over the top to cover. Try and pour it evenly over the top as it really does not spread once it is on.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

I would have placed a picture of the finished product here but the may have all been eaten before I could get a picture. They were very good!


Happy Monday!
Blesssings,
Liisa

Sunday Happenings and Food Food Food!

Today started out being quite chilly and rainy so it was a good day for a big breakfast! First I cooked up some bacon - I like to cook it in the oven because it is so much easier. I learned a little while ago that if you kind of bunch up the slices - kind of like pushing the ends of each slice closer together so that it looks slightly rippled - then you can fit many more pieces on the cookie sheet at one time. ~smile~
Then I was taking out the bread from the pantry and as I opened the door I was shocked to find the bread shelf covered in tiny ants!!! I had thought we won the battle over the ants last week but they had just lulled us into a false sense of security! Evil little things! Mark mixed up a new and hopefully more powerful batch of ant killer using hiney and borax so I am hoping it works!

I was so wrapped up in trying to destroy all the intruders that I forgot all about my hubby's eggs! So much for a big breakfast. *sigh* So plan B, I made him toasted BLTs and he was quite happy.
We watched the live stream church service together then Mark wanted to do a wee bit of painting.
I decided to do some dinner prep. Before we knew it it was lunch time. We enjoyed leftover burgers that Mark made last night. So good!!!


In the afternoon we decided to go for a walk in the woods to check and see how the wild leeks were doing. They are up but not ready yet - maybe one more week depending on the weather. I will post some pictures when we do go and pick them. We love wild leeks which are sometimes called ramps. They have an onion garlic flavor and you can use the bulb and the leaves. My favourite thing to do with them is to make Leek Dip. We love it with chips and to top baked potatoes.

Leek Dip
To make leek dip you just need a container of sour cream, 2 heaping spoons of mayonnaise and a small bunch of leeks - cleaned and sliced thin. For the dip I just use the bulbs but you could add in some of the leaves. I let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. It is mild the first day but beware it gets stronger and stronger each day after. Mark loves it strong but even by day 2 it burns your nose a wee bit. ~smile~

We then went for a drive along the backroads. It was so nice!

After we got home I started dinner. Mark asked me to make potatoes like his Mom used to so I boiled the potatoes and while they were cooking I sauteed some onions until they were browned. I mashed the potatoes with lots of butter and milk until they were creamy and then stirred in the onions. I made gravy with the drippings from the pork roast Mark cooked yesterday for lunch meat and threw together a salad and dinner was ready.

potatoes with fried onions

I decide to make some stuffed mushrooms for an evening snack while I was working on dinner.

Cooking everything!

Stuffed Mushrooms
1 package of cream cheese
1/2 lb. loose sausage meat or 2 sausages casings removed
8 oz. pkg.whole mushrooms

Take out cream cheese to come to room temperature.
Brown sausage meat.
Stir sausage meat into cream cheese.
Prep mushrooms by cleaning and removing the stems.
Use a spoon to fill mushrooms with cream cheese mixture.
Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

For dessert we had some Hello Dolly bars I made yesterday....so yummy! We usually only have them for Christmas but I had all the ingredients so I figured why not!

I went for a walk afterwards to work off some of the food we had and enjoyed the sunshine even if it was pretty windy and cool. ~smile~

Oh while I was cooking I was listening to this CD.

It was a gift from a dear friend and I have been really blessed by listening to it. She plays so beautifully and the songs themselves really touch my heart.

All in all a great day!

Happy Sunday!
Blessings,
Liisa

A Northern Spring Saturday

Here are some pictures from our Saturday up North.~smile~

My day started with my personal time in the Bible....

It is so nice to be cozy in front of the fire in my recliner early in the morning. It came with our house and is gigantic! It is called my "princess chair". My hubby Mark was teasing me about how my chair was a big throne when we moved in and it just got the name. hee!hee!

Mark joined me for devotions then after we had breakfast we went out on our new ATV.  It was our first ride on it and it was my first time ever on one. It was so much fun! It was still too snowy on the trails so we mainly stuck to the roads. Our son led the way on his machine. Mark bought me a helmet and he told me to pick whichever one I wanted. I think he was regretting that when I chose the bright pink one! Ha!Ha! I don't exactly blend in with the orange ATV but I really like it ~smile~

  My view from the back seat ~smile~

My handsome Husband

 

On our ride we saw a Golden Eagle soaring over us. So Beautiful! They really are incredible, they are actually even bigger than bald eagles! Amazing!

Our Town

This is the view of our little town from across the bay. I am so looking forward to the day we can finally move up there for good. 

My men putting the ATV's away.

We had a great time but it was getting pretty chilly so we headed home for some lunch. 

After we had eaten and warmed up we took Beau for a walk. He is a Beagle Lab cross and a sweetie. I can't remember if I mentioned that he is our son Andy's dog or not but he is our "grand dog". ~smile~

My hubby bbq'd us some steak for dinner - they were awesome. Mmmmm!  Then after dinner we all went over to Andy's and visited there for the evening.

It was a wonderful day!

Blessings,
Liisa

Easter Dessert Ideas and Menu

Every Easter for my whole life we have always had a big family dinner. Extended family meeting together to eat, laugh, celebrate and eat some more!

This year will be different and it is sad - due to the pandemic we cannot all be together. But, Easter is not about decor, it is not about big meals and celebrations it is about Jesus. It is about Him defeating death. It is about the joy of our risen Saviour! Hallelujah!We can still remember what He did for us. We can still rejoice! Joy comes in the morning!

So I thought I would share what our usual menu would be - it is almost always the same. We have ham, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, crescent rolls and various pickles and olives. Occasionally we may have scalloped potatoes instead of mashed.

For dessert I like to think of springtime and light fresh desserts. Often I will make an angel food cake and serve a slice on each plate with some kiwi slices, pineapple, strawberries and any other fruit that would look pretty. I top it with a scoop of whipped cream. It is so fresh and light and feels like spring ~smile~

A variation of this would be to cut up the angel food cake into bite size chunks then place half of it in  a large glass bowl.Top with a layer of vanilla pudding, fresh fruit, then whip cream. Repeat the layers and garnish the top with a small pile of fruit in the center.
You may leave out the pudding if desired.
It makes for a very pretty trifle.
You will need 2 boxes of vanilla instant pudding, a tub of Cool Whip or 2 (if you like a thicker layer of it) Various fresh fruits - kiwi, pineapple, berries and a large angel food cake.

Happy Easter!
Blessings,
Liisa

A Different Kind of Good Friday

This is how we had our Good Friday service today.
We were so blessed to be able to watch church live streamed this morning.  It is definitely not the same and I dearly miss our church family but again we are so grateful to still be able to partake in a service even if it is only online.

The Pastor gave 3 reasons Good Friday is good and it really touched me. Good Friday is good because we are not. Jesus came and died for us while we were yet sinners. It is good because He took our place. He paid the price for sin we should have paid and it is good because He rose again. Friday is here but Sunday is coming! Praise the Lord!

We were able to celebrate communion together with our grape juice and crackers. It was still such a special time perhaps even more so given the difficult days we are all going through right now.  Drawing close to our Saviour and remembering what He did for us just makes me want cry. He is so very good and I love Him so much.

After church we had some lunch then went for a long family walk.

 It was a great time! Isn't Beau cute! ~smile~

Now I  am getting ready for supper and tidying up.
It has been a good day.
Blessings,
Liisa

Good Friday

He is my Lord, my Saviour.
The One I love and The One who loved us enough to die for you and for me.

Blessings,
Liisa

Some Thoughts on This Time of Isolation

I have heard that some people have had enough of staying home. They are getting grouchy and impatient.
I admit to wishing life was back to normal and then I could go shopping, spend the days with friends, spend time with my Mum and sister up close. But I am content. I am so very thankful that we are healthy, that we have a nice, safe home to spend time in. That we are free to go for walks around town and drives in the country.  I am grateful for technology that allows us to keep in touch with family and friends and to know what is happening in the world. I am most thankful I have my wonderful husband and I am not alone.

I really enjoy watching Little House on the Prairie and reading the books. I also enjoy watching the Waltons.
I have learned some lessons from these that have really helped me to cope in these days.

Seeing how the women portrayed in these stories live their lives is helpful to me. Carolyn Ingles in the pilot lived a very isolated life. There were no family or friends around, no other women to talk to, no stores, no towns , no churches. She worked hard all day every day. No leisure times to sit around watching tv, playing on the internet or talking on the phone. No library or stores to buy books.  When her husband had to go hunt she was left alone with her little girls and vulnerable. There was no end in sight, it was just how she lived her life and she was content and  happy with her family.

Olivia Walton and Grandma were living in the depression. They did have one little store to go to but they didn't have much money to spend in it. In one episode they could barely afford candles when their power got cut off. They saved every cent they got and made do with what they had. The women worked hard everyday, gardening , cooking, canning, sewing, baking, cleaning and caring for the everyday needs of a big family. They lived in uncertain times not knowing how bad things would get with the depression or when or if it would ever end. They were content and happy in the life God had blessed them with.

Thinking about these ladies and reflecting on what it must have been like in the pioneer or depression eras, has encouraged me and made me so grateful for the blessings I have and given me a content heart. It has also helped me to focus on what I should be doing in my home.  I should be working hard and striving to be a blessing to my husband and to others.

These are uncertain days but they will end and I serve a wonderful God. Instead of wasting time wishing things were different I will be busy here in my home and enjoy the everyday blessings of each day with a content heart.

Just some thoughts that encouraged me so I thought I would share them here. ~smile~

Blessings,
Liisa

Making Do

A few weeks ago I had a fitted sheet that was of no more use as a sheet so I cut it into rags. When I was done I was left with the elastic from around the edge. I thought it was a shame to toss it if I could use it for something. I took a seam ripper and removed the fabric from off the elastic. I was left with a really long piece of perfectly good elastic.~smile~ I set it aside and thought I may use it for a future sewing project.

Two weeks later I started making masks and the elastic I salvaged was just perfect for it. Yay!
I saved the money I would have had to spend on buying elastic for the masks and I kept something out of the landfill.

My sister asked me to make some masks for her and her family so I started sewing them this morning. I had run out of elastic so I thought I would just use fabric ties. I tried that but they didn't look the best and it seemed like it would be a lot of work to put them on and take them off.

However due to the pandemic we are not going out for shopping unless we really need to so I couldn't just pop over to Walmart and grab some more elastic. What to do? I had a peek in the linen closet and found another fitted sheet that had seen better days and ta-da more elastic! I keep the fabric to use the good parts for another project and the rest can be made into rags or ties for garden plants.

I was so happy to be able to finish the masks and save more money by making do with what we had on hand.~smile~

Blessings,
Liisa

Mom's Cookies

Yesterday I made Mom's Cookies. They are an oatmeal cookie with coconut and rice krispies. They are really different and sooo good! Yes I have been trying to keep out of the cookie jar... with some success.

So I thought I would share the recipe here. It comes from this cookbook which I would highly recommend there are so many really good recipes for meals as well as baking. I use this cookbook all the time. The recipes have been sent in from ladies all over the States and Canada. I really like cookbooks by real cooks. Well you know what I mean - cooks like me not professional chefs. I find the recipes are always easy to understand, the ingredients are common and the end result has been tried and tested by these ladies families.


Here is the recipe....

Mom's Cookies

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup shortening

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups quick oats

2 cups coconut

2 cups Rice Krispies

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

- Cream sugars and shortening. Stir in eggs and vanilla

- Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt . Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, alternating with oats, coconut and Rice Krispies.

- Drop onto greased or parchment lined sheets.

-Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Take Care! Be Safe! Jesus Loves you!

Lisa

Busy on a Lovely Spring Day

Today was a very busy day. I am very grateful for my planner on days like today, it keeps me on track and keeps me from running in circles. This is the same kind I have used for the last couple of years. I really like the layout and it has sections for planing all kinds of things - menus, gardening, canning, shopping, cleaning. It is very well designed for homemakers.

This morning I spent time in God's Word and had devotional time with my hubby then I popped some laundry in the washer before cutting up some beef to marinade for dinner.

After that I got busy baking cookies for my son. We will get to see him this weekend for Easter and I always make sure to have his favorite cookies for him. I am so looking forward to seeing him. I have missed him VERY much!

 I made peanut butter cookies and an oatmeal cookie called Mom's Cookies. They have oatmeal, coconut and rice krispies.

That done my hubby and I went for a walk. It was such a lovely day, the sun was shining, families were out together, birds were singing. ~smile~ You can almost forget that there is something so awful going on....at least for a little while. This wee garden made me smile ...

These days we have been having our main meal at lunch time so I started that and went out to hang the laundry on the line. My sweet hubby carried it out for me - I am so thankful for him.

I love hanging out the laundry! Not only does it smell just wonderful when it comes off the line, it makes me feel like an old fashioned housewife ~smile~ My hubby loves to see the laundry on the line so that is a bonus too.

We had lunch then I went to tidy the kitchen and discovered we had ants! EEEWWW! They were tiny thankfully but all over the kitchen! I killed all I could see then hubby mixed up some ant killer with sugar, borax and a bit of water. He put it in an empty tea light cup on the edge of the counter where they were and a little bowl in the mudroom. So far I haven't seen anymore. Hopefully they all gathered up the ant poison and took it to their little friends.

I managed to drop a plate of leftovers upside down on the floor - *sigh* So once I got that all picked up I got after the dishes. When that was finished I was shocked to discover it was already 3:30! Yikes! I still had to write out a cheque for a bill and make it to our post office before it closed at 4.  With the pandemic our post office has reduced their counter hours to 12-4. I made it there with just 5 minutes to spare. I don't think they were too happy to see me as they were just about to put away the cash box when I walked in. I would never normally bother a business right at closing but I have missed getting there before closing every day for a week! I had to mail a baby gift too for a cousin's new son before he outgrows the booties I made him hahaha!

The rest of the day I spent cleaning and tidying up and putting away laundry and then my sweet friend brought by some eggs. She gets them from an Amish farm near here. I was awfully happy to get those since the last time I was at Walmart there was not one egg to be had. I love to bake and my hubby enjoys eggs several mornings a week. So now we don't have to ration them ~smile~ God is good and He truly supplies all our needs!

One last chore for the day was to rinse and dry the sprouts I have been growing for the last few days.

These are red clover sprouts. We enjoy them on sandwiches and added to salads, wraps etc. They are so good and very good for you. I will do a post on how I grow them when I make the next batch. I actually grow different kinds but I like the red clover the best I think.

So that was my busy spring day!

Take Care! Be Safe! Jesus loves you!


Liisa






 

A Good Day

The other day on my walk I was blown away by this lovely spring garden. There were so many snowdrops and crocus - the picture just shows a tiny bit of it.

It gave me such a feeling of comfort. Life goes on! God is on his throne and His world carries on. A little bit of joy and peace in my heart - a little normalcy in the craziness. It was a blessing.

I have been keeping busy sewing masks. I made some for my Mum and for one of the ladies from my Bible study who asked for some yesterday. I am heading back to the sewing room this afternoon to work on some for my son and his girlfriend.They are easy to make but do take a bit of time.

I just came in from doing a bit of raking up in the back yard. It is such a pretty day, warm and sunny it seems a shame to be indoors at all. I will pop back out and do a bit more later. I have some physical issues so I am pretty limited on what I can do and for how long. I learned the hard way if I limit myself I won't be so sorry later! Yard work is a joy when it is spring. Summer when the yard is full of mosquitoes and it is 90 degrees and humid it is not a joy so I will make the most of these lovely cool spring days! ~smile~

I had hoped to wash some of  my windows today but it is still far too dusty on the roads here. Whenever a car goes by huge clouds of dust fly up. If I do them now I will just have to redo them once the street sweeper finally wins the battle - so I will wait!

This morning I took a bit of time to call my neighbours. It was so nice to connect with them! It was good to listen to their cares and concerns so I can know how better to pray for them. It was also fun to just laugh together about ways we try to keep busy and out of the fridge and cookie jar! We don't want to come out of this with tons of snack weight piled on!

I am very happy it is the weekend! My hubby is home all day. I am so blessed! We have been together since I was 15 and he was 17 and after 33 years I love Him more than ever ~smile~

My hubby loves to BBQ and I love that he does! He makes me such wonderful food and there are way less dishes so it is a win all around! He is making us chicken wings and burgers this weekend. mmmmm!

Well I had best get back at it and off of here -- lots to do!

Take Care! Be Safe! Jesus loves you!
Liisa

Scotch Treats

I thought I would share a super quick and easy treat that is a favorite in our home. My hubby LOVES them. I have also made them many times for coffee time at church and other events because they are good for those who prefer not to have gluten. I have had this recipe for years and try and keep all the ingredients on hand all the time in case I get surprise company or need something fast to satisfy a sweet tooth ~smile~

Scotch Treats

3 cups Rice Krispies (or similar)

1 cup Butterscotch Chips

1/2 cup Peanut Butter

Put Rice Krispies in a medium bowl.

Heat Butterscotch Chips and Peanut butter in a small pot. Stir until smooth amd melted.

Pour mixture over Rice Krispies

Stir well and pour into a buttered 8x8 square pan.

Cool in the refrigerator until firm.

Cut into squares and enjoy!

So quick, so easy and super yummy!

Take Care! Be Safe! Jesus Loves You!

Liisa

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER!

I just had to share a link to the recipe for the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had! I have been using the old Toll House recipe for years but no matter what I did they always came out with a texture more like cake than cookie. It was disappointing. I have read lots of cookie trouble shooting articles. Yes cookie trouble shooting is a thing hahaha! But to no avail. So I decided to give this recipe a try and Oh My! They are so good...hide the jar I may eat them all good.

Not that I would ever eat a whole jar of cookies ...no way... not me....well ok I may have been known to put a serious dent in a jar but I always share with my hubby. Now that our son had moved away it is up to us to eat all the cookies-  a tough job but someone has to do it. Anyway! Back to the point of this. ...
Here is the link to the best cookies ever. Enjoy! Joanna Gaines Chocolate Chip Cookies

By the way the cookie jar in the picture is the same one my sister and I used to sneak cookies out of when we were little. The metal lid always gave us away until we mastered the art of turning it just so. O.k. I guess I may have always had a GIANT small cookie problem. But really it is a blessing to me to have had this jar from my childhood hold the cookies I baked for my sweet son all through his life and God willing one day soon I will bake cookies for my future grandbabies and put them in the same jar.~smile~
One more note, the plate in the picture is one that belonged to my much loved Nanny (grandmother). The dishes I received from her have little nail polish marks on the bottoms. She did this so when she took one of her dishes to church she could indentify hers. It was a mark that would not fall off or wash off.  Whenever I turn them over and see that wee mark it makes me smile. Just a glimpse I have into her life. 

Take Care! Be Safe! You are Loved!
Liisa