This is so much fun! I made a video to show you how I try out a new design in a room before I break a sweat or spend a dime. I can decide if items work in my space just by trying them virtually without buying anything. If you take a photo of your room straight on, you can drop the items right over your picture so you get all the proportions right. Read more
Before we can get very far with our space, we need to know exactly what we want it to do for us. Without a clearly defined purpose we won’t know how to arrange the furniture, what furniture should be there, what storage options we need, or even what colors to choose. Read more
Do you know your design style? Are you a little bit modern or country? Do you like lots of decorations or prefer a minimalistic style? White walls, dark walls, neutral or bold? Painted trim, or stained wood? For some of us it’s hard to decide.
I can appreciate any well decorated space, so I made the mistake in our last home of combining too many styles in one room. Read more
When I was a teenager, I felt terribly awkward and unattractive. Girls all around me knew how to fix their hair, put together an outfit, and put on makeup to bring out their best features. I tried to mimick them, but something always felt off. My attempts at beauty made me look worse. I came to the conclusion that they were the pretty ones and I was plain. Trying to change that would make me a poseur.
I was especially awkward when I first met my husband. Read more
Onion soup mix is rarely used for onion soup around here. It makes a great dip mix, roast potato topping, roast beef seasoning….There are a ton of recipes calling for this stuff. To save money, buy your dried onions in bulk. Read more
Alfredo sauce is mostly cream and butter with a touch of garlic and maybe some white wine. This recipe is a lot lighter than that, but still gives the creamy texture and mouthful of flavor that you’re hoping for. The original mix I created has pasta already in it for a fast skillet in 1 dish, but you can leave it out to just make the sauce for pizza or something like that. If you want it to be REALLY rich and creamy, when preparing the final dish replace a cup of milk with a can of evaporated milk.
8 oz Fettucini, broken into pieces (whole grain pasta works fine)
2 T flour (or 1 Tbs Cornstarch for gluten free)
2 T powdered instant skim milk
1/2 t basil
1 t lemon pepper
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t salt
1/2 C parmesean cheese
Mix all in a quart bag. To prepare. Pour mix into a skillet with 2 cups of water and 2 cups of milk. Stir well until all the powders are blended and noodles are well moistened. Bring just to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until noodles are tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes. Sauce will thicken as it cools. If you like, stir in sauteed vegtables, cooked chicken cubes, turkey sausage, or shrimp.
You can also make the mix without the pasta and just make sauce. To prepare stir the mix with 1 cup of milk and cook and stir until thickened. It makes a nice sauce for Alfredo pizza :).
This pizza crust recipe started as the commercial recipe for the pizza shop in Lamoni, Iowa that fed the college students at Graceland. It was a local favorite and I was elated when the recipe made it’s way into my hands. Read more
Ranch dressing is the ultimate in comfort foods. It’s makes raw veggies party food. Unfortunately the secret ingredient in most bottles of ranch is MSG. That stuff tastes really good and brings along with it a side affect of massive headaches (and mouth rash for my kids.) So here’s a yummy recipe for you that is mostly herbs and dried vegetables. Read more
Italian dressing is the perfect condiment for a romantic date night at home. It also makes a good chicken marinade and a bread dip. Here are 3 varieties to choose from: Italian Vinaigrette; Creamy Italian, and an Olive Garden variety which is partway between the two. Here’s mixes for all 3 types for you! Read more
Mmmmm, Spaghetti! A crowd pleaser for sure. All of these recipes work really well in the slow cooker for hands off cooking that will fill your house with a delicious fragrance. If you have them on hand, and time to chop, add sautéed veggies too! Traditional veggies include bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms. Garden variety sauces may also have carrots, zucchini, or eggplant. Each batch is enough sauce for about a pound of pasta (measured dry.) Read more