Blueberry Yogurt Pancakes

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The past 2 weeks have been busy.  It's been swimming lesson time and each girl takes a lesson at a different time with the boys all togeter for the third hour.  Today we had 2 little friends spend the night whose lesson started an hour earlier than ours.  So we had 7 children to get ready to swim, pack a lunch and practice violin before 8:30.  What to fix for breakfast?  Blueberry yogurt pancakes of course.  Delicous, fast and full of carbs.  I made up the recipe on the spot using  pancake proportions and ingredient substitutions similar to the cookie recipe I posted earlier.  They were yummy!

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Pancakes:

1 8oz container mixed berry yogurt

2 C milk

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons oil

(mix well)

3 Cups flour

1 t baking soda

(Mix well, form a hole in the center of the flour and pour the wet ingredients in.  Blend and cook like pancakes.)

Blueberry Syrup

3 Cups water

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 Cups sugar

2 Cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Bring to a boil in a medium saucepan while stirring, until thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (I got mine at Costco).  Stir until blueberries are thawed and sauce is purple.  Enjoy!  This sauce is also great on Vanilla Icecream.

If you want a healthier sauce, replace the water with white grapejuice and use stevia instead of sugar to sweetened it.

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Homemade Toaster Waffles

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I checked the price of Eggo waffles the other day at Walmart, just for curiosity.  I was shocked!  It was about $4 for 10 waffles and they don't even taste very good.  I usually make waffles on a Saturday morning when I'm ready to deep clean my kitchen.  I triple the batch and just keep cooking while I'm cleaning.  As soon as they come out of the iron, I lay them single layer on a cookie sheet to keep them from getting flattened.  Then I set the entire sheet in the deep freeze.  In about an hour they are ready to move to freezer baggies.  They are fairly safe from flattening at this point, though a lot of pressure would do the trick.  On busy mornings, it's easy to pop a few in the toaster for a hot family breakfast. 

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If you don't have a waffle recipe you love, try mine.

2 Cups whole wheat flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup oil

2 cups milk

2 eggs

1.  Combine dry inredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls

2.  Mix together and pour 2/3 cup batter in a belgium waffle iron.  Bake for 5 minutes or until the light comes on.  (If only mine had a dinger too!)

Blueberry Yogurt Pancakes

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I had 7 children for breakfast this morning.  I know many of you have more than that all the time and you have my deepest respect!  With a busy morning–getting ready for swimming lessons by 9am, packing a lunch and practicing violin before we could head out.  I needed something for breakfast and fast! So we made blueberry yogurt pancakes. This was a recipe concocted like the cookie post previously.  Certain proportions almost always turn out right and there’s lots of freedeom with ingrecdient substitutions.  These were no exception. 


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Pancakes:


1–8 oz container berry yogurt


2 Cups milk


2 eggs


2 Tablespoons oil


(Blend well with a wisk)


3 C flour (unbleached or whole wheat pastry)


1 t baking soda


(Blend and make a well in the center.  Pour in the wet ingredients and mix until blended. Cook like pancakes.)


Blueberry Syrup


3 Cups water


3 T cornstarch


1 1/2 Cups sugar


Cook on high, stirring with a wisk until boiling and thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in 1 1/2 Cups frozen wild blueberries (Costco).  Stir until berries are thawed and sauce is purple.  Enjoy. (This sauce is good on vanilla icecream too.)


On hindsight, the syrup would have been more nutrious with white grape juice as a base and a touch of stevia for a sweetner.  I’ll try that next time. 


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Gourmet Tastes on a Tuna Fish Budget

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My friend Shayna, brought sandwiches like these to me after my second baby was born.  They were so fabulous that I got the recipe.  Hers were filled with chicken salad and made with Swiss cheese.  These are slightly less gourmet, but still very tasty.  Here’s the recipe:

Dough:

1 Stick butter

1 Cup water

1 Cup flour

4 eggs

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a medium saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil.  Stir in flour until it forms a dough.  (It’s similar to making playdough at this point :).  Remove from heat and and allow cool slightly.  Add eggs, one at a time beating well with a wisk or electric mixer after each one.  Stir in cheese.  Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.  Depending on the size you get about 20 puffs.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 for 20 more minutes.  It’s very important not to open the oven door even a crack until the entire cooking time is over.

While the puffs are baking make a tuna salad:

2 Cans tuna, drained

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1/2 Cup mayo

1/2 Cup plain yogurt

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 C cheese

Combine all together and chill.

When the puffs are cool.  Open the tops with a fork and fill with tuna salad.  Yum!

Happy Independence Day!

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We spent the 4th on the farm up in Stewartsvile, Missouri.  It is known for it's serenity and beauty.  My mother-in-law inhances its natural beauty with her amazing gardening abilities.  Our holiday was marked by lots of family, food and good wholesome fun like hayrides, homemade icecream, sparklers, s'mores and fishing! It was unseasonably cool and drizzled off and on all day.  That made it very pleasant to be outside.  We just threw on our mud boots and went on our usual way.  I think Aunt Dana looks especially dashing in hers.  She is expecting her first baby and is holding my neice in the photo below.  Enjoy the photos.

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Garden Update

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It's growing and not too full of weeds. Rabbits got all the beets, but I've already had a few baby peppers to eat. Close ups are of the Mimosa tree, mullen plant, red cabbage and cantaloupe blossoms.

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New Toy!

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My light tent came in the mail today.  It is a pop up tent that is 5 feet square and diffuses light.  It came with 2 photography lights and 4 backdrop choices.  I'm really impressed with how sturdy it is and how well constructed.  I played with it today photographing the kids.  It has a lot of potential.  The first picture is Heidi and Heather age 9 and 5.  Then Dub age 3.  And Heather and Dub.  Light tents help bounce light to take shadowless pictures.  (Mine still have a few shadows–user error).  Light tents are perfect for product pictures for ebay or etsy.  You can make your own table top size tent using trash around the house by following the instructions here:  http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent

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Heather and Dub

  

Pink Rolls

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Sometimes it's hard for me to throw stuff away.  We had beets for dinner and the leftover cooking liquid was beautiful.  I just couldn't throw it away.  So I used it for the liquid in a roll recipe.  The rolls were beautiful and just as tasty as they were pretty.

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With frosting the next morning, they made a lovely breakfast.

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Frugal Father’s Day Ideas

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Warren and Grandpa  

June 21st is Father's Day!  Men can be difficult to buy for frugally.  Their favorite toys are electronic and powerful in nature, which usually translates to expensive.  On the other hand, most men value one thing over all else, and it is free to give — Respect!  To compile this list for you, I asked a variety of father's what would make them feel really honored and valued.  Not one of them mentioned a tie, lol!   Here's what they did mention:

  1. Boys Night Out–set the date, invite his friends, center it around viewing sports (or whatever his interest is), make fabulous snacks, and then leave the house to the guys.
  2. If you are handy sew a laptop case in manly fabrics with this great free tutorial:  http://tipnut.com/laptop-sleeves-cases/  (Okay… the boys didn't mention this, but my DH could really use one.)
  3. Make him a bucket of homemade cookie dough in his favorite flavor to cook at his leisure.  Or if he'd prefer, make him a plate of his favorite cookies.
  4. Massages were mentioned several times as a welcomed gesture.  A foot massage or back massage is quite a treat for a hardworking man.  Use peppermint lotion to help his muscles relax (a great choice is here:  http://www.marykay.com/angelacoffman/spabody/bodycare/10014096/10014096/default.aspx ) or olive oil with essential oils (sandalwood, lavander, orange, or peppermint are nice manly choices)
  5. Breakfast in bed:  To be honest, I rarely cook a hot breakfast in time for my husband to eat it before he has to go to work.  It is one of the things about my homemaking skills that bothers me a lot.  But once a year, I think I could get it done–wink.  Here are a couple of fabulous recipes tp make your early morning surprise easy.  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/French-Toast-Casserole/Detail.aspx ,

    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Amish-Breakfast-Casserole/Detail.aspx

  6. Make a Homemade Card with your own version of the top ten list:  Top 10 reasons why you are a great dad
  7. Take snacks to his work for all the staff with a sign to honor the BEST DAD!
  8. Make a huge honey-do list and give it to him the night before to be accomplished the following day.  Then arrange for his friends to kidnap him early in the morning for a fishing trip (or any other activity that he would really enjoy).  Pack a picnic lunch for the group and tuck in a note telling him why you honor him and encourage him to enjoy his day.
  9. Give dad permission to avoid household tasks guilt free for one day!
  10. Take him "Window" shopping at a sporting goods store.  Don't complain that he is taking too long or make him look at girly stuff.  If you have children, make arrangements to leave them with a family member so you can put all your attention on him.
  11. Men value an audience.  Just having a woman near that they care about gives them a boost of energy.  Unfortunately most women get frustrated when their man asks them to "help" with some task and they end up just standing there.  For one day, be willing to hang out with him, not requiring conversation or activity, but just be there.
  12. Fathers like having photos of their family to brag about.  Make him a tasteful display of snap shots for his office.
  13. Does your father live far away?  If you can't visit this year, borrow a camcorder and make a DVD of your family giving greetings, kids singing or playing instruments, maybe even a family skit to send him. 
  14. Does your husband like golf?  Use some plastic cups and household items to turn your backyard into a temporary mini-putting range.  Here are some websites with ideas to help you:  http://www.wikihow.com/Build-Your-Own-Putt-Putt-Course-in-Your-Backyard , http://boyslife.org/hobbies-projects/projects/718/fore/ , http://www.crayola.com/crafts/detail/make-your-own-mini-golf!-craft/ , http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=homemade+mini+golf+course&aq=1&oq=homemade+mini+go
  15. If your father is too far to visit, use Skype's free services to talk via the internet.  If he is not technically savvy, arrange for a neighbor to help him set it up.
  16. Plan a family game night.  Give him permission to unwind and then invite him to join the family for snacks and some fun board games.
  17. Clean his room!  It seems that I can get the rest of my house clean, but my own bedroom takes the leftovers.  I know it bother's my husband though he rarely complains.  What a grand surprise it would be to have a beautiful clean and romantic bedroom with fresh sheets, rose petals from the garden sprinkled about, a hot bath, chocolate, and an attractively dressed spouse.  Happy Father's Day!