Oh my omelet!

Vegetarian Omelet

Good morning!

It is overcast out and it reminds me of Washington.  I think it might even be sprinkling out.  Hopefully it will clear up soon because I am going to go take some pictures this afternoon.

Kael woke up at 5am this morning.  Sam kept him up until 10:30pm last night.  Before I had kids 5am seemed ridiculously early…now it is like sleeping in!  Kael and I went to Walmart and stopped by the donut store.  I recently learned that my wonderful husband Sam loves maple bars.  I had no idea.  So I bought some and when he woke up this morning he got maple bars and a nice cup of home brewed Seattle’s Best coffee.  Perfect for an early fall overcast morning.  What a delightful way to start the day.

I made myself something a little bit healthier and I will share this super easy, highly nutritious treat.  I made a Vegetarian Omelet.  It was delicious.  I ate it and drank my cup of coffee and it was a perfect little morning.

What you will need:

2 whole eggs whisked together with 2 additional egg whites

1 teaspoon butter, I used a yogurt based butter that is a lot lighter in calories

1 tablespoon feta

½ zucchini sliced thin

¼ cup sliced mushrooms

Steak seasoning

½ tomato

I used two frying pans so I could do it all at once.  Put ½ teaspoon of butter in each frying pan to coat.  Add ¼ cup water to one pan and place each on medium heat.  Place your zucchini and mushrooms in the pan with the water.  Add steak seasoning to your taste preference. And let them get lightly cooked through.

In your other pan pour your lightly whisked eggs and add a little bit more steak seasoning.  Once I can see the bottom of the eggs getting cooked I peel up the omelet and let the uncooked egg pour underneath it.  I keep lifting up the edges and doing this.  I fold it over itself and make sure it is all cooked.

Place your eggs on a plate, top with your lightly steamed veggies, sprinkle with feta and serve with tomato slices lightly salted.  YUM!!!

Now I get to go play with toddlers and drink another cup of my ‘go juice’.  Have a wonderful day!!!

Xoxo

Ronda

Something stinks in here!

The more I get in God’s word the more “Amen!”’s erupt from my mouth, the more grateful I become of his mercy and nature, and the more I find myself singing songs of praise in my heart.  I find myself in a very peaceful place.  As I am on this journey God is showing me the pride that coursed through my veins, he is transfusing me with new life.  ‘His agenda and not my own’ are no longer words said in vain, but with real meaning and desire.  I am finding that in obedience to God’s word, there is humility.  And that is exactly what he desires of us.  In our humble state, he can be glorified.  When we are humble, he can be lifted up.

This morning as I stood getting ready for work a few thoughts popped into my mind. I smiled and said to the Lord, let me find a pen and paper so that I can write them down and share them later if you want me to.  I opened up the bathroom drawer and there was a pen {not too completely surprising if you saw my bathroom drawer…it is a catch all} but I was very happy.  Then I looked around me, I had nothing to write on.  A slip of paper on the dryer caught my eye.  Perfect!  I wrote down three things.

Once upon a time about 15 years ago I remember a woman in our church in Machias, Washington, who was a seasoned smoker, quit smoking.  She only had a few days of no smoking under her belt, but she exclaimed to my mother (who greats everyone in the foyer) that she had just been around a smoker and they smelled awful!  She asked my mom, “Did I stink like that too?!?”  I don’t remember what my mom answered, but it was probably very polite and encouraging, because that is just the way she is.  Sadly this woman, not more then a few days after that, picked up her old habit again and went back on the chain.

God is working hard in my heart.  He is working tirelessly on me.  I don’t want to squander his good work.  It is very irritating when the little boys get dirty right after I give them a bath.  It is most days inevitable.  I want to, as a child of God, try and keep myself clean.  I want to make my heavenly father proud.  Oh Lord, let me know when I am getting stinky...I want to be sensitive to your Spirit.

I am finishing up reading in 1^st Corinthians and a verse froze my eyeballs.  I read it again.  And again.  And I got out my highlighter and I underlined it and I highlighted it.  Corinthians is Paul writing to the church at Corinth.  They were zealous for signs of the Spirit and the supernatural occurrence.  A lot like us today we go in the ditch, instead of living life in balance.  Paul says to them in Chapter 14 verse 12: So with  yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.   He was correcting them for puffing up themselves and putting on a ‘holy roller’ showcase.  Paul tells them (14:33) God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

Here is the frosty that froze my eye balls and caught my attention 1^st Corinthians 15:1-2:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you- unless you believed in vain. {Spirit Checker!}

Ronda’s paraphrase…I (Paul) preached the gospel to you, you received it (in all appearance), you stand in it (so you say), and by it you are being saved (that would be the natural progression), if you hold fast to the word preached (what needs to be done)…unless you believed in vain (unless you are a big faker).

I think I am understanding it right.

This is not a game for show.  God sees your heart, you aren’t fooling God.  You may be fooling a lot of other people.  And you may even be fooling yourself.

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. Galatians 6:7

And he said to them (Jesus), “You are those who justify yourselves before men, gut God knows your hearts.  For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” Luke 16:15

Ok, Gods word can bring a BIG paddle.  But I would rather be paddled by the word of God then puffed up with pride from the things of this world.  The king of this world {satan} wants you to be either numb to God and overly concerned with self, against God, or fast asleep.  Since satan himself was afflicted by pride and it was his downfall…it worked for him…it works for us.

God is God, we are man, his creation.  God loves the humble.  God loves the cheerful.  God loves those that love him, and love others.  I am but a vapor, a mist…so short is my time here on this earth, yet the manner in which I live my life, in truth or lie, will determine eternity.  And there is nothing hidden that won’t be brought to light. There is no time like the present to open up your heart to God and saying, ‘Renovate me.  Recreate me. Transfuse me. Use me. Whatever it takes, may you be glorified.’

Jesus, your name is precious.  I pray that you will let me never forget the stench of my prideful ways.  I pray that you will give me spirit checks if I am doing something I shouldn’t, saying something I shouldn’t, hearing something I shouldn’t, seeing something I shouldn’t.  I pray that you will give me foresight to RUN from evil.  I pray that you will expose evil to me for what it is so that I can flee from it..  If it is a song, if it is a TV show, if it is Facebook, if it is something that is taking me away from you, if it is an idol, make it detestable to me.  Thank you for convicting me daily.  Thank you for drawing me near.  I pray for anyone whose eyes read these words that it will minister to their hearts.  I pray that this weekend you will help me to be a good example of humility and love.  You are so gracious and I am so grateful. Amen.

I want to thank those of you who answered the question the other day about if you pray before you eat.  I want to especially thank Marie.  She wrote:

I thank Him for the food while I’m preparing it.

I thank Him for the lettuce as I chop it,

The animal that gave it’s life to sustain me,

The people I’m preparing it for,

The fuel to cook it,

The well water to wash it,

The pots and utensils to cook and serve it, spices, etc…

When I sit down to eat something that’s been prepared for me

I thank Him for that person and each item as I eat it.  It’s usually not out loud, unless requested,  but blossoms into praying without ceasing…

We have SO much to be thankful for!

Amen Marie, Amen!

Today was busy, but it was blessed.  I made a new friend and she blessed my day.  I love my job.

Here is the recipe for the tartlets and the quiche I posted yesterday.  Then it is off to the grocery store for me.  I love going grocery shopping…but tonight I am taking the little boys, which is usually a crazy deal.  So pray for me ok?  I really appreciate it!

Heat oven to 425 F.

Lightly grease 2 mini muffin tins (24 total tarts or quiche)

I used Hodgeson Mill whole Grain Insta-Bake Baking Mix.  I put 2 cup of mix in a bowl and mixed with about ½ cup almond milk.  You can use regular milk if you want.  1 tablespoon butter cut pea size mixed into dough. If your dough is too sticky add mix until the dough is only slightly sticky.  If your dough is too dry, add more milk; easy peasy!

Pinch off about a tablespoons worth of dough and use a floured rolling pin on a floured surface to roll out. Place each rolled dough into your muffin tins. Do this until all your tins are full.

If you are baking the tartlets you will want to bake shells for approximately 8-10 minutes.  They should be lightly browned and crunchy.  Cool on a baking rack and fill with preserves.  I used peach.  YUM!!!

If you are baking quiche you will need:

2 eggs

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

¼ cup milk

1 teaspoon steak seasoning

¼ cup cheese

Whisk all ingredients together and use a tablespoon to spoon mixture into UNCOOKED tartlet shells.  Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes.  Edges should be brown, egg should puff up but not jiggle.

Serve warm.

xoxo

Ronda

Tea, Tartlets, and Truth

These little beauties were gone in 2.5 seconds.  I was VERY happy with how they turned out and so was Sam and the little boys who devoured the batch in record time.  I just might have to write a little email to the folks over at Hodgson Mill and tell them that I used their baking mix to make some awesomeness…I think they would appreciate that.

I love making little tartlets filled with yummy preserves and tasty flavor combinations.  But you know what I like even more?  Eating them!

Tartlets with custard and fresh fruit are amazing, chocolate with peanut butter, peanut butter and jelly, mini key lime tartlets.  Oooooohh the possibilities; I love tartlets!  They are perfect with tea and they are pretty to look at.  They are pretty fabulous.  These were Peach Preserves Tartlets.  Kael kept trying to sneak his little hand in to grab one while I was taking pictures.

See his little finger there.  Love that kid!

I also used the dough to make mini quiche.  These babies are a breakfast treat, let me tell you what!  So you get two sweet treats with one batch of dough.  I think that is a sa-weet deal.  They were really fun to eat side by side.  The savory in the quiche next to the sweet in the peach was perfect.

Last night Pastor Bryan (our youth pastor) rocked out a sermon in the main service.  God brought it, Bryan rocked it, and anyone listening was blessed by it.  There was some that did not listen.  There were some that were being distracting (a lot of teen volunteers at the church right now and a few of them were in need of a tap on the shoulder)…but if you had ears to hear, you heard.  I was bummed that not everyone heard.  But, like Pastor Bryan said last night, God’s mercy is new every morning.  Yes, yes it is.  And how sweet is that!

Bryan taught out of Romans chapter 12:1-2. BAM! This is one of the chapters that God has been ministering to me out of!  Very cool.  I like how Romans Chapter 12 closely parallels 1^st Corinthians Chapter 12, which is where I am studying right now.  God is awesome like that.

Grab your Bible and read Romans chapter 12 and then read 1^st Corinthians chapter 12.

As you get to the end of 1^st Corinthians chapter 12…you did just read it didn’t you?  Oh, I hope you did because this next part won’t have the same "jazz hands" moment if you didn’t…At the end of 1^st Corinthians chapter 12 Paul talks about how each has their own gift and then he says something that brought delight to my soul.  It is a journey that God has been bringing me through for several years.

Are all apostles?  Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?  Do all possess gifts of healing?  Do all speak with tongues?  Do all interpret?  But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

And I will show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. {Zing, speaks straight to my heart and zaps me with conviction}

Love never ends.  As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.  When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.  For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.  So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1^st Corinthians 12: 29-31 and 13: 1-13

God’s word is so impressive.  Even if you are not a believer you can nod your head in agreement because this is GOOD stuff!  This scripture speaks to the truth that is written within the blueprints of our spirit.  We know when we read it that it is good!  Yet daily I fail.  Daily I fall short.  Daily I mess it all up.

I am so grateful for the truth that his mercy for me is new every morning.

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.  Lamentations 3:21-26

Oh, doesn't that just warm your heart!  Mine is all nice and toasty.  I do have two toddlers squirming on my lap right now who smell like they need a bath.  I will post the tartlet and quiche recipes later when they are down for bed.  Gotta go be a mom.

Quick little prayer first?  Yep, I need it too.

Oh Father, my heart is set out for you.  It is yours and yours alone.  I won't share it with this world.  I won't dress it in darkness.  I will sing of your faithfulness.  Thank you so much for my friends and family who take time to read this.  I pray that you use this little blog to your glory.  I pray that you be with our family tonight as we go through the routines of getting little boys ready for bed.  That we will cherish these few quick hours we have with them.  I pray that you will help Sam and I to be good stewards over these two tots that you have blessed us with.  Help us to raise them in a way that glorifies you and makes you happy with us.  Let us love one another, let us love others, and let us not hold anyone down and set anyone aside.  Let us sing with those who sing, and dance with those who dance, and embrace those who just need a little hug to lift their spirits.  Help us be sensitive and more and more like your son with every passing second of every passing minute, of every passing hour, of every passing day.

We love you!

xoxo,

Ronda

The sweet life

Counting my blessings today and I ran out of fingers and toes, so I will just say I am very blessed.  Today has been peaceful, productive, and playful.  This morning Sam and I rocked out some laundry before he went to work.  I cleaned house while the little boys played trains.

We ran errands around town, and then stopped by the park for a few precious moments.

After much needed baths the little boys got to Skype with my parents.  They played 'Itsy Bitsy Spider', read a book, and blew kisses to "Grandma and Grandma" as Caleb calls my mom and dad.

They are napping right now...Wow, what a different day it is from last Saturday.  Whew...I would take today everyday!

Once the boys were asleep I poured myself a bowl of Kashi Go-Lean cereal, sliced up half a banana and three strawberries, grabbed a small handful of nuts and sprinkled it on top, and then poured about a half a cup of Original Silk Almond Milk over it...{Sigh}  Delightful.

I even used my Orange Leaf shovel spoon to eat it.  I love those spoons!

I don't get paid to write reviews.  But if I like something I want to share it so that you can enjoy it too!  So share I shall.  Kashi Go-Lean cereal is A) Healthy  B) Crunchy  C) It gives me Super-Mom energy  D) It keeps me fueled and full for a really long time.

So it is for these reasons I keep buying the stuff; I like enjoying the benefits of it.  It has kind of a grainy taste, it is very lightly sweetened, but boy does it satisfy.  No joke, it really does.  I like adding yogurt to it too.  YUMMERS!  The little boys LOVE it too!  I tried to give them their organic fruity cereal today and they kept trying to steal my cereal...so I let them, because I love them, I am an awesome mom like that.

Today is a pretty light little post.  This last week was so busy with work, I thought I would relax a little.  Some fun highlights from my week were that a newspaper from Chicago called me and wanted to use some of my pictures ('Absolutely!'), and Sam's uncle Carl who pastors a church up in Illinois asked if he could use some bits and pieces of my blogs for some of his sermons ('Absolutely!').  And right now Robin, my sister, is probably laughing out loud that I wrote 'Absolutely!' because she makes fun of how often I say this.  :-)  And I like to make her laugh.  Isn't she purdy...

I am SOOOOOOOOOO excited for this next week of blogs.  Why you ask?  Because I won't be writing a single one!  After I got such a wonderful response from Good Deeds, Gods Seeds, God's pleased, where I shared my testimony, I knew what I wanted to do.

I will buy something on Amazon, or try a new recipe if it gets amazing reviews.  So what better way to share Christ than to share what he has done!  That is when I got on the horn {funny saying}, otherwise known as texting and facebook, and I asked seven friends to share their testimonies with you.  Tomorrow will be the regular and always fascinating {I giggle} Sunday with Sam, but after that we are going to get to take a peek into the lives and salvation stories of seven different women.  I AM SO EXCITED!

This is going to be an awesome week.  God is so good!  Have a great day!

xoxo

Ronda

Speakin of squeakin!

Today is going to be a be-a-utiful day!  Back at my other “home” in Washington they are having their annual ladies tea.  I wanted to be there, so about three months ago I started looking for plane tickets.  I found one for $210, but I didn’t know if I could get time off work, so I didn’t buy it right away.  Instead, I sent my boss an email asking if I could have the time off.  My boss doesn’t read this blog; even if he did this is something that he is well aware of, and my feelings regarding it.  My boss is not the best communicator and certainly not the timeliest.  I have learned the lesson that the “squeaky wheel gets the grease.”  So I guess you could call me a ‘Squeaker’!

After sending an email and leaving a voicemail I finally got him on the phone about something else and then slipped it in there.  “So we are good to go on that loan.  Did you see my email a few back about wanting to go to Washington in June.”  Boss: “Oh, yeah.  I guess...hmm...uh...erm...I don’t see a problem with that…”  Yadda yadda, permission granted.  Woot woot!  I was already at the online ticketing site while I was on the phone with him pulling up the fare.  I went from “woot-woot!” to “wah wah!” in two point five seconds.  $486!  No!  How could this be? WHY!  WAHHHH!

I googled when to find the best fare and learned that Wednesday’s are the cheapest to purchase and to fly.  So every couple of days I would check fares.  I got to the point where I decided that if they dropped below $300 I would pull the trigger.  I didn’t think it was going to happen.  They wouldn’t come down below $400!  After months of checking every few days I found my ticket.  Only thing was it wouldn’t let me go and be at the ladies tea.  I was at the point where I was ok with that.  I missed my family and wanted to have a nice little vacation.  So I called my boss, no answer.  I called my dad and said “so how would you like to give me a camera lesson in person in say, two weeks.”  And I booked it.  I sent my boss an email letting him know that I would be going to Washington May 17-24.

This was the only week I could go and have the trip be under $400, I got my ticket for $293.  The tornado hit our town Sunday, May 22^nd.  God thank you for taking me away.  Thank you for not giving me more than I could handle.  Thank you for answering my prayers and for hearing me.  I will continue to open my mouth in prayers, supplications, and praise.  I will lift my “drooping” arms and praise your name!

It would have been so awesome to get to spend time with my lovely ladies in Machias, Washington, sippin on tea and eating dainty treats, but God knew when and where I needed to be.  He is so thoughtful!

I have been praying this morning for the tea.  I have been praying specifically that through Kris Ainsworth, this year’s speaker, that there will be at least one person saved.  I am praying that all the ladies get refreshed and recharged by the fellowship that is going to take place.  Sending blessings to Washington!

Last night I was sitting at the table with my laptop and I opened up e-Sword (again, if you don’t have this program, you should download it…so awesome!).  In the sidebar there was a commentary that referenced Isaiah.  Isaiah is a book in the Old Testament and so I jumped to it and let me tell you…God spoke.  He spoke to me through his word, and it was amazing.  You might wonder why this is so amazing, you might not.  If you wonder why this is so amazing, pray that God will speak to you through his word, and then put action to it and dust off your Bible and let ‘amazing’ begin.

Here is God’s word that he blessed me with last night, Isaiah 58:7-12:

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?  Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

I love that so much.  The Lord has got my back!

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’  If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.  And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.  And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall rise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.

Snap-dizzle that is good word!  I love how he teaches me.  He has been teaching me to love, he has shown me that his word is life and my weapon in this war we are in, and that he is the author and protector of my faith.  He has got my back and he tells me his business.  His business is to take care of the weak, to feed the hungry, to take care of the broken and turned out.  No picking, no choosing, just doing.

God, I pray this week that you will open my eyes, open my heart, and I will open my hand.  Thank you for your provisions, thank you for your many blessings.  Thank you for getting my back so that I can face forward and as your word says in Proverbs “ponder the path of my feet.”  Give me wisdom liberally.  Give me discernment and direction.  Guide me in all my ways, I put my trust in you.

God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good.  Send your "squeaks" to God, and he will answer.

I made something that was really good the other day.



Strawberry Creme Crepes for Sweethearts

I whipped up some eggs (3) with 1/3 cup cream and a pinch of salt.  I then took ¾ package of cream cheese, 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream, and ¼ cup sugar and whipped that for about 5 minutes.  Then in another bowl I sliced strawberries and mixed with ¼ cup sugar and set aside.  I put a frying pan on Medium heat and lightly buttered my pan.  I then poured half the egg mixture in my pan and moved the pan in a circular motion (I basically made a crepe).  When the edges started to lift and the top was cooked I peeled it off onto a plate and spooned about 3 tablespoons of my cream cheese mixture in the center.  I rolled it up like a burrito and topped with the strawberries and then sprinkled powdered sugar on top.  Sam was very grateful, and with his huge puppy dog eyes and batting eye lashes asked, pretty please with strawberries on top, for more.  I obliged.

Strawberry Cream Crepes for Sam

What you need:

3 eggs

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream divided for both cream cheese mixture and crepe mixture.

½ cup of sugar divided for both cream cheese mixture and strawberries.

About 2 cups chopped berries

¾ package of cream cheese

Pinch of salt

Powdered sugar optional

Xoxo

Ronda

Ruby Slippers and Rocket Bars

I cried yesterday.  It was a special occasion because I don’t cry often.  Years ago I wrote a song and the lyrics read, “I’m not the type to cry, my eyes they live life dry.  My heart may be breaking, but my eyes will tell the lie.”

It felt so good to cry.  I was lost in Kansas , hot, tired, frustrated, aggravated, and crunched for time, so I let go and let the tears fall.  At first it was just a few tiny tears, but the little buggers multiplied and next thing I knew I was mid way through a full blown sob.  What sweet relief!

I cried for only a few minutes.  It was exactly what I needed to shed the weight of worry, and let go of the things that I couldn’t control.  I realized that if I kept going the direction I was headed I would find myself in the middle of nowhere, without cell service most likely, crying like a baby, chanting “there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.”  Problem was I forgot my ruby slippers yesterday, so my only choice was to buck up and back track.  *Note to self: don’t go to Kansas without ruby slippers.*

Step one, recognize. Step two, improvise.  I turned around and headed back toward the familiar.  At times because of circumstances beyond our control, we can get headed in the wrong direction.  I was given bad directions; that can happen in our spiritual walk too.  If I would have checked MapQuest I would have seen that the directions I was given were wrong, and I would have saved myself a lot of time and frustration.  Spiritually speaking, study the word, then you will know that you are on the right track, and you won't get lost.

Trust in the Lord God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path (Proverbs 3: 5-6).

One more thing, it is good to cry sometimes.  I can now vouch for the therapeutic benefits and cleansing power of a good old fashion cry.

After I dried my tears and made my way back to Joplin I felt refreshed and rejuvenated.  I finished up my day at work and headed to our home on the range.  I was unsure what I was going to make and blog about so I stood staring at my cupboards for several minutes.  I knew that I wanted to make it really healthy, but irresistibly delicious.  It needed to be something even the pickiest kid would hound you for, and that could be made with ease.  Well, I think I struck gold with this one.  Pure gold!

This is a very versatile treat and can be eaten as a nutritious energy bar, or it can be the base of an amazing dessert.  This morning I chopped it into chunks and served it soaked in vanilla almond milk for Kael.  Simply put, this is purely delicious.



Ronda Honda Rocket Bars

Ingredients:

½ cup honey

½ cup agave nectar (or you could just do a cup of honey, but I did it half n half)

1 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup of peanut butter (I use the Naturally More peanut butter with Flaxseed sold at Walmart for $2.89, it is awesome).

1 cup well chopped mixed nuts, seeds and dried fruit.

10 cups of cereal (I used Mom’s Best Oats and Honey Blend)

I also threw in about ½ cup pumpkin flax plus granola in there because I had it, and I could.

In a medium microwave safe bowl, heat the honey, sugar and salt to a full rolling boil.  Remove and stir in vanilla extract and peanut butter, blend until smooth.  In a separate bowl blend cereal and nut mixture together.

Pour the honey sauce over the cereal until evenly coated.  Press firmly into a 9x13 baking dish and let cool.

While my RH Rocket Bars were cooling I peeled and sliced three apples.  I then made a caramel sauce and sautéed the apples in it.

I cut the bars up poured my apples and sauce over the top and served it with a scoop of ice cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Have you seen the movie “What about Bob?”?  In that movie there is a scene where Bob is eating dinner he ooohh’s and ahhh’s over it nonstop.  You should have heard them ooohh’ing and ahhhh’ing in my kitchen last night.  I was a proud lady!  Now it is your turn to impress your crew.  Whip up a batch of these and take the credit for making something so AUH-MA-ZING that everyone will want seconds, and thirds, but then you will have to make more.

Here is my caramel recipe:

Ingredients:

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup (1 stick) butter

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 tablespoon of rum (optional, but I like it)

Put together ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Let simmer for 3-4 minutes.  Toss in your apples and let sit for about another 2 minutes.

I cut and wrapped my leftover bars and froze them.  Oh what a treat!  This morning I ate them right out of the icebox (I like calling it that).  I could have eaten so many, but didn’t, I used restraint.  I understand right now you cannot possibly appreciate the amount of restraint displayed and sheer willpower that was demonstrated in my kitchen this morning, but hopefully soon you will.

Xoxo

Ronda

Sleepless in Joplin

It is 3:30am.  Last night the little boys didn’t want to go to bed and took turns jumping on my head.

No more rhyming and I mean it!  Anybody want a peanut? (Princess Bride quote).

Ronda when sleep deprived = goofy

I can’t wait until UPS brings me that crib tent.  Kael was up earlier then 3:30am this morning, 3:30am is finally when I heard him and opted to get up to supervise.  I could tell that Kael had already been downstairs because all the lights were on, and there was an empty can of soda lying by his toys (no doubt left half full on the counter within the Kael’s reach by either Sam or Colby).  Since I have a few minutes I will tell you about another time that Kael woke up early and instead of waking us up he went exploring.

Kael is our 3 year old and as I have mentioned in previous posts he has not slept well since he was a little baby.  He loves to wake up in the middle of the night full of energy ready to play.  We have tried EVERYTHING, no naps, keeping him up late, warm milk, melatonin, manganese, running him tired, music, fans, weighted blankets, you name it!  The Crib Tent by Tots in Mind is the only thing that has ever worked.  And we are very excited that a new Crib Tent is on its way via UPS 2 day delivery.  YAY!!!!  I could do a little dance right now, but will refrain.

About 5 months ago I think (I am terrible with dates right now while in a sleepless fog), Kael ripped the zipper open on the Crib Tent we had.  It was a fun game for Kael and Caleb to climb in the crib and zip themselves in.  A zipper can only take so much torquing from a couple toddlers before it snaps…the zipper and I are similar in this respect. 

One morning, Sam and I woke and were pleasantly shocked to see that it was 7am.  We headed downstairs where we found Kael asleep on the couch…naked…glistening from head to toe painted with a thick layer of butter.  The fridge door was wide open and the food inside was room temperature…which meant Kael had been at work for quite some time.  I will tell you, never has his skin felt more soft, that is the only upside to that morning, oh, and I guess the other upside was that Sam and I were able to catch a few more zzz’s.

Sam and I don’t fight, except in the middle of the night when we are arguing about who should get up with Kael.  So my dear friend Blythe got us the ultimate Anniversary present in December, a new crib tent.  You see Blythe was peering into our future and if there were to be more anniversaries in the Hickey household there must be sleep.  She didn’t realize, however, that there are two crib tents made by the same company, The Original Cozy, and Cozy II.  The Original Cozy just fastens over the top of the crib and doesn’t wrap under the mattress.  The Cozy II was created to solve the problem of the sleepless toddler reaching their arms through the crib bars and unzipping themselves which defeated the purpose of the tent.  So when the Original Cozy came in the mail we rejoiced and were so thankful for the sleep that came to us with it…which lasted about a week before Kael figured out that he could unzip himself.

So ‘Sleepless in Joplin’ is about to be called ‘Sweet Sleep in Joplin’… Oh happy day!

Here is a picture of a crib tent:

My burn looks like it is going to heal nicely.  Random thing yellow mustard and saran wrap, but hey, I will take it!  When you get moving quick cause you got to get dinner on the table and you are clumsy from lack of sleep, a hot oven is not your friend.  What am I going to blame my forgetfulness and clumsiness on when I start to sleep better?  Eh, problem for another day.

Here is a recipe for Biscuits and Gravy.  Sam love love love’s biscuits and gravy.  The little boys just like the biscuits.  So I don’t bother doing the all natural organic thing when it comes to my gravy, Sam will live.  I use the McCormick’s Sausage Flavored gravy mix and either almond milk or cow’s milk halved with water.  This is very quick and can be whipped up for breakfast in about 10 minutes if you work efficiently and want to use mixes instead of from scratch.  It is also very cheap and will cost you just a few dollars to feed your family.  You can use Bisquick for the biscuits or follow this recipe.  With biscuits the best advice I can give you is don’t over mix.  I have made a lot of biscuits and if you mix them just so that they are blended you will get fluffy soft tender flaky goodness.  If you overmix they will be tough. It won’t matter too much if you get tough biscuits though, because when slapped with a pat of butter and smothered with gravy it will be hard to tell.

Biscuit Ingredients

2 cups flour (white or whole wheat)

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ cup butter or margarine

1 cup milk

Directions

Heat your oven to 450.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.  Cut in the butter either using a pastry blender or a butter knife (I use a butter knife because I don’t have a pastry blender).  Cut the butter into about the size of peas.  Stir, mixture may resemble coarse crumbs.  Stir in milk just until moistened, and mix (just until your sticky dough forms).  Drop by the spoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Or, you can turn out onto a floured work surface and knead 10 times, roll out and use a biscuit cutter to make them uniform.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  They should be lightly brown.  Serve them warm with gravy, or jam.  They also freeze great for another day.

Gravy Ingredients

McCormick’s Original or Sausage Flavored Mix (or google and make from scratch, and then give me the recipe!)

½ cup cold water

½ cup cold milk

Make as directed on package, it will take about 5 minutes to make.

Since I mentioned freezing the left over biscuits here is another little trick I do...

When I make pancakes for the little boys I make extra to freeze.  I put squares of parchment paper between them, wrap, and date them.  That way when I am crunched for time I can pull them out, nuke em’ for 20 seconds, drizzle with a bit of honey, and we are good to go!

xoxo

Ronda