They love me... They really love me!

I am the featured chef TODAY! How cool is that. Hop on over to this great site and share in my Saucy Chef Sits Day! Plus enjoy the recipes that they posted of mine. I had 13 comments about the recipes and it was very cool to wake up to some comment love!

Cherry Delight

I'm really wishing that I would have taken a picture of the yummy dessert that I made last night for our Community Group. I had to bring snacks... so I included my signature Hummus to big dipped with cucumbers and Pita chips. Then I brought a tub of Licorice which was a total hit with the kids. I brought Mango Peach Salsa (from Costco). Then served with Vanilla Ice Cream was a Cherry Delight as seen on page 248 from the cookbook pictured above. Credit Given where due to Anna Musser of Manhein, PA and Marianne J. Troyer of Millersburg, OH.

CHERRY DELIGHT

Make 10-12 servings. (I doubled it and I think that it could totally be tripled for a large crowd)

• 21-oz. can cherry pie filling
• 1 pkg. yellow cake mix
• 1/2 butter, melted
• 1/2 cup walnuts, optional (I skipped the walnuts)

1. Place pie filling in greased slow cooker.

2. Combine dry cake mix and butter (mixture will be crumbly). Sprinkle over filling. Sprinkle with walnuts.

3. Cover and cook on Low for 4 hours, or on High 2 hours.

4. Allow to cool, then serve in bowls with dips of ice cream.

Note: For a less rich, less sweet dessert, use only half the cake mix and only 1/4 cup butter, melted.

This was a total hit. Since I double the recipe I used a really big slow cooker. That way there was more surface area for scooping and even cooking. There were equal parts cake mix and cherry filling. Downfall to using a small slow cooker.. first it may not all fit, that would be a huge mess during the transfer to a bigger slow cooker.... cake mix would be mixed in with the pie filling and then it would be a sort of Cherry Delight dessert casserole (hmmm... I may be on to something there).Then it would be to deep for adequate scooping portion proportion. (did you get all that?) Best advice is use a big slow cooker if you are going to double the recipe. And that is all I have to say about that.

Look at you Girl

The song that pops up first on my music player is the song that Mr. D and I danced our first dance to at our wedding...Look at you Girl. Mr. D picked it. Ain't that sweet!

Garden and Life Update

I had to spray for Caterpillars(note the holes in the leaves) on my Broccoli and Cauliflower (sorry all your organic people out there...guess I won't be sharing with you). I had to be done or else the grubs would be in the fruit and I would be cleaning them out after the harvest and NO THANKS. Better to just spray and KILL so there would be no more damage. I sprayed last Monday and just sprayed again today. Everything else in the garden is growing great. My carrots have finally taken off... and the second crop I planted is up about a inch and leafing out. The tomatoes are covered in blooms and my corn is growing at fill steam. Corn sure does take alot of fertilizer... Can't wait to start the harvest. Having a garden is so much fun. I'm close to getting my 1st zucchini! Don't you love my hanging baskets. They are huge. If you know me then you will know where I got them... gotta love the family business. Keeps things around here very colorful! They are beginning to need daily water.... which can get a little lame. But well worth the daily sweep of the front porch to look out the window and see these. I picked up this little treasure at a garage sale for a steal... it is an antique cart. I planted it up with some pretties.. and isn't it cute.

We showed our house (yes it is still for sale) yesterday. I showed it to the couple that own the property next to us. He has always liked our house and yesterday brought his wife over to look inside. They loved it. He jokingly said that they would have an offer to us in a few weeks. I've learned not to hold my breathe regarding that statement. We have had numerous people like our house. I have to admit that it does show very well. Picture perfect as put by the last realtor that showed our house. How could it not be on a clear day with a view like this. I'm sure going to miss it when we sell. But I know that God has blessed us with this land and house... how much more could He bless again. That is where trust and faith come into the picture. We are looking forward to seeing what God has in store for our future. The waiting sure is hard.... but we are enjoying everyday that we have here and God has used the time well. We have built wonderful new friendships and deepened some existing bonds. It is an interesting time.. but it is forcing us to wait upon the Lord knowing that HE has a plan to prosper and not to harm... we a learning to live each day as the present. We are also learning not to live in the future because we have done that in the past. And the future will never exist. It will only ever be the present. So striving for that daily has been a challenge.. but so very fulfilling.

Wondering Wednesday

Today I'm starting a weekly day with a question. What better day to do it than Wednesday?

I want to know what "grinds your gears"?

Today for me it is a sprinkler system that we paid $6000.00 (we paid by zone and we have 18 zones)(we have 2 acres to water)that doesn't cover and water our entire lawn. Once the nice and hot days of summer arrive our lawn starts to look like junk! We have been running each lawn zone starting at 1am and the whole process finishes up around 10am. Then I've resorted to running the system mid-day starting at 1pm and just running the lawn zones for times a week. I have to say that the installer worked really hard and I have to admit that it was a very large job... BUT since we paid by the zone I would think that each zone would do a significant job covering and watering the lawn completely. There are a few spots that get double water where the sprinklers overlap and those area are kinda lush... but there are some serious dry spots (those spots I can stand in while the sprinklers are running and not get wet). We have to run some of the zones for more than 30 minutes just to get the lawn damp. Ugggh...We are on a well so our water bill isn't the issue. For me it is the constant running of the sprinklers and then the one sprinkler that we bought at Ace Hardware...(the rotary cheep-o kind) that I have to drag around the yard to get the dry and dead looking spots watered. With that sprinkler it does cover a large circle... but I have to leave it running for like 4 hours in one location to even make a difference. On Monday I was adjusting the cheep-o movable sprinkler to a spot in the front yard and it has a cheep-o plastic stake that it attached to... well as I was pushing it down into the soil I about slipped and fell on my face in the yard. I was on the phone at the time (I don't think that had anything to do with it...:-) But I got a face and shirt full of sprinkler. Good thing I didn't have any mascara on yet or I would have looked like a black runny mess of a face.

That is what grinds my gears today and I look forward to seeing who out there has anything to post about what grinds their gears. If you do a post make sure to leave me a comment so I can come and check out what grinds your gears... or just leave me comment ( I do love some comment love).

Mrs. D Hummus

To all who have had my hummus.. and to those looking for a hummus recipe here you go.

I have had MANY requests for my hummus recipe and I have finally measured out what I put in. I just make it by a little of this and a little of that... but how can I pass it on that way?

• 2 cans of S & W Garbanzo Beans(drained)



• with the beans you could get the dry kind and boil them... I would say 1 1/2 Cup of dried beans would do.



• 1 1/2 teaspoon Minced Garlic (the canned kind)



• 2 1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice (the little plastic lemon kind)



• 1/2 Cup Sour Cream (I also use plain yogurt too)



• 3/4 teaspoon Salt



• 1/3 Cup EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

You need a Food Processor for this dish... I add the first 5 ingredients then blend. After it is well blended as the processor is blending add the EVOO. It will blend in to the perfect consistency. Play around with recipe a little and make it your own. Each time it is a little different.. but now I will stick to this list so that it will be a little more predictable.

Ideas that I've thought about adding...

• olives



• roasted red peppers



• more garlic

...........if you try anything that is a hit make sure to leave me a comment so that I can try it.

Hope you enjoy~ I serve it with tortillas & red peppers for dipping. But that is open for discussion. Crackers are a good staple also.

Store the extra in the fridge and add it to a sandwich or a wrap.

Saucy Site

Check out this new site... giveaways, recipes and bloggin fun!

I linked to a blog from there and found this yummy little ditty that I will surely try as soon as I get fresh yellow squash from my garden! She put it in the cutest little star dish! Check it out!

Whoa... Crazy

"Extremely rare" Twins born in Germany—One Black, One White

Aimee Herd

(July 18, 2008)"Ryan came first and everything was as usual, but when Leo was born, I couldn't believe my eyes."(Berlin, Germany)—German residents, Florence and Stephan, must have been excited at the arrival of their expected twins, but they had no idea their newborns would turn out to be "two-in-a-million." Mum, Florence, hails from Ghana in western Africa and dad, Stephan, from Potsdam in Germany. The mixed race couple’s babies were born with different skin colors—one black, the other white.Dr. Birgit Weber described the remarkable birth, "Ryan came first, and everything was as usual. But when Leo was born, I couldn't believe my eyes."Watch a SKY NEWS video of the twins at the link provided. Source: Staff – SKY News "Watch a SKY NEWS video of the twins at the link provided. Source: Staff – SKY News

Good thing that they were a mixed race couple.... if not someone would have some explaining to do!

Sharing a little view

I know I know..
Our house is for sale.. but that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy the time that I have left. Here is a few pictures from today as I walked around our land. The fertilizer is kicking in and everything is looking amazing. Hmmm I should include some before shots... Let's see if the pics that I'm trying to load go through. I just never know with dial-up. Miss D saw her first lizard yesterday. It was about 8 inches long and so little. Cute but a bit of an evil stare. We didn't get to close. It was hiding out ((just got an error message on the pics.. will try again) loading 4 this time and not 5) under the climbing baby rose. I took a pic of that bush too.. it was given to me at what was suppose to be my baby shower for Hazel. But instead it was a shower for me and Miss D. I was spoiled with a massage, pedi and lots of other blessings. One of which was that rose bush. Well this season it has doubled in size and is covered with blooms. I can see the mountain so clear today and I hear the sprinkler in the (error again.. will try 3 pics this time) distance watering the lawn. (miss d is napping) We have to supplement the sprinkler system during the hot weather because it just doesn't cut it. We get dry spots in the grass and it looks hideous. My garden is growing great. I have my 1st bloom on my zucchini plant and it is already pushing out a fruit(error again will try 2 pics). It is so peaceful here outside the city limits...I wonder where God will take us after we sell our house. We are ready for an adventure!

Be Patient

Be Patient

Don't be in such a hurry

When you get impatient

You only start to worry

Remember

Remember

God is patient too

And Think of all the times when others have to wait for you.

My Silly Girl

My little Miss D like to play "the pokey thing"...

Pokey thing you ask?? Sounds a little sketchy right. Well let me assure you it is nothing to worry about. The pokey thing is our Nintendo DS. She has seen me playing it and is very hooked. So I let her take a poke and now she askes a few times a day to play it. I let her when I'm trying to get ready. A mommy enjoys a little peace while getting ready right... and I'll take it no matter how I can get it. So I set my 2 year old up with a little electronic game and I get like 15 minutes. She amazes me. I set the game up on Mario Brothers to play 1 player mini games. She doesn't have to use the arrows. She just uses the stylus and the touch screen. She has figured out to push B when she is done playing the current game. And to start a new game she knows where to touch on the screen and how to "quit" and "play again". It is neat to watch her tap so gently and "try" to play the games. There is alot of Mario dying and game overs... but she doesn't know that. She is so intrigued by the color, music and the fact that she is playing it BY HERSELF. Something that she is all about lately. She pushes the stool around in the kitchen like her walker and she pushes it up to the countertop to see what I'm doing. And what a "good" helper she is. She has yet to crack an egg... but boy she is ready for the day that I let her... maybe she will be like her 2nd cousin Miss M and like to cook. I could get use to that. My neighbors have a daughter that teaches culinary at the local community college... and man can she cook. Over the 4th they had bbq ribs, potato salad and much more. We didn't crash the dinner but we did enjoy their leftovers the next day from the garbage... not really. She fixed us a plate because she was headed to kids' camp and the food would have gone bad in the fridge with nobody to eat it. Hey send leftovers cooked by a chef my way anyday.. it will be miles better than anything I attempt to cook. Just ask Mr. D.

one word.........

So here’s the rules:
All of the answers must be just one word.
1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your significant other? amazing
3. Your hair? scary
4. Your mother? golfer
5. Your father? worker
6. Your favorite thing? clouds
7. Your dream last night? forgot
8. Your favorite drink? coffee
9. Your dream/goal? missions
10. The room you’re in? den
11. Your church? friendly
12. Your fear? fear
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? vacation
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you’re not? unfriendly
16. Muffins? marionberry
17. One of your wish list items? Wii
18. Where you grew up? WA
19. The last thing you did? Sang
20. What are you wearing? orange
21. Your TV? flat
22. Your pets? none
23. Your computer? gateway
24. Your life? murky
25. Your mood? meh....
26. Missing someone? Hazel
27. Your car? guzzler
28. Something you’re not wearing? shoes
29. Favorite store? Target
30. Your summer? flying
31. Like(love) someone? family
32. Your favorite color? turquiose
33. Last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? yesterday
35. Who will re post this? hoping
This is harder than it looks.

Lots of Thoughts

This was last month and it was so pretty. I just came across this picture. I just love rainbows and boy was this a great one. At one point there were two of them. Miss D loved it and was able to name some of the colors.

She pointed at the moon this evening and said "look, mom... the moon is out." A milestone... noticing the moon.

My garden is doing great. But my carrots are just not doing anything... any pointers for growing carrots. They have been 1" tall for about 3 weeks. I thinned them out to give them more room, but they just have stopped growing. My corn is getting some nice and thick stalks on it and it is about 15 inches tall! My tomatoes are also growing so well and getting nice and think with leaves. One of the plants has a few fruit on it!

We have a little friend that has been frequenting our back patio... I threw out some peanuts and he came right up and filled his little cheeks with them. Then he took off over to the rock wall and buried a few. He is so cute and Miss D loves to watch him. She says "chickmonk"...

Miss D is so into her stuffed animals... like she has always been. She need numerous in bed with her each night. I try and put them back in the morning so that each night she can pick a few new ones... she lays there as she racks her brain trying to decide who she wants to cuddle with. She always HAS to have her baby right next to her. Then tonight it was "Wally"(a beanie walrus...free pile at a garage sale) and "Mingo" (a flamingo that we got her when we were in NC). She snuggles them so tight.. it really is cute.

Weekend Wedding

I did some flowers over the weekend for a wedding. My first in a year. Our neighbors daughter got married last summer....so I got to help out with that one. The wedding colors were yellow, black and white. I thought kinda bumble bee like... but I could make it work. Yellow Gerber Daisies with a black center and so much more. I would have liked to work some sunflowers in but you know it is all about the bride and not the florist. Anywhoo... I worked about 12 hours on the wedding over 2 days and all turned out beautiful. 14 centerpieces, 2 alter arrangements, bouts, corsages, toss bouquet, bride and 3 brides maids bouquets, 3 extra bouquets... it was like the flowers were loaves and fishes flowers... I had ordered what I thought would be enough for the wedding but I had so much left over that I was able to embellish everything and still had enough left over for extra arrangements... It the best to be able to arrange and not have to skimp to make sure that you have enough flowers for everything. There were even flowers left over for the cake!

What wasn't pretty were my fingers afterward. Helpful hint........don't try and clean off dirt from the stems of bear grass with your fingers... you WILL cut your self on the lovely serrated edges.... as I did. They are feeling better... but they were kinda deep. I could pretend like one was talking by opening and closing it. Yuck.

It was so much fun to get my hands back into what I love to do. I was blessed by my hubby who so graciously had some daddy/daughter time so that I could go and do this wedding... plus I get paid! Whoohoo!

Swimming

We had a great day swimming last weekend. I actually dove off the diving board. It has been years since I have done that. We snacked all day and then had brawts and corn for dinner. Then we had some smores by the fire. Miss D asked to go and lay down for a nap about 5:30. She slept until I went in to wake her up at 7:30. I allowed the nap because I knew that we would be there late. Swimming really takes it out of you. We were so tired the next day. I got some Strawberry Margarita mix with some cute glasses. Great for summer! We have been loving the weather lately. Sitting outside after dinner and on the front porch when it is dark. We can enjoy all the fireworks that other people let off from our front yard. It is always a great show. A few nights ago we enjoyed the town's celebration fireworks from looking out the bonus room window. They were so pretty. I love fireworks. I don't like to spend the money for them... something about just watching your money burn that doesn't sit right with me..... but I do think that they are pretty. I'm doing some flowers for a wedding this weekend. I'm so excited for it. I did some flowers last summer and here we are one summer later and I get to do another. Mr. D and Miss D will get to have some quality time while mommy goes and does some work. I get paid TOO! How cool is that. It has been a few years since I got a paycheck.
( I tried to post pics but I kept getting error.. will try later.)