And while the kids are in the kitchen...

...here's another recipe they can try. It's an "oldie"! My version dates back to a book from the mid-seventies. I dug it up to pass along to a friend who had to plan a vegan meal this weekend. With no eggs and no milk, this recipe fit the bill.

Before the kids whip up the recipe, let them experiment first by adding a liquid (vinegar) to a solid (baking soda). All those bubbles are what make this recipe turn into a cake!

1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. cocoa

Mix thoroughly in an 8 x 8 or a 7 x 11 cake pan.

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Add and stir in well.

5 Tbsp. oil
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla

Make three holes in mixture. Pour oil in one, vinegar in another and vanilla in the third hole.

1 cup cold water

Pour over all ingredients in cake pan. Beat until smooth. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Kool Aid Playdough

It's a rainy "inside" day today. Here's a kid favourite...quick to make and lots of fun.

2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 Tbsp. oil
2 cups boiling water
1 package Kool Aid

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Mix oil and water. Add to flour. Mix well.

Playdough can be stored in the refrigerator for one month.

Christine's Strawberry Spinach Salad...YUM!

Here's a great salad if you're looking for something special to make. Makes 8 servings.

2 pkg. (6 oz. each) spinach
4 cups sliced strawberries

Pop this in your bowl, strawberries down in the bottom and spinach on top.

Now mix the dressing:

1/2 cup canola or olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Add the salad dressing and toss AT THE VERY LAST MINUTE. Chris brings it in a small bottle if she brings this salad to a potluck. YUM!!

Mrs. McNally's Carrot Salad

Well, there has been much reading, sorting and pondering this morning. I'm into the "let's get serious" mode re the Friday night BBQ before THE WEDDING on Saturday. Just a few weeks away! AAGGGHHH! (There's also been a lot of deep breathing as I have regular panic attacks!)

THE LOGISTICS: not my own house, but a house I'm familiar with (hit or miss re equipment and serving pieces); huge lack of fridge space (and we'll have a a houseful of people demanding breakfast, lunch, etc.); one hour before guests arrive to throw everything on the table.

Basic menu will be burgers. Option one was corn on the cob and a gigantic, tossed salad. Corn is NOT going to happen : ( It's been so wet here, they're predicting a very late corn season.

So, here's Salad # 1....tried and true, a real oldie, CHEAP and very colourful. It makes a lot so I usually only make it at Christmas. It would be perfect for you to take to a potluck as you can make it ahead of time.

(Mrs. McNally was a dear lady, mother of one of my hubbie's high school buddies. Long gone, and she would never have believed the whole concept of having her name out in Blogland.)

MRS. MCNALLY'S CARROT SALAD (Needs to be made 24 - 48 hours ahead of time.)

5 cups sliced, cooked, drained carrots (not too mushy, please)

DRESSING:

1 cup tomato soup (1 can)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup oil (vegetable, canola, whatever)
3/4 cup vinegar
1 tsp. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce (Handy stuff. I throw it into everything...soup, stew, gravy.)
1 tsp. pepper
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, diced (purple is nice, if you have it)

Add dressing to hot carrots. Store in fridge at least 24 hours.

Home again, home again...

Always good to get back to the homestead, for the first few minutes anyway. Then the reality of the TO DO list sets in and it's necessary to retreat to the sunporch and stretch out, exhausted before I even start.

A busy weekend, but lots accomplished!!! Long discussions about cake flavours, fondant vs buttercream, swirls and ribbon, but cake decisions were made, menu decided, floral details worked out and Ms. Bride was able to strike one or two items off her 89 item list.

What I dreaded most...shopping for THE DRESS...wasn't really all that bad. Not only was a dress for Ms. Bride's day picked out, two additional outfits jumped into the bag as well - one of them "perfectly perfect" for Dear Son's beach wedding in Mexico next February! Still have some of the details such as jewels and shoes, but the panic attacks are subsiding, thank goodness!

Road Trip!!

July 2, 2010

Going on a road trip! Oh, yes! Summer is officially starting! All teachers (yes, I'm one of "them"...two months holidays...hmmm!) don't declare summer has begun until they actually pick up and get out of Dodge. Until then, they wander aimlessly around The Disaster Zone (home, sweet, home...totally neglected the entire month of Report Cards and field trips). No bells, no kids, no plan book outlining every minute of the day. It takes that first road trip to actually kick us all into low gear and SUMMER!!!!

No rest for me this summer, however. Last day was Wednesday. Yesterday I crashed. Today I start my new job, Mother of the Bride, and I'm off to see The Boss in the Big City. Ms. Bride is also a teacher. Meetings start tomorrow. I'll keep you posted : )

When in doubt...

read the directions.

I'm back. I'm determined to link. Here we go.

Pioneer Woman is a great site. Funny, good recipes, great photographs...

Obviously not!

Okay, people! How do I put in a link? I've tried clicking the little link button and entering the website. And I've tried typing it in directly, but it won't link automatically...

Third time lucky??

Hmmm...

Well, let's try that one again...

www.pioneerwoman.com

Okay. It's been ten whole minutes. The fireworks have started, but no comments??? What gives? How do people find these sites?

Here's a blog that's worth reading:

July 1, 2010

Happy Canada Day!