Blueberry Syrup

Sounds wonderful doesn't it? Wonderful it is. It is light and fresh. Can you say that about syrup? Light and fresh? Hmm...


This was my first attempt at blueberry syrup, so I just made a small amount. This recipe makes 1 cup or so. I recommend storing it in a glass jar in the fridge. Wear your apron! No need for blueberry stains on your clothes! :)

I used 1 cup of water and 2 cups of blueberries. Bring them to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let go for about 10 minutes. I like to use a potato masher to help it along. Line your strainer with a thick paper towel. Remove from heat and strain the juice into a glass bowl (this prevents your plastic from staining).  Return the juice to the pan and add 1/2 cup of sugar. ( this was for about 1 cup of juice, adjust as necessary). Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. This only takes a minute or so.

This was yummy in lemonade, over pancakes, and on top of some vanilla yogurt. The kiddos gobbled it up and asked for seconds!

Homemade Fudge Pops

I found some popsicles molds at the dollar store the other day and was excited to use them. Each tray makes 8 small popsicles. This recipe will make 2 trays full, 16 pops in total. The daycare kids were excited to measure, mix and pour! 

Fudge Pops

1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup of sugar

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

3 tablespoons of cocoa powder

2 cups of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla 

1 tablespoon of butter 

(if you are using unsalted butter, throw in a dash or 2 of salt)

Melt chocolate chips over low heat in a saucepan, stirring the whole time.

Stir in sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, milk (and salt) and kick up the heat to medium. 

*Tip- I pre-measure the dry ingredients that go in after the chocolate chips are melted and put them together in a bowl. This saves time during the cooking process so I won't burn my chocolate. 

Stir the mixture and cook for about 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter. 

Stir until butter is melted in. Let cool for a few minutes. Then pour into popsicle molds. (I used a funnel) Freeze the popsicles overnight. 

Run popsicles molds under hot water for a few seconds to release the pops from the mold. Enjoy! 

Mini Key Lime Pies

Saturday my baby brother graduated.  All my momma's kids are grown up. We went to the beautiful service. It was lovely. We are blessed to be a part of a community that still acknowledges God. This was a big year for my family. In addition to my brother, Ben, my cousins Seth and Dillian also graduated. I am very proud of them. They are wonderful, funny young gentlemen.

So, what does this have to do with mini key lime pies? Ben's graduation party was Sunday and I made mini key lime pies for dessert! Originally seen on Our Best Bite, I tried these twice and got rave reviews!  I made them for a bake sale my mom was in charge of, and she bought all of the pies herself.  :) They are super easy! My only hitch with this recipe is that I don't normally have limes and mini graham pie shells on hand. Other than that, it is pretty simple! 

Mini Key Lime Pies

10 mini graham pie shells

5 egg yolks

1 (14 ounce) can of sweet and condensed milk

1/2 cup lime juice (Juice real limes or key limes)

Green food color- optional

Place pie shells on a baking sheet. Juice limes. Mix egg yolks, milk and juice in a bowl. Add 2 drops of green food color if you so desire.  Whisk it all together.  Use a cookie scoop and fill mini pie shells. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350. Let cool, then chill until ready to serve. Top with whipped cream before serving. 

This is my favorite color. It is beautiful, isn't it? It is perfect. I love it. Thank you, that is all. :)

Meet my husband...

The most wonderful man in the world. 

He loves me. 

He thinks I am beautiful and he tells me. 

He always kisses me good-bye three times before he leaves. 

He randomly says, " I love you." And he means it.

He holds me. 

When I am upset, he is sensitive.

He lets me vent. 

We have been married 4 years, and dated 6 years before we got married. 

He still treats me like he did when we were dating, with respect and chivalry. 

He still opens doors for me. 

He gets me water every night before bed. 

He loves Christ. 

He loves God more than he loves me. I wouldn't have it any other way.

He makes me happy. 

Are you sick yet? How many times have you rolled your eyes while reading this? :) It's ok, all of this is true. He is an amazing man. I wish every woman could have a loving husband that honors her. I can't think of anything bad to say about him. 

Wait, there is that thing he does. He throws his socks beside the bed. I hate that. But I love him. And he can walk by a laundry basket 30 times without carrying it to the laundry, even after I ask him several times. It drives me nuts. But I love him. Oh yeah, and he is always running short on time. That is irritating.  But I love him. 

I love him more than words can express. I could never tell you how much. Meet my husband...

This is one of the reasons I love him so much. He dressed up as Spongebob for a kid's event. It did not matter to him that is was 90+ degrees outside. He danced around with all the kids. He never complained. I laughed and laughed at him. He makes me laugh everyday. He is so funny. Cheesy funny too. But I love him. He is silly and crazy. And I love him.

Spaghetti Pie... YUM!

I wish you could be in my head.

I wish you could hear the intonations I use to narrate these posts.

My family laughs at me because instead of words, sometimes I use sounds. Yep, no words just "ooosh" and "urrrrccchhh" and whatever else flies outta my mouth. I don't even know I do it. I just do. It is just me. It is one of those things that makes me, ME!

Anyway... The "YUM" in the title is meant to be sung in a bellow-y voice. YUUUUMMMM! ( yes, "yum" is a word, not just a sound, but sometimes I go off on these tangents and...)

OK, now that we got that outta the way, here is the recipe for Spaghetti Pie. If you like lasagna, then you will love Spaghetti Pie.

Here we go...

Get ready...

Sing it with me in your big, bellow-y voice...

YUUUUMMMM!

Spaghetti Pie

1 Box of spaghetti (or any pasta you like. I actually used linguine, whole wheat!)

1 or so jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce ( See how precise I am with my measurements.)

2 Cups of shredded mozzarella

2 Cups (or so) ricotta cheese

Some ground meat ( I used lean ground turkey)

2 eggs

1 TBSP butter

A few shakes of Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Fresh basil if you please ( and PLEASE do! It is an incredible herb!)

OK, so I am pretty sure most of you know how to cook pasta and drain it...

You do right?

OK, good!

Cook your ground meat of choice. I used lean ground turkey. Try it. 

No really... do it. You will love it. 

It is good for you! I make really yummy turkey burgers and one day I will share that recipe with you. But first, you have to be brave.

 Buy the ground turkey. 

Fry it in a skillet with some onion. 

Then mix it up with your spaghetti sauce. I love Francesco Rinaldi brand. I love it even more, because I bought it for $1.00/jar @ Weis Market a coupe of weeks ago. I heart Weis. They have great deals!

While the pasta is cooking, mix the ricotta, 1 egg, some s&p and your basil (cut it in small pieces with scissors first) in a bowl. Set aside.

OK, so now we have pasta cooked, rinsed and drained. Meat, cooked, rinsed, drained, mixed with sauce and ricotta mixture mixed. Now we just gotta layer it up. Grab your beautiful Rachael Ray Bubble & Brown dish. Oh, you don't have one? Bummer. OK, grab anything. It is a "pie" recipe, so feel free to grab a pie dish. (too small for me!)  Spray it with cooking spray. Lightly beat your last egg. Mix it into the pasta with some parm cheese ( however much you like) and some salt, oh and yes, some butter. Then dump into your dish. Spread the ricotta mixture over top.

Followed by the meat sauce. Then guess what comes next...

Seriously... Guess...

YEP! CHEESE! Best part!

Sprinkle the cheese on top. YUUUMMMM (Here we go again!)

Pop it into the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes to heat through. Then turn on the broiler and keep a watchful eye on it. Stand there. Right there by the stove. Don't move. Don't do anything else. No, Don't even think about starting to chop the lettuce for a nice side salad. Just stand still. Just keep checking your beautiful Spaghetti Pie. When the cheese gets bubbly and a little brown, shut the broiler off and remove it. Let it cool for about 10 minutes before cutting it. It will stay together better. Enjoy!

*Disclaimer: these are my opinions (about Weis and Rachael Ray) I am not being compensated in any way to say these things. Darn...

Sun & Sand Day

S is for Sun and Sand! Yep! One of my favorite days @ preschool! I know, I know... the school year is over. BUT, I just started this blog, and just had to show you this themed box I made for S&S day. I whipped up a batch of sand playdough. ( Ha, I made that sound easy... it wasn't, don't let me fool you. I did not take into account the water content of my wet sand. This resulted in some very sticky, wet playdough) Either way, it worked out. Blue sparkly paper for the water, some tan paper with playdough sand mounds for the beach, some glass pebbles, an empty baby food container for a boat and some little drink umbrellas sprinkled around the beach made for tons of fun for the kiddos. It was inexpensive, easy and the kids LOVED it! One of my favorite projects of the year. Best. Job. Ever. So Blessed. :)

Watermelon Waffles :)

Summer vacation has officially started in this house! YAHOO! For me it means I am done teaching for the school year. But it also means that my house is full of little kiddos, home for summer vacation. None of these munchkins are mine... they are the daycare kiddos. I love 'em it's true. And so, my goal this summer is to make everyday special! :)

Yesterday was Watermelon Waffle Wednesday! ( I love a good alliteration!) The only thing missing was real watermelon! :P Watermelon waffles (seen here) were on the menu for lunch. This was soooo simple! The kids loved it! I served it up with some homemade Strawberry Syrup, (also simple) fruit, pretzels and cheese. I was as excited as the little ones to eat lunch!

So Simple Strawberry Syrup

3 Cups of Water

1.5 to 2 Cups of sugar (adjust to taste)

3 Cups mashed Strawberries

I used really ripe strawberries. You know, the "if we don't eat them today they are gonna start working" ( as Grams would say) kind of ripe. I pulled the tops off and mashed them with a potato masher. You could also use a blender of food processor. Stir sugar into water and bring to a boil. Slowly add strawberries. Reduce heat to a simmer and let go for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may want to keep a watchful eye on the berries so you can avoid a boil over mess. I speak from experience, the burnt toast smell of the boil over kinda takes away from the experience. I was loving the sweet strawberry smell until... well you know. Anyhow, remove from heat, and let cool 10 minutes or so before funneling into glass jars. Reuse your other jars! I used a salsa jar. :) When completely cool, store it in the fridge.

We put 3 TBSP in a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade. Ahhhh...Bliss! We also served it up with the waffles. Also yummy over cake and ice cream! Have fun creating memories for the little lovies! :)