Looking Ahead...

Hello Dear Foodie Friends & Fans...

Just wanted to give you a 'heads up' to what's happening now in The Better Baker world. 

My sweet, 100% disabled hubby and I are heading to warmer temps for several weeks. (We hit the road this morning).  Hubby can't seem to get warm...he's cold from the inside out..and with all of his health issues, we are blessed that we're able to head South and enjoy some needed sunshine. 

I will have my laptop, so I will still be doing blogging, but am going to enjoy a slower pace for a little while.  

I have some guest posts lined up, and am very excited about those, and
hope you will be too.  

 I will still be posting recipes at Facebook too, so just in case you don't follow me there, you can find me here..

Will be thinking of & missing you all...

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Elephant Stew

I'M TAKING SOME TIME OFF...SEE YOU AT WEEKEND POTLUCK NEXT WEEKEND! WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO VISIT ONE OF THE OTHER 
CO-HOSTS TODAY...

• Meet Penny ~ Tabitha
• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie
• Life As a Lofthouse ~ Holly
• 4 Little Fergusons~ Tonya
• The Country Cook~ Brandie

A LITTLE FUN WHILE I'M 'UNPLUGGED' FOR A FEW DAYS....

ELEPHANT STEW

1 medium elephant 
2 rabbits, optional

Lots of brown gravy

Cut elephant into bite-size pieces, this will take about 2 months. Add enough gravy to cover. Cook over kerosene fire for about 4 weeks at 465˚. This will serve about 1,973 people. If more are expected, the two rabbits may be added, but do this only if necessary, as most people do not like to find hare in their stew.

Homemade Pop Tarts (Easy Peasy)

When my out-of-town grandchildren recently came for an overnight visit, I had fun making some special dishes for breakfast the next morning.  

I squirted yogurt from a ziploc bag onto waxed paper to make little 'droplets' and froze them. 

They are refreshing and fun.  But I didn't get a photo of them. 

I also didn't get a photo of the pop tarts themselves, BUT...I did get photos of my cutsie granddaughters enjoying them.

These pastries are very simple to make and you can change them up however you'd like by using any favorite kind of jam, or nutella?

The frosting and sprinkles were a necessary part of the fun! 
I just wish I had taken time to tint it pink (princess color you know!=)

I just adore the 'family fun' type recipes I find at Everyday Mom's Meals.
She does Kid-Friendly meals alot. And I love them all. 

With a little supervision, older kids could make these themselves. 

For those of you who were use to seeing our Claira Ruth with curly hair...she's lost it as she's gotten older. 

What gorgeous eyes & sweet smile our 'Kaity Bel' has.

(She's always had straight hair=) 

(The girls are wearing new nighties nana got for them to spend the night. The hems are trimmed with a tulle ruffle.)

HOMEMADE POP TARTS 

1 pkg. refrigerated pie crusts 
Strawberry Jam

(I used Polaner no sugar added) 
1 can strawberry or vanilla frosting
sprinkles

Preheat oven to 400. Cut dough into 3-inch rectangles. On one side, spread jam leaving about 1/2-inch on all sides. Top with another rectangle. Using a fork, crimp the edges to close. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet (or spray with cooking oil) and bake for 9-12 minutes until slightly browned. Remove and transfer to a cooling rack and place in fridge for about 5-7 minutes. (This will make frosting much easier...and we don't want those precious babes burning their mouths!). Spread frosting on; top with sprinkles.

Linked to Melt in your mouth Monday
Gooseberry Patch Roundup - 5 ingredients or less
Creative Thursday
It's a Piece O' Cake
Fabulous Friday
Mop it up Monday
Breakfast Ideas Monday
Scrumptious Sunday
Weekend Potluck
  Foodie Friends Friday
Gooseberry Patch Roundup - Kid Friendly

Creatin' & Craftin' Day at Nana's

{I have put off typing up this post because I like simple and quick...this was going to demand some time, but I'm so tickled to finally share this fun time I spent with 2 of my granddaughters just before Easter.}

I have the cutest grandkids on the earth - every single one of them! 

Now I know...some of you are probably ready to fight me over that thought, but aren't we just gifted with special special gifts when God puts GRANDchildren in our lives??

They most certainly do make life GRAND!

Our son, Dave, spent 9 yrs in the navy.  All 3 of his children were born long-distance from home (where we live) so since he

became a civilian, about 6 yrs ago and they only live a few minutes from us now, it's just the best fun to get to bring the granddaughters here to spend a day creating.

Charlie & Chloe both have creative genes and they often teach ME while I'm trying to teach them.

I just loooove these pictures of them wearing the 3 new t-shirt scarves them made for themselves. 

Charlie, 13, is on the left...Chloe, 11, is on the right

I've been having a BLAST making t-shirt scarves. Tonya Ferguson introduced me to them in one of her post...

4 little Fergusons make t-shirt scarves - please take a peek as they are just so cute and simple...even her 8-year old made one.

C'mon now Gals - of course...YOU CAN DO IT TOO!

I also looked a this tutorial at My Blessed Life to get some cool ideas too.

(I ended up doing much of the cutting, just because it was easier for them)

The girls also worked long and hard to make Duct Tape Flowers

for their flip flops! They did most of that all on their own!

Have you seen the adorable patterns they're making on duct tape these days???   We also covered some baskets for their bathroom with some of this 'fun' stuff. 

The girls got creative and made some multi-colored flowers for their flip flops!!  Soo cute aren't they?

This was the photo that 'sucked me in' when I first saw them posted at Skip to my Lou

The girls had a great time in the kitchen making Butterfinger Bites

simply by spreading peanut butter between Cheez-It crackers and dipping them in chocolate.  (Who knew??)

And we made some yummy treats by spreading peanut butter AND nutella between Ritz crackers, then dipping them in white or dark chocolate....inspired by this post at Plain Chicken . Charlie got creative and began making swirls over the top and they looked sooo pretty.  Tasted great too!

The girls also made these simple Springy Marshmallow Flower Pops

from Madtown Macs. It's a simple process and the girls were excited to take this 'bouquet' home with them. (along with 90% of the goodies we made). After you push a stick into a large marshmallow, you coat it with white chocolate (ours had little blue specks in it) then push through a muffin paper!

Before they headed home, we quickly made some Peanut Butter Hard Shell Ice Cream Topping that I found at Chocolate Covered Katie....to 'top off' their day.

(Katie has a Healthy Dessert Blog that I follow!!!)

All you do is stir together peanut butter, melted coconut oil, and sweetener of choice (we used liquid stevia) to make this delicious treat.

We were all pretty impressed at how simple - AND DELICIOUS! -it was.  (see the link above for the measurements)

WHEW!!  We were all very tired at the end of the day and agreed we shouldn't try to do so much the next time!

Blog Tag....I'm it!

Blog Tag ... I'm It!

Dear Mary Ann from Handcrafted by Mary Ann tagged me this week, AND....

Shari from Rain into Rainbows tagged me a while back...and 

Marilyn from 4 You with Love tagged me earlier this month too.

Bless their sweet hearts!  I'm honored to be chosen, but haven't kept up 'my end' of the game very well. =(

I am pleased I kept record of the tags, but shamefully admit I just haven't stopped long enough to 'play the game' and pass them on.

Soooo...IT'S CATCH UP TIME!

I truly loved reading everyone's answers.

I'm DEFINITELY a People Person and love knowing details!

Because I've got several lists of questions and answers, I'm just going to mix them up a little so I can get this posted.  I hope that 'works' for all involved.

Here are the latest "Revised Rules" of the game...

1. Post a photo and eleven things about yourself in a blog post.


2. Answer the questions the person who tagged you, asked.


3. Create eleven new questions for the people you tag.


4. Contact them and let them know they have been tagged.

This photo was taken of the Love of my Life and me on our recent 44th anniversary.

Eleven Random Things about Me...

1. I'm 62 years old - the 'magic' number as I began drawing Social Security this year! =)

2. My hair began greying in my late 20's and by the time I was 35, folks thought I frosted it. (I would tell them "God did this for me for free!")

3. I'm a very outgoing, bubbly people person.

4. I had leads in several plays while in grade school and high school.

5. I sing alto.

6. My spiritual gift is encouragement.

7. I had a (benign) brain tumor removed in Sept. 1987, and am totally deaf in one ear and only one eye tears when I cry.

(Now I cry exactly half as much as I use to=)

8. Since I am the only girl born into my family, my Girlfriends are very special to me.

9. I've lived in SC, CA, TX(2X), WA and Alaska(2X).

(Hubby is retired military). AND I LOVED IT!!

10. I am a born again Christian and have a strong faith.

11. I believe the little things in life really are the big things.

Questions I was asked to answer....

1. What are a few of your special joys in life?
Having a sweet husband for 44 years - 3 wonderful adult children and the 8 cutest grandkids on the planet.  ;-}

2. Do you prefer bold or soft colors?
I love bold ones - dark purple is my most favorite,
but I love turquoise, hot pink and lime green too.

 

3. What made you decide to start a blog? My daughter thought I should and she was the wind beneath my wings.

4. Where were you born? Toledo, Ohio

5. What's your favorite food? Mexican and cookies

6. Are you a morning or night person? Definitely a morning person.

7. What is your all time favorite meal?
Beef roast cooked with taters, carrots, onions and cabbage -
gotta have ranch dressing on it all and biscuits on the side! 

8. How did you meet your spouse (or special someone)?
My best friend (high school) was his girlfriend.  When she broke up with him, he would call me often to see if she was talking about him...the rest is history.  =)  My very first date was a double date with my (future) hubby and his girlfriend at the time!

9. How many siblings do you have and what is your birthorder? (are you the oldest, baby, etc? I'm the oldest and only girl with 3 younger brothers

10. How long have you been blogging? Nearly 3 years, but it took a long time to build up any kind of momentum...=)

11. How many blogs do you write? My own and I also co-blog with

2 others at Country Cooks Across America

This is all just for fun so if I tagged you and you'd rather not participate, no problem. (Or if you want to wait weeks, as I did, to 'play', that's fine too.) Also, there are so many lovely blogs out there. If I didn't tag you, and you'd like to get others to know you better, write your answers in the comments along with your blog address so we can find you.

My questions for you to answer:

1. Name a kitchen tool you wouldn't want to live without.

2. Do you have children/grandchildren? If so, how many?

3. Do you consider yourself to be organized?

4. What's your favorite household cleaner?

5. Are you a city gal or a country gal?

6. Have you accomplished something in particular that you're proud of?

7. What's your favorite board game?

8. How long have you been a blogger?

9. What is your favorite dessert recipe?  

10. Do you have a special talent?

11. Have you ever won anything?  If so, what?

Blogs I'm 'tagging' are...



Wit, wok and wisdom
Flour Me with Love
Amee's Savory Dish
Joelle
Kitty's Kozy Kitchen
Making Memories with your Kids...

Sweet Fellowship at Sweetie-Licious!

I'm so tickled & honored to have had a guest post at The Sweet Details this past weekend...please check it out!

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Recently, I got to experience a darling little bakery in DeWitt, Michigan - 2 hours from my home - Sweetie-Licious is its name.

So tickled that I got to cross this off my 'bucket list' after seeing a write up about this adorable place in the American Profile "Pie it Forward"

The owner, Linda Hundt, has won 14 national awards! Crisco is considering putting her face on their cans! AND...since we were there, Angie has received an email from Linda, saying how sorry she was to miss us, and inviting us back again for the holidays.  How special!

Her motto is "Eat pie, Love life".

I LOVE THAT!

 I was blessed to share in this lovely time with some special friends - two of them being bloggers!

Angie (A'lil Country Sugar) came to one of my booksignings last November...and we've become really good 'buds' ever since!

She only lives about 25 minutes from me, so we are always happy when we can make a lunch date and catch up to each other in person. I've learned more from her than she'll ever know.

Her lovely daughter, Randi, went with us.  Randi wants to be a chef, so she is a girl after our hearts!

(My dear friend Lois went along and was our photographer=)

This was the 3 of us getting ready to eat lunch outside...fun!

from l to r - Me, Angie, Randi

We got to meet - for the very first time! - another blogging friend, Joelle
(Joelle) who took the day off work to come spend time with us!  We had a blast chatting about the 'blog-o-sphere'!

It was an adorable place full of nostalgia and vintage collections....

Most importantly...lots of yummy pies, muffins & cookies - soooo many choices! 

I enjoyed a terrific cherry key lime muffin that was the best!

I brought home a very delicious choco/peanut butter pie - piled high with whipped topping!

Every bit as good as it looks!!

I enjoyed a chocolate cherry brownie while I was there...it tasted like a cherry cordial and was mighty fine!

The sweet fellowship was the best treat of all!

Can't wait to do it again Gals!

My Girlfriend Vacation - Whoop-de-doop!!

I've been SO excited to share my recent time away with you. It's been very difficult to sort through all the pictures because I'd love to share even more.

I met with two 'old' girlfriends in Spokane, WA.  We had all lived in Anchorage, Alaska and went to the same church in the early 80's. 

It had been over 25 yrs. since we'd all been together. And it felt like we picked up right where we left off. 

WHAT A PRECIOUS TIME TOGETHER!

Sherri lives in Spokane in the home where she was raised, on a street lined with relatives.  She has a large & amazing Italian family. It seemed no matter where we were driving in town, she had a cousin or an uncle that lived in this or that house....we were in awe!

Sherri also has the gift of hospitality and Wanda and I felt like we were very pampered in the 12 days we shared together.

These are only a few of the many pictures we have in our albums.

In Sherri's Home

from l - r - me, Wanda (Anchorage) & Sherri

Gondola ride over the river at Riverfront Park

Carousel ride at Riverfront Park  

A devestating tragedy occurred while we were there.  Sherri's beloved 38 yr. old nephew tragically died, and Wanda and I were so thankful that God-ordained our time together so we could be for her then. We both were blessed and honored to help serve in the kitchen at the funeral dinner.

Sherri's husband John, had left that same morning to go hunting 500 miles from home, just to turn around and return the following day because of the death.  So we gals got to enjoy unexpected time with him.  He would fix coffee (fresh ground no less!) for us every morning...I told him we do it the scriptural way in our home also...HE BREWS! *-*

Anyway, we had such a great time with John.  He's quiet and reserved, much like my own hubby, and we appreciated his 'stretching himself' to spend time with us. He said he hadn't laughed so much in a long time. We enjoyed

playing card games together. And eating out...

(A rose between the thorns, huh Wanda?) ha

Brunch at Twigs Restaurant after church

Wanda and I absolutely fell in love with their sweet pooch, Gracie.

She's a Maltepoo and just adorable.  I have really missed her attention and affection. The way Wanda is adoringly gazing at her in this picture says it all!

We did lots and lots of shopping too!  Oh what fun!

My hubby Ron, was stationed at Fairchild AFB, just outside of Spokane, after we moved from Anchorage, so it was a blast to catch up with 3 special gals I had worked with and 2 of my daughter's special school chums also. F.U.N!!!!

I was thrilled to share a meal out with a special young family with 6 children...ages 4, 7, 8, 9, 10 & 12.  The mama was a little girl when we lived there.  They are an amazing family and sa-weeet!!

Of course, food played a big role in the time we shared too. 

Sherri has the words "Mangia! Mangia!" on her dining room wall in vinyl...in Italian it means, "Eat! Eat!"  We sure did more than our share!

Sherri made us tasty yogurt/fruit smoothies in the mornings...and oftentimes, made lowfat caramel macchiatos (using decaf coffee) in the evenings.  We were so spoiled!

I enjoyed this very full bowl of huckleberry oatmeal when we stopped at a diner on the way home from the airport - YUUUUM! I left an empty bowl behind too!

I really splurged when John took us to breakfast at the Kalico Kitchen. I enjoyed every bite of this wonderful bacon/egg/tater/onion/cheese scramble.

We had fun with our food too!

Onion ring tower at Red Robin

Wanda watches Guy's 'Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives' on Food Network so we 'had' (right!) to go to a few of the places on her 'bucket list'.  That was always fun.

This was Sherri & Wanda at Jimmy's Down the Street, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

And while we were in town, this one is Wanda and me by a moose statue on the sidewalk in Coeur d'Alene..I love moose! This one was too big to bring home.

It still cracks me up to think of ALLLL the pictures we posed for!!!

Silly girls having a ton of fun! Older, but we're still young at heart.

Anyway - that's a sneak peek into my fabulous time away. I have said again and again..how amazing that 3 gals could spend that much time together and leave one another, loving each other more than when we began! I slept soo well and came home feeling very rested, despite the 3 hr. time change.

I am truly blessed to call Sherri & Wanda very special sisters of my heart!! We're already talking about when we can meet together again.

Wanda is the one who sends me these beautiful name tags!!! Now you all love her too huh? =)



I'm thrilled....My first blogging award!

As the saying goes....I'm as happy as a lark! *-*

I've been 'bestowed' this honor by my friend, Lark of Lark's Country Heart

She's a new blogging friend and I love her easy and 'country-fied' recipes.

Thanks Lark!! for sharing this with me...

(Stay tuned...Lark will have a guest post on my blog

in the next few weeks while I'm on vacation=)

Here are the RULES that come with accepting this award:


#1 You Thank the person who awarded it to You and list a link back to them.


#2 Tell (7) things about yourself. *Mine are listed below*


#3 Pay it forward by awarding it to (15) recently found new blogger.

#4 Contact the Blogger you have awarded & make them aware.
(This is what I needed time to do - TBB)

Here is my list:

1. I've been married to the same wonderful man for over 43 years and we are still madly in love! *-*

2. I'm proud to be mom to 3 special adults, and nana to 8 precious 'grands.'

3. My faith and my family are the most important things in my life. I love Jesus and stay busy serving Him in several ministries within our local church.

4. I had my own cookbook published in August 2010 and am still living in Dreamland. 

5. I love anything purple! Especially clothes.

6. I am blessed with the gift of encouragement and have a card ministry. I mail atleast 40 cards a month. I strongly believe in not allowing technology to allow us to lose the special touch of a handwritten note.

7. I'd been a nail biter/picker all my life, but the day I got the call my first shipment of cookbooks were coming, and I knew I would be doing booksignings, I had incentive to break that terrible habit...and let my nails grow out.  It's one of my greatest accomplishments in life! (It has also eased my concerns about laying in my casket with nasty hands - ha)


My list of new bloggers:

Angie - A'lil Country Sugar
Lisa - Sweet as Sugar Cookies
Betsy - My Five Men
Joelle - Joelle
Kay - Cooking with K
Amee - Amee's Savory Dish
Kagi - Sweetened by Kagi
Amber - This Mommy Cooks
Ron - The Old Geezer
Denise - The Bread Fairy
Marcia - Frugal Homekeeping
Lisa - Flour Me With Love
Miz Helen - Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Amanda - Eating in Winnipeg
Jamie - My Baking Addiction
Dorothy - Crazy for Crust

FUN 'Bacon & Eggs' for the Kiddos

I didn't come up with any foodie ideas for April Fool's so I thought I would repost this fun idea...even though I was busy and didn't get it out in the morning...UGH!

HAVE A DELIGHTFUL DAY!

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When my kids were young, I always loved involving them in some project in the kitchen. 

I s'pose that's because my mom allowed me to spend much time in the kitchen growing up. While she sewed, I cooked - and learned to love it! 

This is a simple recipe for fun - take time to make memories with your young ones.  They'll treasure it the rest of their lives.

Thanks to Rosemary and the Goat - Our 5 youngest grandkids and I had a great time making these to go along with our Thanksgiving brunch. It was fast and easy - and oh-so cute,
don't you think???  And aren't those grand'babies' cute too!?  We sure think so.

 

 From left to right...

Caden, Kaity, Chloe, Charlie & Claira

(What a kick to see Caden - who battles leukemia and

has been sequestered much

of his life, to play hard (& hug too!) with his cousin Kaity. 

They were smitten with each other.=)

Sure was good medicine for this nana's soul too! 

(Click on the link below for the simple 3-ingredient recipe- and go have some fun!)

Kid-Friendly Bacon & Eggs

Linked to Gooseberry Patch Roundup - After School Snacks

Tag...I'm it! (And I'm so tickled to be!)

I have a lovely new friend Mandy at Mandy's Recipe Box  She's playing a game...and I've been invited to play. How fun is that?

The game is called Eight to the Eight to the Eight...ever played?

The idea is that I'm supposed to answer Mandy's eight questions, then pose eight of my own, and tag eight people to answer those. And so on and so on...

I am excited to do this and see who plays along with me. I think it lets people get to know the bloggers. So here are the questions Mandy asked me......and my answers!

1. What is your cooking tool/gadet that you can't live without?
I would probably have to say my spatula scrapers - I have several...curved, colored, smaller sized...and when I'm busy in the kitchen I use nearly all of them.


2. What is something that you can't make unless you are sharing it, otherwise you'd eat it all yourself?
This was easy!  Definitely PAYDAY Bars - WAAAYYY too good, and I could eat the whole panful if left alone in the kitchen.  I must know who I'm going to share them with before making them, or I'm in real trouble! (Recipe is on page 81 of my cookbook=)

3. Favorite cooking memory growing up?
I'm tickled to get such an easy question!  I wrote about this memory in my recent cookbook.  Favorite memory is coming home from school and seeing the kitchen counters and table covered with many kinds of cookies. Mom would spend a day in the kitchen during the winter (oh how special to think of those fogged up windows!) to bake cookies to entertain guests or to go in the freezer for lunches.  She gave me much freedom to do cooking, unaided, while I was growing up. She'd be so proud if she was here now.

4. The one recipe you love from someone who inspires you? (Mom, Grandma, friend, etc.)
Apple dumplings from my mom - the recipe card is covered in smudges/grease and it's a real memory-jogger to think about the times mom would bake all day on a Sat., making pies, and dumplings, and we'd get dumplings for dinner.  We had no clue how spoiled we were!

5. Where would you love to visit if money was no object, and why?
I would love to go back to St. Kitts in the Caribbean.  My brother and wife own a villa there and blessed me greatly by allowing me to take 4 girlfriends along and spend a week there this last Feb!!  It's a very beautiful place, and being there reminds me of how spoiled we Americans are, and that's a good thing. I absolutely love sunshine & water!

6. Why do you blog?
Mostly because my daughter insisted I begin one.  =)  I love cooking and sharing great recipes, and I love getting to know other bloggers - just like doing this fun game.
Sharing recipes is a natural passion of my heart.  

7. What is your favorite book?
I truly love reading autobiographies the best, but any Chicken Soup for the Soul
book is a favorite!

8. Who would you love to have dinner with who is dead, alive, or famous?
After my mama - Paula Deen!

My questions to pose to others:

1. How many new recipes would you say you try (on average) in a week's time?

2. What's your favorite kitchen tool or appliance?

3. Who is your favorite Food Network personality?  Why?

4. What is your favorite movie?  

5. What/Who inspired you to begin blogging?

6. What dish is your family's 'most often requested'?

7. What's your favorite recipe ingredient? 

8. Share your favorite childhood memory connected with food..

9. What do you order most often when eating out?

10. Where did you go on your most favorite vacation?

OK - I've tagged these bloggers...


1. Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms


2. Fun Foods on a Budget!

3. The Pioneer Woman

4. Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker

5. The Queen Mommy's Cafe

6. Mommy's Kitchen

7. Eat At Home

8. A Feast for the Eyes

SCHOOL'S OUT - WHAT TO DO WITH THE KIDDOS?

Our 4 yr old granddaughter, Claira, making cookies with me (Nana)

I love anything kid-friendly - I will have a 'Kid's Corner' in my upcoming cookbook -
Hope the kids enjoy making some of these 'fun' foods as they're home for the summer....

KID-FRIENDLY RECIPES


                                     Two-yr. old Granddaughter, Kaity,
                                               rolling cookie dough -
                                          gotta have that tongue out or
                                               it won't 'work'...=)