Archive | April, 2013

Berry Pancake

28 Apr

Made this berry pancake a few mornings ago and it was a big hit with the family.  I loved the taste but even more I loved that I didn’t have to hang out in front of the stove all morning flipping gobs of individual pancakes.  AND you cook it in a cast iron skillet which makes it very nice to look at =)

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Here is the recipe from recipegirl.com:

4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup Gold Medal® All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup halved raspberries
powdered sugar, syrup and/or freshly whipped cream for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Use a blender or hand mixer to combine the eggs, milk, flour, sugar, lemon zest and salt.

3. Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over high heat on the stove. Add the butter and melt. Pour the batter into the skillet, then scatter the berries on top. Put the pan in the oven, and bake until puffed and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Slice and serve, topped with powdered sugar, syrup and/or freshly whipped cream, as desired.

Polar Plunge

25 Apr

Welp, it is still very very much winter around these parts.  So why not saw a hole through the ice and jump in right?

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We had a polar plunge for our youth group on April 13th.  Last year we had the plunge in the middle of March and it was a 50 degree day with bright sunshine.  Almost a month later this year and it is still snowing every other day and it was below zero a couple days ago.

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What we need around here is a good solid rain storm and some temperatures in the 50s and 60s.

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Enough complaining for now, we had a wonderful afternoon out at White Eagle Resort where the owners helped cut the hole and even jumped in too!  This resort is absolutely stunning with over a thousand feet of beautiful lakefront (or ice front) on Lake Vermilion.

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Hope you enjoyed some shots from the big event.  I sat it out this year but will definitely be back at it next year.

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Sew Red

21 Apr

I was contacted by the marketing coordinator for the book “Sew Red.”

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It is a wonderful compilation of sewing projects and I am itching to try ALL of them.  And it just hit the shelves a few weeks ago!  How cool are we to be able to take a look at this book?

Look at all these projects ranging from dresses and shirts to quilts and purses.

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This book includes 30 renowned sewing and quilting designers are featured including Ty Pennington, Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, Tula Pink and Suede, to name a few. In addition to their styles they offer commentaries on their experiences with heart disease and tips and tricks to lead heart-healthy lives.

This book is dedicated to raising awareness in preventing heart disease.  Did you all know that heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the US?

I may have a book giveaway for this in the very near future, if all the stars align.

I usually like to have one project to show from the book to show you, but I am afraid this kid will be born before I get my act together so I am just going to show you this incredible book and hope for the best.

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Go and buy it and hopefully soon I can have a book giveaway so you can give the extra book to a friend.

What a great cause of preventing heart disease.  It even has healthy recipes and helpful ways to keep your heart healthy-

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Thank you to Cassandra the marketing coordinator for thinking of us and to Laura Zander for making such a wonderful book.

Little Library

17 Apr

We love our little downstairs nook.  It is cozy and cheerful and full of wonderful books to explore.DSC_5493 DSC_5495

Many nights we head down there with the girls to read a few stories before heading to bed.

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Can it please stop snowing and start melting so we can start the hesowed part of this blog!?!?!?

Gluten Free Churros

13 Apr

I had to make snack for our ECFE class a few mornings ago so I wanted to try out a new recipe, Churro Chex Snack Mix:

My sister is gluten free and I am always on the lookout for recipes and snacks for her.  Being Gluten Free would be pretty darn difficult and she makes the best of it but I know she misses eating things like churros so I hope this recipe brings back the good ol’ days for her.

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Ingredients

9 cups rice Chex cereal
1 cup cinnamon chips
¼ cup butter or margarine
½ cups powdered sugar
¼ granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons cinnamon

SIDE NOTE: I couldn’t find cinnamon chips anywhere so I used this instead and it worked out great (bought this at Target)

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Directions

In a small microwavable bowl, zap cinnamon chips and butter for 1 minute; stir until smooth. Microwave about 30 seconds longer if needed.

Drizzle mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, sugar, and cinnamon.

Toss the coated Chex cereal into the sugar mixture.

Spread on a piece of parchment until cooled.

I wanted to make it kinda cute for the kiddos so I put the snack mix into a sandwich ziplock bag and separated the middle with a clothes pin to make it look like a butterfly.  I have seen this done on pinterest with google eyes and pipe cleaner antenna.  Got a bit late as I was making these and gladly got out the sharpie to finish off the snack.

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Life on the Little Fork: Still Winter

11 Apr

by Jared

Yes we are ready for Spring.

Yes we are planning our garden and a new greenhouse this year.

And yes, these pictures were taken just Monday morning.  I know we aren’t alone, as the heartland is shivering under yet another substantial spring snow.

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Since we can’t really jump right into the gardening posts, I thought one more post about our adventures this winter would be fitting.  Forewarning, the following photos depict the very raw reality when hungry wolf meets deer in the bleak midwinter.

I awoke in the dark of morning sometime in January and noticed a shadowy silhouette on the river that seemed out of place.  After a moment, I realized it was a large animal struggling to drag something through the snow.  As I strained to get a better look the beast must have sensed my movement and quickly strode out of sight.  I shared the story with my family, and after we ate breakfast we scampered down to the river to see what remained (and yes, our children are well aware of what happens in the wild; no need to euphemize).  The rest of the story tells itself.

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These final three photos were taken around lunchtime the same day we had discovered the deer carcass.  Shortly after we came in for the afternoon we noticed the wolf had returned to once again carve his canines into the freshest venison in the area.  It was a fascinating thing to observe.

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Block Printing

8 Apr

One thing that I absolutely love to do is block print.  For some reason I love thinking about what will be black and white.  When I carve out a certain area I love that the simple cuts I make will ultimately form a bigger picture.

Anyways, I love making these and it has a relaxing and calming effect on me.  Here are some sites of my favorite block printers, they make books and have mad skills. Betsy Bowen and Stephen Alcorn

Here are a few I have been working on:

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Happy Printing!

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Dirt Cake

4 Apr

How in tarnation did my little Sophi turn 3 years old?

Ever since she could move around Sophi has been eating dirt.  Why in the world would you let your child eat dirt?  Trust me, we tried to stop her, honestly we did.  We would be at the beach swimming our afternoon away when she would grab a full handful of sand and pop it into her mouth.  Most kids would do this one time (or no times) and quickly learn that sand was not a food item and that having sand stuck in between your teeth was not a pleasant experience.  And lets face it, sand doesn’t taste good.  Not her though, later on that afternoon she would try it again and she would probably do the same thing again the next day.  Lets just say she has taste tested dirt across the country.  We think she may have grown out of this but I guess it is too soon to tell since she hasn’t had access to dirt for a few months thanks to the abundance of snow.

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Sooooooooo, since she has been a dirt lover her whole life I thought what better cake to make for her birthday than  DIRT CAKE!  (hope this doesn’t go on to further confuse her =)

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We had a few friends over for her special day and all the kids thought it was pretty hilarious that they were eating dirt with (gummy) worms in it.  And lets just say this was the easiest cake I have ever been a part of, thank goodness.  Just some chocolate pudding, chocolate cream, chocolate cake and a package of Oreos.  And of course a fake flower and flower pot to complete the look.

Happy Birthday Sophi Joyfuls, thanks for making our life so entertaining and interesting.  Love you.

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doesn’t it make a nice centerpiece?