The Penny Worthy Project

Keep this date in mind, May 14th, I've been asked to host another bake sale for Share Our Strength. SOS is a program dedicated to feeding kids in America and ending childhood hunger in America. Gaby of What's Gaby Cooking has put together a huge nationwide food bloggers bake sale and I'm representing Alaska! Woohoo. Last year my little teeny tiny town raised more money than some big cities with multiple food bloggers at their bake sale. I have a 500 dollar goal set but I'd like to beat that and raise 500 dollars in donations before the bake sale, so if you can, care to or want to please donate ANY amount through paypal by clicking on that button to the right. Thank you in advance for any donation large or small!

If you do happen to live local, May 14th is also Palmer Clean Up Day AND Kite Day on the Quad in Palmer. Lots of great things to attend, maybe pick up trash then grab a snack then walk over and fly a kite. Be sure to bring your own kite or a blanket to sit on so you can watch the kites flying.

Look at this cute skirt:

I don't wear skirts or dresses often but I enjoy them in the summer when it's hot (relatively) and I plan to say home. I don't wear them in public unless I have to. This was 50¢ at the Bishop's Attic in Anchorage, 50¢!

I also found an abacus for our middle son, I think this will be a Christmas present and I think he'll love it. I was thrilled to find it and it was 2 dollars, what a deal.

I also found a box of rubber bands, I have boys, rubber bands are important like tape, clothes pins, brads and hot glue. We must have ways to hold inventions together you know.

And yes I would buy a bundle of paint sticks but no one gives these away anymore.

When I buy paint I get one paint stick and I might grudgingly get an extra one given to me. They are so handy for all kinds of things. I snatched these up for 35¢ and I'm pretty sure I could wrap them up for a present for either of the small boys.

We have our Maypole set up and ready to do, anybody else having a maypole? I'd LOVE to see it!

How do you live a thrifty life? Laundry on the line, meal plans, thrifty living tips, Etsy Shop, Ebay reseller, frugal living, creative outlets are ALL examples of living thrifty in this life. Please share a link to how you live and thrive in today's world.

Peace and Love--

Sure, you've seen Gorillas in the Mist

But have you seen a wildebeest in the mist?

What about Dogzilla in the mist?

Tractors?

What an odd and lovely day it was yesterday. It rained for a while, then the sun burst out of the clouds. The cold ground and the hot sun made for an amazing misty 15 minutes. When we saw the mist rising we dropped everything and ran to the field to see if we could actually walk through the mist. The light was so great I shot quite a few photos while out there.

Spring in Alaska always has something up it's sleeve.

Sometimes its snow in May, misty mornings or even new leaves ready to burst out a week early.

Peace and Love--

Ranched Up Egg Salad

Ok, if you have any hard boiled eggs left, it's time to use them up. And I want you use them up making this new recipe for Ranched Up Egg Salad. Don't worry you don't need anything else other than a few basic dried herbs from your kitchen to make egg salad that's tasty enough for company and easy enough for kids to make.

Ranched Up Egg Salad

8 hard boiled eggs
1/3 cup real mayonnaise--use more or less mayonnaise to your liking
1 teaspoon of mustard
1 Tablespoon of dill weed
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
2 teaspoons of dried parsley
1 teaspoon of onion powder
salt and pepper as needed

peel and mash the hard boiled eggs
mix in the mayonnaise and the mustard
crush the dill weed and mix in
add the garlic powder, parsley and onion powder and mix well
taste for salt and pepper and add as needed
chill for at least an hour to allow the flavors to develop
serve open faced on good wheat bread toasted and cooled

I made these the other night for dinner and can I just say, big hit! I usually don't make egg salad because we have so many fresh eggs form our hens and they don't hard boil well. OK, that's not completely true, they hard boil just fine, they don't peel well when they are fresh eggs. We dyed some of our eggs for Easter this year and I didn't want them to go to waste and this recipe is the result. I do believe we'll be making this one again, perhaps with a bit of our own bacon crumbled in?


Peace and Love--

KoolAid Playdough

I'm always surprised that I can still find KoolAid in the stores, who buys this stuff anymore? Oh. Me, apparently but only to make this delicious smelling, soft and squishy playdough. Don't worry I still LOVE the smell of Play-Doh like all good kids of the 70s, BUT this is a fun and easy project for kids who like to cook.

While the cooking time is minimal, under 5 minutes, there is plenty of measuring, pouring, mixing and stirring to have fun making it and playing with it. Plus it's really neat to see it go from glop in a pan to playdough in such a short time. If you can, take the time to talk about the ingredients, have them guess what each one is, they'll love to spend a little one on one time with you and it will do you a world of good too.


KoolAid Playdough

printer version

Adapted from Klutz Books-Cooking with Kids

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 TBSP cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 TBSP oil
1 packet of KoolAid

in a medium pan mix the flour, salt and cream of tartar
add the water and oil, stir to combine
add the KoolAid
cook and stir over medium heat until the playdough starts to change color and get thick
when it collects into a ball in the pan it's done
remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes
then plop it on a plate
as it's cooling start to push it around and then knead it when cool enough to handle

Kneading still warm playdough is a job most kids will enjoy just make sure it's not too hot for them. This playdough will last a couple weeks in the fridge in an airtight container. We've been making this adapted version for at least 6 years and probably longer. This is a great present to make and give to someone for a birthday present or make with a group of kids at a party. It's always a hit.

It was the absolute perfect way to spend our first rainy afternoon of the spring, listening to rain and the quiet hum hum humming of a little boy completely immersed in his work.

Peace and Love--

Support Local Farmers

 Buy local eggs, support local farms, families and industry.

 Chances are their birds get to free range, out of a cage, out of a barn and outside the fence.

Small producers probably know the quirks of their chickens, who's a loner and who's a nest hog.

Most of their chickens will come when called.

And be used to big dogs who run through the middle of the flock just give them a thrill.

 They might even have artwork on their coop.

They'll definitely know when they're pretty.

And the farmers will try to source local food and supplies to cut down on 'food miles', support local industry, and other local farmers.

All to bring local eggs to their home and yours.

 WARNING THE NEXT PHOTOS ARE GRUESOME.

Because if we all supported local farmers and some of us become those small local farmers we could stop atrocities like this:

source

and this.

source

What if every factory farm were put out of business by small local farmers?



Happy chickens say give us more food support local farmers!

Peace and Love--

Just Another Meatless Monday #57

A quick and easy salad made with a few pantry staples and fresh spring greens rounded out a meal for us this weekend. Thankfully too, because applesauce and toasted cheese sandwiches were not quite enough lunch for us. I literally threw this salad together while the sandwiches were toasting on the huge family size griddle. Hot sandwich, cool salad and a bowl of sweet applesauce, a darn near perfect lunch.

Quick and Easy Salad

printer version

10-12 ounces of fresh spring greens
6 ounce jar of marinated artichoke hearts
2 cups of frozen green peas
2 teaspoons vinegar, I used white wine but most will work what you really need is an acid so even lemon will work
pinch of Italian herbs, basil, oregano, sage....optional
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

wash and dry the greens
chop coarsely with kitchen scissors (what? you don't have kitchen scissors, get some!!)
open the artichokes and chop them right into the bowl too, reserve the liquid
run the frozen peas under warm water to thaw them, drain well and add to the bowl
pour about 1/2 of the artichoke marinade out, add the vinegar and herbs if using, and shake well
drizzle over the salad and toss well
add the Parmesan and toss again
taste for salt and pepper and add as needed

See how quick that comes together? I love this little salad and it completely saved our meal. I suppose in other parts of the country you all have fresh vegetables growing? This could be made with fresh peas, how fantastic would that be? I'm planting shelling peas this summer, I can't wait. For so many years I've only grown snap peas, this year we are doing both. Yum, I love fresh shelled peas but doesn't everybody?

Peace and Love--

The Penny Worthy Project

I spent some quality time thrifting this week and still didn't buy much. I think my limits have been in place so long that I can grab things up, carry them around, ask myself "do I need these?" and then put them back down. I did happen across a pair of jeans in my size, the style and everything for 5 dollars, what a score!


I found this gorgeous old mirror made by Revlon. It's nothing special, not antique or anything but I love the color. I didn't have one, it passed the test and came home with me.

This rooster tray I snatched up from in front of my sister, she didn't need it, I did. Or at least I convinced myself I did. I  love old trays.

This funky old recipe box is one you have seen before!

Right here in this post about how we learned to sing the old songs for our children. I found another one, I can always find a use for a metal box, recipe cards, words to more songs, jewelry just about anything. My mom had one of these when I was little, I have found two of them in the last 20 years and bought them both. What is it about the things from our childhood that move us to replace them in our adult years? Not everything, just some pieces here and there have such fond memories for me.

I think I'll post my menu plan for the week, things go so much easier when I have a clue what I should be doing next.
Sunday-crock pot au gratin potatoes, pork chops on the grill, grilled broccoli
Monday-crock pot vegetarian red beans and rice, carrots and celery
Tuesday-homemade pasta, deviled eggs
Wednesday-red lentil dal, green salad
Thursday-mushroom barley soup, fresh bread
Friday-mini pizzas on the griddle
Saturday-uhhhhhhhhhhh
Almost a complete plan, but if the chickens keep laying like they are laying, we may just eat eggs  everyday.

How do you live a thrifty life? Laundry on the line, meal plans, thrifty living tips, Etsy Shop, Ebay reseller, frugal living, creative outlets are ALL examples of living thrifty in this life. Please share a link to how you live and thrive in today's world.

Peace and Love--

Vintage Egg Cups For PanCan--*Bidding is OPEN*

My friend Mara over at What's for Dinner is having a flea market auction to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer. She is walking a 5K with her family to help raise money to find a cure for pancreatic cancer. Mara's goal is to raise a thousand dollars. I'm helping her along with lots of other bloggers by donating something to her "flea market auction".

BID NOW BIDDING IS OPEN!

My something is a set of matching vintage egg cups from Romania.

I also said that if they went to someone local to me in Alaska I would throw in 2 dozen fresh eggs!

The auction goes live at 9am Central time I'll add a link here as soon as it goes live. Happy bidding.

Peace and Love--

Winner!

We have a winner of the box of cookies from Donsuemor but first you must admire the Lego creation I made last night.

Can you tell what it is? hmmmm I'm waiting.

Yes, it's a swordfish. Why would I make a swordfish? We were playing Lego Creationary. It's a game where you randomly get a card with different pictures on it that you have to recreate, there are different levels for different ages. There are official rules but we play a rather NON competitive version because our very choleric middle son is extremely competitive and it makes it extremely unpleasant to play this particular game competitively. Anyway I had to make this damn swordfish with limited parts and low and behold it turned out awesome plus both little boys were able to guess what it was.

OK OK the winner of the cookies is Barbara H from Birchtree. Yeah Barbara! I'll just have them sent to my house, OK? NO? Well OK then give me your address and I'll have them sent to YOU, if you insist!

Peace and Love--