Laurie's Everyday Notions

My favorite breakfast ~ homemade Viili yogurt with homemade granola...yum. Best granola that I've ever made......this was inspired by Hungry Hungry Hippy . I guess the only difference is the absence of buckwheat in my granola. I also substituted figs as I was out of raisins. On a whim I had picked up some figs the last time I was at Trader Joes. Other than Fig Newtons, which I love, I had never eaten a fig. I was searching for some dried fruit that wasn't saturated with sugar. The only thing in my figs was figs. Just as it should be. I was a little apprehensive as it resembled a prune (which I've also grown to like but it took awhile). I was surprised to find that I LOVE figs. 1 c. Oats 2 T. Chia Seeds 1/3 c. Red Quinoa 1/4 c. Shredded Coconut 1.4 c. Craisins 1/4 c. Figs 3/4 c. Almonds 1/4 c. Pecans 1/4 c. sunflower seeds 1/4 c. pumpkin seeds 2 t. Cinnamon 1/2 c. Coconut Oil (melted) 1/2 c. Maple Syrup  The kiddo helped me stir up the i...

Ephesians 4:17-32 (NKJV)  17  This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of [ a ]  the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,  18  having their understanding darke E ned, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19  who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20  But you have not so learned Christ,  21  if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:  22  that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,  23  and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,  24  and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. 25  Therefore, putting away lying,  “ L...

Clockwise starting at small crock pot: broth and chicken for  soup,  crock to  fill with scraps to make more broth,  "cutting plate", pile-o-chicken to clean and separate, chicken for the freezer.   My goal last week was to take my chicken further than ever before. I'm very happy to say that I accomplished this goal. My work began on Monday and ended on Saturday. Not hard work and in all reality the chicken SAVED me time in the kitchen and made meals a cinch.  From my one chicken I had enough meat for five meals. I also had enough broth for 2 batches of soup, gravy for the pot pie, a quart for the frig (used this week in making rice), a pint for the freezer and a pint or more for making dog food. Every night (Tuesday through Thursday) the crock pot (on low) cooked the bones to produce the nutrient-rich, golden liquid. To learn more about the benefits of bone broth read this article .  My most loyal friend becomes even more attentiv...

I had a batch of soap that didn't firm up so I decided to melt it down and try again. Instead of using my normal mold, I decided to try out my silicone heart molds. One mold is for muffins, the other, smaller mold is for ice cubes.  I didn't calculate too accurately....so I used a lined muffin pan, and old soap mold and finally pulled a half gallon orange juice container from the recycle bin.  A few days later, while cleaning out a cupboard, I found these two bowls. Since I hadn't used either in years, I decided they needed to go.......until it dawned on me that my family has this inability to put the remotes in their proper place (above the tv). AHA! A pretty bowl that I love was saved and now offers a home to the remote controls.  Behind the bowls is a picture of my father in law as a boy with Babe Ruth. Now what to do with the small bowl? How 'bout a new home for storing my wax "cakes" (what do you call those things?)? PERFECT! It added ...

What do Hubs and I do with a quiet Saturday? No kids. No commitments. No work. Usually a day like this would include an afternoon nap. But as we drank our coffee, debating on what to do, I suddenly had the urge to give the pooch a hair cut and Hubs surprisingly decided to tackle the stairwell. These activities consumed our day. Over the past year or two, the old wall paper has been peeling and old plaster has been crumbling. Last summer, during "Trash and Treasure Days" (a weekend devoted to garage sales and scrounging through curbside piles for free stuff), we found two nice (new) pieces of drywall. It's been sitting in the garage ever since.  We didn't get the drywall up yet but the walls are ready!  I LOVE that Cooper doesn't shed and I do love his shaggy hair but once it gets so long it is next to impossible to brush out. I'd been contemplating taking him to a groomer but have been purposely avoiding making an appointment. I hate spending money o...

I used my new favorite bread recipe  and stretched the dough unto a baking sheet. The stretching was a bit tricky. After pulling the dough to the edges the dough would slowly shrink back to it's original form. Ten minutes of stretching and re-stretching, I finally pulled out the rolling pin which helped a little. Next time I will use my pastry board....if I remember. When the dough was formed "good enough",  I lathered it up with Wildtree Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil.  Toppings: Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil Tzatziki Seasoning Blend  Garlic Sea Salt White Cheddar Popcorn Seasoning   Top the dough and slice into "sticks".  I didn't measure...just a sprinkle of garlic sea salt followed by a generous sprinkling of tzatziki. As you can see from the picture above, some sticks received a more cheddar seasoning than the others. Follow your heart and season as you see fit. :) Let the bread sticks rest for 15 minutes while oven in preheati...

 Most bloggers do a week in review that covers the topics that were blogged during the week. Me? Well, I sometimes do things a bit backward. My week in review consists of pictures from the week in which I will blog about in the coming week. So here's what you can expect to hear about: The BEST bread sticks EVER ! Our Pizza Friday turned into Bread Stick Friday because I forgot to make some cheese.    Using my heart mold for soap. Until I ran out of heart space and had to resort to some other "creative" molds.  The messes that Hubs and I can make on a weekend ~  He tore out the old plaster walls in the stairway. I gave the hairy beast (the dog, not my hubs) a haircut.   The Boy gets ready for his first project fair. What can you get from one whole chicken? This week I stretched it even further! MORE uses for heart molds. Chocolate turtles and wax cakes.