tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71775308661639730832012-05-25T08:51:17.941-07:00Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.comBlogger1004125GroceryCartChallengehttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-57551012486270270502012-05-25T00:30:00.000-07:002012-05-25T00:30:02.589-07:00

I have a new coffee concoction that I'm looking forward to drinking this summer.  If you like the Starbucks version, this is a close second.   Just get yourself a travel glass with a straw and you'll save yourself tons of money for on-the-go coffee drinks.  Iced Caramel Frappuccino 3/4 cup strong coffee, chilled 1 cup milk

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-2025624547119256472012-05-24T00:30:00.000-07:002012-05-24T00:30:00.899-07:00

I like to keep my freezer full of breads, rolls and buns.  Sometimes they are homemade and other times I get them off the discount shelves at the local bread store.  I know that when my freezer gets low on bread it's time to fill up.  So today I hit the bread store and stocked up at great prices.    Also, since it's raining here we lit up the fireplace one last time and made smores. You'll see

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-74651669221351159082012-05-23T00:30:00.000-07:002012-05-23T00:30:02.899-07:00

The smells and sounds of Grandma’s kitchen in the morning amazed me at the age of 8; the crackle of the eggs frying up for breakfast and the salty smell of the bacon that she made every morning for Grandpa, the bright yellow lemons on the tree outside her kitchen window, and the smell coming in through the open patio doors, of hot wet dirt as the garden sprinklers dampened the ground before the

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-89192952171533965752012-05-22T09:20:00.001-07:002012-05-22T09:20:13.580-07:00

This week is gray and drizzly.  We've already had one rained out baseball game and it's only Tuesday.  But the cooler weather means cozy foods once again.  Here's what is cooking this week.  In a fit of experimental laziness  I pulled out some pre-made soup I had put into the freezer and dumped it frozen in the crock pot.  I added a cup of chicken broth and let it set on low all day and had a

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-64592094182804517662012-05-18T18:52:00.001-07:002012-05-18T18:52:45.419-07:00

Hey guys! I have had a crazy busy week this week and haven't had a chance to check in. All is well and I am hoping to slip back into my regular routine next week. Have a great weekend and I will see you on Monday.

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-49148683929504806712012-05-14T11:25:00.001-07:002012-05-14T11:25:33.821-07:00

We've been having some glorious weather lately which means it's time for the  meals that don't warm up my house.  When the weather is warmer we tend to eat lots of fresh simple foods and salads for our main meal.  Here's what is cooking this week.  Breakfasts:  Fruit and Yogurt Smoothies, fresh fruit or muffins Dinners: (I'll be making different breads as a side to the salads) Caprese Pasta

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-30231312894974884892012-05-10T08:16:00.001-07:002012-05-10T08:16:44.080-07:00

I actually went to the store earlier this week and it's taken me this long to get the post up.  We've been so busy with our last month of baseball and wrapping school up.   Here's what I got this week. Win-co Butter $2.64 3 cans beans $2.25 parsley $.48 2 chicken broth $3.96 baking powder $1.48 Cooking Spray $1.88 yeast $3.48 sweetened condensed milk $1.54 brown gravy mix $.39 yellow onions

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-7294099754279217422012-05-09T07:46:00.000-07:002012-05-09T07:46:10.369-07:00

Boxed macaroni and cheese was, to me, a magical thing as a child. All that cheesy creamy goodness was so absolutely irresistible. Mom made it for me almost every day and it was probably my favorite food until, at the age of 11, a terrible thing happened. I decided to make it all by myself. When I opened the box and realized that its creamy goodness came from an envelope full of

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-57800890181869515992012-05-07T10:27:00.001-07:002012-05-07T10:35:16.464-07:00

We've got warm weather on the horizon this week.  Hallelujah!   I made homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast this morning and had to quickly get all the windows open because it was getting so warm in the house.  So for that reason I'm digging out the crock pots (yes I have 2) this week to get dinner on the table without heating up the house.  I found a great book that I'm getting all the recipes

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-88307877443685639332012-05-05T10:59:00.001-07:002012-05-05T10:59:57.711-07:00

One of the funniest things I hear from people is that they use prepared pancake mix because it's easier and cheaper than making your own from scratch.  But basically prepared mix is stirring together dry ingredients with wet....just like homemade.  Plus, the packaged stuff is definitely more expensive and to me, it has a strange aftertaste.  So here's our recipe for pancakes.  We eat them a

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-4904313117116563342012-05-02T08:00:00.001-07:002012-05-02T08:00:06.613-07:00

I bought Velveeta which is a big deal because, generally the whole concept of Velveeta disgusts me.   I can't stand the thought of "cheese-product".  I know some of you are diehard fans but, yuk.  Then I found a few recipes this week that were supposed to be amazingly good so I thought I'd give it a try and see what all the fuss was about.  Who knows, I just might change my mind.  (shiver)

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-69149066391412957892012-04-29T20:37:00.001-07:002012-04-29T20:37:22.729-07:00

We have a week of rains in the forecast.  The good news is that I can still serve soup for dinner because it goes nicely with the weather.   This week's menu is kid friendly.  The recipes were all chosen by my kiddos, you'll see what I mean when you read the list.  Here's what is cooking this week. Breakfasts: Pancakes, oatmeal, muffins or fruit smoothies Dinners: Crock pot Taco Soup

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-60223915626714137932012-04-26T20:17:00.002-07:002012-04-26T20:17:53.055-07:00

I can't stand to see a good banana go to waste.  So when the kids were begging me for breakfast this morning I looked at the fruit bowl and realized I had some very ripe bananas to use up.  I usually peel, slice and  freeze over-ripe bananas for smoothies or sometimes I'll make banana bread.  But this time we found an amazing recipe for Banana Muffins with a Crumble Topping that was so good that

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-26869019731262737072012-04-25T00:00:00.000-07:002012-04-25T00:00:05.976-07:00

I was walking outside past my overgrown garden, debating whether to attack the weeds and prepare the soil or to just let it set for another year. It seems my life gets busier and busier as my kids get older and I just wasn’t sure if I could keep up with it during the busy summer months. But among the knee high weeds I saw a sturdy leafy plant and realized the rhubarb I had started from

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-40239461977271284742012-04-23T08:49:00.003-07:002012-04-23T08:49:46.617-07:00

I don't know what happened but my cupboards are stuffed with food.  My theory is that the week I was out of town, my husband must have taken the kids out to eat everyday instead of using up all the groceries I had bought.  But whatever the reason, I'm not going grocery shopping this week.  I've made up my menu using all that I have on hand.  I might have to get some fresh fruit but other than

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-28136054903065221562012-04-20T07:51:00.000-07:002012-04-20T07:51:14.421-07:00

So, a few weeks ago we thought we weren't going to have an Easter celebration on the actual day.  It sounded like one of the kids was going to be having a baseball tournament that whole weekend....including Sunday.    Aside from the fact that sports on a family oriented holiday sent me into a fit of indignation, my son really wanted to participate so we decided to forgo Easter for another time. 

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-34112080687492452082012-04-17T09:11:00.000-07:002012-04-17T09:11:01.525-07:00

I grabbed a quick trip to the grocery store Sunday night on our way home from dinner with my husbands family.  It was a beautiful day and we had a late Easter dinner complete with outdoor Easter egg hunt.  It's a pretty lucky thing to hunt your eggs outdoors in Washington without getting rained on.  I made the family wait in the car while I shopped because I knew if they came in I would end up

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-73957720093275571622012-04-15T11:42:00.002-07:002012-04-15T11:42:26.657-07:00

Mom and I are home after taking Dad's ashes back to California.  It was a sad reason to go but we ended up having a really good time in between all the details.  My family survived their Dad's cooking for a whole week and it was so nice to come home to all my people who missed me a ton.  I've been spending the weekend unpacking, catching up on laundry and getting back into the groove with a

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-78619450390423925732012-04-11T00:00:00.000-07:002012-04-11T00:00:02.507-07:00

Food is so much more than fuel. Its tastes and smells can instantly transport us to another time and place. I remember a fourth of July when I was four. It was in California and we had just lit a firework that was nailed to the neighbor’s fence. It spun in a shiny kaleidoscope of colors as I sat on the cement steps by the pool. Someone sat by me churning homemade ice cream in a big

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-83504446853044293112012-04-09T06:40:00.001-07:002012-04-09T15:25:45.951-07:00

I have no menu this week. After 6 months of red tape and all the paperwork involved with death, my mom and I are headed to California with Dads ashes today. The kids and the hubby will be holding down the fort at home. They are Probably eating spaghettios and grilled cheese sandwiches all week. I've got a few new posts scheduled for this week and I might go through the archives and pull out a

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-86532620939815466752012-04-06T06:41:00.001-07:002012-04-06T06:41:10.997-07:00

Wow.  The week has flown by.  I've been Missing In Action this week due to the fact we've had a house full of people over the last seven days.  We've had lots of fun and made lots of goodies.  Yesterday the four girls made homemade Easter egg dye and went to town getting creative.  So if this weekend is your time to get the Easter eggs colored here is a great homemade recipe.  No need to buy

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-73689536061097485512012-04-02T12:06:00.000-07:002012-04-02T12:14:07.592-07:00

I have a full house.     I just finished picking up my house guests.  We will be a family of 10 for the week since my friend and her husband are off to Hawaii and we have their kids.   Luckily I've got four girls that love to cook so they will be dreaming up lunches and snacks for the four boys while I am at work.  Breakfasts are my husbands duty and dinner are mine.    Here's what's cooking

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-68751773416284919302012-03-29T22:31:00.000-07:002012-03-29T22:31:29.875-07:00

I've been doing a little Easter shopping over the past month.    I've drooled over this... Easter Egg Carousel And this... Mini Easter Cake Pans (It kind of makes me want to squeal because it's so cute!) What I finally landed on was this..... Simply because the kids could do it all by themselves.   And I like the easy stuff!  PLUS if you go here you can get a mold for just the

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-39473449995168866992012-03-29T08:21:00.000-07:002012-03-29T08:21:56.307-07:00

My memories of elementary school consist mostly of world class dodge ball games at recess, playing the recorder like a rock star in music class, and getting the most gold stars next to my name on the dental hygiene bulletin board. But there were a few days each year that overshadowed all other memories. Birthdays. That was the day when the mothers would bring cupcakes to school. The

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177530866163973083.post-42954934556161454932012-03-27T20:30:00.000-07:002012-03-27T20:30:02.373-07:00

I had to do a quick shop in the wee hours of Sunday morning. It was nice and quiet at the stores and if I can drag myself out of bed that early again, I just might make that a normal routine. Here's what I got.S & S Liquidators (Saturday)2 cartons of Soy Milk $1.984 cans sweetened condensed milk $3.96Starbucks Whole Bean Coffee $4.994 frozen juices $2.00Win-co2 packs hot dog buns $1.982 gallons

Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763405062458388462noreply@blogger.com0