Main Dish Monday! Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce

It’s Main Dish Monday! 

This week’s Monday night family dinner recipe comes from Michelle.  This is her recipe for homemade spaghetti sauce!    Serving this with pasta as a main dish, you may want to include spinach or a leafy green salad with Italian dressing and homemade bread to complete your meal – enjoy your time around the table with your family!

Link to recipe:  Spaghetti Meat Sauce

Link to video:   Cooking Classes

Shopping List:

Ground chuck

Olive oil

Beef broth

Garlic

Jarred spaghetti sauce

Pasta – your favorite

Parmesan cheese - grated

Basil and thyme 

The Life Wins by Michelle

It has been two years and two weeks since my Pirate Husband pulled his boat out of the water at a marina in Green Cove Springs, Florida to work on the Life Project called cancer.

There were times our family thought he would never return to boating, although we prayed that he would be able to continue his adventures.  As Wesley from "The Princess Bride" said, "Once word leaks out that a pirate has gone soft, people begin to disobey you, and then it's nothing but work, work, work all the time."  No, life would be impossible living with a pirate who has to retire from sailing adventures!

So, this past Friday, May 12, I waved goodbye from the dock as Lasse steered his boat, Sixteen Tons, back up the St. John's River and towards the North Atlantic.

Please enjoy this short video of his departure:  The Pirate Husband at the Helm

GRATEFUL

THANK YOU, HEAVENLY FATHER

"THE LIFE WINS"

Main Dish Monday! Velvety Quiche

It’s Main Dish Monday!  

This week’s Monday night family dinner recipe comes from both Marah and Michelle.  This is our family recipe for velvety cheese quiche!    Serving this as a main dish, we like to also have salad with crispy red and yellow peppers – enjoy your time around the table with your family!

Link to recipe:  Velvety Quiche
Link to video:   Velvety Quiche Tutorial

Shopping List:
Butter
Flour
Quart of whole milk
Quart of heavy whipping cream
Eggs
Smoked Gouda cheese
Mild cheddar cheese
Apple cider vinegar
Salt, white pepper, dry mustard

So smooth and velvety!

Main Dish Monday! Cream of Potato Soup

It's Main Dish Monday!

This week’s Monday night family dinner recipe comes from Michelle.  This is her recipe for Cream of Potato Soup or as they say in France, Vichyssoise!  Not that we are French but in honor of their election of Emmanuel Macron as their new president, “Let them eat soup!” (Sorry; maybe it is the Mint Julep talking!)  Serving this as a main dish, you may want to bake some French baguette ( EASY French Baguette ) and serve with tangy cheese, and have a light salad to complete your meal – enjoy your time around the table with your family!

Link to recipe:  Cream of Potato Soup
Link to video:  Cream of Potato Soup Tutorial

Shopping List:
Russet potatoes
Chicken broth (bullion works)
Butter - salted
Whole milk
Heavy whipping cream
Small onion

Kentucky Derby This Saturday!

Today’s recipe is in honor of the Kentucky Derby-  the famous and tasty Mint Julep.  The Kentucky Derby is the first Saturday of every May and even people who aren’t from Kentucky enjoy the event!

You need a big hat to pull off a Kentucky Derby Party
....and a cooperative baby to take shopping - not this kid!

We always use the same historic recipe for our Mint Juleps.  Here is what you need for each serving:

2 1/2 ounces bourbon whiskey
1 1/2 ounce simple syrup
10-12 fresh mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish
crushed ice

So, you make simple syrup from water and sugar.  Just boil 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar.  Once it is room temperature  put it in the fridge until it is cold. Now you are ready to use it.

Put about 10-12 mint leaves in each mug.  Traditionally silver julep cups are used but these copper mugs work very nicely at keeping your drink cold, too.

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Add in a jigger of the simple syrup. Then just barely crush your mint leaves with a spoon – this is called muddling and you can use a muddler or keep it simple and just crush them a little bit with a spoon.  You are not pulverizing the leaves just crushing them a little bit. Don't go overboard with this as it causes the mint to become bitter.  

Next  pour 2 1/2 oz of bourbon whiskey into each mug and add some crushed ice. Then you just gently stir – add a little sprig of mint for garnish….now the straws…YUM!

Run for the roses, baby!!!

Run for the Roses by Dan Fogelberg - grab a tissue!

2017 Contender - Patch the One-Eyed Horse!

Kids Cooking Class

Did you know we offer cooking classes for kids as well as adults? We hosted a kids class this last weekend and it was such a success! 

Homemade ice cream - and ALL the toppings please!

We taught the kids to cut their own vegetables, make a homemade ranch dip, make their own pizza crusts and choose their favorite toppings, and churn homemade ice cream for dessert - with all the toppings, of course!! The kids especially loved getting to cut their own vegetables and roll out their own pizza dough. They really enjoyed themselves! 

Roll the dough!

We originally planned for kids ages 5-9, but we had one little boy who was 4 and he did perfectly fine! He squealed with excitement, answered lots of questions, and threw in his opinions on our topping choices several times!

Like this?

Yep, you've got it!

Roll, roll the dough....

And lift!

Okay, I got it, I got it!

Doing great!

Looks like work.....

Keep rollin'!

You got this?  I got this, too!

So if you are local to Brookville, Ohio and have little ones ages 4-9ish, we would love to have them attend! Parents are welcome to stay for the class, but not required to stay with their children. The classes last about 2 hours and the cost is $25. 

Pizza with mozzarella and fresh basil!

Our next kids class for May 28th will feature a salad with homemade ranch, spaghetti with homemade meatballs, and delicious cannoli for dessert! 

Our Kitchen Remodel Part 3 by Marah

I can finally cook in my kitchen again!!! Yaaaayyy!! I'm not sure I've ever been so happy to make scrambled eggs and chicken sausage as I was that first morning with my new stove!! It's amazing the things that excite us as adults, am I right?! 

A work in progress....I can cook!

We had been looking for just the right stove online and in a few stores for a good week, but we hadn't decided to pull the trigger just yet. Ivan and I were going to a local park to play with friends and ended up being pretty early. We decided to pop into the Sears Outlet Center to look at their scratch and dent selection because we're on a tight budget with this kitchen reno. We found one that I really liked, so I sent some pictures to my husband and he said we could go buy it after he got off work! I was quite excited!! However, when we got there that night, someone else had already purchased my perfect stove! We decided to look at refrigerators while we were there. We found a great one at an even greater price and purchased it immediately! They loaded it into our truck and we headed home.  Chris was too afraid to drive over 40mph, so it took us a loooong time to get home! 

"This works; get it."

No. More. Shopping.

Chris must think I'm a lot stronger than I really am because the only people we had as back up to help us unload the thing we're Michelle, my sister, and her fiance. Thank goodness he was willing to come along!! The "excessive weight warning" written in big, bold letters on the box should have been in flashing neon letters because we just went on with attempting to unload the thing!! It was a long walk around to the back yard, but we made it! Only to realize that the door handles needed to come off before we could fit it through the door. Chris gathered his tools and started to disassemble. Half of the bolts and screws needed regular tools and half of them needed metric tools! Why in the world?!?! I'm telling ya, we've had troubles through this whole process! Thankfully though, this was only a minor setback and the doors were off within about 10 mins. We got it all set up and it looks beautiful!! 

What a deal!  So happy!

My next mission was to find a stove. That next morning I got an email from Lowe's about an appliance sale and I got the stove I wanted for $60 off!! Eeekk! I was one happy girl! Michelle and I lugged the old one out to the curb and then she, Chris, and I unloaded the new one that night! Again, my husband thinks I'm stronger than I am because I DROPPED the stove!! One step inside the door and it slipped right out of my hand!! Thank the Lord no damage was done and I now have fully functioning appliances that look just beautiful against the white cabinets and new counter top!!! Up next, tackle the back splash!! Our goal is to get that done this weekend, so check back next week for part 4!

Homemade Lemon Raspberry Cake - Perfect Dessert for Any Day of the Week!