Parenting. Is there ever an end to ways that we can grow and improve? That’s where a lot of my reading has been this week.
Free Christmas Printables to Brighten Your Season
We put our Christmas decorations out this weekend. I really treasure the memories that I get to unpack and remember each year at this time.
“That was our first nativity set. We got it at that little store I worked at when we first got married.”
“My best friend from high school made me that snowman.”
“We got these Christmas plates on our first trip to Disney World.”
It’s an annual trip down memory lane and I love it.
Miss Cay’s Red Velvet Cake
Classic, Southern Red Velvet Cake is so much more than just a fad. Slathered with rich, cream cheese icing…it is a moist, decadent treat!
Several years ago, red velvet cake went from being a not-so-well-known Southern classic to a fad that you saw everywhere. Unfortunately, once that happened, I don’t think I ever found one good one. Most of them just tasted like a white cake batter with red food coloring added. No thank you.
And say what you will about “variations”, I am a stickler that to be a true red velvet cake, it must be slathered in cream cheese icing.
My introduction to the real, classic, red velvet cake came while I was living in Atlanta. I was student teaching under a wonderful mentor, Miss Cay. More than a terrific model of teaching, she took me under her mothering wing. She took care of me when I had my wisdom teeth pulled and pampered me when I was pregnant.
She also bought me my first piece of red velvet cake.
Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments
Cinnamon smells like Christmas to me. I first came across this fun and easy craft when I was teaching second grade years ago. I made the dough with my class, and they each brought home an ornament as a gift for their parents. For weeks, while the ornaments dried, our classroom smelled heavenly!
The best part, in my opinion, is that these ornaments maintain their smell for years. Years, I say!
And they are so easy to make! Just two required ingredients…cinnamon and applesauce.
Dehydrated Carrots: Save Time & Money
The thing about fresh produce is that it grows when it grows and then it grows no more. What that means is that when you get an abundance of apples or tomatoes or carrots, you need to figure out what to do with your stash, or it will spoil. Carrots last a pretty long time, but even so, they get soft and bendy after awhile.
I made a delicious creamy chicken and rice soup this weekend. It was my first time cooking with the carrots I had dehydrated this summer. We belong to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and get boxes of freshly picked vegetables each week. When the farm has an abundance, so do we. And this summer, we got piles of carrots!
Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
This creamy chicken and rice soup is a snap to make, but tastes like it simmered all day.
This soup is kind of the definition of comfort food, if you ask me. But I can’t give you the recipe without telling you about Miss Vicki.
In Memory
We had a family friend who was battling cancer a number of years ago. I made this soup once for her, and after that, she requested it frequently. I still think of her whenever I make it, so I can’t very well publish the recipe without remembering her. Here’s to Vicki!