kitchen Archives | The Sparrow's Home

Date Paste: The natural caramelly sweetener that’s full of nutrients

May 20, 2019 by Susan 7 Comments

Dates are a super nutritious natural sweetener full of caramelly good flavor. Pureeing them into this delicious date paste makes them easy to use in lots of ways.

Dates used to scare me. I hate to say it, but I always thought they looked like cockroaches. Ick- not interested.

But then I read how many nutrients there are in dates. Interested.

Then I heard that when pureed, dates become a caramel-like elixir. Very interested.

So of course I had to give them a try. I was sold immediately. And although I still think they look like cockroaches (they do!) I’m a big fan and frequently have a jar of date paste in my fridge.

Let me tell you how I make it and how I use it. I know you’re gonna want to try it too.

Prepare with Simple Food Storage

August 24, 2017 by Susan 2 Comments

Ben Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

I have no bomb shelter. I have no prepper storage facility. But I do have a healthy respect for the fact that a little bit of time now could make all the difference in the event of a future emergency. And much in the same way that we put money in savings and make freezer meals to have on hand for busy nights, preparing for a potential emergency is a wise step.

Have you had storms in your area that have taken out the power? How about floods or hurricanes? There are so many things that could cause you to have to venture out of your normal routine.

The Tastiest Homemade Popcorn

June 20, 2017 by Susan 10 Comments

A good, big, pot of old-fashioned stovetop homemade popcorn is one of the most wonderful things, don’t you think?

I have fond memories of my dad making popcorn this way when I was young. As I grew older (think: college years) microwave popcorn was so much easier, so the old ways took a backseat. Well, they eventually took back over the driver’s seat and now it’s all I make. Oh, I’ll occasionally pick up the microwave stuff for my kids. But truly, almost never.

Why? Because the homemade version is SO much better and SO stinkin’ easy!

Mug Meals: A Happy Little Cup of Yum

March 22, 2017 by Susan 8 Comments

I’m kind of obsessed.

It was one of those nights. I was just ‘checking a few things’ before going to bed. An hour later…

Well, an hour later, I had watched an hour of videos by the most charming Irish woman, Gemma (who I was pretty sure was going to be my new best friend), and had about a dozen recipes bookmarked and visions of tasty mug meals dancing in my head.

I made it my mission over the next few weeks to try a bunch of her recipes so I could share them with you. There’s a bit of a learning curve, to be sure. After all, cooking in the microwave is quite different. And I did find some ways to tweak her recipes to make them work for me. But all in all…two thumbs up!

Trader Joe’s Best Products (Or, My Love Letter to Trader Joe’s)

February 22, 2017 by Susan 12 Comments

Have you met my friend, Joe? I think you’re gonna like him.

The nearest Trader Joe’s is about a half hour from us, which is probably a good thing. I alternate my regular grocery shopping between Aldi (do you love Aldi as much as I do?!?!) and the Super Walmart, with an occasional trip to other local groceries.

I also hit Costco about once a month or every other month to stock up, and Trader Joe’s about the same. I don’t usually do my main shopping at either of these places, but at each, have items that I always pick up.

If you’re not familiar with them, Trader Joe’s is different from other grocery stores. It’s pretty much made up of all ‘store’ brands, and they pretty much have one of each product. What that means is that instead of 6 brands of chicken broth, there is one.

Painted Mason Jars: Just a Pretty Face?

September 21, 2016 by Susan 2 Comments

I always have Mason jars around the house. Besides using them for canning, we use the half pint ones for juice glasses, the pint size for storing things like homemade caramel sauce and hot fudge, and all the way up to my beloved half gallon jars.

I haven’t done a lot of crafts with Mason jars, mainly because I need them to actually use. But when these shiny, painted jars caught my eye– I knew I could find a use for them as well. Win – Win.