Setting the Tone - One of Woman's Greatest Legacies

"A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: . . ." 

Proverbs 15:13

Being a mom and a day care provider has its challenges. One of the challenges for me, but more specifically for my boys, is the morning. By the time my boys wake up in the morning, three girls have been in my home for at least 20 minutes, and my boys wake up needing to share mom. This is a little easier for them toward the end of the week, in contrast to right after the weekend.

Now, I could choose to get them up before the girls arrive, but my goal is to get lunches packed and the hubby and myself fed by 6:30, which then allows me time to read my Bible and sip some coffee for a little over 30 minutes. That plan is what gets me through the day. I'm pretty happy with that plan. However, that does make me very aware of the impact that has on my own children since mom is already busy with children when they wake up.

Currently the boys love the girls, and the girls love them, so the transition is pretty easy. I have noticed though, that my response to them then, and on the weekends, can either make or break the morning. If I drop everything to greet the boys (and girls, actually) with a joyful greeting and a hug, then they get a good dose of mommy love that will get them through the harried morning. If I stay involved with what I'm involved in when they come downstairs, then they have a much harder morning. Of course this is much easier to do on the weekends, but has even greater impact during the week.

Setting the tone of your home (early in the morning!) is one of a mother's (or woman's!!) greatest legacies. This isn't my own idea though, God's second greatest commandments was to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31)! This is one way that I choose (because some days it's a choice not feeling!) to love my boys (and husband) as myself. I greet them in the morning exactly how I'd want to be greeted.


This weekend I was with it enough to greet my boys with some really light and fluffy pumpkin pancakes! I thought I'd share this yummy recipe, which comes from a wonderful breakfast cookbook a friend generously gave me!

Pumpkin Pancakes

(From Margaret S. Fox's, Morning Food)

1 c. flour 

(I doubled this recipe and used 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat, and couldn't tell at all.)

1/4 tsp salt 

(I decided to not put this in because of salt in the butter)

2 Tbsp brown sugar 

(slightly healthier than white, and organic sugars, which are certain to be non-genetically modified, can be found near the regular sugar at Fred Meyer)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

1 large egg, beaten

1/4 c. plain yogurt 

(the secret ingredient in my opinion!)

3/4 c. milk

3/4 c. pumpkin pureé 

(I'd recommend trying to make your own! You could can it, or freeze it, if using a large pumpkin.)

2 Tbsp melted butter

Mix all ingredients and use real maple syrup if your kids will eat it! Real maple syrup has less impact on your blood sugar levels than other syrups. 

Autumn is Back With Salmon Chowder

Salmon Chowder

Autumn is upon us and soups are BACK! I posted the recipe for this salmon chowder last fall, but felt like it deserved to repeat appearance. I made this last week and the reviewers told me it was the best yet. Although one of them said that the time we made it after buying the salmon fresh on the coast was better. I believe him, even though it was a LOOOONNNGGGG time ago. So, here's my nod to fall, which, by the way, still feels like fall without spending an enormous amount of time involved with a marching band. Just in case you were wondering, marching friends!



Salmon Chowder

2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 c. onion, diced (I use a whole, medium onion)
1 c. red pepper, diced (I use a whole pepper)
1 c. celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely diced
1 c. carrot, shredded
1 c. potato, chopped
1/2 tsp salt (adjusted for the salt in the butter)
1/2 - 1 tsp dill weed
Chicken broth
1 can creamed corn
2 - 3 small cans salmon
Half-n-Half or heavy cream (1 - 1 1/2 c.)

In a big soup pot sauté onion, red pepper, and celery in butter and oil until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and stir for just about a minute, and in the carrot, potato, salt, and dill weed. Cover with broth and simmer for 20-40 minutes until vegetables are soft. Add creamed corn, salmon, and cream until desired thickness. I recommend serving this chowder with a small green salad and either corn bread or toasted garlic bread.

Happy Autumn everyone! Time to cuddle up with your loved ones, or with blanket and a good book!

Dutch Oven Cooking and the Chicken of Awesomeness!

My husband LOVES to cook in dutch ovens. We have a larger one and a smaller one. We usually use the larger one when camping, but this week I pulled the smaller one out, seasoned it, and made my new favorite chicken recipe. Cooking and baking in a dutch oven is really an art. We have two recipes that Brian and I would consider perfected (Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler and Chinese Chicken Stir Fry - the two SHOULDN'T be mixed! Ask me if you want to hear THAT funny story!) and have recently begun perfecting a blueberry cake. Now that the little one is out and seasoned, I'd like to cook in it more often! 

I know that there are benefits to cooking in dutch ovens, but without doing any research because I'm tired and want to go take a nap, the only one that I can spout off is that you get a dose of iron in your food, which is good for you! Good for your blood! Anyway, it's super fun and feels halfway as if you were camping. 

Here's some tips about maintaining a cast iron dutch oven.

1) If you've got a brand new dutch oven, heat your oven (or fire!) to 350 degrees. Wipe your dutch oven down with some Crisco, or a more healthy option would be coconut oil or olive oil. (Have never used coconut oil, but I'm assuming it'd work just fine.) You should wipe the lid down as well, and be generous with your oil of choice. Throw your dutch oven into the oven for an hour, then bring it out to cool, unless you've got a meal ready to cook in it or something to bake in it. (Hmmmm. I think I may try some corn bread!) 

2) Clean up's a snap with a dutch oven! Never wash it with soap. Always use water and a some steal wool. If there is food baked on, put water in it and let it soak for a while, and it should come off with some steal wool. Don't worry about getting off every little bit of it though. That's the glory of the dutch oven and seasoning it. The chicken recipe that I recently tried had a sauce and I simply rinsed it out, wiped more oil into it, stuck it back into the oven, and it was good to go. 

3) Make sure you store your dutch oven in a dry location. When left damp it will rust. If it does rust, simply scrub it with steal wool, season, and you're back in business!

So, now for the moment you've all been waiting for. Drum roll, please!!!

From the kitchen of Mary Goodell and the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society Cookbook . . . 

"Mary Goodell's Honey Salsa Chicken"

12 in. Dutch oven - Serves 4-6 

3-4 lbs chicken, cut up (did whole breasts. You could do thighs, just shorten the cooking time.)

1Tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped (or sliced)

Sauce: (I doubled the sauce recipe)

2 tsp chili powder

2 Tbsp prepared mustard (I used dijon)

1/4 c. salsa

1/2 c. honey

dash of hot sauce

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp salt

I did this recipe in the oven, which I heated to 325 degrees because I knew I wanted to let it cook for more than an hour. You could cook it at 350, or 300 depending on how long you needed it to stay in the oven.

Preheat the oven with the dutch oven inside (up to 45 minutes). Throw the butter in it until melted and sizzling. Throw the onions in and toss until coated. Let the onions cook for 10-20 minutes, depending on the oven temperature. Add in the sauce and chicken, making sure that the chicken is well coated with sauce. Put on the lid and let it cook for 1 hour-2 hours, again, depending on the oven temperature. 

This recipe could be down in a slow cooker! I'd layer the chicken on top of the onions and pour the sauce over the chicken and cook for 6ish hours on low. 

Last night we served this over brown rice, and it was amazing!

I'd love to hear about any other great dutch oven stories, tips, or recipes ya'll might share!