Have you ever decided to make tacos for dinner as a fall-back only to realize you don't have a taco seasoning packet in your pantry as you thought you did? That has happened to me more than once. Or maybe you remember all the obvious ingredients at the store and forget that unique spice that makes tacos taste like tacos.  I'm so glad a friend told me about a seasoning recipe in a mutual cookbook that keeps me stocked and ready for Mexican cuisine on a moment's notice. The page is dogeared and well-used. 

I have been planning on enchiladas for about three days now and having to put it off. Luckily I checked my spices today and realized I'm low. So maybe now I'll have all the ingredients to make them tomorrow. Just how life goes sometimes! 
So, if you need to add Mexican seasoning to your pantry and don't want to spend another dollar at the store for what you already own in your cabinet, mix up this combo in less than 5 minutes.  You'll be ready for tacos any night of the week. 

Add to ground beef as you would a packaged taco seasoning. Brown meat. Rinse/drain and return to pan. Add 2/3 cup of water and 2-3 Tbsp. seasoning to taste. Simmer until most water has evaporated. 

Long have I had a dream to make our own bread, not only to cut down on weekly expense but to give my family the best quality and nutrition bread can offer. Fresh, homemade bread certainly is no comparison to store-bought but if you're looking for 100% whole wheat sandwich bread, it takes a little tweaking. My stock of homemade croutons and bread crumbs multiplied rapidly for a while with one loaf after another that was less than perfect. Then one day I read a post on a blog that spoke on dough conditioners for whole wheat flour. That was the turning point in my bread-making journey. 
Because wheat flour is more coarse than white flour, it breaks down the yeast pockets and therefore produces a dense textured bread. I have made many a loaf of dense bread... not my ideal. But I kept at it and eventually found that perfect combination that not only works consistently every time but is light and delicious like our favorite store breads. Best yet, it is 100% whole white wheat and packed with wholesome goodness that I can feel good about feeding to my family.  

Paula Deen met Ree Drummond on my lunch table today. Paula Deen, you should know. But have you met Ree Drummond yet? She has been dubbed in my family the Paula Deen of the west for her love of butter.  Sometimes I sensor her recipes with light butter or just try out the originals for kicks.  She's called the Pioneer Woman on her blog and the Food Network. She is my newest favorite chef to follow! If you haven't discovered her ranch-style recipes, let me recommend you make hers your next blog to visit. 

As for our household, how many times to I ask myself... "What's for lunch?"  I have found that in order for me to serve up a decent meal for lunch for myself and my little growing girly, I have to have a plan. And once I have a plan, that usually encourages me start in time to actually eat at lunch time. Today, I put extra time into this scrumptious meal meaning to make enough for us to eat off of in the days to come when I am not in the kitchen. Next time I will know to make a double batch.

The Pioneer Woman's BBQ Comfort Meatballs
Y'all, this is just about the most delicious thing I ever put in my mouth. This could be the meal! I won't kid you, the prep time is long though not a bit difficult... or maybe it was just long for me because a little person was calling my name throughout the entire process, absent-mindedly playing too close to hot things, and continuously needing a diaper change, a bandaid, a hug, a drink, a dish to wash, a towel to dry her soaking wet shirt, a new shirt... We eventually did get to bake and eat our lunch. I had sworn off frying in a skillet with kids in the kitchen and the browning part of this recipe was a close resemblance in heat and perimeter protection. But we managed and it was more than worth it! Next time you plan to make meatloaf, make these instead!

I threw a pound of frozen green beans in a covered 2 qt. dish, added 2-3 Tbsp. water, a sliver of butter, 1/4 tsp. ham bouillon and heated in the microwave 4 minutes. Stop and stir adding salt and pepper. Heat another 5 minutes and you have a delicious, fast, and flavorful side to accompany the other more time consuming attention grabbers.  Little Bit couldn't resist eating my photo objects. Why take pictures, Mama? Let's eat! 

If you ever find yourself wondering what to make for lunch and have a bit of time to put something together, remember these delicious recipes. If you don't have time but can think ahead, make the meatballs ahead of time to eat on them later (if you don't eat them all while they're cooling). They reheat well if there's any left. This may be our lunch and dinner on our next busy day. 

Hello Mamas! Have I got a wonderful recipe for you! If you have babies in diapers, then you can appreciate the dragging-my-feet feeling of drudgery I feel every time I realize I have to spend more money on diapers and wet wipes that YES! make my life more convenient BUT are still thrown away. I definitely don't mind the throwing away part, but I do mind the lots of money part. SO! I am always happy to try new options to cut the spending on necessities that can be done more cheaply. Cause let's face it. Those little bottoms must be wiped and clean. But does it really matter to them how much we pay for the tools of cleanliness? And what do WE care about? Their health first of course! And how much moola is left for food after paying for the goods to care for their little tooshies! So if there is an option that is first healthy and secondly cheap, then praise God for innovation and good old fashioned homemade goods! Let's go!

"Mama's 'pants' pretty!" says two year old Gracelynn when she "works" with Mama out in the garden. My "pants" were not always so pretty though. In fact, just a year or two ago I quickly claimed having a black thumb when it came to gardening. But I have found that there is one thing that will eventually turn a black thumb green over the course of time - determination or stick-to-it-tiveness. Oh I have had plenty of discouraging moments and "breaks" to keep me from giving up all together.  But eventually, after finding many things that do not work, you'll find something that does. I've had a few successes this year that make me think my thumb is finally turning grey-green. There's hope.

This winter while visiting my family in Tennessee, we traveled to the nearby Amish Store and stocked up on goodies like dried spices, green bean chips, gummy butterflies, and a few rada knives. My aunt had given us a paring knife for Christmas the year before that quickly became the only knife in the kitchen we wanted to use. So, I had planned to pick up a few more to relieve that one tired knife.  There were many more types than I expected. Then my uncle held up this funny looking thing that reminded me of a jig saw or something. He promised that I would love this Tomato Knife as much as I love tomatoes which is an awful lot! He was right! This is the best knife for not only tomatoes but any fruit or veggie with a smooth skin.
The good news is that you don't have to find an Amish Store near you to get one of these handy kitchen tools. Amazon carries Rada knives and probably other locations online too.

For Mother's Day, my mom, mom-in-law and I combined our culinary efforts to prepare a delicious meal for our families. My job was to provide the bread and fruit. After a busy week and trip to the store without remembering to buy rolls, I decided that necessity was great motivation to experiment with homemade rolls. Surely it couldn't be as difficult as I had always thought. I was pleasantly surprised that this recipe for "Just Like Lambert's" rolls was super easy and super yummy! Now I have no idea where Lambert's Cafe is but gather that their rolls are famous. After tasting them myself, I think they rival the Quincy's Rolls from my childhood when Quincy's was popular here in the south. This recipe will find a permanent place in my cookbook. 

Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there. Ours has been sweet as we celebrated with our church family this morning, led our children's choir to sing a humorous and sincere tribute to their moms in church, and came home to enjoy a delicious meal with our parents before settling into the quiet and rest that a rainy Sunday afternoon provides.  While I spend time pondering the call of motherhood today, the Lord takes me to a familiar and beloved little book with thoughts that will surely give you aspirations on which to meditate from the Scriptures. 

If you have not yet discovered, Gospel Meditations for Women by Chris Anderson & Joe Tyrpak, you will be blessed to find yourself a copy of this little book and allow these 31 day devotional thoughts to apply the Gospel to your daily life. I am reading from Day 25, and though this excerpt is directed to Moms and Sons, it is true for Moms and her children in general. Let's spend this Mother's Day allowing the Gospel to affect our parenting!  
Let me share a portion with you:

Wheat Thins... made from scratch! Does that get your attention?? It did mine a few weeks ago when I came across this most intriguing recipe. I am currently on a journey to reduce my weekly spending on bread items by learning to make as many at home as is easily possible. My toddler is not the only one in this household who LOVES crackers and Wheat Thins are our favorite! So, what did I do yesterday when I needed some for our snack, realized we were out and didn't want to run to the store?  I pulled out this saved recipe and gave it a try! 

... Now, do I always have time for just whipping up a batch of crackers in time for us to eat them for snack time? NO! But I had time for a little experimenting at that moment and took advantage of it. Gracelynn helped me flour the dough, her hands, the table, my rolling pin, and anything else she could pat, pat, pat with her messy floury hands! What a game! And I found a new favorite recipe which will be even more perfect with a little tweaking. One batch filled a quart zip lock bag, and I'm guessing it wouldn't be hard to double. Seems to me this would be an easy batch recipe to bake when I have time storing some in the pantry for serving and the rest in the fridge or freezer for later.  

I'll update this post in the future if I adjust the recipe, but for now, some of you might like to try it out yourselves. Here's the link to the recipe on Tammy's Recipes which is an excellent blog full of great recipes for wholesome cooking. I'm in the process of trying quite a few of her recipes as I'm able. So, while you're there, take a look around.