Cooking Thursday: Spring Inspired Recipes I Want to Try

 

Hello my Lovelies!

Today I'm diving right in with some recipes from this cookbook I picked up not long ago. Do you know Sally of Sally's baking addiction website? She is amazing and any of her recipes I have tried have all turned out great! I recommend you try to make at least one of her recipes -maybe even start with her cookbook. 

In her cookbook these recipes particularly said Spring/Summer to me. I didn't try to capture the full recipe - but to give you an idea. If you look online you may be able to find these full recipes. Or if you would like the full recipe of any of them just let me know. 

Annie's birthday cake she wants me to make her this year includes homemade strawberry buttercream. Mmmmm 😋

How adorable do these look and sound?

I've always wanted to try to make a pavlova. They look so pretty and meringues are so yummy!! 

Do you have any special recipes you've never tried, but want to give a go? 🍓💗

Wednesday Wonder: Fairy Pots

Hello beautiful Friends!

Sorry I missed the start of this week. I've been a busy bee but I still wanted to pop in for a quick hello. 

And to continue my Spring dreaming. My phone sent me a little album of some of my former fairy pots. It's something I always look forward to doing in the Spring. Digging in the dirt. Picking out flowers, herbs, and filler to pour into pots and place them all around our house. As well as to plant some veggies in my little raised garden. 💚🌱

So I thought I would share a bit of the fairy magic with you today as well. I believe, do you? :) 

 

xoxo

Cooking Thursday: Spring Rhubarb

 

Hello dear Friends!

It's looking to be a lovely sunny day here in the northwoods. Maybe even get into warmer temps (high 50's low 60's) Spring finally feels like she's slowly showing up. Yay! 🌸☀️

For one moment I need to be a proud Mom and share that our Annie and her college hockey team got a leadership award. She and the current president and captain of her team went up to accept it. Annie is assistant captain and will be president of the team organization next year. She goes to University of South FL (go Bulls!💚) and I'm so proud of the amazing young woman she is becoming. 

Okay, thanks so much for that time out to gush. :) 

Now on to what I wanted to share today, which is.... rhubarb! I always associate rhubarb with the Spring/early Summer. Are you a rhubarb person? I've always loved that it adds a little bitter punch with the sweetness you add to dishes. 

Of course cooking with rhubarb means adding sweetness and I'm not sure if other sweeteners could be used and it would still work the same...but feel free to experiment with that if you want to lower the sugar (try honey, maple syrup, swerve sugars etc)

I had come across this recipe in my recipe box that my Aunt and I came up with quite a few years ago. We called it "Rhubarb Crunch". To be honest it's been so many years since we made it that I don't remember it that well, other than that I thought it was yummy. Here is how we wrote the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

3/4 c. sugar

1 egg

3/4 c. and 3 T. flour (divided)

2&1/2 c. rhubarb (cut up)

1 c. brown sugar

4 T. butter (cold and cubed)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350*

Wash and cut up rhubarb and put into a large bowl. Mix together 3/4 c. sugar, 1 egg and 3 T. flour. Pour over the rhubarb and mix well. Pour into a greased 8x8 or 9x9 pan or pie plate. In another bowl mix brown sugar, flour, and butter with a pastry blender or your hands - to make a crumb like topping. Sprinkle over rhubarb mixture. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. 

The notes we made said that it's like a crisp but rich so we liked it as topping for ice cream. I don't have a photo - but I hope to make a version of this when I have my rhubarb ready to harvest down the road. So stay tuned if I do make this and I will share a photo then. 

I thought I would share again the rhubarb strawberry sauce recipe I shared in the past (that is so delish) and you can find it if you click here. I also recommend Ina Garten's strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe which you can find if you click here.

So what are your thoughts on rhubarb Friends? Yes or no to it? And if yes, do you have a favorite recipe?

xoxo

Happy Homemaker Monday

 

Hi there beautiful Friends💗

I'm running a little later today as I had an appointment today and did some running around in the early afternoon.

Happy new week to you! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. 

It was a fun one here. We went to mass, ran some errands, and went to our local Home and Builders Show. We ran into an old friend of mine and it was so fun to catch up with him. To introduce him to Matt and hear all about his wife and 3 kiddos and how they have been doing. We also hung with the C's and watched their daughter and her team play in a volleyball tourney (Mr. C. is the coach). They made it to the gold division and took first! It was so nice to get to see and catch up with them as they had been gone a lot of weekends for volleyball travel. And it was exciting to watch them win some great games!! 

In between all of that we watched the Artemis II crew return to earth. It's so amazing what we can do! I've always been fascinated by space and space travel. I'm excited to see the future missions planned and what they will hold for us to learn. We also watched some of the Masters golf tourney as well. It was cool to see Rory Mcilroy win it for the 2nd year in a row. I can't wait until the weather improves and we can get some golf in this summer. ☀️😊

But for now I am focusing on the week ahead...

 

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

fasted today - just coffee

ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:

hair appointment, errands, home projects, hang with my Mom, hospice work

THINKING ABOUT: 

some of the things I'd like to plant this Spring, maybe some new solar lighting too (being patient doesn't mean I can't dream on what's to come, right?)

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY:

laughing with a best friend

CURRENTLY READING

 Coming Home to the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson 

I've finally been back to reading and finishing this book (I sure love this whole series so far). 

But in between I've been reading

The Waiting Place by Eileen Button as well. I just read a chapter a day as almost extra devotional time. It's a group of essays and it's great food for thought and uplifting.

 

ON THE TV TODAY:

  Jeopardy, old seasons of big brother & the office, the Pitt, Survivor, Outlander, Virgin River, Call the Midwife, The Forsytes, Best Medicine, Ghosts, Shark Tank, Love on the Spectrum, Severance

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

    MONDAY - 

TUESDAY - 

WEDNESDAY -  

THURSDAY - 

FRIDAY - 

*I'm not sure about the menu this week. I'm going to dive into the freezers and see what needs using up - and clean out the fridge a bit. Maybe a pasta one night? Cook up a protein out of the freezer and make a veggie side dish to use them up. Or make an egg bake to use things up

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

read, do more closet organizing

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

FROM THE CAMERA:

Some pics from the volleyball tourney. The C's daughter is number 7. She wears a different color jersey as she was playing the libero position. 

We have been getting warm enough temps that it has been bringing rain instead of snow. It helps break up the snow banks, so that is nice at least. But it's still chilly and windy often and doesn't feel Spring-like yet. So I feel badly for the poor robins outside my window. They must wonder if Spring will ever show up too.

Look at this goofy guy. Just took this pic. This is a typical Bubba pose, and as I'm trying to work on my laptop he will lay upside and reach his paw out to try to touch my hands on the keys. "Pay attention to me Mom!"

I didn't have many pics this week. And since I'm doing all this Spring dreaming...I thought I would share some of the flowers we got last Spring for the lake cottage and Matt's folks. 

PRAYER LIST:

 For an end to the conflicts all over the world and anyone living in war & fear, especially everything going on in the middle east right now. For peace and unity in this country, especially from hate and shootings or violence.  For anyone sick, suffering, in pain, fear, loneliness etc ... that God bring them comfort and peace.  

For the Lord's love and peace to fill 2026. ❤️ 

For Christ's Light and Love to cast out the darkness everywhere and help the world find its way to loving our neighbors as ourselves. 🙏🏻

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

Have a great week ahead! 

I'm sharing this with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

Cooking Thursday: Healthier Ham Tetrazzini

 

Hello Friends!

Happy Thursday to you. 😊💗

That means it's recipe time again. And today I thought I'd share this ham tetrazzini I made the other day. It was a great use of leftover Easter ham.  I had looked at a few different recipes and then made my own recipe with some healthier ingredients. It turned out great! And was even yummier the next day reheated too. While I was cooking the sauce it brought Matt right upstairs (he works from home in our lower level). He said, 'If you could bottle that smell you'd make me a rich man.' So I guess that's a good sign, huh? Lol And then he went on to call me Carrie Crocker and say how he's already a blessed rich man with my cooking. Aawww - I know I sure am blessed to have that ray of sunshine in my life. 💛

But before this gets too sickening 😂 let's move on to this delish dish!

Most tetrazzini dishes have a cream based sauce and use spaghetti or linguini. I did things differently based on what I had and the healthier ingredients I wanted to use. Also, this made a 13x9 pan - as we are sharing some with my Mom. But I think you could easily halve everything too. 

I sauteed veggies and aromatics in some olive oil and butter. I then whisked in the ingredients to create the sauce. And once the sauce was well incorporated - I stirred in the ham and peas. 

While I was making the sauce I had a pot boiling for the pasta and made that, drained it, put it back in the pot and had set it aside. Once the sauce was done I stirred it into the pot of pasta to stir everything together. I then poured all into a greased 9x13 and topped with cheese and baked it. We had ours with a green salad. 

I tried to remember measurements (or guess them when I didn't measure). I'm not always good about worrying about measuring in cooking...so thank you for your patience. But here are the ingredients and how I made this dish to the best of my memory. I used protein pasta, fair life milk (more protein instead of regular milk) and greek yogurt instead of heavy cream. All to be a bit healthier and less fattening rich calories. I know I talk about high protein, but if you read up about it - it's especially beneficial as we age to maintain our muscles and strength as we lose a lot of this as we get older. It's also so good for bone health and immunity. So there are real benefits - not that I'm following a fad. Lol Plus, I've been working out and lifting light weights regularly now and want to support those efforts! 😉 I need to keep fighting this old lady arthritis stuff. 

But I believe you should use whatever ingredients work for you and I'll include what some of the more traditional ones would be as well. 

INGREDIENTS:

10-12 oz of pasta (traditional is spaghetti - I used high protein rotini)

2 c. or more of cooked cubed ham (could do chicken or turkey too)

1 & 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella, divided (could do 2 c. if want cheesier)

 1/2 c. frozen peas

1 c. chopped peppers (but could do more traditional which is mushrooms - we just don't like them)

1/2 of a medium onion, chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic (to your taste)

1 c. chicken stock

1 c. milk 

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 c. greek yogurt (or you could do heavy cream)

seasonings to your taste: I did salt (but remember lots of salty ingredients with ham and the cheese so be sparing), pepper, thyme and fresh grated nutmeg (so good in cream dishes)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350*

Put pot of water on to boil pasta according to the box directions. 

While waiting, or while pasta is boiling, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tbsp each of olive oil and butter. Saute onion and peppers until getting softer and browning a little. Add garlic and saute a minute more. Deglaze pan with the chicken stock. Whisk in the greek yogurt, milk, and the cream of mushroom soup. Season to your taste. Once incorporated well and bubbling, turn down the heat to low. Stir in 1 c. of the shredded cheese, the ham, and the frozen peas. 

Whenever pasta is done, drain and put back in pot and set aside. When the sauce is done take off the heat and stir all into the pot of cooked pasta. Pour all into a greased 9x13 pan. Top with 1/2 c. more shredded mozzarella (or do another cup if you want it cheesier). Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes - broiling the last minute until brown and bubbling. 

Enjoy with a salad or side dish of choice. 

We loved it! It was rich and creamy and was so good leftover too. 

We will definitely make this again and I think I'll use chicken next time. 

Enjoy!

xoxo

Wednesday Wonder: Spring This or That

 

Hi there dear Friends!

Welcome to Wednesday Wonder - This or That edition. :) 

As I look out at a gray day that's, once again, chilly. And there are some brown grassy patches - but still lots of snowy patches. I choose to think Spring thoughts! ☀️🌸 I know it will come eventually. 

 I actually saw a robin a moment ago and I feel so badly for it - as I'm sure it's wondering where Spring is too. 

So I thought I would share this fun little chart I found on pinterest.

And here is how I would answer the this or that chart:

*PICNIC -  (I love a BBQ, but a picnic is so much more romantic)

*SUNSHINE - (I love a rainshower - it soothes me, but I live for the sunny days up here in the northwoods)

*DAFFODILS - (I love them both but I love the bright yellow of a daff and I think it's one of the most cheerful flowers)

*ICED TEA - (I like flavored lemonades but I can't do too much acidity - so I would choose iced tea most of the time)

*GARDENING - (I love to dig in the dirt and plant herbs, veggies and flowers. I can't wait to start this Spring!)

*BOTH LADYBUGS & BUTTERFLIES - (I truly can't choose - love them equally)

*FLORAL - (I wear and choose so many floral print things that anytime Matt sees something floral he says 'that looks like you' Lol)

*CHERRY BLOSSOMS - (they are both beautiful but the color of cherry blossoms takes my breath away)

*SANDALS - (I don't have rain boots and I'm always so excited to wear sandals or go barefoot each summer)

*STRAWBERRIES - (this is a true toss up as I never met a berry I didn't like...and raspberries would beat them both. But 🍓 just a bit more)

*YELLOW - (it just gives me energy and a smile)

*UMBRELLA - (I don't own a rain hat, but I sometimes use the hood of my raincoat too)

Thanks for playing along with me. It's fun to dream on Spring...even though we've got another good month before it really shows up around here. I would LOVE to know your answers to the questions above - no explanations needed if you want to keep it easier. I'm just curious. And I think it's just kind of fun. 

xoxo🌸💚