Almond milk and mango chiller- perfect for summer!

Hello, everybody! Mary Jane here and I'm hiding in the Umatilla National Forest at the moment. Why? Well, look at this heat! My poor little dude in the reflection was trying to be happy about heading to the library for "slime night" but his red and sweaty face convinced me it was time to get out of Dodge! 

But before we did, we made some delicious chillers to cool down... And they were needed because my son was raising money for Scout Camp. 

 That included splitting wood and offering them with fire starters for $3. Great price because the wood was donated to him!

 The same person donated a lot of hen and chicks in flats, saying "if you can sell them, they're all yours". Of course we can! We hit the thrift stores and the cabinets for cute containers...

 I loved this little pail! We have so many craft supplies, we just added cute beads and rocks and such.

 And for the 4th of July, we made red, white, and blue!

 Aren't these cute? Perfect for those BBQ cook outs!
                                  
A friend donated a bunch of leftover wedding supplies. Aren't these cute!

 We sold almost everything we made, and all the firewood. Success! He made his goal for camp, AND enough for hiking boots and some other camping essentials. He mowed lawns for $10 ($5 for elderly, veterans and handicapped) and we met some very lovely people in our small town.
                                      
We did learn not to offer delivery. :) My suburban has a turning radius of 80 feet, it seems, and I tend to hit curbs. Lesson learned!

 OK, on to the recipe! Add two cups of slivered almonds and 4 cups of water in the blender.

 Pour over a tea towel. Let it drain, squeeze if necessary.

 It doesn't look like much, but with a 1.2 tsp of vanilla and some honey...

 Ta-dah! Almond milk with frozen mango slices, a little vanilla and honey to taste. I liked mine with mint. SO refreshing!

Ok, I hope everyone is staying cool! Until next time!

High Tea and Other Fun

Missy Tippens

My daughter is studying abroad this summer and having a wonderful time! She sent me some photos recently that I wanted to share.

They got to have high tea at the British Museum! It looks like a wonderful time. Here are some shots of their delightful food. I found this menu online (click here), so this may tell us what we see on the plates. YUM!

I also wanted to share a pretty shot of Amsterdam from this past weekend (it may be a little grainy because it's a screen shot of a Snapchat video).

And here are a couple of photos from their time in Scotland.

the view from her hotel room in Dundee

I'm not sure where this photo was taken! We can play Name the Castle/Palace

Boat trip on Loch Ness (screenshot of Snapchat). No monsters seen!

I hope to have more photos for later. Most are on her REAL camera (I don't know what that is anymore now that I use my phone all the time!), so I haven't seen them yet. :) These are just a few she sent from her phone.

I wish I were there! They've been to a ceilidh (a traditional Scottish celebration), to the Ceres Highland Games, to see The Lion King, to Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and to so many other fun places.

I can't wait until she gets home. But I'm thrilled for her to have this opportunity to do research, take two classes and have some fun on the long weekends. :)

www.missytippens.com

White Pizza!

This is one of my buddy Logan's favorite dishes... and I wanted to see if we could come up with a recipe for homemade white pizza that rivaled the local pizzerias, and we did!

The crust is easy... You can either buy a lump of pizza dough (frozen or fresh) from your local market or make your own... and this is an easy, yeasty dough recipe right here:

Homemade Pizza Dough

1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons yeast (I use fast-rising)
3 1/2 cups bread flour (or regular flour)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup olive oil

Dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar and salt. Add flour and olive oil. Mix, then either knead with hands or use a dough hook on low setting to work the dough....

When dough is smooth and elastic, set in oiled bowl and let rise until double.


FOR PIZZA:

Punch down dough. Spread on greased pizza sheet or cookie sheet by gently pushing outward with hands until the dough is spread to about 1/4" thickness. Let rise about 15 minutes. Poke crust with fork, letting gas escape.

For "sauce":

Cover top of pizza with ricotta cheese, a thin layer, probably about 1.5 cups

Cover that with grated or shredded Parmesan

Sprinkle garlic powder or granulated garlic over Parmesan cheese. (You can use roasted garlic, it's delicious, but for our younger eaters, the granulated gets a better reception).

Cover all with mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 450° until crust is golden and cheese is melted and just beginning to turn golden.

Remove from oven, cool for a few minutes, then slice.

Wonderful!

Happy 8 year old!!!

Very Happy 8 year old!

We've been crazy busy here on the farm... Kids in abundance, the rain has finally taken a breather, and the weeding of the pumpkin acres has been going on in earnest...

Strawberries are done...

Asparagus just finished.

And the first chicken coop is ALMOST DONE!!!! I'm so excited!

Then the fencing....

And then I will tear apart the old big chicken shed and turn it into a donkey shed!

Because....

There are little friends coming to live on the farm!!! REALLY LITTLE FRIENDS!!!!

This is the miniature donkey coming to live with us in two months... Isn't he adorable???

And mini donkeys don't want to be alone, so this pretty gal is going to join him... and if we're lucky, she'll be expecting a baby donkey next August!

A new farm adventure, surrounded by cute kids, braying donkeys, crowing roosters and lots and lots and lots of pumpkin plants! The adventure continues!

Multi-published, bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne loves to write stories that make folks laugh, smile, cry and sigh... and maybe offer hope for a wonderful, blessed future. You can find her on facebook with all her crazy fun family stuff... or her website ruthloganherne.com or give her a shout out on Twitter @ruthloganherne. With over 40 novels and novellas published, Ruthy is living her dream as the inspirational author she always wanted to be!

Dragonfruit Smoothies

I was away for the 4th so not much cooking was getting done. Lots of fried clams, lobster rolls, haddock, blueberry pies, ice cream... you get the drift.  Not cooked by me = vacation.  :)


But a girl can begin to crave healthy food after so much decadent deliciousness, so when my daughter suggested we try out the new smoothie place in town, I was game.

Loveshack Juicery is a new addition to Ogunquit this year.  The array of smoothies, smoothie bowls, juices, etc. is staggering. My daughter has been looking forward to going there ever since it opened.

When I saw her drink, I knew it would be today's post. Remember when Missy blogged about her daughter's smoothie bowl and everyone wanted to know about Dragon fruit? My daughter chose the Flamingo. It had a mix of Pitaya, strawberries, pineapple, agave & coconut water. The perfect drink for the 4th and for the hot day we had. 

They had cards at the register that explained what all the fuss is about Pitaya.

 

There were so many great choices (See the menu here). I think they've inspired some of my smoothies for the rest of the summer:

SURF SHACK has Pineapple, strawberries, banana, coconut butter & coconut water

 

LOCAL BERRIES is made with Maine blueberries, strawberries, banana, agave & cashew milk

Since I'm currently reading The Beekeeper's Ball by Susan Wiggs, I was intrigued by this one: 

BEE KEEPER: Maine blueberries, oats, banana, agave, bee pollen & cashew milk

They make their own cashew milk. 

So why Dragon fruit?

If you couldn't read the fine print above, watch this video.

 

Okay, I'm putting 2 videos because this lady is just SO excited about Dragon fruit.

 

 

 

 

So, does dragon fruit tempt you?

Or are you sticking with the fried clams and lobster rolls?

 

4th of July in Ogunquit, ME

There are flags everywhere!

 

 

 

Happy Fourth of July!

The café is closed in observance of Indepence Day.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

Jan's Power Breakfast

Jan here, wondering how it can be July already!

I love any time of year in the Black Hills,
and summer is fabulous!

June was a crazy-busy month with the release of "Naomi's Hope" and the deadline for "An Amish Nanny's Sweetheart," coming from Love Inspired Historical in March 2018.

And yes, I did meet my deadline!

Over the last couple weeks I've shared some breakfast ideas with you.

The first one was for my super low carb/healthy fats eggs and avocados breakfast.

Click here for this recipe.

And then last week, we went the other direction - healthy carb/low fat - with my summertime oatmeal.

Click here for this recipe.

But for the week I had last week - hours and hours at my computer, working to meet my deadline and still write the story that was on my heart - I needed a power breakfast. Or two. I might have had this multiple times last week...

Jan's Power Breakfast

This breakfast is a combination of protein, healthy fats, and a good dose of super-healthy carbs from greens.

There is nothing like a good batch of greens to get those little gray cells working in the morning!

These are the ingredients I used - 

A couple eggs

A couple Tablespoons of chopped onions

A couple mushrooms - optional, but...oh! so good!

1/2 cup frozen greens, or 2 cups fresh greens

Take a closer look at the greens I use:

I have trouble with fresh greens going bad before I can eat them all, so I keep frozen blends like this on hand. This one is a blend of spinach, kale, and chard. Steam them until they're thawed, then saute them in butter or coconut oil with the mushrooms and onions. Sprinkle on a little salt (just a smidge) and pepper - maybe throw in some garlic - and let them cook until the greens are taking on a wilted feel and the onions are not quite transparent.

Then push the greens to the side of the skillet to keep warm and add your eggs. I like mine fried for this power breakfast.

Once the eggs are cooked the way you like them, put the greens and eggs on a plate. Add your mug of tea (notice that I'm ready for my second cup!), and add your favorite devotional and Bible reading. 

Now that's a power combination that's hard to beat!

What is your favorite power breakfast? Let us know in the comments!

Speaking of great combinations, all three books in "The Journey to Pleasant Prairie" are on sale in their e-book versions right now! Go to my website to order - be sure to look for the e-book version from your favorite retailer!

Go to www.jandrexler.com/books for ordering information.

Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.

Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com

Simply Decadent Ganache with Raspberries

Hello everyone! Mary Jane here with a simple, but deliciously decadent recipe for those days you need something fancy but foolproof. My dad's seventy sixth birthday was this week and although he loves chocolate, he just doesn't want a big to-do. He's a retired nuclear engineer who loves God, books, the quiet, birds, the forest, hiking, and peaceful moments. Sense a theme??
                                                    

(Mmmmm, like the inside of a truffle!)

  So, what do you get for a man who doesn't want a big fuss, but still deserves a little treat? Well, we brought over the guitar and played some oldies but goodies, and then handed him a perfectly sized treat for him and his wife. They're not the type to want or need a big cake, or even a full pie. But a sweet little ramekin of chocolate with a cookie crust is just their style.
Now, this recipe also made a larger ganache dessert, but be prepared if you're making a cute little dish like we were. Of course, it was no hardship to have TWO, but just a warning that this recipe makes more than the little pie you see.
                                                     
You'll need 2 cups of heavy whipping cream.
                                                 
8 oz of good chocolate...
Some basic sugar cookies (not pictured, but imagine about ten cookies crushed).
Mix the crushed cookies with 2 TBS of melted butter. Press into the ramekin. Bake at 275F for 10-15 minutes. Let cool.

                                                       
You can microwave the heavy cream and the chocolate, but I'm always afraid I'm going to burn it, so I melt it together in a pan on the stove, stirring constantly over medium heat. When it's all melted, pour into the cookie crust.
                                                      
Let cool overnight in the fridge, or at least two hours. This part is important. Otherwise you just have melted chocolate. When it's chilled, it gives it that velvety smooth texture.

 Line with raspberries or strawberries or chocolate shavings.
                                                          

(Fresh picked berries from down the road!)

We also tried a recipe that included mixing in a few TBS of raspberry jam. Meh. I liked the flavor, but maybe if it was strained... I didn't like the seeds IN the chocolate.

 Oh my goodness. So smooth and chocolatey...

Annnnnnd a close up...

 Ok, that's all for now! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and be sure to stop by my author pages Mary Jane Hathaway or Virginia Carmichael for all my book news!