Glitter, Tutu’s, and Soccer Shoes

Do your kids have a favorite snack?  The snack you bought in bulk before the quarantine.  Your kids have probably even eaten every extra box you purchased of their favorite snack because they are always hungry. Vanilla Wafers - or as my kids call them “my favorite cookies” are always in the house until we run out and you’re doing your best to stay home. My husband found a recipe for homemade vanilla wafers, and they taste better than the box!  They were also devoured in less than 24 hours and I made 2 dozen. https://www.thespruceeats.com/homemade-nilla-wafers-4776815 The only change I made was I used whole milk instead of heavy cream because I didn’t have heavy cream. They were soft and crispy, truly the perfect cookie.  I also am notorious for using salted butter in my baking recipes, and then I just don’t add salt to the recipe.  I find they taste better.   I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. 

Ok, so we’re day whatever of the quarantine, but I’m on day 3 of cooking from my pantry.  Today is good for 2 meals including BACON! Yep, bacon. I’m not what one would call a bacon fanatic, but, I swear there isn’t anything better than the smell of bacon cooking in the morning.  And when I cook bacon I like to get as much out of it as I can. I made homemade bacon gravy because bacon and biscuits is a thing.  I only cook bacon in my cast iron skillet and it then turns into delicious gravy afterward.  It’s a very simple recipe: Once the bacon is fully cooked and removed onto a plate for cooling, add 2 TBSP flour and 1 cup milk.  That’s it. I didn’t add any salt or other seasonings.  Keep stirring until it’s the thickness you want. Remember you can always add more milk so start pouring slowly and add more if needed.    This gravy is also decadent over eggs. Later that night I made dinner with bacon. Creamy Chicken Bacon Ranch over ...

Ok, seriously, who doesn’t love donuts?  I honestly don’t know anyone who doesn’t.  But, if you don’t like donuts then this recipe may not be for you. My husband got me a donut pan weeks before the quarantine hit, and I just put off making donuts because I didn’t have time and was too tired.  Well...as most of us...I don’t have that excuse anymore. So, I broke out my donut pan and got to work.  I found an amazing recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction. They are simple, basic pantry ingredients and they don’t take that much time. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good bakery donut like everybody else, but when we’re on quarantine it’s hard to find that fresh, hot donut to comfort you during a time like this. Here’s the recipe I used and as you can see, an amateur baker can easily make this (if you have a donut pan). These are also fun for the kids to help decorate.  Mine ask me to make these everyday now and even had one of them saying, “You’re the best baker ...

Day1: As I’ve been quarantined I’ve taken this time to get quite a few things accomplished.  I decided to take this time and try new recipes and make food with basic ingredients found in my pantry. Yesterday, I made our simple and delicious chicken noodle soup.  I had all the ingredients except noodles. And don’t worry, I won’t go into a long story about how my aunt once made soup without noodles and it just wasn’t the same.  Or that I was out playing a game of catch with my kids while laughing and you could hear the birds singing and clouds parting. Nope, just a recipe to help you get through this quarantine, especially since people are buying up everything in the store. There are two recipes you could use for this soup, egg noodles or dumplings.  We’ve had dumplings a few times already so I didn’t want to make those....again.  I found a simple recipe for egg noodles, and I mean this, anyone could make these.  Even the most beginner cooks. https...

I would have to say if there is one thing I wish I could do is “Turn back Time.” And now we are all singing this song (you’re welcome).  Oh man....another song you’re probably singing.  Ok, I’m going to stop now. One of the many skills I learned later in life is how to properly cook.  Don’t get me wrong, my mom tried to teach me how to cook, but I couldn’t have been less interested.  Even after getting married, we would either eat out or my husband would cook (he’s quite good too).  It wasn’t until after having children and being able to stay home that I really delved in and learned how to cook.  Mainly because we were on a single income and I had to learn to budget (which I’m still learning).  But, I had to learn how to make a lot of food from scratch, such as, pizza crust.  A family can save a lot of money just from learning to cook from scratch. The reason I wish I could go back is because I would have taken pictures of the first pizza cru...

Not gonna lie, I got this next post idea is from Facebook - I mean it’s where most people spend the majority of their time, right? I saw this meme that talked about having daughters and to check in on moms of daughters because we are not ok.  I have 3 daughters, and I get it because having daughters is completely different stress level.  However, that should not negate the fact that having boys is just as stressful as having girls. Each gender comes with its own uniqueness. Boys have problems and so do girls (it’s called being a kid). Somewhere along the way between facebook and people wanting to go viral with their creative memes I feel as though people have learned to believe what they see and in turn create a competition between being a boy mom or a girl mom.  But, it doesn’t stop there. It continues with “well, my kid jumped off the couch.” To, “Oh, well my kid jumped off a 3 story building” (exaggerating, of course).  I write this to show the ridiculousn...