Take 30

I decided today, after twiddling with the thought for a couple weeks, that I am going to go silent on FB for 30 days. I will deactivate my account on Aug 1. After 30 days, I will decide if I want to reactivate it.

The reason is simple-
Every so often I like to take a step back and reorganize my priorities. I like to take time to think about who I am, am I on the right path, have I done things I need to address or correct, get things done around the house,  and generally reconnect with the world around me.

You cannot do that using FaceBook.  FB makes you think you are connecting. I don't think you really are. I mean, yes, you can talk to someone fairly easy, and that's a connection of sorts.
But really, talking in person or over the phone where you hear the actual voice? That's really connecting on an emotional level.

So, I am going to take 30.
30 to find me again.
30 to read more books.
30 to decide my path.
30 to work on more budgeting of time, money and resources.
30 to look within.
30 to make more homemade things.
30 to engage in the world around me.

After all, I prefer to be IN the world, not ON it.
And as I've always said, if you want to change the world, change yourself first.
I just need to make sure I am the me I want to be. And the only way to do that is to disconnect and listen.

Buttermilk Ranch Powder

I have searched and searched for a ranch powder recipe that tastes as good as the store bought kind and I think I've found it!

Read on for the recipe...

Crock Pot Orange Chicken

I happened to be gazing (or would it be more appropriately to say grazing??) over at Crockpot365 when I ran across her Lemon Chicken recipe. Well, I love Orange Chicken so I substituted Orange Juice concentrate for the Lemonade concentrate.

Let me tell you...this is so good, I will definitely be making it again. And soon. Like maybe tomorrow.
This is a healthier version, too, because you don't bread and deep fry the chicken first. You just flour it, crisp it in a fry pan, and toss into the crock pot.

Hamming It Up

So I mentioned the other day being on a mission to re-create the ham sammy on a biscuit Grau and I had in Yorktown. Well, I am happy to report that the mission has succeeded.
And it's better than my expectations!

Virginia. Tasty Tasty Virginia

Not the Carrot Tree Cafe, but just around the corner is this cute little shop.

So Grau and I spent a week in Virginia. We had a blast walking around Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. History is alive and well there. Trust me.

I've never understood how people don't like history. Everyone *has* a history. And the lesson's learned, whether it be individually or en masse should always be of the utmost importance for fear of 1) making the same mistake again or 2) not continuing something that should have been.

Ketchup Catsup Catch Up

I'm a little late in posting this, but last week I made homemade ketchup.
I know, awesome, right? And you're thinking, 'I didn't know you could make ketchup at home!'
Well, you can. And it is so crazy easy, you'll wonder why you haven't been doing it all along.

I didn't make up the recipe. I borrowed it from here.  One day I will actually make my own recipe to suit my own preferences, but for now, this recipe is pretty good.
Recipe below the fold...

Halloween Silhouettes DIY

Around June or July every year, I get the craft bug. And not just any craft bug. The Halloween craft bug. I want to make things to decorate for my favorite holiday of the year.

One year, I made gravestones.
Another, I made witch's legs. (I need to do this again as I've lost my legs (ha ha) when I moved.)
I've made Black Cat signs.

And so on and so forth.
This year, I decided to make three signs. All silhouettes. For Halloween.
Super simple and easy- you can do it, too!

Three wooden plaques from Hobby Lobby (Gosh I love that store!!)
White and Black paint
Brushes
Scissors
Images to trace

I've Got a Blueberry for a Daughter

Well, not really. She's more of a lemon pie- half sweet, half tart, but always delivers.
I was really referring to Willy Wonka, the 1974 version. My favorite. I mean, Johnny Depp is awesome and all, but Gene Wilder will always be Wonka to me. (Violet! You're turning violet, Violet!) Okay, enough with the Wonk-isms.

So- I was pinteresting the other day, and came across a recipe for 2-ingredient lemon squares.  And I thought, I like lemon, but what would happen if I made blueberry instead?  Would it turn out the same?
Or would it blow up because blueberries have some secret chemical in them that when it encounters Angel Food cake mix just goes KaBooM!??! (I don't think they do, but you never know!)

What are the two simple ingredients?

Tomato Basil Garlic Chicken

I am still on my pesto kick except this time, I am not even bothering to blend the ingredients into traditional pesto. Nope. I'm going directly for the ingredients and calling it awesome.

Tomato, Basil & Garlic come together in this beautiful dish.

In this episode of Rave's Pesto Habit, I give you Tomato, Basil, Garlic Chicken, with a whole wheat spaghetti as the delivery method for the pseudo-pesto goodness. Oh can I tell you how delicious this was? Grau said it was 'a keeper' for the recipe book. I love it when he says that. It means I did good!

Pesto Habit

I am on such a pesto kick lately. Seriously- I want everything to have pesto on it- and garlic basil pesto at that. I mean, wouldn't life be so much tastier and happy if it had more garlic and basil in it? Not to mention how healthy it would be! (Of course, I can settle for randomly placed pinata's around to beat on as needed throughout the day, but I digress.)

I'm trying to grow my own basil to support my habit.  Alas I seem to have a black thumb....or the sun rises in the wrong spot. I'm going with it's the sun's fault because really how could I, the lover of all things natural, kill something like a small leafy green such as basil?

But dead it seems to be. Sigh. That just goes to show that my once virent thumb is now a faded memory.  And that just hurts. Really it does. Because some years ago I had 21 plants in my living room alone. That's not counting the plants I had in the planters outside or in the kitchen. Nope. 21 in the living room. I was the Green Queen.

Of course, it could have something to do with forgetting I planted it and therefore it received no water...outta sight, outta mind. I should really put a sign in my window, 'Water the plant, dumbass!' and maybe I can keep the next plant living. Whatcha think?

Pesto Kielbasa Pasta

Go ahead- say that three times fast! Pesto Kielbasa Pasta, Pesto Kielbasa Pasta, Pesto...oh whatever. You get the idea.

I ran across this recipe while surfing the interwebs a few weeks ago. It seemed simple enough but you know me, let's find a simplier way, right?
The original recipe called for added basil, and some oregano, garlic powder and salt & pepper. I thought? Why go through all that trouble? So I made it easier, and slightly healthier, too. Because you know I'm all about the healthy (ok, quit laughing....).