Journal Entries – Page 23 – Tribute Journal

The Cookbook Challenge! Let’s Do Brunch!

The Cookbook Challenge! Let’s Do Brunch!

If you’ll recall back in January as part of my “I Can” post for the New Year, I challenged myself to actually try to make more recipes from the wide variety of cookbooks my husband and I have collected over the years

Well, this follow-up post is long overdue…but perhaps it’s just in time to give you a fun idea for your Easter brunch–so let’s get to it!

“Laughter is the brightest in the place where food is!” Irish Proverb

Sandra Lee’s Semi-Homemade Cookbook!

Semi-Homemade Cookbook by Sandra Lee.

One of the first cookbooks I acquired when my children were younger was “Semi-Homemade by Sandra Lee” –life was scheduled pretty tight back then, and I didn’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen, so obviously, the words, semi-homemade, were magic to my ears…recipes that looked and tasted homemade, but could be made quickly with a few pre-packaged ingredients, while still leaving a little leeway for some personal culinary flair…seemed nothing short of miraculous!

Date-Nut Carrot Muffins

I usually stuck to the more basic recipes in this cookbook when I was fixing meals for my growing children, but I’ve always wanted to try these Date-Nut Carrot Muffins, and I’m glad I finally did, they are easy to make and so delicious!

1 package Pillsbury (16 oz.) date nut loaf mix

1 cup wheat bran

1 whisked egg

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded carrots

3/4 cup pitted, chopped dates

(I like to precook the shredded carrots for a few minutes in the microwave before adding them to the mixture.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put muffin papers in 12 muffin tins or spray with nonstick spray. In medium bowl, stir muffin mix, bran, egg and milk until just blended. Fold in carrots and dates. Don’t overmix, batter should be lumpy. Fill muffin tins with batter about 3/4’s full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

How fun would it be to serve these muffins with some festive hashbrown egg nests.

Egg nests.

(via Hot Oven Feelin’)

I hope every one has the best weekend celebrating Easter and spring!

Easter quote.

Any cookbooks you’re loving lately? What are some of the foods and traditions you have to celebrate Easter?

–Mary

Always Stay Humble And Kind!

Always Stay Humble And Kind!

As parents, I think one of the greatest desires of our hearts is to raise children who are thoughtful and kind. As a wise teacher himself, my father often recounted a story about the ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates, who when approached by an acquaintance of his that seemed overly excited to share some unfavorable news about one of his students that he’d overheard, first asked the man to answer three questions before he shared the grievous tale…

While my husband and I listened to all the personal bantering between presidential candidates on the news the other night, I couldn’t help but wonder how different the political arena might be if these words were heeded!

A Legacy Of Kindness!

Kindness quote

Having just celebrated another birthday, I’m realizing more than ever before, that I would like my legacy to be one of kindness. I was almost moved to tears when I first heard the recently released song, “Humble And Kind” by country singer, Tim McGraw. It became even more meaningful to me when I heard that he’d penned the lyrics as a musical letter to his three daughters, reminding them to stay true to the values he and his wife, another great country performer, Faith Hill, have tried to teach them. My March theme-and new life motto-is a tribute to the thoughtful words of this amazing song!

The following are my favorite excerpts from the song, “Humble and Kind” by Tim McGraw.

Don’t expect a free ride from no one,

Don’t hold a grudge and here’s why…

Bitterness keeps you from flying,

Always stay humble and kind.

Often we hear that the millennial generation is one of entitlement…but I know the work ethic my children and many of their friends were taught, and that they are now passing it on to their children–indeed, the future is very bright!!

Hold the door, say please, say thank you.

Don’t steal, don’t cheat, and don’t lie.

I know you’ve got mountains to climb, but

Always stay humble and kind.

Although the world today is often presented as being rather bleak–as I look in the eyes of my grandchildren and so many other young people I see, I feel hopeful and know that they will make things better than they’ve ever been before!

Don’t take for granted the love this life gives you,

When you get where you’re goin’–

Don’t forget to turn back around

And help the next one in line,

Always stay humble and kind!

Show kindness.

There have been some truly wonderful mentors in my life, from my dear parents to many amazing teachers and friends, who gave selflessly of themselves to help me live a more fulfilled life, so how can I not honor their unconditional love and genuine belief in me by giving a hand up to someone else in need.

When the dreams you’re dreamin’ come to you,

When the work you put in is realized,

Let yourself feel the pride, but always…

AND

Be humble and kind.

I truly believe that the more we try to stay humble and kind…life becomes the most rich and wonderful journey!

Life is wonderful!

Most of all, we must hope for the best and have faith in the future!

I would love to know what life lessons you would share in a letter to your children…or others you love?

–Mary

In-Between Winter And Spring Things!

In-Between Winter And Spring Things!

It’s that ominous time of year in Utah where any real threat of more heavy winter storms isn’t too likely, and yet there’s still a definite cold chill to the air outside, the skies are mostly overcast and gray and everything seems a bit drab from the melting snow and resulting mud and debris exposed underneath…it’s just all rather blah!

Come this time of year, I guess it’s always good to remember that…

In Between Winter And Spring Things!

“No winter lasts forever, no spring skips its turn!” Hal Borland

With this thought in mind, I say we should all heed this wise advice… Spring Quote by Lilly Pulitzer Beating The Winter Blah Funk!

• Coats vs. Jackets! I never understood the differentiation when I was growing up and my mom would say, “It’s too cold for a jacket go get your coat!” To my young mind they were one in the same…both very restrictive to being able to really play outside! Now I understand…come this time of year, at least for the most part, heavy quilted, “puffer” coats can be set aside and gladly replaced with lighter weight jackets! Yay!

I love the Marmot Precip jacket I purchased for our trip to Germany last fall, and have found it’s the perfect in-between winter and spring jacket, it also comes in a great assortment of bright, spring colors! (MooseJaw or BackcountryMountain websites often sell them at a discount too!)

If you want to nix a jacket altogether, I think all the fun sweater coats that are available now are a fun option too.

Mango sweater jacket.

My daughter living in New York introduced me to the unique clothes at Mango stores. They have some fun sweaters for sale online now.

• Happy Shoes and iTunes! Perhaps one of the best things about this time of year is that it is finally getting warm up enough to be outdoors on a more regular basis. So grab that spring jacket, your gym shoes, (you might even want to invest in some new colorful ones) and some upbeat music and get outside. There seems to be nothing better than going for a brisk walk or run this time of year when the weather is nicer–rather than spending another monotonous hour on a treadmill!

Acics running shoes.

Plus sign.

Old-Dominion record "Meat and Candy"!

Acics footwear is perfect if you like your athletic shoes to have some toe room; and the new “Meat and Candy” record by Old Dominion, is my in-between winter and spring music pick, it’s such a fun, eclectic mix of songs that will have you singing along as you head outside!

• Delightful Dishes! I think a fun way to brighten up your in-between winter and spring season is to add a few colorful dishes to your usual place settings. If you shop around, (another good thing to do this time of year) many kitchen and boutique shops have some fun odds and ends dishes on great clearance sales. Anthropologie bowls.

Anthropology’s clearance section always has a good mix of fun bowls on sale. I picked up a few to use for new cereal bowls, but I have also seen them used to hold jewelry and plants! However you to use them, they are sure to give you a much needed color boost right about now!

• Fresh Scents! I love the saying, “Spring: the music of open windows.” While it might still be a bit too chilly outside to open up your windows for very long, that doesn’t mean you can’t get a jump start on some fresh scents of the season…along with a little spring cleaning too!

Mrs. Meyer's all purpose cleaner.

Besides being a great cleaning product, Mrs. Meyer’s lemon cleaner gives your home a subtle, fresh scent that will sing spring to you!

And while we’re on the subject of lemons…

Luna lemon protein bar.

Luna lemon vanilla protein bars are a perfect treat to help you feel more energized now–it’s like a little spring party in your mouth!

I suppose the best thing to remember during this in-between winter and spring time of year is that if we didn’t have winter, spring might not be so anticipated!

Tulips in winter.