A Big Day

Jonathan's big day has now come and gone and I didn't even shed a tear; I was too busy smiling.

4 years of hitting the books and getting little sleep has now ended. 

I'm so proud of my Math Major who graduated Summa Cum Laude with Honors.

Baking in a Toaster Oven

I have had great success baking cakes, cookies, cobblers, biscuits.... in a toaster oven. The one item that    has always been a challenge was baking a loaf of bread.

My new toaster oven is taller than normal so I decided to see if it were possible to bake a loaf of bread without it burning or under cooking. I placed a sheet of foil on the top of the bread so if it rose too high the bread wouldn't stick and make a mess.

 It's a good thing I used the foil because the bread rose higher than expected and pushed up against the top of the oven.

 The bottom of the bread cooked perfectly.

 When I cut the bread in half I was very pleased to see it was completely cooked.

Now I'm set for baking all summer without heating up the house.

Quilt Club Block 4 of 12

I have been so busy the last few weeks that I completely forgot to sew up my April quilt block; thankgoodness I remembered before we meet this month.

 While at the quilt club last month I learned about a service project the sewing store was participating in. They were asking for volunteers to sew together small Christmas Stockings.

 All that was needed to complete a Christmas Stocking was to finish the edges and add some type of decoration.

I didn't have any Christmas fabric on  hand but I'm pretty pleased with how the Christmas Stockings turned out.

Rice Cooker

A bargain isn't a bargain if you don't use what you buy.

Several years ago I found a neat little stove top rice cooker at a garage sale for 1-dollar. Sadly I couldn't figure out how to use it.

Right before making the decision to get rid of the cooker I searched the Internet and found a man looking to buy a stove top cooker. I took time to send him an e-mail asking how the cooker was used and thankfully he shared with me the simple steps.

 The rice cooker works pretty much like a normal pot except the bottom pan holds water which makes steam for the top pan. Originally I thought the rice was to go in the top pan dry and the steam would cook it.

 After measuring my rice and water I cover and cook for 20 minutes.

 What a difference this cooker makes.

The rice comes out fluffy and moist and does not stick at the bottom. So glad I didn't get rid of my cooker as planned.

Creative Leftovers

Earlier this week I grilled pork steaks for dinner with all the fixings; corn on the cob, baked potatoes.... Yum, it was all so good.

 No matter how good a meal is sometimes you don't want to eat it a second time. So I decided to get creative with the leftovers.

 I took the leftover baked potatoes and sliced them, leaving the skin on. These were then fried in a skillet until brown on each side.

 Next I fried up some eggs, warmed up the leftover grilled pork steak and we had a meal fit for a king.

Just as we were sitting down to eat I remembered I had some biscuits leftover from breakfast which was the perfect addition to our meal. Yum, leftovers sure are tasty. 

Kitchen Necessity

In my home a toaster oven is a necessity that is used daily; and we tend to wear them out quickly. Here in my newest toaster oven.

 

It's not just a toaster oven but a rotisserie as well.

 Purchased 2nd hand for 16-dollars.

The last time I needed a toaster oven I purchased it new and it lasted less than a year. So glad I found this one for such a great price. And, best of all, it works! We tested it with a batch of brownies and they baked up perfectly.

In My Yard

In my yard there is a lovely pomegranate tree.

 Full of pretty flowers.

It has been interesting watching what we thought was fruit turn into flowers.

 Each time we search the branches we spot more and more flower starts.

    I'm curious to see just  how much fruit we will end up with.

We are all very excited about eating a homegrown pomegranate.