Iced Coffee Anyone?

Speaking of great recipes...

My talented and creative friend (and future guest writer here), Vicky had the girls from our weekly Mom's group over for some wine, yummy-fruity drinks and appetizer's last night.  Delightful.  It was such a fun night on so many levels.  In addition, she made us some iced coffee that we will all be talking about for a long, long time.  Move over, Starbucks.

I hope she doesn't mind, but I couldn't resist posting this great summer recipe that she found at thepioneerwoman.com  Vicky also rimmed our glasses with a cinnamon and sugar combination that looked and tasted amazing.  If only I had thought to bring my camera : )

Perfect Iced Coffee


Gorgeous coffee “concentrate” to keep in your fridge: iced coffee whenever you’d like!
Preparation Instructions
(Adapted from Imbibe Magazine)
In a large container, mix ground coffee with water. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature eight hours or overnight.
Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set over a pitcher or other container. Pour coffee/water mixture through the strainer, allowing all liquid to run through. Discard grounds.
Place coffee liquid in the fridge and allow to cool. Use as needed.
To make iced coffee, pack a glass full of ice cubes. Fill glass 2/3 full with coffee liquid. Add healthy splash of half-and-half. Add 2-3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (can use plain sugar instead) and stir to combine. Taste and adjust half-and-half and/or sweetened condensed milk as needed.
Ingredients
1 pound Ground Coffee (good, Rich Roast)
8 quarts Cold Water
Half-and-half (healthy Splash Per Serving)
Sweetened Condensed Milk (2-3 Tablespoons Per Serving)
Note: Can Use Skim Milk, 2% Milk, Whole Milk, Sugar, Artificial Sweeteners, Syrups...adapt To Your Liking!

Cooking With What's in Season

Hey Friends...

These days I am trying more and more to cook with what's in season and seeing that local asparagus is still available, here's what I'm making for dinner tonight.

This is honestly a no-fail recipe and my family loves it.  I've made it with both asparagus and broccoli, but our preference is asparagus.  Try it out if you are looking for a new recipe.  I always serve it with rice.

Classy Chicken

This is really easy – definitely a family favourite!

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts, skinned & boned
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 Tbsp. oil
1 – 10 oz. (280 g) pkg. frozen asparagus or broccoli
Fresh is even better
1 – 10 oz. (284 ml) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 – 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Instructions:
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle with pepper. Saute quickly in oil over medium heat just until opaque (don’t overcook – the chicken will get tough! Drain. Cook asparagus or broccoli until crunchy. Drain and arrange in bottom of buttered casserole. Place chicken on top. Mix together soup, mayonnaise, curry and lemon juice and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake, uncovered, at 350F (180C) for 30-35 minutes. Serves 6

Book Reference – The Best of the Best – Vol. 1 (Page: 215), Winners (Page: 85)

p.s.  thanks to my friend, Tracey who originally shared this recipe with me : )

getting caught up in the world of blogging..

Okay, so this is long overdue.  Here is a glimpse into our Disney/Florida family vacation from this past April (2011).

This trip was a huge deal for our family.  It was the first time that Grace and Eva had ever been on a airplane and it was the first time that the 5 of us had ever been to Disney.  Yep, that's right.  Even Steve and I.  This trip was our gift to the girls from this past Christmas and grandparents gave the girls money for Christmas toward their trip and so on. All this to say that this trip was a huge deal.  We loved it and soaked it up!  We're already dreaming of the day that we can go back : )

heading to Downtown Disney on the Wednesday night of our trip - Grace took this photo : )

arriving at Magic Kingdom

"Dumbo"

"a dream come true" for Beth

pure magic

it was the hottest day and I'll never forget how that ice cream hit the spot!

each of the girls picked a souvenir and to our dismay, Eva picked a Disney spray bottle/fan.   Although, Steve and I had to admit that it came in super handy and kept us cool!  She was delighted and that's what counts : )

such a fun day - we were sad to leave - great memories were made!  can't wait to go back!

Mom of Three Girls

Every once and a while, people will ask me how I feel about having three girls.  Was I hoping for a boy the third time around?  Was I disappointed with having all girls?  Now, please understand,  these people mean well.  And often, they are just making conversation.

But, here's the thing.  Time for confession:  deep down, I always wanted girls.  Raising girls feels natural to me and I honestly don't think I would know where to begin with raising a boy.  Without wanting to sound "cheesy", I feel like I was made for this.  Like I was made to raise a house full of girls.

If you're a mom with a house full of girls (or even just one), here are a few reasons why I love having daughters:

* they love celebrating my birthday, Mothers Day, Christmas, Valentines Day and pretty much every holiday in between

* my girls are often writing me notes and giving me crafts they made me to hang on the fridge.  Very expressive.

* it's really fun to shop for girls.  Well, at least most of the time it is :)

* Thinking about some of the unique challenges that girls face and reflecting on my own personal journey, I'm hoping to pass on some unique and hard learned wisdom to my girls. You know, things I wish I knew when I was younger.

I want to teach my girls what it means to be:
- tender and compassionate as well as courageous and strong.
- secure.
- virtuous.
- a world changer,  part of the solution.
- one who cultivates inner beauty.
- someone who stands up for truth and for those who have no voice.
- able to honour the unique voice and talent that God has given them.
- true to who they are.
- able to learn from mistakes and be gracious with themselves.

These are big challenges and not ones that I take lightly.  It's a journey that I continue to be on.

I know there are lots of other challenges that come with raising daughters.  Don't even get me started about whining, mood swings and hormones.  And I know that there are a million reasons why boys are a blessing to raise.  But, for today - I'm going to celebrate the girls that I have the privledge of raising...

My baby Girl is 4!

Yesterday we celebrated Beth's 4th Birthday.  Can you believe it?  These days we are celebrating a girl who has a larger than life personality, talks 24/7, lives to be around people, has her sisters wrapped around her finger and who has changed our family and our lives forever.  We can't imagine life without you Beth and our family is a million times better because of you!
We love you, girl!

A couple of things I am thankful for today...

This morning I dropped Grace off at southridge.cc to take the bus with her youth group to Canada's Wonderland.  She looked cute as a button and I couldn't help but think that she reminded me of myself at that age.   I felt like I was looking in the mirror.  In other news, I've officially hit that stage where my kids have a better social life than I do.

This afternoon, it feels good to be still for a moment and I am thankful for the gift of this weekend and the unhurried nature of this particular one.
On this Saturday afternoon, I am reminded of a few things I am thankful for.

1.  Tim Hortons Coffee.  Last night I stayed up way too late reading 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett and today I am paying for it.  Guess that what happens when you get lost in a great book.  Not complaining.  Well, kind of, but not really.

2.  My sister, Leah passed on to me on a pair of yoga pants that didn't fit her and I am in love with them.  Seriously, they are the comfiest thing I have ever worn.  Why did I not get a pair of these years ago?

3.  The smell of lilacs.  I wish lilacs were in season all year long.  I just picked some from my front yard and they are now in a vase in my dining room.  Total high point of the day.  I'm in heaven.  The smell is intoxicating.

4.  Yesterday I noticed that fresh, local strawberries are now for sale in Niagara.  My mind is racing, thinking about all of the things I can make with strawberries.  Not to mention eating them for the pure joy of it.  I can't wait to take my kids strawberry picking this month.

5.  Taking this wee girl to her first soccer practice and game.  Total cuteness.  Too bad the weather cut the game short.

6.  In our house, a rainy Saturday afternoon means a nap : )

So, there you have it.  Sure, there's lots I could whine and complain about - but that's too easy.  Instead, I'm going to invest my energy in being thankful.

How about you?  What are you thankful for today?

Happy Friday

Happy Friday Friends!

Hope your weekend is off to a great start.

I couldn't resist taking a photo of the 2 magazines sitting on this table in my living room.  Maybe it's just me, but did this strike anyone else as funny?  Welcome to one of the many contrasts in my life.

"discipline"

It's the first week of June and I spent the better part of May 31st (which interestingly also happened to be our 14th wedding anniversary) setting goals for my summer.  The truth is I work better when I have goals set before me.  They keep me accountable and motivated.  Left to my own devices, I am super lazy.  As I was contemplating on and writing out my summer goals, one theme stood out clear.  It became pretty obvious to me that the theme word for my summer is discipline.

Wow.  That's a pretty daunting word.

Discipline to do what, you might ask?

Where do I begin?  There are so many...

Among them include the discipline to set aside regular time to pray, listen and meditate upon scripture, discipline to trust when I feel like freaking out and being afraid, discipline to exercise more often and to train for a 10 km running race, discipline to make healthy food choices, discipline to stick to our budget and not overspend, discipline to guard my tongue and last but not least discipline to revive this blog and give it one more "kick at the can" to see if it's something I want to pursue.

So, there you have it.  Maybe discipline isn't so scary after all.  Maybe this will be the summer I really embrace it.  Come to think of it, I'm pretty excited about these goals.  Now, if I can just get moving :)

Before I sign off, I couldn't resist attaching some anniversary photos : )

The night before our anniversary I went in the backyard and picked some lily of the valley, which by the way smelled amazing.  Years ago, my friend Carolyn brought us over a vase of lily of the valley on our anniversary and I have associated the flower with our special day ever since!

Here we are on the 31st out for dinner : )

delish

My handsome hubby- I love this man!