Sweet Corn Mac & Cheese

Does anyone else watch The Next Food Network Star?  LOVE that show!!  There were so many people I was rooting for this season but my absolute favorite became Yvan. 

Not only did Yvan have a great story but I loved his POV (point of view… for those of you who are as slow as me to figure out what the heck that meant!). 

FAMILY STYLE!

Probably because I am a mom with a quite a brood running around which means I have quite a few mouths to feed.  It just goes so well with me!  And everything I saw Yvan make was something I wanted to try. 

Of course, there were others with fun POV’s as well… take Justin (the winner) for instance… Rebel With a Culinary Cause!  He was just kind of a strange boy with weird views on food… good weird.  And I liked him!  But I really wanted Yvan to win because while the fun things are great, I really want someone on the network that makes something the basic home cook can make without having to run out and buy all kinds of strange ingredients. 

Like fish heads… or using fish bones as ‘chips’.  Yes, Justin did that.  No thank you!

On the second to last episode, the remaining contestants were asked to make a pilot of their new shows, then they showed the viewers a quick version with recipes included.  Yvan made Sweet Corn Mac ‘n’ Cheese and I knew I had to try it! 

If you’re like me you’ve been looking for a great Mac n’ Cheese recipe FOREVER!  I’ve never loved any recipe that I’ve tried until this one.  Please note, I did make some changes per the reviews on this recipe and a personal twist and it turned out great!  And wouldn’t you know it, even my ever-so-picky kids who hate all things homemade mac & cheese loved it.  They even asked for seconds!

Umm, who are you and what have you done with my children? 

And now, without further ado, let’s get on with the recipe, shall we?

• Two 8-ounce cans creamed corn
• 1 c. milk
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 – 1 tsp. mustard powder
• 3 – 5 dashes hot sauces (or to taste)
• 3 cups elbow macaroni 
• 12 oz. medium cheddar cheese
• 8 ounces grated mozzarella
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup croutons
• 1 T. olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Move one rack to the top of the oven.

Simmer the corn with the milk, onion powder, and garlic powder for 5 minutes.

Stir cornstarch into 2 tablespoons water.  Add the cornstarch to the corn mixture.  Whisk for about 3 minutes (or until thickened) over medium heat.  Add nutmeg, salt, pepper, mustard powder, and hot sauce if using.  Remove from heat, cover and keep warm.

Boil macaroni for 5 to 7 minutes.  Drain, and add to corn cream.  Add the cheese and the egg.  Stir well.  Pour into a casserole dish or 12-inch cast-iron skillet.

Lightly crush the croutons inside zip lock bag using a small mallet or rolling pin. Add oil and crushed croutons and spread over the top of the macaroni mixture. Cook on the top rack until golden… about 15-25 minutes. 

 

Cinnamon Rolls

Once upon a time I promised a cinnamon roll recipe that was super duper delicious and oh so divine. 

And then I didn’t deliver. 

Am I too late?  I think not.  It’s never too late for a delicious recipe! 

I got this recipe from a blog that I follow called 71 Toes.  I already had a recipe for cinnamon rolls that I loved and adored but when I saw this recipe I just knew I had to try it.  Boy, am I glad I did!  I just knew it would be good because of the sheer fact that it’s got a whole cup of butter just in the dough!!  Butter makes everything better.  Just sayin….

The only thing I changed was the amount of filling in the dough before rolling it up.  Hers was pretty skimpy on the filling… so I just beefed it up a bit ;)

• 2 sticks of butter, melted
• 2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 heaping T. yeast
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 7 c. flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water and add just a teaspoon of sugar, set aside until bubbly and foamy. Melt butter and let cool slightly.  Warm milk slightly.  Combine butter and milk and add the yeast to the milk mixture until well mixed. Add the egg.
Add sugar and salt then slowly add flour until soft bread dough consistency.  Knead for about 5-10 minutes by hand or about 2 minutes by machine.  Let the dough rise until doubled.

Filling:

• melted butter (to make cinnamon/sugar mixture stick)
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 4 tsp. cinnamon

Once dough has doubled in size, roll out into two rectangles. Butter dough and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. 

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  And no, you don’t have to let the dough rise a second time.  It will rise plenty in the oven.

Butter-cream frosting:

• 1/2 c. butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 c. powdered sugar
• 3-4 tbs. milk

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add milk slowly and mix until smooth consistency.

H’s Birthday Post

It’s been over a month since my little H turned SEVEN years old.  My baby girl… another year older.  Weird! 

I think I say it’s weird every time any of my kids have a birthday.  But Wowsers!  Time sure does fly!  Not really a fan of the flying time thing. 

H celebrated her birthday with a few friends in the neighborhood and some family… those that could make it.  While there were lots of fun things that went on that day including a pinata, presents, and lots of laughing, my very favorite picture is the one below.

Such an H face!  Love those thin little pencil line lips and those bright blue eyes standing out from behind that dark hair.  Sometimes I find it odd that my lightest eyed child has the darkest hair.  I love that combo!  And although you can’t see it in the picture, I also love and adore that little munchkin voice she’s got.  Unless she’s talking like a baby… then it’s not so cute.  But when she’s doing her darndest to use big girl words and talk like a grown up it’s so sweet. 

H, I love you so much!  I hope you continue to grow and prosper both physically and spiritually.  You have so much love to give and so much happiness to share!  Your sweet, loving ways have touched so many around you.  I can see the desire in you to learn more about the gospel and the role it currently plays and will play in the future in your life.  Please hold on to that desire and nurture it.  Seek out only the best of influences in everything you do.  Make great friends who have standards and morals similar to your own, read only the best of uplifting books, and always seek to gain knowledge from great mentors! 

You are such a great example to those of us around you.  We all love you so very much.

Love,

Mom 

Just For Fun… Can’t Believe I’m That Far Behind!!

Umm, yeah… it’s a bad sign when you look back at the pictures on your computer and realize that you forgot not only Father’s Day but your own child’s BIRTHDAY as well.  Not really forgot… just never blogged them.  Let’s not get the two confused.

And those cinnamon rolls I promised… yeah, so, I hope you weren’t holding your breath on those.  ;)  They’re still coming.  Eventually. 

But for now let’s backtrack and take care of some unfinished business.  FATHER’S DAY!  The Birthday post will have to wait… gotta do this chronologically.  I’m weird like that. 

This year we didn’t really buy anything (other than junk food ;)) but we wanted to do something more than just cards and well wishes for Anthony.  I found this idea on Pinterest…… about a billion times.  Seriously, I think I saw hundreds of different versions of this and I just thought it was so stinkin’ cute we had to give it a go.  It didn’t really cost a whole lot.  Just bought the sodas, some candy, nuts, and sunflower seeds.  I already had the scrapbooking supplies so there was no added cost there. 

I had told Anthony a few days before that I was going to get a ‘treat’… SODA!  He requested root beer so off I went.  He had no idea that I needed the bottles for his gift.  Unfortunately, when I went to grab the root beer I realized that the bottles weren’t clear. 

We just couldn’t have that.  So, I bought a different flavor and told him they were out of root beer. 

He was bummed.  So, the next day what does he do?  He goes to store to find that the shelves had been ‘restocked’ with the root beer.  K was with him and tried to convince him not to get them because she knew we still had 3 bottles of red soda at home that needed to be drunk (?).  But, he’s a man…

Men don’t listen to reason  ;)

And so, I forced the kids to share two of the bottles and dumped one down the sink.  Who am I kidding?  I didn’t have to force them.  They would have happily downed the third bottle as well but I just couldn’t bare the thought of that much sugar and red dye in their little bodies. 

That night (the night before Father’s Day) we set to work.  Anthony knew we had a project going on and that he was not allowed upstairs.  He had been banished to the dungeon for the night.  Fortunately for him the ‘dungeon’ is his happy place… there’s a TV, I mean, c’mon! 

This story is getting pretty long.  I know it could have been shorter but remember, this is my journal.  You may not need all the details but I do.  :)

Let’s get to the pictures, shall we?

We had so much fun making this!  And the girls thought writing on the tags was so fun.  Anthony originally took this to work but found that customers were so intrigued by it they wouldn’t leave it alone.  So, three days later it came home again. 

And now, just because I feel the need to share… LOOK AT WHAT B DID TO MY (uh, I mean OUR) COMPUTER!!

Good thing we have a wireless keyboard, eh?

Friday the 13th!

I am not a superstitious person.  Not usually.  But man, oh man!  This past Friday… the 13th, did NOT go my way! 

Actually, I hadn’t even thought about it being Friday the 13th until about noon when I posted this on my facebook wall, “Wow! Barely noon and already we've had our washer overflow, 3 bee stings, and a curtain rod bent and pulled out of the wall. Awesome!”

To which one of my friends replied, “It's a Friday the 13th kinda day!!!! Lol!!!!” 

That’s when it hit me.  No wonder it’s been a crazy day!  And that’s when I decided that I was homebound for the day.  I was NOT about to go anywhere.  Who knows what could have happened! 

So, let me set up the scenario.  All of the above happened within 15 minutes! 

I had just gone downstairs to change the laundry when I noticed the laundry room floor was covered in water.  NICE!  What had happened?  I knew when we acquired the washer from my sister not to turn it to the Super setting.  She warned us that it would overflow.  Other than that, everything worked great.  Then just last week it started acting funny when I put it on the Small setting.  It would just keep washing and rewashing so if I didn’t catch it right after it’s spin cycle it would fill up again and start over. 

Hmm…

The only setting left was Large.  I remember teasing Anthony about it, “Well, once the Large setting stops working I guess we’re sunk!”  And then Friday it happened.  The large setting overflowed the machine!  Luckily, the next day, after a little probing of our good friend Google, we found a youtube video that allowed Anthony to locate and fix the problem.  Only the Large setting works still.  We don’t know what the problem is with the other two settings. 

Anyway, as I was surveying the damage done by our not-so-good-friend, Mr. Washer, when I heard C come in from the backyard. 

He was screaming!  K went up to see what the fuss was all about and brought him down to me saying that she thought he had been stung by a bee.  Sure enough there was sting to both the back of his head and his hand.  Though I think it was a hornet or yellow jacket because there were no stingers in his skin.

The next thing I know B came in screaming, too.  The same scream, which most likely meant another sting.  Yep, on the arm. 

Right now I am going give a little shout out to some of my BESTEST friends in the world… Melaleuca and Lavender! 

We’ve had stings before and done the ice cubes, meat tenderizer, mud… nothing takes the sting away and nothing helps the swelling go down very quickly.  K and A both had stings on the same day several years ago and both were in pain all. day. long! 

I decided to try one drop of Melaleuca on each sting (to prevent infection), followed by one drop of Lavender (to take the burning/stinging/itching sensation away).  The boys were ready for play within seconds…. literally. 

No sooner had I done that than I look over and they (along with H and A) are playing in the kitchen curtains and have pulled out the rod was bent.  UGH!  Luckily I’m married to a handy man! 

One hour later, this is what the stings looked like! 

C wouldn’t let me take a pic so I had to sneak that one in.  For a minute I thought I had taken a pic of the wrong hand but it’s not!  B just had a red dot but no swelling.

Luckily, the rest of the day went pretty well!  And no, we didn’t end up going anywhere.  I was scared, I admit it. 

 

Life’s Not Fair

I had a battle within myself about posting this.  On one hand I know there are people out there who will judge Anthony and me and therefore my children as well.  We’ve experienced it… not fun!  **Don’t post it!**

And on the other hand, I know that we are not the only ones going through a rough time needing encouragement and support.  **Post it!**

Since I pride myself on being forthright and honest on my blog I decided that I would post it.  Sure we have sunshine, rainbows, and butterflies much of the time but life isn’t just happy, sunny times.  Opposition in all things!  And right now I’m feeling discouraged and sad. 

I may lose readers over this and that’s ok.  For those that I can resonate with, that’s what I want.  I want people to know that Anthony and I are human.  We have rough times just like everyone else.  We battle our own demons and have to find ways to come out on top.  We always do but man, it’s not always easy!

So, right up front I would like to let you know that I know how blessed we are.  With almost 6 kids it would be nearly impossible for me not to acknowledge the fact that we have little blessings all around us.  I can’t imagine my life without a single one of my littles!  Yes, we are blessed beyond measure to live in the neighborhood we live in.  To have the church leaders that we have.  To have made the friends we have made.  And there are so many more blessings which we enjoy. 

However,….

Life just isn’t fair!! 

I look around me and I see people thriving in this horrible economy.  And then I ask myself, why aren’t we?  Why must we struggle through this?  Why is it so hard to get food on the table and eat the way we want to?  Why must we downgrade our food supply to processed crap that we tried so hard to get rid of?  (Because it’s less expensive, that’s why!)  Why must our washer decide to go out on us when we’re already 2 months behind on our car payment and all the other bills?  Why did the car battery have to die when we’re already behind on everything else?  Why is the dog deathly ill at a time when we can’t afford to take her to the vet?  (She’s lost over 20 pounds and keeps throwing up and having the runs.)  Why were we doing so well just five years ago and now we can’t find a job that will cover all the bills?  Right now we’re just waiting on an answer from our mortgage company about a loan modification.  If they don’t modify the loan we have nowhere to go because both our families are struggling as well.  Why, why, why? 

This is the part where some of you are judging and saying, Why in the world would you be having another baby when you’re already struggling to support the five that you have?  The only answer I have for you is… the prophets and authorities of the church have always said NOT to wait until you’re financially stable to have a family.  If that were the case, we would never have kids at all.  The other answer I have… it just felt right.  We prayed because we knew there was another one waiting to join our family and we received confirmation that now was the time. 

NONE of our kids have come at ‘the right time’.  There is no perfect time to have a child.  There just isn’t.  And yet, somehow, they all come with the blessings and the spirit we need at the time that they come.  Does that make any sense?  They come on the Lord’s time… whatever that may be.

Some people may think that because Anthony never received a college degree that he is less adequate, that somehow that makes him less qualified in the workplace.  We started our family very early in our marriage and it just wasn’t feasible for him to go to school AND try to make a living AND try to raise a family.  He did go to school and completed some courses but never got a degree.  I know many will say, people do it all the time.  And yes, they are right.  But it wasn’t right for our family to do it that way.

He ran his own business for several years and it was very profitable.  Then, down went the economy and so did the business. 

And you know, I know many people that do not have college degrees that are doing very well still!  I also know many people WITH college degrees that are struggling just as much or worse than we are. 

It’s not fair and I don’t have the answers.  All I know is that right now I’m feeling discouraged!  Is this how our life is going to be for the remainder of our time raising these kids?  Will we ever get to take them on the vacation they’ve longed for?  I hate that many families get to go out of town and on fun vacations while we have to tell our kids no.  They ask all the time when we will ever go on a vacation.  The only answer I have for them is, “I don’t know.”  We may never get to go on vacation.  I just don’t know.  It’s not the end of the world if we don’t but man, it sure is hard to see the disappointment on their little faces when we tell them it probably won’t happen for many years. 

The past couple of days have been full of tears on my end.  Yes, the crazy pregnancy hormones are kicking in.  I just don’t understand why it’s all happening.  I know there’s a lesson to be learned and it just gets frustrating not knowing what lesson it is.  Haven’t we learned enough yet?  Will there ever come a day that we can just plan something spontaneous that isn’t FREE?  Even driving somewhere takes planning because we have to decide whether it’s going to be worth the gas $$ it will take to get there and back.  Will we have enough to get through ‘til the next paycheck? 

I don’t write this to make people feel sorry for us.  I want others who might be going through a similar situation to know that they are not alone.  It’s happening all over and to people you may not even realize. 

This is only temporary!  Even if it lasts the whole rest of my life, I know that these worries will not be with me on the other side.  Things will look up for us at some point.  I know it!  There are lessons to be learned.  In the meantime, I’m just trying my darndest to stay positive. 

Was it a mistake to have started spent the money to start as a consultant for Shelf Reliance?  Some may say yes because as soon as I did that, things really started to fall apart.  However, I believe it to be a tool of the adversary.  He’s got me discouraged and wondering if it really was a mistake.  And yet, I know that I got a positive confirmation when I prayed about it.  Have I made any money yet?  No, but it takes time.  I won’t let the adversary win!  I’ve done a couple parties and they’ve gone alright.  Looking forward to doing some more with even more success!  I absolutely believe in the products and I know things are going to work out. 

We’re not asking for a hand out, we just need a BREAK!  Just a little breathing room would be nice.  If you’re feeling the same way, I hear ya! 

I’m sorry for the rant.  Please forgive me.  I’m human and need an out once in a while.  We’ll get back to our regularly scheduled programming in the very next post, I promise.   

      

Liberty Lee

I was asked to be on a book tour by TLC Book Tours to review the book, Liberty Lee’s Tail of Independence. 

It’s about a mouse named Liberty Lee and his point of view in helping with the Declaration of Independence.  When the book first arrived my girls snatched it up right away.  I didn’t even know where it was for a couple of days.  They’re hoarders! 

When I finally did get a hold of it we decided to read it as a family.  I already knew that my girls really liked it.  Their favorite part?  Searching for the eagle in each illustration.  Kind of like a Where’s Waldo.  That was fun. 

The boys weren’t really too interested.  It’s more for the 5-10 year old range if you ask me.  Of course I can’t get the boys to focus on much of anything… including books geared to their ages. 

I asked the girls what they liked about it and their responses ranged from the facts, finding the eagle, and the poetry feel to the text.  I think that’s what I liked as well.  Poetry is just fun to read.  Love the rhythm!  Anthony really liked the fact that kids are learning something and that it’s done in a fun way.  We did have to explain to H that although the main idea of the story itself is real and that those things really happened, the part about the mouse is fictional.  Thomas Jefferson didn’t really have a mouse sidekick.  ;)

In the back of the book is a section for teachers and parents.  Short descriptions of the different battles and things that lead up to the American Revolution.  Even I learned new things! 

All in all I think this book is a keeper.  I don’t know that my kids will asking for it to be read to them every day but it’s definitely worth revisiting from time to time. 

Recommended?  Yes! 

Thanks, TLC, for having me on your tour.  We enjoyed it and hope to do more in the future!

Why We Found Out…

Anthony and I were so determined to be surprised with this baby.  We’ve found out with all our other kids what they were at the 20 week ultrasound.  This time we figured we’ve got all the stuff for either one so it really doesn’t matter. 

Ok, I admit to wanting to have a baby girl.  My boys are great fun, don’t get me wrong but have you seen all the darling girl stuff there is for babies these days?  When I had my first three, the trend was little, skinny headbands with little tiny bows or flowers.  So cute but now it’s the gigantic flowers the size of the baby’s head!  I LOVE IT!  I so want to dress a baby girl again.  Anthony was positive this was a girl!

I won’t go into too much detail as this is really not my story to tell.  Anthony had a dream one night about a baby (this was just after B was born) and it was a girl.  She called him Daddy and so we knew there was another baby waiting to join our family.  He’s been talking to the baby since we first found out and asking how his little princess is doing. 

I wasn’t so sure it was a princess.  I’m always wrong so I thought, if I think ‘boy’ it’ll be a girl!  Right? 

Now, let me paint the picture…

- Anthony is the ONLY boy out of EIGHT kids!  And he didn’t come along until #6.

- I have one sister and one brother.

- After having three girls in a row, we thought it was pretty amazing that we could have a boy, C, with #4.

- Then B came along and we knew it was a fluke/miracle! 

And now I’ll tell you why we found out. 

Anthony was unable to go with me to the ultrasound this time.  First time ever which would inevitably mean that there would be something wrong and I would have to learn about it all by myself with no one there to dry my tears, right?  That’s what I thought.  I was genuinely worried.  But K wanted to come.  Then I worried that she would have to hear about it with me and not know how to console her uncontrollably sobbing mother. 

**Thankfully nothing is wrong.  All the worry was for naught.**

So, we told the u/s tech that we didn’t want to know the sex of the baby.  She told us to look away while she found out the gender first.  Once she determined the baby’s gender and wrote it on piece of paper (for my mother who insisted on knowing… silly mom) she told us we could look.  She was about to snap the pic of the top of the baby’s head to measure it and baby did a flip.  At that point, I saw!  There was no denying it… she grimaced, hoping I wasn’t able to determine what I had just seen. 

Um, yeah, with 5 kids already under my belt… I’m pretty good at knowing the parts of a baby via ultrasound.

I mentioned that I had seen and said, “Oh, it’s a boy, huh?”  She apologized profusely.

And I know it’s awfully selfish of me to say that I was ever so slightly disappointed… but only for half a second.  Where was the little girl from the dream?  Does that mean I’m supposed to go for number seven? 

Then it hit me how fun and exciting it would be to have three of each.  WOW!  I am blessed beyond measure.  We may not be rich in the world’s eyes but I am filthy rich in blessings!  Each new child that has joined our family has brought more blessings with them.  

After that, our new baby BOY was determined to show himself off time and time again.  He would not sit still for anything.  The tech said, “I’ve never dealt with a baby so determined to show himself off.  He’s naughty already!”

Indeed, he is.  ;)  There was no way I could have not found out unless I had not watched the whole thing.  But that’s no fun!

**The pic above is one of my favorites.  I can’t decide if he’s telling us he’s number 1 or if he’s confused about which finger to use when flipping us off for thinking he was a girl.  Hmm… Or maybe, just maybe he thinks WE’RE #1.  Eh?**

At one point I asked the lady if they did 3d ultrasounds.  I’ve always wanted one but never had one. 

THEY DID!  But she warned me at only 19 1/2 weeks the baby would look… alien-ish.  They don’t have enough meat on their bones to look good yet.  30 weeks was the best time.  But she obliged and let me see my baby in 3d.

YIKES!  She was right!

But we were able to get a couple of not so scary shots.  Maybe?  Ok, still a little… different.

Anthony’s reaction was the best.  When I called him to tell him I knew he asked why I found out.  I told him, “It’s kind of hard not to when your SON likes to show himself off!'”

His exact words were, “WHAT!?  Are you freakin’ kiddin’ me?”

I think he was sick of his dad calling him a princess.  He was going to let us know that indeed, he is NOT a princess!

Hooray for a new baby boy!!

 

We’re having a….

BABY!!

Remember me saying that we weren’t going to find out what we are having this time?  Yeah, well, I lied.  We know what it is.  More on that later but first I want to know what YOUR guess is.

Are we having a boy or a girl? 

Mom, Kortney, and other family members and friends on facebook…. you know I love you but you’re not allowed to guess.

Blintz with Blueberry Sauce

I promised this recipe a while back and have yet to actually post it.  I’m awesome!  But I got a comment from a friend requesting it soon because she is going to be acquiring some blueberries in the very near future and wanted to try this out. 

So, LeShel, thanks for the kick start.  I needed it! 

I watched Ina Garten make this on TV and knew that I had to try it.  My very favorite breakfast item on the Village Inn Menu is blintzes.  But what turned me on to this particular recipe is that I didn’t have to make a ton of crepes and roll them all up with the cheesy stuff inside.  Instead, it’s all made in one 13x9 baking dish.  LoVe it!  So easy.  I adapted it slightly because I didn’t have extra large eggs and I also used frozen blueberries.  My whole family loved them!

Batter:

• 1 1/4 c. milk
• 2 T. sour cream
• 4 T. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/3 c. flour
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 T. baking powder

 

Filling:

• 3 c. (24 ounces) ricotta cheese
• 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• zest of one lemon
• 2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. salt
• Fresh Blueberry Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray or butter a 13x9 baking dish.

For the batter, mix all ingredients in large bowl (you can use a food processor or a blender if you prefer).  Only pour half the batter into the prepared dish and bake for 10 minutes or until set.

Meanwhile, whisk the ricotta, mascarpone, eggs, and sugar in a large bowl.  Add the rest of the filling ingredients and gently spread the cheese filling over the baked pancake.

Using the back of a large spoon, slowly pour the rest of the pancake batter over the filling keeping the spoon as close as possible.  Spread as evenly as possible. 

Bake for another 35 to 40 minutes, the top should be lightly golden and the filling almost set. Allow to stand 10-15 minutes before cutting into squares. 

Blueberry Sauce:

• 3/4 c. orange juice
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 1 T. cornstarch
• 4 c. (give or take) fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1 T. lemon juice

Bring first three ingredients to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Once mixture is thickened, stir in the blueberries and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.  A few berries might burst but most will be whole. Stir in the lemon zest and juice.  Serve over blintzes! 

Recipe Source:  Slightly adapted from The Barefoot Contessa 

Why Essential Oils?

Disclaimer:  I highly recommend you use doTERRA essential oils whether you buy them through me or not.  Why?  Because they have the highest standards in the industry.  You will always get the best quality… no fillers, no weeds, no pesticides, completely organic.  DoTERRA uses 3rd party testing to ensure the quality of their oils. 

I just have to let you know up front that I am NOT against doctors or modern medicine in any way!  However, I believe that we (especially Americans) have this idea that modern medicine is the answer to everything and that there is no other way. 

Ever noticed the long list of side effects listed in pharmaceutical commercials?  Liver damage, numbness, blood clots, kidney failure, vision damage, hearing loss, etc.  Some even include DEATH!  Umm, no thanks! 

I absolutely believe that God put certain plants and herbs here on this earth for our use.  In fact, the scriptures even say so.  And what did the wise men bring to Jesus?  Frankincense and Myrrh (and gold of course ;))!  So they’ve got to be of great value.  You wouldn’t bring the Savior a twig.  I mean, really. 

And yes, like many of you I was a huge skeptic at first.  I thought they were silly and nonsensical.  But I’ve changed my tune.  They’ve proven themselves to me time and time again.  Do I still use and need doctors?  Absolutely!  Do we still take over the counter medications and prescriptions when needed?  Absolutely!  But I have found that we need the doctors and meds less often with the use of essential oils.  Most of our mini- ‘medical emergencies’ can be taken care of at home.  We have treated everything from pink eye, fevers, aches/pains,

and ear infections to common colds and flu.  The cost is much less than going in for a doctor visit every time (often to just have them tell me it’s a virus and I just need to let it ‘run it’s course’) or buying over the counter meds for every little thing. 

That’s another thing.  Most meds are unable to treat viruses because the virus lives inside your cells.  Essential oils are small enough in molecular structure that they can actually penetrate the cell and fight the virus.  How amazing is that?  LOVE IT! 

Now, as I mentioned before, modern medicine certainly has it’s place.  In fact, I would not be having baby #6 without it… LOVE me some epidural!  And there is no oil in the whole wide world that is going to put a broken bone back together.  There are also plenty of diseases and ailments out there that require medicinal intervention.  But I also know that there are oils to help aid in the healing process and with regulation of those ailments.  For example, certain oils have been known to help regulate blood sugar in diabetics.  Some help to lower cholesterol and blood pressure.  And I even know of some people who no longer need an inhaler for their asthma.  They are able to instead use an oil called ‘Breathe’.

There are even options for ADD and ADHD which I am so excited about because I am 99.99% sure that C has ADHD.  He hasn’t ever been officially diagnosed (too young) but we’ve had several people agree with our opinion.  People that have kids who have been diagnosed.  All I know is that if something natural can help him I’m all for it over the medications. 

I think it’s nothing short of miraculous!  Nature has it’s healing properties and I believe we should use them when we can.

Certainly I am no expert but if you have any questions about essential oils or how to use them please feel free to contact me.  If I don’t know the answer right away I promise to do my best to find out.  Also, visit my website! 

Want to know how you can get your oils at significant discounts or FREE?  Contact me for more info.