summer salads and songs

You may or may not know this about me but... I'm kind of a health nut.  So while I sit here and drink my milkshake after a dinner of pasta and cheesy bread sticks and wonder why I gained 2 pounds this week,  I'll share with you some awesome salads I've found, tried, and loved.  You will probably notice that they are all from two of my favorite ladies in the world of the wide webz.

Mom! Mom! Mom!

Last weekend my Mom came to visit, and we had a great time.

First stop (after picking her up from the airport) was Sam's Club.  Tim and I don't have a membership to Sam's or Costco, so I was wanting to check out the prices on a few things and see if it was worth it.  While they have lower prices on some things, I think it we would just end up buying a lot more stuff that we don't need.

Apple Week: The Finale

There is one more recipe that I feel I need to share with you.  I first had it when my coworker, Char brought it in to work.  Pioneer Woman posted it, so I will just direct you over to her versions.

Apple Week: Apple Fritters and Donuts

"Some people say football is a matter of life and death.  I assure them its much more serious than that." - Bill Shankly*

When my family moved to a smaller school district the summer before I was in 4th grade, my parents started taking us to the high school football games.  Before this, I didn't even know that there were such things as weekly high school games, much less that we could go to them.  

Apple Week: Apple Panekooken

I am so, so excited to have my second guest post here on Dinkin' Around.  Anne is such a good friend, and she really understands me.  At least most of the time :)  For example, she saw a big eraser in a purple case at the store and thought of me, so she got it.  And she knew I would be super-excited, even though it is just a little thing.  And then she knew I wanted to give her a hug when she gave it to me.  And she wrapped it in sparkly red wrapping paper, just like Christmas! 

Apple Week: Apple Cake

This recipe is from my one, true mommy.  I haven't made this one in awhile, but boy is it delicious!

Apple Week: Dutch Apple Pie

One of the bestest wedding shower gifts I received was given to me by our family's "go-to" pie friend.  Mary Ellen Martin makes some of the best pies I have ever tasted!  Her gift was a beautiful pie plate, a rolling pin, this apple pie recipe, and a pie baking lesson.  Having a pie baking lesson was the perfect "just for fun" activity to give me a break the week before my wedding.

Apple Week: Apple Crisp

This recipe is from a cookbook I have called More With Less.  The premise of the cookbook is that we should be good stewards of ALL the resources God has given us, and that we should take that into account when cooking.  The recipes are healthy, nutritious, and filling, as well as very tasty.  It is a great cookbook for people heading overseas because the recipes are flexible so you can use whatever grains and cereals are available.  It is also a great book for frugal cooks that appreciate making foods from scratch (I'm looking at YOU, Rachel).  A few times a year I resolve to use the concepts and recipes in the cookbook more.  I can't say I have made significant progress, but I have made small steps toward eating less processed foods and make a few more things from scratch.  And we eat more beans.  Check out the cookbook for WAY more info on balanced meals and nutrition.

Apple Week!

I don't know about you all, but I had a lot of fun doing raspberry fortnight this summer, so I'm bringing it back this week!  Only its not raspberries, its apples, since its apple season.  Get excited! (and there was much rejoicing...yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay)

Raspberry Fortnight: Raspberry Sauce

Well kids, here it is.  The grand finale!  Of the three recipes I brought into work (individual raspberry cobblers by PW, raspberry buckle by BHG, and this one), my coworkers said this was their favorite. 

Raspberry Fortnight: Raspberry Buckle

I wanted a raspberry coffeecake recipe, and this raspberry buckle by Better Homes and Gardens sounded like a good (and easy) candidate.  What is a buckle?  Based on some quick internet searching, here is a stripped-down description of fruit recipes.

Cobbler: Fruit filling with biscuit topping

Brown Betty: Fruit with buttered bread cubes

Buckle: A coffee cake with fruit and streusel topping

Raspberry Week: Raspberry Cobbler

Add "Raspberry Week" to the list of things in my life that did not go as planned.  I had all of my recipes made by the time I went to bed on Monday night, with the best intentions of posting one each day.  We all know about the best intentions...

Raspberry Week: Individual Raspberry Cobblers

I was looking through PW's recipes to find ways to use my raspberries, and I came across this cute-looking and delicious-sounding recipe.  I thought they would transport well to work, so I whipped up a batch.

Raspberry Week: Smoothies

Sometimes I want a milkshake, but I know I should make a healthier choice.

I have been making the healthier choice a lot the past week.  And guzzling it all down myself :)

Raspberry Week: Raspberry Crisp

As I mentioned in one of my posts yesterday, my mother gave me an extremely generous gift of 2 gallons of raspberries when we stopped by my folks' house a couple of weeks ago.  She work for an agricultural research institution, so they grow raspberries, pick them, weigh them to see what thier yield is, and then are done with them.  My mom helps pick them so that she can get them for free. 

Fruit Dip & Grape Salad

We had a church baptism service today, followed by a potluck picnic.  This is the dish that I brought to share.  It is great for a picnic because it can sit out for awhile without spoiling, makes a large batch, and is even rather kid-friendly.  And delicious.  Did I mention delicious?

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Aaagh!!  I said I would try harder to keep up with blogging and that a new recipe was coming soon, and that was a week ago!  Once again... its been a busy week.  Two sets of company (one overnight, the other just for dinner) and a last-minute trip to the lake.  It's been fun.

Warm Spiced Fruit

This recipe is so simple and so comforting. I tell myself that its healthy, too, because it has fruit in it.  It's great for brunches (think: Christmas!), and even as "sick food"-- it is yummy and feels good to eat when you have a cold.  I definitely would file this recipe as "something different."