labor day fun: playing, bouncing, swimming, & eating

First of all, did you know you can freeze caprisuns?

I never knew. I take them outside while the kids play and when it's time for a snack and cool down they become like a refreshing slushy of yummy goodness. Genius! They also make a great supplement for ice in your cooler for a picnic lunch. Life changing! Seriously. If you were like me and didn't know, your welcome :)

Secondly, I just want to mention that I'm not a recipe creator but rather a recipe follower. By that I mean, I don't usually create original recipes but I can follow directions really well. I want 'heart of our home' to be a place where I can share my favorite recipes and the memories I have attached to each one. I like to adjust recipes, here and there, to better fit my family and our taste buds. But to be clear, nearly every recipe I post comes from a different source (which, or course, I will reference). 

Now to the best part and the reason for this post... Food and Labor Day. This Labor Day we're finishing up a massive garage sale we had over the weekend. My husband blew up the bounce house and our kiddy pool so the kids could play while we finished sorting and selling. Not my favorite way to spend a holiday weekend, however, I am making one of our favorite meals tonight. Mini-burgers! It's the perfect way to say good-bye to summer and hello to a new season.  We love grilling but sadly our grill broke several months ago. I found  a recipe by The Pioneer Woman  where she cooks her hamburgers in the oven. Brilliant! I started cooking them this way and never looked back. I slightly modified her original recipe, but both are equally delicious. 

Bennett's motto: will work for food. 
Noah's motto: smell everything first (just like daddy) 

Oven Mini-Burgers

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef

2 TB heavy whipping cream

2 TB Worcestershire sauce (less if you prefer)

1 TB of Lawry's Season Salt 

1 Pkg of center cut bacon

kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

8 whole dinner (or slider) rolls, split/ ( hawaiian rolls are especially yummy but any kind of hamburger or roll will be perfect. You can even substitute lettuce for a bun, if that's your thing.  I prefer good old fashion carbs.)

Preparation:

• Mix the ground beef, heavy cream, Worcestershire, season salt, kosher salt and some pepper in a bowl.
• Use your hands to thoroughly mix the ingredients.
• Form into small-to-medium sized balls 
• Cut slices of bacon in half lengthwise
• Wrap one half around hamburger, pulling slightly to keep the bacon tight
• Repeat with the other half of the bacon
• Place patties, bacon seam side down, on a baking pan with a drip tray sprayed with nonstick cooking spray
• Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes until firm
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Bake for 35-45 mins ( I tend to cook for closer to an hour because I like my bacon a little crisp and my meat well done)
• Remove from oven and add your favorite hamburger topping/condiments

You may never cook hamburgers on the grill again. I'm also making my Aunt VIcki's delicious broccoli salad. It was one of the handful of things I knew how to make when I got married. So we ate it alot. Like a lot. Good thing it's so tasty. 

Broccoli Salad

1/2 package shredded broccoli and carrots (I use the broccoli and carrot slaw in a bag)

fresh broccoli spears but in bite size pieces (2 cups)

1/2 cup cooked bacon- chopped in bite size pieces (I go pretty heavy on the bacon. I use more like a cup to a cup and a half)

3/4 raisins

1/2 sunflower seeds

coleslaw dressing to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Mix together and enjoy! 

Have I mentioned that I love original recipes? 
Even if it's printed from my computer over ten years ago. 
What are you eating this Holiday weekend?

celebrating dads & a new school year

The first week of school is officially over! My heart has been especially tender for the mamas, who like myself, have our oldest kiddos starting school for the first time this year. I've been praying so much for the teachers as well as the children in our community. Last week, I shared a little 'homeschool in-service' post and mentioned a few of my favorite resources we'll be using this school year at home. Wild + Free is one of my favorites and the August bundle is all about celebrating dads and their influence on our children's education. 

Our first unit of study focuses on family and our community. Continuing with the theme of honoring dads, I wanted to share a list the kids made about their daddy.  It's always fun to see things from their perspective. "We love our daddy because…"

• he loves us
• he built us a playground
• he gives us baths and vitamins 
• he has to put his ears on everyday
• he watches any movie we want to watch 
• he takes a nap while mommy goes to the store
• he takes us to the farm and we ride tractors and horses
• he makes the best cereal ever
• he works a lot 
• he has lots of patience (meaning physical therapy patients)
• he fixes old people and checks their hearts
• he helps us reach tall things
• he is very silly
• he says yes when mommy says no
• we love his "boogers" (hamburgers)
• he is very smart because mommy said he went to school for a long, long, long time
• he makes us laugh 
• he has hair on his toes 
• made us a snowman 
• he takes four baths everyday
• he laughs funny
• he kisses mommy a lot
• he pushes us on the swing 
• he loves to eat pizza  
• he kills all the bugs in our house
• he tell us funny stories 
• he doesn't like it when we make a mess 
• he drinks lots of coffee all day long
• he wrestles with us on the floor when he gets home from work
• he cuts his own hair
• he plays Lego's and trains with us
• he works out of his car
• he teaches us how to draw animals
• he sneezes really loud
• he wears his pajamas to work (aka scrubs)
• he fixes the toilet when we put too much paper in it

In honor of a new school year I wanted to share my favorite go to recipe. Ten years ago, I was a first year teacher and newlywed all at the same time. In fact, I started teaching the very next week after Will and I got back from our honeymoon. Needless to say, I had little time to spend in the kitchen so I use to make taco soup at least three times a week. Thankfully, my recipe repertoire has expanded a bit since but it's still my favorite go to recipe. I've added a few things here and there and we eat it a variety of different ways, but this is the original recipe. Still today, whenever I make taco soup I think about being newlyweds and a first year teacher, when we had way more free time and a lot more sleep. 

Transitioning from summer into a new school year is exhausting and slightly overwhelming. What's your favorite go to recipe? 

friendship & pasta, my favorite combination

My friend Amanda is one of those gifts God gives you at just the right time. We met through Community Bible Study and served on the leadership team together. We both have very small children and were equally desperate for adult conversation. So much so, we taught our kids how to have a play date. Seriously. We have six kids between us, the oldest being five, so you can imagine there was less playing and more clinging. Our kids literally hung all over us while we tried to have a decent conversation. We were constantly being interrupted with... "I'm thirsty, I'm hungry, I'm tired, "I need to go to the bathroom (every two minutes), he's not sharing, she hit me"…on and on.  I'm pretty sure neither one of us had any idea what we were ever talking about, but we didn't care. We were thrilled to be talking about something other than dirty diapers, baby spit up and toddler talk for more than twenty minutes. When our kids finally got the hang of playing together, there was less clinging and more talking between friends. Knowing full well that their "quiet playing" was highly suspicious. Thankfully, no one was ever injured but there was a lot of climbing on furniture, our houses littered with every garment of dress up clothing and a Mount Everest size mess of toys and clutter. There was a baby powder explosion and probably toilet water involved at one point. All of which didn't bother us because we got to talk, laugh and enjoy each other's company, if not for a few moments. The mess could wait.

Amanda is the kind of friend who can show up at your house and you don't feel embarrassed that it looks like a hurricane ran through it and you have to move dirty clothes from the couch just to have a place to sit down. We speak the same language, food, movies and a bit of sarcasm. We can laugh at ourselves and our children and don't feel like we have to impress each other. We can just be ourselves which is so refreshing and sometimes rare in friendships. Amanda is thoughtful and compassionate. A friend who brings you meals time and time again, lets you borrow her nursing tops, takes your daughter to dance every Monday, gives up a quiet evening to spend time with you and your crazy kids, and comes to your house to help you load up all your little people just to go to the library together. She's funny and caring, thoughtful and generous. Her husband is a pastor, but as she'll admit herself, doesn't fit the typical "pastor's wife" persona, and that's my favorite thing about her. She has a fierce love for Jesus and His people. The beauty in that is Amanda loves and accepts you just as you are. To me, that's more important than looking the part. She's beautiful inside and out and couldn't have a more precious family. 

Amanda and her family recently moved and our hearts are heavy.  We're excited to see how the Lord will use them in their new community and grateful for the impact they had in ours. If you live in or near Athens, Texas I pray you have the opportunity to meet Amanda. She's a true treasure and you'd be lucky to call her a friend. 

Amanda shares lots of yummy recipes with me. So in honor of my friend who I miss dearly, I'm sharing one of my favorite 'Amanda recipes'. I'm not sure its original source or official name, but I've always lovingly called it "Amanda's Amazing Pasta". It's super simple and delicious. And like Amanda would say, it multiplies in your fridge. Meaning it makes a lot and you can eat it for several days. Very kid friendly and one of my favorite things to make. 

Amanda's Amazing Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti, broken in half

16 ounce bottle Italian dressing

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon sesame seeds 

1 tablespoon poppy seed

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 medium cucumber, diced

1 medium red onion, diced

2 medium tomatoes , diced

parsley sprigs

Instructions:

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain well. Transfer to a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together Italian dressing, cheese, seeds, seasoned salt, paprika, garlic powder and peppers until well blended. Stir in cucumber and onion.

love & lasagna

Most every special occasion growing up was marked with my mom's delicious lasagna.  Lasagna is a labor of love. I remember my mom speeding most the day in the kitchen carefully simmering the marina sauce from scratch. The tedious task of boiling noodles to tender perfection all while trying not to tear or break a single one. Blending together three luxurious cheeses and then finally laying everything in perfect proportion. I loved the way the smell filled our home and we could barely wait to taste the ooey-gooey goodness.  

Lasagna is my love language. My mom's recipe is still my favorite of all time. But now that I'm a mama of four littles it's simply not possible for me to be in the kitchen all day for a single meal.  So I've come up with a 'cliff note' version of this classic dish.  Easy. Simple. Delicious. That's my kind of meal. 

Easy-Peasy Lasagna 

Side note: I'm so thankful for the Pioneer Woman. 
Honestly how did we ever make recipes without pictures?

Ingredients

1 to 1 1/2  lbs of ground beef

1 (24oz) jar of marina pasta sauce 

1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese

4-8 slices of provolone cheese 

1 cup whipping cream

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

I box of over ready pasta noodles 

1 box (or at lease 12) oven ready (or no-boil) lasagna noodles

1 (16oz) package shredded mozzarella cheese or Italian blend cheese 

1 heaping handful of fresh parmesan cheese (optional)

*NOTE: If you plan to freeze this lasagna you will have to buy regular lasagna noodles & boil them. Oven baked noodles will NOT work for freezing. 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook ground beef in a dutch oven or skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. While the meat is cooking I add a little bit of salt, pepper, and Lawry's seasoned salt. I like to add layers of flavor as I cook. Be careful not to over season. Break up the ground beef into pieces while cooking.  Drain; return to pan.  

2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in marina sauce; cook, stirring often, 5-10 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, whipping cream, and eggs until smooth. 

*If you get the exact quantities for these ingredients your kids can literally poor everything into a bowl and you don't have to measure a single thing. Also less dishes.

4. Spoon in a little less than half of the sauce mixture into a lightly greased 13- by 9-inch baking dish, making sure the sauce coats the bottom of the baking dish evenly 

5. Top with 4 lasagna noodles in a singe layer 

6. Top with half of ricotta cheese mixture

7. Top with one single layer of provolone cheese 

8. Top with one-third of shredded mozzarella cheese

9. Add the remaining meat sauce mixture

10. Repeat steps 5-8

11. Sprinkle the top with a little bit of fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)

12. Cover with aluminum foil. *lightly spray the foil with cooking spray & the cheese won't stick to the foil. 

13. Bake for 45 minutes covered. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Let stand for 20 minutes before serving. 

*Make ahead recipes are my favorite, so here's what to do: Assemble lasagna, including covering with foil, and chill for up to two days before baking. Simply add 20-30 minutes to the cooking time.

I'm so thankful my kids LOVE cooking with me. Here are my adorable little sous-chiefs... 

(my 1960's kitchen doesn't have great lighting so I had to switch to b & w. 

I know inquiring minds were wanting to know. Good thing my babies look good in color and b&w :)

and the final product right before baking...

Heavenly perfection every time!

I'm including my mom's delicious lasagna recipe. I love original handwritten recipes.  I think the "I use a lot of cheese" is the reason it's so good. And of course because it's made with so much love. 

Thanks to my Mama for sharing her recipe

Do you have a "cliff note' version of a classic recipe you love? 

I'd love for you to share by leaving a comment below.