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Absolutely the Best Sugar Cookie Frosting!
Making sugar cookies is a tried and true holiday tradition for our family. My Dad flew in yesterday to spend the next three weeks with us and to welcome him my daughter and I made a batch of sugar cookies. This sugar cookie frosting recipe is so delicious and simple and has been our go to for many years. We also branched out and tried something new this time – we made peppermint frosting which we would highly recommend! This recipe makes enough frosting for ~24 sugar cookies. Ingredients: Step One: In a medium bowl add the softened cream cheese, soft butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Using an electric mixer…
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Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Homemade Garlic Cheese Biscuits
Snowy weather has moved into the Pacific Northwest which makes me want to eat something warm and comforting for dinner. This has been a trusted recipe in our house for several years and I think you’ll really love it too. If you want to splurge, serve this soup in a bread bowl and forego the biscuits. Serves 4-6. Let’s start with the soup first…. Ingredients: Step One: In a large stock pot sauté the onion in the olive oil, ~4 minutes until nice and golden. Add garlic, stir for ~1 minute. Add in the broccoli florets and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of chicken broth and simmer…
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Kelly’s Homemade Classic Caramel Sauce
This is my Mom’s recipe and she shared it with me in 2013 – we have made it together many times. In our cheesecake making days we would use this sauce on our Caramel Turtle cheesecake, our bestseller! This is another wonderful option for host/hostess gifts during the holidays or to share with friends and family throughout the year. If gifting, I like to put the caramel sauce in 4 oz. jars with gold lids (this recipe will make 12 4oz. jars). Makes 1 1/2 quarts. Ingredients: Step One: In a large saucepan combine the heavy whipping cream, sugar, and dark Karo syrup and mix well. Using a candy thermometer…
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I Am Grateful Activities: Thanksgiving 2022
A dear friend gave me a gratitude journal in late 2020 and I recently came across it while going through my book closet. It was fun to look back at what I wrote down in the journal and to be reminded of some of the things I was focusing my attention on at that time. The journal starts with 6 questions that I’d highly recommend you take the time to do – perhaps it can be a Thanksgiving activity at your dining room table this year. If you feel comfortable, share your gratitude with those that you are with today. Gratitude has the power to change your perspective and it…
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Planting Thanksgiving Tulips in 2022
Every November I plant tulip bulbs in honor of my Mom. My Dad, brothers, and I did this just a few days after she passed away (check out my Living Lessons: Tulips post) and now it’s one of my favorite annual traditions. This year I took this tradition to a whole new level and planted 650 bulbs in my garden and surrounding our home! Planting each one brought me so much joy and I absolutely cannot wait to share photos with all of you in Spring 2023! Here is what I planted in the garden and around our property this year; Tulips represent “perfect and deep love” and are given…
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October Bountiful Garden Harvest: 2022
As my Dad and brothers harvest the Iowa sweet corn and soybeans I am harvesting my own crop here on the island in our garden. This year I experimented with my very first cut flower garden (4 out of 6 beds) and then planted strawberries, raspberries, and tomatoes (2 out of 6 beds). I had some serious competition with the snails and slugs and lost quite a few crops to them but it was still a bountiful harvest. The cut flower garden is still producing beautiful blooms – here are some photos showing the flowers that are currently in the garden. I had to completely replant the garden in early…
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Honoring my Mom at our Family Rehearsal Dinner Celebration
Last weekend my younger brother Ryan got married! It was a beautiful weekend filled with love and celebration and some bittersweet feelings of wishing my Mom was there to celebrate with us. I had to actively remind myself that the weekend was a celebration of love and new beginnings, not a time to wallow in sadness and focus only on the one person who we wished was there. I had the honor to share some of my Mom’s life guidance at the rehearsal dinner and then share some thoughts as part of the wedding ceremony. It’s not only guidance for newlyweds, but all around solid life advice that I lean…
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Ellen’s Scrumptious Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Many of us have a bounty of harvest coming from our gardens and my friends always have extra zucchini to share. This is my grandmother’s recipe to help use up some of those homegrown zucchini’s this year! Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups flour 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa (I like to use Trader Joe’s) 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup softened butter 2 eggs 2 teaspoons orange juice 2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 cup milk 2 1/2 – 3 cups of grated zucchini Powdered sugar Step One: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Step Two: Blend all…
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JB’s Homemade Sweet Summer BBQ Sauce
My Mom would call my Dad, JB, short for John Bradley. This recipe actually came from one of my Mom’s college roommates but I always remember my Dad making this sauce when I was a kid. Several years ago I asked him for the recipe – he just laughed and said it was “by look“. We took some guesses at measurements and I think this version captures it perfectly. We like to use this on grilled chicken in the summer (with fresh sweet corn on the side of course!), in place of ketchup if we make homemade turkey sloppy joe’s, or on one of our favorite homemade pizzas, BBQ chicken.…
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Coconut Strawberry Smoothie
It has been hot in the Pacific Northwest this summer and having a cold smoothie for breakfast or as a mid-afternoon snack has been a real treat. The real perk is that this is a guilt free smoothie made with just a few ingredients. Ingredients: 1 cup of coconut beverage, vanilla flavor (we like Trader Joe’s – it is soy and dairy free and 90 calories per cup) 6-8 medium frozen strawberries 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional) 1 tablespoon honey Step One: Put all of the ingredients into a blender or NutriBullet and blend until smooth. Step Two: Enjoy!
