21st Century Bartering & Family Photos

Back in the old days people would trade services for services; you couldn't always expect to get cash payments for work you performed.  Doctors would treat their patients and sometimes receive chickens, eggs, or even produce in return.  Many parts of the world still function with systems like this, but the USA generally works on money for services rendered.  I'm here to tell you, though, that you can still try the bartering system!  Here's how it recently worked for me:

My friend, Callie, photographer of Achor & Eden, master mind of The Not Wedding, has wowed me with her photography and business skills ever since I met her in 2009.  For the past three years she has taken pictures of my kiddos on several occasions; never for payment.  These are some of my favorite ones she's taken:

Enter me, the SAHM, non-business-woman-with-no-official-services-to-offer.  But, I do like to cook and bake.  So, what did we trade?  Awesome pictures for food {that I hope is awesome}.  You see, Callie is about to give birth to their second daughter, and we all know that having a newborn baby often means less time to prepare meals.  So, over the past two weeks I've been making meals for Callie and her family to put in the freezer; when Baby Girl #2 is born, they'll be set for about a week.

Some of the foods I made {click on the highlighted ones to find the recipe}:
Beef Stew
Baked Ziti
BBQ Pork
Sweet Potato Casserole
Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
BBQ Meatballs
Twice Baked Potatoes
Corn Muffins
Banana Zucchini Bread
Beef Burritos

I tried to make meals that would freeze easily and that would suffice for an entire meal {aka casseroles}.  

And, what did I receive in return?  These awesome pictures of our family.  These were taken back in May, when Mason was just 5 weeks old, but I. love. them.  One of my favorite parts about these photos is that we took them in our yard, mostly in front of our garden.

Thanks, Callie!

What could you possibly trade with a friend?  

All photos courtesy of Achor & Eden

Zoo Day

Over the weekend we had the opportunity to attend the Ordination service for a good friend of ours in Charlotte, NC.  He just completed his studies at RTS {Reformed Theological Seminary}, and has been given the position of Assistant Pastor at a church plant in South Charlotte. We were thrilled to rejoice with him and his family as they celebrated the awesome journey the Lord has taken them on these past 4 years.

The service was Sunday night and we had planned to just drive all the way home after the service, but at the last minute we decided to get a hotel halfway to home, and take the kids to the Zoo the next day.  They've only ever been to the San Diego Zoo, and that was when they were too little to remember, so this was a first time experience for them.  We had a blast!  Yes, it was a hot day to be walking around the Zoo, but we are so glad we went.  Enjoy some pictures from our time!

Pan Fried Parmesan Zucchini

Zucchini was coming in faster than I could keep up with it a few weeks ago, so we were trying all kinds of different recipes.  I love zucchini and onions, cooked in a little butter with some salt and pepper, but I can only eat that so many times before I get a bit tired of it.  Thankfully, Sherri, has some great zucchini recipes on her blog.  I made this cake {which is DELICIOUS} and this bread from her collection.  I shredded and froze tons of zucchini for future baking throughout the year.  And, I made Zucchini Cornbread, which was also good.

One night, though, Bradley suggested that I fry up some zucchini, similar to how I make my Fried Okra.  I wanted to use bread crumbs for the coating, but didn't have any, or any crackers, so I opted for pretzels.  Let me just tell you that these were. so. good.  Unfortunately, I didn't really measure all of the ingredients--that's what is fun about cooking, but frustrating when you try to blog about it. Ha!    But, my little tip for you is to try crushing up different things to use as coatings for frying foods.  You could try goldfish crackers, cheese doodles, potato chips, tortilla chips--pretty much anything that will be fried will work.

If you have some zucchini lying around, you'll want to give this one a try.

Pan Fried Parmesan Zucchini
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup crushed pretzels {chopped up in the food processor}
1/2 - 1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs, beaten
1 large zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick
oil for frying

In a small bowl, combine the flour, pretzels, garlic salt and Parmesan cheese.  In a separate bowl, place the eggs.  Heat enough oil over high heat to cover the pan 1/2-inch deep.  Dip zucchini slices in egg to coat, then in the pretzel/cheese mixture to cover.  Keep as much coating on as possible and transfer to the hot oil.  Repeat until the pan is full, and turn heat down to medium-high.  Cook until golden brown on both sides, only turning once.  Drain on paper towel lined plate and serve.

I didn't make any, but as we were eating these, we realized they would be pretty tasty with a remoulade type sauce.  

To Lengthen or Not to Lengthen

Today I just have a simple question for you.  I need some help!  The drapes I made for my dining room last summer are a bit too short, I think.  People have varying opinions on drapery length, so I realize this is ultimately a matter of opinion.  However, I can't decide if I should change these or not.  Should I lengthen them or leave them??

I have some white fabric already that I will use to add material to the bottom, if I go the route of lengthening, so it won't cost me anything, just some time.  I'll need to move the hardware up a few inches above in order to do this.  What do you think?

Thanks for your help!

Making Creamed Corn & the Recipe

Up until about 3 months ago, all of my experiences with Creamed Corn have been out of a can.  The day I came home from the hospital with Mason, though, my friend brought us a delicious home-cooked meal, complete with homemade Creamed Corn.  It was delicious!  My mom, Bradley and I all tried to guess at the ingredients and we just couldn't put our finger on it.   This same friend asked if she could join us for the 4th of July {her husband is currently deployed} and I agreed, so long as she would bring the corn, other necessary ingredients, and teach me how to make Creamed Corn.

Here's how to make this deliciousness!

1. Enlist the help of some friends, because it takes awhile to prepare the corn.

 2. Shuck the corn.

3. Cut the corn off of the cob.  This is where it gets technical.  You only want to cut off the top portion of the kernels; the portion that is arched.  Just trust me on this one.  And, you'll want a really sharp knife.

You should have a pile of pieces that looks something like this after this step:

4. Once the tops are removed, use the sharp slide of the blade and scrape it down the sides of the cob, extracting all of the creamy goodness of the cob.

The cob will look like the picture below once all of the cream is out.

5. Admire all of the creamy goodness that you've worked so hard to achieve.

6. In a large skillet, melt some butter over medium-high heat.

7. Once the butter has melted, add in all of the corn.

8. Cook this for about 15 minutes, until the corn starts bubbling on the edges and looks cooked.

9.  Taste it and add salt and freshly ground pepper, as desired.  Serve it with whatever you want, like our 4th of July feast pictured below.

And, the other end of the table:

There you have it!  Super easy, super tasty, super homemade.

Creamed Corn
20 ears of corn
1 stick butter
salt and pepper to taste

Shuck all ears of corn and pull of silk.  Using a very sharp knife, scrape the arched portions of the kernels into a large baking pan.  Once all of the tops are off, go back over the cob with the sharp blade running along the sides of the ear, extracting the cream from under the kernels.  Repeat with all ears of corn.

In a large skillet, melt butter.  Add corn, with the juices, and cook about 15 minutes, over medium-high heat.  Taste for doneness, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Adjust amounts as necessary.  You can make more or less.  This freezes well, just place what you would serve for a meal into a ziploc bag, remove excess air, seal and freeze.  


source:  the Slaten family

Linking to:

Zucchini Cornbread

Summer is in full swing, which means lots of fresh produce!  I hope you're taking advantage of farmer's markets in your area, your own garden, or if those don't appeal to you, at least look for the produce sales at the grocery store; the in-season produce is usually the best price.  We've been blessed this year with a productive garden, and it's been fun to be creative with how to use all of our vegetables.  I hope to be able to share some great tomato recipes with you soon.  First, I have to learn how to can them; this is on my to-do list for the weekend.  Wish me luck!

Today, though, I have a zucchini recipe for you.  This recipe is one I had pinned almost a year ago, and gave it a try one night with some homemade soup.  It's delicious.  Cornbread has always been a favorite of mine, and this didn't disappoint; there's just a bit of crunch on the edges and a moist texture inside.  Wondering how to get your kids to eat more veggies?  Just throw some zucchini into bread or cake and they will most likely eat it without even knowing.  My girls drizzled honey over theirs and devoured it. The original recipe {cited below} also included wheat flour, but I thought it was fine without.

Zucchini Cornbread
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large zucchini, shredded {equaling about 2 cups}
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup cornmeal

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Cook until butter on the bottom of the pan turns a golden brown color, about 3 minutes.  Set aside and cool.  Whisk in eggs and buttermilk.  Add shredded zucchini and stir until blended.   Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined.  The mixture will be very thick.  Place in a greased 9x5x3 inch pan, and place in a preheated 350F oven.  Bake 55-65 minutes, until golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan about 10 minutes, and then cool on a rack.

source: slightly adapted from  Epicurious

Chocolate Buttermilk Scones {the not-so-skinny ones}

 

One of my Pinterest boards, is titled "Recipes to Try".  Perhaps many of you also have a board that is similar to this one.  Well, I decided it was about time to start trying those recipes out!  {This is the danger of Pinterest.  We find great ideas and then just spend lots of time looking, but no time creating}.

This is the original pin and if you follow the link it will take you to the recipe.

Source: skinnytaste.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Looks great and I'm sure they're wonderful!  However, I'm more of a not-so-skinny kind of cook, so I changed it up a bit and made my own 'fat' version of this one.  The hubby liked them.  My friend who received the ones wrapped in the package above {I really need to invest in some baker's twine and brown paper} liked them.  It's a keeper.  Perfect for any out-of-town guests you might have with you celebrating Independence Day this week!

Chocolate Buttermilk Scones


2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
3/4 cup chocolate chips
egg white
sugar

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in butter using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  In another small bowl, combine sugar, buttermilk, vanilla and egg; whisk to combine.  Pour this mixture into the large bowl and stir until just combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Place dough onto a well-floured surface, and knead a few times.  {I had to keep adding in more flour so that the dough wouldn't stick to me}.  Form dough into a 9-inch circle, on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.  Cut with a knife dipped in flour, all the way through the circle, into 12 wedges.  Brush egg white all over and sprinkle with extra sugar.  Bake at 375F for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown.

source:  slightly adapted from Skinny Taste