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Country Peach Coffee Cake

May 16, 2017 By Chelsia Rief 8 Comments

Warm, homey, and just a little bit indulgent, this Country Peach Coffee Cake is an easy to make treat in and out of peach season!

I've been working on this coffee cake for awhile. Back in April, before Josh and I went away on our little "baby moon" to Texas, I whipped up a bad, horrible, no good version of this coffee cake. It was dense. It fell and sunk in the middle after it baked up, the glaze I made was probably the worst I've ever whisked together...and I wanted to cry.

But, I'm pretty lucky to have my righthand man, er, young woman, by my side, and that would be my daughter Grace. Actually, my kids (and Josh) were all really supportive about the coffee cake disaster, because food fails happen! It wasn't that the cake was inedible, because it wasn't! It didn't stop any of them for sneaking a slice here and there of the cake. I, on the other hand, wouldn't touch it! I was too busy going over different ingredient measurements to care about eating it.

One thing right about the cake was the flavor! It was spot on. It was everything else that needed a little work, and Grace was right there cheering me on and helping me to not be discouraged .

You know, when you're pregnant, it doesn't take much to get discouraged. Especially when you didn't have the energy to bake in the kitchen anyway! [Read more...]

Weekly Menu for the Week of May 15th

May 14, 2017 By Chelsia Rief 1 Comment

Happy "late" Mother's Day to you all! I hope you all had a very wonderful day with your loved ones. Josh made this Eggs Benedict Strata for me Saturday night for our Mother's Day breakfast at church and it is so so good - I love this stuff! After church, we came home and I relaxed while Josh and the kids took care of a few things around the house. Okay, I did a few things too, like I wanted to get the laundry going (they offered to do it for me and I rejected their offer because I actually enjoy doing the laundry...I'm a freak, I know) and I had some of the kids' school work to grade.

Josh made Broiled Rosemary Salmon for dinner with quinoa and a kale salad. It was perfect and simple and exactly what I wanted for dinner. But then he made homemade pistachio gelato and I can't even tell you how amazing it was! We have plans to share it with you soon!

Would you believe that I am still sick, though?! This is going on week two of this crud and from a lot of people I've talked to, it seems like almost everyone has caught this bug in one form or another. For me, it's strictly the throat, leaving me practically hoarse with this really annoying dry cough. But, I'm hoping that after spending a bit more time resting this week, I'll be feeling better (or at least sounding better) by the weekend. [Read more...]

Traditional Lasagna: Two Ways (Freezer Friendly)

May 10, 2017 By Chelsia Rief 4 Comments

What's better than a tasty recipe for traditional lasagna? One that's freezer friendly with two different ways to make it (quick or from scratch)!

I've been wanting to share this recipe since I first made it back in January, but alas that first trimester of my pregnancy majorly kicked my rear in ways that made me barely able to get out of bed some days. I was just so tired and nauseous!

But, I'm in that good ol' second trimester for a few more weeks still and my energy is back and while most foods don't sound particularly good to me, they don't make me sick either. Even though we're in the spring swing of things, at least for us, most days we're still seeing a lot of rain, grey clouds and some colder temps. Except for today. Today, it's in the 70's and beautiful. But come Thursday, I hear that's going to change. [Read more...]

Tuesday's Tidings: Pregnancy Edition

May 8, 2017 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

I haven't really said much about this pregnancy since slipping the news into this post awhile back! But, I've been getting tons of questions from family and friends, so I thought maybe I'd write up a few thoughts here in Tuesday's Tidings...

I mean, we are all friends here, right? But I'll try not to make this a "Me, Me, Me" post...because that could just be annoying.

I guess I'll start by saying that this - our 4th baby is due about the middle of September, and so far, everything is on track and my doctor is pleased with how the baby and I are progressing (Always really good news!). The little one is kicking (rather strongly sometimes!) and its growth is right on track! [Read more...]

Weekly Menu for the Week of May 8th

May 7, 2017 By Chelsia Rief 1 Comment

Well...I've been fighting against it for months. I pushed back in November when I felt it coming and through all of winter. But, alas, all good things must come to an end...this cold finally caught up with me!

I was hoping it was just allergies, but come Sunday morning I was pretty certain it was a full on head cold. And not to complain or anything, but it is a fact that having any kind of virus while pregnant is just the worst. Tylenol just doesn't cut it for a headache. #amiright

But, onto other news, at least for us in Oregon - we're going to have a few more days of sun which means we get to do some grilling! YAY!!! [Read more...]

DIY Pallet Wall

May 6, 2017 By Joshua Rief 6 Comments

A DIY Pallet Wall is an inexpensive, homey way to add a big dose of character to almost any room! Here are some things we learned doing ours!

At some point last year, Chels saw one of those walls covered in old pallets that people do. She loved it, loved the "farmhouse" character it added, and started looking for places we could put an accent like this in our own house. We settled on a rather small wall that juts out into the informal dining area, primarily because of its location and size. It was small enough that the project wouldn't be overwhelming or require an entire factory's supply of pallets!

Putting up one of these decorative "accent walls" isn't terribly complicated, and doesn't really lend itself to the traditional DIY "step by step" tutorial, so I'm going to talk through a few of things we learned in doing this (we'll probably do another wall at some point and learn more...) and share a few pictures. It's a fun, simple project that brings a huge amount of character into a space!

[Read more...]

10 Recipe Ideas for Cinco de Mayo 2017

May 3, 2017 By Joshua Rief 1 Comment

Well, last year we managed a roundup of 16 Cinco de Mayo recipes in honor of Cinco de Mayo 2016, so the logical thing to do would have been to post 17 this year (which we certainly could have done!). But then, one must ask oneself, when does the madness stop? What happens in 2132? Surely there are 132 Cinco de Mayo recipes, but do you really want to scroll through that post (no disrespect, Buzzfeed...). So, to maintain our sanity and yours, without further ado, here are ten great recipe ideas for your Cinco de Mayo this year! (Do be sure to read last year's post if you don't know what Cinco de Mayo really is celebrating!)

If none of these recipe ideas kickstart your fiesta, so to speak, check out our entire archive of Mexican and Latin-inspired recipes! [Read more...]

Weekly Menu for the Week of May 1st

April 30, 2017 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

What do you think of the new weekly menu pin?

I have a question! Okay, another question. Because it is officially May, does that mean that the weather will improve?? I'm crossing my fingers because our Friday and Saturday (and most of Sunday) were dry, and this week, the weather is supposed to be really nice! We're talking close to 80 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday! And being in Texas last week where the temps were in the 80's for a few days, I have to say I miss that sun and warm breeze on my shoulders...

So, about Texas last week...Josh and I took a little "baby moon" to a resort outside Dallas, and we spent one of the days over at The Magnolia Silos in Waco. Be on the lookout for a post about that very soon! (They have a bakery now...this is definitely a foodie thing!) [Read more...]

"Leftover" Meatless Enchiladas

April 27, 2017 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Light and healthy (well, maybe minus the tortillas), these meatless enchiladas are super tasty and easy to make, mostly from things you have leftover!

It could possibly be that Josh and I are a bit OCD or it could just be the fact that if we still see a possible use for something, we're not ready to throw it away. If my kids are done coloring on one side of paper and are ready to throw their masterpiece away - oh no, you've got a whole other side of that paper that you can draw on! Leftover wood sits by the side of the house and in the garage, and Josh has proven more than once that he can repurpose it and make it into something new and useful. Leftovers in the fridge...I'm sure I can do something with that, too!

I'm sure like a lot of families, we all come across times when we're trying to stretch a buck or a meal or extend the life of our pantry until payday or the next grocery trip to the store. I hear you! Sometimes, my planning didn't go as planned, and I find myself shaking my head and asking myself, "How exactly am I going to make lemonade without lemons?"

It's a problem! [Read more...]

Wild Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls

April 17, 2017 By Chelsia Rief 7 Comments

Because it's Mother's Day (or any day!), treat mom to breakfast in bed with these easy, tasty homemade wild blueberry lemon sweet rolls!

Christmas used to be my favorite holiday. Valentine's Day was runner up. But since becoming a mom, Mother's Day has become my favorite holiday of the whole year. Don't get me wrong, I still love Christmas and all of the music and decorations that come with it...

But Christmas and Mother's Day aren't really in the same league as each other. I mean, let's face it. Christmas gets a nearly five week celebratory party and Mother's Day gets, well, a day! While there may be a few songs dedicated to the moms out there (I'm thinking back to my era - the Spice Girl's "Mama" and The Backstreet Boys "The Perfect Fan"), the decorations consist of some balloons, cards, and flowers. [Read more...]