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Tzatziki Sauce

January 28, 2015 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Before we get to Friday's post, we have to have today's post because you can't properly serve tomorrow's recipe without today's recipe. Did you get all that? In a nutshell - you need to have this recipe first.

Tzatziki sauce. I've had it twice and made it once. I made it probably over a year ago and I did not like it - the sauce or the meal I served it along with. I gave it another try this past April when we were stuck in an airport and starving. That should have been my first clue, airport food is not always good. [Read more...]

Stuffed Peppers

January 27, 2015 By Chelsia Rief 14 Comments

This family-friendly recipe for stuffed peppers takes a bit to cook, but you can prep them in just 20 minutes, and they're only about 300 calories!

My daughter Eden started learning how to read at the end of the school year last year when she was in Kindergarten. I always question myself during the school year - if I'm doing a good enough job teaching, and will they ever grasp the concept of reading. I did it with Grace, and I did with Eden...and I'm sure I'll do it with Christian, too.

Eden is many things. She is a vibrant little girl who just shines. She wakes up completely gorgeous every morning, has her own stylish and unique way of dressing, lives in a world of stuffed animals and My Little Ponies and while she acts like she's got her head in the clouds, she will surprise you with her brilliance. She is a pretty confident kid. Unless she is reading. [Read more...]

Tuesday's Tidings for January 27, 2015

January 27, 2015 By Joshua Rief Leave a Comment

Hers

1. Right now I'm craving warm, delicious cookies. I would make some right now, but currently my oven is cooking dinner. Now, if I had a double oven, I could be making these cookies.

2. We've had massive fog in our little area of the world the last few days. The fog burns off for about two hours and then it comes right back. I got the kids out of the house and to the park today to take advantage of the sun. It felt good to enjoy the low 60s, even if it was just for a few minutes. [Read more...]

Weekly Menu 1/26-2/1

January 26, 2015 By Chelsia Rief 2 Comments

How was your weekend? I hope it was sunny and beautiful. Our weekend started off with some bad news. Friday, early in the evening, I got word that my grandmother passed away. I was shocked - I think we all expected her to live another decade! She was 87 years old, so she did live a full life and I know she knew how important she was to all of us. I'm glad we were able to see her this past Christmas. We will miss her. :( [Read more...]

Texas Sheet Cake

January 22, 2015 By Chelsia Rief 4 Comments

This Texas sheet cake comes out of the oven as big (and flat?) as Texas, though we don't know where the name comes from. Just call it yummmm.

Josh's favorite cake in the whole wide world is Texas sheet cake. Why Texans get a WHOLE cake named after them I do not know. Why isn't there an Oregon Sheet Cake? Hmm? That's what I would like to know.

Last year, for Josh's birthday, I made this Reese's peanut butter cup cheesecake and it was amazing. This year, he wanted Texas sheet cake and that made me nervous. [Read more...]

Cinnamon Chicken Enchiladas

January 21, 2015 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Does anyone else shop at Costco? I admit, half of the appeal of Costco is the samples. Oh, my! I like to go when I'm hungry and need something to hold me over. Those sweet older ladies trying to sell those samples is just the cutest thing. That is until you grab a sample and then change your mind and put it back. Then those ladies get their brows all furrowed and lecture you on, "...now that you've touched it, you need to take it."

Don't worry, I understand why they get in a tizzy about it, but my poor Eden just stands there looking confused with her bottom lip quivering because she just got the smack down from a sweet older lady. [Read more...]

Pastasagna

January 20, 2015 By Chelsia Rief 2 Comments

Like pasta? Like lasagna? Like the idea of a simpler, easier lasagna that's ready in 35 minutes? Enter this recipe for pastasagna!

Josh and I have decided that we have too much stuff! Actually, I've been trying to convince him of this for awhile now. I'm always making Goodwill runs. For the longest time now, I've been trying to sell Josh on selling our upstairs desk. It's a really beautiful desk, with an espresso finish and a hutch. Lots of little cupboards and storage. It's a really beautiful piece of furniture.

The problem is, we don't use it. It's become a dumping ground for other things. Stray papers, weird miscellaneous computer things, and cookbooks. I've been storing all of my cookbooks on the top of the hutch for a long time now and I've run out of room. I've got cookbooks on top of each other and sliding off each other...it's a mess! [Read more...]

Tuesday's Tidings for January 20, 2015

January 19, 2015 By Joshua Rief 1 Comment

Just for this week, we're doing something a little bit different for Tuesday's Tidings. Usually we use this casual post early in the week to talk about our recent experiences, our family, movies we've watched, YouTube videos that are cracking us up, books we've read...you get the picture. However, this past week something came to our attention from the other side of the world that is getting very little voice in the American press. [Read more...]

Weekly Menu 1/19-1/25

January 19, 2015 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

I always feel like Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be in February because February is National Black History month. Don't you? It's confusing! I'm not going to complain, though. A holiday that my husband doesn't have to work and there's no school for the kids together with an opportunity to discuss an important historical figure is always a great holiday in my book! There should be more special holiday days. I mean, don't we all agree that National Chocolate Chip Day should be a day where no one works and we can all stay home and bake cookies. (Editor's note: We're not equating the importance of chocolate chips with the importance of MLK Jr's work...I mean, they're important, but not quite that important...)

#Inaperfectworld #Letsallmakecookies

Who also thinks February should be pronounced FEB-RU-ARY? I mean it is spelled that way so why don't we say it that way. And while were talking about spelling, what's the difference between grey and gray? People, these are the questions that keep me up at night not allowing me to fall into the deep stupor I so wish to be in.

#sleep [Read more...]

Chicken Farfalle with Mushrooms

January 15, 2015 By Chelsia Rief 1 Comment

This slow-cooker chicken Farfalle pasta recipe is creamy, tasty, easy, and elegant. Wanting to win your kids over to mushrooms? This is the ticket.

I have this tendency to make my mind up about things before I really give them a chance. Let's take movies for an instance, sometimes, for whatever reason, I'll decide that a certain movie isn't my cup of tea...before watching it. I may not like the actors in it or maybe I the storyline doesn't interest me.

[Read more...]