When zucchini is plentiful baking zucchini muffins is a good option using a recipe similar to this one I found online. This is an easy recipe to follow.
Category Archives: Homemaking
Blueberry Clafoutis
Easy Blueberry Loaf
This is a quick easy bread to make using Bisquik or another pancake and baking mix
Ingredients:
1 egg
3/4 cup of sugar
1- 1/2 cups milk
3 cups Bisquik mix
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup finely chopped almonds
3/4 cup blueberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan by greasing it.
Beat the egg and add the sugar beating until well combined.
Add the milk and Bisquick mix and beat well.
Stir in almonds and almond extract.
Carefully blend in blueberries.
Pour batter in prepared loaf pan.
Bake for 50 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean, ovens vary so check at 45 minutes. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes and then remove from pan onto wire rack to continue cooling. Slice and enjoy.
Tried and True
I’m linking up to Talking About it Tuesday with Slices of Life for this post.
It’s hot and muggy outside and there is not much to share here. We have a family wedding of a Grand Nephew coming up in October and I’ve been checking out their registry to see what we’ll pick to gift them. My thoughts went back to our wedding registry.
We were married in December of 1974 and these were some shower and wedding gifts we received. They are still serving us well. These high quality stainless steel bowls have been used over and over again for mixing anything from cookies to cakes and brownies and for savory things like egg scrambles. Fifty two years old and it is accurate to say, ‘they don’t make them like they used to’.
My tried and true stand mixer has been a faithful friend over all these years beating up ingredients for me and saving my hands and wrists and arms a lot of wear and tear.
My aluminum pans have made so many cakes, crumbles, breads, brownies, and other wonderful treats.
We don’t have all the Pfaltzgraff Yorktowne dishes anymore. I did keep a couple of the teapots, the sugar and creamer and the cookie jar. I use the cookie jar as decor. We do have a full set of Moss Rose by Royal Albert that we collected after we were married. I purchased the Moss Rose Tea Set in Oxford in 1973 on our summer music tour before we were married and that inspired us to buy the dinner set, too. My parents purchased service for 8 of our sterling. Since our wedding we added 4 more place settings.
In walking about the house to see what other wedding gifts are still visible this pewter oil lamp came into view.
We both enjoyed and enjoy pewter. This gift was from friends from my Bethany Russian Baptist days. And these pewter gifts below were from mutual friends.
Looks like I have some silver polishing to do on those sugar tongs!
This sent me way down a rabbit hole that I’ll continue closer to our anniversary in December.
Are you still using gifts from your wedding showers and wedding day?
A Lemony Hodgepodge
Our lemony day lilies in their glory.
Joyce has some fresh squeezed questions for Wednesday Hodgepodge.
1. Do your goals and dreams energize or exhaust you? Elaborate.
If I had unrealistic goals or dreams, I would probably be exhausted. These days I have simple goals and dreams and they energize me. I like to plan and I love a good plan. Truthfully, I get a little melancholy if I don’t have anything to plan.
2. July 23rd is national lemon day. Are you a fan of this flavor?
I am a fan of lemon flavor.
What’s a favorite dish or beverage you enjoy that calls for lemons?
I really enjoy this salad dressing that calls for fresh lemon juice.
Lemon curd is a favorite to enjoy on scones or in pastries.
3. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade“…is this something you’re pretty good at managing? Have you had to do this recently? If so tell us about it.
Yes, I’d say I do pretty good at managing but that is because of knowing who holds the world together and who is the author of life. I’m in His hands.
Recently when our heat pump stopped pumping out cold air we managed with other tricks of the trade by cooling our house down overnight into the morning. We also bought a tower fan that moved the air for us quietly.
4. Something you love that is lemon yellow in color?
I like the lemony border on these plates. We don’t have a lot of lemony things in our home. I love the lemon colored day lilies that pop up in early summer in our yard.
5. How would you describe your attention to detail?
When it comes to planning a trip, planning a meal for company, planning how to set the table or planning holiday decor, I’m all about the details.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Speaking of Lemons, this memory of our Grands with a Lemonade stand at their Granny’s birthday party was so sweet to revisit.
Hope your summer days are filled with refreshing treats like lemonade.
Simple Joys
It is the sweetest experience to be doing my regular shopping in town and having these two find me in the store with a big hug! Simple but a very special joy for me.
It is also so sweet to enjoy flowers that pop up year after year that I had no hand in planting!
We had a wild thunderstorm come through on Friday morning! We had lightning and thunder and a good soaking of our planters. I’m happy when God does the watering for me!
During our heat wave which is continuing this week it was a good exercise to finish this summertime puzzle.
On Saturday afternoon, JJ had a Taekwondo exhibition at Yep Kanum Park.
It was time for the Yep Kanum Park Celebration in Colville, the celebration will bring neighbors and visitors together from July 17-19, 2026, for a vibrant weekend of activities. Attendees can enjoy live music performances, local artisan markets, food vendors, and family-friendly events. This year’s celebration promises to be a wonderful celebration including performances by musicians, local artists, a classic car show, a youth baseball tournament, a pickleball tournament, and plenty of entertainment for all ages.
JJ gave a demonstration of his kick that split the wood in two. I have a video of that but I’m not able to share it here.
On Sunday after church we enjoyed the finale of the World Cup with Spain defeating Argentina. I’m one who has enjoyed every World Cup soccer game despite the teams I was cheering for coming up short. We were rooting for Spain in the end and were happy for their accomplishment.
I’ve been following ‘Drew Cooks‘ on Facebook and we enjoyed two of his recipes on Sunday.
Blueberry biscuits were very good. We also enjoyed chicken thighs in the crockpot with a soy sauce, brown sugar, green onion, garlic, and ginger. Delicious!
Our area is experiencing wild fires with smoke making our outdoor spaces unhealthy. We can identify with those of you on the east coast experiencing smoky skies and hard to breathe air. Praying for our firefighters!
Last and least, it is always fun to spot these frogs in our yard, as long as they stay in the yard!
How was your weekend and what does this new week hold for you?
Potato Leek Gratin
This is a creamy tasty side dish to serve with a protein of your choice. Everyone in the family enjoyed it.
Potato Leek Gratin
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter and more for greasing the dish
- 1-1/2 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced uniformly thin.
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 2 large leeks, washed, green tops trimmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup cheese, grated (swiss or gruyere)
Method:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Butter a 2 quart round dish.
- Toss the potatoes with 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.
- Layer the sliced potatoes in the dish.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add leeks, garlic, remaining salt and pepper, thyme and rosemary.
- Cook, stirring, until leeks are tender and golden, 5-7 minutes.
- Add cream, scrapping up browned bits of leeks from the bottom of the pan.
- Simmer gently for 5 minutes.
- Remove thyme and rosemary sprigs and discard.
- Pour the cream mixture over potatoes and top with the cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes, uncover and bake until the cheese is bubbling and golden, 10-15 minutes longer.
- Let cool slightly before serving.
- Serves 6-8 people as a side dish.
Adios April Hodgepodge
We’ve had some beautiful days as April ends.
May is coming and the Hodgepodge is here. Thank you, Joyce!
1. Are you feeling more reset, restart, or full speed ahead as we move into May? Tell us why.
We have to reset. A dear friend of ours passed away and we will now be traveling for his memorial.
Other opportunities have arisen this month, too, and we are shifting our plans to accommodate. We can plan but we do not know what tomorrow holds.
2. Painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, cinema, theatre, music…what’s your favorite form of art? Elaborate.
Music is at the very top for me but the kind of music is specific. Music that honors God is what I appreciate the most. I’m not a fan of music that yells or goes down roads I don’t want to follow. Story music isn’t at the top of my list, either.
I also appreciate painting, sculpture, architecture and literature. These forms are most appreciated outside of the modern realm. I’m not a fan of modern art in most of these forms. Cinema and Theatre are my least favorites.
These photos are from the House of Strauss in Vienna and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England.
3. What time is dinner at your house? How do you feel about leftovers?
These days we call it Linner. We tend to eat between two and three unless we are meeting up for dinner or having our kids over for dinner. If that is the case dinner is usually between five and six. I’m a fan of leftovers!
4.What’s the last thing you fell down a rabbit hole investigating?
When I research places to visit or have visited, I can go down many rabbit holes! I was doing some extra history searches for Český Krumlov this past week. In travels, you can’t learn all about a town in a four hour visit. I try to learn what I can before but when I work on a post, after the fact, there is so much more to learn! It always makes me want to go back to places we’ve been for a second look. 🙂
Vienna will be the next place I’ll go down rabbit holes for my research and my next river cruise post.
5. And now for a question from the book Marilyn (Memphis Bridges) gave me…
At what are you ‘self-taught?’
Our mom cooked 99% of all our meals growing up and she did a lot of baking but it was never with any help from me. I didn’t do a lot of watching of this process, either. I ate all the good things she made but I had a lot of learning to do on my own. My mom’s efforts and her being open to try new things gave me confidence but the hands on learning came after I was married. Trial and error has worked well for me. Our sister Vera has preserved many of our mom’s recipes and I’m thankful for that.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
I’m so thankful to the LORD for these two and the fact that they have so much room to roam and enjoy the outdoors!
They peddle to the end of the driveway to wave goodbye when our visits are over and we are heading home. See you soon!
Our Extravagant Creator
We’ve been working on our own personal part of earth for earth day. God was extravagant when he created earth and all it contains for us to enjoy.
Another Wednesday on this earth and Joyce has a fresh set of questions for us. This is Wednesday Hodgepodge.
1. April 22nd is Earth Day…what’s the most ‘out of this world’ place on earth you’ve ever visited? Tell us something about it.
Greg said, ” When I was ten it was Disneyland.”
In our adult years I’m going to say Yellowstone or Badlands.
2. A favorite quote, verse, or song lyric with the word earth in it?
3. What’s the most trivial thing about which you have a strong opinion?
Where to park at Wal-Mart.
4. What’s your most commonly used kitchen utensil or tool? What’s the last thing you made using that tool?
I’m going to say my Chefs Knife. I made roasted vegetables for our family meal last Friday and the onions and potatoes and carrots needed to be cut. I also used it to cut ham to throw into our breakfast egg scramble on Saturday. I love a good sharp Chefs knife! I like all sorts of knives.
5. Marilyn (Memphis Bridges) gave me a great book of 3000 questions, and I’m going to try to use one in our Hodgepodge every week. Here is today’s –
What is your greatest extravagance?
Our trips lately have been extravagant. Extravagance to me is something above and beyond and luxurious. These days I don’t like to penny pinch when we are traveling.
Nice hotels and nice restaurants are my choice. That is not to say we don’t enjoy a nice pub or cafe mixed in during travel. There was a time when we penny pinched and stayed in some sleazy motels and I have stories to tell.
I also am quite happy to be extravagant with our family.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Speaking of the beauty of our earth. I’ll be getting back to our daily travel spots during our Danube River Cruise on Thursday, Lord willing.
Looking forward to your answers this week.
Date Nut Loaf
If you click here you will find the recipe that I used for this Date Nut Loaf.
I made 2 loaves for our Bible Study Group. I had that container of dates and it is what inspired me to make these loaves. I used walnuts in the recipe, not pecans.
Greg gave the recipe a thumbs up.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 