Meatless Fridays

I've never tried falafel but it sounded really good! Once I found out I could make them in a crock pot I knew I had to give them a try. This recipe was really easy and they came out very flavorful, even the kids enjoyed them. We'll definitely have this one again.
This week's Meatless Friday meal is:

Crock Pot Falafel

This recipe is from 'A Year of Slow Cooking'



1 15oz can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 T dried parsley
2 cloves minced garlic
1 egg
1 t kosher salt
1/4 t black pepper
2 t ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
1/4 t cayenne pepper
juice from 1 lemon
1/2 to 3/4 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko...I LOVE Panko!)
2 T olive oil (for the bottom of your crock)


I used my food processor to mix all the ingredients together,
it's easy and only dirties one dish.
If you don't have a food processor, drain the chickpeas and smash them with a fork. Also, chop the onion really fine and mix in the remaining ingredients except the olive oil. The mixture should be wet and slightly sticky. Form the mix into golf ball size and flatten.

Pour 2 T of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert.

Dip each side of the falafel into the olive oil and then nestle into your crockpot. It's okay if they overlap or are on top of each other.

Cook on high for 2-5 hours. Ours cooked on high for 3.5 hours--you will know that the falafels are done when they turn brownish-golden. You can flip them halfway through the cooking time if you feel like it, but they will brown on top even without flipping.

Serve with tzatziki, ranch dressing, or sour cream in a warm pita with lettuce and tomato.

Our Lady of the Rosary

Today is the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary and October is the month of the Rosary. We decorated our home altar in blue and added some roses from the garden. The altar is located in our living room and it is a way to keep us ever mindful of our faith.
A Dominican pope, Pius V, established today's feast. It is to show our gratitude to Mary for a military victory over the Turks at Lepanto on October 7, 1571.

Costumes on the cheap!

We went to the thrift store the other day just to browse and came across their selection of children's Halloween costumes. I couldn't believe the prices!

The boys found a Robin and (a highly coveted) Darth Vader costumes.

We also ended up getting a Star Wars Clone Trooper costume, a really nice Dracula cape, and a second Darth Vader get up.

'Cause around here the battle between the forces of
good and evil are a daily thing!

The Backyard Campfire

Gettin' my loom on!

After dinner and showers are done, I like to snuggle into bed with a good tv show and my Kniffty Knitter Loom. I'm starting to work on Christmas gifts for family and friends ('cause I can't believe it's already October!). So far I've made two neck cowls and a hat for little Danny.

I've passed up the el cheapo yarn at Walmart for the real stuff! Knitting with these thick and super soft wools makes a world of difference in the finished projects.

And knitting with the loom make the projects go really fast.
Now onto more hats and some booties since we FINALLY have some cool weather!


Check out more Kniffty Knitter projects by clicking the label link on the left!

Let's face it, I'm cheap!

Kyle had a birthday party to attend this weekend. At the last minute, I realized that I didn't have any gift bags to "recycle" for his gift or any wrapping paper. I wasn't about to load up the kids to go to the dollar store so I started looking around the house for an alternative. I found a huge roll of brown craft paper and figured we'd make our own "designer" wrapping paper!

With a little acrylic paint and some leaves from the yard, Kyle made this pretty print:

I wrapped his gift with a little left over ribbon and even cut out a fig leaf from the extra paper to make a card!

~So much prettier than Sponge Bob and a plastic bow~

And while the wrapping job won't impress the 12 year old boy for whom the gift was intended, it DID make quite an impression on me! I must have 12 yards or more of that paper left...and I've got a whole lot of leaves and paint. I think I'll roll a bunch out over the picnic table in the backyard and let the kids create our Christmas wrapping paper!

Meatless Fridays

Now that the weather is turning a bit cooler, I'm in the mood for soups, stews, and chowders! Surprisingly my kiddos love salmon and this recipe will be so nice and comforting on a crisp evening after raking the leaves or tossing around the football.
This week's Meatless Friday meal is:

Salmon Chowder
(or Chowdahhhh for my friends up North East!)

3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups diced potatoes
2 carrots, diced
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 (16 ounce) cans salmon drained, skin & bones removed
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (15 ounce) can creamed corn
1/2 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, and garlic powder until onions are tender. Stir in potatoes, carrots, broth, pepper, and dill. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
Stir in salmon, evaporated milk, corn, and cheese. Cook until heated through.

Serve with a crusty loaf of artisan bread

Your welcome!

Feast of the Archangels

September 29th is the feast day for the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.
From 'Saint of the Day':

Michael's name means "who is like God?" Three books of the Bible speak of St. Michael: Daniel, Revelation and the Letter of Jude. In the book of Revelation or the Apocalypse, chapter 12:7-9, we read of a great war that went on in heaven. Michael and his angels battled with Satan. Michael became the champion of loyalty to God. We can ask St. Michael to make us strong in our love for Jesus and in our practice of the Catholic religion.

Gabriel's name means "the power of God." He, too, is mentioned in the book of Daniel. He has become familiar to us because Gabriel is an important person in Luke's Gospel. This archangel announced to Mary that she was to be the mother of our Savior. Gabriel announced to Zechariah that he and St. Elizabeth would have a son and call him John. Gabriel is the announcer, the communicator of the Good News. We can ask him to help us be good communicators as he was.

Raphael's name means "God has healed." We read the touching story of Raphael's role in the Bible's book of Tobit. He brought protection and healing to the blind Tobit. At the very end of the journey, when all was completed, Raphael revealed his true identity. He called himself one of the seven who stands before God's throne. We can ask St. Raphael to protect us in our travels, even for short journeys, like going to school. We can also ask him to help when illness strikes us or someone we love.

We celebrated with coloring pages, biblical stories,
and of course,
Heavenly Angel-food CAKE!

Saint Michael, Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host,
by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan
and all the other evil spirits who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

Sunbeams

Garden Spheres

I simply adore garden spheres, especially the old concrete mossy ones! I set out to find a way to make my own inexpensively, and it all began at the thrift store.
When I went browsing last week I came across these two glass bowls. I thought they were the perfect shape and size to make the spheres, and at fifty cents each it wouldn't be a waste in case it didn't work right!

So I came home and mixed up a batch of Quickrete....man I love that stuff! I filled the bowls to the top but sometime that afternoon little hands got into the still wet concrete.

The worst part is the waiting!!! I'm a girl of instant gratification!
Anyway, I let these sit for 24 hours and then slowly hammered the glass away over a trash can. Use safety precautions like eye wear and gloves...you don't want anyone ending up in the ER!

I think they turned out wonderfully! I'm going to paint them with a 50/50 yogurt and water wash and set them in the garden. The yogurt cultures will attract natural yeasts and other organisms in the air and they will grow a lovely mossy "patina".

Now to find them a spot in the garden before the boys are tempted to use them as bowling balls!

Meatless Fridays

This might be a fun way to involve the family in making dinner tonight. I've made these with quart sized bags just fine. It's a great way to use up leftovers and you can usually do 2-3 at a time. We top ours with lots of fresh salsa!
This week's Meatless Friday meal is:

Omelets in a Bag

Seed Tape

I HATE thinning seedlings! There is something so wrong about pulling up that newly sprouted little plant and just throwing it away! But if you don't do it, your mature plants will not be productive and your harvest will suffer greatly. My afternoon chore today will be to thin out my turnip seedlings:

I went to an online gardener's forum and found a great way to avoid all that tedious thinning ~ SEED TAPE!
It's really simple, even the kids can do it. All you need is some one inch strips of news paper, some tweezers, and a glue made out of flour and water (just enough to form a thin paste).
Do not use Elmer's type glue products. They make a water proof barrier around the seed and won't allow for germination.

Lay out a paper strip and place dots of glue at the distance your seedlings should be. You can find that information on the back of the seed packet. Very gently pick up a seed and set in a dot. That's it! This "glue" dries very fast, so work quickly. It's also a great way to plant tiny seeds.

I have to admit that I fudged a little bit on the spacing. For instance, the carrots should be about three inches apart and I placed them about one inch apart. I figure that not every seed will germinate, and even if they do, I'll only have to thin every other one rather than dozens!

When the strips are dry you can take them right out to the garden and plant OR roll them up until you are ready to use.

I have a feeling that this method is going to save me a lot of time and spare me from a lot of back pain!

40 Days for Life

Today, September 22,
begins the 40 Days for Life campaign.
It's a effort to stop the evils of abortion through prayer, constant vigil, fasting, and community outreach. It goes across all age, ethnic, and religious lines.
This is a peaceful event, please consider quietly praying at an abortion facility near you:
Locations of abortion facilities across America

Woes of a country dog

Mama, how can you say that I stink?

I rolled in that cow poop (or was it a dead possum?)
just for you!

I think my dirty creek water smells much better than that stuff you spray out of a bottle!

And now you just wash it away after all the hard work I went through to get it to smell just right!

I'll try dead bird next time,
maybe you'll like that better?