Rhubarb Sauce

                     

This is a unique recipe, and one that is surrounded with fond memories for me.  My mom would usually make several rhubarb pies, and possibly a rhubarb crunch and then toward the end of the season she would make a batch of this.

  I have an odd attraction to sour flavors, and this sauce was-in my childish mind-the definition of perfection.  A mix of tart and sweet with a pale pink color that attracts your attention because it's so obviously not artificially colored.

 Oh yes, and it's simple to make which wins it a place in my recipe box.

                             

3 cups finely chopped rhubarb

1 1/2 cups water

4 Tablespoons granulated tapioca

1 cup sugar -you can use a little more or a little less depending on how tart you like it

Cook rhubarb and water until soft. ( It only takes a few minutes.)  Add tapioca stirring to prevent lumping, and bring mixture back to a boil, and then turn off the burner.  Add sugar and stir until dissolved.  Pour into serving dish and chill. 

Ten Things About Me

1.  I'm a people person.  I love to talk to people.  Life without people would be boring, but I also need a little down time each day--away from people.

2. I love to read.  I read books, blogs, newspapers, magazines...... My house has many books, and the number is constantly increasing. 

3. I'm not very good with numbers.  They irritate me.  I keep the books for my husbands business only because I love him and it saves us money.

4. I got married very young.  I was a month away from turning 19 when I said "I do".

5.  I've never regretted number 4.  We have had our share of ups and downs, but he will always be my best friend.

6.  I don't enjoy grocery shopping.  If I could have my groceries delivered to my home ( and it didn't cost me more ) I would.

7.  I like animals.  I have a bad habit of talking to them like they are people, and sometimes this gets me some strange looks.

8.  I actually enjoy winter.  I do not like 80 plus degree weather.  I wouldn't want to live somewhere that was cold all year, but I enjoy a season of winter.

9. I'm not very coordinated.  I can't pat my head and rub my belly at the same time.  I fall over my own feet sometimes.

10. I don't like steak that much.  I don't exactly dislike it, but I don't ever get hungry for it.   Unfortunately this is one of my husbands favorite foods. : )

Okay, now its your turn.  Tell me something about yourself.

Scamper

                                          



This is our homestead's watchdog. If you try to cross her she may bite your toenails off, or possibly lick you to death.

She doesn't know that she is a dog. She thinks she is a person. We let her think that most of the time.  However, she sleeps in a little cage, eats dog food, and chews bones.......none of the people in our house do that.

She is an Australian Terrier, or is it an Australian terror?  Quite likely one of the nicest small-breed dogs that we have ever owned.  She puts up with all sorts of nonsense from my children.  Also a little nonsense from my hubby who enjoys picking on her.

She-like most females-loves to talk. When we come home she bark/howls at us for a long time--telling us how glad she is to see us and what happened while we were gone.  Too bad we can't understand her.  I sometimes wish I knew what goes on in my house when I'm not here.  Other times I'm glad I don't.

She and Goliath ( the head rooster ) have frequent arguments thru the chicken fence.  Scamper thoroughly enjoys ruffling his hens, and he finds this highly distressing.  They seem to have a mutual peace agreement tho.  She goes tearing at the hens, Goliath runs after her, then they all settle down and she lays outside the chicken run and watches them scratch and peck.

When Plans Fail

Last week was a little busier than I expected, and as a result the only thing that was accomplished on my list was the garden seeds getting planted.  Life is like that--sometimes the best plans fail, and unexpected interruptions come up. 

The important thing is how we respond when our plans get rearranged.  I have to admit that I often get irritated and impatient with schedule changes.  This is something that I'm working on--being more flexible, and open to what God's plans are for my day.

My new updated list for this week.

1.  Clean venetian blinds in master bedroom.

2.  Clean off and organize laundry room shelf.

3.  Clean a little in the garage each day.

4.  Clean and put away humidifiers for the summer.

The garage is a project that I don't expect to accomplish in one week.  I'm hoping to work about an hour a day on it until it is done.  This may take me several weeks. 

I'm struggling to make the transition from school year to summer.  It always seems like the change in routine takes a week or two for us as a family to adjust.  I would be open for advice in this area. 

How does your family transition from the busier school year to the more relaxed (hopefully) summer?

Lilacs

If I had to choose a favorite flower it would probably be the lilac.  We have a huge mass of lilac bushes in our back yard.  The property that we live on was at one time part of the city dump.  The office building was on our land and the majority of the dump was on our neighbors land.  They must have had lilacs somewhere near the office and they have grown huge.  I don't mind this at all. : )



This picture is only about half of the entire bush.  The scent is so powerful right now that when I went for my walk yesterday I could smell them a long time before I could see them.  I wish there was a way you could bottle this scent and save it to smell all year. 

White Chili

Kim is asking for our favorite bean or lentil recipes and I immediately thought of this one. 

This is the first meal I cooked for my husband when we were dating. 

I didn't realize that he liked Mexican food, and I scored all kinds of brownie points with this dish.  It may be why he asked me to marry him. : )

2 cups cooked shredded chicken

2 tablespoons cumin

1 quart of salsa (mild is best since this is the base for the soup)

1 quart great white northern beans ( you can use canned or cook dried ones)

8 ounces montery jack cheese

Cube or shred cheese, and mix with all other ingredients in crockpot.  Simmer for 3-4 hours.  Serve with corn chips.  Serves 4-6

A Walk

                             

When little boys go for a walk--


they take along a bucket to take home "treasures" in.


they stop and inspect each road kill.


sometimes they try to pick the road kill off the road. : (


they throw stones in all the ditches to try to scare frogs.


they keep up a running commentary about what they see in the neighbors yards.


they remind mom repeatedly how HEALTHY the walk is in hopes that she will take them again tomorrow.


they discuss every car that passes them and whether they think they would like to drive one like it someday.


they come home and tear off to play while mom collapses on the couch.