My absolute favorite way to enjoy greens--sweet and tangy, all at once. I really could eat a big plate of them by themselves--and I have! I can't think of many reasons not to serve these as the sidekick to the main dish. Actually, I just look for reasons to make them.
Author: Shawna
Cabbage and Noodles/Haluski Recipe
This is absolutely the recipe that you never knew you needed. When I think of my favorite comfort meal, this is the one. It's super simple to cook up, and even easier to enjoy. I know it's not the healthiest way to eat cabbage, but it's by far my favorite--
Inexpensive Counter Top Renovation
I am in love with my new counter tops. Absolutely in love. I know they aren't the best counter tops ever, but in my world, they are it! There is no way that we could afford granite, marble, or anything in between. I knew that I would have to go for another laminate
The Ultimate Loaded Potato Soup Recipe
It's official--today marks the beginning of Fall! I know most of us are ready to pull out those comfy sweaters and watch the leaves change and drop. But, before we start going pumpkin crazy, let's kick the season off with a bowl of soup. If I had to rank my favorite soups, I think that I'd have to say that potato soup takes the lead. It's just so savory and incredibly satisfying.
Banana Bread Bundt Cake
Banana bread is an awesome way to use up those leftover bananas that have been hanging in the fruit basket for a few days too long. If you're like me, you tend to stick with the traditional banana bread or banana muffins (which are actually my personal favorite), but sometimes we just need to change it up. Here, you can transform your usual banana bread into a beautiful bundt cake. If you want to really dress it up, drizzle a sweet brown sugar icing on top of it...now you have something that you can proudly show off in your cake dish.
School Supplies Elementary Home School Moms Should Consider Purchasing
There are so many awesome supplies to choose from when it comes to teaching elementary-age children. It's also incredibly easy to get lost amongst it all. I really love having hands-on supplies for them to use. Kids thrive on stimulation, and providing the proper tools and supplies can really help keep them engaged and learning. You also don't want to forget about yourself--make sure that you have what you need in order to stay on track, as well. I have both a second grader and a preschooler to keep interested here as we learn at home. Unprepared for the costs of teaching at home, I had to find the most bang for my buck--but I had no prior experience whatsoever. I researched and considered my children's unique needs when choosing classroom supplies. Admittedly, some purchases turned out to be not as useful as others. I'm going to share a list of the supplies that we have found to be the most useful, effective, and fun.
Installing Laminate Flooring…Even With No Experience
I knew from the first time that I laid eyes on the interior of my current home that all of the carpet and vinyl flooring would have to go. The trouble is, we had no prior experience and no big budget. All I could do was watch YouTube videos and dream of renovations until I was able to work up the courage and budget plan to go for it. More than two years later, most of the flooring in our home is complete. We still plan to replace the linoleum floors in our bathrooms. Now, I won't lie-- it was rough and tedious. The kitchen alone certainly took longer than the proposed 'day project' that a specific video that we had watched suggested. In the defense of the video, it doesn't help that we had absolutely no know-how. I kid you not (and this is embarrassing), but we actually spent more than an hour trying to figure out how to connect the laminate planks. We kept watching the videos, watching them some more, and re-watching them again until we had our "duh" moment (I'm fairly confident that you won't experience this same issue/brain lapse). Regardless, allow me to reassure you: we (two novices) pulled this whole renovation (nearly an entire house worth of flooring) off alone--I know that you can, too! One of the biggest questions that I am asked pertaining to home projects is: "how did you install your floors?" So before you think about hiring a professional, let me share what I know:
Slow Cooked Carnitas Recipe
The smell of carnitas cooking in the home is so good that it always makes me think twice about my vegetarian life. Yep, I'm a vegetarian (I know meat tastes good...it's just a thought thing that I can't get over), but I grew up eating meat off-and-on, and I still cook it pretty regularly in my home for the rest of my family. I'm raising my kids to eat meat because monthly B-12 injections aren't awesome. But back to these carnitas: it takes quite a few ingredients to make at home, but many of us have a handful of them in our pantries already. Other than the ingredients, the recipe is incredibly simple--basically throw it all in a crock pot and wait about six hours! Best part is that no one would guess that you didn't spend all day working in the kitchen on these. For me, this is for sure a go-to meal for gatherings: it makes a lot, people can personalize them, a vegan can swap the meat out for beans, most people love them, and you save a lot of energy making them.
🍓 Homemade Strawberry Jam 🍓
Fresh, made-from-scratch jam beats store bought any day. I actually don't even buy jam or jelly anymore. Everyone in the home just loves this stuff, and I'm not just saying this because I want likes on my blog. It is by far my favorite jam. This may sound crazy, but it's also the first type of jam or jelly that my son will eat (we have a long history of pickiness and food anxiety with him). But best of all--this stuff only requires 3 ingredients and minimal effort, and trust me when I say that the amount of effort you put in is absolutely worth the results!
The Beauty of Chalk Paint
I want to take a moment to share my love of chalk paint. I just really think this stuff is awesome. I realize that there are differing opinions on this type of paint, but as of now, I stand firm in saying that chalk paint is one of my favorite paints to use.
