Spicy Salsa

A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon with one of my dearest friends. Our time, of course, was focused around food, and we were able to set aside a few hours to can some salsa together, without children! (Thanks to our wonderful husbands). Time spent with her is always a blessing and I cherish the moments when we can really open up and allow ourselves to be completely honest with someone. While we chatted and shared our current positions in life, we made a batch of this {spicy salsa}. In a few months from now, when winter is upon us, I anticipate sharing a jar of our salsa while once again coming together around a dinner table full of food and thanking God for the many blessings we have been given. 

Are you a hot salsa fan? Or perhaps you are a crazy canner with a pantry full of preserved foods?

Homemade Frozen Burger Patties

Growing up, burgers were always one of my dad's specialties. He would get some fresh ground meat, mix it with his choice of seasoning - which usually involved a bunch of worcesterhire sauce {say that three times fast}, then let it marinate for a few hours before cooking. There was pride in serving his own handcrafted burgers and for his dedication I am thankful. 

Have you ever read the labels on processed frozen burgers? I find that the majority of those pre-made frozen burger patties have unnecessary fillers in them not to mention they just don't taste as good as homemade ones (unless you get them directly from the butcher... I cannot argue with how good those one's taste!). Instead of possibly spending more on less, purchase fresh ground meat at a great deal and then make your own patties to freeze. How convenient and budget friendly.

Curried Popcorn

Summer theatre, drive ins and late night bonfires scream for something salty, crunchy and flavourful. After spending a day in the hot sun, being outdoors for the sunset, sitting in the back of a car, with the trunk up and the seats down, laying on some blankets, snuggled with my children, waiting for the film to start, munching on handfuls of homemade curried popcorn seems like a great ending. That's how I envision summer nights, for the rest of my children's lives, to be. Forgetting curfew or bedtimes, to sneak in a few late nights at the drive in, watch fireworks or sing songs by the camp fire.

Strawberry Fruit Leather

As a young child, I lived on fruit by the foot and fruit roll ups. There was something about unraveling them, the sweetness and the ease of the snack that made them irresistible. I haven't picked up a box of either of those in over 15 years (well I just aged myself quickly) but I can guarantee that the ingredient list is not very wholesome. But they were a really easy snack, just grab one, or a handful and go. Wanting to recreate the ease of the snack and the childhood memories for my children, I decided to give making homemade fruit leather a go. And I'll be square with you, this recipe is just as easy than going to the store, buying a box and bringing it home. Seriously, it's so simple, you'll wonder why you've never made fruit leather before!

Homemade Preschool Curriculum

The past few weeks I have been quite a busy mama, piecing together a personalized homeschooling curriculum for my three and half year old daughter and two year old son. Unfortunately, my husband and I do not have a lot of disposable income and cannot afford to spend hundreds of dollars on curriculums and books - at this point. Which is why I thought I would spend a little extra time coordinating our own curriculum, utilizing free resources from websites and my favourite - our local public library.

For all those mother's who are thinking about homeschooling their little ones, or have preschool aged children at home that you would like some free activity ideas to do with them, this post is for you! With an outline of what we do each week and where we find our free resources!