The Berry Boxes

We are BIG berry eaters in my house, the fridge is always stocked with them.  Blueberries and blackberries are jam packed with antioxidants. Blueberries, blackberries and strawberries are  rich sources of fiber, potassium, vitamin C and are low in fat and calories. Funny thing about berries though is you have to keep them fresh and from drying out. On a trip to the grocery store, while I was in the produce section, I spotted these cool little baskets.  They were very inexpensive, considering the money I would be saving by not throwing berries in the trash can after having them for 2-3 days.  My berries are lasting about 2 weeks in these containers, that's a long life for fresh berries.  Check them out!

I found them in four different colors, red, green and yellow in the square size.  The boxes are BPA free and dishwasher safe.

 (I recommend top rack)

They are three compartment containers that come taped together.

They consist of a bottom container, a basket and a lid for storing the berries and keeping them fresh. Put your berries in the basket, rinse, drain excess water off, drop basket into the bottom container, put on the lid and "burp" it, store in the refrigerator.

Take the three pieces apart, and they go back together for storing your berries.

This purple container is the other size basket.  It's rectangle shape is perfect for storing strawberries.

And The Rockets Red Glare.....

July 4th is right around the corner, this Friday as a matter of fact.  I can't wait to sit in the driveway, and watch all the fireworks from neighboring towns light the black sky.  I often wondered how they would look if you were in a plane above them, pretty cool I am sure.  Independence Day has always been a favorite of mine, from the time I was a little kid.   The town parade was always so much fun, then we would come home and eat all the picnic food we wanted.  Always served up - hamburgers and hot dogs with all the toppings, baked beans, potato salad, macaroni salad, cupcakes, watermelon, ice cream and ice cold drinks. Then it would be out to the streets to play, and then fireworks and sparklers late at night.  Everything was always so innocent, it's too bad it's not like that today, but anyway, I have those great memories of days gone by.  I am getting ready for the July 4th weekend and a cookout, just a small one.  I picked up a few cute items on my day out.  I'll hang my patriotic bunting and wave my flag proudly, sit back and enjoy my picnic food with my family and be thankful for the freedoms that we all have.

Glass and Stainless Steel Straw Dispenser - TJ Maxx, $3.99 and it came with red, white and blue straws.

 Plastic Burger/ Hot Dog/Sandwich Baskets - TJ Maxx, $2.99 for 6.

Red, White and Blue Checkered Deli Sheets For Baskets - Walmart, $1.49 each for 12 sheets.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail!

Easter is just a few days away, I love Easter, but it is not like it used to be.  My kids when they were little, always had cute little outfits on, that each of their grandmothers would buy them, we would all go to church, then come home and have a big family meal and get together.  A lot of family is gone now, the kids don't even want to get dressed, their idea of getting dressed up is jeans or sweat pants.  I guess I shouldn't complain though, because after all we are together, sharing a meal, family time and poking fun at each other.  My youngest will be home from college, she wanted an Easter basket so I made her one.  She will not be here next year, she'll be in another country studying, I guess I'll have to send her one!  My other three children complained because I made her a basket, two of them do not even eat candy, and the other is 38 years old - go figure.

Left - Longaberger Easter basket with ceramic bunny pin tie on.  I have had this for a number of years and always fill it with candy.  It sits in the foyer for everyone to enjoy.

Right - This is also a Longaberger Basket - The Jelly Bean Basket with ceramic tie on.  I always fill this with Starburst Jelly Beans - they are AWESOME! none better than Starburst.

Cute Little Things

A few more cute little things I found while on our country store road trip.

Small grapevine wreath with vine at King's, $6.95 and bird nest with eggs at Old Candle Barn, $2.99.

 Cobblestone Candles smell fantastic. Kirkland's had a variety of scents in the 18 ounce size for $7.99.

 Willow hanging basket with rope hanger, I am going to fill with red and white geraniums for Summer and hang on the front door at the Old Candle Barn, $11.99.

Home on the Range

In case you are wondering where all the recipes on this blog evolved from, here is the place.  My beloved kitchen.  It's my favorite place to be.  I sit in here half of the day thinking of recipes, working recipes and trying them out on my family. When we built our home almost 8 years ago I paid close attention to how I wanted my kitchen to work for me.  I worked with the builder and the kitchen contractor and designed what I wanted. After moving walls and resetting appliances I hope the next family who lives in this house will love it as much as we do.

All appliances - dishwasher, 6 burner (propane) cooktop, warming drawer, double Trivection oven , and refrigerator are GE Monogram.  The range hood is a Kenmore.

This is my baking station.  I had the builder install a cabinet just for the KitchenAid mixer.  We all love the mixer, but it's big, heavy, and takes up alot of room on the counter.  The mixer sits on a spring loaded shelf. You lift it out of the cabinet and it self locks into place.  When you are done using it, unlock it and it slips right back into the cabinet.  The cabinet also came with a bottom pull out shelf for storage. Right next to this cabinet is a drawer where I keep all of my baking utensils. Under that drawer is a double cabinet, with pull out shelves, where I keep all of my baking pans and bowls.  Everything is organized and in one place.  I had a sink installed on one end of the 11 ft counter for cleanup.  On the other end are bookshelves for cookbook storage.

A closeup of the cabinet.  I also had baskets installed for towel storage, I use a lot of towels!

So this is where it all happens. I hope you liked the photos.