This post is brought to you in partnership with Stubb’s Bar-B-Que
As we all know, bacon makes everything better. You know what, though? So does barbecue sauce!
These spicy grilled jalapeño poppers are stuffed with an addictive mix of Stubb’s Sticky Sweet Bar-B-Q Sauce, cheddar and cream cheese, and glazed bacon before being grilled until hot and bubbly.
http://ift.tt/2suodkqFellow gardeners, you know this tale well. You step away from your garden bed for 1 minute (or a weekend) and come back to find a monster zucchini hiding in the greenery.
Sometimes the plant warns you. Regular zucchini production starts slowing down, odd for early summer. The reason? All of the plant’s attention is going to feeding that one humungous baseball bat of a zuke.
Fortunately, those ginormous zucchinis are perfect for stuffing!
http://ift.tt/2upaWLg
We can wax on about the glory of the mojito – this perfect concoction of rum, mint, sugar, lime juice, and sparkling water — but I’m guessing you won’t need a lot of convincing in that regard.
Instead, let’s discuss the building of the mojito, which in my opinion, is what distinguishes a “good” mojito from a “truly incredible” mojito.
http://ift.tt/2smUiu9There are wet ribs, sticky with a succulent, spicy barbecue sauce, and there are dry ribs, where the flavor is all in the dried mixture of herbs and spices, melded into something greater than the sum of their parts by time, smoke and pork fat.
This is what they do in Memphis, Tennessee, and it’s why Memphis-style ribs are some of the best in the world.
http://ift.tt/2seAVs3This round-up is brought to you in partnership with the California Olive Committee.
Dreaming up a menu for your next summer cookout? Look no further than one of our favorite pantry staples, olives.
The buttery, mild flavor of both California green and black ripe olives are a fantastic contrast to all of the smoky flavors coming off the grill this summer. You can chop them up into a quick tapenade to serve with chips, make a quick relish to spoon on top of burgers, or toss them with fresh summer vegetables in a pasta salad.
Here are fifteen recipes that put a can of olives to work, guaranteed to make your next cookout a memorable one!
http://ift.tt/2tSiRRXThis is a quick and easy breakfast recipe for rhubarb crumble coffee cake. It’s a yummy way to use some of the rhubarb you have growing in your garden.
I’m always on the lookout for great recipes that I can use your garden produce in. There is something that is so satisfying about harvesting a fruit or vegetable from your garden, bringing it in and preparing it for friends and family.
You know exactly where that item was from the time it started to grow to when it ended up on your table.
This week the Tuesday in the Garden bloggers and myself are sharing a few garden to table recipes. I’m sharing a new recipe I made for rhubarb crumble coffee cake, which you’ll find below.
But be sure to scroll all the way down to the bottom to see what recipes my blogging friends have to offer too. They are all great cooks and bakers so I know you’ll love their recipes.
My choice for a garden to table recipe was decided by what I had ready to pick in my garden. I got a late start to my garden this year, then the poor garden has been hindered by our continual rain and cool temperatures.
I love the cool temperatures and rain this time of year but it’s not great growing weather. So as I looked around my garden I spotted lots of rhubarb ready to pick.
Rhubarb is a fruit, or maybe it’s a vegetable, I’m not really sure about that but it’s something that grows really easily in our garden. I love it because once it’s planted and established it keeps giving year after year.
You only eat the stocks, not the leaves. I’ve heard the leaves contain a compound that poisonous so don’t eat the leaves, throw them out and only eat the stocks. I wonder who figured out the stocks were fine to eat but not the leaves.
Once you have your stocks of rhubarb harvested clean them up and cut the ends off. And they are ready to use in recipes.
I’ve made rhubarb recipes for ice cream and crisp and even jam. But I wanted to make a recipe that we could eat for breakfast. We always end up with lots of rhubarb in the freezer and having a way to use it in a yummy breakfast dish would be nice.
My son suggested muffins, he loves muffins. But I thought what about a coffee cake? It’s something I don’t make that often, so it would be special but it’s close enough to a muffin that my son would also love it.
Plus if you have unexpected company come by you can make a coffee cake really quick.
Who can resist a little crumble topping on top? That’s one of the reasons coffee cake is so good.
How to Prepare Rhubarb for the FreezerIf you want to enjoy this yummy dish even when your rhubarb isn’t producing, prepare the rhubarb for the freezer.
Harvest your rhubarb, wash and dice it. Then place it in a zipper freezer bag in 2 cup portions and freeze. It’s that easy and you’ll have rhubarb waiting in the freezer when you have a craving for this yummy rhubarb crumble coffee cake.
How to Make Rhubarb Crumble Coffee CakeI’ve made a quick video to show the steps of this recipe and you can print the recipe below. After you’ve done that scroll down to see what recipes the other Tuesdays in the Garden bloggers have to offer from their garden harvests.
This week we have a few yummy garden to table recipes to share. Just click on the photo below to be taken to the recipe. Enjoy!
Roasted Rhubarb Ice Cream
Rhubarb Custard Crisp
Easy Rhubarb Jam
Pin it for Later…
My husband is a big fan of chipotle – both the spicy, smoky peppers themselves and the restaurant chain. He declared this dish to be better than Chipotle’s fast-casual burrito bowls, so I’m calling it a win!
This is certainly more budget-friendly than ordering take-out for four people. It also cooks in about the same time that it would take us to drive over and pick up dinner!
http://ift.tt/2te39mNFun Summer Learning Activities: 10 Ways to Keep Learning During Summer Break is a post from contributing writer Kris Bales from Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
Alternately titled, “All the things we would do over the summer if I could get my act together.”
In total transparency, I want to say: We’re pretty lazy in the summer. We enjoy our downtime and following our own interests, which typically involve too much screen time. That being said, I’ve often had these grandiose ideas of what I’d like to do over the summer to enhance or supplement our regular school year studies. Since they may never happen for us, I thought I’d share some summer learning activities with you – in case you’re a little more together than me.
Since they may never happen for us, I thought I’d share them with you – in case you’re a little more together than me.
Fun Summer Learning Activities: 10 Ways to Keep Learning During Summer Break 1. Do a fun geography study.I was once in a homeschool forum with a lady who did an around the world summer study with her kids. They “visited” a different country each week. They’d learn about the culture, make a dish (or a whole meal) from that week’s country, and make a related craft or costume.
That would be so much fun! You could get really elaborate and make or buy a passport that you could stamp for each country. A fun literature tie-in might be Around the World in Eighty Days.
Learn More: How to Plan an Around the World Day
2. Take an art class.You can often find classes through local museums, art stores, or community centers and summer can be a great time to take advantage of local offerings.
Alternately, you could jump into that art curriculum or online class that you’ve been intending to get to all year. I may even eventually get around to remembering to buy some chalk pastels so we can enjoy Tricia Hodges book, A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels. This summer may be our year to finally do something on my summer fun list!
Another option would be to work your way through drawing and art lessons on Art for Kids Hub.
Okay, this one may not be so much fun for the kids, but it will definitely be beneficial – especially as they get older. Finding the time to teach your kids to cook, wash clothes, or do some housekeeping chores is much easier in the summer and will give you some extra time during the school year when the kids can help take over some of the household chores that have been your responsibility in the past.
Learn More: Check out our “teaching life skills” archives
Training Your Children in Home Economics eBook
4. Learn to play a musical instrument.There seems to be an online tutorial for just about everything these days. If you can’t afford (or just don’t want to take) traditional classes, a self-paced, online approach could be just the ticket. The cool thing about learning this way is that it tends to be more interest-led, therefore generally more appealing to everyone involved.
A couple of our local libraries have started offering summer reading programs for teens. I’m so excited about that because my kids are older now and, while they often participated in the summer reading program when they were little, it’s too “babyish” for them now. Because all three of my kids should be the right age for the teen program this year, we may actually pursue this one and not just think about it.
Even if your library doesn’t offer a summer reading program, you can make up your own. Offer incentives for reading a certain number of pages, chapters, or books. In the past, I’ve put together a bingo card as a reading incentive. The cards included different types of books in each square. Examples include: a biography, a book about a boy, or a non-fiction book.
Also, don’t think “read lots of books” means your kids have to be doing all the reading. No matter their ages, most kids still enjoy a good story. Reading aloud doesn’t have to stop once our kids are independent readers. Spending some time lying around the living room enjoying a good book together can be a great way to connect with older kids, too.
6. Go on some fantastic field trips.If you’ll be traveling this summer, consider the “field trip” opportunities that may arise. You don’t have to turn everything into an educational moment (not overtly, anyway), but one of my family’s most memorable field trips was a couple of extra days spent in St. Augustine, Florida on the way home from the beach.
If you’ll be traveling, see if there are any great sites along your route that may reinforce something you studied over the past year or something you’ll be studying in the upcoming year.
Oh, and that “around the world” idea in #1 could be turned into a fantastic U.S.A. (or whatever your home country) version, if you’ll be doing a lot of driving on your travels.
7. Study poetry.Poetry may be something that makes its way into your everyday homeschool life, but that doesn’t tend to happen in my home. Summer can be a great time to do some poetry study. You could look at a different poet or a different type of poetry each week.
Learn More: Hands-on Poetry Project Ideas
8. Invest in a hobby.Whether you enjoy writing, photography, art, music, or rock collecting (here’s a way to build your rock collection), those lazy summer days (do they really exist?) can provide a wonderful chance for you and your kids to each spend more time on your hobbies – or share them with each other.
Do you have a child who would love to learn what you know about photography? Maybe one of your kids would enjoy teaching you to draw anime. Sharing each other’s interests can be a wonderful way to connect.
So maybe bowling doesn’t constitute learning, but it’s fun. It’s physical education (P.E.) and homeschoolers don’t usually get enough P.E., right?
Lots of bowling alleys offer summer programs in which kids bowl free. Those that do also usually offer a great rate for parents to purchase unlimited bowling, too. This is something that I really want to do this summer. My kids don’t love bowling as much as my husband and I do, but they usually do enjoy a game or two.
The shoes tend to be the most expensive part, so I’ve been on the lookout for some good deals on bowling shoes. I have a pair in each of our sizes sitting in my Amazon wishlist if I don’t find a better deal on some locally soon.
10. Enjoy more family time.Alright, while some of the other ideas may be on my “wish we did this” or “would like to do this” list, this last one is something we definitely do. It’s fun to enjoy more time together while the weather is nice – either by doing more active things together outside (like family bike rides) or enjoying fun summer treats like dollar scoop night at the local ice cream shop.
How does family time constitute summer learning? I could give you lots of buzz words that would fit, but the fact is, family is what it’s all about, whether you’re actively trying to learn something or not.
In what ways does your family enjoy spending more time together during the summer? If you take a summer break, do you take time completely off or do you enjoy some fun, supplemental learning?
Other Posts You May Love:Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. They don’t change the price you pay. However, when you shop through them, we may receive a small compensation. Thanks!
Fun Summer Learning Activities: 10 Ways to Keep Learning During Summer Break was originally published on May 28, 2013. It was most recently updated in June 2017.
The post Fun Summer Learning Activities: 10 Ways to Keep Learning During Summer Break appeared first on Real Life at Home.
http://ift.tt/2tdilkkLooking for something special to bring to a Fourth of July cook-out? Check out this American Flag Pie! It’s a sheet-pan slab pie with a homemade crust, a blueberry and strawberry filling, topped with stars and stripes.
Slab pies are shallower than regular pies, but they make up for it in width. A 13 x18 sheet pan pie will easily feed 12 people, perfect for a party.
While conceivably you could use a prepackaged folded frozen pie crust (just get four of them and cut them to fit the rectangular sheet pan, and cut out the shapes), I strongly encourage you to try the home made crust recipe I’ve included for this pie.
http://ift.tt/2t30RWMFor this budget grocery haul, I stopped two stores. Most shopping trips I’ll shop at one to two stores. I find I can find really good deals by shopping more than one store each week and it really doesn’t take too much time to make two quick stops.
For this budget grocery haul, I shopped at Grocery Outlet and Fred Meyer. I was able to find quite a few good deals at each store and I spend just under $30 at each store too.
You can watch the quick video below to see my full budget grocery haul. Or scroll down to see the best deals I found this trip.
Best Deals this Budget Grocery Haul TripGranola Bars $.99 a box
Wheat Thins $1.67 each used $1/2 coupon and $1.20/2 Checkout 51 coupon, Paid $.57 each box
Fruit Snacks $.99 a box
Veggie Mozzarella Cheese $.99
Strawberries $2.98 for 2 lbs
Eggs for $.98 each (I forgot to mention in the video that I purchased 4 dozen)
Grapes $.77lb
Those are the best buys I found this trip. I ended up spending $58.52 for these two stops this trip. Not too bad for the week for our family of 4.
What good deal did you find while shopping this week?
I love a daiquiri, be it frozen or straight, strawberry or banana. It’s all good.
http://ift.tt/2rKT64rWe don’t have parties often, but I love it when we do. Even though they can be expensive and a ton of work, it makes me so happy to have a houseful of friends and family. Even when they get hectic, it just makes my heart feel full. To help with some of the issues of the expense, I’m offering up some easy ideas for party planning on a budget.
If all or most of your guests are online (and regularly check their email), a service like Evite is a great option for free invitations. Of course, an even more low tech option, while still being paperless, can be emails or phone calls.
2. Make your own cake.If the party is a birthday party or another event that will involve cake, consider skipping over a store bought cake and either make your own cake or go for something like cupcakes or pies if you’re working on party planning on a budget. Personally, I’m a big fan of cupcakes. They are individually sized and there is no pressure on someone to cut a cake perfectly. (Here’s my favorite frosting recipe.)
If you’re determined to have a theme to your party, explore your home looking for supplies and other items that you might already have that would lend themselves to party decorations or supplies.
4. Throw a potluck.If you want to have a meal but just can’t afford to invite all of your friends for a large meal, invite them to a potluck instead. It would be best if you provided the drinks and main dish (soups, grilled out meats, or something of that nature) and then had friends or family bring sides and desserts.
5. Decorate with things you can reuse.When we had a very large birthday party for Molly one year, we bought balloons to blow up ourselves as well as pink crepe paper. Those were our only single-use decorations.
I also picked up a “Happy Birthday” banner that could be reused as well as LED white Christmas lights to put on the trees and our porch in the backyard. Because they were LED, they were bright enough to light the dark backyard for all the kids that played outside throughout the party. Those lights were not cheap, but we enjoyed them for many years afterward, as well as for additional parties and gatherings.
If you have the kinds of friends who say, “What can I bring?” or “What can I do?” – let them help. Now, I will admit that I almost always decline those offers.
However, that said, I admire someone like my friend Amanda who trusts people enough that she had her sister-in-law (who is a friend of mine as well) and I make the cakes for her twin sons’ First Communion party. Other relatives also brought some other desserts.
7. Avoid mealtimes for your party.Food adds a large expense to party planning. While I think it’s nice to have some type of food at a party, having it at a meal time will either cost you a lot of money or will leave your guests disappointed when your party time that starts at noon includes only cake and punch. Have your party well after a meal time so you can get away with something like only cake and punch to save money on your party planning on a budget.
8. Make food from scratch rather than packaged foods.If you would like to feed people, as I often do, it’s much cheaper to make the food yourself rather than heading to the grocery store or club store to buy prepared foods.
9. Skip party favors.Who really needs party favors, right? The only time we’ve ever done party favors was the year that Molly had a princess birthday party at home and the girls got to each pick a tea cup to use at the party and then take home. However, we got them all for $1.00 or less per cup by visiting Goodwill.
Here are all of the details of the princess party we did at home for under $30.
10. Go somewhere that provides an activity.Now, I’m not talking about something like a pizza party type of location if you’re trying to save money. I’m talking about something like a local park. Some parks will let you rent a shelter for free or a small cost and then party guests can do activities like playing on playground equipment, sports, trails, and other activities.
What are some of your favorite budget savers when it comes to parties?Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. They don’t change the price you pay. However, when you shop through the links, we may receive a small compensation. Thanks!
The post 10 Tips for Party Planning on a Budget appeared first on Real Life at Home.
http://ift.tt/2t3mcQPIn our classic outdoor lounge space blog post, we gave you a guide for creating a look that’s elegant and timeless. This time, we thought we’d give you steps for creating an eclectic look. The vibe is funkier and laid…
http://ift.tt/2sFhrKkQuesadillas have to be my favorite go-to food for lunch. They’re just so easy to make! Especially when you have tortillas and cheese in the fridge, which we almost always do.
One way to take a quesadilla from snack to a meal is to add some protein, like chicken, beef, or in this case shrimp.
First marinate raw shrimp in a little lime juice and chili pepper. Then sauté the shrimp and add it to your jack-cheese quesadilla along with red onion and cilantro. Serve with some sliced avocado, sour cream, maybe another squeeze of lime juice, and you’re set!
http://ift.tt/1uVwQnW