Want to settle in with some fun new ideas from your kitchen? With all the rain we have had in my part of the world, getting in the kitchen is something fun and cozy to do! It always reminds of me of mom when I try a new recipe. I don’t collect recipes like my mom used to, but I do like new recipes that are simple. My mom had a drawer FULL of them from newspapers, magazines, or hand written from friends, and her recipe box was full too! But you know, money was tight and those recipe books weren’t out there so readily as they are today. There was no internet to look them up either! But… I find that the older I get, the more like her in the recipe department I get! So let me share a couple with you!
This is something that could be used as an appetizer, or breakfast, or like myself tonight, I used it as our dinner.
Sausage Muffins
- 1 cup Bisquick
- 1 pound cooked sausage
- 4 eggs beaten
- 1 cup of shredded cheese
- Blend together
- Spoon into a muffin/cupcake tin to almost the top, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Here is another one that I used on Easter as our dessert. I was asked for this recipe also, so here it is!
Brownies Extraordinaire (Don’t remember the exact name, but it fits!)
- 1 package Duncan Hines Milk Chocolate Chunk Decadent Brownie Mix
- Water, oil, and eggs called for on the brownie mix box (used the cake like brownie)
- 2 cups miniature marshmallows
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup rice krispies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and 8×8 inch baking pan. (I used a round cake pan, because I wanted it to look like a cake)
- Combine brownie mix with water and oil and eggs in a large bowl with a wood spoon until blended. Spread batter into the pan. Bake 35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
- Sprinkle marshmallows on hot brownies and return to the oven for 3 minutes or until marshmallows are softened. Remove from the oven and place pan on wire rack.
- Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes or until smooth. Stir in rice krispies. Spread chocolate mixture over marshmallow layer.
- Cool on wire rack 20 minutes and then refrigerate for 30 minutes or until chilled. Cute into bars.
It’s fun to find these gems that are easy, yet unique. And… anytime I can bring memories of home to my heart and mind, its a good thing! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
From my escapes to the kitchen, to your my heart and soul…
~JoAnn
Knock…knock…come on in! I have a story to tell! The other day I did a happy dance because I received a book in the mail that I was so wanting. It is all about making the Scandinavian waffle; not just a waffle, but all kinds of ways to serve the waffle. I was very excited! I tasted the Norwegian waffle while on my visit to Norway. In the wonderful hospitality of my cousins, it was served like a dessert waffle with a jam and whipped cream on top and each one was heart-shaped. They were very, very good and had a touch of cardamom flavor. What a treat! I immediately wanted the recipe. I have a couple other books and recipes, and now, I have this book. I have learned the history of waffles also. And the recipes!! That is really fun!However, there was a word in this book that really grabbed my heart. My soul immediately resonated with it. I have been familiar with its feeling, and always leaned this way in my daily life and 
living. But this word description put the finger on the pulse when I read it. It is described as the Norwegian word “Kos”. As with many languages, sometimes it takes many words to understand the meaning of one foreign word used, and this word is no exception. If we tried to translate it, it seems the word “cozy” would best work. Sort of…but not really. It is really described as more of a life style. It’s about the quality of life we live and making an atmosphere that totally makes you feel like, this is the life! This is what it’s about. But she talks about “Kos” not just being about the home, it’s also about getting together for coffee, or when you see someone you haven’t seen in a long time, or sharing a bonfire with snacks or hotdogs together with friends, neighbors and family. It is also about being out in nature on a walk or hike, or sitting on a deck and just enjoying what you see around you. Hearing the sounds, and breathing in life.
other cousins, to see my grandfather’s church, and where his siblings and family attended, were confirmed, and lived their life. I walked the road where my grandfather walked and then went up the hill to where his house was. I traveled with other cousins to learn of my father’s mother and her life in Norway, and my great-uncle, who was a pastor, and gave his life to ministry in Norway, and later in the US. I walked inside of the house where my great-grandmother, grandmother and her sister lived. That was on my mom’s side.
I could imagine for a while what their life was like and how hard their life was. I could also look out the window at the beautiful mountains across the valley. I stood there a moment trying to imagine them waking up to that view every day! What a view a view it was. Did they stand at the window and dream about a time when they would leave these mountains and come to the land of plenty? Did they dream about a way to make a better life for themselves and for their family by leaving Norway? Maybe they prayed for provision and food enough to get by? Maybe their prayers were answered by our presence there that day. Stories…do we know them, or are we too busy to gather around small tables by oil light to listen? (I will allow you an electrical light too, or, candles are welcomed). Can we slow down enough to hear the stories? Everyone has one.
about. Whether by yourself, or with others, it is about squeezing every bit of enjoyment out of each moment lived. For me, one of them just recently was laying on the floor with my grandson and just talking and giggling. Listening to his story. I can remember many days going to my grandpa and grandma’s house after school and sometimes just sitting there in a rocker and rocking back and forth, the Generator wall clock is sharing it’s “tick-tock, tick-tock”, and the quiet…we just enjoyed being together. I have memories of my grandfather taking the time to teach me how to play solitaire. I play a game on my phone before I go to bed each night in his honor. Time. We all have it. What are we doing with it?
their lunch together. They invited on in to share the circle with them. We ate our snacks there and they offered us cookies and coffee. Here we sat, strangers to them, my son and I, and yet they invited us in like they had known us for a long time. We were invited into the cabin for a tour. My heart fell in love with this cabin on the mountain. It squeezed my heart a little to leave, but I left feeling the “Kos” that day for many reasons. Walking back down the mountain, it WAS hard to put into words. But I know the feeling because my heart recognizes it.
I thank my Norwegian relatives for reminding me once again what life is about and what is important. I think God wants us to live this way. It was never His plan to be running so fast that we run away from life instead of running to it. We are running so hard that we forget to look around us at nature and what God has given us. We can’t even hear Him because we are too busy moving on to the next thing. I came back home with a reinforced perspective about this area of my life! I am passionate about it! I implement it in my home as well. I now understand why. It was how I was brought up. But it still takes ME to implement it. When we allow it, our heart and soul will speak. When it does, we have no choice but to listen and follow if we want harmony in our lives.
I am excited and happy to share some ideas about making yourself at home, in YOUR home. Let me just say that it doesn’t matter if you are in a house, a manufactured home, a cabin, a simple apartment or a high-end apartment, or a tiny house, you can make it into something that feels like home when you or your guests walk inside the door! I hope you will find some fun and creative ideas over the next few posts. As you may know, some places are just a place to live, and others are places that are more like a trip to one of your favorite places. So let’s dream a little and see what we can come up with for your situation.
So…where do you start? I have been married to my sweetie now for 17 years, and in that 17 years, we have moved 11 times. However, each time, with each house had a different personality. I have looked at the house and designed what I wanted each house to look like. I had to change some things up quite a bit sometimes, but each time I knew the look and feel I wanted in my home. I like a cozy, warm and inviting look. Sometimes others have said it looks like an antique 
consideration to its placement in our home. Not just where it would fit best, but where it could be enjoyed most was also a consideration. My house is overflowing with heirlooms from my life, my hubby’s life, my parents and grandparents lives and our antique shopping. 
Recently, I read a blog about post-it notes and how this blogger, BecktoBasics, used them in her daily life and how it reminded her of other things she had in her home that were reminders also. It got me to thinking. I happen to use them in my office quite a bit. My whole house is full of thoughts, reminders, encouragement, and love and so I thought I would share some of them with you. Maybe it will spur you on to share some of your own! The above photo is one of my reminders that I wear daily. Pray Always. My husband has a matching ring that I presented to us for our 10th anniversary. I put his on his finger, and he put mine on my hand.
journeysofmyheart.com 