Like most travelers, I purchased a travel pillow. You know the variety – soft, black fabric stuffed with a filling. The little pillow fits around your neck, allowing you to rest while traveling. That’s all well and good, until the filling starts making my head itch! I don’t know exactly what’s inside of those pillows, but it’s not really conducive to rest. Aside from the itchy factor, it’s too full to allow your head to feel comfortable.
With all the travel we’ve been doing, I knew I had to do something to allow myself to be more comfortable in the car or airplane. Looking at the travel pillows, I realized that it would be simple to create one myself.
I’ve posted a LOT of cookie recipes on my blog over the years, but when it gets tight down to it, my favorite would have to be the infamous Chocolate Chip Cookie! I like them soft in the middle and full of chocolate chips! I’ve also recently added a little something else that I love (Read on!)!
Getting older has its advantages. One plus is that after having passed through the years of motherhood when my children were little, I can reflect with a little more insight. Sometimes looking at motherhood through the rear view mirror (my mistakes) gives a better perspective. I certainly don’t have all the answers (who does?), but as I reflect on my own mothering years, and watch and listen to young moms, I have a different perspective. When I was experiencing it myself there were days when I felt like I was drowning. Now I stand on the shoreline to throw you young moms a rope of encouragement.
While on the hunt for healthy alternatives for some of my favorite breakfast foods, I found the delicious Three-Ingredient Pancakes that I shared here recently. I have made them several times and swoon at their texture and flavor!
Then my daughter told me about making a quiche and swapping out the caloric crust for a tortilla shell! I buy the La Banderita Carb Counter tortillas and they are super low in calories, so I knew they would be a good choice for my “crust.”
Happy July! That means Fourth of July picnics, picnics at the park, picnics at the lake, and also picnics in the backyard! We LOVE eating outdoors and do so at any opportunity! But with that, there’s always the need to be careful with food preservation. After having food poisoning once, I’ve been quite careful about keeping food cold!
It’s for that reason that I recently went searching for a recipe for potato salad to take to our church picnic this weekend that didn’t require any mayonnaise. The German potato salads are vinegar based, making them the perfect addition. I found a great recipe on Taste of Home’s web site. I made it a day ahead so we could have some for supper, and then also enjoy it at our church picnic.
German potato salad is typically served warm. It was delicious that way when I first made it, but it was also good cold the next day. The recipe calls for several kinds of potatoes to make it “red, white and blue.” I used what I had on hand – red and yellow potatoes. It didn’t change the taste at all. Here’s the recipe: Red, White and Blue Potato Salad
1-1/4 pounds small purple potatoes (about 11), quartered
1 pound small Yukon Gold potatoes (about 9), quartered
1 pound small red potatoes (about 9), quartered
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup white wine or additional chicken stock
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1-1/2 teaspoons stone-ground mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 small sweet red pepper, chopped
8 green onions, chopped
3/4 pound bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
3 tablespoons each minced fresh basil, dill and parsley
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Directions
Place all potatoes in a Dutch oven; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain; transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle potatoes with stock and wine; toss gently, allowing liquids to absorb.
In a small bowl, whisk vinegars, mustards, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in oil until blended. Add vinaigrette, vegetables, bacon and herbs to potato mixture; toss to combine. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve warm.
This salad is delicious either hot or cold, and there’s no worry of it spoiling since there’s no mayo! This would be the perfect addition to your Fourth of July gathering!
RefreshHer 