Nicole's trip to DC!

it's that time of year again where my life gets pretty crazy because there's only 22 days left in the school year. can you believe it? we're all excited here!

nicole's fifth grade class took a trip to Washington, DC last week and like last year when i went with natalie, i had the privilege of going with nicole too. it was a great trip, here are a few photos i took with my iphone (and she took some with her iTouch).

 nicole and maddie...

 nicole behind the camera...

 capitol with all the 5th graders and Ben Chandler...

 nicole with lincoln... love this monument

 nicole and gracie hugging monkey...

  white house...

 men's memorial...

 WWII...

 grace at lincoln...

 so glad to take a break from that bus!

 nicole, maddie and sissy behind the podium at smithsonian...

 arlington cemetery... such a lovely place.

there was a cement pool outside the american history smithsonian where all the girls took off their shoes and cooled off their feet {me included}. it was fun!

nicole is such a great little traveler. she's always pretty happy and she's very chatty, making it a fun trip for me. we had a fabulous time together! it's probably our last trip like this together, since she'll be heading on to middle school next year and parents aren't allowed to attend these outings. {boo!}

ps: i'll have a few things up for mother's day... be on the look-out!

hello! {how are you!?}

been busy around the house. lots of silver orders to fill and i'm enjoying it a great deal. for such a simple piece of jewelry, it gives comfort that i love. my necklace has been on my neck for several years, wearing it in the shower, to the swimming pool, in bed, on hikes {um. like when do i hike?} and really just everywhere. my chains are sturdy, sterling silver {not plated or filled} and will last you for a very, very long time even if you're rough on jewelry like i am. to me, if you have a good chain then your jewelry can last forever.

here are a couple new charms to add to the mix... both of these have sentimental value to me and are among my faves. check them out...

i designed this sweet, precious lion for a dear friend. he's just so cute. you can read about his back-story here.

the fleur, or my lily. it's just a simple symbol but can mean so much to the one wearing her. sometimes it's the simplest of things that can bring about the most meaning.

i hope you're having a great day. here in the bluegrass, we're all gearing up for the big UK vs IU game on Saturday. really, i had no clue they were even playing until my BFF told me at lunch today. so there you go. lol tells you how much of a UK nut i am not, but i love living here in kentucky... i just don't seem to be a sports nut. oh well. my son is though, driving me crazy with constant "updates" on the game status. goodness. he's a funny boy.

enjoy your day! talk soon!

homemade detergent recipe {the best!}

hi everyone! how has your week been going? we've had some crazy weather here in the Bluegrass. on monday we had 5 inches of snow {our first real snow day!} and today we're on the porch wearing flip flops, enjoying 72 degree weather. crazy!

for the last year or so my husband has been telling me about "homemade laundry detergent." you know me, i stuck my nose up to it and said no. ha. i figured with my coupons, that i could get brand name detergent so why did i need to make homemade? well, as the laundry companies have been tightening their coupon-giving-dollars, it's been tough to find super cheap cleaners. last week i was down to my last container and thought i'd better go get more... but there were very few GOOD coupons with store reductions. and what happened? you guessed it! i decided to make my own laundry detergent. my MIL has been using it for about six months and said it's great so i was excited to try it.

this recipe is safe in all HE washers, too.

first you'll need these ingredients...

2 cups Washing Soda {not to be confused with Baking Soda}
2 cups 20 Mule Team BORAX
2 bars Ivory Soap {grated}
2 Purex Ultra Packs {Tide also has these}
2 gallons water
1 quart of water {to use for boiling}
large bucket for stirring
4 empty 48 load purex containers {or any detergent container}

you can find all these items at your local grocery store in the laundry isle.

Directions:

add 1 quart of water to a large saucepan and bring to a boil, add in 2 grated ivory soap bars and stir until dissolved. once dissolved add in 2 cups washing soda, 2 cups borax and 2 ultra packs; stir until completely mixed and dissolved.

then pour into your large bucket, adding in 2 gallons water, mix thoroughly. at this point, you can add in any fragrance oils. i don't but have thought about it, however for now i've been adding 1 cup of regular detergent to the entire 2 gallon batch and mix. it gives it a blueish color and a nice scent.

after everything is mixed i slowly pour into my four empty purex containers {shown above}. if you have a difficult time pouring, you can remove the clear pour spout inside the container and then putting it back into place once your detergent has been added. before each load, give your detergent bottle a good shake. it took me about thirty minutes from start to finish.

and there you have it! totally ready for laundry! for hard-to-remove stains, i have standard Tide liquid detergent that i use to spot-treat. it's on sale this week at Kroger for $4.99 and there's a $1 off coupon in the paper. spot cleaner for $3.99 is pretty good if you ask me.

doing your laundry this way, the cost of your laundry loads is roughly a penny. totally awesome! why didn't my husband tell me to do this sooner?! sheesh.

my favorite chicken salad {recipe}

this is my favorite chicken salad recipe, taken from my two favorite chicken salad recipes. lol my mom's and a favorite bistro i love to go to with girlfriends. so here goes... i hope you love it.

My Favorite Chicken Salad Recipe

Ingredients

6 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts {or 8 smallish ones}
2 chicken bouillon cubes {i use Knorr, but any will do}
1 onion, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

{boil chicken with onion and S & P, when finished, remove from pot and chop in small bite-size pieces and set aside -- it is not necessary to keep the onion, you just need the chicken}

1/3 cup sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup celery, diced
6 smallish green onions, chopped
1 Fuji apple (leave skin on), chopped
3 small golden delicious apples, peeled and chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 tsp celery seeds
1 cup Daisy sour cream
1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise


To garnish

Salt
Fresh cracked pepper
leaf lettuce
swiss cheese, sliced
1 pound thick-slice bacon, nicely cooked {don't burn}
3 tomatoes, sliced
Croissants {small} from your bakery section of your grocery store {this recipe will make 12}
Wavy potato chips and apples for garnish

Recipe

After cooking your chicken, chopping, dicing and preparing all your ingredients, add everything to a large mixing bowl. Stir, making a nice coating with your salad. Give it a taste, if you think it needs something extra, experiment but not too much, it can quickly get out of hand. After I have mixed everything I always add my salt and cracked pepper. Taste again. If it needs a bit of sweet, add some more sweet relish, but I've made it this way several times without adding anything extra and the recipe always comes out the same, perfectly. i hope it does for you too.

Even though my photo does not show the swiss cheese, it makes a nice addition. My kids didn't want cheese on theirs this time so my pictures don't reflect what it usually looks like. With the bacon, cheese, tomato and lettuce added to the croissant and salad, it's a gorgeous presentation. We have four kids and all but one love it so I figure that's pretty good, right?

side note:  it's important to use Daisy and Hellman's brand when making this recipe. i've tried it with other brands and it NEVER turns out the same. so stick with these two. you can also use Granny Smith in place of the Fuji, but it will be more tart, and that might not be the thing you're going after, we like it both ways. I've also added green or red grapes before but it makes it very wet and i don't care for that. it's up to you.

 i love fresh apples...

 thick, crunchy bacon and vine tomatoes... lovely


You're ready to eat! Enjoy!

 

my mom's taco salad recipe

this is my mom's recipe. years ago my folks would make this for the Honeybee Festival in the town where i grew up. their line of customers would be down the street, waiting patiently for their taco salad bowl. those were great memories...and my parents loved every minute. their recipe is still the best around.

many of my high school friends continue to ask me if they can get the recipe, so i thought i'd stick it here and put it on pinterest.

My Mom's Taco Salad Recipe


Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 medium can of kidney beans, drained

1 bag of plain tortilla chips, crushed
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 head of lettuce, chopped
2 (6oz) kraft mild cheddar cheese, grated (or you might want more, we like extra cheese)

1 3/4 cup miracle whip (do NOT use anything else, no store brands etc.)
3/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup heinz ketchup
2/3 cup granulated sugar

Directions

brown ground chuck then drain. follow packet directions on taco seasoning. add kidney beans and simmer until ready to mix salad and serve. place lettuce, tomatoes and chips into large bowl.

mix miracle whip, relish, ketchup and sugar until completely blended and sugar is dissolved.

pour salad dressing over lettuce, tomatoes and chips and toss until nicely coated. add ground beef and beans mixture. toss gently but thoroughly. top with grated cheese. serve immediately.

PERSONAL NOTES: 


DO NOT USE BOTTLED thousand island dressing. IT WILL NOT TASTE the same. Really. I promise. It'll be icky. So use the recipe i've given you here. :)

this salad must be mixed at time of serving. if you're taking it somewhere or having folks over for dinner, have everything separated and then toss when they are ready to eat, otherwise it will wilt and not be as wonderful as it should be.

Chicken & Shrimp Gumbo Recipe

i thought it would be easier to put our favorite recipes here on my website... here's a new favorite. it's a bit tricky but if you're patient it might turn into a family favorite for you too.

 

 

Chicken & Shrimp Gumbo

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
9 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 cups green onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 pounds, peeled fresh shrimp
4 (boneless, skinless) chicken breasts
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1 tbs file` powder

 

Directions

at the heart of any gumbo is a dark, silky roux. you'll need flour, oil and patience {lots of patience}. it will take from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on your pot, oil and temperature. don't try to rush it--if it burns, simply THROW IT OUT and START AGAIN. it is NOT worth saving.

heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat; gradually whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until flour is a dark mahogany color {roughly 30 minutes}.

first, i added in my 1 1/2 cups of oil {i did not use olive oil--just regular crisco oil}, i sprinkled in the flour and would blend it in evenly, then add some more flour, blend and so on. after all the flour had been added, i set my timer for 30 minutes so i would have a good idea of where i was in the whisking process. it's important NOT to burn your roux so i wanted to be on top of it at all times.

in the beginning, your roux will have a blonde look. with your heat set to a medium level, simply continue to whisk at an easy pace. it will gradually begin to boil {like above} so just keep an eye on it...

 

10 minutes in... nice bubbly going on, but with the continued stirring you're not in danger of burning it, just don't walk away...

 

20 minutes in...notice the shift in color...

 

30 minutes in... continue stirring... don't leave it for a second, we're getting there...

 

40 minutes in...it's ready! at this part you're going to smell that wonderful oaky, nutty flavor.

 

SIDE NOTE: at this point you're going to add in your chicken broth but be careful! with the severe temperature of your finished roux, the steam will be dangerous. so gently pour in the broth and stir, stir and stir some more. keep on top of it, it desperately wants to get away from you.

 

i've poured in all the broth, and added the next 6 ingredients: onions, green onions, celery, garlic, rotel and tomato sauce, and bring to a boil. reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 2 hours.

 

SIDE NOTE: if you have the time, you can let it simmer for an additional hour, making a total of three hours, but i didn't feel it was necessary. it's totally up to you.

 

while the gumbo is simmering, i turned on my iPhone and put on some Pandora {set it to Rachael Platten Radio} and listened with glee while i cut up my 4 chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, washed and then set aside...

 

and peeled my shrimp and cut into halves and set aside with the chicken {sorry for the blurry photo, it began to get pretty dark as i made this in the late afternoon}.

 

after a full hour of simmering, everything seems to be going along nicely. i noticed a lot of grease at the top of my gumbo so i spooned it out into a separate bowl. in the process, some of the veggies came with it so i put them through a strainer {i did not rinse them off} and put them right back into the pot, allowing them to continue cooking.

 

after removing all the grease the end result looked beautiful...at this point i added the chicken so it could cook for a full hour, giving it a nice tenderness {which it did, the chicken melted in our mouths}.

 

again with the annoying, blurry photo. my apologies. next time i won't be cooking at 5:30 in the evening. ha. anyway, i cooked the rice and set it aside, letting it cool down. oh, we used regular long-grain rice from Mahatma {that i got for .79 cents after my $1 off coupon}.

after the rice had been cooking for about fifteen minutes i added the shrimp to the pot. let it take on a nice pinky color so you know it's cooked all the way through.

 

after the chicken and rice had both cooked i gave it a good stir {i was so excited, i could hardly stand it!}... we were ready to eat! thank goodness!

 

spoon in your rice, pour gumbo on and top it off with some parsley.

this was absolutely divine. i cannot even tell you. it's a nice, mild gumbo, and we added creole seasoning to our own bowls. some like it hotter than others. :)

 

we bought a lovely italian bread from our deli section and i lightly toasted it. some added butter and some dipped in their gumbo... no matter how you like it, it's simply heaven.

the table-talk was so much fun, too. everyone was chatting and giggling about how good it was, passing bread back and forth and enjoying every. single. bite.  there was no greater compliment, and all the kids told me how fabulous it was and could we have it again tomorrow.... absolutely! there's tons left!

 

jeff and i polished off three of these babies. we're not big drinkers -- by any means -- but it was grand to have a cold Mike's with our gumbo. the kids had Orange Crush in the bottle. there's something that makes soda better when it's in a glass bottle.

 

and everyone cheered hooray! it was a success! it was a fabulous day in the kitchen, if i do say so myself!

 

the recipe came from Southern Living, originally having crab meat in it. our kids didn't want crab so we substituted chicken, jeff thinks sausage would be great too. so we might try that next time.

all in all, i learned a little about the roux process, needing to take my time with it and not panic. it was a fun learning experience and even though i'm not an everyday cook, trying these recipes from time to time makes me more confident in the kitchen. :) i hope you enjoy it! if you try it, please let me know if you liked it as much as we do!

-laurie eller

i {heart} my keurig.

 deanie and me snappin' some pics for the start of my Project Life commitment. i'm kinda excited. it's been years and years (like twelve) since i did any scrapbooking, which is totally sad, but i'm going to start with this year. if you're not sure what Project Life is, go HERE.

on a personal note, after i saw this photo i realized that i'm showing my age. ::sigh:: when did that happen? when did all these lines appear? i was never a sun-worshiper so i hope that these 40's are kind to me. maybe i need to get a bigger hat to wear at the pool. :)

i know you're gonna think i'm a goof, but i actually buy these cups to make my coffee at home. i don't always use them but i love to take them with me when i leave the house. :) and boy, i have a lot of reward cards. lol

love how these turned out. adding them to the shop later. not the greatest pic. i took them too late in the day. ugh.
 

you know how i feel about finding earrings to wear with jeans, and these are no exception. love love. they're filled with sunshine {and denim}.

enjoy the rest of your week. it's been busy around my home. working on silver orders and trying to find time to finish natalie's furniture. today i found some amazing knobs at Hobby Lobby. i've been taking photos to show you next week. :)