Schooling

So it's been decided to send Zora to the Minnesota Virtual Academy.  That is an online school for grades K-12.  I'm sure it going to be an unique and valuable experience I hope to be able to share with anyone interested in hearing about our progress.  It is sure to be a learning experience for me as well as for the kids.

It nice to know that she is all enrolled and set to go once fall comes around.

Bug Repellent

In all my herbal research I've found a few plants/flowers that are supposed to be good at repelling bugs.  So I have decided to do some home experimenting and try to make my own bug repellent.  I hope to find something that doesn't smell bad and is good at keeping away those pesky mosquitos.  I also am going to attempt to make some candles with something other than citronella in them to keep away the bugs.  There is about a few essential oil proported to be insect repellers.

We will see how good these are.  Hopefully I'll have something figured out by the end of this summer.  So the following summers all I have to do is make a new batch and be done with it.  If anyone would like to assist in the experiment phase let me know.  I am going to need a few testers so that I can be sure it's not just a fluke that something worked.

Help in Decluttering

Helpful questions to ask yourself about items:

Have I used this item in the past year?
Has anyone else in my home used it in the past year?
Do I have a definite use for this in the foreseeable future?
If its broken, is it worth fixing?
Does this item serve a worthwhile purpose in my life?
Do I need to keep it for legal or tax purpose?
Is it more important to me to keep this item than to have the space it occupies?
Do I love it?
Does someone in my household love it?
Would it be difficult or expensive to get another one if I/we needed it?

When your house has less items cluttering up your home its easier to clean, organize and to find things when you want them. You might be surprised to find you own multiple of an item because you couldn't find it so you bought a new one.

White Bean Chicken Chili

1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 small Onion, finely chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 med. Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped
2 cans White Beans, drained & rinsed
4 oz. can diced Green Chilies
1/2 tsp Cumin, ground
1 tsp Chili Powder
2 cups Chicken Broth
3 Chicken Breasts
2 tbsp Lime Juice
1 tbsp Cilantro, crushed
1 tbsp Salsa per serving

Season Chicken Breast with salt & pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool slightly then cube.

In a large pot heat the Olive Oil over med heat. Add the Onion, Garlic, & Red Pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. Stir the White Beans, Chilies, Cumin, Chili Powder & Chicken Broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat & simmer 10 minutes. Stir in the Chicken & simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in Cilantro wait 1 minute then stir in Lime Juice. Add 1 tbsp of Salsa on top of each serving of Chili for garnish.

*Navy Beans are the White Beans that work best.
*Tastes similiar to Don Pablos.
*Leftover roasted chicken can also be used. Roughly 1/2 to 1 pound of chicken needed.

Lori's Chili Recipe

1 pound Italian Sausage, Hot
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1 White Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, diced
2 Habenaro Peppers, diced
1 can Dark Red Kidney Beans (drained & rinsed)
1 can Chili Beans (drained)
1 15 oz can of Whole Tomatoes, cut up some
1 8 oz can Tomato Sauce
3 tsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Basil, crushed
1/2 tsp Black Pepper, ground

Brown sausage with peppers, onion, and garlic. Drain fat.
In large saucepan or slow cooker mix meat/veggie mixture, beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and seasonings.
Cook for 4-10 hours. (Depends on the level of heat.)

Hints:
1. wearing disposable gloves seems to be the best way to keep the habenaro juices from seeping into your hands. so wear the gloves the entire time your working with those peppers.
2. when all the ingredients are put together it will look rather thick, but dont worry during the cooking some moisture will release and it will be the perfect consistency.
3. we like to serve this is little bread bowls.

Does the list never end?

It seems like even when I'm on top of things there is always a huge list of things needing getting done or projects circulating in my head. At times it feels like not every person can feel this way all the time and then Nick comes home and rattles off all the things he should have gotten accomplished and projects he wants to do both at work and home and then I think either two odd birds found each other or this is a common occurance.
Let's see right now I have todays chores of changing the sheets, doing laundry for a family of 5, and making sure all that laundry actually gets put away and not left in baskets in the laundry room. Then of course there is all the Christmas stuff of cards, decorates, presents, menus, cookies, and getting ready for our holiday photo. We also can't forget the long list dealing with Zora's birthday, my parents visit for Christmas, going through the basement full of boxes, getting back on top of the housework, doing the ledger, finish with my reading on herbal remedies, thinking about my bug repellent experiment this summer, considering whether to homeschool the children or try the german emmersion school, and I'm sure there is stuff missing from this list.
I used to find comfort in writing down my lists of things to do. Then i would cross things off as I got them accomplished and feel great when there was nothing left on the list. Now it seems the lists only make things more overwhelming. It seems the lists just never end. Sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy with all the lists in my head and a new project ideas start to circulate in my head. Though today I have decided to not carry over to do items. Just because it didn't get crossed off yesterday Does Not mean it goes on todays list. Today is today and I'm going to try to worry less about what I didn't do yesterday.

Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms

Printable Version of this Recipe

Few things I've found when making these... First people don't always seem to want to eat a large mushroom.  So I have stopped using Stuffing Mushrooms and use Regular Mushrooms instead.  Second thing is that the recipe calls for way too much filling.  Even when I have made this recipe several times I STILL end up with TOO MUCH.  Lastly that these work out quite nicely to make ahead of time.  Just need to follow all the steps except baking and then place in the refrigerator until it's time to make them. Now without further ado...

1 pound medium Mushrooms

1/4 cup Green Onions, finely chopped 

2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped*

1/4 cup Butter

1/2 cup Bread Crumbs, dry 

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated 

2 tbsp Parsley, snipped 

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp dried Basil

1/4 tsp Pepper
Mozzarella Cheese, Grated

*Refrigerated Ready-to-use Minced Garlic can be used here as well

Remove stems from mushrooms.

Chop about half of the stems finely.  Cook mushroom stems, green onions, and garlic in butter over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in remaining ingredients (except mozarella cheese). Fill mushroom caps with stuffing mixture.

Place mushrooms filled sides up, in a greased baking dish. Top mushrooms with grated mozarella cheese.

Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.