The Best Macaroni Salad Ever!

I am going to jump in here with Julie's idea of 'recipe of the week', and add this salad for our selection this week. Tuesday night we hosted a barbecue at our house for our Bible Study Group. One lady brought a delicious macaroni salad. The title of the recipe was 'Mom's Best Macaroni Salad', and it really was the best I've ever had. She told me she got the recipe from 'allrecipes.com', so I borrowed the photo from them, and the recipe I printed off to keep for myself. Here it is, and it's worth the chopping work!

Mom's Best Macaroni Salad

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Servings: 16

Ingredients

16 oz. uncooked elbow macaroni

4 carrots, shredded

1 large red onion, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup chopped celery, chopped fine

2 cups mayonnaise

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup white vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water, and drain.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the carrots, red onion, green pepper, red pepper and celery. Mix in the mayonnaise, condensed milk, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the macaroni, toss gently, then cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. A good way to do this, is to make it up a day ahead of time, and stir occasionally to blend the flavors. The macaroni absorbs some of the liquid.

This salad has such a sweet, creamy taste and texture...yum. Try it out for your next potluck!

It's always nice to get a little something new. Last Christmas my daughter Joy gave me a sort-of purple metal star. At first I didn't know what I would do with it. This spring I found a nail already in the siding out back, so I hung it there and have appreciated it ever since. It fills in an empty spot so nicely, and adds some character to the bare siding. The color also contrasts really well with the yellow of our house. So, this summer I decided I needed one more star for our garden shed out back. It has a window on one side, but the front is definitely bland. This past week-end I tried out a new store I have been meaning to get to for a while now. It's called Real Deals and is a chain of stores across the U.S. I found myself a new star there, and brought it home, where the insurance man promptly hung it up on our shed.

Ah....much better!

Comfort in the Familiar #2

Last Friday I drove to Camp Tadmor, about two hours from here, to pick up Kory and Kendall, my granddaughters. It is a beautiful drive over the Cascades, which I greatly enjoyed, but driving up the mountain on the gravel road to Tadmor brought back so many fond memories. I have been going to Tadmor since the summer I was first married, 39 years ago. At that time, I attended Women's camp along with alot of other Christian women from Oregon, my mother and sister-in-law, and other friends. I can still remember all the fun we had...making crafts, swimming and walking around the lake, listening and learning from great speakers and the good food. Eventually, I brought my first baby along that first summer after she was born, and then graduated to leaving the kids at home with Dad for the week-end. It was a wonderful way to get some quality time with God and with friends. He then would attend Men's camp in September, often with his Dad.
Over the years I have spent time at Tadmor with close friends, and have even had the privilege of bringing two of my grown daughters with me to enjoy Women's camp. They however, grew up going to kid's camp at Tadmor, and knew the camp well. All three of my daughters loved Tadmor, and have wonderful memories of the time spent. Julie however, spent the most time there, having served many summers on staff at Tadmor as a counselor, and she even brought her fiance Peter with her on her final summer there, so he could also have the 'Tadmor' experience. The insurance man and I have had dozens of good trips up to Tadmor, either going, getting our girls there, visiting Julie, or picking them up. The trip to Tadmor has been part and parcel of our lives for a long time.

Now time has moved on, and it is our granddaughter's turn to enjoy Camp Tadmor. Last Friday I went to pick up Kendall (left), Kory (middle) and their friend Whitney (right) from High School Camp. They had just finished a rousing finish to their week, and were in high spirits. (So was the staffer behind them, who used every conceivable trick to get in whatever photos I took...) I picked them up at the same forum space, which has changed little in 40 years. We walked down to the coffee shop (which has changed, as it used to be called the 'snack shop', and there were no mocha's or lattes!), and picked up the money they had left in credit there. The Tadmor cabins are mostly the same, but for the additions of a sort of tent-cabin, and tee pees and such for overflow. The dinning hall was just as usual with the new addition this summer of planters out front, filled with roses and blooming flowers. Some new lady must have taken control of that : )

We walked back up the same path we have been walking for all these years, and past the lake. The lake is the same, except for the addition of a long water slide, and the 'blob', a huge striped air-filled bag that the kids are catapulted onto and it skyrockets them upward before they crash back into the water...Kendall says it hurts! Also new is the ropes...for those not afraid of heights. It is rope climbing and swinging among the trees, and most of the kids love it.

Also new is the amount of luggage each girl is allowed to bring. We couldn't fit it all into our trunk, so each had a garbage bag filled with their pillow and sleeping bag on their laps on the way home. Do girls really need that many clothes?? How many pairs of jeans, really?

What hasn't changed is the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is so plainly evidenced in every aspect of Tadmor. Fun and games there are in plenty, but each camper has always had and continues to have time and reason to hear the message, and to grow in their walk with God. Ah...the sweet memories. Thank you Lord, for comfort in the familiar, but especially in the familiarity of walking closely by your side, and growing in your example.

Trusting and Not Fretting

I've been reading in the Proverbs lately. There's so much there to convict and instruct. This verse struck me particularly:

"The foolishness of a man twists his way,

And his heart frets against the Lord."

Proberbs 19:3

There are several things in my life, that I know are the will of God, that I am still fretting over. As soon as I read this, I was convicted, asked for forgiveness, and let go of the anxiety. I foolishly twist my own way instead of trusting that's the Lord's way will be straight.

Recipe of the Week: Fabulous Flapjacks

When browsing through some breakfast recipes on another blog that were entries in a contest, I copy and pasted several of them to try. This is one of the ones I found there that I tried out this week. I have to admit to being a little surprised that they were as good as they were. I don't use pancake mix. I always make my pancakes from scratch. I usually use multiple grains and always buttermilk for the best pancakes. Since this recipe doesn't call for buttermilk and uses a couple of ingredients that are not what I typically use in pancakes, I wasn't sure. But I was interested to try them. I'm glad I did. As our family has grown, it has become a major production to put enough pancakes on the table for everyone. We have reduced how often we make them for this reason. This recipe makes it more accessible again for a fairly quick breakfast that's different than toast or cereal.

It's a mix! (I love things I can prepare ahead). Better for you than a mix from the store, but easier than the typical homemade pancakes. A great solution for me.

It's easy enough for my kids to add the wet ingredients and make these without my help.

They're a nice, substantial and filling pancake without being dry at all. And they have a special, unique taste with oats and cinnamon that is different than any other pancakes we've had. Maybe it's because I'm pregnant, but I love them!

Fabulous Flapjacks

Mix: 2c all purpose flour 2c whole wheat flour 4 c quick cooking oats 1 c brown sugar, packed 1 c dry milk 3 T baking powder 2 T cinnamon 1 1/2 t salt 1/2 t cream of tartar
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Transfer to an air-tight container or plastic bag till ready to use.

To make them: (I have this written on the plastic bag I store the mix in so I can mix up a batch quickly!) 2 c. pancake mix 2 eggs, beaten 1/3 c. oil 1 c water (Optional: add strawberries, bananas, blueberries, walnuts, chocolate chips etc)

Blend wet ingredients (eggs, oil, water). Add mix and stir just until incorporated. Let sit for 3-5 minutes. Heat large non-stick skillet or griddle. Lightly oil and pour 1/4 c batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on top of pancake. Turn and cook other side till golden.

These stick with you for awhile. We enjoy lathering them with Greek (or vanilla/plain) yogurt and adding a taste of maple syrup.

Comfort in the Familiar

Yesterday when I harvested the second rhubarb plant, I brought some into the house to use. Today, I chopped it up and made rhubarb bread. I doubled my recipe so it made four loaves. I am bringing some sliced to church on Sunday for our refreshment time after the service, and the rest will be a treat for company over the week-end. It sure made the house smell good this afternoon.

The recipe I pulled out for the rhubarb bread was from a good friend of mine, back when our children were babies together. We made this bread when we were first married, and we have been enjoying it ever since. There is comfort in pulling out a favorite recipe, and doing a familiar task. This bread gets made most every year in our kitchen. I put on a new apron, and some old music from a by-gone era, and enjoyed my baking time.

Grandson Post

OK Sam, Will, Ben and Cal...this one's for you! I was out harvesting my big rhubarb plant this morning, and found this little guy happy as can be under the big wet leaves. He blends in really well to his surroundings don't you think? In actuality he was a silvery grey color with rust colored stripes along his cheeks. Can you boys tell me what kind he is? He wasn't too happy that I was taking his hiding place away, but he did stay still long enough to let me take his photo. Very obliging frog.

I have now pulled up all the stalks on my two large rhubarb plants, and taken them to a friend who is running a veggie stand not too far away. The first plant I pulled last week, and it is growing back quickly, and I expect is healthy for them. I took them for him to sell for his profit, but today he offered a large cantaloupe and a basket of blueberries in trade. I love barter!