Blessings In Surprise

My Unlikely Overnight Journey From Single City Woman to Homesteading Country Wife and Mother of Three

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Toy Box Organization

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I have three kids, but if you look at the never-ending trail of toys that flows through every room of my house, you would think I was running a day care with 50 kids!  This week, however, I did make some great strides in organizing the girls’ toy boxes in their room!

Every toy now has an “easy to put away” place, and there is no more ocean of toys spread across their bedroom floor… and in their closet… and under their beds… and behind the furniture… and in their laundry baskets… and on top of their dressers… you get the idea!  Here’s how I did it:… Read More »

Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Chicken

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Are you looking for something a little different for an easy weeknight meal?  Tired of eating the same old things?  Well, here is an easy … Read More »

Homemade Sweet Italian Dressing

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I have a lot of food allergies.  I also recently discovered that my favorite brand of Italian dressing changed their recipe to include soy, so I can no longer eat it.

Instead of scouring the Earth, searching far and wide in hopes of finding another brand that I can eat, I thought to myself, “Why don’t I just make some?”  DUH!!!

Salad dressing has to be one of the EASIEST things to make, … Read More »

A Journey of Faith

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I didn’t want to make the title of this post super long, but I feel like a more accurate title would have been “A Journey of Faith… And an HONEST Look at the Emotional Roller Coaster of Ups and Downs Along the Way.”

Sometimes we can get so caught up in comparing ourselves to others and comparing our faith walk with what we perceive others’ to be.  Let’s just make one thing clear right now. … Read More »

Father’s Day Gift Ideas For All Types of Dads

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I don’t know about you, but I always seem to have the hardest time finding good gifts to give on Father’s Day.  Men can be so hard to buy for sometimes!  This year, I have made it my mission to put together a comprehensive list of some great gift ideas for all different types of fathers, no matter what they love to do.  Scroll down to find the category that best describes the father in your life.  🙂

THE OUTDOORSMAN

1.  Least Expensive:

This pocket blanket is the perfect gift for someone who enjoys hiking or camping!  This water-resistant tarp is … Read More »

Gluten Free English Muffins

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These English muffins are so amazingly good, you would never know that they are gluten free!!!

Many of you have read my recipe for Gluten Free No-Knead Bread.  Well, this recipe has… Read More »

Deer (Venison) Meatballs in a Tangy Asian Sauce

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We live in Western Pennsylvania where deer meat (venison) is a very popular commodity.  If you’ve never had it, I recommend trying it!  It is a very lean red meat, and a great alternative to beef if you are trying to be more health conscious.  We like it best in tacos, chili or with BBQ sauce.

Since we eat a lot of deer meat, I try to come up with new … Read More »

Products I Love: Kitchen Tools Edition

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As a stay at home mom, I have been known to spend a good 80-90% of my day in the kitchen.  If I’m not cooking, baking, preserving food or canning, I’m cleaning up the mess I made when I was cooking, baking, preserving food and canning!

With so much of my time spent in the kitchen, I have learned a thing or two about which products are worth the purchase price.  Here, I have put together a list of some of my FAVORITE kitchen products!  These are all products that I personally own, use on a regular basis, and absolutely recommend!!!  So without further ado, here are 10 of my favorite things!  🙂

1. My favorite mixing bowl

My FAVORITE EVER mixing bowl that … Read More »

How To Make a Roux (Regular and Allergen Free Recipes!)

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Hey, there!  If you’ve been following my blog, or have known me for any amount of time, you know that I’m not big on “fancy.”  So, it may catch you off-guard to see some random French culinary term in one of my post titles.

Well, though the term “roux” may sound fancy, the art of making it is definitely not!  It’s quick and easy, and is made up of only 2 ingredients!  It is equal parts fat (usually butter or oil) and flour.  THAT’S IT!!!

A roux can be used to thicken any sauce from soups and stews to casseroles and more!  Ever since I learned how to make one, I find myself using them ALL THE TIME!  They are so easy and only take a couple of minutes to make.

So why should you know how to make a roux?  So that … Read More »

Soy Free, Gluten Free Stir-Fry Sauce or Orange Chicken Sauce

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One of my FAVORITE foods is Chinese stir-fry!  I could eat it almost everyday… if I weren’t allergic to soy… and gluten… and 9 other foods!  When my food allergies were diagnosed, my diet became very limited!!!

Although it is difficult to eat out at a lot of places, I actually really enjoy the challenge of … Read More »