mmmMonday! Lemon Juice and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

17 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by Kelli in Culinary Style, RaMbLiNgs, Yum for the Tum

Would you like to come and visit my happy place? Well…one of them. I have several actually…and one of them could involve stripey party straws and turquoise Ball jars…but that isn’t the one that I’m talking about on mmmMonday! today. By the way…I am not responsible for any mason jars or stripey straws that jump into this post today. Okay…I am…but I know that it’s totally off subject…and I just can’t help myself. I am rambling…but I’m crazy about the fact that Ball is celebrating with blue jars this year. Okay…back on track. Today on mmmMonday!…..my happy place of lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. It’s a beautiful thing.

A couple or three years ago…my friend Jenny introduced me to the beauty of lemon juice on salad. I’m just talking…a simple drizzle of olive oil and squeezing a fresh lemon over the top. It’s so bright. So fresh and delicious. It’s also very healthy.

You may already do this. I just wanted the folks that have not tried it…to know the beauty of the humble lemon. We have used it to make lemonade over the years…we have used it to flavor fish and chicken and lots of other things but squeezing it over salad without making a fancy dressing? I challenge you to try it. Your favorite veggies…with a sprinkle of sea salt and a few twists of freshly cracked pepper….then a drizzle of oil and a splash of lemon juice? Amazing.

Leave me a comment and let me know your favorite way to dress a salad. I really want to know!

Smiles!

p.s. I hope that the dads in your life had an amazing Father’s Day weekend. I think that ours did. I enjoyed honoring my husband and our dads so much. God is good…to give us these men to love us…lead us…protect and provide. Amazing…this plan of His. 🙂

A Day Away

14 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff, heart and soul

≈ 2 Comments

Do you ever just need a day away? Life can be crazy. Of course we all need some time to relax and regroup.

Time with your little family unit is priceless. It’s a blessing from above. (Don’t ask us what our son is doing. He doesn’t even know.) 😉

Sometimes on the way…..you get bored and play with your phone.

This was the first time in the history of our little family…..that everyone was tall enough to ride…everything. How exciting!

Um…yeah. You invest your life…keeping these kids alive, by the grace of God, and they ride stuff like this. That would be my husband and little son in the second row. This is Outlaw Run. If you don’t know anything about it…..Google. I was on the observation deck….um praying. God answers prayer. They stayed on the track and our little guy even has the t-shirt to prove it.

The girls and I needed some fruit and veggies. We also needed a funnel cake. We must have eaten it too fast to photograph. 😉

I have realized that I have aged since the last time that I was here.

Okay….so I am having a hard time flipping the squirrel while posting on my phone….so kindly flip your head. 😉 Thanks! Oh to be a squirrel at a theme park! They almost act tame. It was crazy.

Our chickens would have been impressed. 😉

(The two pics above are from our “road-trippin” food. Of course the first was from McD’s and when I posted the picture on Instagram….my friend Jodi answered the question with…”Real.” 😉 I said “exactly.” Freddy’s was wonderful. It was sooooo good. Maybe I was just super hungry. We had snacked all day…but hadn’t had a meal since breakfast. We will definitely add them to our favorites list!)

We stopped at Target on the way out of Branson. It’s so sad. We don’t have one in our little town. I asked the Mr. if he was glad…and he said yes. 😉 He knows his bride…of all these years, very well. Anyway…GUESS WHAT! (Yes…I’m yelling!) I’M FINALLY A MEMBER OF THE PRETTY PAPER STRAW CLUB! Isn’t that great? I also found a rug that I had looked for, before, for our kitchen….ON CLEARANCE! Woo hoo! Then at TJ MAXX I found some pretties too! If you follow me on Instagram….check it out…today!

It was all wonderful! I feel very blessed. A big “thank you” and “Happy Birthday” to my Mr. I love you…and I am blessed beyond measure to be the momma in your little tribe.

(Oh and please forgive my backseat driving. 😉 )

Smiles!

Where are you Internet?

12 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by Kelli in heart and soul

≈ 2 Comments

My internet is down today…..out on the dirt road….but I didn’t want to leave you too long….my Dirt Roaders. Today…I am posting from my phone. That is a first for me. We shall see how it goes. I might try it tomorrow too…because we are going on an adventure. Wanna go? Okay. 😉

Yesterday….I had the most wonderful surprise. The girls above came and visited and spent the afternoon with us. We are long time friends but they both live in different places and had never been….out to the Farmhouse. It was wonderful! God is good….to send us these little prizeys!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Smiles!

Kelli

mmmMonday! Leftovers, Laundry and Lugging

10 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff, fluffin' the nest, Yum for the Tum

≈ 6 Comments

Hey Gang! How was your weekend? I’m hoping that it was good and relaxing. Ours was good. A Friday night to relax, a Saturday of family time and a Sunday of worship and rest. Good stuff. So…all of that brings us back around to mmmMonday! I’m so glad that you stopped by to join us. Today we are talking leftovers…for tonight’s supper…me puttering around in the laundry room today and for those of you that follow me on Instagram…the lugging of the dresser from Friday. Good stuff. 😉

Yesterday, while we were at church…I had a pork roast bubblin’ in the ol’ Crock Pot. Then when we got home, (after a stop off at the grocery store for coleslaw…which ended up in a bunch of other stuff because we were all hungry) we had pulled pork. It was pretty tasty, if I do say so myself. That brings us to tonight’s mmmMonday! meal. Our roast that I used was pretty good sized…so there is plenty left for tonight’s PORK TACOS! Do you love ’em? We do. The Mr. and I were laughing this weekend about the quantity of Mexican food that we eat. We never tire of it. Pass the chips and salsa please.

Our pork tacos tonight will be pretty basic. Flour tortillas, pork, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, onion and cilantro. I like to whip up a little sour cream with lime juice…but the kiddie-poos aren’t too crazy about that. Oh…and cheese! How could I forget the cheese? Tonight it will be a little mixture of cheddar and mozzarella…just cause that is what I have on hand. We also have one last jar of last year’s homemade salsa that we are working on. I am very pleased that we had enough to give away and to last us through the winter. (Lord, please bless those tomato plants this year too. Okay…yes…I pray for our garden…and just maybe…last year I could be seen walking along the tomato plants…praying for them. “Ask and ye shall receive.”) 😉

So…I’m thinking about puttering around out in the laundry room today. I have a large metal rack out there…that things tend to pile up on. I’m wanting to revamp it a tad. I see all of these beautiful laundry rooms on our favorite Pinterest. Also…I never have made my coffee sack curtains. I may have to get on that too. After I made our drop cloth drapes…my poor little sewing machine tried to give up the ghost. I may see if the Mr. will oil her tonight and give her a tune up. I love our laundry room. It’s a good thing…I spend a big part of my life there.

Okay…okay…the lugging. If you follow me on Instagram…you probably remember the dresser that I was going to lug from one side of the family room to the other. Well…it’s done. One of my new…super sweet IG friends also emailed a printable to me and it’s framed and I’m displaying it on the dresser for now. I love it. Thank you, sweet friend. Don’t you love Instagram? I do. I have “met” so many neat people on there. One friend and I found that we have a common love for fall décor. We think that it’s fine that we are already stoked to decorate with pumpkins this year. 😉 Anyway…if you don’t follow me already…I am….yep…you guessed it, Along the Dirt Road. Come and join in on the fun!

Well…I’ve bent your ear long enough. (Strained your eyes…maybe?) I hope that you have a wonderful mmmMonday! Dirt Roaders. May the peace of God…that passes all understanding wrap right around your hearts today. He is amazing…He is love…and He is there for us.

Needing to scratch an itch…

06 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff, fluffin' the nest

≈ 4 Comments

Do you ever sit in a chair at your house and look your family room over and think about…where you could move stuff? I do. I am thinking about doing this today. The only problem is…that it’s a thousand pound dresser that I’m talking about. Okay…not really…but I will have to take the drawers out to move it. I don’t want to be blogging tomorrow from a hospital bed…because I’m having hernia surgery.

(This is where it sits now.)

I wasn’t going to tell the Mr. that I was moving it. I was going to surprise him. Why do we wives like to do this? “Hey Babe. Notice anything different?” Maybe it’s more because we don’t want to see the look of utter distress on their faces when we throw our big idea out there. Probably both. Anyway…he gets my blog posts sent to his inbox…so he will know. (Secretly he will be glad that he missed out on this one.) His only job will be to line the drawers back onto their tracks when he gets home. This little chest is persnickety that way.

(Pardon the fall décor. These are old shots. But…it kinda makes me excited to decorate for fall. I know…I have a problem.) 😉

I need to clean today. I am notorious for “piddling” on cleaning day. I think that it gets me in the groove to clean. It also slows me down…cause I have to stand around and think about what I am doing…instead of just firing up the vacuum. (I love to vacuum. Have I ever shared that? Well…now you know.)

(This is where it will go now…if I can accomplish this feat. I will put it where the lamp is. We shall see…I may move it right back!)

Have a wonderful Thursday, Dirt Roaders! The beginning of the weekend!

Smiles!

Can one be addicted to blue jars?

04 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by Kelli in Culinary Style, everyday stuff

≈ 2 Comments

They came in the mail. Amazon offered a pretty tight deal. Free shipping. Can you beat that? Not when you cannot find them in your town. Yes…I am talking about the new “vintage” Ball jars. Have you seen them? If you are an addict like me…I know that you are in for a treat today.

Okay…so addict is a strong word. I just have a very strong liking for the turquoise Ball jars. (Did you know that they were blue because of the sand that they used from lake Michigan and the temperature in the furnace?) You have probably noticed that before in posts. I’m sure that somewhere lurking in the background of some shot was a turquoise Ball jar or two. Oh..duh…there is one in the header of this blog. It just dawned uponst me. (Ha! Uponst…my new word! Spell check is balking!)

So then…one day…somewhere in Blogland, or Instagram or the Web, there they were. Ball decided to come out with these “vintage” blue jars to celebrate their 100th anniversary! How cool is that? I know…pretty cool. I checked around and couldn’t find them here. I even had my husband’s aunt check in their town. Nada. So…I checked out good ol’ Amazon…and now…here they are.

The funny thing is…um…I haven’t taken them out of the package. It’s weird. I was kinda like that when my very first roll of baker’s twine came from Pick Your Plum. I just didn’t want to open it. It was too pretty. This though, is more like…I’m not sure what I’m gonna do with them once I open them. I know that I will wash and dry them. Believe me…I have lots of ideas…I just haven’t decided. What would you do with them?

Canning season is just around the corner. Things are growing in the garden…but I’m not sure if I will can in these or use them for pretty. Whatever I decide…I will try to let you know. They are just so stinkin’ pretty…I just stare at them. It’s Momma’s fault you know. She always dressed me in turquoise when I was a little kid.

Have a wonderful day, Dirt Road Sweeties! May it be filled with all things wholesome and grandmotherly. Then tonight…when you snuggle up in your little nest…may you dream dreams of vintage mason jars and cobbler and warm days on the farm and antique quilts! Wouldn’t that be fun!? A junkin’ dream! 😉

p.s. This is not a sponsored post. It’s just me…gabbing about something that I love. 🙂

mmmMonday! Garlic Roasted Cauliflower

03 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by Kelli in Yum for the Tum

≈ 2 Comments

Hello! There you are! Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed? Yeah…I’m having to work on that one too. I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend. We had a family get together on Saturday. It was good. It was also very interesting. We all tried turduckin for the first time. Have you heard of it? A turkey, stuffed with a duck and a chicken. It’s also stuffed with rice and seasoned up wonderfully…down in New Orleans. It was very good. It was a very special day…filled with lots of laughter. One of those days that makes thankfulness well up within your heart.

Sooooo…..onto the cauliflower! Have you heard of it? Have you seen it all over Pinterest? Maybe you have already made it! If so…then I won’t have to try to sell you on it. I got a wild hair the other day and made it for the kids and I to munch. It was all gone…quickly! This has got to be my favorite way to make cauliflower of all time. What is it about roasting veggies in the oven that makes such a transformation in flavor?

As I do at times, I actually kinda toodled around on Pinterest and then combined a few things that I learned. I do that. I try new recipes and then tweak them a tad. Sorry folks…I guess I have to blaze my own trail. 😉

GARLIC ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

…Whatcha need:

1 head of cauliflower

extra virgin olive oil

fresh garlic cloves

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

…How ya do it:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. While you oven is preheating, wash your cauliflower and remove the stalk. The cut it or break it off into pieces. Put in a large bowl that will give you plenty of room for tossing. Peel and mince your fresh garlic and add to the cauliflower. Drizzle with olive oil and add sea salt and freshly ground pepper. With a large spoon toss to coat. Place cauliflower on a baking sheet and roast in oven for thirty minutes…or longer if desired. YUM!

I didn’t give measurements for the garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper. To me…those things are a personal preference. I like lots of garlic…but you may not. Same with salt and pepper. Eyeball it…and knock yourself out. (Not really.)

I hope that your Monday doesn’t disappoint, Dirt Roaders. I hope that you take a moment out in your busy day and find some time to take a deep breath…and to do something nice for you. I hope that you also serve others with your whole heart and I hope that the God of every day of the week…fills your heart with His love. He is so faithful to do that…when we ask.

p.s. If you swing by the market and grab some cauliflower for tonight’s supper….let me know whatcha think. Or…if you have already tried it….I really want to know your opinion! Leave me a comment! I love ’em.

Happy Friday, Dirt Roaders!

31 Friday May 2013

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff

≈ 2 Comments

You made it! You did it! Congratulations! It’s Friday. Are you glad? Of course you are. You know…it’s been a tad crazy this week. We, of course, had Memorial Day stuff on Monday and then our internet wasn’t working. I had a couple of wreath orders and then it was Friday. I was going to show you guys some pictures of Memorial Day weekend…and I still will. I have to get them loaded and edited first. So today…I’m just going to offer you a little relaxation eye candy. Shots from here and there. I hope that you enjoy.

Sheesh Suzie. Have some class.

Pool therapy. Nothing like it.

Green grass. Nothing like it.

SONY DSC

Do you have a good read for the weekend? It’s supposed to rain here.

Maybe you are going junkin’ this weekend. That sounds like a plan to me!

Maybe you are heading off to a drive in the country. That is always fun. Maybe you live in the country and you are just going to enjoy your yard. Isn’t that fun…just sitting and soaking it all in? Love that. So. Much.

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend. I hope that you get to sit down with a glass of iced tea and count your blessings. God is good. All the time.

Summer Mantle

28 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by Kelli in fluffin' the nest

≈ 2 Comments

Hey guys! How was your holiday? Ours was wonderful. We were busy and then we had time to relax too. The perfect balance. I might actually share some great photos that I was able to capture with my phone…later in the week. Sweet places in the country…where we go to remember our loved ones. Until then, I thought that I would go ahead and show you the couple of tweaks that I made to our mantle for summer. Fun…fun!

Would you believe that I took pictures of our mantle and forgot to take a shot of the whole thing? I will…later. I promise. Our internet has been down and I’ve been dealing with dramatic kids, so it’s just really wonderful that I’m even getting this posted today. I mean…really, what is one to do without Google? Where did we even put that dictionary? No, actually they have done really well. They are pretty creative. 🙂

I thought about making a banner that said SUMMER on it. I have seen some adorable stuff lately. You bloggin’ gals out there, are amazing. Then I remembered this sign that I made last year and decided to just use that and then make a burlap banner.

This sign and banner were both very easy. The sign is just made from leftovers that we had around the house. I found the board out in the Mr.’s garage and we had the white and red paint. I used my handy-dandy stencils. The banner is just made from garden twine and a roll of French striped burlap. I didn’t even sew it. I just ironed it and folded the top edge down over the twine and hot glued it. Easy peasey!

I left the lemons. I love them with the boxwood. Such a fun pop of color in our family room.

I hope that your Memorial Day was special, Dirt Roaders. Maybe later in the week I can show you some of the sweetness of our holiday. Of course, it was out along the dirt road. You never get very far from one in the Ozarks…and that is just fine with me.

A few little things…

23 Thursday May 2013

Posted by Kelli in Culinary Style, fluffin' the nest

≈ 2 Comments

Are you a mover and a shaker? Let me explain the question. Are you one of those people who start out cleaning and then start moving things around? Maybe you move things around and then clean. Sometimes I do this for inspiration and sometimes I do it because it just needs to be done. (When things don’t “feel” right…I move them until they find their permanent home.)

This week was one of those times. I had never found a good spot for the little (junkin’) German canisters that I bought. Then it dawned on me. They might fit…where I keep my cooking utensils, olive oil and s & P. I was so excited when they did. I wanted them on the counter…where I could see them all the time…but I didn’t want more stuff on the counter. Did I lose ya? No? I knew I wouldn’t. You are Dirt Roaders after all. You can track a rabbit…down any trail. 😉

Okay…so…then this package came in the mail. It was from Pick Your Plum. Do you know about them? Oh. My. Goodness. The best baker’s twine…in the history of ever. It’s so pretty…I didn’t even want to open it for a few days. Then I decided that I wanted it in my kitchen…not in the craft room in the basement. I mean…I wouldn’t be able to gaze upon it. (btw: Pick Your Plum is not paying me to say this…I am because I was so pleased with their product.) Anyway….I don’t have one of those twine holder thingies…so I used my Martha Stewart over the cabinet towel rack and some garden twine. It works for me.

Sooo…..then I noticed that I still had daffodils on our farmhouse table in the dining room. (They were fake…by the way.) Now…that being said…if you still have some out…wonderful. It’s still spring and if you want to leave yours out all year…I respect that. It’s your house…live it up the way that you want. I just had the itch to change mine up. So, what does any self-respecting foodie do when she needs fresh “flowers?” Herbs of course. I love the way that the oregano and spearmint pop against the white. Adorbs.

Last…but not least I decided that my olive bucket needed something in it. My sweet Mr. and our kids gave it to me for Mother’s Day. I love…lovity…love it. So, I stuck some lavender in it. Impressive…I know. 😉

Well…those are just a few little things. They don’t actually make me happy because life is not about stuff. Blessings, like the grace of God, the strong hugs from my husband and the sweet snuggles of my children truly make me happy. These few little things, that I have for now, they just make me smile.