Saturday, June 30, 2012

Tuna Salad

I made my own tuna salad recipe. It's nothing terribly special, but considering that I've eaten my fair share of tuna over my childhood (since it was inexpensive) I find that a variation on the theme is helpful!



First the ingredients: Tuna, Mayonnaise, Ranch Dressing, Pickles or relish, celery seed and Muskego Avenue Chicken and Fish Seasoning (Penzey's) .

Put a spoonful of mayo in the bowl, and use the same spoon to remove the drained tuna from the can (to eliminate extra dishes).  Add pickle relish with another spoon. (Note: I bought pickle relish in hopes of eliminating the step of cutting up a couple of sandwich pickle slices, the long ones. I have found that, yes, it is easier, but I like the taste of the dill pickles better than the sweet pickle relish. So, dicing dill pickles is perfectly fine and a better taste in my opinion.) 
Add a squirt of ranch dressing.
Add a dash of celery seed.
Add a dash of Muskego Ave (or salt, pepper, lemon peel or juice, and a small sprinkle of garlic.)

 Mix together.


Serve on bread or crackers. 
I have discovered that I really like the rosemary and olive oil flavored woven wheat crackers, but I also like the round wheat crackers (commonly known as Ritz, but I buy generic brands and save the money).


The kids really like these too. 



I have been making terryaki stir fry mix to go with my tuna salad. The kids haven't developed a taste for it yet, but I enjoy it, and it makes an easy and nutritious lunch.

 I need to make bread pudding with these leftover bagels. Maybe I'll post that next time. Or maybe my attempt at making granola breakfast cereal.


Enjoy the tuna salad!

Monday, June 25, 2012

Lemonade Makin' Mama

http://www.lemonademakinmama.com/ 

Check out this blog today.

Simple Pleasures

A child napping 
A cup of camp coffee and a bar of chocolate.
White lace curtains blowing in the breeze.
Fresh basil and parsley growing by the window.
The Beautiful Blue Danube playing gently in the background.

A good book on a quiet afternoon.





Clean laundry on the clothesline.

The shadows of the clothes blowing sleepily in the breeze.



The smell of the pine trees baking in the sun.
 Fresh sheets from the line just waiting to be slid between at the end of the day.


Mmm. The simple pleasures make up so much of life and they are so easy to miss!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Volunteering Idea for Homeschoolers



One good opportunity to keep in mind for homeschool volunteering ideas is your local historical society or museums. When I was in college I interned at the local historical society museum, and I guided tours and assisted with Boy Scout/Girl Scout and summer camp events, and school group activities. They were short on volunteers so I told my high-school-age homeschool sister about the opportunity, so she volunteered to guide tours and help with scout and summer events (which counted as both community service and history). This may be a better opportunity for older students, but it never hurts to ask if there are volunteering opportunities for younger ages too. Often not for profit organizations are understaffed as far as volunteers go, and are looking for people to fill those roles. Keep in mind too, that if recognition is important to you, some not for profit organizations will have a recognition event, often at the end of the year, for volunteers who have served a certain number of hours. (Of course, that’s not the main reason for doing it, but it is a side perk.) This can also be a good way of networking for future job opportunities. Best wishes! 

Coffee Sipper