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Where were you in the 90's?     Beanie Babies, Cabbage Patch Kids, bottled water, Tamagotchis, Saturday morning cartoons, music CD's, portable CD players, Blockbuster, AOL dialup, slap bracelets, pencil thin eyebrows.       Where were you in the 90's?  Life sure was different then wasn't it?  If you're my age, you were likely in the thick of raising littles.  To be honest, my memories of this time in my life are a little blurry.   Sometimes my kids will recall things that I had completely forgotten about!  Their perspective, looking back, is so fun to hear.     I recently heard someone recalling the way things were in the 90's and it got me thinking. We were living in northern Maine in 1990 and our son was born in 1991.  We moved  to Abilene, Texas in  1993.     I was homeschooling our oldest two when we moved to Abilene but quickly decided to put them into public school.  Abilene was one...

Herbed Salt Mixes       Several years ago I mixed up quite a few things to use in my kitchen and to also give as gifts. Salt blends and flavored vinegar were a couple of the items I did.   Flavored vinegars and herb/seasoned salt mixes are quite versatile and make such great gifts for those who love to cook.   I thought that today I would share the salt mixes with you and save the flavored vinegar for another day.      Herbed salt is nothing new.  You don't have to look very hard in any grocery store to find "seasoned" salts.  The variety is unending!  Most include other ingredients to avoid clumping, settling etc.  These store bought varieties are as much as a year past the date the herbs were picked and added to the mix.  I consider these salt varieties substandard.   Once you make your own you'll never go back to store bought.     Flavored salts are such a great way to add so much flavor to any meal!...

A Day Trip To The Coast      Last week Brian and I started talking about taking a road trip on the weekend.  One of the things we have set as a goal is to get out at least a couple of times a month and see some of the many, many things Florida has to offer.  On Saturday we decided to drive to the east side of Florida and look around the area and Air Force Base where we used to live.     After deciding to take the "scenic" route we headed out at about 8:30am.  When you have the time, I always recommend taking the road less traveled to get somewhere.  You really get to see the places that most tourists never see.        Many do not realize it but, Florida has rolling hills, tall pines and absolutely stunning scenery.  In fact, the central part of Florida is home to over 600 thoroughbred breeding horse farms.  There are over 70,000 acres of farms, most of which are in the central Florida part of the state.  We ...

Lemony Chickpea & Chicken Salad    I came across this recipe recently and wanted to share!  Summer time is salad time!  No-one really feels like cooking, let alone eat a heavy meal.  This recipe is perfect on both counts!   Ive adapted the recipe from a book entitled 5 Ingredient Weeknight Meals.   The original recipe didn't include avocado.  I think it is a great addition, but if you don't care for them they can be easily omitted.  Give it a try.  I think you'll love it as much as I do.      Makes 4 servings      Hands on time 5 mins     Dressing             3 Tbsp olive oil               1 lemon for 1 tsp. zest and 3 Tbsp juice               1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard               1/2 tsp table salt             ...

 A Much Loved Vanley Family Recipe      Many years ago- 41 to be exact, I was given a recipe by a friend.  We were stationed in Germany at the time.  Oh what an experience! (I'll save that for another post.). You can tell by the picture that the recipe card has been well loved!!   These beans  been with me for all these years and has proven to be one that I've made made many, many... many times!  I've made it consistently for every summer bbq,  family get together and sometimes it just showed up on the weekend menu.       I've given it to more people than I can remember as it seems everyone loves it as much as we do! Since the 4th of July holiday is coming next week I thought maybe you would like to add it to the menu for your gathering.  Clearly it isn't a "diet" recipe but oh my... it is SO SO good!      Over the years, I've played a little bit with the recipe, substituting molasses for the corn syrup...