Early June Happenings

June 5, 2013September 1, 2015 / makingofahome / 5 Comments

The Fagan home is abustle now that school is complete, and the long-awaited summer is underway. We are taking full advantage of the crisp mornings by getting chores done and out of the way well before eight o’clock, and then we spend our time basking in the balminess of the afternoon warmth, sipping citrus-infused water and reading in the warm sunlight. Sneak in there time for summer homeschooling sessions, baking some ambrosial honey-infused dishes, and testing out new homemade personal-care items, we have truly been filling those hours of extra daylight the summer so graciously offers us.

Here are the happenings around here during this first week of June…

~The peonies are in full bloom, painting our landscaping with breathtaking pink vibrancy.

~Learning doesn’t stop over the summer months. The girls and I spend the first hour or two of each day completing a few homeschooling lessons. My heart melts when my little ones say, “I love summertime when you can be our teacher Mommy.” Love.

~I came up with a lovely vegetarian spin to a lip balm recipe I found in Long Way on a Little by Shannon Hayes.

~A. MAZE. ING. “Everyday Oat Bread.” Better watch out Tyler, because I think I have a new love. The recipe can be found in Amanda Blake Soule’s The Rhythm of Family.

~Our first attempt at growing hot peppers seems to be working out so far. Fingers crossed.

~I’m not quite sure if there is a better combination: sun, wine and good reads.

~My girls actually came up with the idea of drinking “fancy water” (as they call it 🙂 ) while we catch some rays outside.

~A fairy garden in full bloom. Such a beautiful birthday gift for a four year old little girl.

~Salad for dinner with greens from our garden, topped with a dandelion vinaigrette. The vinaigrette recipe can be found in Taproot Magazine Issue 1 :: Soil.

~It’s strawberry time! Woohoo!

~Oh the garden…Always work to be done, but always a place of peace and beauty.

~And for a snack after all of that energy is expended in the garden: “Holiday Rounds” from Keeping Bees by Ashley English. Another great dessert that uses no refined sugar. Yummy.

What have you been up to lately? Share a link to your early June happenings in the comment section.

An Unscheduled Monday

June 3, 2013June 3, 2013 / makingofahome / 1 Comment

It is not often that I find myself rising to a completely unscheduled day, let alone an unschedule Monday. To be perfectly honest, there is something magical about it. The most astonishing aspect of it all is that I was able to awake earlier than I have in nearly a month, feeling rested and refreshed. (Isn’t that just so strange really…on those mornings when you don’t have to wake up, you seem ready to take on the day more than ever? Like Thursday, my daughters’ first day of summer break, when they woke up at 5:30 am. Oh boy.)

So, as I sit here with my mug filled with wonderful coffee goodness, looking out upon the garden sprinkled with the first rays of morning sunlight, I am thinking of all of you out there, about to begin your Mondays as well. May your day, and the rest of this week, be filled with many blessings.

Happy Monday all!

Kairos

May 31, 2013May 26, 2013 / makingofahome / Leave a comment

Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”

If you are so inclined, share a link to your “Kairos Moment” in the comment section. I hope you all have a blessed weekend!

Honey-Sweetened Oatmeal Cookies

May 30, 2013May 26, 2013 / makingofahome / 2 Comments

Again, in an attempt to lighten our refined sugar load, I have been playing around in the kitchen a bit to find some alternatives to our favorite dessert recipes. Replacing the granulated and brown sugars in traditional oatmeal cookies with local honey, created a wonderful cake-like cookie. The floral taste of the honey, paired with the nuttiness of these local oats, makes this cookie one you just must try!

Honey-Sweetened Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup butter (softened)

1 cup local honey

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and honey. Then add the ingredients to the mixer in the order listed, being sure each ingredients is fully incorporated before adding the next.

Scoop out the dough by the tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. Enjoy!

*A note about all my recipes: I use all organic ingredients, local when available. I use non-homogenized milk, and all of the dairy we use is from animals raised on pasture. I also use oils that are non-GMO verified. All our meat is raised locally on organic feed, and our beef is grass-fed, grass-finished. All our spices and cane sugar are fair-trade certified and purchased through a cooperative.

Garden Tour

May 29, 2013May 26, 2013 / makingofahome / 4 Comments

Although at a snail’s pace, we are getting our garden planted and the space is looking a bit less like a field of dandelions and a smidge more garden-like these days. Join me today on a tour through the gardens…

Dairy Free Ice Cream

May 28, 2013May 26, 2013 / makingofahome / Leave a comment

The littlest Fagan just celebrated her 4th birthday, and this soon-to-be-chef had been planning her party menu for months. At the top of her list was The Pioneer Womans’ Blackberry Chip Ice Cream. Well, unfortunately for my tiny girl, a few days before the big shebang, we were told by her new doctor to avoid dairy and refined sugar. Huh. This placed quite the damper on our birthday party edibles.

But never fear, dairy alternatives are here! While big sis was at school, my little chef and I transformed our kitchen into a recipe test kitchen. We tinkered away for a few days and came up with a fabulous dairy free, refined sugar free version of The Pioneer Woman’s ice cream.

I hope you enjoy this summer treat as much as we did!

Dairy Free Ice Cream

Put 1 cup blackberries (these can be fresh or frozen) and 1/2 local honey in a blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.

Pour 2 13.5 oz cans of coconut milk into an ice cream maker. Switch the ice cream maker on and allow to run for 3-5 minutes. To the coconut milk, add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Once the vanilla is incorporated, add the blackberry/honey mixture.

Allow the ice cream maker to run until you notice a creamy consistency begins to form. Then add 3 oz. dairy free chocolate chips (we used these). Run the ice cream maker until the chocolate chips are evenly distributed throughout the ice cream.

Store in an air tight container in the freezer until you are ready to eat. (I suggest taking the ice cream out of the freezer about 5 minutes before you intend to serve it because the coconut milk tends to freeze pretty solid.)

Enjoy!

The Road Less Traveled

May 27, 2013May 26, 2013 / makingofahome / 3 Comments

It seems that every time I turn around there is information out there on how to do something faster, save time and work more efficiently. But with all of these time saving tips, what are we doing with all of the freed up hours and minutes of our day? I know at least for me, it often feels like this new-found freedom from the hands of time just leaves me with a sense of heightened anxiety because I feel like I should be doing more, more, more.

Well, last week I found myself with a bit of time on my hands when making a trip up to Wisconsin. Instead of hopping on the interstate, with cars and semis zipping by me at 90 miles per hour, I decided to take the backroads and see what the road less traveled had to offer me. I couldn’t help but giggle to myself as the words from Cars ran through my head, “Well, the road didn’t cut through the land like that interstate. It moved with the land, it rose, it fell, it curved. Cars didn’t drive on it to make great time. They drove on it to have a great time.”

And I must admit, I agree with Sally. Driving on the winding roadway, through the farm scape of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, was a lot more fun. I was able to see lilac bushes in full bloom along the roadside. I pulled over to look at a goat farm where new kids frolicked in the fields with their mothers. I coasted into an actual town to buy a cup of coffee, instead of a grabbing a cup of joe from a giant neon-glowing gas station perched aside the interstate. I was even lucky enough to stop by an antique shop that had so much heirloom goodness that it spilled out onto the front lawn. And to think I would have missed all of this if I had sped down the interstate. Yes, I would have made it to my destination a few minutes faster, but so much would have been absent from my experience of that day.

So, as cliche as it sounds, I am so happy “I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

Kairos

May 17, 2013May 13, 2013 / makingofahome / Leave a comment

Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”

If you are so inclined, share a link to your “Kairos Moment” in the comment section. I hope you all have a blessed weekend!

Spring Goodness

May 16, 2013May 15, 2013 / makingofahome / Leave a comment

It seems that after a very long winter…Spring has finally arrived! The flowers and trees burst with color, asparagus spears peak out from the surface of the soil, and dandelions and wild violets paint the yard with vibrant color. At this moment, I find it hard to think of a better time of the year.

This week finds us in the midst of school and home garden planting, retirement celebrations, dance recital rehearsals, and birthday party preparations…All enjoyed with a magnificent spring melody playing in the background.

I hope all of you find yourself in the splender of this season as well!