I Wonder if I Should...

Should I be this quick to show off our dinner?

 

Hmm...

 

Maybe just a wee bit hesitant?

 

Nah...

 

Despite its humble appearance it is very, very good.

 

 Warmly, Me

 

A Dragonfrye Beginning

It has been over a year and I decided to resurrect my blog.

I actually closed my old blog down and am SO glad I took the time to save everything and that blogger has the export/import option. Even though I am starting up a brand new blog, I imported all my old blog posts. 

My blog and my life have had many revamps and changes since I started in 2008. The old stuff still might be helpful or at least comical to others. So if you venture back in the depths of my blog, enjoy! Laughing and eye rolling are allowed! I have been looking over some posts and did a few eye rolls, I mumbled a few "jeepers, did I really write that!". In-between all that, there is the adorableness of those Frye kids ,like here,  and our journey from my little perched view.

My main reason in restarting my blog is to talk...to myself. Ha-ha. It is a small voice talking about mostly unimportant things, but things that please me. Nothing that will change the course of history but that is ok. I have been posting on Facebook more which I enjoy, but not everything I want to ramble on about is Facebook interesting. And I love pictures! Pictures of my life, of my days. My view of this little spot in the world, right here where I sit. All my random goofy things that make me...well...me. 

My life has changed a little since I ended my blog in 2014. The kids have grown, some Frye drama, a few kids have left the nest. I have grayed (a lot), but also lost a few pounds. Yep indeed, I did. Still looking pudgy but better than before. Good trade off, though. A few gray for a few pounds. I will just start blogging like I never left and every once in a while fill in the gaps of this past year. Some of my new posts might mirror what I have posted on Facebook but eventually not so much.

I think I picked out a pretty good title for my blog. A Dragonfrye Beginning. It pretty much describes my spot in life right now. I could have called it A Dragonfrye Unsettling. That would have even more fitting. I am not fond of this point in my life. It really is unsettling but that is why it is a beginning for me. I have been through many unsettling points in my life but none like this. This is just different. Not sure how to even describe it, maybe it's just middle age. Not sure...  

Awesome  quote that pretty much fits where I am at right now,

“Beginnings are usually scary, endings are usually sad, but it's what's in the middle that counts. So when you find yourself at the beginning, just give hope a chance to float up. And it will.”

~ from the movie Hope Floats


Now it was a big deal to decide what my very first picture would be on my very first post in over a year. It seriously was. I decided to go ahead and add the picture I was thinking of putting on Facebook. The lunch I made for the kids yesterday. Homemade biscuits and sausage gravy from scratch on my favorite plate.

Why this picture? I'm not sure. It is kind of a homey, cozy meal. A blog fitting meal. It is on my special, happy plate. I like my plate. Crazy, but my plate is almost like an old friend. Ok, yes, that does sound a tad crazy. A "jeepers, did I really write that!" kind of crazy.

Now, I know that this is the perfect picture choice! A perfect re-introduction to me and my blog!!

Welcome back!!! 

Warmly,
   Me

Worth the Effort

Want another Happy Jack quote?

I could go on for days sharing Happy Jack's wise squirrel words.

Thrift is the meat in the nut of success.

So thrift it is!!

I had four cans of cranberry sauce that we were given this past holiday season. I had stashed them away but unlike Happy Jack who always remembers were he hides his acorns, I had forgotten.

I came across them and thought a late afternoon treat would hit the spot!

I had been SO tired today so I spent most of the afternoon on the couch napping but off the couch I got because this little treat would be worth the effort.

Lily my helper.

Looking good!!

A happy helper!!

I forgot to take a picture of our cooked cranberry crisp. The couch called me back.

BUT

the effort was worth it!!

Warmly, A Dragonfrye Mommy

P.S. No sewing for the 5th day in a row. I really must be tired.

Pretty and Not So Much...

First,the pretty things I made today:

A sweet little toddler cowgirl dress.

and a very patriotic dress.

This is from On the Road with M' Liss fabric line.

I am still trying to figure out how to take good pictures of my dresses without Lily to model them for me. I am not liking these in front of the quilt ones. They do not show just how cute the dresses actually are. I will try something new the next time.

And now the not so pretty that I made today...

I made pitas!

I can not begin to tell you how terrific they taste!!!!

They did not look very pita-ish but boy did they taste good!!!

Someday I will learn to make homemade hummus.

I forgot to show you what was driving down our street today.

Only in Waseca!!!

Did I ever mention the Journey (the original) is totally AWESOME?!!!!

Warmly, A Dragonfrye Mommy

A Little Helper

I made biscuits and gravy for breakfast yesterday.

I had an eager little helper.

I did not have a regular biscuit cutter so I used some cookie cutters instead. I could have just used a glass or cup as a round biscuit cutter but shapes were more fun. Lily was all on board for that!

Um...as you see the meat part of our biscuits and gravy was a little lacking and the fluffy element of the biscuits was (or is it were?) missing but no one complained!

Warmly, A Dragonfrye Mommy

Improvising Tina Style

I call it 'improvise cooking Tina style' and it is usually how meals are created around here.

We very rarely have all the correct ingredients that a recipe calls for.

I am getting very good at knowing how to fudge with some recipes.

Yesterday it was pancakes frugal style!

Feeds 17 people

6 cups of flour
3 tablespoons of baking powder
1/2 tablespoon of salt
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup melted butter
6 eggs
6 cups of water
1/3 cup white vinegar

Mix the dry ingredients together then add the water,eggs, and melted butter. Mix well.
add the vinegar and stir well. Let the batter set for a bit before cooking on a hot griddle that has a nice coating of melted shortening on it.

What makes this a frugal pancake recipe?

See no need for any milk. If you actually had milk, which we usually do not,just exchange the milk for the water. Maybe you have powdered milk? Add about 1/3 cup powdered milk with the dry ingredients for every cup of water you add.

If you do not have vinegar just leave it out.

Only 5 eggs? Then just use what you have adding more water or milk to make the batter the thickness you desire.

Only have a half of a cup of butter or none at all? Use melted shortening or a combo of shortening, butter,and oil but probably just not all oil.

Add more or less white sugar or a combo of white sugar and brown sugar. You really can not fail.

We did not even have syrup so we used powdered sugar instead. At times I have made syrup by heating to a boil brown sugar or white sugar with water. I have even boiled jelly and some water for a bit for a treat. We have even used straight corn syrup.

They might not be your Perkins variety or like the ones your mother made,or even 'politacly correct' health wise but they are frugal, tasty, and when cooking for a large family, perfect.

P.S. Our church passed on to us a ton of little cute pre-packed butter dabs which we really appreciate!

They made our pancakes look fancy.

A side note: If,say,we ended up not having any butter to mix up our pancake batter I would have just opened up a lot of the pre-packed butter dabs and used them. See 'improvise cooking Tina style' is not a hard thing once you get used to it.

But then again, company usually does not happen to drop by during meal times...


Warmly, A Dragonfrye Mommy