Posts by Kerry Weisser
Ice Cream-Trying a New Flavor at a New Ice Cream Parlor
One of my favorite desserts is ICE CREAM! So this BUCKET LIST item was so much fun to carry out. Trying a new flavor sounds easy, BUT we decided to carry out this BUCKET LIST item at a new Ice Cream Parlor in Folsom, called Handles. As you can see in the pictures….there were so many options of flavors I had never tried, it was really hard to decide what flavor to try. I sampled coffee chocolate chip, pumpkin cheesecake, graham central station, pumpkin ripple and chocoholic chunk. I went with a WINNER-Chocoholic Chunk and it was AMAZING!!! I can’t wait to go back to try another new flavor. Since a picture is worth 1,000 words, I will treat you to some of our fun pictures.
What fun tradition do you like to share with your family and friends? Mine is trying new ice cream parlors. Come along and join me next time, because ice cream shared with loved ones makes it taste SO MUCH BETTER!
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Becoming a Gardener-on my Bucket List Forever
I grew up with a mom, grandma, and auntie who were all amazing gardeners. I thought it would be something that I would naturally inherit. Flower gardens, vegetable gardens and trees of all kinds bring me great JOY. I love being outdoors and I love gardening….BUT my life is VERY FULL of relationships that require my time. I therefore have not been very successful at keeping my garden as beautiful as I would like it to be.
God has graciously given me two friends who are FANTASTIC gardeners-one by training (she is a Master Gardener) and one by experience (she could literally run a nursery business out of her home). So I have been given the gift of consultation and time. Both of these amazing friends have offered to help me repent my borders and help me redesign my backyard. I couldn’t be more excited. I love watching talented people share their expertise and passions especially when they align with my interests and my passions.
We went to a spectacular Nursery to see many varieties of plants that would do well in my yard. We have had a few planning sessions and in a few weeks we will drive back up to a fabulous nursery and buy the plants. I am outrageously excited!!!
So if you have a dream and you have friends who have a gift for something you want to learn about….tap their resources, enjoy the blessing of friendship and you just may be able to have a dream Bucket List item come true!!!!
Here are some of the beautiful plants we plan to buy and plant in my backyard.
Here is my faithful friend who is helping me with my garden…
Here are my new pruning shears. 
Here is the back corner where we will begin our …
Brussels Sprouts Harvest Salad-try a new recipe on my Bucket List
One of the things I continually keep on my bucket list is trying new recipes. This one caught my eye because we love cruciferous vegetable like brussels sprouts and cauliflower. This recipe has both. I will serve this next time we have friends over. Picky Ricky gave this a 5 star rating! It is a keeper…..
Ingredients
1 rotisserie chicken deboned, skinned and shredded
2 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
1 head cauliflower cut into small florets
1 pound brussels sprouts trimmed and shredded
½ cup toasted pecans
¼ cups dried cherries, raisins or cranberries
¼ cup olive oil
1-2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Dressing
6 Tablespoons olive oil
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 Tablespoons grainy mustard
½ teaspoon each seas salt and ground pepper
½ teaspoon sriracha or your choice of hot sauce
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix cut up sweet potatoes and cauliflower with !/8 cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss and place on parchment lined baking sheet with sides. Mix shredded brussels sprouts with remaining ⅛ cup olive oil and salt and pepper. Place brussels sprouts on a separate baking sheet lined with parchment. Place vegetables in oven. Roast brussels sprouts for about 15 minutes until just barely cooked (still crunchy) and the roast the pan of sweet potatoes and cauliflower for 25-30 minutes. While vegetables roast debone and skin rotisserie chicken and cut into chunks of shred. Make dressing by mixing all ingredients together at the bottom of a large bowl. Put all shredded chicken into bowl and toss around. Place all roasted vegetables on top stir all together. Serve hot or cold. You can serve over rice or quinoa. We loved the flavors and the textures of the different vegetables. …
Read MoreFarm to Table Dinner with Dear Old Friends
Bucket list items that involve getting together with long ago friends are often very difficult to implement. So, when about 8 girlfriends from our Elementary and High School days found a date that worked, we put it on our calendars and a beautiful afternoon and evening of food, fellowship and fun ensued.
I offered to come over the day before to the beautiful location where we would be gathering. My friend, who was hosting had a menu planned and the two of us went to town. We shopped at a lovely Farmer’s Market and visited a few specialty shops in her town to find just the right ingredients. We prepared all the parts of the meal that could be done the day before and then we went on a lovely walk and talked until bedtime. We did have a delicious meal together that first night but with the anticipation of all the “farm to table” food that we would be preparing and eating the next day we kept that dinner fairly simple. The next morning we arose early, dashed out for the last minute items we needed and began our preparations. We had so much fun cooking together.
As the saying goes…”A picture is worth 1,000 words” so here is our story in pictures…
The appetizers were local cheeses, farm fresh vegetables and fruits and an artichoke bake. For dinner, we made unique salads with figs, melon, herbs and a lemon thyme dressing, a caprice salad with fresh heirloom tomatoes, a lemon herb baked salmon and hot sourdough bread form a local bakery. Dessert featured fresh peach, berry cobbler. We had a glorious time feasting on delicious and nutritious food and reminiscing about “the good ole’ days”
Bucket list item checked off the list-new memories made and wonderful times of …
Read MorePack Early for a Grand Adventure
One habit that I have tried exceptionally hard to accomplish is packing early before an adventure so that the last few days before I leave can be less stressful. When you pack early, you have time to check, check and double check. I keep a running list of a few things that I need to add to my carry-on right before I leave. I make sure to order the foreign currency I need and get some US dollars as well. I check with the airline I am traveling on to make sure I am within the weight limits. I have a luggage scale that I use throughout the packing process.
I sort my clothes and place in Eagle Creek compression packing sleeves. This helps me stay organized when on the type of vacation where you are moving from one hotel to another. Shorts and capris go in one pouch, swim suits and cover-up in another, shirts go in a separate pouch etc. The hardest part for me is deciding how many of each item. My rule of thumb is if I know I have 3 days at at least one hotel…I can do laundry so I can take less shirts and tops. I also use clear zipper pouches for all my accessories so they are easy to find. I love Stasher bags. Although they are marketed for food storage, they are great for storing things that are in containers that might spill like lotions, face creams, shampoo etc.
The end result of packing early is rest and calmness in the days before the trip.
So for my next trip in less than 2 weeks, I can rest assured that I will not be running around like a chicken with my head cut off the few days before we leave.…
Read MoreDecorating Your House for Fall Festivities
I love this Bucket List Challenge. I have been motivated “to do” so many things that I always HOPE to do, but often just can’t seem to get done in the time frame I desire.
I absolutely LOVE fall colors so this year I decided to decorate early and enjoy my colorful house for all of October through Thanksgiving. I used many simple things, most of which I picked up over the years at post holiday sales.
Colorful garlands of fall colored leaves
Fall leaf wreaths
Mini pumpkins from Trader Joes
A few larger pumpkins
Cloth pumpkins some from Target and some from an artist we love (find her on instagram-@mattiesmakings)
Wooden signs that remind me to be Grateful and Thankful
Candles-pumpkin scented are the BEST!
Small potted plants that I will plant outside at the end of the fall season
Have fun decorating!!!! Now that my house is all decorated, I am having fun inviting friends over. Accomplishing Bucket list items open doors for fellowship and blessing others.
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DIY Kitchen made of Cardboard Boxes
Our DIY cardboard kitchen was one of the best grandkid creation I have ever made. The directions are below. It was durable, lasted through the first batch of grandkids and I am sad to see it go. Our second youngest granddaughter, Madi, is ready for a wooden play kitchen and Gammie is finally ready to retire the DIY Cardboard Kitchen that I made 6 years ago. So this week when she and her brother came for a visit I surprised them with a red wooden kitchen that we bought on Facebook marketplace. The new kitchen was a hit but brother Garrett could not understand why we had to say goodbye to the original DIY one I made. I would highly recommend this project because it was fun and our family made many wonderful memories together playing with it for years.
The refrigerator, stove and sink after 6 years of fun with Jorde, Reese, Zeke, Calvin, Ellie, Hanna and Mikah.
Here is the new kitchen, ready for the second batch- Garrett, Madi, Sophie, Hezi and Selah!!!
DIY Cardboard Kitchen
3 Large sturdy boxes (whatever number of appliances you choose to make)
2 rolls white contact paper
2 rolls clear contact paper
3 colored poster boards – 1 red, 1 blue, 1 green (choose any colors that go together)
3-4 rolls colored duct tape – 1 red, 1 blue, 1 green, 1 yellow ( choose coordinated colored tape)
clear packing tape
scissors
exacto knife or retractable box cutter blade
plastic glad/ziplock/tupperware disposable round container with lid
pen or pencil…
High Protein, High Fiber Oat Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies
When you are a nursing mom and your baby starts to wiggle and grow, sleep through the night and seems to want/need more breast milk…..this delicious cookie may just do the trick.They are easy to make and can be stored in the freezer for a quick nutritious treat. Remember to use Brewer’s yeast and NOT nutritional yeast. This delicious lactation cookie recipe is similar to the other one we tried but uses whole wheat flour for more fiber and has extra protein with the addition of more peanut butter to the dough. You can add an extra bit of fiber by adding raisins. Watch out because your husband and other family members will be sneaking these when you are not looking -they are that delicious. For more information on herbs and nutritional supplements that can improve your milk supply if you are a nursing mama click here. Here are two other recipes that we have tried-one a bar and one a cookie and we also added brewer’s yeast to our favorite bran muffin recipe.
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons of flax seed meal
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups of whole oats (not instant or quick oats)
1 ½ cups chocolate chip
½-1 cup raisins optional
4 Tablespoons Brewer’s Yeast (NOT nutritional yeast)
½ cup peanut butter (we used Trader Joe’s natural)
Stir the flax seed meal and water together in a small bowl. Blend butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time and add vanilla and blend until fluffy. Measure flour, baking soda and salt into a small bowl and pour into mixer. Blend on medium speed until mixed …
Read MoreStuffed Peppers with a Mexican Flare
In the summer months when it is hot and you are craving some Mexican food for dinner but a burrito sounds too heavy and filling, this recipe is a nice healthy alternative. This Stuffed Pepper recipe with a Mexican Flare is a wonderful and satisfying recipe to try.
Stuffed Peppers with a Mexican Flare
1 ½ lbs ground turkey
1 teaspoon avocado oil
3-4 cloves garlic smashed
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2-3 teaspoons cumin
3 cups cooked Farro (I used quick cooking faro from Trader Joes) or brown rice
1 (15 oz) can corn drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can black beans drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken broth divided
6 large red, yellow or orange peppers
Cook farro or brown rice in 3 cups of chicken broth. Set aside.
Saute garlic in a large skillet with avocado oil. Place ground turkey into the same saucepan, add the spices, and cook until meat is completely cooked. Add tomato sauce and ½ cup chicken broth and cook on medium low, about 5-8 minutes until bubbly and flavors have blended. Save the remaining ½ cup chicken broth to put into bottom of baking pan when pepper are stuffed and ready to be baked. While meat mixture cooks, cut peppers in half lengthwise like pepper boats and clean out membranes and seeds. When meat mixture is cooked, add the farro or brown rice and stir until mixed evenly. Fill the cut in half pepper boats and place into a 9×13 pan. We actually were able to make two 9×13 pans and they tasted just as yummy the second day. I only cooked one pan the first night, saved the filling and cut, …
10 Hints to having a Fantastic 4th of July Week Celebration
Celebrating the 4th of July with family is FANTASTIC! We have made some wonderful memories over the years with our immediate family and with extended family. This year we have the Spoelhof family (our oldest daughter Rachel, her husband and 3 daughters) with us for the week. The girls are 7, 6 and 4 ½ so we have been busy, busy, busy! So, this blog post will not only share some of the fun things we have done, but helpful tips on how to stay organized and be able to truly enjoy building deeper relationships with your adult kids and grandkids.
Plan ahead…..
1. Make a bucket list of things to do. ( I made ours on a piece of cardstock so the kids and parents could see all the options of things to do.)
2. Let all family members visiting have a say in the plans for the week-(it is a vacation week for EVERYONE)
3. Grocery shop and make menus for the week. (Make sure you check with the moms to buy the kinds of snacks and treats everyone likes.)
4. Cook dinners ahead or prep parts of the meals you have planned.
5. Engage the visiting families in cooking the meals. (One summer we had dinner cooking contests between the couples visiting-This was a HUGE success-everyone had fun and the food was fabulous.)
6. Have all the supplies on hand you need for crafting or art projects. We did Tie Dye, beading, Painting and lots of coloring)
7. Plan some kind of exercise for each day-hiking, swimming, biking, walking, soccer, trips to the local gym (get gym guest passes ahead of time).
8. Allow the parents of your grandkids to have a date night.
9. If you plan a day trip, take a picnic and stop for …