Memorial Day Activities and Favorite Recipes....

Our children are officially out of school and their summer vacation has begun.  I know, I know, Summer doesn't technically starts until June 20th. 

The last week of May doesn't only bring the end of the school year but it also brings a very important date to remember.  Memorial Day is a day of prayer for absolute and permanent peace.. 

While many of us will be firing up our grill, having pool parties with some fireworks or maybe you have plans to enjoy the weather by visiting your local beach.  

It is imperative that we explain to our children that Memorial Day it's an occasion to honor the men and women who have died serving our country. 

Did you know.....

"Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, a day to honor American Civil War dead.  Following World War I, Memorial Day became a day to honor soldiers killed in all war"...

Find memorial Day Lessons here: NEA: Memorial Day Lesson Ideas K-5th

My Favorite Activities....

Patriotic Wreath

This easy to make wreath can be used for Memorial Day, Independence Day and/or Fourth of July.  This craft will not break your bank when buying the required materials and it can be used year after year, saving you even more money.

However, I will warn you, it can be time consuming and if you choose to do a larger size wreath, you will most likely spend an entire afternoon wrapping the yard around the foam wreath.

 Memorial Day Crafts for Kids

by

Metroparent.com

Popsicle Stick Star Streamers

"Pom-Pom" American Flag Painting

My Favorite Recipes....

Strawberry Blueberry Limeade 

by 

The Taylor House. 

Check out her website to get this delicious recipe The Taylor House: Strawberry Blueberry Limeade Recipe.

Watermelon Stars with Strawberries and Blueberries

by

Amanda of Wit & Whistle

Baked Beans Cowboy Style

by

WickedGoodKitchen.com

How delicious!! Of course we all have our own special recipes our families love... you know the ones that have your kids lick their fingers!!  :)

Now, who can forget the special sales from clothing stores! After all we do have to get all of our swimwear ready for the beach!! 

We hope you have a safe and fabulous three day weekend!! 

Easy & Delicious Spring Recipes

It's Friday and I hope that everyone had a very productive week! If not, don't worry, we will start nice and fresh on Monday!! 

The family and I will be attending our local Strawberry Festival this weekend and I cannot wait to see our children enjoy the festival's activities and pick some nice and sweet strawberries straight from the field.  It will be a perfect family outing.  I anticipate last of strawberries and fresh spring vegetables, like asparagus, peas, beets, cabbage, radishes and turnips that I can try new recipes or cook one of our family recipes. 

In the meantime let's get ready to welcome the weekend with some nice, delicious and easy spring recipes!  

Let's begin with a refreshing salad that never fail to please a hungry crowd:

Easy & Delicious Pasta Salad  

This is a very easy and affordable salad to make.   A combination of cooked pasta with fresh tomatoes plus the crunchiness of the bell pepper and broccoli topped with a robust vinaigrette. 

See full recipe here: Easy & Delicious Pasta Salad. 

Laci Jameson Carlson, creator and owner of Sequins in the South has some refreshing and flavorful recipes

Strawberry & Champagne Popsicles

For this refreshing and crisp recipe click here:  Strawberry Champagne Popsicles.

Stuffed Zuchini Paired with 

Roasted Cauliflower

For these two delicious recipes click here: Stuffed Zuchini Paired with Roasted Cauliflower.

Kim Mais, creator and owner of Three Olive Branch has a sensational recipe that includes "bruschetta"!

Bruschetta with Garlic Costrini

What I love about this recipe is that it is so light and it requires very little ingredients but the result will leave you wanting more!! 

For full recipe click here: Bruschetta with Garlic Costrini

C E Lim creator and owner of Gastronomic (Mis)Adventures has created a fabulous and simple recipe that only requires 5 or less ingredient.  This is a recipe that can be prepared and served within 30 minutes!  

Baked Stuffed Fig Recipe

For the full recipe click here: Baked Stuff Fig Recipe

If you like to try any of these recipes, please make sure you pin the image, save and or share!!  To view more of their amazing creations, just visit their pages and follow!!

Go ahead, try them... you won't be disappointed and please, let us know your thoughts!! 

Recipe: Classic & Delicious Collard Greens

Hello Everyone!!

     Today I will be sharing with you my favorite recipe to the perfect Southern Style Collard Greens, a.k.a. My Momma's Delicious Collard Greens!

     I love food, just as much as I love the art of cooking.  Now, I have to admit that my cooking skills were very limited when my husband and I first got together, almost twelve (12) years ago.  

     During the last decade I have mastered many recipes and most of them are family recipes given to me by my mother in law.   I remember the first two years, she took the time to teach me how to prepare my husband's favorite holiday dishes, like "extra Cheesy Mac & Cheese, Collard Greens, Baked Ham, Candied Yams", and of course, his favorite "Water Gate Salad".

     Now, I'm the one who prepares the entire Holiday Dinner all by my little self.  While some of the dishes may look like it requires a lot preparation time, let me assure you that is not the case.  

     In order to save time but mostly my sanity, I prepare some of the dishes ahead of time. Like the collard greens, I cook them and then freeze them.   I take the collard greens out of the freezer to thaw at least 12 hours before serving and then just simmer them until they are thoroughly heated. 

      The Ingredients: 

2 Bags (16 oz) of Fresh Collard Greens (I use Glory Foods- it's what Mom uses, so why change it right?) 

5 Cups of Water

3 Cups of Chicken Broth

2 Containers of Ham hocks

3 TBS of Vinegar

1/2 Cup of Sugar

1/4 Tsp of crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper to taste

      Preparation: 

    Place water, chicken broth and ham hocks into a stock pot;  bring to boil then lower the heat to medium.  Let the ham hocks cook for approximately 45 minutes to an hour.   (Tip:  I like my collard green meaty, but if you don't then reduce the amount of ham hocks)

    Once the ham hocks are a bit tender, remove them from the pot. 

    Add the sugar, vinegar, salt, red pepper flakes and collard greens. 

    While the collard greens are simmering in the pot, cut the meat off the ham hocks.  

    Add the diced meat into the pot and stirred.  Let the pot simmer until the greens are tender.  

     And now you are ready to enjoy this delicious dish! 

The Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

Hello Everyone and welcome back! 

After posting this picture on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, we received a few messages asking us about ACV and its benefits.  Therefore, we decided to write this quick post about the benefits on Natural Hair, Weight Loss & Health. 

   I finally decided to give this "old" recipe a try, mainly because one of our biggest struggle is "thirsty hair", especially during the cold and dry days.  

    It is important to remember that using Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) without adding plenty of water on your curly strands may damage them.      Therefore, make sure you mix the Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) with plenty of warm water.

    I added 2 tbs of Vinegar to 16 oz warm water.  Now that Ms. Bree's hair is short, it is a bit difficult to estimate how much solution or product is needed.  Needless to say, I didn't use the entire 16 oz.

   If you have anything left, don't worry, you can save the mixture to be used at a later time. 

  

     As you can see, Ms. Bree was not very happy about the strong odor.  I must agree with her on that!  It was a bit strong and even her puppy found it a bit "interesting", so interesting that she wanted to lick Ms. Bree's hair.  But thankfully this only require from 10  to 15 minutes to work!  

Here Are A Few "Benefits of ACV" For Natural Hair: 

1.  The acidity of the Apple Cider Vinegar rinse will help maintain the pH balance of your curly tresses and it can remove buildup at the same time without stripping the hair of its natural oils. You may use Apple Cider Vinegar in lieu of a clarifying shampoo but make sure you choose an extra moisturizing conditioner so that your curly strands get all the moisture they need.

3.  Apple Cider Vinegar will help treat clogged hair follicles due to bacterial infection that creates crusty flakes on the scalp. 

4.  Apple Cider Vinegar can help stimulate better circulation to the hair follicles, which strengthens the hair roots and promotes a healthy hair growth.

5.  Apple Cider Vinegar has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties that help treat itchy, dry scalp. 

6. Apple Cider Vinegar rinse can also help in closing your hair cuticles, which will keep moisture in your hair and minimize any frizz. 

It's important to remember that ACV is in acidity, and like with every product that contains high acidity levels, you must be cautious on how often you use it.  The over use of this ACV mixture can lead to the degradation of your hair shaft.  

ACV HEALTH BENEFITS

Korrie, owner of "Korrie's Korner" shares how she uses Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV):

I posted this a month ago on my Facebook page!  How many of you stuck with this and are you experiencing the benefits from it?

Starting a day early for my challenge group. My first healthy habit change is going back to drinking 1 tbsp of acv and 8oz water every morning and evening. There are so many amazing health benefits to this. Here are a few:

1. It helps lower triglycerides which in return lower the bad cholesterol.

2. It helps your body maintain a healthy alkaline pH level. (This is my main reason for taking. I have a lack of energy and get a little of female infections sometimes due to a low pH level. This happens from having too much acid in your body which is my problem.)

3. Overall detoxification. It detoxifies the liver. Helps stimulate cardiovascular circulation.

4.This miracle vinegar helps to break up mucous throughout the body and cleanse the lymph nodes. Believe it or not, research suggests that apple cider vinegar can help with allergies because of its ability to reduce mucous and sinus congestion. When reducing the effects of allergies, it can also help stave off sinus infections and their related symptoms, such as sore throats and headaches.

5.This vinegar is rich in natural enzymes that can help rid your body of candida—yeasts that are attributed to thrush in humans. Candida also is blamed for creating symptoms of fatigue, poor memory, sugar cravings, and yeast infections. (I have issues with this as well.)

6. Reduces heartburn. It might seem like an oxymoron, but it really does help.

To follow Korrie simply visit her Facebook Page: Korrie's Korner!

I've been drinking Dr. Oz's Swuimsuit Slimdown Drink for four days now.  

Drinking it before each meal reduces my appetite which leads me to eat smaller portions, my cravings for sweets (especially chocolate) have decreased and it has also helped producing a regular bowel movements. 

I can't say for sure if it has helped with any cholesterol issues as I don't have any.  However, I'm hoping my lovely husband will give this a try.  Of course that will require a lot of persuasion on my behalf!  

As I said before, ACV contains high level of acidity and just the same way it can damage your hair if you use in excess or undiluted. ACV can damage your tooth enamel as well as your throat's tissue if is not diluted before you drink it.

    

We hope you give this a try!