Recipes, projects & products that don’t suck.

I know, I know – ANOTHER dessert post. Believe me, I’m well aware. I’ll be sure to get back to more entrée recipes soon. A while back, I mentioned a Lemon Bar recipe I found, tested and loved. I promised to share the recipe and finally, here we are. Actually, what I found was a Grapefruit Bar recipe which I converted to Lemon Bars. Traditionally, lemon bars are made with a lot of butter and eggs. Instead, this recipe uses coconut oil and silken tofu. Don’t freak out – you won’t even taste the tofu. I promise. There is still a load of sugar in this recipe, so I wouldn’t categorize it as healthy, but it’s definitely better for you than traditional lemon bars. And…

During our mission trip in the Dominican Republic, I had the opportunity to teach an art project to some of the school children. I knew I would be doing this before we left, but I wasn’t certain what ages I would be working with. So I scoured Pinterest for ideas that would be suitable for ages 3 to 9. I finally settled on two projects – paper bag animal puppets and paper plate butterflies. Then I loaded up on art supplies to take along (and leave with the teachers). As it turned out, we only had time for one project, so I chose the animal puppets. I may share tutorial photos of the other project with you another day, though. The original source for this…

Sorry for the inactivity here on the blog over the past week and a half. We were in the Dominican Republic for a mission trip with a group from our church. Two days before our trip was over, I started to get a sore throat and ears. Sure enough, it turned into a full-blown (pun not intended) sinus infection when I got home. Today, I’m finally starting to feel better. And so I post! Several years ago, Hubs and I took a vacation with friends to Puerto Plata in the DR. I’ll never forget our shuttle ride from the airport to our resort. Never before had I seen such impoverished conditions. Living quarters made of cardboard and scraps. Naked, barefoot, dirty children urinating in the…

Last week we celebrated Hubs’ birthday. Ever since he was a kid, he’s had this obsession with a tiny little bakery in his hometown called Zeeland Bakery. In his mind, this place is legendary. While he’s nuts about their donuts and cookies, it’s their cake (and by cake I mean frosting) that he absolutely adores. It’s super sweet and sugary. No whipped/light/fluffy stuff here. This stuff is heavy-duty. And those gross frosting flowers? He loves ‘em. He would love it if the whole cake was covered in them. I don’t know anyone with a bigger sweet tooth than Hubs. Except maybe my sister, whose favorite food group is candy. Here is a photo of last year’s cake, along with a card he received from my…

The theme of this post is QUICK! Not only because this meal (or appetizer) can be whipped up lickety-split, but also because I am racing against the clock to get my mile-long to-do list completed before we leave for our mission trip. Last week, a box of goodies from Wildtree came in the mail (I ordered and paid for them, this is not a paid review). I became familiar with this health-conscious company through a friend who reps their product. This portion of their mission statement pretty much sums up why I like their product: Wildtree offers the highest quality herbs, spices and culinary blends that are free of preservatives, additives, fillers and promote a healthier lifestyle. We believe in the value of making cooking…