In His Grip

Three Word Thursday

To Camp Grandma :o)

Creative Block

So I have been suffering from creative block.  I have a couple of projects that are partially done, but seem to have no motivation to complete them. There are seasons of my life where I do not seem to have enough hours in the day to complete all of the things that I have created in my head.  But right now, I just cannot seem to finish up the loose ends of several creative undertakings.  The projects themselves are actually quite wonderful, I have a couple of old windows that will end up being an awesome arrangement with pictures and quotes, a t-shirt makeover that is half done, and various knitting projects that just cannot seem to make it into my hands.  I am not sure what will kick me out of this creative slump but I so ready to get back to  my creative self.  I am thinking, just maybe, a vacation will do it.  Summer time, 4th of July coming up, and beautiful sunshine, that has go to do it, right?

Three Word Thursday

Good summer reading.

Farmers' Market Goodness

One of my favorite parts of Summer is going to the Farmers' Market.  There is nothing better than cooking with fresh picked vegys and because I am not growing anything other than herbs this year, the Farmers' Market is the place buy.  Normally I go and just buy what looks good and for me more often than not that is everything.  So this year, I have armed myself with the newest issue of Farmer's Market Cookbook magazine.

This is a special publication put out by Vegetarian Times. It is pack full of all kinds of recipes made with items you purchase at the Farmers' Market.  Just look at those stuffed tomatoes on the front cover, I am here to tell you they are absolutely fabulous.  Here is what mine turned out like.

Okay, so mine are not near as pretty as the the magazine's, but after all I am not a professional.

Here are all of the vegys I picked up.  Aren't they pretty?  As for the fennel, I did not even know what that was, let alone what it looked like.  But I had to find it for the Cold French Lentil Salad.  It is my new favorite ingredient.  I love the licorice smell that it has as well as the taste.  

Here is my salad.  The dressing really makes the whole thing.  My guess is you can't just use any olive oil, I picked up a fancy one from The Tasteful Olive.  I purchase one called Hojiblanca.  I have no idea how to pronounce that but it has a very robust flavor and made my dressing delicious.  Next time I go to the Farmers' Market I am looking for eggplant.  I have never prepared eggplant before but my magazine has a great recipe for a Walnut-Stuffed Eggplant, sounds good to me!

Prairiesta 2011 -- Small Town USA Celebration

Our family experienced our second Prairiesta. The last one we attended was in 1991, as this celebration only happens every 10 years, we missed the 2001 and from what we could tell we did not miss much.  We had a great time taking in all that a small town USA celebration has to offer.  In fact, this picture of Lindsey and Anna is actually taken on Main Street where they close it down for the entire weekend and put up a tent for a beer garden.  Seriously, people are walking around downtown with beers.  It was strange to us as in Kansas City you would be arrested for open container.  Needless to say, this was where the crowd was at.

The talk of the town was the 100 head of long horn cattle that open the parade.  Cowboys herd these fellows right down the middle of town, the potential for tragedy is great and I think that's what made the spectacle so exciting.  

Russell, KS is the hometown of Bob Dole and of course a celebration would not be complete without him leading the parade, that is right behind the 100 head of long horns.

Oh and looky, there is Grandma Sturman on a float with her classmates from 1959.  And what would a Prairiesta be without some German food. The class of '59 served us up some fabulous bierock for lunch after the parade.

Here is another opportunity for tragedy.  They did an anvil shoot.  What is more exciting than someone taking an 80 lb anvil and shooting it into the air with hundreds of people standing around watching.  The excitement is never ending at a small town USA celebration.

We had to go check out the long horns one more time at the high school's FFA corrals and barns.

Lindsey and Anna could not get enough of this rural celebration.  Seriously, we had so much fun, you cannot get this kind of entertainment just anywhere.

After talking with folks at the prairie life demonstrations, Anna is pretty sure she wants to participate in a wagon train to gain experience to teach her students one day.

We could not go to western Kansas without stopping at the Dorrance cemetery, where a number of Jeff's relatives are buried.

Oh wait, here are a couple that aren't buried yet.  How many people have a picture of themselves with their headstones and their grandchildren?  You gotta love those Sturman's, they are real planners. 

We are from the midwest and love having raised our family here although I am very thankful that we are in the Kansas City area and get to visit rural Kansas from time to time.  What a great weekend of family memories.

Three Word Thursday

Mercies in disguise . . .

Peanut Marshmallow Bars

One of the things that I look forward to when visiting my Mom up North is attending her church on Sunday.  This is a small country church with forward thinking folks that want to attract the younger families in the area and minister to the seasonal people in the both Summer and Winter.  One of the ways that they get to know the visitors in the Summer is their hospitality tent where they serve coffee and treats after the service.  As I was checking out the treats, I spied these great looking peanut and marshmallow bars and just had to try one.  I am usually a chocolate kind of a gal but these have to be the best non-chocolate bars around.  Mom knew the gal that made them so of course we called her for the recipe.

It only takes these few ingredients.  I love recipes with  just a few things in them, they are easy to remember when you forgot you need to whip something up and are already at the grocery store.

Peanut Marshmallow Bars

16 oz. peanuts

3 tablespoons butter

1 bag peanut butter chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cup mini marshmallows

Grease a 9 x 13 pan and then pour half of your peanuts in the bottom.  Melt butter and chips in the microwave, when smooth, add sweetened condensed milk and stir until well blended.  Add the marshmallow and stir (marshmallows do not melt).  Pour mixture over the peanuts in the bottom of your pan and pat down.  Put remaining peanuts on top and pat down.  Chill and cut into squares and serve.  Yummy!

Participating in the following link ups:  Its a Keeper