Author Archives: explorenewness

5 NEW Pressure Cooker Recipes

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I recently bought a pressure cooker!

pressure cooker

I’ve never used a pressure cooker before, but I’m excited to try something NEW!  I’ve been collecting recipes to try in my new gadget, and I thought I’d share.  My friend said she can make dinner for her family in 8 minutes!  That may not be standard, but I’m totally into time efficiency…so I’m going to try it!

cranberry orange chicken

Cranberry Orange Chicken from Pressure Cooker Diaries sounds delish!

easy pulled pork

My boys LOVE pulled pork, so this one from Pressure Cooking Today,  is a MUST-TRY!

poucupines

Pressure cooker Porcupines! Yummy! I found these at Delicious Cooks

perfect pot roast

Sometimes our Sunday dinner is the standard Pot Roast with mashed potatoes and veggies, so this recipe from A Feast For The Eyes will probably get tested soon!

AND LASTLY…I can’t wait to try Beef Brisket with Chipotle Tomatillo Sauce!!!!  There wasn’t a photo attached to this recipe, but it sounds divine!!!  Right?   You can find that recipe at AllRecipes.com.  Try a NEW recipe or a NEW cooking method soon!

Thursday’s Thought

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snowy iron gate

“No matter how many plans you make or how much in control you are, life is always winging it.”  ―  Carroll Bryant

church thru snowy trees

The Carroll Bryant quote above reminded me of my morning!  I was NOT in control and my plans did NOT go as I thought they would…I was winging it!  However the result was that I had the opportunity to snap these two photos this morning.  Sometimes “winging it”  turns out to be ok.  Happy Thursday!

NEW (DIY) Wedding Centerpieces

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weddingcenterpieces1

Wow!  Where did the week go?  Seriously!…I just realized I really haven’t posted in quite a while.  So!…I want to show you my latest DIY project.  My son is getting married soon.  The grooms family is in charge of the wedding dinner, and the happy couple has decided on a BBQ theme.  You can visit my “BBQ Wedding Dinner Ideas” board on Pinterest and see all the cool things I’ve found!

So the candle centerpiece above will be on the tables….probably under a square of burlap on a white table-cloth.  My inspiration came from this burlap covered can from Red Chandelier,

burlapcan

and this distress wooden box from Shanty 2 Chic

distressedbox

The baby’s breath (gypsophila) is about two or three weeks old in this picture.  But you don’t mind, do you?  OH!…and the BEST part is these COOL candles!  (link to Amazon…No open flame!!)

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!  Do or learn something NEW!

a NEW class for the NEW year

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church

Well, it’s a NEW year and I’m taking a NEW class!  I’m excited!  The class is on how to do family history.  I LOVE doing family history (as my previous post mentioned) and I’ve already taken a LOT of classes on the subject, so I’m hoping to learn something NEW!

{I can’t wait for the day when teachers can scan your brain cells to see what you already know, and then go ahead and teach you what you don’t know!  Ha!  Someone please get busy on that invention, RIGHT AWAY OK?!?!!! :o)}

Everyone MUST should visit The Thinking Closet and check out the journaling she did about her ancestors!  SO FUN!

awards

Also, I thought I’d share a list of ways to start working on your family history. Family History DOES NOT just mean names on a pedigree chart!

1 Think about your ancestors

2 Celebrate important dates in the lives of your ancestors.

3 Make a family calendar of these important dates

4 Make plans now for how to pass on family heirlooms and documents

5 Copy documents of your family for each child as they leave home

6 Gather and label old photographs

7 Visit cemeteries where ancestors are buried, record headstone information

8 Start a timeline for each of your children

9 Write about a typical day in the life of you, your spouse, or your child

10 Keep trip journals when on family vacations

11 Record family stories and legends

12 Write a paragraph about every living relative you personally know

13 Frame and display photos of family members and ancestors in  your home

14 Index your journals.  List important events and where they can be found (page numbers, or dates)

15 Create a map and pinpoint locations of your ancestors and their migration

Is there something on this list you could start with?  Have a terrific day and learn or do something NEW!

a NEW recipe (sourdough bread)

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sourdough

I recently tried something NEW! I made sourdough bread for the first time in my life!  It’s not that I hadn’t wanted to try it before now….but it’s kind of hard to make sourdough bread without a sourdough starter…and I just didn’t know where to get one!  Well, a neighbor taught a class and gave all the ladies a starter.  So now I can say I’ve done it, and seriously…it’s sooooo easy!  The teacher of the class referenced Breadtopia.com, and I have to say, that’s a great site.  They even explain how you can dry your starter….THEN I had an idea!  Do any of YOU want to try making sourdough bread, but don’t have access to a starter?  WELL!  I’d be happy to send you a bit of dried starter!  Just send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope and I’ll send you a starter.  Then just go to Breadtopia for instructions on how to revive it and wha-la! A Sourdough Starter!!!  Just email me at explorenewness at gmail dot com and I’ll give you the address to send your SASE to!  Fun!  Just be sure to let me know how it turns out!

Have a good day!…and do or learn something NEW today!

NEW Photo of the Week #13

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frozen stream

I thought I’d experiment with a few B/W photos.  However…since our frozen world around here doesn’t seem to have much more than a lot of white….this isn’t too far off the original!  Don’t get me wrong though!….I LOVE living where there are four distinct seasons and the VARIETY which that brings!  Although I have to admit, the older I get, the winters aren’t quite as welcome as they once were :o)  Have a good week everyone!

learning something NEW (bento)

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valbento{source}

I learned something new a few days ago….I love, loVE, LOVE learning NEW things!  Although sometimes I wonder if I’m the last person on the planet to ‘learn’ certain things.  For example, I don’t believe I’ve heard the term ‘bento’ before.  I didn’t know there was actually a word to describe those cute kiddie (or otherwise) little meals!  Have I been living under a rock?  How did I suddenly learn this term?  Well, Kathy from Eclecticlamb ‘liked’ one of my posts…so I visited her site, and Wha-La!  I learned something NEW!  Thanks Kathy!

ben-to [ben-toh; Japanese ben-taw] a meal, usually served in a lacquered or elaborately decorated box that is divided into sections for holding individual portions of food.

Pinterest has lots of ideas to start with:

pinterestbento

I used to have some divided plastic containers….hmmm, where are they?  If I find them, I think I’ll try to create a bento of my own!  Learn or DO something NEW today!

a NEW way to send birthday cash

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bday

Happy Friday!  Well…although my son is turning 21 (yikes!)….he is out of state and really only wants money….so this is what I’m mailing him!  Noise makers, candy, twisty straws, crete-paper birthday streamers…AND cash.  Trust me!…when the cute-sie HAPPY BIRTHDAY label gets put on, it’ll look adorable…kind of like this:

bdaybottle {source}

AND the birthday boy will wonder how I magically stuffed everything through the small opening at the top, right?  (Click on the source for a link to the tutorial).  If you’re sending cash as a gift, try a NEW and different method!  Have a great day!