Quick and easy breakfast treat called PAP

This recipe seems a bit odd, but it's been passed down from generation to generation in my family for quite some time now.  It falls under the category of "porridge" and taste great with cinnamon and apples, or even just plain with strawberries.

It's a fast breakfast alternative to oatmeal, cream of wheat, and grits.  It has a flavorful taste and it made with only three ingredients:  Sugar, milk, and flour.

Seems simple enough, right?  It really is and it's a treat for sure.  It reminds me of when I was a kid and my mom would prepare this for us before school.  It's not quite a breakfast you would want to have everyday, but it is a great recipe to add to your breakfast menu and prepare for your kids on a cold, frosty morning this fall before school.  

ENJOY!

Never fail Hors D'oeuvres

These are really simple and very easy to make. If I can make them and they taste good, anyone can!

You will need either, tortilla chips that are shaped like scoops or the like, or make them yourself with flour tortillas. To make them yourself you simply cut the tortilla in the shape of a circle and wrap it around the bottom of a muffin pan and bake in the oven for a few minutes until solid.

To fill them use one of the following tricks:

1. Black Bean and Avocado: 1/2 cup black beans, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 jalapeno, chopped fine, and 1 tsp. olive oil. Mix together and fill the scoops with the filling and sprinkle the top with a little black pepper.

2. Goat Cheese and Corn: 1 medium to small cucumber, 1/2 cup, fresh cut corn kernels and 2 tbs, crumbled goat cheese or the like. Mix together and fill the scoops with the filling and sprinkle the top with a dash of black pepper.

3. Shrimp and Lemon Pepper: 12 peeled and de-veined cooked shrimp, finely diced. You can buy these already packaged or do it yourself. The ones already packaged saves a lot of time. 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning. Mix together in a small bowl and fill the scoops with the filling. Sprinkle the tops with a bit more lemon pepper and server.

Eco-Tip:  Always eat better than you did the day before.  Try out farmers' markets when you can and don't fall victim to the fade foods that come and go.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are always better than anything in a box.  For more tips visit The Earth and Me Go Green.

    

Pebble Stone and River Rock Foot Board

How cute is this?  I first saw this idea on a blog post from about 5 years ago when I was blog-hopping one night before bed.  I thought it was the most adorable idea for river stones ever and being that we live so close to the South Santiam River I thought, what a great project to do with Skylar this summer.

We headed out to the banks of the Santiam River and started our hunt for the perfect "feet" stones.

Rafters coming down the river.

We headed down a little trail to find the perfect stones.

Even got our feet wet a little during the search.

Soon we found some perfect ones.

And started collecting a lot!

We even played with some fish while we were there.  

Do you see the little fish?

We through some rocks in the water and skipped a few flat ones.

Then gathered up our basket of rock finds and headed back home.

We couldn't wait to get back home to start our project.....

We laid all of our rocks out and placed them in the order we wanted for our little pebble feet display.

We stained the board we were using with some Old English Wood Stain so the rocks would stand out more on the wood.

Then hot glued them to the wooden board all down the front of it. 

Then put it on display.....

I secured the board against the wall with a simple hook bracket so that it wouldn't fall forward.

We just love it! 

Photo Credit

Photo Credit

I even had the idea that they would look great cemented into a sidewalk or the edge of a fire pit!  The possibilities are really endless and so fun!

Eco-Tip:  When it comes to throwing out old furniture think of ways to re-purpose it first.  If a table leg can be used as a pedestal for a lamp or a chair cushion used in a dog's house give it a go.  It's better to reduce, reuse, recycle, and re-purpose when you can.  For more tips visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.