Homemade Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is one of our favorite condiments. We've been making our own for a few years now and love everything about the homemade process. The prepping and massaging. The waiting and watching. And, of course, enjoying the delicious final product.

Homemade Sauerkraut is one of our favorite condiments!

Homemade sauerkraut is a simple process. It takes a little bit of elbow grease at the beginning and then a month's worth of patience to get the best result for both health and flavor.

Honey, Walnut, and Fig Granola Bars

I am TOTALLY in love with these Honey, Walnut, and Fig Granola Bars. Can't get enough of 'em. They're nutty and figgy and packed with good-for-ya ingredients. They're great with milk for the kiddos and great with coffee for da mamas and da papas. 😉 They are snack heaven in my book.

I have to admit, these Honey, Walnut, and Fig Granola Bars are a little addicting.

The trick to these yummy (and slightly addicting) snackies is toasting the nuts and oats. It makes for fabulous texture and amazing flavor. I also love that I can get my anti-nut eater to eat them. I process the walnuts so they blend in perfectly with the oats and he's none the wiser. Tricky mommy. 😉

Chocolaty Chocolate Dairy Free Ice Cream

Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? Did you miss me? I sure missed you. Lots going on in the Loverbee household this summer - new job, big move, diet overhaul, homeschool overhaul. More on these fabulous resets at a later date. But before our busy summer ends, I want to share one more ice scream recipe with y'all. This creamy treat is dairy free, intensely chocolaty, and a big favorite in our house.

Our favorite Chocolaty Chocolate Dairy Free Ice Cream!

We make this Chocolaty Chocolate Dairy Free Ice Cream all summer long - all year long, really.

Earl Grey Ice Cream with Lemon Curd Swirl

Anybody else sad about the weather getting warmer? Only me? I know, I know, most people love it. Summer fun in the sun and all that jazz. As for me, I've been busy pretending it's not really happening and enjoying one of my favorite cold weather drinks in ice cream form - Earl Grey Ice Cream with Lemon Curd Swirl.

Tea anyone? Earl Grey Ice Cream with Lemon Curd Swirl, that is.

This creamy tea infused frozen treat is swirled with a touch of sweet and tangy lemon curd. Perfect for any summer tea party or for that tea lover in your life.

Loaded Coffee Ice Cream

If you don't have an ice cream maker yet, get one! I know, how bossy of me. Trust me on this one, though. You're not gonna regret it. See my Amazon pick below for the simple and affordable machine I use. Plus, this ice cream is worth every cent. You'll be glad you invested.

Chunks of sugar cone and swirls of hot fudge and caramel send this Loaded Coffee Ice Cream over the top.

This Loaded Coffee Ice Cream is Matthew's all time favorite. Loaded with sugar cone pieces this simple, but lovely, coffee flavored ice cream is a real winner. Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention the swirls of hot fudge and caramel. Silly me. This ice cream is a coffee lovers dream! Think jamoca almond fudge - but better!

Caramel Chai Ice Cream

Last summer I was obsessed with popsicles. (You may have noticed. Hee, hee.) The summer before that I was all about homemade ice cream. I thought I'd share some of our family's favorite creations with y'all since summertime is just around the corner. First on the docket is this fabulous Caramel Chai Ice Cream.

Ribbons of caramel get swirled into this perfectly chai spiced easy ice cream. You're gonna love it! If you have yet to purchase an ice cream maker, I highly recommend it. Making homemade ice cream is so fun and so yummy. I have a simple inexpensive machine. See my Amazon picks below to see the one I own. It does a bang up job!!

Victoria Sandwich Whoopie Pies

Anyone else addicted to all things The Great British Baking Show? I've been dying to make Mary Berry's Victoria sandwich cake and decided to turn it into a whoopie pie, 'cause, well, you know how I am. 😉

Fancy something fancy? Try these gorgeous Victoria Sandwich Whoopie Pies.

I used a cake mix to bake up the cakes. I also subbed in my favorite vanilla frosting for the usual buttercream or whipped cream.

M & M Granola Bars

My 6 year old is a little mister picky pants (don't tell him I said that). I completely understand where he's coming from though, because I was the same way when I was little. I confess that I indulge his pickiness a little - okay, maybe a lot. But I get it. I used to gag on foods I totally love now. So there must be hope for him too.

These M & M Granola Bars hit just the right note with my picky eater.

As I'm trying to keep things more natural around these here parts I've been experimenting with homemade granola bars. Finding one that Ezra will accept is the challenging part. I often make a peanut butter version that he will only sometimes eat claiming he only likes peanut butter in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (sigh).

Homemade Chocolate Fondant

I just happen to be one of those people that likes fondant. I know not everybody is with me on that one, but this Homemade Chocolate Fondant is particularly yummy. It's also fairly easy to make and so fun to use. I whipped up a batch to make dinosaur footprints to decorate goodies for my 6 year old dinosaur lover.

Dinosaur footprint decorations made out of Homemade Chocolate Fondant

Aren't they just adorable?

Grain Free Granola

So I've been making a grain free version of my favorite granola recipe that I just had to share with y'all. We were playing around with the idea of going grain free for a while last year. While we didn't make the switch, we did fall in love with this mostly nut version of our favorite granola.

Try this grain free version of our favorite granola recipe!

This version is lower carb, higher protein, and we are in total nut heaven over here. The hubster eats this granola almost every day over plain whole milk yogurt. How he can eat the same thing every morning is beyond me, but at least it's a delicious and healthy meal.

Easy Carrot Cake

Ever feel like eating homemade carrot cake, but don't wanna go through all the hassle of whipping one up? Well say hello to my Easy Carrot Cake.

My Easy Carrot Cake is not only the easiest carrot cake you will ever make, but it's absolutely delicious too!

This carrot cake is sweet and moist, filled with plump golden raisins and a touch of cardamom, frosted with classic cream cheese frosting, and topped with loads of toasted walnuts. We do "loads" of nuts here at the Loverbee residence. I put mine on top so I can pick them off for my youngest guy - he's anti-nut.

Budget Talk & Meal Prepping Sunday Brunch

We've been moving our money around (she says mischievously as if she had an offshore account somewhere). Well, in a virtual sense anyway. The hubs and I are trying to increase certain areas of our budget (more on this exciting endeavor at a later date). To do that we've gotta lower other line items and eating out, for us, is a real doozy. That big fat budget item just had to pay up. So, we took a deep breath and went for it. Geronimo!

One of our biggest spending days is on Sundays after church. We've made a delightful, yet pricey, habit of going out to eat after church every week. Pre-kids, it was a great time to connect with our church community. Post-kids, it's a special time for us to connect with each other and enjoy being together as a family. It's also a wonderful time of enjoying the delicious food our local restaurants have to offer. We've scoped out where to get the best burgers, the best nachos, the best omelettes, etc. 😍 We're suckers for a great mom-and-pop and we love our Sunday brunches!

Sourdough Beer Bread

Don't you just love soup season? I have to admit, I try and drag it out as long as I can. And for me, soup season also means homemade bread season. But I don't always wanna be spending precious time and energy coddling dough and waiting hours for it to proof, so I have a few quick bread recipes I turn to for fresh homemade bread in a flash. This Sourdough Beer Bread is one such recipe.

This Sourdough Beer Bread is one of my favorite "go to" quick breads.

I love that this Sourdough Beer Bread is quick and easy. I also love that I can use up my sourdough starter discard - even straight from the fridge.

DIY: How to Turn Any Box Into a Gift Box for Valentine's Day

My guys love making gifts. I mean LOVE it! They're always on the look out for a good cardboard box - both for creating and for using to stuff their creations into. I took a cue from them this week and turned a bunch of boxes inside out to use as gift boxes for Valentine's Day. The boys were, of course, thrilled.

Turn any box into a homemade Valentine's Day gift box!

I love how each box has the artist written all over it. Can you guess who made which box?

You can use just about any box in your home. We used a snack box, a waffle box, and a rat glue trap box. You heard me.

A Loverbee Staple: Granola

I love granola. The whole family does. Between breakfast and snack times a batch will only last us two or three days. As soon as Mateo can smell it baking in the oven he's on the prowl. He often sneaks pieces as it cools and then goes in for a handful when I'm not looking.

Maple Walnut Granola

This crunchy and healthy treat is one of our favorite snacks year round. We usually eat it with milk like a bowl of cereal. Every once in a while we eat it over homemade yogurt. We also gift it around the holidays.

I got my basic recipe from Better Homes and Gardens several years ago. I've totally modified it so that it's gluten free and high in protein.

Honey, coconut, pecan granola awaiting its banana chips

This recipe is so much fun to play with. Mix and match different nuts. Use different spices. Stir in mini chocolate chips after baking. Allergic to nuts? Sub more oats and coconut. Don't have almond meal or flax seed meal? Use wheat germ or bran. Don't like melting coconut oil? Use vegetable oil. Out of oats? Try quinoa. The possibilities are endless.

A double batch to get us through the week - I hope.

Here are my two favorite versions.

Maple Walnut Granola

INGREDIENTS

2 cups whole oats (certified gluten free for gluten free eaters)

1 cup walnuts

½ cup slivered almonds

½ cup sunflower seeds, unroasted and unsalted

¼ cup almond meal

¼ cup flax seed meal

½ cup pure maple syrup

2 Tbsp melted coconut oil

2 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Combine syrup, oil, and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir until well combined.

4. Dump wet ingredients into dry and mix well until all coated.

5. Dump onto lined baking sheet and spread out evenly.

6. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip sections of granola until all flipped and bake another 10 minutes.

7. Cool completely.

8. Store in an air-tight container.

Banana Pecan Granola

INGREDIENTS

2 cups whole oats (certified gluten free for gluten free eaters)

1 cup pecans

½ cup slivered almonds

½ cup unsweetened coconut

¼ cup almond meal

¼ cup flax seed meal

½ cup honey

2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp ginger

1 to 1 1/2 cups banana chips, broken up a little

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Combine all the dry ingredients (minus banana chips) in a large bowl.

3. Combine honey, oil, and spices in a small bowl and stir until well combined.

4. Dump wet ingredients into dry and mix well until all coated.

5. Dump onto lined baking sheet and spread out evenly.

6. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip sections of granola until all flipped and bake another 10 minutes.

7. Immediately add banana chips and stir to combine.

8. Cool completely.

9. Store in an air-tight container.

Nora's Vintage Floral Birthday Party

I go all out for birthdays. I get kinda crazy with making them super special and something totally tailored to the guest of honor. For Mateo's last birthday I made him an adventure map with flaps to lift up for each portion of his special day - children's museum, spaghetti restaurant, movie theater... . He also spent the day wearing a handmade birthday cake crown and finished out his birthday adventure with a strawberry mochi ice cream cake. Like I said, I go all out.

My baby girl's 1st birthday party was no exception. Before I get into the beautifulness of her special day let me just say that you will not find studio quality photos with perfect lighting, styling, and portraits in this post - I wish. What I do have to offer are real pictures of a real birthday party in real time in a real house with bad lighting. Sorry, not sorry. 😊 I hope the homemade recipes and handmade decorations inspire creativity and adventure in your own real home 😉 (tell me if I'm using too many emojis). So without further ado, here is all about Nora's special day.

For me, the decorations make a party. My eldest son would totally agree with me on that score. Nora's decorations were adorable crafts to make. I started by looking around for invitations I liked on Etsy. I wasn't looking to shop as much as I was looking for inspiration. I settled on a vintage floral theme as I had just finished putting Nora's nursery together and still had vintage on the brain. I used some of the same floral paper I used in her room to cut out hearts for her banners.



I used mini clothespins to pin the hearts between pictures of Nora throughout her first year. A dollar store ribbon served this project perfectly. I finished the banners by tying coordinating ribbons to hang off either end.

Grandma ordered those adorable dress cookies you see peeking out of the basket

I used the same vintage floral paper to make Nora a cake topper. I found a "1" I liked on google images and used it as a template to cut out the number in pretty papers, glued them to a wooden skewer, and added a pink ribbon for extra girlyness.



I printed out pretty little sayings like, "isn't she lovely" and "let her be little," and put them in dollar store frames. I nestled them on tables and counter tops that held food, cake, and drinks.

Pardon my reflection

I made a door hanger in similar fashion by taping a printed sign onto a dollar store mirror and looping a pretty pink ribbon through the back.



Handmade surprise heart packets served as party favors and added to the table decor. I found this idea on Craft with Mom. I cut out paper hearts, put two together only gluing half of the edges closed, stuffed them with treats, and then glued the rest of the edges together - all with a simple glue stick. Dollar store jars, flowers, and floral garlands also decorated the table. Pink paper lanterns, more floral garlands, and pink, peach, and teal ribbons hung simply on our chandelier.



The birthday menu included sausage cheese balls (I use Jimmy Dean's recipe), fresh fruit, mushroom quiches, a big bad cheese platter, sauerkraut & dill tuna salad (recipe follows), balsamic broccoli and bell pepper pasta salad (recipe follows), and a strawberry spinach salad. Nora's cake was a boxed vanilla cake mix doctored with fresh raspberries baked in and frosted with fresh raspberry buttercream (recipe follows). I also served orange-scented iced green tea and raspberry lemonade (recipe follows).


"Happy birthday to me y'all!"

Sauerkraut & Dill
Tuna Salad

(A.K.A. The Best Tuna Salad EVER!!!)

INGREDIENTS

2 cans Chicken of the Sea light tuna packed in water (do not use another brand), drained

4 green onions, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped thin

¼ tsp dried dill

1 Tbsp whole grain mustard

¼ cup sauerkraut(I use homemade), chopped

¼ cup mayo or to your liking

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well.

2. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or mayo to get the flavor and consistency you like.

3. Refrigerate in an air-tight container for a few hours for flavors to meld.

* Double this recipe for a party.

Balsamic Broccoli & Bell Pepper Pasta Salad

(This is an adaptation of the recipe found at picsandpastries.com)

INGREDIENTS

7 mini multicolored sweet bell peppers, chopped

1 head broccoli, chopped into bite size pieces

1/3 cup dried cranberries or golden raisins

½ cup diced red onion

12 oz box bow tie/rotini/penne pasta, cooked el dente

½ cup Bolthouse Farms Balsamic Yogurt Dressing (found in the cold case of produce sections)

½ cup mayo

½ cup toasted walnuts

½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola

¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
dash Balsamic vinegar

salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and stir together.

2. Taste for salt. Add additional balsamic yogurt dressing if it needs more creaminess.

3. Refrigerate in an air-tight container for a few hours for flavors to meld.

Fresh Raspberry Buttercream

(This is an adaptation of the recipe from Sweet Celebrations by the owners of Georgetown Cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature for 30 minutes only

4 packed cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

½ cup fresh raspberries, rinsed and allowed to dry

DIRECTIONS

1. Place raspberries in a food processor and process into a puree. You should end up with a little less than 1/3 cup of puree.

2. Cream butter in a stand mixer for 30 seconds with your paddle attachment.

3. Add 2 cups powdered sugar and beat with butter until creamy.

4. Beat in salt, raspberry puree, and vanilla extract.

5. Beat in last 2 cups of powdered sugar.

6. Scrape down bowl and beat for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

* Make two batches to frost a four layer cake.

Raspberry Lemonade

INGREDIENTS

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups water

1 ½ to 2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice

4 cups raspberries

2 to 4 cups water

DIRECTIONS

1. Make a simple syrup by heating 2 cups sugar with 2 cups water on medium low heat in a medium saucepan. Stir gently until sugar is completely dissolved and you can feel no more granules at the bottom of the pan as you stir. Cool to room temperature.

2. Place raspberries in a high speed blender with 1 cup water. Blend on low until raspberries are broken down, then slowly increase speed to high and blend on high a couple of minutes.

3. In a large pitcher add 1 ½ cups lemon juice, 2 cups simple syrup, all of the raspberry mixture, and another cup or two of water. Taste for sweetness and tartness according to your liking adding in more simple syrup, lemon juice, or water as you see fit.

4. Strain lemonade through a fine mesh strainer for a smooth drink.

5. Refrigerate until cold.
6. Garnish with fresh raspberries and lemon slices.