Author: Ang Anderson

Merry Christmas

Image posted on by Ang Anderson

Christmas Donuts

It is that festive time of year, to bring good cheer wherever you can. Last Saturday, I chose to infuse some fun into our breakfast. I baked some chocolate donuts and donned them with red, white and green sprinkles. Sometimes it’s the little things. The kids, of course, loved them. I am reminded by the events in the world that it is actually always the little things. Kisses, hugs, squeezes, and tickles abound at the Andersons in firework finale fashion. I see my kids through lenses that have been adjusted into a heightened state of awareness. I am reminded that the traditions we cling to each Christmas are more important than ever. I am grateful for each moment. I delight in the simple smile returned by a stranger and the way my children’s faces light up at the magic of Christmas. I will cherish each moment, tiny and gigantic, and know that some parents are not as fortunate. My heart has been sick for the families in Connecticut and I carry that with me as I go about my days. While there are tears behind my smiles, there is also a deep sense of meaning and purpose for my own life and the lives of my children. I find an ever-pressing need to bring God into every part of our day, because I need Him now more than ever. We have many great books about Christmas and this year we made the delightful discovery of a new favorite, God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren. (Lisa is also the author of God Gave Us You.)

GodGaveUsChristmas

The pages are beautifully illustrated and the story is endearing. One of my favorite pages and text:

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May God be with you this Christmas and each day of the new year.

May you find magic in His majesty and wonder in His love.

May you find His light in the darkness and may you be a light for others.

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Merry Christmas!

Iced Lemon Pound Cake

Posted on by Ang Anderson

Recently I came across these words: Starbuck’s Iced Lemon Pound Cake. 

Jenny Flake from Picky Palate pretty much had me at ‘Starbuck’s’.  You see, this is a word that evokes the simple comfort I receive in a delightful cup of coffee.  A single five spot magically conjures happiness, joy, and delight in the small things.  Yes, I do love a good Starbuck’s now and again.  I say this in my oh-so-nonchalant voice.  The real truth is a Grande Skinny Caramel Machiatto will completely make my day.  It will drown out a whiny three year old in the backseat.  It will bring me to the streets of Paris for a moment, long enough to cause me to feel a romantic swoon.  Yes, I am still speaking of my coffee.  You see, it’s THAT good.

I also have a teeny tiny thing for lemon.  I’m not over the top about it.  I just enjoy a good lemon flavored treat now and again.  Something about lemon radiates sunshine and rainbows for me.  I am trying to be non-chalant here too.  I have been known to eat entire pans of lemon bars.  Please don’t judge me.

Based on all this, you can imagine my squeals of delight when I spied this copycat recipe for Starbuck’s Iced Lemon Pound Cake.

Tiny bells of joy rang inside of me.  My mouth began to salivate ever so slightly. 

I have also been eyeing up these so-cute mini loaf pans and finally decided that they must be mine.

What do you think happened next?

Pound Cake.  Mini-loaf pans.  Hmmm…

Definitely worth a go. 

Now, don’t get me wrong.  If you have a chance to indulge at a real Starbuck’s, by all means do so.

Their coffee is top notch.  Their lemon pound cake is divine.

But if you feel like creating a little slice of heaven at home, you could make this luscious cake.

You could also share it with friends like I did.  You see, if I didn’t share, I might be inclined to eat all of it.

That can’t happen because I really don’t want to weigh more than I already do.  Plus, I like to share. 

I’ll even share the printable version with you. 

Lemon Love,

Crockpot Action

Posted on by Ang Anderson

I did not always feel this disorganized.  I am not sure of the exact moment when it happened but somehow I believe that the word ‘kids’ was definitely involved.  It has become a never-ending struggle to balance all of the things I should be doing with all of the things I want to be doing.  Lucky for me, I live in the Age of Pinterest.  It is here, in the digital age that I can pin ideas to boards for inspiration of all kinds, from caring for apples trees to zebra photography.  It is here, in My Pinterest World that I keep seeing pins for Crockpot recipes.  I had actually pinned a few to my food board.  Last week I decided that passively pinning crock pot meals was simply not good enough.  I endeavored to take action on one of my pins and do what the pin suggested.  I read over this post and printed off the grocery list.  I had many of the items already residing in my pantry which made me feel fortunate and as if I might actually have some things together at the Anderson household.  This was only a fleeting thought as I navigated through a mine field of Legos and My Little Ponies to safely reach my pantry.  (In case you were wondering, I made it!)

The tag line that caught my eye on the pin?

“Spend 1 hour in the kitchen preparing 5 meals for the Crockpot and you only have to clean up 1 mess!! Recipes for: Garlic Honey Chicken, Beef Burritos, Chicken Fajitas, Hawaiian Chicken, and Teriyaki Pork Chops.”

So, I got the goods, made the meals and it was all as easy as the pin suggested.  (Yee-haw!)

To have five meals resting in my freezer was a bit like winning free dinner for five nights.  Okay, it wasn’t exactly free but it gave me freedom from trying to figure out what to make for dinner five times.  Five times!

The tip for placing the Ziploc bag inside the blender to mix the marinade was exactly what a girl like me needed.  Genius.

Because our tater tots are three and five, they don’t consume a whole lot of dinner which gives us the added benefit of leftovers.

Would you like to give your freezer and your family five easy dinners?  Click Here for the Printable Recipes & Grocery List

You are the next contestant on I Can Use My Crockpot! 

Special thanks and promotional consideration to Janell at Saving You Dinero.