Debber

about me

Christian wife & mother of seven (four adopted foster children grown up now & three biologicals--one a college freshman, the other two still at home!), plus 4 grandkids; been married nearly 30 years now to the same wonderful man. Love cooking and being the happy little home-maker. One of the greatest accomplishments of my life (so far) was to homeschool our three youngest to high school and middle school age; now that they're all "in" school, I've moved into the next stage of life, too, but still keep my finger on the pulse of excitement by coaching the middle school girls' volleyball team for thrills and chills, and remain active as a 4-H club leader and food project leader for the county. Enjoy quilting, writing, flower-gardening, and home-organizing, editting our church newsletter, singing alto in choir, teaching Sunday School, AND working part-time as an office manager in an organic egg brokerage. Live in a charming old farmhouse (read: "needs work") on 5 acres in very rural Wisconsin, surrounded by fields of corn, soybeans and hay...with a very charming view out every window (coulees in the unglaciated part of Wisconsin).

***God is good!***





I entered my Finger-Lickin' Knuckle-Suckin' Chin-Drippin' Good BBQ Sauce recipe in this contest, and LOOK ~ ! I tied for first place in the Family Friendly category. Wouldn't MIL be proud---it's actually HER recipe! Whoohoo!!!

I hosted a thread called "Kids in the Kitchen" sharing ideas with Zaarsters for getting children into the act of cooking!



The gem I found was French Tart's Sticky Maple Pecan Baked Apples With Toffee Fudge Sauce--yummy!


Australia & NZ Recipe



Swap #13: "The Meter Maids"....Teamed with Rhonda in Texas(Grilled Potatoes), Sarah_Jayne (Mandarin and Apricot Smoothie)....March 2008

Swap #9: Teamed with cookiedog from California (Chicken With Wild Mushrooms and Balsamic Cream Sauce), katew from Melbourne, Aus (Quick Cheese and Chive Rolls), and **Mandy** from Victoria, Aus (Danish Fritters). ...October 2007

Swap #8: Teamed up with diner524 from Tampa FL (Elegant Chicken Tetrazzini), Jewelies from Queensland, AUS (Ham and Egg Pies), mummamills also from Queensland (Oxtail Casserole). ...September 2007

Swap #7: Teamed up with Gingernut from Australia (Prawn and Bacon Fried Rice), Stardustannie also from Australia (Chocolate Chippers (Cookies)), justcallmetoni from New York City (L'harsha), and French Tart in France (Rosy Rosé Berries: Strawberries and Raspberries in Wine). ...August 2007


WE TOOK 5TH PLACE (no thanks to me---I was along for the ride, but unfortunately didn't get to participate very much--with an emergency trip to Montana!)!!!!

My fellow "hagsters" included AmandaInOz,
CaliforniaJan, DreamoBway (Christina), JanuaryBride (Jen), JCC (Janice), jkoch960 (also Janice!), megnbrycesmom (Holly), Queenofcamping (Karen), and our lovely team captain Leggy Peggy.



My floozeriffic team-mates included captain Auntie Jan (Iowa), Kim D. (Texas), Sharon123 (No. Carolina), Dienia B. (Nebraska), Tina Chef Mommie, Mulligan (Colorado), Toni in Colorado (Colorado), Heydarl (Australia), and Leanne Chef at Heart (Canada). ...June/July 2007

My themes were "Ruh! Ruh! Rhubarb!" and "Sparrow Guts!" and "Quick Fix: Pizza For Lunch!" (Rhubarb, Asparagus, Pizza variations)

MY THREE CHEFS '07
My themes were
*Picnic & Lunch Box Snacks* (Wow This is the Best BLT Dip I Have Ever Had, Fiesta Dip, Lunch Box Fillers - Carrot Stix) and
*Canning Up Summer's Bounty* (Antipasto, Apricot Honey Butter, Kiwi Strawberry Daiquiri Jam) ...June 2007

PAC Autumn '08.....adopted Indynana and tried her Pumpkin Bread, Chuck Wagon Casserole, and Company Crock Pot Chicken. And then I got myself adopted by Chef iewe (my sheep-mother, NOT my step mother!). :rofl:



PAC Spring 08.....I sort of had a theme when I selected my little darlings: to pick chefs who share my birthday month or year OR who are/were from my adopted state of Washington (where we lived from 1991 until 1998). So, my children are WaCookinFool, GrammyK2897, **Tinkerbell**, Mrs Bricker, Cook-a-holic & CrazyJezebel and from the preemie nursery I picked up Waffles and I'm a Cookin' Fool. Such sweeeeet little "babies" (even if some of them are OLD babes!).


Charlotte J was my little mother!

PAC Fall 07....my children are Xiola Blue from KY, sassafrasnanc from NC, Rae England from TX...and from the newborn nursery @DRiENNE from the state of Washington, and Lantana from Lantana, Texas--but I picked her 'cuz I like the flower!; and my littlest one is idol_ko_si_rachael_ray all the way from the Philippines!

And I was adopted by Aaliyah&Aaron's mum over in Norway! She took the MOST beautiful pictures of my recipes!!!

My children included MarthaStewartWanabe, msGigi, gran, ~kdp, Anda from the Newborn Nursery, ~Robyn~, KJK #5, Kate's Kitchen, CountryMama, and F-16 momma. ...May 2007

I was adopted by VickyJ ...May 2007

Free Web Statistics



On-going participant in the following recipe swaps:

Favorite Foods:

Kneading bread, fussing with stir-fries or lasagna, special sauces; presenting the meal--no matter what it is!--I love doing it out of love for my family.

Canning or preserving our own food (after it's done is when I REALLY enjoy it!), making my own home-made mixes, preparing large batches or doubling recipes for the pantry or freezer (my own version of Once-A-Month-Cooking)...I was doing it before Taste of Home, Gooseberry Patch, and Martha Stewart started calling it "good things!"

Hubby and The Peanut Gallery are my willing taste-testers. As much as possible I make everything from scratch. "Love" is the secret ingredient in every meal! And I really do have a little jar of it!!

Favorite restaurant? My own dining room table. A close second would be Panera Bread, Olive Garden, and Red Lobster.


****** Midwest USA Food Traditions *******

Naomi: "Lily, we're not talking about muffins here. This is a gingerbread house from scratch, it's hard. Remember childbirth? This is harder." ~ Tv show "Once & Again" set in Chicago, Midwest Living magazine, December 2006

"There are no dinners like that anymore: every item from the farm itself, withno deep-freezer, no car for driving into town for packaged food. The pies had been baked the day before, pumpkin, apple, mince; as we ate them, we could look out the window and see the corfield whre the pumpkins grew, the trees from which the appleas were picked....As my aunt hurried by I could smell in her apron the freshest of all odors with which teh human nose is honored--bread straight from the oven." ~ An Iowa Christmas, Paul Engle *Christmas on the Great Plains*, Midwest Living, December 2006



~~~~~~~~ FAVORITE QUOTES (from the Holy Bible, revered matrons & maids, authors and poets) ~~~~~~~~~


"Happiness is wanting what you have, not having what you want." ~ Mark Twain

"Balance the act of pursuing with the act of savoring." ~ Liz Perle

"Learn to pause...or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you." ~ Doug King

"I want my home to be a place where friends and family can relax without worrying about messing up the pillows on the couch." ~ Me!


~~~~~WEBSITES TO CHECK OUT~~~~~~

http://www.farmersorganicfoods.com (this is where I work my fingers to the bone!)

midwestliving.com/cookies and /menus

http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M4982