It's Been A While!

Wow!  It has been a while since I have blogged on this site. Life gets in the way!  So, here I am again...Round 2.  A lot has changed, we are still in the middle of a major renovation in our house.  This has been going on for about 7 years now and I gave birth to a third child.  I'm still happily married to the love of my life and feel blessed everyday I get to wake up and see my beautiful family.  We also bought two puppies about a month ago. They are quite a handful!  I have now started an Etsy shop and cook and crochet more than ever.  My hopes are this blog will inspire you to try out a new recipe or make a new craft.  Enjoy and I am looking forward to how this unfolds over the next year!

DIY Pancake Mix

DIY Pancake Mix

If you like light and fluffy pancakes, you will love these!

                                               
          I've tried many homemade pancake mixes.  This one by far is the best!  Thanks to Momables, I am able to give my kids a wonderful homemade breakfast where I know all of the ingredients involved.  They are deliciously fluffy and quick to make, too!

Here is the recipe copied from Momables:

DIY Pancake Mix

 

Author: MOMables.com

Recipe type: Breakfast

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the DIY Pancake Mix bag:

• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• 3½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• ½ to 1 teaspoon salt (depending on preference)

To cook One DIY Pancake Mix Bag:

• 1¼ cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted (optional)

Instructions

1. In a zip bag or air-tight container put the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

With a permanent marker write on the outside of bag to add:

1. (1¼) cups milk
2. (1) egg
3. (3) tablespoons butter, melted (optional)

To use DIY Pancake Mix:

1. Pour all dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl. Add milk, egg and butter. Mix well to combine. Pour ¼ cup pancake batter on to the pan or griddle over medium heat. Wait until bubbles form to flip.
2. Serve with fruit, syrup or whatever else you prefer.

Notes

This recipe makes approx. 10 to 12 pancakes
If adding melted butter to your mixes, make sure to add unsalted butter (or lower the amount of salt you put per mix)

You can sub half the amount of all purpose flour with whole wheat flour if desired.

Every Time A Bell Rings…
               An Angel Gets Her Wings!

          This is by far is my favorite movie clip of all time!  The movie "It's a Wonderful Life" was my inspiration to name my website, "Every Time a Bell Rings." It really helps a person reflect on what is important in life.  It is not what you own, how big your house is, where you've traveled, or how much money you have, but rather the friends and family you surround yourself with!  I guess this is why I love my life and sometimes feel like the richest person on Earth!

Every Time a Bell Rings an Angel Gets His Wings
It's a Wonderful Life — MOVIECLIPS.com

Easy Lemon Bars

Easy Lemon Bars

                                          If you like lemon pie, you will love these lemon bars!

          This recipe is so tasty and easy to make.  I would even make it for family parties, they are that good. At first when I told my husband I was making lemon bars, he didn't seem too thrilled, but told me that whatever I make is usually good, so give it a try.  After they were done, he tried them and loved them!  I knew he would like them.  They sounded fresh and the color is so bright.  It reminds me of springtime, especially during this crazy winter we are having.  I think the best part of this dessert is how much my kids love them!  They ask for the leftovers every night for their dessert after dinner.  The original recipe for this yummy dessert can be found at Allrecipes.com.  I adapted the recipe as follows.

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 oz.) package of lemon cake mix with pudding
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (8oz.) package of cream cheese
1/3 cup white sugar
Zest and Juice squeezed from 1 lemon

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Pour cake mix into a large bowl.  Add the egg and oil; mix until well blended.  Mixture will be slightly dry.  Reserve one cup for the topping, and pat the rest into an small, ungreased glass baking dish.  (The crust should be thin, but cover the whole bottom of the dish.)

3.  Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven.  Set aside to cool.  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice until smooth.  Spread the mixture evenly over the baked crust.  Crumble the reserved cake mix mixture over the top.

4.  Bake for an additional 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until filling is set and the topping is lightly toasted.  Cool before cutting into bars.  Refrigerate leftovers.

                                                                   Enjoy!

New Adventure

Well, this is the start to a new adventure for me.  Cross your fingers, I hope it turns out well.  Today, I am posting my very first blog.  I have admired many blogs in the past and have always wanted to give it a try.  It may be a success or complete failure.  Hopefully, successful!  I plan on posting different ideas I come across that make my life more interesting, exciting, fun, and easier in the kitchen, around the house, with the kids, etc.  My hope is that others who stumble across this blog find at least one thing to try or use in their daily adventure of life!  Good luck to me and everyone else trying new adventures and earning angel wings along the way.