a handmade home
Chili has got to be the ultimate cold weather comfort food. Both the spices and warm soup help warm up the body! This is my favorite chili recipe! One of my favorite dishes is chili. I can eat chili winter, summer, spring or fall! This chili recipe I’m sharing with you today, is chili “my way.” The men in my family like their chili thick
Today, is Independence Day in the good ol’ USA. If you’ve spent much time on my blog, you know that Lenny and I are very proud military parents. We have two sons serving in the Army and a daughter who is currently on deployment somewhere in the Pacific Ocean who serves in the Navy. Holidays such as Independence Day are especially near and dear to our
Hello friends! We are so excited to be starting a weekly linky party! You may have seen our Living With Style Blog Hop that is the last Wednesday of each month. We share ideas for crafts, recipes, DIY and other awesome things. Now, it’s your turn, we want to see what you are up to. Do you have an idea, project or recipe you would
So, by now you know how much I like cumin. In fact, it’s one of my favorite spices – maybe my favorite! I’ve already shared with you my recipe for taco seasoning. Well, with just a little modification, you can turn that taco seasoning recipe into a recipe for chili seasoning! But, this isn’t just any chili seasoning recipe. It’s a copycat recipe for Skyline
Summertime in my house means we (I) like to cook foods that are easy to prepare and don’t require I slave over the stove for hours. I mean, who wants to spend a beautiful summer evening in the kitchen? I’d rather be outdoors or spending time with my family. Summer is no time to slack off into old eating habits, either. So, I thought I’d
Welcome to our June Blog Hop! This month we are focusing on Summertime and Family Fun activities. Get ready for some great ideas, inspiration and how to as you move along through the blog hop. You may just be starting the blog hop or may have come from Rhonda at MultiTaskingMaven on our Living with Style Blog Hop. If you get off track at any time, the full lineup below will
In honor of Taco Tuesday, I thought I’d share with you my recipe for taco seasoning. But, first, it’s confession time here at The Birch Cottage…. I just love the taste and aroma of cumin. Seriously. You add a little bit of cumin to soup, meat, sauces or dips and yum! I like it so much that I always make my own homemade taco seasoning. This
Will Write for Food: A Book Review! On the rare occasion when I find myself with nothing urgent that needs to be tended to, no crisis that needs to be diverted, and no place we “have” to be, I like to read. Actually, I like to read anytime I’m idle and I like to read before I go to bed at night. I used to
Lenny and I used to love to watch Good Eats on The Food Network. Good Eats was a TV show where the host, Alton Brown, decoded culinary customs, explored the origins of ingredients and explained why you cook certain foods a certain way. The what, when, why and how of cooking. I have always been interested in how and why. How do you do that?
Happy Monday friends! What a privilege for me to start out the week by sharing another DIY project with you! As you know, summer is around the corner here and it’s the perfect time to be thinking about brightening your home decor with a little chalk paint magic aka refinishing furniture with chalk paint. I’m extra excited this Monday because I’ll be guest posting over at Kenarry: Ideas
It’s quite amazing to me to think that my “little girl” is on an enormous ship and is sailing somewhere in the Pacific Ocean as part of a mission of the United States Navy. Still doesn’t register with my mind that this is real or possible. In fact, our sailor girl just recently paid a visit to Hong Kong! Who would have ever thought?! Our sailor
I realize I’m a blogger newbie, but I just have to share with you a resource that literally contains Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About How to Start a Blog. Starting The Birch Cottage blog is something I’ve wanted to do for years, but just never took the time or the leap to put my desires into action. I was just talking to Lenny
The boys men in my family love pork. Pork chops. Porkloin. Loin. Bacon. Bacon. Pork roast. Pulled pork. Barbecue pork. Roast pork. Well, you get the idea. I like pork, but I definitely don’t have the love for it that they do. But, I do enjoy cooking for them and trying out new recipes. Well, have I got a Grilled Pork Tenderloin Recipe for you!
Father’s Day 2015 will be here before you know it – Sunday, June 21st! It’s time to find some DIY: Father’s Day gift ideas, if you haven’t already. If the dad in your life is anything like the my Lenny, then what he’d really love for Father’s Day is something from the heart. I’ve scoured the web in pursuit of some homemade or handmade Father’s
Do you remember how old you were when you first started using a computer? Well, for those of you who are younger than me, they’ve probably always been a part of your life. But, for me, I remember when I first began using a computer on my job and eventually in my home. I thought I would share some of my favorite computing gadgets with
I’m just busting at the seams and can’t wait to share with you some exciting news from Kenarry: Ideas for the Home. Several weeks ago, I applied to a Call for Contributors to be a part of the 2015 Creative Team at Kenarry: Ideas for the Home. Well, I can now share with you the exciting news that The Birch Cottage was selected to be a
What an eventful weekend, full of mixed emotions as we celebrated Owen’s high school graduation. Owen is our youngest child and he graduated from high school on Saturday. While we are immensely proud of Owen and so excited about his future, it just seems sad for his childhood to come to an end. We have so enjoyed watching Owen grow up! Although I’m sure most
Lenny and I took a little road trip this past Memorial Day weekend to see our soldier and his beautiful wife in Fort Gordon, Georgia. We left as soon as we got off work Friday evening and arrived at Fort Gordon on Saturday around noon. Except for the fact it took us a couple of hours to get through security and obtain our pass, it
I realize I’m not a man, but as a mother, I realize the importance of young boys learning from their father’s, grandfathers, uncles, older brothers, or role models of what it means to be a man and how to grow up to be a young man of integrity. The Art of Manliness is a website that features articles, tips, tutorials, videos and even podcasts on
Now, for my Father’s Day tribute, I wanted to share a project that I thought would be easy enough for families to make and something that dad might actually enjoy having. I actually got the idea from reading an article on The Art of Manliness blog. Have you visited or heard of The Art of Manliness? I think it’s a really cool site, so be sure
