Kaake Family Blog

My mother made these from as long as I could remember while growing  up.  I was shocked that it was almost impossible to find this recipe online.  So, not only am I posting these here to share with you, but to also make sure I always have a copy of this wonderful recipe.   I hope you had a lovely and peaceful Christmas! Purdue Spiced Nuts Ingredients: 3-4 cups walnuts, pecans or both 1 egg white slightly beaten 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoon cinnamon Directions: 1. Put egg white and nuts in a bowl and stir well till all nuts are covered with egg white. 2. Add sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Stir till the nuts are well coated with this mixture. 3. Remove excess sugar mixture through sieve and spread nuts on baking sheet.   4. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or till nuts are dry.    Store in airtight container.

Some "Christmas Facts": Christmas started out as a pagan holiday. Jesus was not born in a cold December.  Some believe it was in the spring while others believe it was closer to fall. The wise men did not visit the baby right after he was born.  The shepherds were first to visit Him. My love language is gift giving (and receiving).  I used to think I was a selfish person because of that but now know it's the way I feel and show love and there's nothing wrong with that.  This year we decided that we would give our children their gifts the 24th of December.  On the 25th (the day we set aside to celebrate Christ's birth), we would have a full birthday party for Jesus.  Today we'll be having cake, games, reading the true birth of our Lord, etc...  The kids can't wait and neither can I.  May the love of our Lord fill your heart today and always!  To find out more facts about the the birth of Christ, visit this site ....

I got this idea from a blog online.  You can find her post in it's entirety here .  While coming closer and closer to Christ's birth, we are working hard at trying to make sure we are focused on the reason we are celebrating Christmas; Jesus birth.  Tonight I plan to have a Jewish style dinner with my family. For our dinner: pita bread hummus dates almonds lentil soup grape juice Dessert: Honey cake Music: http://www.youtube.com/user/felsefetor#p/u/2/CwV7dxR_UlM   (we're using this solely for the music) Costume: dressing up in robes and sandals Misc: basin for hand washing use oil lamp sitting down and eating our food on the coffee table

I've copied this from Confessions of a Homeschooler.  I LOVE her blog post and thought you'd enjoy it too.  You can find her post in it's entirety here. Letter of the Week Blend Ladders Download the Letter of the Week K4 Blend Ladders As part of my  K4 add on’s  I am having my daughter do some beginning reading. I posted these awhile back with different animals, but here they are with my  Letter of the Week  themes. For each consonant we practice reading the blends with each vowel. We also add another consonant on the end to make small CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words using magnetic alphabet letters. Hope you have fun with beginning reading skills!

I wanted to do one of these for Jon when he was little but never got to it.  Now, several years later I've finally started AND completed one of these little books.  I'd love to add more pages in the future, but for now I call this good.   Knowing Joshie, he'll love this!  I can't wait to see him get it on Christmas Day!                                                        A Big Letter "J" for Joshua! A black fuzzy buckle to play with; fringed felt to run his sweet baby fingers through and a red wagon; every little boys dream. Cut out shapes with velcro for matching and a Kangaroo mama and with a baby roo that peeks in and out of her pouch.                       A dolphin leaping out of the waves (that make noise) and a cow with a jingling bell. Last bu...

Yes you read right! I was trying to figure out what to serve our guests tomorrow and decided on a whole boneless ham with a pancake buffet. The sky is the limit. Some people like to offer mix-ins as well but I was trying to keep cost down and keep things simple. Here's what we are having. Toppings: homemade applesauce homemade buttered pecans powdered sugar cinnamon fresh whipped cream homemade blueberry sauce bananas Toasted Pecans Ingredients: 2 cups raw pecans 3-4 tablespoons melted butter up to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt Directions: l. Place nuts on a cookie sheet and drizzle with melted butter; then sprinkle with salt. 2. Roast in a 325 degree oven for 20 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. 3. Drain over paper towels and let cool. Store in airtight container. Oh and last but not least, let us not forget this scrumptious pancake recipe .

Tuna macaroni salad is one of my favorite main dish salads. I used to look and look for the perfect recipe until not too long ago. I was at a local health food store and asked them what they used for their dressing. Their reply, "mayonnaise". How simple! Here's our now favorite and simple recipe. Tuna Macaroni Salad Ingredients: cooked, drained and cooled noodles frozen peas, cooked and cooled mayoonaise hard boiled egg, chopped sweet onion, minced canned tuna drained shredded cheddar cheese, optional canned and drained tuna pepper Directions: 1. Mix all ingredients together. Add enough mayo to make everything moist. Simple and divine! It's best the second day. You may need to add just a bit more mayo the next day. If you need to garnish, this would look lovely in a cupped whole lettuce leaf (as the bowl) with the salad in the center and sprinkled lightly with paprika.