Kaake Family Blog

                                                  Here we are trying the last 3 burgers on the menu.  It's kinda sad we're almost done.  Maybe we should move onto the salads and other items?  My friends Tonya and Stephanie (different Stephanie this time) met me for lunch.  I tell you what, aside from the food it's so nice to have good company,  and that they are!  We laugh, get weepy (ok that's me), listen, give advice, talk about God.  It's SO good! Anyway you're here for the reviews so here we go.   First up is the Our Burger.  We told Stephanie we only had 3 burgers left and I wasn't ordering the Impossible Burger so she only really had 2 to choose from if she wanted in on the sharing action.  lol!  She chose the Our Burger which is "1/3 lb burger, lettuce, tomato, onion, government cheese, Paul's housem...

As a little girl my first trip to the library was like a dream.   I love books and the fact that there was a place with more books than I could fit in my bedroom was so exciting!   My first library experience was in 2nd grade in public school.   At first I was so overwhelmed I didn’t know where to start.  But over time I found some of my favorite books.  My first memory of books I was very into in 2nd grade was The Littles.  They were little people (I was always the smallest in my class), and they did fun and extraordinary things.   From there I read Mandie books, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldon and so many more.   I was whisked on adventure after adventure in the safety of my bedroom.  33 years later and here I am reading more than ever.   Fact - did you know 95% of kids in my sons class have never been to a local library? Fact - 1 in 4 children in America grow up without learning how to read...

We use amazon a lot here.  Being sick every day of my life, amazon makes it so much easier to shop whether it's for me, my family or for gifts.  I love watching youtube videos of other people's favorite items, so that gave me an idea.  Why not do a blog post of mine!  Rubbermaid Modular Food Storage Cereal Container with Flip Top .  This is the perfect size to fit large boxes of cereal in.  I've had my first one for years but just ended up getting a second one because we love it so much!  No more stale cereal!    Nissin Chicken Ramen Noodle - I saw these on a youtube video and had to get them for my kids.  You need a large bowl to make these in, in order to put all the water recommended in it.  We also added some vegetables and topped with sriracha.  My boys said these were the best ever.  I thought they were good but not "the best".   Sistema To Go Collection 1.18 oz. Salad Dressing Containers .  These ha...

Oh my goodness, we are really getting there.  I can't believe how many items we've been able to try as a group!  The items below show  all the  menu items we need to get through as far as burgers and sides.  The items in red are what we have yet to try.  We have not decided yet if we are going to move on to the desserts and salads.  We just may do that.  Leave in the comments section what you think we should do. Menu Items Burgers: The Our Burger.  Tonya and I tried these separately . BBQ Bacon O.F.D.  The Super Melt The Fiesta Burger The Beast Thanksgiving Turkey Burger The Impossible Burger - sadly I will not be trying this.  I have a soy allergy.   Portobello Sandwich Mom’s Sloppy Joe Jenn’s Chicken Sandwich Crispy Haddock Sandwich Sides: Crispy Yukon French Fries Thin Crispy Onion Rings Tater Tots Sweet Potato Tots From Scratch: Alma’s Macaroni Salad  Housemade C...

Another fun time at Wahlburgers!  I completely forgot to take pictures this time so we will have to go picture free.  I know, it stinks!  Feel free to do a google search so you can see what everything looks like.  I found pictures on the Wahlburgers facebook page and ours looked like the picture!  You know how rare and beautiful that is? I haven't been feeling well at all lately.  Partly due to my Lyme disease, partly because of hormones and partly because of circumstances completely out of my control.  I just feel like garbage a lot. And when I feel like garbage, I just want someone else to cook for me.  While in this place I texted my friend Tonya and said I wanted to eat at Wahlburgers the next day.  I asked her what she was doing, and like a good friend she said, "Going to Wahlburgers with you!"  Yep, she's a great friend.  And explaining how I felt,  she even offered to pick me up and drive me there.  Sadly becau...

The Drive-Thru Challenge! Today started out pretty rough.  I knew if I didn't get out of the house and do something fun I'd have a difficult rest of the day too.  I just had to get out of my head for a bit.  My 3 youngest kids are still home on summer break, so I figured, why not?  This could be so much fun!  For anyone who hasn't heard about the Drive-Thru Challenge here's how it works.  You pull up behind someone in a drive-thru line at a restaurant.  When it's your turn to order, you ask to order exactly what the person in front of you did.  You can also ask that they please not tell you what it is so you can be surprised.   Since there were a total of 4 of us, we stopped at 4 restaurants.  Growing boys are hungry and we had to make sure we had enough food.  Only one of my kiddos knew what we were going to do.  We all hopped in the car and while on our way to picking up our  lunches, I kept looking at the eldest an...

Wahlburgers just recently came to a city near me.  Everyone is in hysterics.  Kind of like when a new Chick-fil-a comes to town.  Everyone is excited! They show up before the restaurant opens for the day thinking "they" will be the first ones in line only to find out 25 other families/groups have done the same.  So we stand there in line, trying to smile all the while thinking, "they better not crowd in front of me when this line starts moving."  Come on, you know you've all been there.  Thankfully my first visit wasn't the opening day; Lord knows this body can't handle that anymore.  There were only a few people in line outside when I arrived and there were plenty of tables for everyone.  Whew! Smiles still bright and cheery. I met two wonderful friends there today.  Ok, wait a minute...I need to back this train up.  My friend Tonya put on facebook the other day that she was at Wahlburgers with her eldest son.  What!  ...

I was watching one of my favorite youtubers the other day - Katie Hespe .  She had a taco salad that looked so yummy.  I changed up a few things.  To date this is my favorite vegan meal.  It's definitely different from our typical taco salad that uses ranch dressing, and doritos but it's a nice healthy change.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.   Sweet Potatoes: 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 scant teaspoon salt Pepper to taste  Rice: Jasmine Rice Water 1 tablespoon like juice Black beans: 1 can black beans Cumin Garlic powder Salt Dressing - Vegan Cilantro Lime Dressing 1 cup just mayo 3 slices jalapeño 1/3 cup cilantro Zest of 1 lime 2 tablespoons lime juice 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, dill Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons water Veggies: Spinach Onions, fin...

Today is the last day of school. The boys and I are so excited!!!! One of the things I like to do is ask each child if they could only do one thing this summer, what would they want to do. We make sure to do those things, within reason of course, before the summer ends. Today we are hammering out the first one with camping - Daniel’s choice. I had reservations at a campground but had to cancel because of health issues. That’s not going to deter this mama! We will now camp  in the backyard. Being intentional in this way has led me to have a lot fewer regrets on the way time is spent during the summer with my kiddos.  Another thing I do is think of what each child needs to work on. Jonathan is getting closer and closer to adulthood so this summer he’s going to be cooking a meal once a week for our family to get more used to the kitchen. Joshua and Daniel are going to learn how to ride bikes without training wheels. Again, picking one thing per child. This helps the boy...

Because it's that time of year.  I saw a recipe on facebook one morning and decided to make it my own.  I forgot an ingredient, added a few here and there and this was born.  The filling is perfectly sweet yet tart and gets nice and thick.   The boys loved this pie and I must admit I thought it was pretty good too.  I'm not really a crumble type of person so I could take or leave the top but they adored it. Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie crust: 1 frozen deep dish pie crust crumble: 1 cup all purpose unbleached flour 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed 1 tablespoon vanilla extract pinch of salt filling: 1 1/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup flour 2 cups thinly sliced rhubarb - about 2 stalks 2 cups sliced strawberries Directions: 1. Preheat oven according to the pie crust instructions.  No poking holes in this crust, we will be filling it. 2. Crumble - In a food processor add in the flour, sugar, salt and butter.  Process several times ...

I found a few recipes for banana bread and ended up merging them together.  This was created for my boys, 2 of whom found out they have multiple food allergies.  I'm so thankful to be able to make them foods they love while still avoiding their food allergies.  And who doesn't love banana bread? Gluten Free Banana Bread 210 grams Krusteaz Gluten All Purpose Baking Flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 duck egg (or two chicken eggs) 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/2 cup canola oil 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 very ripe bananas 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips, raisins (optional) Directions: 1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and grease a loaf pan. 2. Place the peeled bananas in a mixer and mix until well mashed. 3. . Add in the canola oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, duck egg, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.  Mix until well combined. 4. Slowly add in the baking mix and beat just till combined on low/medium. 5. If...

This is an open letter to you. To the mama who no matter how much sleep you get, you're more often than not tired.  And not just the "normal" tired; your whole body feels like it is in shut down mode.  You know, the tired that a flu can bring.  The tired where you can hardly lift your head off the pillow much less get off that couch. I hear you. To the mama who when she has a "good" day she's able to get a handful of household chores done with a 2 hour break in-between each chore just to make it all work. Girl, that's been most of my married life. To the mama who longs to be connected with others in real life, but knows she may have to cancel and doesn't want to put people out.  I understand. To the mama who is on facebook groups on and off all day long to find support from other's like you. The mama who is on Pinterest trying to find that next good remedy, or food that will help you feel even a little bit better.  Who stays up late loo...