Selefina Spices

Complimentary samples of the spices were provided so that I could try them and share my expierence.

I love to bake and cook, to experiment with flavors. I have a spice rack that I registered for when I got married, it has been refreshed many times over because I love being able to have the variety of spice close by when cooking. Of course, I also have a pantry that holds the other spices that we use (and refills for some that we use a lot of). When I consider how many spices I have in my pantry, I am always surprised when a recipe calls for a new spice. Of course, when I buy it, then I try to think of or find other uses for the spice.

I recently had the opportunity to try some samples from Selefina spices. (You can order samples from Selefina for only $.75 each and shipping is free with 5 samples.) I recieved several to try in order to share about my experience.

I first tried the cinnnamon and nutmeg from the samples. I was making homemade macaroni and cheese for my daughter and I like to add a little bit of the earthen flavors when I make it. So, in addition to ground mustard, I use a touch of nutmeg and cinnamon. The flavors were good and the grind was even. The pouch format made them easy to measure - unlike a jar, I could stick the measuring spoon down in to grab the spice I needed.

The weather was chilly the other week, so the next thing I tried was the recipe for the Hot Chocolate Infused with Cardamom and Rose. The recipe was easy and the aroma was awesome. The presentation with the rose petals was also pretty and felt a little fancy. I have only had cardamom as a component in the filing for Skool Bread (Norwegian dessert), so it was nice to have another option for use. The rose petals gave off a nice floral aroma, as I drank the hot chocolate. Next time though, I would likely filter out the rose petals before drinking, as the texture of them in my mouth was a little strange. You can find the recipe on their website - Hot Chocolate Infused with Cardamom and Rose. You can even add the samples for the spices you need right to your cart with a single click on the recipe page.

Next, on another coolish day, I thought I would give the Golden Turmeric Milk recipe a try. I'm not sure what I expected, I had heard great things about turmeric's benefits but had never tried it. The recipe called for black pepper, which seemed odd but worked out well in the overall flavor. I will say that although I liked the flavor overall, after I added additional hot milk to rewarm the drink after I got distracted and it cooled, I actually liked the drink a lot better. You can find their recipe for Golden Turmeric Milk on the website as well. Interestingly enough, on this page, scroll to the bottom to add the spice samples needed for the recipe to your cart.

The samples all came in the reasealable pouches. I like the convenience of this and assume that from a shelf life perspective that this helps extend shelf life and ensure that the spices aren't exposed to too much light. I assume as well that the pouches are a lower cost / less waste option. The challenge is, I have no good way to store and organize the pouches. I could probably get a bin that would be the right width and simply place them alphabetical in there (that's how my spice rack is organized). Alternatively, since they also have glass jar sizes, I could go with those and use the pouches as refills. A win-win situation and I only have to thumb through when I need to refill a jar.

Overall, I have been very satisfied with the freshness and consistency of the spices that I have tried. They have good aroma and deliver the flavors I expect from the spices. I look forward to trying more of their options as I look to restock spices as I run out. I have found their website to be very informative. They offer several recipes featuring the spices. On the page for each spice, they offer a good amount of information about the spice, tips, usage and more. In addition, they have some primers which help you learn more about the spice - it's history, forms, use, and more. They seem to be working on expanding their spice offerings and their primers.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. Complimentary samples of the spices were provided for my family and I to try, so that I could share my experience.

Eight Weeks

8 Weeks! For (over) 8 weeks, I have made an effort and taken a walk. It didn't matter the weather, I found a window with less rain or snow or put on an extra layer, and I found time to fit in a walk of at least 30 minutes every day. On nice days, it typically stretches to 45 or 50 minutes, but my official 'target' was to make time for at least 30 minutes. As a result, I have also managed to hit my daily step goal every day (but one where there was a tornado that touched down in town and we had to spend the last hour of the night in the basement and I missed my goal by 100 steps) for those same 8 weeks. One auto goal management, it adds around 10 to 20 steps most days but does add more if I have really exceeded my goal. Now that I have made it 8 weeks, I would like to continue to fit in a walk everyday. I would like the streak to be much longer. Some days when I walk, I find myself wishing I was done before I have even 10 minutes in; some days, I walk very leisurely; some days, I walk as if on a mission to beat my pace. My VivoFit tried to prevent from success with the screen display failing (checked by replacing the batteries a couple of times in case one of the sets was old) and then Amazon's lead time for a new Garmin was 2 weeks because they were focused on essential shipments. I learned to 'count' the pressing of the button to start and stop my workout and to get the VivoFit to sync. Fortunately, my replacement shipped sooner than expected. I actually upgraded my device and really enjoy some of the added features, like getting my messages on my watch.

8 Weeks! It has been 8 weeks since the kids last went to school in the classroom. It has been 8 weeks since the last sports practice or event. They seem to be adapting to at home learning but certainly miss the social aspects of school. They have found time most days to fit in a workout. My son has tried to mix up long toss, pitching, and hitting (off the tee, bp or live pitching). Yesterday was the senior's last day of school for the year. To celebrate, they organized a parade and drove their cars through most neighborhoods in town. It was awesome to watch and cheer them on. It made me tear up a bit to think about the things they were missing out on. Our school is hoping that by postponing prom, graduation and baccalaureate, that they will be able to do them in person...but still have a back up plan in place. At the same time, it was impressive to see them driving through with signs and tin cans, mortar boards and decorations on their cars. And, the support in the community - there were families at the end of their drives and roads, with noisemakers, signs or simply a wave to acknowledge the completion of the kids' senior year. I hope that they add this as a new tradition, and based on posts I have read, others feel the same way. The birthday parades too! We have one lining up outside our house right now. They are such fun. Love the gatherings but what another great way to acknowledge and help the birthday boy or girl celebrate.

8 Weeks! For 8 weeks, I have been trying new recipes and dishes. I hit the jackpot earlier this week when we were enjoying chicken and rice bowls for dinner...my son said that he thought that the bowls that night were even better than Chipotle! Boom! Mission accomplished. My goal is that home made versions of our favorite dishes are just a touch better than we eat out. Don't get me wrong, I love to eat out but for years have been doing my best to recreate family eating out favorites at home. I started using the 'Copycat' cookbooks but for many of the dishes I have been able to find my own way. I have had to reinvent a few when favorite ingredients become unavailable. We have enjoyed very good bread - it's not the same as some of the bread loaves we pick up at the store but it is very good. We have enjoyed several iterations of donuts. I found a good 30 minute donut recipe but an even better glazed yeast donut recipe. We have enjoyed homemade pizza and burgers on the grill. We have also done our part by ordering in from the local places that are just trying to get through this crazy time. We have bought beer from a couple of different local craft brewers that we love. We found out that outdoor dining can open next Friday and indoor the week after. We have already talked about where to go when outdoor dining is open.

8 Weeks! For 8 weeks, we have had some unusual weather and fortunately, some beautiful sunny days. We have had crazy rain. A tornado touched down in town and a couple very close to here. We had snow in March, snow in April and yesterday and today - even snow in May! We have really appreciated the sunny days and the warmer days, where we could get outside and get some fresh air. The flowers and the trees have been in full bloom welcoming spring. We have had some beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

8 Weeks! For 8 weeks, we have used technology in new ways. We have used Skype and Zoom and MSTeams for game nights and girls night; we have used them for classes and for homework help; we have used them to interview for jobs and for coaching sessions. I had a dream last night that I had started a new job. The details were vague - I parked near the building on the street, the dress was business casual with jeans appropriate, and there was snow on my car when I left at the end of the day (coincidental with yesterday's weather I hope and not a sign that it is still months away). I had only gotten the offer the Friday before I started, hadn't told my family and when I came home, I realized I didn't even know what the offer had been and was trying to find the details. I was excited and elated. I was glad to know that I would be on an employer sponsored medical insurance and saving for retirement again. I hope it was a sign that good news would be coming soon. I found out last week that I didn't get one role that I thought I had a pretty good shot at (it was down to 2, so I knew it was at least 50-50). When it comes to reading, I have stuck with the old-fashioned paper book format. I have been reading through a stack of books that I have bedside that I picked up at book sales and just never got around to reading. This weekend though, I started a brand new book by James Russell Lingerfelt, Young Vines. I will share more about the book when I am done reading. I previously read his other two books, you can find those reviews here (Alabama Irish) and here (The Mason Jar).

Over the last 8 weeks, I have become better at ordering my groceries for pick up and last week managed to pick up from three stores in the same day that I placed the order (long story - was trying to catch some deals and so I ordered from more than one store last week - haven't done that in a while). I have tried new brands and learned that there are some brands that I would skip in the future and others that might be worth trying again. Online ordering isn't as bad when you are getting it the same day but I will have to determine if the fees are worth the effort saved (and the extra effort to order). The out of stocks are fewer but have shifted categories.

Last weekend, as the StayAtHome order shifted to StaySafeOhio, we decided to have a socially distant bonfire with friends. It was a nice relaxing evening and a great chance to catch up in person. It was just one other family and we were outside the whole time. They brought their own chairs and own drinks. It was a dose of what we needed. My son finally got his braces off this week too. He was scheduled to get them off a month ago but when the StayAtHome order went into effect, his orthodontist was among the places that had to close.

As I wrap up this post, I think the cats have had enough of us being home - they look chill here but they just want us to get back to it. My one cat comes and sits on my night stand next to my alarm clock in the morning meowing at me to wake up and feed her but I think she may also secretly be hoping that it will go off and it will mean we are all back to normal schedules and she can have peace to sleep all day.

New Habits and Activities

This time at home has lead to the development of some new habits and have introduced new things into our lives - some bad, some good.

As a family, we stay up later and sleep in. The first couple of weeks when it was all new and we didn't really have a feel for how long it might last, we were especially bad, not really paying attention to the time and really messing up our schedules as a whole. It is hard to argue why not one more episode of the show or one more chapter in the book or one more game, we literally have nowhere to be and no specific time to be there. I started seeing it impacting us, so I made the decision that we had to get better at it. Certainly bedtimes didn't need to align with normal but we needed to be reasonable. We successfully shifted and are getting to bed at more reasonable times and getting up to start the day earlier in the day. We also enforce more regular schedule during the week and allow a little flexibility on the weekend. This has helped us return to more normal eating schedule and with both sleeping and eating back on a more normal schedule, everyone generally feels better and has a better attitude too. It will still be tough when we have to be up and out the door at a specific time again but with a more normal schedule it will be a little easier to shift back to that then it would have been.

As a family, we have shifted from team workouts/group workouts to more independent workouts and activities. It's not that we are more or less active or burning more or less calories, we are simply doing it differently. I used to do group exercise and swimming workouts with an occasional lunchtime or evening walk to clear the head, now that those classes are cancelled and the gym is closed, I rely on walking for my daily activity. I have steadily increased the distance so as to stay ahead of my step goal in my otherwise stay at home lifestyle that we have had to transition to. I have successfully walked at least 30 minutes every day for the past 44 days. It has been tough on days that it was rainy or snowy but I watched for the breaks and even dealt with the light sprinkle of rain to get to 30 minutes at least once. It is noticeable too; when I was out walking on Saturday, two different people that were hanging out in their driveways commented on my regular walking. Strange thing is that the time of day I walk can vary greatly so the fact that they noticed surprised me. I have also used these walks to observe the world around me and captured many pictures; yesterday it was fun playing with taking pictures using the puddles.

My husband has been sticking with his running routine but doesn't have the bike/treadmill option on the cold or wet days like he used to. He has switched to running virtual races, as his race schedule for the spring and summer has slowly been cancelled or converted to virtual races. My daughter does a daily work out and often times fits in a short run too. My son, in addition to keeping up with throwing and hitting for baseball, has done several runs and has put more miles on his bicycle than he has in years.

We are cooking and baking more. The cookie jar is almost never empty. There is fresh made bread in the house every weekend. We have found ways to create the tastes of our favorite dining out meals at home. We have tried many new recipes - although it seems they are mostly desserts or at least sweets.

My daughter has Home Ec (they call it family and consumer sciences now though) this quarter - so far, there has only been one hands on assignment - make an egg dish. She chose a souffle - it was good and she really did learn things - separating eggs, why we fold in egg whites, why we cover custard with wax paper, why a souffle will rise and come out of the oven fluffy and deflate within a short window following. Even with that, we are still trying to support local and try to order in at least once a week from a local restaurant and get beer from the local brewery.

We are binge watching series and catching up on movies. On some shows, we have to wait for a new episode to come out and on others we have a few seasons to go. I have started watching new series on HGTV and Food Network, just for a little variety. Some shows we watch as a family, some we watch in smaller groups, some we watch on our own - we use our family room, our media room, our computers and the iPad to provide the flexibility. It helps us as we look to find the right balance of together and alone time - since we all are here pretty much all of the time.

We are reading more. I have been reading from the stack of book sale books that I have near my bedside. My daughter has been reading a couple of different YA series and has even been trying her hand at writing in the style of some of those books.

The kids are playing more. Together and apart. My daughter is spending more time on the swingset. She has always loved it but it is a way to be outside and change up the scenery. They have been playing games / challenges together. They set up a course the other day with dominoes, strings, weights and more. They sat at the top of the stairs and tried to toss a ping pong ball into a cup at the bottom of the stairs.

I am trying to continue the clean-up/purge journey I began when I lost my job. We went through the backroom in the basement and organized and got rid of and sold things that we no longer needed or wouldn't use again. We have gone through the kids clothes to pull out the things that don't fit (or don't wear) and have been trying to sell those. I have gone through some of my files (there are always more and I can only do so much at one time). I used this stay at home to organize the freezers and inventory the food we have on hand so that I could focus on what we needed at the store and ensuring we used things up. I am trying to work through my stack of magazines that have arrived monthly over the years and I simply never had the time to read them. I read them, pull out the page or two that has something that I want to try or look into and off it goes.

We finally have time to tackle home projects and it gives us something to plan and to do. I have painted doors and frames, I have painted (portions) of the playset in the backyard (limited by paint not time). My husband cleaned up and cleaned out the garage. Moved things to mark the change in season and make outdoor activities more accessible.

I have changed the way that I shop (but I will go back at least in some ways). I really like Target's drive up service. I think I will use that for more things even after this stay at home order. If I know I need a few things, it really is easier to order them and pick them up than to park and run into the store. I went for detergent and fabric softener yesterday. The whole trip - drive time and order pick up time was 10 minutes. Since I live 5 minutes away, it essentially took no time to get my order. I am convinced that the 'let us know you are coming' gives them perspective on how close you are when you push the button. They almost always are walking out the door with my stuff as I shift my car from drive to park. I love that the app / their spots are connected and it automatically lets them know I am there. I'm generally not a fan of grocery pick up service - although, I might be more of a fan when they return to allowing you to pay at pick up. I get frustrated that I can't simply maintain and add to my list as the week passes - I have to process a payment each time I make an update. I can start my cart a week out when I reserve the timeslot but I don't always know a week out what we will be low on or be craving or otherwise need when I do pick up. I also struggle to find the magic way to search sometimes. I have gotten better at managing the substitutions so that I get what I want...but that also means that I do without on some things because I ask for no sub even though I might sub if I was in store. I don't like that sales are fewer and/or that sale items are bought out all the time. I like to be able to shop the sales and stock up, so I don't have to buy during non-sales times.

What new activities or habits are you developing? What shows are you watching?

As the Week Winds Down

It has been a good week. Following the productive weekend, I feel like we accomplished some good things this week. I think in part it may have been helped by the updating of the models for COVID19. I don't know where you all live but here in Ohio we were significantly under the model and the updates lowered the expected peaks significantly and brought the peak in a few days. I am starting to believe (not just hope) that we will have a return to normal following the current stay at home order expiration.

Of course, Ohio weather has been typically weird weather. We have had some gorgeous days, where we could get outside in short sleeves and enjoy the sights of spring. We had a couple of tornadoes touch down within a few miles of our house. We had that gorgeous super moon, of course it was partially obstructed but we got some cool pictures when it wasn't obstructed. We had flurries and sleet yesterday and then this morning, we woke to a covering of snow.

I have learned, when we are home we bake. We have always been bakers but in 'normal' schedule time we are generally limited in frequency and often I do most of it. During the break, my son has been doing a good amount of the baking. I had to add flour, butter and eggs to my next order to make sure that we can continue to bake. We have made 2 batches of biscotti, 3 batches of cookies, a batch of macarons (trying all-purpose flour in lieu of almond flour), a batch of beignets and two batches of bread. The kids would like to give another try to an alternate recipe that uses all-purpose flour for macarons.

We also cook. Again, not that we don't do a lot of cooking when we are not on a stay at home order but we seem to be on the go enough that we have a lot of quick fix meals rather than longer prep meals. Over the past couple of weeks, we have made homemade macaroni and cheese and a childhood favorite chicken in gravy over biscuits (and they were homemade biscuits). We have also tried knock off versions of restaurant favorite dishes. Homemade pizza has been a staple of our weekly menu.

Tonight, we celebrate our 21st Anniversary. Normally, we would have planned a dinner out as a couple or with the family. Or, if the timing worked out, we might have even planned a getaway as a couple or a family (Niagara Falls area is one of our favorite getaways). We are getting carry-out pizza from a local place and a growler of beer from the local craft brewery. Supporting local and celebrating us.

I definitely miss people. As much as I am a homebody, I also love being with people and being social. I want to host a game night or sit with friends watching kids sports and visiting or go to trivia with friends or just visit around a bonfire. During this time, it is nice to catch up with friends on the phone or via chat - but it is not the same as in person interactions. I find great joy in crossing paths with others when I am out for a walk. Sure, I cross the street or walk on the edge of the road to allow appropriate space but just waving to the walkers, the runners and the cars that drive by gives me that sense of connection with others. It was nice to visit at a distance with the owners at the craft brewery as I picked up the growler - hearing about their dog and his peculiarities.

The other night, I woke up in the middle of the night. I was thinking about what I had to do the next day and became a little disheartened that we really have gotten to the point where the next day is the same as the last and the next. Even with looking forward to our anniversary and Easter, there still isn't much different. We still don't have 'plans' or get to see family and friends. I am excited for the Easter dinner that I will make and the little bit I have pulled together for the kid's baskets, yet without being able to share it with family, it seems less than it should be. Knowing that this social distancing and stay at home order is really having an impact is the shining light that continues to give me hope and helps me to keep moving forward.

How are you holding up?

Bright, Sunshiny Day

Wednesday is Day 12 of Social Distancing and Day 2 of the Stay At Home order. I've started to lose track of how many days its been and sometimes have to count what day it is.

Wednesday was a bright, sunshiny day with birds chirping and reasonably warm out. When I went out for my daily walk, there were simply more people out and lots more cars too. Most of the groups out were families playing basketball or scooting around the block but there were reports that there were groups congregating at parks (wondering how much was they all had the same idea and how much was coordinated meeting). (Un)Fortunately, on Thursday morning they posted a note saying that the skate park (as an example) was closed. They had hoped to keep it open for recreation and fresh air but because too many people were gathering there that to be compliant they had to close it for the time being.

My kids got out and spent some time in the backyard, my son and husband threw the baseball, my daughter spent time playing on the swing set and riding scooters.

Wednesday evening, with my doors and windows open, I also decided to bake. We have stuff in the house but everyone seemed to be looking for that baked good option, so I made a batch of chocolate and butterscotch chip cookies, a batch of caramel macchiato biscotti and a batch of M&M and chocolate chip biscotti. They smelled great and tasted even better. Hopefully, they last us a week or so, but with everyone home all day, I'm not sure how likely that is.

Wednesday evening was spent like many other recent evenings. Curled up in the family room watching some tv.

I'm looking forward to Thursday, which is supposed to be more sunny and warmer.

How are you holding up? What are you doing to occupy your day?

Baking Cookies

I love to bake. I'm not super creative, but I have fun. I have a full collection of cookie cutters and I'm not afraid to use them. I do however, tend to decorate in just one color - nothing fancy here. Cakes - well, with those I am a little more creative.

I just found a blog that makes me want to be more creative in my cookie decorating.

I had popped over to We are THAT Family and was reading her post about her new neighbor and the cookies she brought over. It is a wonderful, funny post. Anyway, I just had to head over and check out her neighbor's blog and wow! Talk about talent. Check it out for yourself ... bake at 350 ... it is all about cookie decorating.

I can't be sure, but I think I might have gained a couple of pounds drooling over the wonderful pictures.

Kids in the Kitchen

Kids love to imitate what they see. Who hasn't had the companionship of a toddler with a wooden spoon and a bowl, while you are busy preparing dinner or baking. My son would play house. He made lots of pitchers of coffee with the Tupperware pitcher and cup set I had as a kid. (I find this funny, since I don't drink coffee and we only make it when we have guests.) Frequently, when I head to the kitchen to cook, my daughter loves to join me by cooking in her new kitchen she got for Christmas. She brings me plates of goodies - although I have to watch what I "eat", yesterday I nearly ate the pizza intended for Daddy that I evidently had just been given to hold and she let me know that it was Daddy's.

Cooking can not only be educational in helping your children learn to prepare food for themselves, but can also be a great way to teach math lessons, science lessons and more. You can cut sandwiches into squares and triangles; into halves or quarters. You can show how adding salt can make the water boil quicker. You can show how yeast can make the bread grow big by filling it with air.

Plus, it is a great bonding time. Cooking with a child can make them feel special. I have a picture of my son, standing on a backwards chair, wearing an apron, covered in frosting and wearing the biggest smile - it was a fun day, he was helping me decorate cupcakes for Daddy's birthday. We had a blast. It also gives them a great sense of accomplishment to tell everyone that they made it.

Helping to cook can also help kids eat more varieties of food. I have heard of people letting their kids choose a new food to purchase and prepare to expand the foods that they will eat. Somehow, assisting in choosing and preparing can make the same "yucky" food turn into something that they want to eat.

I don't have a specific recipe that I find is particularly best for preparing with children in the kitchen. I think that if you do the appropriate prep work, many recipes can be made with a child.

Mini-pizzas
Mini-pizzas are a great and easy treat to prepare with your kids. They can build their pizza with their own favorite toppings.

Bagel halves (could also use pitas or English muffin halves)
Pizza sauce
Pepperoni
Mozzarella
Asst Pizza toppings

Parent step: Preheat oven to 375F. Place pepperoni slice over the hole in the bagel (keeps the sauce from leaking). Top bagel with sauce.

Kid step: Top with desired toppings and cheese and place on pizza stone.

Parent step: Place pizza stone in oven. Bake for 15 -20 minutes.

Share and enjoy.

Jessica over at Life As Mom is doing a recipe swap today, around the theme of cooking with the kids. For more kid friendly recipe ideas, check out the Recipe Swap: In the Kitchen with Kids.