Chickpea Falafel Burgers

Chickpea Falafel Burgers


1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 green onions, chopped
3/4 cup diced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup diced green pepper (I added this)

3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (15.5 ounce) can garbanzo beans, with liquid

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 -3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 egg whites

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, or as needed to cook the falafel in

1. Heat oil and add green onions, mushrooms and green peppers. Cook until tender.
2. Blend garlic and garbanzo beans. I kept about half of the liquid in.
3. Mix all ingredients together except for the 2 tbsp veg oil.
4. Roll into either hamburger-sized balls or falafel-sized balls

* I know the recipe is for hamburgers, but I made into smaller balls and we ate them in pitas, with some lettuce, cheese, tzatziki sauce, veggies (cucumbers a must!)... the works.
* I did not have curry powder or fresh cilantro, instead I used some oregano, parsley, salt and cumin.

Both picture and recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com/

Millions of Peaches...

Alright, I exaggerated a bit with the title, but it did feel like a million peaches. My mom came into town and we made 7 pints of peach salsa, 7 quarts of peaches and 1 fabulous peach cobbler.

I cannot give the entire process of canning as I am still learning myself, so here are some tips to canning:

* Jars need to be washed and kept warm so they do not crack when put in the hot water to can

* Jar lids need to be boiled before putting on the jar to seal

* Your kitchen will become a disaster zone, be prepared to wash lots of dishes and wash the counters multiple times to rid the sugary layer now covering them

* You cannot use any peaches that have bruises or they can possibly spoil the batch. Take out the piece with the bruise and use it in peach cobbler as the peaches in the cobbler don't need to be as pretty as the peaches in jars

Peach Cobbler

1 c flour (I used 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat)

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 c butter

1 egg

1/4 c milk

For the filling:

1/4 c water

1/3 to 2/3 c sugar

1 tbsp corn starch

5 cups sliced peaches

Mix together dry ingredients. Cut in butter.

For the filling mix all together and cook over medium heat until slightly thicker and juices from the peaches are coming out. Once done, put in a 2-qt baking dish.

Whip egg and milk together and afterwards add to the dry mixture. Immediately after, spoon over the peaches. Cook 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Color Me Mine

I love this place. There are so many projects one can come up with. They have everything from kitchen items, to bathroom items and even decor items. My sister and I made a picture frame of her little boy's footprint.


I think my favorite idea for this store is having a bachelorette party. The bride-to-be can pick out her colors and each guest decorates a piece as their present. If there is one in your area, then go, enjoy and be crafty.

Give Hope...

September 1-7 is the week of hope, send a letter or a card and remind others of hope instead of "these tough economic times." Ok, this may be another "commercialized holiday" but sometimes I am fine with that :)

Go to cardstore.com to send a card for free to someone! Other companies are also supporting by giving free postage, free card with another purchase, etc. They have quite a few to choose from, but I think these were two of my favorites.

Found this tip from Lyndsey, I love her creations and all the lovely paper she finds.