Lobaccaro Adventures

These coloring pages are from a free General Conference collection by the color amber. https://thecoloramber.me/shop/conference Spring is here! Birds are singing, bugs are crawling, and flowers are blooming. However, the earth feels still. We are still at home.  Luckily, there was an event to attend from home today. I had the opportunity to listen to the worldwide broadcast of General Conference. For those who don't know, it is a biannual public broadcast by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is a two-day conference in which leaders of the church share messages of Christ and hope as directed by the Spirit. Today's messages left me with a sense of hope for the future and what is to come. It encouraged us to seek the Savior, strengthen our foundation, and remember that after darkness comes light. We were also reminded that revelation from God has not ceased. He leads and directs His church and if we will listen He will lead and direct us in our life....

I've been mulling over my personal feelings about this pandemic for over a month. I've read the news, talked with family, watched what my friends had to say and prayed. Although we're used to hearing of distress abroad  and know that life has ups and downs. In our lifetime we have not experienced this widespread loss so close to home. This morning I read that 10 million people have filed for unemployment. That number made my heart feel so heavy. I can't imagine the pain that people are experiencing as they wonder how they will pick back up and provide for their family. On top of that at least 1 million people have contracted the virus and 56,767 have lost their life to it worldwide as of today. 265,001 cases and 6,766 deaths in the United States. Is this a tragedy? Yes. Have things like this happened before? Yes. However, this is a first in our lifetime so we need to work together to get through it. Last Sunday we participated in a worldwide fast. We prayed ...

The Bay area is a popular tourist destination. San Francisco is known for famous hotspots like the Golden Gate bridge, pier 39, and Union Square. Those areas are magical, but can feel overcrowded. If you're looking for a special experience away from all the chaos you should consider visiting Saratoga! This Guide will be ever evolving so check back before you visit to see what other details I've uncovered from this perfect city! Just 48 miles southwest of San Francisco Saratoga is a hidden gem that is worth exploring!  Where to stay: The Inn at Saratoga Saratoga Oaks Lodge What To See: Hakone Gardens and Estate The gardens are a short drive past downtown Saratoga. The entrance is breathtaking as you drive up the windy road to the estate. To enter get tickets at the gift shop! Admission is $10 per person. Popular spots inside are the bamboo forest, koi pond, trails, a waterfall, the rock garden and more. Plan to spend 1-2 hour...

I had some leftover garbonzo beans from the veggie patties yesterday. So I used them to make this yummy hummus! Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup garbonzo beans 2 TBSP Lemon juice 2 TBSP Olive oil  1/4 cup water 1 garlic clove or 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 romaine tomato 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp chili powder Make: 1. Cut your tomato and garlic in small slices. Brush with olive oil and bake at 400° F until the tomatoes have a slight char. 2. Place your garbonzo beans, roasted tomato and garlic in a blender or food processor. 3. Blend and slowly add in your liquid ingredients until you reach a smooth consistency. If it is to dry add more water. Start with a little and work up to achieve the right texture. 4. Once you've achieved the texture you want add in your spices. Blend once more to combine the spices evenly and move to your serving dish. 5. Garnish with paprika, olive oil, or fresh herbs. 6. Enjoy and serve. Store in the fridge.

Crackers are a staple right? I'm planning a Big Brunch for the end of quarantine 2020! And these have a spot reserved on the cheese board! The best thing about homemade crackers is you can play around with shape and size although I do recommend rolling them out thin so that you can get that perfect crunch and snap! Preheat oven to 400°  Bake Time 9-13 minutes Prep time 10 minutes Total time: 20-25 minutes Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup Whole wheat flour 1/2 teaspoon Salt 2 TBSP Sugar 1/4 tsp Vanilla 1/2 tsp Paprika 4 TBSP Cold Butter 1/4 Cup and 2 TBSP Water 1. Preheat oven to 400° F 2. In a large bowl mix together your flour, salt, and paprika. 3. In a smaller bowl mix together your water, sugar, and vanilla. 4. Begin to cut small pieces into your flour mixture and break up with a fork until you get a rough mixture. Tip: Putting the mixture into a food processor will quickly cut the butter into the mixture and give you the consistency you want. 5. Pour ...

I've had a craving for a veggie Pattie for quite a while. Typically we throw them on a bun and have veggie burgers, but tonight I wanted to cut out bread and extras. That meant the Pattie itself really had to shine! And this recipe did not disappoint. I used ingredients that I had in my fridge and this Pattie was created. Start early with your garbanzo beans. I never use canned although I suppose you could. But I just open a 1 lb bag and pour it in the crock pot with water and let it do its thing throughout the day.  Enough of my talking. Here's what you came for. Ingredients: 1lb Garbonzo beans 1/2 cup shredded carrots 2 cups rice 1/2 cup corn 1/2 cup frozen or fresh kale 1 romaine tomato 1/2 white onion 1 TBSP Chili Powder 1 tsp salt 2 eggs Sauce: 1/4 cup sour cream 2 TBSP lemon juice 1 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp garlic powder Make:  1. Cook Garbanzo beans for 5 hours. 2. Saute shredded carrots in pan with brown sugar and lemon pepper. 3.Add on...

Ingredients: 3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries 1/2 Tablespoon stevia 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice 3 Tablespoons Chia Seeds Make: 1. Place thawed raspberries on a medium hot pan. 2. As the raspberries quickly soften use a spoon to mash the berries.  3. This will turn into a sauce. At this point you can add your sweetener. And lemon juice. 4. Take the sauce off the heat and add your chia seeds. 5. Let cool and enjoy. Tips: 1. Any sweetener will work fine. You can adjust the amount to the taste that your family enjoys. 2. Experiment and replace the raspberries with any fruit you want to try. 3. For a thicker jam add more chia seeds a teaspoon at a time. Let sit before increasing the amount.  4. It will keep for up to a week in the fridge.

Is anyone else feeling like a home chef now that we're "sheltering in place"? Ever since my husband started working at Google and getting free lunches I have been super lazy with dinner. I told him I'd make sandwiches since he was having fancy lunches everyday. Fast forward to this pandemic and his "Google Wife" (my pet name for Google's food services) is out of commission.  I can't have my husband starving so I've reopened my kitchen services and have a new staple recipe to share with you. I typically start with half of the flour that I'm expecting to use. So 3 cups in this case. Then I add in the rest of my dry ingredients. Salt and Baking powder.  Next I pour in my warm water and oil. I mix it together and add in flour until I can form a ball. Next I tear off pieces and form smaller balls. To roll out on a counter top powdered with flour. At this point I may add a little extra flour, oil, or ...