Black Friday

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately depending on how you look at it, there's no shopping to be done by me today. Thanks to the NASD, the bond market is open today, thus I'm at work! Yippee! I suppose it's just as well because if I was at home, I'd probably feel some internal nudge to get up early with the other crazies, er people, and fight over a $9.99 Christmas tree that was regularly $10.49. That's a saving of nearly 50 cents that I wasted my precious sleep hours to get? Are you kidding me?! Who does that and more importantly, why? I realize there are better deals out there but those deals will be even better the day after Christmas when the poor-economy-stricken stores have blow-out sales to get rid of the merchandise they didn't sell. Now those sales I'll eagerly take part in! Am I a contradiction? Maybe but that's just how I roll.

I wanted to share some pictures from our Thanksgiving celebration. It was a long day but seeing family and having a great meal made it all worthwhile (at least that's what I'm trying to tell myself!). Colin must have been eager to get a start on Thanksgiving because he woke up bright and early at 6:15, after having cleaned out his system to presumably make room for his feast! Thanks, babe. Going back to sleep was not in the cards for this one. We were on the road by 9:30 and arrived to Wes' aunt and uncle's house a little before 1. Lunch was at 2 and we were back on the road a little after 4. Colin did sleep most of the way there but was past exhausted on the way home and decided to cry most of the way. Poor kid, he wanted out of the seat he had been sitting in 3/4 of the day and just wanted to lay in his own bed! He did go to sleep about an hour outside of Lexington and went to back to sleep once we got home. Based on the amount of driving, he was a trooper and did quite well.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving too. I'm sure many of you are at home putting up your Christmas tree and other decorations. I'll be right there with you when I get home. I'm fearful of how Colin will react to the tree and specifically, the ornaments (all of which are breakable). I'm thinking my tree might have a 3 foot border at the bottom with no ornaments! That should look nice. I just pray he doesn't pull the whole thing down on top of him!!

Enjoy the holidays with your family and friends!


Anna (Wes' sister), Colin, and his cousin, Reese







Colin and his cousin, Keaton, riding the horsey. Shaina (Wes' other sister) is supervising.







Wes' dad holding his 2 grandsons, Colin and Keaton.






My big kid riding the horsey!

Brrr, it's cold out there!

One day I would love to own and operate my own business. The type of business has varied over the years but the entrepreneur has always been in me. I think I knew I wanted to be a business owner before I could even spell it. Playing store and restaurant were much higher on my list than Barbie's, sports, or any other toys. Because of my love of cooking and baking, the business du jour is a little lunch spot that serves desserts. This is always in the back of my mind and someday I'll open it and you'll all come...right?!

My wheels are always turning and thinking of menu items I would like to serve in my restaurant. I recently came upon multiple recipes for Chicken Tortilla Soup and decided that was some kind of omen that I should make it. I've steered clear in the past because Wes has some aversion to it for some unknown reason. In the spirit of keeping things as easy as possible, one of the recipes utilized a crockpot. A friend tried it and gave it her thumbs up. I was torn though because another bloggy friend swore by her amended version of a Cooking Light recipe. What to do? Combine them into my own! That's another idea I have festering up there in my head, to enter and win a cooking contest. So my mind is always trying to think of entries for that too. Can you see now why I can't remember anything else, there are too many useless thoughts and recipes up there to filter through! But I digress. You can visit the original 2 recipes but the one I've posted is my own, slightly altered version. This was perfect yesterday in the rain and cold, served with a good old grilled cheese sandwich!

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

1 - 28oz can diced tomatoes (pureed in the blender for my husband who doesn't like chunks of tomatoes - you can leave yours as is)
2 1/2 to 3 cups chicken broth
1/2 onion (about 3/4 cup)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups shredded chicken
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup chopped carrots (or any other veggie you have on hand)
2T. cumin
1T. chili powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:
tortilla chips
shredded cheese

Combine all soup ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. You can assemble this all the night before (I did wait to add the garlic because of the strong aroma it leaves in the fridge.).

Before serving, crush up a couple of handfuls of tortilla chips (I used multi-grain for a few more nutrients) and incorporate them into the soup. Let stand 5-10 minutes.

Top each bowl with additional crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheese.

Happy Thanksgiving

In the spirit of the season, I thought I'd use this post to list the things I'm thankful for. My list is far too long to include everything, so I'll just give a few highlights. We are so blessed that we really shouldn't wait until Thanksgiving (one measly day a year) to recognize all we have and everything we should be grateful for. Let's all try to make a conscious effort to be thankful each and every day!

I am thankful...
1. ...that I have a wonderful husband who listens, respects, and loves me dearly.
2. ...for the precious son that we share and that Colin has a mommy and daddy who love him very much!
3. ...for good health in my family.
4. ...that I have a warm place to sleep at night and have the money to pay my heating bills.
5. ...that Wes and I both have good jobs that have been recession-proof thus far!
6. ...that I still have both of my parents and they are such an important part of my life.
7. ...for my sister and her family.
8. ...for my wonderful friends that are always there for me to listen and laugh with.
9. ...that I have a healthy meal 3 times a day and love to prepare them.
10. ...that we live in a country that is peaceful (for the most part) and where we can embrace differences amongst ourselves.

What are you thankful for?

Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

I'm surprised I haven't turned orange yet from all the pumpkin I've consumed over the last few months! I seriously think I have an addiction and need to consult pumpkinholic anonymous. I recently saw a post for a Pumpkin Cake with Whiskey Whipped Cream. I'm not a huge fan of whipped cream but I am a fan of good old cream cheese icing! I personally think pumpkin and cream cheese are synonymous but maybe that's just me. I tried to take a picture of my masterpiece, but alas my camera failed me and it just looked like a white blob. I will give you the recipe as I prepared it and the link to the post where you can see The Pioneer Woman's original recipe and her photos.

PUMPKIN CAKE WITH CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 stick of softened butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup plain, unflavored yogurt
1 cup pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Spray 9 x 13 inch pan with baking spray.
Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Add butter to a mixing bowl and beat. Add sugar and beat. Add in eggs 1 at a time, beating after each egg.
Add yogurt and pumpkin and mix gently until just combined.
Add flour mixture in increments, beating until just combined.
Pour batter into pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 (8oz) block cream cheese, softened (I used the 1/3 less fat version to fool myself into thinking it was healthier!)
1/2 stick of butter, softened
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Cream butter and cream cheese together in medium bowl. Gradually add in confectioners sugar and cinnamon. You may need to add more or less sugar to achieve your desired taste and consistency.

Quiet Observer

Colin, ok really it was me, had some friends over to play on Saturday. His long distance girlfriend, Sidney, and her mom and dad came into town for the UK game. We took advantage of the chance to get the kids together, while sharing some quality time with each other too! We also invited another friend, Cara, and her crew of Madelyn, Caroline, and Silas. Her kids are a little older than Colin and Sidney, so they really know how to play. Colin and Sidney just sort of took a backseat to the action and cautiously observed before joining in. Colin took great pleasure in going back and forth between Mommy and Daddy's laps. Cara was afraid that her children scared the little ones but I think it was quite the opposite. I think the little ones watched eagerly in hopes that one day they'll be able to run and play with as much enthusiasm. Wes thinks Colin will be like him, someone who likes to have lots of people around but is generally quiet and just takes it all in. That has always perplexed me, what's the point of having people around if you're not going to interact with them? I guess that's just one of life's little mysteries.

Here are a few pictures of the kiddos doing their thing.







Cara's little Caroline in the beloved tunnel!






Cara's newest addition, Silas, hiding in the bottom of the Exersaucer.








Madelyn, Cara's oldest, climbing the stool.








Despite my best attempt to get the 2 little ones to pose for a picture, this is the best I could do!

Shrimp Enchiladas with Sweet Corn Sauce

Don't let the title scare you, this dish is a winner! Mexican is another region that's tough to duplicate. And with the prices being so darn cheap at Mexican restaurants, it's hard to not just let them do it. Well there's a lot of oil that goes into frying those chips and tortillas. There's also A LOT of cheese - all part of what makes the food taste oh so good! That's probably why mine never tastes quite the same. This recipe is a keeper and comes together fairly quickly. You can serve it with some homemade refried beans (you don't want to know how they make these in the restaurant!), rice, chips and salsa, etc. The recipe comes from Pillsbury.com and for a printer-friendly version, click here.

SHRIMP ENCHILADAS WITH SWEET CORN SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

Sauce:

1 box (10 oz) frozen corn & butter sauce
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro sprigs
3/4 cup milk

Enchiladas:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lime juice
12 oz uncooked medium shrimp (about 24), thawed if frozen, peeled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup refrigerated cooked shredded hash brown potatoes (from 20-oz bag)
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 jalapeño chile, seeded, diced
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (8 oz)
8 tortillas, fajita-size (I used wheat
Finely chopped red cabbage, if desired (I didn't desire)
Finely chopped green onions, if desired (I didn't desire these either)

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook corn in microwave as directed on package.
3. In blender or food processor, place 1 cup of the corn and butter sauce, 3 tablespoons of the green chiles, the sugar, cilantro and milk. Cover; blend on medium speed until creamy. Pour into medium bowl; stir in remaining corn and butter sauce until well mixed. Set aside.
4. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil and lime juice over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; sprinkle cumin over shrimp. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until shrimp are pink. Remove shrimp from skillet to cutting board; chop. Set aside.
5. In same skillet, cook potatoes over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat. Stir in shrimp, remaining green chiles, the bell pepper, jalapeño chile and cheese until mixed.
6. Heat tortillas in microwave as directed on package.
7. Pour half of the corn sauce in bottom of baking dish. Spoon about 1/2 cup shrimp mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up each tortilla; place seam side down on corn sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining corn sauce evenly over enchiladas.
8. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. To serve, place 2 enchiladas on each of 4 serving plates. Garnish with cabbage and onions.

Picture Game

I guess normally you're tagged to play this game but I saw Always Organizing's post on it and decided to tag myself! Really I was just dying to see what picture was 6th in my 6th folder. Now as I go in search, I pray that it's something I actually want to post and not something I already have!

Is the suspense killing you?





Ok, so it wasn't my 6th folder, but in my defense my 6th folder only had 1 picture in it. So I went to the first one after it that had 6 pictures. And voila, my precious baby boy! What a shocker, considering 99% of my photos are Colin related!

A little more on this photo. Colin was probably 2-4 months old and was totally being posed for this picture. Poor kid, he's had that his whole life! This is a fine example of cute outfits not being practical. I strongly encourage any soon-to-be mothers to wait to purchase at least some of your clothes until after your child is born. Colin didn't wear half of the "cute" outfits I bought him, particularly those with hats (the ones that get everyone to ooh and aah in the store). Refrain!


My baby has grown so much, so fast! It's hard for me to even remember him looking like this. Thank goodness for photos to preserve our past and to help our feeble minds!

So now it's your turn. Here are the rules:

Go to your 6th picture folder
Choose the 6th photo
Pray you remember the details
And then tag 5 others!

In keeping with the game, I tag le petite blog, Southern Comfort, Seeking Our Silas, The Review Lady, and Hyper Homemaker.

Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken

Asian food seems to be one of those types of food that only tastes good in a restaurant. I suppose it's a lack of understanding about their culture and what goes into their food preparation. I mean I've got the southern comfort food down pat, but I've also been exposed to it (cooking and eating) all my life. I have been in the kitchen with a Philipino and I would say I feel slightly more comfortable cooking that style of food now. However, Chinese food, the Americanized kind at least, is a whole other ballgame. I refuse to give up that easily though. I'm not sure I really want to know what makes those take-out dishes so yummy (I'm thinking sodium, msg, sugar,...) but I continue my search for an authetic tasting meal.

This recipe came pretty darn close! I found this on another blog and I'm sorry I can't give proper credit for the introduction of this recipe. However, it wasn't their recipe, they got it from Food and Wine, so I don't feel quite as bad about my negligance. When I saw this was a dish that the owner of The Slanted Door created, I just had a feeling it would be a winner. For those of you that might not know, The Slanted Door is an award-winning Vietnamese restaurant in San Fransisco, owned by Charles Phan. Thanks Mr. Phan, you didn't let me down, this one came pretty darn close to restaurant quality and taste!

I just reazlied the recipe I made was not the original recipe from Food and Wine. So I must have used the one from the mysterious blog. I'm posting the one that I actually made but I'm sure the original would be just as tasty! The only changes I made were to add veggies (I stir-fried those first and used red peppers, red cabbage, onions, and mushrooms) and I used chili paste instead of the whole chilies.

CARAMELIZED BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN

SERVES: 4-6
•2/3 cup dark brown sugar (unrefined)
•1/3 cup fish sauce
•1/3 cup rice vinegar
•1/2 cup water
•2 teaspoons finely grated garlic
•2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
•2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
•1 or 2 fresh Thai chilis (to your taste!), halved
•2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
•2 shallots, thinly sliced
•2 pounds organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces (1/2”)
•2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, water, garlic, ginger, pepper and chili and reserve.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and cook the veggies, if using. Saute for 8-10 minutes, or until soft. Remove from pan and add anouther 2 tablespoons of oil. Cook the shallots until softened and a bit brown, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and stir-fry, browning it all over, about a minute. Add the sugar mixture and simmer over high heat until the chicken is totally cooked through, about 6 minutes. Add the veggies back in to reheat. Stir in the cilantro and serve over rice.

Boys Will Be Boys

Although Miami Sound Machine would say the next verse is Bad Boy, Bad Boy, in our case it's Clumsy Boy, Clumsy Boy! Why is it that our offspring inherit our worst traits, the ones we hoped would die off? Don't 2 negatives equal a positive? Not is this case. Wes and I are both quite clumsy. There could be a one-inch hole and we'd fall in it, crying Timmy down in the well! You guessed it, Colin is just as bad. At the ripe age of 16 months, the child has knocked his head on more pieces of furniture, fallen on his bum countless times, and already received 2 battle wounds - all due to his clumsiness. After his recent belly issues, I've noticed that his equilibrium seems off. He was walking around pretty well but since the illness, it's like he has 2 left feet. He has gotten faster though so maybe his new warp speed has something to do with it. A friend asked if I had had his ears checked. Duh, I didn't even think of that. He is showing no signs of an earache, so am I wrong for not having them checked? Some experienced parents, feel free to weigh in.

Back to the 2 battle scars. For the first one, he had an audience of Mommy, Daddy, Papaw, and Shaina. This is not the kind of thing you want others to witness. As if you don't feel bad enough, now you have others who could potentially judge you for your parental faults. Great! For whatever reason, Colin practically leaped out of Wes' arms and fell face first into the edge of the table. Sounds painful, I know, but he just barely scraped the edge. His tears were dried up within 30 seconds. He did get a nice scrape right next to his left eye - see below.



Now for round 2, the most recent ouchie. Colin loves to welcome anyone into our home by opening the garage door and waving. I couldn't ask for a better greeting. That is until Friday. I was talking on my cellphone as I pulled in the garage. As usual, I see the door opening from the house. It was Colin, with Daddy right behind him. I waved and said hello as I was gathering my things from the car. Wes turned to go back in the kitchen, something that was not uncommon for either of us to do, leaving Colin at the door. I looked down to get my bag and the next thing I know, Colin has fallen down the 4 stairs that go from the garage to the house! Wes picks him up and asks him what he did, as if Colin could or would respond! I was talking to my mom and frantically told her I had to go, that Colin had just fallen down the stairs. In retrospect, I realize that's not the best way to get off the phone with someone, leaving them wondering, but I wasn't thinking about that at the time. I run to him and take him from Wes. He was crying so hysterically, he couldn't catch his breath. Of course he had fallen head first, so that didn't make things any better. I couldn't check him for broken bones because I was too busy squeezing and consoling him. I think I was more uptight than he was. He had a scrape and a knot forming on his head but that's all I could see. His clothes and hands were covered in grass and whatever other dirt particles I have in my garage. I immediately called Grams back to let her know he was ok. She was crying and I'm sure had been sitting on the edge of her seat. He was fine within a minute or so. I was afraid the pump knot would remain the next day, but all he had was a little scrape on his forehead. The good news is, he seems to have learned from his mistake. He still opens the door but he stands about a foot back from the doorway. I think he just got too close to the edge, lost his balance, and away he went. Like I said, he's gets it honestly!




Perhaps we bring some of this on ourselves. Colin found this pair of lovely red socks in my sock drawer this morning. Jokingly, I put them on him and they fit like leg warmers. Wes took them off to put his pants on. Well when Grams got there, he wanted to show her his new find. So she put them on him. Well they are fuzzy and therefore slick as glass! Slick socks + hardwood floors = wipe out! He did slide once but he's used to that and bounced right back. I had to get a picture of the socks because they're so darn funny. They look sort of like Santa's boots. And no, to ease your fears, I do not wear these socks!

Right of Passage

I was quick to point out in a recent post that no one cares to mention any of the possibilities of a less than stellar pregnancy, or baby for that matter. Sure, everyone knows about morning sickness, cravings, and weight gain, but what about the other less commonly talked about things? What about how your belly can itch as the skin stretches itself to wrap around this enormous bowling ball - which by the way can be a perfect ball, sticking straight out, an oblong football, stretching from one side of your abdomen to the other, it can sit high, it can sit low, etc. No one tells you about your inerts getting all out of whack and how your transverse abdominal muscles will realistically never be the same. And what about the aforementioned stretching skin, where's that going to go? Thanks to Kate, from John and Kate Plus 8, that's no longer a mystery - that stuff isn't going anywhere on it's own, not without a little snip-snip here and a tuck there. Then once the baby arrives, no one warns you of the possibility of the baby getting their days and nights mixed up and what to try if this happens. And heaven forbid, what if your child develops colic or acid-reflux? Well you might as well just throw your pillow and your sanity out the window because you won't be seeing either for a while. These are just the large, broad topics that I plan to discuss with any of my friends prior to them conceiving for the first time (you know who you are and you've hereby been warned). Trust me, you'll thank me for it later.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change a thing and I've learned from my own experiences. But I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a small part of me that would have liked a brief heads-up prior to. Remember I'm a planner, so these unplanned events just really get me off track. I'm sure there were plenty of books that addressed all these various issues, but who has the time to sort thru 100's of books about bad possibilities, when all you want to look at are the 100's of books with baby names? So, that's what friends are for, they're the ones who you warn you but also be there to advise and listen once the issues transpire.

Wow, that was supposed to be a brief introduction and it turned into a rant! Aside from all the omissions, fellow parents do offer some stellar wisdom. I've often been told how children's taste buds can change and how sickness can be a big influence on these changes. (Thankfully, I'm living proof that kid's taste buds change because I survived on grilled cheeses and macaroni and cheese for years! I'm happy to report that I'll eat just about anything now that doesn't get up and crawl off my plate.) Since Colin has always been such a good eater, I let this advise go in one ear and out the other. I know what you're thinking, you're thinking that I just went on and on about people not giving advise, yet when they do I don't listen. I hear ya. OK? I hear ya! Up until last week, I had reason to ignore. Colin ate well and he had never been sick. That all changed Wednesday night. 4 outfits, 3 hurls, 2 bed changes, and 1 sick boy later, we finally got about 4 hours of sleep! Oh and I forgot to mention Wes and I each had 3 outfit changes and Wes was the recipient of said hurl directly in his face! The next day we didn't expect much from him in the way of appetite. He ate breakfast well and had a very bland, stomach-pleasing lunch and dinner. Since then, things he used to like are no longer acceptable. We had vegetable soup on Friday night and it was like trying to force-feed a monkey. He would twist and cry, all why keeping his lips tightly pursed together. His appetite has also diminished - which is not necessarily a bad thing considering my previous fear of him eating us out of house and home. He's just getting pickier, something we're not used to. He can't leave well enough alone, he has to keep us on top of our game.

Wes and I have decided getting sick to their stomach is just a right of passage for babies/toddlers. It's something they will all experience and it's just part of what dictates their culinary palates. Perhaps those with a pickier palate were challenged in the stomach region more as infants; whereas those who eat anything maybe weren't sick much. Luckily, these same friends who warned me of the taste buds changing also assured me that the likes and dislikes go in waves. So here's to the next post where I'll be back blogging about how much Colin eats and his perpetual tape worm! Who would have thought I'd long for those days?!

Chili Pie, Oh My!

I'm almost too embarrassed to post this recipe because I'll be admitting just how easy it really is! But at the request of a reader (thank you Review Lady for your support), I'm sharing the recipe for Chili Pie. I hadn't made this since I have developed my new method of sorting/storing my recipes, so it was somewhat of a challenge to find. It was on an actual recipe card. A what?! Can you imagine, our children probably won't even know what a recipe card is! Ah, the times are a changin'.

Chili Pie (by Mr. Food - again, a little dated)

1 T. oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 lbs ground beef (I used 1 1/2 because there's always way too much)
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15oz) kidney beans, drained
2 cups (8oz) shredded cheddar cheese (again I cut back a little since I wasn't using as much ground beef)
2 T. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 package refrigerated pie crusts (yes i cheat and actually use these)

Preheat oven to 400. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook 2-3 minutes, or until tender. Add ground beef and cook until browned; drain. Add tomato sauce, beans, cheese, chili powder, cumin, and salt; mix well. Cook 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is melted; set aside. Unfold a pie crust and place it in a 9-inch pie plate, pressing crust firmly against the bottom and sides of the plate. Spoon beef mixture into crust. Unfold remaining crust and place it over beef. Trim the edges of crusts and pinch together to seal. Cut several slits in top crust. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until crust is golden.