A day in the life

The New Norm

2012-01-24T18:28:00.000-05:00

Most of the boxes have been unpacked, i.e. the entire kitchen! I do have my priorities. After all, the kitchen was a huge selling factor of the house, so clearly I was most excited to get in there first.

After a few trials and tribulations with the double closings (our buyers had some issues with their bank that postponed their side for a bit), a few major pieces of furniture that wouldn't fit up the stairs, and a first night christening of vomit, the house is officially ours! It already feels like home and we feel so blessed to call it our own.

I had to take some extra keys over to our old house and it was a very odd feeling walking in. It had already become someone else's house to me and I felt like a visitor. When we left it for the final time the night before, Wes was a little emotional and nostalgic. Not me. I never turned back. I guess that's how you know you're making the right decision.

I had thoughtfully orchestrated where each piece of furniture was to go. I had a place for almost everything and was able to sell the remaining pieces on Craigslist (where has that been all my life?!). Well sometimes the best laid plans don't pan out the way you had envisioned. Unfortunately, our master bedroom took the brunt end of the pain. Our armoire, dresser, and box springs are sitting in our entryway, none of them able to make it up the stairs. The ceilings were too low and the pieces too big to make them fit. I'm still holding out hope that I can take the molding off the top of the armoire but without taking the banister off, the other pieces are no-gos.

After an exciting and exhausting day, we were all ready for bed. No one had any trouble going to sleep that night. We were all sleeping peacefully until about 3:30am when we heard Colin crying loudly. Wes jolted out of bed, only to find Colin had gotten sick all over his bed. He left a trail all the way to the bathroom. Wes and I just looked at each other and said, "Well the house is officially ours now!"

I have a new routine at night. I used to put the kids to bed and then play night watchman from my bed as I watched tv and played on the internet. Well our bedroom is too fancy for it's own good and our old box tv doesn't work in there with the fancy wiring. So I have literally watched about 10 minutes of tv since Friday. That has given me a chance to get more boxes unpacked, so I guess I'm not complaining. Hopefully that will be remedied soon. 90210 comes on tonight and I surely can't miss that!

The floors creak, the gas smells, not everything is in it's place, but it's home and we love it.

Stay tuned for pictures but I'm too much of a perfectionist to post pictures of unfinished rooms.

Weekly Recipe: Pineapple Fried Rice

2012-01-23T20:17:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I think I could be a vegetarian. That's something I never thought I'd be saying but I really prefer vegetables to meat. When I eat, I like to make my last bite a bite of my favorite part of the meal. If there's bread involved, that usually fits the bill but if not, it's almost always going to be a vegetable.

Several months ago I was watching some cooking program (maybe even last season's Top Chef) and the chef caramelized some pineapple. I can't remember the details of it but it involved roasting in the oven, I think, and the end result left the judges swooning. So when I came across this recipe from Ashley at the Edible Perspective, I knew I wanted to give it a try.

I loved the how the soy sauce added to the cooked pineapple gave it a nice sweet and savory contrast. The sauce leftover from this cooking method really makes the dish. With the hearty vegetables in the rice, who needs meat?!

**The only adaptation I made was to sub in additional sunflower oil in place of the coconut oil in the Pineapple Sauce.

Pineapple Fried Rice
by: The Edible Perspective

2c short or long grain brown rice + 4c water
3/4lb/12oz sugar snap peas
1c carrots, thinly sliced
2c bell pepper, sliced
1c bean sprouts
1, 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2T toasted sesame oil
2.5-3T tamari/Bragg’s/soy sauce
2T water
2T apple cider vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2T ginger, minced
3-4T sunflower oil
2 eggs
hot sauce, like sriracha [optional]

In a large pot, add 1T oil over medium heat. Once heated, add brown rice and brown for 5-7min, stirring a few times, until just starting to brown. Add 4c of water, bring to a boil, stir once, reduce heat to simmer + cover for 50min. DO NOT stir or uncover while cooking. After 50min, take the rice off the burner [still covered!] and let sit for 10min, then fluff with a fork.
Over med-high heat, add 1T oil to a large pan. Once hot, add sugar snap peas, peppers, + bean sprouts. Stir every few minutes, until crisp + lightly browned. ~6-8min
Reduce heat to med-low, add ginger, garlic, water chestnuts + carrots, stir for 1-2min and empty into a large bowl.
In the same pan that you cooked the veggies in, add 1-2T oil and heat over medium.
Add the rice, tamari [or soy sauce], water and vinegar. Let cook for about 5-7min, stirring every minute or so.
If cooking eggs, whisk 2 in a bowl. Create a well in the middle of the rice, add the egg in and cook like scrambled eggs.
Fold the rice and eggs together.
Combine the rice + veggies together, in a large bowl, with the toasted sesame oil.
Taste and add more tamari + sesame oil if needed.
Top individual portions with the pineapple sauce, sesame seeds, green onion, nori, etc.

Pineapple Sauce

4c chopped pineapple
2t tamari/Bragg’s/soy sauce
2t apple cider vinegar
1.5T coconut oil

Right after emptying the veggies into a bowl, in step 3, add the coconut oil to a cast iron skillet [or pan/pot] over med-high heat.
Once hot, add pineapple, tamari + vinegar, stirring occasionally, until the pineapple is golden brown. ~6-10min
Top on rice.

Is It Too Late for Christmas?

2012-01-22T21:28:00.000-05:00

It's never too late, right?! Pardon my absence over the last couple of weeks. Thanks for sticking with me. There will be more on that later but for now, let's catch up a bit, shall we?

I think I might have mentioned Colin's Christmas program at his preschool. After a lackluster performance last year, I instructed him to be sure to sing along this year and to sing loud enough for me to hear him. This was a rare time he had his listening ears on because the boy belted some "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and several other numbers.

There was no hiding behind the nose picker this time. Put the spotlight on the kid because he's ready to perform. I didn't say he was the next Justin Bieber but maybe Milli Vanilli. Just look at the excitement on his face as he gets ready to approach the stage.

And the crowd goes wild!

Well at least there was some excitement when it was time for the highlight of the morning, snack time!

He had those cookies and apple slices finished before Sawyer could even tug at Santa's beard. My boys sure do love to eat. I can't imagine where they get that from?!

It's amazing what changes in a years time. Last year Colin was painfully shy and would barely look at the audience, let alone sing up on stage. This year, he proudly marched up there, knew every word and belted it from the bottom of his heart. I can only imagine what next year will hold.

2012-01-18T11:21:00.000-05:00

I'm up to my eyeballs in boxes and bubble wrap. Wes is more nostalgic than I am, surprisingly, so the packing and purging is much more emotional for him. I've loved the opportunity to get rid of a bunch of stuff we don't use and will never use, but it hasn't always been easy for him to let things go. We're getting there though.

Don't be fooled, 28 days is not a lot of time to pack 34 years worth of belongings. Add to that 3 other people's stuff and you've got a lot of work. Part of pain has been brought on by myself because I'm such a perfectionist, I prefer to do it all myself so that it's done my way. Letting go is something I need to work on but when it comes to breakable objects, I'm just not there yet.

Along those same lines, I came across this great post entitled, "Finding Balance in Motherhood." It really came at just the right time for me, as I struggle with trying to do it all as a mother. Dr. Hansen's first step is to examine your personal belief system and find out what your expectations are in terms of being a mother and wife. That's no easy task but I'm up for the challenge. I know I try to do too much (my stress levels tell me so) but I feel like everything I do is necessary. I need to put pen to paper and write as Dr. Hansen suggests.

I know I'm not SuperMom but I can't convince myself to stop trying. What about you, how what are your expectations as a mother?

Back to checking things off my list and trying to remember every detail before closing on Friday!

Weekly Recipe: Scalloped Potatoes

2012-01-09T08:22:00.000-05:00

If you're watching the current season of Top Chef, you know that one of the contestants recently had to 'pack her knives' for the lackluster potato gratin she made. I knew it was bad when she assembled the dish the night before and didn't cook it. Didn't she know that cut potatoes turn brown when air gets to them? And without being soaked in water, what kind of texture are they going to have? Mealy. Yuck. As Tom Colicchio said, and I'm paraphrasing, "If you can't make simple scalloped potatoes, you're not going to be a Top Chef."

So what did I do? What any self-respecting home cook would do, I decided I needed to prove I was better than that chef and that I could make a great potato gratin dish.

I hadn't made scalloped potatoes in years but I had some leftover heavy cream in the fridge that I couldn't bear to throw away. Then I saw this recipe on My Baking Addiction and knew it was meant to be.

Look out Top Chef contestants, I'm coming for you!

Scalloped Potatoes
from My Baking Addiction

1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or a mixture of cream and whole milk)
1 sprig of fresh thyme (1/2 tsp of dried)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for broiling

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter or spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a medium saucepan, over medium-low heat, warm up the cream, thyme, garlic, and nutmeg. Keep your eye on the cream because you do not want it to boil over.
3. Place a layer of potatoes in the bottom of your prepared casserole dish in an overlapping pattern. Season with salt & pepper.
4. Remove cream from heat, pour a little over the potatoes. Top with some grated Parmesan. Make 2 more layers. Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven for 45 minutes.
5. For that delicious golden brown top layer, sprinkle some more Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 4-5 minutes.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

2012-01-06T11:49:00.000-05:00

Well apparently one person in our house doesn't.

Being a parent is anything but easy. On a good day, you may only raise your voice once. You may only slip into the other room to get a little peace and quiet twice. But those days are few and far between.

The typical day is filled with lots of questions that have no explicable answers, incessant talking, large doses of whining, occasional crying, and petty fighting. All of these things are mind-numbing and draining to say the least. Somehow we survive and push on. It's not easy but we manage. We manage because we have the hope of a new day tomorrow and we know that our children are learning new things and exploring their limits. They are sponges and it's our job to provide the water for them to absorb.

I get it. I really do. What I don't get and what I don't know how to deal with is arguing and not listening. I completely understand and appreciate the adage, "what goes around, comes around" but I wasn't a kid who thought it was cool to tune my parents out. When the tv was on and my mom called for us, I came running. My sister, on the other hand, was so immersed in the tv that she was often asked 2 and 3 times to come before she finally heard (listened). Even today, I'm just not capable of tuning things out. I wish I was. Oh how I wish I was!

As of late, Colin has turned off his listening ears. When we ask him to do something or get something, we're often met with a long dissertation of what he was going to do or why he doesn't want to do what we've asked of him. As you can imagine, our patience wears thin quickly and our calm voices are quickly replaced with much louder voices, sometimes even yelling. I know we yell out of frustration and it doesn't get our point across any better, but in the heat of the moment it's hard to remember that.

We typically give a warning as to what will happen if he doesn't do what we've said. Sometimes it's missing a book at night, other times it's missing dessert, but they all involve taking something away. It's not working.

Wes and I decided last night that we were done with warnings. They weren't doing anything but raising our blood pressure and making us that much more frustrated. We decided that going forward, not listening would equal spending time in timeout.

Then, this morning as I was cleaning out his backpack from school yesterday, I noticed the daily report sheet. On it the teacher wrote that Colin had trouble listening and following directions and thought it was funny when she tried to correct him. Another teacher had to come in and talk to him and a couple other children about using their listening ears.

Yes, it's somewhat embarrassing to know that your child is the one misbehaving and being "that" child but I'm over the embarrassment. How do I teach him to listen?!

The whole laughing and thinking getting in trouble is funny just adds salt to the wound. That just makes my blood boil even more and throws any rational thoughts right out the window.

So this morning I attempted to have a sit-down discussion with him about the note. He willingly sat down to listen but just as I got to the note, he got that smirky grin on his face. I tried so hard to remain calm and not let him win. Wes assured him this wasn't funny and to quit laughing. Then he turned his head and covered his face. Wes told him to turn around and look at me. He wouldn't. I told him that was it, if he wasn't going to listen, he could sit there until it was time to go to school (about 20 minutes). Wes proceeded to tell him he wouldn't get his blanket the rest of the day either.

Queue the flood gates. The screaming crying began and later was turned into yelling. Clearly we've got some anger issues buried in there too. Then he said he was ready to listen and I told him it was too late. I wanted to cave but I knew the discomfort of having to sit there was important. Then he began, "I want someone to talk to me."

As my heart broke into a million pieces, I stood my ground firmly in the kitchen, staring at Wes. I told Wes that ignoring my child, even his annoying ways, was one of the hardest things I've ever done. He agreed but we both agreed we needed to prove a point and stand firm. Finally it was time for me to leave for work and I went in, hugged him, told him I loved him, and said good-bye. He sobbed some more. My heart fell on the floor.

While part of me was in pain, there was another larger part that was hopeful. I want so badly for the good days to outweigh the bad. But right now, in the behavior department, they're not. I want the sweet, loving boy to be around all the time but I don't know how to channel him to come and stay.

Being a parent is teaching your child right from wrong but there's so much self-teaching that goes on in the meantime. I'm trying to take things in stride, not let things get to me so much, and let things go. I want to enjoy this precious time with my children and not dread knowing which behavior I'm going to be forced with today.

Any thoughts, ideas, or inspiration? Am I overlooking something that I could or should be doing? Am I being unrealistic or unreasonable? Help!

Guest Posting

2012-01-03T12:23:00.000-05:00

Before my world got turned upside down (in a good way), I volunteered to do a guest post for a fellow Kentucky blogger, Mindy at The World in My Kitchen. Mindy is overseas gallivanting about with her husband and his class of 16 college students. Must be rough, huh?

So go check out my post for Broccoli Cheddar Soup. It would be perfect on a cold day like today!

Pressing Pause

2012-01-02T16:42:00.000-05:00

Please bear with me while I take a brief break in the action. Someone hit the fast forward button without warning us and there's nothing I can do. We sold our house, bought another one, are frantically trying to pack, all while maintaining some type of normalcy for the boys (and us). We're super excited and can't wait to get to our new place and get settled. I

n the meantime, I'm afraid the posts will be few and far between. I'll be back just as soon as I can but I will continue to leave you little love notes on your blogs. Be back soon...

The Best Recipes of 2011

2011-12-30T07:50:00.000-05:00

Every year about this time I start seeing lists documenting the year in review for various blogs. Being that I love lists, I've always enjoyed reading them and have made mental notes that I wanted to do one of my own the next year. Well the stars must have aligned just right because I'm actually doing one this year!

These recipes received the most attention throughout the year. While I love each of them, there are a few that didn't make the list that were really good too. I might do another post with my favorites from the year.

January 2011 - Cheese Stuffed Hot Dogs with Spicy Onions

February 2011 - Sweet and Sour Chicken

March 2011 - Beer Cheese Grilled Cheese

April 2011 - Chocolate Cake with Mocha Cream and Chocolate Ganache

May 2011 - Shrimp Cobb Salad

June 2011 - Balsamic & Soy London Broil with Asiago Potato & Bacon Gratin

July 2011 - Thai Chicken Wraps

August 2011 - Fish Tacos with Fruit Slaw and Avocado Cream

September 2011 - Thai Turkey Burgers with Broccoli Slaw

October 2011 - Caramel Apple Cake

November 2011 - Citrus-Spice Seared Salmon over Parmesan Cheese Grits

December 2011 - Parmesan Cornmeal Biscuits

Here's to another great year of recipes!

Eggnog Two Ways

2011-12-28T14:44:00.002-05:00

One of the tell-tale signs the Christmas season is upon us is when I spot eggnog in the grocery stores. I can take it or leave it but Wes loves it. Our Whole Foods has been known to keep a running sample station of it up around the holidays and you better believe Wes takes them up on their free sample every time he goes (and that's once a week for those of you keeping track, since he does the shopping).

Well this year was no exception. The bartering began early and I caved pretty quickly. He eagerly sipped that first glass and then it sat. And sat. All alone in the fridge. Not being one to let it go to waste and see that money go down the drain, I set out to use every drop.

First, something the whole family could enjoy, Eggnog Waffles! The eggnog flavor was there just enough to provide a little extra spice. I had hoped to freeze some leftovers but alas, they were all eaten before I could stash any away.

The second recipe was more for my mom and I but when served with a breakfast for dinner meal, everyone eagerly gobbled up these Eggnog Scones. I'm a biscuity scone lover. I prefer the flaky layers to the coarse crumb texture and these fit the bill. The eggnog flavor was more pronounced in these little treats than the waffles but that eliminated the need to adding any butter, jelly, or other condiment to them. I opted to leave out the cinnamon chips and while I think they'd be a good addition, I really didn't miss them either. I also made these the day before and froze them until I was ready to bake them for dinner the next night.

Both of these recipes were ones I'd want to make again. You could probably get some eggnog on sale right now and whip up your own tasty treats!

Eggnog Waffles

adapted slightly from Pink Parsley

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup eggnog (low-fat is fine)
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1 egg

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the dry to the wet, and stir until just combined - be sure not to over mix!

Allow the batter to sit for 30 minutes. Preheat the waffle iron and cook the waffles according to the manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately with maple syrup.

Eggnog Scones
adapted slightly from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cold eggnog

Topping
1 tablespoon eggnog
1 tablespoon sugar

Combine the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder and nutmeg in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the cubed butter and mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter pieces are roughly the size of peas (some may be slightly bigger or smaller, that's fine).

In a medium measuring cup, whisk together the egg, vanilla extract and eggnog. Add to the mixer bowl and beat on low speed just until the dry ingredients are moistened and the dough comes together - don't overmix.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide it in half and shape each half into a circle that's roughly 6 inches in diameter and 3/4-inch thick. You can either slice each circle into 6 wedges, or use a 2 1/4-inch round cutter to cut 6 rounds from each (you'll have to reroll the scraps if you go this route). Transfer your scones to a parchment-lined baking sheet. If you've cut rounds, put them close together (about 1/2-inch between them). If you've cut wedges, leave them in the circular shape and just slightly pull them from the center to separate the edges about 1/2-inch.

Brush the tops of the scones with eggnog using a pastry brush, then sprinkle with the sparkling sugar. Freeze, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 F. (Note: If you are making these ahead, freeze on cookie sheet for 30 minutes then wrap individually and place in a freezer bag. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425 and proceed to next step.)

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown and feel firm to the touch. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the scones cool for a few minutes before removing them to the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 scones

Linking up to A Little Nosh and This Chick Cooks.

Ho, ho, ho

2011-12-24T19:27:00.000-05:00

I am such a cheapskate. I admit it. Colin is now 4 years old and I have yet to pay one penny for any pictures with Santa. Never fear, he has sat on Santa's lap (when he was able to get within 20 feet of him without freaking out) but I've always managed to be crafty in finding free Santas.

This year was no exception. I had planned on taking him somewhere else but the timing didn't work out that day and we didn't get to go. I was afraid the season would pass without him getting to sit on the big guy's lap but alas, his preschool pulled through for me!

Not only did we get to see Santa, Mrs. Claus was there too. And Santa read them a story. AND it was free! Doesn't this Santa look so authentic?

I knew Colin would have no issues sitting on his lap this year but what I didn't bargain for was him leaving his snack in order to be one of the first one's to visit the bearded man. Will wonders ever cease?!

As the kids were eating their snacks, Santa and Mrs. Claus were left all alone. I noticed Mrs. Claus eyeing Sawyer and I thought she might be the gateway to a successful photo opportunity. I was right! Sawyer didn't even bat an eye when I handed him to her. He just stared at Santa's beard and made me so nervous that he was going to try to pull it - luckily it looks real so I think we would have been ok.

I guess your thumb can get you through just about anything!

Merry Christmas to you and to you a good night!

Where's Santa?

2011-12-23T21:27:00.000-05:00

Is he here yet?

Secret Recipe Club: Parmesan Cornmeal Biscuits

2011-12-19T07:00:00.002-05:00

There are so many wonderful food blogs out there but not nearly enough hours in the day to find them all. Thanks to the Secret Recipe Club, I am fortunate enough to be introduced to a new one every month. Sometimes I'm familiar with the blog but most of the time it's new to me. I love getting to add new blogs to my Reader and this has proven to be a great way to find worthwhile sites.

This month I was assigned to Ann's blog, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. Sumptuous is a such a luscious descriptive word and her photos and recipes fit the bill. Ann is a self-proclaimed "health freak" and tries to cut the sugar and fat where possible. Hello? Are we twins? I have personal mental guidelines that a recipe must adhere to before it ever gets bookmarked. It was so nice to know that as I read through Ann's bounty of recipes, I didn't have to worry about a ton of butter, sugar, or additives. If you can make things like Berry White Chocolate Scones and Magical Mystical Chocolate Pudding Cake with less sugar? Sign me up! I ended up settling on her Parmesan Cornmeal Biscuits.

I'm here to tell you, these biscuits are incredible. I love the slight crunch from the cornmeal, mixed with the airiness of the flour. I love that she used yogurt instead of milk or buttermilk. I subbed Gruyere cheese in place of the parmesan and it proved to be a wonderful match! They came together so quickly and were a smashing hit. They got my bread-lovin' mom's seal of approval as well - and that's saying something! I highly, highly recommend these versatile little gems. I dare you to try to eat just one (:

Gruyere Cornmeal Biscuits
slightly adapted from Sumptuous Spoonfuls

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup 50/50 flour (white/wheat blend)
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 T. sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
5 T. chilled butter
1/3 cup freshly grated Gruyere cheese
1 large egg
1 cup plain low-fat or fat-free Greek yogurt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix first 8 ingredients (flour through baking soda) in a large bowl.
Cut butter into small bits and mix in with a pastry cutter, 2 knives or use your fingers to blend until butter is blended in and mixture is a coarse meal.
Add Gruyere cheese and mix until blended.
In a small bowl, whisk egg and yogurt until smooth.
Add the egg/yogurt mixture to flour mixture. Stir well to mix into a moist, thick batter. Add a little more flour if the batter is still really sticky.
Turn the batter onto a well-floured surface and sprinkle with flour.
Roll to 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick and cut into shapes.
Bake at 400 for 15 – 20 minutes or until nicely browned on top.

A Long Overdue Thankful Thursday

2011-12-15T11:34:00.000-05:00

This morning on my way to work, I was listening to a syndicated radio show that was granting Christmas wishes to some people that had been nominated by others. I've heard these stories year after year and one are just as heart-wrenching as the next. They always humble me and make me realize the many blessings I have and how much I have to be thankful for.

The story this morning was a real eye opener. The girl that was nominated is 19-years old, a college student, works 3 jobs, is raising her brother's 3 children, has terminal lung cancer, lives in shelters on the weekends because she doesn't want to expose "her" children to some of the goings on at her mother's house, and is about to lose her college scholarship because she had to miss so many classes for treatments that she has slipped right under the 3.0 cutoff to maintain her scholarship. Got all that? She is a true inspiration. She sounds like the most selfless person, as she indicated the reason college was so important to her was because having a part-time job just wouldn't cut it. She helps her mom pay her rent because her 100+ hour work week as a bus driver doesn't bring in enough income to pay all of her bills. She also helps her grandmother financially and remember she's also raising 3 children! She sounded so strong, so determined, and so humble. The dj not only gave her a $1000 gift card to Walmart but reached into his own pocket and gave her $10,000 cash. She was in tears. When asked the first thing she'd buy? Another set of school uniforms for her children because they only have 2 shirts and 1 pair of pants each.

As we approach the Christmas holiday, I ask you to remember the true meaning of season. I'm not one to get all preachy but I would encourage you to slow down, enjoy what you've been blessed with, and give the gift of joy to as many people you can. Christmas isn't about giving material items, it's about spreading cheer and celebrating the birth of our Savior.

In the spirit of Christmas, I wanted to get back on the Thankful Thursday wagon and take time to give thanks for some of the things that are often overlooked.

1) I am thankful for the chance to experience Christmas for the first time through the eyes of 2 small children. Seeing their eyes light up when they see sparkly lights, or when they see a talking snowman, or when they hear the boisterous "ho-ho-ho" of Santa Claus. Watching them take it all in just makes me smile. It's as if all the cares in the world have frozen for a minute, as I take in the simple beauty of pure jubilation.

2) I am thankful for the ability to plan for tomorrow. We have good jobs with stable incomes that allows for us to know where we'll be when we wake up in the morning. We're able to go to sleep at night knowing that we'll have something to eat tomorrow. We can set money aside so that we can go on a vacation sometime. While it's great to be able to look to the future, it's also nice to live in the now and enjoy the ordinary days too.

I encourage you to take 7 minutes out of your busy day to listen to this passage from Katrina Kenison's book, "The Gift of an Ordinary Day." Just a warning that the truth of this passage will probably cause a few tears. It's powerful and very thought-provoking, but mainly oh-so-true!

3) I am thankful for the chance to help others. This is not something I do as often as I could or should but it's something I'd like to do more. I love the personal satisfaction I get from knowing I've made someone else smile but more than that, I feel like I'm contributing to the world's work. I feel like I'm doing what He intended for me to do. I want to strive to do more, take less, and find ways to help as many people as I can. I also want to teach my children to be selfless and educate them of the importance in giving back to their community.

This was a somewhat heavy post but it's something that's been heavy on my heart. After hearing that heart-wrenching story this morning of the young girl, I knew I needed to write my feelings down and share it with you all.

Linking up to Thankful Thursday.

Double Duty Weekly Recipe: Baked Kale Chips and Walnut Crusted Tilapia

2011-12-13T11:43:00.000-05:00

I didn't want you to feel slighted since I skipped last week. To repay you for your patience, I'm giving you 2 recipes in 1! How kind, I know.

I look forward to cooking on Sundays because time is on my side. Sure I have 2 starving rugrats clawing at my ankles but I also have a very understanding husband (who also likes to eat) that does his darnedest to occupy them. Sundays suppers usually entail a meat and 2 sides that require a lot of time and attention - more so than the 30 minutes I'm typically working with.

It's my goal to have at least one of the items on the plate get rave reviews, but it's a real bonus when a dark horse also gets rave remarks. Allow me to introduce to you, Kale Chips.

I know, I know, you're probably thinking that either you don't like kale, or these sound disgusting, or my kids won't eat those. And all I can say is, try it! Colin was skeptical at first but we were all literally fighting over the last few pieces. Colin cleared his plate of these before anything else.

These are super simple, very healthy, and much more inexpensive than the pre-pakaged ones at the store ($8, really?!).

Baked Kale Chips

1 bunch kale, washed, ribs removed and cut into about 1-inch pieces

canola oil spray

salt & pepper

Wash the kale and spread out to dry on a large kitchen towel. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or just spray with canola) and arrange kale in a single layer on sheet. Spray evenly with canola oil and top with salt and pepper. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until some of the edges start turning brown.

*****
To accompany the kale, I served a risotto (coming later) and Pecan (walnut) Crusted Tilapia. I had made a nut-crusted halibut before and Wes mentioned it in passing not too long ago. Since it had been years since I had made that, I ran with that idea.

This is a really simple way to jazz up otherwise boring fish. The richness from the nuts and the oil they lend to the fish makes the fish super flaky, moist, and full of flavor. The original recipe stems from Southern Living and includes a Golden-Rum Butter Sauce. I made my own non-alcoholic version that complimented the fish very well.

Walnut-Crusted Tilapia
slightly adapted from Southern Living

Yield 4 servings

1/2 cup walnuts (or pecans)
4 (6oz) fresh tilapia filets
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
3 T (or more) butter

3 T. butter
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T. fresh lemon juice
2 T. fresh orange juice
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt

Process walnuts in a food processor until finely chopped. Sprinkle fish with salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Dredge in chopped nuts.

Melt butter in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat; add fish, and cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until well browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Depending on the size of both your filets and your pan, you may have to repeat this procedure twice. Serve with Golden Butter Sauce.

To make sauce: Melt 1 T. butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat; add shallot and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until shallot is tender. Reduce heat to low and whisk in remaining ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute; serve warm.

Weekly Recipe: Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls with Butterscotch Glaze

2011-12-12T11:31:00.000-05:00

I couldn't get motivated to post much last week. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and decided to retreat into my shell. I apologize for my absence but I want to make it up to you with these delicious cinnamon rolls!

If you remember back to Thanksgiving, I had a heavy hand with yeast, trying things never done before in my kitchen. I had such great success, I've almost been scared to chance fate a second time. Thankfully both the yeast rolls and these cinnamon rolls freeze well and I've been sampling here and there ever since!

I adapted the original recipe slightly, in that I subbed sweet potato for the pumpkin. I had baked Sawyer a sweet potato thinking that would be easy on his gums while he was teething but he wanted no part of it, or most any food. I certainly didn't want you to fear that I was out of pumpkin. Tisk, tisk. I have no fewer than 2 cans in my pantry right now (As a side note, don't stray from Libby! I've tried both Whole Foods and Trader Joe's canned pumpkin and it pales in comparison to Libby.).

These cinnamon rolls come together fairly quickly once they've risen. I would increase the amount of filling the next time but because of my Thanksgiving timing, I appreciated the calories that were spared! The butterscotch glaze is delicious but also very sweet, which may be why she decreased the filling. Either way, these are winners in my book.

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls with Butterscotch Glaze
adapted from: Sugar Plum

1/3 cup warm milk (not hot) (around 100-110 degrees F)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
2 T. oil (I used sunflower oil)
1 egg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
3 1/2 cups 50/50 blend flour

2 T. unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 T. butterscotch chips
2 T. cream cheese
1 T. sweet potato puree
1 T. milk
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

To make the dough, in a large mixing bowl whisk together 1/3 cup milk, yeast and granulated sugar until well combined. Allow to sit for 10 minutes until yeast is activated and bubbly. Whisk in sweet potato, oil, egg, baking powder, salt, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice until well combined. Stir in flour until combined, and a dough ball forms. Lightly cover and allow to rise in a warm area for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. (I used my oven. I preheated it on the lowest temperature, turned it off, then allowed my dough to rise in there.)

On a floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/4-inch thickness, into a rectangle. In a medium bowl, stir together butter, brown sugar and 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon until well combined; evenly spread on top of dough. Roll up dough, jelly-roll style. Slice into 10 equal pieces. Place in a greased 9-inch cake pan. Lightly cover and allow to rise in a warm area for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake rolls for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool pan on a wire rack. To make the glaze, in a medium bowl, stir together butterscotch chips, cream cheese, 1 tablespoon sweet potato and 1 tablespoon milk until combined. Microwave for 30-60 seconds, stirring frequently until melted (It doesn't take long! Don't scorch your butterscotch!). Whisk in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until well combined and smooth. Drizzle glaze over cinnamon rolls.

Makes 10 cinnamon rolls

Christmas Giving

2011-12-10T15:30:00.000-05:00

Apparently Santa came a little early for me. I think I should have played the lottery at the end of November because I was on a lucky streak with giveaways! I can't thank the givers enough for the bounty of goodies I received but I did want to at least share a few of their products with you.

First up was the delicious salted caramels I received from Firefly Confections. I honestly have no idea how I first stumbled upon this site but I'm sure glad I did! They specialize in custom sugar cookie, as well as chocolate chip cookies, and caramels. I had full intentions of turning over the caramels to Wes since he's a big salt + caramel person but after one lick, I decided we could share!

via

I'm amazed how they get the little grains of salt in nearly every lick. When I've had salted caramels before, the salt is all resting on the top, but not these. The caramel is rich and creamy and the added punch the salt gives just pushes these over the top. I highly recommend these for a great little stocking stuffer!

*****

Next, I received a wonderful surprise that I had won 25 personalized Christmas cards from 20 Going On 80! First let me say that I laughed out loud the first time I found her blog. The title pretty much sums up what people's first impression of me is. I've often been told I'm an old person trapped in a young person's body. I take it as a compliment that they think I'm that mature!

Melissa is a design student with mad skills. If the work she did for me is any indication of her abilities, she will really excel in her design career! She was so great to work with and super fast! I loved everything about the card design from the moment I saw it. When the package arrived, she spared no detail. The cards were wrapped in adorable Christmas wrappings. She also included some candycane twine to use for hand-delivered cards. She also threw in some complimentary candycane return address labels! Seriously, every "t" was crossed and every "i" was dotted. If you are still looking for that perfect Christmas card or want to do a Happy New Years card instead, look no further than Melissa!

Look at this adorable packing.

Our 2011 Christmas card:

I wish

2011-12-07T12:22:00.000-05:00

I wish there were more hours in the day. Although highly useful and life-changing, the internet can be a thorn in my side. I see all these great recipes, craft ideas, Christmas ideas, and all kinds of other things that would take more time than I currently have to offer, but alas, I haven't done one of them. I used to be a very organized person but I feel like that has gone by the wayside since I've had children. My life is now run, run, run and just hope to get the daily routine accomplished. I need to make a conscience (as in written) effort to schedule my time better and get to enjoy doing some of the things I love.

With that in mind, here are some wonderfully inspirational things I've seen around the internet (or internets if you're over the age of 70):

How yummy would these be on top of a warm cup of hot chocolate?

Homemade vanilla bean agave marshmallows

Need something to take to an office party and want a healthier option? How about this beauty?


Cheese Christmas Tree from Cabot Cheese

What a perfect way to start Christmas morning?!

Baked Eggnog Donuts

Need a cookie for a cookie exchange? This one looks easy and quite tasty.

Pecan Glazes

How cool would it be to host a Christmas party for kids that taught them about giving?!

Mirabelle Creations

Since I can't decorate as much as I want to this year, I'm left fawning over others. This one makes me want to curl up on the couch and never leave - and that's saying something for me who can't sit still for longer than 2 minutes at a time!

Holly Mathis Interiors

Now it's back to the daily grind. Back to trying to think of new and clever places to put "Poof Guy" that are high enough that Little Bit doesn't get to him. Back to thinking of the perfect Christmas gifts and finding the time to buy said gifts. Back to searching for weeknight meals that take less than 30 minutes from start to finish (luckily I have a treasure trove of these!). Back to feeling guilty for not having a creative craft for my children to do every weekend. But at least I can find peace in the fact we're all healthy, have a warm place to call home with food on the table, and more blessings than I could ever ask for. Merry Christmas!

He's Baaack!!!

2011-12-01T21:15:00.000-05:00

Look who joined us for dinner tonight.

When Colin walked in the door, I told him someone would be joining us for dinner. He sheepishly grinned and asked "Who?" He went over and his face lit up when he saw the elf. I think he must have forgotten his name because he called him "the elf." Totally understandable considering he named him "Poof Guy" last year.

Poof Guy left Colin a letter that Colin was very eager to read. He listened very attentively as I read.

Then the questions began. Was he sitting there when I got home? Did he already have that food? Does he have a fork? Can Daddy touch him? Is today Christmas? Is tomorrow Christmas?

Meanwhile Sawyer couldn't stop looking at him and grunting and pointing. I learned really quickly that I'm going to have to make all the hiding spots up high because a 1-year old doesn't understand the no touching thing.

For inquiring minds, Poof Guy had a healthy sandwich with lettuce, red peppers, cheese, and bacon. Sounds delicious, no?

Here's hoping Poof Guy works his magic and we have 23 peaceful days ahead!

Randomness

2011-11-30T20:25:00.000-05:00

None of the thoughts running through my head are worthy of their own post. Heck, they're probably not even worthy of a combined post but I feel like I owe you something. I mean it has been 2 whole days and all. I wouldn't want people to start talking.

1) Our timing for selling our house was terrible. Besides the obvious, no one wants to buy a house a month before Christmas, it also really puts a cramp in the holiday festivities. We haven't been able to put up our tree or any decorations yet because I don't want that to dissuade any possible buyers. Our tree is large and in charge and takes up a lot of space. I don't want it to make our family room look small. I have no idea when I'm going to do it or what I'm going to do. Heck, one of my preset radio stations is playing all Christmas, all the time and I haven't even been able to push that button in fear of hearing the dreaded festivus tunes.

2) I love my son. Really, I do. Like more than cake! But the clingy, mommy-only phase must come to a stop. There's only so much whining, crying, and throwing himself at me I can handle. Wes declared himself a "placeholder" tonight and sadly, that's not far from the truth at this point. As flattering as it may seem, it's not so easy to cook dinner, get ready, or go to work with a 16-month old on your hip. Trust me buddy, I'm not going anywhere.

3) Colin amazes me every day with what comes out of his mouth. Some of his recent thoughts:

"The next time we go to the beach, I want to ride in the airplane with Buff again so we can say "hi" to Granny." (You may recall my Granny passed away this summer.)

---

"How come last year we couldn't have our Christmas party at school because it snowed but it's supposed to snow today and we get to have it?" - The forecast just called for flurries today, thus school was not going to be cancelled.

---

"Mommy? Can I have eat this bracelet I made today for my dessert?" (Fruit Loops)

"No, Colin, I don't think that's a good idea considering you've had your grimy hands all over it all day."

"No I haven't," as he continues to rub all over it. "Well I've been nibbling at this one all day." He shows me a specific one that literally had 1 millimeter gone.

"I don't think so but you can have one of the cookies you and Buff made yesterday."

"Ok!" He proceeds to discard the bracelet by launching it on the counter.

---

Me: "How old do you think you'll be when you're as tall as Daddy?"

Colin: "One hundred."

Me: "Really?"

Colin: "Have you been one hundred yet?"

Me: "No!"

Colin: "Do you want to be one hundred?"

Me: "I guess so."

Colin: "How come you and Daddy are the same number (age) but you haven't grown as tall as him?"

Me: blank stare

4) Speaking of being old, I have a niece turning 13 this weekend. I can remember when she was a baby. Where has the time gone?! She's an amazing basketball player, a great student, and has a wonderful heart. I hope she thinks I'm cool enough to come to her party!

That's her shooting the ball in the black. She's also now as tall as I am.

5) I'm officially off-duty in the toy buying department for my boys. I just don't get it. Batman, bad guys, caves? How about dolls, makeup, and dress up? I might know a few things about that. Thank goodness Wes is still a big kid at heart. Without him, I'd be lost!

6) I need some good Christmas cookie inspiration. Anyone have a good, tried and true recipe I could take to a cookie exchange? I don't want just a chocolate chip cookie, I want something a little different. Suggestions?

Enough mindless chatter. Oh and I'm now officially addicted to Pinterest. Feel free to follow my newest obsession here.

Weekly Recipe: Quick Fluffy Yeast Rolls

2011-11-28T19:16:00.001-05:00

It is possible to overcome your fears. I inherited my mom's fear of baking with yeast but I was determined to not let it win. My determination finally paid off! Maybe we just hadn't found the right recipe or the right teacher. I'm pretty sure I found them both with Tina's Quick Fluffy Dinner Rolls!

I have had this recipe bookmarked for nearly a year now and I'm just now getting around to conquering my fear. What was I waiting for? Tina has spelled out every step in the perfect kind of detail I needed. She answered all the questions I've always had running through my mind as I've made other recipes in the past. She even provides a YouTube video that shows how to properly roll the dough without touching it too much. I'm here to tell you, if you follow her easy steps, this recipe is almost fool-proof! I shouldn't make that claim until my mother tries it but it certainly turned out perfectly for me!

Quick & Fluffy Yeast Rolls
recipe: Mommy's Kitchen

3/4 - cup milk
4 - tablespoons butter
3/4 - cup hot water
4 - tablespoon sugar
1 - teaspoon salt
4 - 4 1/2 - cup flour
1 - heaping tablespoon instant yeast

1. Pour your milk into a microwave safe container. Add your butter to the milk and put it in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.
2. While the milk warms preheat your oven to 170 degrees. Turn on the tap to get your water nice and hot. Temperature is important to making these rolls rise quickly. Put your hand in the water to test it. You want it to be just on the edge of unpleasant.
3. Put your milk/butter and hot water in the bottom of your Kitchen Aid Mixer. Add the sugar and salt. Then add 2 cups of flour...let it mix for 1 minute.
4. Add the yeast. Turn the mixer on and add the rest of the flour 1 cup at a time.
5. You have enough flour when the dough scrapes the side of the bowl clean. Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes. You need the plastic wrap to trap the heat.
7. Take a stick of butter and coat the inside of a 9x13 pan.
8. Spray your counter, or a cutting board with cooking spray. Lay your dough on top of it.
9. Take a sharp knife, spray it with cooking spray and cut your dough into 12 pieces. Make them as equal as you can.
10. Gently round them into balls, and put them in your buttered 9x13 pan.
11. Put the pan into your warm 170 degree oven. Let them rise for about 20 minutes or until they have risen about 1 inch above the rim of the pan.
12. Leave your pan in the oven and turn the heat up to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes (I baked mine an additional 7 minutes and they still weren't brown! They were done, just not brown). This time includes the time it takes the oven to increase in temperature. Bake until golden brown.
13. Brush with a little softened butter and serve warm.

Total Time: about 1 hour 10 minutes

Linking up to Tastetastic Thursday, Remodelholic, Lady Behind the Curtain, This Chick Cooks, and It's a Keeper.

The Thanksgiving That Never Was

2011-11-27T11:10:00.000-05:00

Before you get all sad and weepy, I assure you my Thanksgiving was just fine. No matter where I am, I have plenty to be thankful for. The fact that we were all safe and healthy (relatively), is more than I could ever ask for.

On to the story. Sawyer woke up at about 1 a.m. Thanksgiving morning. I went in to quickly soothe him (we've recently reverted back to the cry-it-out method after some bad habits had started to develop). I rubbed his back and noticed he was a bit warm but I didn't think too much about it.

Not 5 minutes after I left his room, he started crying again. This time Wes went it. Well Wes being the more phobic one of us, immediately felt his warm body and brought him in our room for me to feel him. I played along and agreed he felt warm. Wes was having no part of "warm," he was "on fire" and he began pacing nervously. I rolled over - such a caring mother - and attempted to go back to sleep.

I then hear Wes in the bathroom running water. I deduce that he is getting a cold rag for Sawyer - just what you want when you're trying to go back to sleep! Sawyer cries. Surprise! Feeling compelled to do something, I go and rifle through the drawer of random medicine. I find a Tylenol equivalent and read the label. "Children under 2; consult your physician." Super.

At this point, the only thing I could think to do is let Sawyer sleep on me. That may or may not have worked if Wes would have stopped rubbing his back every 3 minutes or so. I know he was just a concerned parent but again, who wants to be rubbed when you're trying to go to sleep?! After a few minutes of realizing this was going nowhere fast, I took Sawyer back to his bed. He slept until 6:30 a.m.

Somewhere in the midst of all this, I mentioned to Wes that Sawyer and I might not be able to go with him and Colin to his parents' house. He said, "We'll see."

Long story short, Sawyer and I opted to stay at home and let Colin and Wes make the trek by themselves. I was going to have to come back that night anyway to go to work on Friday, so this actually seemed to simplify things a bit. I told Colin we wouldn't be going, thinking he might be a little sad. Wrong. He said, "Ok" and went about his packing (that he had been working on for 3 days).

Sawyer and I enjoyed a great day of doing nothing. I shouldn't say nothing. While he took a marathon nap, I got to work in the kitchen making the one thing I knew I'd miss most about not going to Wes' family's meal - yeast rolls! It should be noted that I have a love-hate relationship with yeast. However, something came over me and I decided that I would win and I would be successful in making rolls. You know, sometimes a positive attitude is all you need.

I couldn't stop on my yeasting frenzy. I also decided to make Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls. I was a baking fool and I loved every minute of it! Additional posts to come with my delightful carb overload.

A local health food grocery store was having a Thanksgiving buffet and me and about 100 others decided that sounded just fine. Take a look at this spread. I was in heaven. It was healthy...er and it had things I wasn't using to having on Thanksgiving - caramelized Brussels sprouts anyone? Squash gratin? Yum!

To round out my great meal, my yeast rolls were some of the best I've ever made. Success! And the cinnamon rolls weren't too shabby either. And yes, I may have eaten both. If ever there's a day for a free pass, this has to be the day.

I'm also happy to report that Sawyer is on the mend. It looks like those pesky eye-teeth are to blame. He was doing all sorts of crazy things with his tongue and I felt around in there and felt 2 little shards of glass breaking through on the top row. Poor little guy. I'll just have to make a post-Thanksgiving meal for him to enjoy (:

Weekly Recipe: Orange Chicken

2011-11-21T20:46:00.000-05:00

Last week I posted a recipe for Braised Cabbage and I promised I'd share the Asian dish I served alongside it. As promised, here's the Orange Chicken dish that I was hesitant to make but I was so glad I did. I wasn't a fan of the corn starch and the frying but a little splurge every now and then is okay even for me! This dish was fantastic! It was very reminiscent of a dish you might find at P.F. Chang's or a similar Asian restaurant. Even though it certainly wasn't fat free, I still took comfort in knowing there wasn't a ton of sodium added to it and I knew all of the ingredients (including the organic, non-cat, chicken!). Give it a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed with this one!

Orange Chicken

adapted from Annie's Eats

For the marinade and sauce:

¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1½ tsp. finely grated orange zest
6 Tbs. white vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, grated
¼-½ tsp. cayenne pepper
1½ lbs. boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. cornstarch
2 Tbs. cold water

For the Coating and Frying:

3 large egg whites
1 cup cornstarch
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
3 cups peanut or canola oil

To make the marinade and sauce, combine the chicken broth, orange juice, orange zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper in a large saucepan and whisk to blend well.

Measure out ¾ cup of the mixture and transfer it to a large zipper lock plastic bag. Add the chicken pieces to the bag, pressing out the excess air and sealing well. Refrigerate 30-60 minutes, but no longer (the acid from the orange juice and vinegar will make the chicken mushy if it's left too long).

Place the saucepan with the remaining mixture on the stove and heat over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Add the mixture to the saucepan with the sauce. Continue simmering until the sauce is thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the strips of orange peel, if using.

To make the coating, place the egg whites in a pie plate or shallow bowl and whisk until frothy. In a second pie plate combine the cornstarch, baking soda and cayenne pepper. Whisk to blend. Drain the chicken from the marinade in a large strainer and pat dry with paper towels. Place half of the chicken pieces in the egg whites and turn to coat. Transfer the pieces to the cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly, shaking off the excess. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

To fry the chicken, heat the oil in a 11- or 12-inch round Dutch oven or large sauce pan until the oil reaches 350˚ F. Carefully place half of the chicken pieces in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through cooking. Remove from the oil with a skimmer or slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Return the oil to 350˚ F and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

When all the chicken has been fried, reheat the sauce if necessary, and toss with the chicken in a large bowl. Serve over rice.

The Secret Recipe Club: Citrus-Spice Seared Salmon over Parmesan Cheese Grits

2011-11-21T07:00:00.003-05:00

It's that time of the month again. No, not that time, the Secret Recipe Club time! Amanda is a genius for coming up with this club. I love getting my assignment and then I love seeing who got me. Then I ask, "I wonder why they chose that recipe? Of all the recipes on my blog, why that one? For the first 2 months, my secret admirers chose the same recipe! What are the odds? I swear I have more recipes than Marion Cunningham's Parker Brownies!

This month I was excited to be assigned Wendy from Weekend Gourmet! I was already a follower of Wendy, so I was excited to get to try one of her recipes I had already bookmarked. Wendy has the best giveaways too! I won one of the best, the Whoopsies! whoopie pies. She also just got back from NYC and seriously hit up every single place that is on my list for our next visit - Levain and Shake Shack in one day?! I wish she could have carried me in her purse (:

Decision time. With all the current hype in the blog world for Biscoff spread, these Triple Threat Biscoff Blondies definitely tempted me. Or how about the Margarita Fettucini with Turkey Tenderloins? I'm saving that one for my Thanksgiving leftovers! In the end, I settled on her Citrus-Spice Seared Salmon over Parm-Goat Cheese Grits. Say that 3 times fast!

What can I say? The combination of the marinade and then the rub gave the salmon an incredible amount of flavor! I think either would be great on their own accord but together, it's just packed with flavor. All 4 members of my family give this one a thumbs way up, especially little Sawyer who couldn't get enough of that pink goodness!

The modifications I made were minimal. I didn't have goat cheese, so I used a Asiago/Parmesan blend for the grits. Even though I've made grits dozens of times before with various types of cheeses, I have to say this flavor ranks up there with my favorites. I also have my own tried and true formula for grits that I have been threatened to stray from.

I clearly made a great choice with this recipe. Wendy, thanks for helping me prepare a great meal for my family. I already have another one of your recipes lined up to make next week!

Citrus-Spice Seared Salmon over Parmesan Cheese Grits
adapted from Weekend Gourmet

For the Salmon

Marinade:
1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (from 1 large orange)
1 large lime, juiced
1 T. olive oil
2 T. soy sauce
1/4 tsp pepper

Rub:
3 T. brown sugar
1 1/2 T. chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
zest of one lime

4 - 5oz pieces of salmon, skin on

For marinade:
In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together. Place salmon fillets in a large zip top bag and pour marinade over to coat. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours. (I only marinated mine for 30 minutes and it still absorbed quite a bit of the flavor.) While the fish marinates, make the rub by combining all ingredients in small bowl.

After the salmon has marinated, remove from fridge and apply a generous coating of the rub to the flesh side of the fish. Heat a large grill pan or non-stick pan with 1 T. olive oil over medium-high heat. Make sure it is hot enough before you proceed - you want to get a good sear on the salmon. Reduce the heat to medium and add the fillets, spice side down. Allow the rub to caramelize about 3 minutes before flipping. Continue cooking 5-7 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork in the thickest part.

Parmesan Cheese Grits

1 cup water
1 cup skim milk
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
3/4 cup instant grits
dash of salt
1/2 cup Asiago/Parmesan cheese blend

Bring water, milk, and broth to a boil. Gradually whisk in grits and salt. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove lid and whisk in cheese. Turn off heat but allow the pan to continue cooking on the burner for another 2-3 minutes to thicken up.

Ain't nothing going on but the rent

2011-11-18T13:39:00.000-05:00

If you don't get that song reference, I'll assume you weren't old enough to listen to music in the mid-90's. If you do, they don't make 'em like they used to.

Since it's Friday, I'm in weekend mode and therefore can't think of anything else. You know, once you become a mother your multi-tasking gene gets kicked into overdrive and you learn that you have to complete the task at hand, lest you'll end up on 15 different tangents, all while wondering what it was you were originally doing.

So as to not distract my little mind from the blissful, serene, obedient children, and otherwise perfect weekend it's creating, I'll share with you 7 things about myself that you've always wanted to know! You can thank Renee at Attack of the Hungry Monster for passing along the "Tell Me About Yourself" award.

7 glorious things that you'll probably wish you never knew:

1) I am the queen of returns. My husband jokes (firmly believes) that I but things just so I can return them. I can't help it. Maybe I'm a hasty buyer but I think it's the little gnomes that come out of the Target shelves and talk to your sub-conscience as you're shopping. What? You don't think they exist? Have you ever left Target with only the $5 razor you went in for? I rest my case.

2) I don't remove my makeup before I go to bed. Nope. Never have. I would try to give you a reason but I have none. I'm just lazy and I covet my sleep. I don't want anything to come between me and my sweet, sweet pillow! Yes, my white pillowcase is hardly white but he's just as soft as ever. I have done the whole nightly routine thing a time or two but I saw no visable differences the next morning (i.e. Heidi Klum was not staring back at me in the mirror), so I opted to stick to my old ways.

3) I tell my mom everything. Well maybe not everything but there are very few things she doesn't know about me. It's always been that way and I assume it always will. She is my best friend and I'm not afraid or ashamed to admit it. When I was a teenager and everyone else had their angst towards their mother, I was happily hand-in-hand with mine. I talk to her several times a day and I wouldn't have it any other way!

4) I haven't seen a movie in nearly 4 years. That's not an invitation to a pity party, rather a testament of my feelings towards movies. I'm generally not a fan. I don't like to sit still that long and I usually forget them 1 day after watching them, so I think they're a waste of my time. In high school, a girlfriend and I would use a highly scientific method to select movies. Brace yourself, this will tell you a lot about my scholastic fortitude. If there was a hot guy and we hadn't already seen it, that was the movie for us! Hall Pass anyone? T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E movie and to boot? Only mediocre guys. Waste.

5) I am extremely cold-natured but I have sweaty hands and feet. TMI? Perhaps but I'm just working on the whole "opening up" thing. It's true though, my sister would never hold my hand in church when we had to "all join hands" she would refuse. Of course that's only if she would even sit by me on that given Sunday. I loved my sister and she only liked me. I was only allowed to sit by her if she was in a good mood. Later in my sorority days, I had a friend who would only hold my wrist for fear of facing the sweaty palms. Thank goodness Wes doesn't mind my flaw. I'm sure this is some medical condition indicating some hormonal level being out of whack but I prefer to just keep sweatin' it out.

6) I ~~played~~ was a member of the girls basketball team in the 7th grade. I only dressed for the "B-Team" games. I did get some minutes but they were mainly spent dribbling the ball around the perimeter of the 3-point line. I wore glasses (big glasses!) then and I was afraid someone would bump into me and either hurt me or break my glasses, so I was a bit timid. Well that and I was about a foot shorter than most of the players and weighed probably 20 pounds less than the smallest person. I did have good ball handling skills (thanks, Dad) but that's where my talent ended. My most memorable moment was not a favorable one. After a teammate inbounds the ball to me, I promptly took off running toward the basket. The only problem was, it was the wrong basket! I should have known since there were no defenders in sight but I was too busy trying to keep my stomach contained to the inside of my body. To this day I wonder if anyone was yelling at me or if they were just in shock. I'd like to think I'd be able to hear a few dozen (b-team games were popular) people screaming at me but maybe I was too focused.

7) I was overcome with emotion and inspiration after reading this yesterday. I love doing things for other people but sometimes I need a little reminder that I should do it more often. This post not only had me in tears by the end, it had me ready to take on the world, one random act at a time. I decided not to wait until my birthday (what she had done) to get started. I used my lunch break yesterday to get a gas card. I drove to my mom's house, parked down the street a little so she couldn't see me, sneaked up her driveway and into her garage, and put the gas card, with a note that read, "I don't know what I'd do without you" on her windshield wiper. She transports my children a lot and I thought that was the least I could do. I can't wait to come up with more ideas for non-suspecting recipients!

If you've stayed this far, you're either very nosey or really want to get to know me. Either way, I applaud your efforts and thank you. Hopefully it was all you ever hoped for and more.

Now I'd love to hear from you. I'm supposed to pass this on to 15 other bloggers but I'd love to read any of your 7 things.

Pumpkin Snack Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-11-17T07:00:00.002-05:00

I have a new favorite combination - pumpkin and whole wheat flour. Somehow the wholesome, nuttiness of the wheat is a perfect match for the sweet and creaminess of the pumpkin. I just love pairing the 2 together whenever I get a chance. Somehow it makes me feel slightly less guilty about eating sweets knowing that there are wholesome grains in it!

Thanks to this Pumpkin Snack Cake, I've also found that I prefer butter to oil when baking with pumpkin. I realize most people would choose butter over oil, given the choice, but this cake really exemplified that for me. It lends an extra richness to the cake that I just don't think oil provides.

With those 2 nuggets of information, I present to you one heck of a great cake! I have made many iterations similar to this one but for whatever reason, this one ranks among the best. It's the perfect sweetness, texture, and flavor. Colin and I ate the entire pan of this, with the exception of 3 pieces that we gave away. Delicious!

Pumpkin Snack Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from First Look Then Cook (originally from Cooking Light)

Cake:

10.1 ounces white/wheat blend flour (about 2 1/4 cups)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (or butternut squash)
Cooking spray

Frosting:

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 (8-ounce) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Combine both sugars, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, to sugar mixture; beat well after each addition. Add pumpkin; mix well. Fold in flour mixture. Spread batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

To prepare the frosting, beat cream cheese and vanilla with a mixer at medium speed until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar and cinnamon, beating until well combined. Spread frosting evenly over top of cake.

Linking up to the Improv Challenge, hosted by Kristen at Frugal Antics of a Harried Housewife. A big thanks to Kristen for taking over this group!

;

Open House

2011-11-14T14:28:00.000-05:00

One thing you need to know about me is that I'm a very private person. It's not always intentional, sometimes I just think people don't care to know everything about me. I realize there's a huge gap between being open and telling your life story but I still continue to struggle.

I say all of that to say that I've been keeping something from you. No, I'm not pregnant, nor am I going to be a contestant on Top Chef. We've put our house on the market!

I'm only a few weeks late in sharing that bit of news but I guess there was a part of me that hoped we'd sell it in a matter of days and then I would tell you about it. So we haven't sold it but we have had quite a few lookers. That first week was full of let downs. We had showing after showing, with not a single offer. I realize that's how this process probably goes but it's all new to me and remember, I'm impatient!

We had our first open house this weekend and our Realtor said we had about 10 people. I even made them homemade chocolate chip cookies and had water bottles out for the taking. Wes made fun of me and said that was surely to seal the deal. Hey, whatever works! At least they know the oven works (:

Now we just sit and wait. Did I mention I'm impatient? Wes has told me countless times to think about something else but really, what else is there?! I know he's right; I'm going to end up with ulcers if I don't give it a rest. So, if you would, say a little prayer for us that we find the perfect buyer who wants to create a houseful of memories just as we have over the last 9 years (oh and that I won't get ulcers from worrying!).

Maybe one of you knows someone or is looking yourself to buy a home in Kentucky. We live on a quiet cul-de-sac, have great neighbors, recently finished our basement (copied from an episode of Divine Design on HGTV), and are in a great school district. Spread the word, if you know someone who might be interested, feel free to shoot me an email (de5181 (at) aol.com)!

Here are a few pictures from our listing.

Weekly Recipe: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Holy deliciousness, Batman! These are some yummy cookies. If you don't believe me, just look here, here, here, and here! Same great cookie, same great taste. With the slight alteration to incorporate some whole grains, I kept this one pretty much as written. If these other fabulous cooks didn't see the need to make any changes, why should I?

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from dlyn

Yield: about 3-4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
3¾ cups 50/50 white/wheat blended flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the coating:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
Dash of allspice

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Blend in the pumpkin puree. Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour (I made mine in batches over the course of 24 hours).

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Combine the sugar and spices for the coating in a bowl and mix to blend. Scoop the dough (about 2½ tablespoons) and roll into a ball. Coat the dough ball in the sugar-spice mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the sheets, spacing the dough balls 2-3 inches apart. Dip the bottom of a flat, heavy-bottomed drinking glass in water, then in the sugar-spice mixture, and use the bottom to flatten the dough balls slightly. Recoat the bottom of the glass in the sugar-spice mixture as needed.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until just set and baked through. Let cool on the baking sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store in an airtight container. Mine kept soft for at least 5 days before I finally froze the rest. They're just as good thawed too!

I'm joining in on the fun over at Mom's Crazy Cooking with her weekly challenges. This week is your best PUMPKIN recipe. Head on over and join in the fun. The party is happening all week!

Sneak Peek

2011-11-11T08:02:00.001-05:00

For whatever reason, ever since Colin has been born, I have always scheduled our family pictures in the summertime. I can't say it was really a conscience decision, it just seemed like the thing to do in the summer. I guess subconsciously I was thinking that the bright sunshine led to better pictures, thus the other seasons were out of the question.

This year both Wes and I had the revelation to have our pictures taken in the fall. The thought of the beautiful foliage and snuggly sweaters sounded like a good change. And since we were making all of these changes, we decided to try a new photographer as well. I have loved every one of the photographers we've had in the past (here and here) but sometimes you just want a different approach.

Through the powers at be on the cult Facebook, I was lucky enough to come across Liz Thomas. Liz is such an amazing photographer. From the moment I met her, I knew she was passionate about photography. She is artistic, personable, and having 3 boys of her own, great with kids. She guided us a little, while also letting us just be ourselves. She suggested things for us to do, which was much appreciated since my mind has a tendency to go blank when put on the spot like that. She was super patient with Sawyer, who decided to have a I'm-not-leaving-this-wagon meltdown, and even managed to snap her first ever family picture in the said wagon! Simply put, she's amazing and if you live in the area, I'd highly recommend her!

These beautiful pasture pictures didn't come without a price. I was the first one to fall victim to one of the many cow pies. Not to be outdone, Sawyer decided to stick his fingers in one - thankfully not the thumb-sucking hand! Finally, to get in on the action, Colin stepped in one with only minutes left in our session. Luckily, we didn't take any 'pie' home with us!

Here's a sneak peek of her beautiful work. How am I going to choose?!

Weekly Recipe: Sweet & Spicy Baked Acorn Squash

2011-11-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Well if I didn't lose you on yesterday's post, I may lose some of you today. I hope not though because this recipe is not to be missed. It's from the Southern-butter-lovin' lady herself, Paula Deen. As the name I've given her implies, this recipe does feature butter but as we all know, butter makes everything taste better - deep fried butter anyone?!

However, if you are new to acorn squash, this is a great recipe to serve as your introduction. It's sweet, ooey-gooey, and could easily serve as a dessert to any meal! Sawyer and I loved it but Wes and Colin couldn't seem to get past the look of it. Don't let the looks deceive you, it's mighty tasty.

Sweet & Spicy Baked Acorn Squash
adapted from Paula Deen Magazine, Sept/Oct 2011 edition

2 medium acorn squash (about 4 lbs total)

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

¼ cup maple syrup

½ tsp salt

½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp ground ginger

1/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

Preheat oven to 350.

Using the tip of a sharp knife, pierce squash several times on all sides. Place squash directly on middle oven rack, and bake for 40-45 minutes or just until tender. Remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle. (I preset my oven to start baking these beauties before I got home, so they'd be ready to go once I got there.)

Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Cut each squash in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds and stringy fiber. Cut each half into 2 wedges, and place on prepared baking sheet.

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, vanilla, and ginger; cook, stirring constantly, just until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and stir in pecans.

Spoon pecan mixture over squash wedges, and bake for 12-15 minutes or until tender.

Linking up with It's a Keeper Thursday and A Little Nosh's Tastetastic Thursday.

Weekly Recipe: Braised Cabbage

2011-11-09T10:22:00.000-05:00

If I have a handful of readers for this one, I'll be surprised. Remember what I suggested here, don't knock it until you try it! Who knows, this could be a favorite with your children. You never know what their taste buds will find appealing.

I needed a recipe that would use up the last half of cabbage from our CSA. This recipe seemed to fit the bill. This paired really well with an Asian-inspired dish (post to come). If you're looking for a simple way to use up some extra cabbage, this recipe is a winner.

Braised Cabbage
adapted from Never Enough Thyme

1/2 head of cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 of a medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 of a medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp bacon grease (or an extra tsp of olive oil)
1 cup chicken broth
dash of sesame oil, optional
salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil and bacon grease in large skillet. Add the onions and green peppers and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken broth, cabbage, and dash of sesame oil, if using, and bring a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the cabbage is wilted - about 5 minutes. Remove lid and continue to cook another 15-20 minutes until cabbage is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe Week: Grilled Stuffed Burritos

2011-11-08T11:22:00.001-05:00

Somehow I have gotten way behind in my recipe posts. I guess I've fallen off my 'one new recipe a week' wagon and have been making more new things. It's a curse, what can I say? I don't hear my family complaining though. So in an attempt to catch up a bit, I'm going to be posting recipes for a while. Hopefully you will find one or two that you will want to try and share with your family (or yourself!).

First up is a crowd pleaser, Grilled Stuffed Burritos. No, you don't drive your car to the nearest Taco Bell and go through the drive-thru, this recipe is easy enough to make at home with little to no effort on your part. I tweaked the original recipe a bit to cut down on the sodium (taco seasoning is loaded with it) and I also used queso fresco to try to make it a bit more authentic. I also gave away my George Foreman many years ago, so I was relegated to use a grill pan. It worked just fine.

The only complaint I have is that I'm not a skilled burrito wrapper. Perhaps I need to pay closer attention to the masters the next time I'm at Chipotle or Qdoba. They've got mad skills. If you don't believe me, just try to do it yourself. You'll see.

Grilled Stuffed Burritos
adapted from Semi Homemade Mom

2/3 lb ground bison (or beef)
1/3 package of reduced-sodium taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
1 can refried black beans
1 package of Spanish rice (look for low sodium - I used one from our local health food store)
1/4 cup salsa, plus additional for garnishing
1 1/2 cups crumbled queso fresco (or similar Mexican cheese)
6 burrito-size whole wheat tortilla shells
avocado, for garnishing
sour cream, for garnishing

Prepare Spanish rice according to package directions; set aside.

Brown ground bison (beef) in a skillet and drain. Add taco seasoning and water to bison and simmer over medium-low heat until liquid has absorbed. Stir in the refried beans and salsa (I found the beans stirred in a lot easier after I heated them in the microwave for a bit to loosen them up).

Preheat grill pan over medium heat. Warm tortillas in microwave for about 20 seconds. Place about 1/4 a cup of filling in the center of each tortilla, then top with a heaping spoonful of rice and a handful of cheese. Wrap, burrito-style, and place, seam side down, in your lightly oiled grill pan. Cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until grill marks appear. Top with your favorite garnishments.

Linking up to This Chick Cooks and Remodelholic this week.

Weekly Reader

2011-11-07T11:50:00.000-05:00

Wes and I agree on a lot of things relating to parenthood. I'm not sure I would have realized that as much had it not been for my mom pointing it out. She's right, it certainly makes things easier when you're on the same page (ha!).

One thing we both felt strongly about was reading to our children from an early age. Wes is an avid reader and I pretty much despise it. I didn't want to pass that on to my children, so I made a point of immersing them in books from day one.

From the time he was old enough to hold his head up, Colin has loved books. Whether it was the delicious taste of the corners, the rippable pages, or the colorful pictues, he would eagerly climb in our laps for storytime.

It wasn't long before he had memorized half of his library of books (and that's a lot of books for those inquiring minds). He would correct us if we missed a word (no skipping pages with this one!) and help us if our minds started to wander. When my mom doesn't have her reading glasses, he helps her with the words she can't see.

Little brother has followed in his big brother's footsteps. Now Colin not only enjoys being read to, he has taken the driver's seat and reads to Sawyer. It's incredibly precious how he asks permission to read to him. He is such a sweet and thoughtful child that he somehow senses just when I need his help the most. As I'm in the thoroughs of cooking dinner and Sawyer is pitifully handing me "Tubby" and grunting as if to say, "Please read this to me," Colin somehow takes the reigns and asks both his brother and I, "Bubby, do you want me to read 'Tubby' to you?"

He is a precious little boy with such a strong desire to learn. He's in an accelerated reading program at his school and although he successfully read the first book, his instructor sent a note home saying it appeared as if he had memorized it. Yep, he probably had. We've moved on to flashcards now and he's doing well with those.

The images like these just melt my heart and make me overcome with pride and joy!

**Disclaimer: The pictures might be blurry but the moment was far too precious to not be recorded!

People Like Me!

2011-11-04T11:32:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, I discovered a group on Facebook (Kentucky Food Bloggers) of local food bloggers like myself. I guess I'm only loosely a "food" blogger but I thought I'd qualify even at 50 percent. I was excited to see that there were several others blogging about their food passions. Who knew?!

We enjoyed our first group outing about a month ago as we dined together at a local restaurant and then mingled the next day at our annual Incredible Food Show. Let's back up to the dinner. We met at the lovely Jonathan's Restaurant in the historic Gratz Park Inn in Lexington. A local company, Alltech, sponsored our dinner and also sent a few representatives to dine with us.

It was so fun to get to meet some of the faces behind the blogs I had been reading for a while. I like to put a face with a name so this was a fun treat. Since we all had a common denominator, the awkward silence when you first meet someone didn't occur. We talked about typical bloggy things that I'm sure a non-blogger would equate to nerd talk. There were discussions about photography, how to stage pictures, blogging tenure, and the like. My only complaint was that we were spaced out so much we didn't get a chance to talk to everyone. That just gives us a good excuse to meet again.

The food was amazing. I think the highlight of the meal for me were the creamed collards served atop an Alltech ribeye. The collards were out of this world delicious, rich and creamy with a hint of spiciness from the horseradish. For the chocolate lovers, the dessert was sinfully delicious and rich with chocolate cake, filling, and ganache! You would think a food blogger like myself would surely take some pictures to share but alas, it was dark and I wasn't pleased with the quality of my photos. However, if you're a visual person, you can find some images here, here, and here.

Before we parted ways, we were all given fabulous swag bags featuring lots of local goodies that vendors generously doled out. There were also several giveaways, one of witch yours truly won - Americandy. (There's a complete list of the Kentucky products at the end of this post.)

The next day we were all given complimentary passes to our local Incredible Food Show, featuring the Voltaggio brothers from Top Chef. There were food vendors a plenty and if you like beer cheese, you would have loved all of the samples! I didn't get to stay to watch the Voltaggio brothers but I understand their cooking demonstration was, wait for it, incredible! I did get to sneak a peek of them as they were signing books, so at least I can say I've seen them in person.

What started as a little group has quickly evolved into a group of about 60 bloggers. It's exciting and reassuring to know that there are so many like-minded people in my little community that are creating home cooked meals on a regular basis. In a time where the home cook seems to be non-existent and a lost art, it's nice to know I'm not the only one trying to bring the family back to the dinner table!

A local magazine recently featured our not-so-little group in the article, Digital and Delicious - far more clever title than "People Like Me!" It's a great article about how the Internet continues to play such an integral part of our daily lives. If you scroll all the way to the bottom of the article, you'll even see my little old blog featured in the list of Regional Bloggers!!

Thank you to these generous contributors:
Jonathan's at Gratz Park
Incredible Food Show
Alltech
Bourbon Barrel Foods
Bauer's Candies
Herb'N Renewal
Weisenberger Mill
Whole Foods Lexington
Howard's Creek Authentic Beer Cheese
Elmwood Inn
Holly Hill Inn
Whole Foods Lexington
Lexington Chocolate Company
Americandy
Marksbury Farm
Lori Rice
Kentucky Cutting Boards
Bleugrass Chevre

Disclosure: The food and products reviewed in this post were given to me free of charge. I was under no obligation to post about them and received no compensation for doing so.

Weekly Recipe: Quick Breakfast Cake

2011-11-02T08:14:00.002-04:00

I love coffee cake for breakfast (or anytime) but rarely make it because of the amount of butter most recipes call for. I have a general rule that I try to steer clear of recipes that call for more than 1 stick of butter. The exceptions to that rule are cakes because I know I won't be eating the whole thing (hopefully) and I feel like the butter is more spread out. It's not but just humor me.

As I was making my weekly menu a week or so ago, I knew I wanted to have breakfast one night. I love pancakes but Wes often thinks we have too much food when I pair pancakes with another breakfast item for dinner. Tisk, tisk. So I looked for a way to get my sweet fix without lugging out the griddle. It's not lighter than pancakes would have been but because it was different, he didn't notice. Hee, hee!

This coffee cake is exceptional. With only 1 stick of butter, it fits into my boundaries, yet it tastes equally as delicious as the full fat versions. And with only 7 ingredients, you can whip this up in a jiffy! I added a couple blobs of cream cheese to the top for some extra calories and that proved to be a worthy decision (my waistline thanked me).

Quick Cream Cheese Breakfast Cake

adapted from Southern Living

Cake:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 oz cream cheese, softened

1 T. powdered sugar

Streusel:

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 T. melted butter

1 T. flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup almonds, toasted

1. Combine brown sugar, butter, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir in almonds.

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition.
3. Pour batter into a lightly greased 9-inch round cake pan. Stir together cream cheese and 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar. Dollop cream cheese mixture, 1 tsp. at a time, over batter. and top with Streusel.
4. Bake at 400° for 22 to 24 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Drizzle with Vanilla Glaze, if desired.

Optional Vanilla Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 T. milk

Stir together powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 T. milk, adding additional milk if necessary. Stir until smooth.

Linking up to Remodelholic, Lady Behind the Curtain, Crazy for Crust and This Chick Cooks!

Halloween 2011: The Costume

2011-11-01T15:28:00.001-04:00

Back to the hand-me-down homemade clown costume. I really didn't mind the costume year after year because I actually wanted to be a clown when I grew up. Who has aspirations of joining the circus and becoming a full-fledged clown? Me! I blame it on my dad who if he said it once, said it a million times, "I'm going to run away and join the circus."

I guess the words rang true in my head. I went so far as to research clown schools and knew there to be one in Florida that I was set on going to after high school. Did I mention I was painfully shy at this stage of my life and the thought of getting up in front of a crowd was terrifying? Thankfully, things changed.

Like I said, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. My mom has a lot of wisdom. The thought of paying some ridiculous amount of money on an outfit that will be worn once, maybe twice, for about 2 hours sounds horrible to me. I'm not saying that the Pottery Barn costumes are not totally adorable in their $59 glory, I'm just saying you can buy that for your little bit this year and I'll swoop in to my local consignment store next year and buy it at the meager price of $8! Deal?

Obviously it is to some people. I searched not 1, not 2, but 4 consignment shops looking for costumes. I thought I had found something at the first one but Colin wasn't sold. What, you're too old to go as an adorable plush lion? No turtle with green tights? But it even has the shell! No, only masks or super heros were catching his eye. The masks proved too scary for him once he got one on. One down. The super heros were made for the Jolly Green Giant. Two down.

On our last stop, I was determined we weren't leaving until we found something. I combed through the racks no less than 3 times, not coming up with many options. Colin was playing with some toys and would occasionally yell something about what/who he wanted to be and I'd ignore him. Finally, after hearing him yell the same thing a dozen times, I turned to see what he had found to be the perfect costume. It was a Kentucky Wildcat. What were the chances it would actually be his size? It was!

Into the dressing room we went with a skeleton (and mask), a race car driver, and the wildcat. As a side note, what clothing store doesn't have a fitting room? I guess when you're buying used clothes you're not supposed to try them on. We had to try them on in the bathroom and we were told that if they knocked on the door we'd have to come out. Let's make this quick. The skeleton was a no-go. No reason, he just didn't like it. The wildcat was next. It was about 3 inches too short but he liked it. Again, what bathroom doesn't have a mirror? This one. I stuck my head out to ask if they had a mirror in the store. The only one was a portable floor-length one they had behind the register. Do kids really not try on clothes? One look at himself, hearing the "oohs" and "ahhs" and he was sold. He didn't even want to try on the last one. Thank you, Mary! Sold for a mere price of $5.99!

So thank you to the person who surely paid $40 or more for this costume. I will gladly take your leftovers since I am neither creative enough or talented enough to whip one up myself.

I present to you the cutest Kentucky Wildcat (with high waters) in the entire state:

Posing, fake smile and all.

The penguin appropriately going towards the water.

This is the biggest sippy cup I've ever seen!

Let's see how it tastes.

She caught me but I bet I can smile my way out of it.

The only picture that was even reasonable with both of them together.

This trick-or-treating business is hard work!

I don't want Halloween to be over! Ha-rumph!

Halloween 2011: Pre-Costume

2011-10-31T20:00:00.002-04:00

To be perfectly honest, Halloween is not a big deal to me. Growing up we wore the same clown (homemade) costume year after year. We were not allowed to go door-to-door because my mother was ahead of her time in the worrying department and thought Halloween was the perfect opportunity for little kids to be abducted. She would drive us in her car to people's houses around our neighborhood that she knew. I think that was to limit the amount of candy we were allowed to collect. Looking back, maybe that wasn't such a bad idea, but then again, I don't like candy.

You heard right, I don't like candy. I have a huge sweet tooth but I'd prefer it to be satisfied with some homemade baked good, as opposed to hard candy or chocolate. I remember we'd come home with our minimal loot and we'd divide the candy into piles - hard candy, varieties of chocolate, and stuff we didn't want. I can't remember which house it was but someone always gave the same horrible candy (peanut butter kisses anyone?). The sorting was my favorite part. I liked seeing the piles and seeing what was the most popular candy for the year. I maybe ate 1 piece and that was just because it's what I thought I was supposed to do.

I honestly can't remember what happened to the rest of the candy but since my mom and I are a lot alike and I already have plans for Colin's candy, I can only assume where it went. The trash.

Colin does like candy. A lot. I fear it's partially my fault for withholding it from him for so long. He knows he can only have it if he eats a good dinner, so at least there's that. He won't be having any tonight because he decided he'd rather get up 5, yes F-I-V-E times this morning between 5:36 am and 7 am. I gave him 3 chances (strikes) and told him his punishment would be no dessert tonight, as in no candy. Time after time he got up, came and stood beside my bed and breathed heavily as he sucked his thumb. Or as Wes says, he stands there like a crazy psychopath about to find his next victim. You get the point, it's not a pleasant way to wake up.

After the third strike, I told him no dessert tonight. I immediately felt like the worst mother ever but I had given him 3 chances and one thing is for sure, you have to stick to your word and be consistent, or they will walk right over you. It was hard as he pitifully said, "But I want to go trick-or-treating."

I told him he could but he wouldn't be able to eat any of the candy tonight. In his room he went, sobbing. Again, my mind races with parenting doubt. "Don't cave," I reassure myself, "there's plenty of time for him to get to eat his candy."

And yes, there will be at least a few days that he'll be able to eat his candy. I think I'm going to let him pick how many pieces he wants to keep from his basket. That may seem like a bad idea to you but it's all part of my plan. You see, he almost always picks the number 4. He's 4 years old and that's the "it" number now. The rest of the candy? What doesn't get consumed by his dad will either be donated to our office stash or donated. I kind of feel guilty about donating candy but not everyone is as crazy as I am about the ill-effects of candy.

I was relieved to hear what treat he wanted Buff to put in his basket. Raisins. Maybe I haven't failed.

Climbing to the Top

2011-10-30T20:19:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we borrowed our neighbors ladder because we're not cool enough to own our own. Seriously, ladders are expensive. Did you know that? And when neither party in a household is handy, in fact they're clumsy, why would one waste money on something like a ladder? Really, it's just asking for trouble.

Lucky for us, we have Tim the Tool Man Taylor as our friendly neighbor and if he doesn't have what you're looking for in his garage, Lowe's doesn't have it either. Seriously, the man is always outside working on some project and even Colin will say, "What's William working on now?!"

So last weekend we needed to do some touch-up painting on the ceiling in our bathroom and neither our little step stool, nor me hoisted on Wes' shoulders, was cutting it. I saw William in his garage, so I seized the opportunity. I interrupted him from grooming his own dog (I told you he did everything) and he eagerly asked if I wanted a 6', 9', or extension ladder. Um, that one right there should do. I have no idea! How tall are our ceilings? Ok, I'll take that height.

Wes somehow managed to get the thing upstairs without putting any holes in the wall - a major accomplishment in and of itself. He also did a mighty fine job touching up our ceiling. But we wanted to make sure we were really finished with the ladder before we gave it back, so we left it there overnight just in case.

What happens when you have something new in your house with 2 small children?

A new ~~obstacle to hurt yourself on~~ toy.

Seems so innocent.

There's the rotten grin hiding behind the thumb.

Out comes the leg and here comes mommy the ladder comes crashing down.

Serious fun.

Did I hear a camera?

I'm happy to report that the ladder returned to it's rightful owner safe and sound. I think it's a good idea, for more reasons than one, that we don't own one of our own.

Friday Features from the Holiday Sweet Swap

2011-10-28T11:28:00.000-04:00

Well my reign as Holiday Sweet Swap Hostess is drawing to a close. Never fear, there will be 2 new great hostesses next month (A Creative Space and Crumbs and Chaos) and also in December that will provide you more drool-worthy recipes and features. I wanted to go out on a high, sugar high that is, note and leave you with 5 mouth watering recipes to get you motivated to get in the kitchen this weekend and bake up something delicious.

In no particular order, here's my list:

Pecan Chocolate Chip Gooey Butter Bars

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

Pumpkin Caramel Bars with Bacon (or not!)

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple and Toffee Frosting

If you're feeling inspired or have baked something recently, we'd love for you to share your recipe with us at the Holiday Sweet Swap link party! A big "thanks" to everyone who entered in the month of October!! I hope you'll play again in November. See you soon.

Holiday Sweet Swap: Pumpkin S'mores

2011-10-25T21:10:00.004-04:00

I made a huge sacrifice agreeing to be a hostess for the Holiday Sweet Swap. I mean make scrumptious desserts, look at other delicious desserts, and feature my favorite recipes? Twist my arm!

Believe it or not, I am not a big fan of s'mores. I'm not a huge chocolate fan and I'm also not a fan of marshmallows. I know I'm strange but there are plenty of other sweets out there that I do love. However, when I saw a recipe that combined s'mores (one of Wes' favorites) with pumpkin (one of my favorites), I thought this might just be a match made in heaven.

We did both enjoy it but I still ended up scraping my marshmallows off the top and picking out the chocolate chips. Actually, I did half the pan with butterscotch chips and the other half with chocolate chips, in anticipation of me not liking them. Turns out, I didn't really like the butterscotch chips either. They were too sweet and I didn't like the contrast of texture. Now the pumpkin filling is to. die. for. Just give me a bowl of that and I'd be one happy girl. I actually had a little leftover and ended up using that to make a pumpkin latte - yum!

Pumpkin S'mores
adapted from Taste and Tell

1/2 cup of butter
2 cups of pumpkin puree (I used a combination of pumpkin and sweet potatoes)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 cup of Graham cracker crumbs
45 graham crackers (approximately)
9 cups of mini-marshmallows
1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup of butterscotch chips

Preheat over to 450F Line a 9x13 baking pan with waxed paper.

In a small saucepan on medium heat, combine the butter, pumpkin mix, milk, cinnamon and bring to a boil. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in Graham cracker crumbs. Set aside.

Line 15 Graham crackers side by side ensuring that the entire pan is covered. Pour 1/3 of the pumpkin mix onto the Graham crackers and spread evenly using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Top the pumpkin mix with approximately 3 cups of mini-marshmallows, ensuring it is as even as possible.
Sprinkle evenly 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips and/or butterscotch chips over the mini-marshmallows.

Repeat steps 5,6,7, 8 twice more. In all, there will be three layers of graham crackers, pumpkin mix, mini-marshmallows and chocolate/butterscotch chips.

Bake for 4 minutes at 450F and place gently on counter when taking it out of the oven. Let it cool and set for 3-4 hours to firm up otherwise it will not cut well into squares (15).

Linking up to This Chick Cooks, Lady Behind the Curtain, What's on Your Plate, Tastetastic Thursday, and Remodelholic.

How to Enjoy Fall

2011-10-24T20:35:00.000-04:00

First you get your rake and find some leaves.

Then you rake them into a pile.

Then you admire your hard work.

Ready for takeoff!

Almost there.

Jump!

Sweet success!

Then you do it all again.

All while Little Brother watches from afar.

Until Little Brother sees Mommy and takes off towards her.

But no fall day is complete without your medicine dropper.

Ah, I love fall.

The Secret Recipe Club: Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Walnuts and Bacon

2011-10-24T08:00:00.001-04:00

I had so much fun last month participating in the Secret Recipe Club that I couldn't wait for my assignment this month! I loved getting introduced to a blog I might not have otherwise ever known about. This month I was assigned, Mele Cotte.

The first thing I like to do is to get a little background information on the blogger. It helps me feel like we're actually meeting for the first time, except in a stalkerish kind of way. Maybe describing myself as a private investigator makes it sound a little less criminal. Anywho, first up was to determine what the origin of Mele Cotte's name was. It means 'baked apple' in Italian. Yum, I love baked apples! We're on the right track. Then I discovered that Christina comes from a history of authentic Italian cooks and she is even certified by the Art Institute of Atlanta in baking and pastry! This should be good, I love Italian and I love baking (:

As I began scouring her blog, my usual indecisiveness reared it's ugly head. Should I use up that one lonely eggplant from my CSA and make her Stuffed Eggplant, or try a new grain and make her Mushroom Farro, or since it's starting to turn chilly, maybe her Tuscan Minestrone Soup? They all looked and sounded so yummy but in the end, I chose her Spaghetti Squash Gratin because it was something I hadn't tried, I had all of the ingredients, and it looked delicious!

Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Walnuts and Bacon
adapted from Mele Cotte

Spaghetti squash, about 3-4 lbs
4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
1/3 cup panko crumbs
1/2 cup cheese (dry mozzarella, or whatever you have on hand)
1 tsp chili powder
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Carefully slice the squash in half (heating it in the microwave for 2 minutes or so makes this process a lot easier!) and remove seeds. Rub flesh with olive oil and sprinkle with chili powder. Roast for about 40 minutes, or until you can easily comb a fork through the flesh.

Scrape out all of the "spaghetti" flesh from each half and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place half of squash in a greased 8x8 baking dish. Top with bacon crumbles, toasted nuts, and HALF of the shredded cheese. Top with remaining squash, followed by remaining cheese and panko crumbs.

Increase oven temperature to 375 and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the top is brown and the cheese has melted.

The Improv Cooking Challenge: Caramel Apple Cake

2011-10-20T08:00:00.004-04:00

I'm always up for a good challenge, especially one that involves food! I happened upon the Lady Behind the Curtain's brand new Improv Cooking Challenge where she assigns 2 mystery ingredients and we are given free reign to come up with whatever recipe our little hearts desire. I was thrilled to see the 2 secret ingredients for the month of October were apples and caramel. I knew one of my coworker's birthday was coming up and I knew he'd go for an apple cake. Off I went hunting for the perfect cake.

I think I found it in this Caramel Apple Cake. It has apples (that makes it healthy!), caramel, nuts, and more caramel in the cream cheese frosting. Holy cavity Batman, this is one sweet cake. You won't hear me complaining about that though. Aside from mistakenly refrigerating this cake, thus hardening up the caramel nuggets inside, this cake was a real winner. I think next time I might add nuts to the inside of the cake as well but there's already a lot of goodness packed in each bite.

With all the apple orchards overflowing with apples right now, this is a great fall cake to whip up for a family gathering or just to indulge in yourself!

Caramel Apple Cake
adapted from Mommie Cooks

Ingredients:

For the Cake:
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 C of brown sugar
1 C white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla
31/2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
2 large apples, peeled and chopped
7 Oz. (1/2 bag) cubed caramels, chopped
1/2 cup caramel apple preserves

For the Icing:
7 Oz. (1/2 Bag) of cubed caramels
3 T. whole milk
3/4 stick of butter, room temperature
6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups of powdered sugar
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts, optional

Directions:

Line two 9" cake pans with parchment paper and grease. Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together the two sticks of butter along with the brown and white sugars. Add in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Mix well and gradually add cake flour and baking powder. Then add evaporated milk and spices. Mix just until blended. Finally, fold in the apples and chopped caramels.

Divide batter between 2 prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, combine remaining caramels and milk and heat in a double boiler. Melt the mixture over low heat. Once it's completed melted, remove it from the heat and give it a few minutes to cool back down (not too long though or it will turn into a hardened mess!).

While your caramel is cooling, beat butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Add in powdered sugar. After the caramel has cooled slightly, add the melted caramel to the butter mixture. Mix well and refrigerate until you're ready to frost the cake.

Remove cakes to a cooling rack. Let cool, in pan, for about 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove from pans and baste with caramel apple preserves.

Allow to cool completely on wire racks.

Once cooled, assemble cake, frosting each layer.

Garnish with toasted walnuts, if desired. Note: This cake is best if eaten within 2 days of baking. Do not refrigerate cake or the caramels will harden back up, making it difficult to cut.

Sweet Baby Boy

2011-10-19T14:20:00.000-04:00

In the beginning of my first pregnancy, I honestly hadn't given much thought to the sex of the child I was carrying. I mean I only had a sister and, at the time, she had 2 girls. Why would I even consider having a boy? I had been saving her girl hand-me-downs for what seemed like eons - roughly 7 years. I had enough Rubbermaid totes of clothes to cloth a an entire state. I even painted one of the bedrooms in our house pink in anticipation of our future offspring.

You can imagine my surprise when the ultrasound showed I was harboring a little boy. Of course I was elated but the fear began to set in. What would I do with a little boy? All I knew was girls. What did I need to do to prepare myself for this revelation that was surely about to occur?

From the minute he was born, I just knew. I never remember doubting my ability to raise a boy. A child, yes, but not specifically a boy. Aside from the typical doubting all parents go through, I can't recall any boy-related questions that I haven't quickly found the answer to. Motherly instinct doesn't know gender, it's just there.

When I announced I was having a boy, the comments flooded in about how much boys loved their mothers. Don't all children love their mothers? My mom and I are the best of friends, and always have been, but I understand that is not the norm. Most girls bump heads with their mothers during their teenage years and certainly would not classify their mothers are their friends, let alone their best friends. So did this mean Colin would love me more than I love my mom?

Even though he's only 4, I'm beginning to see what they meant. Yes, girls love their mothers, but somehow it's just different with boys. For a boy to love their mother just seems sweeter, somewhat unexpected, if you will. Both of my boys prefer their mother's touch to their father's and they both gives hugs and kisses like they are going out of style. My heart melts every time one of those open-mouthed, wet and sloppy kisses is planted on my cheek. I smile from ear to ear when I hear Colin tell me that he loves me. For a boy to be so vocal about his feelings is just awesome!

Yesterday, Colin's daily report sheet from his school had a special note on it. It said, "Colin carried a special flower around with him all day today that he said was for his mom." There are honestly no words to express the way I felt when I read that. The saying goes that something 'melts your heart' and that's about as close I can come to explaining it. Even now as I type, I have a little lump in the back of my throat, you know the kind you get when you're fighting back tears. It's a feeling of satisfaction, honor, and pure bliss. Wow! I'm one lucky momma to get to enjoy 2 of these little delights!

Weekly Recipe: Slow Cooker Pork Tacos with Pickled Onions and Mango Salsa

2011-10-17T21:08:00.001-04:00

There are a few things that I make that I know Wes will love no matter what. Tacos with shredded pork are one of those things. We have a favorite restaurant in Cincinnati, Nada, that has a whole host of wonderful taco creations. One of the first times we went he tried the carnitas and was instantly in love. Since then he's progressed to the pork belly but it will be a while before that one pops up in my kitchen.

The carnitas were garnished with pickled red onions and guacamole. In an attempt to mimic the flavors, I decided to pickle some red onions as well but to change it up a bit with some fresh mango salsa. Just look at all those vivid colors on the plate. Yummy!

While these were no Nada tacos, they were pretty darn tasty. Wes commented multiple times at supper and again during his leftovers at lunch the next day. I think I succeeded in making something he'd enjoy!

This recipe is a great make-ahead recipe, as most of the ingredients can be assembled the night before.

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos with Pickled Onions and Mango Salsa

3-4 lb bone-in pork shoulder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
1 small red onion, about 1/2 cup
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 T. sugar
1 yellow mango (Ataulfo variety), chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 of a small jalapeno, chopped
small flour tortilla shells
Queso blanco or queso fresco

Do ahead: Mix all the spices in a small bowl. Trim the visible fat from the pork and rub the spice mixture into the meat. Really get it on there, rub for a good 3-4 minutes. Place meat in a zip-lock bag and store in the fridge overnight.

For the pork: Slice an onion in large chunks and place in the bottom of a slow cooker. Smash and peel 2 garlic cloves and add to the onions. Place meat on top of onions and cover with broth and water. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours.

Remove meat from slow cooker. Remove bone and any excess fat. Shred with your fingers or 2 forks.

For the pickled onions: Combine 1/4 cup water, red wine vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Slice the red onion as thinly as possible and add to the vinegar mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight as the pork marinates.

For the mango salsa: Combine the chopped mango, chopped jalapeno, lime juice, and about 1 tablespoon of the prepared pickled onions in a small bowl. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

To assemble: Arrange shredded pork on a flour tortilla. Top with queso fresco, pickled onions, and mango salsa. Prepare to delight your tastebuds!

This week I'm linking up to The Lens Love's Crock-tober, Remodelholic, The Lady Behind the Curtain, and This Chick Cooks!

Keep Swimming

2011-10-16T21:39:00.000-04:00

It's not for a lack of trying but the soccer star is still galaxies away. Playing at home and playing in the game are somehow completely different episodes. At home, he runs, he kicks hard, he's aggressive, he wants to score a goal, and he seems to understand the general concept. Then the snack fairy trance comes over him at his games and every skill he showcased at home is forgotten. He runs with herd but not in a hustling kind of way. He rarely, if ever, actually goes after the ball, let alone makes any effort to kick it. I feel like it's in there but right now the games seem to be about seeing his friends, making the kids laugh, and especially the 2 snacks! He literally jumps up and screams, "snacks" to signal to the world that it's time. Further proof he's destine to be a chef.

Last week, the star on our team (the coach's son) asked Coach Wes why Colin was so funny? So I guess all is not lost. Everyone loves a clown, right? Two games left but the coach assures us something magical happens between the ages of 4 and 5 and suddenly it just clicks with the kids at 5. Here's hoping!

Daddy doing double duty. Sawyer loved it. He got to be a part of the action without having to exert an ounce of energy. He's getting a head start though because he already kicks the soccer ball around the house.

Maybe Colin should just pretend the other kids are Daddy. He's getting really good at pretending and using his imagination, so maybe that would work. We shall see.

Friday Feature: Pull Apart Pumpkin Cinnamon Bread

2011-10-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

When I agreed to co-host the Holiday Sweet Swap for October, I couldn't wait to see some of the entries and get the chance to highlight a few throughout the month. I knew there would be tons of pumpkin, apples, and other fall goodies throughout and boy was I right!

It didn't take long for me to find one that made me drool. As a matter of fact, I honestly haven't stopped thinking about this recipe ever since. I had seen it elsewhere on someone else's blog but as I told Sweet Pea from Newlyweds, her photo tutorial was awesome! Sometimes I get bored of the step-by-step pictures when you're just combining everyday ingredients, but when it comes to something a little more involved and different than I'm used to, I appreciate the visuals.

This bread makes me want to jump through the computer screen every time I see it. If I could squeeze another hour or two into the day, this would be the first thing on my list to do. I may have to carve out some time to tackle this just to get it out of my head. See for yourself, doesn't it look amazing with all it's glorious layers and ooey goodness?!!

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Pumpkin Bread
Adapted from Sunny Side in San Diego, original recipe Willow Bird Baking
Dough
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour
Filling
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
Buttered Rum Glaze
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon rum (or Vanilla)
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black) about 2-3 minutes. Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through. Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool so it is no longer hot but also not cool (about 100-110 degrees F). Once it has reached a warm but not hot temperature add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof about 10 minutes. Then add the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.
While dough is rising, brown another 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well.** Making sure sugar evenly absorbs the butter. Set aside. Next, grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.
When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20×12 inch rectangle.*** Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
In the meantime preheat an oven to 350 degrees. After rising in the pan bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is a very deep golden brown.
To prepare the glaze, heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum and powdered sugar.
**I forgot to add the cinnamon sugar mixture to the dough before I cut it, so I just dipped each piece in the dough, both sides, and sprinkled the remaining on top.
*** If dough is difficult to roll out, cover with a towel and allow to relax for a few minutes then try again.

Goodnight Moon

2011-10-12T20:57:00.000-04:00

Sawyer is talking. How is that possible, he's only 15 months old? He can say "dahn" (down), "eet-eet" (eat, eat), "uh" (up), "ba-oon" (balloon), "booh" (book), and "da" (maybe daddy?). I can't imagine where he got his inspiration considering his brother talks non-stop. There is still the pointing and grunting but he makes definite distinguishable noises that mimic words. He's a hoot. My personal favorite is "hee-haw," as in the sound a donkey makes. It took Wes and I forever to figure out where he picked that up. It wasn't until he said it around my mom that she told us that's in one of the nursery rhymes/songs she plays in her car. He does it on command and it never gets old.

If he can't say the word, he'll gladly point to show you what he's talking about. In that same vein, if you ask him to show you something, he'll happily oblige and gets it right 9 out of 10 times. We were outside practicing soccer and Sawyer discovered the bright moon in the sky. He walked in that direction, pointing and grunting the whole way. He stuck his hands up, as if to say, "Pick me up so I can touch it."

Not quite, buddy. He was frustrated that he couldn't get to it and wouldn't stop with one try. He's also a persistent little booger! So now we can add "mohn" to the list of words. What's next? Encyclopedia?

Holiday Sweet Swap: Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins

2011-10-12T13:17:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I introduced you to the Holiday Sweet Swap that Pressed Down and Shaken Together was hosting. As a co-host I wanted to share a holiday recipe with you as well. It will come as no surprise to you that I chose a pumpkin recipe! In the fall, 99% of my desserts involve pumpkin, so it was impossible not to share a recipe with you that didn't include my favorite orange gourd.

This recipe is a keeper. That is if you remember to add the sugar! Wes tried to make me feel better by reminding me that I'm always trying to cut the amount of sugar in recipes, so I should be happy about it. I would have been if I didn't miss it. Thankfully the cream cheese filing and the crumb topping contain sugar and I managed to remember to add it to both of those. Not being one to waste, I still ate them, as did Colin (who was none the wiser). Note to self, when your sous chef is a non-stop talking 4-year old, read and reread the recipe multiple times so as to not forget an ingredient or step!

Someday I will remake these with the sugar but I have no doubt they're delicious. They were pretty tasty even without the sugar!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
adapted (on accident) from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Filling
6 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Topping
1/3 cup sugar
4 T flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 T cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-1/2-inch cubes

Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup oil

To make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar together until smooth. Transfer to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log that is about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Wrap and transfer to the freezer for at least 2 hours (or until firm enough to cut).

To make the topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter to cut it in until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Refrigerate while you make the muffin batter.

Preheat the oven to 350. Line muffin pans with paper liners.

Whisk the flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, and oil until blended. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated.

Remove the cream cheese filling from the freezer and slice the log into 16 equal pieces. Place just enough batter in each muffin well to cover the bottom - about 1-2 tablespoons. Put one slice of the cream cheese mixture in each well on top of the batter. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin wells, covering the cream cheese filling completely. Remove the topping from the refrigerator and sprinkle evenly over the muffins.

Bake the muffins for about 20-25 minutes, or until they spring back when gently pressed in the center. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool for 5-10 minutes before removing them to the rack to cool completely.

Makes 16 muffins.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-11T20:03:00.000-04:00

Slow down, Big Boy, you're growing up too fast!

Weekly Recipe: Creamy Chicken Taquitos

2011-10-10T20:38:00.001-04:00

Do you have certain food bloggers that you totally trust? Those that you feel confident in making any dish they post? It has so much to do with your personal preferences and what you find visually appealing. I have several blogs that I drool over on a regular basis and one of those is Annie's Eats. I am constantly amazed that she's a doctor, a mom, a fantastic cook, and manages to post an amazing recipe every day! Wow!

In one week, I bookmarked this recipe two times, from 2 different sites. After copying and pasting it to my Word file, I realized I had already copied it from Annie much earlier. I began to compare the recipes and noticed that they had both gotten it from Annie as well. Looks like I'm not alone in my not-so secret food crush.

I'm not sure I changed one thing about this recipe except subbing whole wheat tortillas for the plain white - oh and omitting the cilantro and green onions because I didn't want to buy a whole bunch just for 3 tablespoons. These were a huge hit and I'm anxious to make them again very soon.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos
adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ cup salsa
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, etc. would also be good)
10-12 6-inch whole wheat tortillas
Cooking spray
Kosher salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, spices, chicken and shredded cheese. Mix thoroughly until well combined (can be done the night before).

Briefly heat the tortillas in the microwave to make them soft enough to roll easily, about 20-3o seconds. Place a tortilla on a work surface. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the filling mixture down the middle of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla up tightly around the filling. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling, spacing the assembled taquitos evenly on the baking sheet. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. (You may be tempted to skip the sprinkle of salt, but it really adds a nice touch.)

(To freeze before baking, transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and chill the assembled taquitos 30-60 minutes. Transfer to a freezer-safe container or plastic bag. To bake from the freezer, simply add a few additional minutes to the original baking time, until the filling is warmed through.)

Bake 15-20 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Linking up to Lady Behind the Curtain and This Chick Cooks this week!

Stay tuned

2011-10-09T21:30:00.000-04:00

I'll be back to my regularly scheduled program tomorrow, after taking a day off. Thank you Mr. Columbus for sailing the ocean blue so that I may have a day off from work. Know that all your hard work was not for naught.

I'll be spending time with my favorite dudes.

Healthy Eating: Kids in the Kitchen; Get Cookin'

2011-10-05T19:19:00.000-04:00

Little did I know when I started this series that September was National Childhood Obesity Month. Melissa recently wrote a thought-provoking post that forces us to answer some tough questions. "Did you know that 12.5 million children are either overweight or obese? Did you know that this is the first generation of children that might not live as long as their parents?" And to cut to the chase, "Did you know that this is one of the most preventable problems in the United States?"

Melissa goes on to provide some resources if you want to learn more or find out what you can do to help. I'm going to attempt to do my part by giving you some ideas of solutions that have worked for us.

Harvard has released a new and improved take on the age old food pyramid, the "Healthy Eating Plate." The USDA "My Plate" a while back but Harvard took it a step further and provided better explanations, as well as a few changes. Whether you agree with the changes or not, what is uniform amongst both of them is the
fact that half of your plate should consist of fruits and vegetables, eat less, avoid over-sized portions, and replace sugary drinks with water. The Harvard plate takes it a step further and replaces the dairy circle with water as well.

The point is, if we want to end childhood obesity and protect ourselves from heart disease, some cancers, and a whole host of other diseases, we must change what we put in our bodies!

The first solution is to eat at home. When you eat out, you have no idea what goes into the food you eat. The term "hamburger" is a very loose term when you think of the dozen preservatives and other chemicals that are added to it. I use hamburger as an example but you could easily fill in the blank with anything you get at a fast food or sit-down restaurant. I'm not saying you can't indulge every once in a while but the goal is to eat as many meals at home as possible. You're not only doing your body a favor, your family will benefit as well.

While you're eating at home, get your children (and spouse) involved in the preparation. You might be surprised how much more your kids will be willing to try if they are helping wash it, cut it, scoop it, etc. I have gotten Colin to try several things this way and many times he eats his dinner allotment of veggies while standing on his chair helping me. Put yourself in their shoes, it has to be exciting to see what's going on up on that counter that Mommy works on every night. And then to get to sample some of the offerings before anyone else?! It's the little things, you know.

Allow your children to have input on the menu selection too. It helps take some of the guesswork out of it for you but it also makes them feel important that they got to pick what everyone is eating.

I think I've said this before and the "plate" above addresses it again, but strive to include as many fruits and vegetables with every meal as possible. Remember not all veggies are created equal - fresh is best, followed by frozen, and canned bringing up the very tail end - but some veggies are better than no veggies at all!

I hope you've enjoyed reading my mini series on Healthy Eating. I've enjoyed sharing with you some of my findings and personal successes. I hope you will strive to eat healthier and, in turn, pass that on to your family.

Weekly Recipe: Bacon, Mushroom, Mozzarella, & Caramelized Onion Pizza

2011-10-04T20:55:00.003-04:00

I am a sucker for any type of bread-related recipes, especially when it's the main entree. I love making homemade pizzas to use up items in the fridge but this one came together after seeing numerous pizzas around the blog community. None of the ones I found used these same ingredients and I think the combination turned out quite well. The onions provided a little sweetness to counteract the saltiness of the bacon. The mushrooms just soaked up the bacon goodness.

I used Sugar Plum's crust after she tried to duplicate one of my favorite pizza joints, Pizzeria Regina, in Boston. It wasn't your traditional crust, with it's high ratio of cornmeal but I loved it! It's been a while since I've been to Regina's, so I can't comment as to how similar the crusts are. This is a good, wholesome crust though.

Bacon, Mushroom, Mozzarella, & Caramelized Onion Pizza
adapted from Sugar Plum

Crust:
3/4 cup warm water (not hot)
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp honey
3/4 tsp salt
2 T melted butter, divided use
1 1/2 cup whole wheat bread flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal, plus additional for rolling

Toppings:
8-10 cremini mushrooms
4 slices of bacon

1 T. olive oil

1/2 of large red onion, thinly sliced

1 T brown sugar

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1-2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 cup pizza sauce (I like Muir Glen)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together water, yeast and honey until well combined; rest for 5 minutes. Mix in salt, melted butter, bread flour and whole wheat flour until well combined and a dough ball forms. Turn out dough onto a work surface, and knead in cornmeal. Knead dough for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

Lightly cover bowl and allow to rise in a warm area for 1-2 hours or until doubled in bulk.

While the crust is rising, fry the bacon, reserving 1 tsp grease. Crumble bacon and set aside. Add mushrooms to the pan and saute on medium-low for 3-5 minutes. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, add 1 T. olive oil if your skillet has gotten too dry. Increase heat to medium-high and add sliced onions. Allow to cook down for 5-7 minutes, stirring often. Add 1 T. brown sugar and turn heat to low. Allow the onions to caramelize for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and add 2 tsp balsamic vinegar.

Heat oven to 450 degrees F.
Roll out dough to a 1/4-inch thickness on a work surface. Transfer to a pizza stone or greased cookie sheet. Spread evenly with pizza sauce. Top with crumbled bacon, mushrooms, onions, then cheese.

Bake 15-18 minutes until golden and bubbly.

Linking up to Jam Hands, Lady Behind the Curtain, This Chick Cooks, and Remodelholic.

Review: Whoopsies!

2011-10-03T21:56:00.000-04:00

We're number 1, can't be number 2, we're going to knock the whoopsies! out of you! Did your cheerleaders do that cheer in high school? Cheers were one of those things that I took for granted were universal amongst high schools. It wasn't until I was chanting one of our lame cheers and Wes gave me the raised eyebrow, "what in the world are you singing" look that I realized some were school traditions. So, honestly, I'm not sure if that little cheer was an original or not but it sure has stuck with me over the years. Those cheerleaders and their hypnotic ways.

Several weeks ago I entered a giveaway on Wendy's blog and I left a comment something like, "I've never wanted to win a giveaway as much as I want to win this one!" What did I want to win?

via

COOKIES! Me like cookies! I love whoopie pies but I hate the amount of time and effort they require. So if someone is willing to do the work for me, it's a win, win! Enter Whoopsies! Gourmet Whoopie Pies.

The random integer man must have heard my sweet tooth calling because I won! I got to pick two of their full list of scrumptious flavors. It was hard because there were those I liked, those Wes liked, and very few that both he and I liked. In the end, I went with one we both liked and then rewarded myself with the win by picking my favorite as the second flavor.

The box came all adorably wrapped like the box above (that was actually Wendy's box because I was too eager and ripped my open before thinking of getting my camera). The inside of the box had cute polka dot tissue paper and confetti-like paper shreds. They had me won over before I even bit into the first cookie. Then I saw the cookies. Holy cow!

Just look at the size of those things! Oh baby, come to mama!!

The 2 flavors I chose were Drunk Blonde (vanilla cookies with bourbon cream filling) and Pumpkin Patch.

Be still my heart, these were Heaven on Earth, the bees knees, the piece de resistance. Whatever you call them, I call them good! I could barely fit the whole delicious cookie sandwich in my mouth but I wasn't complaining. I tried the pumpkin first and was blown away by the amount of spice and flavor in this bad boy. The cream filling had a hint of marshmallow creme (probably to help maintain the consistency). There was a good ratio of cookie to filling, as I felt like I tasted both in every bite.

The next night - yes I eat dessert every night - I tried the Drunk Blonde and surprising to me, I think I liked it even better. I wasn't sure it was possible after that perfect taste of fall goodness with the Pumpkin Patch but this one was pretty darn good. I like simple things and I love vanilla, so this just hit home for me. You could really taste an intense vanilla flavor in the cookie. If I had to find one complaint, it's that the bourbon didn't come across very strong in the cream. You have to remember, I'm from KY and we know our bourbon!

You can order these little dandies for yourself from their site or from calling their toll-free number. I can't wait to get another batch! I tried to make mine last longer by freezing them but that didn't keep me away. They only take about an hour to thaw out and that's just enough time to give the boys a bath, read books, and put them to bed. Then, and only then, it became sweet, sweet, whoopsies! time. Dear sweet Mrs. Whoopsie, I'm officially addicted to your cookie pies. In order to avoid the d.t.'s, could you please rush another box of delights to me? I promise to take good care of them!

Sawyer's First (real) Haircut

2011-10-02T21:31:00.000-04:00

Sawyer was very ready for his first haircut. He had been trying to tell us for days that he needed a cut but we just wouldn't listen.

It's amazing how quickly they learn the universal language. Let's get a closer look, shall we?

Poor second child, Mommy didn't get to witness it. Once you see it once, you've seen it enough. As much hair as our family has, there will be plenty more. Plus, I had already cut it numerous times at home and saved some precious locks (that I now have no idea where they are).

So Daddy took him and got to wear a glamorous zebra cape. Arrrr!!

Look at those luscious locks. Sorry mullet, maybe next year.

Voila! A lovely bowl cut. Not exactly what I would have chosen but with that face, is there a wrong one?

Handsome.

Sawyer loved getting his hair cut. I mean, who doesn't love someone running their fingers through his/her hair? He better get used to it. I see a lot of ladies standing in line.

Holiday Sweet Swap

2011-10-01T07:37:00.003-04:00

Since I can't personally send each and every one of you a holiday care package (although I'd love to), I thought I'd do the next best thing and provide you with a plethora of inspiration to create your own! I have agreed (and been chosen!) to be a hostess for Keri at Pressed Down, Shaken Together and her first ever Holiday Sweet Swap! I'm so excited to be getting in on the ground level and hope you will join me in the fun!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Here's how it will work:
1) Over the next 3 months, 6 hostesses (2 per month) will host a link-up party. You, my Betty Crocker-esque bakers will submit your favorite holiday sweets recipes. It can be anything from quick breads, to candy, to cookies, cakes, and pies. As long as it's sweet, you can submit it! It can be your own original recipe, one you've adapted, or one you copied from another source. If possible, please provide a link to the original source.

2) The link-up party will go on for the entire month, so feel free to add as many recipes over the course of the month that you wish. I will be joining in on the fun and submitting a couple recipes of my own - it's not fair for you to have all the fun (:

3) During the month I will select a few recipes to spotlight, based solely on my taste buds. However, I'm not too proud to accept monetary donations, should you wish to bump yourself up in the line (: I'm just sayin'. Anywho, stop back by during the month to see if you've been featured and to see your name in lights!

Chocolate Cake with Mocha Cream

So let's get this party started! Get cooking, post your link, and watch for your recipe to be highlighted during the month. Come back often to see what other great recipes have been added. Please also remember to share the blog love and comment on some of the other recipes.

When linking to your recipe, please be sure to use the actual post URL and not just your blog address.

Happy baking!

Big guy

2011-09-28T22:01:00.000-04:00

Have you ever thought about when someone grows? Do we get taller when we sleep? Do we grow by millimeters as we nourish our bodies? And why is that we tend to notice it after the fact, like when someone has grown nearly a foot? I guess we don't notice it when we're around the person day in and day out, but step away for any length of time and it becomes quite obvious.

What/who has gotten me thinking about this? This little (big) guy:

I swear I feel like he's grown a foot, grown into his protruding belly, and gotten sweeter (and calmer) in the matter of 1 day. How is it possible that all that can happen so quickly? I should be used to how quickly things happen by now, seeing as how I have a 14-month-old that was just born yesterday.

Since he's wearing his soccer gear, I feel compelled to at least mention his progress, or lack thereof. He still runs with the pack but he did make strides the second game and actually kicked the ball once or twice. I think the time of his game has a lot to do with his performance. He's too tired to give much effort in the games later in the afternoon. He gave his best performance in the game that was played early in the morning. Too bad we don't have many of those.

Wes practiced with him this weekend and Colin looked like he had been playing for years. He took the ball from Wes, kicked with authority, and dribbled like a pro. I asked him why he didn't do that in the game but I got no response. I suggested that maybe it was because the kids weren't Daddy but he still didn't respond.

As with everything in his life, Colin does things on his own time. I think he has inherited his mother's perfectionism and wants to wait to do something until he can do it perfectly. Let's just hope he perfects it before the season is over!

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

2011-09-27T23:37:00.003-04:00

And so it begins.

Where'd my baby go?

2011-09-26T21:43:00.000-04:00

I didn't lose him. Well not exactly. But I did blink and I feel like my baby jumped head first into toddler-land.

Preparing for a good read.

Oh, this is a good one.

I'm on the edge of my seat it's so good.

The end.

Weekly Menu Plan

2011-09-26T13:56:00.000-04:00

For added inspiration to eat healthy and plan ahead, I thought I'd link up with Keeper of the Home and post my weekly menu as part of "Plan It - Don't Panic." Stephanie is hosting a 6-week menu planning party to encourage everyone to plan their meals ahead of time and avoid unhealthy meals and hurried dinners. Being a planner, I think this is great and look forward to seeing what everyone else has planned. Even if you don't link up your menu, it's a great resource to find inspiration and a ton of recipes!

Without further ado, here's my weekly menu:

Monday: Turkey, Artichoke, & Swiss Paninis with Wedge Salads (bacon, tomatoes, ranch)

Tuesday: Dinner at Mom's (breakfast)

Wednesday: Beef and Pork Keema with Naan Bread

Thursday: Creamy Chicken Taquios, Corn & Black Bean Salad(this is one of our favorites), chips and salsa

Friday & Saturday: Kitchen closed!

Sunday: Tasty Pork Tenderloin, Creamy Light Mac'n'cheese, chard/kale

The Secret Recipe Club

2011-09-26T07:00:00.011-04:00

In the days of the Babysitter's Club books and clubhouses, I always wanted to form a secret club, girls only no less, or be invited to be in a similar club. The furthest I got was the foot of my bed with my trusty Cabbage Patch dolls. They all eagerly accepted their invitation and none of them gave me any "yeah right" stares. Those were good friends to have - no backtalk, no tattle-telling, no bossing, just obedient friends.

I've never really lost that desire to be a part of a secret club. I'd even be satisfied with a secret bookshelf in my house that gave way to a secret entrance into a secret room. Can you tell I'm all about secrets? I love to surprise the ones I love with secret destinations and gifts and I like to be on the receiving end too. Maybe I'm just a secretive person.

When I first read about The Secret Recipe Club on Peggy's blog, I was very intrigued. At first I kicked myself for not thinking of it myself and then I wondered if I could be a part. Finally a club I could be in? Say it's not so! It was so and thanks to Amanda, I am a newly inducted member!

Each month we are secretly assigned a fellow blogger and we must find a recipe on their blog that we'd like to try. We make the recipe and report back on our reveal day. Sounds fun, doesn't it!

For my introductory month, I was assigned Pass the Sushi . Admittedly I was nervous. I didn't know the first thing about making sushi! I didn't have any of the necessary equipment and I don't like raw fish. I clicked on over and was relieved to find not a nary sushi recipe in site. What I did find was a whole host of recipes I wanted to try. Not surprising, I was indecisive and couldn't choose just one recipe. Thankfully there is a time limit put on us or I just might have tried to make every recipe that sounded good. Peanut butter banana cookies anyone? Yes, please. Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies, deep dish style? Yet in the end, it was the non-dessert option that won me over; Thai Turkey Burgers with Broccoli Slaw it was!

These burgers came together pretty quickly and effortlessly. I did alter the ingredient a bit because I was too lazy to shred a carrot and garlic powder seemed much easier than getting fresh garlic out of the fridge. Hey don't hate me, I try to cook a gourmet meal in 30 minutes, so I'm not afforded such luxuries sometimes. I also omitted the egg in the mix because eggs are a hot commodity in our house and I knew they'd be ok without it. I loved the slaw on the burger but I did modify it slightly so I could use up 1 of the 2 heads of cabbage I already had.

Overall, these burgers were a hit. I'd add a bit more seasoning next time because ground turkey needs a lot of help. The slaw added an extra dimension of flavor and a nice little crunch. I liked the concept of incorporating Thai flavors into a burger and I'm anxious to play with the concept a bit more another time. Thanks, Kita, for a great recipe.

Thai Turkey Burgers with Broccoli Slaw
adapted from Pass the Sushi

1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1 lb of ground turkey
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp chili paste
2 T. cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp lime zest
1 tsp curry powder
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Preheat your grill pan to medium-high heat.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Form ground turkey mixture into patties.

Grill for about 4 minutes on each side.

Serve with broccoli slaw as a side or on top with toasted buns.

Broccoli Slaw

5-6 cups chopped Napa cabbage (cut as fine as you can)
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 cup mayo
juice of 1 lime
bunch of cilantro
1 tbsp chili paste
1 teas of sesame oil
salt and pepper

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at least 20 minutes, or overnight, so that the flavors meld before serving.

Of course I couldn't stop there. I had so much fun making these, I decided to whip up the Skillet Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie too! What can I say about chocolate chip cookies that hasn't already been said? Me like cookies!

Healthy Eating: Kids in the Kitchen; Building a Foundation

2011-09-22T20:56:00.024-04:00

I've gone back and forth with the direction I wanted to take this post. I have so many ideas running through my mind but none of them seemed worthy enough for an entire post, so I've decided to separate my ideas into 2 posts; Building a Foundation and Get Cookin'.

I also want to preface this post by saying that these are my opinions and examples of what has worked for me. I'm not here to judge your parenting styles and don't mean to step on any toes, should I differ in the way I approach my children's eating habits.

Eating healthy has been important to me for a while but I think it was magnified once I brought another life into the world. As a parent, I want to do everything in my power to make sure I provide a solid foundation for my children. Not only am I trying to be a good role model for his character building skills, I'm also trying to teach him healthy eating habits that will carry him the rest of his life.

There are some things mothers do without really thinking about why or how. Breastfeeding was one of those things. I never really gave a second thought about not doing it. As Colin's d-date drew closer, I began to hear tales of inability to produce enough milk, milk not coming in, nursing making you crazy, and several other discouraging stories. I am the type of person who likes to prove people wrong. Just tell me I can't do something and then watch what happens. Thankfully, I was able to nurse both of my boys for over a year. Yes the bonding was wonderful but knowing what I was putting in my child's body was even more rewarding to me.

I've heard of recent studies that indicate mothers who eat a variety of foods while nursing have children who are more willing to try new foods. That certainly makes sense that if the child was exposed to a variety of flavors in the milk that they would perhaps recognize and be familiar with them when they're presented later.

While it does make sense, I'm by no means a doctor or research analyst. It seems to be true in my case but I know others who have not found it to be true. But there are more variables here than just milk consumption. What about the way the foods are introduced? How often, how much? These, along with several other factors, also play a part in steering clear of the dreaded "picky eater." This is a good chance for me to remind you that I was a very picky eater so I do know a little about this behavior first hand.

Whether your child was breastfed or bottle fed, that is neither here nor there. What is important now is making sure they are properly nourished and are being exposed to a variety of foods. Let's start from the beginning (a very good place to start). The first step before we even delve into the list is for you to make the decision you want this to work and commit to making it happen. Once you have a positive attitude and that determination, you'll be off on the right foot.

Here are a few steps that should help if you start from the get-go.

1) Expose your child to a variety of baby food. Whether you make your own (very easy by the way) or buy it, there are many varieties available. Try them all! Just because you don't like sweet potatoes doesn't mean your child won't.

2) Try flavors more than once! It's easy to call it quits after one time of being sprayed with peas but everyone has an off day and babies are constantly developing new taste buds. Wait a few days and try it again. Maybe their stomach hurt the first time you gave it to them, or maybe they weren't hungry. There are too many factors to rule out a food after just one taste.

3) Once you move on to finger foods (solids), give them samples off of your plate. Kids want to eat what you're eating. This will force you to eat better as well. If you're having grilled chicken, peas, and carrots, give them small bites of each. Chances are the first time they'll spit it out because of the texture and it being something new. If they don't like it, go back to baby food and try again tomorrow. Another option is to give them a bite of baby food, followed by a finger food. I've also put the solid food on top of the baby food and fed it to them that way. Colin preferred to pick the items up himself and try them for the first time, while Sawyer fared better if I was the one putting them in his mouth. The point is, just keep trying.

4) Don't give up and resort to bread or sweets! Once they get the taste of delicious carbs and/or sweets, it's over. My best advice is to put off introducing sugar as long as you can. Let fruit be their dessert. They'll think it's great and will never know the difference.

5) Eat as a family. This is important on so many levels but in this instance, it puts you all on level playing ground. They'll learn dinnertime is not a time for playing around, it's a time to eat what's put in front of you and enjoy time with the family. Even if it's not feasible for you to do this every night, the more the better!

6) Prepare meals that everyone can enjoy! This, in my opinion, is key to getting your kids to eat a variety of foods. This is where your meal planning really comes into play. It's a great time to try new vegetables (maybe even for you) and talk about them. We always tell Colin that he has to try at least one bite and if he doesn't like it that's fine but you don't know until you try it. He has repeated that sentence so many times and most of the time he's found out he actually likes it. By providing a nutritious meal for your child, you are benefiting yourself as well.

7) Don't make them a special meal or they will grow to expect it. Once you start, it's hard to turn things around. I have a friend who can attest to this firsthand. Your kids won't starve. When they get hungry enough, they will eat what's in front of them. I would encourage you to try to have at least one item that they like or sort of like so they don't feel like you're plotting against them. If you are trying to get back on track, start gradual. Start by introducing one new thing and make them eat a bite of that before they get the item that you know they already like. The next week, make it 2 things they have to try, and so on.

8) It's okay if you don't like something but don't assume your children have the same taste buds. I think this is what affected me most as a child. My dad was a picky eater and we didn't have a huge variety because of it. My mom did the best she could but after a while I was tired of green beans and corn. Variety is the spice of life! It's okay for your children to see you try something for the first time. It's also okay for them to see that you don't like it. But if you want them to keep trying new things, it's only fair that they see you keep trying. Our adult taste buds change too, so don't assume that if you didn't like something 5 years ago that you won't like it now. Try it, you might be surprised!

9) Don't assume your kids won't eat it. I try very hard to never say, "Oh he won't eat that" or "He doesn't like that." You are putting words in his/her mouth that aren't necessarily true. This goes back to the fact that kids' taste buds are constantly changing; just because they didn't like something last week doesn't mean they won't love it today.

I realize some of these ideas may not be feasible for everyone. I've tried to provide several different ideas in hopes that you could find one or two that would help you in your situation. I hope I've helped some and I'd be more than happy to offer further suggestions, should anyone need them. Just keep your eye on the prize and keep telling yourself, "My child will eat healthy!"

Through his eyes - Take 2

2011-09-21T20:48:00.000-04:00

In case you didn't get enough of our budding photographer, he was back at it the next night. For your viewing entertainment, Wes and I were his subjects. Again, we're still working on holding the camera still. As a person who is very critical of herself in pictures, I actually prefer the blur.

Strike a pose.

There's nothing to it, vogue!

Oh, what happened? Let's try again.

By this point I started to get a little loopy. There are only so many pictures you can have taken before you feel like you are a subject of the papparazi.

Finally, we were asked to bow. I guess that means our photo shoot had come to a close.

In the meantime, see the car seat in the lower left? During all of our antics, Sawyer had managed to drag that halfway across the house and was pleased as punch with himself. He was none the wiser that we were in the midst of a Glamour Shots shoot.

A great "before" shot of our pre-haircut. We are both in desperate need.