Lunchtime has always been a quandary for me. I'm not a huge breakfast eater, so by lunchtime I'm eat-a-horse hungry. The problem is, I can't take a long break out of my day to make something awesome for lunch. So I finally decided I needed to come up with an easy lunch that I could make at the beginning of the week that we could eat leftovers of for the rest of the week (my kids are boring and love repetition.) Enter Smoky Black Bean Burritos. Mmmmmmmmm...
Smoky Black Bean Burritos
Ingredients:
1 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
8 oz mushrooms, diced
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 c. spinach, roughly chopped
1.5 Tbsp. olive oil or butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
* 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (about 2 Tbsp.)
Whole Wheat Tortillas, Monterrey Jack Cheese, additional Spinach, and Sour Cream for topping
* Use your discretion on this - sometimes the peppers are really hot, sometimes they're not. So adjust accordingly so that the burritos are edible. If the peppers are too hot, you can compensate with the adobo sauce. Overall, you're looking to add about 2 tablespoons of chipotle pepper/adobo sauce.
Method:
1. In a large sauté pan, heat oil/butter over medium-low heat. Add minced garlic and chipotle pepper/adobo sauce and sauté until fragrant.
2. Add the onions and green peppers. Sauté until tender-crisp. Meanwhile, dice the mushrooms and spinach and mash one of the cans of black beans with a potato masher.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes, just until they're tender.
4. Add the mashed black beans, the whole black beans, the spinach, and the salt and cook until heated through.
5. Stir the tomatoes in right before serving.
To serve: Spoon 1/4-1/3 cup smoky black beans in the center of a tortilla, top with shredded cheese and microwave for about 30 seconds (so that the cheese it melted and the tortilla is soft.) Add a large handful of spinach and a dollop of sour cream; roll that baby up and enjoy!
Showing posts with label baking/recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baking/recipes. Show all posts
Monday, October 6, 2014
Friday, April 11, 2014
Grandma Sakis' Bierrocks
For those who keep up with me on Facebook, you know that I spent my day Tuesday making Bierrocks.
Making bierrocks is a labor of love for me with a lot of memories wrapped up in them. Growing up in a staunchly German town (and family) bierrocks were well-known and always well-made! The schools even served them for lunch! Around here, just about everyone knows what a bierrock is, but in case you've stumbled upon my blog from a decisively less German upbringing, a bierrock is a soft roll filled with meat and cabbage and onions. The person I most associate with bierrocks is my Grandma Sakis who would've been 98 today.
Grandma Sakis was THE epitome of a what a grandma should be. I can remember spending the night at her house once when I was seven or eight and for whatever reason, she and I were doing the dishes together. I remember talking and talking (and TALKING) to her about everything going on in my class: the other girls, cartwheels, recess. I can vividly remember standing on the moss green chair in the corner of her kitchen showing her some kind of gymnastics move that my friend Adrienne had taught me. She just listened, seeming to fully enjoy the conversation (which was rather one-sided I'm afraid.) One Sunday morning after Mass (after spending the night) my siblings and I raced up Grandma and Grandpa's front sidewalk to their porch. When we turned around, Grandma had just gotten to the picket fence (about 25 feet from the front door.) She had the (skeleton) key to the front door and I think we yelled "Come on Grandma!" and she RAN - IN HER CHURCH SHOES - to the front door!! I'll never forget it!!!
I don't think I ever had the privilege of making bierrocks with Grandma, but I remember eating them at her house regularly. Thanks to my cousin, I have a copy of her recipe in her beautiful cursive handwriting. Written no doubt with her favorite pen.
Dough: 4 cups warm water, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. salt, 2 Tbsp. melted butter 1 pkg. yeast, enough flour to make a soft dough (12 cups give or take.)
Filling: 3 lbs. hamburger, 2 medium onions, 1 head cabbage, salt and pepper, 1/2 c. water, 1 T. flour
Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water and let proof for 5 minutes. Add yeast mixture to a large bowl, then add the salt and melted butter. Gradually add flour, first whisking, then stirring with a spatula, and finally kneading it in by hand until you have a soft dough. Put dough ball in an oiled bowl, turning to coat the top, cover, and let rise about 1 hour, knead down and let rise again until doubled in size.
In a large pot, brown hamburger, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the onions and cabbage and adjust the salt and pepper until it's flavorful - it should taste good - not bland! Add the water and flour and steam with the lid on for about 10 minutes.
Divide the dough into 8 balls, leaving the ones you aren't working with in the oiled bowl, covered.
Working with one ball at a time, roll the dough as thin as pie dough and about 12 inches square.
Cut into 4 pieces.
Place a generous 1/3 cup of filling on each square.
Bring corners together and pinch, then seal the seams.
Again bring the corners to the middle, pinch, and press.
Place on a baking sheet with sealed edges down. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. (If you are going to freeze them, just bake them for 20 minutes.) Remove from oven and butter the tops.
Transfer from baking sheet to cooling rack and enjoy!
Bierrocks:
Yield 32 bierrocks
Ingredients
Dough:
4 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 pkg (or 2 1/4 tsp.) yeast
*Enough flour to make a soft dough (12 cups give or take)
Filling:
3 lbs. hamburger
2 medium onions, chopped
1 head cabbage, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp. flour
Method
Dough
Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water and let proof for 5 minutes. Add yeast mixture to a large bowl then add the salt and melted butter. Gradually add flour, first whisking, then stirring with a spatula, and finally kneading it in by hand until you have a soft dough. Put dough ball in an oiled bowl, turning to coat the top, cover, and let rise about 1 hour, knead down and let rise again until doubled in size.
Filling
In a large pot, brown hamburger, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Add the onions and cabbage and adjust the salt and pepper until it's flavorful. Add the water and flour and steam with the lid on for about 10 minutes.
Assembly
Divide dough into 8 balls, leaving the ones you aren't working with in the oiled bowl, covered. Working with one ball at a time, roll the dough as thin as pie dough and about 12 inches square. Cut into 4 pieces. Place a generous 1/3 cup of filling on each square. Bring corners together and pinch, then seal the seams. Again, bring the corners to the middle, pinch, and press. Place on a baking sheet with sealed edges down. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. (If you are going to freeze them, just bake them for 20 minutes.) Remove from oven and butter the tops. Transfer from baking sheet to cooling rack and enjoy!
*I used a whole wheat flour/whole wheat pastry flour combination. Proportionally, probably twice as much whole wheat flour as the pastry flour. I didn't measure!
Making bierrocks is a labor of love for me with a lot of memories wrapped up in them. Growing up in a staunchly German town (and family) bierrocks were well-known and always well-made! The schools even served them for lunch! Around here, just about everyone knows what a bierrock is, but in case you've stumbled upon my blog from a decisively less German upbringing, a bierrock is a soft roll filled with meat and cabbage and onions. The person I most associate with bierrocks is my Grandma Sakis who would've been 98 today.
Grandma Sakis was THE epitome of a what a grandma should be. I can remember spending the night at her house once when I was seven or eight and for whatever reason, she and I were doing the dishes together. I remember talking and talking (and TALKING) to her about everything going on in my class: the other girls, cartwheels, recess. I can vividly remember standing on the moss green chair in the corner of her kitchen showing her some kind of gymnastics move that my friend Adrienne had taught me. She just listened, seeming to fully enjoy the conversation (which was rather one-sided I'm afraid.) One Sunday morning after Mass (after spending the night) my siblings and I raced up Grandma and Grandpa's front sidewalk to their porch. When we turned around, Grandma had just gotten to the picket fence (about 25 feet from the front door.) She had the (skeleton) key to the front door and I think we yelled "Come on Grandma!" and she RAN - IN HER CHURCH SHOES - to the front door!! I'll never forget it!!!
 |
| Grandma and I, twenty-five years ago today. |
Dough: 4 cups warm water, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. salt, 2 Tbsp. melted butter 1 pkg. yeast, enough flour to make a soft dough (12 cups give or take.)
 |
| If you're a math/science nerd like me, the warm water should be between 110-115 degrees for optimal yeast action. |
Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water and let proof for 5 minutes. Add yeast mixture to a large bowl, then add the salt and melted butter. Gradually add flour, first whisking, then stirring with a spatula, and finally kneading it in by hand until you have a soft dough. Put dough ball in an oiled bowl, turning to coat the top, cover, and let rise about 1 hour, knead down and let rise again until doubled in size.
 |
| Grandma always said Maggie Becker was the very best at knowing when to stop kneading to have a soft loaf. My mom always told me to check for when it springs back when you poke it with your finger. I figure that less is more with kneading, so once it springs back and "looks right" I form it into a ball and call it good. |
Add the onions and cabbage and adjust the salt and pepper until it's flavorful - it should taste good - not bland! Add the water and flour and steam with the lid on for about 10 minutes.
 |
| Yes, I switched pots. I was making a double batch. It was SO MUCH! |
Divide the dough into 8 balls, leaving the ones you aren't working with in the oiled bowl, covered.
Working with one ball at a time, roll the dough as thin as pie dough and about 12 inches square.
Cut into 4 pieces.
Place a generous 1/3 cup of filling on each square.
Bring corners together and pinch, then seal the seams.
Again bring the corners to the middle, pinch, and press.
 |
| It doesn't have to be pretty... seriously... have you ever even seen the bottom of a bierrock that you were eating? I didn't think so. |
Transfer from baking sheet to cooling rack and enjoy!
 |
| We like to dip ours in mustard or barbecue sauce! |
Yield 32 bierrocks
Ingredients
Dough:
4 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 pkg (or 2 1/4 tsp.) yeast
*Enough flour to make a soft dough (12 cups give or take)
Filling:
3 lbs. hamburger
2 medium onions, chopped
1 head cabbage, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp. flour
Method
Dough
Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water and let proof for 5 minutes. Add yeast mixture to a large bowl then add the salt and melted butter. Gradually add flour, first whisking, then stirring with a spatula, and finally kneading it in by hand until you have a soft dough. Put dough ball in an oiled bowl, turning to coat the top, cover, and let rise about 1 hour, knead down and let rise again until doubled in size.
Filling
In a large pot, brown hamburger, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Add the onions and cabbage and adjust the salt and pepper until it's flavorful. Add the water and flour and steam with the lid on for about 10 minutes.
Assembly
Divide dough into 8 balls, leaving the ones you aren't working with in the oiled bowl, covered. Working with one ball at a time, roll the dough as thin as pie dough and about 12 inches square. Cut into 4 pieces. Place a generous 1/3 cup of filling on each square. Bring corners together and pinch, then seal the seams. Again, bring the corners to the middle, pinch, and press. Place on a baking sheet with sealed edges down. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. (If you are going to freeze them, just bake them for 20 minutes.) Remove from oven and butter the tops. Transfer from baking sheet to cooling rack and enjoy!
*I used a whole wheat flour/whole wheat pastry flour combination. Proportionally, probably twice as much whole wheat flour as the pastry flour. I didn't measure!
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
My Girl
We were out of milk this morning (and Ira and Ruby always always have cold cereal/milk for breakfast), so I got up early to make some muffins for the kiddos for breakfast. I hadn't been up 15 minutes when Ruby came bouncing in all mussy-headed. She is just about the cutest thing ever when she wakes up. With a lot of my time being consumed teaching Ira during the day, I kind of cherish the mornings when she wakes up early, even if it does infringe on my "me time." So she got to help me make muffins! I used to be really good about letting Ira help me in the kitchen, but with Ruby it seems like I'm always "too busy" or "in a hurry" or "not in the mood to deal with the mess." I really need to work on that. She loves to help!
When Ira got up, he wanted nothing to do with my muffins... hmph... and made himself cinnamon toast for breakfast instead... little stinker...
Then today was one of those days where neither of us was really.... hmm... focused? I guess that would be the word for it? We just weren't very in sync. I was tired... He was... unfocused? Yeah, I think that's probably a good description of the combination. So it took him forever to do things and it felt even longer to me because I was tired and just wanted him to finish. We got it done, but it wasn't necessarily pretty. Then we went and threw our route of 800 papers. It also was not pretty but it got done. (The combination of heat blowing full blast to keep the car warm and two windows down with 30 degree air blowing in and the stop/go/turn, etc. of throwing papers this time of year makes all 3 of us a little queasy by the time we're finished.) The house was a wreck when we got home, but a couple focused hours of cleaning up/putting stuff away and it has returned to some semblance of decency. Pretty much today was just one of those days we pat ourselves on the back for surviving, get to bed as early as we can, and thank God that tomorrow is a fresh, new day!
When Ira got up, he wanted nothing to do with my muffins... hmph... and made himself cinnamon toast for breakfast instead... little stinker...
Then today was one of those days where neither of us was really.... hmm... focused? I guess that would be the word for it? We just weren't very in sync. I was tired... He was... unfocused? Yeah, I think that's probably a good description of the combination. So it took him forever to do things and it felt even longer to me because I was tired and just wanted him to finish. We got it done, but it wasn't necessarily pretty. Then we went and threw our route of 800 papers. It also was not pretty but it got done. (The combination of heat blowing full blast to keep the car warm and two windows down with 30 degree air blowing in and the stop/go/turn, etc. of throwing papers this time of year makes all 3 of us a little queasy by the time we're finished.) The house was a wreck when we got home, but a couple focused hours of cleaning up/putting stuff away and it has returned to some semblance of decency. Pretty much today was just one of those days we pat ourselves on the back for surviving, get to bed as early as we can, and thank God that tomorrow is a fresh, new day!
Monday, January 6, 2014
Back in the Saddle
Well well, first day back to school wasn't too bad at all! Got a little bit of attitude about writing thank you notes, but once he understood that I wasn't going to back down, he wrote a very nice thank you note (and even seemed to have fun doing it... shhh...)
Otherwise, spent most of the day cleaning out above the desk (which is where papers to be filed go.) There were TWO YEARS worth of papers to file. UGH! Luckily all the utilities have their own folders in the basket and get filed every month. As do medical expense receipts and Insurance Explanation of Benefits, but still... the stack was mountainous and I'd been avoiding it for far too long... obviously.... 2 years... So the bar was covered in piles of papers and the floor was covered in piles of papers to shred/recycle, and oh MY it gets messy to sort through things! The storm before the calm for SURE! In fact, the whole house is rather stormy right now as I go through our possessions one by one, deciding what to keep and what to... do something else with. I wish it were easier to get rid of stuff. Like maybe if I had a magic wand and could *poof* it to the homeless shelter and the buy/sell/trade group and the trash and the recycling and Goodwill. Yes, that would be much simpler than what I've got going on right now. It will eventually be so much better, but until then... yeesh. And yet, it reminds me how blessed I am to have so much stuff to deal with in the first place. We are so spoiled having not only everything we need, but most of the stuff we want too...
Had this yummy Slow Cooker Savory Superfood Soup for dinner tonight. It was VERY good. The kids thought it was a little spicy, so next time I'd decrease the crushed red pepper just a touch. Otherwise, it is good to be getting back to eating well. My tummy is thanking me. I just hope I can keep up with the meal planning/grocery shopping. It's tough juggling all the things that I need to do every day. Seems like there are always a few balls rolling around on the floor... or collecting dust under the stove... (exercising, laundry, cleaning, meal planning, hobby pursuit, friendships are the ones that seem to fall most often.)
Anyway, not a whole lot else going on. So I'll leave you with a picture of my now clean/organized desk cabinet. Be amazed.
Otherwise, spent most of the day cleaning out above the desk (which is where papers to be filed go.) There were TWO YEARS worth of papers to file. UGH! Luckily all the utilities have their own folders in the basket and get filed every month. As do medical expense receipts and Insurance Explanation of Benefits, but still... the stack was mountainous and I'd been avoiding it for far too long... obviously.... 2 years... So the bar was covered in piles of papers and the floor was covered in piles of papers to shred/recycle, and oh MY it gets messy to sort through things! The storm before the calm for SURE! In fact, the whole house is rather stormy right now as I go through our possessions one by one, deciding what to keep and what to... do something else with. I wish it were easier to get rid of stuff. Like maybe if I had a magic wand and could *poof* it to the homeless shelter and the buy/sell/trade group and the trash and the recycling and Goodwill. Yes, that would be much simpler than what I've got going on right now. It will eventually be so much better, but until then... yeesh. And yet, it reminds me how blessed I am to have so much stuff to deal with in the first place. We are so spoiled having not only everything we need, but most of the stuff we want too...
Had this yummy Slow Cooker Savory Superfood Soup for dinner tonight. It was VERY good. The kids thought it was a little spicy, so next time I'd decrease the crushed red pepper just a touch. Otherwise, it is good to be getting back to eating well. My tummy is thanking me. I just hope I can keep up with the meal planning/grocery shopping. It's tough juggling all the things that I need to do every day. Seems like there are always a few balls rolling around on the floor... or collecting dust under the stove... (exercising, laundry, cleaning, meal planning, hobby pursuit, friendships are the ones that seem to fall most often.)
Anyway, not a whole lot else going on. So I'll leave you with a picture of my now clean/organized desk cabinet. Be amazed.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Sick of Shopping?
We needed groceries today... in the worst way... the kind where you have no cheese and no bananas and no produce left. Luckily, I was cognizant of that fact last night, so I made a meal plan and grocery list based off some awesome recipes I found on the Skinny Miss website. My cousin had shared recipes from this website numerous times on Facebook, but I'd never really poked around on it much. I am really excited to have found it because all the recipes I looked at were incredibly clean, healthy, well-balanced meals that also didn't cost an arm-and-a-leg to make. I'll have to share what we think of the recipes.
So first thing this morning, we headed in to do our grocery shopping. It was a relatively quick trip for us (only 4 stores, only gone from home for 4.5 hours.) The kids were well behaved and helpful, and as usual, a riot. (Ruby told the guy at the automotive desk that if the lift crashed down on them, they would get dead - which he found funny enough to go out and share with all the other techs working in the automotive bay.) And then there's our buddy, Denise, at Aldi. She always takes the time to talk to the kids. And then she says to me, "You must drink a lot." LOL. I should laugh at that, right?
By the time we were almost home though, I was feeling worse than sick - like someone had stabbed me in the stomach. Andy'd had the flu the Friday after Christmas, and I'm still not sure whether I have a light touch of that or whether I ate a bad banana (on the way home.) The kids were dolls and took care of themselves when we got home. Ira made he and Ruby scrambled eggs for lunch. And he even came running with an emesis bag when he heard me get sick (we had some left from post-surgery in March that have come in handy...) They would usually watch movies when I'm sick, but they lost that privilege the other day, so they read and played together quite peacefully until Andy got home.
Ira found a recipe in his Highlights Magazine (a Christmas gift from my parents) that he wanted to make for dinner, so he and Andy tackled it together. It was delicious and very soothing to my unsettled stomach. While Andy was finishing up dinner, I snuck out of our room to see what all the ruckus was. Turns out boredom and a bunch of plastic shopping bags (why can I never remember my reusable ones at Walmart?) are highly entertaining.
Then we got the treat of the year when Jimmy's new CD showed up in our email inbox to download as part of our Love Good Music patronage. He is such a talented guy and a good friend! We are so thrilled for him to be releasing this CD! And... it's positively wonderful. Pain, suffering, redemption, hope, joy... it's all in there, beautifully orchestrated. For a very limited time, you can get $5 off of the $15 monthly patronage by signing up through our campaign here. Obviously, I would highly recommend it!
Whew, two days in a row, surely I can't keep this up...
So first thing this morning, we headed in to do our grocery shopping. It was a relatively quick trip for us (only 4 stores, only gone from home for 4.5 hours.) The kids were well behaved and helpful, and as usual, a riot. (Ruby told the guy at the automotive desk that if the lift crashed down on them, they would get dead - which he found funny enough to go out and share with all the other techs working in the automotive bay.) And then there's our buddy, Denise, at Aldi. She always takes the time to talk to the kids. And then she says to me, "You must drink a lot." LOL. I should laugh at that, right?
By the time we were almost home though, I was feeling worse than sick - like someone had stabbed me in the stomach. Andy'd had the flu the Friday after Christmas, and I'm still not sure whether I have a light touch of that or whether I ate a bad banana (on the way home.) The kids were dolls and took care of themselves when we got home. Ira made he and Ruby scrambled eggs for lunch. And he even came running with an emesis bag when he heard me get sick (we had some left from post-surgery in March that have come in handy...) They would usually watch movies when I'm sick, but they lost that privilege the other day, so they read and played together quite peacefully until Andy got home.
Ira found a recipe in his Highlights Magazine (a Christmas gift from my parents) that he wanted to make for dinner, so he and Andy tackled it together. It was delicious and very soothing to my unsettled stomach. While Andy was finishing up dinner, I snuck out of our room to see what all the ruckus was. Turns out boredom and a bunch of plastic shopping bags (why can I never remember my reusable ones at Walmart?) are highly entertaining.
 |
| Ira said to title this "Let it Snow!" |
Whew, two days in a row, surely I can't keep this up...
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Journal: November 25
Outside my window: Hmm... this isn't very exciting when one blogs from the basement with no windows at night. The weather was nice today though, sunny and upper 40s to mid 50s I'd guess.
Clothing myself in: Black yoga pants, red long-sleeved running shirt, black NYC hoodie.
Around the house: Not much exciting, Ira was home on Thanksgiving Break all last week, so mainly I just tried to keep everyone alive and make sure that the kiddos picked up their toys each night. I did rake the mountain of leaves off of the patio (the wind likes to leave them there for me) and put away some hoses outside. That's something, right?
Ruby: Keeps talking about giving her binkies to the binky fairy. It's not really a big deal either way to me when she gets rid of them, but it would be nice to not have to worry about always having one. I told her maybe we'd try to leave them for the fairy tomorrow night. I'll let you know how that goes... She is doing really well with the whole "Quiet Time" thing in the afternoon. More days than not she ends up asleep. How long I let her stay asleep depends on how "well rested" she is. She has also been asking to wear underwear to QT and to bed at night. So far, we've just let her wear underwear at QT (her night-time diapers are still very wet most mornings) and she's done really well keeping them dry even while asleep. Sigh. My baby is growing up. Cute Rubyism: We pray for a baby pretty much every night. Well tonight when we were praying, Ruby told me that I could have one of her babies (dolls). She can be such a sweetie!
Ira: Finally lost his top right tooth. It had gotten to the point where he wouldn't even wiggle it because he was afraid it would just fall out. On Thanksgiving day, he was chewing on a piece of candy corn when lo and behold he says, "my tooth is out!" Pretty sweet way to loose a tooth! He got to shoot a gun for the first time this weekend (under very close supervision, of course.) I think he thought that was pretty cool. He's progressing well in piano lessons (although we haven't been very diligent about doing a lesson every week.) He's really motivated now though, because his Christmas Book is on the staff, and he has a few pages to go before he'll be playing comfortably across the staff.
In the kitchen: I'm really excited about the meals that I have planned for this week. Tomorrow is Andy's birthday so we're making some special food to celebrate. Gyros with Tzatziki and Greek salads; Monica's Mexican Chili; Chicken Palava with Rice; Pico de Tuna with some modifications (shredded carrots, rice, black beans, lime juice). Mostly new recipes, which is always exciting!
Hobbies: Took some family pictures for my siblings and took our traditional big family picture on Thanksgiving. I'm thrilled with how they turned out. Made (with the kids) a present for my niece who turns 3 this week.
Bringing me joy: You know, sometimes in the midst of all this fertility/miscarriage/hormone-wackiness, it is very difficult for me to find joy. The last couple of weeks whenever I get to this part of my journal, I've had to seriously grab for straws. Some days, I just don't see much joy in my life at all. And I know that sounds like a pessimistic and unappreciative attitude, but I am telling you, when I'm in that mental place, it just seems like everything goes wrong. I am finding that exercising helps considerably, and I've also found that compartmentalizing the "going to PPVI Institute" hopes into a space where I don't let my mind wander often has helped as well.
That being said, this week was actually pretty good. Things that brought me joy: 2 mile runs several times this week; Ruby wearing her big purple coat; playing Monopoly with Ira; praying with my nephew and niece, my kids sitting at "the big kid" table for Thanksgiving dinner, talking with my siblings and parents over a wonderful meal, a raise, going on a family date, talking politics with my hubby's family, playing peek-a-boo with an adorable 10 month old.
Thinking about: Celebrating my hubby's birthday tomorrow - he'll be 30! Eeek! That sounds so OLD when I type it! Being kind even when I know my hormones want me to be grouchy and mean.
Pictures to share:
Clothing myself in: Black yoga pants, red long-sleeved running shirt, black NYC hoodie.
Around the house: Not much exciting, Ira was home on Thanksgiving Break all last week, so mainly I just tried to keep everyone alive and make sure that the kiddos picked up their toys each night. I did rake the mountain of leaves off of the patio (the wind likes to leave them there for me) and put away some hoses outside. That's something, right?
Ruby: Keeps talking about giving her binkies to the binky fairy. It's not really a big deal either way to me when she gets rid of them, but it would be nice to not have to worry about always having one. I told her maybe we'd try to leave them for the fairy tomorrow night. I'll let you know how that goes... She is doing really well with the whole "Quiet Time" thing in the afternoon. More days than not she ends up asleep. How long I let her stay asleep depends on how "well rested" she is. She has also been asking to wear underwear to QT and to bed at night. So far, we've just let her wear underwear at QT (her night-time diapers are still very wet most mornings) and she's done really well keeping them dry even while asleep. Sigh. My baby is growing up. Cute Rubyism: We pray for a baby pretty much every night. Well tonight when we were praying, Ruby told me that I could have one of her babies (dolls). She can be such a sweetie!
Ira: Finally lost his top right tooth. It had gotten to the point where he wouldn't even wiggle it because he was afraid it would just fall out. On Thanksgiving day, he was chewing on a piece of candy corn when lo and behold he says, "my tooth is out!" Pretty sweet way to loose a tooth! He got to shoot a gun for the first time this weekend (under very close supervision, of course.) I think he thought that was pretty cool. He's progressing well in piano lessons (although we haven't been very diligent about doing a lesson every week.) He's really motivated now though, because his Christmas Book is on the staff, and he has a few pages to go before he'll be playing comfortably across the staff.
In the kitchen: I'm really excited about the meals that I have planned for this week. Tomorrow is Andy's birthday so we're making some special food to celebrate. Gyros with Tzatziki and Greek salads; Monica's Mexican Chili; Chicken Palava with Rice; Pico de Tuna with some modifications (shredded carrots, rice, black beans, lime juice). Mostly new recipes, which is always exciting!
Hobbies: Took some family pictures for my siblings and took our traditional big family picture on Thanksgiving. I'm thrilled with how they turned out. Made (with the kids) a present for my niece who turns 3 this week.
Bringing me joy: You know, sometimes in the midst of all this fertility/miscarriage/hormone-wackiness, it is very difficult for me to find joy. The last couple of weeks whenever I get to this part of my journal, I've had to seriously grab for straws. Some days, I just don't see much joy in my life at all. And I know that sounds like a pessimistic and unappreciative attitude, but I am telling you, when I'm in that mental place, it just seems like everything goes wrong. I am finding that exercising helps considerably, and I've also found that compartmentalizing the "going to PPVI Institute" hopes into a space where I don't let my mind wander often has helped as well.
That being said, this week was actually pretty good. Things that brought me joy: 2 mile runs several times this week; Ruby wearing her big purple coat; playing Monopoly with Ira; praying with my nephew and niece, my kids sitting at "the big kid" table for Thanksgiving dinner, talking with my siblings and parents over a wonderful meal, a raise, going on a family date, talking politics with my hubby's family, playing peek-a-boo with an adorable 10 month old.
Thinking about: Celebrating my hubby's birthday tomorrow - he'll be 30! Eeek! That sounds so OLD when I type it! Being kind even when I know my hormones want me to be grouchy and mean.
Pictures to share:
 |
| Look at that gap-toothed smile! He's getting so big! |
 |
| Ruby (in the YMCA jersey I mentioned last week) driving her baby around the house. |
 |
| Sure do love these people! |
Friday, July 6, 2012
What I Loved About Last Week - 15th Ed.
Sheesh, I didn't really take many
pictures or write down much about last week (usually I write down keywords on a
notepad by the computer) So this one's going to be from the 'ole noggin
alone... results may vary...
Here's what I loved about last week -
June 25 - July 1st.
1. Met with my Napro doctor again.
No, I am not pregnant. Keep praying on that one. We have decided to
pursue post-peak Progesterone shots to see if they make more of a difference
than the Progesterone capsules were. I
am both excited and scared. Excited
because this is THE protocol that Pope Paul VI Institute in Nebraska would follow - Scared because first off, it seems much more serious than just using
progesterone capsules and secondly, because I have heard that the shots are
painful. The progesterone is compounded
in sesame oil, which means that it is a thick shot – think cortisone shot. It is administered in the rump (I know, laugh
away) and has to be administered slowly because of how thick it is. Andy gets to learn how to give them to
me. Fortunately, the progesterone is
longer lasting than the capsules, meaning I only have to have the shots every 3
days. Prayers for bravery (for me) and a
steady hand (for Andy) would be appreciated!
2. Rubyisms. Luckily, my light-of-my-life’s (Ira &
Ruby) keep me from stressing too much over the shots. Ruby has been obsessed with going out and
playing in the snow lately. I would
think the hours that we spend outside each day would be enough to convince her
that it is most certainly summer. Nope.
Pretty much every day this week, she’d ask, “Should we put on our pink mittens
and go out and throw snow?!?!” And she was genuinely disappointed each time when I told her “There’s no
snow, Ruby, it’s summer!” So silly.
3. Garden dinners. We are still battling the squash bugs
(removing 100-200 eggs from the plants every few days) but luckily, it seems as
though we’re at least keeping up with them, because we are still getting
zucchini from the garden. Seeing as how
it was the end of the month, I had to get really
creative with dinner one night last week.
We had like nothing left in the cupboards (or at least not enough to
make a meal out of really… cheerios with black beans and green chilis anyone??)
So, Andy smoked some zucchini slices and we topped them with couscous that I
had made with tomatoes (canned from last year) basil, green onions (both from
the garden), and balsamic vinegar. It
ended up being really delicious. Even
the kids loved it. (Ira has decided that his two-year-running dislike for
zucchini is a thing of the past – HOORAY!)
4. Shopping with my
mother-in-law. I am seriously SO blessed
by my mother and father in law. They are
about the nicest, most generous people you could ever know. Last Thursday when we were talking during
swimming lessons, she mentioned about going shopping to get the 4 grandkids
clothes for having their picture taken together later in July. Later that day, she picked us up and we went
into town and got the kids some adorable coordinating outfits for pictures. She also let Ira get some Angry Birds
underwear, an Angry Birds shirt, some cool (size 2 big kids!) leather flip
flops, and a Toy Story Book. She got
Ruby a purple tank top, Nike flip-flops, and a “You are my Sunshine” book. No, my kids aren’t spoiled at all… After shopping, we went and got drinks at
Sonic (strawberry vanilla limeades – SO GOOD!)
Although the kids got a little antsy while shopping, we had so much fun
and enjoyed the diversion from being at home all day.
5. 3-2-1 Cake. My parents (also kind and generous) surprised
us with six, yes 6! boxes of angel food cake.
On vacation, we learned how to make this awesome treat called 3-2-1
cake. You use one box of angel food cake
mix and mix it with a box of any other kind of cake mix (confetti, strawberry,
yellow are some of our favorites) in a ziplock bag. Then, when you’re ready for a sweet treat,
you mix 3 Tablespoons of cake mix & 2 Tablespoons of water in a
microwaveable mug. Heat for 1 minute in
the microwave and voila! Delicious, easy,
one serving of your favorite cake. Try
it, you won’t be disappointed!
6. Swimming lessons are over! Ira didn’t pass, but he really improved his
swimming a lot over the course of lessons.
I am sure that with some more time and practice, he will be able to pass
next year.
7. Family day.
Last Saturday, for once, we didn’t have anything at all planned. We had a nice lazy morning and went swimming
as a family in the afternoon. Ruby, who
is just about too big for her
britches, decided that she likes to jump off the side of the pool all by herself.
She jumps in and bobs to the top at which point we grab her and help her to the
ladder (in 5 foot water no less.) She
and Ira spent the better part of an hour jumping in. I’m glad that she’s not
afraid of the water, but I wish she feared it just a little bit more. We’ve talked
to her about never jumping into a pool when mommy or daddy aren’t in, but I’m
just not sure how much of that she “gets.” Pretty glad at this point that
nobody we know owns a pool.
8. Pickles. For the first time, I canned some dill
pickles on Sunday. We had fresh dill
from our garden and 8 pounds of pickling cukes that needed something done with them, so I pickled them with a recipe from my
Ball Canning Book (Grandma’s Dill Pickles for those who also have the
book.) They are absolutely, positively
delicious! And the pickling cukes really
are more crisp and crunchy. We don’t
normally eat a lot of dill pickles around here, so I had thought the 7 pints
would last us all year. However, with as
tasty as these are, I’m guessing I’m going to have to make a lot more to last
us through the whole year.
9. Early
Independence Day. We celebrated 4th
of July a few days early with Andy’s family.
On Sunday, we went out to their house and had brats (with our yummy dill
pickles on top) and shot off fireworks.
Ira is still pretty leary of lighting anything (although he did let
grandma pay him a dollar to light a smoke bomb.) Ruby loved helping light things (again with
the no healthy fear thing…) and doing sparklers. Andy and I had fun throwing firecrackers in
the lagoon and watching (and listening) to them explode. While we were shooting fireworks, a kitten
showed up and the kids had lots of fun petting it and holding it. I tried my hand at some long-exposure
photography (despite the fact that I didn’t have my tripod) with the fireworks. I got a few good ones I think! It was a great end to a great week!
 |
| Stomping snap-n-pops. |
 |
| First shot |
 |
| Last shot |
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
What I Loved About Last Week 4th Edition
Here's what I loved about last week (4/9- 4/15)
1. Weeding the garden. That's not something I would typically love, but with the wide raised beds that we have now, and the walkways to stand on, it is very, VERY easy to hoe all 4 beds in a matter of 15-20 minutes. I even hand weeded around the lettuce. Weeds/grass just come out so easily because the dirt isn't compacted from being walked on. So yes, I actually enjoyed it!
2. Moving the big bed into the kids' room. Andy and I are trying to get Ruby into a big bed, but we only have one bedroom (besides ours) in our house right now. So with some gut-sucking effort, I (by myself) moved Ira's twin mattress, box spring, bed frame, and headboard downstairs and moved the Queen mattress, box spring, and bed frame from the basement to the kids' room. I set it up in their room like a "kid's King bed" (i.e. tucked the sheets in at the long side, not the foot, like you traditionally would.) It's nice to have room for 3 (or even all 4) of us to be able to snuggle in and read books at night. Ruby has done fairly well taking naps in it (she's definitely not the "the floor is lava" type like Ira was, but she does stay in the room - just not always in the bed.) Night time. Well, that's not something I love. It's like a freakin' circus in there with 2 of them in the same bed. They bounce and squeak the mattress, get out of bed, come out of the room, jump on the bed, and Ruby even BIT Ira last night!! (Where they're getting all this I do NOT know as they NEVER act like that any other time.) So we're still trying to figure out what to do at night. Ruby has ended up in her crib both nights we've tried because Ira does has school in the morning and we don't want him to be too tired. The Queen bed is temporary anyway until we can find a twin over full bunk bed that has enough headroom on the bottom bunk that when Andy/I sit down we don't hit our heads on the top bunk. (Really, is that asking too much?!)
3. The Easter Bunny brought me some amazing Easter Lilies (cut, not potted) and they have lasted beautifully. Plus their smell is just out of this world. I don't think I've ever smelled an Easter Lily before, but wow, they are just SO aromatic and delicious smelling!
4. At Mass one day last week Ruby wanted swaddled in her blanket (seriously, I know, she's crazy) As I was holding her, she arched her head back and it was like total deja-vu of all the times I saw her on sonogram when I was pregnant with her. She still has the exact same face/cheeks/chin/head shape as she did in utero. I was certainly waxing nostalgic.
5. The irises and some other beautiful green, leafy thing that I have no idea what it's called are blooming. I added some of them to my Easter Lilies and have a beautifully full bouquet on the table. Really though, any ideas on the greenery/hangy flower stuff to the left?
6. The soften button on our microwave. It's the little things really. But it has come in so handy lately to soften but not melt or even heat up frozen shredded cheese, frozen yogurt starter, and ice cream. Seriously, it is really cool.
7. With the weather predicted to be scary on Saturday, I decided that if our garden was going to get hailed out/blown away, we were at least going to enjoy something out of it. So we picked a surprisingly big bowl of lettuce to go with our homemade pizza on Friday night. There's just nothing like lettuce fresh from the garden. It was DELICIOUS!
8. Making yogurt in the cooler. I always use the heating pad method, but that's kind of a pain because our stinkin' heating pad automatically shuts off after 2 hours. Yogurt has to "fester" for 8 hours or more, so I'm constantly setting timers and unplugging then plugging back in the heating pad. My mom sent some directions for making it in the cooler awhile back and I finally decided to try it. It worked wonderfully. It's still not very thick, but it does seem less tart/tangy than the heating pad stuff. The kids (and Andy and I some too) have already gobbled up 3 Quarts of it - totally UNSWEETENED!!! We just put some homemade granola on top and my is it tasty. (They never ate the heating pad stuff unsweetened.)
9. Surviving. By the grace of God we were spared from an EF-3 Tornado heading straight toward us on Saturday night. Seriously, it miraculously stopped less than 2 miles from our house. It was horrifying to actually be taking shelter from a very imminent and real (and large (1/2 - 1 mile wide) tornado. Andy's brother and his 2 children joined us in our 10-15 sq. ft. under-the-stairs closet. There were 7 of us in there along with all the stuff that we had put down there during the day in case we really did get hit: (a duffle bag with jeans, shirts, socks, underwear, and tennis shoes for all of us; 5 of Ruby's diapers, a cover, wipes, and wetbag; my NFP charts and my medicines; a box of my contacts and my glasses; our external hard drive; peanut butter crackers, granola bars; a gallon of water; our wallets, cell phones, and keys; all the camcorder tapes we've taken; our DSLR camera and charger; flashlights; a battery powered radio; 4 heavy pilllows from our bed, a DeWalt sawz-all with 3 spare batteries; and a hatchet - just in case you're curious.) It was surreal to be sitting in our storm shelter wondering not if, but when we would get hit, what it would sound like, and how bad it would be. We heard them say on the radio, "Town X, you are in a Tornado Emergency. If you are in Town X, you need to get underground or you will not survive." We heard lots of loud booms (thunder apparently) then it was silent for a long time. Ira nearly passed out/puked (because of the total lack of oxygen) but we escaped unscathed (both ourselves and our property.) A number of homesteads outside of town took direct hits, so please keep those families in your prayers. No injuries, but there are a number of total property losses. I can't even fathom if it had been us. Andy said our guardian angels must have been standing outside of town slashing the tornadoes apart. And I tell you what, the "Angel of God" prayer had never been more meaningful than praying it that night with the kids when we put them to bed (before we went to the basement.)
1. Weeding the garden. That's not something I would typically love, but with the wide raised beds that we have now, and the walkways to stand on, it is very, VERY easy to hoe all 4 beds in a matter of 15-20 minutes. I even hand weeded around the lettuce. Weeds/grass just come out so easily because the dirt isn't compacted from being walked on. So yes, I actually enjoyed it!
2. Moving the big bed into the kids' room. Andy and I are trying to get Ruby into a big bed, but we only have one bedroom (besides ours) in our house right now. So with some gut-sucking effort, I (by myself) moved Ira's twin mattress, box spring, bed frame, and headboard downstairs and moved the Queen mattress, box spring, and bed frame from the basement to the kids' room. I set it up in their room like a "kid's King bed" (i.e. tucked the sheets in at the long side, not the foot, like you traditionally would.) It's nice to have room for 3 (or even all 4) of us to be able to snuggle in and read books at night. Ruby has done fairly well taking naps in it (she's definitely not the "the floor is lava" type like Ira was, but she does stay in the room - just not always in the bed.) Night time. Well, that's not something I love. It's like a freakin' circus in there with 2 of them in the same bed. They bounce and squeak the mattress, get out of bed, come out of the room, jump on the bed, and Ruby even BIT Ira last night!! (Where they're getting all this I do NOT know as they NEVER act like that any other time.) So we're still trying to figure out what to do at night. Ruby has ended up in her crib both nights we've tried because Ira does has school in the morning and we don't want him to be too tired. The Queen bed is temporary anyway until we can find a twin over full bunk bed that has enough headroom on the bottom bunk that when Andy/I sit down we don't hit our heads on the top bunk. (Really, is that asking too much?!)4. At Mass one day last week Ruby wanted swaddled in her blanket (seriously, I know, she's crazy) As I was holding her, she arched her head back and it was like total deja-vu of all the times I saw her on sonogram when I was pregnant with her. She still has the exact same face/cheeks/chin/head shape as she did in utero. I was certainly waxing nostalgic.
6. The soften button on our microwave. It's the little things really. But it has come in so handy lately to soften but not melt or even heat up frozen shredded cheese, frozen yogurt starter, and ice cream. Seriously, it is really cool.
9. Surviving. By the grace of God we were spared from an EF-3 Tornado heading straight toward us on Saturday night. Seriously, it miraculously stopped less than 2 miles from our house. It was horrifying to actually be taking shelter from a very imminent and real (and large (1/2 - 1 mile wide) tornado. Andy's brother and his 2 children joined us in our 10-15 sq. ft. under-the-stairs closet. There were 7 of us in there along with all the stuff that we had put down there during the day in case we really did get hit: (a duffle bag with jeans, shirts, socks, underwear, and tennis shoes for all of us; 5 of Ruby's diapers, a cover, wipes, and wetbag; my NFP charts and my medicines; a box of my contacts and my glasses; our external hard drive; peanut butter crackers, granola bars; a gallon of water; our wallets, cell phones, and keys; all the camcorder tapes we've taken; our DSLR camera and charger; flashlights; a battery powered radio; 4 heavy pilllows from our bed, a DeWalt sawz-all with 3 spare batteries; and a hatchet - just in case you're curious.) It was surreal to be sitting in our storm shelter wondering not if, but when we would get hit, what it would sound like, and how bad it would be. We heard them say on the radio, "Town X, you are in a Tornado Emergency. If you are in Town X, you need to get underground or you will not survive." We heard lots of loud booms (thunder apparently) then it was silent for a long time. Ira nearly passed out/puked (because of the total lack of oxygen) but we escaped unscathed (both ourselves and our property.) A number of homesteads outside of town took direct hits, so please keep those families in your prayers. No injuries, but there are a number of total property losses. I can't even fathom if it had been us. Andy said our guardian angels must have been standing outside of town slashing the tornadoes apart. And I tell you what, the "Angel of God" prayer had never been more meaningful than praying it that night with the kids when we put them to bed (before we went to the basement.)
"Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love entrusts me here.
Ever this night be at my side: to light, to guard, to rule, and to guide.
Amen."
Friday, April 13, 2012
Foolproof Pie Dough
So a week or two ago, I blogged about how I can finally make pie crusts thanks to America's Test Kitchen. My friend, Karen, asked about the recipe, so I thought I'd share it on the ole' blog in case others wanted to try it as well. Oh, and for those wondering, the alcohol completely cooks out of this while it is baking in the oven, so although you make get a buzz if you eat the whole crust raw, you will not after it has baked. I'll type it exactly as I found it on the ATK website.
For one 9-inch Double-Crust Pie
Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor - do not substitute. This dough will be moister and more supple than most standard pie doughs and will require more flour to roll out (up to 1/4 cup.)
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
12 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup vodka, cold
1/4 cup cold water
Instructions
1. Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour.) Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
Technique (Tips)
Key Steps to Foolproof pie dough:
1. Make a Fat and Flour Paste: Completely blending part of the flour with all of the butter ensures a consistent amount of fat-coated flour in the final dough.
2. Add More Flour: Pulsing in the final cup of flour ensures a consistent amount of uncoated flour in the final dough.
3. Add Water and Vodka: Sprinkling with water and vodka ensures even distribution. No need to skimp - unlike water, vodka won't make the dough tough.
Monday, April 2, 2012
What I Loved About Last Week 2nd Edition
Hello and a blessed Holy Week to "all" my readers! I'm back with another week in review! Here's what I loved about last week (3/26-4/1):
1. Eating outside. We've been taking advantage of the beautiful weather lately by spending the evenings outside. The kids both love playing outside (in the dirt, on the swings, on their bicycles/tricycles, practicing fishing casts, etc.) and I'm growing to love the outdoors more the older I get. (I didn't really used to love it outside, mainly I hate bugs (mosquitos/flies) but Andy - Mr. Would-Rather-Be-Outside-Than-Anywhere-Else - is turning me more and more into an outdoor lover.) So, with all the playing outside, what's easier than fixing dinner (on the grill) and eating outside? Not much - so it's what we've done several nights this week. And it's so easy to clean up too!!
2. Speaking of the nice weather, have I told you how much I love it? Well, I do. And I love being able to have the windows open too. Our house was built just right for having the windows open. If you open them all, there's a nice breeze that runs through and cools down the entire house - and I (as well as our budget) really like that!
3. Speaking of the nice weather (Part deux... or is it trois...) we've also been riding our bikes to take Ira to school. We have a great Schwinn Bike Trailer that we got when Ira was 9 months old that is perfect for Ruby (and Ira too, only this mama's not in good enough shape to pull the 60-70 lbs. of the 2 of them combined for very long - one day was enough for me!) So Ira's riding his own bike. He still has training wheels on, and let me tell you, riding a bike with him is a REAL exercise in patience. We've tried letting him go without training wheels and that just doesn't work at all (every time he'd get going, he'd STOP and fall down) but the training wheels are angled far back (so that he doesn't totally rely on them) and he does this crazy, awkward knees-pointing-out pedaling thing that makes me totally understand why he cannot manage to ride without training wheels. And sometimes he has the focus of a flea, so riding his bike without hitting everything around him (because Heaven forbid he watch where he's... IRA DON'T HIT THE... too late) would be asking so much. So what if the ride to school is kind of like a circus - we're getting fresh air and good exercise. He will get how to ride a bike eventually... right?!
4. Sewing. After getting a sewing machine from my parents last year (2010) for Christmas, I've really developed a love for sewing. I even made myself an Easter Dress for this year. It's nothing extravagant, but I'm very excited about it. I LOVE being able to make modest clothes that actually fit my tall self just right. It's nice being able to wear a knee-length dress that's actually supposed to be knee length. As opposed to wearing a knee-length dress that's supposed to be tea-length - not that I've ever done that.
5. Pie success. Now, because I have no shame, I'll admit that I cannot make a pie to save my life. I think I've mentioned it before. Well, I finally figured out that all I needed was a little vodka. Not for myself! Yeesh! For the pie crust!! (Although, I had to stand up for myself just a smidge when I went to the liquor store to buy it - "Excuse me sir, I promise I am not an alcoholic, but could you please tell me where to find your cheapest vodka.") According to America's Test Kitchen, it is the perfect moistener for pie crust because the ethanol in the vodka does not turn the flour into gluten (which makes for a tough crust) like water does. Well, to have a pliable pie crust (which has been my problem all along) you need plenty of liquid. But if you add too much water, you end up with a tough old heifer, which no one likes - I know - I'm mixing metaphors - it's my specialty. Well, vodka won't do that because of the whole ethanol/gluten thing - so you can add enough liquid to make a VERY workable pie crust, while still turning out some of the flakiest, yummiest stuff on the planet. And the alcohol bakes out while it's baking, so you won't even turn your kids into alcoholics just because you want to make a decent pie crust. Now isn't that a win-win situation? So I was proudly able to take a homemade Tropical Sunrise pie to our Altar Society Quilt Bingo. Score one for science!
6. Ruby making "snaremiches." For her birthday at the beginning of March (which I've yet to post about, I know, hush your mouth) Andy's parents got Ruby a Melissa & Doug Sandwich Set. It's all cloth (mainly felt) so you can actually stack up a huge sandwich and have it stay together (unlike with the molded plastic junk.) That's a fact that hasn't been lost on either of our kids. They both love it because it's actually like making a real sandwich. And the set is a real winner, including everything from pitas and subs to slices of bread and just about every kind of meat, cheese, vegetable and condiment you could ever dream of putting on a sandwich. Needless to say, it's gotten played with a lot.
7. Getting our budget updated. Although we operate on a cash-only system for our groceries and sundries budgets, I track every penny we spend on everything else too (which is actually pretty darn easy with online banking.) Well, it'd been a couple of months since I'd entered everything into our spreadsheet. And even though we'd gotten a little off track these last two months (which I knew going into it), it is good to know where exactly we stand and where we want to go.
And I think that's about it for me!
Wishing you a reflective Holy Week,
Michelle
 |
| At My Parent's house playing on the Plasma Car |
2. Speaking of the nice weather, have I told you how much I love it? Well, I do. And I love being able to have the windows open too. Our house was built just right for having the windows open. If you open them all, there's a nice breeze that runs through and cools down the entire house - and I (as well as our budget) really like that!
3. Speaking of the nice weather (Part deux... or is it trois...) we've also been riding our bikes to take Ira to school. We have a great Schwinn Bike Trailer that we got when Ira was 9 months old that is perfect for Ruby (and Ira too, only this mama's not in good enough shape to pull the 60-70 lbs. of the 2 of them combined for very long - one day was enough for me!) So Ira's riding his own bike. He still has training wheels on, and let me tell you, riding a bike with him is a REAL exercise in patience. We've tried letting him go without training wheels and that just doesn't work at all (every time he'd get going, he'd STOP and fall down) but the training wheels are angled far back (so that he doesn't totally rely on them) and he does this crazy, awkward knees-pointing-out pedaling thing that makes me totally understand why he cannot manage to ride without training wheels. And sometimes he has the focus of a flea, so riding his bike without hitting everything around him (because Heaven forbid he watch where he's... IRA DON'T HIT THE... too late) would be asking so much. So what if the ride to school is kind of like a circus - we're getting fresh air and good exercise. He will get how to ride a bike eventually... right?!
4. Sewing. After getting a sewing machine from my parents last year (2010) for Christmas, I've really developed a love for sewing. I even made myself an Easter Dress for this year. It's nothing extravagant, but I'm very excited about it. I LOVE being able to make modest clothes that actually fit my tall self just right. It's nice being able to wear a knee-length dress that's actually supposed to be knee length. As opposed to wearing a knee-length dress that's supposed to be tea-length - not that I've ever done that.
5. Pie success. Now, because I have no shame, I'll admit that I cannot make a pie to save my life. I think I've mentioned it before. Well, I finally figured out that all I needed was a little vodka. Not for myself! Yeesh! For the pie crust!! (Although, I had to stand up for myself just a smidge when I went to the liquor store to buy it - "Excuse me sir, I promise I am not an alcoholic, but could you please tell me where to find your cheapest vodka.") According to America's Test Kitchen, it is the perfect moistener for pie crust because the ethanol in the vodka does not turn the flour into gluten (which makes for a tough crust) like water does. Well, to have a pliable pie crust (which has been my problem all along) you need plenty of liquid. But if you add too much water, you end up with a tough old heifer, which no one likes - I know - I'm mixing metaphors - it's my specialty. Well, vodka won't do that because of the whole ethanol/gluten thing - so you can add enough liquid to make a VERY workable pie crust, while still turning out some of the flakiest, yummiest stuff on the planet. And the alcohol bakes out while it's baking, so you won't even turn your kids into alcoholics just because you want to make a decent pie crust. Now isn't that a win-win situation? So I was proudly able to take a homemade Tropical Sunrise pie to our Altar Society Quilt Bingo. Score one for science!
6. Ruby making "snaremiches." For her birthday at the beginning of March (which I've yet to post about, I know, hush your mouth) Andy's parents got Ruby a Melissa & Doug Sandwich Set. It's all cloth (mainly felt) so you can actually stack up a huge sandwich and have it stay together (unlike with the molded plastic junk.) That's a fact that hasn't been lost on either of our kids. They both love it because it's actually like making a real sandwich. And the set is a real winner, including everything from pitas and subs to slices of bread and just about every kind of meat, cheese, vegetable and condiment you could ever dream of putting on a sandwich. Needless to say, it's gotten played with a lot. 7. Getting our budget updated. Although we operate on a cash-only system for our groceries and sundries budgets, I track every penny we spend on everything else too (which is actually pretty darn easy with online banking.) Well, it'd been a couple of months since I'd entered everything into our spreadsheet. And even though we'd gotten a little off track these last two months (which I knew going into it), it is good to know where exactly we stand and where we want to go.
And I think that's about it for me!
Wishing you a reflective Holy Week,
Michelle
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
"Soup"vember
Let me start by saying that I am a meal planner. I just have to. If I don't, I end up being totally unmotivated to fix dinner for my family. Which means that we either eat last-minute something or Andy has to deal with the pressure of fixing dinner after he's been at work all day. Neither of those scenarios are ones that I like to deal with on a daily basis. (Don't get me wrong, Andy is an awesome cook, I just don't think it's fair to him to get home from a long day of work and then deal with having to come up with/thaw out/prepare a meal.)
Therefore, I have to plan our meals. We are "weird" and only go grocery shopping once a month (except to pick up eggs, apples, etc. that we run out of), so at the beginning of each month, I sit down with either a recipe book or a cooking magazine and plan out 15-20 meals.
It works well for us on many levels. First off, it takes care of the perpetual "what's for dinner?" question. Secondly, it allows me to know what we need grocery-wise for the entire month. And lastly (and perhaps most importantly), it is a major budget-saver. #1 it seems like the more we go to the grocery store, the more we spend, so the once a month thing helps with that, #2 it allows me to plan a variety of meals, some with more-expensive ingredients and some with less-expensive ingredients all while staying within our overall monthly budget. Does that make sense?
Well, this month, the cupboards and the freezer were looking pretty bare, and I knew if we stocked up on everything we needed that we would go way over our grocery budget for the month. So, I decided that I would plan only soups for dinner this month (Dinner, by the way is the only meal I plan. Breakfast is usually cold cereal, oatmeal, or toast, and Lunch is usually sandwiches for the boys and leftovers for us girls.)
Soups are just economical in so many ways. Typically, you can use less and less-expensive meats, or even no meat at all, in which case you can use beans to meet your protein needs. You can also use a lot of canned/frozen vegetables, which are not only healthy, but a bargain as well!
So we're seeing a lot of this at our house lately:
Therefore, I have to plan our meals. We are "weird" and only go grocery shopping once a month (except to pick up eggs, apples, etc. that we run out of), so at the beginning of each month, I sit down with either a recipe book or a cooking magazine and plan out 15-20 meals.
It works well for us on many levels. First off, it takes care of the perpetual "what's for dinner?" question. Secondly, it allows me to know what we need grocery-wise for the entire month. And lastly (and perhaps most importantly), it is a major budget-saver. #1 it seems like the more we go to the grocery store, the more we spend, so the once a month thing helps with that, #2 it allows me to plan a variety of meals, some with more-expensive ingredients and some with less-expensive ingredients all while staying within our overall monthly budget. Does that make sense?
Well, this month, the cupboards and the freezer were looking pretty bare, and I knew if we stocked up on everything we needed that we would go way over our grocery budget for the month. So, I decided that I would plan only soups for dinner this month (Dinner, by the way is the only meal I plan. Breakfast is usually cold cereal, oatmeal, or toast, and Lunch is usually sandwiches for the boys and leftovers for us girls.)
Soups are just economical in so many ways. Typically, you can use less and less-expensive meats, or even no meat at all, in which case you can use beans to meet your protein needs. You can also use a lot of canned/frozen vegetables, which are not only healthy, but a bargain as well!
So we're seeing a lot of this at our house lately:
And quite honestly, it's been AWESOME to be able to get dinner ready in the morning and have minimal work to do in the evening during the dreaded "witching hour." You fellow moms know what I'm talking about... that last hour before daddy gets home... aaarrrggghhh
And just in case you were curious, here's our line-up of soups for the month. Let me know if you'd like me to share any of the recipes!
Lentil Soup
Mother's Nurturing Chicken Soup
Deb's Potato Vegetable Soup
Linda's Spicy Chicken Soup
Barley Beef Soup
Hamburger Vegetable Soup
Cream of Broccoli Soup
Meatball Soup
Split Pea Soup
Jambalaya
French Onion Soup
Minestrone
Cabbage Patch Stew
New England Clam Chowder
Mom's White Chicken Chili
Happy "Soup"vember!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
'Tis the Season
We're well into autumn now (actually having some cool/cold days even!) and you know what that means... It's time for PUMPKIN EVERYTHING.
I am really not typically a pumpkin-aholic, (just ask the three expired-two-years-ago cans of pumpkin in my pantry) but last weekend I was looking for a dessert recipe for having my sis's family over and found this utterly delicious recipe that I already had most of the ingredients for. So I set about making "Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake" out of the Kraft Foods Busy Family Recipes cookbook that my MIL gave me for my b-day.
It was ri.dic.u.lous.ly good. I would eat it any day over pumpkin pie. Don't get me wrong, I like pumpkin pie and everything, but it can be so heavy and rich. And although this cake was plenty rich, it just sat very lightly in the 'ole tum-tum. I'm hoping to make this again to share at Thanksgiving!
Here is the recipe:
Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake
Prep: 20 min
Total: 1 hr. 50min. (including cooling)
Makes: 16 servings (or four generous ones...)
Ingredients:
1 pkg. (2 layer size) yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin, divided
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. oil
4 eggs
1.5 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided (I made my own)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed
1/4 c. caramel ice cream topping (again, made my own)
1/4 c. pecan halves
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit
2. Beat cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs, and 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round pans. (I only have 8"x1.5" pans, so I just divided it evenly between the two and it worked great.) Bake 28-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans about 5 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.
3. Beat cream cheese in medium bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and spices; mix well. Gently fold in whipped topping.
4. Cut each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife (I used my awesome cake-leveler); stack on serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between layers (you can be pretty generous.) Do not frost top layer. Drizzle with caramel topping and top with nuts just before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.
5. Heartily enjoy!
This isn't the greatest picture of it, but we were all ready to dive in, so I just quickly snapped a picture for all you devoted readers. HA!
I am really not typically a pumpkin-aholic, (just ask the three expired-two-years-ago cans of pumpkin in my pantry) but last weekend I was looking for a dessert recipe for having my sis's family over and found this utterly delicious recipe that I already had most of the ingredients for. So I set about making "Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake" out of the Kraft Foods Busy Family Recipes cookbook that my MIL gave me for my b-day.
It was ri.dic.u.lous.ly good. I would eat it any day over pumpkin pie. Don't get me wrong, I like pumpkin pie and everything, but it can be so heavy and rich. And although this cake was plenty rich, it just sat very lightly in the 'ole tum-tum. I'm hoping to make this again to share at Thanksgiving!
Here is the recipe:
Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake
Prep: 20 min
Total: 1 hr. 50min. (including cooling)
Makes: 16 servings (or four generous ones...)
Ingredients:
1 pkg. (2 layer size) yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin, divided
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. oil
4 eggs
1.5 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided (I made my own)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed
1/4 c. caramel ice cream topping (again, made my own)
1/4 c. pecan halves
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit
2. Beat cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs, and 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round pans. (I only have 8"x1.5" pans, so I just divided it evenly between the two and it worked great.) Bake 28-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans about 5 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.
3. Beat cream cheese in medium bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and spices; mix well. Gently fold in whipped topping.
4. Cut each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife (I used my awesome cake-leveler); stack on serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between layers (you can be pretty generous.) Do not frost top layer. Drizzle with caramel topping and top with nuts just before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.
5. Heartily enjoy!
This isn't the greatest picture of it, but we were all ready to dive in, so I just quickly snapped a picture for all you devoted readers. HA!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Great day
Seriously, how can you not have a great day when this is what you find upon taking the lid off of the unopened container of marshmallow cream? Wishing you a smiley, marshmallow-creamy kind of day!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Chef Ira
Sorry this post has taken forever... I've been too lazy to dig out all the old picture files until today!
If there's one thing that Ira has consistently loved, it is being in the kitchen helping out.
I remember when he was just one having him help me measure ingredients into the bread machine.
I remember him helping me make gingerbread cookies (and eating the baking soda plain... blech...)
And pancakes.
And cinnamon rolls
And applesauce.
And now he's becoming even more self-sufficient! He peels carrots.
And the other night, he came up with an entire meal and helped me make it from start to finish! I let him decide on and make the menus.
And he got to decide that we would have not just any rolls (or rulzs as he spelled it) but blue rolls!
And he invented our entree: hamburger with spices. (1 lb. hamburger, 1 can corn, drained, 1/2 c. rice, kosher salt, and a whole slew of other spices from the spice rack.) And you know what, it was actually pretty darn good!
Not only does he love to help in the real kitchen, he LOVES playing with his kitchen set, formerly known as Chinese Restaurant. He revamped it the other day with an entirely new name and menu (that he typed up all by himself)!
I'm so glad my little boy loves working in the kitchen! It will be a quality that serves him well in the future no matter what vocation God gives him!
If there's one thing that Ira has consistently loved, it is being in the kitchen helping out.
I remember when he was just one having him help me measure ingredients into the bread machine.
 |
| 15 months old |
 |
| 20 months old |
 |
| 2 1/2 years old |
 |
| 3 1/2 years old |
And applesauce.
 |
| 4 1/2 years old |
And the other night, he came up with an entire meal and helped me make it from start to finish! I let him decide on and make the menus.
And he got to decide that we would have not just any rolls (or rulzs as he spelled it) but blue rolls!
And he invented our entree: hamburger with spices. (1 lb. hamburger, 1 can corn, drained, 1/2 c. rice, kosher salt, and a whole slew of other spices from the spice rack.) And you know what, it was actually pretty darn good!
Not only does he love to help in the real kitchen, he LOVES playing with his kitchen set, formerly known as Chinese Restaurant. He revamped it the other day with an entirely new name and menu (that he typed up all by himself)!
I'm so glad my little boy loves working in the kitchen! It will be a quality that serves him well in the future no matter what vocation God gives him!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)