The Three Hour Pie

One of my coworkers is due to have a baby in a few weeks.  We are having a little celebration for her Tuesday.  She asked that we serve pie instead of cake.

One can't help but wonder if a person requesting pie in place of cake has ever actually MADE a pie.

Well, one wonders that if one is catty, which I'm sure you most certainly are NOT Gentle Reader. And the girl requesting pie totally DESERVES pie.  After all, I still haven't completely recovered from my mother in law refusing to get fried chicken for me after Bookworm was born as she claimed "nobody wants to mess with fried chicken.  I will just go buy some."  And then she bought rotisserie chicken as she decided nobody truly WANTED fried chicken.  Never mind that the new mom wanted fried chicken. 

Excuse me, did I go on a rant?  My point was that while I didn't want the hassle of a pie, the pregnant lady DESERVES pie if that's what she wants.  Simply by virtue of being pregnant and nearing the very end of her pregnancy and still working.  So.  Pie she hall have...

I could have bought a Pillsbury pie crust.  I usually have a box on hand anyway, as we use them for chicken pot pie on weeks that I'm on call and Brent wants to use up the leftover grilled chicken...However, far be it from ME to buy a pie crust.  I'm entirely too domestic (read here stubborn and stupid) to BUY a crust.  Besides, an entire container of shortening is about the same as one box with two crusts.  And the cheapness buried deep in my soul rejoices at the thought of making twelve pies for the price of two bought crusts...

So, today (which is Sunday) I decided I had better make the apple pie I agreed to bring, as I'm on call tomorrow and my luck if I tried to make the darn thing tomorrow night, I'd end up working half the night.

Good thing I decided to attempt it today.

It was a disaster.

Of epic proportions.

I realize as I list the difficulties I've had, many of you will feel compelled to offer helpful advice as to why my crust did not work.  Please refrain (read here: shut up) because I've made many, many pie crusts.  And never in all of my born days have I had as many problems as I had today.  Seriously.  It was as if I'd never seen a pastry blender or made a pie in my life.

To begin with, I couldn't find my normal recipe.  I have no idea as to how this was possible as I had it very neatly shoved tucked in with all of my dessert recipes on a hastily scribbled neatly typed piece of paper.

So, I resorted to good old Betty Crocker.  And I noticed she had instructions for using a food processor!  Well, my MOM uses her food processor and if she can do it, surely I can too!

Wrong.  It was so sticky.  It was as if I was working with sugar cookie dough.  So I added a tad of flour.  And then it fell apart.  So I added water.  And then it was tearing.

And so then after no less than 30 minutes I tried making an entirely new batch with my trusty pastry blender, which I probably should have done in the first place.

It rolled out nicely, but when I picked it up, it fell completely apart.  Like in a million pieces apart...

So, I rolled it back out.  Then I cut it into strips.  Then I sprinkled it with sugar and cinnamon and baked it...

And I only nearly cried about twelve times.   Because the song "Can she bake a cherry pie, Billy boy, Billy boy?  Can she bake a cherry pie darling Billy?"  kept going round and round in my head.  So, clearly I'm somehow incapable of baking a cherry pie in a blinking of an eye, and I'm  NOT a young thing who cannot leave her mother.

Speaking of mothers:  I attempted to call her for reinforcement at one point, but she was unable to get to her phone.  So I called my sister.  Who pointed out I'd probably over worked my dough in my efforts to salvage it...

So I gave up and threw half of it away, and in the  midst of cleaning up the war zone that was once a tidy kitchen my mother called back.

And I did not answer...Because I knew I'd end up just annoyed with her for no reason, so instead I sat down with a cup of coffee and my butter basted cinnamon/sugar sprinkled crust and sat down to pour my woes out to you.

And, yes I do feel better.  So, now I shall go wash my sink full of dirty dishes and clean the kitchen floor which mysteriously has bits of pie crust all over it...

Oh, wait!  I forgot to mention that I used every last drop of flour in my house in my futile efforts to make a pie.  Tonight after church I will be running to the store.  And I will buy a pie crust.   And I will slice up some granny smith apples and throw it in the oven.  And I will have to shamefully say on Tuesday, "No, I didn't make the pie crust.  Please do not ask."

But then because I'm me, I will inflict the entire sordid tale on anyone who mistakenly asks...

Or even those who fail to ask, but mistakenly even randomly mention pies, apples, flour, kitchens or complete and total emotional break downs.

Softball is Here: Which Means We're Hungry

Thursday officially kicked off softball practice.  Being the super organized person that I am, I forgot to move Popcorn's gymnastics, so we missed the first thirty minutes of softball practice...

Guess what?  Brent gets to coach their team.  Here's how that went down:  Two weeks before practices were set to begin, the director of the league called and asked him if our kids planned to play.  When he answered in the affirmative (the deadline to register was two days away), she replied, "Great!  You can coach the twelve and under team!"

And thus he was Bookworm's coach.

And then I began to whine and complain that having two girls on two different teams was just impossible, and therefore I MUST stop working IMMEDIATELY!

And then one of my coworkers had the audacity it ask how quitting work would help the situation since softball practice and games are all in the evenings or Saturdays.

Needless to say, I threw my coffee in his face and walked off....

(Okay, that last part didn't really happen)

Alas, I'm still gainfully employed.   But God answered my prayer in the sense that Popcorn absolutely refused to play if her dad couldn't coach her too...Even if it meant playing with girls two years older than her.

So I gave a big "HOORAY!"  And I'm officially not responsible for one single portion of softball, other than attending games!  Go ahead, congratulate me on my sheer luck in such matters.

ANYHOO, the point is that Thursday I had to pick the girls up from school, run Popcorn to gymnastics, then to softball, and I knew from past experience that they would come home weeping with hunger.  Especially considering Popcorn finished her school day with a very intense PE class where they did a boot camp type of workout, then did a forty minute bike ride with me before jumping in the car to head to gymnastics where she goes nonstop for an hour, then went to softball...

So, on my way home from work I was chatting with my Grandma Irene, and we were discussing what I could throw in the crock pot to cook until we walked in the door who knows when...

Grandma is good at many, many things, but crock pots are a foreign idea for her.  Therefore, I get to claim total credit for this bit of loveliness.  I haven't decided what to call it.

Cut up cooked chicken breast (Brent had grilled some bourbon chicken earlier in the week)
1 can Ranch Style beans, with most of liquid drained
1 can chopped green chiles
1 can cream of chicken
1 cup of wild rice
1 cup of water
Generously sprinkle with pinto bean seasoning (or taco, or fajita, whatever you want)
Shredded cheddar cheese

Stir all together and turn crock pot to low for 3 hours.   Bookworm sprinkled it with cheddar cheese about an hour before we ate it...

I ended up leaving practice as soon as it was over, but Brent and the girls stayed behind to do the social meet and greet.  Since I knew I had at least ten minutes, I whipped up some salsa to be served with it.

 
I may or may not have eaten entirely TOO MUCH of that before they got home.

So, what shall I call my newest crock pot creation?  And when do you plan to try it?  I promise you will love it.  Bookworm doesn't like rice.  However, on her FOURTH serving, I pointed out that it had rice in it...She was surprised, but still loved it.  Let me know how it works for you!

I Had A Breakdown in Homeland

Today I went to Homeland to do my coupon shopping.

I had already spent too much money at Walmart.

Because we have animals and our pet food bill is ridiculous.  Note to self:  If one wants to save money do NOT buy a dog that will be close to be eighty pounds.  Not to mention the three cats.  Can anyone tell me WHY I have three cats at my house?  Oliver is CERTAINLY enough cat for four people.

And these "kittens" want to be held all of the time.  Literally.  And they are really no longer kittens, but will be forever be the "kittens" because it's like when you have a dozen kids, the last few are the "little girls." 

Not that I have or WANT a dozen kids, but I had a friend growing up who was the youngest of seven.  She and her two closest sisters were all within three years of each other.  The entire family called them the "little girls" even when they were reaching six feet tall...

But that is a total rabbit chase, and I don't even know what I was typing about.  Excuse me while I  go back and review this post and try to decipher where I went wrong...

Oh yes!  Grocery shopping.  I had just left Walmart where I had spent too much money on pet food.  And secretly wondered about not feeding my cats so they would learn to hunt for their food and thus rid the neighborhood of all unwanted vermin...However, that probably wouldn't work as Oliver is only fed 1/2 cup of food per day and he still weighs 18 pounds.  I'm guessing he's convinced another family that he belongs to them while I'm at work.  The tramp.

I walked into Homeland armed with my list and my coupons, prepared to conquer the store...

All of their Valentine's candy and baked goods were half off.  Did you know that I did not receive chocolate for Christmas or Valentine's?  Did you know I don't keep sweets at the house because I find that if sweets are at the house I eat them?  However, if I receive them as gifts, then they are totally guilt free!  Anyhoo.  I was feeling deprived.  So I promptly threw in a bag of snack sized Snickers (the very best size to have), a bag of Dove Dark Chocolate Promises (I keep them in my locker at work), a bag of some sort of almond toffee chocolate candy that I'd never heard of, and last but not least a dozen chocolate cupcakes with pink and red frosting and "Be Mine" Valentine picks in them...

I left the grocery store with a total bill of $23.85.

Guess what?  $9.62 of that bill was on crap.  That's right.  Nearly half of my bill was spent on empty calories that are sure to go straight to my thighs.

Speaking of my thighs: 

Popcorn had an "un"birthday party this past weekend.  (Remember Alice in Wonderland?  "A very merry unbirthday to you?"  That is what one celebrates when one's parents are unable to let you celebrate your birthday for two months following the actual event.)  I had to accept failure as a Betty Crocker wannabe and buy a cheesecake.  Of course, upon buying the cheesecake I realized it cost only a few dollars more than it does to make one from scratch.  And that is just wrong somehow.

On Saturday afternoon, Popcorn wanted a piece of cheesecake for a snack.  She offered for me to sit and have a piece with her.

"I do NOT need to eat cheesecake,"  I said as I went to brew a good strong cup of coffee to enjoy with my treat.

"Why?  Are you on a diet," she asked as she began to pull two plates out of the cabinet.

"No.  I don't believe in diets.  Are you saying you think I SHOULD be on a diet?"  You see, I'm an equal opportunity guilt employer.  I have absolutely no compunction about throwing random guilt darts at unsuspecting family members.

"No!  Of course not!"

"That's what I thought."  And we joyously dug into our slices of cheesecake.  But I made her eat part of mine..."Help save me from some excess jiggle in my wiggle."

Which made me think of a conversation I had at work yesterday.  By the way, please pardon me as I complain for a moment.  I worked 12 hours on Monday with no sustenance but a banana, an orange and a container of Greek Yogurt.  Oh, yes!  I also had a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos because one of my coworkers knows my need for comfort food on late nights...I worked 11 hours yesterday with no lunch break whatsoever.  I did go and scarf down three tablespoons of peanut butter in a moment of rebellion.  It was either do that or punch someone in the face, and I decided that taking three minutes to throw some food in my face was a better plan.

Two reps were there to do a case with my doctor, and I was needing to ask him a question about a case we were about to do.  Somehow we got on the topic of coffee.  They were talking about cutting back on coffee.  I said, "Yeah, I've considered cutting back on coffee, but I get cranky just thinking about it and then I go brew myself a second cup just for good measure."

They both laughed like I wasn't serious or something like that.

But I was.

Speaking of coffee:

Have you made this Blueberry Coffee Cake yet?

If not, I have to INSIST that you simply must do it double quick.  I have made three already this week.  It's doctor appreciation week, and I made one for Tuesday when we had planned to have a feast of order out food but instead were too busy to even eat.  It turns out that most people made time to go back and shove some cake in their face.  We are reattempting the feast tomorrow, so I made it again today.  However, my girls begged me to make one for home too.

Because, returning to the original topic of this post, we are obviously quite deficient on sweets in this house.

Excuse me.  I feel the need to go do some Just Dance with the Wii to burn some jiggle out of my wiggle.

Happy hump day!

This List is REAL

Our lives have been in a state of turmoil lately.

Sadly, life does not seem to slow down when turmoil comes, but in some ways it seems to go into super fast forward and you just want to say, "WAIT!  Slow down!  I didn't have time to check homework or fold laundry, and I'm tired and all I want to do is sleep, but I can't sleep, and then the night drags on and on and on..."  And then the next day I'm tired and the day is flying by and I'm not managing time wisely because my brain is circling around and around topics that I have no control over, but can't seem to make myself stop worrying about.

Guess what?  In the midst of this turmoil my Grandma Irene is coming to my house for the VERY FIRST TIME EVER.   I'm super excited.  She will be here Tuesday evening.  I will work tomorrow.  I will work Tuesday.  I will be on call both of those days, unless I can find someone to switch with  me Tuesday.

So all of that whining is to say this:  After taking a two hour nap today (which I really did NOT have time for) I made a list of things that MUST be done before we all leave for work Tuesday morning.  I think the list is rather revolutionary if I do say so myself.   As I was writing this list, in the exact words I'm about to share with you, I said to myself:  Instead of packing the last of the red dishes on the hutch, I do believe I will blog this list. 

(Because my decision making processes are always full of wisdom and ambition.)

And so I am. 



Chores to be done before GRANDMA IRENE arrives on Tuesday afternoon:

Girls:
-Dust (Your bedrooms too!)
-Clean your bathroom
-Vacuum your rooms

Brent & Andrea:
-vacuum remainder of house
-hutch
-Hide Clutter in Closet if All Else Fails
-Our bathroom
-Oh no-We have basketball practice for Bookworm Monday night!

You see, I glanced at our hutch and number three simply flowed out of my brain and onto the paper.

I'm pretty sure it is imperative that it remain.

Now to figure out what to make for dinner for my Grandma Irene's first ever visit to my house...

I have some leftover chicken.  I'm nearly out of dog food, so I must stop at the store tomorrow on my way home from work.  I'm thinking I'll grab some refrigerated pie crust and make some pot pies tomorrow night for Brent to pop in the oven around 5pm or so Tuesday night...

It's either that or carry out pizza.

More Christmas Traditions

Are you sick of Christmas posts yet?

Well, I'm sorry, but I have at least one more for you...

Brent asked me to get my tires rotated today.  I loathe doing anything of that nature...So, I quickly informed I simply would have no time to deal with such frivolities today.  No INDEED.

Instead I must do forty dozen loads of laundry...When will my children learn that their jeans do not need to go in the laundry every blessed time they remove them?  When, when, when, when, my soul is crying out.  After all, everyone else realizes you must change your underwear every day.  And a new shirt is required daily...But pants?  You can wear pants FOR.EV.ER! 

Oh, and I must go to the store for some supplies for the endless Christmas baking I'm wanting to begin.

Oh, and I'm ever so eager to get going on my annual Christmas obsessions!

Do you have any Christmas obsessions?  I have too many to count, but here are just a few I have to share with you.

Color you excited!

Hold on to your seats, Gentle Reader!!!

Every year I buy a Christmas jigsaw puzzle.  And I obsess over it.  And I sit down to finish one little area...

And two hours later my back aches from bending over and changing positions twenty times to get a new perspective on the pieces.  This year I wisely bought a 550 piece puzzle so my obsession could be a little shorter lived.  Oh, and the annual Christmas jigsaw puzzle is another reason I simply had to get out the table that Brent was so agreeable to pack away for all of thirty minutes last weekend.

I love Walter Wick books.  I love that his pictures tell a story, and I love the challenge of finding each hidden item.  I buy a new Christmas book every time I see one.  I saw a Halloween one this year and barely restrained myself from starting a new obsession.

As I sit on my recliner, by the fireplace where all recliners belong, and type a few posts to sustain my eager readers for the next several days, I'm day dreaming of making fudge.  And ginger cookies.  Oh, and I'm very eager to make some shaped sugar cookies, and get an assembly line of butter frosting going for a great big cookie decorating frenzy!

I think I will stick to a quick batch of fudge...But first I'm off to wrap some gifts!

For now.

That is Just so Granola

I remember when I was in a clinical rotation at a Columbia Hospital in Arlington.  I don't remember the entire gist of the conversation, but I do remember one of the nurses looked at me and said with a look of utter disdain "Your school is just so granola."

I was young and idealistic and had no idea what she was talking about...

As I got out of the ivory tower of nursing school and in to the real world, I realized what she meant.  However, I also remember how jaded and bitter every single nurse that I encountered at that hospital was.  Seriously, they all hated their jobs.  How sad.  That is the only hospital where I had nurses tell me, "Change your major while you still can."

 I think perhaps if they had a puppy napping on their kitchen floor while they provided nourishing food for their family, their cranky factor may have decreased...


If you know anything about me, this post began as expected...Completely unrelated to the point of the post...Just random thoughts that were circling my brain as I was involved in the endeavor this post truly relates to:

GRANOLA!!

Color me excited!

I have a friend at work who occasionally brings oatmeal bars to work.  His mother makes them, and they make him think of the Oatmeal to Go bars by Quaker.  I love those bars.  I do not love the price involved with them, since they never last more than a day.

I asked him for the recipe, and he brought it to me.  I joyfully tackled it last week.  I have tweaked the recipe to suit our family's tastes, but the bare bones of the original are still there.

The beauty of this recipe is that it assembles in mere minutes, requires only two bowls and a spatula to assemble, and it is good for you!

So, without further ado, here it is!

Molasses Oatmeal Bars

In a large bowl combine:

2 c old fashioned oats
3/4 c flour
3/4 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c chopped pecans
1/4 c sunflower seeds
1/3 c toasted wheat germ
1/2 c golden raisins





In a small bowl combine:
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 c honey
3 Tbsp molasses (spray your spoon with vegetable spray to make it slide off easily)
1 large egg









Add the molasses/honey mixture to your oat mixture.  Simply stir this with your favorite red spatula.  I promise, red spatulas work best!  I am so convinced of  this fact that I own three red spatulas and one lime green...The lime green, while it is visibly appealing, just does not seem to do the job properly.  Therefore all reliable research indicates that red spatulas work best!

Use the back of your red spatula to spread and press firmly the granola mix into a greased 9x13 pan.  Will you hold it against me if I tell you that I used my 9x11 pan because I still had a few bars left in my 9x13 from a previous batch?  I just couldn't be bothered to take out the last three bars and then wash and dry the pan...

Place in preheated 350 degree oven and bake 18-22 minutes.  Remove when edges are starting to brown.  Let cool on wire rack about 90 minutes before cutting...

Enjoy!

Oh!  Are you wondering what that little peek of blue orb is on the right side?  Well, that just happens to be Popcorn's solar system model.  That will be a post for another day.  I tried to take a clever photo of the granola bars with her solar system in the background...

However in that same background you could see my three bags of recyclables lying on the dining room floor so I would not neglect to drop them off in the morning...And you could see the piles of crafty stuff on my dining room table...Not to mention the piles of junk I "need to sort through" on our hutch.

That was just clearly too much clutter to include in one post...

I mean I'm all about being real, but even I have limits!

So, when I deem the background tidy enough to show you pictures of the solar system I will post photos of her masterpiece...Granted the background will be tidy while everything outside of it may very well be chaos.

But I'm totally okay with that!

Fall of Energy

Sunday my back was feeling much better...

As in not aching at all!

Of course, that made me spring into action.  It's the end of the month, and we are low on food stuff.  My girls eat waffles every single morning for breakfast.  I usually take the easy way out and buy Nutrigrain Whole Wheat Blueberry waffles.  But, they are expensive, hardly ever go on sale, and they are stingy with coupons!

I had all of the ingredients to make whole wheat pancake/waffle mix, so I decided to make up a big stock pile.  I confess my girls love this mix fresh, but never go for it when it's frozen.  However, since it will be their only choice for a few weeks, they will get over it.

So, this is what my kitchen looked like Sunday afternoon:

Go ahead, be wowed at what a tidy cook I am....

Originally I was going to just do waffles, but that takes enormous amounts of patience from me, as you must stand over the iron, and there was nothing to do while I waited.  I pulled out my griddle and decided to make up pancakes at the same time.  I did a total of three and a half batches, because that's how much wheat flour I had!  I understand that most of you, Gentle Readers do not suffer from impatience, evidenced by the fact that you read this rambling blog, but please understand that it is a trial to be me, and to live with me.  My husband would appreciate your prayers. 

And please disregard the sauce pan on the stove that I had neglected to throw in the dishwasher after lunch.  Perhaps washing up might have been an advisable activity while I waited on the waffle iron?

Oh, let's just pause a moment while I give a big "THANK YOU" to my sister, Paula.  She had sent us home with some of her homemade bierox a few weeks ago, and we enjoyed them for lunch Sunday.  My only complaint is that now my husband does not understand why I won't make them.  I said he's more than welcome to call her and find out how to make them.

Alright.  Let's return to our original topic.  Here's a recipe for you!

Whole Wheat Pancake/Waffle Mix

3 c unbleached all purpose flour
3 c whole wheat flour
4 T baking powder
3 T sugar
1 tsp salt

As you can see this makes a big batch of mix.  Simply store it in an airtight container, and measure out desired amount for your waffles/pancakes/biscuits or whatever you want!

Now, here's the recipe for the pancakes/waffles. 

2 c mix
2 eggs
1 3/4 c milk
3 T melted butter/2 T oil (I use oil for waffles and butter for pancakes usually, but since I was feeling impatient this past Sunday I used oil in all of it.)
2 eggs
1-2 tsp vanilla.

This makes a big batch, so feel free to cut it in half.  Just use a short cup of milk as it taxes my brain to measure out 7/8 cup.  How much difference can 1/8 cup make?  If it turns out too thin, I just throw in a dab more mix, and everyone but me is none the wiser.


I stirred in some fresh blue berries in about half of the batches last Sunday.  That is always a special treat.  However, be aware that the blueberries will stick to your waffle iron, so I ended up spraying it with cooking spray.  I don't usually have to do that as my iron is nonstick.

Great stir in ideas
-cinnamon
-maple syrup/extract
-chocolate chips
-just have fun with it, and surprise your family with a wholesome breakfast that you know how to pronounce every single ingredient in!


So that's my Sunday afternoon!  Hope you make use of this delicious and nutritious recipe!  Oh, and I must give to credit to my beautiful friend Tara for originally giving me this recipe several years ago.  When my girls would go stay with her, they always told me her waffles were better than mine.  Since I was using her recipe, I consider that just messed up.  Perhaps she threw in a little more sugar?


What great time saving/money saving tips do you have for me?

So Andi, What the Heck Do I Do With That 5 Pounds of ChickenYou Nagged Me Into Cooking?

I'm glad you asked!

After you cook your chicken in the crock pot, divide it up into quart freezer bags.  You don't even have to chop it, because it just totally falls apart.  LABELING them is very important.  Otherwise you will wonder when you cooked this, what exactly it is, and what is in it!

Now, what on earth does one do with all of this precooked chicken?  

How about chicken pot pie or chicken quesadillas?  Those are two easy peasy recipes that my family loves!

However, this post would be even more pointless than you already suspect if I didn't give you something new and exciting to try!

How about chicken tacos?  How simple and easy!  Just add shredded chicken to your skillet, shake on a little taco seasoning with some water and heat through.  I know, that is a total "duh" recipe, but sometimes I think we all get stuck in a rut and the simplest ideas help us break out!

Do you have any "go to" dishes that you take to people when they have a baby?  Or an unexpected surgery?  Here's a new one to add to your arsenal.

Poppy Seed Chicken
4 diced, fully cooked chicken breasts
8oz sour cream
can cream of chicken
1 T poppy seeds
1 sleeve Ritz crackers
1/2 stick butter (4 tablespoons for any Aussies out there)

Stir first 4 ingredients together in a 9x9 greased casserole dish.  Crush crackers and spread over the top.  Drizzle with melted butter.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through.  Want to make this heartier?  Put some cooked rice in the bottom of the pan!

I fear this is not a heart healthy/low fat recipe...It's for new moms and stressed, exhausted people.  That's comfort food people!

Speaking of comfort food, here's a healthy choice:

Comforting Chicken
1 T vegetable oil
1 T butter (let's be real, I'm just using butter, but the recipe calls for oil too)
4 cubed chicken breasts (one pound)
1/2 c finely chopped onion
1/2 c finely chopped green pepper
1 can cream of mushroom (reduced fat/sodium works fine for this recipe)
3/4 c uncooked long grain rice (I actually substitute wild rice in this)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika

Heat oil and butter in skillet.  Add chicken, pepper and onion (except our chicken is already cooked, so you can actually just cook these in a bowl in the microwave, but sauteed on the stove smells divine!!)  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Bake in a greased dish for 55-60 minutes or until rice is tender.

FABULOUS!!!

Let's see, I need to give you one more recipe so you can justify cooking up five pounds of chicken all at once.

How about making a nice chicken and vegetable soup?  Simply place your chicken in some stock in a large pot.  Add whatever veggies you have on hand and season it up nice with some fresh oregano and parsley.  Or maybe some basil!  Heck, I don't know I'm flying by the seat of my pants here!  Just have fun with it!  Cook it up until veggies are tender and serve with some nice cheddar garlic biscuits.

Wasn't that fun?  Now rejoice that you have just made five wholesome meals for your family!  Yay you!

Now it's your turn.  What is a quick fix dinner that you rely on in a pinch?  Do share!

Cook This

Do you want a delicious meal that is ready in 30 minutes or less?

Grab these ingredients:
Savory Garlic Philadelphia Cooking Creme
Pasta
Chicken Breast

Here's the deal:

Take that whole bag of chicken breasts and throw it in your crock pot in the morning (I put mine in at about 7:30 this morning) along with some cloves of garlic and some oregano.  Cook this on low all day.

Have you seen the new Philadelphia cooking creams?  If you're like me, you found a dollar off coupon for it, and realized it would double at Homeland and you walked away with a new ingredient you had no concrete plans for....

But it was only 19 cents, so what the heck!

You will also need a box of pasta (that there is a good chance you got for free if you follow Coupon Closet.)  If you don't follow Coupon Closet and you live in the OKC metro area, you should.  I have $150 left in this month's grocery budget and I have everything I need aside from a few gallons of milk to see us through the end of the month.

Cook your pasta according to package directions.  While it's cooking, pour about 2T of EVOO in the bottom of a skillet.  Why?   I have no idea, but it really seemed like the thing to do, and it makes me feel like a fancy cook to drizzle it around in a circle.  Empty your container of Savory Garlic Philadelphia Cooking Creme, and add that chicken, chopped or shredded, that is lovely and delicious after cooking in the crockpot all day.  I eyeballed enough to serve the four of us with leftovers (maybe three breasts?)  It was falling apart as I grabbed it out, so my amount is guestimated.  Heat it through, then toss with your pasta.  Serve with Rhodes Warm N Serve Rolls, that again you'd get for free nearly every week if you followed Coupon Closet, as she would tell you where to get coupons and where they are on sale...

Try to hold back your frustration as you wait for that husband to get home from buying fencing supplies.  If you are wise you will plant a big smacker right on his face the minute he walks in, as you might POSSIBLY have been nagging him to put up a new one...

Not that I know anything about nagging, or the skill with which to yield it...I prefer to just start projects that I have no idea how to complete, and do them in a slapdash shoddy fashion...Before you know it my hero has stepped in and saved the day!

And no nagging was necessary!

Feel free to use this tip to your own advantage. 

Go type a blog and tell everyone about the fabulous dinner you made in no time flat.

Serve it up to your family with some tossed salad (topped with dressing that you found for a measly 67 cents a bottle, again thanks to Carrie over at Coupon Closet) and bask in the adoration they pour out on you...

It's Beginning to Look a Lot LIke Christmas!!

Wednesday is my day off, get everything done that I possibly can day. It involves bill paying, grocery shopping, laundry, and cleaning. Ugh. Strangely, it doesn't really feel like a day off. Why do you suppose that is?

This Wednesday was a bit different. I had my follow up appointment for my measles titer to see if I for sure for sure had measles. I won't have those results for several days as they have to go to California for testing.

I had to finish up Christmas shopping. I was determined to finish and not be tempted to buy that one more thing I think of...

I will confess right now that I realized I never bought envelopes to mail Christmas letters. I haven't even written a letter! I've sat down and tried, and I'm completely blank. Totally, completely blank. How weird is that?

I started my marathon off at Walmart.

I needed dog and cat food and a groceries. I was determined to walk in the door, check out their ice cream cakes as Popcorn has decided this must be on the menu for her slumber party Friday, grab some stuff and go....

Then the Christmas spirit overwhelmed me, and before I knew it I bought entirely too much totally necessary to my life and future happiness stuff.





Like new cookie cutters. And wrapping paper. And a jigsaw puzzle! Because my great great grandmother's dining room table MUST have a jigsaw scattered on it during Christmas. I also clearly NEEDED to buy an adorable gingerbread village kit. Clearly. I needed it!

Oh! A cute Rudolph coloring book! Of course every new coloring book requires a brand new box of sharp pointed crayons....Oh, the smell of a newly opened box of crayons. Simple childhood times come rushing back.

Sadly, my entire Walmart visit followed this pattern. I left with some groceries, but I fear not everything I will need to get me through the Christmas season. That is what an unprepared trip to Walmart gets you!

Remember the clever cupcake scam my youngest pulled on me Tuesday night? Well, in my wanderings I found these adorable sprinkles and cupcake picks. I decided they were a must! So I bought them! Aren't they cute!




I finished my shopping in time to run by a real grocery store, buy some perishable items and dash home to throw them in the freezer and stash a few gifts before I had to get the girls.

Only I finished that 15 minutes before time to go.

So I colored a picture. That's right. I colored a picture. In a coloring book. With my brand new crayons.

It was bliss.





Then I picked up the kids, came home, scrambled to get laundry done and these cupcakes done and dinner on the table before I had to be at choir from 7-9pm.

And now I'm heading to bed.

With pink frosting smears on my kitchen floor where the dog got into the trash last night while we were asleep. SOMEBODY didn't put up the trash before we went to bed, and apparently the smell of that grilled fish that SOMEBODY didn't carry out to feed the stray animals in the back pasture was more than she could ignore.

I've decided it will still be there tomorrow.

And the day after that if I don't get to it...And that day will be Friday, and I will have a house full of little girls, so what will be the point of cleaning my floors then?

Ginger Cookies

Sunday I realized it was December 12th. I also realized that my beloved daughter had signed me up to bring sugar cookies to her "Winter Holiday Party" aka a Christmas Party, before we had to be politically correct.

We also had "Family Night at Christmas" at our church, and I needed to bring either a salty or sweet snack.

Did you know I'm ridiculously proud and hard headed about silly things?

Like cookies.

I refuse to buy them.

So, Sunday after I had my requisite nap, I endeavored to make sugar cookies for a school party, and ginger cookies for the church party.

Please notice the coffee cup in the background. A strong cup of coffee is a must for baking cookies. I noticed that hazelnut coffee goes well with this particular dough...Don't pretend you don't snitch some dough as you go. How else are you to be sure you didn't accidentally leave something out? Sampling dough is imperative to good baking!

These cookies are truly delightful. I don't know why so few people make ginger cookies anymore.

They resemble a ginger snap, but they are softer and chewier, which I love.

This recipe calls for oil, so they don't work well for rolling and cutting out. However, last year I substituted the oil with equal parts softened butter, and they rolled out fine. They were more crisp, like one would expect a ginger snap to be.

As I was not going to bother with rolling and icing cookies that would be in a giant buffet of treats, and I would get no glory for (just being real here), I decided to stick with the original recipe. Because, truly, although I do love a good iced cookie, if nobody's going to ooh and aah over the hard work I've done, I'm not putting forth the effort.

Now, here's the recipe that has been missing from your cookbook, and you didn't even know it. Try it. You will fall in love, and your family will "rise up and call you blessed"....

Ginger Cookies:

2/3 cup oil
1 egg
1 c sugar
4 Tblsp molasses

2 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger

granulated sugar for dipping

Mix first four ingredients. Combine dry ingredients and add to sugar mixture. Roll into balls by hand, then roll in granulated sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheet, and bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes, or until done.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Hey! I will share a sugar cookie post with you tomorrow! Complete with decorating ideas! How exciting is that? Maybe I will pretend to be Pioneer Woman and do an entire week of cookies....

Minus the gazillion readers.

And great pictures.

And ridiculous wealth.

But, other than that, I'm pretty sure we are two peas in a pod.

I Have This Thing for Cinnamon Rolls

We're going camping with my family this weekend. In preparation, I'm thinking of what I will eat. Studmuffin? He's thinking of what he needs to have to catch the most fish. I really don't care to fish at all.

Oh, I love to be out on the water, however, I just want to lay back and read a book. Sadly, my husband is completely unsupportive of this. I'm constantly having to help bait a kids hook. Or steer the boat...Or some other tedious task that completely interferes with my desire to just sit and read or stare into space.

But, this is not a post about fishing...

It's a post about cinnamon rolls. Hence the title!

We had this lovely little lady in the town I was raised near (read here 26 miles away from) who was renowned for her cinnamon rolls. I actually have her recipe, since she came to our home economics class and taught us how to make them!

However, her recipe involves patience. You make your own dough...

Then you have to let it rise....

And like most doughs, you knead it and roll it out...

I'm already impatient for that cinnamon roll, and I'm just typing about it! So, if you live in my hometown that I actually never lived in I recommend you just take your little self over and pay Ginger a visit, and I'm quite sure she will have a cinnamon roll to offer you. Then you will only eat one, instead of the whole pan that will be at your house should you get a hankering for rolls, and so decide to make them.

Was just the longest, most confusing sentence ever, or what?

Did I mention I love cinnamon rolls? I think I've done at least 2 other posts involving variations of cinnamon rolls. But they are just so darn good!

I want to take cinnamon rolls camping. However, as we are the poor relation who will be staying in our 1969 Apache pop up tent camper, I will not have an oven. I am supposed to work this week, so that leaves little time for baking days upon end in preparation as I am wont to do.

As I was thinking about my desire for cinnamon rolls, and homemade ones at that, I considered monkey bread. However, I know that I know that I know it won't last a whole day from the minute it's made, since we will all just keep snitching a little ball of deliciousness as we walk by...

I considered my super easy crescent roll cinnamon rolls, but I was really wanting that yeasty bread taste...

So, here's what I came up with:


Ingredients:
1 can of refrigerated french bread
butter
1/2 c sugar (or more, these measurements are not very concrete)
1 T cinnamon (note here: Studmuffin said they needed more cinnamon, but the last batch of rolls I made he claimed had too much...You just can't please some people!)

Icing:
1 pkg neufchatel cheese
powdered sugar (not sure how much...I just dumped, blended, and dumped until I had the right consistency)
1 tsp pure vanilla (No extract in this house)
a pinch of salt (no idea why. I just did it, then asked myself why...I sometimes act and then think. I know, this shocks you)

Unroll the french bread. Slather generously with softened butter. Do yourself a favor and throw that margarine in the garbage. Embrace the butter! Mix the cinnamon and sugar together, then sprinkle over butter. Roll french loaf up. Slice into desired thickness and place in greased (with butter of course) pan. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon if you haven't just used the last bit you have...If you are out of cinnamon, stop and ask yourself how you could possibly be out of something you use every single day, and you just went to the store.

Once you are through asking yourself things there are just no good answers to, throw those babies in the oven. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, or until done.

While rolls are baking, combine the neufchatel (You can use cream cheese, but why when it's more calories and fat?) with powdered sugar. Splash in about a teaspoon of vanilla and the pinch of salt that you are completely unsure why you just threw in...I guess it just feels like the thing to do in the moment. Mix well...Continue to add sugar until your frosting is desired consistency. If you get it too thick, never fear! Just splash in a bit of milk until it's thinned out!

Now, when you pull those rolls out of the oven, spread that creamy delicious frosting all over it.

Go ahead, use the whole thing when maybe half the batch will do. This is all about cinnamon rolls, and self control has no place here...


Now pour yourself a big mug of hot coffee, grab yourself a good book, and dig in!

Time Management

I have a very dear friend who recently started working full time for the first time in a long time.

Well, she used to be a dear friend...

Then, we both had to start working all the dad gum time, and now we hardly see each other. Now, we are more of "Hi! Nice to see you! I used to lunch once a week with a friend who looks a whole lot like you!"

Anyhoo, we ate Mexican with our families after church on Sunday. We discussed her new adventure in life...And the changes that always come as a result of a new job.

She said she was going to pick my brain about how to play this game of work and raise a family, and try not to let every thing else fall apart...

What flattery! She thinks I've got it all together!

What a pal! What a gal!

Gentle Reader, I obviously have her fooled!

In all honesty, I do enjoy organizing. Planning. Making a list and checking it twice...

All of these things work for me. However, the reality is, strange as I may find it, not everyone wants to roll the way I roll...

Weird.

That being said, I have been thinking about her dilemma, and what a challenge it is to go from working occasionally to nearly full time, and the shock that is to the whole family.

Well, my very first recommendation, is to find a nanny. Particularly a nanny who will do your dishes, straighten your house, supervise homework, chores, and run your kids to various things such as piano lessons...Generally, the nanny needs to be able to step in and take over the vast majority of parenting responsibilities.

Because, let's be real, Gentle Reader. If Mommy's gonna work full time, something's gotta give...

Gentle Reader, if you skip this step, I fear there is little I can do for you...

Just kidding!

I do have tips for you. If you're interested, that is...If not, then I suggest you skip the next few posts, because I've decided to break this down into a few posts, so I have plenty of room to impart my wisdom to you, my Gentle Readers.

However, before I get too far in these posts, I'd like to know what questions you may have for me, a veritable fount of information. And, if by some freak chance of nature I don't have a good answer for you, well I fear I will have to stoop to desperate measures...And lie.

Oh! And, I would love to hear your tips for managing a busy schedule too.

So, bring on the questions! Give me your suggestions! Share your ideas!

Disclaimer: This author may or may not feel compelled to claim your ideas as her own...Depending on how good the idea is, that is! I certainly don't plan to pass on any more drivel than I already do!

Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes

I bought some sweet potatoes on impulse the other day. They were nowhere to be found on the planned menu. But I do love sweet potatoes, so I snatched them up. The girls? Not so much. And that is sad, Gentle Reader. Quite Sad.

So, in an effort to make them more appealing to them, I decided to try a new twist on them. Did I take a picture? No. I did however eat myself sick on them, so I figure that's a pretty good recommendation if there ever was one!

Of course, I found this recipe, but I didn't have all of the ingredients, so I altered it. That and it said to put 1/4 inch of oil in the bottom of the pan, which I found absolutely ridiculous. sos, clearly their recipe was a good foundation for me, but it was simply crying out to be altered....This is my version of the recipe.

Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes, peeled and diced
Canola Oil
Cajun Seasoning
Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Brown sugar
Butter

Heat canola in a large skillet. I just used enough to coat the bottom well. Place sweet potatoes and salt to taste. Add Cajun seasoning to taste (the original called for Mrs Dash. I don't own that, and thought Cajun seasoning sounded good). I really just eyeballed the amount...After a few minutes, turn your potatoes. You want them to be good and crispy before you turn them. Reduce heat. When potatoes are done on both sides, drain off the excess oil. Spread pats of butter around on the pan, then sprinkle on the cayenne and brown sugar (1 tsp per potato.) Continue to fry until the sugar starts to recrystallize and serve these babies up!

It was fabulous. Seriously.

Fabulous.

I was very sparing with the cayenne, as I had used Cajun seasoning at the beginning and I just wanted a hint of heat behind the sweet. I think I used maybe 3 pinches of cayenne sprinkled over 5 potatoes. A little more would have been okay, but the girls don't like things as spicy, so adapt this to suit your family.

Not to brag, but this was truly, truly, truly one of the best ways I've ever eaten sweet potatoes, hands down.

So GO!!!

Buy some sweet potatoes!

Fry 'em up!

You'll be glad you did.

Oh, and just out of sense of fairness, here's the link to the original recipe.

My Super Secret Recipe for Yogurt Cookies

Okay, we will start this post with a disclaimer: This recipe was born out of boredom and desperation for cookies...It is altered from an original recipe I received from a lovely woman I knew through the local used book store in Texas...I will place the original ingredients in italics out to the side, so you can do a taste test, if that floats your boat.

Yogurt Cookies

1 1/2 c sugar
2 c low fat raspberry yogurt (1 c crisco, 1 c plain yogurt & it says specifically not to use low fat or flavored)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 c flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt

Mix first 4 ingredients. Mix together dry ingredients and add to sugar mixture. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 until done, or about 10 minutes, depending on how big you make your cookies!

Icing
Softened butter ( 1 1/2 sticks)
powdered sugar (7c)
vanilla (1 Tbsp)
sprinkle of salt

Confession: Will you think less of me to learn that I never measure ingredients for icing? I just sort of mix and guesstimate until it is the right consistency/flavor for me...

Again, these cookies came out a tad spongy, but they are delicious and different nonetheless. Perfect for a cookie craving fit with only 3/4 stick of butter and no crisco to be seen in the house!

Just Another Day in Paradise

Oliver complained to me the minute I got up this morning that he wanted in the house.

I decided to oblige him. I've spent the last 3 days slowly cutting his hair. Yesterday, while he was sleeping on his back, I tackled his tummy...He informed me I was finished by grabbing my arm with all four paws and digging in his claws...

Don't worry. He got his ultimate revenge today. I walked into my bedroom to find him peeing on my quilt...

So. Instead of starting my candied jalapenos, I started laundry...

I plan to lay around and read a book while my sheets dry on the line.

Yes, I'm settling quite nicely into the role of housewife. Too bad my mom is coming to take care of the sick one next week so I can work...

What I've accomplished on my unexpected week off:

1. Salsa!
2. Jalapeno jelly
3. Candied jalapenos
4. Cleaned out the girls drawers and closets.
5. Made brownies
6. Found a recipe for Chocolate Espresso Cookies...Those will be coming very soon. Probably tomorrow.

And, now I'm off to be as unproductive as possible! (Excluding laundry and cooking meals of course, but really, I've found no way to avoid these two tasks.)

Adventures in Jam Making

I still haven't made salsa.

My garden is a complete wreck. I was supposed to clean it up today...However, the internet people were coming out, and so I made the mistake of beginning housework. My house is also a wreck...

I had received a half a brown paper sack of plums from Mom when I dropped the girls off with her Sunday (the nanny is gone to camp, so I had to enlist the backups...) On a completely sort of related note, my mom was a tad irritated to learn I forgot to bring her a bag of tomatoes, considering she spent an entire morning picking sand plums for me... Go figure.

Anyway, last night I had anticipated my plan to make plum jam & jelly. So, at 9:34 (as evidenced by the clock on my stove), after walking for an hour with my neighbor and helping my hubby with the new fire pit he built and moving old brick from an eyesore, and of course being on my feet at work all day, I decided to put the plums on to cook. Mom had instructed me to cook them, then just cover the pot and leave them to cool overnight...


As you can see, I felt the need to eat plums as I was sorting through them as they started to cook (my method was reaching in with my hand and stirring them around to find any leaves I missed...) Just FYI, I ate 3 wedges of cantaloupe yesterday, a sandwich baggy full of cherries, and then these plums. Do you think I got my daily fiber in?


Mom had promised I would just know when they were done. I guess she was right!

Then, this morning, as I decided to start the process, I got out my directions from the SureJell box...PANIC!!! I had covered the plums in water. It said to only had 1 1/2 cups...Oops.



I drained the water/juice mixture off through a tea towel placed in a large mixing bowl. This made about 16 cups of juice. I then got out my colander and began to pit my plums. I gotta confess, I was about to weep because I figured I'd wrecked the whole thing when I used too much water. After my mom had gone to the trouble of picking them for me...How ungrateful and irresponsible...I hate wasting food...Also, I will confess to irritation, because I've already made apricot jam, which I'm pretty sure is going to be too thick, although I haven't' opened one of the full jars I made, just sampled the leftover I'd placed in a bowl. Plus, I literally have 6 gallon bags of pureed tomatoes in my fridge with tons of peppers also frozen, waiting until I have time to assemble salsa...

I was feeling very stressed as I jammed that pestle into the colander, pitting my plums. I tried venting my irritation on those poor little plums...It wasn't working. It was time for desperate measures!

Of course I called my mom!

It turns out she had TOLD me to cover the plums, so I could have more juice for jelly! See! I don't move ahead impulsively! I remember the instructions given to me by my wise mother!


So, since I'm such an uber prepared cook, and never proceed half cocked, without proper supplies, and certainly not without proper knowledge of what to do, I decided to make jam. Especially since I only had one box of pectin, and my friend Inga had always told me I didn't need pectin to make jam. I dumped in about 10 cups of crushed plums...

Now, remember, I have no internet access at this point. My sister Dawn, who is the librarian and therefore the giver of all knowledge, did not answer her phone. I didn't dare call my mom and let her know I was proceeding with only a vague plan in place. Inga had always said, "Just put in your fruit, then sugar, and cook it down, then can it!" I decided to believe her.

The box of pectin said to add 8 cups of sugar for 5 cups of fruit for cooked jam. I added about 7 cups of sugar, and decided it was sweet enough for my 10 cups of fruit...Again, I'm nothing if not prepared and full of knowledge, whether made up or real...

I brought the mixture to a boil, and tasted it....It was good! I decided that I was probably just supposed to let it cook down until it was thick enough...So I turned it down to simmer. Apparently I'm really good at making decisions regarding things I really have no clue about!

Guess what? I sorted through a desk full of paperwork, did three loads of laundry, and cooked myself some pasta salad in the middle of this, then decided to install the new internet provider onto my computer...

After installing the internet, I googled "how to make plum jam without pectin."

PANIC!!!!

I was not doing it AT ALL how they said. Most of the sites recommended something to do with boiling and reaching 220 degrees. Luckily I had a candy thermometer that had been moved 3 times and never removed from the package! I busted that puppy out, tied a string around it and to the handle of my pot, then returned the mixture to a boil...

One site recommended putting a small sample in the freezer for a minute, and when it gels, it's done...Of course, I was supposed to have been boiling this mixture and stirring it constantly in this process...We won't dwell on the fact that I was starving at this point and made pasta salad at this time...

I boiled and boiled. I stirred and stirred. The blasted thermometer never got above 210. Dang. The jam got sorta thick in the freezer.

I was tired of this whole debacle. My neck and shoulders were aching from stirring and stress...I was hot...

I decided to proceed with canning the mixture...

And, now my kitchen looks like this, while I'm posting this story for you!


Side Note: I have all the juice from the mixture in juice bottles in my fridge. I will attempt jelly later on, and will attempt to follow directions accordingly...

I'll let you know how that works out for me.

Hey, do I seem to have a plethora of dot dot dots in this post, or what?

The Spaghetti Debacle of 2007

I know this story is going to be disturbing for many of you.

You see, you will be astonished to learn that Studmuffin and I have the occasional argument. Not the typical, he loves to see me annoyed (for some weird reason he thinks that's cute) so he does everything in his power to irritate me. Granted, those disagreements often end in me wanting to throw something at him, or shove his nose up into his brain just to get him to stop pestering me...Oops, did I just type that out loud? But they aren't real arguments. Those are more an example of our open, honest communication between two loving people....

These are real, genuine, authentic, all out arguments. Complete with heated words and regrettable comments that you wish you could pull back and erase the whole incident.

I'm about to share one such incident with you. Of course, I have no idea what the fight was about. I only remember the events that occurred during and after the fight.

The vision is so clear. I was in the kitchen cleaning up dinner. We had eaten spaghetti (hence the title), and I do remember that Studmuffin had gotten home late. However, this was a common occurrence in those days. He was at the bar (in the kitchen, not the saloon, silly!) NO doubt forced to sit there to spend quality time with me while I cleaned up the kitchen from the meal he was too tired to eat, when all he really wanted to do was collapse on the couch and veg out in front of the TV...

Gentle Reader, I'm not defending my position or his in this story. I'm just stating facts here, from a completely UNBIASED point of view. Okay, since I'm the rambler in this story, the story may not be completely unbiased...

Anyhoo, he's sitting at the bar. I am cleaning the kitchen. I had unintentionally made entirely too much spaghetti. I could not save it because it had sat out too long while I was waiting on him, and it was pretty much ruined. Hmm, I wonder if that's why he was too tired to eat it? I began to put the spaghetti down the disposal.

Correction: I began to CRAM the spaghetti down the disposal...

Without it running...

I continued to nag and gripe and be a general shrew....

I dumped in the pan of sauce...

I took my hand and began to manually SHOVE that spaghetti into the disposal (told you I made too much!)...

I rolled my eyes...

I made rude comments...

I snorted at his utter male stupidity...

In a moment of glorious rage, I slapped the faucet on and flipped on the disposal...

A horrendous noise came from underneath the sink.

Spaghetti flew up out of the disposal and into the air.

Spaghetti came out the opposite drain and hit the window...

The arguing stopped...An ominous silence fell over the kitchen.

With fear and trembling I opened the cabinet door and peaked inside...

The entire garbage disposal had flown apart, and spaghetti was EVERYWHERE...

In order to calm myself, and to avoid the wrath that I figured was about to come down on me, I escaped to the bathroom, ostensibly to get some towels to clean up the mess (I seem to remember we were out of paper towels.)

I had not bothered to tell my beloved, if rather angry at this moment in time, hubby where I was going, and what my thought process was...

I later learned he had thought I created the huge mess and fled the scene of the crime for good.

I took a moment to compose myself and come up with some excuse for my actions while simultaneously lecturing myself to not say the things I was thinking at that precise moment.

I returned to the kitchen armed with a stack of towels.

I was astounded to discover Studmuffin with his head under the cabinet, throwing everything underneath out...Literally.

He was throwing anything his hands came across behind him, to land wherever, complete with spaghetti noodles and marinara sauce...

Spaghetti was all over the kitchen.

On the refrigerator. On the walls. In the pantry (of course the door was open). The floor. The cabinets...You get the picture. It was a giant spaghetti explosion.

I didn't say a word. Shocking, I know.

I took the towels and began to clean up the spaghetti....

He reassembled the plumbing to the sink.

I had literally blown the garbage disposal off the pipes, and burst apart the place where the two sinks drains join to one pipe thingy...

A few hours of cleaning and repairing passed...

He calmed down.

I calmed down.

I finally said, "You know, this may have been a teeny bit easier to clean up if we didn't have spaghetti to clean up off the walls now..."

He said, "You know, we wouldn't be doing this at all if you hadn't been shoving spaghetti down the sink like a crazy woman. Don't EVER put spaghetti down the disposal again."

And we finally looked at each other.

And we started laughing.

Hysterically.

And we kissed and made up...

But to this day if I make spaghetti he tells me, "Do NOT put that down the disposal..."

Every. Single. Time.

Peach Pie Ponderings.

We had a big ole throw down Fourth out at my parents...

The kind where my mom was blessed to have children who invited their in-laws to her house to blow hundreds of dollars worth of fireworks up in smoke...

Mom was afraid we would run out of food. Let's just say there was no danger of THAT happening.

Did you know I have a peach tree? It's tiny. However, we had a bumper crop for such a tiny tree. The branches were dragging the ground. I picked peaches and headed to my folks Friday evening...

Since Mom was afraid she would run out of food, and due to the fact that my dad threatened to throw out her apricots if she didn't start doing something with them, (apparently he was overlooking the jars of jelly and apricot sauce she canned last week) Mom decided to bake some pies.

Look at that pie! Isn't it gorgeous? Doesn't it look like someone who knows what they're doing made it? Like a real pie baker type person?

Now, let's transition to my pie....

I love a flaky crust. However, in my vast pie baking experience, (which isn't all that vast, as I only make pies about 6 times a year) a flaky crust is more difficult to work with. It often turns out a tad ugly. And the crust tears. And it's hard to repair....

Desperation can lead to all sorts of creativity...

My crust had all sorts of flaws. So, I decided to cut out stars (with the help of my sister) to mask the flaws...Aren't I clever?

And, now, for your reading edification, I will share a conversation between my sister Paula and I, as I make this masterpiece of a peach pie...

Paula: So, what are you going to put in this pie?

Me: Peaches.

Paula (pausing, looking thoughtful): Are we supposed to put something else in there?

Me: Nah..... At least, I don't think so. You just put peaches in a cobbler, so I'm guessing you just put peaches in a pie.

Paula appears doubtful, but as she is NOT the bossy sister in this family, she diplomatically drops it. Let's have a moment of silence and admiration for people who know better, but are able to keep their mouths shut....

And let their sister learn on her own....

Confession: I have never made a peach pie. The cook book was on the counter next to me. But, clearly, looking at an actual RECIPE for peach pie was entirely too much trouble....

Fast forward to evening...Mom is industriously scrubbing on a cookie sheet.

Me: What got all over that?

Mom: Oh, one of the pies overflowed. It started dripping in the oven, then I put this in to catch the rest.

Me: Oh. Was it my pie? I noticed that it looked like it had boiled over. (I had left the pie in my mom's capable hands while I went to spend a few hours at my grandma's. I love being the youngest of four children, and perfectly willing to let everyone else take care of my responsibilities...)

Mom: Yep. Those sure were juicy peaches! How much flour did you put in them to help thicken the pie?

Me: Flour? I didn't put ANY flour in there. Paula actually made mention that maybe something should go in the pie besides peaches, but I couldn't be bothered to look at an actual recipe. Or ask you. I just dumped them in, threw the other crust on, and called it good.

Mom: (Sadly, there is no dialogue to add here. She was bent over the sink laughing, unable to speak.)

However, in MY defense, I think the pie was pretty stinkin' good.

If a bit runny.

Planning a Menu

I recently read a poem over at Ditchin' the Kitchen. Jaime has a really fun blog where she writes poetry about her daily life, from discovering what the strange smell in her bathroom was, to reading to her son at night. Go check her out....

But, the point of this post is that her most recent poem relates to her struggle to decide what to fix for dinner. I also hate to decide what to cook in the evenings. Especially, because I'm starving and all I want to do is eat, not cook! I want to dive into a bag of chips. I want to eat spoon after spoon of peanut butter...I would prefer to snack until my appetite is completely ruined than decide what to cook when I'm already hungry. That's why I love to plan menus. I know, most people cringe at planning a menu. Many of you feel it takes too long, and makes it too strict on what you will eat. I find planning a menu liberating. It is such a relief for me to know that no matter how hectic our life will get, I have 14 meals planned to feed us.

For example, on Mondays I work a 10 hour day. Studmuffin coaches Popcorn's basketball team that same day. This means that the earliest he will be home is around 6:30. So, I got out some fish to thaw this morning. I planned for him to cook some new potatoes with this, and a salad. The potatoes are sliced, add a few pats of butter and top with parsley and garlic salt. Microwave covered until done. The fish is cooked in EVOO with greek season in a skillet on the stove. Dinner can be on the table in less than 15 minutes if you plan ahead and slice potatoes the night before.

On Tuesdays I work an 8 hour day. I pick the kids up from the sitter's, then it's off to piano, and after piano, Bookworm has basketball for an hour. Hence: We will not be home before 7pm. I planned for homemade hamburger helper for one of these nights, and spaghetti for another. Both of these meals can be on the table in about 30 minutes.

So, yes, we are eating relatively late both nights, (I am a freak about the kids being in bed, lights out by 8:30. But, then they have to be on the bus by 7:20 am) it would take longer for us to drive out of our way in our little town to grab a fast food meal, then go home than it would to just cook the meal at home.

So, that was a just a really long, rambling explanation of why I plan a menu, leading up to an example of my menu. I typically write a brief note to myself on each day of what is going on. Of course, I have the same notes in my planner, but I'm just psycho that way. I decided to post this riveting bit of info for you! Aren't you excited?

Wednesday, February 3rd:
Grocery store day, laundry day, bill pay day, church
Dinner: Tacos, Refried Beans, Mexican Rice...sides include lettuce, tomatoes, and all of the usual toppings.
*I usually cook at least 3 lb of hamburger at a time, then freeze it in one pound portions for a quick add in for chili, or hamburger helper.

Thursday, Feb 4th
Work.
Dinner: Pizza
*you will note that Thursday is ALWAYS pizza night. This began with the advent of Survivor. We used to order Papa John's, but that was when we lived in a place that actually had such a luxury, and we had money to burn...Now, I keep Chef Boyardee pizza kits, along with frozen pizzas and refrigerated pizza dough on hand. Yes, I have a wide variety of choices, just to keep it fresh.

Friday, Feb 5th
Work.
Dinner: meatballs, mac & cheese, green beans
*did you know my kids don't like green beans? Can you believe that? My brother-in-laws grandma always said that green beans give you big boobs. I have perpetuated this legend with my girls. They will eat all of their green beans, but only because they think it'll give them big boobs some day. Kind of like Popeye with spinach. Aren't I shameless?

Saturday, February 6th
basketball games
lunch: chicken & rice
dinner: dove, marinated then placed in a jalapeno half and wrapped in bacon, cooked on the grill

Sunday, February 7th.
lunch: Spaghetti, or one of those Bertollie frozen pasta meals. We love those things!
dinner: popcorn, cheese,and apples
*this is the meal we ate frequently at suppertime when we were growing up. Mom cooked a big meal for lunch, or dinner as they call the noon meal on the farm, so everyone had plenty to eat to get through the day. Then, we ate a light meal for supper.

Monday, February 8th
work, basketball
dinner: pan-seared fish (bass in this case) cooked in evoo and Greek seasoning in a skillet...okay this meal is already mentioned, but replace salad with cole slaw.

Tuesday, February 9th
work, piano, basketball
dinner: chicken quesadillas made with the extra chicken I made when I cooked chicken & rice

Wednesday, February 10
chores, chores, chores
Dinner: ham, pasta salad, steamed broccoli
*You will have leftover ham. Freeze this in 1 c portions and freeze for later.

Thursday, February 11
Work
PIZZA!!!!

Friday, February 12
Work
Parent's Night Out at church. No cooking tonight!

Saturday, February 13
lunch: hamburgers
*Try sauteing or grilling some poblano peppers and onions to top your burger with. Add some guacamole and ancho mayo and you have a real treat!
Dinner: Nachos. I will probably still have a bit of taco meat and chicken left over as topping for these.

Sunday, February 14
Lunch: EAT OUT!!! Or, if I don't feel like it, there's always ingredients on hand for chili, which I can start before we leave for church, then put in the crock pot on low until we get home from church.
Dinner: You guessed it, popcorn, cheese and apples

Monday, February 15
work, basketball
Dinner: Homemade Hamburger Helper, salad
*Check out this recipe over at Chickens in the Road. It is really good, and super easy. Plus, I have to admit I love hb helper, but had given up eating it after kids because I didn't know what was actually in it, and decided that I was obviously too grown up to still eat it. Now that I've discovered these recipes, I'm totally hooked again.

Tuesday, February 16
work, piano, basketball
Dinner: ham & noodles, salad
*I simply have to share this recipe with you. It is the ultimate in comfort food, and it is quick & easy!

Ham & Noodles
1 c cubed cooked ham (okay, I use a lot more, more like 2 cups, but just add however much you want)
1 can cream of mushroom
1/2 can milk
2 c cooked egg noodles (I recommend the frozen egg noodles. They are way better than the dry)
cubed cheddar cheese
Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish and bake 30 minutes at 375, or until it bubbles.


WHEW!!!!

That was way more information than any of you asked for, isn't it? I just wanted you to see how the menu thing works for me. I try new recipes at least twice a month. I get them out of magazines, the internet, whatever. If I like them, they go in my arsenal, if not, we move on. Also, I always keep plenty of spaghetti on hand, tortillas for quesadillas, and eggs and ham for sandwiches or omelets. I realize there aren't nearly enough vegetables listed here. I usually serve carrots at dinner. I realize that's not much variety in veggies, but my kids love them, and there's a lot to be said for that!

Anyway, plan a menu! Plan a grocery list according to the menu! Organize the list in order of the store, and before you know it, you will be every bit as psycho as me!