Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

These are REALLY good! This recipe makes a ton, I think that I halve it when it is just us. It is a Rachel Ray recipe that we have adopted as our own. I usually use chocolate chips instead of raisins, mostly for Jason- but they are so good that you don't even need anything on top of them.

Ingredients
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 ounces, 1/4 cup, chopped walnuts
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 really ripe bananas, mashed up
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 stick butter, 1/4 cup, melted, plus additional for buttering skillet
Maple syrup or honey, for drizzling

Directions
Here's a great tip: if you cannot find really ripe bananas, just nuke them in the microwave for about 15 seconds and they will become super soft for mashing.

Mix dry ingredients, the first 7, in a bowl. In a another bowl, mix the wet ingredients, the next 4. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined, then fold in the mashed up bananas and the raisins. Stir in the melted butter.

Heat a griddle over medium heat and brush with additional melted butter. Cook pancakes, each about 1/3 cup, until bubbles form on the top, then turn. Cakes will cook in about 2 minutes on each side. Keep pancakes tented with foil as they come off the griddle to keep them hot. Serve with drizzled honey or maple syrup over the top.

Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans (and Salmon)

I saw this recipe on Robin Miller's show also. I didn't love the salmon when I made it with the wet teriyaki sauce- I seem to prefer dry rubs on my salmon over the moist stuff. But the side dishes are GREAT, and they can go in the oven at the same time as your salmon or chicken or whatever else you are making. It doesn't get much easier than this!!!

Teriyaki Roasted Salmon with Oranges, Fingerling Potatoes and Haricots Verts

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 pounds salmon fillets, 6 fillets or 2 whole sides
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 pound fingerling potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into thin strips
2 cups haricots verts or string beans

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Coat a large roasting pan and large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Season salmon with salt and pepper and place in prepared roasting pan. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, molasses, brown sugar, and garlic. Pour mixture over salmon in pan. Arrange oranges over salmon, set aside.

Arrange potatoes and haricots verts on baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Roast salmon and vegetables for 20 to 25 minutes, until fish is fork-tender and potatoes are golden brown and tender. Remove from oven.

Serve about 2/3 of the salmon, about 16 ounces or 4 fillets with all of the vegetables. Reserve remaining salmon about 8 ounces or 2 fillets for the linguine, if desired

Roasted Orange Chicken

This is a really easy chicken recipe with a lot of flavor. I love the little pieces of orange rind that stick on top of the chicken- so good. I saw it originally on Robin Miller's Food Network show. I always make all eight breasts of chicken because it is so easy and the leftovers are so versatile.

Roasted Chicken with Smokey Orange Sauce

Ingredients
Cooking spray
8 (5-ounce) skinless chicken breast halves (with bone)
Salt and ground black pepper
1 cup orange marmalade
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large roasting pan with cooking spray.

Season chicken all over with salt and black pepper. Arrange chicken in prepared pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine orange marmalade, soy sauce and liquid smoke. Mix until blended. Pour mixture over chicken.

Roast 35 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Serve 4 chicken breast halves with this meal and refrigerate remaining chicken until ready to use.

Yield: 4 servings (with leftovers for additional meals such as Robin's Chicken Quesadillas and Thai Chicken Salad)

Salmon

Whenever I eat salmon, I always feel like a hero to my body. Sometimes, there are some foods that when you eat them, you can almost hear your body saying "Thank You!" It feels even better when I see my boy, and now Jason eating salmon too. Those Omega 3 fatty acids are supposed to be good for brain development and Christopher especially LOVES salmon.

Lately when I have been making it, I have been creating a sort of "Salmon Sampler Platter" where I have several peices but each is prepared a different way. If I remember, I thaw it out in the fridge the night before- but each cut doesn't take too long to thaw. I've gone from frozen to cooking within 20 minutes before by soaking the salmon, still in its vacuum sealed bag in warm water.

I know that wild salmon is supposed to be better than farm-raised, but I just buy the bag of frozen salmon from Costco. Once the salmon is thawed out, open the package and pat it dry with a paper towel. I always forget this step, but just in case you don't, try to remember to feel it to make sure there are no tiny bones left. Last time I ate a bone and it was too far down my throat by the time I realized it. Oops! (I lived so its no big deal if it happens.)

For all the prep methods, I like to bake and broil my salmon. It is easiest and I think cooks it the best. Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil spray. Place seasoned salmon on the cookie sheet. Sometimes I spray the salmon lightly just to help add to the "crunch" factor. Bake for at least 10-12 minutes on one of the highest racks in the oven (about 3-4" from top) at about 400 or so, and then crank up the broiler and give it 3 minutes or so. Watch closely so you don't burn it! I like my salmon well-done. I hear people sometimes say that "salmon can be too dry" but I have not ever felt that way- so if you have, you may not want to cook it as long.

Salmon Rub
This is supposed to be enough for about 5 lbs of fish. I make the spice rub and keep it in a plastic bag to use later.
3 T. brown sugar
2 T. paprika
2 t. kosher salt
1 1/2 t. black pepper
1 t. thyme

Mix it all together and then pat liberally on the fish. The fish will get really red from the paprka and look spicy, but it isn't. Christopher loves this and it is my favorite as well.

Stuffed Peppers

This is one of my favorite recipes and from one of my very favorite cooking sites, StartCooking.com. This lady is a retired home ec teacher and she breaks everything down step by step, has a ton of videos and photos so you can see what it is supposed to look like in the process, etc... I can't say enough great things about the site, and I am sure there will be a lot on this site referencing her.

About this recipe- it is really good, really easy and really filling. If you make too much filling- and that is easy to do, you can freeze it to use later, and it is just as good. Jason isn't too big on bell peppers so I add the stuffing to taco shells for him, and he is as happy as a clam. Same with Christopher. Oh, these peppers heat up nicely the next day in the microwave too.

Stuffed Peppers

6 large bell pepper (red, yellow, orange, or green)
1 pound of ground beef ( I use ground turkey always)
1 can of black beans (15.5 ounces) - rinsed and drained
1 small jar salsa
2 cups of cooked rice - my favorite is the Trader Joe's Wild Rice Medley- it looks like bird food but tastes delicious
1 1/2 cups of grated cheese (Mexican Four Cheese blend preferred)

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In large frying pan, brown ground beef well and drain off fat. Add the Rotel tomatoes and the rinsed black beans. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes.

While mixture simmers, cut tops off peppers and remove the stem and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the bottom of each pepper so peppers are flat on the bottom and will stand upright.

Let beef mixture cool about 5 minutes, and then mix in cooked rice and cheese. Stuff each pepper with the meat/rice mixture, pushing it down so peppers are tightly filled.

Place peppers in a dish small enough to hold them snugly and cover the dish with foil. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Remove foil, and bake 10-15 minutes more, until tops are slightly browned and pepper skin can be pierced easily with a fork.

Serve immediately.

Zucchini-Pineapple Quick Bread

This is a really good bread and the pineapple adds a lot to the flavor and consistency. I have also made muffins using this mix and that works out well too. This recipe is from Cooking Light.


Zucchini-Pineapple Quick Bread

This recipe makes two loaves. Freeze the extra loaf, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and heavy-duty aluminum foil, for up to one month. Thaw at room temperature. Slices are good microwaved at HIGH for 10 to 15 seconds.

Yield: 2 loaves, 14 servings per loaf (serving size: 1 slice)


Ingredients
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour (about 13 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini (about 1 1/2 medium zucchini)
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup egg substitute
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 (8-ounce) cans crushed pineapple in juice, drained
Baking spray with flour
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, salt, and next 3 ingredients (through ground cinnamon) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

3. Beat eggs with a mixer at medium speed until foamy. Add sugar, zucchini, oil, egg substitute, and vanilla, beating until well blended. Add zucchini mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in pineapple. Spoon batter into 2 (9 x 5–inch) loaf pans coated with baking spray. Bake at 325° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Nutritional Information
Calories:167 (32% from fat)
Fat:5.9g (sat 0.5g,mono 3.3g,poly 1.7g)
Protein:2.4g
Carbohydrate:26.5g
Fiber:0.7g
Cholesterol:15mg
Iron:0.9mg
Sodium:151mg
Calcium:16mg

Potato Soup

Jason's mom Wendy makes this soup - it is really good and really easy, and the ingredients are almost always on hand.

Potato Soup

6-8 potatoes
water that the potatoes boiled in- save it!
3/4 stick of butter (wonder why it's so good?)
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
cheddar cheese
optional - broccoli, ham

Cut potatoes into cubes and boil for about 20 minutes. I prefer to leave the skins on. Set aside the potatoes and the water that they boiled in.

Create a roux by melting the butter and then adding the flour in a sauce pan that you are allowed to whisk in. (Jason is always on me to not use metal on the nonstick cookware.... he has a point.) Whisk until it forms a paste. Slowly add milk and cook on medium high until thickened. Add potatoes and some potato water until it is at the desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. Add broccoli or ham if you like. Garnish with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and serve!

Black Bean and Salsa Soup

This is one of my favorite soups because it is so easy and so filling. It also takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. I love to serve it with cheese quesadillas, but corn bread would also be good. Leftovers are even better because the flavors have had some time to blend, I think.

Black Bean and Salsa Soup

Ingredients
3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth
1 cup chunky salsa
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 tsp. lime juice, if you have it
1 c. corn, frozen or canned
sour cream or plain greek yogurt
cheddar cheese
thinly sliced green onion
fresh cilantro, if you have it
Directions
In a blender, combine most of the beans, broth, salsa, and cumin. Blend until fairly smooth.

Heat the bean mixture in a saucepan over medium heat until thoroughly heated, stirring in the remaining whole beans and corn.

Garnish with cheese, sour cream, green onion.

Taco Salad

This is one of my very favorite things to do with taco meat, and I swear that the salad is as good as any tacos and a lot healthier.

Taco Salad

Ground beef, turkey, chicken
Taco Seasoning
Lettuce (I like Romaine)
Tomatoes
Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Doritos* - I usually get the neon orange kind, I think they are "cheesy" or "nacho" or something like that.
Optional - chopped carrots, avocado
Catalina Dressing (I use fat free and it is yummy. For Jason I make this with Ranch, and it is also good.)

Brown beef (or I always use ground turkey) and season with salt and pepper. Add taco mix as directed. Let the meat cool down. Add all ingredients and then salad dressing. Toss to coat, crunch some Doritos on top and serve!

*The Doritos are the key to this salad being amazing. The other night my Doritos were stale so we used some Fritos and it was still good, but not as good. I am sure you could use any flavor and have great success.

Deviled Eggs

A coworker friend used to make these Deviled Eggs. We were invited to Thanksgiving at one of our neighbor's parents houses and we brought these, and they were all the rage- so they must be good.

Deviled Eggs

Boil 8 eggs for about 13 minutes. Cool, peel, halve and separate each egg. Mash the yolks in a bowl and sprinkle with Lawry's Season Salt and black pepper. Add about 3 T. mayo (I use Mircale Whip) and 1 1/2 T. mustard and mix until the yolks are a creamy consistency. Spoon back into each half egg, or you could put them yolk mixture in a plastic bag, cut off the corner and try to "squeeze" the mixture back in, frosting-style. Sprinkle with paprika.

Strawberry Bruschetta

This is one of my faves, especially for a girls night in. I usually buy the pre-sliced baguette because I am horrible at cutting on an angle and making it look nice.

Strawberry Bruschetta

Ingredients
24 slices French baguette
1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
1/4 cup brown sugar, or as needed (you can use white sugar too)

Directions
Preheat your oven's broiler. Spread a thin layer of butter on each slice of bread. Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet.

Place bread under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, just until lightly toasted. Sprinkle the sugar over the strawberries and stir to coat. Then spoon chopped strawberries onto each piece of toast.

Place under the broiler again until sugar is caramelized, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Mulled Wine (Slow Cooker)

This is a fun way to make cheap wine taste better, and since it is served warm it works well for a holiday party. I have attached the link where I copied this recipe from under the title- the author of that blog is my hero. She used her crock pot every day for a whole year and I learned so much from her during that time. And she writes in a fun and witty style, which is always fun.

Slow Cooker Mulled Wine

--2 bottles dry red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
--1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 3 oranges)
--2 more oranges (one to float on top, and one for garnish wedges)
--3/4 cup white sugar
--1/4 tsp allspice
--1/4 tsp cinnamon
--4 cinnamon sticks
--4 whole cloves

Serves 6-8 (sort of. it really depends if you want your guests to have a taste, or a bunch. I'll double this next time.)

I used a 6 quart crockpot.

Open the wine. This was really very hard for me. I need one of those fancy wine opener thingies. It seriously took a good twenty minutes for me to open one of the bottles, and I got all sweaty and frustrated. ugh.

Squeeze the oranges to get 1 cup of juice. I'm sure you could get away with using store-bought juice, but the pulp floating around is what's kind of neat about mulled wine; it's more rustic this way. And oranges are in season.

Stir in the sugar, and add the ground spices. Float the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves on top. Slice one of the oranges in rings, and float the rings on top.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for 4.

You want the wine to get as hot as a traditional hot beverage.

Ladle into mugs, and serve with a fresh orange wedge.

When serving, leave the lid off and the crockpot on "low."

The Verdict.

I liked this much more than I thought I would, and look forward to making it again. I will on Thanksgiving. I like that you can use terribly cheap wine (Adam went shopping the night before and Trader Joe's was already closed, but this is a great use for 2 Buck Chuck---although he assures me that the Sutter Home was on sale for $3.99) and still wow even the toughest wine snob.

Puppy Chow

This is a good munchy to have for parties or movie nights. It is easy to eat too much of it, but it is oh so good.

Puppy Chow

corn chex
1 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. peanut butter
powdered sugar

Melt the chocolate and peanut butter in the microwave. Fold in the chex. Spread in a single layer and cool on wax paper. When it is dry, toss with powdered sugar.

Yummo.

German Cheddar and Beer Fondue

A friend of mine had us over for a fondue dinner a few days ago, and it was really good and easy! I like this recipe because you don't have to spend $30 buying fancy cheese. I would think that shredding it yourself may be better than buying pre-shredded, and I have seen a lot of fondue recipes call for dusting the cheese with corn starch instead of flour. Other than that, it was really good.

She served it with Cajun Sausage chunks, Diced Ham, Bread (of course), Baby Carrots, Tomatoes, Blanched Broccoli and Cauliflower, Hot Dogs for the kids... I am sure there was more but that is what I focued on.

German Cheddar and Beer Fondue

Ingredients
1 sack, 10 ounces, 2 1/2 cups, shredded sharp Cheddar, available on dairy aisle
1/4 to 1/3 pound, 4 to 6 ounces, Gruyere, shredded
1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup German lager beer
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
A few drops hot sauce
A few drops Worcestershire sauce
For Serving:
1 1/2 pounds cubed or thick sliced and browned wursts: knock, brat or brot,
1 package mini party franks (recommended: Boars Head)
1 head cauliflower, separated into florets
1 small jar mini Gherkin pickles, drained
1 small jar pickled onions, available on vegetable aisle
1 small, round loaf rye, pumpernickel or sour dough bread, cubed
Directions
Combine cheeses in a bowl with flour. Add beer to a small pot and bring up to a bubble over medium heat. Reduce the heat to simmer and add cheese in handfuls. Stir constantly, melting the cheese in batches. Stir in a figure-eight pattern with wooden spoon. When the cheese has been incorporated fully, stir in the mustard, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Transfer fondue to warm fondue pot.

In a large skillet, bring 2-inches of water to a boil and blanch the cauliflower for 2 to 3 minutes, drain and arrange around the fondue pot.

In the same pan, bring the cooking water back to a boil and add the mini franks and sliced wursts. Cook, uncovered until all the liquid has evaporated. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan to crisp the casings. Pile wursts and dogs near fondue. Complete the dipping selections with dishes of pickles, onions and cubed bread.

Spiced Nuts

My friend made these Spiced Nuts for Christmas and they were really good. Not spicy, but some kick- and with some sweetness. They turn a really pretty color too!

Spiced Nuts

Directions
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups unsalted mixed nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon salt

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and set aside. In a small bowl, mix the spices and set aside.

In a large dry skillet, place the nuts and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until they begin to toast, about 4 minutes. Add the butter and cook, stirring, until the nuts begin to darken, about 1 minute. Add the spices, the sugar, water, and the salt and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and the nuts are glazed, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the nuts to the prepared baking sheet, separating them with a fork. Let the nuts stand until cooled and the sugar has hardened, about 10 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Baked Apples

I made these a couple of weeks ago when I had some friends over for dinner. I think apple crisp is better, especially if you have vanilla ice cream to put on top - but this was good enough that it is worth holding on to.

Baked Apples

6 apples, sliced (and peeled if you like, I leave the peels on)
1/2 c. white sugar
3 T. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves
1/2 c. raisins or dried cranberries
walnuts
1/2 c. whole milk (I think I used skim and it was fine)
splash of vanilla
brown sugar
oats (?)

Preheat to 350 and spray baking dish. Combine sugar, flour, spices and toss with sliced apples. Add raisins and walnuts. Put all of this in the baking dish.

Combine the milk and vanilla. Pour over the top of the apples. Sprinkle brown sugar (and maybe some oats?) on top. Bake covered for 45-60 minutes, until apples are soft.

Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, whatever you have.

Salsa Chicken

My mom and I made this last week, and it was so good and very easy. Jason said it was the best and most moist chicken he has had ever!


Salsa Chicken

1 T cumin
1 T chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 t. sea salt
1 t. pepper
lime juice
4 chicken breasts
16 oz jar of salsa (My fave is Safeway Select Black Bean Salsa)

Make a rub using the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Rub over 4 chicken breasts that have been patted dry with paper towel. Spray a 9x13 pan (I use olive oil spray) lightly and then put chicken down in pan. I only season the top side, which seems to be plenty. Give each of the breasts a squirt of lime juice if you have it.

Dump the salsa over the top of the chicken breasts, and cook uncovered at 350 for 30-45 minutes. Cut into the fattest breast when you think you are done to make sure there is no pink left. Add some shredded cheddar cheese for the last 10 minutes of cooking time. (I did this after I cut into the first breast. I didnt see any pink for sure, but it seemed a little too juicy still, so I added cheese and cooked for 10 more minutes, and it was very moist still.)

I served with Spanish Rice (Mahatma brand, but you can also use white rice seasoned with chicken rub and some salsa) and a can of black beans, which I added some chili powder and cumin to and simmered for 10-15 minutes, to help the juice thicken a bit.

Yummy and healthy!!!

Apple Oven Cake

Christopher and I made this over the weekend and it was so good. I found the picture in a Sunset magazine, and was motivated enough by it to go to the website and search out the recipe. I was able to use up the last sad apple in the house, that didn't look appetizing enough to eat raw. It always feels good to not waste food. :-)

Apple Oven Cake

Time: 30 minutes. This puffed pancake works nicely as either an elegant breakfast dish or a rustic dessert.

Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 sweet apple such as Fuji, peeled and sliced
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Melt butter in a 12-in. ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, swirling to combine. Add apple and cook until just starting to soften, about 3 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a blender, whirl together eggs, salt, flour, and milk. Pour egg mixture into pan and bake until puffed and brown, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.

Nutritional Information
Calories:189 (43% from fat)
Protein:5g
Fat:9g (sat 4.8)
Carbohydrate:23g
Fiber:0.7g
Sodium:203mg
Cholesterol:124mg

Barbara's Recipes - Table of Contents / Master Plan

You may have guessed that some of my New Years goals revolve around meal planning. If you've guessed that, you are right!!!

So this seems like the best way to save and update my list so that I can be organized and know what my plan is. It will of course be a work in progress and this post will be edited a lot, especially now as I am super motivated to get these all compiled in one place! An "x" before the recipe means that it is already posted on this site.


Appetizers
Strawberry Bruschetta
Pizza Bites
Fondue
Lasagna Roll Ups


Main Dishes, Ground Turkey (Beef)
Taco Salad
Tacos
Taco Ring
Taco Casserole
Stuffed Peppers
Taco Soup
Spaghetti Pie
Mini Meat Loaf
Enchillada Casserole
Baked Ziti - (I use turkey sausage)
Manicotti - (I use turkey sausage)

Main Dishes, Chicken
Roasted Orange Chicken
Salsa Chicken
Chicken Fajitas
Honey Chicken
Chicken Taco Soup (Slow Cooker)

Main Dishes, Leftover Chicken
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Chicken Enchilladas
Chicken Enchillada Casserole
Bowties and Broccoli
Chicken Pot Pies w/ Biscuits on top

Main Dishes, Pork
BBQ Pulled Pork with Sweet Rolls
Pork Loin Medallions with Apples
Pork Chops with Apricot Dijon glaze (sounds fancy but even Jason loves it)
Oven Fried (Breaded) Pork Chops

Main Dishes, Vegetarian
Black Bean and Salsa Soup
Easy Chimichangas
Minestrone Soup
Potato Soup
Nacho Bread Pizzas
Fett. Alfredo
Santa Fe Rice and Beans
Macaroni and Cheese Casserole
Cheesy Baked Tortellini
x Mediterranean Pasta

Main Dishes, Beef
Grandma's Pot Roast
Machaca Beef

Main Dishes, Fish
Salmon

Salad Options
Taco Salad (above)
-Lettuce, Avacado, Dried Cranberries, Crumbled Blue Cheese, Sliced Red Onions, Tomatoes, Sunflower Seeds (or other nuts) with Raspberry Vin. dressing

Sides
Spanish Rice
Cocounut Rice
Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans
Broiled Zucchini (Kids love this)
Scallopped Potatoes
Oven Steak Fries

Breakfast Recipes
Breakfast Casserole
Hash Brown Casserole
French Toast Casserole
Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes (RR)
Apple Oven Cake (Ducth Baby Pancake Style)
Biscuits and Gravy (Jason's specialty)
Pancakes, eggs, french toast (these are mostly for meal planning purposes...)

Desserts
Apple Crisp
Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Dessert Squares (WS)
x Popcorn Balls
Molasses Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie
Puppy Chow
Chocolate Cheese Cake Pie
x Chocolate Caramel Toffee Brownies
Nestle Toll House Cookies
Cool Caramel
3 Layer Chocolate Pie
Kat's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Tuxedo Cookies
Eskimo Cookies
White Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Seven Layer Magic Bars (Eagle)
Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes
Rice Crispy Treats
Baked Apples

Misc. Holiday Stuff
Halloween - Witches Brew (Slow Cooker)
April Fools Day Ideas
Holidays - Mulled Wine (Slow Cooker)

Mediterranean Pasta Toss

My awesome neighbor made this for me right after I had my son. It is so good, and I swear that it is even better reheated- although it is so good fresh too. I also usually use wheat pasta, which I love. I now know that my husband doesn't love it, but he is usually scared of spinach and tomatoes anyway, so I will continue to make it with wheat. :-)

Elaine's Mediterranean Pasta Toss

1 pkg pinenuts
5-6 cloves garlic (chopped well)
1 box penne pasta, cooked
5 oz crumbled feta cheese
1 frozen pkg chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
1 jar sun dried tomatoes in oil (julienne cut) - you can find them in the produce section

In olive oil, brown pinenuts and add garlic. Saute and add tomatoes (including oil), spinach and saute and warm through. Throw over cooked pasta, add a little more olive oil and the feta cheese. Toss and serve.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Toffee Caramel Brownies

These brownies REALLY are the best that I have ever had. They remind me of "Fairytale Brownies," which is a company out of Phoenix that I got turned on to when I was working for a home builder and the subcontractors would send us goodies during the holidays. Fairytale Brownies really are the best ever, but these are the closest I have ever had- and you can make them at home! And they don't cost $50/dozen!

Chocolate Toffee Caramel Brownies

Vegetable oil spray or Crisco w/flour for misting the pan
1 pkg (18.25 ounces) plain German chocolate cake mix
12 tbs (1 ½ sticks) butter, at room temp
1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
1 bag (11 ounces) caramel balls (these are in the baking section, or you can use real caramels. (42-45 small caramels) unwrapped. Takes time to unwrap over 40 caramels – do this before or while the first layer is baking. (42-45 comes in a 14-ounce bag; a 9 1/4 ounce bag contains about 30).
2 cups semisweet/dark chocolate chips – the bitterness of the semi sweet keeps it from becoming too rich.
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts) - I prefer roasted pecans pieces from Trader Joe’s
1 cup of Heath Bar “Bits O Brickle” comes in a bag in the baking section (Safeway) or any toffee bits, or you can chop up 4-5 Heath or Skor bars.  (The Bits of Brickle/plain toffee is my first choice.) 

1. Place oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly mist the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch pan with vegetable oil spray or similar. Set the pan aside.

2. Place the cake mix, butter, and 1/3 cup of the evaporated milk in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. The batter will be thick and well combined. Turn a little more than half of the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with a small metal spreader/frosting knife or rubber spatula. The cake mix tends to stick to the rubber spatula, so do the best you can to spread a thin layer of cake mix over the entire bottom. Place pan in pre-heated oven.

3. Bake the bottom layer until it puffs up but is still soft, 6-8 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, set a side. Leave the oven on.

4. While the first layer is baking, place the caramels in a medium size saucepan with the remaining 1/3-cup evaporated milk. Stir and cook over medium low heat until the caramels melt and the mixture is smooth and thick, 5-6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the hot caramel mixture over the cake layer. Quickly scatter the chocolate chips evenly on top, and then add heath bar bits. Dollop teaspoonfuls of the remaining cake batter randomly over the chocolate chip and toffee bit layer. Sprinkle the nuts on top of the batter, if desired. Place the pan in the oven.

5. Bake until the batter on top lightly browns and a crust forms around the edges of the pan, 22 – 30 minutes. The brownies should still be a little soft in the center.  You may have to poke the top layers if they get too puffy- they will deflate and continue cooking.  Err on the side of a little more done than you would expect for cookies.  Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely, 30 - 45 minutes. 

6. Cool the brownies for AT LEAST an hour if you can.  (No judgement from me if you just have to dig in... I understand.)  If you can find it in your willpower to wait until Day 2, then they are even better. 

Breakfast Recipes

Here are a few easy breakfast casserole recipes- perfect if you are hosting a brunch.

The cool thing about these recipes is that you can make them the night before and then just stick them in your oven in the morning- and they make a ton of food- great for company- and it is nice because one is sweet and one is more "meaty" even though I make it vegetarian. Add some fresh fruit salad and you have a respectable spread for not a lot of work.

Here goes:

Hash Brown Casserole
1 can cream of mushroom (or whatever, I use potato) soup
1 16 oz tub sour cream
1 2-lb package frozen hash browns
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
optional - diced ham, bacon, etc.

Combine all ingredients and pour into lightly greased 13x9 pan. Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.

French Toast Casserole
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter
3 apples- sliced (and peeled if you prefer though I love cooked apple skins)
1/2 cup raisins or cranberries (optional)
1 loaf french baguette, cut into apx. 1" cubes
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk (or cream if you are so inclined)
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 tsp ground cinnamon
powdered sugar

Grease 13x9 baking dish. In large bowl, mix brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, melted butter. Stir in apples and raisins until evenly coat. Pour into greased pan.

In bowl, whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, 2 tsp cinnamon. Stir in bread and make sure each piece is evenly coated. Pour bread and any leftover egg mixture over apples, arranging in an even layer. Cover with foil and stick in fridge overnight. (OK if you cook it right away too).

Preheat oven to 375. Remove dish from fridge and let stand while oven is preheating. Bake covered for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes and then dust with powdered sugar.

And this last one is from a friend who turned me on to the Hot Artichoke and Baked Brie recipe posted here, so while I have not yet tried it, I am certain it will be yummy.

Breakfast Caserole
sourdough bread (torn up)
breakfast sausage - crumbled (i like 'hot' and sometimes I use 2 - can also use bacon if you want)
1 large can mild green chilies
extra sharp cheddar cheese (2 cups)
6 eggs (beaten in bowl)
2 cups milk

Butter 9x11 casserole dish
line bottom with torn pieces of bread
cover with sausage
spinkle with cheese
mix eggs with milk and chilies in separate bowl and pour entire mixture over the casserole

Bake: 45 mins or so, until set

Can be made day before and reheated. I can imagine other good things to layer in like fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, or even spinach.

Artichoke Dip

My friend had a cookie exchange party and served this Artichoke Dip. It is somewhat low-cal too, at least compared to the real thing- and tastes delicious with little wheat-y crackers.

Hot Artichoke Dip
1 can artichoke hearts in WATER (not oil)
1 can mild green chilies (either large or small size, depending on how much 'spice' you like)
1 package cream cheese (you can use low fat, but I usually get the fully loaded)
1/2 cup (minimum) grated parmesan cheese (I eyeball this just depending on taste)
1 can cream of celery soup

Mix all ingredients together in a baking dish or glass bowl. Sprinkle paprika on top if desired. Heat until warm at 350 (usually half an hour or so). Serve with stone wheat crakers or fresh baguette. Can be made a day or two in advance, just store in fridge.

Wise Women and The Plan

So my mom sent me this card last week and I thought it was adorable- very cute, don't you think?

Also I am now planning on posting all of my favorite tried and true recipes here on this site- mostly so that I have them all saved somewhere other than in my e-mail box and also so that I can easily share them. And hopefully edit as necessary.

:-)
Happy 2010.

Sweet Popcorn Balls

Last Friday night I made these popcorn balls to try to add some variety to our movie night routine. Christopher thought they were OK, I thought they were awesome and I hear that my neighbors kids liked them too. They were easy to make and all ingredients that are normal to have on hand, so I thought it was worth writing up the recipe in case others may like to give it a try! Enjoy!

Sweet Popcorn Balls

10 cups of popped popcorn (this is about two microwave bags)
2 T Butter
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. honey
1/4 tsp. salt
optional - peanut butter, m&m's, raisins, cranberries, etc...

Pop the popcorn, set aside. Try to get out all of the unpopped kernels- it is MUCH easier now than later!

Melt the butter, sugar and honey over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to bubble.

Place the 10 cups of popcorn in a large bowl. Pour the butter mixture over the popcorn and add the salt. Mix gently with a spoon.

Grease hands (I used cooking spray) and you and your preschooler can shape the popcorn into balls the size of golf balls. If you do golf-ball sized, then this recipe yields 30 balls. I did something more like softballs, and I think I got 10 out of a half batch, so it makes a lot. Place on a sheet of wax paper to harden up.

You can also add raisins or dried cranberries, or nuts, or even peanut butter I bet to the mix. I am thinking M&M's would be my favorite addition.

It says on the original recipe that you can shape them into bars or "thin logs" but I was unsuccessful at this. You kind of have to use a bit of pressure to make the things stay together. You will see what I mean if you make these.

The original recipe also has some creative ideas: Make a popcorn ghost with raisin eyes for Halloween, a popcorn wreath with dried cherries or cranberries, popcorn bat and baseball for birthday party....

Enjoy!

Start Cooking

The StartCooking.com website is a great website for beginner cooks like me. There are a ton of short (under three minute) videos where she shows you howto make different things. Tonight I am making pork chops, woo hoo! I like that it shows all of the important things, like what it is "supposed" to look like at several different stages. Check it out if you have a basic question, it is definitely easy to use!

Cruisin'

A couple of weeks ago we went on a cruise to Mexico! We did the 7-Day Mexican Riviera which departed from Long Beach and went to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerta Vallarta. We went with a group of 21, mostly neighbors and their kids and a few of their friends. It was A LOT of fun! Here is the run down:

The night before we left we went to Medieval Times in Buena Park. This is one of those theatrical dinner places, where they serve you a meal while you watch the sword fights and horses and falcons. This was one of the highlights for Christopher! We really enjoyed it too. The food was really good: tomato bisque soup, half of a roasted chicken, one spare rib, herbed potatoes, and then a pastry for dessert. Here’s the catch: NO UTENSILS!!! It was really fun and surprisingly not that messy. Christopher eats like that most of the time anyway but I think that this concept would be really fun for the older kids.

The sword fights were fun too, each section of the ring got its own “knight” and so we all cheered for our guy, who in my (and my sister Kat's) humble opinion happened to be the cutest one. We did end up buying a sword before we left- it was overpriced and made out of foam but it has still been funny seeing Jason get whacked with it when he’s not expecting it!

We kept the program and whenever Christopher and I are looking at it, he remembers who each knight “belonged” to within our family (Dad = Green, Mommy = Blue, he was the one that won, naturally) so it is fun. The only thing that is a little awkward is that when we were getting ready to leave, we went to see the horses at the stable and one of them was a little *excited.* So now, every time we see a picture of this one horse, Christopher reminds me that “that’s the horse who had his penis out!”

Moving on to the boat: we had a balcony room, which in my opinion is the best way to go. The only exception would be if you can afford two rooms and want to stick your kids in the second joining room. It was a lot bigger than I expected it to be, and definitely livable for a week. The shower was tiny but it had one of those handheld sprayers so it was manageable. Our neighbors Steve and Elaine had our room decorated for us, since it was our very first cruise. These decorations turned into victims for Christopher’s new sword as the week wore on, but it was very much appreciated nonetheless!

Cruising itself is a lot of fun. I didn’t really feel the boat move too much, and definitely never was sick from it. There were a few times when I was at one end or the other where I could feel it more, but for anyone who has been pregnant, I would compare it to that feeling- just a baby swishing around in your tummy, except kind of felt the opposite of that. Of course, that analogy might have been in my head because my own period was LATE and kind of freaking me out! I was looking for an excuse for why I was a little puffy and eating A TON of food, but it was a false alarm. By the way, they don’t sell pregnancy tests on the ship.

Back to the food: that was one of my favorite parts of the whole experience! The Dining Room was fabulous. The food was delicious and you can order whatever you want, as much as you want, and no one looks at you funny. Towards the end of the trip they knew to bring Christopher a milk and buttered noodles as soon as we sat down, which was so helpful. Every night I had at least two appetizers and then a delicious gourmet meal and then of course, dessert. In fact on the last night, I ordered FOUR desserts. One of them was for Jason, but when I ordered them I told the waiter that two were for me and two were for him.

There was also a Johnny Rocket’s on the ship, which was a lot of fun. There is a cover charge to go in, but as soon as you are there, they bring you a plate of fries and onion rings and ranch and then you can order whatever you want. And every 30 minutes or so, all of the waiters do a choreographed line dance to "Stayin' Alive." It was really cute and added to the experience.


One night I went dancing with the ladies, which was fun too. We stayed out SO late, I think I crawled into bed after 3:00 in the morning. I haven’t been up at that hour since having a newborn!!! There were so many YOUNG people in this club!!! I am talking high school young. Maybe early college I suppose, but a lot of the people there didn’t look old enough to drink. I think the drinking age is 18 but I am not sure.

Jason went to the casino one night too, and another night him and the rest of the boys went to a karaoke bar on the ship. I heard that was a lot of fun, though I was home babysitting. Which is a good segue into the kids club!

The age for the kids club is 3+. But they also have to be out of diapers. So technically, Christopher wasn’t allowed in. We did try to sneak him in on the first formal dinner night, by putting his friends underwear on over his diaper, but they paged us within 20 minutes or so and asked us to come and get him. We didn’t try the kids club again after that. The older kids seemed to really like it though, and even the four-year old with our group loved it. I am still a first time mom (read: softie) when it comes to that stuff though, and it is hard for me to have a good time when I don’t think Christopher is, and then with the diaper thing added to it, I just didn’t feel right forcing him to cry it out there. I am sure that Baby #2 will not have the same luxury, but for this trip, that is how it worked out. And it is probably for the better, since just about every night towards the end of our delicious dinner, Christopher would climb under the table and start smelling pretty bad, if you know what I mean. That would’ve gotten us kicked out of the kids club officially, I am sure.

One of the other fun things we did was one night, everyone in our group dressed up like pirates! That was really fun, going around the ship and saying “Arghh!” and “Take me to your Captain!” People loved us for the most part, and some people even asked the guys to take pictures with them!

The stops were all amazing, but I don’t want to make this too long so I will talk about them later. There were a few other special things about our ship- we went ice skating one morning and miniature golfing another afternoon. The best thing I would say about the cruise was the service, it was really a nice pampering and relaxing vacation and I am so glad that we went. We will definitely go again.

We cruised with Royal Caribbean, on the Mariner of the Seas by the way.

More soon…

Gifts from Mother Nature

Tonight I got home from school around 8:30 or so. Jason had already put our boy to bed, but Christopher heard me come in the door so he ran down to greet me (precious!) and then excitedly tells me that he and Daddy got me a surprise, and let me show you where it is! So he walks me, while holding my hand, to the kitchen, where he retrieves a box from the counter that came in the mail. It is super lightweight and pastel pink and purple, and has NO return address. I am suspicious but Christopher is too excited for me to say no, so we go back to his bed and open "Mommy's surprise."

We finally get the box opened, and the first thing that falls out is a little red box with a gift tag on it. The tag says "Mother Nature's Monthly Gift." Uh oh. :-) So we open the box and three tampons fall out! Oh yeah, it is THAT kind of mailer.

There are also a few pads tucked in the "gift" for me, of all different sizes and absorbencies. So Christopher asks, "what is this?" and I just told him they are things that Mommy needs some times. Lucky for me, his repsonse was "OK." Every once in a blue moon, he is satisfied with an answer like that. Nine times out of ten he wants to know "why" to the 10th degree. Tonight I would have been screwed.

Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today Christopher and I made these cookies. After I ate far too many, I packaged the leftovers up to pawn off on my neighbors and also set some aside to bring to my class tonight.

They were a big hit all around but the best part is that my secret plan worked: I left some of them on the counter in a tupperware container, as well as the extras for the neighbors whose houses we didn't make it to, and Jason FINALLY ate zucchini!!! He had no idea that it was in them but told me they were awesome cookies.
So without further ado, here is the recipe that I used:

Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 C. butter
3/4 C. white sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini (About 1 1/2 zucchini's, oddly)
1 1/2 C. flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 C. quick cooking oats
1 -1.5 C. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in the egg and vanilla, mix well, then stir in the shredded zucchini. Sift together the flour, baking soda and cinnamon, stir into the zucchini mixture. Finally, stir in the oats and chocolate chips.

Drop dough from a teaspoon onto an unprepared cookie sheet. Bake for about 11 minutes in the preheated oven. The cookies will stay soft and moist because of the zucchini.

Hummus

Jason made hummus the other day! He had a potluck at the firehouse a couple of weeks ago and his Lebonese friend Dan made what he described as the "best hummus he had ever had." So he sweet-talked his friend out of the recipe and this is it. We scaled it back to 1/3, so that we used only one can of garbanzo beans, and it was the perfect amount to last us for a few days of snacking.

3 Can Chick peas (garbanzo beans)
1/4 C. Tahini Sauce
3-4 Cloves Garlic
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
Salt- to taste - if it seems bland, add salt
3-4 Tbsp. Lemon Juice - go off of taste
1/2 to 1 C. water- A little water goes a long was so add a little at a time.

Place peeled garlic cloves in food processor with about a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of olive oil. Run food processor until garlic is well diced, the finner the better.

Add garbanzo beans, lemon, tahini sauce, table spoon of olive oil and more salt. Run food processor for a good amount of time until everything is well chopped. At this point the hummus should be pretty thick, so start adding water at 1/8-1/4 cup increments until desired consistency.

Now it is all up to you. If you want more bite, add garlic. If you want more tart, add lemon. If you want more of that bland/buttery taste, add tahini. And if all together taste bland, add salt. Once you get it the way you like it, place in serving dish and drizzle olive oil on top. If you want to garnish, sprinkle paprika or chili powder over hummus before adding olive oil.

Hope this helps, and remember to try to find good tahini sauce (i.e. Trader Joe's) and just use store bought lemon juice...not the fake lemon looking things but the bigger juice container one.

PS This is pretty much copied from Dan's e-mail to Jason, so please consider this note me "citing my source." Had a lecture tonight in school on plagarism and that is not my intent! Enjoy!

Family Picture

It has been a while since I sent out a family picture, so here is a newer one. We took this a couple of weeks ago at the Oakland Zoo.

Easy Donating

I am constantly trying to pare down what we have- clothes that no longer fit, toys that Christopher (or me or Jason) no longer play with, occasionally random pieces of furniture, you get the idea.

This is my favorite way to donate stuff. Rather than waiting for the bright yellow cards that come in the mail and tell you that some obscure date three weeks in the future is "your day," I just go to this website and generally my stuff is gone by the next business day. They leave a reciept and after you have donated this way once, they save your address and special notes (i.e. leave reciept in mail box) based on your phone number and last name.

It is very easy and a good way to recycle stuff!

http://www.4satruck.org/DSS/Index.asp

Easy Exfoliator

My good friend and neighbor told me how to make this easy exfoliator and I am so thrilled with it I want to post it here:

Equal parts
Olive Oil and
Sugar

So easy! The only trick is making sure you don't slip and fall in the shower after you use it.

Enjoy!

Couch

This last week, the "game" in our house has been for Christopher to lose the Litte Lightning McQueen and then substitute in the Big Lighting McQueen, then lose the big one as soon as he finds the small one, and on and on and on in this never ending cycle. Whichever one he has, he wants and is looking for and thus WE are looking for the other one!

This last week I have had the pleasure of looking under ALL of the couch cushions, under ALL of the furniture, you know, all of the places that a little match box car will hide so well. Oh. My. God. There was so much junk- random pieces of food including scrambled eggs, candy, candy canes, cheerios, chocolate chips, peas, you name it. All of this stuff is in our couch cushions.

Seriously, there was enough to have held us over for a few days in the event of a major emergency. Under the furniture I found 23 golf balls, five or six of my dog's tennis balls and more food. Oh, also dust bunnies that could probably take on my smaller cat. I have hardwood floors mostly throughout the house and I love them but the dust bunnies are out of control. The sucky part is that earlier in the week, when I disccovered all of this stuff, I didn't have time to do anything about it! So I had to leave it, and just know it was there. I was almost grossed out to sit on my couch. hee hee

Well finally this weekend I had the time to clean it all up, at least the couch. Still need to do battle with the bunnies in my bedroom, but I'll get to that later.

Gotta run.... I have some alone time- the boy is asleep, Jason just left for a couple hours and I need to catch up on Lipstick Jungle. :-)

Crissy Field

Last week for our beach visit we ended up going to Chrissy Field in San Francisco and it was perfect. Lots of dogs running around and not scary at all, big-wave wise. Christopher and all of us had a blast but Daisy more than anyone else. Of course it is three days later now and she is still limping around but she has a smile on her face and her tail is low but wagging, so I think she still thinks it was worth it. :-)

http://www.yelp.com/biz/crissy-field-san-francisco

If anyone hasn't been, I highly recommend it as a good spot to bring the kids (if they are not afraid of seeing dogs, that is- the dogs we met were well behaved and didnt tackle the boy) and spend a couple hours. You can bring your kids bikes too, there is a trail that goes around too. Oh there are some tide pools too. The person who recommended it to me said her kids were able to look at a jellyfish in the tidepool! I didnt see anything but it was still fun.

Enjoy!

Cardio Clean

I have been taking practice tests for teacher stuff and it hasn't been the most exciting, but Jason just left for class from 4-10 tonight and I am getting ready to go get my boy from school. So I had a few minutes of home alone time and decided to try something I haven't done in a LONG time! I like to call it the 15 Minute Cardio Clean. Here is how it goes:

Turn on your itunes (or back in the day it was the old fashioned CD/tape player, and I know it gets worse than that) and crank it up pretty loud. Have at least three or four songs that you like at the moment and TURN IT UP! Run around your house form room to room and pick up and put away whatever you see! Cats need more food? Fill up the bowl! Random toys in the dining room? Throw them in the toy bin in the playroom. Need to unload and load the dishwasher? Shut up and just do it!

Anyway, I only had two songs, both of which were influenced by the last Real World Brooklyn we watched (and both featuring some knuckle-head named "T-Pain," so much for me being mature) but I was able to make our little house look decent in just a few minutes, I felt my heart rate get up a little bit and I actually had a strange sort of fun doing it! I guess it reminded me of the old days, maybe that is the fun.

Just thought I would share in case any of you are looking for that motivation and trying to trick yourself into doing something you dont want to do. For me, knowing that when those songs are over, I am DONE and whatever doesnt get done in that time I will just walk away from motivates me to bust my booty and just do it!!!

OK Off to go get my boy. More later.

xoxo
Barbara

Nutella Quesadillas

Last week I had this MAJOR dessert jones and I satisfied it in a super yummy/easy way that I wanted to share, and also hopefully get some other ideas.

Nutella Quesadillas

Flour Tortillas
Nutella
Butter spray

Get a flour tortilla. Spread it with nutella on one half of it, and fold it over like a quesadilla. Brush the top with melted butter, or if you are lazy like me you can spray it with "I Cant Believe Its Not Butter" spray. (What is that stuff anyway?) OK Then sprinkle with cinnomon and sugar and bake at 350 for maybe 5-6 minutes. You may have to broil low for a minute or two if you want it kinda crispy, which I did, but every time I turn on the broiler my ADD kicks in and I *always* forget.

These were so good that even burnt, they were more than edible.If anyone doesn't know what nutella is, here is a little thing about it:http://startcooking.com/video/531/Nutella-Crepes

Early Morning Page

Today has been a bit unpredictable. I FINALLY went to bed early enough that I *could* get up and run with my neighbor, and at 6:30 as I was lacing up my running shoes, I heard Jason's pager go off! I was supposed to run at 6:45 and Christopher was still asleep. So I woke him up and with the help of Anna and her dog, Sophia, I was able to convince Christopher to get in his stroller while we went for a run. Got home and remembered that I had class this morning, and no childcare. Tried to text my other neighbor but it was early and her kids let her sleep in on the weekends, so I didn't want to call. So then I had this great idea that I would BRING Christopher to class with me, get him set up with a snack and a movie on his portable DVD player and no one would even realize he was there! I guess I momentarily forgot that he is three years old and that he definitely needs regular assistance, even if he is entertained, and also that while we did make arrangements to "be quiet" during Mommy's class, he still announced early on that he was "ready to go back home" several times before I did just that. Turns out that three-year olds are not quite ready for college yet. So my wonderful neighbors came to my rescue and let me drop him off for a few hours (thank you!!!) and he had a great time playing with his buddy, and I was able to make it back to class without missing too much. It is 3:40 and Jason is on his way home from the fire. Aah, the door just opened. Hooray- family time!

Family Blog

Hello! I am going to take a stab at a family blog site for us. I hope that it will help me keep everyone more updated with pictures and videos and the day to day happenings in our household. I am also trying to keep it a *little* anonymous, at least from a last name perspective. Hope you like it and please comment or feel free to e-mail, as always.
xoxo
Barbara, Jason & Christopher

That's Not My Name

So Jason was able to bribe Christopher in to singing the "That's Not My Name" song with some Cinnamon Altoids. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!!!