Don't....

Don't bake an entire chocolate cake in six minutes using your waffle iron.

Don't freeze said waffles so that the are available any time of day once warmed in the microwave for exactly 30 seconds.

Don't serve them with vanilla ice cream and strawberries.

Don't run out of strawberries and top them with peanut butter instead.

Just...ya know....don't.

Menu Plan Monday

Haven't done one of these in a while. A post not a plan....

Menu Plan  -  May 1-7

Monday

B- Banana bread and smoothies

L- Leftover chicken enchiladas

D- Spaghetti and Meatballs, salad, and bread sticks

Tuesday
B- Sausage balls and Pumpkin muffins
L- leftovers
D- Tabouli

Wednesday
B- Smoothies and muffins
L- sandwiches, soup, veggie tray
D- Chicken pot pie and salad

Thursday

B- Pancakes and sausage balls

L- leftovers
D- Chinese with Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage and eggrolls

Friday

B- Oatmeal
L- grilled cheese, tomato soup and fruit
D- Chicken taco salads

Saturday
B- Cereal
L- Burritos from leftovers
D- Fish and Chips

Sunday
B- Muffins and Yogurt parfaits

L- OUT!!

D- Hamburgers on the grill

Rice Krispy Treats

Last Saturday Daniel, Coen and I made rice krispy treats together. Yummm, yum. So fun! Coen loves to help in the kitchen!!

Popsicle Season

I have very fond memories of making our own popsicles when I was a kid and I couldn't wait to make some for Coen this year!
I've been waiting and waiting to buy these popsicle molds made from stainless steel. I really wanted them because I just knew they would last for years and years, but I could only find them on one site, and with shipping they were going to run me about $30.00.

Nope.

So when I found these BPA free Tovolo rocket molds ( which were my second choice) at Ross for $7.50 I snatched them up!

There are so many great recipes for making your own popsicles out there. You can add herbs for a medicinal effect and veggies for picky kids! Plus, homemade popsicles are waaaayyy healthier than the store bought ones. I got some inspiration from here. I really want to make the Red Beans and Coconut Popsicles. They sound so good to me for some reason! I just went ahead and made some out of mixed fruit. Here's what I did....

Bought some frozen mixed fruit. I chose a more tropical blend because...

...I added coconut milk, and thought it would go good together.

 Let your fruit thaw, add some coconut milk and blend till smooth.

Fill your molds and freeze! Easy peasy!

Give 'em to your babies when they bust their lip. It makes everything better. :)

Buttermilk Biscuits

I love, love, love these biscuits! I got the recipe from one of those Martha Stewart cooking magazines, I forget what it's called. Anyway, you can't beat buttermilk biscuits! This is a super simple recipe with few ingredients, but the best part is that it gives you instructions on how to freeze them individually and then bake them at you leisure!

I freeze cookie batter in individual "clumps" so I can bake one or two at a time, but the temp. and baking time for a frozen hunk of cookie dough was always guess work. I also make waffles and pancakes in big batches and then freeze them already cooked so they just need to be microwaved to thaw, but sometimes those can have a freezer taste to them and aren't totally fresh feeling.

However, since you are freezing the dough and then baking the biscuit they always taste great! Ok, here we go...


Buttermilk Biscuits

4c. all purpose flour - I use 50/50 white /wheat,so they come out a little more dense. For a lighter biscuit, use white flour.
2T. baking powder
1t.  baking soda
2T. sugar
2t. salt
1c. (2sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into bits
1.5c. lowfat buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 450. In a food processor, pulse flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until mix looks like coarse meal with a few pea sized pieces of butter. Add buttermilk and pulse until dough is just moistened.

2.Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead to combine being careful to not overwork the dough. Roll with floured pin to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut with circular cookie cutter 2.5 inches in diameter. Bake 12-15 min. till biscuits are puffy.

TO FREEZE- After you've cut your rounds, place onto baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Freeze until solid and place in freezer bag. Store up to two months!
To bake from frozen, place rounds on baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees 20-25 minutes. 

Cold Brewed Coffee

I know that I've mentioned cold brewed coffee before, only I can't seem to find where...

A few years back, before I had Coen and would watch other children for a living, one of the mothers I used to sit for introduced me to "Cold Brewed Coffee". She had a pitcher similar to this. This device brewed a cold coffee concentrate. The coffee, instead of being brewed in a coffee pot, was brewed using cold water and kept in the refrigerator. She served it to me hot and it was soooooo good. You just add a bit of coffee concentrate to your cup and then add water, microwave till hot then stir in your cream, sugar and whatnot. You can adjust how much concentrate you use depending on how strong you like your coffee. Brewing it cold keeps your coffee from tasting bitter and it's also easier on your stomach!

About a year later my sister sent me a link to a website where a lady was talking about cold brewing coffee using some coffee filters and a few glass canning jars. Brilliant! She drinks hers cold, and boy howdy, talk about YUM! The perfect summer drink! Here's how you do it:

You're going to need all of this stuff. That big jar is a 32oz. canning jar. I'm using decaf coffee, because my body hates me if I have too much caffeine, and it's already ground (you can grind your own if you want). You'll need 2-3 coffee filters and a small strainer (not pictured). Of course you'll need your fixins! I actually only use those pictured when I fix my coffee hot. Iced....well that's a whole 'nuther ball game.

Dump a cup of coffee grounds into your large jar.

Fill with cold water, leaving space at the top. Put the lid on your jar, shake to combine and let it steep overnight, at least 12 hours.

In the morning start straining. Place a coffee filter into your strainer and pour the concentrate into the filter. You can strain the coffee into a bowl (pictured) or directly into a smaller jar like this...

I suggest straining directly into your storage jar. Why dirty up a bowl? Anywho, it takes a while to strain and your going to need to replace the filter a few times because it will start to look like this

and your coffee will take even longer to strain. When your concentrate is finished you can store it in the fridge. Remember, it's not regular coffee, it's a concentrate! To drink hot, add water and microwave as I mentioned above. To drink cold... well, here's what I do. Add a bit of concentrate to a glass , depending on taste, then I add whole milk (I 'aint scared!) and a healthy dose or unrefined pure cane sugar. (mercy.) Chunk in a few ice cubes and a bendy straw for maximum gestation. 

Try not to gulp it all down in one swig. 

:)

Lately...

::sigh::...Well, there has been a LOT going on recently and I just haven't found the time to sit down and write about any of it!

 We had a "Lost Series Finale" party! Please note my Dharma Initiative Cream Soda and polar bear. Both of which are apparently meaningless to the plot of the show. We had a lot of fun though. I made P-Dub's "Firecracker Shrimp" because I already had all of the ingredients. Holy moley were they scrumptious! Definitely bringing these to my parent's house on July 4th. You should too!

Memorial Day weekend was great! Daniel got a new schedule which means he doesn't have to go into work on Saturdays anymore!!! So on Saturday we spent the day together and drove to the Cheesecake Factory. Daniel had gift cards and so the meal was F.R.E.E.! My favorite kind! ;)

My friend Nicole and her hubby Damian and daughter Natalia came up from Mississippi, so we spent Sunday morning at her parents lake house in Granbury. Wow, we had a blast. Natalia is getting so big and Coen just loved watching her! We got in the water and had a blast. Can;t wait till they come back!! I forgot to take pictures while we were there!! Argghh!   Later that night Daniel and I went on a date! We saw Shrek (which was hilarious!) and got Root Beer floats. :) Coen hung out with the fam while we were gone.

Then Monday happened. I found a scorpion in the nursery on Sun night and another one in the living room on Monday. The gloves came off! I left Monday night to load up on supplies and I've spent the last few days caulking, setting traps and spraying poison all over my house. So long suckas!

We've also spent considerable time running through various sprinklers,

 

helping with the laundry,

playing with belts and hangers,

 and being cute.

Not to mention trying on bridesmaid dresses, meeting up with old friends, gardening, celebrating birthdays, shopping for said birthdays, reading new books, trying new recipes and cleaning out closets.

So, there you have it! Our lives lately! Oh, and I spent quite some time labeling all of my posts for your convenience. Use them responsibly. You're welcome. :)

Meal Planning

Do you meal plan? Do you know what meal planning is?

Meal planning is a great way to organize all of you meals for a week, a fortnight and even a month! It's simply sitting down and writing out all of the meals you plan to eat ahead of time. This cuts down on food expense, waste and virtually eliminates those times where you are standing in front of the fridge thinking, "What the heck am I going to make for dinner?".

I learned how to make a meal plan "menu" from my mom. Smart woman. I made my first menu my first week out of my parents home which was my first week as a wife and right before my first grocery shopping trip and have been hooked ever since. I actually still have it! (After typing it, I am now acutely aware of how creepy that is.)

I plan my meals a week at a time. Sometimes every two weeks but more than that tends to get a little overwhelming for me. Every Sunday evening I plop down and devote time to deciding what we will have for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. My weekly plan includes notations for special events we have going on that week; like, Wednesday- Birthday party at 6:00PM means we won't have dinner at home. Tuesday- Bible study till noon then errands in Fort Worth means I'll be beat when I finally get home so I had better have a crock-pot meal that day. Like that! I used to write everything out on a weekly calendar sheet that had a special space for every meal, preparations I needed to make and a list of ingredients I needed to buy. Now, It's not so fancy, unless you count the colored sharpie I write down everything in. A piece of notebook paper works fine. As I mentioned before I saved about two years of menus in a binder. If I'm feeling a little lost as to what to add to the menu, I take a peek at what I have planned in the past. Menus are posted on the fridge for easy reference throughout the week.

There are lots of little blogs and websites to help you get started on your meal planning. RecipeZaar.com not only has a plethora of recipes, but they have a system that allows you to save meals in a cookbook and create a menu as well as supplying you with nutritional information for your meals. I think they charge a small fee for a membership, however. Here is another link to a free recipe calculator to find out how healthy your home cooked meals really are!

THIS is a great article that details the benefits of meal planning. A good read for sure. And then there are places where people blog about their menus like here, and which also have templates and tools to help you plan. If you're feeling like you can't do it...YOU CAN, but if you just can't, this is a site where (for a small fee) they do all of the work for you. Well there you have it! So start planning!!

AND because I know so many of you really care....here is what I have planned for this week to help get you started!

Monday

B- Eggs and sausage

L- Leftovers

D-  Venison brisket, baked potato and yellow squash

Tuesday

B- Crockpot whole grain breakfast cereal

L- leftovers

D- Julie's house for dinner - bring side dish and dessert

Wednesday

B- Gluten Free waffels with P.B or yogurt

L- Soup, salad and sandwich

D- Red beans and Rice with cornbread

Thursday

B- Scrambled eggs with toast

L- leftovers

D- Fried Chicken, corn and green beans

Friday

B- Breakfast Cookie

L- leftovers

D- Crock-pot chicken, green beans and carrots

Saturday

B- Gluten Free pancakes

L- leftovers + salad

D- Venison back strap on grill, oven baked fries and fruit salad

Sunday

B- Soaked Oatmeal

L- OUT!

D- Spaghetti and salad

Snacks and Dessert

cucumber w/ salt and vinegar

hummus and carrots

graham crackers and peanut butter

gluten free chocolate chip cookies

 

To Warm Your Tummy

It's COLD here in Texas.

Yes, cold.

Yesterday my car's temperature gauge was flashing "ICE". I didn't even know it could do that! It's snowed, like, five times already this winter and there is apparently more to come. So, before the big chill hits your home (or maybe it already has) I thought I would pass along my two favorite soup recipes for this year, sure to warm your tummy. Both original recipes can be found at RecipeZaar. I tweaked a teeny tiny bit.

OK, here we go.

Cream of Tomato Soup
2c. chicken broth
4c. tomatoes, seeded, peeled and chopped.
1/3c. chopped onion
1/2c. chopped celery
1/2 t. sugar
3/4 c. heavy cream
salt to taste

- The first time I made this I actually blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes. For goodness sake don't do that!! It was a total pain in the butt labor of love, but is just as good if you use canned tomatoes. Two LARGE cans of chopped tomatoes is what I use.

Throw all ingredients (except for the cream) into a large pot. Simmer 30 min. of until veg. is soft. (sometimes I saute the celery and onions first) Using an immersion blender, blend 'till smooth. You can also transfer all contents into a blender or food processor if you need. Add cream starting with 1/2c., adding more to taste. Heat soup gently over low heat. Eat in your pajamas while wrapped in a snuggly blanket. Throw in some Pride and Prejudice if you feel like it.

Next...

Velvety Smooth Cream of Potato Soup
4T. butter
1 outer stalk of celery plus one inner stalk of leaves, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 lg. clove garlic, pressed
4 medium white potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 c. chicken broth (or, because 1 can equals 2 cups,  4 c. broth 1c. water)
1/2 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. milk
salt to taste

- Melt butter in large pot. Saute celery, onion and carrot until soft, approx. 20 minutes. Add potatoes, toss till coated, and cover with chicken broth. Simmer 'till potatoes are soft. If you want your soup to be slightly chunky, reserve some veg. . I like mine smooth so I blend with immersion blender 'till completely pureed. Stir in cream and milk 'till it reaches your desired thickness. I like mine soupy so I use all!! Heat through but do not boil. Add salt to taste. This one could also be eaten in your pajamas, but tastes better in workout clothes you've yet to work out in. Perhaps while watching Wheel of Fortune.

Tamales

Lovelovelovelove it when we get together and make tamales for Christmas! A few years back my mom found a great tamale recipe and we gave it a whirl. Wow. We were hooked! It's a LOT of hard work but it's well worth it. This year we made over 200! At first it was just something to do to clear the freezer of venison. The next year we added chicken and this year we made pork! I'm eating some right now yall!

 

Chicken Butt!

MMMMmmmmm!

Giving Thanks

I have lots of blogs to post but first let me get to our Thanksgiving! It was at my house this year because, as I mentioned, my parents went to the Texas/A&M game. We had a lazy morning. the turkey was brining happily in the fridge, pies were cooling and the Thanksgiving Day Parade was on T.V.. So-far, so good. I did a LOT of meal planning and still forgot a few ingredients, didn't read the cooking time on a recipe right and completely forgot about making gravy!! We figured it out though and dinner was only a little bit late. :)

Coen was exhausted.

Julie and Daniel were such a HUGE help! I couldn't (and wouldn't) have done it without them! Everything turned out great!! The turkey was really good, if I do say so myself! Even our last minute gravy was tasty! I think my favorite was the buttermilk pie with fresh whipped cream. YUM! I also enjoyed Julie's company, and later Becky and Jamie's company. Also, seeing Daniel carve our Turkey was special!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Spooky Cookies

Gotta love this time of year. Why? Because it's the time of year will all of the great food!! Three holidays in three months and all require the baking of delicious treats and goodies! Treat of choice this month...... sugar cookies. I got these great Wilton cookie cutters for Halloween on sale at Joanns. They are huge and one side is rubberized for comfort which made them somewhat pricey even on sale, but I figured it was an investment! Right? Anywho, Julie and I decided to break them in. 

Here's Julie workin' hard. This might have been the second batch we brilliantly decided to whip up. :)

Coen- waiting patiently.....

My Frankenstein cookie of choice. Yes, I know he doesn't have mouth. I like him that way!

Julie and her wicked witch cookie! She worked hard on that witchy nose!

Sigh, Good times. Well, gotta hit that elliptical. Tis the season ya know.