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How To Keep Your Kids Busy Over Spring Break

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Spring break is almost here!  We are sticking pretty close to home this year and it made me think about what we are going to do to keep ourselves busy.  This blog is all about home and family.  I love to share cooking, sewing, gardening, and art projects that we are doing around here so I thought I’d let you in on my secret weapon.  I must confess that I don’t always come up with amazing ideas on my own to keep my daughter busy.  I love books and I’m always on the lookout for fun How-To books for her.  Over the past few years, these have provided hours of entertainment.
*In full disclosure, I’m part of the Amazon Affiliate program, so if you choose to buy a product by clicking on it, I get a little kick-back.  I promise, I wouldn’t tell you to buy these books unless I really and truly loved them.*
First up is the Mom and Me Cookbook.  I have a pretty big children’s cookbook collection and this one is my absolute favorite.  
If you’re up for a little sewing, this book has some great projects for beginners.  My daughter and niece made both of the projects on the front of the book, had a great time, and learned a new skill.
 
 
If gardening is your thing, then this next book is great for getting a few little projects going.

 
 
The next item is something that I don’t actually own, but it is on my wish list.  I’ve been wanting to do some experimenting with wire art in the classroom and at home.  I thought this would be a good way to start and see how we like it.

 
 
I bought this pipe cleaner book when we were on vacation and needed an activity for our down-time.  It was a great way to keep kids busy.  Did you know the best way to cut pipe cleaners is with nail clippers?  The book comes with pipe cleaners and shows you how to make all sorts of different animals.

 
 
Ok, this one is awesome.  Have you ever heard of watercolor pencils?  You color with them, like normal pencils, but then you add water to the colored-on paper with a paintbrush.  It makes it look like a watercolor painting!  You might be thinking, “Ok, that’s great, but I can’t draw.”  Well, neither can I!  This book walks you through the drawing process, step by step, and you end up with a pretty cool product.  My daughter liked this one and even framed a few of her paintings.

 

My last suggestion is the Loopdedoo.  It’s a little “machine” that helps you make friendship bracelets out of embroidery floss.  Each bracelet takes just minutes and there are tons of different looks you can make.  This was a Christmas present one year and it kept my daughter busy for the entire break.

I can’t wait for Spring Break.  Sigh.  Arts and crafts, gardening, sewing, and baking are on my To Do list.  Doesn’t that sound lovely?

Happy shopping!

The Best Way to Host a Dinner Party – Chapter 4

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I feel like I share about the BEST way to host a dinner party quite frequently. When something is the BEST, you just can’t help but share.  
It was Angie’s turn to host this month.  She told the dinner guests to come in comfy clothes and her theme for the dinner party was comfort food.  Now, if you haven’t read my previous blog posts about my dinner club, here’s how it works.  The hostess selects 4 dishes to cook for the party, purchases the ingredients, and sets everything out on the counter.  Each of the guests and the hostess selects a dish to prepare and we spend the evening cooking together.  Doesn’t that sound lovely?  The goal is to select recipes that are new to us.  Angie said she chose a few recipes from the Pioneer Woman website.  I love P-Dub. You just can’t go wrong there.
There was salad, grilled cheese, tomato soup, and strawberry crisp. 
And yoga pants. 
And cocktails.
I forgot to read all of the recipes, so I don’t even know what was in everything.  I will say with certainty that it was really yummy and comforting.  The grilled cheese sandwiches were made with rye bread, white cheddar cheese, tomatoes, onions, something green that I didn’t want on my sandwiches, and a dijon spread.  I was licking my fingers as I ate the gooey-ness.

The salad also had a hint of dijon.  I’ve decided that I really love nuts in my salads.  

I picked the tomato soup for my contribution.  I have a confession to make.  Never, in my life, have I tasted tomato soup.  I know, I know.  Some of you are thinking that it must be because I don’t like tomatoes.  Ummm.  Tomatoes happen to be one of my favorite foods of all time.  So, my only reason for not ever trying tomato soup is that Campbell’s tomato doesn’t look too yummy to me.  The recipe that we used was a creamy tomato basil.  It was pretty good.  I can see why people consider this comfort food.   The verdict?  I think I’d make it again and I think my family would like it.  It was a good choice for the dinner party!
We finished the night with strawberry crisp, which was TO DIE FOR.  It didn’t photograph well, so it didn’t make the cut for the blog, but it was my favorite comfort food of the night.  
I love my dinner club friends.  It’s so nice to have a chance to sit and talk with other adults, find out how my friends’ lives are going, and just try out a few new recipes at the same time.  Now, don’t you agree that this is the BEST way to host a dinner party?
Thanks dinner club!  I can’t wait until next month!
Happy cooking!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

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Never, in a million years, would I have thought I would like this soup.  Everything about it sounds horrible to me.  It’s made with squash, carrots, celery, and onions.  Blending those things together does not sound appetizing, but I’m here to tell you… It is amazing!!
I’ve been really trying to add more fruits and vegetables to my diet lately, and not just broccoli or green beans.  I’ve been trying to branch out and try things I normally would not eat.  We’ve learned to love sweet potatoes, avocados, spaghetti squash, and butternut squash.
I found a simple recipe online, but made several changes because I didn’t like the original too much.  Here’s what I did:
I started with a large package of chopped butternut squash.  It was about 4-5 cups.  I roasted it in a baking pan with a little olive oil for about 40 minutes.
In a blender, went:
4-5 cups roasted squash
1 stalk of celery
1 large carrot
2 slices of onion
3 cups chicken broth
I blended this for 8 minutes in a heavy duty blender. 
Next, I added salt and pepper to taste and a few tablespoons of butter.  I blended this up again.
If you have a fancy blender that heats, you’re done.  If not, the mixture can be heated on the stove.
Finally, I topped it with a few tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese and sprig of rosemary.
Yum-O!  The texture kind of reminds me of a thick, cheesy soup, but without all of the guilt. It’s Heavenly.  
Happy blending!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

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I’ve decided I’m a soup snob.  I don’t like canned soup anymore.  I will still eat canned soup if I have to, but I would much rather have homemade.  It snowed on Saturday, and of course that means I was craving soup.  I made two soups, one for lunch and one for dinner.  Soup #1 was a Loaded Baked Potato.  I found a couple of recipes on Pinterest, but neither was exactly what I wanted so I concocted this yummy treat.
Ingredients:
1 pound bacon
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
3 yellow potatoes, diced (leave skins on)
3 red potatoes, diced (leave skins on)
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups cream
2 cups milk
sour cream and cheese for garnish
Cook bacon and set aside.
Heat olive oil.
Add onion, carrots, celery, and diced potatoes.  Cook until soft.
Add 2 Tbsp butter and melt.
Add flour and mix together.
Add chicken stock and stir until lumps are gone.
Slowly add cream and milk.  Cook until thick.
I love bacon in this soup, but I don’t like smooshy bacon.  I added the bacon to the soup at the last minute so it would stay crunchy.  Then, I topped the soup with more bacon (you can never have enough bacon), shredded cheddar cheese, and a little sour cream.
It’s the perfect cold day lunch, friends.  
Happy soup making!

The Yummiest Mashed Potatoes Ever

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I have been so hungry for turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes lately.  Fortunately, I don’t have to wait much longer. Turkey Day is tomorrow and my cravings will be satisfied.  In honor of the Day of Yumminess, I’m reposting my mashed potato post from last year.  These were some yummy potatoes, friends!  It’s a little more effort to make them this way, but certainly worth it.


My December Cooking Light magazine arrived in the mail yesterday. One of the articles was about common mistakes when making mashed potatoes. Gluey mashed potatoes are caused by overworked potatoes. The starch cells in boiled potatoes rupture when they are being mashed. The more you mash, the more gluey they become. Mashing potatoes with an electric mixer could cause an Elmer’s Glue effect. The article suggested using a food mill or a ricer before mashing. Hmmm. I was up for the challenge.

When I got home, I boiled my potatoes just until soft. The food press is made for easy draining. After draining all of the water into the sink, I started pressing the potatoes.

 

 

I have to admit, as I was pressing the potatoes in the food mill, I was thinking, “This is so stupid! Who would take the time to do this? It’s making a mess all over my counter AND I’ll have one more step (washing the food mill) to clean up when I’m done.” But, I kept going.

 

When I was done, the potatoes looked like fine rice in the bowl. I added a stick of margarine, 4 ounces of cream cheese, and about 2 cloves of chopped garlic. I also added salt, to taste and then used a spoon to mix it all together. Ok, at that point I was taking back all of my nasty thoughts about how stupid the people at Cooking Light were…. ’cause – YUM. They were the perfect potatoes. I would never have thought to use the food mill. I don’t think I would use it for a big family dinner because it would just be too time consuming, but I will definitely try their idea again.

 

It’s something to think about as Thanksgiving is approaching. Happy cooking!

White Chicken Chili – Super Speedy Style

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It all started last week when my son said, “Remember that soup you made that had the crispy tortillas on top?  Can you make that again?”

I kept promising I’d make it, but the craziness of life kept getting in the way.  Emergency trips to the vet, shuttling kids to activities, and late nights working on school stuff consumed my time.  On Tuesday, I promised I’d make it, but the dog needed the cooked chicken breast (remember that vet visit) and I didn’t have time to make more.  (I may be feeding him cooked chicken breast, rice, and broth for every meal but at least he’s finally eating!)  With that promise broken, I PROMISED again to make it on Wednesday.  Wellll, I didn’t actually remember that I had a staff meeting on Wednesdays and that I wouldn’t get home until 5:00 and the whole family would need to be out of the house by 5:30.

I walked in the door at 5:10 and pulled up my recipe.  I was missing a few ingredients but I didn’t want to let me kids down again.  My hubby and daughter were just about ready to walk out the door with empty tummies, but they grabbed a snack and said they’d eat at 7:30, after soccer.  I made my grocery list, grabbed my son, and headed out to the store.  We pulled out of the driveway at 5:20.  Now, friends, here’s the amazing part.  My son had to be at church at 6:00 for Youth Group.  We drove to the store, shopped for our ingredients, drove home, prepared a fabulous homemade chili, ate, and got him to church by 6:00.  Chefs around the world would be shaking their heads at me, because quality soup/chili cannot be made quickly.  They take time to set and let the flavors mesh.  But, moms all over the world would be high-fiving me for this new record I set!! Yes, I’ve got my fist out waitin’ for a fist bump!

Here’s what I did:

I started by cooking a pound of chicken breast in the crockpot so it was one less thing to do when I got home. 

In a pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.
Add 1/2 small diced onion, cook for 3 minutes
Add 1 clove of minced garlic, cook for 1 more minute
Add 1/2 cup flour and mix
Slowly add 1 cup of half and half and 1 cup of milk
Add 8 oz of light cream cheese
Add 1 1/2 cups of Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
This mixture makes kind of a mac and cheese type sauce.
Slowly pour in 3-6 cups of chicken stock (depending on how thick you like your chili)
Add 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
(or chop your own)
1 diced yellow pepper
(corn would be good too, if you are not a fan of peppers)
1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper

It made a thick, yummy, cheesy, chicken chili that everyone loved.

My hubby says this recipe needs to go in our regular rotation. The kids both loved it too!
By the way, those little tortilla strips on top were just cut and tossed with olive oil and a bit of taco seasoning.  Then I baked them for about 5 minutes to crisp them up.  They were a perfect little topping for the chili.

Happy cooking!

Make Ahead Chicken Echiladas

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Being a “new” teacher is tough work!  I put new in quotes because this is my 19th year teaching, so I’m not really new.  I’m just new in the district, since moving to Snohomish this year.  I have had a lot of new teacher meetings to go to, which means I’m home later than I was last year.  There are many nights when my kids need to be fed and out the door by 5:30, so my after school meetings are making it tough to feed my family a decent meal.

Last weekend, I was very proud of myself!  I spent a little extra time making meals to put in the freezer.  I left a note on the counter for the kids to put the enchiladas in the oven at 4:00pm at 400 degrees.  By the time I got home from my meeting, dinner was ready!  Oh, how I love it when a good plan works out.

I usually start by putting a few chicken breasts in the crockpot with some taco seasoning (Yes, I buy the package even though I try not to buy prepackaged stuff.). I let that cook all day and by late afternoon, I’m ready to assemble the enchiladas. 

Combine 1 cup sour cream with one can of Cream of Chicken Soup.
Add a package of taco seasoning to the creamy mixture.

Lay out a tortilla shell.
Spread a little of the creamy mixture on the tortilla.
Add cheese and chicken.
Roll it up and put it in the (greased) pan.
Think of it like a taco and build it like that.
You can decide how much meat, cheese, and sour cream you usually like.

Once you’ve used all of the meat, lay the enchilada in the pan and smear (that’s a technical term) the rest of the creamy sauce over the top.  Top with cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 400.  The cook time will be longer if it is coming straight from the freezer.

I guarantee this is a family favorite in the making.

It’s Sunday again, so I’d better getting cooking for the week ahead!
Happy cooking!

Kids in the Kitchen

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I really do believe my kids enjoy spending time in the kitchen with me.  I don’t think they are just trying to humor me.  Over the weekend, I had both of my kids in the kitchen at the same time.  One was making lunch and the other was making dessert.  
My son made the pesto, basil, tomato, and mozzarella pizza.
(He even picked the tomatoes and basil from the garden.)
My daughter made her Cowgirl Cookies.  They have chocolate chips, M&M’s and oatmeal.  The kids don’t love the oatmeal, but my hubby and I thought it was a pretty tasty cookie!

Considering the CRAZY work week I had last week, having my kids do the cooking on the weekend was a great treat.  (For the record, my hubby did all of the cooking during last week’s craziness.  So, it’s not like I needed a break from cooking, I just needed a break!)
You’ve just gotta love having your kids in the kitchen!

Dinner Group in August

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Last night was my turn to host the dinner group that I do with a few friends.  I posted about this dinner group before, explaining how it is the best way ever to host a dinner party.  My friend, Krystal, came up with the plan.  She said a friend had done a dinner group like this one and loved it.  We started about a year ago, with the intention of getting together once a month.  Some months are crazier than others and we have to skip, but I was excited to host this month!  Everything is just easier in the summertime. 
For those of you who aren’t regular readers of my blog, the whole idea behind our dinner group is that the host chooses the recipes and purchases the ingredients, but doesn’t do any of the cooking ahead of time.  Each guest and the host cooks one of the dishes. The rule is, that you can’t choose recipes that you’ve ever made before.  It has to be something new.  Now, those of you who know me know that I am NOT an adventurous eater.  Sometimes the recipes have really prompted me to venture out of my comfort zone!  
I decided we would have a honey themed party this time.  Each recipe I chose involved honey in some way.  We started off with a honey and cheese table. 
 I went down to my local Central Market, which has a lot of specialty items.  I told the people in the cheese section what my plan was and they got REALLY excited.  Honestly, I think I made their day!  They guided me in my cheese and honey pairings and explained way more about the flavors of cheese and honey together than I would really ever need to know. Williams-Sonoma also has a great blog post on honey tasting. One of the cheese blocks I bought (the one that practically made the cheese man jump up and down with joy) used crushed honey comb from bees outside of a monastery in France, around the edge of the cheese.  (At least I think that’s how his story went.  I started hearing, “Wah, wah, wah.  Waaaah.  Wah. Wah.”  It was a little overwhelming.) By the way, when you go to a fancy cheese store and they show you the cheese you should buy, look at the cheese but then ask for something less expensive.  Wow!  Who knew cheese could be so expensive!
We were all kind of shocked by different flavors that the different honey had.  We used Clover, Raspberry, and Blackberry honey.  Obviously, the cheese had different flavors too.  I should have kept track of the different types of cheese, but I forgot to write them down for later!  I tried to remember which honey was supposed to go with certain cheeses, but in the end, I couldn’t remember.  We just snacked and enjoyed our cheese and honey pairings.
I’m not a drinker, but my friends usually serve some sort of yummy drink when they host the dinner group.  I found a recipe for a peach and honey drink that sounded good.  It called for Jack Daniels’ Honey Whiskey.  Ummm.  That’s a $32 bottle of alcohol that I will never use again!  My local Safeway had Jim Bean Honey Whiskey for $10, so that’s the one I chose to use.  I forgot to take a picture of the drinks but they were very pretty.  The recipe called for equal amounts of whiskey, peach nectar, and sparkling water, with a little honey mixed into the drink.  Yes, I tried the drink!  I took a taste and it was very honey/peachy.   I had about half of the drink and then I promptly handed it over to my hubby.  I just don’t like the alcohol flavor.  Bleck.

I set up a little table on my deck so we could eat dinner outside.  I love that tablecloth.  It’s a pretty linen cloth that was my grandma’s from many years ago.  The folding chairs were my grandparents’ too.  I just love the antiquey feel.
On the menu tonight was grilled corn with honey basil butter, chicken with a honey Thai rub, and a pear and blue cheese salad with honey glazed walnuts.  Overall, I LOVED the salad and HATED the chicken.  I thought the grilled corn was really yummy.  I’ve never grilled corn right in the husks so that was something new for me.  

For dessert, we had a apple tart drizzled with honey.  
 I’ve never been a huge fan of honey, so this was something new for me.  I’ve used honey in recipes, but I don’t usually put honey on anything and just eat it.  I have to say, I kind of like it, especially the honey and cheese pairings.  That was surprisingly yummy!
It was such a nice party and a perfectly relaxed evening.  Thanks for coming, friends!
Happy party planning!

Homemade Pesto

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What do you do with a garden full of basil?
Make pesto, of course!
I made a big batch of pesto earlier in the week and I’ve been using it in recipes all week long.  We’ve been having pesto appetizers, pesto on sandwiches, and pesto on our pasta.  It’s so fresh and yummy!  I just love it!  Once my daughter got over the muddy green color, she fell in love.  My son loves any type of food you put in front of him, so it wasn’t a hard sell for him.

I’m sad to say, I can’t even share my pesto recipe with you.  It was one of those – a little of this, a little of that – type things.  I put as much basil into the food processor as I could fit, added garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese.  I added salt to taste and called it good.  How’s that for a precise recipe?  Thankfully, we’ve had a pretty dry summer, so I’m sure there will be more basil to come!
Happy gardening!