Menu Plan thu January 6, 2013

Here it is folks!  The first menu plan of 2013!!  I hope it's not a bad sign but I'm having trouble figuring out my menu this week.  I don't think so and part of the reason is my Dad bought me a brand new cookbook for Christmas and I've been soaking it in deciding what to try first. 

You see, it's from one of my favorite cooking shows America's Test Kitchen.  If you've ever had the chance to watch this, it's a real treat.  I started liking after visiting my Grandma and we would watch it together.  It's WAY different from the average cooking show that gives you a recipe and shows you how to put it together.  This group of cooks practices the recipes over and over with different types of ingredients to see which is the best and the outcomes of different brands or types of ingredients will give you.  For example, I watched one on potato salad.  They tested 6 different kinds of potatos to see which had the best flavor and which would hold up better in a salad. 

I love to bake and can cook but am much better at baking.  I think because it is a science, ingredients are there for a reason and all the ingredients have to work together.  America's Test Kitchen also goes behind the science of why you use certain ingridients.  For example, if you use baking soda you need also need something acidic in the mix to activate the soda.  Interesting stuff, right?  Maybe I'm a dork but I'm fascinated but it and has helped me be a better baker/cook.  It's so much easier to make substitutions and swap ingredients out when you know how things work together.

So, here is what I have so far...I'll get the rest hammered out tonight while the little one sleeps and I watch the ball drop...or fall asleep before the ball drops! :)

Monday-leftover pancakes, bacon and fruit
Tuesday-Mom's Bestest Chicken Soup (Gooseberry Patch)
Wednesday-Soft Tacos with rice
Thursday-Chicken and pasta alfredo with peas, asparagus and broccoli (inspiration from Giant Eagle)
Friday-
Saturday-
Sunday-

This menu can also be seen here.

Happy New Year and Happy Cooking!

Merry Christmas!

 

We had a wonderful Christmas and some of our festivities aren't over yet!  Our week started with my side of the family.  Since Josh had to work they came to us which is really nice.  Rory helped everyone open their presents.  This was the first year he seemed to understand the process of exchanging gifts. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think Rory's favorite gift was a Strider bike from Uncle Seth.  These boys are two happy bikers!

 

The day after we drove to visit my Grandma.  It was so cute to hear Rory call her "gra-granma."

 

 

While visiting, our cousins came by for a visit too. The boys couldn't resist challenging Seth to a video game. It cracked me up to see them all lined up like little ducks in a row!

 

 

Then, on Christmas Day (Josh was working again) we drove to see my Mom's side of the family across the border.  We always have a great time and there is always great food!  My cousin bought Rory a little remote control police car and he loves it!  We also got to meet our newest cousin, Tanner and see how big Dalton is getting!  I love having lots of kids and babies in our family!  It makes everything so magical and fun. 

 

 

 

Christmas at our house was actually on the 26th.  Luckily, Rory doesn't know yet that it doesn't happen on the 25th every year.  It's kind of funny though--we had planned to do this for quite awhile so for both myself and Josh it really did feel like Christmas Day on the 26th.  Rory slept in until 8:00 which is later than usual but we do still look pretty tired!

 

 

Oh my-I'm in love with this face! 

 

 

 

Josh received a bag of coffee as a gift.  It's his thing-he loves it.  If you drive by McDonald's with Rory he will tell you that is the "coffee place"!!    Rory kept saying he wanted coffee too so we let him try a little bit that had cooled down.  I knew he wouldn't like it but he was adamant that he try it.

 

 

His reaction was priceless!  This is him saying, "I don't like it!"  He must get that from me!

 

 

 

Then we ended our Christmas with a blizzard (or at least a mini one). It was the perfect day to be snowed it. Rory didn't enjoy the snow like I thought he would but I can't blame him for wanting to stay inside where it is warm.  He lasted about 30 seconds before turning around and coming back in.

 

 

This time next year we will be celebrating Christmas in our brand new (at least new to us) house and we are so excited for that!  I'm anxious to see what this upcoming year holds for our family

 

Love and Merry Christmas!

Homemade Bread Crumbs

If you are like me, I've bought countless canisters of bread crumbs at the grocery store.  Bread crumbs are great for so many things...meatloaf, homemade chicken nuggets, meatballs, hamburgers...the list could go on and on.  The last time I used store bought crumbs I realized that I've been using them but they didn't really taste like much and it seemed so odd to me that they lasted for months on end in the pantry.  Bread molds so shouldn't the crumbs?

Here begins my bread crumb endeavor.  I've used multiple types of bread to make crumbs, leftover stale bread or buns.  This is great way to use up the heels that no one wants to eat.  If you are like us we almost always bring home leftover rolls or bread loaves from restaurants.  I can't bear to waste.  This particular batch came from an Amish (maybe Mennonite restaurant) and I knew the bread was homemade and I couldn't let it go to waste.  Because it was homemade it went stale very quickly....the only downside to not using preservatives.  I'll show you how easy it is to make homemade bread crumbs!

If your bread isn't already stale let it sit out all day to get good and stale.

Once it's stale cut or tear in chunks and run it through your food processor.

Make sure the crumbs are pretty small otherwise you'll have chunks that are too big to be useful as "crumbs."

Spread out the bread on a baking sheet.

I bake mine at 350 for about 10 minutes or so.  You have to check often and flip the crumbs there is a fine line between toasted and burnt...it happens fast.

At this point you could be done but personally, I prefer the seasoned crumbs.  You could season either right before you use but I'd rather get it done since I am already working in the kitchen.  These are some of the spices that I like.  Parmesan cheese is also a yummy one but I didn't use that this time.

Once cooled divide the crumbs up in plastic baggies.  I put about a cup in each and toss in the freezer.

Really, it's that easy!  I have to tell you this will make your house smell like you are making homemade bread!  Not only does it smell great but I can tell a huge difference in dishes that I've used homemade crumbs rather than store bought.

I usually only make them when my oven is already fired up for dinner.  If you don't have enough bread to make a whole batch toss the bread in the freezer as you collect it and then make one big batch!

Happy Baking!

A Christmasy Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend and it was chock-full of Christmas goodness!


Friday night we went to Josh's work party. Dinner was served and afterwards Santa came and delivered presents to all the kids. Rory was one of the last kids to be called and he sat here just like this.....

I was so proud of how patiently he sat!  This was our first Santa experience that Rory could somewhat be involved in so I wasn't sure how he would respond.  One of the little girls that sat across from us was so excited that she couldn't eat her dinner and Rory just fed off that excited energy.

Once his name was called, Rory wasn't quite sure what to do so I helped him up to sit on Santa's lap.  He wasn't keen on staying there long...he wanted to get his present and move on!

Saturday we got to spend some time with my parents.  My Mom brought a Christmas tree kit for her and Rory to assemble.  Rory LOVES projects like this.  Just about every food project involves some taste testing....

This is their finished product.  It's an awfully cute center piece to keep through the Christmas holidays.

That evening we headed to the zoo to check out the lights.  This was the second time for me and Rory.  The first time we didn't get to ride the train because we were with a big group from our church.  He was REALLY looking forward to riding the train.  However, it had been raining and the train was closed!!  This is cause for state of emergency in a toddler's world.  We walked around for about an hour and then came back and it was a miracle...the train ride had opened.  Rory was one happy little passenger!

Oh, and we bought a house this weekend!!  We had such a great weekend and we are so happy!  In light of recent events in Connecticut we are so thankful for our precious Rory and the opportunity we have to buy a home and live together as a family.  We are truly a very blessed family and we couldn't ask for more.  Rory has brought joy and light in our lives that we didn't even know existed.    May we all remember the light we have in our lives. 

'The Scriptures say, "God commanded light to shine in the dark." Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ.' 2 Corinthians 4:6

Menu Plan thru December 16, 2012

Well, my menu plan is less than stellar this week.  Generally, I work on my plan over the weekend.  I check the fridge and pantry to see what I need to stock up on, look through my recipe books and go from there.  This weekend however, Rory had the nasty 24 hour bug with a high fever so I spent my weekend doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom and snuggling with my little man on the couch watching movies.  This is how we spent our weekend....

His little elephant's name is "Jay" and he was a gift from Uncle Seth.  Jay is always around and nighttime and sick times...he just makes everything a little better. :)

Anyway, even though I wasn't sick, food didn't really appeal to me after all the cleanup I had done. 

So, it's not one of my better weeks but it is a plan and that is what counts....

Monday- buttermilk pancakes, bananas, and bacon
Tuesday- orzo and cheese (This came from a baby food cookbook but it looked yummy!)
Wednesday-homemade chicken soup with crackers
Thursday-zucchini and corn risotto with cheesy garlic biscuits
Friday-ham and cheese sliders with chips or zucchini fries
Saturday-out with the family
Sunday-leftovers

This menu can also been seen here.

Happy Cooking!

Tree Trimming

 

We've had our tree up for about a week and I have to say that it has been a lot of fun.  This is the first year the tree hasn't been gated off to protect the "baby."  Instead we have a "big boy" who wants to help with everything!

 

In the past we've purchased real trees but that isn't always an economical choice.  We also live in a condo and aren't sure if there are any rules/fire codes so for now we are sticking with the fake one that we already have.  It's budget friendly too.

 

Rory was fascinated from the moment Josh brought the box upstairs and immediately wanted to help.  I'm so grateful for his helpful spirit because he is ALWAYS wanting to assist or takeover the project completely!

 

This was the first year I've put up the tree with a toddler's help and it was quite the experience!  The "branches" are color coded with little pieces of tape so you know what "level" to put the branches on.  I had to re-sort the piles at least 10 times because a toddler just doesn't understand why it's so much easier to leave each color together.  Instead he would grab a branch and tote it around calling it his "umbrella."

 

 

The tree assembly/decorating had to be split into two days.  It normally takes about 20 minutes to get it up but this year it took over an hour and then I had to remove some of it because I realized I missed a level.

 

Rory loved looking at all the ornaments and hanging them on the tree.  He thought they were toys though so the ornaments on his level are ones he can actually play with.

 

I also found these nesting dolls in our tub of decorations.  I remember playing with a set when I was little and would spend a good amount of time, unstacking, stacking, unstacking and stacking.  It's funny because now Rory is doing the same thing.  Just tonight he called them the "four little girls."

 

 

 

 



 

He is quite proud of his Christmas tree handiwork!

Remember when I said he loves to help? Well, he really does! I started to vacuum since the artificial tree loses needles every year and he was right there with me. I wish they made the toys vacuums to really work because he stayed right beside me the whole time. Together we could have done the job in the half the time.

Poor Josh isn't in any of these pictures...he spent the whole time trying to salvage a few stands of lights.  Even after changing bulbs and fuses some of our strands had to be thrown away.  He isn't a huge fan of decorating the tree...he's more the type that likes to go out and cut it down.  Maybe next year when we have a house!

Airplanes and Budweisers.....Horses not the Beer!

 

Sunday was a real treat for our family.  It had all the makings of a perfect day and ended up turning out just that way!

 

The Budweiser Clydesdale's were at Wright Patterson Air Force Base doing promotions for military families.  Kudos to Budweiser for doing this.  The military families deserve all the extras and special events they can get.  Sunday, the team was going to be hitched up and open to the public.  Unfortunately, it rained so the team couldn't be hitched but we did still get a tour!

 

The horses were staying in a huge tent and if I've ever seen horses live in luxury this was it.  I wouldn't consider myself "country" but because of Josh's horse background I've walked through my fair share of horse barns and nothing compares to the Budweiser setup.  The first thing I noticed was that it didn't smell like a horse barn...literally, not kidding, it smelled like a baby's room.  The horses, stalls, everything smelled like baby powder.  Second, was the tent had better Christmas decorations than our house!  Red drapes were everywhere, fresh mulch and poinsettias lined each stall and there were chandeliers hanging from the ceilings.  Yes, chandeliers.

 

 

 

The horses were perfectly manicured and not one hair was out of place.  Each of the horses wore a coat...this is to prevent them from getting their winter coat, which I assume could mess up the whole "perfectly manicured" look.  The coats themselves were beautiful and each were embroidered with this emblem.

 

 

This is Jack!  He was very well mannered.  He stood there and let kid after kid come up and pet him and the camera flashes didn't bother him one bit.

 

 

 

The Budweiser dalmatians were also there but they were moving too fast to get any decent pictures.  

 

Since we were at the museum already we decided to walk around to look at the displays.  Let me tell you, I wish we had the video camera.  Rory's reaction was priceless!  He has always loved planes and can hear or spot them in the air long before I can.  We walked into the first area which is an open hangar and he spreads his arms wide and says, "big airplanes EVERYWHERE!"  I think it just may have been his dream come true!

 

This is my favorite plane...a B-2 Stealth Bomber.  Yes, I have a favorite plane and know the model thanks to my brother who is 3 years older than me.  Without him, I would not know anything about planes, super hero's or comic books. :)  None the less, I was trying to get Rory to repeat the name of the plane and he just kept saying, "no bomber mommy, airplane!"  Uncle Seth can work on that with him later!

 

 

 

Rory loved that he could sit in a real fighter jet...actually, Josh did too!  I think Rory was his excuse to sit in it!  Rory kept pushing buttons, pulling levers and twisting knobs...all the while telling me what each one does!  It was hilarious because he was using his imagination but was also completely serious in his schooling me on fighter jets.  

 

 

 

This is one display we always visit.  My Grandpa was a civilian electrical engineer at the base for a quite some time.  The project he worked on was the "Aerobee."  This device sent two monkeys and two mice into orbit and then the effects were studied to determine how humans would do in orbit. 

 

 

Our last stop was the more modern area.  I can't even begin to describe how massive these missiles (maybe they were rockets) are.  HUGE.  Rory said, "BIG rockets!" as soon as he saw them.  I didn't even know he knew what a rocket was!  This picture cuts off the lower half of the missile/rocket and there was a viewing terrace just below where the picture ends so that gives you some idea of how humongo these things were!

 

 

 

 











 

 

On our way out my Dad wanted to buy Rory a plane so he let Rory pick out whichever one he wanted....and wouldn't you know the B-2 Stealth Bomber is what he wanted to take home!  That's my boy!

 

 

 

We had such a great day! If you ever get a chance to visit WPAFB is is worth it! It's also free which is really nice.  I can see us spending many more afternoons enjoying the airplanes!

 

 





Menu Plan thru December 9, 2012

I'm pretty excited about this week's menu as nearly all the recipes are new!

Monday-Zippy Dogs with veggie straws and fresh pears
Tuesday-Chicken Carbonara Risotto
Wednesday-Poppy seed Chicken Casserole
Thursday-Coffee Cake with bacon and fruit
Friday-Tater Tot Casserole  (for 3 of us I half the recipe)
Saturday-leftovers
Sunday-lunch-out to Graffiti Burger
            dinner-leftovers

I hope you all have a great week and yummy things planned on your menu!
My menu can also be viewed here and here.

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Happy Cooking!             

It's Lovely Weather for a Sleigh Ride Together

It was the 4th annual Christmas Celebration at Josh's parents house.  Many different families get together for a bonfire, yummy food and a Christmas sleigh ride.

Rory played with a couple of his cousins, Hunter and Kenny.  Hunter is 3 and Kenny is 4 so it was fun for me to see a preview of what is coming!  The boys were immediately drawn to the John Deere lawn mower!  They each were very patient taking turns sitting in the driver seat.



Josh's family owns 2 teams of draft horses.  Belgians, which are tan colored and Percheron's which are black.  Duke & Jordan, the Belgian team were our transportation for the night.  The team was hitched up and we took a ride through town!  

 You can't help but have fun on a Christmas ride!

Isn't this team beautiful?  Draft horses remind me of the awesome power of our God.  Looking at the horses they are pure muscle and the love to pull.  Yet, they also remind of the gentleness...Duke & Jordan stood there still while Rory felt how soft their faces were. 

With lights on the wagon we went back out for a night ride!  It was so much fun and we can't wait for next year.