Happy Halloween!

Josh and I differ greatly on the excitement of Halloween.  Generally, I don't prefer the holiday.  I like the fall but could do without Halloween.  Josh however LOVES Halloween!  This year was a bit different for me though because having a toddler made all the festivities so much more fun!

This year we went to our first Halloween party!

Our neighbors and Rory's friend, Maddie dressed up as Snoopy.  Maddie and Rory had a great time in their costumes!  I don't think I'm biased BUT this is the cutest Charlie Brown and Snoopy I've ever seen!

We watched Charlie Brown and The Great Pumpkin to brush up on our trick-or-treat skills...

Then all bundled up in multiple layers and hit the town for some trick-or-treat.  It was cold and very rainy but our little characters lasted about 30 minutes before we called it a night.  We picked a great neighborhood...lots of chocolate and even a full size Snickers.  It didn't take the kids long to get the hang of the process and they had a lot of fun. 

 

 

 

 

Happy Halloween!

Homemade Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

In my effort to not waste anything that could be used, this is the first year I roasted the seeds harvested from carving pumpkins.  I have to admit this task was harder than I thought it would be. 

I started by sorting the pumpkin insides from the seeds.  I rinsed and laid flat to dry on a dish towel.  Originally, I tried a strainer to rinse the seeds but neither the seeds or the pumpkin would pass through the holes.  Then I found it hard to rinse the seeds without at least 1/2 cup of my precious harvest being washed down the drain.  I ended up doing this part my hand which took longer than I prefer.  If you have any tips on this step I'm all ears!

Then, I searched for recipes on what to do and really none of them sounded good.  I didn't want to do salty and the ones that were sweet had way too much sugar!  So, I did my own thing.  Here is what you need:

2 cups of pumpkin seeds
2 Tablespoons butter
1/8 cup sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

I started by tossing about 2 cups of seeds in 2 tablespoons of melted butter.  Then I mixed the sugar and spices together.

Lay out the pumpkin seeds on a cookie sheet or bar pan.  I prefer the pans that have an edge for this kind of thing.  It keeps seeds from slipping off into the overn and burning.

Sprinkle about a 1/3 of the mixture on the seeds and put in the oven at 350 for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle another 1/3 of the sugar mixture on and bake for 5 more minutes.  It's ok to toss the seeds in between baking sets, just make sure they are laying flat when they go back in the even.  Then sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture on and cook for an addtional 10 minutes. 

Once they cool put into a bowl and serve!  Enjoy!

Menu Plan thru November 4, 2012

It's going to be a busy week for us but not so busy in the kitchen.  Josh has training this week and lunch is provided so I don't need to cook as much for leftovers.  I'm still a bit nervous about trick-or-treat since this is the first year I have to coordinate dinner and get Rory out the door.  Luckily, our neighbors are tag teaming with us.  Between 4 of us we can get 2 kids out the door, right? 

None the less we also have Frankenstorm bearing down so I was hesitant to buy a bunch of food and then the weather go out.  This happened to us at the beginning of summer and we threw out so much food I wanted to cry!  It's bear minimum until I know our refrigerator will stay on.

Anyway, so here is the lineup:

Monday-Italian Subs, recipe courtesy of my good friend Emily
Tuesday-leftovers from the weekend
Wednesday-Happy Halloween!!  Chick-fil-A nugget tray, chips and applesauce
Thursday-Aloha Chicken (we didn't get to this last week)
Friday-Josh and I are going on a real date!  Rory will  be going out for pizza with Aunt Sue and      Uncle Linn
Saturday-my Mom and friend Donna are coming for a visit and we usually always go out to eat
Sunday-Rory and I will be visiting my Grandma for lunch and it will be leftovers for dinner

Treat-lemon cookies

See what I mean about a busy week but not so busy in the kitchen?  It balances out I suppose!

I am currently roasting pumpkin seeds and will let you know how that goes.

You can also view this menu here.

Happy Cooking!

Hallzooween!

We had such a great weekend and some of it was by complete accident!  My parents came up for the weekend and we had planned on going to the zoo Saturday morning.  However, we woke up and it was cold, dreary and spitting rain.  Should we risk going to the zoo or just stay at home and chill?  In the end, we decided to go and I am so glad we did!  I knew the zoo was doing special displays and Halloween decorations but the zoo was doing trick or treat!  I'm sure this is normally a very busy weekend but the rain must have scared everyone away, like it almost did us.  We practically had the zoo to ourselves!  I've never been there when it has been so empty. 

 

I was unprepared for trick or treat but luckily packed our lunch so I emptied the little cooler I brought so Rory would have a bag to keep his stash.  We stopped at as many stations as we could and Rory caught on very quickly.  He had "trick-or treat" figured out by the second or third station and was raking in the candy!

 

 

One my my favorite parts of the zoo regardless of the season is the kangaroo exhibit. It is set up so you can actually go in and walk around with the kangaroos.  Of course, there are little rails up but generally you can be right up next to them!  This little kangaroo is Caraline and we've gotten to see her a lot this summer.  The exhibit volunteer said she was raised by humans so she isn't afraid to come right up and say hello!

Before we left Rory was showing off his "scared" face!!

We had a great time and I'm sure we will never have another opportunity like then when we have the zoo nearly to ourselves!

Pumpkin Carving for Beginners

 

This is the first year we've carved pumpkins since we've had a little one and it was a lot of fun!  Everything was all new to Rory so it was so fun to watch his expressions and see everything for the first time.  Rory was fascinated by the entire process!

 

Josh started by cutting off the top of the gargantuan pumpkin that he picked out!  Rory had markers to draw on his pumpkin while Josh carved his, although it ended up being a team effort.

 

 

Josh started scooping out the middle. 

We tried to get Rory to help but while Josh was scooping out the inside all he would say is, "Ew, yucky!"  Haha-like his Mama!

 

I've never kept the pumpkin seeds before but I thought since I'm trying to be more resourceful and not waste; I'd roast them this year. More on that later.  After a few tries Rory was ok with touching the seeds so he was very helpful at sorting the pumpkin from the seeds.  Although, occasionally I'd hear, "Run Mommy...pumpkin seed!"

While we sorted, Josh finished carving.  Josh carried the pumpkin out front so we could admire his handiwork.

The light was hard to see since it was just dusk out so we had to come back before bedtime to check it out.

Pumpkin carving was a hit this year and we'll be sure to make it a Halloween tradition.

Menu Plan thru October 28, 2012

This week is going to be fairly easy in the cooking department.  Between my parents coming up for the weekend, Josh and Rory going to Father/Son night at Chick-fil-A and church potluck there isn't a whole lot for me to do!

Monday-Cheesy velveeta pasta with steamed broccoli
Tuesday-Father/Son night at Chick-fil-A...I'm happy with a bowl of cereal!
Wednesday-Aloha chicken with brown rice
Thursday-Poppyseed ham and cheese sliders
Friday-Bacon wrapped chicken (such a hit last week we are doing it again!)
Saturday-Out or leftovers
Sunday-Spaghetti bake for our church picnic

Breakfast-Overnight Carmel Pecan Rolls
Treat-Upside Down Pineapple Cake

This menu plan can also be seen here.

Happy Cooking!

Airport Adventures

Moving 120 miles away from "home" has given us a different way of doing things.  Since moving we've really had a chance to explore, be "tourists" in our new hometown and find a lot of great free activities.  Being as frugal as I am I try to search out activities that are free or inexpensive.

Our favorite has become picnicking at the local airport which is thankfully a 20 minute walk or 5 minute car ride.  The boys used to sit outside on a bench watching the airplanes take off and land.  Recently though, the old control tower was turned into an observation tower.  How cool is that?  Often, we pack lunch or pick up sandwiches and head up to the airport observation tower. 

Every now and then a worker has allowed us to go out and look at the planes in the hangar.  I assume we look non-threatening since we have a toddler! 

This really is a boys dream lunch date!  

Homemade Cooking Spray

On my quest of being more "homemade" one of the first things I've discovered is homemade cooking spray.  I feel like I went though my last bottle of store bought spray within a very short time.  It costs almost $3 per bottle, it mists all over other things and I recently looked at the ingredients list and there are a few things I couldn't pronounce.

I got to thinking...it is just oil right?  Except it's put in a pressurized can for convenience.  Why can't I just put regular oil in a spray bottle and call it a day?  I began my research and found all sorts of "recipes" online and how you should and should not make homemade cooking spray. 

So far I've only tried one receipe but it's working great and I love it!  I only needed 3 things and they all were things that I already had on hand, which in my mind is the same as free.

Spray Bottle
Distilled Water (I just bought a few gallons for the humidifier)
Olive Oil

Important tip--I wanted to use tap water but after further investigation not such a great idea.  It can harbor and grow bacteria if not used quickly...so, it's best to use distilled water.

I started by washing the spray bottle using hot soapy water and took all the pieces apart to get it good and clean...BUT, then decided to go a step further and sterilize it.  I occasionally did this with Rory's bottles and pacifiers after he was sick....it's super easy!  Just boil water, throw in what you want to sterilize and let boil for 5 minutes. 

Remove the pieces from the water and once cool, reassemble the spray bottle. 

The next step is getting the oil to water ratio correct and I think this depends on how much/what you bake and how oily you want your surface.  My mix was 2 parts oil and 1 part water. 

Seriously, that is all you do.  Give the bottle a shake each time before you use it since naturally oil and water separate.

I've used this so far for everything I would have used store bought spray for and can not tell the difference...and I have to say I will not go back to store bought spray now that I know how easy this is.

Menu Plan thru October 21,2012

This time of week comes around so quickly!  Although I do enjoy menu planning, preparing cooking and cleaning up I reserve Sundays for leftovers and no cooking.  We try our hardest to keep Sunday as our day of rest.  It's not always easy but for the most part it works.  For a family of three I'd rather cook larger meals that yield leftovers for lunch the next day and leftovers for Sunday.  So here it is:

Monday-Pumpkin Waffles
Tuesday-Beans with ham and cornbread
Wednesday-Bacon wrapped chicken and green beans (we never got to this one last week)
Thursday-spaghetti casserole
Friday-leftovers
Saturday-Rachel Ray's sloppy joes and tater tots  (always a huge hit in our house)
Sunday-leftovers

I also try to have something homemade for breakfast and a special treat each week.  It keeps my boys happy and I know they aren't eating processed or prepackaged foods for breakfast.  It doesn't always happen this way but I try!

Breakfast-leftover pumpkin waffles
Treat-oatmeal peanut butter chip cookies

Happy Cooking!

This menu and others can be seen here.

Birthday Weekend!

It's was Josh's birthday and he wanted to go "home" to celebrate!  We started our Friday having dinner with some of our closest friends.  Saturday Josh spent the day working at his grandparents pumpkin farm.  We went up in the morning to visit, enjoy a hayride and some fall fun!

If you've been to the farm before you know the hayrides get busy and it's best to do that first.  Rory took his first hayride with Josh driving and Pappy along for the ride.

Rory wanted to ride again so this time I went along!

 

 



 

It was the most beautiful day for a hayride!  

 

 

About half way through our ride Rory wanted to help his Dad "drive."  It's pretty precious!

 

 

 

Then we met two of Aunt Becca's baby cows!  Let me tell you they were adorable!  Meet Mario and Luigi!

We couldn't leave without getting a face (Rory got his on his hand) painting!  It is a little ironic that Rory immediately picked a spider because he says they scare him but it was what he wanted.
Stefanie did a great job and Rory was so proud of his spider.

 

 

 

And...I have to include this one because Josh is pretty country...he grew up that way. It's just who he is...BUT, I caught him showing Rory how to wash the dirt off of pumpkins!! Haha!! This is not something he ever would have done 5 years ago.  In fact he used to laugh at the "yuppies" that would wash their pumpkins before taking them home.

What would our birthday weekend be without a homemade cake from my Mom and decorated by Rory.  He was quite artistic!  Happy Birthday Josh!

Homemade Graham Cracker Crust

Josh's birthday is coming up and one of his favorite things is cheesecake.  This year I decided to make a cheesecake from scratch....but to start I needed a graham cracker crust.  You can buy these at the store for $3 or so but everytime I buy one it's always cracked by the time I get it home, very powdery and limited on taste.  I'm not sure when I started using this recipe from Betty Crocker but it's very easy and I bet you have all the ingredients that you need.

1 sleeve of graham crackers
3 tablespoons of sugar
3 tablespoons of butter

I like a thicker crust so I use more graham crackers and butter; but that it the beauty of it!  If you want a thinner crust just use less.  The recipe above will give you the same consistency as the store bought.

I love to get Rory helping in the kitchen any chance I get and this is a perfect recipe for little hands to help with.  We started by breaking down the crackers and putting them in a larger plastic bag.

Then we mash up those crackers!

...and mash and mash and mash!

Next scoop your sugar in.

Give the bag a good shake so the sugar is mixed in.

Then add in your butter and mix with a fork.  Once the all the grahams are coated in butter press down with wax paper or a spatula. 

Then bake at 350 degrees for at least 10 minutes. My crust was thick so I baked it about 20 minutes. You will know it's done with the graham starts to brown and your kitchen smells amazing!

I'm so thankful I have boys that don't mind the cleaning up process!

Menu Plan Monday thru October 15, 2012

How do you menu plan?  I prefer writing out my meals and grocery list on the same page that way when I"m at the store if I question an item I can refer back to my meals.  I use a notebook for two reasons....if I want to wait to purchase something the following week my paper is right there for me to add that in.  Second and most importantly, Rory loves to color and help me cross items off the list, so I need to have a sturdy notebook to withstand the "love" only a two year old can give.

Once I'm back from the store the menu goes up on the refrigerator where everyone can see what the plan is.

Monday-English Muffin Pizzas with homemade tomato sauce
Tuesday-Super Easy Chicken and Noodles
Wednesday- Bacon Wrapped Chicken, rice and green beans
Thursday-Cheese Stuffed Meatload, blueberry muffins and roasted red potatoes
Friday-Pumpkin Cheesecake
           We are headed to our friends house and I'm in charge of desert.
Saturday-It's Josh's birthday and he wants pizza.  How easy is that?
Sunday-leftover buffet

This site also has some great menu planning ideas!


Happy Cooking!