Well sorry about the last few days. I have lots to post but it all involves photos, and we still haven't unpacked the card reader so....
Anyway what have I been doing? Cleaning! YAY! Actually it's been pretty good. I finally got our bedroom all organized. There are still boxes, but they have a purpose and no other home, the floor is clean, the bed is made and there is no garbage! WAHOO!!!!
Tomorrow I will tackle the guest room, which is also the home of all my fabric and verious sewing items.... scarey. I don't think I'll get it all done in one day. But I sure would like to have it finished up Monday.
Dalen has started the process of siding the house.. he's amazing ;) It's going to be a lot of late nights, for at least a month I'm guessing. But it'll be great when it's done and then we'll be able to get normal house insurance.
I've started up my flylady routines again. I'm going to make myself a little calendar and on each day have the words, kitchen, laundry, floors. If when I go to bed all of those things are finished then I will cross the day off. If I manage to do this for the whole month then I'm going to give myself a little reward. Now some of you may be naturally inclined to work and do things that you're supposed to do, like house work. I am not. There's not much else I can say about it. There are really no good excuses, I'm just lazy. (and I'm also fat because I eat too much and don't do enough, there are no genetic predispositions and my past hurts are also not an excuse. If you don't like that I think that way... this blog is not for you.)
So I'm excited because this will mean that my mornings are going to be much easier and I think that every night that I go to bed with a clean house, it will become easier to clean. I won't have to do chores in the morning there for I will be able to start school right away and we will be done school earlier in the day. I'm very excited about this little revelation of mine... ask me how it's going in two months ;)
Well it's almost 10 and the laundry has buzzed. Time to get going.
Ta ta
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Tonight's cooking/baking
Cream Puffs
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup white sugar
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
4 eggs
DIRECTIONS
For the custard: In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 5 tablespoons flour and a pinch of salt. Stir in milk, a little at a time, until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 60 seconds, then pour a small amount of hot liquid into the 2 egg yolks, and stir. Then return now heated egg yolks to saucepan and stir, over heat, until mixture starts to bubble again. Remove from heat, add vanilla. Cover and chill in refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
For the pastry: In a medium saucepan, combine shortening and water and bring to a boil. Sift together 1 cup flour and a pinch of salt and pour all at once into boiling mixture. Stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat, and add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition. Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet, or pipe into desired shape.
Bake 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and bake 25 minutes more, or until golden. Cool completely, split, fill with custard, and replace tops.
Today while bringing in the groceries Emma was carrying the eggs (a pack of 30 for this family) and proptley dropped them on the floor once she was in, therefor I had a lot of eggs to use... so I'm making the above recipe. I won't be doing it with the custard though, I'll fill them with whipped cream, which my husband is going to have to bring home along with some of those sticky bug tape things.
Before camping I was very careful to make sure that the house was tidy-ish and clean of all dishes with food and such, but I forgot a large dish of the broccoli casserole that we didn't like on the counter, so my house became a fruit fly breeding colony. So now they're everywhere and since there is nothing for them to eat anymore there living in the strangest places.
well I hope you try the cream puffs next time you have extra eggs. I doubled the batch because I'm married to a Wiebe man and you have to at least double batches of cream puffs, banana cream pie, cookies and sticky buns.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup white sugar
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
4 eggs
DIRECTIONS
For the custard: In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 5 tablespoons flour and a pinch of salt. Stir in milk, a little at a time, until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 60 seconds, then pour a small amount of hot liquid into the 2 egg yolks, and stir. Then return now heated egg yolks to saucepan and stir, over heat, until mixture starts to bubble again. Remove from heat, add vanilla. Cover and chill in refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
For the pastry: In a medium saucepan, combine shortening and water and bring to a boil. Sift together 1 cup flour and a pinch of salt and pour all at once into boiling mixture. Stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat, and add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition. Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet, or pipe into desired shape.
Bake 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and bake 25 minutes more, or until golden. Cool completely, split, fill with custard, and replace tops.
Today while bringing in the groceries Emma was carrying the eggs (a pack of 30 for this family) and proptley dropped them on the floor once she was in, therefor I had a lot of eggs to use... so I'm making the above recipe. I won't be doing it with the custard though, I'll fill them with whipped cream, which my husband is going to have to bring home along with some of those sticky bug tape things.
Before camping I was very careful to make sure that the house was tidy-ish and clean of all dishes with food and such, but I forgot a large dish of the broccoli casserole that we didn't like on the counter, so my house became a fruit fly breeding colony. So now they're everywhere and since there is nothing for them to eat anymore there living in the strangest places.
well I hope you try the cream puffs next time you have extra eggs. I doubled the batch because I'm married to a Wiebe man and you have to at least double batches of cream puffs, banana cream pie, cookies and sticky buns.
17 Weeks!
Yay! Another week of pregnancy has passed and all is well.
when I was pregnant with Ephrim I'm not so excited... now I realize I was wearing lazy traveling clothes but still... and look at this,
man, that wasn't even full term yet. I'm really hoping to get away with a smaller everything this time around. No worries I'm not starving myself, but I'm deffinately being careful.
So other than that everything is normal, the puking and nausia seem to be letting up. So long as I don't have a nap, which is really hard not to do lately. Need to take my iron, but pills leave this aweful feeling in my throat that makes me want to gag. Hmmm. oh well so far so good. I should get an ultrasound by the end of September and my next doctor's appointment is next wednesday. So hopefully I'll find out when my ultrasound will be then we can find out what kind of baby this will be.
I think that's all for now.. There are a lot of groceries awaiting me.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Amy's Humble Musings
I was over at one of my favorite blogs tonight reading and thought that I would "borrow" this list from Amy. She gave all these things as examples of things that we can pray for our children, I think also for our whole family and all the believers in our lives. Thank you Amy for this amazing list!
• that we and our children would grow in the fear of the Lord (Prov. 16:6).
• that we’d be constantly mindful of the fact that we are aliens and strangers here and all of our circumstances are only temporary (1 Pet. 1:17; 2:11; Jam. 4:13-15).
• that You would enable us to speak Your Word with great boldness (Acts 4:29,30).
• that we would contend for the faith against a license for immorality (Jude 3,4).
• that Christians would be encouraged in heart and united in love (Col. 2:1,2).
• that Christians would never sacrifice truth for the sake of unity (Gal. 2:5-21).
• that our love would increase more and more in knowledge and depth of insight (Phil. 1:9).
• that we would endure hatred and persecution to the end of our lives and so be saved (Mt. 10:22).
• that we would not love our physical lives so much as to shrink from death for the cause of Christ (Rev. 12:11).
• for all those with governmental authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness (1 Tim. 2:1,2).
• that we would not drift away, become lukewarm or neglect such a great salvation (Heb. 2:1-4; Rev. 3:15,16).
• that we would set our hearts and minds on things in Heaven, not on things here on Earth (Col. 3:1-4).
• that the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts would be pleasing to You (Psa. 19:14).
• that we would be both godly and content with our unchangable circumstances (1 Tim. 6:6).
• that we would not be eager for money or deceived by it in any way (1 Tim. 6:10; Mk. 4:19).
• that You would give us neither poverty nor riches, but only our daily bread (Prov. 30:8).
• that You would keep falsehood and lies far from us (Prov. 30:8).
• that our faith would not fail (Lk. 22:32).
• that we would serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling (Psa. 2:11).
• that we would be humble, contrite in spirit and tremble at God’s Word (Isa. 66:2).
• that we would grow in fruitfulness and make the most of every opportunity (Jn. 15:1-8; Eph. 5:15).
• that we’d be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (Jam. 1:19).
• that we’d keep a tight rein on our tongues, so that we won’t deceive ourselves and make our religion worthless (Jam. 1:26).
• that we’d not fall into temptation (Lk. 22:40).
• that we’d guard our hearts from the anxieties of this life (Prov. 4:23; Lk. 21:34).
• that we would crave God’s Word constantly and have our minds opened to understand it (1 Pet. 2:2; Lk. 24:45).
• that we would consider Jesus, who endured great opposition from the sinful, so we won’t grow weary and lose heart (Heb. 12:3).
• that we would love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us and pray forgiveness and blessings for those who mistreat us (Lk. 6:27,28).
• that You would deliver us from the evil one and incline our hearts toward Your statutes (Psa. 119:36; Mt. 6:13).
• that You would open up doors for the gospel message and that it would be proclaimed clearly (Col. 4:3,4).
• that You would grant us wisdom, health and deliverance from trouble (2 Chron. 1:10; 3 Jn. 2; Jam. 5:13).
• that we may glorify always the name of the Lord Jesus (2 Thes. 1:12).
• that they eyes of our hearts may be enlightened in order that we may know the hope to which he has called us, the riches of Your glorious inheritance in the saints and Your incomparably great power for us who believe (Eph. 1:18,19).
• that we would be filled with the knowledge of Your will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding (Col. 1:9).
• that we would not fear those who kill our bodies, but instead You who can throw our souls and bodies into Hell (Mt. 10:28).
• that we would never forsake our first love (Rev. 2:4).
• that we’d be faithful until death so that Jesus will give us the crown of life (Rev. 2:10).
• that You would give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we would know Him better (Eph. 1:17).
• that we’d be rooted and established in love (Eph. 3:17).
• that You would strengthen our inner being (Eph. 3:16).
• that You would teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psa. 90:12).
• that You will give us an undivided heart, that we may fear Your name (Ps. 86:11).• that we’d never be lacking in zeal, but that we’d keep our spiritual fervor serving the Lord (Rom. 12:11).
• that we’d run the race to win first prize (1 Cor. 9:24).
• that we’d throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and run our race with perseverance (Heb. 12:1).• that we’d never look back now that we’ve put our hands to the plow (Lk. 9:62).
I think that I would like to print these up on card stock and have them on flash cards so that the kids and I could cycle through them, and pray them for our family. Wouldn't this be an amazing thing to use for memory verses. What awesome amunition against the enemy!
• that we and our children would grow in the fear of the Lord (Prov. 16:6).
• that we’d be constantly mindful of the fact that we are aliens and strangers here and all of our circumstances are only temporary (1 Pet. 1:17; 2:11; Jam. 4:13-15).
• that You would enable us to speak Your Word with great boldness (Acts 4:29,30).
• that we would contend for the faith against a license for immorality (Jude 3,4).
• that Christians would be encouraged in heart and united in love (Col. 2:1,2).
• that Christians would never sacrifice truth for the sake of unity (Gal. 2:5-21).
• that our love would increase more and more in knowledge and depth of insight (Phil. 1:9).
• that we would endure hatred and persecution to the end of our lives and so be saved (Mt. 10:22).
• that we would not love our physical lives so much as to shrink from death for the cause of Christ (Rev. 12:11).
• for all those with governmental authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness (1 Tim. 2:1,2).
• that we would not drift away, become lukewarm or neglect such a great salvation (Heb. 2:1-4; Rev. 3:15,16).
• that we would set our hearts and minds on things in Heaven, not on things here on Earth (Col. 3:1-4).
• that the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts would be pleasing to You (Psa. 19:14).
• that we would be both godly and content with our unchangable circumstances (1 Tim. 6:6).
• that we would not be eager for money or deceived by it in any way (1 Tim. 6:10; Mk. 4:19).
• that You would give us neither poverty nor riches, but only our daily bread (Prov. 30:8).
• that You would keep falsehood and lies far from us (Prov. 30:8).
• that our faith would not fail (Lk. 22:32).
• that we would serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling (Psa. 2:11).
• that we would be humble, contrite in spirit and tremble at God’s Word (Isa. 66:2).
• that we would grow in fruitfulness and make the most of every opportunity (Jn. 15:1-8; Eph. 5:15).
• that we’d be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (Jam. 1:19).
• that we’d keep a tight rein on our tongues, so that we won’t deceive ourselves and make our religion worthless (Jam. 1:26).
• that we’d not fall into temptation (Lk. 22:40).
• that we’d guard our hearts from the anxieties of this life (Prov. 4:23; Lk. 21:34).
• that we would crave God’s Word constantly and have our minds opened to understand it (1 Pet. 2:2; Lk. 24:45).
• that we would consider Jesus, who endured great opposition from the sinful, so we won’t grow weary and lose heart (Heb. 12:3).
• that we would love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us and pray forgiveness and blessings for those who mistreat us (Lk. 6:27,28).
• that You would deliver us from the evil one and incline our hearts toward Your statutes (Psa. 119:36; Mt. 6:13).
• that You would open up doors for the gospel message and that it would be proclaimed clearly (Col. 4:3,4).
• that You would grant us wisdom, health and deliverance from trouble (2 Chron. 1:10; 3 Jn. 2; Jam. 5:13).
• that we may glorify always the name of the Lord Jesus (2 Thes. 1:12).
• that they eyes of our hearts may be enlightened in order that we may know the hope to which he has called us, the riches of Your glorious inheritance in the saints and Your incomparably great power for us who believe (Eph. 1:18,19).
• that we would be filled with the knowledge of Your will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding (Col. 1:9).
• that we would not fear those who kill our bodies, but instead You who can throw our souls and bodies into Hell (Mt. 10:28).
• that we would never forsake our first love (Rev. 2:4).
• that we’d be faithful until death so that Jesus will give us the crown of life (Rev. 2:10).
• that You would give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we would know Him better (Eph. 1:17).
• that we’d be rooted and established in love (Eph. 3:17).
• that You would strengthen our inner being (Eph. 3:16).
• that You would teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psa. 90:12).
• that You will give us an undivided heart, that we may fear Your name (Ps. 86:11).• that we’d never be lacking in zeal, but that we’d keep our spiritual fervor serving the Lord (Rom. 12:11).
• that we’d run the race to win first prize (1 Cor. 9:24).
• that we’d throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and run our race with perseverance (Heb. 12:1).• that we’d never look back now that we’ve put our hands to the plow (Lk. 9:62).
I think that I would like to print these up on card stock and have them on flash cards so that the kids and I could cycle through them, and pray them for our family. Wouldn't this be an amazing thing to use for memory verses. What awesome amunition against the enemy!
To do list for today.
Clean the travel trailer
Pack clothes Done
Pack dishes Done
Pack dry food Done
Make Ice Blocks Done
Merinade steaks Done
Make Kabobs
Cook Sausage Done
Don't eat all the sausage - difficult
Clean Coolers Don't even know where the coolers are?
Charge Camera dito on the camera charger.
DO NOT FALL ASLEEP! so far so good. Still good!
Okay Ephrim is napping so I'm gonna go clean the trailer which thankfully is not that bad and doesn't seem to have many dead bugs in it. The curtains are all in the wash or are about to be. Oh man there's more Laundry to fold. I'm tired today.. but those cookies sure are good ;)
Okay so now I'm taking another bread because I'm really tired. I need to start taking my iron ;/
OKay so I have to make Kabobs, clean the coolers (make that find the coolers), finish loading up mine and Dalen clothes and clean out the kids beds.
Okay so I slept for an hour. Now I'm hungry. Still have to do all of the above things.
Okay all I have to do is pack mine and Dalen's clothes, our bedding (tomorrow), our cold food(tomorrow), and hang the curtains back up. I'm feeling good and enjoying my chinese crackers.
Pack clothes Done
Pack dishes Done
Pack dry food Done
Make Ice Blocks Done
Merinade steaks Done
Make Kabobs
Cook Sausage Done
Don't eat all the sausage - difficult
Clean Coolers Don't even know where the coolers are?
Charge Camera dito on the camera charger.
DO NOT FALL ASLEEP! so far so good. Still good!
Okay Ephrim is napping so I'm gonna go clean the trailer which thankfully is not that bad and doesn't seem to have many dead bugs in it. The curtains are all in the wash or are about to be. Oh man there's more Laundry to fold. I'm tired today.. but those cookies sure are good ;)
Okay so now I'm taking another bread because I'm really tired. I need to start taking my iron ;/
OKay so I have to make Kabobs, clean the coolers (make that find the coolers), finish loading up mine and Dalen clothes and clean out the kids beds.
Okay so I slept for an hour. Now I'm hungry. Still have to do all of the above things.
Okay all I have to do is pack mine and Dalen's clothes, our bedding (tomorrow), our cold food(tomorrow), and hang the curtains back up. I'm feeling good and enjoying my chinese crackers.
Tom sent this to me a long time ago and I still like to read it!
- Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?
- Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough money?
- Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
- Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?
- Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?
- Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
- Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?
- Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
- Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?
- If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?
- Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?
- Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
- Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
- Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
- Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?
- How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?
- When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, "It's all right?" Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, "That hurt, you stupid idiot?"
- Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?
- In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
- How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?
And my FAVORITE......
The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.
- Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?
- Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough money?
- Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
- Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?
- Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?
- Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
- Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?
- Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
- Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?
- If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?
- Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?
- Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
- Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
- Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
- Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?
- How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?
- When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, "It's all right?" Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, "That hurt, you stupid idiot?"
- Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?
- In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
- How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?
And my FAVORITE......
The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.
Cookies
Okay so last night I made cookies for our camping trip. These are the three recipes and I chose. They all had rave reviews on Allrecipes.com and I'm really happy with them. They were all simple recipes and didn't require any weird prep or ingredients.. I would recommend all of them.
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
DIRECTIONS
Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Put batter in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Roll into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake.
Big Soft Ginger Cookies
INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Yet another great cookie! Again a little too sweet so I'd do the same as the peanut butter cookies and take the sugar down a 1/4 cup or so. I added a cup of raisins as well. I really love spice cookies with raisins.
Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie
INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
OKay so these are good cookies. I used margarine instead of butter so they ended up a little cake like instead of chewy. I think it was because of the margarine. Butter usually makes things melty in your mouth. These are also Gigantic. Way too big for a normal kid, Dalen couldn't even eat two of them and he was up until 11:30 waiting for them. With the last batch I put in the oven I flattened them down a bit and they looked nicer when I took them out. I'mm gonna taste one now because I didn't eat any last night, me and chocolate don't sit too well. Okay so they are good, but they're deffinately cakey, which I don't really like all that much in a chocolate chip cookie. I like them to be soft in the middle and chrispy on the edges and kinda melt in your mouthish. So while they are good enough, I will keep searching for a chocolate chip cookies recipe that suits my cookie needs ;)
Now I have a large list of things to do and all I really want to do is curl up on my recliner and sleep. So hopefully I'll get some energy happening soon. Time remaining until camping? 28 hours.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Halibut
Okay so I poached the halibut in the chicken stock. Next time I'll make the chicken stock stronger. It would have been good with a little lemon juice on it too. I did still like it and all the kids ate theirs. Thank you Tom. I am freezing half of it to do something else with later.. maybe with a cream sauce and rice...mmmmm. Anyway, now I need to start getting ready for camping. Hopefully tomorrow Dalen will pull the trailer closer to the house and empty it for me. I can't move most of the stuff in it because it's too heavy. I Thursday I'll clean the trailer and pack it with whatever doesn't need to be cold. Including clothes, the kids have enough clothes that we can get it all packed up. Everything but bedding. Tomorrow I'll post what I'm going to bring.
Anyway I'm going to have a bath and head to bed early. Tomorrow will be a busy day of baking for the weekend and trying to get as much house work done as possible.
Anyway I'm going to have a bath and head to bed early. Tomorrow will be a busy day of baking for the weekend and trying to get as much house work done as possible.
Dawn's Black Bean Chili
You will need a 3.5 to 6 quart slow cooker.
BLACK BEAN CHILI
8 oz italian sausage (it calls for hot but i like mild)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 cans kernal corn, drained (calls for one, we like it with two)
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp chili powder ( i double all the spices from what is written here)
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (or powder)
1 1/2 tsp oregano
pinch cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper (about 1-2 tsps each)
1. In a skillet, over medium hear, cook sausage until browned. Drain off the fat.
2. In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients including sausage.
3. Cover and cook on High for 2 to 3 hours or on Low for 5 to 6 hours until hot and bubbling. Remove bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste. (never add any)
We eat it over rice, sprinkled with a little cheese, a dollop of sour cream and I love fresh chopped cilantro on top. I tastes even better the next day. It is out of a Gluten free cookbook that I have. The recipes are all amazing and easy. As I am also watching what I eat, here is the nutritional value for just the chili.
Serves 6, one serving is:
Calories 173
Fat, total 3g
Fat, saturated 1g
Cholesterol 5mg
Sodium 920mg
Carbohydrate 28g
Fiber 7g
Protein 13g
Calcium 64 mg
Iron 3mg
This looks good.. I'll let you know when I try it. Dalen won't eat it but the rest of us will.
BLACK BEAN CHILI
8 oz italian sausage (it calls for hot but i like mild)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 cans kernal corn, drained (calls for one, we like it with two)
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp chili powder ( i double all the spices from what is written here)
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (or powder)
1 1/2 tsp oregano
pinch cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper (about 1-2 tsps each)
1. In a skillet, over medium hear, cook sausage until browned. Drain off the fat.
2. In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients including sausage.
3. Cover and cook on High for 2 to 3 hours or on Low for 5 to 6 hours until hot and bubbling. Remove bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste. (never add any)
We eat it over rice, sprinkled with a little cheese, a dollop of sour cream and I love fresh chopped cilantro on top. I tastes even better the next day. It is out of a Gluten free cookbook that I have. The recipes are all amazing and easy. As I am also watching what I eat, here is the nutritional value for just the chili.
Serves 6, one serving is:
Calories 173
Fat, total 3g
Fat, saturated 1g
Cholesterol 5mg
Sodium 920mg
Carbohydrate 28g
Fiber 7g
Protein 13g
Calcium 64 mg
Iron 3mg
This looks good.. I'll let you know when I try it. Dalen won't eat it but the rest of us will.
How your baby's growing:At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, she'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. Your baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of her more advanced body systems are working, including her circulatory system and urinary tract. Her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating her total blood volume through her body many times. (By the end of your pregnancy, this will increase to about 190 quarts.) The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she's even started growing toenails.Cookies
Okay you should really make this cookie recipe. Just dont' do what I did, If I had left the recipe as it was they would have been SO yummy chewy chocolatey great. But I went and added non-cookie-ish items to them like marshmellows and jr. caramels and jr. mints. It was just really really bad, but I can still eat them, only I have to ball up the mess and stuff it in my mouth instead of taking nice cookie bites. Which really is the way a person should eat a cookie anyway if they're serious about it.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Tonights results
Okay so the broccoli would have been okay accept I think my broccoli was in the freezer for too long and it had a weird flavor, that and I used too much broccoli so I wasn't able to taste the sauce too much. The croutons were a big hit and Adon asked for seconds on the salad, which has never happened, unfortunately Emma was already eating the rest of it from the bowl ;)
The fish was good but I ended up marinading it too long so it was extra sweet... I would say only merinade it for a half an hour tops.. I did an hour and a half. Just in case you're wondering I don't screw up everything I make :)
Hopefully tonights culinary project will go well....
Chewy Chocolate Cookies II
INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups margarine, softened
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream together margarine and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in walnuts. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
I'm really craving chocolate right now... I'd really like a Mint Aero or a Big Turk (I really don't like the name but it tastes good :P)
I'll let you know how it goes... Dawn I would love to have the recipe for the black bean chilli.. Dalen would never eat it but the kids and I could.
The fish was good but I ended up marinading it too long so it was extra sweet... I would say only merinade it for a half an hour tops.. I did an hour and a half. Just in case you're wondering I don't screw up everything I make :)
Hopefully tonights culinary project will go well....
Chewy Chocolate Cookies II
INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups margarine, softened
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream together margarine and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in walnuts. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
I'm really craving chocolate right now... I'd really like a Mint Aero or a Big Turk (I really don't like the name but it tastes good :P)
I'll let you know how it goes... Dawn I would love to have the recipe for the black bean chilli.. Dalen would never eat it but the kids and I could.
Today's Menu
OKay so the cobbler wasn't all that great. Starla liked it but I won't make it again. The banana bread was good and so was
the french bread. The roast turned out good accept that the potatoes were far too overdone, next time I'll hold of an extra
half an hour before I add the potatoes, but the carrots were just right. Because the potatoes were falling apart I picked
out all the onions and all the garlic, accept for one clove, added a big glob of butter and mashed them. They were great, if
you like garlic. Dalen just had a potato cooked in the microwave, you can do that by the way, I didn't know you could bake
potatoes in the microwave until I saw my MIL do it.
The soup was really good.. still is ;) I ended up adding a pound of ground hamburger, I didn't have enough energy to do a
shepperd's pie and the hamburger needed to be cooked. I really liked it. Starla said it's a lot like a soup her mom makes
called SOB (south of the border) soup. I'll probably just keep calling it Tomato Barley soup, but I figured there would be
some of you out there that would prefer the first name ;)
For tonight? Well it's meatloaf night but I forgot to thaw my hamburger, so Dalen will have a premade hamburger patty with a
(microwave)baked potato and some corn. I really do like being married to a man with a simple pallet. For the rest of us I
think I'll heat up the rest of the garlic mashed potatoes from Saturday, then I'm going to make a breaded oven baked salmon.
I can't find a recipe that I like for the salmon so my plan is to mix some Terriyaki...
Terriyaki sauce/merinade (I use this to bake chicken in or for fish, you could merrinade meat for kabobs in it too, or steak)
- Jane's recipe
1 part soysauce
2 parts Brown sugar
a clove or so of garlic (6 if you're Joni)
1/4 tspn ginger powder
very liberal dash of pepper
So I'm going to merinade the fish in that and then bread it with some Panko, which is an Asian bread crumb (my uncle gave me
a tonne of very ethnic ingredients when he moved, I don't usually buy stuff like that)
I'm trying to think which spices would go good in the panko, but I'm not good at matching spices.I'm going to have this with broccoli and make a caesar salad. I think I'm going to make some croutons with the ends from the
french bread too. I love making my own croutons because they don't have to be so dry, you can actually get your fork through
them!
I'll butter both sides of the bread and put it on a baking pan under a broiler until it's nicely browned, then flip it over
and brown the other side. I probably won't brown them too much, unless I get busy and forget about them. Then I'll take them
out and cut them into cubes or something like that quickly, then while they're still warm I'll put them in a bag with
seasoning. I think for seasoning I'll keep it simple, just some seasoning and freshly grated parmesean. Maybe some extra
garlic salt. - I ended up putting the parmesean and spices on top of the croutons and putting it back in the oven for a
minute and a half. They are really nummy! I also used some paprika, basil and oregano, oh and my favorite spice, lemon
pepper.
Some days I feel sorry for Dalen that he doesn't enjoy food. And the best part of all this food is that it's healthy, well
the potatoes aren't great, but I don't have any brown rice. Maybe next groceries, I'll try to keep my potato portion small.
I just got off the phone with Tom and he's going to give us a piece of hallibut. I think that I would love to go ocean
fishing. I know I'd be terrified, because I can't really swim but I would get over that eventually and the chance of getting
something would make it all worth while. Maybe in a few years I can hitch a ride with someone. I doubt many people will be
going much more this year and next year I'll have a little baby on me.
Oh well. One day, maybe. Thanks for the fish Tom!!!
Now I know that most people get super excited to have deep fried battered fish but last year at a fondue party I tried it in
a broth fondue and it was incredible, so I think I'll poach the fish in chicken broth.. mmmm... nice and good, nice and
healthy!
Okay so not so healthy broccoli recipe I'm going to try
Aunt Millie's Broccoli Casserole
INGREDIENTS
4 heads fresh broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded American cheese
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups crushed, seasoned croutons
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook broccoli in the boiling water for 1 minute. Drain, and set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, mix the cheese, cream of mushroom soup, salt, and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted. Add the broccoli, stirring to coat. Transfer the mixture to a 9x13 inch baking dish.
In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Mix in the croutons, and sprinkle over the broccoli mixture.
Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the topping is browned and broccoli is tender.
Anyway Off I go. let me know what you're making for dinner
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Saturday
Me in the kitchen... I really do love it in there... I miss my apron, it's packed away somewhere.Saturday's are my busiest day of the week. On a Saturday I like to cook lots of food. I try to make it so that I won't have to do any cooking or cleaning on Sunday. So today this is what I'm doing.... with recipes.
French Bread (I love this recipe because I don't have to clean out loaf pans afterwards;)
INGREDIENTS
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
2 cups water
6 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 egg white, beaten
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with 2 cups water, 3 cups flour, salt, sugar and vegetable oil; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Divide dough half. Roll each half into a 9 x 12 rectangle and roll up jelly roll style, starting at long edge. Seal edges and place seam side down on a large baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal.
Use a sharp knife to slash each loaf diagonally 3 times. Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover and allow to rise 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.
Banana Bread
Combine:
3 Mashed Bananas
1/2 cup melted butter/margerine
2 eggs
1 C white or brown sugar
Mix them all together and stir in:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
This will make two small loaves or a bunch of muffins. For the loavs bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. For muffins back for 18-20 minutes. You can add chocolate chips or nuts if you want.
edit- make sure you grease and flour your loaf or muffin pans. Don't use those paper muffin things, mushy fruits in muffins will stick to the papers.
Pot Roast
All I do is take a frozen roast and put it in my crock pot on hish at lunch time, if I was doing it in the morning then I would put it on low. I add a few cups of water, an onion and garlic (to your liking) salt and pepper. You can add whatever spices you want, I love lemon pepper with roast.
After and hour or two I'll fill the bottom of the crock pot with peeled and halves potatoes and big chunks of carrots. You could add a stalk of celery too for the gravy if you wanted. I know that most people put the potatoes and carrots in right away and you could and I'm sure it would be fine.. I probably will next time.
Once the roast is done I'll take it out and put it on a cutting board and cover it with tinfoil. I don't know why you're supposed to do this, I just know that you are supposed to. Take the veggies out and put them in a bowl. Then I strain all the chunky things out of the juice and put he juice into a big glass measuring cup.
Then I start the yorkshire pudding... mmm...
INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until well blended. Whisk in the flour one cup at a time until frothy and well blended. Set aside.
Distribute the oil equally among 12 muffin cups, a little over a teaspoon per cup. Place in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until smoking. Remove from the oven and quickly ladle about 1/4 cup of batter into each cup.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven. Serve immediately. I turn my oven off and leave the door partially open with the yorkies inside to keep them from deflating while waiting for everyone to ask for seconds.
While the puddings are cooking I make the gravy. Oh and by the way, once I've gotten the juice out of the crock pot I'll put the veggies back in and set it to "keep warm"
For the gravy I'll put about a 1/4 cup of the juice in the bottom of the pot and let it boil off until the bottom of the pot is dark brown, keep adding juice until you get the pot brown. Then I'll start whisking the bottom of the pot and slowly adding more juice. I just learned how to make gravy this last year, from my sister in laws and mother in law at a family gathering. Until then my gravy was always SUPER bland. Browning the bottom of the pot is what gives the gravy the flavor. Once you've got about a half an inch of browned juice add the rest and bring it to a boil.
Next I'll mix about two big tablespoons of flour in a cup of water until it's not lumpy anymore.
While the juice is boiling slowly start to whisk in your flour mixture. Just add a little bit at a time until your gravy is as thick as you like it. If when you're done it's lumpy you can just strain it again.
My Momma in law doesn't strain her juice before she makes her gravy and it is more flavorfull but I find straining gravy after it's made to be too much of a pain and I still like my gravy fine.. you can choose how you want to do it.
And the soup. My new goal is to make a big pot of soup every saturday. It's great to have left over in the fridge for lunches and late night snacks and soup goes a long way if you are having guests over for Sunday lunch.
Here's the recipe I'm using today
Tomato Barley Soup
INGREDIENTS
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups water
2 tomatoes, diced
1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice
1 (10.75 ounce) can chicken broth
1/4 cup uncooked barley
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the onions, celery, carrots, garlic and oil and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, or until all vegetables are almost tender.
Then add the water, fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, barley and ground black pepper.
Stir thoroughly and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, or until barley is tender.
I didnt' have enough barley so I added some millet also, which is a grain like barley.
I love knowing that I can have people over because my house work is done and I have anough food for a crowd. If I'm not too exhausted I'll probably make a sheppard's pie too. All that consists of it ground beef cooked, I put that in the bottom of a casserole dish. Then I add a layer of frozen corn then I cover the whole thing in mashed potatoes and a layer of cheese, then I bake it until the cheese is bubbley. You can use peas too, some will add a can of irish stew to their meat instead of frozen corn, my SIL will do peas and gravy with the meat.
Anyway so that is why Saturday's are busy. I am also nearly done cleaning out the library. That will leave me only three more rooms to get clean next week. And then there's getting ready for family camp... and people wonder why I never go out???
I have returned!
Okay so we are back online. I am really happy to be back. I've missed talking to everyone. The downstairs is mostly finished, we just have to complete the bathroom and the stairs, but the stairs are going to have to wait. So for now I'm just trying to get everything set up, getting all the upstairs rooms cleaned out, bathroom and kids room done, now for the other four rooms.
Okay so for a pregnancy update. I am now 15 weeks along, I am felling pretty good, well other than feeling like a blimp. I already can't wear my pants and it feels as though my legs are going to fall off whenever I sit down. But it will all be worth it in a few weeks when I start to feel the baby move. I'm pretty sure that I felt some hickups the other day... but you never know.
There you have it... our little avacado baby. And no that's not my profile.. unfortunately four babies and year of bad eating have not been so kind ;)
Anyway that's about it for now. Once we find out camera and charge it I'll try to take some pictures of the house.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)