I'm tired. Or maybe I'm just worn out and I can't go on any longer. The holidays are coming up and I can't even deal with it. I have to think in advance for Christmas gifts for the kids. And not just from me, but I get phone calls from the grandparents. "What does Timmy like? What does Sarah want? Would they like this? Or would they like that?" Because the grandparents shop all year long, I get calls all the time. Then, there is the holiday dinners. Those I don't mind, but again, I have to think about food way before it is time. I think what I realize is that I am a, not so much last minute person, but a person who needs to think about these things when it is the right time. Two months or even throughout the year is to soon for me.

My husband comes home from work and I am wiped out from working and dealing with the children and cleaning up, that when he wants me to do some work for him that I just stare at him with this blank look on my face. So yes, I am worn out. I think it is time for me to be re-cycled, maybe I can come back as a younger, stronger me. Or just come back!

Time Flew By

Where has the time gone? Has it really been that long since I last wrote. I've been busy with the start of school, getting schedules together and trying to figure out what to do with all this "spare time". HA! What I really mean is that I can finally get back to my schedule and try to cram everything into the 6 hours that I have free until it is time to pick up the kids. Funny thing is that it never works. It always runs into the kids time.

Working at home is not easy, but it is better than working in an office. I mean on one hand, even though you are at home and the kids are screaming, or fighting and you are trying to get work done, you are there with them. On the other hand, working in the office you don't get distracted with what needs washing, or what letters you can send out, or yes, your children, so you do get more work done. But which is better? That I think is a question that each and every one of us has to decide for ourselves, and for some of us, we don't get a choice.

Summer Vacation

I wish I had pictures of our wonderful summer that is passing us by, but I don't. Maybe because we haven't gone anywhere or done anything. All I have done this summer is work at this desk trying to get out invoicing, statements, proposals and balancing checkbooks with money we don't have. Wondering where we are going to get the money to pay the mortgage or property taxes or even just food. Don't let anyone tell us that this is a recession. It is a depression, just like the one in the 20's. People are losing their jobs, their houses, their money. Look around, what do you see? I see houses all over for sale. How many are for sale because of foreclosure or because someone has lost their job and can't afford their house anymore and are trying to sell it before it goes into foreclosure?

I am trying to see the bright side of all of this. I think one good thing is that people, including our family, are learning to be more resourceful, are recycling more, re-purposing more and just trying to be more careful in what they are spending and on what they are spending it for.

I wish I did have a picture of our garden. This is the first year it grew so large. I was so excited about how large the tomato plants grew. It looked beautiful until it go so large that it made the tomato stakes fall over and I wasn't able to pick them back up. Maybe it was what I put into the soil. I didn't put any pesticides, I think the only thing I did at first was put in some liquid vitamin B. Then to keep the tomates from wilting, I put some corn meal and also some baking soda in the soil and I sprayed everything with powdered milk. I also let our chickens in the garden until they started eating the tomatoes, cucumbers and squash. Then I had to banish them.

So maybe our summer is going better than I think. I have an abundance of tomatoes, squash and of course farm fresh free range chicken eggs. To bad my kids don't eat tomatoes and squash.

Food for Thought

I heard a man talk today about marriage and divorce. It was so true. He said that today people jump into bed before finding out if they are compatible. Meaning what is their common thread. Are they the same religion, do they have the same family values, was their upbringing similar, do they want the same things out of life? He stated that jumping into bed should not be the first thing a couple does to find out if they are compatible, in fact, it should be the last thing. Get to know that person, find out what he or she was like as a child, what their likes and dislikes are, and see if you have fun together. Not all people who have the same religion are going to magically get along, or not all people who have the same family values will get along, but that is the beauty of it all. Get to know that person. Remember in the old days when they talked about courting? Try it, it works.

Realizations

Life is fragile. We don't think so, but it can be gone in a second without any warning and then the rest of the world is left to pick up the pieces and carry on. We all know that there is a beginning and an end; we know when the beginning starts, but we don't know when the end comes. We just pray that we are prepared for it.

I have been to more funerals than most people and partly it is because I have such a large extended family. What I have noticed is that the older I get and the people who pass on are closer to me, it affects me more deeply. It is as if I am finally realizing my own immortality. I mourn for my family, but also a little for me. I don't want to be alone.

Don't even breath without asking me!

That's what my son told his sister after I left them alone for awhile. When my daughter told me that I almost burst out laughing, but I held it in for fear of hurting her feelings. Why is it that the older sibling always gets that tone of superiority when the parents are gone? It's because they know they are in charge and the younger ones have to listen to them. I'm not so sure that I wouldn't have done the same thing. I never did, but that was because I wasn't the oldest sibling. My older sisters stayed home with us. So I had to listen to them tell me what to do while my parents were gone. As a matter of fact, maybe that is why my parents were hardly ever away from us.

June 9, 2011

Today my To-Do list is short. In about 45 minutes I will have to go pick up my children from school. It is getting closer to the end of the school year for them and they are ready. I'm not sure I am. I mean, yes, I won't have to get up as early any more to make lunches and breakfast. But then they will be home all day, asking "What's for lunch? What's for dinner? What kind of snack can I have?" Or they will be inside the pantry all day eating. The other part of the day they will want to be on the gaming system or the computer to play. And they will wear me down. By the end of the second week of school being out they will have worn me down and out.

There is something about your kids being around you 24 hours a day. When they are just babies, you want them around all the time, but when they get to be teenagers and pre-teenagers, as much as they need to be supervised and kept an eye on, you don't want them around 24 hours a day. You need a break. Either there is to much talking or to much sulliness. Take your pick. And they want to be entertained. All the time. And all I want them to do is to go outside and commune with nature. There is nothing like digging in the sand and dirt and weeds to feel alive. Maybe I'll buy them shovels and rakes and tell them that is their entertainment for the summer.

Chicken Stroganoff - Who Knew

I found this recipe and I just knew I had to try it. I just can't figure out why I have never thought of this before. I mean anything that can be done with beef can be done with chicken. This recipe came from the March/April 2011 issue of GRIT magazine (www.Grit.com) in the Comfort Foods area. There are a couple of tweaks I would give it next time; I'll discuss them after I give the complete recipe.

Chicken Stroganoff


1/3 stick butter
3 medium to large chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 small carton sour cream

(1) Melt butter in pan. Add chicken breasts (can be taken right from freezer, washed and thrown in the pot), salt, pepper and soup. Cover and simmer, checking after 30 minutes, then checking every hour or two. Add a little additional butter, if needed, to keep chicken from burning. Cook 3 to 4 hours.

(2) Add sour cream and cook an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour. If chicken is falling apart and liquid is blending together, it's done. Serve over rice or noodles, with a tossed salad on the side.

That's the whole recipe. However, instead of cooking over the stove, I put it in a crockpot (I love to slow cook my meat). I did put in the butter first, however because my chicken breasts had skin on, I didn't feel it needed the butter. If I had the skin off the chicken breasts, then I think the butter would be good. I also felt that 2 cans of mushroom soup was too much for 3 breasts of chicken. I believe that it was a little runny and maybe I could have added another chicken breast. I would not add the sour cream until almost ready to serve, the sour cream could cause separation when heated to long. I also would de-bone the chicken breast so that when it is eaten you don't have to worry about bones. I cooked it in the crockpot the same amount of time as over the stove, maybe a little longer, but it is so much easier.

Try it, let me know what you think.

May 13, 2011

Lately I have been waking up at 6:30 a.m. I am not usually a morning person, in fact I love to sleep in. I think that is where my children get it from. They are extremely hard to wake up in the morning for school. I even went as far as saying that they are responsible for getting themselves up in the morning. It actually went good for a while. Then my husband, for the lack of words to use, flaked out. He started waking the kids up if they weren't up by a certain time. I told him that they were responsible and if they were late to school, it was their fault. I guess he is not ready to let them be responsible. He keeps saying that he doesn't want to be late for work; funny thing is that he comes right back home after dropping my son off and then he eats breakfast and gets his stuff ready. So I am not understanding his logic.

But I am making them get dressed before they eat breakfast, because otherwise they take too long at the table and again, it causes them to be late. I don't know how else to instill that they have to be on time. I can't keep yelling at them, it does no good. So, yes they do get dressed first and sometimes it takes them too long and they are not able to eat breakfast. I have made them cinnamon toast to take on the way to school, along with either tea or hot cocoa. My son would prefer coffee to tea, but I don't allow that. I'm sure soon enough he will be drinking coffee like there is no tomorrow. I guess that is his way of waking up. I know I need my tea to wake up in the morning, so I am no different.

April 24, 2011

Today is Easter Sunday and millions of people are gathering across the country and eating their Easter lunches. There are also millions of people who are going out to eat lunch instead of being stuck at home making food for everyone. I think that more people tend to go out to lunch for Easter Sunday than on any other holiday. Of course I could be wrong, but the grocery stores were all open and restaurants were open, ready for the influx of people. I planned on staying home, in fact I had a tri-tip all thawed out and seasoned ready to be bar-be-queed. However my husband had other ideas. He planned on going to Costco to do a little shopping. Costco had other plans, they were closed. So he had to nix those plans. We always take a drive, always near lunch time or after lunch time and inevitably we are always starving. So we have to drive around looking for someplace to eat (actually we don't, but I think that it is his way of letting me not cook once in a while). Then comes the question - "Where do you want to go for lunch?" At this point when he asks, we are so hungry that we can't think straight and we (meaning me and the kids) could go anywhere. Our son chooses to go home and eat, my daughter chooses to go to her grandmothers' and make her cook for us. Me - I don't care, just give me food before I fall over. This is how my husband is different than us. He can go all day without eating and the rest of us need to eat every hour. And how come you might say haven't I figured this out and bring food with us? Well most of the time I honestly think that it will be only 1 hour that we will be out, so I am still learning.

April 15, 2011

Today is tax day. It is amazing how this day strikes fear in so many people. They have to pay their taxes or they can get thrown in jail. At least that is what it feels like. Taxes have been around since Biblical times, when Jesus threw the tax collectors out of the temple. And if people don't pay them, they do get thrown in jail.

Now it is one thing if people have the money and refuse to pay. But what if people don't have the money, what are they supposed to do? They can't just manufacture money out of thin air (even though that has been known to happen). In fact these people need the money they have just to survive. What is more important, eating, having a roof over your head, and utilities or not eating, losing what shelter you have and nothing to keep you warm? Is the government that heartless? I've heard people say yes they are that heartless.

I have a feeling that a lot of people who owe taxes aren't able to pay them right now due to the economy. And I am sure that a lot of them are good hard-working honest people. How will the government take care of them?

Does government need to be reformed? Yes. Do I know how to reform the government? No. Do people need to learn how to budget their money? Yes, but when there are to many bills and not enough money what gets paid first? We all know to pay the basics first - Housing, food, utilities (that should not include a $200/month cable - that is not a necessity). Then you pay the loan on the vehicle, plus the insurance, vehicle and house or renter's. Don't forget to put a little aside for the license fee. What about health insurance? If you are employed then your employer pays for you (sometimes), but what about your family, if you want them covered, it is taken out of your paycheck and it is not cheap. But if you are self-employed it is not cheap at all, in fact it is downright expensive and if you have a pre-existing condition, forget it. So if you have no health insurance you are paying every time you and your children go to the doctor. Kids get sick a lot.

So, your monthly payments are: Housing, food, utilities, vehicle loan, license fee, house/renter's and vehicle insurance, health insurance, and doctor's and dental bills, property taxes (if applicable) and maybe a little left over for clothes because you know your kids grow like weeds. So if you are on a tight budget, the taxes get put on hold because you just can't do it.

Healthified Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today I made these chocolate chip cookies with wheat flour, instead of regular white bleached flour and let me tell you they are delicious. My kids liked them and that is saying a lot because they love chocolate chip cookies, but if I said that they were healthy for you, I don't think they would have touched them. So I found these on the Betty Crocker website (http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/healthified-chocolate-chip-cookies/) and I thought they sounded good. They definitely are.

I have always enjoyed all of Betty Crocker recipes. I use one of the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbooks from 1950 and my newest one is from 1986. They both are dog-earred, splattered and tearing from the binding, but I love them both.

The Big Experiment Part II

Well, a month has gone by since I have taken away the WII, DS and computer at home. I think it worked. He did more reading, he played outside more (exercise)and he didn't keep telling me "Okay, I know" or "In a minute" everytime I asked him to do something. I mean there was still attitude (what should I expect from a 7th grader trying to understand school with everyone having attitude at school)but not as much. In fact, it was interesting because I went to parent-teacher conferences to see how he was doing and they all stated that he has been doing better. He still is not where I would like to see him acedemically. In fact the teachers all said that he could get A's. I know he could also, but he is the sort of person who doesn't have to study to get a good grade or at least a passing grade, and that is what he does. He doesn't study. I don't know how many more times I need to keep saying "study, study, study" for it to sink it, maybe I will always have to say it.

So the month was up and I let him use the gaming systems again, but after talking with his teachers, I decided to take them away and let him use them only on weekends. I feel that this is a compromise and we will see.

Spring Time Wind Chimes

I just found these wind chimes on www.Ebay.com and they are adorable. They will make an excellant gift for someone.

I just by chance happen to be looking for something small and quaint to give to a friend and found these (Item #320681441160). They are selling for $6.50 with free shipping, how much better can that be. Wind chimes can be a very soothing sound to listen to when the wind is gently wafting through the trees.

Salmon Tacos

Salmon Tacos

Today I made salmon tacos. I found this recipe and have made tuna tacos, but today I choose salmon instead of tuna. Fresh salmon would have been delicious, but I didn’t have any, so I used salmon patties from Costco. I cooked them on the stove and broke them up for the tacos. I still added other ingredients to spice it up.

Salmon Tacos

1 lb. salmon filet
¼ c. chopped onion
¼ c. red bellpepper, chopped
2 whole fresh tomatoes, chopped (I have to omit this because my kids don’t like tomatoes)
½ t. ground cumin
½ t. marjoram
2 t. garlic powder
1 t. oregano, dried (not ground)
¼ t. chili flakes, crushed
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
1 dozen corn tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Shredded lettuce or chopped cabbage
Crema Mexicana (table crème)
Chopped avocado
Twist of lime on salmon

Heat 2 T. olive oil in frying pan, cook salmon, set aside. Don’t drain pan. Saute oil and bellpepper in pan and add tomatoes and flaked salmon. Stir, add spices and cilantro until well blended. Add mixture to corn tortillas and fry as a taco. Serve with salsa, hot peppers, avocadoes. Or in the case of my kids, who don’t like tomatoes, omit from recipe, but add them as a side. Or add chopped cabbage and Crema Mexicana. Serve with fruit in season.

Curves for Women Toning Trainer

I am a slow walker. Okay, let’s face it, I am a shuffler. I shuffle in the morning and all day long. That is how I walk. Well not any more. I just received as a gift Curves for Women Toning Trainer sneaker. I love it! I can not shuffle with these shoes on. My feet actually rock when I walk and if I try to shuffle, I trip. And, get this, I actually walk faster. Call me crazy, but these are the best shoes ever and now I need to look for some that don’t look like sneakers so that I can wear them everywhere.

I encourage everyone to try them.

Celestial Seasonings Tea

Chai tea has been out for a while at all the coffee houses and quite honestly I didn’t feel like trying it out. Especially since I heard it was basically black tea with milk. The reason I didn’t feel like trying it out was because that is what I grew up on. So why try something everyone thinks is a new thing, when I have had it all my life. Ever since I can remember we have had hot tea for dinner and as a young child, to make it not so hot, we added milk to it.

Boy was I wrong! This is delicious. I thought this is the best tasting chai ever. There was a hint of coconut plus a little bit of ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Now I did have to add milk and sugar to it (I always add sugar) because if not, then it is not chai. Even my 11 year old daughter loved it.

The only way I can describe the taste of this tea is that it made me feel like I was in a little café village in Venice watching people float by in their gondolas, as the breeze was ever so softly caressing my skin and soft music softly playing in the background.

If there was ever a tea to drink when you want to sit down and relax, this is the one! Check out www.celestialseasonings.com for more of their teas.

Philadelphia Cooking Creme

I saw this in the store and it caught my eye. It is Philadelphia Cooking Creme by Kraft Foods. All I had to do is add it to my cooked vegetables on the stove and let it melt, add some cooked pasta and there was a wonderful and fast delicious dinner. Just make some salad, cut up some fruit, small whole wheat bread roll and you have a complete dinner in a manner of minutes.

Look up http://www.cookphilly.com for more recipes.

Stacked Chicken Enchilada Casserole

When I cook a whole chicken, I always use the Crockpot. I love cooking my chicken in the Crockpot as it gets so tender and moist that it falls off the bones. And if there is leftover chicken, I enjoy making chicken noodle soup.

This last time I had leftover chicken I ended up making stacked chicken enchilada casserole. My family really seemed to enjoy it.

I didn’t use a recipe per say, I make it up as I go, especially with the ingredients. This time I used my imagination in putting this recipe together. All ingredients listed are approximate, as I didn’t write them down as I threw them in, so you might have to adjust to your liking.

Stacked Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:
2 ½ - 3 c. shredded or cut up cooked chicken
1 small can chopped olives
1 small can Ortega chilies, drained
1 small orange, red or yellow bell pepper
3-4 c. mild cheddar cheese
1 small onion, chopped
1 small bunch spinach, chopped (for sake of prep time, can use one box frozen chopped spinach)
1 jar Enchilada sauce
Corn Tortillas
Seasonings: ½ t. cumin, 1 tsp. salt, ¼ t. black pepper

Mix chicken, olives, chilies, bell pepper, onion and spinach together. Season with cumin, salt and pepper.

Steps: Add ½ c. enchilada sauce on bottom of 9x12 glass pan. Add corn tortillas on top. Add ½ chicken mixture, top with some cheese, add little enchilada sauce and cover with second row of corn tortillas. Layer rest of chicken mixture, cheese, enchilada sauce and last row of corn tortillas. Add all of enchilada sauce to top of casserole and rest of cheese. Bake in a 350º oven for 30-40 minutes until heated through.

For faster prep time, use store purchased cooked rotisserie chicken, enchilada sauce (I make mine from scratch), and frozen chopped spinach.

This is so much easier to make than enchiladas, but with all the flavor.

Another Use for Cooking Spray Oils

I have just found a great use for cooking spray oils and I would like to share it with everyone.

Have you ever shredded cheese with a manual shredder or in other words, by hand, and when it was time to wash the shredder you were not able to get all the cheese off? Well try this! Spray the shredder with cooking oil and shred your cheese as you normally would. When it is time to wash the shredder the cheese comes right off. I was amazed when I tried it last night.

I have also sprayed cooking oil on foil when I cover anything I am baking and nothing sticks to it.

February 11, 2011

This morning was supposed to start out like usual. I mean, the kids getting up on time and dressed, having ate breakfast and ready for school. Well, at least one child got up and was ready. The other one was sick, so of course he couldn’t get up. So I didn’t get upset. I did have an appointment at 9:30 a.m. so I had to have lunches ready and breakfast ready and I did! I had a talk with the children earlier in the week and stated that from now on, they will be responsible for themselves in getting up, getting ready for school, etc. I will no longer be yelling at them to get up or their father will not be going into their rooms to make them get up. They are now old enough, they both have alarm clocks and it is time. So that is what I did, and so far it is working! I feel so much better in the morning, I am more relaxed and that makes for a better day for everyone.


But this morning when I arose, I discovered that I had flatulence (gas or farts as everyone calls it) and they were not the usual silent type ones that don’t carry a smell, no, these were the kind that smelled. I had an interview at 9:30 a.m. and what if I still had gas, what was I supposed to do? I mean, normally in an interview it is just you and either one person or a group of people. I couldn’t look at the other person as if blaming them for the smell. So I hoped that it wouldn’t happen during the interview. Luckily I didn’t pass gas, at least not that I am aware of.

I really didn’t plan on applying for a job, but things are tough all over and our family is no exception. This job is only 1 hour a day, but I felt that it is enough for right now; at least I could get my foot in the door. It is for the food service department for the public school system and I felt since I have cooked most of my life for my family and for the church I know a little bit about cooking. The first thing that had to be done was a written test; they asked questions in regards to dividing and multiplication and of course money. Then they asked about the Danger Zone in food. As a cook that should be a no-brainer, but it honestly stumped me. So of course I put the wrong answer. I went home and looked it up on the internet (thank goodness for the internet!). Boy did I feel dumb. But somehow I passed that test (that was the only answer that was wrong) and now I had the interview. The interviewer was very nice (younger than me of course) and I enjoyed that interview. I didn’t try to hard to impress, I felt if it was meant to be it would happen. I did speak honestly and hopefully very knowledgeable, but who knows.

Dutch Apple Wedges

What was supposed to start out as a sunny Sunday ended up as a rainy “Where did it come from?” day. I was really hoping for a sunny day, this way I would be able to work outside. But alas (who uses that word anymore?) it wasn’t meant to be. I did end up making a dessert called Cutch Apple Wedges and it comes from Betty Crocker Recipe magazine, Simple Winter Meals (Jan. 2003 issue #192). I don’t purchase everyone of those magazines, but I always look through them at the check-out line in the grocery store and if the cover picture looks like something I would make or I find a recipe while I am looking through it and if I have enough money, then yes I will buy it.

But this past year I haven’t had money so I am going through all my old cookbook magazines looking at the recipes again to see which ones I want to try. If there is nothing in the magazine, then I will give the book away to someone else. It doesn’t make sense to keep magazines or cookbooks if I’m not going to use anything in them. But on the other hand, I am keeping all my cookbooks; it is the magazines that will have to go.

The Concert

Last night we went to a concert. I haven’t been to a concert in over 20 years, but I know that they haven’t changed that much. I knew that it would still be too loud for me, but I had to go as this was a Christmas present. So I brought my cotton balls for my ears, thinking that it would muffle the loud music. Well it did to a point, then the music got really loud and I could hear it, no, feel it inside my body beating away. You know that feeling when you are driving and pull up next to a teen-agers car with their boom box of a radio blasting through the air and you just hear the bass of the drums and you can feel it moving your vehicle. Well I felt like that, only I couldn’t drive away! I was stuck there!

I did enjoy parts of the concert, I did like who was performing and I liked her music. I think that I am too old; or rather to smart to want to go to concerts and ruin what hearing I have left. As it is, when my hubby or children talk to me, my pat answer is “Huh?” And I wonder where my kids get that from.

Now I am not advocating not going to concerts. There are some really good singers and groups I would love to see, but not at the expense of my hearing. I would love them to tone down the sound, or make it softer. Then you could really hear them sing and enjoy the music so much better. But on the other hand, I wonder if some of these groups and singers play their music too loud because they can’t sing and if we really heard them, we wouldn’t buy their CD’s.

The Big Experiment

Today we are embarking on a new experiment, at least for our family. I read in the paper that it is proven that children who do not play computer or video games get better grades in school. So for the next month my son will not have access to any computer or video games and I will see how he does in school. Because almost every day he comes home from school saying that he has no homework.

He states that he won’t last a week without computer or video games. I beg to differ; I think that after a week he will have found something else to do. Something like read or study, or he will talk non-stop to us. Oh, never mind that one, he already talks non-stop to us, doesn’t matter what the subject, he just keeps talking.

So, I will let you know how this turns out, it should be interesting.

A Hard Lesson

Dinner is in the oven; children are quietly playing and the chickens are put away for the night.

Today’s lesson was a hard one learned by my son. His sister received a gift card for her birthday and we went after school to Target to spend it. Since it was her gift card, I said she could spend it on anything she wanted. Well first my son wanted to go home “because he had a “headache”. I didn’t buy that; I just think he didn’t want to go shopping because, like all boys that I know, he hates shopping. Unless it is for a video game, then you can’t drag him out of the store.

So we proceeded to Target and on the way there he kept asking his sister if she would buy him an Icee. Well she said no, which is what I figured. My son go really upset, telling her that he bought her an Icee with his own money and that he is really thirsty, etc. She held firm and said no. She stated that he could wait until he gets home and drink water. He was beside himself and asked me to intervene, I said it was her money and she was able to do with it what she wants. I wasn’t going to make her buy him anything, only if she wanted to.

Well he was upset and on the way out of Target, he kept calling her names (not bad names; that I won’t tolerate). Nonetheless, I told him to stop. He kept stating he was mad at her and didn’t like her and that he bought her an Icee, etc. I told him that this was a hard lesson to learn. Some people don’t like to share and just because you do something nice for someone, it doesn’t mean they will do the same, even if they are your sister. And that if the only reason to do something nice for someone is to have them reciprocate, then that is not a selfless reason. I also stated that his sister hasn’t learned the art of sharing yet, but she will.

I know that didn’t make him feel better, but I am hoping that the lesson he learned is that the art of giving is a wonderful feeling and you should give without any strings attached. Or maybe he learned to never give anything to his sister.

Turning Eleven

An Eleventh birthday is not a milestone, but it is in the eyes of an eleven year old. She gave me the list of who she wanted to invite to her party, the list went on and on. I told her that it was just going to be a family birthday and that she already had a “big” party when she turned 10. So….she whittled down the list to just grandparents and cousins. That was okay, but I told her it was just for cake. I mean it is not that I am against presents; who don’t love presents, but her birthday was the next day and my plan was to give the presents in the morning of her birthday when she woke up.

I asked her what type of cake she wanted, and then I showed her a picture of an ice cream cake that I found in Taste of Home (where else) that looked good. She said yes. I am glad, because it was 80º on that day. It wasn’t too hard to make either, in fact it was quite easy.

Taste of Home Recipe, Oct./Nov. 2006 issue

1 pkg. (18 oz.) cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed and divided
¼ c. butter, melted
½ gallon vanilla ice cream, softened (the new smaller ice cream containers work just as well)
1 jar (16 oz.) hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
1 carton (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed

In a bowl, combine 3 ¾ c. cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 dish. Spread with ice cream; cover and freeze until set.

Drizzle warmed fudge topping over ice cream cover and freeze until set. Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs. Cover and freeze for 2 hours or until firm. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving.

YIELD: 12 Servings.

Homework

Homework is the hardest thing for my daughter to do. Even studying for a test, she will say, "I know Mom, I know." This past week she has been doing homework until almost 8 p.m. I am there for the most part, but at the same time I am busy making dinner, so it can even be daunting for me to help. She is in the 4th grade and yes she has a focus problem, yes it doesn't always sink in, and yes she gets frustrated. But not as much as when she was younger.

When she was younger she was in a private school and they didn't quite have the teaching ability that I wish they had. So I had to pull her out and put her into a public school. She is now getting the help she needs, but it is still hard for her. My daughter has ADHD and at school she is in a 504 program - I believe that is what they call it. She gets pulled out of her regular class to go to the learning specialist twice a day for 30 minutes each time. We are lucky in that she is one-on-one with the teacher for one 30 minute session and the second one she only has one other child with her.

She has come a long way, but she still has a long way to go. I worry about the junior high school years, what will happen there. There is so much more reading and writing for her to do, will she be able to handle it? Those are tough years even for a child who doesn't have ADHD. I look at my son, who is in junior high, and worry about him too.

Free Milk

Today I am getting free milk. I just watched Good Morning America and they were having the free milk give-a-way. They said to go onto their website (www.abcnews.go.com/GMA) and click on the link “Free Milk for a Year” and it will take you to the website. You do have to fill out info, such as your name, address, birthday, e-mail address. That was fine with me. Now I wasn’t an instant “Free Milk for a Year”, but they did give a coupon for a free half-gallon chocolate milk with the purchase of a gallon of milk. I thought that was a pretty good deal. I normally don’t buy chocolate milk; I make it myself, but since I do buy a gallon of milk a week, why not get some chocolate milk for the kids for free? This promotion is good through February 9, 2011, so you are able to submit an entry every day for the give-away. Hopefully I will remember every day to register.

Last night I made scalloped potatoes with regular Idaho potatoes and some I added some sweet potatoes for a different flavor. It was okay, I mean it wasn’t yucky and we ate it all, but it didn’t have any “yum” factor. I might try to cut them into pieces, sauté them with olive oil and finish cooking them in the oven, maybe with some oregano, salt and pepper and see how that tastes.

Bread Pudding

Bread pudding was not a popular choice of dessert for me when I was younger. I would have chosen cake, pastry, ice cream, or chocolate instead of bread pudding. But as I have grown older, I have acquired a taste for it. It is especially delicious hot out of the oven with some vanilla ice cream next to it. Or cooled down and some fresh whipped cream put on top.

I had some leftover bread the other day and I didn’t want it to go to waste. So out came the recipe and away I went. Bread pudding is very easy to make, it only calls for 5 ingredients and everyone has these five ingredients in their house all the time. I will sometimes add to the recipe just for a change. I have added chocolate chips; the children especially like that. This last time I added orange rind and orange juice to the recipe, very tasty with a hint of orange.

Bread pudding Ingredients

2 large eggs, room temperature
2 ¼ c. whole milk (I use 2% - it still comes out fine)
½ c. sugar
1 ½ t. cinnamon (Watkins)
5 c. cubed or torn stale white bread (or use whatever bread on hand) I prefer to tear the bread – it will give the pudding a more rustic look.

Heat oven to 350º. In large bowl, thoroughly mix eggs, milk, sugar and cinnamon. Add the bread and stir gently until fully covered with egg mixture. Pour into greased 8x8 Pyrex. Bake for 45 minutes or until knife comes out clean and pudding is lightly browned and puffed on edges. Serves 6.

I have made the bread pudding the night before and cooked in the morning for a breakfast treat. Have it with some coffee or tea and enjoy.

Bread Crumbs

There are a lot of recipes that call for bread crumbs. My question is why purchase bread crumbs when you can make them yourself. Whey you buy sliced bread there is always the end pieces that go to waste and end up being thrown away. I always take those end pieces and put them into the food processor and whirl away. The longer they are blended, the finer the crumbs become. Then I will end up using them in a recipe or put them into a plastic bag and put into the freezer for a later use.

I have used bread crumbs for hamburger patties. When I make the patties, besides the egg to bind the hamburger together, I add some bread crumbs (usually about ¼ cup, salt and pepper, some onions and if there is any barbeque sauce I add that also.) Then I put them on the grill and fire away.

I will also use the bread crumbs as a topping for macaroni & cheese or broccoli casserole. I don’t notice a difference if the bread crumbs are from white or wheat bread. I sometimes add seasonings to the bread crumbs.

Bread crumbs have also been used for breaded chicken, etc. Use your imagination and go wild.