Posts Tagged ‘recipe’
Autumn is definitely in the air here in upstate New York. Mornings and evenings are chilly ~ and I always know that when I wake up to heavy fog, fall can’t be far behind. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Autumn where we live is so incredibly beautiful, although I hate that winter follows close behind. :( I can’t wait for my favorite honeycrisp apples, though! (Did you know that they are patented? How interesting!) When September 1st rolled around, I was in disbelief. This year has gone by so fast! My birthday will be here before I know it. (I’m turning 29 … again.)
Anyway, I thought that I would share an autumn recipe find with you: Cheesy Squash Casserole. It’s from Food TV’s website, courtesy of “Uncle Bubba” ~ and we all know that any recipe associated with Paula Deen is probably a winner! :) We usually get lots of squash this time of year through our weekly CSA share. I can see this dish with potatoes added, too. Hey ~ anything covered with cheese is a hit in my book! :)
What is your favorite dish to fix during the autumn season? I’m thinking about doing an “Autumn in New York” blog giveaway here very soon, featuring a bunch of yummy fall goodies from our area for one lucky reader. Stay tuned!
Lots of you wanted the potato soup recipe that I used the other night … so here it is! :)
6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 1/2 C water
1/2 C chopped onion
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 C shredded cheese
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
In a 3.5- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine potatoes, water, onion, bouillon cubes, and pepper. Cover; cook on low for 9-11 hours or high 4-4 1/2 hours. Stir cheese and milk into soup. Cover, cook on Low 1 more hour or on High 30 minutes more. Mash potatoes slightly.
Lucas sat down on our living room floor this morning and drew a school bus! Pretty good, huh? He *loves* school buses, and I keep thinking about how he’ll be riding one before we know it. He keeps telling us that he has to be 10 years old before he can ride one, though! :)
How are you guys doing today? I totally slept like *crap* last night. And I’m a “single mom” from now until Sunday, when Jeff gets home from Texas. Pray for me! LOL! :) I think that I’m totally going to crash at some point today. I’d *love* to take a nap this afternoon, but I don’t know whether that’s possible with Meredith not taking naps anymore. She gave up naps when she gave up her crib (Lucas did the same thing). But it’s a tradeoff … she does *really* well now with falling asleep at night! Anyway, I’m *so* tired today that I’m not expecting to get a whole lot done. I’m not awake at all. I *have* to put in a few loads of laundry and do the dishes, though, because we have no plates on which to eat!
Speaking of food … one of Lucas’s preschool teachers asked him yesterday what he ate for Thanksgiving dinner. Lucas responded, “Crackers.” LOL! :) Yes, that’s true … we did have crackers and cheese … but he sure ate a lot more than just that! His teacher said that she wishes she had thought of that ~ it would have made cooking much easier! :) I made some potato soup from scratch last night, and it was *so* good. It was a slow cooker recipe that Carol gave me a long time ago, but I turned it into a top-of-the-stove recipe. That’ll be lunch today, along with some rosemary-olive oil bread! Yum!
I apologize for my cranky blog entry yesterday, but I sure felt better after venting. It was just one of those days. My post was very real, actually. Lots of times, I feel like I’m *always* writing sunny and cheery things here (or not truly expressing what I’m feeling because I don’t want anyone to think that I’m a bad mom). So it felt good to get some frustrations out for a change.
I’ve been up cooking since 7:30 this morning and am *loving* every minute of it! The cranberry sauce (recipe from Carol) is done, as are the pumpkin pies, most of the veggie and cheese tray, and the Thanksgiving Cake (a traditional family recipe). This afternoon, I’m going to prepare my grandma’s mashed potatoes for baking tomorrow. Aside from that, the vegetables can be done tomorrow right beforehand, and the crackers just need to be placed onto the tray along with the with dip. Yay for being prepared! :) I absolutely *love* the day before Thanksgiving. It’s *so* much fun to be at home cooking up a storm!
Stopped by Big Lots this morning to get a few things (I secretly *love* Big Lots ~ OK, so it’s not a secret anymore!). I was out of shampoo and conditioner and found some VO5 Moisture Milks Strawberries & Cream for only 79 cents apiece. What I *really* wanted was the Suave kind, but I haven’t seen that for a while in our stores. I always loved the fragrance and how it made my hair smell like strawberries all day long!
By the way, I’m still knitting but have hit a snag (pun intended!). I can cast on just fine and knit the first row, but every row past that is *so* freaking tight. Also, it seems like the first half of the stitches look just fine, but then the yarn becomes *very* dense ~ like something is getting twisted? I have no clue. I’m going to play around with it some more later, but the rest of today will be spent cleaning!
One final note: my *sincere* sympathies go out to Rachel, who lost her grandfather on Friday. I was *so* sad to hear that news. I know what it’s like ~ my grandpa passed away back in February. My heart really goes out to her. It’s hard to think about how he won’t get to see this Thanksgiving.
You may be wondering why I recently uploaded pictures of our dirty stove to Flickr. I love Mr. Clean Magic Erasers *so* much that the company actually mailed me a box full of free goodies! Included were the supplies for conducting a test to see whether Mr. Clean Magic Erasers clean things around the house better than “the leading brand,” which is Clorox spray cleaner with bleach. We’ve been using Mr. Clean Magic Erasers for a long time now ~ well, ever since having children! LOL! :) They’re wonderful. No need to convince me that they absolutely rock. But they sent a new fragrance that I hadn’t tried yet … Citrus & Light. Mmm, very nice for the kitchen! It was fun trying something new! There was a nice letter from a lady on their marketing staff, too.
Anyway, first I used both products to clean soap scum off two tiles they provided. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser worked *so* much better, although I wonder whether the tiles were actually covered with a soap material or whether it was some kind of “simulation.” Regardless, I’ve used Mr. Clean Magic Erasers in our bathroom, and they work like a charm.
Next, I used the Crayola marker that they provided to draw on each tile. Both products worked exactly the same to remove the red marker, although I think that the Magic Eraser was a bit neater (no spray everywhere). Also, they provided me with a box of Crayola crayons to draw on a blank wall to see which brand removed the crayon marks better. Without a doubt, it was the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Lucas went through a phase (around age two) when he colored on everything ~ most often, our walls. For a while, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers were the only thing that saved my sanity! LOL! :)
The company even sent me a wooden spoon with a recipe card attached. The directions said, “Use the enclosed wooden spoon to prepare Mr. Clean’s chili recipe and make a mess!” LOL! :) So, I did. (Well, I actually made my own chili recipe with ground turkey.) I then did a test to see which product cleaned our dirty stove better. Honestly, they both did a good job, but I think that the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser did a little bit better. We usually use a liquid flat-top stove cleaner, but the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser was much more convenient. The only thing that I’m wondering is whether Mr. Clean Magic Erasers could be manufactured with antibacterial properties? That would be super nice for the kitchen and bathrooms, in particular.
My favorite Mr. Clean Magic Eraser fragrance is the Meadows & Rain. So refreshing and makes our house smell *so* good. We also use the liquid cleaner (diluted) in order to wash things around the house, such as wood floors and kitchen tile. One thing I noticed in the marketing information they sent me, though, is that there’s also another fragrance: Lavender Vanilla & Comfort. I *definitely* want to try that one but haven’t seen it in our stores yet. Also, I didn’t know that Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Wipes existed. That’s awesome! The website also gives good tips for how to use everything.
It was *so* cool to receive a free “test” in the mail. Just a note ~ the company isn’t paying me to review these products on my blog. I just wanted to share the results of the test because I am a sucker for nifty cleaning supplies (and these work wonderfully). I highly recommend Mr. Clean Magic Erasers to anyone ~ especially to those of you out there who have children! :)
Is anyone interested in receiving a coupon for $1 off any StarKist Tuna Creations or StarKist Tuna Pouch (4 oz. or larger)? I received four of them in the mail and actually don’t like tuna. These little booklets have a yummy-sounding recipe for tomato pesto bruschetta, though. Just leave a comment here or e-mail me and let me know, and I’ll send you a booklet in the mail.
Speaking of cool stuff … check out the Tea Collection of children’s clothing by Forest and Zoe. Totally expensive ($73 for a hooded sweater tunic!), but look how adorable this floral knit dress is. I can see Meredith wearing that this fall. I love this one, too ~ pretty stripes! And this dress is adorable for autumn. In fact, check out all of their new arrivals. I could seriously go crazy shopping … better hide my wallet! :) By the way, if you’d like to spend $271.50 on a navy-blue dress for your little sweetie, here you go. It’s gorgeous! They also sell diaper cakes and knit toys. Cool site!
I feel much more accomplished now that I’ve purchased the supplies to make Meredith’s birthday cake. I found a cake pan, cake board, pink and clear edible glitter, and pink icing coloring at the local cake decorating store. We have a Pinkie Pie to go on top, and I’m thinking that maybe we could create a “meadow” with green-colored coconut? Maybe also a blue stream? Thank goodness I’ll have a lot of help with this. LOL! :)
I feel like we’ve been running nonstop since getting home from our vacation on Sunday. By the way, several people have asked me about how to get into Canada. One of the security officials at the border told us that all you need (if you’re driving) is a birth certificate and a driver’s license, but come June 2009 you might also need to have a passport. The law isn’t set in stone yet, though. I do know that if you’re flying into Canada, you definitely need a passport. We’re happy to know that we won’t need passports in order to attend our friend Chuck’s wedding this October. But we’ll need to double check beforehand to make sure that nothing has changed.
I think that I’ll bake some caramel-banana cupcakes for our farmers’ market tomorrow. I found the recipe in Rachael Ray’s latest magazine issue. Maybe I could also try selling my photo note cards at the farmers’ market ~ especially the ones that feature local photos. I haven’t had any luck on Etsy yet, but we’ll see. I know that I just have to be patient. In the meantime, I’ve been having fun shopping for photo-related stuff on sale online. We should get more storage space! :)
I can’t get over how *cool* our weather is! I actually turned on the furnace for a little while yesterday morning because I was freezing. In the mornings, it has been around 54 degrees! The kids wanted to play at the playground yesterday, and I actually put jackets on them. I’m not quite ready for fall, but I have to admit that my thoughts are starting to turn toward honeycrisp apples and long sleeves! :) I just called our local orchard to find out when honeycrisp apples will be ready, and they said about the third week in September. Can’t wait.
Ugh ~ I’m exhausted again today. But I just *had* to stay up until midnight watching Misty and Kerri get that GOLD! And in the pouring down RAIN! Oh, I am *thrilled* for them! While I am *incredibly* excited about swimmer Michael Phelps and his unbelievable athletic achievements, Misty and Kerri have my heart. They’re *so* amazing, and I just love watching beach volleyball. What an awesome team they make. And I’m excited to hear that they’re both planning to start families after the Olympics! It would be neat if they were both pregnant together, since they have already shared so much together! Volleyball is one sport that I don’t suck at (I actually wanted to try out for my junior high’s team but never did). It’s *so* much fun to play. I was on the edge of my seat last night. SO happy for them!
We had lots of fun yesterday at our friend Nathaniel’s fifth birthday party. It poured down rain, which moved the celebration inside ~ but that gave the kids an opportunity to create a really fun craft (birds made from decorated paper plates and plastic spoons). I’d never heard of that before.
The food was delicious … homemade baked macaroni and cheese, spicy meatballs (I *definitely* need to get the recipe for those!), cucumber sandwiches, fruit salad, chicken wings, pizza, and of course a *delicious* birthday cake (with a train theme). We bought Nate a science kit (with which he can create his own underwater volcano), and I hope that it won’t make too much of a mess! :) Lucas didn’t eat much because he was *so* engrossed in playing with toys. Meredith was *all* about the balloons and the ball that she received as a party favor! She also took off her shoes in order to try on someone else’s (our girl has a “shoe thing”), and she also climbed into Elinor’s high chair. (Elinor is Nate’s sister ~ she turns one in a few weeks.) It was funny to think about this time last year … Nora wasn’t here yet! How time flies. This past year has gone by *so* quickly.
Anyway, I took some pictures yesterday, but shooting in Manual mode didn’t really work. Most were blurry, and the ones where I used a flash ended up with all kinds of shadows. :( I need to learn more about taking good pictures indoors.
So now, I have “birthday on the brain.” Meredith’s second birthday will be here before we know it (just two months away!), and we’ve decided to do a “My Little Pony tea party” theme. Won’t all of the guys just *love* that? Yes, I’m thinking about dainty little tea sandwiches, pink and purple balloons, ponies everywhere, and plenty of different teas to try. I sat Meri on my lap this morning and looked up My Little Pony party supplies (watch out, Checking Accounts! LOL!), and when she saw everything she pointed to the screen and said, “Oooooooh!” How much would she *love* having a pony birthday cake?
Party ideas are welcome! (I had a My Little Pony when I was a kid. I think that her name was Butterscotch, but I can’t exactly remember. I loved brushing her mane. Isn’t it funny that lots of the toys from when we were kids are now making a comeback?) My Little Pony is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, too!
A friend is coming over tomorrow morning to watch Lucas and Meredith while I conduct an interview for a feature story that I’m writing for our local newspaper. I said that maybe after I get back, she could stay and have lunch with us (as a way of thanking her for babysitting). But now, I need to figure out what to serve! I swear ~ despite all of the fantastic cookbooks that we own, sometimes I just can’t figure out what to make. I know that she likes quiche, but I fixed that the last time she came over. Rachael Ray’s latest magazine has lots of awesome-sounding recipes, so maybe I’ll go through and see whether anything jumps out at me.
Speaking of food … I had *oh* such a healthy lunch today: chicken nuggets dipped in honey, Lucas’s uneaten “Cars” Spaghettios, and a bunch of sugar wafers (which I needed to buy today in order to make Martha Stewart’s No-Bake Chocolate and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars). Why do I do that to myself? I went to the grocery store hungry, so it was difficult not to pig out when I brought everything home. *sigh* If I keep this up, I’m going to need something crazy like Leptitrex, LOL! :)
Oh, here’s a funny story. I stopped at the post office this morning to mail an eBay package, and an elderly gentleman pointed out to me that I had a leaf or something on the back of my white skirt. I took a look, laughed, and said, “Oh, yes I do … thanks so much for telling me!” He left, and I turned back to the counter and said to our postmaster, “Hey ~ does that mean that he was looking at my rear end?” She laughed and said, “He’s a guy. All guys do that.” :D
I took a “weather and climate” class in college. Back then, my dream was to become a TV journalist ~ so I figured that knowing a little bit about the weather would help. I thought that I could occasionally step away from the anchor desk and fill in as the TV station’s meteorologist if necessary. LOL! :) I am *so* not a science or math person, though, so I was *plenty* nervous about how I would get through the class. Surprisingly, I *totally* fell in love with the subject! I put a *lot* of effort into it, too (and sometimes wonder what happened to my lab partner). We learned about isobars, fronts, climate history, different types of clouds, how hail forms, you name it. Since then, I’ve been fascinated by meteorology (and even had secret dreams of working as a weather forecaster). And actually, when I switched gears and decided that newspaper reporting was best for me, weather knowledge *did* come in handy with all of the weather stories that I reported on. I’m *very* glad that I took that class. So when I saw this professional weather station online, I started drooling. You can even use it to upload weather data to your computer! (Make sure to check out other items on sale here, too.) I know that Liz has a weather station at her home, so if you’d like to know more, she’d be the person to contact. But someday, I’d also like to have a professional weather station at our house. Didn’t know that I’m a bit of a “weather geek,” did you? :)
OK ~ let’s completely change topics. (Although weather can definitely affect baking on occasion!) This morning, I decided to bake a cake (with Lucas’s help) to take over to our friends’ house tomorrow to thank her for inviting us over for a playdate. I used a simple recipe from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. Lucas *loves* to bake with me, but … it’s just *so* hard to let him go and do things on his own instead of me correcting everything. (Do you know what I mean?)
He’s not very neat about putting flour into the mixing bowl, and when I’m not looking, he tries to dump a bunch of other stuff in (to “help”). Like this morning, he *desperately* wanted to break the eggs into the bowl, but I told him that some parts Mommy has to do. He got kind of upset and squeezed my hand just as I was about to break the egg ~ and a few eggshells went into the batter. It was a mess. I should have just *let* him break the eggs himself and then fished the eggshells out later. No big deal, right? But … it’s just *very* difficult for me to “let go” when it comes to things like that. (I am such a perfectionist!) Sometime, I should let him make his own cookies. Whatever ingredients he wants to add. And let him mix everything up by himself and put the cookies onto the baking sheet himself. I shudder to think about how they might turn out (LOL!), but he’d have a *blast* doing it and would probably learn a lot. When it comes to cooking with the kids, I kind of “hover” too much and take over ~ and I need to work on that.
Reminds me of the time when I attempted to make tomato soup from scratch for the first time, by myself. I have *no* idea what ingredients I added, but it turned out bright pink. Didn’t use a recipe. So nasty. But hey ~ I learned how *not* to make tomato soup! :)
