Shel's Creative Emporium

Avocado BLT

2012-02-01T08:30:00.000-06:00

This is a fun, creamy, and somewhat healthier version of a BLT (healthier than using mayo).

In place of the mayo: smash a ripe avocado. Squeeze half a fresh lemon and mix. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Spread the avocado mixture on one half of a bun. Top with crispy bacon, lettuce and tomato. Yum!

Skinny Broccoli Mac

2012-01-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

Skinny Broccoli Mac

12 oz high fiber or whole grain elbow macaroni
2 Tbsp light butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup minced onion
2 cups skim milk
1 cup fat free vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
2 cups reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
12 oz broccoli florets
1/8 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
cooking spray

Cook pasta and broccoli together in a large pot (slightly under cook by a minute or two). Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375*

In a large skillet, melt butters. Add onion and cook 2 minutes over low heat. Add flour and cook another minute. Add milk and broth, whisk over medium high heat until it comes to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until sauce becomes thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove sauce from heat, add cheese and mix well. Add macaroni and broccoli. Mix well. Pour into baking dish. Top with grated cheese and bread crumbs. Spray with cooking spray.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Skinny Coconut Chicken Salad

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000-06:00

Skinny Coconut Chicken Salad with Warm Honey Mustard Dressing

6 chicken tenderloins (about 12 oz)
6 Tbsp shredded coconut
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp unseasoned bread crumbs or crushed cornflakes
1/3 cup egg substitutes or 3 egg whites
pinch salt
olive oil spray

6 cups mixed baby greens
1 cup chopped or shredded carrots
1 tomato, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced

Dressing:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp vinegar (white, red wine or balsamic)
2 tsp dijon mustard

Whisk all dressing ingredients together and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350*.

Combine coconut flakes, Panko, bread crumbs (or cornflake crumbs) and salt in a bowl. Put egg whites in a separate bowl.

Lightly season chicken with salt. Dip the chicken in egg; then in the coconut crumb mixture. Place chicken on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly spray with olive oil cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking time.

Mix the salad ingredients together. Top with chicken and dressing.

Chicken Panini with Arugula, Provolone and Chipotle Mayo

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

I made this delicious chicken panini with arugula, provolone and chipotle mayo yesterday and forgot to take a picture. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Grape/Apple Medley

2012-01-25T09:00:00.000-06:00

Here's a quick and healthy dessert option...

Grape/Apple Medley
3 cups green grapes, washed and dried well
4 cups gala apples, diced
1/2 tsp lemon juice
8 oz. fat free Chiobani Greek yogurt
4 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup light agave (or brown sugar)
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Cut grapes in half. Dice apples into small pieces (about the same size as the grapes). Toss with lemon juice to prevent browning.

Mix yogurt, cream cheese, agave or brown sugar and vanilla until well blended. Stir in fruit . Pour into ramekins.

Combine brown sugar and nuts. Sprinkle over top of each ramekin. Chill until ready to serve.

Skinny Squash Enchiladas -- You Must Try These!!!

2012-01-24T08:30:00.000-06:00

These enchiladas are so yummy, super easy to make and have hidden veggies which make them healthy! You absolutely must try these! They are meatless, but you could certainly add some ground beef, pork or turkey if you prefer meat in yours. You can make them as spicy as you like too. I made some mild ones for the kids and some super spicy ones for the grown ups!

Skinny Squash Enchiladas
olive oil
cooking spray
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium scallions, chopped (plus extra for topping)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (plus extra for topping)
2 medium squash (or zucchini would work too), minced or grated
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups grated reduced fat Mexican blend cheese
4-6 low carb tortillas
Fat free yogurt (instead of sour cream) - optional, for topping

Optional spicy enchilada sauce:
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp chipotle chilis in adobe sauce (optional for more heat, but warning, it is very spicy!)
1 cups tomato sauce
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup fat free vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

Make the enchilada sauce: in a medium saucepan, spray oil and saute garlic. Add chipotle chile, chili powder, cumin, broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.

Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400*.

In a medium skillet, saute garlic, scallions and squash for about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove from heat and stir in about 1/2 cup of cheese. Mix well.

Divide the vegetable mixture among the tortillas. Roll up and place seam side down in a baking dish. Top with enchilada sauce and remaining cheese and bake for about 20 minutes or until cheese melts. Top with cilantro, scallions and yogurt. Enjoy!

Skinny Sloppy Jacks

2012-01-23T13:44:00.003-06:00

I have become obsessed with Weight Watcher meals lately. This one I found on a website, and modified it even further. We love sloppy joes at my house (but we call them Sloppy Jacks, for obvious reasons) and any chance I can sneak veggies into meals, I do it!!!

Skinny Sloppy Jacks
1.25 lbs lean ground beef sirloin or turkey
1 tbsp steak seasoning
1 carrot, minced
1 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, minced
4 oz. mushrooms, minced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste

Chop all the vegetables very fine or use a food processer to mince.

Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add meat and break it up as it cooks. Season with steak seasoning and cook until brown. Add onion, carrots, garlic, mushrooms and red peppers. Reduce heat to medium and add red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Cook 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste. Stir to combine. Cover and reduce heat to simmer, cooking another 5 minutes. Serve over buns with diced dill pickles on top. Each 1/2 cup serving has about 120 calories. Not bad!!

Spicy Turkey Bean Chili & Jalapeno Cornbread

2012-01-12T08:30:00.000-06:00

Spicy Turkey Bean Chili

4 strips bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3 lbs ground turkey

2 cups chopped onion

1/4 cup minced garlic

2 jalapenos, minced

3 Tbsp chili powder

3 Tbsp cocoa powder

4 tsp cumin

2 cans (28 oz) diced tomatoes

2 Tbsp molasses

3 cans (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Raise heat to high, add turkey and cook, breaking turkey apart, about 8-10 minutes.
Add onion, garlic and jalapenos. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cocoa powder and cumin. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute.
Stir in tomatoes, molasses and one cup of water. Salt to taste (about 4 tsp). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, 30 minutes.
Add beans, and continue cooking uncovered, until meat and beans are tender, another 30 minutes. Serve with favorite chili toppings.

Jalapeno Cornbread

4 Tbsp butter

2 cups cornmeal

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cups low-fat buttermilk

1 pickled jalapeno, minced

Preheat oven to 425*. Put butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet; Place in oven until butter is melted and pan is heated (3-5 minutes).
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, and salt; Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and buttermilk.
Carefully remove hot skillet from oven, immediately pour butter into the buttermilk mixture, and whisk to combine. Using a pastry brush, coat bottom and sides of pan with remaining butter.
Stir cornmeal mixture into buttermilk mixtures until just moistened. Stir in jalapeno. Scrape batter into hot skillet, bake until golden, about 25 minutes; Let cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Mushroom Ricotta Pizza

2012-01-11T08:30:00.000-06:00

I apologize for being such a blog-slacker lately. It's a little challenging to be the mother of three, a volunteer at the kids' school, a part-time professional development facilitator and a blogger, all while the kids are home for two weeks during Winter Break. Time just flies by and I can barely keep up. I do have a bunch of recipes to share, so I can promise a few posts this week.

Today's recipe is a concoction of my own.

Start with a whole wheat Boboli pizza crust. Spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese on the crust. Top with mushrooms that have been sauteed in a small amount of olive oil. Then sprinkle a thin layer of mozzarella on top.

Delicious!!!

The Merry Adventures of Peppermint

2011-12-24T14:34:00.000-06:00

December has been such a busy time for us. Our month has been filled with friends, family, field trips, outings and so much fun. Which of course, means, that I have been a terrible blogger! So, I thought I'd catch you up on the adventures of our little elf, Peppermint. Here is a recap of the month's adventures...
(Some are repeats, but I thought I'd just show all the pics in one post)...

Day One - we received Peppermint in the mail, and placed him on the fireplace.

Day Two - found him in the train, taking a joy ride back from the North Pole.

Day Three - caught with his whole body in the candy bowl.

Day Four - made a mess of the crayons and markers, but drew a really cute pic for the kids!

Day Five - Hanging from the chandelier.

Day Six - Stuck, way up high, on the Christmas tree.

Day Seven - Flirting with the girls, while playing a game upstairs. (Lily insisted he was kissing some girls! Heehee)

Day Eight - We found this note on the wall and found him hiding in the plant...

Day Nine - He was playing with marshmallows and created a cute marshmallow snowman, but somebody ate it before I could take a pic!

Day Ten - Cruising in a bug, under the Christmas tree.

Day Eleven - He decided to TP the bathroom and got his tushy stuck in a candle. Hope he didn't burn his bum!

Day Twelve - He was caught in a Pointsettia, listening to Matt's Mp3 player. I think I heard some Green Day coming out of it. LOL

Day Thirteen - Hanging in the shower with a towel around him. Hmmm...He must have been feeling dirty.

On Day Fourteen the elf didn't move. That means that either he didn't have anything good to report to Santa or he forgot. Hmmm....Either way, the kids were really disappointed!

Day Fifteen - He reminded the kids that they were going to the dentist on that day! Thanks, Peppermint!

Day Sixteen - How embarrassing! Glad he didn't hang any of my underwear up there!

Day Seventeen - Snowball fight. I think the bunny lost! ;)

Day Eighteen - Reading a book to the cats and guinea pigs! How sweet!

Day Nineteen - Hmmm. Someboday was hungry!

Day Twenty - Santa asked him to check out the fireplace! ;)

Day Twenty One - Little Peppermint was trying to get buff. He likes the barbell Lily made for him!

Day Twenty Two - Either he is channeling Leo in Titantic and pretending to be "King of the World," or maybe he wants to be like Buzz Lightyear and go to "Infinity and Beyond!"

Day Twenty Three - Somebody wanted to play in the snow!

Day Twenty Four - Guess Peppermint was thirsty. He left a note saying that Santa gave the kids permission to give Peppermint and hug and kiss good-bye since it is his last night with us! We will certainly miss his silly antics!

I wish all of my blog readers a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from my family to yours! God Bless you in 2012 and always! :) xoxo - Michelle

That Sneaky Elf

2011-12-10T09:53:00.000-06:00

A few nights ago, we awoke to that sneaky elf up in the tree. He is quite the climber!

When I woke up the next morning, Lily told me, "The elf has been kissing girls." She took me by the hand and brought me upstairs to show me this scene...

I don't think he was kissing anyone, just playing a card game. Or maybe he was making the dolls hold up numbers to rate the tricks he can do? Who knows?

Today we found this note spelled out in post-it notes. It says, "Peppermint was here."

And he was under the sign, hiding in my plant.

Where do you suppose he'll be next?

Holiday Train Station

2011-12-09T08:30:00.000-06:00

Our village puts on a really nice holiday party every year. They hold the celebration at the local train station and the kids enjoy meeting characters (like the gingerbread couple above)...

and we take a carraige ride like the one below...

We had hot cocoa, and the kids ate chocolate bars, bought some ornaments...

Went on a few rides...

And had enough smiles to share...

Potato Latkes

2011-12-08T09:00:00.000-06:00

Potato Latkes

2 pounds potatoes, peeled

1 medium sweet onion, trimmed

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ cup vegetable oil

Sour cream or applesauce for topping

Coarsely shred potatoes and onion on a box grater or in a food processer. (I have a cool shredding tool that looks like a potato peeler). Combine in a colander or strainer and press out as much liquid as possible. Toss with lemon juice. Stir in garlic.
Transfer to a bowl. Add flour, eggs, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Heat ¼ cup oil in skillet over medium heat.
Scoop a 1/3 cup of the mixture into the hot oil and flatten to ½ inch thick. Repeat, not crowding the pan. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, until brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all mixture is used up.

Holiday Lights at the Zoo

2011-12-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

The other night we headed over to the Holiday Lights at the zoo. Greeting us at the entrance were lots of furry friends that wanted pictures with us! We didn't see a whole lot of real animals that night, but we did see some real reindeer. (They are quite hornery animals. We saw them getting into tangled antler fights quit a bit. One reindeer only had one antler because he lost the other in a fight the previous night. It looked painful.) We also saw some raccoons and owls, bats and wombats, donkey, cows, ducks and chicks. It was so beautiful with all of the lights at night.

We also got to see Mr. and Mrs. Claus. They were really cute! The kids loved it!

Veggie No-Noodle Lasagna

2011-12-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

Veggie No-Noodle Lasagna

2 eggplants, cut into ½ inch rounds

2 zucchinis, cut into ½ inch rounds

2 yellow squash, cut into ½ inch rounds

1 tsp EVOO

½ large yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

24 oz cottage cheese

2 tsp dried oregano

cooking spray

6 oz shredded mozzarella

Fresh basil for garnish

Preheat oven to 375*. Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper and spread eggplant, zucchini and squash out in a single layer. Bake 30 minutes, set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium for 1 min. Add onion and cook, stirring often for 5 min. Add garlic and cook an additional 2 min. Remove from heat. Stir in cottage cheese and oregano.
Lightly coat an 11x17 inch baking dish with zucchini and squash, using all rounds and overlapping to cover the bottom of dish. Top with half of cheese mixture. Arrange eggplant over cheese in the same fashion. Top with remaining cottage cheese mixture and mozzarella. Bake for 30 minutes. Garnish with basil.

Elf Update

2011-12-05T14:08:00.001-06:00

Wondering what our little Peppermint has been up to the past few days?...

Well, one morning the kids found him under a table, making a mess of our markers and crayons.

But he did draw this really cute pic for the kids!

Another morning, they found him getting into the candy bowl...

(notice the wrapper on his head?) There was candy spilled all over the counter too!

He was holding this note to Lily in his hands. She really enjoyed it. She said that the reason that Peppermint's name appears 5 times is because Santa was trying to tell her that Peppermint is 5 years old.

Another this morning they found him...

Hanging from the kitchen chandelier...
Lily decorated a sugar cookie for Peppermint and left it in a tin with this note attached. In the morning, the cookie had been eaten and a little "thank you," was written at the bottom of the note. Guess he liked her cookie. All that was left were crumbs.

I'm wondering what else is in store...

Italian Steak

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Italian Steak

1 lb round steak

flour

salt and pepper

egg (lightly beaten)

sliced mozzarella cheese

oregano

1 large can of tomato sauce

Cut steak into 4-5 pieces. Put onto cutting board and pound both sides with a tenderizer.
Dip each piece into beaten egg and then dredge both side in flour.
Place in frying pan with a little heated oil on bottom. Brown both sides for about a minute and drain.
Place steaks in a foil lined glass casserole dish. Sprinkle with oregano. Cover with tomato sauce. Cover pan with foil. Bake for 1 hour at 350*.
After one hour, top each piece of meat with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Bake until melted.

Easy Maple Pumpkin Pie

2011-12-04T09:00:00.000-06:00

Easy Maple Pumpkin Pie

Premade pie crust

2 large eggs

1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup pure maple syrup

¾ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cloves

Set oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350*. Place the pie plate on a foil lined baking sheet.
Whisk together eggs, pumpkin, cream, syrup, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves.
Poor mixture into crust and bake approx 70 minutes, or until center is set. Let cool to room temp before serving.

Steak and Bacon Crock Pot Roll Ups

2011-12-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

Steak & Bacon Crock Pot Roll-ups

2 lbs round steak

dijonmustard

bacon

1 can beef broth

1/3 cup flour

½ cup water

2 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 cup chopped onion

Spread each steak with mustard and lay a slice of bacon ontop. Roll up with bacon on the inside. Place in crockpot. Combine all other ingredients and poor oversteaks. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Introducing Our Newest Family Member...

2011-12-02T14:51:00.001-06:00

On December 1st a mysterious package arrived on our front door with a note attached. The note said:
Dear Stankevicius Family, Please read the book inside when you are all together tonight. This is a very important gift from someone at the North Pole. When you are finished reading, remind the three children in your home that they are not allowed to touch anything in the box. Your elf will be reporting back to Santa every night. Make sure he always has good news to report. Matt, remember to be kind to your sisters. Do not start trouble and always do your homework. Lily, remember to take your meds every morning and night without arguing and remember not to scream at your brother, sister, mother or father. Zoey, listen to your parents and be helpful to your brother and sister. And go to bed on time. Please remember to NEVER touch your family's elf and look for him every morning to see what kind of silly adventure or trouble he has been in. (Your elf tends to get into trouble a lot!) Happy Holidays, from, your secret friend at the North Pole.

Well, our family had a great time reading the story together. The book said the first thing we needed to do was name him. We decided on Peppermint Snowflake Fruitcake Stankevicius. Sounds great, doesn't it? And wouldn't you know it, the behavior in our house last night was impeccable!! Hmmm...they must really be trying to impress the Big Guy at the North Pole!

When we woke up this morning, we really had to look long and hard before we spotted this little sneakster. He was hiding on one of the wooden train cars on the half-wall.

(Lily snapped this picture this morning!) At least he didn't get into too much trouble on his first night with us! Can't wait to see what else he has in store.

BTW...these will be my first two pics in my December Daily album.

Caramel Apple cheesecake bars

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

CaramelApple Cheesecake Bars

Crust:

2 cupsall-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmlypacked brown sugar

1 cup (2sticks) butter, softened

CheesecakeFilling:

3 (8-ounce)packages cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar,plus 2 tablespoons, divided

3 large eggs

1 1/2teaspoons vanilla extract

Apples:

3 Granny Smithapples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoonground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoonground nutmeg

1/2 cup caramel topping

Preheat ovento 350 degrees F.
In a mediumbowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined withheavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
In a largebowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speeduntil smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pourover warm crust.
In a smallbowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, andnutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streuseltopping. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with carameltopping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy!

StreuselTopping:

1 cup firmlypacked brown sugar

1 cupall-purpose flour

1/2 cup quickcooking oats

1/2 cup (1stick) butter, softened

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it byusing my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.

Cranberry Trifle

2011-11-30T12:25:00.000-06:00

Cranberry Trifle with Candied OrangeZest

2 bags fresh or frozen cranberries

2 ¼ cups granulated sugar

2 tbsp finely grated, peeled fresh ginger

1 8oz bar cream cheese at room temp

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups heavy cream

2 store bought pound cakes

Candied orange zest (see below)

In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, 2 cups granulated sugar, ginger and 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium; cook until cranberries begin to burst, 8-10 minutes. Let compote cool completely.
Make cream filling: Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, brown sugar, remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar and vanilla on high until well combined. With mixer on medium, gradually add heavy cream. Continue beating until soft peaks form.
Arrange 1/3 of cakes in 3 quart serving dish. Spoon 1/3 of compote over cake, spread to sides of dish. Dollop 1/3 of cream filling over and spread to side of dish. Repeat twice. End with cream filling. Cover, refrigerate 2 -24 hours. Garnish with candied orange zest:
In a medium saucepan, bring ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water to a boil, stirring to dissolve. Add zest of 1 orange (peeled into long strips with a vegetable peeler). Simmer, swirling occasionally, until zest is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a plate. Dredge zest in sugar and thinly slice.

Last Day of Attitude of Gratitude - Day 30

2011-11-30T08:30:00.000-06:00

On this last day of November, I would like to end my gratitude journal with a shout out to one of my faves: white merlot.

Today I am thankful for alcohol! :)

Sweet Potato Casserole

2011-11-29T12:04:00.001-06:00

I realize that Thanksgiving is over, but I have had a few requests for some of my Thanksgiving recipes. For the next few days, I'll be finishing up the Attitude of Gratitude posts, as well as posting some recipes.

Also, December is right around the corner and I have decided to participate in the December Daily challenge, like I did last year. The point of the challenge is to take photos every day in December, to showcase how my family celebrates the holidays. Most people who participate in the challenge create an album before the months starts, so that they can print pictures as they go and just pop them into their album. I, of course, can barely find time to sit down and blog, so I will create my album afterwards!

The first recipe up for grabs is my Sweet Potato Casserole. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a pic, so you'll have to imagine what it looks like. LOL

Sweet Potato Casserole

3lbs of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup milk
4 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups mini-marshmallows

Preheat oven to 375*. Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Salt generously. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until easily pierced, about 15-20 minutes.
Drain potatoes and return to pan. Heat over medium, stirring until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat; add milk, butter and nutmeg. Mash until smooth, season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a 2 quart casserole. (To make ahead, refrigerate after this step).
Top casserole with marshmallows and bake until center is warmed through and marshmallows are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Attitude of Gratitude - Day 29

2011-11-29T11:00:00.000-06:00

Thank you, Lord, for modern make-up! Where would we women be without you? LOL

Grateful for a lot - Day 28

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today I am grateful for modern medicine! Enough said!

Gratitude - Day 27

2011-11-27T10:00:00.000-06:00

It may sound silly but I am really grateful for cookies. When I was a kid, I would help my Great Gram bake lots and lots of cookies for the family. She made these amazing cookies that my family still talks about to this day. My mom would also bake tons of cookies. I am so happy to carry on the tradition. I get my kids involved in helping and we usually make about 10 different kinds of cookies. For about the past 8 years or so, I have also been involved in a Christmas Cookie swap with my friends. What a great way to celebrate the holidays and share a piece of heritage and home with friends and family.

Today I am thankful for cookies!

Thankful for... Day 26

2011-11-26T08:30:00.000-06:00

I am allergic to caffeine, so I am unable to indulge in a warm cup of coffee or hot cocoa on a cold, brisk day. I can, however, savor a nice, hot cup of decaf tea. I am so thankful for that!

Grateful for Black Friday Day 25

2011-11-25T09:30:00.000-06:00

Every year on Thanksgiving, my mom, my sisters and I scour the sales ads to plan our itinerary for Black Friday. The next day at the crack of dawn, we brave the crowds (and usually the frigid cold weather) to shop til we drop! One of our usual stops is Old Navy, where each year, my sister, Stef, and I buy ourselves a pair of jeans that are on sale for $15. Needless to say I have a LOT of jeans. One year I counted that I had over 40 pairs of jeans. I've been trying to widdle that pile down by donating jeans to Goodwill, but I just can't get enough of them!

So, today, I am very grateful for a great fitting pair of Old Navy jeans that are on sale at a Black Friday price.

Attitude of Gratitude Day 24

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

Oh, I am so grateful for the ability to take long, hot showers. I do my very best thinking in the shower and usually end up remembering something that I forgot to do the day before! LOL

Attitude of Gratitude - Day 23

2011-11-23T08:30:00.000-06:00

Today I am grateful for an amazing life partner who takes turns with me. Every other night one of us reads books and sits with Zoey while she falls asleep, while the other puts Matt and Lily to bed. One of those jobs is much easier than the other and I'll let you guess which it is.

I am so very grateful for taking turns!

So thankful for...Day 22

2011-11-22T08:30:00.000-06:00

Today I am so grateful that I do not have everything I desire, because then I wouldn't have anything to look forward to.

Attitude of Gratitude - Day 21

2011-11-21T09:00:00.000-06:00

I am so grateful for good t.v. with quality writing and upbeat music and fantastic characters with humor and depth. So very thankful today for shows like the Office, Modern Family, the Middle and Glee!!

Attitude of Gratitude - Day 20

2011-11-20T08:30:00.000-06:00

I am so grateful to live in a place where I can experience all 4 seasons. It really makes me appreciate each season more fully. Although I love to wear flip flops all year round, and can't resist fuzzy velour socks when I'm at home watching t.v., I still appreciate the first snowfall and the first nice day, with the car windows down.

So grateful to experience Mother Nature's four seasons.

Attitude of Gratitude - Day 19

2011-11-19T08:30:00.000-06:00

I am so thankful for my camera. How else would I be able to make time stand still and capture those precious memories for my children to have?

So grateful for my camera.

Attitude of Gratitude Day 18

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

Who doesn't love curling up in front of the fireplace with a good book? Getting lost in an imaginary world with amazing characters? Drifting on an adventure with no worries in sight?

Oh, how I love a good book.

I am so very thankful for the love of reading and great books!

Attitude of Gratitude - Day 17

2011-11-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today I am thankful for art. I always wanted to be an artist when I was a kid. I took my crayons and paper with me everywhere I went and would draw pictures of my family and parents' friends all the time.

Art has been such a cathartic vehicle in my life. When I was pregnant with Matt, I was unable to sleep. I would pace the house in the middle of the night, dreaming up projects to do. So, one day I decided I would start painting. So, I watched some art programs on PBS and read some books and began painting on canvas in the middle of the night. It was so relaxing.

I have been an avid scrapbooker since high school and this hobby has always been a fabulous way to preserve memories and family history and capture my children's lives for them to remember always. I have also met a lot of friends all across the country through the different artistic communities to which I belong.

The Art Institute has always been my absolute favorite museum to visit! I enjoy taking my children there and watching them learn about artists and mediums as well.

I am so very grateful for art!

Scrappy Update

2011-11-16T13:49:00.001-06:00

This weekend I had the opportunity to visit with old friends and spend some time catching up on my scrap. After a little silliness between Margie and I, using Candi's cool photobooth app...

I finally got to some scrappin, and accomplished the following...

Hopefully I'll get a chance to scrap some more during the upcoming weeks, because I'm sure I won't during the holidays!

Attitude of Gratitude - Day 16

2011-11-16T08:30:00.000-06:00

I am so very grateful for good teachers. I have had many in my educational career and I have worked with so many wonderful, amazing teacher. Now, as a parent, I am experiencing the joy of watching my children have great teachers too! So very thankful for good teachers today!

An Attitude of Gratitude - Day 15

2011-11-15T10:00:00.000-06:00

I am thankful to live in (or near) a town with a World Series-winning baseball team! Thank you White Sox for providing me with hours of excitement!

Warning!! Proud, boastful mother post!!!

2011-11-14T14:19:00.001-06:00

This weekend I was one, proud momma!Lily was in her first musical as Mouse #3 in Cinderella: Return of the Glass Slipper! The play was so fabulous! It was all kids and they were so professional and entertaining!

Personally, I think Cinderella and her little mice stole the show! Aren't they super cute??

The entire cast did such a great job! Lily was so happy that so many of her friends and family members (and even her OT and Girl Scout Leaders) came out to cheer her on!

We are so proud of Lily! She is a Super Star! Can't wait for the Spring Musical!!!

I'm grateful for.... Day 14

2011-11-14T10:00:00.000-06:00

After a long stressful day of working, mothering, shlepping or anything...there's nothing like a Culver's concrete! I am grateful for Culver's! Hehehe

Thankful for sooo much - Day 13

2011-11-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

Today I am thankful for the greatest band to ever make music!! I spent years in high school and college blasting their music so loud that I blew out my speakers!! I drove to the ends of the Earth to attend concerts (sometimes 3 times in one weekend!) The best documentary ever made was Cameron Crowe's PJ20! Best song to jam out to on a summer day with the windows rolled down and the warm air blowing my crazy hair all over is RearViewMirror. Best song to listen to while feeling glum is Black! Today I am so very grateful for Eddie Vedder and the greatest band on Earth, Pearl Jam!

IMHO - Day 12

2011-11-12T09:00:00.000-06:00

I know lots of people who like to complain about the current state of the economy, politics, religion and the rest. I happen to love this country, our current president and the freedoms that I have been given! I am so very grateful for the men and women in our armed forces, (some of which are my former students) and the veterans who fought for my freedoms! And today, I am so grateful for this country. God Bless the USA!

Attitude of Gratitude - Day 11

2011-11-11T09:00:00.000-06:00

I come from a close-knit extended family (on both my mom's and dad's side). I grew up spending lots of time with my great grandmother and my second cousin, Stacy. We have so many fond memories of Gram and our sleepovers at her house! I am very grateful for my relationships with my aunts, uncles and cousins. Family is such an important support system and I am lucky to be a part of such a great one!!

Attitude of Gratitude - Day 10

2011-11-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

Today I am most grateful for my health. I have had a few health scares in my life. Nine years ago I nearly died when I went in for a routine gallbladder surgery and had to be admitted for over a week because a stone was blocking my pancreas. I became jaundice and developed pancreatitis and had to leave my 6 month old baby with my parents while I recovered in the hospital. Then, earlier this year, the spot where the bile duct connected to the gallbladder closed up and I was unable to eat for several weeks. I had to have 3 surgeries to repair that. I am so grateful that all is healed and I am once again able to enjoy one of my favorite things on Earth: FOOD! LOL

Also, I am thankful for my exercise buddy, Tracy. She motivates me to exercise daily and I am grateful that I am healthy enough to do this! This pic is pretty old (I had just given birth to a baby girl about two weeks before the pic was taken, so I have a sort of disheveled, new-mom look) but it was the only pic I could find of the two of us! LOL

Happy Birthday Zoey!!!

2011-11-09T09:00:00.000-06:00

Can you believe it has been 3 years already since this little princess was born? I cannot tell you what a joy it is to be this adorable little girl's Mommy. She is the light of my life and I know that God has special things in store for her! Zoey is so sweet and kind and good natured. She is patient and loving and says the sweetest, funniest things. Even when she wakes up in the middle of the night and asks for a cup of milk and we drag our groggy bodies into the kitchen to get her a cup, she looks up and smiles and says, "Thank you Mommy [or Daddy]! I love you!" It melts us every time! She told each person who gave her candy on Halloween to "Have a nice day!" (Without being prompted!) She is the smartest, kindest 3-year-old I know and I am actually a little sad that she is turning 3. I want to keep her this age forever. She is my baby and I want her to stay a baby. But I can't. Life moves forward and she is growing up. Happy birthday, Princess! We love you!!!

Since I already mentioned how grateful I am for my children on Day 1 of my Attitude of Gratitude journal, I will mention something else that I am grateful for today. And that is...Sesame Street. Thank you for teaching me my alphabet and how to count to 12 using a pinball machine. And thank you for keeping my children occupied for hours on end!! They listen to Sesame Street soundtracks in the bath and shower. They play on PBS Kids online. Thanks to Jim Henson and the Muppets and the whole Sesame Street cast of monsters! I am grateful for you!

An Attitude of Gratitude - Day 8

2011-11-08T09:00:00.000-06:00

I have heard the horror stories. Friends and some family members have married into families of inlaws that were...well...just plain scary. I've heard about those hideous controlling Mother-in-Laws, Psycho "Everybody Loves Raymond"-like Father-in-Laws and those Crazy Brother and Sister-in-Laws that are disown-worthy!

Luckily, I don't have any horror stories to tell. Today I am grateful for non-scary, non-controlling, and non-Psycho inlaws!! :)

I have an attitude of gratitude - Day 7

2011-11-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

I have the greatest job! I fell into my job purely by accident (or perhaps by God's intervention), but it was not in my plan. I was teaching full time and just had my second baby when I met some wonderful people from the organization. At the time I didn't know that my child would have special needs, requiring me to spend many days at doctor's offices. But through Divine Intervention, I followed my heart and switched from my full-time teaching career to the part-time position I currently hold. I live the best of both worlds, spending time at schools with the most amazing teachers out there, and spending time at home raising my third child.

Not only that, but the people that I work with are some of the most outstanding human beings on Earth! I adore them and they have taught me so much about professionalism, collegiality and myself!

I am so grateful for my SLI family!!

I am grateful for my friends

2011-11-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

I have the world's greatest friends. I am so sorry to say that some of them are not pictured here because I could not find a digital picture of them! Sue D - the only pic I could find of the four of us was 14 years old (at my wedding) and we were all sweaty from dancing! I guess I should have just scanned it in, but it wasn't flattering and we WILL take a better pic the next time we are together!

Anyway, I don't care if these pics are flattering or not, I love my friends...near and far...each and every one of them have seen me through good times and bad, have made me smile and I wouldn't survive without them! Thank you to all of my friends - pictured here or not! I am so so thankful for you!!

Attitude of Gratitude - Day 5

2011-11-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful that I am not an only child. Who else would I tease, argue with and shop for?
I'd be alone on Black Friday. I'd have no one to buy the $14.99 Black Friday special jeans with (right, Steff?), no one to collect the JCP one-inch snowglobe (right, Jackie?) and I'd have no babysitters and no Godmothers for my children and no aunties to spoil them rotten.
Thank God for sisters.

My attitude of gratitude - Day 4

2011-11-04T08:30:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful for my parents.

I am thankful for the values they instilled in me. I am thankful that they raised me to be appreciative, especially of education. I am thankful that they live a mile away and have a good relationship with my children. I am thankful that they are young, spry and healthy.

I am very lucky that I knew all four of my grandparents growing up, and I even knew 3 of my great grandmother's quite well too. I am grateful that my children get to spend quality time with my parents and that they get to enjoy the love of grandparents too.

An attitude of gratitude - Day 3

2011-11-03T10:25:00.001-05:00

Today I am grateful that my children go to an amazing school in a fantastic school district. The teachers and staff at the schools where my children have attended have exceeded my expectations (which are incredibly high considering I am an educator). It is not easy having a child with special needs and the schools have worked proactively to prevent any misshaps. They have been so understanding and compassionate. I feel blessed knowing that I don't have to homeschool them (which would cause me to lose my mind!) They are safe and loved and learning!!

Stay tuned for more bits of gratitude, and remember that these will appear in no particular order, so don't be upset if something comes before you during the month!

November Gratitude Journal - Days One and Two

2011-11-02T16:20:00.000-05:00

Oh, crap. Is it November 2nd already? Well, I'm a day late, but I forgive myself. This November I wanted to share a list of what I am grateful for. I thought it would be nice to post something different each day that I am truly feeling appreciative of or for.

So, I'll post two today to make up for yesterday.

This morning I watched a dvr'ed episode of Oprah's Lifeclass. It was the most horrific story I have ever, ever, ever....heard. Without going into details, a woman lived through the death of her four children. It was so unbelievably moving. I sobbed through the entire episode. I just wanted my kids to come home from school today so I could hug them all. So, of course, I'm going to begin this daily account of gratitude by saying how truly grateful I am for my wonderful three children. We don't have a perfect life and there are many ups and downs, but Thank God that they are in my life!!

And, how could I handle all of those ups and downs without my amazing partner in crime? Who else would I drink wine with after a long day of child-rearing? LOL Who else could I complain to? Who else would understand exactly what I want to say without my even saying a word? No one could be better at nearly everything in our home (except playing Words with Friends), than my loving husband, Jack. I am sooo, sooo, sooo grateful for him.

Stay tuned, I have 28 more days of gratitude to come! Hehehe

Halloween Fun

2011-11-01T14:00:00.002-05:00

Since the month of October was pretty much spent on wedding festivities and Girl Scout activities, we had to cram all of our Halloween family fun into the weekend before Halloween.

We aren't complaining, because we still made the very best of it. It was just not as savored as usual. We began with a party at the local library. It was dark, so I wasn't able to get any good pics, but Matt won an award for scariest costume and Zoey won for cutest costume. Lily played lots of games at the party and came home with a bunch of prizes!

Then we began the art of making the dreaded gingerbread house. ARgh! They are not my friend. I don't have the patience to hold pieces of gingerbread together while the frosting dries and the pieces slip this way and that, eventually toppling over. But this year, my sous chef, Jack, took over and did a fantastic job!!

I usually buy a pumpkin for each family member, but because we were carving them so late, I only bought two. One of Matt's buddies came over to help us carve our pumpkins...

This year we just couldn't squeeze in a trip to our favorite pumpkin patch. Instead, we took a trip over to Odyssey Halloween Fun Farm and the kids had a blast. It was really cold, but they had so much fun burying themselves in corn kernels, riding the cow train, watching pig races and making their way through the scariest inflatable I've ever seen: The Beast. Matt and Lil said it was like a haunted house inside. Ew!

The kids each had a really fun party at school. Zoey's Prepper class decorated milk cartons and made them look like haunted houses that they filled with candy. Jack went to the 3rd and 4th grade party and got to run the bushel basketball game for Matt's class and the other 3rd and 4th graders. I helped out with the 1st and 2nd grade party, running the treasure chest ring-toss game.

Afterschool, the kids headed out for some tricks or treats...

My cute little witch. Zoey was so sweet when I took her out trick-or-treating. She would usually yell "Trick or Treat" before people even opened the door. LOL And, when they would put candy in her pumpkin, she would say, "Thank you. Have a nice day!" It was adorable!!!

Maddy, Zoey, Matt and Lily made out like bandits with candy!!

At a couple houses, Matt had to take off his mask because there was a little one-year-old baby trick-or-treating behind us and she was frightened of his face! LOL

The three little witches did a lot more trick-or-treating than Matt the Zombie. Every year he will go down 2-3 blocks and then calls it a night. The girls came in to warm up with some hot cocoa and went back out about 3 more times!!

When all was said and done and the kids counted and sorted their loot, we hunkered down for some good ol' fashioned family fun. It was Family Halloween Poker, of course!! LOL

Lily seemed to have the best luck. I think she had three-of-a-kind about three of four times. Unbelievably good luck! So basically, she won all of her candy back! Hehe Matt did pretty well too. He had a straight and lots of pairs! It was a nice way to end a busy weekend!

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and a happy Halloween! How did you spend the spooky day?

A couple professional pics...

2011-10-26T11:25:00.003-05:00

Mandy at Love Above Photography rocks!!! Here is her sneak peek at what is to come...

Awesomesauce to the maxxxx!!! Love it!

The Official McCabe Wedding Blog Post

2011-10-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

If you are my friend of Facebook, you have probably already viewed the approximately ten million photos and video clips of my sister's wedding, but I have a few friends that are not on Facebook (actually, only you, Sue D.) LOL. No, just kidding. There are a few, so here are some pics from the lovely day.

We began the day, bright and early at Salon Vis a Vis in Frankfort, where they worked miracles doing our hair and make-up!!

I'm going to rat out my baby sister, Steff, right now and let everyone know that some of this hair is not really hers...

This was sweet Baby Zuzu's hair before she took a nap and slept all over it...

Beautiful bridesmaids: Kim and Kelly...

And check out this awesome hair on the lovely bride, Jackie...

After the miracles were done, we headed over to my house for lunch...

Jackie and Kenny had their first look at each other before the ceremony and they stepped out to take a few pics of that special moment.

One of the very handsomest men there...My baby...(Please don't call him Justin Bieber! He gets really mad! He didn't like it when the whole bridal party started singing Baby in the limo!)

And the two adorable junior bridesmaids...

The bridesmaids...

After lunch, the bridal party headed out to Wheaton for some outdoor photos at Catigny. It was super pretty. We even took a fun ol' hay ride (on which we sang every song we could possibly sing with the words 'hay' or 'ride' in them and even a few that we made into Hayride songs!)

(I don't have any pics of Cantigny or the hayride, so I'll have to post those later).

After a few chilly hours of pics we went to the gorgeous country club for the lovely ceremony...

Since I was in the wedding party, I don't have any pics of the ceremony either. I stole these from some of Jackie's friends who posted it on her Facebook wall. Thanks to them...

We took lots more pics on the golf course and then headed inside for the reception...

This is really hard to see (because Angela's camera sucks) but it is the introductions of the bridal party. J & K are huge Harry Potter fans, so we all wore a lightning bolt on our foreheads, the Harry Potter glasses (mine broke, so I had purple sunglasses) and carried in wands. The bride and groom had the Harry Potter tie and scarf around their necks....

On to the amazing dinner...

My mom and two of her sisters...

Kenny was a big Lego fan as a kid...

And, if you haven't heard by now, there was a totally epic flash mob at the ceremony. My sister loves the show Glee and is a huge Lady Gaga fan, so in the middle of the reception, each of the girls in the wedding party threw on a shirt that one of the Glee cast members wore in the Lady Gaga episode. When "Born This Way," came on, the dance floor cleared and we ran out to get the little mob started. The video is up on my facebook wall, so if you are not on facebook, you'll have to wait until you see me next to watch the video. Sorry!!

Here are some still pics of the Flash Mob...

Of course, no wedding is complete without some very fun photo booth pics...

Can you guess who these silly peeps are?

It was wonderful and we wish all the best to the happy couple!!

Stay tuned for more pics as they trickle in...

Tomorrow...Tomorrow...I love you...Tomorrow

2011-10-21T09:40:00.002-05:00

Last night was the big rehearsal at the country club. It was a bit frigid out there, but the weather is supposed to be much nicer tomorrow.

I think it's going to be a gorgeous wedding!

Here are some pics that showcase a preview of what's to come. (Sorry for the bad angle. It wasn't easy taking pics while standing as a bridesmaid at the same time.)

Looking foward to gathering with lots of friends and family tomorrow!!

Best wishes to Kenny and Jackie!!

Slow Cooker Texas Chili

2011-10-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I don't have a picture. It's been cloudy here and I forgot to take a pic before we ate! LOL

But this recipe is too good NOT to share!

Slow Cooker Texas Chili

2.5 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2 inch cubes
2 tbsp packed light brown sugar
salt
2 tbsp oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
5 cloves minced garlic
2 cans (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 can garbanzo beans
1 jalapeno, diced
3/4 cup chili powder
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes with chiles
1-2 tbsp green hot sauce
1 1/2 cups water
sliced scallions and sour cream for topping

Toss beef with brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Heat oil in skillet over med-high heat. Cook beef until browned on all sides. Put into slow-cooker.
Add onion to skillet, lower heat and cook until soft. Stir in garlic, chiles, cumin, chili powder and cook 3 minutes more. Add 1 1/2 cups water and the tomatoes and simmer, scraping up browned bits from bottom. Transfer to slow-cooker. Add jalapeno and beans. Cook on low, 7 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add remaining 1 tbsp brown sugar and hot sauce before serving. Top with scallions and sour cream in a bowl.

Baked pork chops w gravy and an apple pie

2011-10-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

Last night for dinner I tried this recipe from the Campbell's Kitchen for Baked Pork Chops. It was yummy.

Then, for dessert I made this yummy streusel apple cranberry pie. (It's an old Pampered Chef recipe).

Streusel Apple Cranberry Pie

Topping:

1/4 cup flour

1/4 brown sugar

3 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Filling:

1/2 pkg (1 crust) refrigerated pie crust

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup dried cranberries

2 tsp orange zest

7-8 Jonathan apples

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Mix together sreusel topping ingredients until crumbly. Set aside.

2. Let pie crust sit at room temp for 15 minutes. Combine sugar, flour and spices in bowl. Add cranberries and zest; mix well. Set aside.

3. Core and slice apples Toss in sugar mixture and set aside.

4. Line a deep dish pie plate with crust. Spoon apple mixture into crust. Sprinkle evenly with topping.

5. Bake 50-55 minutes or until apples are tender and golden brown.

Welcome Fall

2011-10-05T08:30:00.000-05:00

We had some beautiful weather this past weekend, so we decided to take advantage and get some exercise at the same time. We took the kids for a walk down the Old Plank Historic Trail. It's an old historic, 21-mile path through some gorgeous wooded areas, with a few parks snuck in here-and-there. Fall is our favorite time to walk on the trail too. The colors are amazing! I included a collage of the brightly colored pics above and some of my favorite close-ups in b&w below.

And here are a couple new layouts (using the same design and papers, but flipped). Thanks for looking!

Caramel Pecan Bread Pudding

2011-10-04T08:30:00.000-05:00

Caramel Pecan Bread Pudding

1 pkg (about 6) egg bagels

3 cups milk

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup butterscotch ice cream topping

Preheat oven to 325*. Cut bagels into 1 inch pieces and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly toasted. Cool slightly. Transfer to a deep oval baking pan.

Combine milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon in bowl with wire whisk. Pour mixture over bagels and let stand 15 minutes. Stir well.

Sprinkle pecans over mixture. Drizzle with butterscotch topping. Bake 50 minutes or until pudding is puffed and knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes.

Salted Caramel Apple Tart Tatin

2011-09-30T10:20:00.001-05:00

I was watching an episode of Dessert First on the Food Network the other day and I saw this recipe for an apple tart tatin that sounded so great! We have a bowl full of apples from the orchard and this sounded like a perfect recipe for using up a bunch of apples! Unfortunately, I have not been having luck in the kitchen lately.

It started when I decided to go Gluten Free - partially because I had just read the book Wheat Belly, partially because I want to lose weight and partially because I've been having gastric-related pain again. Well, I definitely have some sort of allergy to flaxseeds because I used them in several gluten free recipes and had some severe gastric pains as a result! So, I have ditched the gluten free kick and decided to try a dairy free diet. So far I have not seen any results. I still have random pains, random break-outs and no leads on a trigger! Hmmmm.....Probably time to consult an expert.

Needless to say, I'm back to my old diet (which isn't that bad), and I'm trying to limit things that I think may be triggers. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, enjoy this dessert. My family did!

Apples of My Eye

2011-09-26T10:22:00.004-05:00

On a whim this weekend, we decided to stop by the apple orchard and pick up some fresh apples. Unfortunately, when we got there, the owner of the orchard told us that once again the pickings were slim (this happened to us last year too). She said that most varieties are ready late September, early October, even into November, but this year, by Labor Day weekend, people had picked many of those trees bare! Argh! There were a few varieties still on the trees, and we were able to pick a basket full of apples (including some HOney Crisps!!!) and one of pears. We also picked some peppers that were yummy!

Lily demonstrated how difficult it is to bite into an apple when you are missing 7 front teeth! LOL

So, our plan for next year is to go around Labor Day weekend to get the best apples!

Gluten Free Granola

2011-09-20T15:27:00.002-05:00

Today I tried out this gluten free granola and it is amazing! If you love granola, you won't even notice that it's gluten-free! This is such a yummy, filling , sweet and crunchy snack! The author of Wheat Belly even suggests eating this as a morning cereal with soymilk, regular milk, or coconut milk. Yum!

It made a huge bowl, so if I store it in an airtight container, it will last a long time!

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats or quinoa flakes (I used the oats)
1/2 cup group flaxseeds (I found ground blueberry flaxseeds at Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup organic agave syrup or sugar free vanilla syrup
1/4 cup walnut oil (I couldn't find this, so I used canola oil)
1 cup raw pecans
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried raisins

Preheat oven to 325*. Combine the quinoa or oats, ground flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, 1/2 cup cashews, syrup, and oil in large bowl and toss to coat. Spread into an 8x8 inch baking pan and press to make an even layer, about 1/2 inch thick. Bake until dry and crispy, about 30 minutes. Let the mixture cook for about 30-60 minutes.

Combine pecans, almonds, dried fruit and remaining cashews in a large bowl. Mix the cooled oat/flax/quinoa mixture into the nut-fruit bowl.

Wheat Belly

2011-09-19T13:04:00.001-05:00

I consider myself to be a fairly healthy cook. I am certainly not a Top Chef or the Next Food Network Star, but I pride myself on giving my family 3 nutritional meals a day. I usually base each meal around a protein and a vegetable and work from there. I don't usually even think about what starch I'm going to serve, and I don't always serve one, but things like: homemade pizzas, pastas and tacos usually have a bread-source built into the meal.

I am also not one to usually fall for fad diets and don't have much will-power, so they wouldn't work for me anyway. But I just finished reading this book that really got me thinking...

The book Wheat Belly by William Davis has been on the top of the bestsellers list and has been a controversial topic for doctors and critics alike. Dr. Davis contends that the wheat that we eat now is not the same wheat that originally appeared on earth. He claims that the wheat we eat now has been so chemically and genetically engineered that it is doing very dangerous things to the human race. Basically, he says all chronic illnesses are a result of wheat consumption (including, but not limited to: diabetes, celiac's disease, arthritis, sinus issues, PMS, acne, mood disorders, allergies, obesity, asthma, autism etc...). He also says that wheat is the culprit for the deep, visceral fat that lingers around the stomach and is why athletes and regular people cannot get flat tummies. When wheat is eliminated, so is the spare tire. Hmmmm....

Do I believe everything he says? No. However, he makes some really interesting points and has got me thinking, "What would happen if I reduced and/or eliminated wheat products from my diet?"

I have a few friends who are on strict gluten-free diets and I know that it wasn't easy for them at first, but now it has become second nature for them. Unfortunately, Dr. Davis is not suggesting a gluten-free diet in which you substitute "Gluten Free" products for wheat products. He claims that products labeled gluten free are just as bad because they raise your blood sugar to ridiculously high levels. Soooooo... I originally thought that this would be a piece of cake (no pun intended) because I can just buy gluten free bread and pasta, but it's not going to be that easy.

According to his blog Wheat Belly, there are lots of things I can eat if I want to try out this wheat-free ~~diet~~ lifestyle change. He says to load up on: vegetables, cheese, nuts, oils, eggs, avocados, olives, meats and seasonings.

Since I feel like this isn't that much of a crazy change from the way I usually eat, It's worth a shot, right? I haven't decided how long I am going to try it for, or if I plan on doing this forever. (Giving up beer is just a sad thought, LOL). But, I would like to test Dr. Davis' theory that people who go on this diet can drop up to 10 pounds a day in the first week. (Yeah, right!?!?) And I would like to see this "I've Had Three Kids" stomach-paunch go away. So, today is Day One. I had a bowl of plain yogurt with raw almonds and raspberries for breakfast. For lunch I had a salad with: romaine lettuce, cilantro, cucumbers and tomatoes from my garden, pickled banana peppers, sliced green olives and a little Lite Italian Dressing. I was wishing for some crutons, but next time, I'll throw in some walnuts for a little crunch.

Let me know what you think about this, especially if you have read the book. I'd like some support through this!

Scrappy Update

2011-09-16T16:22:00.001-05:00

Now that the kids are back in school, I've been able to scrape up a little free time while the baby naps. Of course, dealing with a cat that has a urinary tract infection, a baby with a lazy eye, who needed to have her eyes dialated at the eye-doc, and kids' physicals have kept me busy. Also, have I mentioned that Lily auditioned for a role in a musical production of Cinderella, and that she GOT the part?? Yes, I am the proud mother of Mouse Number 3 in Cinderella: Return of the Glass Slipper!

In between all of this, I did manage to find time to throw these fun layouts together... Thanks in advance for looking!

berries

bling

Learn something new

Reasons to bee happy

bubbly toes

let's dance

I gotta dweam, I gotta dweam

Peanut Butter Balls

2011-09-13T08:30:00.000-05:00

Do you love chocolate covered peanut butter cups? If so, they super easy recipe will be right up your alley!It makes about 40 inidividual bites. Warning: it is NOT for those on a diet. LOL

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups crunchy peanut butter
1 cup margarine
7 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 (16 oz) pkg of melting chocolate (or almond bark)

In a stand mixer combine the first four ingredients. It will look dry and crumbly (as in the pic above), but it forms nicely into balls. Roll the mixture into approximately 40 balls, each about 1 Tablespoon of mixture and set onto wax paper. Melt your chocolate. (I used half chocolate bark and half white almond bark). Dip each ball into the melted chocolate and set back onto wax paper to dry.

When the balls were dry, I used purple and white frosting and decorated with zig-zags and swirls.

Enjoy!

Showers of Happiness

2011-09-12T12:33:00.003-05:00

This weekend our lovely bride and groom were showered with love and gifts!! It was a beautiful event. Jack worked his bootie off (night and day, day and night, sacrificing time with his wife for months!!!) to get the place ready in time! As you can see from the pics, he did a beautiful job! Before the guests arrived, Jackie came down and said, "It looks like a banquet hall for a wedding." And that was what we were hoping for!!! :)

We played some fun games (thanks to the bridesmaids)! Kelly, the groom's sister, made the silly apron donned with kitchen tools for Jackie to wear. The guests had to remember as many of the tools as they could to win a prize! Kim (who attended the shower from Spain via Skype) made up some Bingo cards for the always-popular Wedding Shower Bingo! The other Kelly set a timer and gave a prize to the person whose gift was being opened each time the timer went off! Steff put together the overflowing rehearsal bridal bouquet (Who knew that the gift registry for BB&B used the wedding color scheme for gift wrapping - so the bouquet is going to match perfectly! LOL) I kept track of who each gift was from and put together a recipe book filled with recipes from each guest!

The happy couple looked lovely as always and everyone had a wonderful time! The clock is ticking down and we are left with just over a month until the big day! We cannot wait!!

We love you, K & J!!!

The Glee Movie

2011-09-07T08:30:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago Lily and I went to see The Glee Concert Movie in 3D...not once...but twice!!! I am such a Gleek and I have now created a mini-Gleek in my seven-year-old daughter. Our favorite part of the movie was when they showed this little guy. We just cannot get enough of him. Check him out. He's sure to bring a smile to your face!

Today's Treadmill Tunes

2011-09-05T08:30:00.000-05:00

Here is what I listened to while on the treadmill today:

Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO

Someone Like You - Adele

Give Me Everything - Pitbull

Blame it on the Alcohol - Glee Cast

Love on Top - Beyonce

Last Friday Night - Katy Perry

Price Tag - Jessie J

Sing - Glee Cast

The Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga

Secrets - One Republic

Only Girl - Rhianna

Every Teardrop is a Waterfall - Coldplay

Just Can’t Get Enough - Black Eyed Peas

The Lazy Song - Bruno Mars

F*ing Perfect - Pink

Forever - Chris Brown

Super Bass - Nicki Minaj

I Wanna Go - Britney Spears

What is your current favorite song to listen to while working out?

Minestra Soup

2011-09-04T08:30:00.002-05:00

Summer weather is winding down and the temps are starting to get slightly cooler. What better way to usher in fall than with an end-of-summer soup. This is a play on a mini-minestrone soup called Minestra. It's ready in less than a half hour, but if you let the soup simmer for longer, the flavors will become even better! Enjoy!

Minestra Soup

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 pkg. baby spinach

2 cans cannellini beans, drained

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

1 qt vegetable broth

½ tsp nutmeg

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Heat a Tbsp olive oil in deep pot. Add garlic and onions. Saute for 5 minutes. Add spinach and wilt. Add beans and vegetable broth. Sprinkle nutmeg, salt and pepper, stir. Cook 10 minutes. Add cheese before serving.

Share Our Strength

2011-09-03T08:30:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I co-hosted a Great American Bake Sale to support the charity Share Our Strength. Two friends and I baked up a storm and sold our goodies at my friend's downtown high rise, in the lobby, where the foot traffic was unbelievable. We were so excited to raise as much money as we did and the donations continue to flow in. If you are interested in donating to help put an end to childhood hunger, please follow the link above and click on the Make a Donation button!

In the spirit of giving, I thought I would share the recipe for one of the more popular items on the table:

Low Fat Blondies

2 1/4 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar

6 tbsp margarine, softened

3 large egg whites

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup water

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate or white chocolate chips

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat brown sugar, margarine, egg whites and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture with water. Stir in chips. Spread onto a greased 15x10 inch jelly roll pan. Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cut into squares and then triangles. Makes 3 dozen blondies. 140 calories and 5 grams of fat per bar.

What Happens in Vegas...

2011-09-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

I am so far behind in my blogging. Argh! I can't find enough hours in the day.

So, way back in July, I went to Vegas with three friends and had a fantastic time!! Lots of funny stories, which I will type when I have a little more free time!

In the meantime, take a look at these fun pics and zoom in on the Tom Cruise impersonator. I swear he was the best look-alike I've ever seen!!!!

How NOT to lose your guinea pig...

2011-09-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

A few days ago marked the one year anniversary of the day we brought home our two adorable, smelly, hairy guinea pigs. During this past year I think I touched them twice. (Yep, I'm allergic....Well, actually, I don't know if I'm allergic to their hair or their bedding, but either way...they are rodents and I'm grossed out and they make me sneeze!)

So, Lily decided to make that day the guinea pigs' birthday. She and her bff planned some party games and brought out some treats (lettuce, carrots, celery) for the pigs (as I like to call them). They took the pigs for a ride in Zoey's stroller (which I was thrilled about after seeing all the hair stuck to the seat). They let them run around in a tent outside. They brought them into Lil's room and played with them on the bunkbeds. It was a great birthday for them.

The next day was business as usual. The kids went to school. Nothing important happened at home, but I was really busy all day and never really had a chance to sit down the entire day. When the kids came home from school, Lily had her after school snack and went over to say hi to the pigs. She looked into the cage and let out a shriek! "Mom!!! Astro is missing!!!" she yelled.

"What do you mean? Where did she go?" I asked.

"She's not in the cage." Lily yelled back.

After walking over and determining that Lily was correct, Astro was not in the cage, I asked, "When was the last time you saw her?"

"Yesterday. On her birthday."

Oh, geez. The pig had been missing for over 24 hours. The last time she remembered seeing her was when she was in her bedroom or outside playing with her. So, my GP Detective Task Force set out to find the missing pig. Matt looked in his room. Zoey looked under her crib. Lily looked under her bed and in every corner of her room. I searched the garage. We all came up empty-handed. I kept asking Lily over and over, "Think. Think. Where did you see her last?"

After we searched everywhere and were about to give up, I sent the kids to Lil's bff's house to retrace their steps. I figured with 3 kids looking outside, I can search every nook and cranny inside. No guinea pig. I sat down on the couch and picked up the phone to call my husband to tell him to get his wallet ready because we were going to have to make a stop at the pet store tonight, when all of a sudden, the blanket on the couch next to me, started moving. I unrolled the wadded-up blanket and there (covered in 24 hours worth of pee and poop) was Astro!

Happy Birthday, Little Buddy!

Note to self: Guinea Pigs are stupid and don't walk very quickly. They aren't going to get too far.

Don't Be Hatin' Now...

2011-08-31T08:00:00.001-05:00

If you know me well, you know that I come from a long line of die-hard Chicago White Sox fans! We bleed black and white in our family! We watch the games at home, attend them when we can and root, root, root for the Good Guys!

However, when the opportunity arose to support Lily's Brownie troop and buy discounted tickets to see the Cubs, Jack thought it would be a good idea to show our children a historic ball park. Who knows how long it will be standing or what it will be called in the future...history is history.

The kids were a little worried about the event. "Who should we root for?", "Do we have to cheer?", "What should we wear? We don't own any Cubs shirts." Questions like these were asked during the days prior to the event.

But, we spoke to the kids and told them that although they aren't "our" team, we don't want to be disrespectful. They can cheer for whomever they choose or not cheer at all.

When we got there, we had to wait in a really long line for the Girl Scout parade on the field. Apparently there were more people in attendance than expected (for the parade) and the Girl Scout families weren't moving along as quickly as the security staff would have liked. For awhile we thought that we might not even get on the field. People with walkie talkies were running past us in every direction, shouting, "We've only got 7 minutes to get all of these people on and off the field and the line is not moving. Major League Baseball will not wait for Girl Scouts." But, in the end...we made it onto the field.

These pics were from before the game the started. We went up to the rooftop for some hot dogs.

Matt was not really very impressed by the field.

Lily was disappointed that she didn't see any of her troop-mates and got very cranky on the field. She did eventually find a friend, when we got to our seats.

Lily was so afraid that the ivy was "poison ivy," and would not go near the wall!! LOL

I love that you can see the Sears/Willis tower in the background of this pic below!

We only stayed until about the 5th inning because it was a school night and the Cubs lost miserably, so the kids didn't really have to worry about cheering! LOL

I spoke too soon

2011-08-30T14:21:00.000-05:00

Just when I thought my kid looked super silly with two missing front teeth she went and lost a third front tooth in a 2 week period! She is having a really difficult time biting into an apple these days. That one front tooth just isn't doing it for her! LOL

Don't worry, Lil. We've all been there! Patience is a virtue!

Chicago Air and Water Show

2011-08-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of Chicago's most popular summer events is the Air and Water Show. Over 2 million peeps make the trek down to the beaches to watch the show each year. It's usually a two day show, but this year it was a one day show because of some pretty bad storms on the first day.

Our very good friends have an awesome sail boat and invited us to watch the show out on the lake. It was a perfectly clear day with gorgeous, blue skies and we were able to see the air show quite vividly.

The waters were really choppy and rough because there were so many boats on the lake, and many of them were power boats. We braved the rough waters and had a blast!

What's missing?

2011-08-22T09:50:00.000-05:00

The tooth fairy has been really busy around here lately...TWO missing teeth in ONE week! One on the top and one on the bottom! Now that's a great way to start a new school year! (Her speech teacher is going to LOVE this! Hahaha)

The weather has been perfect around here lately. It's not as scorching hot as it was earlier in the summer, so we've really enjoyed cranking the pool heater and jumping in at dusk! I captured a few cutie patootie pics last week...

Yes, this one above is TOTALLY rare!! They are usually punching, kicking and biting each other, so I almost fell off my chair when I saw this appear in my camera's viewfinder. LOL

Poor Jack! He's always got some sort of monkey hanging on his back in the pool! :) They love hanging on their daddy!

I hope we have a few more nice days like this one so the kids can relax after those long, hot school days!

The First Day of School

2011-08-18T15:04:00.000-05:00

Wow! Is summer over already? That was fast!

The kids and I made it a great summer! We filled it with trips and outings and projects and living room forts and family vacations!! It was stressful and full, but we really did enjoy it!

The gang gathered at the bus stop this morning (minus a few who hitched a ride from mom and dad because their backpacks were bursting with school supplies)!

Look how much Matt has grown this summer and how he now TOWERS over the other kids! Geesh! That boy is going to be a tall one! Jack almost had a heart-attack when I told him how much I paid for a pair of shoes for Matt the other day!! You could buy a small car for that price! Luckily, the girls' shoes weren't nearly that much!

Lily was so excited to be going into 2nd grade. She was a little nervous about meeting a new teacher, but hopeful that she'd have some familiar faces in her class. With only 4 classes of each grade, she's bound to have a few friends in class.

Matt, on the other hand, was dreading going back to school. He'd rather sit on his rear and play video games all day! But, just wait...in a few days, he's going to be so glad to be back with friends again! I just know it! He's also pumped that he will be with his first male teacher! I think it'll be good for him!

My sweet girl pondering life's greatest mysteries. LOL

Matt's cheesiest grin...

And my sweet pea...Zoey, did not want to be photographed today! That's okay! We have the rest of the school year to be together all day and take all the pics we want! :)

Chicago's Beautiful Skyline

2011-08-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Even if you are not from Chicago, I bet you think the Chicago skyline is one of the most beautiful backdrops in the world. I was born in Chicago, spent some years living in the city, at various points in my life, and I consider it home (even though I currently live in the burbs). And I think this city is THE most beautiful city in the world.

This past weekend, my kids and I took a boat cruise along the city's shoreline on Lake Michigan. I took lots of fun pics and I've been playing with different exposures and settings to get some fun shots. I'd love to blow some of these up as artwork in my home. Which are your faves and would you like to see them in color? Any feedback is appreciated.

I added a glow feature to this pic above. I love how it turned out. Should I try this app on another pic?

This last one screamed sepia to me! Should I turn others into sepia too?

Playing with my new lens

2011-08-09T08:30:00.000-05:00

I ordered a new 50mm lens for my Canon Rebel Xti digital SLR camera. I lovvvvvvvve it!!! For those of you who were wondering why I would want a 50mm lens, when the lens that comes with the camera covers that -- take a look at a couple websites/blogs that explain why a prime lens is better than a zoom lens...
The Forgotten Lens

and

Introducing the Wonderful World of 50mm Prime Lenses

I have been playing around with different settings and light options, changing ISO and f/stops and here are a few of my favorite shots from the weekend with my new lens...

They are so crisp and clear...much better than I could have imagined. I will keep playing and update when I take more!

Could life get any busier?

2011-08-08T12:06:00.001-05:00

Sorry I've been MIA on the blog-front lately. Life has just gotten away from me. The countdown to Back to School has begun (actually, I began counting down on the last day of school in June...LOL), but the kids are going back in about 10 days. Soooo...I've been trying to squeeze in as many fun (and cheap) activities as I can before they have to go back! I haven't been doing too well on the cheap end, but I have been providing them with lots of fun!

Last week we met up with some friends who live on the north shore. We headed out for a picnic and some fun at Jarvis Beach. The kids had a blast. Zoey did not want to come out of the lake! Matt and Jay made a hot tub in the sand. Lily and Jaena made a hole and some sand castles. Zoey collected rocks. It was such a lovely day for the beach. I hope we can squeeze in another one.

Then we took a trip down to the Art Institute on free day! We met up with our good friend, Heather and explored the museum. The kids came up with a scavenger hunt before we left. We printed it out and used it to explore! That was a lot of fun! I put the camera in Lily's hands and here are some of her favorite snaps from the day. (She went back and deleted some of the pics because she thought the sculptures were too scary! LOL) I didn't get to see all of my favorites on that day, so I will have to go back again!

I supervised the children catching up on their chores! They enjoyed this a lot!! Shhhh! Don't tell the village that we were using outside water during the day.

We took our annual trip to Six Flags. I really despise this place. I can't go on the rides like I used to...I get motion sickness now. Old age is not my friend. The kids had a good time despite the 100 degree temps. I did not take very many photos. It was too hot!

The other night, we headed over to our local Water Park with a few of the kids' friends for Family Night. It was empty and the perfect time to go. The kids had so much fun on the water slides, the lazy river and splashing in the pools! What a great relaxing time! The kids had some ice cream and exhausted themselves! They slept so well that night!

Finally, Jack needed some time to work on his latest project, so I volunteered to take the kids to Navy Pier by myself. We went to the Chicago Children's Museum first. It was free for children. They like this museum. I think DuPage is their second favorite children's museum and KidsWork is third. Actually, the children's museum in Miami, Florida is really, really nice. One of the best ones I've been to.

Then we ate lunch, rode some of the rides and headed over to the lake for a cruise. They enjoyed this a lot. It was such a hot day and the ride helped cool us down. It was pretty educational too. There was a recorded documentary about what we were seeing along the shore. I've been on the cruise before, but the kids had not.

Zoey was getting a little fussy, because it was nap time, so I had to pull out the big guns to entertain her. LOL

It has been such a full summer and I honestly have enjoyed spending it with my children. I know that there are mothers out there who wish they could stay at home with their children, but they cannot make that sacrifice. I am blessed to have this opportunity. It isn't always easy and it isn't always fun (especially having a child with some pretty severe special needs), but we have learned to make the best of it! I am grateful for the blessings in my life!

I will be back tomorrow with some more pics! (Like you haven't seen enough in this post...LOL)
BTW...click on any of the collages to enlarge them.

Super Quick Refrigerator Pickles

2011-07-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Refrigerator Pickles

2 lbs cucumbers, sliced ½ inch thick on the diagonal
1 medium Vidalia onion, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 celery stalks, sliced ½ inch thick on the diagonal
coarse salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp mustard seed

In a colander toss cucumbers, onion and celery with 1 ½ tsp of salt. Set aside, tossing occasionally.
In a small bowl, combine sugar, vinegar, celery seed and mustard seed. Stir until sugar dissolves.
Divide cuke mixture among 3-4 clean jars or airtight containers and pour vinegar mixture over. Refrigerate 8 hours or up to 2 weeks before enjoying.

Mall of America

2011-07-27T11:07:00.001-05:00

The kids (well, mostly Matt) had been bugging us for awhile to visit the Mall of America. Actually, they just wanted to go to Nickelodeon Universe (the theme park located inside the center of the mall). So we packed up the kids, and drove 6 hours to Bloomington, Minnesota.

The mall was smaller than I thought it was going to be. For some reason, I thought it would be spread out more, rather than stacked into 4 floors. The 3rd level was made up of lots of restaurants and a giant food court. We ate at a little Kokomo Cafe with some good spicy sweet potato fries.

The kids enjoyed going on the crazy roller coasters and thrill rides. Zoey loved meeting the Wonder Pets, Blues Clues, Sponge Bob and Patrick.

I liked shopping while Zoey slept. They had a nice Archivers, Old Navy and Aeropostale where I made some purchases.

We stayed at the Water Park of America. It claims to be the largest indoor water park, but I am sure that I have been to larger indoor water parks before, so I wasn't so impressed. The kids didn't care! They had a lot of fun! The family water slide was the biggest hit. All 5 of us went down the giant water slide on an tube. I was nervous because it felt like our tube was going to tip over, but...it didn't! Haha

On our last day, we visited the Sea Life Aquarium, located in the basement of the Mall of America. It was a really neat place.

The jellyfish exhibit was amazing!

Lily liked the sea horses...

I did not get any good shark pictures...mostly because I was scared to death walking through the glass tunnel. I didn't like the feeling of sharks swimming inches above me. It was so wild!

Overall it was a good trip. Don't think we'll be back, because there wasn't a whole lot to do there, but we can say we went! Perhaps it would have been better for a mid-winter trip rather than a mid-summer trip.

No Bake Summer Lasagna

2011-07-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

No Bake Summer Lasagna

½ cup ricotta cheese
3 Tbsp grated parmesan
3 Tbsp EVOO, plus 2 tsp
salt and pepper
8 lasagna noodles, broken in half
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 pints of yellow or red grape tomatoes, halved
2 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp torn fresh basil

1. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan and 2 tsp EVOO. Season with salt and pepper. Prepare lasagna noodles as directed and drain.

2. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp EVOO. Add garlic and tomatoes, season lightly. Cook, stirring about 3 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to a bowl. Add 1 more Tbsp of oil to pan and cook zucchini until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in basil.

3. Place some tomatoes on four plates. Top each with a noodle half and small spoonfuls of ricotta, zucchini and more tomatoes. Repeat layering twice, then top with remaining noodles and tomatoes. Garnish with basil.

Black Bean Salsa

2011-07-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is one of those recipes where you just throw all of the ingredients together and stir. This is a delicious salsa, served with crunchy tortilla chips!

Black Bean Salsa

2 cans black beans, drained
2 cans Rotelle tomatoes with jalapenos
1 can sweet corn
1 red onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
.5 green pepper, diced
Cilantro
Lime juice from 2 limes
Salt to taste

Pizza Salad

2011-07-12T07:30:00.000-05:00

For Jack's birthday barbecue, he requested an "All-sausage" theme. I served Italian sausage and peppers, Polish sausage and kraut, Lithuanian sausage, German Beer Brats and good ol' American sausage - hot dogs! So, to keep with the theme, I found this recipe for a pizza salad which includes pepperoni, another great sausage! It was delish!

Pizza Salad
8 oz. mixed greens and 8 oz. romaine
4 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
.5 red onion, sliced
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and sliced into bite-size chunks
1 15oz can of white kidney beans (drained & rinsed)
6 oz. pepperoni, sliced
4 oz. fresh mozarella, chunked
Italian dressing
croutons

Mix, dress, add croutons and serve.

Strawberry Sangria

2011-07-08T07:30:00.002-05:00

The picture isn't the greatest, but it tasted so so good!

Strawberry Sangria

.5 cup sugar
8 fresh mint sprigs
2 bottles dry, white wine
4 cups sliced strawberries
.5 cup brandy

In a large pitcher, combine the sugar and mint, pressing mint leaves with the back of the spoon to release flavors. Add wine, strawberries and brandy. Chill for 2 hours. Serve over ice.

Asparagus-Snap Pea StirFry

2011-07-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

Asparagus-Snap Pea StirFry

1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
¾ lb boneless New York strip steak, thinly sliced
salt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed into 2 inch pieces
6 oz. snap peas
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp fresh basil, torn
Cooked brown rice

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Set aside. Season steak with salt and heat in a large skillet that has a tbsp of oil in it. Cook steak about 2 minutes on one side, flip and cook until cooked through. Transfer to a bowl.
Add asparagus, snap peas, garlic, and ginger to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes. Add a little water if the pan gets too dark. Add soy mixture and cook about 30 more seconds. REmove skillet from heat. Stir in lemon juice, basil and steak. Serve over cooked rice.

Lily CAM

2011-07-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

What happens when you put a camera into the hands of a seven year old? Craziness ensues...

And when she learns how to create a video...OH MY!!!

Whatta Weekend!?!?

2011-07-05T16:10:00.001-05:00

My busy weekend began with a fabulous dinner that made me feel really, really old. Two of my former students (actually, they were in the very first class I ever taught -- 4th grade at Maria Saucedo) are now teachers! They are both mothers to little girls and I am so very proud of them! We met up for dinner and drinks and talked about old times! It was so nice!

On Saturday Jack turned the big "3-9." Yep, one more year until that unGodly birthday that he and I are both dreading. LOL In the meantime, we celebrated well with homemade Sangria, a barbecue and lots of wonderful company to share in the good times! Some people swam, we all ate and had lots of laughs and drinks!! He said it was a wonderful birthday!

On the Fourth of July we started the day in good old fashioned American style by going blueberry picking in Indiana.

It was really, really hot so we didn't stay long. We usually pick about $40 worth of blueberries and this year I think we spent $6. LOL...Jack and I made a pact that we WILL go back again before the end of the season! We love blueberries and like to freeze them so we can enjoy them year round.

Finally, we spent the afternoon/evening of the fourth at a family barbecue. We spent some time at the park district's fabulous party and enjoyed the fireworks under the stars! (It's an annual tradition!)

What a great way to celebrate our country's independence and freedom! Happy July!!!

Another grilling tip

2011-07-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite simple and easy side dishes in the summer. Whether we are having grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks, pork or chicken, this will go wonderfully.

Peel and slice two sweet potatoes (I also use regular potatoes when I don't have sweet on hand) into french fry sized strips. I like to also add some chopped sweet onion. You might also want to add some bell pepper strips. Place them on a square piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Fold up the aluminum foil so that it is in a nice tight pouch. Place over indirect heat (like the top rack) of your grill or off to the side, away from the flame for about 15-20 minutes, turning often.

It's difficult to give an exact time for this. You'll have to experiment with your own grill because temperatures vary greatly from grill to grill. I have found 15 minutes works well for my grill and I turn the pouches often. A few times I've over cooked them and the potatoes got mushy, but were still very tasty! I'd rather have them overcooked than raw, I suppose.

Experiment with other veggies too! Zucchini and Squash are super yummy grilled and you don't have to worry about messy clean up!

Lemon Basil Chicken and Steak Kabobs

2011-07-01T07:30:00.004-05:00

A few days ago I told you about my super easy lemon basil marinade. Well, here is another idea about how to use it. I took two gallon size ziploc bags. In one bag I put a pound of steak and a half pound of chicken and added the marinade (olive oil, lemon basil, squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper). I added the marinade to the other bag along with some onion, green peppers and mushrooms. I zipped the bags, shook them up and left them in the fridge for three hours. Then I took them out, skewered everything onto some metal skewers. I like to keep the meats on seperate skewers. They tend to need more time than the veggies, and it's probably safer to not mix raw veggies with raw meats. I grilled them all over low heat for about 15 minutes, turning often.

I served the finished product over some couscous with a side salad. It is a refreshing, lemony, summer meal!

A little Polish dish for you!

2011-06-30T07:30:00.001-05:00

I don't know very much about my mother-in-law. She passed away just one month before I started dating Jack. I've seen lots of pictures and heard a few stories, but the one thing I know for sure is that she was a good cook. Of course, my husband was a teenager when his mother passed and never bothered to ask or learn how to make all of the wonderful dishes that she made for him. (Which is why I love when Matt cooks with me! I hope he'll treasure those memories always!)

Jack will describe dishes that she made and he or I will try to replicate them from his descriptions, but it's pretty complicated. One dish that he remembers from his childhood in Poland is called nalesniki. (It is pronounced nothing like it looks. I think the English phonetic pronouncation would be something like: (Nah-lesh-NEE-kai) and that may actually be the Lithuanian pronunciation. Whatever. On with the story...

So, many years ago Jack wanted to create this dish that his mom used to make for him when he was a child. He didn't know what ingredients she used, but he knew the taste. He said it was like a really, super thin blintze. So, he searched through my Joy of Cooking cookbook, found a recipe for blintzes and modified it until it tasted like his mom's dish.

So, without further ado, here is Jack and his amazing Nalesnikis...

Nalesniki

(Jack's mom used to make this as a breakfast meal, but Americans eat blintzes for dessert too, so we used it for both. Today was a dessert!)

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup lukewarm water
2 eggs
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 & 1/2 Tbsp sugar (plus more for filling)
Pinch of salt

Filling:
Cream Cheese
Vanilla Sugar
Powdered Sugar

Stir or (blend in a food processor) all of the ingredients until smooth. Pour batter into a crepe pan that has been coated with a little butter. Lift the pan off the heat, tilting and rotating so that the batter forms an even, thin layer. When the top is set and the underside is golden, flip. Cook until the second side is lightly browned. Place on wax paper to cool.

For the filling. Mix together 2 parts cream cheese to one part sugar (or make it as sweet as you prefer). I like mine less sweet. Spread a really thin layer of the cream cheese onto the crepe/Nalesniki. Roll it up. Sprinkle with fruit of your choice and powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

A Beautiful Day for the Zoo

2011-06-29T07:30:00.001-05:00

We had beautiful weather for a family trip to the zoo recently. The skies were a bit overcast, which was perfect for us and the animals. Check out a few of the animals we saw along the way...

The kids had a blast too! There were lots of animals to see and touch, places to climb, jump and crawl! Check out what my little monkeys were busy doing at the zoo...

Banana Bread

2011-06-28T07:30:00.001-05:00

This is one of my favorite banana bread recipes, modified from an original by Emeril Lagasse.

Banana Bread
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 and 1/4 cup flour
Pinch of cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*.
Oil and flour a loaf pan.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. With the mixer running on medium, add the eggs, one at a time. Add the bananas and mix well. Add the baking soda, salt, flour, cinnamon and mix well. Add the chips. Dough will be sticky.
Pour dough into loaf pan and bake for one hour or until center is brown and set.

Gweyneth's Gruyere Stuffed Turkey Burgers

2011-06-27T07:30:00.002-05:00

The past Sunday, in the Parade, magazine, Gweyneth Paltrow wrote an article, in which she reminisced about her father and the visceral way he cooked. She included a recipe for a delicious stuffed turkey burger. Gweyneth doesn't eat red meat, but if you do, I am sure it would taste just as delicious if you subsituted beef for turkey.

Gruyere Stuffed Turkey Burgers
1 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup grated Gruyere (or your favorite sharp, hard cheese)
4 whole grain buns

Heat oil in a small skillet over low heat. Add onion and rosemary; cook until soft and sweet, about 10 minutes. Let cool and add turkey, salt and pepper.
Divide mixture into quarters. Cut each quarter in half and form 2 patties. Place two Tbsp cheese on one patty. Place the other patty on top, pinching edges together. Repeat with remaining patties.
Preheat grill to high. Cook burgers 5 minutes on one side; flip, then cook until burgers are browned and firm (5-6 more minutes).
Serve on buns with all the fixings!

Thanks Gweyneth. Check out more recipes in her newsletter: GOOP.

Scrappy Update

2011-06-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Now that the kids are out of school for the summer, my life has become an over-scheduled, hectic, race to drive this one here and that one there. When it's sunny and hot, we spend our days in the pool. When it's cloudy and rainy, we tend to spend more time at the library, museums and on day-trips. In between, I'm trying to fit in guitar lesson, musical theater class, Girl Scouts, bowling, golf, cooking classes, iCarly camp, ballet, magic class, and a few other random birthday parties and that sort of thing. Keep in mind, that none of these are for me!

The best thing about it, however, is that it exhausts the kids (especially Baby Zoey) and that means that naps happen! :)

So, while Zoey has been taking her daily two (sometimes three) hour naps, I have been trying to catch up on scrapping this humongous pile of pics I have sitting here.

Now I have to catch up on the piles and piles (did I mention piles?) of laundry!!!

Roast Rosemary Chicken

2011-06-23T13:51:00.004-05:00

Roast Rosemary Chicken with Veggie Couscous

4 bone-in chicken breasts or chicken leg quarters
1 package of McCormick rosemary seasoning for chicken with potatoes
EVOO (reserve one teaspoon of seasoning mix)
salt & pepper
1 box of couscous (I used whole wheat, but you could use any kind, even giant pearls)
2 cups chicken stock/broth
½ cup diced yellow bell pepper
½ cup diced zucchini
Fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 425*. In a small bowl place contents of seasoning package (reserve one teaspoon for couscous).
Place chicken on large rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with remaining seasoning mixture, salt and pepper; rub over chicken. Bake for 45 minutes.
While chicken is baking, prepare couscous. Add dry couscous to pot. Add bell pepper, zucchini, salt, pepper, 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes.
Arrange chicken over couscous and drizzle with pan drippings.