Kiwi Crate and A Bun In the Oven

One of the activities we continue to LOVE month after month is our Kiwi Crate subscription.  Kiwi Crate is a kid's craft club.  Each month a box comes to our door with two (minimum) projects for us to do together.  I'll admit I was skeptical about this at first.  I mean, I love crafts more than anyone.  Our homeschool room has an entire cabinet dedicated to art supplies and I'm forever scouring Pinterest for fun kindergarten art projects.  Why would I need Kiwi Crate?

Because it's different.

1.  Every single item we need to complete the projects is included in the box, and the supplies are super high quality.

2.  Emma genuinely loves the activities.  Every once in a while I think one is going to be a dud, but almost without fail, she is sincerely interested and has a blast.

3.  The projects are specifically designed for kids to be as independent as possible.  Emma is super proud of doing it herself with very little help from me.

4.  When our box comes, it motivates us to have a "date" and spend some quality time together.

5.  The boxes are educational too, and we always learn something new!

So our December box came weeks ago and I tucked it aside amidst the bustle and hustle.  That is super uncharacteristic.  Usually we dive in the minute it arrives on our doorstep.  Emma and I had a quiet night at home a few nights ago, so we busted a big Kiwi move.  The theme was "winter" and one of the projects was this polar bear game of catch.  It also has a little velcro ball that sticks to the paws.

We've played LOTS of games of catch over the past few days.

She even thought this one up all by herself.  :-)

Talk about the greatest dog E-V-E-R.

You've surely known dogs who could play fetch, but have you known many that play catch??  Haha.

Speaking of the greatest dog ever....

She is such a part of every minute of life around here.  There is always somebody loving on her.  Emma crashed and watched an entire episode of a show curled up like this right after Christmas.  Perfect down time.  Penny is always up for snuggling!

In other news.....

I was under the gun for a quick and simple dinner last night and had almost nothing on hand to work with.  We were still trying to get Christmas put away and Hannah was headed out the door with friends.  I had a pound of sausage in the fridge, so I decided to make sausage gravy, but I didn't have any refrigerator biscuits, so I looked up a recipe to make some.

I've never done baking powder biscuits before because I'm too lazy to roll and cut.

Sad, but true.

This recipe excited me because you just DROP the dough....you don't even have to grease the baking sheets!  Easy peasy!  And so much cheaper than Grand's!

These are quick, simple, and REALLY tasty.  I'll definitely be making them again!

I doubled the recipe for our crowd, and it made 24 nice sized biscuits.  Perfect with a slathering of sausage gravy and a side of scrambled eggs.  ;-)

Baking Powder Drop Biscuits

2 cups flour

2 T sugar

4 t baking powder

1/2 t cream of tartar

1/2 t salt

1/2 cup shortening (I had some on hand, but many people in the reviews said they used butter and it turned out just fine.)

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450.

Sift dry ingredients into a bowl.

Use a pastry cutter to cut in shortening until it resembles course crumbs.

Whisk egg and milk together and add gradually to flour mixture, stirring as you pour.

Stir until dough is moistened and well mixed.

Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden.

Good for hungry kids.

Or hungry polar bears.  :-)

Sweet Snacks

Hayden went to a game night party with the kids in his Worldview class last night, and everyone was asked to bring a snack to share.  I don't know what it is about October first, but it's the same thing EVERY year.  I just want to camp out in the kitchen and bake, bake, bake and cook, cook, cook.  I love food prep in fall!!  I've spent the better part of the last few weeks prowling around blogs and pinterest copying recipes to add to my "must try" file.

Both of these little snacks are incredibly simple to make.  The Ritz cracker one was new to me, and I was crazy about them.  The pretzel one is fun to make because you can use any color of M&M to make them extra festive.

The first treat uses one box of Ritz crackers and a package of Rolo candy.

The second treat calls for square pretzels, Hershey's hugs, and a bag of M&Ms.

Both of these require a LOT of unwrapping, so I found it handy to enlist a helper.  One who wasn't quite so enthusiastic about sampling the ingredients may have yielded a greater number of finished products though.  :-)

But what's the fun in cooking with THREE whole bags of candy if you can't sneak just a few??

Unwrapping is great fine motor skill practice, and there is something pretty adorable about watching little hands work.

I'm sure most people are familiar with the pretzel recipe.  You place one Hershey Hug on top of each pretzel, then warm them in a 200 degree oven for about four or five minutes.  You need them to be melty, but not too liquid.  When they get all shiny, they are ready.

You pull them from the oven and immediately squish an M&M into the center of each one.  I put the "M" side down because I didn't want that to show.  I also only used the harvest colors of the M&M's to make it look like a fall snack.  :-)  Emma and I practiced our sorting skills, and all those left over green and blue M&Ms were a wonderful problem to have!!  (Munch, munch, yum, YUM!)

I will say that these take hours (many, many!) to set up at room temperature.  I ended up sticking my tray in the refrigerator for a few minutes, which isn't ideal with chocolate, but I didn't have time to wait for them to completely harden.  I wouldn't leave them in the fridge for too long....you don't want them to get too cold and then sweat when you bring them back to room temperature.  Mine were in the fridge about ten or fifteen minutes, which was just right.

The second snack was my personal favorite.  Then again, I never met a salted caramel I didn't LOVE.

For this treat, you line a baking sheet with Ritz crackers, salted side down.  Then you place a Rolo candy in the center of each cracker, and again soften in a 200 degree oven until nice and soft.  When you pull them from the oven, you make a little sandwich by squishing a second cracker on top, this time salted side up.

Oh my stars were these tasty.  They were BEST when they were nearly set, but still just a teensy bit gooey.  So simple, but sooooo good!

I got a big kick out of the fact that Hayden asked if I would "fix up the snacks to look really pretty like I normally do".  Ha!  He notices???  How wonderful!  I thought that was really sweet.  I wished I had enough time at that point to run to the dollar store for a cute divided fall platter, but I had to settle for colored tissue paper in a cookie tin instead.  He was real proud of the fact that he brought home an empty tin.  He liked having popular snacks.  :-)

I also baked a new kind of pumpkin bread to send.  It was so-so.  My Mom makes the world's BEST pumpkin bread, so my family gave me a really hard time about trying a new recipe when the one we already have is so fantastic.  Well, the new recipe was super simple - started with a cake mix - and was something Emma could really help me with, which was the goal of spending the afternoon in the kitchen together.  The new bread couldn't hold a candle to Oma's tried and true.  

I hate it when my family is so RIGHT!  Grrrrr.....

In other weekend news, Papa is hard at work fully restoring a '57 Chevy truck.  He finally started on the paint, and I am super excited.  I have a bit of a hard time relating to engine and speedometer issues, but pretty paint colors I can completely relate to!  :-)

This has been an ongoing project; one that is back on the front burner lately, and I am glad.  This is a blast for his five grandsons, who marvel that their Papa knows how to build a truck, and who love to hang out in the barn and work on it with him.

Let's hear it for that paint job.  LOVE the color, Papa!!!!

Love Lives Here

 SO...got my Valentine's decor up this weekend.  The house always looks so naked after Christmas...it's nice to have some extra clutter laying around again.  :-)  The boys brought my Valentine tote down from the attic a good week ago, and we've all been stepping over it while I waited for some free time to coincide with all my good intentions.

First order of business though.  We served shredded BBQ chicken for the game (a Texas twist on the traditional wings) and it was super yummy.  I told my friends I'd share the recipe, so I'm throwing it up for all to see.  If you LOVE chicken, than it will fit right in with my love post. Ha!

Zesty BBQ Crock Pot Chicken

12 ou bottle BBQ sauce (we like KC Masterpiece)

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. Zesty Italian bottled dressing

Worcestershire

I had ten chicken breasts in my crock pot at once, so I increased the recipe a bit.  Also, the sauce cooks up VERY liquid.  So, after cooking on high for about five hours, I removed the meat from the crock pot, shredded it with two forks (it was super tender), then mixed up a little more of the BBQ mixture.  I drained the thin cooking liquid from the pot, then returned the meat and new batch of sauce and just kept it on "warm" setting until serving.  I did it like that so the meat would be a little more sticky, and it worked out great.  We served it on buns with chips and queso and a BIG OL' VAT of Nichole's famous guacamole.

I still have a guacamole hangover.

Anyway, nothing like a little party to motivate me in the decorating department.

Welcome to VALENTINE'S 2013!

Table runner new this year from Target

I switched out the quilt on the quilt rack for the first time in years!  See that big "R" up there??  It was a recent flea-market score and I need to spiff it up.  I'm thinking of painting it and breaking out some Modge Podge.  The antique wooden spools and blue ball jars on the other side of the rack were also flea market finds and are the start of a new collection.

The big debate.  Conversation hearts.  Love 'em or hate 'em??  There were two distinct camps among the friends.  (I'm in the love 'em camp.)

Also from the flea market?  Those letters.  I used black ultra fine glitter to outline the edges, then threaded them on sheer ribbon.

Saw this little idea for a felt heart garland on pinterest and strung it together while visiting with friends during the game.

My new little sign that I got for free when I bought a book recently.  Perfect timing for Valentine's.

The only sewing I've done in a very long time.  It was a fun, quick project.

Guess who got tired of following me and my hearts from room to room while I worked??  She decided to park it in a central location so she could just sway her head from side to side and track my every move.  Way to conserve energy.  

What's that?  A close up, you say?  Why yes, of course I will oblige.

That face??  Totally kissable.  Oh I LOOOOOOVE that Doodle dog!  She's totally rocking the new haircut.  Wouldn't you have to agree??

Soup's On!

Yesterday, Randi at I Have To Say launched a new round of a Recipe Box Swap. Randi is hands down one of my favorite blogs. She lives in my favorite state (Colorado), homeschools, cooks, bakes, quilts, and crafts. She's up my alley. :-) She also happens to have a magnificent online fabric store, if you're ever in the market.

I didn't participate in yesterday's post because we didn't have soup for dinner last night, and I didn't feel right posting a recipe without a picture. I'm bound tightly by the unwritten rules of blog land.

Which is completely ridiculous.

Today I put a pot of soup on to simmer for a friend of mine, and it just occurred to me while I was in the kitchen stirring that I should snap a photo and join the swap a day late. Because now that I have the photo I'm very legit. :-)

This is a new recipe for me. It isn't a long family favorite or something that has gotten rave reviews from the generations. It's a scrap of paper that I found stuffed in my cookbook rack that vaguely matched some ingredients that I happened to have on hand in my pantry.

Sometimes those are the best kinds of soup pots. Throw in what you have, and improvise with what you don't! This one turned out pretty darn good! Good enough to share, anyway. I will definitely make this one again.

I'll call this one PICTURE PERFECT CHICKEN SOUP...

In large soup kettle, whisk together

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 box plus one can chicken broth

Add...

One shredded chicken

2 cans of Rotel (I put one can in the blender first)

2 bags of "Boil In Bag" rice

Rinse, drain, and add...

One can pinto beans

One can black beans

One can shoepeg corn

Simmer for 2-3 hours. I plan to serve this with cilantro and sour cream.

Also, I made a wonderful discovery while shlepping something onto the top shelf in my laundry room. Alas, my long lost bread machine, all tucked away and completely forgotten! We used to make bread all the time, but this has been in storage so long, I forgot all about it. So, a fresh baked loaf to send to my friend with her pot of soup. My house smells amaaaaaaazing.

Check out Randi's post from yesterday to see what else you can ladle up this week.

A Journey Of Ten Thousand Miles, Otherwise Known as Shopping At Ikea

Here's what I think about assembling stuff...

It's men's work.

I know women everywhere would have absolute FITS over that statement, but my idea of a power tool is my three speed crock pot. And I like it that way.

Lucky for me, I found myself an Old Buzzard who knows how to put things together.

HOWEVER.

Yesterday, excitement and impatience got the best of me. This is a huge week at work for my Assembly Man, so I thought I would surprise my guy and bust into those Ikea boxes all by myself.

Lucky for me, I had an able and willing co-worker. He likened Ikea furniture to putting together Legos, and I do see some similarities! I had never purchased any of their furniture before, and it was quite an experience. I was completely shocked at how well made and easy to configure it was for the price.

If you've never been to an Ikea before, it is like the Six Flags of the furniture world. Imagine thousands of square feet of European styled component furniture and dozens of walk-through exhibits that illustrate how you could live out your entire life in 324 square feet of well organized space. It's crazy. You can buy anything from a new bed to a new spoon, and when you're done shopping you can go upstairs and eat Swedish meatballs and $1 cinnamon rolls. We actually go there on date nights sometimes just because it's fun.

What wasn't so much fun was actually buying my furniture there. After several look-and-measure runs, I made Buzz go with me on Sunday to make some decisions and purchases.

Because it wasn't like he needed to stay home and root for his Aggies in the Cotton Bowl.

Anyway, some of the pieces we wanted were out of stock, and as is customary with Ikea trips, we second and third guessed ourselves and came up with seven new ideas while we were there. (I'm using "we" and "ourselves" because I like to think it was a group dynamic, and that Buzzard wasn't just standing there waiting for me to make up my ever changing mind while waiting to get back home to his beloved remote control.) The ending to the story is that I came home with no furniture and spent the rest of the day as sad as an Aggie fan. Yes, Ikea had beaten me like a rented circus monkey.

Wednesday night I headed back in with a tape measure, a son to help lift, and a sure fire plan.

One that failed me a mere ten minutes in the door. Here's the thing about Ikea. They're always going to be out of stock on something. You have to just be flexible, or prepare to buy what they have on that day and go back several times to get every single item your heart desires. This is the point in which I want, with every fiber of my being, to enumerate for you my journey of switching from birch table tops to black ones, from white shelves with drawers to black shelves with no drawers, and the unfortunate shelving bracket compromise of 2011.

But I won't. I took such an emotional beating that night I just don't think I have the strength to relive it all. But I will tell you that in a moment of desperation, otherwise known as ten minutes past closing time when my cart was already loaded with Many Heavy Furniture Selections, I actually bought the last two black table legs in existence and supplemented them with four silver ones. I still can't believe it. I do plan to put a skirt around the table so no one but me will ever know my legs don't match.

But it is enough that I know. I know and I will not forget.

Mismatched table legs is the price you pay for preserving whatever shred of mental stability you have left after two weeks of shopping for Swedish furniture components. Self Serve Aisle 8 brought me to my knees I tell you, and I was forced to make peace with getting on with life and closing this chapter of Ikea and all of their eight million choices.

Which brings me to yesterday. (Were you wondering if we'd ever get there??) My willing assistant and I set our sights on a five drawer file cabinet that held promise of somehow springing to life out of 914 separate parts and pieces. My assistant, the one who eventually abandoned me in favor of a bowl of goldfish crackers and a rerun of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, even fetched this bad boy from the garage and taught me how to use it.

This is the point where I proudly tell you I assembled an entire table, power tool in hand, without a single phone call to my father in law for advice, instruction, or moral support. I even adjusted my torque. I have no living idea what in the world that means, but I found the button on the drill and figured, since it was an option, that I should take advantage of adjusting my torque.

Medium torque works just right on mismatched table legs.

I made it three fourths of the way to the finish line before my Buzzard came home, beaming with pride over my lofty accomplishments. (Beaming on the inside. I was almost sure of it.) I had the last piece laying in place unopened, because, (this is where you brace yourself for a huge surprise), I almost changed my mind about that last piece. Should I stay with the table that was deeper and shorter or "race" back to Ikea for the one that was more shallow and longer? (And most probably out of stock, requiring an eleven millionth change of plans.) I somehow over estimated Buzzards willingness to remotely consider an eleven millionth change of plans, so short and deep it stayed.

The moral of this (epic) story is that I have a new space in my house. One that is almost finished. One that I am very excited to tell you about. One that required a teensy bit of thought and planning. :-)

Mom came over last night to help ease a few of my Ikea fears and administer a little PPR.

(Post Purchase Reassurance.)

I fed her crock pot cream cheese chicken. Delightfully delicious. If you have made it through this entire post you are no doubt in need of some substantial nourishment. Go make you some crock pot chicken and eat it up with rice. More fun than a Swedish meatball.

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken

3 lbs. chicken pieces, cut to bite sized

3 T melted butter

1 packet dry Italian Salad Dressing mix

Put chicken pieces in crock pot, sprinkle with dressing mix, and drizzle with melted butter. Cook on low four to six hours.

2 T butter

1/2 finely chopped onion

garlic

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup chicken broth

8 ounce block cream cheese

Cook onion and garlic in butter. Add soup, broth, and cream cheese and cook until smooth. Pour over chicken in crock pot and cook an additional hour.

(Note: I only used a portion of the Italian dressing packet, because I don't like food too salty. I found that about 1/3 of the packet was plenty.)

Peanut Butter Surprises

I can't resist trying a recipe that looks too good to be true. I love to cook and bake, but I also love a good short cut. I have no idea how these cookies work, but they do. Any they're delicious. I've decided to call them peanut butter surprises, because they are soooo easy I can whip them up for my kids any old time. And also because I have an affection for naming things. Even cookies.

Now, here's a little secret. That batch you see above is for photo purposes only. They're going in the trash now because I forgot about them in the oven and (surprise!)

they burn when you do that.

Peanut Butter Surprises

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

Mix together and drop on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 until they look done. Mine usually take about 12-13 minutes. Today they stayed in much longer than that. :(

"C" is for "Crafts" and "Chocolate"!

I have a very special collection that is dear to my heart. The trouble is, it stays packed away where it is never seen or enjoyed. Isn't it a bummer how some collections are like that? My little treasure is a box of mismatched buttons that came from my Oma's sewing basket. I'm not at all sure how I first came to own them, but I've had them for years and years. They are in a German Lebkuchen tin, which I'm sure has a story behind it. I bet my Grandparents brought it back from Germany decades ago.

From time to time, when I'm digging in my sewing supplies, I'll lift the lid on the little tin and sift through the colorful, shiny buttons. Their little shapes and bright colors just make me happy. At my quilt shop, I recently saw a little jewelry kit that can be used to make homemade bracelets. I immediately thought about my Oma's little buttons, and instantly knew I'd found a cause worthy of putting my collection to use. I hot glued layers of buttons to the bracelet base to make these sweet little button bracelets! I think they are absolutely charming. I'm going to share them with some family members who loved my Oma as much as I did. I hope they will be a sentimental Christmas surprise!

Tonight we had Nana, Papa, Aunt Sarah, and Papa John over for dinner. Aunt Sarah and Papa John have been Nana and Papa's best friends since the beginning of time. The most wonderful thing about having them all to dinner is that they are a casual crowd. We eat off of paper plates, dim the lights so we're not bothered by the dust, and all pitch in to make the meal happen. We always have a wonderful time when they are here. The two Papas are both engineers, so the guys invariably sit at one end of the table and talk about how things work. Or how they could work. Or how they should work. Whatever. The girls tend to migrate to the other end of the table to swap recipes, share funny stories about kids and grandkids, and laugh at the boys at the other end of the table, who are still debating about who could make it work the best.

Nana brought her scrumptious sausage balls, half of which were made with jalapenos and set my mouth ablaze. Screaming good. Oma made "Heavenly Orange Fluff", and let me just say that they weren't kidding when they named that salad. I made Alpine Chicken, which I dreadfully overcooked. Because they are nice people, no one complained about the fact that it took a steak knife and bulging triceps to cut through the meat, but on a good day, and when you're paying appropriate attention to the kitchen timer, this is a great dish for entertaining. John and Sarah were in charge of dessert, and I'm still thanking my lucky stars that they were, because THIS was the substantial mound of chocolate perfection that arrived through my front door.

Once we all caught sight of this bad boy, dinner was just a formality. A prelude to the real reason for the evening, which was clearly the dessert.

This, my friends, is a seven pound chocolate cake. With chocolate filling. And chocolate icing. And chocolate curls and shavings. Made by chocolate angels in chocolate heaven. Seven pounds?!? Can you say, "Merry Christmas"?

It was a great evening of indulging....and digesting. After everyone left, I found a little surprise that was left on the piano for us. It is an entire tower of candy. My kids went crazy!! I think the chocolate fairies have been working overtime this year, and consequently, I do believe the stretchy pant fairies need to pay me a visit. Good times, good laughs, a roaring fire, and chocolate by the pound. Oh, how I love Christmas!

Alpine Chicken

1 package chicken breasts or tenders

1 package swiss cheese, sliced or shredded

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup cooking sherry (I use about half this much)

1/4 cup water (I increase this slightly)

1 box Stove Top dressing for Chicken

1/4 c. butter (I double this. Just because. More butter always equals better.)

Place chicken in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.

Layer cheese on top.

Mix water, sherry, and soup and pour over chicken.

Mix dressing with melted butter.

Spoon over the chicken.

Cover and bake at 350 for 90 minutes (This is what the recipe says, but this is way too long for boneless and skinless breasts. Decrease the amount of time based on the type of meat you use.)

Uncover for the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

Good served with wild rice.

Heavenly Orange Fluff

1 large box orange jello

2 cups hot water

1/2 cup sugar

Mix until dissolved

Add 6 ounce can frozen orange juice

Cool

Add one large can crushed pineapple with juice and two small cans of oranges, drained.

Chill until set

"Frost" with topping:

1 package instant lemon pudding

1 cup milk

1 t. vanilla

1/2 pint whipping cream, whipped

Recipe Box Swap - Pasta Recipes

Randi chose a great theme for this month's recipe box swap. It's pasta. I was excited to see that because we eat scads of pasta here. It's one thing that I can usually set on the table and get few, if any, complaints. Plus, it's cheap and quick, so we eat snoodles of noodles. I'm sharing two recipes today; one hot and one cold. How about that? A two'fer here on my blog today.


My first recipe came from my friend Marci. She's a dandy of a cook. She ought to know by now whenever she brings food to my house to just go ahead and bring the recipe card with her, because I invariably ask for it every time I try something she has made. I guess our tastes are just similar. This is a goldie oldie from way back in the beginning of our friendship, some fifteen years ago! We often get together with Marci and her family for dinner and a game night, and this has graced the menu several times. It is a nice change from regular spaghetti, and since it is a "build your own" concept, it works great on a buffet.


Rotini
1 pound breakfast sausage; drain and crumble
Saute 1 onion (diced) and 1 garlic clove (minced) and add to sausage


Mix together in large pot:
2 qts. tomato juice
1 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine (can use chicken broth)
18 oz tomato paste
1 1/2 t. sugar
2 t. basil
salt and pepper to taste


Simmer together until mixture thickens.

Cook rotini noodles as directed on package


To serve:
Put a spoonful of rotini on plate
Sprinkle with shredded cheese (we like mozarella and monterey jack mixed together for this)
Pour sauce on top
Grate fresh parmesan over sauce


Try this and you'll understand why it's imperative I keep Marci for a friend. I need her for her recipes. :)


This next one is one of my mother in law's favorites. It is rich, and a great side for BBQ.


Macaroni Salad
1 pound cooked macaroni (I always use bowtie for this. Isn't it funny how we always used certain shaped pasta noodles for certain recipes? This just isn't the same without the bowties!)
1 green pepper, finely chopped (I tend to use red instead because I like it better)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (I tend to use green onions instead because clearly I don't follow this recipe well at all.)
4 shredded carrots (I do this exactly like the recipe says. Ha!)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (Oh yeah, baby. How bad can this possibly taste?)
2 cups mayo
1 t salt
1 t pepper


Mix the dressing, then add the veggies, and finally the pasta. Refrigerate overnight before serving. It really needs to set up. Stir well before serving.


Check out Randi's blog post today for more great Recipe Box Swap ideas.

Recipe Box Swap - A Cheery Oh

There is a roofer here today. He is on my roof with a hammer. He is fixing and patching and sealing. And hammering. Hammering. Hammering. I can't leave, because every so often he needs access to my attic to check on things. The thing is, the hammering is so rhythmic, I can't stop thinking or moving to the sound.

BAM! BAM! BAM!! type. type. type.

BAM! BAM! BAM!! think. a. thought.

BAM! BAM! BAM!! step. step. step.

BAM! BAM! BAM!! I think. I'm going. To scream.

I feel like a nut. I can't escape this crazy hammering and I can't get it out of my head!!! Okay, complaining done and moving along....

First Thursday is here again and Randi, who is all kinds of FUN, chose the theme of fun foods for this month's swap.

Seems we have an abundant supply of these around our house lately.

There are little containers and baggies of them in every bag, purse, cupboard and cupholder. It is a season of life which I particularly love, because there is nothing cuter than watching pudgy little fingers pick them up and eat them!

I got this recipe from my friend who called them "Cheerios Breakfast Bars". Now, what could be more fun than a cookie for breakfast?? But, since it is well established that I am NO fun, I only serve them for dessert. :) This is a fun twist on a traditional rice krispie treat. Fun to make and more fun to eat!

Dove's Cheer-y Oh Bar

1/2 cup margarine or butter

32 large marshmallows, or 3 cups minis

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder

1 cup raisins (optional)

4 cups Cheerios

Melt butter and marshmallows over low heat stirring constantly. Stir in peanut butter until well melted. Stir in milk. Remove from heat and fold in cereal until well covered. Turn into pan and pat evenly with well buttered hands. Cool and cut into bars. I've always wanted to try these with Craisins in the fall, but I'm the only one here who eats Craisins. Don't you think that sounds yummy though??

BAM! BAM! BAM!! Make. Some. Bars.

ARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!

Be sure to check out Randi's blog for more fun foods. Her potato skins made me drool.

Stir It Once, Stir It Twice, Stir That Chicken Soup With Rice

Hannah has been hard at work on the computer the last several days hammering out a huge paper that was due today in her Worldview class. I felt the tables turn here.....

"Please, can I have a turn at the computer?"

"What is so important that you keep asking me to use the computer??"

"Blogging."

"Mom, I'm in the middle of REALLY important work. You're going to have to wait. Work comes before play. I'm really very busy and you keep interrupting me asking for play time. When all my work is done, then you can have the computer to mess around."

"Oh. Okay. How much longer until your important work is done??? I'm not sure how long I can wait."

Hello? Who's the grown up around here?? So then today, I'm in the middle of cooking and the boys want to do read alouds. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of something very important? I have to finish this before I can sit down and play with you. You're just going to have to find some patience and w-a-i-t!" I learned that one from the old pro.

Well, the big paper is turned in and the debate is over. Hannah's team won, and they received a very rewarding score. I'm happy that she made it through such a challenging assignment.

And I'm so happy to have a turn at the computer so I can get back to the very important work of blogging.

I got a few shots of the kids today before Hannah left for her class. It always amazes me that in the midst of great protesting and complaining their lips stop moving long enough for me to get a decent picture. The clicking of my camera can't quite drown out the sighing and moaning. I'm always pleasantly surprised when I see the final outcome by how compliant the appear. Don't they look docile to you? :)

My two good friends are both down and out with the flu. It's a bad one, and they feel icky. I put on a big pot of soup this morning to split between our three families. Soup is such a nurturing food, and the house feels so cozy when big pot of it is simmering on the stove.

...Pots bubbling away on the stove while neatly groomed children skip toward me and beg me to photograph their shiny, smiling faces...

Anyway, the soup part is true. I did make some. Here's how I like to make a rich and satisfying chicken soup.

First, I chop some veggies (onion, celery, and carrot) and throw them in a big pot with a box of good quality chicken stock. I put a lid on the pot to lock in the steam. Then I throw several pounds of chicken breasts in another pot with water and clamp the lid shut on that one too. I set both burners to medium and walk away for a few hours, waiting for my turn on the computer which may never come.

I boil those chickens until they are completely falling apart, then I remove them with a slotted spoon. I take two forks to that big old pile of chicken and shred it to chicken bits. I boiled five pounds today and was able to set aside two bags of chicken for later meals.

I strain the good broth from the chicken and return it to my big pot. Next, I whisk in some cream of chicken soup. I know. It feels like cheating, but it makes the broth sooooo yummy. I whisk and whisk until it is blended well, then I add in my broth with the veggies.

I like these Steamer's bags that have rice, peas, carrots, and a little bit of corn. I throw a few bags of that in the microwave then add it to my pot, along with a generous amount of shredded chicken. I turn the heat to low, throw a lid on it, and let it simmer a good long while. I take a peek now and then to give it a stir.

Even though I add rice, I'm also a firm believer that chicken soup should always be...well....noodle-y. So I add a few cups of these bad boys for good measure. Because there is no such thing as too many carbs when you have the flu. Or when you are healthy as a horse.

Oh yeah. Yumm-O. It just always hits the spot for me. Be gone, you nasty flu. You are no match for this creamy deliciousness.

I should warn you that the real secret to this soup's success is in the kitchen help. In order for this soup to fly, you have to have a taste tester who is this darn cute. Get you one like this, who still smiles for the camera and lets you have all the blog time your heart desires. :)