Day 11

Eat Christmas Popcorn and Watch a Christmas Movie!


The girls LOVE popcorn and I just wanted to sit down and relax after the previous days 2 parties we attended.  Daddy had a soccer game that morning, so being a good wife and daughters we cheered loudly from our blanket on the grass.  BTW, he won the game so now we are on to the finals!!!  After a full day at the park the evening was all about pjs and a movie.

I popped some popcorn in my beloved whirly pop (no microwave popcorn in this house!) and made it special by adding red and green M&M's.  I have to say it was fantastic!  The light butter, light salt and warm chocolate M&M's was just the after dinner treat we needed :)

We cuddled up on the couch with our 4 bowls and watched Santa Claus is Coming to Town!  Daddy's favorite :)


And the fabulous day ended in this...

O.M.G. I love them!

Rootin Tootin Indeed.

A few weeks before her birthday I asked B what kind of a party she wanted.  She thought about it for a while, threw out a few ideas, squashed a few ideas, and got really excited for a Jessie from Toy Story 2 & 3 theme.  Well, I may have been the one who got really excited, but she was totally on board.

Jessie is a cowgirl who wears cow print chaps, the possibilities are endless.  So a country theme it is!  I started scouring the internet for ideas, and thanks to my new obsession, Pinterest, found oodles of them.  

Sorry these pics are in a weird order, I cant be bothered to change it now.

The Star of the Party

I made this cake myself and got so many compliments.  In all honesty it was the easiest cake I have ever made.  In an attempt to make things a little easier I just used a box cake mix with store bought icing, pre-made fondant that I dyed black, Beau already had the Jessie and Bullseye Characters and the "rope" is tootsie rolls that I rolled, twisted and used to cover my sloppy icing job.  But it tasted great and I was really happy with the end result.

 The flatware

The colors were black and white (for the cow hide chaps she wears), red (for her hat) and yellow (for her shirt).  I loved the bandana print napkins I found.

The appetizers 

Veggie tray with ranch, BBQ meatballs, and chips and salsa (because Sam is incapable of having people over with out chip and salsa out.  It didn't go with my theme but I decided Daddy could make one decision).

I neglected to get a picture of the main meal but it was...

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Coleslaw

Cornbread Muffins

Watermelon

Applesauce

 The Dessert Table

Jessie and Bullseye Cake

S'more Pops

Jessie's Hat Cookies

 The Goodie Bag Table

The goody bags were filled with 

Toy story fruit snacks

Water Guns

Parachuting GI Joes (from Toy story)

Plus kid cowboy hats and bandanas

PS, notice my new chalkboard that I made!

 Beau's life in Pictures

I loved this idea, pictures of the birthday girl from birth to 4 years.  It was super hard to pic what pictures made the cut but it may have been my favorite part of the party.  The twine and clothespins added to the theme (thanks for the idea Karly!)

 The Watering Hole

I covered my buffet with craft paper, used bandanas, and the barn door effect was a cheap plastic table cloth.

 Happy Birthday Beau

It was handmade (obviously) but seeing the look on Beau's face when I told her what it said and I that I made it for her was worth the paper cuts.

Ribbon was the perfect addition to the drink labels.

 The Giddy-Up Tea

Sweet Tea flavored Vodka with Lemonade.  It was a crowd pleaser.

 Mason Jars

Whats not to love about Mason Jars???

"The Bawoons" 

I knew we HAD to have cow print balloons.  The kids all loved them!

There it is.  Beau's Rootin Tootin 4th Birthday was a huge success and everyone had a great time.  I had a blast decorating and being crafty and Beau made all the hard work worth it when she gasped, held her face, and said 

"Mommy is this for my birthday?!  Oh, you make me so happy!"

I love you Baby Girl!  Don't grow up any more, ok?

Ahh it feels good to be home!

After being gone for a month it feels SOOO good to be back home.  I missed everything so much.

I missed the smell when you first walk in the door, its a mixture of new home, the beach and a much used kitchen.

I missed my bed , oh how I missed my bed.   The feel of that tempur pedic was calling to me from across the Pacific.  While I was sharing a full bed with a 3 year old AND a 2 year old for several weeks, my bed was patiently waiting to cradle me again.  I think I actually purred when I laid down.

I missed my couch and my DVR.  I cant wait until I have time to actually watch the 12 hours of Real Housewives I have saved.

Of course I missed the smell of the ocean air and the lush greens every where you look.  I missed the warm weather--it was ridiculously cold for June in Southern California and I think I am still defrosting--and the relaxed island vibe.

In the midst of running through my house and kissing all my meaningless material comforts I was jolted back to reality when I opened the fridge and saw...

"well girls, its apples and eggs for dinner.  And a shot of Lemoncello for mommy"

Agh crap!  I did not miss the responsibilities of being the sole food provider.

Oh and this little jewel was hiding in the back behind a very rotten , very fragrant box of strawberries.

Green Parmesean Cheese , Oh God , I just threw up in my mouth a little

Welcome Home Mom.

The Bestest Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was on a mission to find the perfect recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies. I knew that Nestle Toll House had already done it but I wanted something different. I wanted a heartier cookie, something with a bit more substance. I wanted to be able to eat just 1 or 2 (or 10 or 12) and be satisfied, not have to eat the whole package. I also wanted to incorporate a few more healthy ingredients. I have never been a huge fan of oatmeal raisin cookies, the oatmeal just ends up tasting like... well... oatmeal. Well it took me a while but I finally found a recipe that I am happy with. I asked many, many people what they thought and there was overwhelming consensus that I needed to look no further.

I made somewhere around 20 batches. First I started with my favorite granola, Cascadian Farms Organic Maple Brown Sugar (which is where I altered the recipe from), but you can use any old granola that your grocers carries. I would avoid a flavored granola but whatever floats your boat :)

Then I tried to find the perfect nut, this was a problem, everyone liked a different nut. I tried pecans and thought they didn't stand up enough against the chocolate, I tried almonds and some thought they had too much flavor. Walnuts were good until a bad one ended up in the mix and ruined a whole batch. In the end I decided that which ever nut you like best will make the cookies best for you. I prefer almonds, chopped small they are the perfect match for me.

Then I started messing around with adding instant coffee, a few times I added too much and it was a shock to the system. 2 tablespoons seems to work out nicely. The Flax Seeds are a bonus, they add nutrition and a heartiness that the cookies were missing. I used ground seeds but you can use the whole seeds if you want, really what ever you find.

Lastly I decided it all came down to the chocolate. I have never been a big semi sweet fan, I like good milk chocolate. I used Ghiradelli because it is amazing. But again if you prefer semi sweet than that will just make the cookies that much better for you.

After 20 batches I figured out that everyone has different tastes, some will like pecans with semi-sweet chips, others will up the coffee and use flavored granola, it all depends on your tastes. But this final version was the most well received, in fact everyone had a hard time walking away from the platter.

So without further delay...



Granola Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup Butter (softened)
3/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 eggs
2 tablespoons Flax Seed (I used ground)
2 tablespoons Instant Coffee Granules
2 1/4 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoons salt
4 cups Granola
1 bag Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup Chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine Butter, Sugars, Vanilla, Eggs, Flax Seed and Coffee on low speed until light and fluffy. Beat in Flour, Baking Soda, and Salt until well mixed. Stir in Granola, Chocolate Chips, and Nuts. Drop spoonfuls on ungreased cookies sheet. Bake 11-13 minutes or until a light golden brown color. Cool 1 minute on sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.

My Better Butter Chicken

I recently tried a recipe from a food website that I L-O-V-E, love! Tasty Kitchen. Those of you that are familiar with the site know that there are TONS of great recipes there. Well the most recent one I tried reminded me of an Indian recipe that I have been wanting to try but never got around to it. Its called Murgh Makhani and some call it "butter chicken". When I was perusing the Tasty Kitchen's main course section I stumbled upon something called "Butter Chicken". I knew I had to try it since the recipe was very similar to mine and maybe a little easier! Plus Pioneer Woman had featured it so I KNEW it would be great. I decided to make a few adjustments of my own and I think it turned out amazing!!!

Make this as soon as possible and it will change your appreciation for Indian food.

My Better Butter Chicken
*my alterations

4 pieces Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
5 Cloves Garlic
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
*1/4 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
1/4 teaspoons Ground Coriander
1/4 teaspoons Cumin
1/4 teaspoons Cardamom
1 Whole Lime, Juiced
1 Whole Onion, Diced
1/4 ups Butter
1 can (15 oz) Tomato Sauce
1 can (15 oz) Petite Diced Tomatoes
*1 cup Whipping Cream (light cream or half-and-half works too)
*1 cup Coconut Milk
*1/4 cup Peanut Butter (creamy or chunky depending on taste)
1 bunch Chopped Cilantro

Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight, though I only had 3 hours and it was fine.
Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add marinated Chicken and cook about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat, covered. Add the whipping cream, coconut milk and peanut butter, allow to return to a simmer. Add the cilantro just before serving and serve over Basmati Rice. Enjoy, your life will never be the same!


The original recipe called for 1/2 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper but I am serving to kids so I wanted to cut back the heat, it was still plenty hot for us will 1/4 teaspoons. I cut the whipping cream in half and replaced with coconut milk because, well, coconut cream is amazing and the things it does to a dish are indescribable. I also added peanut butter because it sounded right and the recipe seemed to be lacking something, but dropping this ingredient for allergies would be fine, it would still be a great dish.

Original recipe found here

My angels enjoying their dinner :)

Cookie Mission: Update

This last batch was horrible!

Well as horrible as chocolate chip cookies can be.

They were flat, too soft and I tried pecans instead of almonds.

Note: Pecans lack any real flavor when mixed with yummy chocolate and granola. Almonds are a must.

The real reason for this bad batch is the granola, I am convinced. The commissary is the only place in town that sold my favorite brand of granola. So on Sunday when I ran to get my cookie supplies I found they had ran out. Only worse, they weren't just out, they had shuffled new items in its place...

*gasp* they have discontinued my favorite granola!!!

What am I going to do? Don't they know I am on the verge of a cookie breakthrough?! What are they trying to do to me?

I decided that it would be fine so I bought another brand ( and it was a different flavor too since apparently Cascadian Farms is the only one who can sell perfect granola ). It wasn't fine. This was the worst cookie so far.

But on the bright side I did learn a few things...

1. no pecans

2. always almonds

3. a tsp of instant coffee is sounding like a good idea

4. flax seed is another great addition, no flavor added only health :)

I am well on my way, hang in there with me folks and I will have the recipe soon

Mission : Cookies

Mission to find the perfect recipe for chocolate chip cookies...I am almost there! This last batch was great but there was still a little room for improvement.

For me the perfect cookies have:

GOOD Chocolate - regular chocolate chips are great, but every recipe uses brands like Hershey's or Nestle. Plus the refrigerator cookies are great and easy, why would I try and make the same cookie at home with more steps and more time. Good chocolate, my favorite is Ghiradelli, really adds that extra pow that a good cookie needs.

Oats - oats add the necessary texture and mass that a good cookie needs. I don't want a flat cookie that breaks in half when you pick it up.

Nuts - I am still searching for the perfect nut to go with chocolate chip cookies. This last time I used Almonds. And they were great, but I think they really needed to be chopped smaller. Walnuts work good too but sometimes a bad walnut sneaks in and can be sour, not good for a cookie. I am going to try pecans next time but I am thinking I may need to find a mixture of several nuts. Hmm...

To be continued...

I am on a mission

to find the perfect recipes of a few staples. There are things that I make often and have tried too many variations to count for said recipes. I am tired of trying and trying and being disappointed... so I am on a mission.

I guess I figure if I set out on a mission than making the same meal 13 times in one month doesnt seem so crazy.

Well, maybe it still does.

But I don't care because I am on a mission.

This mission includes combining several recipes through trial and error until I find the perfect mixture to please my palate. Since mine is the one that matters since I am doing all the work.

Ok, the recipes I want to perfect are...

*Cookies, good ol choclate chip

*Marinade

*Chicken Fried Rice

*Enchilladas

*Granola Bars

*Cake

*Frosting

*Fish and or Shrimp Soup

*Paella

*Risotto

*Roast

*Salsa. Oh yeah, I can check that off the list already :)

*Chicken Curry/Tikka Masala/Kurma

*Lasagna or Macaroni Bake

*Pancakes

*Bolognase Sauce

and I'm sure the list will continue to grow.

I plan on posting my progress but please forgive the pictures, I am FAR from a professional. And since I just lost out on Pioneer Womans Camera Giveaway I am still working will a little point and shoot. Sigh, some day I will own a DSLR! But these recipes cant wait until then, I will have to push on with out it :)

A fantastic Weekend

Ahh, spring is here and I am LOVING it!!! The weather this weekend was fantastic and we tried to make the most of it. On Saturday morning we were up and out of the house by 8 ( since my lovely girls do not sleep in ) and off to the farmers market. Last weekend I tried to make a trip with just me and B and found the market completely empty. Low and behold the opening weekend was THIS weekend. So I had grand ideas for the opening ceremony.

The market was a little less than I expected.

Actually it was a lot less that I expected.

There was maybe 6 vendors and of those only 2 had any food to sell. The rest had crafty things that simply are not my cup of tea and a few only had ads for what they would bring next weekend!

What!? Next Weekend?! Why was the market even open this week then?

Anyway, I did find a lovely bag of mixed greens for a yummy salad and some oh so yummy cheese. One is a tomato basil white cheddar and the other is called a "cowboy" cheddar... uh, YUM! Actually it a blend of about 12 different spices but it looks delicious so we are pretty excited about that. Especially B, she kept saying "i wanna cowboy cheese peease".

There was a parade going on downtown right by the market so were were all set to show the girls their first parade.

Didn't work out too well. We had a great spot right on the curb where we would be able to see the bands long before they got to us. It was a great spot until a local family came and sat next to us. There was nothing wrong with them in particular, except they were very overweight, thus taking up a lot of space that wasn't available and pushing us over into the people next to us. And they had 2 yappy little dogs (named "sassy" and "precious", *gag* ) that I was terrified were going to bite one or both of my angels. Oh and they had a box full of donuts, and of course any 3 year old sees donuts and immediately wants one. Not good for the parents who don't want said 3 year old to eat that kind of food, except on very rare occasions. So I guess there was a lot wrong with them. So we left before the parade even had a chance to start. Boo.

After that I dropped Wing Man and A off at home for nap time while I took my biggest angel to go shopping. (cue angels singing) Yes, shopping. Not on a time limit, just walking and randomly picking items to spend WM's money on. We had a great time and B was WONDERFUL, way better than I could have ever expected. My girl is growing up and I couldn't be happier about it :)

We lunched together and WM went to a Kentucky Derby party. He had a great time while I played with the munchkins. After he got home I went to a scrapbook party where I attempted to be creative, unsuccessfully.

Sunday was great with a trip to the park, commissary, yard work, blogging, and while WM rode his bike to the gym I took both girls to get Daddy's Father's Day present going. It is a super cute idea that I will share after FD so I don't kill the surprise. Let's just say it will have to be a yearly tradition around here from now on!

Ahh, I love family weekends don't you :)

Chicken Nuggets to Chicken Parm

Ahh, dinner time.

It never fails that it is 5:15 p.m. and I have put no thought into what to make for dinner. Usually my girls have started crying and I am just pulling things out of the fridge to try and throw together a decent meal, usually barely edible is as good as it gets around here.

See, I'm not the best cook. I can do OK with some things, and I'm not completely inept but I cant say I am good. Too often I have been known to just walk away and leave something to burn beyond recognition as the house fills with smoke and the alarms are going off and everyone is crying from the noise, and ADT is calling to see if I need the fire department to come rescue me. And then I have to tell them... well I will save that story for another time.

So last night I decided to make chicken nuggets, and I hate to buy frozen nuggets since they are.. well... disgusting! Thank you Jamie Oliver for ruining a yummy treat forever. So I have to make them myself. But Hubby HATES breaded chicken. I wont go into how he is the pickiest eater ever and yet will eat just about anything at another time.

Suddenly a light bulb came on in my brain. Chicken nuggets for the girls, throw some mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top over a beautiful pate of pasta with Marinara (which I had already made) and voila! Chicken Parmesan! He will eat that, why? I don't know, he just will. Its fine to be breaded if it is completely covered in sauce. Don't get me started on his crazy rules. It can be its own separate post.

The summary of my craziness is... I managed a quick healthy meal for different appetites, with out making 2 different meals = Happy Mom