Chores...

My mother-in-law recently came to visit and we discussed the struggles of meal planning and keeping our houses in order. We had no systems for meal planning (anyone, anyone?) but she did tell me of a chore system. You have 30 cards with chores written on that you rotate throughout the month. It sounded like a good idea, but I wasn't sure I was structured enough, but then I came around again to the idea and realized I can be as flexible as I need/want to be.

So here they are, nothing pretty but they have helped me to have at least a goal in mind for what I should get done in the day (not including dishes, laundry and sweeping which just have to be done too often for this). I draw two a day and see what I can do, if I don't get to them, then I have tomorrow. I included "projects" which mean my fun, craft projects- all work and no play makes me a dull girl. But I also have "house projects" for those nasty projects I keep putting off- like pulling out the dead plants (which I actually delegated to my husband). I feel a little like a kid, but so far it is working for me. Who knows, maybe I too will get bored of the system and will have to have a new chore system... with stickers next time! :)

We just returned from a quick family vacation for a wedding. This was my fourth time flying with my little girl and my husband's second time. He is still amazed at the amount of stuff we have to bring and the difficulty of getting through security with said stuff, especially with bottles and formula. The first time I flew with our little girl I was really nervous and tried to find out as much as I could, here are some of the things I found...

Make sure you have something for the wee one to suck on while taking off or landing (or nurse if you are still doing so)

Check wherever you are staying to see if they have a pack-n-play you can use. My mom has two for when the grand kids stay. But our last trip we stayed on an Air Force base and they also had one for us to use. One less thing to haul to the airport is ideal.

Southwest had a bag for our car seat to keep it clean since we checked it. Bring a trash bag if the airline does not provide a bag.

Stickers. I have heard many people comment on the usefulness of stickers to keep a little one busy on the plane. Stick them on the child, stick them on yourself, stick them anywhere and let them remove.

Tape pieces of ribbon to the back of the seat in front of you to entertain little ones (I did this for my little girl's second flight when she was about 5 months old.)

Hook toys to the clasp of your tray table. Though if your baby can pull, make sure they can't pull hard enough to pull on the seat.

Treats. Our treats right now are only Puffs, but she sure does love them.

Small dollar store toys wrapped for them to unwrap and enjoy.

Buy this. I found mine at Target, but I am sure they can be found almost anywhere. It is pure genius; my husband wishes he had thought of the idea. We used this on the plane, at the reception, at lunch on our old stomping grounds and pretty much wherever we needed to.

My little girl is only 9 months old, so I do not have experience with older children, though from what I see it is mostly treats and portable DVD players. Any other ideas?

Homemade Granola Bars

I brought this yummy treat to playgroup yesterday and was told they tasted much like no-bake cookies (minus the chocolate) their moms made when they were younger.

I used a recipe from allrecipes.com (that is where I start for recipes I am looking for) but substituted some things that I had. If you click on the link (title below), you can find the original recipe. It called for raisins, sunflower seed, wheat germ, sesame seeds and chocolate chips. Seeing as I didn't have any of these, I used what I had.

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

1/2 c packed brown sugar (why is brown sugar almost always packed?)

1/3 c peanut butter

1/4 c corn syrup

1/4 c melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp coconut extract

1/2 c oats

1/4 c craisins (the pomegranate flavor is delicious)

1/4 c pecan pieces

1/2 c coconut

Combine all ingredients and put into an 8" greased pan. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

The recipe said to fold in the chocolate chips, but I didn't think this was necessary or possible since it is a very thick mixture. I can't imagine it would be easy to fold them in.

Frosted Vanilla Cookies

About two years ago I decided to have a cookie swap party. I invited some friends and we were each to make a few dozen of one cookie. Then we would swap them and have a variety of cookies for neighbor Christmas gifts. I had this recipe in mind but could never find the Vanilla Bean Paste. Finally our Williams Sonoma gift card from our wedding over three years ago saved the day as it purchased the paste. Of course since then, I have seen it elsewhere with a cheaper price tag. But the point of this little intro is that I was finally able to make the desired cookies and now they are desired all the time, they are simply delicious. "Better than Snickerdoodles" a friend remarked (and she loves Snickerdoodles). I thought about not sharing this recipe, then I could have my secret recipe. Then I realized I would have to share when I made them and that didn't make sense, so here it is:

Frosted Vanilla Cookies

(As this was at least two years ago, I do not have a source. I only have a printed copy, with no website/blog/name to give credit to, sorry.)

Cookies:

1 c unsalted butter

1 T vanilla bean paste

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c powdered sugar

1 egg

2 c flour

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t cream of tartar

1/4 t salt

1 c finely chopped walnuts (I didn't have a full cup of walnuts, so I added some pecans)

1 c sugar for rolling

Frosting:

1 T vanilla bean paste

1/3 c half and half (or heavy cream if it is all you have, like I had)

1 T unsalted butter

2 c powdered sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and vanilla bean paste on medium-high speed until smooth. Add 1/2 c sugar, powdered sugar and egg and continue mixing until combined. Add walnuts and continue mixing until combine.

Roll dough into one inch balls, roll ball sin sugar and place on a baking sheet fitted with parchment paper or a silpat. Bake for 9 minutes (I only baked for 7 minutes) or until just beginning to brown. Place baked cookies on a cooling rack until completely cool.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine all frosting ingredients and beat at medium speed until smooth. Frost each cooled cookies with one teaspoon of frosting.

My Sister Dishes on Costco Chicken

My sister has started blogging again and recently shared this post on Costco rotisserie chickens. She shared some great ideas and recipes perfect for using the chicken. We actually had a chicken taco salad tonight for dinner and last week we put some in pitas.

20 Ways to eat a Costco Chicken

Most rotisserie chickens don't interest me. But Costco chickens are different. They're bigger, they cost several dollars less than at the grocery store, they are juicy, and they have flavor!! I get one every time I go to Costco, and sometimes that's a lot.

There is only one rule when buying a Costco chicken: Eat or take the meat off the bone immediately. You will curse yourself if you leave it in the fridge to cool and then try to pull the meat off the bones. It just won’t work and you’ll be left with a mangled bird.

I decided to put together a list of all the ways to eat a Costco chicken, because sometimes when I come home with one I think... "so what am I going to do with this?" And then it ends up sitting around and getting picked at, but it doesn't really live up to it's full potential. :)

Some of these recipes are so obvious they don't require a recipe. Chicken Quesadilla? I won't bore you! Some are my own recipe that I've created, but most are from other blogs. If I've linked to it, I've made it and loved it enough to share!

1. Carve it up and eat it as the main course
2. Add to a green salad
3. Chicken Taco Salad
4. Chicken Sandwiches
5. Add to Suddenly Salad
6. Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
7. Chicken Suiza Sammies
8. Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
9. Tomatillo Casserole with Chicken and Hominy (my own recipe... I'll post someday...)
10. Quiche with Chicken and Broccoli (or Ham!) (Again, my own recipe...)
11. Chicken Quesadilla
12. Chicken Salad Sandwiches (Anyone have a really good go-to recipe?)
13. Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells
14. BBQ Chicken Pizza
15. BBQ Chicken Braid
16. Chicken Soup
17. Chicken Pot Pie (Mom's Recipe)
18. Chicken and Dumplings
19. Jambalaya (Mom's Recipe)
20. Hummus, Spinach and Chicken in a wrap (My go-to lunch for busy days!)

Milk Bread

I had some friends over the other day and decided to make some bread (cheating of course by using my bread machine) and had many requests for the recipe after. So here it goes, this is for a medium-size loaf. Sorry no picture, it was devoured too quickly.... in a lady-like fashion of course.

Milk Bread

3 C bread flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 Tbsp dry milk

1 1/2 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

1 1/4 C milk

1 tsp dry yeast

1. Put all ingredients in

2. Push all the correct buttons (M loaf, bake mode...)

3. Wait a few hours and become intoxicated by the smell of fresh bread

4. Slice and eat

I also made some apricot whipped butter (simply whip a stick of butter, then add some apricot jam and whip it good). My sister and I saw the Barefoot Contessa make it with orange jam and we couldn't resist trying it. I used apricot jam (probably about a half of the jar) from Trader Joe's.

Hair today, Goon tomorrow

I may be clever with titles (maybe not, I guess that is for each to decide) but I am definitely not clever with my hair. I can round brush my hair, straighten my hair, curl it, put it in a bun and that is about it. Enter the fabulous blog, I am Momma hear me ROAR and I learned a new and easy hairdo. The video to watch is only three minutes. I am pretty sure it took me a little longer but it was still very quick. Oh, and I probably used a few more pins.

It isn't perfect, but for my first time I think it works. She has a whole week of hair styles and lots of other fantastic ideas too.

When life gives you a broken cake...

you make a trifle

Coconut Trifle

1 white cake recipe (or 1 white cake mix)

1 tsp coconut extract

1 can cream of coconut (different, as in much more sugar, than coconut milk)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

whipped cream (I made my own and used about half of a pint)

strawberries

coconut

Make white cake recipe adding 1 tsp coconut extract. Bake as directed. After baking, let cool then cut into 1" squares and put half in the bottom of the trifle dish. (In my case I baked in 2 round pans as I was going to make a layered cake. After baking, I must not have let them cool enough and it flopped, literally. That is why I made a trifle and not a two layer cake).

Make whipped cream. This time I actually cooled the mixing bowl before and I do believe it made a great difference. Mix together sweetened condensed milk and cream of coconut. Add this mixture (I didn't actually add all of it) to the whipped cream. Pour half over the first layer of cake and top with a layer of coconut. Add another layer of cake and then the other half of whipped cream. I topped with toasted coconut and topped each individual serving with strawberries.

Chard?

My friend had posted this meal on her blog a while back and my husband recently remembered and requested it for dinner. Her husband actually made it for dinner and due to a deal (scrubbing the dirty clothes from an accident by our little girl), my husband made this meal.

It was delicious, but seriously how could it not be with a package of bacon, which really I think is why he requested it. Although, he is a big fan of chard as well. We used turkey bacon and I can only imagine how even better it would be with real bacon (should be, with almost triple the calories!). I think the next time we want this dish, it can be a tradition that my husband makes it!

Bacon and Swiss Chard Pasta
1 pound linguine
12 oz bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices
1 very large red onion, halved, sliced (about 6 cups)
1 large bunch Swiss chard, stemmed, chopped
1 T balsamic vinegar
3 T extra-virgin Olive Oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Meanwhile, cook bacon in heavy large pot over medium heat until beginning to crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Drain all but 2 T bacon drippings from skillet. Add onion and saute over medium high heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Add Swiss chard and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add pasta cooking liquid to skillet. Toss until chard is wilted and tender, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle vinegar over; cook 1 minutes. Add linguine and oil to sauce in pot and toss to coat. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with bacon and cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. From Bon Appetit, May 2008.

Quick Meal- Creole Tuna

Admittedly I was very skeptical of this meal as it didn't call for many ingredients and included canned tuna with tomatoes. But it is quite delicious and an extra bonus for being quick and easy.

Creole Tuna

1/4 c chopped green pepper

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/3 c milk

1 (14.5) oz can stewed tomatoes

1 (6 oz) can tuna, drained and flaked

1 tsp Creole seasoning

1. In a saucepan, saute green pepper in butter until tender.

2. Stir in flour, sugar, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Stir in tomatoes. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes.

3. Add tuna and Creole seasoning; heat through.

4. Serve over rice (I used a brown wild rice mix)

I did make a few changes only because I didn't have them on hand (coming home from vacation leaves you without a few things like fresh veggies). I didn't have any green pepper but will definitely add next time along with some thinly sliced onions. I also didn't have Creole seasoning, so I added Paprika and about 1/4 can chopped diced chilies.

Baby Headbands

When I found out I was having a girl, I was definitely excited for all things pink, frilly, flowery, skirts and dresses and cute headbands to adorn my cute baby. BUT I vowed I would not have any headbands that were the same size as her head. Call me crazy, but the headbands are to enhance her cuteness NOT overpower her, but I realize everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

While at Kmart one day I found a pack of lace headbands with little roses. They were cute, but I wanted them to be cuter and I wanted them to be just for my little munchkin. And so hot glue gun met fabric (satin/felt/cotton) flowers. The blue is the original headband. I simply removed the rose on the others and attached my own flowers.

Nursery.... and guest bedroom

I think I finally have the nursery/guest bedroom finished, unless of course, I think of some other project I want to make.

My sister made the quilt, which I loved and decided to actually design around those colors instead of the previous quilt I purchased. My mother-in-law sewed the curtains and she showed me how to make the matching throw pillows.

This is the second mobile I made, the first just wasn't working for me. I made the first out of felt, it had elephants and circles. This one was a lot easier and I like it better. I punched circles and scalloped circles out of patterned paper and hung them on a piece of thread with glue on an embroidery hoop.

Here are the elephants my sister gave me when she went to China that I wanted to incorporate, which is why I made the painting of the two elephants.

Meatless Monday

I have been trying to plan ahead our weekly menu. To help I have deemed Monday as Meatless Monday. Last week I made falafel with this soft wrap bread my sister showed me and dinner was truly delicious and healthy.

For the falafel recipe, I used a recipe found on Allrecipes.com and slightly adapted it to my tastes and needs.

Jeanie's Falafel

1 (19 oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup red pepper, chopped (added because I believe in vegetables and had it on hand)

1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp ground turmeric (didn't include because I don't have this fancy spice)

1/2 tsp baking powder (forgot this)

1 cup fine dry bread crumbs

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 quart vegetable oil for frying (I just sprayed mine with Pam and essentially grilled them)

My Directions: Put ingredients (except for oil and bread crumbs) in food processor and grind together. Shape mixture into small patties. Spray with Pam and cook over medium heat.

For the bread, I used this Soft Wrap Bread recipe which my sister introduced to me. It is delicious with soups and perfect for pita bread. Don't you love the blogging world... this came to me from my sister who found it off of "Your Home Based Mom" and the recipe is from "My Kitchen Cafe." Not to mention that when I searched to find the recipe my sister used, several variations came up, the blogging world too has it's trends. Anyway, my sister showed me a different (which we thought was easier) way to make these, so on to the recipe...

Soft Wrap Bread

1 tsp instant yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup water

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup potato pearls or flakes

1 1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Put the potato pearls and 1 cup flour in the kitchen aid mixer. add boiling water and combine until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for about 30 minutes until it has cooled a little.

Dissolve 1 tsp yeast into 1/4 cup water until the yeast has been activated.

Whisk 1 1/4 tsp salt into 2 cups flour. Add the vegetable oil to the yeast mixture and add the liquid to the potato mixture in the mixer. Using a dough hook, turn on the mixer and gradually add the flour until the mixture until a soft dough has formed. If the dough is sticky, add a little more flour. Remove mixture and place in a greased bowl and let rise for about 2 hours.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each about the size of a handball, around 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Roll each piece into a 7-to 8-inch circle, and dry-fry them (fry without oil) on a griddle or frying pan over medium heat for about 2 minutes per side, until they are puffed and flecked with brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly or too slowly. Cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center, while too slowly will dry them out. Transfer the cooked breads to a wire rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately, or cool slightly before storing in a plastic bag.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

I made a vegetable soup similar to the Tomato Basil Parmesan soup and it was quite delicious.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

4 carrots

4-6 stalks celery

1 medium onion

1/2 red pepper

1-2 stalks of broccoli

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

oregano, basil

1 (16 oz) can chicken broth

1/3 c half and half, warmed

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes (my can had basil and garlic added)

1/4 c Parmesan cheese

1/4 c cheddar cheese

1/2 c spinach

Dice all vegetables. Place carrots and celery in pot with butter, let cook until almost completely done. Add the rest of the vegetables and let cook. Once cooked add the flour, basil and oregano, until all flour is mixed in. Add the chicken broth and let warm, then add the diced tomatoes and the half and half. Add cheeses until melted. Using an immersion blender, blend soup but do not puree. Add spinach before serving.

My quantities are not exact as I did not measure before, but should be close enough to work. At least this is the recipe I will follow to make the soup again. We served with grilled cheese sandwiches, but warm bread would be just as good.

It's BABY time

Clearly this blog has suffered due to me being a new mom. Honestly though, if something has to suffer it is definitely going to be this blog. Though this blog has suffered a little, I also have some recent tricks I have learned from being a new mom. These are tricks that will have little conflict between moms (I hope). I definitely don't want to venture into tips on how to get your child to sleep. I posted about this on Facebook and there was a flood of opinions, definitely helpful, just overwhelming.

First tip: A bar of Dial soap is how to get out the damage done from a newborn blowout. I tried Shout and my sister told me to scrub the spot with Dial... it worked like a charm.

Second tip: As you can no longer use baby powder, use it for your "mom" hair. Mom hair is when you don't have enough time to fully get ready due to taking care of your new munchkin, that you puff a little powder in your hair to get rid of yesterday's oil. I have yet to use this trick, but have seen it work from my sister-in-law.

Anyone else have some "tried and true" tricks?