How can even possibly begin to apologize enough for my extended silence? I cannot even describe how busy life has been around here! The boys have managed to escape from the house and into the street, find where the butcher knives were hidden, steal and lose Molly's toothbrush, terrorize the dog, chase each other with the bottle of Clorox spray that is kept in a "child safety" locked cabinet, figure out how to take the padlock off the pool gate, and open the impossibly hard to open back gate. Not to mention they figured out how to pop all the keys off the keyboard, so my spelling might be a little wacky since I have no right shift key, no "E" key, and I'm missing a few others that I'm not sure what they are suppose to be! I have spent much time collapsed on the floor wondering if they will ever make it to age three. I now realize how much more time I should spend praying for their continued and miraculous safety.
Not to mention all the work that has been going on around here. Jonny brought three of his guys over here on Friday and had them work on anything that I decided was important. Fun, fun, fun!! They got alot done on the tree house, hung light fixtures, painted the hall, and cleaned up the back yard. Then yesterday, Jonny and I cleaned out the garage and guess what?! Time for another yard sale!! This weekend to be exact. I am selling my really nice double stroller, and my jogging stroller.
But enough about my business. Let's get back to the purpose for this post! This is my Memorial Day Menu:
Hamburgers (with special sauce!)
Hot Dogs
Potato Salad
Baked Beans
Guacamole and chips
Homemade Salsa
Pasta Salad
Deviled Eggs
Berry Trifle
Lemonade Pie
Mexican Bottled Coke
Is your mouth watering just a little? I have already posted the recipe for most of these things, but I will add the salsa today. This is my Mom's recipe and I have to say that although I hate almost everything that is in this recipe, mixed together it is the best salsa I've ever tasted!
It is not hard at all, the key is to find really delicious tomatoes.
Simply chop up 3 large tomatoes and 3 green onions. Then add 1 can of chopped black olives and 1 can of chopped green chilies. Then pour in 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 3 teaspoons of white vinegar. Season with garlic salt and salt and pepper.
Really delicious and so fresh! I highly recommend trying this one!
I found a new magazine today that I am sooo excited about! It is "Taste of Home Great American Cookout". It has all kinds of delicious looking recipes in it, and I can't wait to try some of them! I will say that the Circus Peanut Gelatin sort of made my stomach turn. But other than that, I'm looking forward to adding some new recipes to my usual cookout menu.
I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday tomorrow filled with good food and great fellowship!
Oh by the way, the house is just about done, and I am still planning on having an open house hopefully before the middle of June. I will post when it's coming. Night all!!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
What exactly do you do with an eggplant?
I have been asked this question more than once. I have to tell you that it is one of my all time favorite vegetables...deep fried in parmesan that is!
I have heard of people putting in stir fry or in soups. But I'm not completely positive that it would be so delicious on it's own.
My personal favorite is to dip it in beaten egg and then dried parmesan and fry it at 350 until both sides are golden brown. The only problem with this is that the only way I know to get the bitterness out of it, is to sprinkle both sides with salt and place it between paper towels and blot out the moisture. This makes for an extremely salty dish. Which in my opinion is not a true problem but in fact a delight! Not so much for my poor fingers and feet the next morning.
You should really try this dish. It is better than potato chips and perfect for sommersizing!
Before we started eating this way, we would dip the eggplant in flour and fry it. Not nearly as wonderful as using parmesan.
Also if you use it in lasagna instead of pasta, it is a superb low carb meal. I have had people turn their noses up at the idea, but I would encourage you to try it before you knock it. Just be sure that you do the salting trick first so it won't taste bitter.
Oh by the way, THE KITCHEN IS FINALLY FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't put up pictures just yet because I am planning an open house next month. But I will post them right after that.
Just allow me to tell you that I absolutely love it!!!!
I can't even believe how perfect it turned out. Everything better than I hoped for.
For my last thought, I have to tell you the little gift I got this morning. I did the unthinkable and took all five kids grocery shopping this morning. Sam's and Wal-Mart and did all my grocery shopping for the week. I can't even believe how well behaved my kids were! The totally shocked me. No squabbling, no running off, only one trip to the bathroom, no arguing. The only request was Molly asking for Cuties. They did so well, and I so enjoyed being with them, that when I checked out, the lady at the counter told me how and pretty and unstressed I looked! I could've hugged her!!
I am off to bed now. Good night Sweet Readers.
I have heard of people putting in stir fry or in soups. But I'm not completely positive that it would be so delicious on it's own.
My personal favorite is to dip it in beaten egg and then dried parmesan and fry it at 350 until both sides are golden brown. The only problem with this is that the only way I know to get the bitterness out of it, is to sprinkle both sides with salt and place it between paper towels and blot out the moisture. This makes for an extremely salty dish. Which in my opinion is not a true problem but in fact a delight! Not so much for my poor fingers and feet the next morning.
You should really try this dish. It is better than potato chips and perfect for sommersizing!
Before we started eating this way, we would dip the eggplant in flour and fry it. Not nearly as wonderful as using parmesan.
Also if you use it in lasagna instead of pasta, it is a superb low carb meal. I have had people turn their noses up at the idea, but I would encourage you to try it before you knock it. Just be sure that you do the salting trick first so it won't taste bitter.
Oh by the way, THE KITCHEN IS FINALLY FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't put up pictures just yet because I am planning an open house next month. But I will post them right after that.
Just allow me to tell you that I absolutely love it!!!!
I can't even believe how perfect it turned out. Everything better than I hoped for.
For my last thought, I have to tell you the little gift I got this morning. I did the unthinkable and took all five kids grocery shopping this morning. Sam's and Wal-Mart and did all my grocery shopping for the week. I can't even believe how well behaved my kids were! The totally shocked me. No squabbling, no running off, only one trip to the bathroom, no arguing. The only request was Molly asking for Cuties. They did so well, and I so enjoyed being with them, that when I checked out, the lady at the counter told me how and pretty and unstressed I looked! I could've hugged her!!
I am off to bed now. Good night Sweet Readers.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Fried Chicken and Deviled Eggs
Two dishes I promised you back in the chilly days. Neither one of these are actual recipes, just my own personal method.
For frying chicken
I have heard many people doing many different things with their chicken. I have seen people tenderize it. I have seen people use the entire chicken. I have seen people make up a concoction of corn meal, flour, eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. I have seen it deep fried, pan fried, and baked.
Very seldom have I met a piece of fried chicken that I didn't like, unless of course it was a thigh. I personally think that fried thighs are disgusting. There is always that weird looking black thing in there somewhere.
My way of frying chicken is to use breast meat. I buy the boneless, skinless because I think that it makes the juiciest chicken. The bone-in with skin works as well, just takes longer to cook. I have tried using the chicken tenders, but they often turn out very dry.
I have also found that the best way to fry anything, is to use an electric skillet. This does a great job of regulating the temperature of the oil and I have never burned my oil in a skillet like I do when I fry on the stove.
I like to put quite alot of oil in the pan so that it gets the sides of the chicken. Be sure that your oil is around 350 degrees before you put in the chicken.
As far as seasoning the chicken, all I do is liberally salt both sides of each piece, then dip and thoroughly coat it in flour that has pepper in it. I fry the first side with the lid on then turn it over when it's golden brown and fry with the lid off. This helps keep it nice and crispy but not dry.
Now for the Somersizing way to eat fried chicken. Yep it can be done! Simply omit the flour. Salt and pepper and fry. You will be amazed at how good it is. I just cook it a little longer so that it's nice and crisp. I am going to try and dip it in egg and parmesan one day before I fry it. This works great with eggplant, so I don't see why it won't work with chicken.
As far as deviled eggs, I have found that everyone has their own special way of making these. Most of you probably have already found your tricks to great eggs, so this is for those of you that are new to cooking. I like my eggs very salty (of course) and more mustard than most people.
I simply boil the eggs (bring to a boil then continue boiling for ten minutes) then drain and fill with cold water. Then I peel the shells off and cut them in half long ways. Pull out the yolk with a spoon and put in a small bowl. I recommend buying an adorable deviled egg try. For some reason it seems to make this dish so much more fun! Then using a pastry blender or fork, mash the yolks until fine and crumbly. Then I put in enough mayo and mustard to make it the consistency of your liking. My mom uses mostly mayo with just a touch of mustard, but I use alot of mustard in mine. Then I salt and pepper it and using a spoon (or a pastry bag if you want them fancy) fill each hole in the white part and spread around leaving just a little white visible on each egg. Meghan prefers them with Paprika sprinkled on them, but I am not partial to the taste of Paprika on my eggs. To store them, simply pop in a couple of toothpicks to keep your plastic wrap from sticking, and refrigerate.
I know that right now it is all the rage to use farm fresh eggs, but I will warn you that peeling those things can be an absolutely booger! I have heard of trying everything from peeling them piping hot, to soaking them in ice water and have still never found anything that works. Good luck with that!!
By the way, deviled eggs are a perfect Somersizing side dish! They are considered your proteins.
That just about wraps it up. I'm off to organize my pantry! Talk to you soon!!
For frying chicken
I have heard many people doing many different things with their chicken. I have seen people tenderize it. I have seen people use the entire chicken. I have seen people make up a concoction of corn meal, flour, eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. I have seen it deep fried, pan fried, and baked.
Very seldom have I met a piece of fried chicken that I didn't like, unless of course it was a thigh. I personally think that fried thighs are disgusting. There is always that weird looking black thing in there somewhere.
My way of frying chicken is to use breast meat. I buy the boneless, skinless because I think that it makes the juiciest chicken. The bone-in with skin works as well, just takes longer to cook. I have tried using the chicken tenders, but they often turn out very dry.
I have also found that the best way to fry anything, is to use an electric skillet. This does a great job of regulating the temperature of the oil and I have never burned my oil in a skillet like I do when I fry on the stove.
I like to put quite alot of oil in the pan so that it gets the sides of the chicken. Be sure that your oil is around 350 degrees before you put in the chicken.
As far as seasoning the chicken, all I do is liberally salt both sides of each piece, then dip and thoroughly coat it in flour that has pepper in it. I fry the first side with the lid on then turn it over when it's golden brown and fry with the lid off. This helps keep it nice and crispy but not dry.
Now for the Somersizing way to eat fried chicken. Yep it can be done! Simply omit the flour. Salt and pepper and fry. You will be amazed at how good it is. I just cook it a little longer so that it's nice and crisp. I am going to try and dip it in egg and parmesan one day before I fry it. This works great with eggplant, so I don't see why it won't work with chicken.
As far as deviled eggs, I have found that everyone has their own special way of making these. Most of you probably have already found your tricks to great eggs, so this is for those of you that are new to cooking. I like my eggs very salty (of course) and more mustard than most people.
I simply boil the eggs (bring to a boil then continue boiling for ten minutes) then drain and fill with cold water. Then I peel the shells off and cut them in half long ways. Pull out the yolk with a spoon and put in a small bowl. I recommend buying an adorable deviled egg try. For some reason it seems to make this dish so much more fun! Then using a pastry blender or fork, mash the yolks until fine and crumbly. Then I put in enough mayo and mustard to make it the consistency of your liking. My mom uses mostly mayo with just a touch of mustard, but I use alot of mustard in mine. Then I salt and pepper it and using a spoon (or a pastry bag if you want them fancy) fill each hole in the white part and spread around leaving just a little white visible on each egg. Meghan prefers them with Paprika sprinkled on them, but I am not partial to the taste of Paprika on my eggs. To store them, simply pop in a couple of toothpicks to keep your plastic wrap from sticking, and refrigerate.
I know that right now it is all the rage to use farm fresh eggs, but I will warn you that peeling those things can be an absolutely booger! I have heard of trying everything from peeling them piping hot, to soaking them in ice water and have still never found anything that works. Good luck with that!!
By the way, deviled eggs are a perfect Somersizing side dish! They are considered your proteins.
That just about wraps it up. I'm off to organize my pantry! Talk to you soon!!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
New Ideas and New Recipes!
I have this entirely new idea for you today. This will explain my lack of putting new recipes on my blog as of late. I have hesitated writing this lest you think that I go through dietary changes as quickly as I go through paint colors. But I have used this idea in the past and it has always worked extremely well for me and my parents. For the past month and a half, we have been Sommersizing. Ever heard of it? Well allow me to explain. This is not a diet but simply a healthy, smart way of eating that allows you to have most of your favorite things and not feel deprived or hungry. The trick is not deprivation but combination. You can have all the proteins that you want as well as most of the whole grain carbs you love. You simply cannot combine the two together. Sound to good to be true? I am living proof that it is not. I have stuck with this many times and always had amazing results. My main problem is continuing to stick with it. There is level one for those wanting to actually lose weight, and level two for those simply trying to maintain their weight.
I will briefly explain the rules to you, but I highly recommend buying the books. There are three of them but the first one is really all you need. It is by Suzanne Somers and is called "Eat Great, Lose Weight".
The hardest part of this for me, is that you are not allowed any sugar. Not even potatoes, corn, carrots, or bananas. But the wonderful part is that when you go out to eat, you don't have to order the dry salmon on a bed of unflavorful rice with a side of unseasoned broccoli. You can order steak with sauteed onion and a large side salad with Ranch dressing. The salad can have meat, cheese, eggs, and veggies on it. You can also order a juicy cheeseburger without the bun, top it with bacon and order veggies on the side.
It is very important to eat your carbs because they are what give you energy and keep your metabolism going. That is one reason I love this way of eating in comparison to "low carbing".
She also has a list of "funky foods" that include: olives, caffeine, avocados, nuts, peanut butter, and a few others. These are foods that have too many proteins and carbs at the same time. You may find that you can eat some of these and still lose weight. I allow myself nuts and they have never hindered my weight loss at all.
Another rule is that you cannot combine fruit with any other foods. This is not just from a weight loss stand, but also common sense. Have you ever tried to top off your meal with a bowl of strawberries? Your fruit tries to go down much quicker than your other foods and can cause a nasty upset stomach. You are however allowed to eat any fruit you want (excluding bananas) just eat it by itself.
The time rules are as follows: Wait three hours between protein meal and carb meals. Wait thirty minutes after eating fruit before you eat carbs and wait one hour after fruits to eat protein. Wait two hours after protein or carbs before you at fruit.
Some of my favorite foods to eat are: Proteins; turkey, sausages with melted cheese, sharp cheddar, grilled chicken, hamburgers with pickles and tomato, eggplant dipped in parmesan and fried, lasagana made with eggplant instead of pasta, broccoli with cheese sauce, roast with onions, grilled chicken salad with boiled eggs. Carbs; whole grain bagels, beans and brown rice, whole grain spaghetti with homemade (no meat) sauce, whole grain toast with no fat cottage cheese. Dessert; fresh pineapple, strawberries with Splenda, purple grapes, grapefruit with Splenda.
This way of eating has not only helped me to lose weight, but has also helped my girls to learn to eat healthier and has kept my little ones allergy problems to a minimum. I highly recommend giving it a try. I guarantee you that you will like it better than dieting!
I will be posting recipes for this way of eating along with regular recipes too for those of you who are not interested in trying this. Feel free to ask any questions you think of and because I have borrowed all three books from my Mom, I will probably be able to answer them.
Now onto a couple of recipes that I don't claim to be good for you, just mighty good to you!
Chocolate Chip Cookies (by Melahnie Rogers)
1 cup parkay (very important to use only Parkay)
1 package inst. vanilla pudding
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
Mix together
2 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
Add to first mixture
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes
These cookies are soooo amazingly moist and different from regular cookies.
Never Fail Pie Crust (Robyn Knight)
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
3 Tbsp water
Put flour in bowl, take out 1/6 of flour and mix with water to make smooth paste. Cut shortening and salt into flour, add paste. Mix with fork until ball is formed. Roll out between wax paper. The less played with the better.
Now this recipe being written, I no longer make my own pie crust after discovering Pillsbury ready made crust. I think it is delicious and ridiculously easy. But for those of you who have always wanted to tackle your own pie crust, this one is a hit!
Sour Cream Enchiladas
I thought that I had already posted this one, but when I checked back, I couldn't find it anywhere. This is another one that I have no recipe for so have fun experimenting!
I boil a three pound bag of chicken then cool and shred. Then in a large bowl I combine equal parts of sour cream and cream of chicken soup. I always make alot so I use about two large cans of soup and two medium containers of sour cream. Then I put in a can or two of chopped green chilies. Depending on if your cooking for kids. Add the chicken, then put in a cup or two of shredded cheddar cheese. Then I put a scoop or two in about ten or twelve tortilla shells and fold them up and line them in a large casserole dish. Next I pour the rest of the cream mixture over the top and top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 until cheese is nice and bubbly.
Very easy and one of my families favorites! This is one of my favorite dishes to take to people because it is so easy to double and so far everyone has loved it.
Hope you enjoy todays post! Have a great day!!
I will briefly explain the rules to you, but I highly recommend buying the books. There are three of them but the first one is really all you need. It is by Suzanne Somers and is called "Eat Great, Lose Weight".
The hardest part of this for me, is that you are not allowed any sugar. Not even potatoes, corn, carrots, or bananas. But the wonderful part is that when you go out to eat, you don't have to order the dry salmon on a bed of unflavorful rice with a side of unseasoned broccoli. You can order steak with sauteed onion and a large side salad with Ranch dressing. The salad can have meat, cheese, eggs, and veggies on it. You can also order a juicy cheeseburger without the bun, top it with bacon and order veggies on the side.
It is very important to eat your carbs because they are what give you energy and keep your metabolism going. That is one reason I love this way of eating in comparison to "low carbing".
She also has a list of "funky foods" that include: olives, caffeine, avocados, nuts, peanut butter, and a few others. These are foods that have too many proteins and carbs at the same time. You may find that you can eat some of these and still lose weight. I allow myself nuts and they have never hindered my weight loss at all.
Another rule is that you cannot combine fruit with any other foods. This is not just from a weight loss stand, but also common sense. Have you ever tried to top off your meal with a bowl of strawberries? Your fruit tries to go down much quicker than your other foods and can cause a nasty upset stomach. You are however allowed to eat any fruit you want (excluding bananas) just eat it by itself.
The time rules are as follows: Wait three hours between protein meal and carb meals. Wait thirty minutes after eating fruit before you eat carbs and wait one hour after fruits to eat protein. Wait two hours after protein or carbs before you at fruit.
Some of my favorite foods to eat are: Proteins; turkey, sausages with melted cheese, sharp cheddar, grilled chicken, hamburgers with pickles and tomato, eggplant dipped in parmesan and fried, lasagana made with eggplant instead of pasta, broccoli with cheese sauce, roast with onions, grilled chicken salad with boiled eggs. Carbs; whole grain bagels, beans and brown rice, whole grain spaghetti with homemade (no meat) sauce, whole grain toast with no fat cottage cheese. Dessert; fresh pineapple, strawberries with Splenda, purple grapes, grapefruit with Splenda.
This way of eating has not only helped me to lose weight, but has also helped my girls to learn to eat healthier and has kept my little ones allergy problems to a minimum. I highly recommend giving it a try. I guarantee you that you will like it better than dieting!
I will be posting recipes for this way of eating along with regular recipes too for those of you who are not interested in trying this. Feel free to ask any questions you think of and because I have borrowed all three books from my Mom, I will probably be able to answer them.
Now onto a couple of recipes that I don't claim to be good for you, just mighty good to you!
Chocolate Chip Cookies (by Melahnie Rogers)
1 cup parkay (very important to use only Parkay)
1 package inst. vanilla pudding
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
Mix together
2 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
Add to first mixture
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes
These cookies are soooo amazingly moist and different from regular cookies.
Never Fail Pie Crust (Robyn Knight)
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
3 Tbsp water
Put flour in bowl, take out 1/6 of flour and mix with water to make smooth paste. Cut shortening and salt into flour, add paste. Mix with fork until ball is formed. Roll out between wax paper. The less played with the better.
Now this recipe being written, I no longer make my own pie crust after discovering Pillsbury ready made crust. I think it is delicious and ridiculously easy. But for those of you who have always wanted to tackle your own pie crust, this one is a hit!
Sour Cream Enchiladas
I thought that I had already posted this one, but when I checked back, I couldn't find it anywhere. This is another one that I have no recipe for so have fun experimenting!
I boil a three pound bag of chicken then cool and shred. Then in a large bowl I combine equal parts of sour cream and cream of chicken soup. I always make alot so I use about two large cans of soup and two medium containers of sour cream. Then I put in a can or two of chopped green chilies. Depending on if your cooking for kids. Add the chicken, then put in a cup or two of shredded cheddar cheese. Then I put a scoop or two in about ten or twelve tortilla shells and fold them up and line them in a large casserole dish. Next I pour the rest of the cream mixture over the top and top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 until cheese is nice and bubbly.
Very easy and one of my families favorites! This is one of my favorite dishes to take to people because it is so easy to double and so far everyone has loved it.
Hope you enjoy todays post! Have a great day!!
Monday, May 10, 2010
How sweet to be home
After a perfectly lovely week on the beach with my sweet family, I am home in my own castle. We had a marvelous time running on the beach (I can't say lounging because with five babies trying to test the water, we never sat for more than thirty seconds), eating fresh crab legs, watching cable tv, visiting with Mom and Dad and Nate and Steph, and knowing each day that there was absolutely no schedule to keep.
The week started with a huge storm which I was completely panicking over. Where on earth would we run with seven children if a hurricane blew in?! But I now look back and realize that it was a wonderfully relaxing day watching the rain on the beach and hearing the waves crash. We sat in our sitting area off our bedroom and watched the storm. But then the sun came out and we had the best time watching Danny, Charlie, and Alek building sandcastles. Those boys had the best time of their lives! We all got as brown as berries and only half of our crew got sunburned.
We tried to be adventurous and make the trip home in only one day. That was perhaps a little on the foolish side. We left that morning at 8:30 and by 10:00 that night, our kids had had enough. Danny started screaming so loud only stopping if I had my hand on his leg. Which trying to reach around behind my seat for that long totally put my arm to sleep. By the time we hit Cabool, everyone in our car was crying besides Meg and Jonny.
We spent yesterday unpacking the trailer we had to rent to cart all our stuff, and putting everything away. Then grocery shopping. It was not exactly the most exciting Mother's Day ever, but it has made for a very relaxing day today. I must say that I'm not extremely fond of the chilly weather we have returned to. Coming from sunshine and sleeveless tops to turning on the heater and the fireplace and putting the boys in footed sleepers has been a little disappointing. But extremely condusive to laying around doing nothing today.
Now that vacation and remodeling are about wrapped up, I intend to do a better job of keeping up with my blog. Time to start cooking again!!
Have to run now. The couch is calling my name!!
The week started with a huge storm which I was completely panicking over. Where on earth would we run with seven children if a hurricane blew in?! But I now look back and realize that it was a wonderfully relaxing day watching the rain on the beach and hearing the waves crash. We sat in our sitting area off our bedroom and watched the storm. But then the sun came out and we had the best time watching Danny, Charlie, and Alek building sandcastles. Those boys had the best time of their lives! We all got as brown as berries and only half of our crew got sunburned.
We tried to be adventurous and make the trip home in only one day. That was perhaps a little on the foolish side. We left that morning at 8:30 and by 10:00 that night, our kids had had enough. Danny started screaming so loud only stopping if I had my hand on his leg. Which trying to reach around behind my seat for that long totally put my arm to sleep. By the time we hit Cabool, everyone in our car was crying besides Meg and Jonny.
We spent yesterday unpacking the trailer we had to rent to cart all our stuff, and putting everything away. Then grocery shopping. It was not exactly the most exciting Mother's Day ever, but it has made for a very relaxing day today. I must say that I'm not extremely fond of the chilly weather we have returned to. Coming from sunshine and sleeveless tops to turning on the heater and the fireplace and putting the boys in footed sleepers has been a little disappointing. But extremely condusive to laying around doing nothing today.
Now that vacation and remodeling are about wrapped up, I intend to do a better job of keeping up with my blog. Time to start cooking again!!
Have to run now. The couch is calling my name!!
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