Deep Fried Pickles (seriously)

This must be a southern thing, but my oh my, if you've ever had a deep fried pickle have I got the recipe for you. They come out perfectly crisp on the outside and well, pickly on the inside. My dear friend, Amanda, ordered these at Alamo Drafthouse Theater and offered me one. It was hard to stay focused on the movie after that because I could smell the yummy goodness wafting from her basket.  Needless to say, I ordered myself a basket the next time I went and talked myself into parting with one for my cute little 7-year-old (who is the only pickle-lover in our home besides me).  He didn't love it and I cursed myself for wasting such savory goodness on an unappreciative soul. But, I digress.

I was making fried green tomatoes the other day (since my tomato plant suddenly decided to give birth to multiples just in time for the first hard frost) and I had lots of extra breading. So, I decided to fry up some dill pickles and hope for the best. I wasn't disappointed and you won't be either!

6-7 dill pickle spears or a bunch of sliced dill pickles

1 egg

1/4 cup milk (or soy or rice milk)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 quart canola oil for frying

Directions

1. Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium-size bowl. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate. Dip pickles into flour to coat. Then dip pickles into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.
2. In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place pickles into the frying pan in batches of 2 or 3, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the pickles, they should not touch each other. When the pickles are golden, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels. Serve with ranch dressing, for pete's sake!

White chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies

These. Are. Amazing.  But there's something else I should tell you. They're healthy, too. I know, strange combination, but true.  My kids tend to pick the cranberries out, but that's the beauty of this recipe. You can keep what you like, and get rid of what you don't (for the most part).

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

3 c. old fashioned cooking oats, finely blended in food processor
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. walnuts, finely chopped in food processor
1 c. white chocolate chips

1 c. craisins

1 tsp. salt
1/2 baking soda

Mix above ingredients together, then in a separate bowl mix:

1 c. canola oil (or 1 cup applesauce for even healthier version)
1 c. maple syrup
4 T. water
4 tsp. vanilla

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until blended. Drop spoonfuls on baking sheet and bake 350 for 8-10 minutes. YUM!

Healthy Pumpkin Cobbler and Sweet Potato Casserole

Thanksgiving is just two days away and my mouth is watering. Two of my favorite fall dishes are Pumpkin Cobbler and Sweet Potato Casserole, but I have to admit that they both have A TON of sugar. In fact, the last time I ate the cobbler I got a major sugar rush, so I decided to tweak it a bit to make it healthy. Don't worry, it still tastes great! A friend of mine figured you could do the same thing to the Sweet Potato Casserole and it would turn out pretty tasty, too.

Pumpkin Cobbler (Healthy remake)

                           29 oz. can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)                     

¾  c. agave nectar or evaporated cane juice (sweeter) or 1 cup pure maple syrup (less sweet)

2 t. ground cinnamon   

1 egg or egg substitute

¼ t. ground cloves

1 t. ground ginger

1 t. salt

2/3 c. almond or soy milk

Mix all ingredients together and place in a greased 13 X 9 inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350.

Topping

3/4 c. rolled oats                                   ¼ t. nutmeg

½ c. chopped walnuts                           ½ t. cinnamon

1/2 cup whole wheat flour                      2-3 T. agave nectar

Mix all ingredients well and sprinkle over pumpkin mixture. Bake 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Obviously, if you are making the Sweet Potato Casserole just substitute 2-3 cups mashed sweet potatoes for the pumpkin. I hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Halloween favorites! Soup, cookies and a craft.

Halloween is my favorite holiday, next to Christmas. I prepare for it months in advance and just can't stop myself from making my kids' costumes every year (or piecing them together from thrift store finds). So, I'm a little disappointed in myself for not posting something for this spook-a-licious holiday.

If you are a soup connoisseur like I fancy myself to be, you'll love this recipe. I found it in a children's newspaper my kids brought home and tweaked it to my liking.

Butternut Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash
1/4 stick butter
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 T. olive oil
4 c. chicken broth or vegetable broth
4 cloves garlic
3 green onions
1/2 t. each of nutmeg, cinnamon, sea salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper (just a pinch)
1-2 c. plain soymilk, rice milk or milk (to desired consistency)

2 splashes Frank's Redhot (hotsauce)

Cut squash in half and spread most of the butter across the top, then sprinkle with brown sugar.  Place the two halves of the squash on a cookie sheet and bake for one hour or until you can stick a for in it and it is tender.  Allow the squash to cool. Scoop out into a medium sized bowl and discard the seeds and skin. Set aside.  Slice green onions and peel and press the three cloves of garlic.  Place olive oil into a small to medium sized saute pan over medium heat. After warming the oil, place onions and garlic into the pan and stir them until slightly gold.  Add broth and simmer 10 minutes.  Transfer it carefully into a blender along with the squash. Add nutmeg, cinnamon, sea salt and cayenne pepper into the blender or use a hand held blender. Add the milk and blend until pureed. Transfer back to a  medium sized pot and reheat.  I usually taste it here and add more spices!

My kids know that October and December are the only months I make sugar cookies and this recipe is my absolute favorite. One of my dearest neighbors made these every Christmas and we were lucky enough to be on the receiving end. We love to make witches, pumpkins and this year, modified ghosts! (I should have  taken a picture, but everyone loves a good sugar cookie).

Soft Sugar Cookies

1 c. butter or margarine

2 heaping c. powdered sugar

2 eggs

1 (8 oz. sour cream)

1 t. vanilla

1/2 t. baking soda

1.2 t. salt

4 t. baking powder

4 1/2 c. flour

Cream butter and powdered sugar. Add remaining ingredients. Mix and chill for at least 1 hour. Roll dough out and cut into shapes. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 or until golden brown (I take them out before they get golden so they're not crispy, but that's just me).

Frosting:

1 to 2 t. vanilla

1 bag powdered sugar

1 cube margarine or butter

canned milk (just enough to make spreading consistency)

And last, but not least, I had to add a craft. This year I have failed in engaging my kids in any creative activities, but I found these cute Halloween Pals while I was drumming up ideas for my son's Halloween activity at school. The original post where I thought I saw them seems to have disappeared, but there are a ton of cute ideas at http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2009/10/frankenstein-craft.html  

Basically, take a toilet paper roll (or cut a paper towel roll in half if you are a germ-a-phobe) and allow your child to paint it with craft paint (washable is a good idea here). Let it dry completely and add googly eyes,  bat wings, mummy wrappings, spider legs (with pipe cleaners) or a pumpkin stem with tissue paper, etc. Your kids have great imaginations so let them be creative. Here's what we came up with!

Apple-Pear salad with lemon-poppyseed dressing

  Being over-stocked with pears last week, I put some effort into finding some recipes to use them up before they spoiled. I ran across this salad recipe I ripped out of a Southern Living Magazine several years ago, but never made.  It was so good, it's a shame I didn't make it sooner! I tweaked it using the ingredients I had on hand, which I put in parentheses.

1 (16 oz.) package romaine lettuce, thoroughly washed (I used baby spinach)

1 (16 oz.) block swiss cheese, shaved (I omitted the cheese)

1 cup roasted, salted cashews

1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1 large apple, thinly sliced (I used 2)

1 large pear, thinly sliced (I used 2)

Lemon-poppyseed dressing

2/3 cup light olive oil

1/2 cup sugar (I used evaporated cane juice, but you could use honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar)

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

2 tsp. finely chopped onion

1 tsp. Dijon mustard (I used honey-mustard)

pinch salt

Process 2/3 cup light olive oil and remaining ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to one week; serve at room temperature.

Granola anyone?

Recently one of my best friends said I had gone granola.  I take that as a compliment. So in honor of her (love ya Beth!) I'm sharing my favorite granola recipes. These recipes are great for a snack or for breakfast. I usually just add some fresh fruit or raisins!

Granola

10 cups rolled oats

1 cup wheat germ

½ lb. shredded coconut

2 cups raw sunflower seeds

1 cup sesame seeds

3 cups almonds, pecans, walnuts or combo of all three (I also added pumpkin seeds to my last batch.)

1 ½ cup brown sugar (or 1/2 t mapeline to avoid sugar)

1 ½ cup water

1 ½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup honey

½ cup molasses (If you sub here add same amount of sugar or honey)

1 ½ t salt

2 t cinnamon

3 t vanilla

Raisins, if desired

Mix first six ingredients.  In another pan combine the brown sugar, water, oil, honey, molasses, salt, cinnamon and vanilla.  Heat until sugar is dissolved but do not boil.  Pour syrup over the dry ingredients and stir until well coated.  Line two to three jellyroll sheets with parchment paper or silpats. Spread granola in thin layer.  Bake 20-30 minutes at 325, stirring occasionally.   Bake 15 minutes longer if you want it crunchier.  This keeps six months.  Makes 20 cups.

Homemade Granola

½ cup shredded coconut

4 cups old fashioned oats

¼ cup wheat germ

1 T. sesame seeds

1 cup almonds

¼ cup sunflower seeds (or pumpkin seeds)

½ t ground cinnamon

¼ t freshly grated nutmeg

½ cup honey

8 T butter, melted

½ cup golden raisins (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread coconut on top.  Bake until toasted.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 
2. Decrease oven temperature to 300.  Line two baking sheets with parchment; set aside.  In a large bowl, toss together oats, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, stir together honey and butter.  Pour over oat mixture.  Stir well.  Spread onto two sheets.  Bake until golden, about 25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Break up granola, sprinkle with raisins and toasted coconut.

Trail Mix

(This is a yummy snack idea from Rachel Ray)

3/4 cup real maple syrup

1 cinnamon stick

1 vanilla bean, split

1 cup oats

1 cup peeled hazelnuts

2 cups whole natural almonds

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup craisins

1/2 cup shelled pumpkin or sunflower seeds

1 cup chocolate candy coated peanuts, or chocolate chips (you can pretty much add anything here - butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, etc, or nothing at all!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place maple syrup on the stove with cinnamon and vanilla over medium low heat to infuse the flavor. Warm syrup a couple of minutes. Remove from heat.

Combine hazelnuts, almonds, raisins, cranberries and seeds in a bowl. Toss with maple syrup and remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean. Spread the maple coated mixture onto a cookie sheet and roast 15 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven and transfer to another cold pan, tossing the mix to quick-cool it. Once cool, toss with candy.

You can obviously make substitutions here if you don't have all the ingredients - (use normal cinnamon, vanilla or other nuts, such as cashews, almonds, etc.)

Going Meat-less

So, we're going Meat-less, not meatless. Notice the subtle difference. Why?  I'll give you the ten peso version.  I've been having joint pain on and off for the past four to five years, not to mention a few other bug-a-boos that I was way to young to experience. The last six months got a little bit worse and I was sure as heck not ready to start seeing a doctor for some of these issues. I had seen a doctor four years ago and was tested for lupus, but it was negative.  I stopped drinking milk because of my allergies, and when I tried it again my body rebelled.

Enter my friend Elaine. I knew she and her family ate very little meat and dairy so we discussed some of the reasons and she told me about The China Study. 

The author of the book grew up on a dairy farm, and fully expected a career in science devoted to extolling the virtues of a high protein, animal-based diet. After working in the Philippines with children dying of liver cancer, he unexpectedly found a link between the disease and high intake of animal-based protein.  As his research grew, everything he thought about nutrition began to crumble. He studied many different counties in China and compared them to each other and the Western diet. What he found is that certain diseases don't really exist in China, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and several autoimmune diseases.  The main difference in diet is the amount of animal-based protein consumed by the different counties and cultures.

I was so impressed by the data and research that I decided to make a huge change to our family's diet. We were eating meat at least twice a day every day. We started with baby steps and the kids aren't always thrilled with it, but I do allow them small amounts of cheese and one meat-based meal every week. So far, they've enjoyed most of our meals and they love green smoothies (a daily treat).  Even though the book suggests cutting animal based food out completely, we prefer a more moderate take - and it is working well for us.

Two main questions people ask are, "Where do you get your protein?" and "What do you eat?"  Protein can be found in beans (we love black beans and garbanzo beans), greens (spinach and kale) and whole grains (wheat, brown rice, couscous, and quinoa).  There are a lot of great recipes on http://www.nutritionwise.org/ and you can always adjust recipes you already eat. We love tacos with brown rice, black beans, tomatoes and corn. Spagetti and pizza are great without all the added grease from meat (we use a little cheese). 

The basic premise of the book is that as long as you are eating a large variety of fruit, vegetables and whole grains, your body will get what it needs. That's not to say it's easy, especially for kids, but I can tell you my entire family can tell a difference in how they feel (my 2-year-old stopped having diarrhea after cutting out milk completely), and they are learning they actually like a lot things they didn't think they did. I have been amazed at how far they have come in just a month! If you decide to go completely meatless, you should take a vitamin B12 supplement. Almond and rice milk are great milk substitutes. We haven't tried soy because I am allergic to it.

Here are a few of our favorite recipes.

Lentil Burgers (from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook) - a little time-consuming, but grocery stores carry black bean and veggie burgers that taste good too.

2 1/2 cup water

1/2 chopped onion

1/3 cup brown rice

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup lentils, rinsed and drained

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup regular rolled oats

2 slightly beaten egg whites

1/2 cup snipped fresh basil or 1 1/2 t dried basil, crushed

1 T worchestershire sauce

2 dashes bottled hot pepper sauce

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds, toasted

8 whole wheat hamburger buns

1. In a medium saucepan combine water, onion, uncooked brown rice, and garlic. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Add lentils. Cover and simmer 25 minutes more or until rice and lentils are tender. Remove from heat.

2. Add garbanzo beans to saucepan; mash the mixture. Stir in oats. Let stand 5 minutes.

3. Combine the egg whites, basil, Worchestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional); add to mixture in pan, stirring to combine. Stir in nuts.

4.  Using about 1/2 cup of mixture for each, shape into eight 1/2 inch-think patties.  Spray a 12-inch skillet with nonstick spray coating. Cook the patties over medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes or till light brown, turning once. Serve the patties on buns. Top spinach, lettuce, onion, ketchup, mustard, etc.

Potato wraps

1 package spring roll wrappers (found in the asian section)

5-7 potatoes

1-2 carrots, grated

garlic salt

canola oil

Preheat oven to 475. Clean, cube and boil potatoes until tender.  Mash potatoes and add 1-2 teaspoons garlic salt.  Put 1/2 -1 inch of warm water in a dish large enough to fit spring roll wrapper. Place a wrapper in the water 5-10 seconds, then carefully spread a large spoonful of potatoes on wrapper. Sprinkle grated carrot on top and roll like and egg roll (directions on package) and place on an oiled baking sheet.  Repeat until you have enough for your family (2-3 a piece).  Lightly brush with canola oil and bake until golden (do not burn). It should take between 5-10 minutes, just watch them.  We like to dip them in sweet and sour sauce, but they are good plain also.

Black bean and Fire Roasted Tomato Burritos

1 T canola oil

1/2 diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can fire-roasted tomatoes (canned tomatoes have a high salt content so I try not to use them often, but the flavor makes the whole dish!)

1 can corn, drained and rinsed (my kids don't love corn so we leave it out).

1 t cumin

1 t. chili powder

whole wheat tortillas (If you are lucky enough to live near an HEB their fresh whole wheat tortillas are amazing!)

guacamole (see my recipe in earlier posts)

Saute garlic and onion in canola oil for a few minutes. Add black beans, tomatoes, corn (if desired), cumin and chili powder. Heat through.  Serve on tortillas with guacamole. I usually let my kids have a little shredded cheese with this one.

 Tasty brown rice

Brown rice tends to be a turn off for the kids, but this is a way to add some flavor.

1 1/2 cups brown rice

3 1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon (or sub some water for vegetable stock- watch the sodium content)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 diced onion

1 can diced green chiles

Add all ingredients to a large pot and boil until done.

Hopefully these will become some of your family favorites!

Raising boys? Read this!

Hello? Anybody out there? I'm really not sure if this is reaching many people, but I'm going send a shout out to the great void anyway.

So, as many of you know, I have four boys. We have lots of boy fun. I love my boys. They are so straightforward. They wrestle and fight a lot, but they get over things quickly. There is very little drama (okay, maybe not very little, but a small amount comparatively). There is one downside, though. There is a trend sweeping the ranks of boyhood and manhood worldwide. Boys are becoming lazier. The statistics are quite telling.  Boys Adrift, by Leonard Sax, explains five factors that are effecting boys' motivation.

In a nutshell, we currently face a lot of environmental factors that didn't exist 30 years ago. Things like plastic bottles, phalates, pesticides, and video gaming are relatively new factors.  Manufactured products contain things like BPA and artificial hormones that interfere with the motivation sensors in the male brain, as does video gaming. After reading this book, I felt a little bit overwhelmed with what I could do to change any of this, even with the suggestions listed in the book. (I think limiting my kids to 40 minutes of video gaming a day is the hardest part!) As a result, I began exploring ways to purify my home and the food that my children eat. In short, I looked for effective ways to "go green."

After my initial reaction of trying to ban all plastic from my home and buying organic everything, I realized I needed to find a balance because I couldn't afford all the changes that I wanted to make. Luckily, around the time I made these changes, I also discovered Doterra Essential oils.  I don't want this to sound like a commercial, but I have found so many alternative solutions for cleaning that I had to share.

I am a clean freak. After years of using harsh chemicals and products like disinfecting wipes, my hands were thrashed and I knew that by inhaling the vapors and coming into contact with ingredients I couldn't even pronounce I was potentially putting myself and my children at risk. (Read more about harsh chemicals and cleaning agents here.) I remembered reading an article in a Family Circle magazine that talked about alternative cleaning products, namely Melaleuca (tea tree oil), and I just so happened to have recently purchased Melaleuca. I read about the antigermicidal, antifungal, antibacterial and immune-boosting properties of Melaleuca and decided to try it on my shower. I mixed several drops of Melaleuca in a water bottle, sprayed it on, and watched it get rid of the mildew and mold on my shower floor (I had just cleaned it with Tilex with no results.) Now, I spray my shower with it daily and the mildew has not returned.

I also use lemon oil because it also has cleansing qualities and I love the smell. I use it instead of Lysol wipes on my countertops and floors. It has also replaced Windex for me. It is fab-u-lous. The most exciting about lemon oil is it breaks down impurities so I use it to clean my fruits and vegetables when I can't afford to buy organic. I also put a little in my water each day to cleanse my system and it's great for tummy aches!

My new favorite cleaner is a special Doterra blend called Purify. It contains a blend of different oils and can get rid of nasty odors. Case in point: many of my friends get to hear me complain about the smell that three boys leave in a restroom. The caulking around my toilet is disintegrating because of the urine (sorry to gross you out, but if you have boys you know what I'm talking about). I can't get rid of the smell and I have used many different cleaners. This week I tried Purify and am happy to report the smell is gone and doesn't come back as quickly as when I use harsh cleaners. I will never be without it!  The best part about all of this is that these oils contain no phalates, pesticides or synthetic fillers unlike other brands you can find at the store.

I feel so empowered in my home. That is a great feeling. There are also oils to help with other issues that boys face, such as ADD and ADHD - which can be worsenend, according to the author of the book, by prescriptions such as Ritalin.  I want to empower other mothers to take control of their homes, and this is why I wanted to share. This is just the beginning of my love affair with Essential Oils.

Now, I'm going to turn off the Wii...their 40 minutes are up!

P.S. I just wanted to add this because not all oils are safe to ingest!  Doterra Essential oils are pure and safe to ingest because they contain no synthetic fillers, pesticides, weeds, etc. If you'd like more info about Doterra oils click here.

Cure for the blues

It feels like I've been walking around with a storm cloud over my head for the past two years.  I think that's just my perception. Ever notice when you get the blues it colors your memories? I've been a pretty good journaler in the past but the last year has been especially challenging because life has just gotten busier. So, tonight, as I waded in the doldrums of life, I decided to take a peek into my life as it was a year ago to see if it was really as bad as I was imagining. What I found really surprised me.  During that time I made it a goal to find the positive in life. This journal entry really gave me the giggles and I'm so glad I recorded it to remind myself that there is always a bright side to every situation.

Prayers.  We say a lot of them.  Jacob especially loves to pray at mealtime.  He often gets upset if he is not chosen to say the prayer and will offer his own after whoever gives the prayer is done – if he’s in one of those moods.  It’s a good thing that my children love to pray.  I love what they say in their prayers, especially Jacob.  Usually he has his eyes fluttering open and closed to make sure everyone is closing their eyes.

“He’nly Father, please bless us to say prayers.”

“Bless us to be good.”

“Bless Mommy to not be naughty.”

These are just a few of his regular prayers. 

                Garrett is my other pray-er.  He is the first to suggest a prayer when we have lost something or there is contention in the house.  He often teaches me by example and he knows that Heavenly Father will answer him.  Except for today.  Today, Garrett took a flying leap off the couch.  He landed with a thud and when he sat up he said, “Mom, I just prayed for a long time in the bathroom that I could fly, so how come I can’t?” 

                Well, I admire his diligence and his trust in Heavenly Father, but how do I answer this one.  I did my best to explain that God always answers, but sometimes it’s not the answer we want.  I told him Heavenly Father wants him to be safe, so he probably wouldn’t help him fly – not to mention that nobody in the history of mankind has ever flown on his own.  He accepted this and then went to pray to be invisible. 

   So, my cure for the blues turned out to be my own experience. I am so glad I decided to write in my journal last year because it has given me something to smile about this year. I know that when I wrote this experience I was struggling with my two-year-old, but I found the simple joys and wrote about them. Maybe this can give you some inspiration to write your positive experiences. You might need them someday!

Gardening with Kiddos

So now your garden is up and growing right? I've been having fun growing things and learning how to garden with a toddler. The American Community Gardening Association is a great resource for ideas. I've included some of their thoughts as well as my own...

• Let kids enjoy the process of gardening without worrying so much about the end result. I know this can be rough because you put a lot of work into it. We've had quite a few squished strawberries because 2 yr old feet have strayed off the garden path but my little one has loved picking and eating strawberries in her own way and I've loved watching. It may be that the only thing you grow is a gardener :).
• Go through seed catalog, pick seeds based on plants that look appealing to your kids. Maybe try a new, exotic plant each year (we tried peanuts a few years back and it was really fun and surprising to see how peanuts grow).
• My daughter loves planting seeds. She doesn't really think much about them after they're in the ground (and sometimes I go back and pick them up later) but she loves poking holes in the soil, dropping in the seeds and burying them.
• Let your kids help you problem solve, is there a bug eating your crops? Send your child out to investigate and see what he/she can find out. Here are a few questions to get them started: What kind of holes does it make in the leaves? Does it leave a trail of any sort? Do you notice any webs nearby? Can you think of a way to try to catch the culprit? Is the damage enough that we need to worry about it? Let your kids feel invested in the problem solving process (be it disease, malnutrition or bugs) and the solution.
• Try relinquishing a section of the garden where your kids can plant/tend/harvest however they'd like. If they're old enough, encourage them to have a garden journal to jot down observations or draw pictures of their garden. They can also measure plants, tracking their growth and counting their yield through the season,
  
• One of my friends sends her kids out to pick bugs off the plants.
• Research and grow some edible flowers
• Let your child select some colorful flowers to plant in with your vegetables. They'll help attract bees.
• Plant a Sweet 100 Cherry Tomato plant and let your kids pick and eat to their hearts content.
• Target has some decent children's gardening tools in the dollar spot. It's always easier to work with tools that are the right size.
• Make a teepee out of a pole bean or a vining plant. Use bamboo stakes to form the teepee and then plant around the outside and help the vining plant to trellis up. Use this as a novel focal point in your garden or a fun hideout.
• If you're using containers, let your kids paint/decorate the pots.
• Make vegetable markers. There are SO many ideas out there for creative plant markers or let your kids come up with something themselves.
• Plant seeds in a pattern, a shape, your child's initial, etc.
• Get a seedling tray and a seed packet and let your little one see how many seedlings he/she can get to grow. I've heard that people actually get paid based on their germination rate (the percentage of seedlings that sprout from the seeds planted).
• I find that my daughter can manage better if we can keep our garden maintenance fairly short in duration. Our max is about 10 minutes. Sometimes that means we're out there 2 or 3 times a day but it's enjoyable for both of us. The weeds will still be there for me to pick tomorrow :).
• We're gonna get dirty. And it's good.
• Make leaf prints, seed collages, dry flowers, garden portraits, bug profiles.
• Facilitate, try not to micromanage too much. This is hard for me but I'm working on it.
• And if you really want to go the extra miles, after an activity, do something to reinforce what everyone has learned. Talk about what went on, who did what, who saw what.

I have looked forward to gardening with my little girl for a long time and though our days out there aren't always perfect, I think I will look back on our time in the garden as some of our happiest moments.

What kinds of things have you done with your kids?

Chocolate Chip Cookies by Shaina

I shared these cookies with my home girls at volleyball last week and got hit up for the recipe. This recipe is from my amazing friend, Shaina, in Colorado and because I am completely computer illiterate I don't know how to say click here for the recipe and have a nice little link to take you there. So, I copy and pasted it (sorry Shaina) for you to enjoy. As a side note, you can visit Shaina's website at http://just-because-i-am-me.blogspot.com/ for more fabulous recipes. You can also buy her cookbook with more scrum-didly-umptious recipes, which proceeds go to help cover the cost of her precious little baby's heart surgeries. There is a link on her page. So, without further ado, here's the recipe in Shaina's words.

Original Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

(otherwise titled: The most fantastic chocolate chip cookie ever!)

.

In your mixer, combine 2 cups of shortening, 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, 1 1/2 cups white sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, and 1 tsp water. Then, beat in 4 eggs.

.

Add in 2 tsp of salt and 2 tsp of baking soda. Mix. Then add in 4 1/2 cups of flour. Mix in a bag of chocolate chips. (optional: 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans) ((The dough will be soft and creamy. Don't add more flour. Really.)

.

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

.

Ok, now here's where I get serious about the instructions. If you are using a pampered chef baking stone to cook these cookies (like I show in the picture), it might take an extra few minutes of cooking time for the first batch. The cookies should be just slightly light brown when you remove them from the oven, and whether or not you use the baking stone, LET THE COOKIES COOL DOWN 10 MINUTES BEFORE YOU REMOVE THEM FROM THE PAN! That is so important! If you try to remove them right away, they will fall apart into a mushy heap, and it won't be pretty.

.

If you forget my instructions, and remove them right away, and say "What was she thinking? These came off just fine" I'll let you know right now, that you overcooked the cookies, and that those cookies are going to be so hard and crumbly when they cool down; they won't taste good at all. Trust me on this. You want them BARELY light brown. Take those babies out and you'll have cookie perfection in a matter of minutes.

.

If you are like most of my friends, you'll prefer the cookie dough. When I make this recipe, because it makes a lot, I usually form the dough into cookie balls, line them on my big baking sheet, and freeze them for a few hours, until I can remove them from the pan and place them all in a double lined Ziploc bag. Whenever I want to make cookies, I just get out the selected amount, put them on my baking stone, and bake away. Or...I hand out the bags of cookie dough to friends, who usually eat them up before they even make it to the baking pan. It really is THE BEST cookie dough I've ever had, and before I ever made these, I was not a fan of cookie dough. These little chocolate chip blessings changed my life (and my hip size!).

.

So once again, if you still aren't convinced that this is the best recipe ever, then I would just suggest that you try them. I believe I'll change your mind. If you like mint chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips, or other combinations of goodness, then feel free to tweak the add-ins for this recipe. It's a great base recipe for whatever cookie catches your fancy.

{Free} Wall Art

I recently did a bit of rearranging in my living room and found myself with an empty wall. I didn't have much money to buy anything for decoration, so when I saw this tutorial, I knew it was just what I wanted to do. I pulled out some four-year-old Target shelves that weren't being used, found a piece of wood at the park, and I started collecting paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls to create a little vignette.


What do you think? Not bad for not spending any money, right?

Marinated greek chicken in Na'an bread

One of my favorite restaurants here in San Antonio is Pasha's. Their Na'an bread is to die for. Seriously, I could eat it all day, which could be good or bad since they keep on servin' it! I searched for a recipe and made it for New Year's Eve but it fell way short of my expectations.

So, I was strolling along the bread aisle at Costco a few weeks ago when a nice big package of Na'an caught my eye. I wasn't sure if this pre-packaged stuff could meet my expectations, but I thought I'd give it a try.

Um. Yum.

So, I found a greek recipe for chicken, bought some feta, and made up a slew of my favorite hummus for a dinner that got 12 thumbs up. (There are six people in my family. Yeah, they all loved it.)

Hummus

2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained

1/3 - 1/2 cup tahini (found at HEB near the peanut butter, or a whole foods store)

1/4 - 1/2 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pinch paprika

1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

Combine all ingredients except 1 tablespoon of olive oil, paprika and parsely  in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Place in a serving bowl and drizzle remaining olive oil over top. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.

Marinated Greek Chicken

1 8 oz. container fat-free plain yogurt

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 container crumbled feta cheese with basil and sundried tomatoes (or plain)

Mix first seven ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken, turn to coat, cover and marinate for three hours in the refrigerator. Now, here's where you can experiment. We don't have a grill so I placed my chicken on a broiling pan and broiled until the juices ran clear. You could place the chicken on a skewer and grill over and outdoor greill on high heat.

Prepare Na'an according to package directions. (If you make your own, serve them warm - and then post the recipe so we can all enjoy it!) Place desired amount of hummus, chicken, and crumbled feta cheese on Na'an. Wrap and enjoy.

Ready to Start a Garden?

This is the first in a series of posts about vegetable gardening in South Texas....

Seven Steps to a Great Garden

1. Find an area in your yard that gets 8 hours of sun. Outline it with a hose and watch the sun’s progression throughout the day. This step is crucial!

2. Determine what you’d like to grow by asking yourself: What varieties of fruits and vegetables will thrive in Texas? What will my family eat? What do I have time to preserve? Use this website to determine the best planting dates for each season.

3. Draw out your garden bed and make sure you’ve got room for all of your crops. Feel free to be creative...let your pole beans climb up your tomato cages or trellis your squash on the edge of your bed.

4. Build that raised bed at least 12 inches high. You can use railroad ties, 2x6’s, stone, anything durable. Fill it with Garden Soil containing compost. I like Garden-ville.

5. Select plants from a nursery or seeds from a catalog and get planting. For plants, use your fingers to comb through tightly-packed roots and water-in immediately after planting. Remember, it's the roots that need the most attention. The top of the plant may look a bit waterlogged but the roots are priority #1. For seeds, make sure your soil is moist and closely follow planting instructions on the packet.

6. Fertilize at least every 6 weeks. I like using a slow release fertilizer from Osmocote or Miracle Grow, other varieties are available. If you choose to go all organic you’ll need to increase amounts and frequency.

7. Check on your plants. Gardens are living so they need different things on different days...take a look each day and note water needs. If you stick your finger in the dirt and it's moist, it's probably ok. It's natural (and good!) to have bugs but if they're eating up entire plants or seem especially pesky, look up answers online or take leaves to a local nursery for problem diagnosis. Be careful about pesticides because there are a lot of good bugs that keep bad bugs in check. Good luck!

Lindsay

St. Patty's Day Mint Brownies

St. Patty's Day hasn't been much of a holiday in my house. Aside from the token wearing of green to avoid being pinched by my all-to-eager leprachauns, I'm never met with much enthusiasm when I offer to make corned beef and cabbage to celebrate. Nope, no takers on that one.

Because it is my nature to do SOMETHING holiday-ish on every holiday, I swiped a fun tradition from a heaven-sent neighbor in Colorado. Who can refuse chocolatey mint-infused brownies. Green food-coloring gives it the St. Patty's Day punch in a holiday hue.

For those of you who don't want to spend a lot of time, use your favorite boxed brownie recipe. If, you want the authentic version, begin with:

Brownies

1 cup melted butter

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 whole eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large mixing bowl, blend butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Combine remaining dry ingredients and gradually add to butter mixture. Mix just until all ingredients are incorporated. Do not over beat. Spray a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with baking release spray. Spread brownie mixture into pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from edge of pan. Cool completely. 

Icing

2 ½ cups powdered sugar

½ cup butter

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water

1 teaspoon mint extract

Green food color

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

6 tablespoons butter

Prepare mint cream center by combining powdered sugar, ½ cup butter, water, mint extract and food color.  Beat until smooth.  Divide and spread evenly on brownies.  Cover; refrigerate until cold. 

          Prepare chocolate glaze by placing remaining 6 tablespoons butter and chocolate chips in microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave for 1 minute or until mixture is smooth when stirred.  Cool slightly; pour over chilled brownies.  Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.  These are very rich brownies so cut pan into 32 to 40 pieces.

You can't see the green food coloring very well, but it's pretty!

 

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice soup

"Mom, can you make that soup with leeks in it?"  These are words I never thought would come out of my oldest child's mouth. Picky eater #1, the enemy of chicken and all things meat, sulk about dinner as if it will magically transform into a quesadilla. Yes, he asked for a soup full of leeks, potatoes, CHICKEN, celery, and carrots.

I know you want the recipe. So, without further ado and with a big "Thank you" to my friend Kendra for sharing it with me, bon apetit!

While preparing the soup, bake 2-3 chicken breasts in a 350 oven for 1/2 hour, chop when juices run clean.

In the meantime...

Cook 1 box wild rice mix WITHOUT the seasoning packet or mix half wild rice and half white rice.

Melt 1 cube butter in a large saucepan and saute 1 teaspoon minced garlic for about one minute.

Add

2 leeks cut lengthwise and sliced (clean these out really well since they tend to have dirt in between the layers)

2 peeled and sliced carrots

2 stalks celery

1 teaspoon salt,

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 bay leaves 

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon sage (to your taste)

1/2 teaspoon thyme 

1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning

Saute veggies until tender.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup flour over mixture and stir and cook (med. high heat) about 1 minute.

Add 1 qt. chicken broth while whisking into the flour mixture (keep veggies in pot).  Whisk until smooth.

Add 3-4 red potatoes chopped with skins on and cook until potatoes are tender.

Add a small carton of whipping or heavy cream first, then add 1 qt. of half and half a little at a time until desired consistency (you may or may not use the whole qt.)

Add wild rice and 2-3 cooked chopped chicken breast. Adjust the seasoning. I always cook to taste, so add what you think it needs. 

Garnish with a few chopped chives. My kids love this with french bread.

Jacquie

Little Women

The memory of my mom reading to me is one of the clearest of my childhood. My sister and I squeezed together on a twin bed, trying not to wiggle too much for fear that mom might leave. Anything to stay up a little later. Though we went through countless books from Freckle Juice to Harriet the Spy, my memory of these read alouds begin and end with Jo, Beth, Amy, and Meg. What little tomboy doesn't want to be Jo March, constantly battling her good and bad habits, and stumbling through the conventions of society? Somehow her akwardness is more graceful than my own ever was. Because of Jo I wanted to conquer the world and become a writer. Neither has happened yet. Now I find myself being the mom and the reader and it's harder than it looks. But the virtue of the Marches and the lessons they learned are now being passed on to my own Little Women. If you've only seen the movie, pick up the book. And read it out loud.
Allison

Books for boys (and maybe girls, too)

My boys LOVE to read. I attribute this to starting them early on books. We're talking eat-the-book early. My oldest child could turn a page before he could roll over. Nine years later, we find him awake hours past his bedtime with his nose stuck in a book. Makes me proud (until I have to roll his too-sleepy rear out of bed the next morning).

That's a story for another time.

Today I wanted to share our favorite books. These are obviously my boys' favorites, and to be fair, I have no idea what girls like. Not true, I'm a girl and I like them, so you be the judge!

Books for babies and toddlers

Look and find books: My kids love the large Look and Find books. Ours are falling apart due to the use they've gotten, but we have Dora, Lightning McQueen, and Batman.

My First Word books (also falling apart).

Ages 3 to 5

The Froggy Books by Jonathon London. There is a predictable pattern to these stories so the kids enjoy the familiarity of the storyline.

The Berenstain Bears by Stan and Jan Berenstain. So many lessons to learn!

The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller. We can't get enough of this one. The kids learn where the states are, to boot!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault and Lois Ehlert. Honestly, this book seems so simple that it's popularity amazes me.

Ages 5 to 9

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis. We started reading these to our boys when they were around five.

The Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne. I'm not one to read a book twice, but that doesn't seem to bother my kids because they like to read these over and over.

The Adventures of Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. This is a great book for readers who are ready to start chapter books. The chapters are short and the story is easy to follow.

The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo. Do NOT read the movie version. It's just not the same.

Ages 8 and up

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. My son has read this series twice and I'm pretty sure he'll read it again. It's amazing how one story can bring a subject into popularity. My kids are interested in Greek mythology after reading these books.

A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck. This is one of my all-time favorite books. My son and I spent hours laughing at Grandma Dowdle.

Schooled by Gordon Korman. This book mentions The Beatles. My son was in heaven.

The City of Ember series by Jean Duprau. I love the sleuth-like nature of this book. It makes it a suspenseful read.

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. Although my children haven't read this yet, I've had several pre-teens tell me they love it. I don't usually like fantasy-type books, but these were very entertaining.


These are all series I have personally read and I feel good about recommending them. They are clean and most of them teach a moral lesson. Gotta love that.

Other books that didn't make the top list for my boys, but I like 'em!

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins (yes, she wrote the Hunger Games and this is NOT gory).

Wolven by Di Toft. I've only read the first one, but it is a series.

The Candy Shop Wars by Brandon Mull

As a side note I do NOT recommend Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I feel that it teaches children to be dishonest and is not appropriate for my children's ages. The older brother introduces inappropriate subject matter. They are banned from our house. I didn't read them until my children had read all of them. Now, I read their books first. I suggest this become a practice in your home also.

Happy reading!
Jacquie