pancakes for my birthday breakfast!

Last Thursday was my birthday!! I turned the big 35! Not sure how that happened so fast, but nonetheless it happened. 

The night before my birthday, I suggested to my husband that if he wanted, he and the kids could make "breakfast for dinner" instead of getting up even earlier the make my birthday breakfast the day of my birthday! He was all for it and the kids were excited to help. They made one of my new faves..."Fluffy Pancakes". For so many years I didn't make pancakes from scratch (I would use Bisquick or pancake mix), but they just never really did anything for me. I had a pancake recipe that used buttermilk, but I NEVER have buttermilk in the house!! One day at the end of last year, my hubby found a pancake recipe online that used milk and vinegar to make your own buttermilk (duh!) and ever since then we have been hooked!!

I felt so spoiled to have these three cute chefs in the kitchen...just for me!!

Austin's job was putting the bacon in the frying pan...

THIS KID LOVES BACON!!

{Fun in the kitchen!!}

Birthday Pancakes!!

You didn't think I would finish this blog post without sharing the recipe did you??

Fluffy Pancakes
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupful of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with spatula and cook until browned on the other side.

I guess this is one way to eat pancakes...a pancake sandwich!!

I'm linking up today with...

 

goodies abound!

I'm not really here.

Sunday is our wedding anniversary, so we packed up the kids to Grammy & Papa's for Friday night and it will be just the hubby and me until we pick up the kids on Saturday night.

But, thanks to auto-post...

I wanted to share this cookie recipe in case you're looking for something yummy to bake...it is the holidays after all! Which means lots and lots of baking!

I was invited to a cookie exchange last Thursday and my contribution was to bring 4 dozen Snickerdoodles (+ I made a couple dozen more for Ryan -- they're his favorite!). I ended up going with simple ~ simple, but a classic.

After leaving the party, I took home 4 dozen of a variety of what everyone else brought. YUM! After some nibbles on this and that, they went straight to the freezer for all of the holiday party fun. I get the variety of goodies without doing all the work! Nothing better than that!

Mrs. Sigg's Snickerdoodles
{via Allrecipes.com}

This is only one container I brought home. The caramel bars and 7-layer bars are in another container! Oh, and there was even peppermint fudge! Oh my!

Hope you're enjoying all of the baking this season brings!

friend makin' monday - soup!

Today for Friend Makin' Monday, Amber is asking us to share our favorite recipes of the winter.

When I think winter food...I think soups!
Baking is actually my ultimate favorite thing to do during the winter (holiday goodies!), but I also like to get warmed up with a yummy bowl of soup.

Here are my top two favorites:
(did I mention they are super easy?!)

Taco Soup

1 pound lean ground beef
2 cups hot water
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can kidney beans
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Brown meat. Drain.
2. Dissolve bouillon cubes in hot water (3 minutes in microwave).
3. Put everything into a crockpot and simmer until heated through.
4. Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.


Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken
2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small can green chilies


1. Place chicken broth, cream of chicken, and taco seasoning into crockpot. Whisk together until blended.
2. Place everything else into crockpot and stir.
3. Simmer until heated through.
4. Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

ENJOY!

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There are still 4 days left to show us your
photo projects for this month's craft challenge!

kids in the kitchen - banana muffins

I'm joining in this week for my first Kids in the Kitchen over at A Little Fun with Me & Lu. I'm a day late, but we actually did make these on Thursday!

At Ryan's work each of his co-workers sign up to bring a breakfast goodie on Fridays. Usually it's something like store bought donuts or some store bought pastry. This week it is Ryan's turn to bring something, so of course I can't just let him bring donuts like everyone else...it has to be homemade! I've already sent random goodies with him before and his co-workers always seem to give them rave reviews (aw, shucks). There's just something about being "the wife that brings all the yummy homemade treats".

Today was the perfect opportunity to let Mikayla help out again in the kitchen. I try really hard to make something with her at least once a week. Last week it was chocolate chip cookies! Yum!

Mini Banana Muffins
(found via AllRecipes.com)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners.
   
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth.
   
4. Scoop into muffin pans.
5. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

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Some things that are easy for Mikayla to help with using a recipe like this are...

MASHING BANANAS

POURING IN DRY INGREDIENTS
STIRRING TOGETHER WET INGREDIENTS
PLACING MUFFIN TIN LINERS IN THE MINI MUFFIN CUPS
SO PROUD OF HER HARD WORK!
YUMMY IN THE TUMMY!
(Don't worry, I didn't make Ryan take the muffins
to work like this...I'll spare him that.)In addition to the muffins, he brought strawberries, grapes, and bananas along with some mini bagels and cream cheese. You have to please the masses!

HAPPY FRIDAY!
ENJOY SOME TIME COOKING IN THE KITCHEN.


Check out Sarah at I Blame My Mother for Kid Friendly Friday.

cooking with kayla, part two

This weekend I'm heading out of a town with a group of women that are a part of our local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) leadership team. Each of us will be bringing a snack (in addition to buddying up and bringing a meal) and I thought that the Chex recipe "Muddy Buddies" would be a yummy late night treat!

I was actually in a relaxed mood today despite my always growing "to do list", so I thought I might as well let Mikayla help out in the kitchen. She's a whizz at baking and it's a fun way to spend a little one on one time together, but still get some stuff done in the process.

Together, we read the ingredient list and I had Mikayla search for all of the ingredients with a few helpful hints from her momma, of course. (Ladies, going to the retreat...stop right here if you don't want to know everything that goes into this delightful treat. And, I will say that it is addicting, so don't say I didn't warn you.)

----------------------------------------------
MUDDY BUDDIES
COOKING WITH KAYLA

your choice of Chex cereal, chocolate chips, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, & powdered sugar

Measure 9 cups of cereal. I let Mikayla tell me when to stop once I reached the line I had pointed out to her. We ended up doing 5 cups Corn Chex and 4 cups Chocolate Chex.

Measure out 1 cup chocolate chips. I filled a small bowl of chocolate chips and let her scoop them into the 1-cup measuring cup.

Add 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/4 cup butter to the chocolate chips. Even letting kids do simple tasks like peeling the paper from the butter teaches them the art of cooking. We talked about how slimy it felt (and then she proceeded to wipe it off on herself...good thing she was wearing an apron!)

Microwave for 1 minute and then stir until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Pour Chex cereal into a large bowl.

Pour chocolate mixture over cereal and stir until covered.

Place chocolate covered cereal into gallon-sized Ziploc bag, add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and shake, shake, shake. She loved this part!

During this cooking adventure, don't forget to give your (almost) 2-year old a little snack...

...and some measuring spoons and cups to keep him distracted, I mean entertained.

Place finished yummy goodness on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet to cool and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (the freezer is even better!)

As it was cooling on the counter, Mikayla kept asking me, "Just one more, Mommy. One more." And how many times do you think I heard that?

*FYI: You might notice Mikayla has a black eye in these pictures. She had a little run in with someone else's head last Sunday, so it's her first official black eye. She looks kind of tough, don't you think?



Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

a whole lot of random all mixed into one

It's Monday! A start to a fresh new week. Time to get back into my weekly schedule that I desperately need for me to get productive once again!

And, well....I woke up to a couple piles of throw up in my son's crib. The week is starting out not so fresh anymore.

For me to have a little bit of "normalcy" on a day where it's anything but normal, I thought I would do a little housekeeping and get some things in order. A little random, but in order nonetheless.

Muffin Tin Monday
visit Her Cup Overfloweth for more!
One of Mikayla's favorite meals these days is meat, cheese, and crackers. I love how she wraps her cheese and cracker up in her meat and eats it like a sandwich.
Today's muffin tin includes meat, crackers, carrots, yogurt, grapes, and cheese.


Friend Makin' Monday
Kasey at All That is Good asked us this question:
What is the best advice someone
has ever given you?
Snuggle with your little ones as much as you can. They don't stay little forever. If that means cuddle in bed on a lazy morning, do it. Or read some books with your babes in your lap, do it. Let them fall asleep on your chest when they don't feel good (like today!). Just BE with your kiddos and enjoy those little moments...while they last.


Menu Plan Monday

This will be my third week IN A ROW that I have successfully planned our menu. It has saved me so many "what's for dinner?" headaches...and a little in the pocketbook, too!

This week's menu:
Monday - Chicken Tortilla Soup (similar to this one)
Tuesday - leftover Chicken BBQ from last week (yummy for sandwiches!)
Wednesday - Steak Fajitas? (anybody have a good recipe??)
Thursday - Chicken Pasta Pesto (changed the name to this one)
Friday - Take Out (busy, busy, busy day!)
Saturday - MIKAYLA'S FAMILY PARTY
Sunday - Slow Cooked Corn Chowder & Grilled Cheese


Recipe Swap
Anissa at Learning Together Hand in Hand
is having a recipe swap today.

Here's a favorite in the Boos household:

This is a great dish that can easily make two meals for two families of four. I usually freeze one of the square dishes or make the other to bless another family with dinner.

Taco-Stuffed Pasta Shells

16-18 jumbo pasta shells, prepared
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 cup water
1 can refried beans
1 cup shredded cheese, divided
1 jar salsa, divided

1. Cook beef in large skillet until brown; drain. Add seasoning mix and water; cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until thickened.
2. Add beans and 3/4 cup cheese; mix well.
3. Spread 1/4 cup salsa over bottom of each two 8-inch square baking dishes.
4. Fill pasta shells with beef mixture; place half of shells in each baking dish, filled side up. Spoon remaining salsa over shells.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Serve with sour cream.

**To bake frozen shells, thaw in refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove plastic wrap; re-cover with foil. Bake 45-50 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve with sour cream.

And, oh, how we tried to get the
perfect picture of the kids on Easter.
Seems to get a little more difficult each year!

on a recipe roll...

Since I'm on a roll with sharing some recipes like I'm a "real cook" or something, I thought I would join in for another week of Saturday Salads at A Listmaker's Life. I'm always up for gathering together some new recipes...especially for the coming summer months (oh, wait have we even started Spring yet?)

My sister-in-law, Kristen, introduced me to this salad at one of our first Thanksgivings together (actually, if I remember correctly it was her mom who brought it) about 4 or 5 years ago. In fact, Kristen is the one who helped me fall in love with AllRecipes.com. Whenever she makes something yummy for a family get together, I ask her where she got the recipe for the delicious dish she had made...more often than not she would say All Recipes. Now, I head that direction quite often for a little yummy inspiration.

I would type this recipe up in its entirety, but I guess I'm a little too lazy for that since if you just click the link below it will come up just as I would type it, and I make it as the recipe states. Plus, if you're into reading reviews there are 1,459 for you to choose from!

Cranberry Spinach Salad

**And, if you're looking for a yummy crockpot recipe, I just posted the recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu. Yum!

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And, because it's fun...here's a little randomness.

17th Folder
33rd Picture
{click on the above image to play along}

This is at my nephew Hunter's 1st birthday party in July 2008.
These three little ones were obviously the "life of the party".
I think they may have been in some sort of sugar coma.
Cousin Hunter (1 year) is on the right, Austin (10 months) is in the middle, and on the far left is Hunter's cousin "on the other side", Emma (11 months). It's super fun when we all get together because each of their birthdays are almost exactly one month apart...
July, August, & September.

a creamy crockpot creation

Heidi at Sacred & Profane is having her monthly cooking contest and this month it is a Crockpot Throwdown.

If you all know me well enough (my husband!)...cooking is not really my thing. I mean, I'm not terrible at it...I don't burn rice or anything, but it's just not my favorite thing to do at the end of a long day.

But, because of this shift in priorities that I'm working on, I actually had a weekly menu plan I created and have stuck with it all 4 days so far! I tried 2 new recipes this week, and they were both 2 thumbs up from the hubby (and myself). Which kind of made me feel like a chef or something, so I thought to myself...might as well throw out a recipe that others might want to try. But be nice to me, OK? Just remember this isn't MY creation!

I'm going to share with you the recipe that I tried for Thursday night's dinner...it just so happened to be a crockpot recipe and a successful one for that matter! It's not your typical throw it in the crockpot meal since there is a little prep work involved. But I think it only took me 20-30 minutes and then I got to leave it in the crockpot for the rest of the day! And it smelled delicious, too!

Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:
3 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 Swiss cheese slices
6 thin ham slices
2 tablespoons margarine
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
1. Cut whole breasts in half. Flatten each half with a mallet.
2. Cover each half breast with slices of cheese and ham. Roll up and secure with toothpicks.
3. Brown each chicken roll in margarine (less or none if preferred) in skillet. Transfer to slow cooker.
4. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken, making sure chicken pieces are fully covered.
5. Cover. Cook on low 4-5 hours.

**Just a reminder...don't forget to take the toothpicks out before you dig in!

FYI: I was given this recipe from a friend when we had a crockpot recipe exchange with my Bible study small group. But when I called her while I was making it to ask her something about it, she said that she actually hadn't tried it yet, but that she saw it and thought it sounded good. I was able to track down a similar recipe and it looks like you wouldn't even need to brown the chicken first? I don't have the best of "cook smarts", but I guess this would make it a whole lot easier if you didn't have to brown the chicken first. Anybody have advice on this one? Would it cook just fine without needing to brown the chicken?

saturday salad on sunday

Katie at A Listmaker's Life has a weekly carnival called Saturday Salads. You should go on over and check it out since summer will be coming before we know it and summer always reminds me of salads! I'm a little late to the party since it's technically not Saturday, but I have a few minutes of downtime while the kids nap, so I thought I'd share a favorite of mine that's super easy!

I'll just give you the ingredients for 1 serving, but you'll get the gist for making it for the whole family. By the way, this is a great salad for watching what you eat...just don't go overboard with the dressing! I'm going to give you the "lite" version since I'm attempting to watch my weight these days (I guess this probably wouldn't be the time to confess that I had Chinese food for lunch...and a lot of it!). If you want the real recipe, I found it HERE.

Barbecued Chicken Southwestern Salad

Ingredients:
*lettuce of your favorite variety and however much you like to fill the plate
*1/4 - 1/2 cup canned corn, drained
*1/4 - 1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
*1 chicken breast grilled with bbq sauce or baked in oven with bbq sauce (sometimes I only need to use half the chilcken)
*1/8 - 1/4 cup 2% Mexican-style shredded cheese
*crumbled BAKED Tostitos (14 chips is 1 serving)
*I'm not a fan of tomatoes, but I'm sure for those who are you could add some for color and a little more flavor!

Here's the real treat...the dressing!
Mix ranch dressing and BBQ sauce to make a yummy blend. I'll let you figure out how much of each, but the original does say to use equal of both ranch and BBQ sauce. I usually do a little more BBQ sauce than ranch since we all know how much fat is in ranch dressing! I usually don't go for light ranch since I don't like the taste. I just try to use less of it and I always use the trick of dipping my fork in the dressing and then on my salad. I try to NEVER smother my salad in dressing...it just helps cut back the fat/calories. I know that's already a given, but there's my tip for the day anyway!

Hope you're all enjoying your Sunday! We've had a leisurely weekend with a few extra days with Ryan being off work. It's kind of the "calm before the storm" since it's back to an extra busy week for him starting next week. Late nights...ugh!

I want to leave you with this last random funny for the day...

This morning as we were getting ready for church, I asked Mikayla if she could please come here so I could do her hair. I heard her say with her sweet little voice from the back bedroom, "No thank you!" At least she was polite about it.

silly snacks

In the middle of my recipe & cookbook organizing for The Organizing Junkie's February Round Up, I came across a kids' cookbook I didn't even know I had! We were enjoying a lazy Friday afternoon of a little organizing and playing, and so I decided we should give one of the recipes a try.

One of the cookbooks I found is called Favorite All Time Recipes - Silly Snacks. The recipe that caught my eye was {not so creatively} named...

Cool Sandwich Snacks.

Ingredients Needed:
*graham crackers, cracked in half
*chocolate fudge sauce
*Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed
*sprinkles

Spread the chocolate fudge sauce on one half of the graham crackers.

Spread whipped topping about 1/4-inch thick on remaining 1/2 of the graham crackers.
Press crackers together lightly, making sandwiches.
Roll or lightly press edges in sprinkles.
Freeze for 4 hours or overnight.
After the wait is over...dig in and enjoy!
Austin was a little surprised to find out how cold his bite was.

Now that I have found some fun cookbooks that need to be tested out, I hope to make some more fun snacks in the future!

For more kid friendly ideas, check out I Blame My Mother (a fun, new blog I found!)