Pumpkin Carving Time

Karis has an easy job! Mr. Potato Head pumpkin pieces. Great present from Granna. Thank you!

Jayci picked a "scary" pattern off bhg.com. She was so excited to carve it herself. No, I did it actually, but she pressed a push pin through the lines of the pattern and thought it was awesome.

Of course, Cade was delighted to get all the gunk out of the middle of the pumpkin but even more excited to roast the seeds.

Finished product. They are totally rotten now but it was a really fun afternoon! (Try this tip to keep your pumpkins fresh. I didn't try it in time.)

Oh Yes, It's that EASY!!!

Today I made the easiest meal. Clean up was a cake-walk too.

Ready for the recipe? Here you go.

1 whole chicken

1 bottle of BBQ sauce (flavor of your choice)

Pour the sauce on top of the chicken and cook for 4-5 hrs on low in the crock pot. If you use a crock pot liner (like the ones Reynolds makes) you can throw the bones and fat into that when you de-bone that sucker and toss the whole bag out. Clean up - DONE!

PS: It smells amazing too . . .

Dinner Made EZ

Have you ever watched the clock all afternoon hoping that 5 o'clock would not come around? I have done that so many times!! Well, let me share a website with you that will make life easy for you too. It's E-Mealz. The creators of this website have compiled several different lists (and I really mean TONS!) to choose from but all of them are meal plans for the week. After the menu for the week is the shopping list for all the meals! It's awesome. The best part? It's only $5 a month! That's $1.25 per week! Check it out!

He is Risen!

Today is Easter Sunday!! I am reminded of the most amazing sacrifice I'll ever know - that of Jesus' death and resurrection. It brings me life, hope, joy, and all because he loved me enough to give me his life. Thank you Jesus!!

To give my kids a visual of the empty tomb and the surprise Mary and Martha might have felt, we made resurrection rolls. Just dip a marshmallow in melted butter and then roll it in a cinnamon/sugar mixture. (This represents the anointing of Jesus' body. Older kids will be able to understand the symbolism.) Wrap it in a crescent roll (seal it too) and bake according to the directions on the crescent roll package. (Tip: wrap it well!!!) Let them cool and open them up. Maybe you'll be surprised too!

Our empty tombs . . . .

These are my guards outside Jesus' tomb. They are making sure no one steals Jesus' body.

(I was the angel, of course.)

Quinoa, part 2

I just bought the Deep Covered Baker from Pampered Chef and I'm thinking it is going to change my life. The wonderful Chef that sold me the thing gave a cookbook away with purchase . . . . WOO HOO!!! Honestly, I don't think I would have bought it without the cookbook. It's not full of those recipes that only use PC products. Its actually really useful. (And yes, I checked it out before I bought the baker.)

Here is the quinoa recipe she has in there. You'll have to make adjustments if you don't have the baker but you awesome cooks can handle it.

Quinoa Corn Casserole

4 c Quinoa* cooked

2 bags of frozen corn

3 eggs

1 bag of shredded cheddar cheese or cheddar blended cheese

1 green pepper, diced (opt)

Mix all ingredients together in Deep Covered Baker. Microwave for 5 minutes, stir, then microwave for an additional 10 minutes.

Note from the cookbook: *Quinoa is a grain. It looks just a bit smaller than couscous. It's very easy to fix, is a complete protein and tastes great with a variety of foods. You have to cook it before adding to another recipe. 1 cup Quinoa to 2 cups water. Boil. It take about 30 minutes. There's a fine ring around the grain that comes off, don't worry about it.

Quinoa, Baby!!!

Ok. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you gotta keep reading. This stuff is so good!

First of all, it's pronounced "Key-Wuh". I think. (Feel free to comment and tell me otherwise.) I learned about it from my Dad and it's supposed to be the newest, best thing out there. A good grain and healthy as all-get-out. (I think that's Texan, but you get it.)

I have 2 recipes for you to try. Let me know what you think!! This one I made tonight but haven't got around to the other yet. I'll post it soon. I'm keeping it on the list though, especially since my oldest (and pickiest) child loved it . . . Go figure. I guess if you put maple syrup and cranberries in something, anyone will like it. Hope you like it too.

Smokey Pork and Quinoa

1 pork tenderloin (1 3/4 lbs)

1 Tbs smokehouse maple seasoning

1 Tbs canola oil

1 onion, chopped

1 c uncooked quinoa

1 3/4 c chicken broth

2 Tbs maple syrup

3/4 c dried cranberries

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c peas

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Season pork with 2 1/2 tsp of the smokehouse seasoning. Heat 2 tsp of the oil in large nonstick ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat. Brown pork 2 minutes or until golden. Roast at 450 degrees for 18 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.

(I must admit I cooked my pork a different way so I have no idea how this turns out.)

2. Meanwhile in medium-size saucepan, heat 1 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, quinoa to saucepan. Stir in broth, syrup, cranberries, 1/2 tsp smokehouse seasoning and salt.

3. Bring quinoa mixture to a boil. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in peas and heat through. Slice pork; serve with quinoa.

4 servings

per serving: 529 calories, 14g fat (3g sat fat), 38 g protein, 63g carbs, 6g fiber, 821 mg sodium, 96 mg cholesterol (WOW, right?!)

Yummy Cranberry Chicken

Here's another yummy crock pot recipe for you!! I made this on Sunday and it was delicious!! I thought it might make for a good post-holiday recipe and it won't heat up the kitchen. (Clean up's a breeze too if you use a liner bag.)

Cranberry Chicken

3-4 lb chicken pieces
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 c barbecue sauce
1/4 c minced onion

Spray (or line) your crock pot and combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 4 hrs or low heat 6-8 hrs. Makes 4-6 servings.

Serve over stove top. (That only takes 5 min in the microwave.)

Hope this helps you stay out of the kitchen and play with the kids this holiday season!!

BEST Ice Cream Sandwiches

I hate ice cream sandwiches. I have never liked them. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE ice cream!!! But "NO!" on the sandwich thing.

However, I have just invented the most amazing ice cream sandwich EVER!! (Ok, I doubt I invented it but I did it really well ((and cheap)) so I get a little credit . . . ) Follow these directions and you will have your own little piece of heaven right here on earth!!

First you will need to make cake mix cookies: cake mix (chocolate of some kind), 2 eggs & 1/2 cup of oil. Stir until combined and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely.

Then slightly thaw Ben & Jerry's Cherries Garcia Ice Cream for about 10 seconds in the microwave. Spread a dollop on a cookie and top with another cookie. Repeat until you run out of cookies or ice cream. (Coffee ice cream is ok but Cherries Garcia is the BEST!)

If you're in a hurry, go ahead and gobble one but if you have a minute, put it in the freezer for about 5 minutes. It will firm up a little and not mush when you bite in.

Ahhhh. . . . . Now isn't that amazing??!?

Check this one out!

I just stumbled onto a few cool blogs lately and I wanted to share one of my new fav's. It's giverslog.com. Click the button at the bottom or this link and check it out. Enjoy!

Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Christmas

My house is beginning to smell like Christmas and I love it! This is my favorite thing about this season. My mom found this recipe somewhere and I make it every year. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. (It makes a great hostess gift too!)

Christmas Scent

3 - 4 inch cinnamon sticks

3 bay leaves

1/4 cup whole cloves

1/2 orange

1/2 lemon

1 qt water

Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer as long as you want. Add water as needed. Cool and store in the refrigerator when you're done simmering.

Feeling Halloweenie

Today was a spontaneous halloween fun day. We went to the Pumpkin Patch after nap, watched the Backyardagains "It's Great to be a Ghost", and made pumkins/ghosts/cats out of orange playdough.

I was thinking, while Iwas building awesome right arm strenth stirring homemade playdough, "This is the life. This is what having kids and being a mom has always been about to me . . . and it won't last long." Snif. It made me a little sad.

Nonetheless, it was an awesome day. I don't know why I don't do more things like this. Maybe I just

needed a day to realize how fun it is and that the days of being a dorky mom in my kids eyes are just around the corner.

We called it a Halloweenie day! I have a feeling there will be more. . . .

**Playdough recipe (makes enough for 2 kids, in my opinion)

1 c flour

1/2 c salt

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp oil

1 c water

Stir dry ingredients in a pot on the stove top. Add oil and water and mix well. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pot.

Pour dough into a bowl and cover with a wet towel for 1 min. Make a well and add 10-15 drops of food coloring (ratio for orange is 2 red : 1 yellow). Knead together until color is uniform. ENJOY!

Pampered Chef Party

So last night I had a Pampered Chef party. It was so much fun!!! I love getting together with my friends (old & new) to eat and talk about food. I totally meant to take pictures but I completely forgot. So I thought I would give the recipe to you all:

Mexican Layered "Lasagna"
1/4 c lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese
2 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 med onion, about 2/3 c chopped
28 oz enchilada sauce
12 corn tortillas
3 c diced chicken

Microwave cream cheese on HIGH for 30-45 seconds or until very soft. Add cilantro & 1 1/2 cups of the Monterey Jack cheese; mix well. Spread 2/3 cup of the enchilada sauce over bottom of deep dish covered baker. Pour remaining enchilada sauce into a mixing bowl; set aside.

To assemble lasagna, dip four tortillas into enchilada sauce in mixing bowl and arrange over sauce in baker, overlapping as necessary. Scoop half of the cream cheese mixture over tortillas; spread. Top with 1 cup of the chicken and 1/3 of the onion. Repeat layers one time. Dip remaining four tortillas into sauce and arrange over second layer. Top with remaining chicken and onion. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over lasagna and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese.

Microwave, covered, on HIGH 12-15 minutes or until center is hot. Let stand 10 minutes.

*You might want to saute' the onions if you don't like any crunch.

For dessert I made Sopapilla Cheesecake:
2 cans Crescent rolls
2 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 stick melted butter
1/2 c cinnamon sugar

Grease 9x13 pan. Spread one can Crescent rolls in bottom. Whip together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla and spread over Crescent rolls. Top with second can of Crescent rolls. Pour melted butter over top and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until brown on top. Cool slightly until set and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

ENJOY!!!