New Bed

I got one of my Christmas presents early. My mom & dad bought a twin mattress for Winnie. She was sad to see her toddler bed go, but doesn't seem to mind now that her new bed is all set-up. I found the bed through the KSL classifieds a few months back. I had half-heartedly thought about refinishing the bed, but now that it's all set-up I don't mind the wear on the finish at all. Good thing, too, because I really don't need to add anymore projects to my already overwhelming list.

Christmas Projects #3 & #4.

At this point, I have admitted defeat and severely cut back on projects I had planned to make for Christmas. Luckily, no one knows what my intentions were, so they won't feel cheated, right?

I did complete projects number 3 and 4 this week.

I'm very proud of project number 3. This just happens to be the first round ball that I've ever made. I knew there had to be a trick --you have to cut your pieces out on the bias, rather than with the grain. Hooray! Round on the first try!

This necklace was, surprisingly, my first attempt at jewelry making. It didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted it to (the button I chose to embellish it looks surprisingly like a lemon slice now that it's all put together), but I like it anyway. I think I'd wear it, so I don't feel bad giving it as a gift.

As I type this, project #6 is sitting in a basket next to me--a mess of dismembered body parts. Hopefully that body will come together with hair and clothes by Christmas. Otherwise, it will look like I made my daughter an ET doll.

Snow Day

Luke

I just bought Luke a new car seat because he's grown out of his infant carrier. As of today, Luke weighs 21.5 pounds and he's 27.5" tall. He's standing up, losing interest in bottles and wanting to do everything his big sister does. What happened to my little 7 lb baby?

Christmas Dress

I finished Winnie's Christmas dress. That makes the tally two completed projects, 15 to go.

Who Cut Your Hair, Sonora?

I think at some point, almost every toddler gets a hold of a pair of scissors and gives themselves a haircut.

Unfortunately, I gave Winnie this haircut. I am officially retiring from cutting the hair of wiggly toddlers. Do you think this will have grown out by Christmas?

Bonus points if you know the movie the title is from.

Christmas Checklist

This morning I had 17 projects on my Christmas "To-Do" list.


Now I have 16.


Sad, isn't it? I won't even tell you how long this belt took me. I made it way more difficult than it had to be and it brought out the worst in my sewing machine. If all of my projects take me this long, I should be done by Easter!

Trick or Treat!

A Month of Meals - Day 4

Menu: Pasta w/ Pumpkin and Sausage, Spinach Salad w/ Apple & Red onion

Recipe: Posted here

I decided to try a Rachael Ray recipe for tonight. I've never seen her show, but I know she has a cookbook about fast meals. Off I went to her site to figure out what I could do with the leftover pumpkin from Matt's b-day cake. Ta-da! Pumpkin Pasta. I'm a pretty awful food photographer, but I think it looks better in my picture than the screen capture they used to accopany the recipe.

Damages: A large pot, a large skillet, two measuring cups, a cutting board. . . quite a few dishes, but I was able to fit all of them in one dishwasher load along with the rest of the dishes we created today.

Time Spent: 40 minutes. I'd never made this before and like so many things I make, I think it would go together a little faster the second time around. I try a new recipe at least once a week and sometimes I wonder if I make my life harder than it needs to be by doing this. I'm always looking for that next great recipe that we can't live without and something to use up the leftovers that another dish generates.

Pros: Only requires ingredients that I usually have on hand--except fresh sage. I substituted a teaspoon of ground. I also used half-and-half instead of heavy cream because that's what I had. As written, the recipe made enough for dinner and 4 additional servings.

Cons: We thought it tasted a little too sausagey. I think you could get away with half the sausage.

Final Review: I forgot to take a picture of the final review! At first Matt said one thumb up, but then it grew on him. It's the kind of dish that I think will taste better the second day. No complaints from Winnie except that she won't eat raw spinach. Instead of salad she just got apple slices. I probably won't be in a rush to make the pasta again. The salad, however, was terrific. Winnie dipped her apples in the dressing and it made just the right amoung of dressing.

Confessions, Part 3 & A Munchkin

I made another ball. Another lemon-shaped ball. Remember attempt 1 and attempt 2? Isn't this supposed to be a simple sewing project?

After much tweeking and fussing around with it, it actually looked a little bit round. I then arranged it just so to take the picture so that you could almost believe it to be round! This one is for Luke, who doesn't care if it's round or not. I should have just sewn a football and called it a day.

On a happier note, here is Winnie modeling her new coat, awesome pigtails and some Halloween decorations.

A Month of Meals - Day 3

Menu: Morrocan Chicken, Couscous & Carrots

What I Actually Made: Taco Soup and Crescent Rolls

Today was one of those days when I just couldn't stomach the thought of cooking. Matt wasn't home for dinner and I was tired, so I pulled out my old stand-by, Taco Soup. This is Rachel Terry Quesada's recipe and I love her for it! I always keep the ingredient on hand for this one because it's truly a one pot meal, it takes 10 minutes or less of prep time and it can be on the table in 20 minutes if you need it to be.

Recipe:

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion (I generally use a couple tablespoons of dried onions)

1 package taco seasoning

1 can tomato sauce (small)

1 can corn

1 can kidney beans

Brown the ground beef with the onion and drain the fat. Add all other ingredients, including liquids. Let simmer for 15 minutes.

I usually double everything but the ground beef and the taco seasoning. I buy taco seasoning in large jars, so I 1 1/2 that. Sometimes we get fancy and eat the soup with tortilla chips and sour cream. We almost always top it with shredded cheese. Tonight we ate it with refrigerator crescent rolls, since I had an extra can from a recipe I made last week.

Damages: Only the dishes we ate off of. Since I doubled the recipe, I just put the rest in the frige in a pot for Matt to eat when he got home. I cooked the crescent rolls on my beloved pizza stone, which lives in my oven and only requires a quick wipe after use.

Time Spent: 30 minutes--15 prep (including defrosting my ground beef) and 15 of unsupervised cook time, except for stirring every 5 minutes or so.

Pros: Easy, easy, easy and everyone love it.

Cons: None--except it might be a little much for a 100 degree July day.

Final Review: We all love this one. Classic comfort food. In the cold months, I probably make this more than any other dish. Do you think my family would mind if I made this a couple times a week for the next 7 months?

While Winnie did love the soup, I think her smile can mostly be attriubed to the fact that I let her use the step stool as a table to eat in the kitchen tonight.

A Month of Meals - Day 2

Menu:
Baked Reuben Sandwich, Carrot-Apple Slaw

I know, I know. To most people this menu sounds gross. Matt was pretty skeptical, but he really liked it and Winnie ate all hers, so what more could I ask for. Except, perhaps, for Winnie to start using her utensils to eat.

Recipe:
Reuben Sandwich Squares
1 13 3/4-ounce package hot roll mix (I made my regular bread/roll recipe, rather than a mix--you'll need enough dough for one loaf of bread)

Prepare hot roll mix according to package directions just through mixing step. Divide dough in half. Let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Set aside 1 half of dough, covered, for top crust. On a lightly floured surface roll the remaining half to a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Cover; let rise 20 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven. (Baked layer will be lightly golden.)

1 8-ounce can Sauerkraut (1 cup, rinsed and well drained)
1/3 cup Thousand Island salad dressing
1/4 cup tomato sauce

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the rinsed and drained sauerkraut, Thousand Island salad dressing, and tomato sauce. Stir to mix well. Set the mixture aside.

8 1 and 1/2 - ounce slices Swiss cheese
3 3-ounce packages very thinly sliced corned beef (I used regular old cheap sandwich meat)

Arrange 4 slices of the cheese over the baked bread layer in the baking dish. Arrange all of the corned beef slices atop the cheese layer. Spoon the sauerkraut mixture over the corned beef. Top with the remaining slices of cheese.

2 teaspoons cooking oil
Caraway seed (optional--as in I don't add this)

Roll remaining dough into a 13x9-inch rectangle. Place over corned beef and cheese filling. Crimp edges. Cover; let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Brush the top with cooking oil. Sprinkle lightly with caraway seed, if desired.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or till top is light brown. Cut into 6 squares. Remove each square from the dish and cool up to 1 hour on a wire rack. Pack each cooled square in a freezer bag. Store up to 1 month in the freezer. Makes 6 servings.

Carrot-Apple Slaw

I just threw things together for this. I combined apples (fresh from the tree), shredded carrots and crushed pineapple, then made a basic slaw dressing (mayo, vinegar, sugar and salt) mixed to taste. The slaw was mostly apples.

I meant to make a green salad as well, but forgot all about it until dinner was over with.

Time Spent: An hour and a half, but a good portion of it is time waiting, not working. The rise times kill you on this one, so I made it Monday night. I baked it for 20 minutes and then put it in the oven for another 20 minutes at 300 degrees tonight. I was cooked perfectly.

Damages: A sink full of dirty dishes and a messy counter. Definitely not a one pot meal, but almost all things that can go in the dishwasher, so not awful.

Pros: We only ate a third of the sandwich, so we can eat it for lunches tomorrow and freeze another two servings.

Cons: Definitely not something that fits my normal timeframe very well. I'd usually have to make this on weekends or make it the night before like I did this time.

Final Review: Matt was scared by the sauerkraut, but he really liked it. Winnie normally doesn't eat Swiss Cheese, but she didn't even seem to notice it in this, even though I think it's a pretty strong flavor. This is definitely a time intensive meal, but it makes a lot of servings and it packs really well for lunches so I'll probably make it again.

(p.s. Am I the only one that has a terrible time getting Blogger to space things correctly? I just don't have the energy to go in and edit the HTML code tonight to make this look good. Sorry about the confusion that causes in the recipe.)

A Month of Meals - Day 1

Menu: Spinach & Potato Frittata, Fresh Tomato Slices

Recipe:

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 small red potatoes, sliced

1 cup torn fresh spinach

2 tablespoons sliced green onions

1 teaspoon crushed garlic salt and pepper to taste

6 eggs

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Place potatoes in the skillet, cover, and cook about 10 minutes, until tender but firm. Mix in spinach, green onions, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and milk. Pour into the skillet over the vegetables. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until eggs are firm.

Time Spent: 30 minutes start to table

Damages: Basically a one pot meal.

Pros: Winnie cleaned her bowl

Cons: We ate all of it, so there are no leftovers for tomorrow.

Final Review: We love quiche and I think this is just a faster version of the same thing. I'll probably make it again because it's one of those dishes where no recipe is required and you can use just about anything you have one hand.

A Month of Meals (or maybe a week)

I'm dreading meals. I hate the rush to get home and make dinner before we have to get someone out the door or kids to bed. My family likes most of the things I make and I am meeting my goal of packing leftovers for lunches every day, but I wish I could find ways to enjoy cooking more, or do less of it, or do it faster. I've looked into pre-prepared options, but anything healthy is running in the neighborhood of $5.00 a serving. Since I try to keep our meals around $2.00 a serving, that's definitely out.


So, here's the deal. I'm going to share my menus, methods and techniques and I'm requesting your feedback. Would you cook these things? Do you have shortcuts or suggestions? Kitchen tools or gadgets to make life easier? Tried and true recipes to share? Quick meals that get you through in a pinch?


Here are some of my grounds rules for cooking:

• Most nights I only have an hour for preparing and cooking meals.
• I need really fast on Tuesdays.
• I'm willing to make my most involved meals on Sundays.
• I do as little as possible on Saturdays.
• I have to make enough food to have leftover for Matt and I to pack as lunches Monday-Friday.
• I plan all of my menus for the week and do my grocery shopping on Saturday.
• I never buy cuts of meat that cost more than $2.00 a pound.
• I never buy fruit that costs more $1.00 a pound.
• I try to cook vegetarian once or twice a week as a means of controlling cost.
• I don't do canned vegetables (although I do occassionally buy canned corn for Taco Soup).
• I try to make a wide variety of foods and expose my family to different things, though I have staple ingredients that many of my meals are planned around.
• I cut fat where I can, but I'm much more interested in providing nutritious foods than "low fat" meals.
• I don't discriminate against any food groups, although we don't do a lot of seafood because of the cost and the fact that I don't like fish.

I know my blog title is a month of meals, so it would make sense to start on the 1st, but since this is my blog, I'm going to start today.

Happy Birthday, Matty Morrise!

Everyday Food's Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting. I think this will be my new go-to frosting recipe.

I would have taken pictures of Matt opening presents, but I didn't get him any and my camera battery died.

Don't feel so bad for Matt. His birthday present is winging its way to him. He's willing to wait to get something he really wants.

Project #1,973

I've been wanting a cuckoo clock for the kids' room, but haven't been able to find the right combination of features in a clock I could afford.


When I saw this embroidered clock from the preview of Meg McElwee's new book, "Sew Liberated", I decided an embroidered cuckoo clock might be even better than what I've been looking for. Unfortunately, I've just renewed my vow to not start another project until I've finished all the projects I've already started or purchased supplies for.

At least I have a few years to learn how to embroider.

P.S. I just bought this pattern to make a Christmas dress for Winnie.

Some day I will have a clean house. Maybe when I don't work anymore. Or when I finally find the perfect spot for everything. Or when I learn how to move faster. Or find two more hours every day. Or get a maid. Or overcome entropy.

Today I did 9 loads of laundry. That seems like more than 4 people should be able to generate. Between sheets, towels, gym clothes and spit-up we manage to make a real mess. Unfortunately, I did not finish vacuuming, mop or plant my bulbs. Don't plan to eat off my floors any time soon.

Matt's birthday is this Friday. I always look forward to his birthday because it means I'm not older than him for the next nine months. We're going to dinner at our favorite restaurant, Thai Ruby, which is always closed on my birthday. I also look forward to making Matt's birthday cake. Last year it was black forest. This year it's going to be pumpkin spice with honey-cream cheese frosting. He's lost almost 40 pounds since we got married, so I need to make sure it's really good and he'll want to eat a lot of it. My weight buffer is getting painfully small.

Hooray for Ebay, Part 2

I am on a roll--I haven't lost an Ebay auction all year and I've gotten everything I've bid on at a lower price than I was willing to pay. (Ignore the fact that this might mean I'm willing to pay too much.)

I just bought this set of coasters that I've been trying to find for months. Aren't they cute? Can you believe someone else didn't snatch them up right away? This set is missing one coaster, but the price was right. Of course, I'll need the full set at some point, but for now this will take care of my family's coaster needs. Any bets on how long it will be before little hands break off one of the people?

Another plus is that buying from Ebay really builds self esteem. Every time I buy something I must get three emails telling me that I'm a winner! Much nicer than all the snarky complaint emails I usually get at work.

Somehow, when I woke up yesterday morning, my babies had suddenly grown older all at once.

Winnie, who is starting to always give fake smiles for the camera, spent over an hour yesterday building with her blocks. Last time we played blocks Winnie was more interested in knocking them over the minute you stacked two. And now, suddenly, she's Dr. Seuss's city planner.

I haven't wanted Luke to be ready for solids, but I think he was more than ready. He's had cereal in a bottle for a month or so now, but tonight was his first chance to be spoon fed. Mmmm. Green beans. He was so excited about eating them that it was hard to feed him because he was flailing his feet and hands. Luke also started pushing himself up onto his hands and knees a couple of days ago. I'm not ready for crawling! He supposed to still be too little for that sort of thing!

261 E 100 N

After being "for sale by owner" all summer, my current dream house (or more aptly, dream yard) is listed with a realtor and a price drop.

http://utahrealestate.com/910162

This house ends up being a pretty great deal after you factor in the pioneer neighborhood purchase assistance programs offered by the city.

Oh please still be on the market next summer when we might be looking for a new house here in Provo. I really want that .45 acre lot! Unfortunately, the house appears to be vacant in the listing pictures, which probably means they're in a hurry to sell.

Update: I though this house was a good deal based on the sellers telling me it just needed some cosmetic updates. If only that really was the case. I went to see the house and discovered that the plumbing and electric haven't been updated, it needs a new roof, new furnace, window glazing and on and on. . . I never thought major systems were considered "cosmetic". Anyone who buys this house at the current listing price would have to put more money in than they could ever recoup.

Another First

For the first time in 5 1/2 months, I don't have a little boy right next to my bed tonight. Luke's in the big crib in Winnie's room--now the kids' room--for the first time. Luke was getting too big and too mobile to be comfortable in the little bassinet (he weighs 18 pounds already!). I'm going to miss looking at that little face while I fall asleep. Hopefully when he wakes up and can't see me he'll decide to just go back to sleep instead of fussing until I give in and snuggle him.

Putting the Cart Before the House

Matt and I are starting to get serious about looking for jobs for him after he graduates in December. Of course, for me that really means looking for a house. He's not crazy about the midwest, but I like it--so much bang for my housing buck!

Dear Kansas City,

I've found the house. If you could supply the job I'd be grateful.

Love, Me

425 East Center Redux

This house has been on the market for over 4 months now and they've raised the original listing price by $10,000. Raised it. Really? To help sort through all the potential buyers and offers or what?

I know some people say the economy is showing signs that it's primed for a recovery, but I think this is a little optimistic.

On a somewhat related front, I've finished designing the yard for when we move into 261 E 100 N and moved on to the interior, so maybe I can't criticize anyone else for being a crazy real estate optimist.

Family Home Evening

Luke


Making boats


Launching the boats




Smoothies from Uncle Jake's "Magic Bullet"

Entry Organization

I like our little house, but one of the things that's a must for our next house is a coat closet. When you walk in our front door you're basically standing in our family room looking up the stairs. There's not much room for bags and coats or any of the things you usually want to drop when you first come in the door. Until now I've had a row of hooks up on the wall behind the front door, but I've been looking for something that could meet our needs a little better.



I only have 6 inches behind my front door, but Target had these really slim storage shelves on clearance with bins on top and hooks beneath. Matt and his parents gave them to me for my birthday and I love them! The upper hooks are at the same height as our old coat rack and the lower shelves are just the right height for the kids to reach by themselves. (Okay, Luke can't reach his yet, but at the rate he's growing it will only be a few weeks).

Much better. Now if I could just find a way to make an eat-in kitchen. . .

Book Wish List

Books I want to add to our library:

Any other recommendations?