Kobey-isms

The other day, Kobey said:

"When I grow up, do I get kids?"

I told him that he could possibly have them.

He then asked me if I liked taking care of him.

I told him that I loved it!

He then said, "Well, I don't want babies. I would rather have kids my age."

:)

Down On The Beach

Sunday afternoon we found ourselves sitting around the front yard, staring off into space in a stupor of boredom. It was well after 3 in the afternoon, and none of us felt like doing much of anything. My oldest son suggested going to the beach, so we all piled into the car and headed for the shore. The trip was far from boring, as the landscape between home and the beach still bears the scars of Hurricane Ike, which devastated the area in September of last year. We marveled at flood debris 8 - 9 feet up in trees as we got nearer to our destination.
The highway we traveled on runs perpendicular to the shore until you get right to the beach; then you make a 90-degree turn to follow the peninsula down to the ferry to go to Galveston Island. About 2 miles before our turn, we crested a small hill and were staring straight at the Gulf of Mexico. In previous years, there had been a "barrier" constructed between the actual beach and the highway. It was tall enough to completely impede your view of the beach, and consisted of sand and various native flora. Imagine our surprise to see that the barrier was nowhere to be seen, having been leveled by the hurricane.


The shore itself has become so badly eroded that huge areas of clay are now visible where the sand once was.

It was a huge eye-opener to go down there, and it makes me wonder what the future will hold for the peninsula.

Ranch Salad Dressing

1/2 c mayonnaise
3 T buttermilk
1 T chp fresh chives
1 T chp fresh parsley
1 t white wine vinegar
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t celery seeds
1/4 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1 lg clove garlic, minced

Whisk all ingredients together.

Family Happenings

A lot to catch up on, as always.

My 14 year old son came to stay with us (after a guilt trip via Mommy about changing plans without letting people know *cough*) the weekend of March 27. We ended up going to the fair on Saturday, although I had mentally boycotted it since they moved it to spring (on account of fall being hurricane season and all). It was actually kinda fun. I had sworn that I would never go to the fair again since it had switched locations (and now seasons, grrr), but I was outnumbered. Everyone enjoyed themselves.
Sunday, we went and visited with my grandparents on Mom's side of the family. My grandmother had been asking me to get oldest son over there to visit, so we took advantage of the fact that he was with us. We intended just to drop by for a little bit, but they were expecting company later and Granny was having problems with cooking Chicken Tetrazzini, so I did it for her. We didn't stay to eat, as it wasn't our intention. I hope the meal turned out okay, I had never made it before!

Monday, youngest son and I headed to our local Boy Scout office and I signed him up for Cub Scouts. I have not had any luck finding a homeschool group around here that isn't deeply seated in religious activity (which just isn't our cup of tea), and I didn't want to join one under the guise of being incredibly religious because I don't agree with lying. The point is that I felt that youngest son needed interaction with other children on a regular basis, so we decided scouts was a good idea. (maybe this will get some of my family members off my back about "lack of socialization") Friday we went to the first den meeting. Youngest son was a little shy at first, but he joined right in when he received our "okay".

We (being dh and myself) are happy with the den he is in. The pack, however, is another story. We met the cubmaster and I told her that we did not yet have ds's uniform. She said not to worry about it, that they were unconcerned with uniforms. This made a bad impression right off the bat, because the uniform is a huge part of scouts. There seems to be very little organization to the pack, and from what I have seen, they schedule events on the same days at council events, which is never a good idea. It looks like dh and I might have to get our feet wet, again. Time will tell, I suppose!

Busy Bee

Today was a busy one (so why am I still awake???) I made another Hummingbird Cake, bread dough for Pigs in a Blanket, Lavender Iced Tea, and Banana Pineapple Popsicles. Not sure yet how the pops turned out, they weren't frozen when I last looked at them. I used the leftover crushed pineapple and a ripe banana for them.

I spent the past couple of days without the use of my cell phone (though I didn't realize it for a bit). I had noticed that my poor old Razr wasn't holding a battery charge too long these days, and then it wouldn't keep service bars, even when I was at home.

I looked at it Wednesday afternoon and it had absolutely no bars. I waited it out, thinking maybe there was a service outage in the area or something, because it wouldn't even work when I walked around outside. I emailed my carrier Thursday evening and they responded by telling me that it was likely because of some sort of obstruction; i.e.; walls, etc. (you have to be totally anal when corresponding with phone companies and not leave anything at all to the imagination).

So I waited til Michael got home from work and used his phone (different provider--all bars lit up) and called my carrier. After trying to sell me a $250 network extender, to which I replied was ridiculous and that I shouldn't have to purchase one when I had no issues before!, the lady I spoke to said that I needed to upgrade my phone. As she was rattling along, she casually mentioned that, given the age of my phone (3 years), that it was probably pointless to try the basic troubleshooting steps that they would usually use like updating my roaming capabilities (which I had done less then 2 weeks ago) or removing the battery for 60 seconds then reinstalling it.

Then, as an afterthought, she asked if I wanted her to walk me through those steps.
I said yes, of course, because I don't want to part with my phone just yet if I don't have to. And at that point I was still unsure if getting another phone would solve my issue... Anyway, she had me try to update my roaming, which I couldn't since I had no bars to dial out with.

So I popped the battery out for 60 seconds, then put it back in. VOILA! There were my bars!! I went ahead and updated my roaming, again, because she informed me that it is good to do that as often as possible. I thanked her for her help and have had full bars ever since. It's almost like having a new phone, except I didn't have to redo my contacts or music!

I have also been keeping myself busy the last several days signing up for free samples, survey sites, etc., online. I came across a few good ones that I will post about later (the hour is finally catching up to me and my eyelids are getting heavy).

So for now, I am off to sleep. I would read first to relax, but the only book I have right now is The Sound and The Fury and I have to say... I might have an easier time comprehending a stereo manual written in German. That is yet another rant for another day. Good night!

The past few days...

Yesterday was my grandmother's 70th birthday. Everyone pitched in for a potluck dinner at my grandparents' house last night, and I made her a Hummingbird Cake. We were careful to avoid any meat products, as they are Catholic and can't have meat on Fridays during Lent. As we got our plates and sat down to eat, I realized that EVERY SINGLE DISH HAD CHEESE IN IT. We ended up with a hodge-podge of cheese pizza, cheese enchiladas, Mexican layer dip, cheese dip, and refried beans with cheese. Even the cake had cream cheese frosting. We are all cheese fanatics, obviously, and probably wouldn't have minded sitting down to a block of sharp cheddar for dinner!
I wish I could find my camera (it's around here somewhere!) because I really wanted a picture of that cake to post with the recipe. I will definitely be making it again though, so maybe a photo will show up around here eventually. Anyway, the recipe is here. I had a larger can of pineapple than is called for, so I spread that between the layers, sandwiched between the frosting so the cake wouldn't get soggy. I also toasted the pecans before I pressed them onto the frosted cake. I got rave reviews and recipe requests. One thing I might do different next time is to mash the banana. The recipe calls for "chopped banana", but you only get a bite every now and then that way. Otherwise, it was fantastic!

Tonight for supper, I made Crockpot Chicken in Creamy Chive Sauce, which is almost identical to another recipe I have tried before. I doubled the ingredients for the sauce and added some steamed broccoli and cauliflower at the end of cooking to add some veggies. We ate it over macaroni. There was enough left over to make a lunch for Michael to bring to work Monday, and to freeze for another meal. I don't know yet how it will hold up to being frozen and reheated, so we will see...

The ham I made was okay, but it was so fatty that it disgusted us all. I cut away the leaner looking pieces for dinner, and some more for navy beans the next night, and the rest got discarded. I felt horrible for throwing away all that "meat", but ugh, it was icky. Even Michael, who will eat most anything meat-wise, said it was too fatty. I took a little consolation in that it was a gift from his employer at Christmas, so at least nothing was paid out of pocket for it. If we get one again next year, I will pass it on to the more die-hard ham fans in my family!

Giveaway at Mommies With Cents

One of my favorite blogs, Mommies With Cents is having a fantastic giveaway for a Crane Humidifier! Visit their blog and follow the instructions to register to win. While you are there, be sure to check out the deals and freebies they have posted!




Thanks to Holly and Mindy for this giveaway!

Indian Food

I managed to stick to my menu and make Chicken Bombay tonight. It has a really mild, slightly sweet flavor and will be making it's way into my "to make again" file. I also made the spiced couscous, but it was still a little bland to me. I did not have currants, so I subbed in dried cranberries and apples. I also conjured up a potato side dish that I absolutely adore. I peeled and cubed 3 medium potatoes and tossed them in a skillet with some olive oil. I let them fry until they started getting brown and added some turmeric. I stirred that up then added some chicken broth and let it go until all the liquid was absorbed. Added about 2 - 3 teaspoons of garam masala and 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of curry powder. I continued adding a splash of chicken broth as it would cook down, then added a little chili powder and a pat of butter at the end. I served it with a dollop of sour cream (it was spicy!). The color was gorgeous!

Tomorrow I get to try my hand at making a ham. In my favor, it is precooked, but still, this is the first ham that isn't pre-sliced and in a plastic container that I have made!

I went to Wal-Mart today because I was going a bit stir-crazy from staying home all the time. I happened to catch an employee marking down bedside Touch Lamps to $4.50. They were originally $18. I picked one up because Michael and I had been discussing getting one for my side of the bed, as I had been waking him up when I was finished reading at night to turn off the light. *giggle*

Now I am off to organize my coupons in a binder. I am hoping this will keep me from forgetting half of them when I go shopping!

Back In The Saddle

After a chaotic break from the blog, I am back at last. I've spent the past few weeks drowning in a sea of information in my search for all things frugal, ways to be more "green", and trying to learn how to follow a... **GASP**... budget. I have come across a ton of blogs that fit into at least one of these categories, which I will add to my blog list on the side.
I have also been trying to learn the art of couponing (is that a word?) and reminding myself to actually use the meals in the freezer that I prepared during my OAMC stint at the end of January.
In the midst of all of this, I am struggling to become more organized; both in the physical sense, and in my mind. I have a bad habit of starting 15,000 things at a time and seldom finishing any of them, and it frustrates the hell out of me. But hey, the first step is admitting that there is a problem, right?

Anyway, on the menu for this week is:

Monday: Cheese Tortellini and salad

Tuesday: Chicken Bombay, SpicedCouscous, and possibly some sort of bread

Wednesday: Ham, carrots, green beans, mashed potatoes, Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie

Thursday: Navy Beans (made with leftover ham), cornbread

Friday: no cooking - my grandmother's birthday; I am making her a Hummingbird Cake

Saturday: Crockpot Chicken in Creamy Chive Sauce, rice, steamed broccoli

Sunday: burritos


I have to say I am really proud of myself for the steps toward frugality that I've been taking lately, however small they might be. My favorite jeans developed a hole in them, and instead of tossing them in the trash, I stitched up the hole and am wearing them for awhile longer. I don't really spend much on clothing anyway, but why buy more when I can make do with these? Once this pair gets beyond repair, I am thinking of using them for a few projects. I can use the seat/front area to make a bag to hang on the top bunk of Kobey's bed for him to put his books in. And there are tons of uses for the legs, so I am confident that the jeans will live on long after they can no longer be worn.

I have several projects planned for the upcoming weeks. I definitely need to clean out my closet, go through and declutter the kitchen, rearrange the pantry, and reorganize my scrapbooking supplies. So much to do! The biggest problem is finding a starting place. Ugh.

But anyway, I'll be trying to keep up my blog (again), and hopefully I will remember to take photos of all these recipes I am trying!

A Slow Weekend

I slacked on my cooking a little this weekend. The plan was to have steak and twice-baked potatoes for supper Saturday, but a late lunch had us all feeling less than hungry. I had mixed up some marinade for my steaks earlier Saturday, so they got to spend the night soaking it up. Sunday afternoon I cooked them on the stove (I had planned on grilling outside, but the weather was icky) and they were REALLY good!
I got this marinade recipe from Allrecipes.com, and I will definitely be using it again!

Marinade for Steak I
(I used this amount for 3 smallish round steaks)
1/4c + 2 tsp vegetable oil
2 T + 1 1/4 tsp soy sauce
1 T and 1 3/4 t red wine vinegar
1 T + 1/2 t fresh lemon juice
2 3/4 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t freshly ground black pepper
1 3/4 t Dijon mustard
1/3 onion, sliced (I left this out)
5/8 clove garlic, minced (I used 2 t)

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well, and use to marinate your favorite meat. (I put mine in a zip-top storage bag with the meat and let it marinate for about 20 hours-- it did not overpower the meat at all)

I would even be tempted to alter this a bit and make a steak sauce out of it. It is THAT good!

Blueberry French Toast

I had quite a bit of the blueberry topping left from yesterday's mini cheesecakes, so I promised my son French Toast for breakfast today. I used some leftover French bread that I sliced about 3/4 inch thick and soaked in a mixture of egg, milk, sugar, salt, vanilla and cinnamon. Then I just put the blueberry pie filling over the top. Yummy!

General Not Tso Spicy Chicken

My DH put together a basket for my Christmas gift that was loaded with everything from flavored coffees to bruschetta to flavored olive oils. Included was a bottle of Archer Farms General Tso Stir Fry Sauce. I decided to give it a try last night. It wasn't nearly as spicy as what we get at our local Chinese buffet, but tasty nonetheless. I will definitely be getting it again!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c soy sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground ginger

Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. Place in a bowl with soy sauce, lemon juice and ginger; stir well and cover with plastic wrap. Put in refrigerator to marinate. (I put mine in for a couple of hours)

1/2 c cornstarch
1 - 2 Tbsp Chinese Five-Spice powder
1 tsp ground ginger
2 eggs

Combine cornstarch and spices in a bowl and set aside. Beat the eggs well, then add to the chicken. Add cornstarch mixture and mix well, being sure all the chicken is coated. Heat 1 - 2 inches of oil in a skillet to 350 degrees. Fry the chicken in the oil, 7 or 8 pieces at a time until golden and crispy on each side. Drain on paper towels.
When all the chicken is cooked, either dispose of the used oil or get a clean pan out and add the chicken. Pour 1/2 bottle of General Tso's Stir Fry Sauce over the chicken and stir to coat completely. Cook over med-low heat until heated through.

I served this with rice and steamed broccoli and it was quite tasty!!

Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes

Several months ago, I saw Paula Deen make a Lime Blueberry Tiramisu on her show and decided that I MUST make one. As ladyfingers seem to be an endangered species in this part of the world, I ended up with a can of blueberry pie filling that I had no idea what to do with. Today, Paula gave me another chance to give in to my blueberry cravings...Blueberry Cream Cheese Tarts.



I did tweak the recipe just a bit, as I was out of 'Nilla Wafers and the amount of sugar she used seemed excessive. So here is the orginal recipe, and the recipe I used is as follows:

For the crust:
6 whole graham crackers
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter

For the filling:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs

Topping:
1 (21-ounce) can blueberry filling

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup of a muffin pan. Lightly spray liners with a nonstick cooking spray. (they tend to stick to the paper sometimes) Crush the graham crackers in a food processor or zip-top bag, then add sugar and melted butter; mix well. Put approximately 1 tablespoon of crust mixture in each muffin cup, press down firmly. Bake for 5 - 8 minutes.



Meanwhile,beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, lemon juice and vanilla, beating well. Switch to low speed and add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition.



Spoon cream cheese mixture over wafers. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow tarts to cool completely, then top with blueberry pie filling.



ENJOY!!

Best Ever Turkey Sandwich

This recipe was born when I was feeling creative last week!

Best Ever Turkey Sandwich

2 slices French bread, 1/2" thick
1T butter
2 tsp spicy brown mustard
1 - 2 TBSP Whipped Chive Cream Cheese
3 oz thinly sliced smoked turkey breast
1/4 c baby spinach leaves
1 tsp - 1 TBSP red pepper bruschetta
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Heat a nonstick skillet of med-high heat; add half the butter per slice of bread, and cook till golden on one side and just until warm on the other side. Spread the mustard on one piece of bread and cream cheese on the other. Layer turkey on the cream cheese, sprinkle with pepper if desired. Top the turkey with the bruschetta. Place the spinach leaves on the mustard-topped bread slice and put the two sides together.


This is my new favorite sandwich, without a doubt. It was my first experience with any type of bruschetta (which was the catalyst for this recipe's creation!) I had this along with some cottage cheese and sliced peaches for a quick lunch, and it was fantastic! Enjoy!