Creamy Hot Cocoa

For quite a few years, we would say that we wanted to do this and that Christmas activity or craft, but then the season would get away from us and then it was spring again.  A lot of things got left undone.

This year I printed calendars for November and December.  I started by filling in the special days, like holidays and birthdays.  Then I added in things like grocery shopping, orthodontist appointments, etc...  When that was finished, I gathered the kids and we brainstormed ideas to fill the Christmas part of the calendar. 

Pibb's birthday is early in December and we don't begin decorating or celebrating Christmas until afterward.  We want to keep his birthday special and separate from the rest of the holiday rush. 

So we had about two weeks of Christmas activities to come up with and I think we did admirably!  We planned things like making paper chain garlands, folded paper snowflakes and Lego ornaments.  We also planned visits to the Festival of Trains (a local model railroad group sets up huge, interactive displays) and a hot cocoa tasting week with a different homemade cocoa each day! 

This week is Hot Cocoa Tasting Week and yesterday was our first attempt at homemade cocoa.  It was a huge success!  Everyone liked it, the mix was crazy simple and it made a large batch (about 25 servings) for not a large amount of cash.  If you've got a few minutes, I recommend you throw this together immediately!

Creamy Hot Cocoa Mix

4 C nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 C sugar
1 C non-dairy creamer
2/3 C cocoa powder
4 oz instant chocolate fudge pudding

Mix all together in a large bowl or jar, stirring well to combine.

Add approximately 1/4 C mix to 8 oz boiling water and stir. 

That's it.  Seriously. 

I did find that I had to buy name brand pudding, since I couldn't find a chocolate fudge version in my local store brand, but at a whopping $ .79, I think I can handle the cost.  Especially since that one ingredient seemed to take this from okay cocoa to really good cocoa! 

Today's treat is Mocha Cocoa and if it goes well, I'll post that recipe tomorrow. 

And then there were five...

I totally slacked.  I admit it.  Last week Friday was Pibb's birthday and I completely forgot to blog him.  My apologies.

10  years ago, that little boy came into this world spinning like a bullet (not an exaggeration) and he's barely slowed down since. 

In between Scooter's birth and my becoming pregnant with Pibb we suffered two devastating miscarriages.  I'd undergone a barrage of tests to help determine the cause and when we found out I was pregnant again my midwife was there, ready to help our baby have the best chance he possibly could.  After a very scary pregnancy and more than a few panic attacks, we welcomed him into the world with tears streaming down our faces.

He's growing up to be quite amazing!  He:

• is a little bit of a perfectionist, but only when it suits him to be.
• loves food and would eat all day if we let him.
• Has a stuffed monkey named Bobo.  We were shopping one day when he was a little under two years old and he saw Bobo on the shelf; it was love at first sight!  Bobo is missing his nose thanks to an overly rambunctious puppy, but Pibb still sleeps with him every night. 
• likes to take apart small appliances and, on more than one occasion, has had to be stopped from taking apart something we actually still use.
• is into Legos in a big way.  Some days we barely see him because he's so occupied with whatever he happens to be building at the moment.
• has a bit of snarky streak and isn't afraid to let a few choice remarks slip out, usually with a sly grin and gleam of mischief in his eyes.
• has a natural inclination towards math, science and other logical pursuits. 
• enjoys reading and has spent many hours curled up under a blanket at the end of the couch, just reading the days away.
• discovered a few months ago that my big old Canon is way more fun to play with than the Kodak EasyShare the kids usually use.  I've had to pry it away from him a few times.
• is working his way through the Bread Baker's Apprentice with me and is at least as interested in the science of baking as the eating of it.

Oh yeah, he's definitely amazing!  I love that kid like crazy!

Goodbye blue box!

I started cooking most of our food from scratch about 5 years ago and it's been great.  The transition from mostly convenience foods to mostly from scratch hasn't always been smooth, but what didn't work has simply proved a learning experience and has led us to something that does work.  There are still a few things I buy rather than make, but mostly I cook.  A lot. 

Over the past few years I've made at least two dozen different macaroni and cheese recipes.  I've tried baked ones, stove top versions and even a couple that were cooked in the crock pot.  I've tried ones with milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream.  I've tried various kinds of cheeses and different spices and seasonings, to no avail.  I simply couldn't come up with one that the kids would accept.

So when I discovered foodgawker.com, the first thing I searched for was macaroni and cheese.  Of the 163 results that came up, only a few looked like something I'd really want to make.  I'm not looking for a gourmet recipe, I don't want to buy specialty cheeses and use exotic spices.  I'm looking for a simple, delicious comfort food type recipe. 

Today, I think I've found that recipe.  Here is the recipe I used, called Stove Top Macaroni & Cheese.  I had never made a recipe on the stove top that called for egg before, so I was curious to see how it would go.  The only thing I did differently than the recipe is that I left out the hot sauce. 

I think I overthickened the sauce just a bit, because the finished macaroni was a little thicker than I'd like and didn't have a much of a saucy texture.  But that was my only issue and it's one that's easily fixed, just by cooking it a little less next time. 

The kids liked it pretty well, too!  So today I'm saying goodbye to the blue boxes and hello to yet another thing I can make from scratch!

Bagel Love

Yesterday Pibb and I started our third BBA Challenge project - bagels.  I've been making bagels for a few years now, and they've been good.  But not great.  So when I realized that Peter Reinhart had a bagel recipe in this book, I was ready to jump at the chance to try it. 

Opposite of the other recipes we've tried so far, this one has a large time commitment on the first day and a very small one the second day.  So yesterday we made the sponge, which involves letting a mix of yeast, flour and water sit at room temperature until it's foamy and risen, about 2 hours.  Our house is cold, so I set the bowl next to the stove, where I was also rising Kaiser rolls.  After the sponge was done, we added the rest of the yeast, flour and other ingredients to make a very stiff dough. 

The book said to knead the dough for 10 minutes, but I actually kneaded about 12 as I wasn't satisfied with the dough at 10 minutes.  After the dough was ready we split it into 12 equal portions and let it rest for about half an hour.  Then the fun part - shaping! 

If you've ever played with playdough, you are already very nearly a bagel shaping expert and we've spent many hours rolling, shaping and sculpting with play dough, so the shaping was pretty simple.  We rolled the dough balls into long snakes, wrapped them around our hands and just worked the ends in.  Then it was into the fridge to retard (or a very long, slow rise) overnight. 

All we did today was boil and bake the bagels - less than 15 minutes of hands on work.  The bagels don't need to come out of the fridge until you're ready to boil them, so you could have them boiled, baked and ready to eat in less than 30 minutes, if you want to eat them super hot!  We let them rest about 20 minutes before we ate them today and it was the perfect.

 The book suggests that the formed bagels can sit in the fridge up to 48 hours before being boiled and baked, so these would be great for busy weekends, holidays or brunch with guests. 

Here's how this recipe differed from my typical bagel recipe: The ones I normally make are start to finish, two and a half hours, tops. That means that the dough is a little tougher and the shape is lumpier than a typical bakery bagel. With this recipe, the overnight rest in the fridge gave the dough time to even out and relax, making these bagels very smooth and "professional" looking. My typical recipe also wants the bagels to be flipped over halfway through baking, leaving them flat on both the top and bottom. These are baked at a much higher temperature, for a shorter time and don't get flipped. Again, that leads to a more professional appearance.

These are the bagels I normally make - good, but not amazing.



Peter Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice bagels - AMAZING!

The color in this picture is a little washed out, the bagels were more toasty golden in color.  Pibb ate the first bite and I could tell just from the sound of the crust as he bit into it that these were going to be way better than the others.  Bryant took the next bite and it was immediately clear that the other bagels were not going to be gracing out table again anytime soon, if ever. 

As you can see in the picture, half the bagels were left plain and the other half were given a sprinkle of homemade "everything" blend.  The blend was a little salty, but otherwise, crazy good! 

All in all, I'd call this one a huge success! 

Anadama Bread

Here it is - the very first bread from Peter Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice.  Anadama bread is a traditional New England bread made with molasses and corn meal.  It does take two days to make, but the time commitment on the first day is less than five minutes, so it's really a one day bread that takes a tiny bit of forethought and planning. 

Last night, Pibb and I got our soaker going by mixing coarse corn meal and tepid water in a bowl.  We covered it with plastic wrap and left it on the counter overnight.  Seriously simple stuff. 

Today the real work happened!  We started by mixing the soaker with part of the flour, the salt, yeast and additional water.  That mix sat on the counter until it started to bubble a bit, about an hour.  Then we added in the rest of the ingredients and additional flour.  A 10 minute knead and it was ready to rise. 

After about an hour and a half the dough had doubled in size and was ready to be shaped into loaves.  We followed the shaping instructions in the book, which were very simple and easy to follow, although slightly different than my usual method.  The loaves were put on the back of the stove (where it's reasonably warm) and allowed to rise for another hour or so until they were just cresting the top of the loaf pans.

They baked just shy of 45 minutes and then the hardest part - we had to wait a full hour before slicing into them!  But oh, it was worth the wait!  

Pibb is quite proud of his bread and I'm pretty proud of it, too!  He's never made bread before, so it was a whole new experience for him. And while he's seen me make it many times, he's never had the fun of mixing, working the dough, waiting for it to rise and then the satisfaction of that first bite of bread made with his own two hands!

I'm calling this bread a complete success and will very likely work it into my regular rotation.  Bryant has already come out of his office and asked for seconds and all the kids loved their slices!  I think tomorrow I might slice the second loaf, toast it and use it for BLTs for lunch!

BBA Challenge

Wow - over a month since I posted last?  That's crazy!  But it's been a crazy month, so I guess it makes sense. 

If you follow me on Facebook you've probably seen me talk about the Bread Baker's Apprentice (the book) and the BBA Challenge.  Peter Reinhart's book, the Bread Baker's Apprentice, has become an epitome of bread making excellence and the BBA is a challenge to bake every single bread from the book, in the order they're listed. 

While I'm not officially participating in the challenge, I am challenging myself to make all the breads from this wonderful book!  The breads are listed in alphabetical order in the book to make finding what you're looking for easier, so that's the order I'll be baking them in.  Tonight the fun begins with Anadama bread!  Pibb is going to help me make the breads, and I'll post photos and a review of each bread as I go.

If you happen to be in this neck of the woods, perhaps I'll even let you have a taste of whatever I'm making at the moment! 

Monkey Slices

For a long time now I've been frequenting a lovely website called craftgawker - it is exactly what it sounds like!  Near the bottom of the page there's the typical buttons for various social media sites and a short list of other "gawker" websites. 

I recently discovered foodgawker - the food version of craftgawker.  It is a treasure trove of gorgeous food photography and nearly every picture has a recipe!  A few of them are more about food styling then food making, but those are pretty interesting, too. 

So while I was gawking I happened upon a photo of a loaf of bread that looked unlike anything I'd seen before.  If that wasn't enough to catch my attention, the name would have been!  It was called Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread.  YUM!



Forgive my crappy, fluorescent light at night photo, please.
 Food photography is not my forte, although I'm determined to improve at it.

 Here is the recipe I used (with way better pictures), should you feel compelled to make this yourself.  A word of warning, though - the pull apart nature of the bread is very much like Monkey Bread and lends itself to overindulgence. 

If you follow the directions for slicing the dough and end up with 36 slices, each slice is a whopping 2 ppv.  It's not super healthy, but it is delicious and has a sort of built in portion gauge since you know how many points each slice is.

I recommend eating this while it's warm, but the kids enjoyed it the following morning, too. 

Mom's Diner



Photo by The Boy, Autumn 2010


One popular breakfast around here is Eggs to Order.  In the past I've just asked each person what they wanted and kept a list, but lately that's felt a bit boring.  Knowing I was going to make eggs to order for breakfast this week, I decided to make a restaurant style menu.

In Word I created a document that has check-boxes for various kinds of eggs (sunny side, over easy, omelet, etc...) and side dishes, as well as beverages.  Last night after dinner I handed them out and asked Bryant and the kids to fill them in, then I used them this morning as I was making breakfast.

It was so much fun!  I'm thinking that I will ask for opinions tonight and adjust the menu as suggested.  After a couple uses, once I've got it down just the way we want it, I'll print clean ones and laminate them.  Then we can use them over and over again with dry-erase markers!

Kaiser Rolls

This recipe is a recent favorite of ours - I've made it three times in the last week!  It's another good one for those of you who might be a little nervous about working with yeast breads because it's quite simple and forgiving.  So what are you waiting for?

Kaiser Rolls
Makes 16 sandwich rolls or 32 small-ish dinner rolls
6 PPV each if you make 16 rolls

5 tsp active dry yeast, or two of the little packets
2 C warm water, divided
4 T sugar, divided
1/3 C canola oil
2 tsp salt
6 - 6 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 egg white
2 tsp cold water
Optional: Poppy or sesame seeds

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 C water.  I don't bother with precise measurements here - I use hot tap water and I usually get my whole 2 C of water and just pour in about a quarter of it, saving the rest for use in a few minutes.  Add 1 Tbsp sugar and let stand about 5 minutes.  The yeast should bloom and look a bit foamy or spongy.

Add the oil, salt, remaining water, sugar.  It should look like this -

Then toss in about 4 cups of the flour and mix until it's fully incorporated and somewhat smooth.

Stir in enough of the additional flour to make a soft dough.  I usually end up using almost exactly 6 C, so if you're not sure, that's a good starting place.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until it's smooth and elastic, about 6 - 8 minutes.

Place the kneaded dough into a well greased bowl and cover it with small, thin-ish towel.  Let it sit in a warm spot for about an hour, or until it's doubled in size.  When it's this warm out, I just leave it on the counter in the sunshine, but in the winter I turn the oven on to 200*.  When it gets up to temperature, I turn it off and then let my dough rise on the stovetop near the oven vent. 

When it's done rising, have a small child whip the towel off the top in grand fashion.  It adds so much to the experience!

Now you get the fun of punching down the dough!  I typically just dump it out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it into itself, pushing the gas out as I go.  Then it's very easy to cut it into the appropriate number of pieces.  Today I'm making the rolls to be used in place of regular bread in sandwiches, so I cut my dough into 16 pieces.

Then, with floured hands, pull the dough down and tuck it under the roll until you have a smooth surface.  Or, just roughly shape them into balls, whichever your preference.  Either way, they should be about this size, if you're doing 16.

Place the dough balls on greased cookie sheets, at least 2 inches apart.  They will probably grow together a little, but that's okay, it just adds to the fun later when you get to decide if the grown together rolls count as one sandwich or two!

Let them rise, covered again, for another 30 minutes or so - just enough to puff up a bit.  They won't grow dramatically during this time, but it's important to let them rest for good gluten development.  Near the end of that rise time, preheat the oven to 400*. 

Beat the egg white with the 2 tsp cold water (again, just cold tap water) until just frothy and use a pastry brush to paint the egg wash onto the rolls.  If you want to use seeds, now is the time to sprinkle them across the top of your rolls.  In addition to seeds, you might consider things like garlic bread seasoning (actually, I hadn't thought of it before, but that would be amazing added right into the dough...) or herbs.

With a pair of sharp scissors, cut a 1/4 inch deep cross in the top of each roll.  It seems weird, I know, but once they have the wash on them, they're slippery and a knife just isn't going to be practical.  Trust me, use the scissors. 

I don't have a pair of kitchen snips, so I use my regular everyday scissors and just wash the blades in hot, soapy water afterwards.  As always, though, feel free to put your own personal touch on them; use a kaiser roll stamp (like this one), cut stripes instead of crosses or skip the cutting altogether.  The important thing isn't what they look like so much as that you have the fun of creating something so delicious from such humble ingredients (and then the joy of sharing that deliciousness with your family and friends)!

Bake the rolls for 18 - 20 minutes or until as deeply golden as you like them.  Remove the rolls from the pan onto a wire rack to cool completely.  You should end up with something like this:

See that little guy on the bottom rack?  That one in the middle?  Pookie shaped that one himself - he's crazy proud of it and I'm a little afraid he won't want to eat it later!

So there you have it - how to make extremely versatile rolls in just a few short hours with minimal work or ingredients! 

The little things

There are many ways in which I'm a lucky girl.  I have a wonderful family and home, I'm living the life I want and I have an abundance of extended family and friends that I enjoy spending time with.

And that's just the big stuff!  I could go on all day about little, seemingly insignificant things that make my life amazing and special.

But today I want to mention one specific thing. Well, one specific person...

Bryant. 

I'm inclined to just do things myself and sometimes I forget that I can lean on him when I need a little extra support.  Not through any fault of his, I just sometimes get caught up in what I've got going on in my own life and I take him for granted. 

Yesterday I was forcibly reminded of just how blessed I am to have him.  I was washing a bunch of champagne flutes and wine goblets (we don't use them often, so they always need a quick scrub before use) and I shattered one.  A piece of glass gouged into my finger, leaving me bleeding quite a bit.  I yelled for Bryant and he came rushing to my aid.  He held a towel on my hand, applied a bandage and then cleaned the broken glass out of the sink.

It wasn't a huge moment; my hand is fine and I could have put a bandage on it myself.  I could have cleaned up the glass and calmed the kids fears.

But it sure was nice to know I didn't have to do it all myself.  I really should try to remember it more often.

Lazy Activity

I've been living the Weight Watchers lifestyle for about two and a half months now and I'm seeing results.  Yesterday I wore jeans a size lower than my usual ones and even they were a smidge loose around the waist.  I've lost just over 15 lbs and made a lot of healthier choices into healthier habits. 

One thing I haven't gotten the hang of is exercise.  Honestly, I just hate to sweat.  I don't like the way it feels and I don't like the interruption in my day that exercise always is. 

But I know I need to be more active to make my WW efforts more effective and to help my body become what I want it to be - an efficient, healthy machine that does it's job for a good, long time. 

My solution is two-fold.  First, I explained to the kids how important it is to me that I make and keep the commitment to exercise.  We talked about what constitutes exercise and what I am willing and able to do at this point. 

The second part of my solution is to involve the kids as much as possible.  I made a commitment to them to be active WITH them at least three times a week.  That can be walking down our (private) road, playing tag in the backyard, hiking Mayfield or any active play.  They're already excited and brainstorming creative ways we can include more activity into our daily lives. 

What are you doing to create activity in your life?

Bryant's fries

About two weeks ago I took the kids grocery shopping.  Bryant stayed home because he was working.  While we drove home, my phone beeped several times, so Scooter grabbed it to see what was going on.

She said her Dad had texted a bunch, so I asked her to read them to me.  The following is a direct quote from his texts, except where noted.

Text 1: Bryant got hungry.

Text 2: Put fries in oven.

Text 3: Went back to work.

Text 4: "What's that beeping?"

Text 5: Smoke alarm!   (Scooter paraphrased) "Bad word, very bad word"

Text 6: Black fries.

Text 7: Smoke.

Text 8: Laughing at stupidity.

Text 9: Still hungry.

Hasselhoff Potatoes?

It's no secret that I love potatoes.  Passionately and without reserve.  I often say that I've never met a potato I didn't want to eat.


Boiled, baked, fried, mashed or really, any way you can think of them, I love them all.   But, I live with six other people and they don't all share my love of all things potato.  So I try to come up with different ways to serve the humble spud.

I happened upon the phrase, "Hasselback Potato" not too long ago and I was intrigued.  A quick Googling later and I had a recipe.

So here's how I did it...

Preheat your oven to 425 - 450, depending on the oven.  Mine cooks hot, so I set mine to 425.  Start with six or seven decent sized russet potatoes, scrubbed clean, but not peeled.

                                     


Carefully slice a very thin layer off the bottom of the potato so it will sit flat on the cutting board.  This step is important, because next we're going to make very thin slices in the potato and it'll be difficult if your spud is rolling around the counter!

Using a sharp knife, make slices about 1/4 inch apart for the full length of your potato.  You don't want to cut through, though.  Leave about 1/3 - 1/2 inch uncut at the bottom.  I had a hard time eyeballing it, so I used the handle of another knife as a guide.  I simply slid my knife through the potato until it hit the handle of the other knife.  Easy peasy.

Repeat these steps for all the potatoes. They should look like this...

Now the fun part!!  You want about 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and very thinly sliced.  Or, about 2 tsp of jarred minced garlic will work, too.  You also need about 3 Tbsp of butter, chilled and cut into tiny cubes or slices. 

Spacing the butter and garlic evenly, wedge it into the slices.  I put a bit of garlic and butter in every other cut of each potato.  The butter kept wanting to pop back out, so I used a dull knife to push it back in.  After you've stuffed all the potatoes, drizzle 2 Tbsp olive oil over all the potatoes evenly.  A generous sprinkle of coarse sea salt and fresh ground black pepper tops it all off. 

Pop those beauties into the oven for 60 minutes.  Every so often, two or three times total, baste the melted butter/olive oil back up onto the potatoes.  That will help the skins to become crisp and golden - YUM!

When they're done, place them in a serving dish and, if you like, drizzle the remaining oil/butter over the top.  I opted not to, but it could be delish!

I served these plain alongside a grilled steak and steamed broccoli with excellent results.  The garlic became very soft and sweet, the potato was crisp on the outside, but tender on the inside.  All in all, our family called this one a winner!

The serving size depends on the number of potatoes you use.  I made 6 potatoes and fed 7 people, but Midge isn't a big potato fan and I was already close to my WW points limit for the day, so we shared a potato.  Speaking of WW, these bad boys are 7 points each, but totally worth it, especially served alongside a low point entree and steamed veggies. 

The name Hasselback potato comes from the Hasselbacken Hotel in Sweden where the recipe originated, as far as I can tell (Google hasn't led me astray yet...) and today's post title comes from my silly desire to call them Hasselhoff potatoes. 

Time Waster

There is a place near here that I love.  It's a historic pond/park called Mayfield.  Outside of home, Mayfield is my favorite place to be.  I'm often reminded of Shakespeare when I'm there - "I love this place and would gladly waste my time in it."

A few of the reasons I love Mayfield:




There's a pond that's perfect for learning (and teaching) how to skip rocks.





Frogs and their eggs



Lots of interesting and beautiful creatures



Gorgeous flowers



And lots of walking paths!

 So where do you gladly waste your time?

Peach Cobbler

I haven't made this recipe yet, but when I mentioned it to my Mom yesterday, she was mucho excited to try it.  Pibb and I will be making it this weekend, so I'll update the post with my review and at least one picture then.  For now, here you have it: 

EDIT:  Photo added 7/19/2011

Peach Cobbler
Serves 8
WW PPV = 4

6 medium peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
6 1/3 Tbsp sugar, divided
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
3 Tbsp reduced calorie margarine
1/2 C fat free milk

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large saucepan, combine peaches, 1/3 C sugar (5 1/3 Tbsp), cornstarch, lemon juice and cinnamon; toss to coat peaches.  Set pan over medium heat and bring to a boil cook until mixture thickens, about 1 minute.  Remove pan from heat; transfer mixture to an 8 X 8 baking pan.

To make topping, combine flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  Work in margarine with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add milk and stir until flour is evenly moistened.

Drop 8 Tbsp of topping mix over peaches.  Bake until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 25 minutes.  Cut into 8 pieces and serve.


My notes so far:

Life is too short to eat reduced calorie margarine in baked goods.  I will recalculate the points on this to include real butter.  3 Tbsp divided by 8 servings isn't much, but I'm betting it will greatly improve the flavor and texture of the topping.

Also, I've made a few cobblers and crisps and they all have one thing in common - if you fail to put a baking sheet under them in the oven, they will bubble over and you'll have burned fruit stuck in there until you finally get sick enough of it to scrape the oven out.  I'll be putting a cookie sheet under this when I make it.

EDIT:
Pibb and I made this cobbler last night and I only have one thing to say about it - make this at your earliest convenience!!  It was crazy good, but even more than that, it was super easy!  The hardest, most time consuming part of it was pealing the peaches.  And even that was pretty quick - we used the boiling water/ice bath method and it was pretty smooth sailing.  I had one peach that wasn't quite as ripe as the others and that one needed to be boiled/iced twice.  Everything else was easy peasy. 

The fruit was tender and sweet, but not overly so.  The flavor of the peaches really shines here because of the small amount of sugar and spices.  The biscuit topping was tender and crumbly, but had a little crunch on the top - it was perfect.  Oh, speaking of the crust, I didn't scoop the topping in 8 individual bits, as the recipe called for.  I just used my fingers to kinda spread the topping around, mostly covering the fruit.  It worked out very well!

I served this with a bit of sugar free Cool Whip and those of us that enjoyed it, really enjoyed it.  Scooter doesn't care for cooked fruit, so she wasn't thrilled with it, but she's an odd duck. 

Changing the reduced calorie margarine to real butter increased the points plus value to 5 per serving, but I think it was well worth it!  If you're going to splurge, why not make it the best splurge you can?  I'll leave you with one final picture to help motivate you to make this NOW...

Watching

For the past six or seven years, my weight has stayed pretty steady, except when I was pregnant.  I'd bounce around the same 5 lbs or so and  my jeans size didn't change in those years.  I'd pretty much accepted that this weight was where my body was comfortable.  I was pudgy, but not overly so and my health didn't seem to be suffering, so I wasn't really worried about it.  I'd occasionally get upset with myself for being out of shape, but most of the time, I just accepted that this who I am and what I look like.  No biggie.

This past year or so, I've put on a few pounds, gone up a pants size and lost some flexibility.  At first, I just attributed it to getting older and being less active over the winter.  But as the weather warmed up and we started walking the nature trails near here, I realized just how out of shape I'd gotten; for the first time in years, I was having to stop and take a rest every time we hiked and I was feeling a little like The Blob.

So about a month ago I did something I told myself I wasn't going to do.  I joined Weight Watchers.  I'm not a joiner by nature, so the idea of going to meetings and being forced to participate really didn't appeal to me.  Then someone showed me the WW online program and it looked like something I could really do.

They happened to be having a really good deal on the day that I was checking it out, so after talking to Bryant, I decided to go for it and sign up for three months.  I'm a couple of days from one month in and so far, so good.  Sure, there have been a few times when I wanted to give up, but since those feelings are hormone related, I'm finding ways to plan for and deal with them.

Someone recently asked me what a typical day looks like on WW and I wasn't sure what to tell her.  The plan is so customizable that my typical day may not look anything like someone else's.  But, in an attempt to answer that question, here's a rundown of my food choices from one day last week:

Breakfast: (4 pts)
1 egg + 1 egg white omelet, filled with onion, bell pepper, mushroom, 1/2 slice ham and 1 slice low fat American cheese with a handful of fresh raspberries and a large glass of water.

AM Snack: (3 pts)
Fiber Plus Dark Chocolate and Almond bar

Lunch: (9 pts)
1 thin slice of turkey breast, mixed greens, red onion slices and mustard on a homemade bagel sandwich with a handful of baby carrots and more water.

PM Snack: (1 pt)
1 string cheese and an apple, sliced.

Dinner: (13 pts)
4 oven-fried chicken tenders, 15 honey barbecue potato chips, veggies from a veggie tray and 2 tablespoons of salad dressing for dipping and more water.

I always keep a bottle of water with me and I drink quite a bit more than the WW Healthy Checks recommendation, but it's an amount I'm used to and comfortable with.  I've also found that drinking so much more water, my "need" for Diet Pepsi has dropped pretty significantly.  Yay!

When I first started WW, I wasn't sure how to organize my points so that I'd get enough food all through the day (I do not deal well with hunger), so I began planning my day ahead of time.  Each morning after breakfast I sit down and plan out my food for the next day.  Doing it this way gives me time to figure out how many points will be in the foods I make from scratch and let's me choose my menu when I'm not ravenously hungry.  When it comes time for snack, I simply grab my notebook, flip to the appropriate page and all the decision-making has already been done!

There's wiggle room in there, too, so if my day takes an unexpected turn, I know I can play with the point distribution and adjust for real life. 

So there you have it.  My WW experience so far. 



Oh, and I've lost just barely shy of 12 pounds already!

Dear You (Dear Me)

This has been forming in my heart for a while now and today I simply couldn't put it off any longer.  It demanded to be written, to be shared. 

Dear You,

you, the one reading these words

you, with the ancient, wanting heart

you, wondering if you'll ever

get it right

i invite you to pause

for a moment

and listen to the

space

between

these

words

to the space where

softness rests and

hunger fades

to the space that

so gently

asks you to

stop

the thoughts

that doubt your worth

to stop the voices

that compare

and leave you feeling

less

there is no less

there are no shadows or shoulds

no pretty or good

no bad or broken

no wrong or right

in Love

there is only this breath

and that which breaths it

there is only you

and your giggling

fully blossomed

self

ready

ready right now

to shine

it's newborn

ancient

just right

Light



Ooops...

One of my blog goals is to go back through all the recipes I've posted and add photographs.  And as I add more recipes I'll include pictures in the original posts.

So today I made bagels and completely forgot to take pictures of the process!  D'oh!

Instead, I'll leave you with the link to the original post and this picture...

This morning...

Pookie:  Mom, you should wear an eye patch.
Me, laughing: Why?
Pookie: Because you're the captain and captains get to wear eye patches!
Me: I'm the captain?  Of what?
Pookie: Of the kids!  I'm going to make you an eye patch!
Me:  Do I get to pick the color?
Pookie: No!  Captains only get black eye patches!

That kid cracks me up!

Put a brick on her head!

Thirteen years ago I gave birth to a tiny little baby girl.  She's grown a bit since then and is becoming a wonderful young woman.  She's smart, creative, affectionate and playful.  She sticks her tongue out at her Dad daily, has adorable dimples that she tries unsuccessfully to hide when she's pretending to be mad and a stronger sense of who she is than most girls twice her age. 

• We went on vacation last year and the first souvenir she bought for herself was a stuffed version of the rabbit from Monty Python and the Holy Grail - it has giant teeth and a red, bloody looking mouth.  She LOVES it!
• She loves video games like Castlevania and Lego Battles.
• Last year for her birthday she asked for a field guide to rocks and minerals.
• She wanted to learn to speak Draconic (the language of the dragons), so she printed a bunch of word lists and such, then made her own "class."  She's getting pretty good at it and is now teaching two of her brothers how to speak it, too.  
• She likes origami and has taught me to make a few things.
• She recently informed me that she'd like to learn French, too, because she likes the way it sounds.
• Her two favorite movies are Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Noises Off!  At least twice a day she works a quote from one of them into a conversation.
• She makes crazy good baking powder biscuits.
• She refuses to cook tomato soup while The Boy makes grilled cheese sandwiches because a few years ago he accidentally bumped her, sloshing hot soup all over her.  The burns weren't bad and there's no scarring, but she won't tempt fate again.
• She's often my crafty partner in crime, helping me figure out how to make my ideas into reality - she's logical where I'm not.
• She buys most of her clothes from the boys' department because she thinks the ones in the girls' department are too revealing or have stupid sayings on them that she doesn't agree with (things like "90% angel, 10% devil" or "I'm the princess.  Spoil me.")
• She has a Lego stash that rivals most small stores.
• When she's got free time she can often be found in the driveway building some sort of rock maze or preserve for her vast menagerie of plastic animal figurines or making extremely detailed animals out of play dough (usually that she's made herself).
• When she's reading, which is pretty often, she prefers non-fiction.  She reads field guides and coffee table books like novels - the more information, the better!
• Her current career choices are veterinarian, marine biologist or wildlife photographer.
• The day we brought her home from the hospital (she was so little!), Bryant made us a special dinner.  That same meal has been her birthday dinner of choice every single year. 

Happy birthday, Scooter!  We love you!

Playing with paper

I had a bit of a rough morning.  A battle of the wills over chores, some serious talk about a school issue and the messiness that always accompanies vacation had me feeling a little cantankerous.  But as I looked out at the branches of the walnut tree whipping in the wind against a dark grey, cloudy backdrop, I felt the calmness settle into my heart.  I let the peace soak into me and then I felt it; the tiny stirring of creative inspiration. 

Trees often have that effect on me, especially when the wind tickles their leaves.

I had bagels to make this morning, but they're the kind of bread that only takes a moment here and there.  So while they rose the first time, I contemplated the crafty possibilities.  Moments later, I saw in my head exactly what I wanted to try.  After I rolled the bagels in to pretty little circles and set them out to rise again, I gathered my supplies. 

I boiled the bagels, got them baking and then got started.  After a bit of measuring, cutting and gluing, this is what I made...

I know, nothing special, right?  It's just a plain old envelope with a colored band... But wait, there's more!!

The envelope is actually a little package!  It's perfect for gifting cash or a gift card, even a few little chocolates, if you made the band a bit bigger. 

Obviously this one is pretty plain - I didn't take the time to doll it up too much because the kids were coming in from playing outside and the bagels finished baking.  But I can see lots of possibilities here!

Strap on your art smock, it's gonna get messy!

My kids love sidewalk chalk.

I mean they LOVE sidewalk chalk.

But some days, they don't want to draw, they want to paint.  What's a frugal Mom to do?  Mix up a few cups of sidewalk paint and let them have at it!

I put two heaping spoonfuls of corn starch in each cup of  a muffin tin; one cup for each color paint you want to make.  Next, add in a squeeze of gel food coloring or a dozen or so drops of liquid.  You can always add more later, so don't worry about being exact.  Now it gets messy, so you may want to do this next step outside, especially if you've got little helpers.

I used a pop bottle, rinsed and filled with cool water, to add a bit of liquid to each cup.  Stir the mix around and add more water, if necessary.  You'll know you've got it right when the cornstarch isn't clumpy anymore, but you do want it to be a little thick, so add the water in small amounts.  Do this step one cup at a time, otherwise the other cups will be solid bricks by the time you're finished mixing the first.

A few things to note:

*This paint dries very quickly and becomes slightly paler as it dries.
*As you can see in the pictures, we used several different kinds of brushes.  The bristled brushes, natural and synthetic, were harder to use.  They pick up more of the cornstarch and don't spread the colors as nicely as the foam brushes.  However, all the brushes we used were super easy to clean by running them under cold water until the water ran clear, then switching to hot to make sure they were good and clean. 
*Because you're using food coloring, you don't want to get this all over the house or your clothes - that's what art smocks or old, holey t-shirts are for.
*If you're like me and inadvertently set a spoon covered with hot pink paint on your kitchen counter, you will have a pink stain to bleach off later.  Don't be like me - set the spoons on a plate or paper towel.
*I've read that you can use Kool-aid to color and scent the paint, but I haven't tried it yet.  It seems like the colors would be a bit more vibrant but equally,  if not more, staining.

And the winner is....

Cynical Realist!

Thank you all for your lovely comments (and to those of you who read, but don't comment, feel free to give me a shout out - I'd love to know who you are)!

I'll contact the winner shortly, but please don't forget that those who didn't win can make your own dahlias by following the link here.  

Herbaceous

I saw a tutorial for these gorgeous felt dahlias a few weeks ago and immediately set to work making my own. I put off posting as long as I did because the red one was a gift for my Gram and I didn't want to post it here before I had a chance to deliver it to her. As luck would have it, her computer needs a tune-up, so I had a perfect excuse to drive out to her house!

I made the red one first, but just couldn't stop! Cutting all those petals does take a bit of time, but it's pretty mindless once you get into the groove, making this a perfect movie watching project.

Each dahlia took me about an hour and a half, including time for the glue to dry. Speaking of glue, I had an opportunity to try a glue I'd never used before - Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac. This is some pretty cool stuff! It only sticks to fabrics, so if I got it on my fingers, I simply rubbed them together and it wiped right off! It also didn't stick to my plastic tablecloth or the bottom of the pan I used to hold the petals as they dried. But on the fabric, it has serious holding power! It's a little pricey at about $6 for a 4 oz bottle, but I barely used any for this project, so it'll last a good long while.

Each flower has a secret compartment on the back, just the right size for adding a small picture or a note! This one wasn't finished when the picture was taken, but a pin back or magnet could easily be added. To give you a better idea of size, the red square on the back is just about the size of a postage stamp.

And, because I think you guys are pretty awesome, I'm giving away one of these dahlias!  To enter for a chance to win, simply leave a comment here (not on the Facebook link), any comment will do.  The winner gets one dahlia, with either a magnet or pin back added, your choice of colors from my available stash.

The winner will be announced tomorrow, June 3 and I'll get started on the dahlia as soon as the winner lets me know what color he/she wants.


EDIT: Due to some people having a hard time commenting here, I'll accept comments on Facebook as entries into the contest, too. 

The Boy

Sixteen years.

Sixteen?  How is that even possible?

Just last week he was a tiny baby (and I was barely more than a child).  Just yesterday he learned to walk and play card games and tap his toe to the rhythm of the music.

There's just no way that my little baby has become this broad-shouldered, nearly six foot tall man-child.  It doesn't seem possible. 

And yet, here he is.  He's an amazing kid.  He...

• makes amazing chocolate chip cookies.
• loves video games.  A lot.  But a few days ago he decided to skip having any game time until he returned from a trip downstate because he knew he was going to have lots of extra time for his birthday - such a mature idea!
• has a 5 year old best friend.  He and Pookie are two peas in a pod.
• loves to draw and is constantly making strides to improve his skills.  His favorite subject?  Dragons.
• would rather play Phase 10 than any other card game and most any other board game.  It's been his favorite game since he was about 11.
• likes spicy food.
• is into the fantasy genre more than any other.  He loves Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering and any book or movie involving dragons, elves, spirits, wizards or sorcerers, etc...
• is an avid reader, devouring an average of two books a week.
• has a current overall grade of 96%.
• helps out whenever I ask, with little or no attitude.
• has a great eye when it comes to photography.
• likes rock music and sings along when he thinks no one is watching/listening.
• was adopted by Bryant when he was 4. 
• refills the bird feeders for me whenever they need it because he knows I can't reach the tops very well and he can.
• is crazy smart, super creative and all around one of the coolest people I know.

Happy birthday, Baby!  I love you!

Flabbergasted



Crab apple blossoms

 Wow!  So, on a whim I decided to check out the stats for this blog and I was shocked, amazed and humbled to learn that I've been read in quite a few countries, including Russia, the UK and Iran.

I understand that those may have been one time deals, probably those people haven't come back for more, especially since I haven't been writing as often as I should.  But I'm still amazed. 

I Googled my little blog and found out that using the search "Swiss Army Wife" I'm on the sixth page.  Six!  Out of gazillions.  That's pretty crazy.

When I started this blog I expected to be read primarily by people I'd see at Gram's house on a holiday, maybe a stray reader here and there.  I certainly didn't expect to be seen by people a world away.

Now I'm feeling a little self conscious, but also encouraged and motivated to make blogging more of a priority in my life. 

So thank you, readers, for taking a moment out of your busy day to stop by.  Feel free to leave comments, especially if you're not related - I'd love to know what drew you here and where you're from. 

By the Bay