Minutes

Sometimes,

just a few minutes at the park are all that's needed

to enjoy the day just that much more

to make life just that much brighter.

Bein' there with daddy is that much better.

And having a yummy meal to come home to makes the evening just about perfect.

At least in my book.

Love

On this day of love,

I'll share of few of my own.

A few days ago we spent the morning with some friends we love,

The older girls spent the majority of the play date curled up in the climbing tunnel.

Reading each other books,

Imaginations soarking,

Ellie soakin' up the chat from Avery,

And Tristan crushin' on Miss Riley.

And then Sunday I had a day of cooking with some favorite recipes,

Packing them away in the freezer for future tired evenings .

It was a feat, but I did it all in an hour,

Cooked all the burger at once, while the chicken baked and between stirrings, I shredded cheese, chopped onion and measured garlic.

Then ziplocked the mixes to defrost when I need them most.

And I thought you might love if I shared...

From the Queen of EVOO:

And my favorite woman of the pioneers:

And a fav friend's postnatal dish:

And finally, my own tweaked rendition of enchiladas:

As a side note, put any hubbies on hand on clean up duty if you attempt such a cooking endeavor as a I did.

It tends to mess the kitchen.

And leave you quite exhausted.

And finally, ended the day with dinner date with my jammied girl, hubs and Pandora playlist.

Happy Hearts Day.

Hope you found plenty to love today.

48

a toddler cooking breakfast

a little Good Morning America

a jazzercise class

two flu shots

and a referral to the pediatric respiratory specialist

two trips to two different banks

a bummer visit to the dentist

two delivered photography cds

a visit to the cupcake place

a celebrated birthday

a planned wedding shower

two goodnight bedtime routines

a baby up by six

a scheduled heater maintenance visit

a scheduled pediatric respiratory specialist visit

a mini reading unit planned

an evaluation completed

a balanced check book

baths

four emails finally answered

a breakfast baked and frozen

a fav recipe shared:

laundry

another two goodnight bedtime routines

and these were my 48 hours.

life is good and full

don't forget the giveaway...chances are real good for you right now...

Pride

It's undeniable.

Get five or six seconds past my patient "No...try again" and you'll hear the pride justadrippin' from my voice.

She's alearnin'.

And I've got just a little pride.

This is how I learned to read, so this is what I'm trying now...

I'll keep you posted on how it goes...

And curious about my chili recipe?

Here it is for the slow cooker or stovetop...

Enjoy!

Warm

I'm always the first one up.

In fact, even pre-baby, I would set my alarm for the early bird time just to sit with warm creamed up coffee and quiet.

Now, that quiet doesn't last quite as long.

And the coffee has to last longer.

But, anyways.

It's always a guess to know who the first one to join me will be.

Baby snuggle or toddler antics.

This morning was a cuddlebug two year-old.

Climbing under the covers to get warm.

But really I was the one who was warm.

Before I was off to beat the warmth with a precious three.

These are what I'm working on this evening.

After I make my mega meatball pizza.

Ingredients:

• 1 pizza dough, store bought or from your favorite pizza shop
• A palm full all-purpose flour or cornmeal
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons – 2 turns of the pan
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary leaves, a couple of sprigs
• Coarse salt
• 1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Black pepper
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• A handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 pound fresh mozzarella or brick mozzarella, your choice, sliced or grated

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

On a round pizza stone or pan or on a rectangular baking sheet, using flour or cornmeal to dust the dough, spread out the dough to form your crust. If you are using a baking sheet, drizzle pan with extra-virgin olive oil then set crust in place. Poke the pizza dough in several areas with the tines of a fork. Drizzle the dough with extra-virgin olive oil then season it with finely chopped rosemary and a little salt. Place in oven 10 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, then the meat. Brown and crumble meat a couple of minutes, then add onions and garlic. Season the meat with salt and pepper then work in the tomato paste using the back of a wooden spoon to combine. Stir in the cheese, parsley and oregano.

Remove pizza crust from oven and top with meat. Arrange cheese over the pizza, working to edges. Return the pizza to the oven and bake until cheese is golden, another 10 to 12 minutes.

Yes, it's Rachael Ray. Did the EVOO give it away?

But my personal tweaks?

Follow the recipe and freeze half of the meatball mess for another day.

I've been trying to do that every weekend, make a big ol' home-cooked meal and freeze at least half for when I need something warm and yummy to come home to after a busy day.

And before baking your deliciousness, add more cheese.

Always. Add. More. Cheese.

To everything, really.

But, anyway, the meatball mess is warm downstairs.

Just wanted to share.

More to come tomorrow.

Busy

Warning: No pictures in this post.

I know.

A blog first.

But. Keep reading.

In the spirit of the current season of busyness in this home, I thought I would share a few of our favorite recipes that I freeze and pull out on nights like tonight. I find the following recipes usually make almost enough for two nights for us already but also like to double them to make several freezer meals out of them.

First, delivered tonight to a dear friend's family and her new sweet baby Nora and currently in the oven for the hubs and me.

Cheesy Chicken Tortellini

½ cup chopped onion

1 t. olive oil

1 garlic clove

1 jar white Alfredo pasta sauce

2 packages (9oz each) cheese-filled regular or spinach tortellini

1½ cups cubed cooked chicken

1 cup milk

1 cup water

1 cup frozen peas

¼ t ground black pepper

2 TB snipped fresh basil or 1 t dired basil leaves

Crumb Topping:

¼ cup grated fresh Parmesean cheese

2TB butter melted

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Chop onion. Heat oil, add onion and garlic. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in pasta sauce, tortellini, chicken, milk, water, peas and black pepper. Heat until it comes to a boil, remove from heat. Stir basil in.

2. Grate parmesean cheese. Microwave butter until melted. Stir in cheese and butter. Mix.

3. Put pasta in dish. Sprinkle crumb topping over pasta. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly and edges are brown.

Cook's note: I like to add two jars of alfredo and double the topping to make it creamier and crunchier. Not quite sure what it does to the calorie count though...

I have personally named this pasta in my own files with the last name of a childhood friend who brought this to me after my sweet son's birth. It was incredible. Seriously incredible. And, funny thing, my friend actually had to work that day so her hubby made it for us! Either it's just that easy, or he's just that good. You decide.

R_____ Pasta. (You know who you are, Lauryn.)

1 1lb box of pasta

1 package of boneless skinless chicken breast, cut up however you like

1 jar of store bought red sauce and 1 can of white sauce (whatever flavor you like)

Olive Oil

Oregano

Basil

Italian Seasoning

salt

pepper

crushed red pepper (optional)

1/2 large onion

about 1/2 head of garlic - we have a garlic press and just fill it up about 2.5 times

Cook your pasta according to the box - usually if you start boiling your water at the beginning of all of this, the timing works out well.

Cut up the onion and garlic and saute with some olive oil in a large pan (you'll add everything into this pan)

Add chicken and season with oregano, basil, italian seasoning, salt, pepper and some crushed red pepper (if you want) and just stir it around while it cooks.

Once your chicken is cooked through, pour the jars of sauce into the pan and mix them in, you should get that orangey-pinkish color sauce. Continue to simmer and stir until your pasta is done. You can add more seasonings to taste.

When your pasta is done, strain and then combine the sauce and pasta. Yum!

And finally, a recipe for baked chicken taquitos that I always double the recipe for and freeze the mixture so that on a needed night, I just defrost and then spoon into tortillas and bake. It looks like a lot of work, but really, easy breezy. Promise.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

• 3 oz cream cheese, softened (reduced fat is fine)
• 1/3 cup salsa verde
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 tsp chile powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 Tbs chopped scallions
• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken *
• 1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Pepperjack cheese
• 8-12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese with the salsa, lime juice, cumin, chile powder, cayenne, onion powder, garlic, cilantro, scallions, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Fold in the chicken and cheeses. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Working 3 tortillas at a time, stack them on a microwave-safe plate and cover with plastic wrap. Cook 30 seconds, or until tortillas are soft and pliable.

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto the lower third of each tortilla, and roll tightly. Place seam side-down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Spray the taquitos lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden-brown. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole.


*This is how I prepare my chicken if I don't have leftover chicken to use: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread a piece of aluminum foil across a baking sheet, and arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in the center. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and season as you wish. Fold the aluminum foil over the chicken breasts, and enclose them to form a "packet." Bake the chicken (on the baking sheet) 35-45 minutes, or until it is cooked through.

Note: For all these meals, because we're busy in our home, and because I hate washing dishes (Like really, really hate. Like can't remember the last dish I actually washed.) I always line pans and baking sheets with aluminum and then toss when finished.

There ya go.

I'd get busy.

WILW

...What I'm Loving Wednesday...

1. The Chicken Tacquito Recipe from last night. Delish! And the filling freezes easily so I put some away for a rainy day...or, more accurately, a lazy day. I'm always looking for recipe-spiration! Consider this your invitation to share your baking inspirations...

2. This giveaway!

3. The library. I've got a trip up there planned for today. I'm kind of excited for a book I have on hold. 365 Manners Kids Should Know. I heard about it on this website.

4. The idea of a cleaning calendar. I found one here. We will have to see if I enjoy using it. That's the trick, I guess.

5. Bath time with this mighty man. We've officially entered the cooing, squeaking, gurgling stage. Love it. Love him.

Love life.

Quiet

It's days when my laundry looks like this...



and most the house looks like this...



That I'm thanking my lucky stars for the parenting tip I took on a few months before my little number two man brought the blessed newborn chaos into our lives. Especially as a teacher, I see little ones sucked into digital existence before they've even learned to do much else. Video games, movies, talking toys, you name it, it seems the trick to just keep them quiet is by being as loud as possible. Don't get me wrong, as much as toddler chirping makes my day, there are times where silence is...golden. So to combat this reality of our society as much as mothers can, we spend a couple times a day in fifteen or twenty minute intervals just being quiet. Ellie's spent it on a blanket, a chair, a couch, a bed...the key has been to switch up the routine so it's not the place but the activity that takes on the meaning. I give her or let her pick out a few books to spend the time with. and I spend the time nursing, cleaning, cooking or even reading my own book.



Don't get me wrong, it's been a battle at times, even just this morning. But truly, it brings a sense of calm, peace and contentment to everyone in the house.



And what a beautiful thing to learn, the value of quiet.

And, on two unrelated notes.
First, old friend Rachel has embarked on the adoption adventure and is selling some sweet things here. Totally stylin'. Totally for a good cause.

Secondly, by request, one of my favorite "go-to" recipes. Barbecue Chicken Pizza. Easy Breezy. (Since you've already seen pictures of what things look like around here, you know easy breezy is good.)

1 or 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Fav barbecue sauce
1 tube of fresh mozzerella
1 red onion
Pizza Dough (I've used the tube, I've made my own and I've defrosted frozen pizza dough from the store...you choose.)
Cilantro (I never use this)

Grill or bake chicken breasts in barbecue sauce.
Roll out pizza dough.
Chop mozzerella and spread evenly over pizza dough.
Top with diced chicken and thinly sliced red onion.
Bake at 400 near bottom of oven until pizza dough is toasty brown on bottom and cheese bubbles.
Once I sprinkled with cilantro but I don't remember if it was before or after I baked it. But, now I never use it. So, no need.

Productive...and the winner

Today has not been very productive. In fact, really, all we've done is relish doing nothing. Cuddling with my hubby who is home from Vermont, a spunky toddler and smiling little boy.



And of course determining a winner...from this giveaway!


Yay, Lorri!

I'll be more productive next week...

WILW

...What I'm loving Wednesday...

1. My planned attempt at a spankin' sweet desert. My over achieving friend brought me a bouquet of these cake pops after I had Tristan and not only were they all dyed blue with sparkles and arranged into a cute little tin, but she also had a newborn just two weeks before me. SO, I've gone to Target and Michaels and loaded up on cake mix, frosting, melting chocolate, food dye and sprinkles...but we shall see... There's actually quite a few recipes out there, but I believe I'm going to use this one...

Maybe I will convince a little miss to help me. We made cookies last week and it was the cutest. I divvied up the dry ingredients and wet ingredients ahead of time and put them in bowls so all she had to do was dump. I did break a few rules by letting her stand on a chair to reach the mixer, but it was worth it.





The drama was when cookie baking was over. That didn't go over so well. Like major-meltdown didn't go over so well.

Thus what I'm loving number two...

2. Parenting books. Yes, my blogger friends, we have reached the twos. I refuse to deem them the "terrible twos"...but. Without going into too much mommy detail, let me just share, they are upon us. It's such a gift to be learning about my little girl's needs and wants and interests and desires...and such an enormous responsibility to know that we are entering the stage of shaping. Shaping her self-discipline, shaping her understanding of love and consistency, shaping her appreciation (or lack thereof on somedays) for authority... We've started reading a few, mostly going old school with our thought process in the current moment with a huge respect for Dr. Dobson's Dare to Discipline book. This combined with some "Love and Logic" approaches I've learned in the classroom have made for some really interesting conversations with my hubby. Ones that make it necessary to pour a second glass of wine. How come nobody told us parenting was like this? Oh wait...they did.

3. What I'm loving number three are my sweet new shoes from my dear hubby.



Love him. He picked them out all on his own, animal print Sperry boat shoes. Loving them. We were lounging Saturday night when he all of a sudden jumped up and decided he needed a hot fudge Sundae from Sonic. After being gone for way too long, he called me to let me know, "They've run out of nuts so they're making me some more." Hm. Suspicious. Anyway, the shoes made up for it.

4. And speaking of parenting, what I'm loving number four has to do with the fact that we are "hiring" our six year old neighbor boy to take care of Pippy over a trip in the upcoming future. I'm so excited to be able to be his first "job". I'm typing up directions for him and going to the bank today to get some cash money. Sweet boy. I'm pretty sure my first job was with my sisters when we started a cookie baking business. We were for real! We had custom orders and everything! The Awesome A's, we called ourselves. And we put them in paper bags and decorated them with markers. Okay, maybe we thought we were for real, now that I'm thinking about it...I'm not really sure.

5. I'm loving the fact that I will be drawing for a winner of the giveaway tomorrow. I have my shipping envelope ready and everything! Free hardback books...coming someone's way...Click here to check it out.

So there, it is. My first WILW. There's so much more. But so little time. And dirty floors and dishes are calling me ever so sweetly to come take care of them while the babies slumber. Or, rather, while they are supposed to be slumbering. Big difference.

Waiting and Nesting

So in an effort to "nest" this baby out, this weekend included a total house cleaning, car detailing, washing every top and fitted sheet in the house as well as just about every sock that I could unbury from under beds and even laundering the car seat covers for Ellie and baby boy. I've officially made my Spring Break to-do list including favorite meals for the week and tried to plan meals with ingredients that I not only already have (cleaning out the freezer is at the top of my priority list) in my extremely disorganized cupboards (don't worry, this is also an item on my to-do list), but that would save easily should I, Lord willing, get to meet my baby sooner rather than later.



Yup, it's a week of favorites, including a new recipe from a fun website for baked ravioli, homemade alfredo sauce (see below), and killer homemade pizza, and we don't go even a week with out a little Mexi food in our lives. And when I have this salsa recipe memorized (except I omit the jalapeno because it's expensive), well, that just proves our dedication.

And by the way, this sauce makes just about everything better.

½ cup sweet butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups heavy cream
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
¾ cup mozzarella cheese

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium/low heat.
Add the garlic, cream, white pepper and bring mixture to a simmer.
Stir often!!!
Add the Parmesan cheese gradually and simmer sauce for 8-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened and is smooth.
When sauce has thickened, gradually add the Mozzarella cheese and stir until smooth. STIR FREQUENTLY.
While the sauce cooks, boil noodles for 3-5 minutes.
Place pasta on serving plates and spoon sauce over pasta.

Cooks’ Note:
Very, very good! I make with crispy bacon and tomatoes in penne pasta!

Let's just say I'm determined.