Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Cookies, Eggs, Candy, Ham...

Sunday was just as hectic, although I did find a total of 45 minutes to sit down.  As soon as I woke up, I started in the kitchen.  I wanted to make decorated cookies from scratch, but the dough is supposed to be refrigerated for at least two hours before using.  So the first thing I did was get that going and get the rolls out to start rising.  Then I baked an apple crisp for that afternoon.  After that was done, Aiden and I used Easter cookie cutters to cut out the dough.  I learned it is very important to follow the recommended 1/8" thickness.  Any thicker than that and the cookie looses it's precut shape.  We had an incident and had to throw away half of them.  Thankfully they were the blob ones.

By the time Aiden went down for his nap, the cookies were cool enough to decorate.  I did all but a few of them, which I left for Aiden to decorate after he woke up.  I got the ham in by 12:30 and worked on tidying up the house a bit and getting table settings out.  Travis spent the morning doing the yard and running to the convenience store.  I think Ariel and Robert showed up around 2:30 and they brought appetizers.  Soon after they arrived, our friend Mike got to our house.  We snacked for a bit and I got the casseroles in the oven.

After Aiden woke, he decorated those cookies and then went outside to play with a Crayola Color Explosion kit Ariel and Robert brought for him. 



When I was done in the kitchen, I came out with the kit for dying eggs.





The guys enjoyed some whiskey.  My dad got Travis on this kick when he was here last month.  Thanks DAD for that expensive venture.


Right before dinner at 5 another friend showed up.  As we were sitting down for the meal, I was worried there wouldn't be enough food.  I feel like there are usually way more platters set out.  I think I made just the right amount though.  There were leftovers, but not so much that I will be throwing anything out at the end of the week.  There was a lot of ham leftover, but I made my dad's ham and bean soup out of that last night.

After dinner we ate a few of the Easter cookies (which I didn't get a picture of), then went back out to the patio for Aiden's Easter egg hunt.  He was so cute.  Every time he saw a new egg he would gasp and say, "Another one!"  Every time.  He even found another one Monday night when I was out watering the plants.




Spiderman eggs, courtesy of Gpa

After the egg hunt, we sat for a bit while Aiden went through his goodies.  Then Travis brought out the Spiderman pinata that Ariel and Robert got him for Christmas this past year.  Aiden has had a good time beating the crap out of that thing over the months, but I was ready for it to go.  It's bigger than Aiden, which means it was a little daunting standing in our living room all this time. 


That pinata was so hardcore that it took 15 good hits from Travis to break open a hole.  We were hoping Aiden would hit the rest out, but the second a toy hit the ground he was focused only on collecting the goodies.  He now has two Easter baskets full of candy and toys.  There is no way he will ever be able to eat all that before it goes bad.  I guess I better help him out with that dilemma.

Aiden spent a good portion of the day high on candy.  Even though we withheld candy after the egg hunt, he still had trouble falling asleep.  Not a surprise since he has trouble on a normal day.  After the sun went down and Aiden was in bed, we enjoyed the apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.  At this point, I had to call the quits on the patio because the mosquitoes were out full blast.  It was just as well because I had a kitchen to clean and was ready to pass out by that point.  Overall, I think it was a good day.  But next year I need to split up the fun over two days!!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Homemade Pies

One night while my dad was here we baked homemade pizzas.  Ariel and I used to do that all the time as a kid, so it brought back some fantastic memories.  Aiden and my dad shared a pizza.  I think it worked out good because Aiden wanted every topping my dad wanted, so they had lots of goodies on top. 

I think Aiden enjoyed himself.

I used dough that came in a pouch for the first time - I just had to add water.  It wasn't too bad!



He watched his pizza bake in the oven and then scarfed down his slices like we hadn't fed him days.  Gpa was impressed. 

Monday, January 2, 2012

Christmas Break

Christmas came and went in a whirlwind!  I can't even remember everything we did while my family was here.  Here's what I can recall:

Saturday morning (Christmas Eve), Travis, Aiden and I went over to Ariel and Robert's house for lunch.  We went a little early so Aiden could nap there and I could cook.  We ate a lot and then hung out for a few hours.  That evening, Ariel and Robert had to go into work.  Bummer, but they gotta make that paycheck.

That night I made roast beef sandwiches for dinner, then let Aiden open up one gift - his first of the season!


He went to bed right after that and we stayed up for a while.  It was nice to have time to talk to Alex and my mom spent a lot of time outside bonding with Sagira.

The next morning, Aiden woke up to a couple gifts from Santa and a full stocking.  Santa got him a camera and a Dinosaur Train car and dino-shark.  He played with that for a while and we helped him go through his stocking gifts.  He also got to eat some candy before lunch.  Around 10, we let him open some more gifts to play with that day.  He opened the Dinosaur Train tracks from Grandma Brenda and a Tag Junior from us.  We wanted to wait to open his gifts when everyone was around, so we kept postponing opening up the remaining gifts.



When Uncle Alex woke up, Aiden opened a few more gifts, including those from him.


His Great Grandma Margie sent some gifts that he really enjoyed.


He loves the Dinosaur Train tracks, but I they fall apart too easily.  They are recommended for 3 years old and above, so he's not that good at putting the track together himself.  I may have to hide the tracks and keep the cars out for a while so I don't lose my sanity.  It's frustrating when he needs it put back together every 10 minutes.


That evening, Ariel and Robert came over for dinner.  My mom and I made a beef tenderloin.  It was my first time to ever make one, so it was interesting.  We overcooked it a little bit, but it was a learning experience.  Dinner was great, and as you can see, we were not able to get those Spiderman PJ's off Aiden the entire day.


After dinner we let Aiden open his remaining gifts.  We put together his new grill right before bed, which in hindsight, was not the best idea.  Getting him down for nap that day and for bed that evening was a trying experience.  He just wanted to play with all his new toys!


I also tried a new idea for displaying Christmas cards this year.  Linsey saw the idea online and I thought it was really cute.  My bow was a little sad though.  Next year I'll have to look harder for a better ribbon since this one was a bit droopy.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

A bird in a bird in a bird in a bird in a bird in a pig

Happy Thanksgiving!!  We're spending the day giving thanks with my family today.  Thank goodness for this holiday.



I honestly had to stop watching when they started eating.  My protein nausea couldn't handle it.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Sunday with the Yeager's

Sunday afternoon we brought dinner to the Yeager's. Linsey's mom stayed with them for a week after Kenley was born, so they spent the past weekend learning to function as a family unit. I know how stressful that was for me without a toddler already running around, so I wanted to easy their day with dinner (and leftovers for later).



I made a no-stuff pepper casserole that was DELICIOUS. I stowed away the recipe for pulling out again later. I actually got the original recipe in the mail from the local grocer, but lost it somehow between making my grocery list and making the casserole. I had to improvise a little, combining some recipes online. I'd have to say I thought it turned out pretty good!

For dessert, we had angel food cake with fresh-picked strawberries and Cool Whip. It was nice to catch up with Linsey and Zach while Aiden played with Luke. Travis hadn't met Kenley yet - it was cute to see him holding a little baby again. It sounds like there has been a little stress in transitioning Luke to brotherhood. Hopefully things will smooth out soon!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Grilled Caesar Vegetable Salad

Travis and I had Sara and JR over last night for dinner and I wanted to try something new for a side. Whenever I get on this kick, I flip through all the various Betty Crocker cookbooks that I have picked up at the cashier in the grocery store over the years. This week, I came across a recipe titled Grilled Caesar Vegetable Salad. Normally I would have skimmed right past it for two reasons: One, it contains mushrooms, which I generally hate (I like the flavor, but not the consistency). And two, it requires Caesar dressing, which I have only started to like within the past year.

I decided what the hell, let's do it. If I don't like it, there's a chance that three other people might. It seemed worth the risk. Well, it was a huge hit. Even I liked it. I think that is the first time I've taken a bite of a mushroom and not immediately spit it back out. My mom always said that if I ever liked mushrooms, it would be portabellas. I think she was right.

It always seems funny to me to take vegetables and smother them in some calorie ridden sauce. Then I was thinking, we are still getting the nutrients, right? That's what I'm worried about most right now. Not so much calorie or fat intake as I am worried about getting enough of the vitamins and minerals I need to grow a human.

I didn't really measure everything out exactly, so here's my slightly-different-than-the-original version of Grilled Caesar Vegetable Salad:
  • 1/3 cup Caesar dresssing
  • 2 large fresh portabella mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 medium yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices
  • 2 medium bell peppers, but into 1/2-inch strips
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths
  • 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  1. Heat grill for direct heat.
  2. Brush mushrooms, yellow squash and bell peppers with oil. Place vegetables in grill basket.
  3. Cover and grill vegetables over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, shaking basket or stirring vegetables occasionally, until crisp-tender.
  4. To serve, place on serving platter and sprinkle with tomatoes. Drizzle dressing over vegetables and sprinkle with cheese. Serve at room temperature.

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