Food Friday - Pancake Muffins

Pancake Muffins
adapted from Pinterest

This week, over at Kelly's Korner for "Show us your life" She is featuring what to feed your kids - especially lunches!  Well, I have tweaked and changed and tried to create so many lunch ideas that I figured I would share.  In the house, I've gone from a list of about 25 different lunch ideas down to about 8 HA!  I've figured out what the kids love and just rotate those items while trying to put something new in once in a while.  What do we eat . . .well, here's a short list:  Peanut Butter and Jelly, Quesadillas, Chicken Noodle Soup, Hot Dogs, Mac and Cheese, Waffles and Sausage, Pizza, Spaghetti, grilled cheese, and pancakes . . .. I think that's all!  Well, I decided to try something new since my kids DO like pancakes so I took this idea from Pinterest and made Pancake muffins.  I added blueberries to a few of them and those were a hit with the two boys that love fruit!! 

The recipe is pretty straight forward (and technically doesn't count a as a recipe!

Mix up your favorite pancake batter.  Fill mini-muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full.  Add whatever you want on top of the muffins and then bake for about 12-18 minutes at 350 degrees.

These muffins would be great for a brunch since you don't have to stand at a griddle flipping pancakes! 


 

Weekly Menu

Last week did not go quite as planned but sometimes life does that - throws curve balls, gives you lemons . . and any other analogy you can think of for a week gone wrong!  I feel like the during the month of April our grocery budget was out of control and we were continually running to the store.  I sometimes wish I had a second fridge so I could buy all of the milk/juice/etc for the entire week  . .. it is too easy to spend more money when you just run in for milk!  No, I don't have room for a full size fridge but I do have an idea from another blog that I might do eventually - especially for water/soda/juice boxes etc.

On to this weeks menu plan! 

Friday - I'm heading to a ladies conference and will eat dinner there which leaves the boys at home to eat together.  They will have a choice of Mac and Cheese, Hot Dots, or Spaghetti! 

Saturday - I will be attending the ladies conference most of the day but will make it home for supper.  The boys will get one of the above and Darryl and I will order in dinner! 

Sunday - Wow, I'm off and running again.  I have a concert with the choir I sing with this afternoon so I will be dropping the the males off at home to fend for themselves while I drive to the concert.  Again, they will get a choice of one of the above and I'll grab something on the go!

Monday -  Country Fried Stead, Mashed Potatoes, Corn and Rolls

Tuesday - Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Baked Brown Rice, Green Beans and Rolls

Wednesday - Pork Chops, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans and Rolls

Thursday - Tonight is soccer night so we will grab something after the game. 

My Cat Misty

On Thursday, April 24th, we had to unexpectedly put my cat, Misty, to sleep.  We got home from the boys first soccer games and were getting the boys ready for bed when I realized that I had not seen Misty all day.  Normally, she is all over me anytime I sit down, on the table eating, and, well, meowing really, really, loud throughout the day.  (She is part Siamese . . .they are loud cats!) Darryl and I went looking just to make sure she was ok but, when I found her under the bed, I knew things were not right.  She was struggling to breath and did not want to move.  I was able to get her out from under the bed, set her on top of the bed, and she just wouldn't move.  She stretched all out, which I learned from the Vet is what they do when they can't breath in order to try to open up the airway more.  At that point, we knew she needed help so we called the Vet (who has a 24 hour emergency line) and, without hesitation, he told us he would meet us at the office in 20 minutes.  So, we loaded up the boys and Misty and made a pretty quite 20 minutes drive.  Darryl and I already knew what we were going to have to do but we still held onto a little hope that it would be ok.  After checking her over our wonderful vet (yes, he really is - so kind and caring) told us that her lungs were filling up with fluid and her heart was struggling.  At 19 years old, there really was very little to be done.  I was able to hold her for quite a long time before the Vet took her away.  It was a very, very difficult thing to do.

Misty has been my "baby" for 19 years.  I got her from my niece and nephew because she was their favorite kitten and they had to get rid of all of their cats/kittens due to moving.  They begged me to take her and how could I say no?  She has always been a tiny thing - so tiny that when she was fixed and declawed, the vet had to give her special sleeping stuff to make sure that she didn't get too much medicine.  She couldn't jump up on anything until she was well over 6 months old.  Her favorite place to sleep was with me - as a kitten she would curl up in my hair.  As she grew she loved to go under the covers and curl up by my feet.  Other fun things she did - she would drag my jewelry all over the house - she loved gold chains!  She used to get up on my stereo and lay her body over the lamp that was next to it to soak up all of the warmth.  Every day when I took a shower, she would come in the bathroom and lay on my towels.  She loved Doritos, Cheetos and drinking out of my glass (if I let her!) with her paw.  Misty was my best friend and confidant for years!  I loved her big eyes and pointy ears.  She was soft and sweet and loved to sleep on my shoulder anytime she could.  As you can imagine, she is missed very much.  The house is quite and my feet are cold (since she isn't sleeping on them!).  Even though I knew that she was nearing the end of her life I did not expect it to be this past week as there had been no other indication anything was going on.

This week, I've discovered so many things I will miss - seeing her curled up and as flat as pancake on the dishwasher in the sun, seeing her in "her" cupboard above the fridge (where it was always warm!), seeing her curled up in the laundry basket on top of the fresh, warm laundry, "fighting" with her when I made tuna salad (I always left a little in the can and let her enjoy a treat), seeing her waiting for me when I come home - and meowing at the top of her lungs, having her sit on my towels while I take my shower, and hearing her meow at the bedroom door when it gets closed while she is still in there sleeping, having her snuggle on my neck at night while I attempt to do things on the computer . .. all just to name a few things I will miss about my sweet Misty! 

You will be missed, Misty!! 

Things my Kids Say

*Sometimes if I don't write things down, I forget them and I almost missed this one!  This is Nate's version: of old familiar "verse":  Eeney, meeney, miney moe, Catch a find a pat a toe.  hahahahahaha

* So this is more of a story.  Obviously, Easter was last Sunday.  On Wednesday, I took the boys to get their hair cut and Kylie, our "cutter", asked Nate about Easter.  She asked him if the Easter Bunny brought him anything.  He kinda looked puzzled and said, "No, the Eater Bunny only hides eggs but the Leprechaun brought me gifts.".  Seriously.  I had to bite my lip to not laugh as he continued to explain how Leprechauns came to the house and left him presents on Easter.  He told us that on Sunday too but I just kinda let it slip by as an oversight but obviously the Leprechaun had a bigger impression on him than I realized.

* We've tried to teach the boys about things that are appropriate but I really thought it went over their head.  Well, the other night Josh made some comment about China (the dog) sniffing Nate's booty after the bathtub.  We all laughed so he said, "I'm going to say it again because everyone laughed", which he did and then he said, "Ok, I won't say it again because it is not 'pproriate." I guess he IS listening!!!

* The hairstylist also asked Nate if he got any candy and he said, "Yes, I got triangles and semi-circles."  She looked at me, puzzled so I told her  . .. .Hershey Kisses and Reeses Peanut Butter Egg Minis.  At least he knows his shapes.

*Nate has informed me that it is summer so therefore he only wears shorts and short sleeves;  Josh, on the other hand, only wears sweatpants and long sleeves.  Yes, they are really that opposite.  :-)

*Darryl took the boys to the store to pick out a cake for my birthday (which they actually got two . . .).  When they walked in the store Nate told his dad that he wanted to get a "Chocolate Fuzz" cake.  It took Darryl a few minutes to figure out he wanted a Chocolate fudge cake! 

Food Friday - Veggie Pizza

Veggie Pizza 
Adapted from . .. a recipe I've had a very long time

This is a recipe that I took to a pot luck recently so I thought I would share it. Veggie pizza is such an easy thing to make and it travels easily plus everyone seems to like it!  I've tried numerous recipes through the years and I like this one that has evolved because it has tons of flavor!  One recommendation is to make it 24 hours in advance (or at least the morning of an evening event).  The cream cheese mixture tastes better if it has time to blend flavors. 

Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) cans crescent rolls
1 cup sour cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt (I often leave this out)
1 package ranch dressing mix (1 ounce package)
Veggies, chopped small, such as carrots, radishes, bell pepper, celery, snap peas, broccoli
Shredded Cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a jellyroll pan with non-stick cooking spray

Pat crescent roll dough into a jellyroll pan.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Pierce with fork.

Bake for 10 minutes, let cool

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine sour cream, cream cheese, dill weed, garlic salt and ranch dip mix.  Spread this mixture on top of the cooled crust.  Arrange the veggies on top of the creamed cheese mixture.  Top with cheese.  Cover and let chill.  Once Chilled, cut it into squares and serve.

**Note:  To make it easier to cut, I usually cut it right after I put the cream cheese mixture on it.  Then, after it is cut, sprinkle everything over the top.  By doing that you do not have to cut through any veggies :-)  





 

Weekly Menu - The One with My Birthday!!

Wow, it's my birthday week.  How did that happen?  This year, my birthday falls on a Sunday, which is nice because I don't have to plan my day - instead I get a day "off"  .. kinda :-)

Here's our plan for the coming week!

Friday - It's the start of the birthday weekend so the kids will get Mac and Cheese and Darryl and I will order in!  No cooking for me YEAH!

Saturday - Darryl has the day planned and, again, no cooking for me!

Sunday - We'll be at my parents so, again, no cooking for me :-)  I haven't decided what I will do about my cake . . .I usually make myself a turtle cake because I love it and it is my birthday but I would have to make it on Friday so I'm not sure  . .

Monday - Back to reality ;-)  I'll do something with Chicken, Potatoes and a veggie. (I don't even plan on going to the store until tonight after practice so it is "clean out the fridge" night!)

Tuesday - It is time to grill - the plan is Hamburgers or pork chops - depends on what is on the best sale this week!.  We did chicken last week and it was awesome.  The sides will be based on the mean choice.

Wednesday - I "think" Darryl will be going to practice this week so I'll pick up frozen pizzas for the boys and I.

Thursday - It is Soccer night so we'll grab something after soccer.

That's the plan . . .always subject to change!

Easter 2014

We had a wonderful Easter and I hope all of you did too!!  Actually, our whole weekend was wonderful.  Saturday I was able to take off at about 9:00 and head into "town" for a day of Scrapbooking.  I actually took advantage of my trip and started the day with a little shopping (to finish up some Easter Shopping) before going to the crop.  I then worked all day on my main goal which was to finish up June 2013 (our vacation to Mackinaw) and I did!  I also got half of July done.  Darryl got to spend the day with the boys and I heard they had a great time!!

Sunday dawned a beautiful day!  We started our morning by heading to church for Easter Breakfast.  Now, one of Josh's favorite things is to eat at church.  I have no idea why but he does - it is HUGE for him and this was extra fun because it was breakfast!  They got their fill of Pancakes, Sausage and Krispy Kreme donuts!!  That was followed by a great church service where I was able to use my ministry and sing in an ensemble as well as sing a solo which was just great.  I love to sing (even though, yes, I get nervous still after signing for over 30 years in front of people!) Once church was done we headed to lunch.  I know I left you all hangin' last week as to what we were doing but after much thinking, and re-thinking an idea popped into my head that was perfect.  We went out to the Chinese Buffett!!!  Yes, Chinese on Easter!  We got there before the regular church crowd hit so it wasn't busy and the food was good.  The boys love it because they can pick food and get ice cream when it is done ;-)

 Josh and Nate :-)  Trying to get them to do "normal" smiles is a tough job at this age!

After dinner we headed home for all of our Easter fun but we took the long way home with the windows down to enjoy the fabulous weather!

 Their "Easter Baskets".  We like to keep church first on Easter Sunday so we don't put out the Easter Baskets first thing.  Instead, as the boys head out the door, I quickly set up their stuff so it is there when we get back from church.  The Pogo sticks I had actually bought at Christmas but they had enough stuff so I put them away for Springtime.  Their main gift was some new tools and I bought them each a Thirty - One Tool bag that said "Josh's Tools" and "Nate's Tools".  It was a huge hit!  It was funny though because Nate kept saying the Leprechan came while we were gone and left his Easter Stuff. 

 Again trying to get them to stand with their stuff was useless.  This is the best I could get!

 The boys also got some new Flip Flops for the summer, a pair of binoculars that I had picked up last summer on clearance as well as a Bubble Blower that I bought last summer too.  We had also found some bug nets at Target for $1.00 each and of course, some candy.

Josh trying Pop Rocks for the first time.  He actually liked them which kinda surprised me !

Nate is a Bubble King.  He loves bubbles so he headed right out side to use his new Bubble Maker.  (Yes, a Halloween shirt on Easter but he loves his "bones" shirt!)

After enjoying their gifts for awhile, we got out the eggs to decorate.

 Like last year, I used Kool-aid to dye the eggs.  It smells good and washes off pretty easily. 

 "Decorate" might be too strong of a word.  How about, "dip and be done".  Next year I think we'll be ready to get more creative ;-)

For the record, we did 14 eggs and yes, I'm eating quite a bit of egg salad for lunch this week.  :-) :-)

Then it was time for the Egg Hunt!

 I "hid" all of the eggs in the front yard.  Originally, I had done them in groups of two but then gave up and just figured it could be a free for all. 

This, again, was the best photo I could get of them with their loot!!!  They were hoping for money in their eggs but I just did some candy.   Honestly, they have already forgotten about the eggs (and the candy) . . .maybe next year I will do change in them instead.  Who knows!

Finally, we just had some Bubble fun!

 Bubble's anyone?  Everyone laughs at me for buying all of these but Walmart had a great deal and, we've already gone through 1 and a half bottles!

Nate caught himself . . .hahahaha


So, that was our Easter!  Always a fun day!