The leading authority on basketball cupcakes and Basil-Lime martinis…
I was exhausted last night and fell asleep before I could finish watching the Top Chef finale, so I’ve just finished and I’m SO pleased. I never quite got “into” this season as much as I have the others, but by the end, I thought that the finalists were all really qualified to be there. … Continue reading “Top Chef Chicago – It’s a GIRL!”
I was exhausted last night and fell asleep before I could finish watching the Top Chef finale, so I’ve just finished and I’m SO pleased. I never quite got “into” this season as much as I have the others, but by the end, I thought that the finalists were all really qualified to be there. I’m going to do some searching later for the recipe for Lisa’s Tom Kha soup recipe. It sounded fabulous.
Can’t wait to see what they do next season!
The cats are now toilet trained. Halle-freakin-lujah. Completely trained. No more liners, no more bowls, no more litter. They are using JUST the toilet. We have an automatic flushing device installed that even takes care of the flushing for them. And they’re not scared of it….anymore. I am SO proud and pleased, both of myself … Continue reading “Cat Toilet-training final update”
The cats are now toilet trained. Halle-freakin-lujah. Completely trained. No more liners, no more bowls, no more litter. They are using JUST the toilet. We have an automatic flushing device installed that even takes care of the flushing for them. And they’re not scared of it….anymore. I am SO proud and pleased, both of myself and of them. I figure, if I can train three cats, with very different habits, personalities and intelligence levels, to use the toilet…AT THE SAME TIME, I can do ANYTHING. It did take about 7 months, in all, due mostly to inconsistent technique on my part. It definitely went slower with 3 cats than it would have with just one, because we had to wait until ALL of them were ready before we could proceed into another “stage.” If it had been up to Jack, the training would have been done 6 months ago, but Queenie, on the other hand, probably would not have been trainable at all if it hadn’t been for the example that her brothers set. Anyway, we’re DONE.
Also, be aware that you should not be afraid to use the toilet at our house: they are only using the toilet in the master bathroom. They may, someday, figure out that all toilets are the same and start using the others, too, but they definitely associate their toileting behavior with our bathroom, so it hasn’t happened yet. In any case, the toilet seat stays absolutely clean, anyway, because they are completely indoor cats that no longer scratch around in litter, so their feet are at least as clean as my floors (since that’s all they walk on). Disclaimer: some days, my floors are in better shape than others. 🙂 In any case, they are not using any bathroom that guests are likely to use, ever. I will take some new videos and post them soon, for anyone that is interested.
High-fives and back-slaps all around!
Mmmm…. I have a Williams Sonoma Kids Baking cookbook that I’ve had set aside for a while now, thinking it would be fun to do some baking with the kids over the summer. Well, now that summer is here, I thought that I would make these for dessert with Boy and Girl last night. Of … Continue reading “S’mores Bars”
Mmmm….
I have a Williams Sonoma Kids Baking cookbook that I’ve had set aside for a while now, thinking it would be fun to do some baking with the kids over the summer. Well, now that summer is here, I thought that I would make these for dessert with Boy and Girl last night. Of course, we had them all prepared (no baking!) and ready to go and then saw in the recipe: “Let chill at least 4 hours before serving.”. Boo! Hiss!
So, anyway, we didn’t get to enjoy them until lunchtime today, but they were scrumptious. I can’t find a link to the recipe online and, for legal reasons, don’t want to copy/retype the recipe from the cookbook, but the basic gist is:
1) Graham cracker crust (similar to a cheesecake crust, with melted butter mixed in, but no baking). Line the pan with buttered foil.
2) Melt some chocolate chips with a can of Eagle Brand (about a half-and-half ratio, with a little vanilla and a pinch of salt) and spread that over the crust.
3) Sprinkle mini marshmallows and large chunks of graham crackers. Chill for 4 hours. Use the foil to lift the entire (8 X 8) pan of bars out and cut with a sharp knife into 16 pieces.
I would highly recommend this cookbook, for anyone with kids that are burgeoning “foodies”. It has lots of fun-looking recipes for things like Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Homemade Pretzels, Ice Cream Cake and Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake. Keep an eye out for us to try more of these soon.
Occasionally, when I’ve been cooking a lot and we have a large variety of leftovers around the house, I’ll pull everything out of the fridge and set it on our kitchen island, put out plates and let everyone choose what things they want. This is always a big hit, especially with Boy and Girl. Tonight, … Continue reading “Stuff-Your-Own-Pita Night”
Occasionally, when I’ve been cooking a lot and we have a large variety of leftovers around the house, I’ll pull everything out of the fridge and set it on our kitchen island, put out plates and let everyone choose what things they want. This is always a big hit, especially with Boy and Girl. Tonight, I did a variation of leftover night: “Stuff-Your-Own-Pita Night”. I made some meatballs (spiced with cumin, cinnamon and a bit of cayenne, with some garlic, finely chopped red onion and cottage cheese mixed in) and tzatziki and grilled some halloumi and then pulled out everything else that we had around and let the family dig in.
The options were (from top left, going clockwise):
Israeli Couscous salad, diced zucchini and yellow squash (leftover from making the salad), baby carrots, Parisian carrots, fresh romaine, pitas, diced bell pepper (also leftover from making the salad), leftover grilled romaine, grilled halloumi, leftover grilled chicken, leftover Buttermilk-Chive dressing, “Cherub” tomatoes, tzatziki, leftover grilled onion, spiced beef meatballs.
Here’s how I chose, for my dinner:
Yummy!
We (just Boy, Girl and I because Hubby had to stay behind and work) recently went on a trip to Orlando with my mother, her brother and his 3 1/2 year old grandson (who is my 2nd cousin). It was a quick trip, but was a lot of fun. Boy and Girl really enjoyed spending … Continue reading “Disney World June 2008”
We (just Boy, Girl and I because Hubby had to stay behind and work) recently went on a trip to Orlando with my mother, her brother and his 3 1/2 year old grandson (who is my 2nd cousin). It was a quick trip, but was a lot of fun. Boy and Girl really enjoyed spending time with Cousin M, since they don’t get to see him very often. He is a real charmer and is a beautiful little boy (although he spent much of the trip pretending to be a hippopotamus). It’s no wonder that he’s cute, though – his dad (my first cousin) used to be a model and his mom is beautiful, too.
I saw this recipe in Southern Living magazine last year and thought that it looked good. We added some Baby Bam croutons and it was pretty yummy, although the photo on Southern Living’s site is better than mine. We also sliced up the onions after grilling them, because the kids aren’t into big chunks of … Continue reading “Grilled Romaine Salad with Buttermilk-Chive Dressing”
I saw this recipe in Southern Living magazine last year and thought that it looked good. We added some Baby Bam croutons and it was pretty yummy, although the photo on Southern Living’s site is better than mine. We also sliced up the onions after grilling them, because the kids aren’t into big chunks of onion (although cutting them was difficult, because the olive oil made them slippery!).
My brother was the first person to tell me about grilling romaine. He saw Alton Brown make this recipe on his show and said it looked good, so I’m going to give that one a try soon. All in all, this salad was good (the grilled onions were deliciously sweet) and the dressing was yummy, but it would have been equally good with plain, ungrilled romaine. The grilling is just kind of a novelty. The Alton Brown recipe, however, adds a crunchy, grilled parmesan crustiness that might make the grilling worthwhile (and that whole “frozen vinegar crystals” thing sounds really cool).
We served this salad with Sweet and Sour BBQ chicken tenders and some “Parisian” carrots. The carrots are odd and have a long (and a bit embarrassing) explanation. Every year, I make a big lunch for Boy and Girl’s teachers. One of the dishes that I make is a green bean and yellow wax bean salad. Fresh green beans and especially the yellow wax beans are hard to come by, so I buy a frozen yellow and green bean blend (HEB’s “Prince Edward Medley), which also happens to contain the little, round “Parisian” carrots. So…in order to make the bean dish, I have to sort out the carrots (Girl helped this year) and I save them for future use, like tonight, when I micro-steamed them in some chicken stock and sprinkled them with….you guessed it….Baby Bam.
Israeli Couscous Salad with Summer Vegetables and Lime Vinaigrette This recipe is from Family Fun magazine. I tore it out a looooooong time ago and have been meaning to try it. We usually do Israeli couscous a little simpler, like this, but this recipe came together really quickly and is pretty tasty. I did make … Continue reading “Israeli Couscous Salad with Summer Vegetables and Lime Vinaigrette”
Israeli Couscous Salad with Summer Vegetables and Lime Vinaigrette
This recipe is from Family Fun magazine. I tore it out a looooooong time ago and have been meaning to try it. We usually do Israeli couscous a little simpler, like this, but this recipe came together really quickly and is pretty tasty. I did make a few modifications:
I toasted the couscous in a pan with a miniscule amount of olive oil before boiling it. Also, I sauteed the squash and zucchini (in the same pan, with a bit of olive oil, just after toasting the couscous), instead of boiling it, because, boiling? Ewww.
Tasty, easy and a hit with all four of us, but it needs something. I will be making it again and I think I’ll again some lightly sauteed (with the squashes) garlic and/or onion and maybe some frozen (thawed) baby peas and grated carrot. It would make a really nice main dish (great for a potluck!) with some grilled and chilled, chopped chicken. Maybe a little chopped cucumber and/or tomato (halved grape tomatoes?), too?
Yum….
I’ll upload more photos soon from our recent Disney quickie vacay, but here’s a cute one of Boy and Girl with their little 3 1/2 year old cousin. The first photo is pretty crummy, but the 2nd/3rd is good, so please flip to that one (I can’t figure out how to link directly to that … Continue reading “Boy, Girl and Cousin with Lilo and Stitch”
I’ll upload more photos soon from our recent Disney quickie vacay, but here’s a cute one of Boy and Girl with their little 3 1/2 year old cousin. The first photo is pretty crummy, but the 2nd/3rd is good, so please flip to that one (I can’t figure out how to link directly to that one). Cousin (who is ADORABLE) spent most of the trip claiming to be a hippopotamus. Apparently, hippos really like to swim. They also don’t care for green beans, but they REALLY like chocolate milk.
These are very popular with the whole family, including Girl, who does not normally eat any kind of seafood. Tuna Salad Melts 2 cans water-packed tuna, drained *** good quality mayonnaise (Hellmann’s or homemade) to your taste/consistency preference, about 1/2 cup chopped hard-boiled egg whites, 3 or 4 very finely chopped red onion, about 1/4 … Continue reading “Tuna Salad and English Muffin Tuna Melts”
These are very popular with the whole family, including Girl, who does not normally eat any kind of seafood.
Tuna Salad Melts
2 cans water-packed tuna, drained ***
good quality mayonnaise (Hellmann’s or homemade) to your taste/consistency preference, about 1/2 cup
chopped hard-boiled egg whites, 3 or 4
very finely chopped red onion, about 1/4 cup
finely diced celery, about 1/4 cup
very finely chopped fresh Italian parsley, about 2 Tbsp.
grated or shredded carrot, about 1/4 cup
salt and pepper to taste (or Baby Bam)
a small pinch of dried thyme leaves
optional: diced, peeled apple and/or lightly toasted, slivered almonds.
Gently blend together the tuna and the mayonnaise, breaking up tuna clumps with a large fork. Stir in remaining ingredients to desired flavor. Add more mayonnaise, if necessary, to reach your desired texture.
To prepare the Tuna Melts:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Split English Muffins in half. Scoop some tuna salad on top of each half. Use a fork to flatten and spread it out, covering the muffin completely. Top each one with a slice of your favorite cheese (we like Muenster). Bake for a few minutes, until cheese is melted and muffin is warmed.
***I prefer the lighter flavor of albacore tuna better, but it does have a higher mercury content than “regular” tuna, so decide for yourself. If you are pregnant or your children are very small, I would recommend plain tuna and, even at that, it should not be consumed very frequently.
The kids are out of school now, but during the last week of school, I prepared our family’s traditional “Thank You” lunch (from Bon Appetit magazine) for Boy and Girl’s teachers. I have now prepared this same meal for 8 years in a row; I think that I could make it blindfolded….but…it’s reliable, yummy and … Continue reading “Teacher Appreciation Lunch, Version 8”
The kids are out of school now, but during the last week of school, I prepared our family’s traditional “Thank You” lunch (from Bon Appetit magazine) for Boy and Girl’s teachers. I have now prepared this same meal for 8 years in a row; I think that I could make it blindfolded….but…it’s reliable, yummy and can be prepped in stages, so lots of it can be done in advance and chilled overnight in the delivery containers, so that it can be delivered in time for lunch. This is especially popular on the day of a field trip. I’ll just tell the teachers not to worry about packing their lunch for the trip and then pack it into a small sack or cooler, with some ice packs to keep it fresh until lunchtime.
Here’s a photo of the meal, as served at home (the side benefit of all of this cooking is that we end up with some leftovers at home):
PS – During the course of all of this cooking, I knocked a jar of paprika out of my cabinet. It hit the granite countertop on the way down to the floor and shattered. I stepped on a piece of glass while trying to get the broom (and my shoes) and got it deeply imbedded in my foot. I ended up having to go to the emergency room to get it removed (this was on Memorial Day). The good news, I guess, is that I now have a current tetanus shot.