Saturday, September 20, 2008
Stained
I am searching for a fail-proof stain remover. Because Taryn loves to eat and is such a messy eater, her clothes are on the brink of being thrown away because I can't get these darn stains out! So, do you have a favorite stain remover that really, truly gets your stains out? For the record, I've tried PreWash, Spray and Wash, OxyClean (but maybe I'm not using that one correctly), and concentrated detergent. I have to wash things a half dozen times and still some of the stains won't come out. Any help?
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Fall is in the Air
It's September. I love September. Whenever I tell that to someone who lives here, they correct me that October and November are better. But I love September. It has always been my favorite month and here's why:
1. The weather changes. Everywhere else, it starts to get nippy. Here, we can finally go outside again. We are LOVING that!
2. The leaves start to chage...everywhere else. But I can hear the crunch in my mind.
3. The holidays are approaching. I can just feel it in my bones again. Things are starting to "smell" like Christmas or feel like Thanksgiving or sound like Halloween. I am really excited to change my blog playlist to Christmas songs so so so soon.
4. Life picks up a different pace. Everywhere else, it starts to hurry up as well as slow down for hibernation. Here, people are coming outside again, playing at the park, taking walks, shopping, and living. Summer is so depressing.
So, I love September. I can't believe it's almost over. But that just means the holidays are almost here! Who else is in a "state of complete shock!?" (Bonus points for whoever can name the movies all my quotes on this blog come from)
1. The weather changes. Everywhere else, it starts to get nippy. Here, we can finally go outside again. We are LOVING that!
2. The leaves start to chage...everywhere else. But I can hear the crunch in my mind.
3. The holidays are approaching. I can just feel it in my bones again. Things are starting to "smell" like Christmas or feel like Thanksgiving or sound like Halloween. I am really excited to change my blog playlist to Christmas songs so so so soon.
4. Life picks up a different pace. Everywhere else, it starts to hurry up as well as slow down for hibernation. Here, people are coming outside again, playing at the park, taking walks, shopping, and living. Summer is so depressing.
So, I love September. I can't believe it's almost over. But that just means the holidays are almost here! Who else is in a "state of complete shock!?" (Bonus points for whoever can name the movies all my quotes on this blog come from)
My Baby's Growing Up and Saving China!
I can't believe Taryn is really 9 months old already. She is growing so fast, I just can't grab each moment like I did with Keara. Here's Taryn at a glance:
Physical:
-She loves to move. Every where, every minute, every day.
-She sits, crawls, stands, cruises, climbs stairs and just about everything else
-She has 6 teeth. She broke her top 4 about a month ago.
-She sleeps SO well
Tempermental:
-She is very happy almost 100% of the time, besides at dinner time. Then she whines until we eat.
-She is patient, despite having a big sister who mauls her and a baby around who is always hitting her or taking her toys.
-She gets very excited about simple things, like getting up from her nap
-She loves to play and always wants to be in on the action
-She is affectionate and makes you feel so loved
-She rarely cries or throws fits or acts bothered or anything like that, unless she's hungry
Vocal:
-She babbles all the time
-She is discovering different sounds she can make with her mouth and will do them on repeat if you think its funny
-She loves to laugh
Digestive-al:
-She LOVES to eat
-She will eat just about anything and everything
I took her to her 9 month check up this week. Among other things (like blood tests that determined she is anemic), the doctor asked if she was saying mama and dada. I was surprised when he said she's behind since she's not. What!? I don't know many 9 month olds who are saying mama and dada unless they are just babbling. Most don't associate those words with the people. Anyway, I decided to work on it with Taryn. This video shows her progress. If you watch it, watch her mouth for the sounds. Alya is in the background babbling, clapping, and making a bunch of noise, so it's a little tough to differentiate what is Taryn and what is Ayla.
I think it's funny that Taryn is painfully camera shy in this video. Mind you, I am NOT behind the camera. It's just on the table. I'm actually right near Taryn, so she's not looking at me when she's looking at the camera. Have you ever seen the credits of "The Little Rascals" where they are showing Darla struggling to not look at the camera? That is Taryn here.
I also wanted to capture Taryn's growth in 9 months, not just how big she is but how much she has changed. Granted, these pictures are right after she woke up so her hair is fluffy and her face is swollen, but it captures the changes. We took the first picture when she was about 2 weeks old. The second is from the day before she "turned" 9 months.
You know your two year old is small when...she can still fit in the pot!
I adore Taryn. I am amazed how wonderful she is and tell her every day how glad I am that she is a girl! I love her so much and appreciate her personality.
Keara Made a Funny
Keara is really into knowing people's names right now. She asks us about a dozen times a day "What's your name?" So, now she knows my name is Cheri and daddy's name is Braden. When we tell her her name and Taryn's name, we use their full names: Keara Elaine Moore and Taryn Noelle Moore.
When I am trying to get Keara's attention, I often use her first and middle name. "Keara Elaine, please don't dump water on your sister's head!" "Keara Elaine, I just LOVE it when you see what needs to be done and do it without being asked!" You get the picture.
Well, I learned pretty quick that I do that too much when the other night we were in the Walmart parking lot and I started singing a song. Keara yells from the back seat, "Mommy Elaine, stop singing that!"
When I am trying to get Keara's attention, I often use her first and middle name. "Keara Elaine, please don't dump water on your sister's head!" "Keara Elaine, I just LOVE it when you see what needs to be done and do it without being asked!" You get the picture.
Well, I learned pretty quick that I do that too much when the other night we were in the Walmart parking lot and I started singing a song. Keara yells from the back seat, "Mommy Elaine, stop singing that!"
Allergic or Sensitive?
I am perplexed. In Taryn's allergy appointment, she came up as completely negative for milk. A week or so later, we gave her formula at church. She drooled out the side of her mouth and broke out into hives along the milk's path. Then, a couple days later, we gave her mac'n'cheese. This is what happened.
Since then, I've noticed that as long as it doesn't touch her skin, she can eat products with milk in them. But if it touches her skin, she breaks out. So, if she's not allergic to milk, what is she?
Three More Recipes
I have three more recipes to share. They are on opposite sides of the spectrum, but each holds its own charm.
*****
The first I actually got off a gal's website where she is trying to make something in her crockpot every day of 2008 without repeating anything. Since I love my crockpot and how it takes so much time out of dinner, I perused her site and found this recipe. As you know, Braden and I are trying to like fish, so I'm willing to try just about anything.
CROCKPOT PESTO FISH
1-2 lbs white fish
Bottled pesto
Shredded parmesan cheese
Aluminum foil
Spread a layer of foil on the counter top. Put a piece of fish in it. Cover it with a spoonful of pesto and sprinkle on some cheese. Fold over the foil to create a little packet. Put the packet in the Crockpot. Continue to layer in the foil packets until you run out of fish. Do not add water. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Check it after 3 hours. The fish is done when it is fully white and flakes nicely with a fork.
1-2 lbs white fish
Bottled pesto
Shredded parmesan cheese
Aluminum foil
Spread a layer of foil on the counter top. Put a piece of fish in it. Cover it with a spoonful of pesto and sprinkle on some cheese. Fold over the foil to create a little packet. Put the packet in the Crockpot. Continue to layer in the foil packets until you run out of fish. Do not add water. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Check it after 3 hours. The fish is done when it is fully white and flakes nicely with a fork.
Verdict: This was good. Considering I don't really like fish, I ate the entire thing. Braden, on the other hand, likes fish even less tham me and he still didn't like this. But, if we're going to eat fish again, I will probably try this recipe again. He also says the picture looks like someone's lung, so sorry if it looks too gross to eat.
*****
This recipe is a variation of one I found on allrecipes.com. Braden LOVES fried chicken. I do not. It's not that I don't like the chicken part, it's that I don't like the fried part. So, if he's lucky, I make fried chicken once a year. Because I knew he would really love it if I made it, I was looking for a recipe that used less oil. I also wanted a better "crust" on the chicken. This is what I found with the changes I made. I also have an eggless option, which was really good.
FRIED CHICKEN
30 Saltine Crackers
2 Tbs Flour
2 Tbs dry potato flakes
1 tsp season salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
½ tsp paprika
2 eggs
¼ cup flour
3 chicken breasts, pounded and cut into strips
¼ cup oil (truly)
30 Saltine Crackers
2 Tbs Flour
2 Tbs dry potato flakes
1 tsp season salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
½ tsp paprika
2 eggs
¼ cup flour
3 chicken breasts, pounded and cut into strips
¼ cup oil (truly)
Place crackers in a large resealable plastic bag or food processor; seal bag and crush crackers until they are coarse crumbs. Add flour, potato flakes, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic salt, and paprika to crumbs and mix well. Beat eggs in a shallow dish or bowl; pour crumbs in another bowl; heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Pour ¼ cup flour into resealable plastic bag and put all chicken strips in the bag and shake until well coated. One by one, dredge chicken pieces in egg, then dip in crumbs to coat. Reduce heat to medium and cook coated chicken in skillet for 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently, until golden brown and juices run clear.
For eggless: Dip floured chicken in ranch dressing or other sauce and then coat with crumbs.
For eggless: Dip floured chicken in ranch dressing or other sauce and then coat with crumbs.
Verdict: Excellent! Oh so good. And beautiful too. The coating was perfect and delicious. Braden really enjoyed it the next 2 days for lunch by putting a couple strips on a hamburger bun with some pickles so it was like his favorite sandwich at Chik-fil-A.
*****
We were invited to our neighbor's for dinner last week (where they made the most amazing ribs...I'll get the recipe). They asked us to bring dessert. I have this thing about going to people's houses for dinner. If they ask me to bring something, I think I should put in as much effort as they are going to put into the dinner. I think it's tacky to show up to a big Sunday dinner with a plate of cookies, especially if they are store-bought. So, I'm going to make pies, cakes, or something beyond ordinary. Well, I needed something simple and cheap but fun, so I came up with this.
ANGEL FOOD PUDDING CAKE
1 Angel Food cake (from a mix, homemade, or store bought), cooked and cooled
1 pkg instant pudding, any flavor, made according to directions on package
2 cups whipped cream (I used whipping cream, but you could use cool-whip. I think Dream-whip would be too soft)
Fruit
Hershey chocolate bar
Powdered sugar
Cut the cake in half, horizontally. Place the bottom half on serving plate. Divide the pudding into two portions, one being about 2/3 and the other about 1/3 of the total. Divide the whipped cream the same way. Mix 2/3 pudding with 1/3 cream (in other words, this mixture will be predominantly pudding). Spread mixture over top of the bottom layer of cake. Top pudding with fruit of your choice. Place the top half of the cake on pudding/fruit. Mix 1/3 pudding with 2/3 cream (to make a predominantly cream based frosting). Spread this over the entire cake as a frosting. Grate the chocolate bar to create shavings or curls. Sprinkle over top of cake. Dust with powdered sugar.
Verdict: This was delicious. It looks good, tastes good, but even looks like it takes a ton of time when it doesn't. Also, it doesn't have a lot of fat or calories, depending on what you put in it. Ours was banana pudding and bananas, because that's what we had on hand. But we're looking forward to trying white chocolate pudding and raspberries. Mmmm. My sister made a chocolate variety last night, so I can't wait to hear how it turned out. Oh, and as you can see in the picture, I swirled in some chocolate angel food batter before I baked it. All I did was take a tablespoon or so of unsweeted cocoa powder and mixed it in about 1 cup of batter. Then I swirled it in the cake. It was a great addition. It made it taste like a very light non-donut boston cream donut.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Sweet Home Chicago!
I have the greatest news! Denver has an updates file! Oh, wrong greatest news...I'm going home! I think very few of you, not more than two or three, can really comprehend what that sentence does within my heart. I am more homesick than I ever thought I could be. I am so lonely here, lonelier than I ever thought I could be. I feel like I have lost so much of who I am and what made me shine. Its likely no one's fault but my own, but I think the realities of life, stress, money, jobs, and motherhood have finally caught up and I am ready to go home. Home. For the first time in 5 years, I'm going home just to be home. No weddings, no reunions, no open houses. Just home. It's making me cry just thinking about it.
I tried to convince my sister to come out here as tickets are just $79 each way right now for October. We've been talking about her family coming for a few months and she has always said that she'd rather fly us out there so I could go home than her family come here when I'd still be homesick. So, with prices this low, she decided she would foot the bill (with the help of my parents, though I'm determined to find a way to cover the cost...anyone need a baby blanket or something I can make?). So, at the end of October, the girls and I are going home. For a week. A full week.
The part that breaks my heart is that Braden cannot come. If we could figure out a way to make an extra $600 to cover him missing work, plus $200 to travel, I'd take him. But we cannot afford for him to miss work. So, he's staying behind but agrees that this is a good thing. I hope Keara loves being with Carter again and that Taryn and Addison can enjoy playing. I'm not concerned about enjoying Kerri and Steve, though I am guaranteed to come home 10 pounds heavier with her fantastic cooking and all the cookie dough we'll be eating. I'm also so glad Keara and Taryn will have their first focused time with both Grandma AND Grandpa. They hardly know them at all, except in pictures.
The leaves will be changing, it will be cold (freezing to us!), and it will feel like fall!!!!! Ah, to feel like fall again. Plus, we get to go trick-or-treating with Carter and Addison. What should we dress as?! So much to do, so much to plan. I am so grateful for this opportunity and hope it will at least sustain me for another few months before the homesickness sets in again.
I am SO excited!
I tried to convince my sister to come out here as tickets are just $79 each way right now for October. We've been talking about her family coming for a few months and she has always said that she'd rather fly us out there so I could go home than her family come here when I'd still be homesick. So, with prices this low, she decided she would foot the bill (with the help of my parents, though I'm determined to find a way to cover the cost...anyone need a baby blanket or something I can make?). So, at the end of October, the girls and I are going home. For a week. A full week.
The part that breaks my heart is that Braden cannot come. If we could figure out a way to make an extra $600 to cover him missing work, plus $200 to travel, I'd take him. But we cannot afford for him to miss work. So, he's staying behind but agrees that this is a good thing. I hope Keara loves being with Carter again and that Taryn and Addison can enjoy playing. I'm not concerned about enjoying Kerri and Steve, though I am guaranteed to come home 10 pounds heavier with her fantastic cooking and all the cookie dough we'll be eating. I'm also so glad Keara and Taryn will have their first focused time with both Grandma AND Grandpa. They hardly know them at all, except in pictures.
The leaves will be changing, it will be cold (freezing to us!), and it will feel like fall!!!!! Ah, to feel like fall again. Plus, we get to go trick-or-treating with Carter and Addison. What should we dress as?! So much to do, so much to plan. I am so grateful for this opportunity and hope it will at least sustain me for another few months before the homesickness sets in again.
I am SO excited!
A Mommy
Funny conversation I know almost every mother has with their child:
M: Keara, do you want to be a mommy when you grow up?
K: No! (looking at me with a shocked-how-could-you-ask-me-that look)
M: What do you want to be then?
K: I want to be Keara.
Ooh...did we not mention you could be both? I love the mind of a toddler!
M: Keara, do you want to be a mommy when you grow up?
K: No! (looking at me with a shocked-how-could-you-ask-me-that look)
M: What do you want to be then?
K: I want to be Keara.
Ooh...did we not mention you could be both? I love the mind of a toddler!
Raindrops on Roses, Whiskers on Kittens...
I've been thinking lately about my favorite things. And then I thought how much favorites really tell you about a person. So I thought I'd share.
1. I love cooking.
2. I love being in the kitchen and creating things.
3. Because I love baking and cooking and almost all things kitchen, I have a lot of favorite appliances
a. Electric Griddle: I think I brought this into our marriage. We use it for everything, crepes, quesadillas, pancakes, french toast, bacon, tortillas...It doesn't burn things, fits a ton on it, and is so easy to clean up. Love it! That's why we used to give it as wedding presents.
b. Electric Wok: We were given this for our wedding. To be honest, I wondered if we would ever use it (Sorry Merks!) but indeed we do! We LOVE it. It also never burns things, fits a ton, and is so easy to clean up, plus it doesn't heat up my house and heats up and cools down really quickly. I love it.
c. My Cuisinart Mini-Processor: Again, we were given this for our wedding and we didn't use it one lick for the first couple years. Then we started pulling it out. Since Taryn was born, however, I use it at least once a day. I use it to blend all her baby food, for the crepe recipe (below), for chopping nuts (used to), and pretty much for whatever else I want to quickly zap/blend/grind/chop. I even use it to grind regular oats into quick oats and oat flour. It also works for grinding rice for baby cereal. LOVE IT!
d. My Crockpot! If you don't have one or don't use one, you must try it. I love making any meat in here and pretty much anything else I can think of. I wish I used it more, but it is also great for not heating up the house, saving money, and saving time. Love it!
4. I love babies. I know, most of you always knew that. So did I. But now, having a second baby, I realize that I truly love the baby stage. I absolutely delight in Taryn, just as I did in Keara when she was a baby. I love babies.
5. I love good music. Music that moves your soul. I just added two songs to my playlist that move my soul: Paul Potts' Nessun Dorma and Michael Buble's Home. Listen to them. Let your soul be moved.
6. I love peace. Stillness, happiness, joy, peace. I love being in the temple.
7. I love sunsets and thunderstorms. Two extremes, but two glorious manifestations of God's love. He could have made life boring, but didn't.
8. I love good sleep. Waking up and actually feeling awake. I can't remember the last time I really felt that, but I remember it happening.
9. I love giving birth. WHAT!?! Did you read that right? Yes, you did. I love it. I told Braden about 2 hours after Keara was born that, if not for 9 months of pregnancy and 1+ month(s) of recovery, I would want to give birth every day. After Taryn, it was the same thing. I love it. As my mom always told me, it is the most exhiliarating thing I have ever done. And it is peaceful, and another manifestation of God's love.
10. I love autumn. I love leaves changing. I love the crispness in the air. I love needing a jacket. I love the leaves crunching beneath my feet. I love starting to see my breath. I love the anticipation of the holidays. I love the holidays. I love all things autumn. Too bad we don't have autumn in Arizona.
11. I love allrecipes.com. It is my alltime favorite website. I love it and use it all the time. I now have a binder filled with new recipes, most of which I've found, tried, and loved from allrecipes.com
12. I love the internet. I know it has many terrible uses, but for good, it is incredible. I love that I know how to use it and use it well. I love being able to find anything I want on the internet. It blows my mind that someone took the time to post it but I love that they did so I can find it.
13. I love General Conference. Keara was born 3 days before April 06 GC so I slept thru most of that. In October 06, I was still tired and distracted with a 6 month old, so I caught half and missed half. In April 07, I was attentive. In October 07, I was 7 months pregnant and tired so I missed half. In March 08, I had a 3 month old and was tired, so again, I missed half. I'm still tired and I have a crazy 8 month old, but I'm so excited for October just the same!
14. I love learning. I love learning new skills, new information, new ways to better myself, new everything. I love learning. In fact, I've realized that when I am not engaged in learning of one kind or another, my life is less rich. I can do more, be more, love more, play more when I am learning.
15. I love a clean house. No, I shouldn't say clean. I hate "cleaning". I love tidying, organizing, decluttering, rearranging. I hate dusting, scrubbing baseboards, and cleaning corners, but I love having everything in its place. Even if its place is dusty.
16. I love home. I hope someday to find a home that competes with the tender feelings I have for the home I grew up in. Not just the house, but the whole experience. When I think of home, all those feelings, all those memories, all those emotions come flooding into me. Someday, I'll feel that for another place. But for now, I love my childhood home.
17. I love deep, lasting, meaningful, inspiring relationships. I have always had good, close friends. Deep friendships. I have a lot fewer now, but I cherish the few I have.
18. I love memories. I think it is an amazing gift we've been given, to be able to remember good things. Not just the event that occured, but all emotions, thoughts, even smells and touches associated with that. It's amazing how you can be taken right back to a place and time so quickly and easily, with everything that goes with it. I'm sure everyone has experiences where you smell something and it takes you right back to Mrs. Tribbey's 8th grade math class with Ian Brunswick and vanilla scented nail polish, or something like that.
19. I love the Spirit. I love the burst from the inside out. I love the quiet whisper. I love the warmth that spreads from head to toe. I love the thought, the idea, the reminder. I love the inspiration, the sudden learning. I love the feeling of arms around me.
20. I love love. Again, another huge blessing we have been given in this life. We could meander thru this existence without that all powerful emotion and yet, God gave us love. He gave us human emotion, human connection, a power that binds, comforts, lifts, edifies, strengthens, empowers, heals, and fills. It is an amazing gift.
Now that you know so very much about me, tell me some of your favorites. What brings you joy? Light? Happiness? Smiles? Gratitude? The simple or the deep, what moves you?
1. I love cooking.
2. I love being in the kitchen and creating things.
3. Because I love baking and cooking and almost all things kitchen, I have a lot of favorite appliances
a. Electric Griddle: I think I brought this into our marriage. We use it for everything, crepes, quesadillas, pancakes, french toast, bacon, tortillas...It doesn't burn things, fits a ton on it, and is so easy to clean up. Love it! That's why we used to give it as wedding presents.
b. Electric Wok: We were given this for our wedding. To be honest, I wondered if we would ever use it (Sorry Merks!) but indeed we do! We LOVE it. It also never burns things, fits a ton, and is so easy to clean up, plus it doesn't heat up my house and heats up and cools down really quickly. I love it.
c. My Cuisinart Mini-Processor: Again, we were given this for our wedding and we didn't use it one lick for the first couple years. Then we started pulling it out. Since Taryn was born, however, I use it at least once a day. I use it to blend all her baby food, for the crepe recipe (below), for chopping nuts (used to), and pretty much for whatever else I want to quickly zap/blend/grind/chop. I even use it to grind regular oats into quick oats and oat flour. It also works for grinding rice for baby cereal. LOVE IT!
d. My Crockpot! If you don't have one or don't use one, you must try it. I love making any meat in here and pretty much anything else I can think of. I wish I used it more, but it is also great for not heating up the house, saving money, and saving time. Love it!
4. I love babies. I know, most of you always knew that. So did I. But now, having a second baby, I realize that I truly love the baby stage. I absolutely delight in Taryn, just as I did in Keara when she was a baby. I love babies.
5. I love good music. Music that moves your soul. I just added two songs to my playlist that move my soul: Paul Potts' Nessun Dorma and Michael Buble's Home. Listen to them. Let your soul be moved.
6. I love peace. Stillness, happiness, joy, peace. I love being in the temple.
7. I love sunsets and thunderstorms. Two extremes, but two glorious manifestations of God's love. He could have made life boring, but didn't.
8. I love good sleep. Waking up and actually feeling awake. I can't remember the last time I really felt that, but I remember it happening.
9. I love giving birth. WHAT!?! Did you read that right? Yes, you did. I love it. I told Braden about 2 hours after Keara was born that, if not for 9 months of pregnancy and 1+ month(s) of recovery, I would want to give birth every day. After Taryn, it was the same thing. I love it. As my mom always told me, it is the most exhiliarating thing I have ever done. And it is peaceful, and another manifestation of God's love.
10. I love autumn. I love leaves changing. I love the crispness in the air. I love needing a jacket. I love the leaves crunching beneath my feet. I love starting to see my breath. I love the anticipation of the holidays. I love the holidays. I love all things autumn. Too bad we don't have autumn in Arizona.
11. I love allrecipes.com. It is my alltime favorite website. I love it and use it all the time. I now have a binder filled with new recipes, most of which I've found, tried, and loved from allrecipes.com
12. I love the internet. I know it has many terrible uses, but for good, it is incredible. I love that I know how to use it and use it well. I love being able to find anything I want on the internet. It blows my mind that someone took the time to post it but I love that they did so I can find it.
13. I love General Conference. Keara was born 3 days before April 06 GC so I slept thru most of that. In October 06, I was still tired and distracted with a 6 month old, so I caught half and missed half. In April 07, I was attentive. In October 07, I was 7 months pregnant and tired so I missed half. In March 08, I had a 3 month old and was tired, so again, I missed half. I'm still tired and I have a crazy 8 month old, but I'm so excited for October just the same!
14. I love learning. I love learning new skills, new information, new ways to better myself, new everything. I love learning. In fact, I've realized that when I am not engaged in learning of one kind or another, my life is less rich. I can do more, be more, love more, play more when I am learning.
15. I love a clean house. No, I shouldn't say clean. I hate "cleaning". I love tidying, organizing, decluttering, rearranging. I hate dusting, scrubbing baseboards, and cleaning corners, but I love having everything in its place. Even if its place is dusty.
16. I love home. I hope someday to find a home that competes with the tender feelings I have for the home I grew up in. Not just the house, but the whole experience. When I think of home, all those feelings, all those memories, all those emotions come flooding into me. Someday, I'll feel that for another place. But for now, I love my childhood home.
17. I love deep, lasting, meaningful, inspiring relationships. I have always had good, close friends. Deep friendships. I have a lot fewer now, but I cherish the few I have.
18. I love memories. I think it is an amazing gift we've been given, to be able to remember good things. Not just the event that occured, but all emotions, thoughts, even smells and touches associated with that. It's amazing how you can be taken right back to a place and time so quickly and easily, with everything that goes with it. I'm sure everyone has experiences where you smell something and it takes you right back to Mrs. Tribbey's 8th grade math class with Ian Brunswick and vanilla scented nail polish, or something like that.
19. I love the Spirit. I love the burst from the inside out. I love the quiet whisper. I love the warmth that spreads from head to toe. I love the thought, the idea, the reminder. I love the inspiration, the sudden learning. I love the feeling of arms around me.
20. I love love. Again, another huge blessing we have been given in this life. We could meander thru this existence without that all powerful emotion and yet, God gave us love. He gave us human emotion, human connection, a power that binds, comforts, lifts, edifies, strengthens, empowers, heals, and fills. It is an amazing gift.
Now that you know so very much about me, tell me some of your favorites. What brings you joy? Light? Happiness? Smiles? Gratitude? The simple or the deep, what moves you?
We got a pool!
I am proud to announce that we officially have a pool in our backyard. I don't know why we waited until the very end of summer to do it, though it'll be in the 100s for another few weeks yet, but still...
Keara had a great time and it entertained the girls for a while as I made dinner. That is, until Keara dumped all the water out of it using cups and Taryn was standing up making my heart jump.
Sometimes, poverty is a blessing.
Another Great Recipe
The other night, we had "Crepes" on the menu. But I felt like I was copping out by making just fruit filled crepes. I really wanted to find a recipe like my sister-in-laws great spinach filled crepes, just without the spinach. I had broccoli and wanted something that used that. But I found nothing. So I made it up. I got this crepe recipe off allrecipes.com and it's the best crepe recipe I've had. The filling is a variation off a filling my sister introduced us to. Rolled in the crepe, it is delicious!! Try it if you want and let me know what you think!
Savory Broccoli Chicken Crepes
Crepes:
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cup milk
2 Tbs butter, melted
1 cup flour
2 Tbs sugar
½ tsp salt
Whisk or blend all ingredients together until smooth. Grease pan or griddle with a little oil or butter. Cook 3 Tbs per crepe on medium heat 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden.
Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
2 Tbs cream or milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp basil
¼ tsp garlic salt
1-2 Tbs parmesan cheese (grated or shredded)
1 cup cooked and diced chicken (small but not too small)
1 cup steamed and chopped broccoli
Melt cream cheese and milk over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, oregano, basil, garlic salt, and parmesan cheese. Stir well. Add chicken and broccoli and cook until heated thru. Fill crepes, wrap and serve.
Savory Broccoli Chicken Crepes
Crepes:
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cup milk
2 Tbs butter, melted
1 cup flour
2 Tbs sugar
½ tsp salt
Whisk or blend all ingredients together until smooth. Grease pan or griddle with a little oil or butter. Cook 3 Tbs per crepe on medium heat 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden.
Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
2 Tbs cream or milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp basil
¼ tsp garlic salt
1-2 Tbs parmesan cheese (grated or shredded)
1 cup cooked and diced chicken (small but not too small)
1 cup steamed and chopped broccoli
Melt cream cheese and milk over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, oregano, basil, garlic salt, and parmesan cheese. Stir well. Add chicken and broccoli and cook until heated thru. Fill crepes, wrap and serve.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Life without Eggs
I've come to the conclusion that having allergies really isn't that big of a deal. Now all I need to do is figure out a way to keep Taryn from ever turning 5 and going to kindergarten, ever wanting to go to a friends' house or birthday party, and ever being babysat. Any suggestions? I'm totally kidding, but I have found that living life without eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts in our home is quite simple. I haven't had to remove anything from our diet besides peanut butter sandwiches, with carrots, on ice cream, in granola bars, and with cereal. Other than that, I haven't yet come across something I will be remiss to not have in our diet. As for eggs, the substitute we've been using has been great. We did learn this morning, however, that it doesn't work great for Dutch Baby Pancakes, though it was really yummy, just without the puff.
We did have an interesting experience last Friday when I was cleaning out our pantry. We have these great crackers that have no hydrogenated oil in them. They're the only ones we can find that are delicious and cheap! So we've been eating them for a long time. Well, I had a bunch in the pantry, but no box to check the labels. While I went into the other pantry to get out a box to read the allergen warning, Taryn grabbed the bag of crackers, opened it, and shoved as many as she could in her mouth. Wouldn't you know that these crackers, though void of hydrog, have this on the label: "Contains milk, wheat, soybeans. Manufactured in a facility that processes eggs, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts" Great, pretty much histamine in a box. And yet, no reaction. Taryn has reacted before to things manufactured with eggs (like pasta), but not to these crackers. Then, we went to Braden's indoor soccer game that night and she immediately found the only peanut on the floor and shoved it in her mouth. Again, no reaction. But fun to go thru and she thinks its all a game.
Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about allergies. Why do we have such an influx of allergies in this and the last generation? 40 years ago, 1 kid in 100 had food allergies. Today, it's 5 in 20. That's a ton. Here's what I've realized. In our home, the only thing I am having a hard time providing for Taryn are snacks. If we've run out of fruits, veggies, eggless yogurt, cheese, saltine crackers, cottage cheese, apple sauce, or bread, there is nothing else I can just give her. These allergies are only difficult at snack time. And that brings me to my hypothesis about child allergies. It's this: I believe that the things kids are allergic to nowadays have always been things our bodies are sensitive to. Whereas, in the past we were exposed to these things slowly and in low doses until our bodies had time to develop strong enough immune systems to handle them well, today kids are bombarded with these allergens from the time they are tiny.
How's that, you ask? Well, look at what we give our kids. Snacks, processed foods, convenience foods. Things that are manufactured in facilities that manufacture other products so there is cross-contamination. How many of you have given your babies crackers? Animal crackers? Pretzels? Yogurt? Pasta? And at what age? Pretty much when they are old enough to gum them, right? Or what about store bought baby food? So from the time our babies are introduced to foods, they are being introduced to eggs, wheat, milk, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts. I think people innocently assume that just because they haven't served their baby scrambled eggs or peanut butter means their child hasn't been exposed to eggs and peanuts. Not so. Unless they have only eaten fruits, veggies, meat, rice, and potatoes that are all homemade, all children have been exposed to many of the top 10 allergens by the time they are a year old. And not just a little, but a lot.
So my theory is this. Forty years ago when allergies were so uncommon, what were the babies eating? Was mac'n'cheese the thing to feed your kids? Were the shelves lined with as many packaged foods as they are today? No. Most of what babies ate were prepared at home. And if they were given eggs or peanuts or cow's milk or wheat, it was in specific items, like eggs, peanut butter, and a glass of milk, instead of so many random items like crackers, pasta, and popcorn. So, what we have now are babies whose immune systems may be prone to allergies or are otherwise weak who are being overexposed to allergens from the time they get nourishment from something besides their mommy. And those weak immune systems are never given a chance to grow and strengthen because they just keep getting exposed over and over again. Those who are genetically more prone to allergies end up allergic to so many different things.
I really believe this. Maybe I'm totally wrong, but as I've been figuring out how to keep eggs, peanuts, and treenuts out of my house, I've realized that everything I make homemade is not a problem for Taryn. As I call it, the God-made foods (fruits/veggies, meats, grains, dairy, etc.) are great and non-contaminated. The man-made foods, which are wonderful for making our lives easier, faster, and less involved are chock full of the things that harm my baby and many thousands of babies around the world. Someday, in the very distant future, all factories will be uncontaminated, where things without nuts can be processed where no nuts are processed and kids can return to being healthy. But for now, as long as I steer away from convenience, I think we'll make it.
We did have an interesting experience last Friday when I was cleaning out our pantry. We have these great crackers that have no hydrogenated oil in them. They're the only ones we can find that are delicious and cheap! So we've been eating them for a long time. Well, I had a bunch in the pantry, but no box to check the labels. While I went into the other pantry to get out a box to read the allergen warning, Taryn grabbed the bag of crackers, opened it, and shoved as many as she could in her mouth. Wouldn't you know that these crackers, though void of hydrog, have this on the label: "Contains milk, wheat, soybeans. Manufactured in a facility that processes eggs, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts" Great, pretty much histamine in a box. And yet, no reaction. Taryn has reacted before to things manufactured with eggs (like pasta), but not to these crackers. Then, we went to Braden's indoor soccer game that night and she immediately found the only peanut on the floor and shoved it in her mouth. Again, no reaction. But fun to go thru and she thinks its all a game.
Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about allergies. Why do we have such an influx of allergies in this and the last generation? 40 years ago, 1 kid in 100 had food allergies. Today, it's 5 in 20. That's a ton. Here's what I've realized. In our home, the only thing I am having a hard time providing for Taryn are snacks. If we've run out of fruits, veggies, eggless yogurt, cheese, saltine crackers, cottage cheese, apple sauce, or bread, there is nothing else I can just give her. These allergies are only difficult at snack time. And that brings me to my hypothesis about child allergies. It's this: I believe that the things kids are allergic to nowadays have always been things our bodies are sensitive to. Whereas, in the past we were exposed to these things slowly and in low doses until our bodies had time to develop strong enough immune systems to handle them well, today kids are bombarded with these allergens from the time they are tiny.
How's that, you ask? Well, look at what we give our kids. Snacks, processed foods, convenience foods. Things that are manufactured in facilities that manufacture other products so there is cross-contamination. How many of you have given your babies crackers? Animal crackers? Pretzels? Yogurt? Pasta? And at what age? Pretty much when they are old enough to gum them, right? Or what about store bought baby food? So from the time our babies are introduced to foods, they are being introduced to eggs, wheat, milk, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts. I think people innocently assume that just because they haven't served their baby scrambled eggs or peanut butter means their child hasn't been exposed to eggs and peanuts. Not so. Unless they have only eaten fruits, veggies, meat, rice, and potatoes that are all homemade, all children have been exposed to many of the top 10 allergens by the time they are a year old. And not just a little, but a lot.
So my theory is this. Forty years ago when allergies were so uncommon, what were the babies eating? Was mac'n'cheese the thing to feed your kids? Were the shelves lined with as many packaged foods as they are today? No. Most of what babies ate were prepared at home. And if they were given eggs or peanuts or cow's milk or wheat, it was in specific items, like eggs, peanut butter, and a glass of milk, instead of so many random items like crackers, pasta, and popcorn. So, what we have now are babies whose immune systems may be prone to allergies or are otherwise weak who are being overexposed to allergens from the time they get nourishment from something besides their mommy. And those weak immune systems are never given a chance to grow and strengthen because they just keep getting exposed over and over again. Those who are genetically more prone to allergies end up allergic to so many different things.
I really believe this. Maybe I'm totally wrong, but as I've been figuring out how to keep eggs, peanuts, and treenuts out of my house, I've realized that everything I make homemade is not a problem for Taryn. As I call it, the God-made foods (fruits/veggies, meats, grains, dairy, etc.) are great and non-contaminated. The man-made foods, which are wonderful for making our lives easier, faster, and less involved are chock full of the things that harm my baby and many thousands of babies around the world. Someday, in the very distant future, all factories will be uncontaminated, where things without nuts can be processed where no nuts are processed and kids can return to being healthy. But for now, as long as I steer away from convenience, I think we'll make it.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Tag, You're It!
Well, I got tagged by my sister and actually liked this tag. I thought it was funny. So, as she said on her blog, its like a chain letter, but this one is with pictures. So, if you're name is on the bottom, you are supposed to post your own pics of these things on your blog and then tag 5 other people.
So here goes:
The rules are you have to take ten pictures of the following things. And you have to do it right away. No straightening, cleaning or wiping your child's nose. Then you tag five others.
1. The Fridge
See, Mom? We're not starving. And there is no hydrog in that fridge! (I think...)
2. The Closet
Wow, it sure looks a lot more cluttered when you take a picture of it. I guess it's time to reorganize...
3. The Laundry Room
Notice I didn't include the floor...that's because it's laundry day! From this angle, the room looks really clean!
4. The Kitchen Sink
Not much to say about that. Except it looks exactly like my sister's sink, though she had no dishes in it.
5. The Toilet
Thank goodness we cleaned it and took out the trash recently enough.
6. Your Favorite Room
Because it just feels like fun when you're in there. Thanks, Keara, for emptying the toy chest.
7. You Favorite Pair of Shoes
I know these don't truly count as SHOES, but if that were the case, I wouldn't have a picture. Anyone who knows me knows that I wear these every day, all year. I don't remember the last time I wore shoes, except for exercising and church. I love these flip-flops, but I go thru them like candy, so I just keep buying them for $2 at Target. Comfy and cheap!
Keara was supposed to be taking a nap, but since I could still hear her, I opened her door real quick, took this pic, and then closed it again. Poor kid thought she was being liberated. Mean mom.
Taryn was following me around as I took all these pictures, crying. So I turned around and took a picture of her. Though she looks happy, she's not. Mean mom.
Ugh...
So, tagging...Janae, Heidi, Emily Heaton, Nikki Timmons, and RAZGJ
So here goes:
The rules are you have to take ten pictures of the following things. And you have to do it right away. No straightening, cleaning or wiping your child's nose. Then you tag five others.
1. The Fridge
See, Mom? We're not starving. And there is no hydrog in that fridge! (I think...)
2. The Closet
Wow, it sure looks a lot more cluttered when you take a picture of it. I guess it's time to reorganize...3. The Laundry Room
Notice I didn't include the floor...that's because it's laundry day! From this angle, the room looks really clean!4. The Kitchen Sink
Not much to say about that. Except it looks exactly like my sister's sink, though she had no dishes in it.5. The Toilet
Thank goodness we cleaned it and took out the trash recently enough.6. Your Favorite Room
Because it just feels like fun when you're in there. Thanks, Keara, for emptying the toy chest.7. You Favorite Pair of Shoes
I know these don't truly count as SHOES, but if that were the case, I wouldn't have a picture. Anyone who knows me knows that I wear these every day, all year. I don't remember the last time I wore shoes, except for exercising and church. I love these flip-flops, but I go thru them like candy, so I just keep buying them for $2 at Target. Comfy and cheap!8. What Your Kids are Doing Right Now
Keara was supposed to be taking a nap, but since I could still hear her, I opened her door real quick, took this pic, and then closed it again. Poor kid thought she was being liberated. Mean mom.Taryn was following me around as I took all these pictures, crying. So I turned around and took a picture of her. Though she looks happy, she's not. Mean mom.9. Your Dream Vacation
Going home for the holidays. Can you believe I haven't been home for Christmas in 5 years? Braden has never spent Christmas at my house. And Keara has only been to my parents' house once, when she was 5 months old. Right now, the only place I want to go is HOME. I wish I had a picture...Kerri...will you take some for me?
10. A Self-Portrait
Ugh...So, tagging...Janae, Heidi, Emily Heaton, Nikki Timmons, and RAZGJ
Food, Glorious Food!
Because of Taryn's last allergist appointment when they told me to take her off EVERYTHING, the poor child has been starving. We've tried to fill her up on rice, potatoes, meats, veggies, and fruits, but she gets so jealous of our meals. She's resorted to eating dirt and chalk again.
But after this last appointment, when we found out she's not allergic to milk and wheat, we celebrated with real food! This child is thrilled! First, she had eggless pancakes and thought they were manna from heaven. Now we just need to teach her what manna really was... Then, for dinner, she got to have the delicious sloppy joes (written about further down) and LOVED them. Manna-shmanna. This was ambrosia. She had 2 full helpings and would have continued, I'm sure. For lunch today, she got a bit of the pizza roll (also written about futher down). This whole eggless deal is wonderful. It's fun and totally easy, so far. Now I'm just looking for a recipe for eggless pasta so she can eat all of our italian meals.
But after this last appointment, when we found out she's not allergic to milk and wheat, we celebrated with real food! This child is thrilled! First, she had eggless pancakes and thought they were manna from heaven. Now we just need to teach her what manna really was... Then, for dinner, she got to have the delicious sloppy joes (written about further down) and LOVED them. Manna-shmanna. This was ambrosia. She had 2 full helpings and would have continued, I'm sure. For lunch today, she got a bit of the pizza roll (also written about futher down). This whole eggless deal is wonderful. It's fun and totally easy, so far. Now I'm just looking for a recipe for eggless pasta so she can eat all of our italian meals.
It's Lenny's Fault, He Broke the Plate, He's Very Naughty...
When I was little, my mom would always tell me how much like my brother, Brent, I was. She said it was like raising him all over again. Now that we're older, I've noticed quite a few differences. 1) He's male, I'm female; 2) He lives in Colorado with Sunny, I live in sunny Arizona with Braden; 3) He has the appropriately-dubbed Brent Humor, I can't even compete; 4) He employs me, I work for him; 5) He had 2 sons first, I had 2 daughters. The list probably goes on and on. But I've also been amazed to see little things that we still have in common. Like Taryn's egg allergy. Brent was the only one in my family with food allergies and it happened to be to eggs. Here my daughter is allergic to eggs too. I'll blame that on Brent.
We had Taryn's allergist appointment on Wednesday and they poked her back with 40 different serums, 37 of which were testing common allergens, from molds, weeds, grasses, and trees to animal and foods. It was interesting to watch it be done and Taryn didn't seem to mind at all. In the end, she is allergic to quite a few things: cats, dogs, horses, german cockroaches (darn), penicillium mold, bermuda and johnson grass, eggs, and (drum roll please)...peanuts. Double darn. I was really praying and praying that she wouldn't be allergic to that or wheat. But here we are and she is. In fact, they grade it on a scale, kind of from -1 to 3+ (I don't know how high it goes). '-1' basically meant there was no allergic reaction at all. She was -1 for milk, thank goodness. '0' meant that her skin was red but wasn't necessarily an indication of an allergy. She came up as a 1 for the histamine which was the control and the guide for her reactions. For eggs, she was a 2, and for peanuts she was a 3. Triple darn.
So, we now have an epipen and a lot to learn. Thank goodness Brent and Sunny are around to help us. Oh yeah, and Brent's daughter is the only other grandchild with food allergies and she is allergic to...peanuts. Quadruple darn. But I can't blame that on Brent or on Sierra, just on good ol' genes. Darn.
We had Taryn's allergist appointment on Wednesday and they poked her back with 40 different serums, 37 of which were testing common allergens, from molds, weeds, grasses, and trees to animal and foods. It was interesting to watch it be done and Taryn didn't seem to mind at all. In the end, she is allergic to quite a few things: cats, dogs, horses, german cockroaches (darn), penicillium mold, bermuda and johnson grass, eggs, and (drum roll please)...peanuts. Double darn. I was really praying and praying that she wouldn't be allergic to that or wheat. But here we are and she is. In fact, they grade it on a scale, kind of from -1 to 3+ (I don't know how high it goes). '-1' basically meant there was no allergic reaction at all. She was -1 for milk, thank goodness. '0' meant that her skin was red but wasn't necessarily an indication of an allergy. She came up as a 1 for the histamine which was the control and the guide for her reactions. For eggs, she was a 2, and for peanuts she was a 3. Triple darn.
So, we now have an epipen and a lot to learn. Thank goodness Brent and Sunny are around to help us. Oh yeah, and Brent's daughter is the only other grandchild with food allergies and she is allergic to...peanuts. Quadruple darn. But I can't blame that on Brent or on Sierra, just on good ol' genes. Darn.
Why I Love Arizona
What a title! Is there really a reason?! Do I really love Arizona!? No, not really. But, since we're here, I have found 3 things that I really do love and will miss when we do eventually leave.
1. Last night's thunderstorm. It came so quickly and lasted a couple hours. The lightning was from east to west, north to south, coming from every direction and flashing every second. The thunder made the house shake and it made me think of the nights my dad would come have me stand outside with him to watch the storm. I wished Keara was awake to do the same.
2. Cold Showers. It is so bloomin' hot here that I LOVE cold showers! That is, when we can get cold water. But we sure save on our gas bill because we never need hot water from May to September. This last week, as its gotten slightly cooler (low 100s), I've thoroughly been enjoying cold showers.
3. Making bread. Huh? Can't I do that anywhere? Yes, but where else can I make bread in
about an hour, including rise times? In the summer, I can make the dough, cover it, and place it on our patio. About 20 minutes later, it's risen until double. Leave it there for an hour and its almost overflowing. Then shape it how you want, plop it back on the patio and another 20 minutes, it's ready for the oven. Amazing! I will truly miss that, especially with how much bread I'm making.
1. Last night's thunderstorm. It came so quickly and lasted a couple hours. The lightning was from east to west, north to south, coming from every direction and flashing every second. The thunder made the house shake and it made me think of the nights my dad would come have me stand outside with him to watch the storm. I wished Keara was awake to do the same.
2. Cold Showers. It is so bloomin' hot here that I LOVE cold showers! That is, when we can get cold water. But we sure save on our gas bill because we never need hot water from May to September. This last week, as its gotten slightly cooler (low 100s), I've thoroughly been enjoying cold showers.
3. Making bread. Huh? Can't I do that anywhere? Yes, but where else can I make bread in
about an hour, including rise times? In the summer, I can make the dough, cover it, and place it on our patio. About 20 minutes later, it's risen until double. Leave it there for an hour and its almost overflowing. Then shape it how you want, plop it back on the patio and another 20 minutes, it's ready for the oven. Amazing! I will truly miss that, especially with how much bread I'm making.
Recipes Galore!
We have had a GREAT time trying new recipes lately and just have to share.
The first stemmed from our friend's who brought this last week. They got the idea from another friend. We've made it twice and are excited for all the other possibilities to make varieties:
PIZZA ROLL (or Inside Out Pizza)
Pizza Crust (this is my all time favorite pizza recipe...delicious!)
1 1/8 tsp yeast
1/4 tsp brown sugar
3/4 cups warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs olive oil
1 3/4 cups flour
Dissolve yeast and brown sugar in water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in salt and oil. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of the flour. Add more flour until no longer sticky. Turn in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise til double. Punch down and roll out until 1/4 inch thick.
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Pizza Toppings
Marinara Sauce
Sprinkle dough with cheeses and toppings (NO marinara sauce--you can use any of your favorite toppings). Roll and tuck in ends. Place on cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with cookind spray. Let rise 20-30 minutes more. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce as a dip.
It is so so so good and you can pretty much fill it with whatever you want. Try chicken, broccoli, and dip it in a chicken sauce. Or put in scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese. Or make BBQ chicken pizza with the chicken, peppers, and onions inside and dip in BBQ sauce. The sky is the limit.
****************
AUNT PHYLLIS' SLOPPY JOES
Okay, I know that most people do not like sloppy joes. I don't either and Braden especially hates them. But a year ago, we visited my aunt and uncle in California and they served us sloppy joes for lunch. We were nervous because we dislike them so much. But they were the BEST sloppy joes we have ever had. So we've been trying to track down the recipe for a year and finally got it yesterday. We made it for dinner last night and they were every bit as good as a year ago! You've got to give it a try.
2 lbs hamburger
4 Tbs margarine
1 Tbs worchestershire sauce
4 Tbs mustard
2 small green peppers
1 can tomato sauce
5 Tbs brown sugar
2 medium onions
1 tsp salt
¾ cup ketchup
Add mustard and brown sugar to taste. Brown meat. Add other ingredients and simmer.
I let it simmer for 2 hours because I made it early and because it was too liquidy. Simmering for that long made it perfect though if you took out some of the liquid and served it right after making it without the simmer time, it would still be great. I also made homemade hamburger buns because ours were looking sad and it made it even better! They can be used for sandwhich buns too, and I'm sure they'd be great.
*******************
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoons butter
1/2 tablespoon white sugar
3/4 teaspoons salt
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
Combine the milk, 1/2 cup of water, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then remove from the heat and let stand until lukewarm. If the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast. (**I mixed them in a glass pyrex and microwaved for 2 minutes. Then I let it cool 5 minutes in the fridge then put it in an ice bath for 5 more minutes because I was in a hurry. When it was cool enough that I didn't burn myself, I added it to the dry ingredients. It worked great**)
In a large bowl, stir together the flour and yeast. Pour in wet ingredients and stir until the dough starts to pull together. Knead for 8 minutes or until springy. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let stand until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Punch down the dough and divide into 12 portions They should be a little larger than a golf ball. Make tight balls out of the dough by pulling the dough tightly around and pinching it at the bottom. Place on a baking sheet lined sprayed aluminum foil. After the rolls sit for a minute and relax, flatten each ball with the palm of your hand until it is 3 to 4 inches wide. Set rolls aside until they double in size, about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix together the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water in a cup or small bowl. Brush onto the tops of the rolls. (**This is unnecessary and is only for aethetic purposes) Bake for 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven or until nicely browned. Makes 8-10 buns. Cut in half and serve.
***********
I hope someone tries some of these and loves them as much as we did! I know the buns sound like a lot of work, but I started them at 5:45 last night and finished them by 7 pm for dinner, including rise and baking time. However, you'll have to read my "Why I Love Arizona" post to understand why.
The first stemmed from our friend's who brought this last week. They got the idea from another friend. We've made it twice and are excited for all the other possibilities to make varieties:
PIZZA ROLL (or Inside Out Pizza)
Pizza Crust (this is my all time favorite pizza recipe...delicious!)
1 1/8 tsp yeast
1/4 tsp brown sugar
3/4 cups warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs olive oil
1 3/4 cups flour
Dissolve yeast and brown sugar in water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in salt and oil. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of the flour. Add more flour until no longer sticky. Turn in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise til double. Punch down and roll out until 1/4 inch thick.
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Pizza Toppings
Marinara Sauce
Sprinkle dough with cheeses and toppings (NO marinara sauce--you can use any of your favorite toppings). Roll and tuck in ends. Place on cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with cookind spray. Let rise 20-30 minutes more. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce as a dip.
It is so so so good and you can pretty much fill it with whatever you want. Try chicken, broccoli, and dip it in a chicken sauce. Or put in scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese. Or make BBQ chicken pizza with the chicken, peppers, and onions inside and dip in BBQ sauce. The sky is the limit.
****************
AUNT PHYLLIS' SLOPPY JOES
Okay, I know that most people do not like sloppy joes. I don't either and Braden especially hates them. But a year ago, we visited my aunt and uncle in California and they served us sloppy joes for lunch. We were nervous because we dislike them so much. But they were the BEST sloppy joes we have ever had. So we've been trying to track down the recipe for a year and finally got it yesterday. We made it for dinner last night and they were every bit as good as a year ago! You've got to give it a try.
2 lbs hamburger
4 Tbs margarine
1 Tbs worchestershire sauce
4 Tbs mustard
2 small green peppers
1 can tomato sauce
5 Tbs brown sugar
2 medium onions
1 tsp salt
¾ cup ketchup
Add mustard and brown sugar to taste. Brown meat. Add other ingredients and simmer.
I let it simmer for 2 hours because I made it early and because it was too liquidy. Simmering for that long made it perfect though if you took out some of the liquid and served it right after making it without the simmer time, it would still be great. I also made homemade hamburger buns because ours were looking sad and it made it even better! They can be used for sandwhich buns too, and I'm sure they'd be great.
*******************
HOMEMADE BUNS
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoons butter
1/2 tablespoon white sugar
3/4 teaspoons salt
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
Combine the milk, 1/2 cup of water, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then remove from the heat and let stand until lukewarm. If the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast. (**I mixed them in a glass pyrex and microwaved for 2 minutes. Then I let it cool 5 minutes in the fridge then put it in an ice bath for 5 more minutes because I was in a hurry. When it was cool enough that I didn't burn myself, I added it to the dry ingredients. It worked great**)
In a large bowl, stir together the flour and yeast. Pour in wet ingredients and stir until the dough starts to pull together. Knead for 8 minutes or until springy. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let stand until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Punch down the dough and divide into 12 portions They should be a little larger than a golf ball. Make tight balls out of the dough by pulling the dough tightly around and pinching it at the bottom. Place on a baking sheet lined sprayed aluminum foil. After the rolls sit for a minute and relax, flatten each ball with the palm of your hand until it is 3 to 4 inches wide. Set rolls aside until they double in size, about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix together the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water in a cup or small bowl. Brush onto the tops of the rolls. (**This is unnecessary and is only for aethetic purposes) Bake for 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven or until nicely browned. Makes 8-10 buns. Cut in half and serve.
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I hope someone tries some of these and loves them as much as we did! I know the buns sound like a lot of work, but I started them at 5:45 last night and finished them by 7 pm for dinner, including rise and baking time. However, you'll have to read my "Why I Love Arizona" post to understand why.
Totally Inappropriate
Okay, this is totally inappropriate. A year or so ago, we played Bingo with Braden's family. His dad was in charge of the gag gifts and we won, of course, a whoppie cushion. Vulgar, gross, and totally hilarious to a 2-year old. We were looking for Braden's shin guards and stumbled across this well hidden toy...that has now found its way into Keara's toy repetoire. We couldn't help laughing, though we realize that this totally undoes all our efforts to keep bodily functions as unfunny as possible.
Friday, August 22, 2008
To be continued...
dot dot dot. Those 3 little dots signify waiting. And that's what we're doing. I took Taryn to the allergist appointment on Wednesday. But, of all days, she flared up with roseola that morning and it disappeared 24 hours later. So really, she only had it on Wednesday. Of all days. Needless to say, they weren't able to do the testing since they're looking for the appearance of red dots and splotches in reaction to the allergens they prick on her back and her back was covered in red dots and splotches. So, we have to go back next Wednesday.
It wasn't a total waste, though, because I got a lot of answers and advice on things for her. Part of me feels like the lady was too over the top (recommending we have "indoor and outdoor clothes" and shower every time we come in from being outside), but the information was interesting. She told me to not let Taryn have anything with the top 8 allergens in it until she's one, so 4 more months. Okay, that means nothing with wheat, milk, eggs, soy, and peanuts in them or manufactured near them. The others are tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. Okay, easy to not give her any of the last few in our everyday meals. But to avoid wheat, milk, eggs, soy, and peanuts in the ingredients as well as "manufactured with" leaves me with...pretty much nothing. (I've learned that a ton of things have soy in them, who knew?) All that remains is fruits, vegetables, potatoes, rice, oatmeal and meat. That gets expensive. Healthy, but expensive, especially since we don't know if she is allergic to anything besides eggs.
The problem with this is also that all baby food (jarred and packaged) has some of these top allergens in them, besides the ones that are straight carrots or pears, etc. I haven't been giving her jarred baby food because it's a waste of money for us. Instead, lately, I've been grinding what we eat and giving it to her. But if I can't give her anything we eat, I have to figure out a whole new way to fill her tummy. She's been waking up in the night the last 2 nights because she's just not getting enough.
Then the allergist recommended that I go off of all those allergens until Taryn is done nursing. So, really? It just doesn't seem practical. I'd rather wean her and monitor her diet than have to flip our entire diet and meals or make double the meals, for me and then for Braden and Keara. She is 8 months afterall and can do fine on formula for 4 more months a lot better than I can do without Thanksgiving dinner, and pretty much everything I make. Maybe I'm just being selfish.
But then I reached another stumbling block. If I can't give her milk, then I'd have to give her soy formula. But if I can't give her soy, what can I give her? I guess that just leaves nursing. But I know that there has to be a formula out there for babies who were bottle fed and then found to be allergic. Any thoughts?
Regardless, I'm looking forward to next week's appointment to get more conclusive answers. In the end, however, allergies can be developed at any age. So just because she's not allergic to, say, tree nuts next week doesn't mean she won't develop an allergy for them in the future. What am I supposed to do, not let her eat forever just in case? How did we survive for the 6000 years before we trained allergists?
If you have any thoughts, advice, criticsm, or hints, I'd appreciate them.
It wasn't a total waste, though, because I got a lot of answers and advice on things for her. Part of me feels like the lady was too over the top (recommending we have "indoor and outdoor clothes" and shower every time we come in from being outside), but the information was interesting. She told me to not let Taryn have anything with the top 8 allergens in it until she's one, so 4 more months. Okay, that means nothing with wheat, milk, eggs, soy, and peanuts in them or manufactured near them. The others are tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. Okay, easy to not give her any of the last few in our everyday meals. But to avoid wheat, milk, eggs, soy, and peanuts in the ingredients as well as "manufactured with" leaves me with...pretty much nothing. (I've learned that a ton of things have soy in them, who knew?) All that remains is fruits, vegetables, potatoes, rice, oatmeal and meat. That gets expensive. Healthy, but expensive, especially since we don't know if she is allergic to anything besides eggs.
The problem with this is also that all baby food (jarred and packaged) has some of these top allergens in them, besides the ones that are straight carrots or pears, etc. I haven't been giving her jarred baby food because it's a waste of money for us. Instead, lately, I've been grinding what we eat and giving it to her. But if I can't give her anything we eat, I have to figure out a whole new way to fill her tummy. She's been waking up in the night the last 2 nights because she's just not getting enough.
Then the allergist recommended that I go off of all those allergens until Taryn is done nursing. So, really? It just doesn't seem practical. I'd rather wean her and monitor her diet than have to flip our entire diet and meals or make double the meals, for me and then for Braden and Keara. She is 8 months afterall and can do fine on formula for 4 more months a lot better than I can do without Thanksgiving dinner, and pretty much everything I make. Maybe I'm just being selfish.
But then I reached another stumbling block. If I can't give her milk, then I'd have to give her soy formula. But if I can't give her soy, what can I give her? I guess that just leaves nursing. But I know that there has to be a formula out there for babies who were bottle fed and then found to be allergic. Any thoughts?
Regardless, I'm looking forward to next week's appointment to get more conclusive answers. In the end, however, allergies can be developed at any age. So just because she's not allergic to, say, tree nuts next week doesn't mean she won't develop an allergy for them in the future. What am I supposed to do, not let her eat forever just in case? How did we survive for the 6000 years before we trained allergists?
If you have any thoughts, advice, criticsm, or hints, I'd appreciate them.
Yesterday Was a Good Day
Yes it was. We began our day with our second Mommy and Me group activity, this time at Cold Stone for a tour (I know, I know...consorting with the enemy). It was great! We had a wonderful turnout and the 2 managers leading the tour were interesting and showed the kids how they dip their cones in chocolate and sprinkles as well as how they make their ice cream. I think everyone had a great time. And I got a single scoop cone of...chocolate cake batter.
Hold it! Hold it! There's a picture! That is because, thanks to this blog, my cousin found out that I didn't have a camera so she is lending us her really nice camera. Talk about kindness and generosity. It is definitely a step up from my 5 year old camera and I am so so so grateful for it! Thanks Kami!
After we got home from Cold Stone, I opened the fridge to make lunch and saw eggs...dozens and dozens of eggs. Again, consorting with the enemy. What am I supposed to do with all these eggs? Why we have them is a short long story but why they are still in our fridge is old news. The night before last, we had egg sandwiches on bagels for dinner and then Braden made a german pancake for lunch yesterday, just to try to get rid of the eggs. But we still had 5 1/2 dozen to go. So, I tried a new adventure: freezing eggs. I just cracked em, mixed em, and poured 3 Tbs each into sprayed muffin tins and froze them. It took a full 24 hours to freeze but then I just popped them out with a knife and put them in a baggie and back in the freezer. Wa-la. We'll see how they do.
I bought peaches and pears (as well as a bunch of other fruit) from Sprouts the other day because they were 39 cents a pound. Then I decided to can them. So I did. It was fun but I don't know how they turned out, besides that the jars sealed, because I don't want to open one! How boring is that! I tried my friend's suggestion to use white grape juice instead of a syrup so I'm looking forward to seeing how they taste. When I put all my beans and now peaches and pears in our closet for storage, I was so pleased with this new experimenting I've done. I love love love our refried beans from my canned beans. Delicious. If you want great recipes or tips, check out my friend's blog at youcancan.blogspot.com
After that, I made homemade fishsticks for dinner. We're trying to learn to like fish so we keep trying new ways to prep it. This wasn't bad! I used whole wheat bread and made it into bread crumbs, added a bit of oat flour, paprika, salt, and garlic, dipped the fish strips in flour, then egg, then the bread crumbs, baked them at 450 degrees for 5 minutes, flipped, then baked another 5 minutes, and wa-la! Of course, we served them with mashed potatoes, peas, and applesauce for dipping...
Then we had a Relief Society activity on making jams, both cooked and freezer and we had a great turnout! In the end, it was a great day.
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