Colorful Creations

!!PAINT!!

One of the things that my children love to do is paint. And I kinda like it too. I just throw on them a painting smock or one of my old t-shirts and let them go crazy. Perfect craft for any day, in any type of weather. It was a little confusing the first time for A though. The picture in the middle captures her expression: annoyance. As if she is saying, "why put me in a high chair with this stuff and then say I can't eat it??? What a waste smearing it all over this paper." But she caught on. Now she loves it. Especially getting to use paint brushes. There is something so fun about using a paint brush. Instead of just crazy hodgepodge, B is beginning to paint and draw pictures. He was given a small dump truck canvas to paint from Grandma Lorene and he actually painted in the lines! Yellow truck, brown wheels. I was so impressed. He continued to paint the border and of course every dump truck needs a load of dirt. So it got a little crazy but a year ago it would have just been a big blob of paint. Now it has a story. It's amazing how fast they grow and learn. And how much fun it is to be along for the ride.

Bed Bath & Beyond and Wheat Bread

So... our coffee maker broke. It still worked but the brew basket would occasionally pop out, brewing coffee all over our kitchen counter. And the grinder also would stick making it impossible to clean. So my mom and dad gave us theirs since they only used it when we were around.


I heard Bed Bath & Beyond was really  good with returns so I figured I would check it out. The coffee maker was a wedding gift so it was over 6 years old but no harm in asking, right? They gave us around $140 store credit!!! So I was finally able to get some really nice sauté pans, a cheese grater and two 1lb bread pans! And I still have over $50 left!!! I only had a large loaf pan before which made it hard to bake a regular loaf. I was really excited to try them out and today was the day. B and I donned our new aprons (a gift from our wonderful Grandma Lorene) and got to work.

Here is the dough divided into their pans and ready for their second rise. And my little munchkin who has been asking to play with bubbles all day. So I figured bake time was a perfect time.

And.... (drum roll please) dunnn - da - da - duuuuuuun!

A little soft inside but soooo yummy. There is something about fresh bread out of the oven slathered in honey butter. (Right, Rachel?) Between the kids and I we've already eaten half a loaf!

Oh, and I can't leave out a couple pictures of T. She's way too cute!

Here is the recipe I used:

Combine 2 1/2C warm water, 2 C whole wheat flour, 2t salt, 1/2 C oil and 1/2 C honey. Mix well. Then mix in 1 T yeast. Continue adding flour until you have a nice soft dough. About 4-5C. (I used about 3 C all purpose and 1-2 whole wheat) Knead, cover and let rise 30-40 minutes (till doubled in bulk). 

A little trick I've learned is that it's better to add less flour. I used to keep adding flower while kneading because the dough kept getting sticky but my bread was so hard and dense. One way to keep from getting to sticky is once you have a nice soft dough, oil your hands and the kneading surface instead of adding more flour. That trick and this recipe are from the wonderful DVD Homestead Blessings, The Art of Bread Making 

During rising time I usually wash the dishes but unfortunately the water had been shut off to do some plumbing work in another unit =/ So instead we had to rub the dough off our hands and then use baby wipes and paper towels.  (I don't know how I survived before baby wipes. They are amazing!) But hey, I actually had a legitimate excuse for not doing the dishes. That almost never happens.

After the rise, punch down and form into 2 loaves. Place in greased loaf pans and use a fork to poke several holes in dough. This helps with the rising. Cover and let rise a second time for a bout an hour.

Then bake at 350°F aproximately 30 minutes. Until golden brown. Let cool on wire rack. If you have the will power to let it cool before slicing into it, that is.

So far with this bread we have made the most amazing french toast (... for dinner), grilled cheese sandwiches to die for, toast with butter and jelly for breakfast and buttered to compliment tomato soup. I wish I made six loaves instead of 2! I need to learn to pace myself... or start exercising. ;)

Let me know if you try it yourself!

Pizza Pizza!

Well we were at that point where there was not much left in the fridge.... at all. I thought about making pizza. We had crust ingredients: check, mozzarella cheese: check, pizza sauce: ummm... no. But we had tomatoes. Then I thought, who needs pizza sauce?!? I whipped up the most delicious, easy pizza dough recipe. Brushed on some Extra Virgin Olive Oil, spread a bit of minced garlic. Topped with sliced tomatoes, some dried basil (fresh would have been awesome if I had it), and mozzarella. Crack some fresh pepper and salt. And bake.

And then... light bulb! What do you do with bread at Italian restaurants? Dip in EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar of course! Why not dip my pizza? So it's like a caprese salad/pizza/italian dipping bread. I know, genius, right? ;) just kiddin'. But really, it was pretty yummy.

Chicken and Dumplings

I love easy go to recipes and this is definitely one in my book. If you have some basics on hand it's easy to throw together when you don't have much energy to prepare something elaborate. Plus I'm kind of a huge fan of biscuits. So... ya...

Ingredients:
Butter or oil
garlic and or onion
carrots
celery
flour
chicken stock
chicken
bisquick & milk

Coat large pot with oil or butter. Sauté the onion and garlic a few minutes. Add chopped carrots and celery. Sauté another few minutes. Add enough flour to start a roux. (about 2T-1/4C) Stir in a let bubble for a bit. Add stock and chicken and boil till chicken is cooked. Meanwhile mix bisquick with milk till moistened. Shred or chop chicken and return to pot. Drop in scoops of bisquick, cover and simmer till biscuits are done. (maybe 5-10. I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention. he he) You can top with parsley. You can also add seasonings when sauteing the veggies: parsley, oregano, thyme, basil... whatever you like. Salt and pepper to taste.

I didn't have celery or onion when I made it last night but that's the marvelous thing about cooking. You can improv with what you have. That's how I came up with this recipe in the first place. :) Happy Cooking!

There was one in the bed and the little one said...

T rolled over! She's been close for a little while but officially on Thursday, May 7th, she rolled from her back to her tummy. She might have been trying earlier but I realized a week or so ago that I haven't really given her much tummy time or time on her back. Mostly because I don't trust B and A not to trample her if I put her on the floor. But I started putting her in her little play gym and she just loves it. She has reached the point where she understands what it is to play. Which is so fun. She will lie under her dangling toys and play and make the sweetest sounds of happy babyness. (I know, not a word. But I've been known to make up words. =)) In the past few days she has become quite the chatterbox. I was awakened from bed this morning with all her happy coos and gurgles, accompanied by an array of smiles, brighter than the sun. What a way to start the day! Along with a fresh cup of coffee of course.

Pretzels!

I love to include the kids in baking whenever possible and today was a fun one. I found a soft pretzel recipe on a blog site good(CHEAP)eats and coudn't resist the chance to let the kids cover my kitchen floor in flour. (he he just kiddin) But they do love to punch down the dough and roll out dough "snakes" They are great helpers.

After the soda wash

Fresh out of the oven!

Just a couple goof balls

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

One of my favorite ways to cook is with the crock pot! There's something about getting dinner started at 9am. Today I am doing chicken tacos with homemade taco sauce. I just googled a recipe (like I do) and this is the one I use:

(similar to the one found here)

Right now, so as not to hurt T's tummy, I omit the onion. And for B and myself I omit the ground red pepper. If you've seen A eat Tapatio you know she could probably handle it. he he.

This is a great way to stretch your chicken as well. I am using only one frozen chicken breast. Pour the sauce over the top. Add 1 green pepper, chopped. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Till done. Then Shred the chicken and return to crock pot. Serve with whole wheat tortillas, shredded lettuce, cheese, diced tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, rice and beans.... whatever you want, really.

Here's a picture of mine right now. Minus the bell pepper because I didn't have one. :(

We returned home from the park/Costco outing and as I am hauling in the goods I am attacked by the most ferocious dinosaur I've ever seen! he he... But dinner smelled great!

I was a little low on toppings but they were still yummy. After i assembled them I realized I should have put the chicken on top. Maybe next time I make it I'll update the finished product picture.

But delicious all the same!

Kid Talk

The things kids say are so fantastic. I think this is going to be a post that I continue to add to as they keep making me smile and laugh. And because I can't remember all of them off the top of my head. So stay tuned!


...and leave a comment to share what funny things your little one says.

B:

• For rhinoceros he says rino-ocerous
• any form of gun = cowboy  "Look, he's got a BIIIIG cowboy!" 
• Ketchup is called checkup
• Pick up truck = Hiccup Truck
• PINEapple... huh?.. HOOA!
• Computer = com-peeeter

A:

• Sleeping Beauty = Judy Sleeping
• Eskimo kisses = Eh-kiss-a-mo kiss
• Roller coaster = hella-coaster
• Refrigerator = fidg-a-later
• Oatmeal = Ope-a-me-o

Welcome the the Family

Hello everyone. So, my debut to the blogging world has arrived! I decided to create this site for all our friends and family far away to be able to "keep tabs" on us. ;) I will share photos of family outings, developmental milestones, perhaps some some of my culinary escapades and just the everyday fun and craziness that is our life; our wonderfully blessed life.

As we are now:
Sean is the warehouse coordinator for Crescent Helthcare, delivering infusion medication to at home patients. He enjoys laying the smack down on the racquetball court whenever he can. He is the sweetest husband who will set up my coffee the night before, texts me just to say he loves me and occasionally surprises me with a date day!  He is always ready to get down and wrestle with the kids and play games.




B will be 4 this July. He is 100% B-O-Y He loves to crash everything. He is a fan of anything that moves. Planes, trains, trucks, helicopters, spaceships... you get the idea. He also loves to dance and sing. Every night before bed he asks to sing "From the Highest of Heights" He loves to kick the soccer ball, throw the football and hit the baseball, and run the bases (which pretty much means to run to every corner of our apartment and then figure 4 slide somewhere in the living room.) He enjoys building with his blocks and making up new games for us to play. And he pretty much just goofs off any chance he gets.

A just turned 2 at the end of February. She is my favorite mix of girly and tomboy. She LOVES to take care of her baby. She dresses her, puts her in the high chair to feed her, swaddles her, gives her hugs and kisses, puts her to bed and sings her to sleep. She loves her sparkly shoes and putting flowers in her hair, but then she'll wrestle her brother to the ground and climb the highest ladder at the park (the one Blake is to nervous to try=)). And when she falls down she just jumps right back up and keeps going. Tough as nails. She can definitely hang with the big boys.

T was born December 20th, right on her due date, and weighed a whopping 10 pounds 2 ounces! Which makes her our biggest baby yet. She is three months old now but wears 6-9month clothes so she's not slowing down in the growth department. She loves her family, especially her daddy. Whenever she sees Sean her face lights up and she will just smile and gaze into his eyes. She is a very happy baby and very content. She sleeps wonderfully and is the BEST cuddle bug. It is so fun to see her little personality begin to come out. There's a lot more to come I know; you can see it sparkle in her eyes.

As for me, I have been incredibly blessed to be able to stay home with these munchkins since B was born. It is the greatest privilege to be entrusted to the raising and training of these precious souls. I marvel every day at them and pray for the grace to be all the the Lord would call me to be in their lives. Although I fall short more often that I would like to admit, I know that his grace abounds and His purposes will prevail, no matter how much I screw up. :)
I enjoy cooking and baking, singing and songwriting, being out in the sunshine, and coffee... definitely coffee.

So that's a brief overview of us. I am excited to share more with you as we travel along this journey of life. Stories of all the fun and smiles and sunshine that fill our lives.

Love,
Teresa Rose
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