Juicy Apple Popovers

"In everything give thanks".....so very true, not only this time of year but we should truly cherish this notion all year long.  I have a piece of artwork hanging at our front door that reads, "Begin Each Day With A Grateful Heart".   It is a reminder to us as we head out for our day that we need to remember and be grateful for all that we have, even the simplest things that we take for granted.

Even though we don't live in a perfect world we should feel blessed that we are perfectly imperfect.

LOVE this !

Well, in all of this thanks, it just wouldn't be fall without making our Juicy Apple Popovers.  I saw these being made by Gale Gand a bazillion years ago when food tv was just getting started.  She was one of the first "food stars" and I just loved watching her show Sweet Dreams.  She is so adorable, no ego, very gracious  and makes you feel like you can bake anything!!

These are kind of like an individual fluffy apple pancake.

Juicy Apple Popovers

Recipe courtesy Gale Gand


2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons plus 6 tablespoons butter
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup raisins (or dried sweetened cranberries)

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Whisk the eggs and milk together in a medium bowl. Add the flour, salt, and sugar and whisk to blend. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and whisk it into the batter.

In each cup of regular sized muffin tins, divide cold butter, apple and raisins. Place the muffin tins in the oven for 5 minutes to melt the butter and cook the apples slightly.

Remove the tins from the oven and pour the batter into each cup filling them half way up.

 Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake until puffed and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Serve hot.

Whipped Feta Crostini and The Other Woman

Christmas is here and I cannot believe it.  I got the clue that it is Christmas when my radio station switched their programming this past Friday at 5:00 pm to 24-7 holiday music - that is the true sign. The magic day is only one month away.

My girls actually tried to talk me into taking down the Thanksgiving decorations and put up all the Christmas holiday decor (minus the tree).  You have got to be kidding me, there isn't even dust on the Fall decor yet...of course we are not taking it down!!

My new holiday workout!

It is inevitable though that I succumb to the holidays, I am singing away to Mariah Carey, Kenny Loggins and Amy Grant holiday tunes in the car, I have started my trek of gift purchasing.  I have post-it lists tucked inside my purse with little reminders of who may have mentioned something that caught their eyes the past 6 months that I think would be a special gift.  I strategically placed the incognito cardboard hiding box in the garage where these little treasures will be stored.  Now, if I can just keep the snoopers out of it for the next 30 days.

 At the end of our weekend, we headed to our local Snifters Wine and Spirits.  The owners Vince and Marie (and their 2 dogs Sammy and Andy) host a wine tasting every Saturday night.  They are a darling team that have wonderful tastings every week along with Robin's Chocolates.  They seem to find the most perfect pairings with each tasting.

A peak of Robin's delectable creations.

We already had a bottle of one of our standbys at home, Immortal Zin.  So for our tasting pairing with appetizer, we found The Other Woman red blend.  When we checked out, our cashier said  to my husband without missing a beat "Would you like your other woman in a bag?".  I absolutely cracked up!!!

The Other Woman

For our evening appetizer, I found this amazing, flavorful crostini on Pinterest  that is perfect for any time of the year. Truly easy to make and the combination is absolutely delicious.

Whipped Feta Crostini 
Adapted from onelittleproject.com

Whipped Feta Spread:
6 ounces Feta cheese
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon, juiced

Tomato Topping:
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 pounds cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
Salt and Pepper

Crostini:
1 or 2 baguettes, sliced (each baguette will give you about 20 to 25 slices
if you cut the pieces about 1/2" thick).

Olive oil to brush baguette slices

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chop the cherry tomatoes into quarters.  Combine with the onion, basil, red wine vinegar, and olive oil.  Season as desired with salt and pepper.

Combine the feta, cream cheese, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper in a food processor.  Mix until creamy.

Brush both sides of baguette with olive oil and bake them on a cookie sheet just until they start to brown.

Spread the whipped feta mixture generously on top of the baguette slices. Top with the tomato mixture and serve.

Enjoy!!

Cranberry Bliss Bars and Cosmopolitan Martinis

Day 2 of Felicia's visit began with a sinful pastry and coffee at our favorite European bakery Romana Cake House where we also purchased the most heavenly Turtle Bar Chocolate Cake.  We then moved on to get the ultimate Mani-Pedi, which I was very much overdue.  There's nothing more relaxing than soaking in the jacuzzi bubble lined foot tub and having a hot stone massage on your achy legs - pure heaven!!

Looks at these new and gorgeous tootsies!!

After we pampered ourselves, off to Boulder we went for yet more eating and the first of our shopping excursions.  We walked the famous Pearl Street Mall and also hit Charming Charlie, my ultimate momma's accessory mecca.  The store is marketed towards teens and young 20's, but I absolutely love this place. It is all color coded, which caters to my color coordinated closet (don't judge).  My sister-in-law Cathy introduced me to it in California and I have been hooked ever since.  My biggest weakness used to be shoes, but since I have developed old lady plantar fasciitis, my new addiction is purses and bags. (Oh don't get me wrong, I still love to buy shoes, just can't wear them as well anymore).

The secret recipe Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars
Cut them in the perfect size triangles like Starbucks and no one will know the difference.

While we were out, Starbucks was running a promotion on their holiday drinks - buy one, get one free!  Always love a great peppermint mocha frappuccino deal....as we ordered, I peeked in their treat case and there they were - the Cranberry Bliss Bars were back!!!!  I had never had these until I was at our neighbor Toni and Dave's Christmas party in Alaska a couple years ago.  Toni's friend Donna, made a tray of these.  I ate one...then another....then another.  I'm just sure I embarrassed myself as I stayed glued to the buffet table drooling over these bars.  The good news - Donna was nice enough to give me the low down secret recipe to these and now I don't have to wait for Starbucks or the holidays to make them.  The bad news - I make these all the time...and let's just say that they are not a low-cal dessert, but oh, they are so yummy.

After a long day of shopping, our weary (but still beautiful legs and feet) needed my husband's Cosmopolitan prescription to be filled.  I made bourbon glazed salmon with a lemon-butter dill sauce for dinner, had a beautiful fire going and finished it off with our chilled martinis.  The perfect end to a fun day!

Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar
Adapted from Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur

Cake:
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1-1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 Tbl. minced crystallized ginger
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup chopped sweetened dried cranberries
4 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks

Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cps powdered sugar
4 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup chopped sweetened dried cranberries

Drizzled Icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbl. milk
2 tsp. melted white chocolate
zest of lemon or orange

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make cake by beating the butter and brown sugar together with electric mixer, until smooth.  Add the eggs, ginger, vanilla and salt and beat well.  Gradually mix in the flour and baking powder until smooth.  Fold in the dried chopped cranberries and white chocolate chunks into the batter by hand.  Pour the batter into a buttered 9 x 13 baking pan.  Use offset spatula to spread the batter evenly across the pan.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake is lightly browned on top.  Allow the cake to cool.

Make the frosting by combining the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.  When the cake has cooled, use another offset spatula to spread the frosting over the top of the cake.  Sprinkle the remaining chopped dried cranberries over the frosted cake.

Make the drizzled icing by whisking the powdered sugar, milk and melted white chocolate and zest.  Drizzle the icing over the frosted/cranberry cake.

Cover the cake and let chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.  slice the cake lengthwise (the long way) through the middle.  Slice the cake across the width three times, making a total of eight rectangular slices.  Slice each of those rectangles diagonally, creating 16 triangular slices.

Churchill Downs Signature Barbecue Shrimp

I know it may seem a little early for the Kentucky Derby....however, we were in the throws of celebration last week.  As you know, my very dear friend Felicia, came to Colorado for the first time for business, then was sweet enough to extend her trip and spend a few days with me and my family.  All I could think was, "look out Colorado".

Jason's Deli at downtown Denver's 16th Street Mall

 You see, every time we get together, it is trouble, laughs, shopping, pampering, overeating, adult beverages and that's usually just the first day, then we do it all over again each day after that.  This trip was no different.  I picked her up in Denver and within 20 minutes we were in tears of laughing too hard at Jason's Deli.

Felicia ready for her "flight".

One of her requests was to visit our famous  Left Hand Brewery located in downtown Longmont, just down the street from us.  I had never been either, so it was the perfect first tourist stop for both of us.  She ordered up her "flight" of tastings and away the night went from there, all the while continuing our craziness and laughter.

I have previously mentioned that Felicia is a vegetarian, so I get to create seafood dishes for us during her visits.  I am a fanatic for shrimp (just ask my husband), as I tend to go a little overboard on it sometimes.

Tonight I made the famous shrimp dish from Churchill Downs that I saw being made last year.  It was a hit!!!  They usually make it over cheddar grits, but I made my Easy Corn Souffle which really mellowed out the spiciness of the shrimp's sauce and added such richness to the dish.  The souffle also makes a great side dish addition to Thanksgiving dinner.

Churchill Downs Signature Barbecue Shrimp
Adapted from Levy Restaurants Executive Chef Jo-Jo Doyle

2 pounds - jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 ounces - light olive oil
1 Tbl. - crushed garlic
1/4 pound - unsalted butter, cold and quartered
10 ounces white wine **              
4 - 6 ounces - Louisiana Hot Sauce (like Frank's Red Hot Wings Sauce)
3 ounces - Worcestershire Sauce

** Since we had enough "beverages" that evening, I substituted the white wine with chicken broth and it was equally as great.

Add oil to a large saute pan, on high heat.  Add shrimp and cook until very light pink on one side, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic to the pan and stir.  Then add white wine (or broth) and cook until liquid has reduced by half.  Stir in hot sauce and Worcestershire.  Remove cooked shrimp and pan and arrange on serving dish. Continue to reduce the sauce for about one minute longer.  Remove pan from heat and add the chunks of cold butter.  Swirl butter until the sauce develops a velvety texture.  Pour sauce over shrimp on plate and garnish.

Easy Corn Souffle

1 can of corn, drained
1 can of creamed corn
2 eggs
1 box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup melted butter
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a greased casserole dish.

Bake 30-45 minutes, until a very light golden brown and center is soft and fluffy.

Pear Tart and Prayers

It is quite a busy week here that started this past weekend.  Raking, raking and raking leaves...getting ready for my very dear friend Felicia...competitive volleyball start-up and big high school volleyball awards dinner by Friday.

I have compiled lists everywhere in the house for what needs to be done before our special guest arrives.    We are trying to take advantage of the good weather to the yards winterized, not knowing when the first real big snowfall will happen.  I have been doing my weekly menu planning and coordinating our tourist sights for Felicia to see during her short visit with us.

All of this seems so insignificant though, as I read my friend Toni's post tonight.  Her niece was born last week and for an unknown reason is needing extra medical attention and tests to find out what is going on.  She is just the most beautiful little angel and knowing her aunt, will have a great fighting spirit to take on this mystery.

I wish I could be there to just sit, listen, pray with them and offer a hug to nurture the unknown.  If there is one thing that I have learned about babies, they are all fighters and I truly know the power of prayer.

My Favorite Pear Tart
For Leah and Her Family

1 pound pears, cored and sliced 1/2 inch thick
Juice from half a lemon, divided
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for coating pan.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of table salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon-sugar ( 2Tbls sugar + 1/2 tsp cinnamon, mixed together )

Toss the pears with half the lemon juice as soon as they are sliced and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly brush a 9" springform pan with butter.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, then mix in vanillas.  Reduce to low speed and incorporate the flour mixture just until the batter comes together.  Pour batter into the springform pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula;  wrap the pan in plastic and chill at least 20 minutes or overnight.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator.  Arrange the pears in a concentric circle on top of the dough.  Squeeze the remaining lemon juice evenly over the pears, then lightly sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Bake tart until edges are golden and center is set, 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Allow tart to cool in the pan.  Run a sharp paring knife around the edge and remove the springform.

Pasta E Fagioli Soup

I am not one to believe in coincidences....I used to, but after many, many years of revelations, growing up and soul searching I have learned that there are no such things as coincidence.

In my effort to fight off the terrible effects of this cruel joke that by body is going through (the combination of PMS and Pre-Menopause), I have been trying to get myself back to going to the gym with my husband.  He is so good about going and looks terrific.  I on the other hand am battling the blog bulge all this "taste testing" from the creative new recipes I have been trying out on my family.

Yesterday I did not want to go to the gym.  It's darker earlier here and I just wanted to go home (cause you know know how much I love Tuesdays), get into my pj's, start Taco Tuesday prepping and watch my addictive NCIS and Person of Interest.

I got the energy though and went to the gym...met up with my husband right on time and jumped on my favorite treadmill at the end of the row.  I typically plug in my headphones, tune out the world and get caught up on the news of the day.  Today though, I just couldn't take another minute of more bad news that is happening in our world.

I quickly scanned through their 25 ceiling mounted tv screens the gym has up and strangely enough the ESPN channel caught my eye.  The program airing was called E:60 and featured a story about Jeff Agar and his son John.  They are the father and son team that have traveled the country doing marathons, triathlons and iron man races, together as a team.

Jeff and John Agar

John was born with Cerebral Palsy and typically uses a wheelchair in the races with his father.  On August 17, 2013 in Rockford, Michigan, John crossed the finish line for the first time on his own, as he said that he "wanted to give his dad a break".  As I watched the video of his heroic life and amazing parents that have stood by his side, he truly is an example of achievement and reaching for your dreams, no matter what obstacles you may encounter.  It's hard to really describe in words his story, so I invite you to watch his amazing finish.  As I am on the treadmill watching this touching story, I teared up and started sobbing.  http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2013/08/watch_johnny_agar_cross_mitche.html

So, there I am trying to keep up with wiping my tears and not fall of the treadmill at the same time with my overrun of emotion...no coincidence that I didn't give up the gym that day.  If I had not shown up, I never would have seen this incredibly inspiring young man and I feel so blessed that I had the opportunity to be touched by this motivating family. His story will warm your heart and soul....just like a good bowl of soup. 

Pasta E Fagioli
Adapted from www.thecountrycook.net

1 pound ground beef (or I used ground pork)
1 small onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 (26 oz.) container beef stock
1 jar (25 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. ground black pepper
salt, to taste
1 cup ditalini pasta (or your favorite pasta shape)

Brown and crumble ground meat.  Drain excess grease.
Add all the other ingredients to the slow cooker (except for pasta) and stir.
Set slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
During the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, add in the pasta and stir.

***The pasta likes to absorb a lot of the liquid so if you like your soup more brothy/soupy, be prepared to have an extra can of beef broth handy.  You can add it in towards the end.

Cherry Cheesecake Brownies

Today is a big shout out to my husband.  He just returned from a guys weekend in Pittsburgh with one of his buddies.  They toured the state and hit part of New York state also.  In their quest for the perfect sandwich, they scouted out the famous Primanti Bros. diner in search for the ultimate pastrami sandwich - it was found there!!

Also in Pittsburgh, is Abby Lee Dance Company Studios, home to the Dance Moms television show, which I think almost every teenage girl (and some moms) are addicted to - I call it the modern day soap opera for teenagers.  Okay, yes even I have gotten sucked into a few episodes...

Bravery at its best.

Picture if you will, two 50-year old men walking into this ultimate teens dance studio that is overloaded in bling, fuschia pink and spandex.  They were on a mission to find gifts for their daughters. These dads did not dare get on a plane to come back home without tokens in tow.  I think that took great courage and love to be able to walk in there to fulfill their dad duties.

You can never go wrong with a bedazzled sports top.

They picked out the perfect gift for their active daughters sports tops and shorts.  My husband deserved a special goody for his success.   I was short on time and had to wing it, but was able to pull off his two favorite desserts in one - cherry cheesecake and brownies with chocolate chips.  He is very particular about his brownies...likes them to have a cake texture (not fudge-like). and after the batter has been poured into the baking pan, he likes a couple of handfuls of chocolate chips to be sprinkled all around the pan, before they are baked.  Please know that there are just some days I am all about being "semi-homemade".  This dessert was awesomely easy and so rich and delicious at the same time.

Cherry Cheesecake Brownies

 Dedicated to great Dads everywhere.

(1) box of your favorite Brownie mix 
(ingredients needed to make brownies; eggs, canola oil and water)
(1) box of Jello brand No-Bake Cheesecake mix 
(ingredient needed to make cheesecake mix; cold milk)
(1) can of cherry pie filling
2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
4 Tbl. butter

Mix your favorite brownie mix according to directions and pour in prepared 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle 1-1/2 cups of chocolate chips all over batter.  Bake according to instructions.  Let cool.

Prep the cheesecake mix according to directions.  (Do not prepare the included graham cracker crust - save for another day/recipe).  Spread prepared cheesecake mixture all over the cooled brownies.
Let chill in refrigerator.

While cheesecake brownies are cooling, prepare the ganache.  Microwave the other 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in bowl for about 1-2 minutes.  Add the butter and whisk until you see a glistening, glaze texture.  Drizzle over cheesecake brownies and continue to refrigerate until ready to serve.

Spoon cherry pie filling over each serving, as needed.

Linguine with Lemon, Prosciutto and Cream

It's Saturday and I am so very happy that it is.  I have been completely exhausted all week long.  I don't know if it is the change of seasons (or the change of life).  Whatever it is, I am looking forward to a little bit of sleeping in tomorrow morning.  Angus and Theo I'm sure will have a different opinion on whether I get to have some extra shut eye or not. I wish I could say that shutting my bedroom door would persuade them, but Angus has learned to "knock" on the door with his very large bear paw.  Needless to say, he always wins.

Halloween is finally over and we can get on with the Fall.  The black and orange decorations will come down this weekend and in with the harvest cornucopias, Pilgrims and fall foliage all around the house.  My favorite is the pumpkin pie and apple cinnamon candles that I love to take in.  Truthfully I like having them all year long, as they just always seem to keep the house smell so warm and cozy (especially when the dogs are overdue on their baths).

One of last spring's garage sale finds - I love beautiful bargains!!

Tonight is girls night in.  Husband is out of town for a few days, which means a "carb fest" for us girls.  He is not a big fan of pasta - probably because I like to experiment with it so much.  How can you not though - all those fun shapes, varieties of sauces, various veggies and proteins you can put with it.

The girls' favorite Thanksgiving decoration that we have had forever.

Both girls have requested their take on an Alfredo sauce.  I have The Pioneer Woman's recipe for the younger one - she loves this version of the sauce. It is so basic, easy and delicious.  Goes great with every type of pasta and especially with some grilled chicken on top.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/alfredo-sauce-recipe/index.html  

The older one has a more mature, high maintenance palette.  She loves exotic tastes and layered flavors - nothing boring or simple about this girl.

Linguine with Lemon and Cream
Cuisine At Home, October 2006 issue

8 slices prosciutto or ham, cut crosswise into strips
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tsp. lemon zest, minced 
freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 lb. dry linguine

1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Saute prosciutto in melted butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add broth and cook 1 minute.

Stir in cream, lemon juice and zest.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes, then season with pepper.  Keep the sauce covered and warm while cooking the pasta.

Prepare linguine according to package directions.  Drain; transfer to the pan with the sauce and stir over medium heat to incorporate.

Off heat, stir in cheese; transfer to a serving platter.

Garnish with additional lemon zest.

Tamale Casserole

"A rite of passage" a ceremony or event marking an important stage in someone's life.  Yep, that is exactly what has happened this year to our girls.

After 14 years of tirelessly looking for the perfect costume, dressing up, trick-or-treating, it is finally over.    They are now in high school and it has all disappeared, just like that.  As the past few years have gone by, their costumes have become much more simple, yet home made and really putting their creative minds at work and the groups of teens have dwindled down for the race to each house in search of the best candy.

The first years.....

This year, we still carved the best ever pumpkins, decorated the inside and outside of the house, and purchased candy for the little children.  This year is different though...for the first time, there will not be any dressing up or racing to houses.  Instead my young adults have decided they want to be the ones to hand out candy to the cute up and coming trick-or-treaters.

....I really miss these days.

I don't know who is more sad and disappointed, me or them.  I used to have fun dressing up with them whenever I could.  I even had the same 50's poodle skirt ensemble as they did, complete with a bleach blonde beehive wig - it was the best!!

Last year's final costume appearance.

So there you have it, we are one step closer to seeing our kids, not be kids anymore and yet we have so much to look forward to as we watch them grow into the adults that they will soon become.

Another Halloween tradition that has followed us, since the day I met my husband is Tamale Casserole.  It comes from the family cookbook and we have either made it (or been served it) every year for the past 20 Halloweens. This is not the usual casserole that you would expect to see, it's like a homemade chili on steroids (as my husband so creatively describes it). It's a crock pot creation that is perfect to come home to on a cold fall night after trick-or-treating.

Tamale Casserole
Courtesy of JoAnne and Dick

(3) extra large or (6) regular size tamales (beef or pork), cut into large chunks
(2) cans Hormel chili (without beans)
(1) large can sliced black olives, drained
(1) 15 ounce can corn, drained
2/3 pound cheddar cheese, grated
(1) 15 ounce can tomato sauce

Mix together all ingredients.  Heat in a slow cooker on low heat setting for 8 hours. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Taco Tuesdays

I know the title of this post reads "Taco Tuesdays", and yet today is Wednesday.  As hard as I tried yesterday, I just couldn't get the post finished when it should have.  You see, Tuesdays are by far my least favorite day of the week.  I know everyone else seems to dread Mondays, but for me it is without a doubt...Tuesdays that I really don't look forward to.

Everything goes wrong and chaotic on Tuesdays. Wake up late, girls wake up cranky, get to school late, cold weather makes an expanded crack all the way through my windshield.  Of course the crack conveniently goes right through my line of sight, so it's bad enough that I am already wearing transitional bi-focals, but now my windshield has it's own bi-focal line now?  Tuesdays are not my favorite!!

The only good thing that came out of this Tuesday was that the girls made these precious Halloween cupcakes, to keep our house in the spirit of the season....because there just isn't enough orange and black all over the place.

Chocolate makes everything better...even Tuesdays.

The best part of all was my husband's annual pumpkin carving event.  Every year the girls pick out their custom designs that they want carved.  As they have gotten older, they tape them up on the pumpkins, do the tooled punching of the design, then the best part comes...Mr. Makita.  Thank goodness my husband has a garage full of custom tools for this one day of the year.  He has really mastered the art of his Makita drill bits and carving of the pumpkins.

The younger's scary creation.

Every year he says, this is the last year he will do this.  Thankfully 360 days later, he has forgotten that and the girls talk him into doing it all over again.  This year though, was his masterpiece.  The oldest girl is on a Monsters Inc movie kick right now and found a Mike Wazowski template for her carving.  Are you kidding me??  I thought my husband was going to have a heart attack.  I was so proud of him though, he stepped it up and nailed the design.

Meet Mr. Wazowski

I have gotten into the routine of making some kind of Mexican food (primarily tacos) on Tuesdays.  It stems from a place in Miltona, Minnesota called "Club Miltona" that we used to visit for a few summers with our dear friends.  "Taco Tuesday" was their big draw for the week and the place was packed.  Darling, small town USA place that we will never forget...and the phrase and meal just stuck with us after all these years.

However, this recipe comes from my sister-in-law's very good friend.  These tacos are not your ordinary ingredients, but they are awesome together!!

Sandy's Tacos

Meat Mixture
(2) pounds ground beef or ground turkey
Lawry's Taco Seasoning Mix
1/2 white onion, diced

Tortillas
flour tortillas
finely grated parmesean cheese
canola oil

Dressing
4 tbl. balsamic vinegar
4 tbl. olive oil
salt
pepper
1 tbl. dijon mustard

Brown the onions and meat together until full cooked through.  Add the taco seasoning mix, according to directions and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Heat the canola oil at medium-high and fry the tortillas on both sides until lightly brown, but are still pliable.
Lightly sprinkle some of the parmesean cheese on top and either fold like a taco shell or let sit if you are going the tostada route.

Mix the dressing ingredients and let sit while you assemble with the following recommended condiments:  cilantro, diced red onion, chopped tomatoes, shredded mexican blend cheese, shredded lettuce, 2 ears of corn (cooked and shaved from husk), 3 chopped jalapenos, avocado and sour cream.

Once you have assembled your taco, drizzle with the dressing.

Suzie's Pumpkin Bread

I needed some cheering up today. Almost a year has gone by since we have seen our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter.  It was Thanksgiving last year when spent a very memorable long weekend with the three of them and they announced they were having twins.

We miss them so much and look forward to the day we can see their entire, newly expanded family.  Our son sent us photos of the kids at their pumpkin patch festival they went to last weekend.  They are getting so much bigger and it just reminds me of how fast our two girls have grown up.  I remember taking them to their first pumpkin patch with their Papa.

Big sister and new little brother.

Big sister and new little sister.

I needed to do something to take up my time and keep my mind off all these beautiful blessings of ours that are growing older right before our eyes. Baking was going to be my plan of attack to help pass the time today.

I received this pumpkin bread recipe about 20 years ago from a lady I worked with.  Back in the day I worked the retail world for awhile to earn some extra money, as my future husband and I were just starting out.  It was an upscale boutique and the manager's name was Susan.  She always made trays and trays of these to set out every holiday season.  It made the husbands very happy (and occupied them) as their ladies spent a whole lot of money in one afternoon.  We even had a few celebrities shop there and they also loved these breads.

Find the largest bowl you have.

Lined up for some love'n.

Once I tried these little pieces of heaven, I could not stop eating them through my work schedule.  I think I gained 5 pounds that month - not a good thing when you are trying to portray a high-end image in their clothing...just as well, since I wasn't a fashion design major anyway.  I brought loaves of these to everyone last Thanksgiving. Friends and family all devoured these - especially our granddaughter, she loves Nana Suzie's Pumpking Bread.

Suzie's Pumpkin Bread

(7) cups All Purpose Flour
(6) cups White Granulated Sugar
4 tsp. Baking Soda
4 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
(2) cups Canola or Vegetable Oil
6 Eggs
1-1/3 cup Water
(1) 29 ounce Canned Pumpkin (like used for pumpkin pies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Get the largest bowl you can possible find - this makes a huge amount of batter for 14 mini loaves or 6 regular loaf size pans.

Spray your loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray (spray bottom and sides of pans).

Mix all wet ingredients well with hand held mixer.  In a separate bowl mix and blend all the dry ingredients.  Add one cup of the flour mixture at a time to the wet mixture, making sure that it is well blended after each cup has been added.

Pour 1 cup of the batter mixture in each mini-loaf pan.  (I bake 7 loaves at a time for even baking and let them bake on a large sheet pan for easy transportation to and from the oven).

Bake 45-60 minutes.

Pumpkin Pancakes Morning

It's pumpkin week here for my little teen pumpkins.  We are on to the countdown before Halloween arrives. I don't know anyone who loves fall more than my girls, especially the younger one (also known as Baby B, as she was born one minute after the first one).

I think my favorite part of the this season is bringing out all their special decorations they have made over the years.  I love seeing them every fall, pulling them carefully out of their hibernation from being stored the past year and reliving the memories of when they were made.

Many fond fall memories of Halloweens past.

My mom still has the custom painted, paper mache pumpkin that I made in kindergarten.  The top was cut off and all the kids each hand tied their black ribbons through the top to make a handle and be used for trick-or-treating.  To this day, my mom still uses that pumpkin to display the candy she gives out to today's children at her front door.

This morning Baby B, my Saturday morning buddy woke up with a craving for her usual pancakes. I have made them hundreds of times for her and could probably do it blind folded by now.  However, this time she threw a spin on it....she wanted pumpkin pancakes.  I have never made pumpkin pancakes in my life.  I know my pumpkin bread, pumpkin bars and pumpkin spice cookies.  Not a problem, I got this....Now, there is a long running debate in our household on pancakes (soft and fluffy vs. thin and small).  My husband was out golfing this morning taking advantage of the warm weather, so Baby B and I had the majority vote: soft and fluffy it was!!  I am curious, what is your vote??

I pulled out my trusty Bisquick and got creating. I played with the spice drawer and kept adding a little here and a touch there.  The end result was so delicious, and easy.  This recipe may need to be added to our annual fall decorating weekend traditions.

Homemade decorations and our new semi-homemade pancakes.

Pumpkin Pancakes
Inspired by Baby B

2 cups Bisquick Baking Mix
1-1/4 cups Milk
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice (add more depending on your spice level)
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 Tbl. Canola Oil (or Vegetable Oil)

Mix all ingredients until well blended.
Pour slightly less than 1/4 cupful onto hot, greased griddle or frying pan.
Cook until edges are dry and middle starts to slightly bubble.  Turn and cook until golden.

Serve with butter and fresh maple syrup.

Pasta, Parent Conferences and Pantry Purging

"The Great American Pantry Purge" phrase was coined by my friend Toni in Alaska.  I am so envious of her, because the pantry in her house is larger than my bathroom.  One weekend we were over at their house for dinner, she told me what she had planned for our menu that night and further explained that it is was because they were in the middle of their Great American Pantry Purge Week...meaning that she was using and cooking with what was already in the house - she made it sound so much fun with her catchy phrase.

Fast forward, I have been diligently trying to keep with my coupon cutting, weekly calendar dinner menu planning (so I only need to hit the grocery store once during an entire week) and really trying to pay attention to what I can use up in the kitchen.  Nothing makes me more crazy than over buying something that I already have an abundance of in the pantry...how many cans of tomato soup and tuna does one house need, really??

Angus watching mom purge, organize and collecting his socks around the house.

A few weeks ago were parent-teacher conferences at our girls' school.  They have a wonderful program where the leadership academy students and parents make dinner for all the staff that are there late at night for conferences and don't have time to run out for a quick meal.  This time the theme was Italian - perfect!!

The best news of all was that the meal I wanted to make, I was able to purge everything I already had on hand in our kitchen.  I just love it when a plan falls into place.

As I have previously mentioned, my husband's family published their own family cookbook.  Some of the recipes go back three generations and have stood the test of time and taken on their own spin as the various family members try them out.

The famous family cookbook.

One of our go-to favorites is "Grannie's Lasagna".  Awesome quick fix, weeknight casserole that is perfect for families or pot lucks, and even makes great leftovers too. So, purge your pantry away while you enjoy this one and for all those great teachers out there who give so much of their time.  After dealing with teenagers all day, it's the least I could do for them.  I even purged our remaining King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls into these delicious garlic, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese bread creations - yummy!!!

Grannie's Lasagna
Courtesy of Jan and Will

(1) 12-ounce package noodles (egg, bow tie, etc.)
(1) 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
(1) pint sour cream
1/2 pound Parmesan cheese
1 to 2 pounds ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 to 2 cans tomato sauce (or 1 jar of marinara or spaghetti sauce)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon sugar

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Saute meat, onion and garlic.  Drain meat.  Add tomato sauce and sugar, set aside.  Boil noodles as directed.  Mix drained noodles with cream cheese and sour cream.  Spray Pam in large casserole dish and spread noodles in bottom of dish.  Add meat mixture on top and finish off with fresh Parmesan cheese.  Bake uncovered approximately 45 minutes, until bubbly.

Also needed to purge Mark West Pinot Noir

Chicken Tortilla Soup For The Weary

"There is no rest for the weary." I looked up this phrase, because I love to know where and how idioms came about (not to mention that I have really been feeling it lately) and here is what one definition said:

Prov. Even people who are worn-out must continue to work. (Describes a situation in which a tired person has to do more work.).  Isn't this the same definition, next to the word MOM in the dictionary??

It has been over 2 weeks since my last post and I feel like I have been gone for months.  My friend Toni is kicking my - - - in the number of her posts this month and I am feeling very behind. Oh, not to worry though, I have been photographing outings and recipes and still driving my family crazy during the past few weeks. I just have not had one moment to sit down and write.  We have been go, go, go!!!

It truly has been a whirlwind couple of weeks, starting with high school volleyball tournament last weekend. As I volunteered at the beginning of the season to be the team parent, I jumped on the bus with the team (promising to not embarrass my children of course) and away we went.  The team was victorious and fought on to take first place - I was so proud of each and every one of them.  Their high school team as of today is undefeated and they have one more game to go for the season to keep their record - I am quite certain I am more nervous about it than they are.

One of our volleyball stars.

  My stress level is already starting to peak with the upcoming birthdays and holidays.  My husband's is mid-December, then we have Christmas and of course I had to pick the end of December to have twins....so, holidays tend to raise my tension level just a bit. I am already trying to figure out who will be getting what gifts and when, deciding what is the best for a Christmas vs. Birthday present.  We have also been blessed this year with our 2 additional twin grandbabies, giving is a total of 3 amazing grandchildren now.  I am making all the grandkids blankets this year, so trying to find the perfect material and patterns for their sweet little personalities.  Let us also not forget the deadline of trying to get packages out in the mail to our families, so I don't have to pay the exorbitant "last minute because I didn't get my act together in enough time mailing fees".

Then there's also my very dear friend Felicia coming to visit me next month.  I want everything perfect for her so she can be spoiled during her stay with us.  She has done so much for me and my family that I want to make her time here special and memorable.  I have no doubt that adult beverages will be involved in those memories - she has already put in a request for my husband's Cosmos.  Stay tuned for postings during that week...should be very interesting to say the least.

To add some fun into the mix, my work is beyond crazy, busy!  I no sooner get to work and it's time to go home.  My days are rapidly going by with all the daily tasks, schedules, clients, paper trails and e-mails. Not complaining though, I would take it that way over being bored, any day!!

Look closely and you can see the other volleyball star being funny!
Now you know why every parent needs a margarita during road trip weekends.

My husband had also been begging me to do a road trip and get away for the weekend.  We tossed around many ideas and learned that Mt. Rushmore was only 5-1/2 hours from us.  I jumped online and did my tourist research because I am such a planner like that.  It turns out that Keystone, South Dakota basically shuts down October 1st every year after their tourist season.  Perfect!!  Got a great hotel for an amazing rate, no crowds at the National Monument and no waiting at restaurants and the weather couldn't have been better for this time of year. 

The girls loved all the history at Mt. Rushmore and we were really taken back by the beauty of the monument. We took in every moment there and learned everything that it stood for, the sculptor and the stories behind it.  Of course, the movie fan that I am, I had to stake out every location sight from where they filmed National Treasure 2 there.  

The locals taking over the highway.

The wildlife before, during and after the visit there was the best though.  Our daughters really had a great time seeing all these amazing creatures in their natural environment yet completely okay being around tourists too.  We even had time to see the Crazy Horse Memorial,  Black Hills Ghost Town and The Flintstones Resort in Custer, SD (yes, you read that correctly). http://www.flintstonesbedrockcity.com/

Our drive home took us through quite the storm from South Dakota, through Wyoming and even into Colorado.  It was cold, rainy and extremely windy.  We were all tired and needed a nice bowl of hearty soup for our chilled bones, to end our perfect weekend.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Inspired by Chicken Enchilada Soup (on realmomkitchen.com )at http://realmomkitchen.com/463/chicken-enchilada-soup-and-my-top-10-soup-recipes/

(1) 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
(1) 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
(1) 10 ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow, green or red bell pepper
(1) 10 ounce can enchilada sauce (mild)
(1) 10.75 ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
1-1/2 cups milk
(1) cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese (4 ounces)
(2) cooked chicken breasts, diced

Mix beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, pepper and chicken in a large pot.  Whisk together enchilada sauce soup and milk and pour over soup mixture in pot.  Stir well.

Bring to a low boil over medium heat, then cover and  turn to low and let simmer for about an hour.

Serve with the pepper jack cheese,  sour cream, sliced avocado and tortilla strips.

This is what Theo thought of us leaving him for the weekend.

Needless to say, he wasn't very happy when we returned and didn't mind letting us know.