Barbie

You know you are a Mom of two girls when all the band aids in the house are of Barbie! Here is a picture of my knee - can you believe this picture was takin just two days after surgery!

Saturday's Job

Last Saturday I defrosted and organized our garage freezer. I had been so busy cooking meals to freeze that I was running out of room because of all the ice build up. I don't think I defrosted it since we moved five years ago - yikes! But now look at how nice it looks and I had enough room to get all my meals in order.

I love having the prepared food around and it has especially come in handy this week. You see I had surgery on my knee yesterday. Thankfully it was minor and I'm recovering just fine. But it is so nice not to have to plan any meals for the next few days.

What is This?

One of the teachers that I work with has been telling me about this item. Some people think it is from the bottom of the ocean. Some think it is the newest Christmas decoration. Although these are good guesses, the answer is this is

ROMANESCO! You still might be confused about what this is - it is actually a vegetable! I did steam in for dinner and it taste pretty good. It is an Italian Cauliflower with a lime green color. If you ever see this at the store - buy one, break it apart, steam it and serve with a little salt & pepper. No need to add butter.

By the way, this wasn't purchased at the local grocery store. It was purchased from a local organic farm. One I'm going to look into next Spring.

Apple Day

I had off the past two days from my teaching job and I returned to my summer ways of domesticity. Lets just say that I've been cooking up a storm. In my freezer I have 4 meals of sloppy joes, 3 meals of Whiskey chicken, 3 meals of chicken cordon bleu, 4 meals of seafood stuffed shells, and 12 pans of apple crisp.

Yesterday was spent with my friend, Jen. We had two bushels of apples between us and we went after then in full force. We made 22 pans of apple crisp and I canned 9 quarts of apple butter for the first time. Both of us thought it was a lot easier to tackle a big project with the help of a friend, especially when you are questioning the "why" behind what you are doing.





The majority of my recipes came from, Cooking Among Friends. A big batch cookbook, written by a couple of local gals who also happen to sell the tin foil pans by the case. I purchased a case of 500 six years ago, and I'm finally getting low. I did divide up the tins with some other women - they freeze well, stack well, cook in them then throw them in your recycling bin (for easy clean up!)



The other inspiration for a lot of my recipes (especially the apple butter) are from the www.reluctantentertainer.com website. She is great and so inspirational with her ministry of cooking and hospitality.

By the way, I'm not pregnant! I'm just sticking out my gut! I don't want to start the rumor mills!

Pretty In Pink

When people do laundry some have a dark load, some a white load, some a load of towels and some a load of jeans. At our house we should have a load of pinks! My girls both love the color pink and it makes up the majority of their wardrobes.

The funny thing is that when my oldest daughter was born, my husband was adamant that she was not going to wear pink. That only lasted for a few days and now he is surrounded by pink. Funny how things like that turn around!

Fantasy Girl!

Now that I got your attention, I want to clarify things! First of all this is a family blog, so don't worry!!

I just wanted to share with you one of my hobbies - that would be fantasy football. You see my sweet husband loves football and I have to admit that I have always enjoyed it! It is my favorite spectator sport. so, a few years ago (six to be exact), I remember carting around our newborn baby daughter to a fantasy football draft. I had no idea what to expect. We showed up late, grabbed some pizza and started drafting. I was so new to this I didn't have a list of top players, or any idea of who and how to draft. Now, six years later I have a little more idea of who is playing and it brings watching professional football to a whole new level.

Welcoming Fall

Fall is my favorite time of year! There is something about the cool crisp temperatures, beautiful colored leaves and the smell of apple crisp baking. I just love it! Today is one of those days when the temperature is in the upper 50'S with a light rain and it makes you want to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea. So, that is exactly what I have been doing this afternoon.

Recently I have been reminded that we are humanBEINGS not humanDOINGS. So many times I place my own worth based on what I have gotten accomplished for the day - how many loads of laundry, food that has been prepared, cleaning, errands run, etc. Sometimes I just need to allow myself to be and not be so busy.

Here are a couple of pictures of my fall decorating to put you in the mood for welcoming in the fall weather.