So much too think about, so much to write....I think part of the reason I have a hard time blogging is because I have TOO MUCH TO SAY! And I don't want to be boring! I want people to read and enjoy my blog. My intellectual brain says, "Well, they can't read it if you don't write anything in it." My emotional brain says, "I would have to write 29559856956895068 blog entries a day to make those entries be concise and focused." SOOOO....
Who else is getting ready for the holiday season? At our house, the Advent season began Sunday. We did not go to church because 3 of us are not feeling our best. I enjoy the opportunity to teach my kids about this special time of the year and celebrating Christ's birth.
We've been spending time on school, making Christmas gifts, and baking! The opportunity to teach my kids...well...it is an overwhelming blessing. I would not trade my job as a stay-at-home-schooling-wife-and-mom. I have a hard time comprehending those who are more focused on the more material parts of life than nurturing small lives. (And I am in no way saying that working moms are not nurturing...before anyone jumps on me for that statement...) But that's another conversation for another time.
Thanksgiving! How did we miss Thanksgiving? We actually skipped a big Thanksgiving celebration this year. For one, I want to focus on teaching my kids a spirit of true thankfulness. To me, Thanksgiving is not about preparing an overwhelming feast. We baked 2 bumbleberry pies for a pie sale; proceeds went to support many worthy charities in honor of a sweet baby whose parents can't wait to reunite with her in Heaven someday. We spent Thanksgiving Day in our PJs, watching the Macy's parade, and baking for fun. That said, we did have a turkey dinner Friday with Christian's family. Christian's brother and fiance were visiting this area for the first time in almost 2 years. Now THAT is a true blessing!!
Homemade Christmas: We're doing this as much as possible this year. My crochet hook has been busy. My oven will be hot. My table will be covered in paint and stickers. Most of what we buy will be made by others. It just makes sense to me.
Baking: I am going to do it. Make a facebook page for Capo Cucina and take orders for Christmas. I wanted to do this for Thanksgiving, but to be honest, Thanksgiving kind of snuck up on me this year. I don't want Christmas to do the same! Who wants to order some goodies? You know you want to! Yum!!
See? Totally unorganized blog. I will do better. I WILL. It's a Christmas gift to myself....
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
Quick Check-In
Sorry for the lack of airwaves!! It's hard to sit and write a blog with 3 little ones, one of whom could be mistaken for Curious George's twin!
Upcoming features:
homemade French toast sticks
Food Processors and their many uses
Roasting whole pumpkins
Homemade "hot pockets"
Homemade egg rolls
Sugar Cookies and other holiday treats!
Tis the season...I'm busy baking! Making 6 dozen cupcakes for church this week...made sugar cookies for our family in Florida and sold a few dozen too! (Thank you, Nicki...is that how you spell it? Just a guess, that is how my sister spells it!)
See you soon!
Upcoming features:
homemade French toast sticks
Food Processors and their many uses
Roasting whole pumpkins
Homemade "hot pockets"
Homemade egg rolls
Sugar Cookies and other holiday treats!
Tis the season...I'm busy baking! Making 6 dozen cupcakes for church this week...made sugar cookies for our family in Florida and sold a few dozen too! (Thank you, Nicki...is that how you spell it? Just a guess, that is how my sister spells it!)
See you soon!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Weekend Project: Pierogies
Most every weekend, I take on a big cooking project. Something that is harder to get done without my husband for back up. I've been seeing pierogies on sale at a few places lately, but haven't bought any. I was thinking about that this weekend when I decided to make some from scratch. A friend of mine had posted on her facebook a while back about making them, so Christian and I started our pierogie journey.
Christian, although he had never made any sort of dough, bread or otherwise, wanted to get started, so he started with this:
Meanwhile, we made our own mashed potato filling. We mashed cooked potatoes, added some butter and sour cream, along with salt and pepper...and then, we decided to stir in some perfectly caramelized onions and sliced garlic. Most delicious.
The longest and most time consuming part....rolling out and filling the dough. We rolled out the dough into a thin sheet because we do not have a pasta-sheeter. Then we cut out rings using a biscuit cutter. We plopped a bit of filling onto each one and pinched the edges closed before crimping with a fork. It took a while to get this down pat, but once you're in a good rhythm, it is quite fun. Christian also made some extra large pierogies by placing 2 full dough circles on top of one another instead of folding and pinching.
Before long, we had a big cookie tray filled with fresh pieorgies. While we were cutting/filling/pinching, we had brought a large pot of water to a boil, so we gently put the pasta in. I will be honest, I was somewhat expecting the filling to come out of some, but this didn't happen! We boiled them for a few minutes, just until they floated...then we drained them, let them dry for a few minutes, and sauteed them in a little melted butter. Just a little was just enough! As you can see below, they're not swimming in a sea of butter. You can also tell which ones I made and which ones Christian did....haha...
Served with some crispy sauteed cabbage (which I boiled in some homemade vegetable stock before suateeing)...mmm...it was such a treat. And working together to cook something scrumptious with my husband and juggle taking care of kiddos...just as much of a treat!
Christian, although he had never made any sort of dough, bread or otherwise, wanted to get started, so he started with this:
- 2- 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk (Save the white to throw into an omelet on another day!)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Meanwhile, we made our own mashed potato filling. We mashed cooked potatoes, added some butter and sour cream, along with salt and pepper...and then, we decided to stir in some perfectly caramelized onions and sliced garlic. Most delicious.
The longest and most time consuming part....rolling out and filling the dough. We rolled out the dough into a thin sheet because we do not have a pasta-sheeter. Then we cut out rings using a biscuit cutter. We plopped a bit of filling onto each one and pinched the edges closed before crimping with a fork. It took a while to get this down pat, but once you're in a good rhythm, it is quite fun. Christian also made some extra large pierogies by placing 2 full dough circles on top of one another instead of folding and pinching.
Before long, we had a big cookie tray filled with fresh pieorgies. While we were cutting/filling/pinching, we had brought a large pot of water to a boil, so we gently put the pasta in. I will be honest, I was somewhat expecting the filling to come out of some, but this didn't happen! We boiled them for a few minutes, just until they floated...then we drained them, let them dry for a few minutes, and sauteed them in a little melted butter. Just a little was just enough! As you can see below, they're not swimming in a sea of butter. You can also tell which ones I made and which ones Christian did....haha...
Served with some crispy sauteed cabbage (which I boiled in some homemade vegetable stock before suateeing)...mmm...it was such a treat. And working together to cook something scrumptious with my husband and juggle taking care of kiddos...just as much of a treat!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
I'm Still Here
Sorry for the stint of silence, folks. I've been in kind of an emotional funk for a few weeks, which sometimes makes it difficult for me to write coherently.
I've noticed some cooking trends in my house, though, and I thought about making regular posts about these...who would be interested in the long cooking projects I tend to start on weekends and the crockpot recipes I make every Monday?
This weekend it was peirogies from scratch, the weekend before it was beer braised beef roast, the weekend before that it was cooking a lot of stuff for Emma's baptism as well as homemade hotpockets....you get the idea...
As for Mondays, they're usually busy evenings for us, so I try to use my crockpot on Mondays so that we can still have a healthy, home cooked meal....
Still trying to get myself out of this rut...funny how it took me so long to figure out that perhaps writing could be uplifting and give me other things to think about...
I've noticed some cooking trends in my house, though, and I thought about making regular posts about these...who would be interested in the long cooking projects I tend to start on weekends and the crockpot recipes I make every Monday?
This weekend it was peirogies from scratch, the weekend before it was beer braised beef roast, the weekend before that it was cooking a lot of stuff for Emma's baptism as well as homemade hotpockets....you get the idea...
As for Mondays, they're usually busy evenings for us, so I try to use my crockpot on Mondays so that we can still have a healthy, home cooked meal....
Still trying to get myself out of this rut...funny how it took me so long to figure out that perhaps writing could be uplifting and give me other things to think about...
Monday, September 19, 2011
Post Weekend Rambles
Hello, readers...the whole, ya know, 11 of you. How do the people who have those huge blog followers and make a ton of money on blogging do it? I will start advertising and being more entertaining, I suppose....
Not much happening on the baking front, as my hand-me-down and sentimental Kitchen Aid took a nose dive last week! (See a past post...I think it had to do with making bagels!) Christian thinks he can fix it, following the suggestion of a friend from church (Hi John!)...I hope so...I would probably list this mixer among my best friends! And I'd like to get a jump start on baked goods for Emma's baptism day...
I've been pondering getting my bakery license again...not sure if I would get enough orders to make it worth it...don't worry, I'll still be baking for the holidays...contact me if you want something! ;-) Pumpkin rolls, cinnamon rolls, tea rings, sugar cookies, oh my!
The biggest thing I have to report: the birth of Caroline Christine Beadle last Friday! What a precious gift from God. She's just beautiful! I would have brought her home, but her dad reminded me about the security bracelet...plus, Emma was a wee bit jealous, maybe because her brother informed her that she is now an old lady...ha...Say hello, little miss!
Seeing this precious babe has given me a whopping case of baby fever. I totally understand how people have large families....We went to church yesterday morning, and I felt the Spirit flowing through me. Our regular pastor was on vacation...I REALLY liked the sermon delivered by Reverend Chase Page! It resonated with my soul. I was also complimented on the behavior of my children, which is always nice to hear. :-)
Today is a beautiful fall day, that makes me want to go apple picking and hang out in a pumpkin patch. :-) Sam is noticing the fall changes and loving them too! This shows the beginning of leaf changes and the teeny red apples that cover our apple trees...*sigh*
Ok, actually you can't see it as much as I thought....On a more serious note, today I have recommitted myself to a healthier lifestyle. "Dieting" while breastfeeding is historically disastrous for me. I am SO hungry ALL the time. So instead of "dieting", I am focusing on making good choices. Here's my hearty breakfast: Rolled oats cooked with some craisins and raw almonds (1/2 serving of each), then drizzled with a bit of honey and a big sprinkle of cinnamon! Yum!
I have always struggled with body image, no matter what my weight...I've been both too thin and overweight, so this is a battle that I will probably always face. I had great success following the Weight Watchers program right before I got pregnant with Brayden...maybe when I'm done nursing Emma...ask me in a about a year.
What's for dinner tonight? Whole wheat penne with one of our favorites, cauliflower, we call it "cauliflower pasta"...we cook cauliflower in some vegetable broth (with onion, garlic, salt/pepper, and rosemary), mash it up, stir in some Parmesan cheese, and toss with the pasta...it's a feel-good dinner that is also healthy...served with green beans drizzled in reduced balsamic vinegar! Fill up my plate please!
I could keep rambling about random things, but, Emma has another idea of what Momma should be doing..........
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Chili Pie
I had a lot of chili left over from last week, so I decided to make something yummy for dinner using what I had.
First I lined the bottom of a pie plate with bell peppers. I happened to have red peppers because they were on sale somewhere last week. I wish that I had some butternut squash to dice up too, but I didn't have any...I once saw on a cooking show a recipe where you hollow out butternut squash and stuff it with chili...yum! Anyway, peppers:
Then I scooped a bunch of chili over the peppers. This (vegetarian) chili was really good, it was smokey and flavorful:
Over the chili, I put some pepper jack cheese slices I had that needed to be used, and sprinkled some cheddar for good measure:
At this point, I usually toss it in the oven while the oven is preheating so it is nice and warm already when the next layer goes on top.
Now comes Christian's favorite: a layer of cornbread. Come on now, do NOT wimp out at this point and use a box mix. Please. You can do it. It took me longer to arrange the stuff for the picture than it took me to make the batter. (Not showing butter or salt.)
Back into the oven to bake until bubbly and golden. (I recommend a thin layer of bread, maybe half of a recipe..use the rest to make muffins and then crumble them into bread crumbs for something else. Or just eat the corn muffins with a little jam if you just can't stand it.)
Try not to burn your mouth eating it straight out of the oven. We had it with a green salad and homemade applesauce, which I actually started making for Emma but we couldn't help tasting it either....
I should probably get on top of using the 4-1/2 pounds of beans I cooked last week...making black bean burgers Friday and using the rest to make burritos!
Hope you try this and enjoy....
First I lined the bottom of a pie plate with bell peppers. I happened to have red peppers because they were on sale somewhere last week. I wish that I had some butternut squash to dice up too, but I didn't have any...I once saw on a cooking show a recipe where you hollow out butternut squash and stuff it with chili...yum! Anyway, peppers:
Then I scooped a bunch of chili over the peppers. This (vegetarian) chili was really good, it was smokey and flavorful:
Over the chili, I put some pepper jack cheese slices I had that needed to be used, and sprinkled some cheddar for good measure:
At this point, I usually toss it in the oven while the oven is preheating so it is nice and warm already when the next layer goes on top.
Now comes Christian's favorite: a layer of cornbread. Come on now, do NOT wimp out at this point and use a box mix. Please. You can do it. It took me longer to arrange the stuff for the picture than it took me to make the batter. (Not showing butter or salt.)
Back into the oven to bake until bubbly and golden. (I recommend a thin layer of bread, maybe half of a recipe..use the rest to make muffins and then crumble them into bread crumbs for something else. Or just eat the corn muffins with a little jam if you just can't stand it.)
Try not to burn your mouth eating it straight out of the oven. We had it with a green salad and homemade applesauce, which I actually started making for Emma but we couldn't help tasting it either....
I should probably get on top of using the 4-1/2 pounds of beans I cooked last week...making black bean burgers Friday and using the rest to make burritos!
Hope you try this and enjoy....
Thursday, September 8, 2011
No Power? No Problem. Kind of.
Here are some things we do when we don't have electricity:
Read by flashlight. Yes, we're that nerdy. In Christian's case, he fell asleep with a book on his face.
Give Daddy a "haircut" with a screw driver and a drill. Sam is very into the haircut. I think Emma is thankful to be bald! haha!!
Get grouchy because Mommy needs a cup of coffee (or several) and a hot shower to feel like a human in the morning.
Wear cute baby legs. She also does this when we do have electricity but I am just working this in here for my sister, who had never heard of baby leg warmers until I got her some!
Hang out in PJs and do some schoolwork. (Speaking of home schooling, I am wishing that I bought a few first grade books instead of all kindergarten. The book he has in this picture is a Brain Quest book with lots of fun stuff in it!)
Play rousing games of Candy Land.
Start panicking that you are going to run out of cloth diapers even though you have plenty of clean ones.
Go visit people who DO have electricity. Use their dryer and wash the diapers you are sure you are going to run out of. (Thanks Gram.) And make coffee. Because you need it. Desperately!
Be thankful that you live next to a creek so you can flush the toilet.
Eat food that should be warm cold. My husband is especially good at this. (eww)
Ponder how if you could just have running water, you might not miss electricity during the day.
But above ALL....BE YOURSELF! (Never a problem for Brayden!)
Please continue to pray for those in Broome County and surrounding areas who are experiencing the devastating effects of the flood....
Read by flashlight. Yes, we're that nerdy. In Christian's case, he fell asleep with a book on his face.
Give Daddy a "haircut" with a screw driver and a drill. Sam is very into the haircut. I think Emma is thankful to be bald! haha!!
Get grouchy because Mommy needs a cup of coffee (or several) and a hot shower to feel like a human in the morning.
Wear cute baby legs. She also does this when we do have electricity but I am just working this in here for my sister, who had never heard of baby leg warmers until I got her some!
Hang out in PJs and do some schoolwork. (Speaking of home schooling, I am wishing that I bought a few first grade books instead of all kindergarten. The book he has in this picture is a Brain Quest book with lots of fun stuff in it!)
Play rousing games of Candy Land.
Start panicking that you are going to run out of cloth diapers even though you have plenty of clean ones.
Go visit people who DO have electricity. Use their dryer and wash the diapers you are sure you are going to run out of. (Thanks Gram.) And make coffee. Because you need it. Desperately!
Be thankful that you live next to a creek so you can flush the toilet.
Eat food that should be warm cold. My husband is especially good at this. (eww)
Ponder how if you could just have running water, you might not miss electricity during the day.
But above ALL....BE YOURSELF! (Never a problem for Brayden!)
Please continue to pray for those in Broome County and surrounding areas who are experiencing the devastating effects of the flood....
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