Power Cooking

So on my last trip to Idaho I did some power cooking. Power cooking is where you make a whole ton of stuff all at once and then freeze it. It is exhausting, but then you only do it once every few days. What is happening to me? Call me Chef Crockett, you can - or Chef Disaster, more acurately! My family needed some help with meals because of my sister's extended hospital stays. I hate cooking, but I also saw a need. My mom has come to my rescue so many times. Before I had Tink she came and cooked a dozen meals or so for me and I froze them in my freezer. It was so nice to have on hand afterwards. I knew that she could use the same thing, and that it would mean a lot to her....so I decided to try it. It was so good for me. I learned how to make a lot of new things, and so far, they have told me it was surprisingly edible. So - before I forget the recipes I thought I'd write them down on here.

Here's the Menu of what I cooked (with a TON of help from Hubby - thanks)

1. Shepherd's Pie
2. 2 pans Sour Cream Enchiladas
3. Tator Tot Casserole
4. Tuna Casserole (YUCK - but they liked it)
5. Lasagna
6. Goulash (enough for 2 meals)
7. Italian Seasoned Chicken
8. Stuffing Chicken Casserole

We first made a HUGE pan of browned meat. We used I think 1 pound? (one of those logs they sell in the grocery store) of hamburger for the Shepherd's Pie, 1 for the Goulash, 1 for the Tator Tot Casserole, and 2 for the Sour Cream Enchiladas. We cooked it up with onion, salt and pepper, and Worshtershire Sauce. Thanks hubby - I hate cooking meat.

For the individual recipes:

Shepherd's Pie
- take meat, mix with one can of tomato soup (don't add water), put one can of beans on top of that, cover with prepared mashed potatoes, and put shredded cheese on top.

Sour Cream Enchiladas - a double batch
-take 1 big container of sour cream, mix with 2 cans cream of chicken soup, 2 cans cream of celery soup, and 2 cans of diced green chilis
-take 24 taco size flour toritllas, spread the mixture on the inside of each tortilla, add some meat, and tons of shredded cheese.
-roll them up, put them in the pan, and then smother them with the rest of the mixture
-put tons of shredded cheese on top
makes two pans

Tator Tot Casserole-
-mix some hamburger with 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and 1 bag of frozen vegetables - we used peas and carrots
-cover with tator tots and top with shredded cheese

Goulash
-combine 1 1/2 cans of tomato juice (the extra big ones) with hamburger, cook a bag of noodles, add lots of curry (seasoned to your taste buds), and some salt and pepper. Boil on the stove - add the other half of the tomato juice can left out, because you'll need to add it after it has been refrigerated.

Tuna Casserole -
make macaroni and cheese, mix it with yucky canned tuna, and frozen peas. Barf!

Lasagna -
buy a frozen one. Much cheaper and easier

For the chicken recipes - too bad, I left the recipes at my mother in law's house. They looked good. Another day, I'll have to try them out again.

So - there are the recipes as much as I can remember of them. The sad thing is I don't have very exact amounts or temperatures for cooking these, but enough info. that I think I could figure them out again.

So....there are my cooking adventures. I haven't made many meals since that point, for the last three weeks. At least now it is recorded - take note - I cooked. I came I conquered. I'm taking a break from it for now.

Beet Chips

So....I've been trying out all sorts of different veggies lately. I'm not super adventures yet. I've loved Chapote Squash (mmmm).....and well....beets. I never have really eaten beets, but I gave them a whirl. I decided to make beet chips the other night. Super easy, and very tasty for me. I just sliced them up - and then sprayed them with Pam and put on some sea salt and baked them for 40 minutes, turning them after 20 minutes. They turned out delicious in my book. The recipe said to drizzle them in olive oil - but I was too lazy, so I just sprayed them with Pam. Cadet LOVED them. In fact, we had a little war over them. I had made them for me and was particularly hungry, and had waited 40 minutes for them. I really didn't want to share, but I did. He ended up eating most of them. I guess its good for him. (I made another batch for me the next night.)

Beet chips sure taste great, but they do have a funny after effect. Cadet was very excited to share all about beet chips two days later. Our landlord stopped by to fix our bathroom sink. While he was crawling under the sink, Cadet ran up to him and was soooo excited and said,
"Hey - did you know that Beet Chips make your poop red this day?" And then, Cadet just walked away. So, there you have it. Enjoy beet chips, but be wary of your toddlers if they like to share all of their bathroom adventures with everyone.

Burnt Baby

I am an irresponsible mother sometimes. Oops. It got up to 80 degrees here yesterday! WAHOO!! It was awfully windy - but I didn't care - I had to get out of the house. So....I put the two little chickens in the double stroller and we were off for a walk to the dollar store to get popsicle sticks for our garden we were going to start for Family Home Evening. It is only a 2 mile walk to the dollar store. It only took me 40 minutes to walk uphill there - and then it only took me 20 minutes to run home. (I forgot I was supposed to be somewhere at 2 and didn't leave until 1:40.) So ---I was only in the sun for an hour. I also had the kids bundled (the wind made it still feel more like 55 degrees) and I had the canopy shade pulled over them.

Well...lo and behold we all managed to get sunburned. Poor Tink's face is kind of red. My arms, back, face, and the part in my hair are burned. Unebelievable. I used to go out for two to four hour walks in San Diego with stops in the park, and nothing would happen. This quick little walk without sunscreen did us all in. I guess I forgot to account for our 5 month winter hibernation, lack of a tan, and pasty white skin. For now - we are just enjoying our sojourn as lobsters on this earth. Later - we will be religious sunscreen applicating lobsters. It's a promise.

Grateful.

I just got back from a quick weekend trip to Idaho. I'm just so grateful for everything after going. We went to see my sister who has been in the hospital for 4 weeks now. My older sister is just truly amazing. Anyone who doesn't know her is missing out. She's great. She has been through so much in her life, yet she is so resilient and happy and fun to be around. She is blind and in a wheelchair, (residual effects from Reye's Syndrome when she was 8 - and the Aspirin given to her when she had chicken pox.) Right now - she's been in the hospital because a pump in her back that delivers medicine to control her spacticity is malfunctioning. She's been through the mill again. She slipped into a coma a few days ago, and was intubated, etc... but she is awake and doing somewhat better. She's had two surgeries since being in the hospital - and so far still can't control or move any of her limbs. I've kind of grown up with someone in my family always being sick or in the hospital. I often deal with it, just by kind of ignoring it. But, after visiting with my sister recently, I'm not really ignoring this. I got to go up and see her in the ICU a couple of times. It really put everything in perspective for me. I'm a whiner. I often sit around lamenting my "old life." Missing the weather in San Diego, and all my piano students, and the choir, and everything else that I was doing there. Instead - I should truly be grateful. At least I can move my arms and legs and see my children and have children and I'm not stuck up in a hospital bed not knowing when things are going to get better for me.

I'm just grateful that I have a sister who is so amazing who has reminded me that I can choose to be happy no matter what is going on with me. My sister sat up there joking the whole time. She is really funny. She is certainly feisty and was always teasing the nurses and making us all laugh. She can't even turn on the TV by herself, or feed herself, or move herself anymore. Yet - she was laughing, joking, smiling, and thanking me up and down just for bringing her some chapstick that wasn't mom's "yucky Blistex." I think I needed a refresher course in Gratitude 101. I really am grateful that I have so much. Sometimes it takes someone who has so little to remind us that it shouldn't take much to make us smile and count our blessings. Thanks sis. - for being you and teaching me a better way to live.

Book List

I just hosted a book club over the week-end at my home. Part of hosting, meant I had to pick the book for next month. I really struggled. Half my struggle was trying to remember the title of some of the books I had read that I really liked.....so to prevent this from happening again, I'm going to keep a list of what I've read or want to read. I'm doing it here, because it's convenient. If anyone has any "good reads" they want to recommend to me - PLEASE DO!!!! I'd love some more suggestions! Puffbird, if you read this - there was some you talked about at Christmastime that you got from your mother in law, I can't remember the names.

Anyhow - here is a list of books.

FINISHED
1. The Geography of Bliss, One grump's search for happiness, by Eric Weiner (totally funny and refreshing, kind of like a Bill Brysonesque book)
2. Children of the Mind, Orson Scott Card
3. The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, by Dr. Laura (had to know why its so talked about. Totally NOT impressed. Huey duey luey fooey gunk.)
4. They Busy Book for Preschoolers, by ?? turned it in, can't remember who it was by
5. I Am Mother byJane Clayson Johnson, great fun easy read.

READING
1. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (been wanting to read this for forever never got to it)
2. Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood by Jim Fay and Charles Fay

WANT TO READ
1. Loud and Clear by Anna Quindlen (I think even M. Russel Ballard quoted her during conference in one of my favorite talks) side note - I love conference weekend. President Monson's testimony just gave me chills. I love laying in bed and soaking up the good words and getting spiritually refreshed. So happy today because of it! :)
2. We are Our Mother's Daughters by Cokie Roberts
3. Ladies of Liberty by Cokie Roberts (new release)
4. Passage to India by E.M. Forster
5. Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy, and the West by Benazhir Bhutto( I'm sure I just mis-spelled that)

Story Time

Once upon a time there was a little boy, who started insisting he be called "Prince Charming." He also started to obsess over Princessess. Now, his dear mother always wanted a little girl so that she could ooh and ahh over princessess. The dear mother is slightly surprised that instead she is finding her little boy oohing and aahhing over princessess. Said the handsome prince charming, "Princessess are so beautiful. " When asked if the dear mother was beautiful, "No - you are just mom. Mom's are just moms, not beautiful."

(2 days later, though, when the dear mother opened the blinds - a rare occasion - the handsome prince proclaimed, "Ooooh - it is so beautiful outside. There are soo many beautiful things. Just like you. You are beautiful mom." Who knew that letting some light inside could make someone so happy? I think I need to deprive my kids less of this. It will require the great sacrifice from me of getting dressed before noon, though.)

My little Prince Charming is growing up fast. It is fun to watch. He drew the above picture of Merlin. He also has started to write his name - albeit the letters come out backwards sometimes. His A's are really terrific every time, though. So - he can write his name, but he is still in diapers. :) I'm excited to end the diapers, mostly because of the complex ritual diaper changing entails. He insists on making THE SOUND. ("Ding, Beep, Dadalldalldalldalldalldall Bang." He then proceeds sorting the diapers into piles, methodically choosing the PERFECT diaper, pointing out each charachter, letter, rainbow, and shape on the diaper, and then finally laying down if you are lucky.)

At any rate - it is fun to see him change and grow so fast. He is really into stories and telling stories. I found a "Make your own Little Golden Book" at the Dollar Store here. This one perk of Utah living - a dollar store or two on every corner. I thought it would be fun to have him dictate a story to me. He is always making cool stories, up, and this was a neat way to preserve one of them. Well...when it came time to do it - he insisted that he was just going to retell "Allison Wonderland." (He always calls her Allison.) I didn't want his to be a battle, but I wanted one onf his creative stories, not a retell. I tried to convince him to tell a story about him and his brother. I was so silly. I argued with Cadet for probably 30 minutes over this. (It was a friendly discussion, really.) I should have just let it go. In the end. He agreed to tell a story about him and his dad. Of course they go to the library (via the zoo and a plethora of other places.) They check out "Allison Wonderland." He then proceeds to tell that story. I relented. Silly me trying to tell him what to write. He is a pretty good manipulator and ended up getting his way in the end. A few of my favorite lines from Cadet's story:

A curious girl was there. She was reading a book. And then, she stopped. "The question," called Alison. That's what the girl said herself. "How can I play a parsley with no pictures?" Alice said. "

I just love this kid.