Lemon Blueberry bars

I saw this recipe the other day on a blog I read.  It sounded like something easy to whip up for our Memorial Day cookout.  But I had to tweak it.

The recipe seemed kind of boring, so I added a few things and voila! A really tasty and very easy dessert!

What you'll need:
6 oz - blueberries
1 package - lemon pudding mix
1/2 package - vanilla pudding mix
3 cups - milk
2 cups - Cool Whip
1 1/2 cups - ground graham crackers
1/3 cup - sugar
6 tbsp - melted butter

For the crust:
Blend graham crackers until fine.
Add sugar and melted butter
Stir until mixed and then use hands to mush together.
Pour into a greased 11x13 baking dish

For the sweet goodness:
Prepare pudding as directed {Of course you'll just prepare the 1/2 mix of vanilla with 1 cup of milk -- since it's only half...}
Stir in Cool Whip
Add blueberries
Pour over crust

Cover with plastic wrap and freeze.
Thaw an hour before serving.

I love the way these turned out! And Benjamin loved that he got to help me make them.

Not bad for tweaking and adding as I go!  Enjoy :)

Cereal

One time, when I was in Santa Cruz for 10 weeks on a Summer Project with Campus Crusade for Christ, my roomies and I said a lot of funny things. Something Season and Natalie said all the time was, "Are you cereal?" I tell you all of this because that was the summer that I learned that "cereal" has two "e's" and is not spelled c-e-r-a-l. I was, indeed, 22 years old. *hanging my head in shame*

I eat a lot of cereal. I'm a huge sucker for cereal coupons and new cereals. But I don't usually (well at least right now) ear cereal for breakfast. I will, however, eat it for lunch or a snack or dessert. Honestly, I don't always remember loving cereal like this. And it's not a pregnant thing. I probably spend more money on cereal than {almost} anything other thing at the grocery store.

When I went to the grocery store on Sunday I had to make myself walk away from the cereal aisle in Target. Why, you ask? Because they didn't have the cereal I had coupons for and wanted to try. I forced myself away from all other cereals and went to Wal-Mart to hunt for them {and found them. thankyouverymuch}.

I will also tell you that, without looking, I know I have at least seven boxes of cereal in my pantry. Seven! That's insane! I will tell you that I'm currently eating from three of them. The other four, well, they are just sitting there.

One is a box of Kix, which I like, but they are for my little man. The other three I have eaten for breakfast and have then thrown up. Not because they are bad, but because I randomly throw up in the mornings - depending on what and how much I eat. So, they are on hold until I work up the courage to try them again. Or until I'm not pregnant and randomly throw up.

Here are a few of my {current} favorite cereals:

Kashi Berry Blossom *This is a new cereal and coupons.com has a coupon for $1.00 off right now! And I like it.

Cascadian Farms Cinnamon Crunch *Ahem. This is a kid's cereal. Why do I say this? Because the box says, "Cascadian Farms Kid's". I did find a box without the "kid's" on it, so I picked that one up instead. If you sign up for Cascadian Farms email updates, you'll get a $1.00 ANY CF product! Sweet. They also have good jam/jellies. And frozen veggies.

Honey Nut Cheerios *I can eat these babies all.the.time. High five, General Mills for producing a more sugary version of your classic!

Quaker Oatmeal Squares & Cinnamon Life *Either is fine, but I'm currently favoring the squares. I'm also fresh out of either of these cereals because they have not been on sale recently. AND Bob Harper endorses the oatmeal squares. Just that much closer to my dream of The Biggest Loser {Um. Not because I am obese, but because I'm eating something Bob likes...}

There are a lot of cereals I like. In fact, there are a lot of cereals I really love, but I won't buy because they cost a fortune and I can never find coupons for them. That's sad. Not sad, as in, "she's crazy. how sad". But more like, "what a bummer." I felt I needed to define this because I'm writing an entire post {and taking up precious, golden nap time} to tell you about my love of cereal.

I welcome any cereal suggestions. I prefer healthier cereals that taste good and give me things I need. I mean, my folic acid intake {while taking prenatal vitamins} has got to be through the roof! Plus, I don't like super sugary cereals that make the milk taste bad. I don't like milk enough as is, let alone if it takes like bad cereal.

Okay, my cereal rant is over. It's now your turn to rant about your favorite cereal so I can try it.

Food blessings...

My friend had a baby last week. He was big and late and so very cute. I get to see him tonight! I love babies.

I remember when B was born and how all my friends brought me a lot of food. I remember sitting on my couch, slightly out of it, holding and nursing a tiny baby and thinking about what I would be getting for dinner. I remember having left overs and being excited when people would knock on the door. Also, I remember eating a lot of jelly toast. Patrick made it for me every morning because that's what sounded so perfect. I ate jelly toast for two weeks straight. It was delightful. Patrick is delightful.

That was such a huge blessing to me. I'm a firm believer in making meals for people - and not just for baby having. Are you sick? Did someone you love die? Are you overwhelmed? Let me bring you food.

So I'm making ratatouille tonight (with sausage on the sides for our guys) - with bread and apple crisp. But then I got to thinking, "Maybe I should take over a little more". And my mind went crazy! And then my hands followed. Never put me in a kitchen with a crazy mind and hands that follow. Well, unless you want me to bring you food.

I made granola last night and thought, "Maybe they would like granola." So I tossed some into a bag, incase Lauren needs a snack. And then I wanted to make cookies today. So I did. But I didn't have any vanilla, so I used almond extract in my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I like the results. So did my child. And so my sweet friends get cookies, too.

The first person to bring us a meal, Marlene, brought with her goodies galore. I mean, she went all out for us! Treats and snacks and fruit AND a meal. It was so kind and so thoughtful! And I want to pass that along. I'm sure Lauren has family and other friends providing and caring for her, but tonight is the night I get to bless her family. I only think it's appropriate to help a sister out by bringing granola and cookies. I'll even stop at Sonic for her, if she wants :)

Anyone else need a meal? Anyone want to come over for dinner? Come to my house, it's always so quite! Really. I won't mind!

Healthy foods...

I love reading Real Simple. I have a special way to "browse" the magazine before I dive in. And when it shows up in my mailbox, I'm pretty excited! I mean, really, there's always practical advice, humorous stories and recipes I can enjoy making. Although, they don't seem to realize that spending $298 on a {gorgeous} top might be a little extravagant for most people. That's okay though. I'll keep reading...and looking.

Anyways, the January and February issues have been fabulous! And a particularly favorite article was from February's issue! It's a great read on ways to eat better (which includes eating dessert every day!) and then has a list of the "30 Healthiest Foods". I'm all about healthy foods! Reading this list made my heart long for Spring (and Summer) a little.

Fresh, local, abundant produce! Warmer air! More variety! Open windows! Sauteed vegetables and fresh berries! Check it out to see what you can add to your diet that might just give your body a little boost! I was super pleased to see so many things that I already love on the list!

And, while you're over there, check out their suggestions for smoothies! What's not to love about a smoothie?!

Ashley and Julia...

You know, when Julie and Julia came out I was just kicking myself for not thinking of that idea sooner. I could have written a blog, then a book and Amy Adams could have played me in a hit movie!!! I definitely missed the boat on that one. So I'll just pretend it didn't happen and go on this little adventure anyway.

Side note: I was so spoiled this Christmas and received things that are blessing my socks off! I'm so grateful for the kindness of my family! I got gorgeous diamond earrings, a Le Creuset grill pan, a Le Creuset baking dish (that's small and wonderful and perfect!), The Pioneer Woman cookbook AND Mastering the Art of French Cooking, volumes I and II. Those are just a few things that I'm still overwhelmed by. But, I digress.

Back to cooking. I've decided to work my way around Mastering the Art of French Cooking, volume I until Beta shows up. I'm really looking forward to learning more about French cooking and being "taught" by one of the finest. After looking through a few recipes, though, I told Patrick that I feel like everything is so over my head. And there is a lot of alcohol used in French cooking. That you have to light on fire. In a pan. With a match. Oy.*shaking my head* Bring it on.

After looking through the first few chapters, I have an idea of where and with what I want to start. I had to push myself beyond the sauces chapter to the poultry and soup chapters. I love the idea of making tons of different sauces, but where would I put them?! I'll save those for rainy days. I want to make at least two or three recipes a month from the cookbook until June. This should give me enough time to try different things and learn new techniques, but not overwhelm me. I have a feeling, though, that some months will have many more than two or three recipes when it's said and done.

Here is what I'm making this week (from the book and not):

Chicken noodle soup

Soupe A L'ignon = French onion soup

Coq au vin = Chicken in red wine with onions, mushrooms and bacon. This is something I have been wanting to try for a long time.

Pasta with sautéed veggies and chicken

Soupe au pistou = Provencal vegetable soup

Pork chops

Leftovers

I feel like everything else I make this week seems so boring! But, there is only so much our grocery budget can handle. Especially since I will be buying cognac and red wine this week :) But there are not rules in this adventure, so my simple pork chops could turn into something very French before I'm finished. :)

I'll keep you updated on this adventure. All I need is Kate to help me learn to say all of these things and I'm set! I'm certainly looking forward to learning and experimenting and can't wait to see what comes out wonderfully and what flops terribly. Plus, I'm looking forward to all the things I can make and eat once I'm not pregnant. A whole new world opens up after June, my friends!

So, until next time - bon appetit! (hee hee)

A request for sprouts...

I mentioned on facebook yesterday that I loved Brussels Sprouts...and I do. I got a request for a few recipes. So I posted a "food thoughts" blog over on the foodie blog I share with my sister, Kate. Check it out for recipes, health benefits and other randomness :)

I hope these are helpful and that you try them out! If you do, let me know how they worked and if you liked them. AND if you have a recipe you love using brussels sprouts, pass it along - I'd love to try it out!

High five, Chipotle!

Over the last few weeks I haven't been able to eat a lot. I mean, I can eat. I just don't usually enjoy what I'm eating. When I was pregnant with Benjamin I craved specific foods and ate a lot of "comfort foods". Plus, I ate a lot. This time around, Beta isn't satisfied with much. I'm constantly nausous and never know what's going to make me...well, you know.

There is one thing I can usually eat, though....Chipotle. I mean, it's good food. Local, sustainable, kind of expensive. Either way, a vegetarian burrito bowl is the way I go. I just love it. It takes me for.ever to finish it, which is good. The meal that keeps on giving!

If you know me well, then you know that I'm not scared to ask for something. I'm always willing to put a question out there and firmly believe that "if you don't ask, then they can't say yes!" Recently, I emailed Chipotle. I let them know that I loved their food and appreciated that they used local food. I also mentioned that I was pregnant and craved their burrito bowls. I asked if there were any coupons they could send to help a sister out.

To my surprise I got an email back pretty quickly saying that they would love to send me some "burrito cards". I sent them my address and on Tuesday I got a package from Chipotle. A package! Want to know what was inside of it?! A card saying congrats on your new baby, a Chipotle onsie and EIGHT free burrito cards! I am not kidding. I was so taken back by their kindness!!!

I will say that things like this can't be taken advantage of, or people will stop being generous. There's a time and a place to ask. If I just loved Chipotle, I would just have to limit the times I eat there or ask for gift cards for my birthday. Since I'm pregnant and eat there twice a week, I thought it was at least worth an ask. I'm so glad I did!

Just wanted to let you know that there are still good people out there and good companies. Thanks, Chipotle for taking care of me and helping satisfy my insane cravings!

Food thoughts: Sweet potatoes

Oh, you don't even know the love I have for sweet potatoes. I just can't begin to describe it. I could eat a sweet potato at every meal! There is so much you can do with this wonderful vegetable!

First, it's a nutritional powerhouse! Plus it tastes incredible. What more could you ask for? Here is a rundown of it's goodness: Loaded with Vitamins A & C, tons of manganese, good amount of fiber, B6, potassium and iron, AND a sweet potato averages about 95 calories per potato. Sweet! Don't forget to leave the skin on and enjoy it's great flavor for most of these great nutrients! Wait, there's more! Sweet potatoes are a natural anti-inflammatory food and the work to fight free radicals in our bodies.

I use to love sweet potato casserole. Loaded with brown sugar, butter, marshmallows and whatever else might tickle your taste buds. However, the way I eat my veggies has changed significantly over the last several years. I don't like my vegetable doctored up. I like them lightly seasoned! I love the rich flavors that come for vegetables when you add just a little salt or olive oil or honey. Sweet potatoes are no different.

My favorite way to eat a sweet potato is baked, at 400 degrees for about an hour, wrapped in foil with a little EVOO and sea salt on top. Once it comes out I cut it open and add just a little honey and cinnamon. Oh so good!!! I do know that it's not always practical to think ahead an hour and then wait for a sweet potato. Take heart! The microwave is excellent at cooking potatoes. I wash the potato well, jab it with a fork several times, wrap it in a paper towel and microwave on high for 5 to 6 minutes. Voila! It won't be as crispy, but it's still delicious :)

There are several things you can so with sweet potatoes (mash em, fry em, stick em in a stew...anyone?!):
*Try making a sweet potato puree as a side dish. Cook and mash a sweet potato, add some honey or maple syrup, cinnamon and a mashed banana.
*You could try using sweet potatoes in a roasted winter vegetable medely. Chop evenly sweet potatoes and any winter squash(s). Oil and season lightly. Spread on a cookie sheet and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tender.
*Sweet potatoes make great desserts! Sweet potato pie, breads or muffins!
*Slice a sweet potato very thin or into sticks to make sweet potato chips or fries! Oil and salt before you bake them.

When you purchase sweet potatoes, look for firm potatoes with no bruises or cracks. Store in a cool, dry place. Oh and don't buy sweet potatoes that are located in the refrigerated section. Cold negatively affects the taste. They can last 10 to 2 weeks. Plus, now is a great time to purchase sweet potatoes - they are always on sale around the holidays!

For more information and to see where I get most of my vegetable knowledge, check out the World's Healthiest Foods website : http://whfoods.org/. It just so happens that their healthiest food spotlight this week is on sweet potatoes!!!

Meal planning this month...

As most of you know, I love to meal plan. Even though I meal plan, my love for cooking (my desire to cook anything and everything and my selfishness) exceeds our monthly budget on a pretty frequent basis. I think our monthly budget is fair and a good amount for Patrick and I (plus the friends I feed and baby food for Benjamin). We budget $400 monthly for food. We eat fresh fruits and veggies and I don't buy boxed meals too often. So it may seem that our budget is a little higher than some, but completely worth it for freshness!

My goal this month is to take what we have and make my meals from that list. I'll only buy fruits, vegetables, staples and things for breakfast and some lunches. I try to do this monthly, but when I get excited about making something I usually just go get what I need. I can have fun cooking and be mindful about our budget!

Here is the list of things we have:
*Chicken breasts (8, I think)
*Pork chops (2)
*Homemade meatballs (3 bags of 12)
*Ham steaks (1 1/2)
*Tortellini (small bag)
*Chicken thighs (about 1 pound)
*Drumsticks (3.5 pounds)
*Lasagna (pre-made and frozen from last time I made lasagna)
*Dried beans (5 bags of random beans)
*Pasta sauce
*Pasta
*Cous Cous
*Oatmeal
*Flour
*Sugar
*Homemade vegetable stock
*Rice
* Frozen Mixed vegetables (2 bags)
*Corn (blanched and frozen from this summer)
*Snap peas (blanched and frozen from this summer)
*Green beans (blanched and frozen from this summer)
*Shredded cheese (4 bags, bought on sale a few weeks ago)
*Plus - canned fruit, vegetables, beans and tomato products

Whew! Last night I went through and planned out 13 meals using these items. Here they are:
*Cinnamon oatmeal pancakes
*Chicken enchiladas
*Slow cooker chicken stew
*Meatballs with tortellini and corn
*Chili
*Lasagna with snap peas
*Pork chops with sauteed vegetables over cous cous
*Ham steak with smashed winter squash
*Ham and vegetable soup
*Minestrone
*Spaghetti with meatballs
*Chicken tortilla soup

This is two weeks of meals if we didn't eat leftovers and have a date night. Also, I haven't found a drumstick recipe (or 3) that I'm excited about yet. I can probably get these meals to go into week three if I plan well with leftovers (as in twice a week for dinner, plus lunches). I'm excited to try some new recipes, which meets my need to cook and experiment. Even more, though, I'm excited to challenge myself to stay within our budget and cook well and healthy!

If you have an drumstick recipes, let me know! More "Food Thoughts" coming soon.

Food thoughts: Kale

With Fall here and winter just around the corner, there are so many new foods to experiment with! I do have to say that I'm becoming more adventurous in the kitchen thanks to my cooking class. I'm learning so many great things!

So my "Food Thoughts" are born. My hope is to share my adventures and maybe give you all a little confidence or maybe just a few ideas. I don't know it all, so leave comments to help me (and everyone else) out!

My first food = kale! What an incredible leafy green veggie! It's full of sweet goodness for your body. In fact, it's one of the top 20 superfoods. It's loaded with vitamin A, C, K and beta carotene. It's a form of cabbage and has a very earthy, robust flavor and tastes nothing at all like cabbage :)

I wouldn't suggest eating it alone or as the main part of a dish. Since it has such a strong flavor, you really need something to balance it out. The other night I sauteed several cups of kale with garlic and onions, chick peas and a bit of crushed red pepper. It didn't taste terrible, but I wouldn't make it again. The chick peas didn't have enough flavor to balance the kale. Lesson learned.

There are some great things you can do with it though! Add kale to a soup or hearty dish where you would otherwise use spinach. You can use it in a salad, but don't eat it raw! (I guess you can, really, it just may not taste great)

Here is a great way to make a sauteed salad:
Heat about 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet
Add about a cup of diced apples
toss in kale and arugula
salt and pepper
maybe a few fresh herbs - chives sound good :)
Saute until greens are wilted, serve as a side with meat

Please let me know what other ideas you have for kale!

You should make these...

I was browsing Martha Stewarts website and came across these little treats. They were quick to make (as in 10 minutes, flat) and quite tasty. Not to mention they are not bad for you! Woohoo! I had some leftover rice krispies and wanted to get rid of them before I made more rice krispie treats because I eat most of them and they are terrible for me. What a fantastic way to have a snack and use up cereal :)

Peanut Butter Granola Balls -

Makes 24

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup crisp rice cereal
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup dried fruit

1. In a small saucepan over medium, heat honey, peanut butter, and butter. Stir until loosened and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cereal, oats, and dried fruit.
2. Drop mixture by the tablespoon into mini paper cupcake or candy liners. Place on a rimmed baking sheet, and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Some tweaking notes: I also threw in some coconut with my cranberries and it is very yummy. Also, I only used 1 tbsp of butter and added a little more PB and honey. And I tossed in just a little over a cup of oats. I love oats. I'm thinking banana chips would be great in here!

Taste N Tour 2009

Every summer, downtown Indiana hosts an event called "Taste N Tour". You buy a ticket in advance, then spend three hours walking around downtown Indiana eating at all of the restaurants participating in the event. I think there were close to 20 local eateries on the map last night!

Patrick, Benjamin and I headed up town with our good friends, the Foulk's and we met our friend, Steve, there. The weather was gorgeous. It was a little warm at first, but ended up perfect! By the end of the night we had eaten at 15 places. Whew! Some of the restaurants had buffets, while others served you sitting down. Some had just a few food selections, some had way too much!

Everyone congregated at Culpeppers (a local restaurant) at the end of the night and turned in their cards to vote for who was number one! Overall, I think there were three places that I really loved. The rest were either terrible or okay. Also, I believe that I would enjoy being a food critic :) While at Culpeppers, they gave out "door prizes" and I won one! I don't win things very often so I was very excited! I got three gift cards for local restaurants. Woohoo!

I really look forward to doing this again next year!

Meghan and I. This is really not a great picture of me. Oh well.
The plate at The Coventry Inn. Here I tried caviar and mussels for the first time ever. The mussels were pretty good. The caviar, well it didn't have much of a taste and popped in my mouth.
Patrick, Benjamin and Steve. Benjamin was pretty entralled with Steve in this picture!
Benjamin ate his hand the whole time... he is teething.
Steve relaxing at stop number 11 with a virgin mojito. By stop number eight or so, we were all feeling a little...gluttonous.
Sweet family!
Brian, Meghan and Dylan
Meghan giving Dylan some yummy mocha goodness... not really, but it was a funny picture.
Benjamin was exhausted.

Yummy crunchy bars of goodness

I love reading magazines. It's so relaxing to me and if it's a magazine I like, I can get sucked in for hours. I have my favorites (Real Simple, Cooking Light, Country Living - to name a few) that I get each month. There are others I really enjoy (Self, Shape, Fitness) that I don't get, but love reading and would buy them off the rack if I saw something I liked on the cover.

Recently, I started getting Bon Appetite magazine. Kent got me a BA cookbook for my birthday and it came with a free year subscription (bonus!!!). I didn't know much about the magazine, but for the last three months I've enjoyed every issue. I thumb through it quickly, then go back and read each page. The recipes are wonderful (and I end up with folded corners on a lot of pages!) and the articles usually consist of things I'm interested in or can learn from. Plus, in the back there are two sections that have me hooked - the kitchen section and the "prep school" section. What's not to love about three to five pages of things for your kitchen and then a few pages on bacic to pretty advanced how to's, tips and techniques for cooking and baking.

With all of that said I made a recipe from the magazine on Monday night. They are called Coffee Crunch Bars and sounded pretty good. I was bored and thought, I have everything - why not? They are supposed to be crunchy, so if you're like my dear husband they may not be something you would normally munch on - but try them! They use a lot more butter than I would like, but it's a dessert! :) The dark brown sugar, plus the extract (I used vanilla because I didn't have the almond it called for) and sliced almonds lends a soft toffee flavor to the chocolate chips happily mixed in. Oh yum!

More than a garden....

Yesterday, we spent four hours on the farm. We weren't planting trees, we were planting a garden. Our hopes were to get one started last year, but we ran out of time. This year we were on top of things and even threw in a little community with the garden.

(The area where vegetables and fruit will soon grow...aka...the garden)

Instead of having a huge garden for four people, we have a huge garden for eight people. We have a small co-op going on here, except you don't have to pay a months salary and you get to build a community with other people.

Our deal is this: pitch in what you can for the seeds, work a couple of hours a week tending the garden, come and get what you want when it's ready.

Not only did we plant seeds, we planted the beginnings of a really great community. We laughed together and made jokes. We took turns doing jobs that were hard or tedious. We took pictures. We ate twizzlers. And at the end of the night, we grilled out and had dinner together. Now that's what I call a bonding experience!

We planted 7 1/2 rows of potatoes, a few rows of onions, some cucumbers, squash, carrots, corn, lettuce, beets and leeks. Time flys with seven people! We'll wait two weeks, meet back at the farm and start planting the next round of seeds. I think I'm going to enjoy gardening this year!

Here are Andre, Patrick, Carol, Al and Phil hard at work. We tag-teamed the potato planting!

Dirty Hands make for much more fun while planting. My hands and Allyson's.
Al and I working and talking and laughing... (Andre took this pic)
Patrick and I planting onions together....(Andre took this pic)

Al and I planting onions...(Andre took this pic)Patrick and Phil working the seed planting thing that looked very similar to an exercise contraption of sorts. Hum.

We're loving breakfast for dinner!

I've been buying a gallon of milk at the grocery store. It's insanely expensive, but we use more than a half gallon most weeks and at some point I run out and have to go buy more. This makes me think that I'm spending more, unnecessarily, on milk...so I buy the gallon to be safe.

To use up all of the milk by Monday(which is my shopping day), I've been making things with milk (which has SEVERAL perks, health wise) more often. Needless to say, I've found a few great recipes for breakfast foods. I love breakfast foods and love even more being able to whip up a tasty scone or a hearty waffle whenever I want.

I've used my waffle maker to make, well, waffles by the bucket load! We had some for dinner and then I froze a bunch, after giving a few away. Then tonight, I made Cranberry-Orange Oat pancakes. I've been loving the cranberry orange combo and have taken advantage of it as much as possible.

I'm not much of a pancake person, but I really loved this hearty, healthy and quite tasty pancakes. Patrick is more of a simple food man, but he enjoyed them too. I couldn't withhold such goodness. Let me know if you try these anytime pancakes!

(A few notes: I got the recipe from Prevention Magazine. I added a little more cinnamon than the recipe calls for and I also used fat free milk. They still tasted great! I added a bit on vanilla, because I love vanilla. I did use a 1/4 cup measuring cup, but made the cakes a little smaller. I got more out of the batch (to freeze) and two or three smaller ones were just enough. I served them with warm syrup.)

Cranberry-Orange Oat Pancakes
Submitted By: Mindy Fox

Prepare these ahead of time, freeze them, and reheat for the convenience of the boxed variety without the empty calories of refined carbs. Fiber-rich oats and whole-wheat flour keep your metabolism in high gear and your cravings in check.

Original recipe yield: 8

Prep Time: 20 Minutes	Ready In: 20 Minutes
Servings: 8

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup 2% milk

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil

3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1. Preheat nonstick griddle (if using electric griddle, set to 325 degrees F-350 degrees F).
2. Whisk together oats, flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl. In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, orange juice, milk, and oil.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in cranberries.
4. Drop 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle and cook until edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until bottom browns and pancake is cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with agave nectar.

Happy cooking!

Scones

I made scones today. In Europe, we're staying at B&B's. We LOVE B&B's and would choose these over any hotel. When picking a B&B, the breakfast part is always most important to me. I check out the menu or their breakfast options and then decide which one I like best from those items. No menu? No reservations. :)


Most of the B&B's we chose have scones, especially in Scotland. So last night while we were booking the last of our room accommodations, I looked for scone recipes. Just seeing a picture of these little pastries made me want to eat one. I found a few I liked, but checked my cookbooks this morning for something that really struck me.


For Christmas, (man, this post is all over the place) I got a cookbook that I'm really enjoying. It's a cookbook about baking for two people. How perfect! That way I'm not making cookies, cakes, pies, etc for twelve people each time I bake (and I bake a lot). I found a Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Scone recipe. It was so good. I think I'll double the recipe next time and share it with some friends.


As for the one's I made this morning, they were gone after lunch. Yum!

Catching up from the week of Chaos...

Today I was a little sad that Thanksgiving went by so quickly. Cook, bake, eat, sleep. My mom, step dad and sister came up for dinner yesterday. As did our friends Courtney and Zach. It was so nice to stay put this year and cook up a feast. I loved preparing everything and paced myself as best as I could. Patrick was a huge help in the kitchen, too.

I was most proud of the pecan pie I made. Everyone seemed to enjoy it immensely and that was pleasing to me. We had so much food! Patrick and I were fine with that because that means we get a lot of yummy leftovers!

Okay...now to catch up:
Patrick and I celebrated our three year anniversary on Tuesday. We had a fantastic day! We saw the "Bodies" exhibit at Carnegie Science Center and REALLY enjoyed it. The exhibit was incredible. We also had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and that was, as usual, very pleasing! We walked around Southside (as in, the southside of Pittsburgh) for a while and stopped in Sur La Table. Oh my soul...I could spend so much time and money in that store with such contentment! We bought one of these for the kitchen and I'm super excited to use it! I love getting new things for my kitchen. It always helps to have good tools handy!

ALSO, we had our appointment with the fertility doctor on Tuesday. She was wonderful and we both really liked her. She was very optimistic and very encouraging. It was so neat to hear her say, "I'm really confident that you will have a baby soon." Wow!

She went over several things with us including fertility options and in what order they normally proceed from this point. She discussed a few things that may be wrong with my body, even though we both know it's PCOS. They drew blood, just to get all the correct levels and such. We scheduled a phone conference in December and at that point we'll go over the blood work and get started on Clomid.

She was convinced that since my body is pretty healthy, it shouldn't be too hard for the Clomid to work. She was very sympathetic to what we've been through and such over the last two and a half years. The hospital caters to women and it was so nice to talk to the doctor and the nurses who knew what I was going through and deal with it daily. I'm really excited to see what God teaches us and does with this situation.

Wednesday, I had to drive to Morgantown to show my dad's house. It was discouraging to have to make the trip the day before Thanksgiving, but the meeting went really well and we're hopefully on our way to settling my dad's estate. The extra four hours in the car were not welcomed, but it did give me time to think and calm down (as the situation leading up to the drive was very frustrating) and that was nice. As hard as it will be, I'm ready for this to be finalized so we can have more closure.

Whew. I think that's all I have to report. It's been a long week and I'm ready for bed! I most certainly got up early this morning to go shopping, but was very disappointed at the lack of good deals. I do enjoy getting up early, though, so I didn't mind getting my day started at 6 am :).

I'm gonna party like it's 1999...

Tonight, Patrick had another party for me. I knew about this one, though! My mom, John, Gramma, sister and Kent came up from Morgantown. Carol came over and so did our friends Scott, Liz (with Noah, of course) and Al. It was very special to have all my family with me to celebrate my birthday.

We all had dinner together. I made chicken and buttermilk dumplings for dinner and my mom brought some veggies. Patrick made me a cake. He was so sweet to do that! I wasn't allowed to help at all. He did a great job and it was very tasty. I do love cake!

It's not even my real birthday yet and I feel so loved and so cared for! Last night Al, Liz and I went to the holiday parade downtown (now we know not to go back next year...). Then, Al and I met Patrick and Kent at the coffeeshop to hear a bluegrass band play. When Patrick, Kent and I got home, Patrick decided that we needed to be spontaneous so we drove to Ruby Tuesday's for a late night dessert. The three of us stayed there and talked for quite some time! It was a great night.

Here are some pictures from tonight:

The sweet birthday banner that Noah (almost 2) and Delia (1 1/2) made me the other day...

Opening a present that nicely matches my outfit :)

Excited about opening another present...

Happy Birthday to me... Patrick made a 26 with candles! Noah would say, "Happy to you"...how precious!

Me and my sweet man....

You are what you eat...

Just in time for Thanksgiving, I found a great article on eating well during the holidays. You can check it out here. It's tempting to stuff everything inside of you - out of hunger, guilt or pure love of Thanksgiving - but be wise about how and what you eat! There's always leftovers!

I am going to try to be very mindful of how and what I eat this holiday season. I want to be sure I'm not making food an idol. I so easily crave food, but why? I find myself "in need" of this or that, even though I know I don't need whatever I'm craving.

I've realized that I LOVE food. That's not a bad thing, if you're careful. Almost anything is good in moderation. If I'm savoring and enjoying and trying new things...it's a good things! But if I'm eating as much as I can and making bad decisions, only to want more of unhealthy things...it's a bad thing. My hearts desire is to glorify God by caring for my body. It is a temple and He created it.

Is eating hard for you? Does food easily become your idol? Let's pray for one another and know that we're not alone. I pray that you can enjoy and savor every bite of your Thanksgiving dinner, not because you need to stuff yourself, but because you know your limit and are grateful for any food at all.

My husband is a hunter...

That's how all of this began, really. Patrick really loves to hunt. I've not experienced much of "hunter Pat" until this year (for obvious reasons), but I've been prepared by my mom in law and Patrick of what to expect.

It wasn't the early mornings that got me. It wasn't the late hunting nights. It's not even been too bad washing all of the hunting clothes. There is one thing that I'm not too fond of : cutting up the meat.

Yes, Patrick shot a deer last weekend. He called me so excited and I, being a good and sincere wife, was very excited for him. It wasn't until I came home that I realized that this involved me more than I thought. Oh, you wonder what made me realize that? Right. I'm certain that it was the two huge garbage bags full of raw meat laying in my refrigerator. Patrick assured me, frequently, that I had the easier job. Uh-huh.

So, I did what any good wife-y would do... I called upon my experienced and gracious mom in law. :) She agreed to come over and help me out on Tuesday. So after some errands and lunch together, we got to it.

A few things about this ordeal:

1. It took 3 hours for both of us to cut up, clean and package all of this meat.

2. We figured we had at least $100 worth of meat.

3. Deer meat is not nearly as fatty as I thought it would be.

4. Sharp knives are really much better than dull ones.

Piper smelled the meat when we got started and tried desperately to include himself in the festivities. We had to toss him outside and listened to him bark and whine and bark and whine the entire time we were cutting. I took a few pieces of fat out to him (I do love him...this is proof.) hoping to calm him down. That didn't work (did I seriously think it would?). He barked louder and insisted on jumping up and clinging to the screen door so he could see us. He was so angry.

With all of that said, we got 4 london broil roasts, 2 dove roasts and 13 tenderloins. Not bad for one deer (and I should know from all of my deer cutting experiences). And certainly I didn't forget to take pictures...beware, there is raw meat in the following pictures :) Enjoy!

Carol and I cutting deer meat....

This stuff is rather sticky and my knife wasn't the best tool to remove it, I know, but it was dull...

Carol showing me how to start....

Do I look happy, or what?!

Piper was so angry. He sat right in front of the door (just like this) and barked. Well he sat there when he wasn't jumping, of course.

Ah, just another day in paradise...wouldn't you agree? I really do love the life the Lord has given me. Deer meat and barking dog included. What would this life be without some kind of daily adventure?