“snuffins” and island time

Spring break has been very good to all of us.  I’ve kept up with my promise of being on “island time” this week, and it has been grand.  The Mr. is enjoying a much less stressed wife, the babe is enjoying some extra Mama time, and I am enjoying having lots of extra time to bake, play, wrestle, snuggle, and play.  We couldn’t have asked for better weather for spring break in Indiana.  We’ve spent the majority of each day outside so far, and loving every minute of it.  We eat breakfast on the screened-in porch, draw with chalk, blow bubbles, eat a snack outside, play with the neighbor boys outside, eat lunch outside, nap (the one thing we’ve done inside.  If only we had a hammock…), and then back outside until Papa comes home and we all can eat dinner together…outside.  Here is Oscar enjoying his new favorite “snuffin” outside. (I added a sprinkle of nutmeg to the recipe for a little something extra)

He’s clearly more relaxed this week too, with his foot up on the table.

slow cooked oatmeal (6 thumbs up here)

I love coming home from a day at work to a meal ready to go in the crockpot. The house smells wonderful and more importantly, a good dinner is prepared. I’ve been wanting to branch out and try some different things in the old slow cooker, like breakfast, for a while. Last Friday I finally decided it was time to try a recipe I’ve had for a while for slow cooked oatmeal. Who wouldn’t love to have breakfast ready when they wake up? I modified it a bit, so here’s what the recipe ended up being:

4 c water

1 c steel cut oats

1 c dried fruit (I used a mixture of raisins and cherries)

1 t cinnamon

1/2 c milk

1/2 t salt

brown sugar

Spray a crockpot with cooking spray (I forgot to do this, and surprisingly the thing wasn’t a total bear to clean in the morning). I have a 2 qt. crockpot and used that instead of the larger one, but you can use whatever you have. Add the water, oats, dried fruit, cinnamon, milk, and salt. Mix. Cover and cook on low overnight, for 6-8 hours. My smaller crockpot doesn’t have a shut off timer, so I threw it in around 11 and it was perfect for breakfast. Serve in the morning, sprinkled with brown sugar and a splash of milk. We also topped ours with chopped apples and walnuts.

For last Saturday’s breakfast I prepared this recipe in the crockpot using coconut milk. I was too tired to prepare today’s breakfast last night, so I cooked the oats on the stove (using the same ingredients and following the cooking time on the oats package), using almond milk and omitting the dried fruit, per the husband’s request. The verdict: I personally prefer coconut milk, in the crockpot, with dried fruit. It was still very good cooked on the stove top too, but I think I’ll stick to the crockpot. It is just as awesome to wake to the smell of cinnamon and oats in the morning as it is to come home from a long day at work to dinner ready… and I didn’t have to wait for my coffee to kick in to cook breakfast. The little crockpot elves did all the work.

This recipe made enough oatmeal to last us a couple of days. Just refrigerate the leftovers (they may look a little rubbery the next day, but trust me), nuke, add milk, and voila. Oh, and the boys loved this hearty and healthy breakfast too. Oscar asked for “o-meeeeeeeal” for the next several mornings. I think I’ll make a big batch for tomorrow morning with hopes of there being plenty for a few days.

super sunday

We were glad to get out and enjoy the festivities downtown with family and friends last Sunday, before things got too crazy.

We didn’t tell Oscar about the following picture to keep him from feeling hurt. It’s best we keep it our little secret.

Have a SUPER Sunday! Ours is going to be full of time as our little family, pepperoni dip, white chicken chili, and hopefully a Giants victory!

Pepperoni dip:

1 can rotel

1 block cream cheese

8 oz (give or take) pepperoni, quartered

Combine all ingredients and heat in crock pot until melted. Serve with tortilla chips. This recipe is the perfect football snack! It is easily doubled for sharing with friends (if you can refrain from eating the whole batch yourself). Good luck with that.

an annual post

I know I blogged about these heavenly cinnamon rolls last year, but food this good deserves an annual post.  From the maple frosting to the insane amount of butter, they truly are divine.  I strongly encourage you to make, share (c’mon, the recipe makes 6 pans), and eat these this holiday season.  Season’s eatings!

a family tradition

Every year, Greg’s family spends a day just before Christmas making sausage. Yesterday was the first time in 8 years that we’ve been able to make it down there for the event, as it lined up with a weekend off for Greg. The day was spent hanging out, laughing, and grinding and packaging 250 pounds of whole hog sausage. We brought my intrigued bro-in-law along, and the boys got to end the day shooting clay pigeons while I enjoyed some time with the baby of the family for a small photo shoot. What a fun day. I can’t wait to make biscuits and gravy every Saturday in 2012. Ok, maybe not every Saturday… but I like that we almost could!

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gross and delicious all in one post

It is common knowledge that my feelings for ketchup are less than positive.  Call me un-American if you must, but we’ve never really been on speaking terms.  My son, however, seems to love it enough for the two of us.  If you needed confirmation, here he is dipping blueberries (yes, plural) in it.

To counter all the yuckiness in the above video, I thought I’d share a sweet treat that I just pulled from the oven.

Red velvet cheesecake brownies, I don’t know that I can keep from cutting into you right now, so that I can take you to a family gathering this afternoon.  Wish me luck, and check out the recipe for yourself.

up all night

Like many new parents (or Will Arnett fans), we were so anxious for the new NBC show “Up All Night.”  If you haven’t watched it, you most definitely should catch up on Hulu and be ready to watch it next Wednesday.  In the pilot, there was one scene that we found hilarious.

We thought the days of being up all night were far behind us… that is, until last night.  Our sweet, angelic, perfect Oscar awoke from his slumber at 2:30 this morning and was set on protesting until we answered.  This, just 2 hours after Greg went to sleep, and about 1 short hour after I fell back asleep from the most terrifying dream I’ve maybe ever had.  Bad combination from the beginning.

I quickly got up with the babe, changed him out of his wet PJs, and tried putting him back down, but he just wasn’t having it.  I thought he might be hungry, because he ate poorly the night before, so we we snuggled while he enjoyed some milk and a cereal bar.  He still wouldn’t go back to bed, so my little smooshy (who unsurprisingly was happy the entire time), and I crashed on the couch.  Well, more like, we laid there for an hour and a half while he nearly wallered me to death.  At 3:30 I tagged the husband in.  What do you know?  Oscar went right down in his crib for him….for a couple of hours.

To say the least, we’re both exhausted today.  We’ve also laughed and referenced the above “Up All Night” clip multiple times.  I even asked Greg if we were dead as I made round 1 of coffee this morning.  We haven’t had nights like this in a long time, but I also realize that we won’t always get to have them… so as tired and cranky as part of me wanted to be at 2:30, in a weird way I almost enjoyed it.

With a full schedule today, there was only one remedy for this level of fatigue:  stuffing our faces with as many coffee dunked Madeline cookies as we possibly could for an afternoon snack.  Note that for both of us this is round 2 of coffee for the day.  These little cookie pillows are absolutely divine.  There are many variations, half dipped in chocolate, or with countless possible add-ins.  But in our house, a simple, unadulterated version with some lemon zest folded in is tops.  The perfect little cookie to eat about a million of, because they are small, and are perfectly paired with a piping hot cup of liquid energy.  Problem now?  O. Bobby is down for his 2nd nap of the day, and I’ve had 4 shots of espresso.  It is a good thing I am so good at sleeping.

What’s your favorite pick-me-up?

P.S.- This if officially our 100th post!  Thanks for reading!

peanut butter and cake

There are many a picture of my sister as a tot, with a jar of peanut butter under her arm.

If she and Oscar didn’t hit it off already…

Also, the library called yesterday and the much anticipated book on my hold list was waiting for me!

A cake for each state from California’s avocado cupcakes to New York cheesecake, and everything in between.  I am so excited to bake my way across the good old U.S. of A.  I’ll be starting my journey this weekend, and I’m thinking I’d be wrong to start with anything other than Hoosier Cream Pie… unless they have something with peanut butter.  I wonder how many times I can renew this book?  Maybe I should just ask for it for Christmas now.

Speaking of PB and cake.  Check this cute cake out.  I’ve been wanting to make it for a while but haven’t done it yet.  Maybe after I bake my way through United Cakes of America I’ll find an excuse to make it.

Mrs. Siddon’s banana bread

As previously mentioned, Mrs. Siddon was a lovely lady who made the best banana bread known to man.  The recipe is beloved in our house, and by the coworkers and friends that I’ve made it for.  As promised, I’m sharing the love today, so buckle up, find some tired bananas and be prepared to fall in love.

The players:  2 ripe bananas, 1 Jiffy yellow cake mix, 2 eggs, 1/3 c sugar, and 1/3 c oil

Mix ‘em all together and pour into a greased loaf pan.

Bake at 350 dfor 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and your house smells heavenly.

Share with your favorite toe head.

I often make the banana bread in a mini muffin pan for the perfect grab and go kiddo snack.

Enjoy!

tired bananas

I don’t think there is anything I claim to have the best recipe for… except banana bread.  The recipe comes from lovely older lady that watched my sister before I was born.  She came to the house each day and would whip up some banana bread for the family if there were any “tired bananas” on the counter.  (I think she also insisted on washing plastic wrap, but that’s beside the point)

My mom made this banana bread often for us growing up, and I now make it frequently too.  There’s only one problem with world’s best banana bread… you need one $0.59  box of Jiffy Yellow Cake mix to make it… a lovely little ingredient that is only sold at Meijer and Marsh in our neck of the woods.  Both stores are relatively close, but I don’t regularly shop at either, so I have to stock up from time to time.  Two days ago I had some tired bananas that needed used.  The baby was sleeping, I wanted to bake, and my stockpile of Jiffy mix had run out.  It pained me, but I tried another recipe that I had found.  I’m sure it was healthier than mine, but that doesn’t matter if you just can’t bring yourself to eat it.  That being said, I need a backup banana bread/muffin recipe that will not disappoint my tastebuds.  Thanks!

Since I was so disappointed by that recipe I am going to the store today, and will pick up some Jiffy Yellow Cake mix.  Even though I’m sure the babe is part monkey, I’ll surely have a some tired bananas in a few days to make some… so stay tuned.