What to do with the Egg-stra Eggnog

There's an extra half-gallon of egg nog in my fridge since the night of the adult Christmas party.  I'm thinking that making these muffins might be a wise use of my surplus, but Candace had another plan.

Me:  What am I going to do with all this eggnog?

Candace:  Daddy loves eggnog.  Let's give it to him.

Me:  But Daddy is the ONLY person in our house who will drink it and there is a lot left.

Candace:  (grinning the wild grin of a child on Christmas Eve) No, mommy.  Daddy and Santa like eggnog.  They can share.

How can I argue with that sweet logic?

Christmas Fun and Make Ahead Breakfast Dishes

We've been up to our ears in Christmas fun these past few days.
We had a family photo session and actually have a family photo with everyone in it for Christmas this year! 

 (This one's for you Becky...although you'll get one in the mail soon!)
We hosted a grown-ups only Christmas party on Friday night, which was a blast. Clearly we all don't get out too much because the overwhelming response was, "We shouldn't wait until Christmas to do this again!" Maybe over the summer?
We also hosted a Christmas Tea Party for Beulah and Hannah's friends this afternoon. Such fun. We played the Left-Right Christmas Nativity Story Game and Christmas Carol charades. We also found some great games here--although we only used the Candy Cane Pass. Then, while we listened to the Nativity soundtrack, each girl recounted her favorite Christmas memory. What a joy it was to hear all of their special remembrances! I even shared a favorite Christmas memory from when I was their age. After each person shared their memory, they lit a little tea light, which they then took home with them to remember this Christmas memory.
Tomorrow morning, we are gathering with several other families for the culmination of a special sort of "secret Santa".  Throughout the Advent season, families were given the name of another participating family to pray for and tomorrow we are all meeting for a potluck-style brunch and the big "reveal" to meet our secret "Advent Family".  Each family will present the family they prayed for with an ornament.  We can't wait--although I was just informed that The Boy has wrestling practice smack dab through the whole thing.  Sigh.
We're also preparing our menus for Christmas.  We traditionally don't cook on Christmas Eve, but eat only an assortment of appetizers and other fun finger foods.  Christmas morning we always do a brunch after presents are opened and I like the ease of make ahead breakfast dishes.  Our two favorites are Paula Deen's Baked French Toast (although we omit the nuts in the topping) and my mother-in-law's Cheese and Egg Bake (commonly referred to as 'the egg dish').
Paula Deen's recipe (and all its sinful, rich, fattening goodness) can be found here and the egg dish recipe follows:
Cheese and Egg Bake
1 1/2 lbs sausage (either links or ground--but you'll have to brown the ground kind ahead of time)
9 eggs
3 c. milk
1 t. salt
6 slices bread, cubed
1 1/2 t. dry mustard
1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
Mix egg, milk, mustard and salt in a large bowl.  Stir in bread cubes, cheese and sausage.  Pour into a sprayed 13 x 9 inch pan.  Cover.  Refrigerate overnight.
On Christmas morning, uncover and bake for 1 hour at 350F. 

Hope you are all enjoying these last few days of Advent!

Yummy Coffee Cake

When we went on our apple picking adventure, the lovely people at the orchard gave us a pamphlet with some of their favorite apple recipes. We've tried a few, but by far, the recipe below has been the Ark's favorite.

Quick Apple Nut Coffee Cake

1 tube buttermilk biscuits
3 T. melted butter
1/4 c. sugar
2 peeled, sliced apples
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. chopped nuts

Dip biscuits in melted butter. Lay in 9 inch round cake pan. Lay apples on top biscuits. Mix cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle over apples. Sprinkle nuts over top. Drizzle with remaining butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

***Note***
Since this recipe as written would barely serve as a snack for The Boy, necessity warranted that I triple it. And, as is typical around here, the children all vetoed the use of any type of nut. My simple solution to these two problems? Grease a 9 x 13 pan and triple the recipe. And, most importantly, drizzle a liberal coating of cream cheese icing (homemade or this one will work fine) to the top of the coffee cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Simple and delicious!

Unfortunately, there are no pictures to document this scrumptious cake. Not because there is never a crumb left (although that's true), but because my digital camera has developed a nasty case of interference on the screen and I can't get any pictures!

One Benefit of Being Busy

I would never have tried out this recipe if I wasn't so pressed for time. It just sounds wrong. But it was right. Oh, so very, very right!

Want to make it even simpler? I browned over 5 pounds of ground beef at one time and froze 1-2 pound bags of it. Not even a greasy skillet to speak of for my troubles. Now, if I really wanted to get all high-speed, I'd enlist the help of one of these bad boys to help my clean-up!

Gone Pickin'

Today is our homeschool group's first nature club outing. We're heading off to a local apple orchard for apple-cider donuts a fact-filled tour. The weather is supposed to be unseasonably warm and hopefully the rain will hold off until our tour is finished.

Since we just completed our unit on Amphibians--frogs, toads and tadpoles--last week (and, no, they have not outgrown their frog bog yet!) and we aren't starting our next unit on early America until next week (Witch of Blackbird Pond, anyone?); we'll be spending this one week on a mini-apple unit.

Fun and delicious. Have I mentioned the apple cider donuts?

One of these days, I'll have to gather together all of our units and post them here. In the meanwhile, however, I've got to dig out a few favorite apple recipes for later this week.

Mom! Can I have a snack?

Check out these great after-school snacks courtesy of Martha Stewart.

When she's not busy brokering deals with the Home Depot for designer prison tools, man can she still cook!

H/T Mom via email

Strawberry Dreamin'

Hooray! Hooray! Gooseberry Patch has a new cookbook out---Summer in The Country. These are some of my favorite cookbooks. The recipes are so delicious and the illustrations are charming. This month they are offering a Fresh Strawberry Shortcake recipe for FREE!

We'll definitely be saving this recipe for this year's strawberry picking adventure!

Fast Fixin' Friday

We've had a fun-but busy-day today. I hope to post the details over the weekend. And return a few phone calls I want to make. (Looking in your direction, Cath). Hence a quick meal was deemed the order of the day for dinner--and being a Lenten Friday--meatless. Rifling through my recipe cards, I pulled out a recipe that is short on work, but long on taste: homemade (and I use the word loosely, but I invite you all to take a mallet to my head if I ever find myself with so much time on my hands that I debate the term homemade vs. from scratch vs. any other unmentioned meal etiology) quiche.

Without further ado, the quiche.

Preheat oven to 375 F

1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2c. -1c. shredded cheese
1/2c.-1c. vegetables or meats
dash red pepper
2-4 eggs
1 frozen (for those homemade purists, I invite you to make your own--and then, perhaps, make one for me) pie crust

Mix all ingredients, pour into the pie crust. Bake until golden brown on top-about 30-45 minutes.

Let cool before cutting.

Lenten Pretzels

For a fun multi-age, interdisciplinary Lenten activity, we made Lenten pretzels. We learned the religious history of the pretzel, made our own homemade pretzels (recipe and pictures below), and did a little Lenten reading to make a well-rounded activity.

(From The Year of the Lord in the Christian Home, The Liturgical Press, 1964)

"Pretzels were made in the fifth century as a Lenten food in Austria, Germany, and Poland. People began to make them on Ash Wednesday to prepare for the very first day of Lent. During this time, the faithful kept a very strict fast all through Lent: no milk, no butter, no cheese, no eggs, no cream and no meat. They made small breads of water, flour, and salt to keep with the fasting and abstinence laws. To remind them that Lent was a time of prayer, they shaped these breads in the form of crossed arms since in those days they crossed their arms over their chest while praying. Therefore, they called the breads "little arms" (bracellae). From this Latin word, the Germanic people coined the term "pretzel."

Thus, the pretzel can be an important food symbol in Lent. It still shows the form of arms crossed in prayer, reminding us that Lent is a time of prayer. It consists mainly of water and flour, therefore proclaiming Lent as a time of fasting and penance."

Bread Pretzels

1 1/4 c. warm water
1 T dry yeast
1/2 t. sugar
4 1/2 c. flour
1 egg yolk
1-2 t. water or milk
coarse salt

Let yeast and sugar dissolve in water for one hour. Add flour to yeast mixture and beat until smooth. Knead mixture for seven to eight minutes. Place in a greased, covered bowl and let the dough rise until double in size.


Divide the dough in half; then divide each half in to smaller pieces of equal size.


Roll each piece in your hands to make pencil shapes twelve (12) to fifteen (15) inches long.

Shape each length of dough into pretzels. Place on a greased baking sheet. Brush with egg yolk and water or milk mixture. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake at 325 degrees until lightly browned on top. (Ed. Note: As long as they are cooked through, they will be done in about 20-30 mins depending on your oven)


Before you eat, say the following prayer together:

Dear God, we ask you to bless these pretzels, which remind us that Lent is a sacred season of penance and prayer. Each time we eat a pretzel, may we be reminded that this is the season of Lent, a time of prayer. Help us to remember to pray for those who need our prayers each day. Keep your loving arms around us, O God, to protect us. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Another Birthday! And a First One, Too

This marks Hannah's third birthday with us.

Wow! Has a lot changed since then. She came home unable to speak barely a lick of English and now is reading everything she can get her hands on!

She was only about 50 pounds and a hair over 4'6" then, but today at her check up weighed in at a healthy 85 pounds and 5'2", telling me in no uncertain terms that my daughter inherited her birthmother's BMI gene...which was a good thing considering the gourmet menu of sloppy joes, tater tots and carrot sticks (yes, she really asked for these) and cake she chose for her birthday meal.
No kidding, there were carrot sticks.

And little sisters to help with the present unwrapping

A side note about the cake. The first year she arrived home, her tastes (and her language) were very limited. So, rather than a lengthy explanation, I simply took her to the bakery and allowed her to select whichever cake she wished. She, in her typically unassuming fashion, selected a simple cake with--what she called--the most beautiful pink and yellow flowers gracing the top.

And she was happy.

The next year, for her Almost Sleepover Party, her cake-making diva of a Godmother created the 10 in a Bed cake to absolute perfection.

And she was happy.

This year, with a big grin she said to me, "Mom, can you just make my cake this year? You know, the kind not from a store.
And can you use the heart-shaped pan?
And can I have white cake?
And chocolate frosting? "

And, it probably goes without saying, but boy--- was I happy.


After the family party, she decided to have a few of her closest girl friend's over (and, of course, the sister contingent) for a wonderful beading party done by a lovely woman who came to my house to do the party, while Mr. T and Baby Girl snoozed happily upstairs. If you live in the Fox Valley, you should absolutely check her out! She even does parties for those of us grown-up girls who still like to get fancy and play with beads!

Since (according to the birthdate assigned to us), we technically missed Baby Girl's first birthday. So, we decided to pick a day and celebrate with her. But between holidays and hospitals, we never could find just the right day. But with Hannah's birthday on the horizon and a lone Valentines' Day cupcake sitting sadly on the counter, we decided it was now or never.

Unsure how she would feel about this novel idea, we proceeded with caution.

Turns out, we had nothing to worry about. She warmed up to her new BFF, Cupcake, right away. Now that she definitely inherited from me.

Yeah! Birthday! Yeah! Cupcake! Let's do this again real soon, okay?

Mole in One Foodie Bleg

I have had a hankerin' for mole sauce as of late. I have no idea why as I've only had mole sauce once before in my entire life.

Perhaps it's my love of spicy, Mexican foods?
Perhaps it's the appeal of a meal eaten without utensils?
Perhaps (okay, probably more than likely) it has everything to do with the fact that mole sauce is a good excuse to put chocolate on my plate in the name of dinner?

Regardless of the reason, I am at an impasse. I searched endlessly for a chicken mole recipe that sounded appealing, but to no avail. Until the mole gods smiled upon me at our local IGA market and a heavenly light shone upon jars of pre-made mole sauce in the Mexican foods aisle.

Which made me incredibly happy.

Until I realized that aside from the main dish I plan to create, I have no clue what an appropriate side dish to serve with this meal--that I have built up in my head as the end-all-be-all dish to end all dishes--might be.

Any veteran mole makers out there with a suggestion for this greenhorn gourmet?

All I Can Say Is...

Yum.

Is there a better use for zucchini?

I think not. But try it for yourself and decide.

A Dilly of A Pickle

Some of you asked about my pickling prowess posted previously (sorry, that alliteration was just begging me to be written...but, hey, now you have a tongue-twister to try)

So, I'd love to remain the highly-esteemed domestic diva that some of you seem to think I am, but in fairness to mothers everywhere I simply must kick the pedestal out from underneath myself and let you in on a little secret.

Come closer, I'm going to whisper.

Closer...good.

Can you hear me? Okay.

I am not--repeat it with me friends--NOT--the Martha Stewart of the Midwest. Even a monkey with some cucumbers, vinegar, water and a Sprawl-Mart nearby could make pickles. Seriously, that's where I got my confidence. Ask some of the people here about my many kitchen disasters. I'm sure they'll be glad to tell you about my health-cake where I decided to omit the eggs--unaware that there is a purpose to every item in a recipe. The purpose of eggs? To bind things together so that they don't crumble to pieces when a gentle breeze blows through. Perhaps you still don't believe me? There was also some unpleasantness with one of my first ever "Casserole Made from Every-Single-Leftover-In-The-Fridge" henceforth known as Mexican Chicken Surprise. I'd give you the recipe, but you wouldn't want it. I don't know what a smart, Yankee gal like myself thought I was doing making a casserole anyway. Sheesh. Or the first *meal* I cooked my future husband--a frozen pizza that I somehow burned on both the top and bottom. Look at it this way, I love homemade things. I love to play around in my kitchen. But I have a bunch of kids and a limited attention span. If they made paper pots and pans I would use them. 'Nuf said. Now, back to pickling...

So, to review:

1. Everyone can create the pickles in question--even the aforementioned monkey.
2. All you need are pickling cucumbers (which you can buy for pennies at the farmers market, or if you really are a Martha Stewart-type--first, I would stop taking advice from me--and then, I would go pick some pickling cukes out of your beautiful, garden.
3. Get as big a kettle as you have and pour in this mix--or this one, depending on your preference--and add water and vinegar accordingly (I found mine at you-know-where-Mart with the canning supplies.) Heat everything to boiling--again according to the package.
   
4. Slice the cucumbers lengthwise, taking off the ends.
   
5. Add together sliced cukes and hot pickling mixture and let sit for 30 minutes.
   
6. Pack pickles into jars and ladle liquid in, leaving 1/2 inch head space.

These can sit in the fridge for up to two weeks. You can either consume them all or water-bath preserve them before the two weeks are up.

I'll get to the preserving process another day. Right now I have to go throw away the lunch dishes.

In A Pickle

Sweet Summer Salsas

My friend, Faith, knowing of my great love for all things salsan sent me these tasty, summer salsa recipes--the perfect addition to any summer happy hour! Now my only problem is--trying to decide which one to try first!

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons marmalade or any preserves

10 (10-inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugar

In a large bowl, mix kiwis, apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool 15 minutes. Serve chips with chilled fruit salsa.

Avocado, Tomato and Mango Salsa

1 mango, peeled, seeded and diced
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
4 medium tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped red onion
3 tablespoons olive oil

In a medium bowl, combine the mango, avocado, tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro and garlic. Stir in the salt, lime juice, red onion and olive oil. To blend the flavors, refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. Serve with chips or pita.

Avocado Feta Salsa

2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

In a bowl, combine tomatoes, avocados, onion and garlic. Add parsley and oregano. Gently stir in olive oil and vinegar. Stir in feta. Cover, and chill for 2 to 6 hours.

Spicy Bean Salsa

1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 (4-ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup Italian-style salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

In a medium bowl, combine black-eyed peas, black beans, corn, onion, green bell pepper, jalapeno peppers and tomatoes. Season with Italian-style salad dressing and garlic salt; mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight to blend flavors.

Source for recipes: AllRecipes.com

Foodie Bleg

Is there anyone out there who has experience with gravy? Not turkey gravy, but the gravy of the chicken-fried steak and biscuits variety. I managed to throw my Yankee cooking skills into convulsions yesterday by cooking up a few vatfuls (How did my "what's the recipe for sweet tea?" mad southern cooking skills have any idea how much gravy might materialize?!) So, now, I sit staring down several containers of left-over white gravy.

Does anyone know how long I can keep it? Or any other uses for it? (of an edible nature thankyouverymuch, smarty pants)

The Only Thing Missing is Milk

For Grandpa's monthly cookie shipment, we decided to try our hand at these homemade oreos, except instead we substituted Fluff for the cream filling recipe. Not quite the real thing, but not half-bad either.

Double Digits!

Hannah celebrated her 10th birthday recently. Here's the scoop on the party we threw for her:

Occasion: Our "Almost Sleepover" was a great compromise for Hannah, who wanted a sleepover for her 10th birthday, but didn't want narrow the guest list by excluding any of the girls in her class. It was also greatly appreciated by parents who prefer not to do "sleepovers."

Invitations: Cut pillow shapes out of white cardstock and insert them into little fabric pillow cases for delivery. Make sure to tell each girl to come wearing pajamas and to bring a blanket and pillow.


Cake: "10 in the Bed" cake. A 9 x 13 inch cake serves as a "bed" and twinkies or any small oblong-shaped cakes make up the bodies of the slumbering guests. Large marshmallows are used as pillows, where vanilla or chocolate wafer cookies rest, decorated as the sleeping guests.



Activities:
Make Your Own Slipper Socks-Colored socks and fabric paints are used to decorate the bottoms of the socks in a fancy no-skid design. Girls can take these home with them as a party favor. (*The same can be done for a Make Your Own Pillow Case and fabric stamps can be added).


Best Friends Forever Books-Each girl completes one page for all of the other girls' books. We divided the 8 1/2 x 11 inch papers into four quarters and used the following sentence starters in each:

• My favorite thing about you is...
• One song that makes me think of you is...
• The animal that most reminds me of you is...
• You are really talented at...

The answers can be illustrated as well. Then, all of the girls are given a cover made with cardstock showing a picture of them together at the party and the pages are attached to create the final book.

Spa Buddies-Stations are set up with glittery hand creams, child-friendly nail polishes and supplies for facial scrubs--including cucumbers--which can be kept chilling in the fridge (although after my husband bit into the irresistible slices at a previous party, you might want to label yours for safe-keeping!)



Menu: We made sure to let the girls know that dinner would be served, but since they weren't spending the night we decided to opt for breakfast foods served for dinner instead! My daughter chose cinnamon rolls, pancakes and sausages and fresh fruit, but any of your favorite breakfast foods would work. We also set up a Hot Chocolate Bar-toppings included crushed peppermints, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, mini-chocolate chips and cinnamon.


Location: At our house. We cleared the floor in the family room to make room for all the girls' blankets and pillows. Extra blankets and pillows were available--just in case someone forgot.

Party Favors: The Dollar Store was great for lotions, bath sponges, shower gels, etc...which the girls took home along with their homemade slippers.


If you've got a daughter in the house, from tot to 'tween, this party will leave both the birthday revelers and their parents sleeping peacefully when it's finished!

Loveliness Fair 2008

I've been a longtime fan, but never a participant, in the Loveliness Fairs hosted by some very lovely bloggers for quite some time now. This year's focus is on achieving Loveliness in our own Domestic Churches in simple ways and then sharing our thoughts and ideas with one another.

This month's theme, Simply Lovely Soups, starting tomorrow at Blueberry Cottage, was one I just couldn't pass up.

I mean it's Chicago...and it's winter...and there are eight cold, hungry folks here on the Ark, ever ready to indulge themselves in a warm, cozy soupfest!

Besides, I owed Anne this soup recipe.

This Italian Sausage Soup is courtesy of my mother-in-law, who has been living and sharing a life of simple loveliness with me for nearly two decades!

Italian Sausage Soup

1 pound Italian sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 c. broccoli flowerets
1 c. uncooked mostaccioli pasta
2 1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. fennel seed, crushed
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (28 oz) Italian tomatoes (preferably diced)
1 can (10 1/2 oz) beef broth, condensed

Cook and drain sausage. Stir in remaining ingredients, breaking up tomatoes. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mostaccioli is tender.

This recipe is great served with a fresh, tossed, green salad and a warm loaf of fresh-baked bread. (Laura, if you'd like to share yours, I'm all ears!)

Enjoy!