Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Leftover Casserole
I know if I go to bed without committing this to the blogosphere, I'll never get back to it, so I'm pushing through sleepiness to make it so. I have spent the last year working on making better use of the food I buy and letting as little as possible go to waste. I've put a number of innovations to use to make this happen, not the least of which is finding creative ways to make one meal stretch into a second meal that is completely different from, but as delicious as, it's first incarnation. And tonight, I hit the jackpot!
All this time I've been tweaking differnt casserole strategies trying to get the sauce right, thinking that the right bechamel sauce, or the right can of cream of something soup would meld the leftovers together in perfect harmony. But tonight I stumbled upon a recipe that made me rethink that concept. And instead of using a sauce as the unifying agent, I used eggs. EGGS!! Who woulda thunk!? And it was MARVELOUS, miraculous even, what happened to my leftovers from the entire last week.
See? And it tasted as good as it looked. At least Marc, Jack and I thought so. Molly and I had to have a conversation about how it was not appropriate behavior to look at dinner and fall down on the floor, shrieking and writhing in mock pain, insisting that it's so gross you won't survive the meal if you have to look at it for even one more second. Once I had removed the casserole from her plate, wiped the residue off, and hidden it behind a giant box, she was able to sit at the table and practice more polite behavior.
In her sweetest, most polite voice she said...
"Mommy, may I please not have to eat, or smell, or even look at that dinner because it is too disgusting for me and I would prefer something different, please?"
Well, it was an improvement over her Linda Blair impersonation, so I went with it!
Regardless of what five year old tastebuds say, this was DELICIOUS and here's what went in it.
1 cup leftover garlic spinach
1 cup leftover stir fried french beans
1 cup leftover sauteed diced peppers and onions
2 cups leftover cubed, poached chicken
4 cups leftover brown rice
3 eggs scrambled with one cup milk
2 cups shredded mozzarella
4 cloves garlic, minced with a garlic press
garlic salt and fresh ground black pepper
I heated some oil in a skillet, threw the garlic in, followed quicly by all the leftover veggies and chicken and seasoned to taste with the garlic salt and black pepper. In a separate bowl, I mixed the eggs, milk, cheese and rice. Then I mixed the veggie mixture into the egg/rice/cheese mixture and dumped it into a casserole dish. I kept it in the fridge until dinnertime was afoot and then tossed it into a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. I sprinkled a handful (or two) of mozarella over the top and let it bake another 15 minutes until it was all melted and bubbly. And then I ate enough of it to sink a small ship.
Ben also was not thrilled with his piece of casserole, but unlike his sister who voices her complaints loudly, Ben just throws the offending food at you. Luckily saw it coming and had my plate ready!
Alright, the cherubs will be up in five hours, so I'm calling it a night. G'Night!
All this time I've been tweaking differnt casserole strategies trying to get the sauce right, thinking that the right bechamel sauce, or the right can of cream of something soup would meld the leftovers together in perfect harmony. But tonight I stumbled upon a recipe that made me rethink that concept. And instead of using a sauce as the unifying agent, I used eggs. EGGS!! Who woulda thunk!? And it was MARVELOUS, miraculous even, what happened to my leftovers from the entire last week.
 |
| Leftover Happiness Casserole |
In her sweetest, most polite voice she said...
"Mommy, may I please not have to eat, or smell, or even look at that dinner because it is too disgusting for me and I would prefer something different, please?"
Well, it was an improvement over her Linda Blair impersonation, so I went with it!
Regardless of what five year old tastebuds say, this was DELICIOUS and here's what went in it.
1 cup leftover garlic spinach
1 cup leftover stir fried french beans
1 cup leftover sauteed diced peppers and onions
2 cups leftover cubed, poached chicken
4 cups leftover brown rice
3 eggs scrambled with one cup milk
2 cups shredded mozzarella
4 cloves garlic, minced with a garlic press
garlic salt and fresh ground black pepper
I heated some oil in a skillet, threw the garlic in, followed quicly by all the leftover veggies and chicken and seasoned to taste with the garlic salt and black pepper. In a separate bowl, I mixed the eggs, milk, cheese and rice. Then I mixed the veggie mixture into the egg/rice/cheese mixture and dumped it into a casserole dish. I kept it in the fridge until dinnertime was afoot and then tossed it into a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. I sprinkled a handful (or two) of mozarella over the top and let it bake another 15 minutes until it was all melted and bubbly. And then I ate enough of it to sink a small ship.
Ben also was not thrilled with his piece of casserole, but unlike his sister who voices her complaints loudly, Ben just throws the offending food at you. Luckily saw it coming and had my plate ready!
Alright, the cherubs will be up in five hours, so I'm calling it a night. G'Night!
Okay, here's a bone to chew on while you wait
Thought this would help with the morning insanity. I printed it out and taped it to the wall by the door so that a certain 3rd grader HAS to see it when he leaves the room in the morning. Because every time he has to go back upstairs because he forgot something is another rung up the grumpy ladder for him. And another rung up the stressed-out-mama ladder for me!
Dear Blog...
I promise, I'm not ignoring you. I am working on a very overwhelming but fun catch-up post, which is a bit challenging since by the time I get the time to work on it...I'm usually asleep.
At this moment I have tomorrow's dinner in the crockpot, tonight's casserole fixed and in the fridge, and two dozen brownie bites cooling on the counter. I was hoping to get the pork cooked too, but if I do then I won't have time to clean up the tsunami of cooking-mess I have all over the kitchen. Not to mention the laundry that needs folding, the floor that needs sweeping, the desk and living room and laundry room that need organizing, and the thank you notes that need to be written and mailed...
I promise I'm getting to you - just a little more patience and I'll be ready...
At this moment I have tomorrow's dinner in the crockpot, tonight's casserole fixed and in the fridge, and two dozen brownie bites cooling on the counter. I was hoping to get the pork cooked too, but if I do then I won't have time to clean up the tsunami of cooking-mess I have all over the kitchen. Not to mention the laundry that needs folding, the floor that needs sweeping, the desk and living room and laundry room that need organizing, and the thank you notes that need to be written and mailed...
I promise I'm getting to you - just a little more patience and I'll be ready...
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Seriously?
We are on our way to Petco to buy some critters, which *should* be a
motivating and fun outing, unless you do it Mallett style and add in a
dead car battery, three time outs, one missing 3rd grader (who went on
an impromptu bike ride) and many frayed nerves. All in a days work!
motivating and fun outing, unless you do it Mallett style and add in a
dead car battery, three time outs, one missing 3rd grader (who went on
an impromptu bike ride) and many frayed nerves. All in a days work!
Sent from my iPhone
Friday, August 27, 2010
Giggles are the best medicine
Ben is practically gagging himself he is laughing SO HARD while watching Horton Hears a Who. We went to the playground with our neighbors this morning after the big kids got on the bus, and when we got home he was completely wiped and cranky and miserable. The only way I could get him in from the garage (other than carrying him in kicking and screaming) was to put on his favorite video.
That way he didn't notice when I snuck him a cup of juice and a snack to get his blood sugar back up.
Sounds like all is well with his world once again. :)
That way he didn't notice when I snuck him a cup of juice and a snack to get his blood sugar back up.
Sounds like all is well with his world once again. :)
Monday, August 23, 2010
2 Weeks Down!
Today marked the end of our second week in our new home! We've had internet access for the last week or so, but finding the time to actually sit and type a blog post has been virtually impossible. That's why it's nearly 1am and I'm finally forcing myself to update, even though one of my eyes is half closed!
It's been an incredibly INTENSE two weeks, with loads and loads of good things to report. Much to my surprise, I haven't missed our old house ONE BIT! I miss the yard and pool and beach and family and friends, but not the house we killed ourselves renovating for 8 long years. All it took was being able to fit every piece of furniture we own into Frank's living room. That pretty much sold me. Oh, and being able to bring groceries from the car to the kitchen over a whopping two stairs. That doesn't stink either!
The kids are loving it too. We've been having loads of fun checking out all the amenities our new town has to offer - parks and spraygrounds and restaurants and playgrounds. Special trips with their uncle and aunt to ice cream and baseball. And the house has been great fun for them to explore. Being able to be inside without being right on TOP of each other is an amazing thing. They run around and around and up and down the stairs like they've been let out of prison!
Sadly, we did finally have to lock the place up like Fort Knox after the little guy used his ninja skills to escape the premises not once but twice. We hired professionals to install gates to keep him downstairs because I was chasing him up and down seventyeleven times a day. While the aerobic benefits were fabulous, the gray hairs I gained worrying that he'd kill himself by jumping the railing were not so cool.
While the childproofers were working, he grabbed the first gate and yelled up the stairs "Hey! Hey you guys! Can I come up there?" When they told him that it was too dangerous and he could come up later he looked at them with ice cold eyes and promptly blew raspberries all over their gate. "Meanies!" he called.
"Mama! Mama, those guys put a locker on my stairs!" he cried out. "Wait! I know, I'll just use the other stairs......(skips over to the back staircase)....Oh NOOOO Mama!! They put a locker on my OTHER stairs too!!! How we gonna get up there? What we gonna do?!"
Frankly, I was just thrilled that he didn't realize that *I* was the bad guy footing the bill for these "lockers". He blamed the installers! Now that is worth good money. I've been blamed for everything under the sun in the last week, particularly by my eldest, who thinks he should be allowed to watch TV and play Wii all day and ride around town on a skateboard with no helmet. And go out to dinner every night. And have a Nerf gun. And sleep in my bed every night. And never have to lift a finger for anything, EVER. And never go to school.
I think I even got blamed for the rainy day we had last week!
So there are some not-so-good moments in the mix too, just to keep everything even. At least once a day I want to crawl under my covers and cry at how horribly behaved and ill-tempered we all are...but then I remember that even though it seems like we're stuck in this mode, this too shall pass. It's just a reaction to all the upheaval and change, and that every day we get closer to finding our center again.
The new 'normal' is just around the bend.
pictures soon, I promise!
It's been an incredibly INTENSE two weeks, with loads and loads of good things to report. Much to my surprise, I haven't missed our old house ONE BIT! I miss the yard and pool and beach and family and friends, but not the house we killed ourselves renovating for 8 long years. All it took was being able to fit every piece of furniture we own into Frank's living room. That pretty much sold me. Oh, and being able to bring groceries from the car to the kitchen over a whopping two stairs. That doesn't stink either!
The kids are loving it too. We've been having loads of fun checking out all the amenities our new town has to offer - parks and spraygrounds and restaurants and playgrounds. Special trips with their uncle and aunt to ice cream and baseball. And the house has been great fun for them to explore. Being able to be inside without being right on TOP of each other is an amazing thing. They run around and around and up and down the stairs like they've been let out of prison!
Sadly, we did finally have to lock the place up like Fort Knox after the little guy used his ninja skills to escape the premises not once but twice. We hired professionals to install gates to keep him downstairs because I was chasing him up and down seventyeleven times a day. While the aerobic benefits were fabulous, the gray hairs I gained worrying that he'd kill himself by jumping the railing were not so cool.
While the childproofers were working, he grabbed the first gate and yelled up the stairs "Hey! Hey you guys! Can I come up there?" When they told him that it was too dangerous and he could come up later he looked at them with ice cold eyes and promptly blew raspberries all over their gate. "Meanies!" he called.
"Mama! Mama, those guys put a locker on my stairs!" he cried out. "Wait! I know, I'll just use the other stairs......(skips over to the back staircase)....Oh NOOOO Mama!! They put a locker on my OTHER stairs too!!! How we gonna get up there? What we gonna do?!"
Frankly, I was just thrilled that he didn't realize that *I* was the bad guy footing the bill for these "lockers". He blamed the installers! Now that is worth good money. I've been blamed for everything under the sun in the last week, particularly by my eldest, who thinks he should be allowed to watch TV and play Wii all day and ride around town on a skateboard with no helmet. And go out to dinner every night. And have a Nerf gun. And sleep in my bed every night. And never have to lift a finger for anything, EVER. And never go to school.
I think I even got blamed for the rainy day we had last week!
So there are some not-so-good moments in the mix too, just to keep everything even. At least once a day I want to crawl under my covers and cry at how horribly behaved and ill-tempered we all are...but then I remember that even though it seems like we're stuck in this mode, this too shall pass. It's just a reaction to all the upheaval and change, and that every day we get closer to finding our center again.
The new 'normal' is just around the bend.
pictures soon, I promise!
Back to school haircuts
because the kids got out late and start early. They only got 8 weeks
of vacation - what a ripoff!
Loving the "faux-hawk". He also got his own personal flat screen TV to watch sports on, a complimentary shampoo, a steam towel face treatment and a back massage. I thought he might decide to stay!
Sport Clips is definitely our new hair salon for the big guy. Tomorrow we're going to try Kids Snips for the little guy - they have cars and boats the kids can drive while he gets his hair cut. Sounds like just what we need! Well, that and maybe some Xanax.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
The Great American Yard Sale
signs all over pointed us to a veritable bastion of exactly what I was
looking for!
Then we saw the line. Then when we braved the line and finally got to
the front we saw the sign that was the kiss of death. "Leave
strollers at gate."
Anyone who has met our two year old escape artist knows where we are
now...back in the car, headed to Target so the kids can spend the five
bucks they were each granted as bait for behaving themselves.
It's only 9:30, so we haven't wasted the day - in fact, tuis is the
earliest we've gotten moving all week. lessonlearned though. When
yard sailing at the Great American...leave the young'uns at home.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Restaurant Review: Johnny Rockets
got a thumbs up from every member of the family. Dad got a Houston
burger and loved it's spicy jalapenos, I got a grilled chicken breast
sandwich (hold the mayo) and it was super tasty, and the kids loved
the mini burgers, mini hotdogs and milkshakes. The ketchup
smileyfaces were a cute bonus. :)
Service was lightning fast, Prices were cheap and the kids were in
lovebwith the juke box on the table.
We'll be back. Soon!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Paint is almost dry on the freshly spackled holes
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Scenes from the last day
 |
| Master Bedroom |
 |
| Master Bedroom Fireplace (I'm gonna miss this girl!) |
 |
| The Baby's Room (I'm going to pretend that the new owners aren't going to paint right over my periwinkle stripes and letters, stenciled with the love...and free time...of a first time Mommy). |
 |
| Family Room (so many wonderful memories of family gatherings here!) |
 |
| The flotsam and jetsam of a boy's life - hiding under the bureau. |
 |
| Movers and Packers Armed with Sharpies and fueled by Sugar! |
 |
| My hiding spot! The appliances aren't coming with us, so all the little doodads that I don't want them to pack are hiding in here! |
 |
| The staging area in the garage |
 |
| This is a well oiled operation |
 |
| Living Room The kids have been having a ball with all the baby gear that was stashed in the attic! I found the big one sitting in the swing this morning and was sad to tell him that he's over the weight limit! |
I wish these guys could organize my house for me when I get to Chicagoland!
It's like Tetris for grownups.
 |
And at the end of it all, my Black Eyed Susans are blooming for the first time since we planted them last summer with the hydrangeas. Life will go on. For us in Chicagoland, and for 48 Edgewater Drive.
After we snuggled in my bed last night, reading some bedtime stories about moving, I said out loud,
"This was a good house." It wasn't an easy house. Wasn't a pretty house at first either. Wasn't a house I loved for a very long time. But 8 years and many memories later, I can look back with love and say that this was HOME. The house we brought our babies home to, the house we became hard core DIYers in, the house we became real, live grownups in, the house where we weathered many storms in (figurative ones yes, but also real storms, that threatened to flood the heck out of the place and made us lose our marbles!), this is the house where we learned to be a family in.
So that now, we can take all the lessons we've learned and memories we've made and move on to the next chapter with our hearts full and our heads high. No crying here (yet). Just loads of love and curiosity to see what the adventure holds.
Chicagoland, here we come!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)