So, Maybe Every Other Month...

What's this?  Blogger has changed it's format?  Obviously I haven't been around for awhile; but according to blogger, 10-20 people still check this blog daily.  A few of my friends have recently encouraged me to keep writing.  Apparently they'd rather read about my life than actually talk to me.  Figures.

Well, trying to sum up the last two months of recipes, house updates, happy links, and good deals may be hard in one post, so let's start out slow.  Maybe there will even be a follow up in the next few weeks.

Spray Paint:
I'm learning to love spray paint.  A few months ago I spray painted all of our brass kitchen pulls, saving a ton of money as compared to buying new and making a huge impact on the look of our kitchen.  There are a few (silverware drawer, under sink cabinet) that have chipped a little, but it is too be expected as I didn't sand or prime (tisk, tisk).  I could very easily repaint them, but it really isn't bothering me that much yet.  Our house has seven outdoor lights that were a very worn, tarnished brass.  I priced out similar new lights at $35-$200 EACH.  Spray paint to the rescue!

Huge improvement!  I still pause in the driveway on my way out of the garage, just so I can admire the change.  I also spray painted the shiny gold house numbers, as well as the shiny brass kick plate on the front door.  Again, these are the type of improvements that nobody else will notice, but I can't stop staring at them.  This is the paint that I used, with one can getting us through 5 fixtures, the numbers, and the kick plate.  Removing the lights required flipping off the breaker and very basic wiring, just like replacing the smoke detectors.  

Window Un-Coverings:

The formal living room playroom in our house has lots of large beautiful windows.  The house came with lots of large, not so beautiful, window coverings.  They are dark brown pocket drapes that look ruffled on the top and had so much fabric that I could never really pull them open as far as I wanted.  Everymorning I tried to coax them as far to the side as I could, and every night we had to strategically pull them closed to cover the whole windows.  I priced out new drapes, but found that nine large, lined drapes could easily cost $500 +.  So, I lived with them, but day after day I've let them annoy me.  Until the other day.  I was sitting on the play room floor while the kids hit me in the head with toys.  I suddenly remembered seeing drapery clips at a store once, and I had an "aha" moment (aka, a "duh!" moment).  After a trial run with rings from Bed, Bath and Beyond, I ordered these much cheaper rings from amazon.  After about an hour of removing, clipping and rehanging, the results are awesome.  More modern, more open, more light and more visible window space.  The pictures aren't great, so you'll just have to trust me on this one. 

Before:

 After:

Muffins:

I bought a new oven a few months ago, and since doing so, I've hardly baked a thing.  I just haven't been in a baking mood, I guess.  I did, however, make blueberry muffins the other morning.  Browned butter blueberry muffins, to be exact.  I don't think anybody would have guessed that they had browned butter in them, but I knew, and I thought they were delicious.  My children and coworkers concurred.  Find the recipe here. 

Woo, I must be out-of-blogging-shape, because I'm tired.  More to come...

Let's Make This a Monthly Event

Daily blog posts are for wimps.  Imagine a once per month blog- go big, get it all out, save time (for the writer as well as the reader).  Can you dig it?

Well, here we go.

A few good things:

Dinner:

Try this recipe for Pad Thai.  Quick, easy, yummy.  Hadley had seconds.  Blake had fourths.

Then he ran back to the table for one more bite.

Dessert: 

Chocolate Rads.  Super delicious, crispy outside, gooey center, major chocolate flavor, and fairly easy.  I snuck 2 dozen of them into a movie theater last night (I shared)- way better than movie theater popcorn. 

Flowers:

How can you not love spring time?  No picture can capture the beauty that is Boise right now.  Huge flowering trees and bushes line the streets; tulips and daffodils line my yard.  The windows are open, the house is filled with a delicious breeze.  Life is good. 

Can you see the hint of pink?  Blake's bedroom doesn't have much of a view (sideyard/neighbor's house), but when this tree blooms, his view will be filled with plum blossom awesomeness.

Blinds:

Speaking of views, do you know about top down/bottom up blinds (that's probably not the real name)?  I had never heard of them until we moved into our new house, but I'm a fan.  We leave them on the bottom half only in our master bedroom and bathroom, so we have privacy, but still get views and daylight/moonlight.  We can lie in bed and see the stars, or wake up to this view in the morning.

I love blue skies and "Simpsons" clouds.  

Or this view from the master bathroom:  Sky, flowering pear tree (which sadly does not produce pears), and the chance to pretend that there are not actually 50 houses visible from that window.   

Fun fact:  The other day I was standing on the edge of the tub to open that window, when I realized that we can see the Owyhee mountain range in the distance to the South.  Imagine that- a mountain range has been out our window this whole time, and we didn't even know it.  (You can also see the Boise foothills from Hadley's room, and just barely from Blake's room).  Hooray for mountains.

Black out curtains:  If you have kids and you want them to fall asleep before 10 PM in the summer, you need black out curtains.  Target has a much improved selection compared to a few years ago, with some colors and patterns designed for kids.  I think the curtain was about $25 and I bought a cheap curtain rod for under $15.  For the extra sleep they'll provide, they are worth every penny.

Master Bedroom:  Blake wasn't the only one to get new curtains.  Our master bedroom has been bothering me since we moved in.  The walls were the same pink/mauvey brown as the rest of the house, and we had only put a few things on the walls.  I tried to freshen it up with new curtains last fall, but they just didn't look right (perhaps it was because they hung on a lovely brass rod with flower finials). So, I tricked my husband into painting it with me late on Easter Sunday.  I told him it would take two hours; it took six.  Close enough.  After a fresh coat of Bleeker Beige ($25), some new curtains ($25x2 at JC Penney), a new curtain rod ($13 super clearance at Penney's!), and a lovely quilt/shams from Pottery Barn (not on sale, but I had a 15% off coupon),  it feels like a new room.  We added a wall hanging from the old house (originally purchase at TJ Maxx about 5 years ago- I think it was $39).  The room isn't done, but it feels much more complete and purposeful.  The quilt is not our usual style, but there is such a cozy sense about it, and I am hopeful that the classic print will stand the test of time.  

Tortillas:

Have you tried Tortilla Land tortillas yet?  They are fresh, uncooked flour tortillas.  I'd heard rumors of these magically fresh tortillas from my Costco shopping friends, but I had never tried them, so I was so excited to spot them at Fred Meyer a few months ago. They have no preservatives and only a few ingredients (have you looked at the ingredient list on regular store bought flour tortillas?), and they taste awesome.  Oh, and they literally cook up in a minute!  

Butterflies: 

Have you or your kids ever raised butterflies?  We used to catch caterpillars, stick them in a jar with a few leaves, then dump them out when they died.  I don't think they ever made it to the butterfly stage.  A  few weeks ago, my kids were asking lots of questions about how The Very Hungry Caterpillar became a beautiful butterfly.  And, well, I really didn't know how to answer that one.  I decided to embrace the learning opportunity, and ordered a butterfly house.  We've already all been amazed by the quick transition from larvae to caterpillar to chrysalis; the butterfly hatch is sure to blow our minds. 

A Feel Good Film:

Well, that's all for April.  Who knows what May will bring?

Those Tricky Leprechauns

Remember a few years ago when Jessica Seinfeld wrote a book about sneaking vegetables into kids food?  I remember hearing some debate over whether or not you were actually doing a disservice to your kids by sneaking vegetables into meals, versus teaching them to like them, straight up.  This was before I had kids, so you can guess which side I took.  Now, as a mother with years (3) of experience, I'm all about lying to the little stinkers.

Speaking of lying, how about leprechaun tricks, traps, and shenanigans?  My kids have been talking about nothing but the creepy little green men for past 2 days.  So far, our leprechaun has not been very creative (green water in the toilet, green water in the flower vase, a green banana stuck in the couch cushions- yep, even I don't understand that one).  Luckily, my kids are using their imaginations to my advantage, upgrading our leprechuan a notch or two.  They have been seeing him hiding above the kitchen cabinets, and hearing him in the dining room, prompting them to eat their dinner nicely.  They are finding "tricks" all over the house, my favorite of which was tonight, when Blake ran into the kitchen, saw a container of spinach, and screamed, "Wow!  The leprechaun brought us salad!"   Nope, not the leprechaun, just your sneaky mother.

The spinach was turned into frosting.  To top cupcakes made with beets and zucchini.  Quit gagging.  Seriously, knock it off.  If I hadn't told you, you'd never know what was in them.  What would you do if a box of produce containing beets and zucchini unexpectedly showed up on your doorstep?  (Wait a minute, damn leprechauns...)  Add chocolate, of course!  I've seen recipes for chocolate zucchini cake, and recipes for chocolate beet cake, so I figured I could mix it all together, and luckily, it worked.  I also had recently seen a recipe for frosting that used spinach for green coloring, and so it was decided.  Zucchini beet chocolate cupcakes with spinach frosting.  Eat your heart out, Jessica Seinfeld.

Mmm.. beets a' boiling

 The dry

 How about some veggies with your cupcake batter?

 Fresh from the oven

It's frosting time!

Zucchini Beet Chocolate Cupcakes

adapted from this recipe

makes 28 cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

In a small bowl, mix together:

4 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cups unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

Stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well.

Add:

 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (raw, unpeeled)

1 1/2 cups shredded beets (cooked and peeled)

Mix, then portion into muffin tins, greased or with liners.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool, then frost if desired.

The cupcakes are moist, dense and chocolatey.  Sure they contain sugar and white flour, but pre-frosting, they can't be any worse than most muffins.  They made a perfect afternoon snack for my kids.

Spinach frosting

inspired by this recipe, and this one.

In the bowl of food processor, mix:

 2 1/2 cups fresh spinach

1/2 cup softened butter

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 TBSP milk

3.5 cups powdered sugar

Chop/mix until smooth and combined.  Pour mixture into the bowl of a stand or handheld mixer, then whip until thick and fluffy.  Frost cupcakes, then keep refrigerated.  This frosting is a bit on the thin side, and tastes like powdered sugar frosting with a twist.  Had I remembered to buy whipping cream, I would have whipped one cup of cream until stiff, then folded in the spinach frosting mixture.  If you try it, let me know how it works.

Yum!

Paint-Free Bathroom Transformation

Hadley and Blake's bathroom has remained mostly untouched since we moved into our house.  This is partly because we're out of time, energy, and patience.  I've done enough painting for a long while.  I've spent far too much money at Lowe's.  Plus, the kids hardly use the room; the bathtub is in a small space and has a sliding door, so it makes it hard to bathe the kids there.  Thus, the kids (and 100+ bath toys) have taken over our big tub.  And, their bathroom has gone ignored.

Except, every time I come up the stairs and head down their hall, I stare at the ugly, plain, beige room.  Something had to be done.  Project mini bathroom makeover started last week when I let the kids each choose a hand towel at Target- Hadley picked blue stripes, Blake chose green.  I looked at all of the "kid" bathroom sets, and while they were cute, I didn't love any of them.  So, we left with two towels.  A few days later, a friend suggested I check the bathroom section at World Market.  I had planned to be near the store that evening anyway, happened to have a 25% off coupon, and the bathroom section happened to be 20% off that day.  Destiny.

A couple of throw rugs, a curtain rod, and a shower curtain (for looks, not function.  I think the sliding doors are ugly), and we were in business.  The instant transformation was amazing!  As in, I kept going back into the room and to just stare in awe.  Behold, the power of 2 rugs and a shower curtain!   Yet, something was missing.  A pinterest search for free printables, some $1.99 Ikea frames that were stashed in the closet, and 15 minutes during nap time...Bingo!

Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Shells (and Cookie Pie!)

Who doesn't love Italian food?  How about Italian food that is quick and easy?  This recipe makes a lot of food and is easy to double, so it's great for a crowd or to have enough for leftovers.  You might even be able to sneak spinach into your kids (no guarantees, though).  Ricotta and spinach stuffed shells are like little individual servings of lasagna, or perhaps like manicotti, but easier to prep.  I found the recipe on Skinny Taste (linked here- sorry, I forgot to take a picture).  We've made this dish three times in the past few weeks and for some reason it always turns out a little differently, but still good.  I've always used jarred marinara instead of the meat sauce (this is my favorite), as well as fresh baby spinach instead of frozen.


A simple green salad is my favorite side dish to serve with pasta, so no recipe is needed there (tonight was romaine, cherry tomatoes, red pepper, and cukes).  And then there's the bread.  Oh, the bread.  How can you eat pasta without bread?  If you are going to eat carbs, well by golly, go all out.  Sometimes we like to dip our bread in oil and spices (I highly recommend this one), but it's hard to beat roasted garlic spread over a slice of crusty bread.

Slice the tops off a head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and wrap in parchment paper or foil.

Bake at 400 (or really whatever temp your oven is at for the rest of your meal), for 30-45 minutes or until soft. 

Your house is going to smell amazing!

Pop the cloves out and spread on bread, or eat them straight up if you love garlic as much as I do!

Now, on to dessert.

I love to bake, and I often preach about my love for real butter and real sugar, as long as it's done in moderation.  Now, I still believe in these rules when making a chocolate birthday cake, but for a Monday night (cheese laden) dinner with friends, I'm okay with going the healthier route.  I was hesitant to make a dessert featuring garbanzo beans (buy dry and make your own- recipe here), but this cookie pie got rave reviews.  It didn't hurt that we topped it with oreo cookie ice cream from our favorite ice cream shop (Goody's), which completely negated the healthy ingredients in the cookie.  Oh well. 

via

This recipe also happens to be vegan, gluten and dairy free (depending on the chocolate chips you use), so it's great for people with allergies/special diets.  Find the recipe here, and enjoy!

Gasp!

Some shocking news:  I made a dessert tonight that contained no chocolate.  No cocoa powder, no chocolate chips, chunks or pieces.  Actually, it didn't contain any flour, eggs, or dairy.  Pretty much, we had fruit for dessert.  I think people that have fruit for "dessert" are weird.

Here's what went down.  We had friends coming for dinner and I didn't feel like cooking.  Thai takeout- check!  When serving a non-homemade meal to guests, I always bake something for dessert.  Chocolate cake seemed too heavy to pair with thai food, so I decided to make an angel food cake with mangos and whipped cream.   And then I got lazy.  Instead of baking cake, I cut up the mangos and tossed in some raspberries.  The kids had cara cara oranges for lunch, and though I wouldn't normally mix oranges with the other fruits, these are no ordinary oranges.  They are so sweet and delicious; I can't believe it took me 30 years to discover them.  So anyway, in went the oranges.

Not wanting to be one of those fruit-for-dessert-weirdos, I had to do something to kick it up a notch.  I decided to try the coconut milk whipped "cream" recipe that's been floating around the net.  Chill a can of coconut milk, pour the thicker white portion (in my can it was all but the bottom inch or so) into the bowl of an electric mixer, mix on high for 5 minutes and add a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract near the end of mixing.  Here is what I got:

You won't get it to beat to stiff peaks, but it does make a nice light and airy alternative to whipped cream.  Plus, it tastes like coconut, which in my book = delicious!  (Side note for my Boise peeps- Creme de Coconut ice cream at Goodies?  Awesomely full of toasted coconut and worth every calorie.  Do it.)

Dish the fruit into small bowls and top with coconut whipped cream.  Yum!

Blake, my tutu wearing taste tester, approves!

Eggs In The Microwave

...And 95% of you just said, "Eww, gross!"  But, give me a chance here.  

My kids are constantly asking for snacks, from the moment they wake up, to the moment they go to bed.  They ask for snacks in the middle of dinner, for Pete's sake.  Most of our snack options seem to be sweet and/or starchy, whether it's fruit, granola bars, crackers or cereal.  So when I find a non-sugary snack option that contains lots or protein, is quick and easy, and the kids will willingly eat, well, I think it's a keeper.

I'm not big on scrambled eggs, but I think these taste as good as those made in a frying pan, and the prep time and clean up are both decreased.  (Side note- you may want to spray the mug with Pam first, as well as giving it a good rinse before putting it in the dishwasher.  If you don't, the mug might come out of the dishwasher with dried-on egg chunks, and you might not notice and put it back in the cupboard.  You also might not notice when you stick it under the Keurig on a dark sleepy morning.  But when you start drinking your coffee, trust me, you will certainly notice.)  The kids like these, especially because they get to help with the cooking.  I've yet to complete the scientific research, but I'd estimate that the kids eat 50%-75% more of anything they help to cook/prep

Without further ado, the recipe can be found here.

A Parenting "Aha!" Moment

When I had only one child, all housework waited until she was sleeping.  While she was awake, I was with her one-on-one.  With two kids, I quickly realized that this wasn't a reasonable, doable, or sane idea.  The problem is, there are days that I'm left feeling guilty and the kids feel ignored.  The other day I heard Hadley and Blake playing together, and Hadley said, "I'm the Mommy, and mommy's don't play."   Ouch.

So, here is what I did:  I had laundry to fold, a kitchen to clean, dinner to prep and floors to mop.  I made a train out of dining chairs, named Blake the conductor, and after a short "ride" he would drop me off to run and complete a task, while I told them where to drive to while I was gone.  They had a blast, I had fun, and the kids felt like I was part of their game, instead of ignoring them while I cleaned.  Plus, I got to hear conversations like this while I was cleaning:
Hadley:  Blake, are we in Wis-scons-kin?
Blake:  Yep
Hadley: What do we do in Wis-scons-kin?
Blake:  I don't know.  Go to Minnesota?

I'm Back...

So, it's been over a month since I've blogged.  Guess what?  I didn't really miss it, and so far none of you have indicated that you've been longing for a blog update.  Hmmm...  I have, however, often thought, "I should blog about that."  I've caught onto the Pinterest craze and I find it's much easier to share recipes there.  The problem is that pinterest isn't a place to share my recipe adjustments, pictures, full opinions, etc.

So, this morning finds me up bright and early, anxiously waiting to go get my first cavity filled.  I kind of feel like damaged goods; my perfect dental health has gone out the window.  And I don't dare google what chemicals are used in the filling material, for that might really send me over the edge.  Coincidentally, I'm sitting here eating a super sugary treat, wondering where I went wrong.  I guess I want to give that pesky tooth invagination (seriously, that's the word the dentist kept using) its last hurrah before it is drilled away and filled with toxic cement.

With that lovely lead in, let me tell you about something far more wonderful than cavities, fillings, or a barrel of monkeys.  I took on a little baking challenge yesterday, and thank goodness, I conquered it.  Chocolate babka takes a lot of time, patience and ingredients, but there was nothing really difficult about it.  I originally found a recipe in the Food Network Magazine, but the Smitten Kitchen version seemed easier and used ingredients that I had on hand.

Check out the photos that go with the recipe because: 1. They are much better quality than I could come up with,  2.  I forgot to take photos of the different steps, and 3.  Believe it or not, I was (attempting) to parent my children throughout the process, which took my energy away from photographing and focussed it on, oh, I don't know, cleaning up puddles of urine from a potty training 2 year old.

For a blog post about a lovely butter and chocolate dessert, I've made too many gross references to bodily issues in our house.  I'm sorry.  On to the goods.

The scene

 One final rise

Do you see the evidence of impatient kids?

Mini-loaves, fresh from the oven

 They unmolded beautifully

One of my taste testers

 The kitchen floor- our favorite spot to dine.

 Packaged and ready to be delivered to friends.

 Had I been patient enough to let it cool, it wouldn't be so squished. 

The verdict:

It was totally worth the time and work, but be warned that it makes a lot of bread (2 large + 3 mini loaves).  In my house, this is a dangerous thing.  If I bake it, I will eat it.  Some has been given away, some frozen, some eaten.  After reading reviews on the recipe site, I learned that you should be able to make 1/3 or 2/3 of the recipe without issues, and that the bread (baked or unbaked) freezes well.  Also, some reviewers said the filling was too sweet, so I used 1/2 cup brown sugar (because I ran out of white) instead of 1 cup granulated.  I also used bags of ghiradelli chocolate chips for the filling, which I made in the food processor.  I dumped about half of the streusel topping because it seemed like way too much, but it didn't seem like much when baked.  Otherwise, I'd follow the recipe as written.  

And now, I'm off to the dentist.