A Grocery List For You

 

In my attempt to be more organized, I have created a grocery list to help me keep track of what we need.  And because I love you, I’m making it available to you too!

Click here to download this file for free!

Since I don’t fancy printing one of these babies each week, I printed mine on cardstock and have laminated it and put it on my fridge with a dry erase pen and small eraser nearby.  I plan on keeping track of what we are out of there, but will write a separate list just for going to the store.  We live so close to a grocery store that we don’t generally go on giant shopping trips anyway, so this will work out well for us.  However, I won’t judge you if you want one for each trip.

Please enjoy this and look forward to more freebies in the future!

Thanks to The Graphics Fairy for making this and many more graphics available to use!

Merry Christmas!

 

Pink Stuff

This recipe will not win me any gourmet friends.  It will not thrust me toward stardom and my own cooking show.  And if you don’t feed your kids anything with food dyes; you may excuse yourself now.  What I’m about to show you is kid food at it’s finest. Pink Stuff. 

Pink Stuff is special to my family.  My grandmother would make it for every special occasion.  Holidays, birthdays, you name it; we had Pink Stuff.  I vaguely remember it being made a different way when I was very young, but I think Mimmy adjusted the recipe to it’s perfect state I give to you today.  Mimmy isn’t with us anymore, but the Pink Stuff is, thanks to my Aunt Teresa who carries the Pink Stuff torch.

I actually made it this weekend, for my Mom’s birthday.  And chances are good that we will have Pink Stuff at least once in November and once in December.  I like those odds.  I think I could live to be 103 and not tire of Pink Stuff. 

So here is the deal.  You make it with Strawberry Jell-O.  But theoretically, you could make it with any flavor Jell-O that would go well with pineapple, (as it is in the mix too.)  However, though there has always be talk about it, we never have strayed from strawberry.  Why mess with perfection?  So, if anyone tries this with another flavor, tell me how it goes!  You just may persuade me to mess with tradition; but not on a holiday or birthday.

Pink Stuff

20 oz. can of crushed pineapple with juice 16 oz. small curd cottage cheese 6 oz. box of Strawberry Jell-O 16 oz. tub of Cool Whip, thawed to room temperature Mix the pineapple/juice, cottage cheese and Jell-O powder into a large bowl.  Fold in the Cool Whip until well combined and pale pink.  Refrigerate before serving for best results.

Not Back To School Part 2

 

Last month I mentioned that I had brought two dishes to our Homeschool Support Group’s Not Back To School Party.  I almost forgot to tell you about the dessert!  But first, some more pictures of my cuties from the party.

Liam really wanted to slide.

It was a really big slide.

But Liam had some help.

Maybe a little too much help.

So, here it is.  Chocolate Cake with Biscoff Cream Cheese Icing. This recipe came from The Food Librarian.  She had me at Biscoff.  I love those little cookies, and am so glad that not only they, but also the spread made from them, have made it to local grocery stores. 

I followed the two recipes The Food Librarian used but alas! I do not own any of those lovely chocolate sprinkles.  I think I need to check World Market for them.  So, instead, I crushed some Biscoff cookies and sprinkled on top. 

My assessment: the chocolate cake is a good one.  It is very easy to make.  It also stayed moist for me.  The icing, oh the icing!  I don’t know what magical properties this concoction created, but this is a very unique icing.  There was a smoky flavor and the tang from the cheese.  It seemed to have a mature flavor, so do not hesitate to make these with grownups in mind.  But, hey, it’s cake, so kids will dig it too.

P.S. If you are not already following The Food Librarian’s blog, you really should. 

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

 

It’s that time of year when Pumpkin is King.  Yum!  I love it!  So, when I saw a recipe for Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal, I knew that 1) not only would I make it pronto, but 2) I would toss in some chocolate chips.  Just a few though, this is supposed to be a healthy dish.  Of course, it’s good without the chocolate too, but I’m a sucker for pumpkin and chocolate.  Can’t be helped. 

I love these little bread pans.  They can be used for individual servings and for giving tasty gifts.  You can probably find them at your local craft store.

Here’s where I found the recipe.  I used the maple syrup option and like I said, added some semi-sweet chocolate chips, about 1/4 cup or so.  But those are completely optional. 

There are a few options for making these an easy breakfast.  1st, it doesn’t take long to make these from beginning to end, but I’m not always patient when it comes to making breakfast in the mornings.  So, option 2, make them the night before and heat them up. Option 3, mix the ingredients the night before and bake in the morning.  In all honesty, this probably won’t save you a ton of time, since you still have to wait on the oven to preheat, (you may as well mix it all up while preheating).  Option 4, microwave for 3-4 minutes and dig in.  I prefer the oven recipe, but this is much quicker for the times I just can’t wait.  Either way, the inside is nice and creamy and delicious.

I’m going back to check out the other flavors of baked oatmeal.  This may become an obsession.

Forever Nigella: Packed Lunch Stars

 

Well, it’s official, we’re homeschoolers.  Yesterday we went to a Not Back To School Party with our newly joined Homeschooling Support Group.

I brought two dishes; one I will showcase here and one I will save for later.

 

These started out as cheese crackers, but turned into little cheese puffs.  More on that later.

Aren’t they cute?  You know what else is cute?  My kids, that’s what.

We made lots of new friends yesterday.  Sophie was all over the playground with her friends.  Here she is sliding down the pole all by herself.  I wonder if it is the same pole that I slid down when I was little.  Anybody know?

Liam was a little easier to photograph during this excursion, since I didn’t let him leave my side.  He’s getting so big!

 

Liam loves riding this elephant.  While he was riding it, he kept saying, “I happy.”  He’s so sweet!

 

Now that school (of all kinds) are starting back this fall, perhaps we could use a little lunch time inspiration.  Forever Nigella #19 is being hosted by Nazima of Working London Mummy. This month’s challenge is to prepare and blog any Nigella Lawson recipe suitable for a packed lunch. (Forever Nigella is organized by Sarah at Maison Cupcake.)

I started out planning on making these cheese crackers, (or cheese biscuits as Nigella calls them, but that is a different thing here in the U.S.)  I planned on using a lovely star cutter to go with the theme even better.  Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get the dough to roll out nicely.  In true Nigella fashion, I lost patience and did my own thing, rolling the dough into 1/2 teaspoon balls and dropping them on a pan. As I was out of parchment, I just hoped they wouldn't stick to the pan, (they didn’t!)  Some of them I left as balls, some I slightly smashed, and others I flattened quite a bit.  I like the ones that were left round.  They reminded me of gougères a little, in that they were round and slightly puffy.  Hmm, let me add gougères to my To Bake list.

Since I made these with both kids and adults in mind, I used half mild cheddar and half sharp cheddar.  But next time, I will use 100% sharp and add a dash of cayenne pepper for a little heat.  This size only took 10 minutes to bake.  I stored this is a baggie with a paper towel to soak up any moisture.  I wanted to keep them as crisp as possible.

So whether your kiddies are eating lunch at school or at home, at the park, or wherever, these little beauties are a perfect addition to your lunchtime go-to goodies.

Forever Nigella Rules

1. Blog your entry by 28^th of the month showing:
a) the current Forever Nigella badge
b) a link to this announcement post
c) a link to the Forever Nigella page at Maison Cupcake: http://blog.maisoncupcake.com/forever-nigella

n.b. posts must have been published since the announcement post. Archived posts need to be re-published afresh if you wish to submit.

2. Remember copyright.
You must NOT reproduce Nigella’s recipes verbatim. Tell us which book it is from and/or link to it online. If you’ve adapted the recipe in some way i.e. changed at least two ingredients or amended the method then it’s ok to publish the a recipe in your post but you MUST write directions in your own words.

3. Submit your post
Use the linky tool or email the host cc’ed to sarah AT maisoncupcake DOT com.

A Couple Links for You

 

As I mentioned earlier this year, since November 2011, I’ve been eating better and exercising. My trainer, Rob Hatch at Hatch Impact Training has a heart for helping people take control of their health and lose weight the right way.  He’s taught us there is no magic pill, injection, or crazy restrictive program that will deliver the results that healthy eating and exercise together will accomplish.  Rob pushes us to do more than we thought we could in the gym, and gives us the tools to meet our goals.  And we are getting those results!

For me, my weight loss journey has included going from a client to an instructor at the gym, teaching Cardio Dance, primarily.  I’m excited that I’ll soon be certified in Group Fitness!!! 

So, from time to time, I’d like to share with you some products and recipes that are helping me along the way.  Of course, there will also be posts about indulgent foods, but those are now eaten in moderation. 

I used to buy Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage Links for my family.  They are quick to microwave, so that makes it a winner for me.  But when I started changing things I was eating, I decided to try the Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage Links.  I remember the first morning I made these; I had made the pork links for Brian and the kids and then heated my turkey links.  Brian and I were in the kitchen when I took my first bite.  Wow!  I made him try some too.  We couldn’t believe how flavorful and not greasy these were compared to the original.  They turkey links are SO much better.  We have not gone back to the pork links; the turkey is delicious and I think everyone should try these.

FYI:  Jimmy Dean has no idea who I am.  This is my personal opinion, but as a lover of food, I think it’s a good one.