7 Quick takes (#10)

7 quick takes sm1 Your 7 Quick Takes Toolkit!

1) I bought Jason a homebrew kit for his birthday.  Our first batch of Oktoberfest will be ready in 2-3 weeks!  $45.00 was the cost for 4 cases (48 bottles) of beer!  Not too shabby for the good stuff!  I of course will only have a sip...or 20...


2) A few weeks ago, I posted a story about how Leo wanted "nocunars" (binoculars) to see Oma flying with the angels in Heaven.  We haven't spoken about Oma for a long time except for including her in our daily prayers, so I assumed the concept of death was completely lost on the kid.  Then I grabbed binoculars for Jason the other day and Leo immediately asked for them.   


He then announced that he was going to go outside and look for Oma with her wings :)


3) I was chatting with my neighbor this week and he mentioned hunting.  I always felt bad that Jason moved from 1300 acres of land in Texas to this area in Maryland and he doesn't get to hunt anymore.  I felt even worse that the last time we had the chance to hunt, he let me pull the trigger instead of taking the shot.  (And this Yankee-girl DID it!!)

So I mentioned possibly buying Jason a bow and arrow set since it was more affordable than hunting with a gun.  My neighbor JUMPED at the chance to get a local hunting buddy, researched all night, and found Jason's new-to-him bow that evening!  

Within less than a week of the conversation with my neighbor, Jason is outfitted completely with a bow and his parents sent up all his hunting gear.  


I see a lot of deer meat in our future!!

4) Leo had a playdate last week with a boy exactly his age.  They are finally at an age where they actually play together instead of just stare at each other from opposite corners of the room :)






How cute are they?!?!


5) Oh they are so darn cute...

6) Here are a few links I read this week that are very interesting:

7) This movie is fantastic!!  First of all - I am SHOCKED that these high school students don't know who Hitler is...And second - it is extremely hard to enter into debate about a hot-topic issue like abortion.  But the biggest problem with relativism is that no one knows what the hell they stand for anymore!  This video is great :)

Garlic Sweet Potato Chowder

We had our food drop for our local Food Club this week and I am always inspired to get in my kitchen as soon as I get home!!  I ordered a decent amount of sweet potatoes and I also grabbed some fresh raw cream from our dairy farmer and thought I should try and combine the two.


I conducted a very scientific poll on Facebook as to what dinner dish I should make with the heavy cream.  The general consensus was something chowderish or soup-like.  (But Ida - The lone suggestion for White Russians didn't fall on deaf ears - just pregnant ears...next time though!!!)  


So I peeked around my favorite cooking blogs and found an interesting recipe that would use both my fresh sweet potatoes and this heavy cream.  Kelly the Kitchen Kop posted a recipe she concocted called Garlic Sweet Potato Chowder - Recreating Restaurant Food.  How can one go wrong with garlic, heavy cream and sweet potatoes?!?!

This is going to sound braggish...because it is :)... but I just so happened to have all the ingredients including fresh chicken broth since I had just tossed some chicken bones in the crockpot that morning to make a fresh batch!!  I only recently learned how chicken broth is made and I am still bedazzled by how easy it is!!  However, I wouldn't recommend simmering chicken broth overnight in a small house.  The smell is entirely too pungent and made me nauseous during my quarter-hourly trips to the potty.


I'm going to post the dish here (with my modifications) but please check out Kelly's blog as well.  There is a lot of great information and plenty of awesome recipes there!

  • Peel and chop 3 medium sweet potatoes
  • Dice 4 cloves of garlic
  • Spread the garlic and potatoes in a single layer on buttered cookie sheets
  • Brush potatoes with 1/2 cup olive oil (or you can use melted butter or ghee)
  • Sprinkle with sea salt
  • Bake at 450 degrees until golden brown - between 5-15 minutes (just be careful they don't burn)

When these came out of the oven I just started popping them in my mouth.  I absolutely love sweet potatoes and fall squash.  These tasted like candy to me!!

For the other half of the recipe, I'm going to alter what Kelly suggested.  Last night, I made it just as she did, and I found that the ratio of cream/sweet potato was too much.  There was also too much butter.  However!  If you like to dip bread in garlic butter, make it just like Kelly did.  The chowder was phenomenal.  Jason devoured the whole dinner and went for seconds.  For me, it was just a bit too heavy.  

  • Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter
  • Sauté 1/2 cup chopped onion and an additional 4 cloves of chopped garlic
  • Whisk in 1/4 cup of arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
  • Add 1 cup raw heavy cream and stir as it thickens
  • Add 1-1/2 cups of chicken stock, slowly, and keep stirring as it thickens.  This will take a few minutes
  • Add sea salt and pepper to taste
  • Stir in 1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese



Ours was a very thick garlic chowder with delicious bits of sweet potato throughout.  Our chowder was super thick because the raw heavy cream was more like a thick pudding than a liquid.  In the future, I might just put a tablespoon or two of cornstarch in there if our cream is that thick.  Also - I am a big fan of butter.  We go through a LOT of the stuff around here.  But there was just too much in our dish and it began to separate.  It was perfect for dipping bread into though :)  


All in all, we absolutely loved this dish and will enjoy the leftovers tonight!  But as far as plating goes, next time, I will put a dollop of cream on the plate and pour the sweet potatoes on the top.

Sometimes I wonder if I run the risk of boring everyone out there with my food posts.  The truth is, I have the worst memory ever.  If I didn't snap photos of my kids all day every day, I would probably need someone to remind me that I even have children.  I have a good memory of pictures though so these posts about recipes are now solidified in my brain for future reference...and maybe someone else will benefit from them.   

Aaaaaaaaaaand - Just in case you're only here to see my children being ridiculous, here are a few photos I found from right around this time last year :)







As proud as this mom will get

I was sitting in the living room, minding my business and planning our weeks meals, when one of the children quietly emerges from the basement.  He was whispering something unintelligible so I ignored him.  Both he and Elena have colds so I assumed he was wiping his snot all over the wall or something.

He jumped behind the TV and stood there for a minute whispering to himself.  It sounded dangerous...


Then he tiptoed to the top step of the basement, cupped his hand to his mouth and whispered loudly down the steps, "C'mon!  C'mon El!  This way!!"


Things were getting serious now.  The two were collaborating behind the TV and I knew I was about to get it.

The voices picked up and all of a sudden: THE AMBUSH!!!




This is quite possibly the proudest moment of my life.  I was just fortunate enough to be sitting in close enough proximity to my camera to capture it all :)

Buried Treasure

I spent yesterday morning at a Tot Swap in my area picking up a few things for the kids.  I got 5 pairs of shoes, 7 books, a Melissa and Doug toy, 2 shirts for Elena, a new comforter for Elena and this awesome pirate chest for under $50!!

I came home and tried my thrifty luck on the Interweb with no success.  Yesterday, there was a Gap Flash sale for 40% off your entire purchase until 8 or 9 pm.  I hunted and hunted but all the maternity clothes were either too ugly or too rich for my blood.  (I have a $4.00 max on shirts.)

After the disappointing total showed itself (including a $7.00 shipping fee), I canceled the order and called it a night.  But I'm always hunting.

This morning I saw this on A Thrifty Mom: http://athriftymom.com/2011/09/sterling-silver-hoop-earrings-3-00-was-89-99-great-christmas-gift/.  The deal is still good this morning so if you are looking for new earrings because you dropped yours down the garburator* too, hop on this deal!


I don't post many coupon deals but this one was too good to pass up.  $3.00 earring shipped!!

I love the Internet!!!  You just never know what good treasures are going to pop up next!!!!


*1.garburator49 up10 down
A canadian word that involves garbage disposal through your kitchen sink! When you turn it on, it makes a loud grating noise and... bye bye garbage! Some claim that this was once or may still be a trade name. The world may never know.
"I tossed all the peelings into the garburator, eh"
"Never stick your finger in the garburator!"
"Oh great, the damn spoon jammed up the garburator."

Butternut Squash Soup and Soft Pretzels

I am loving the first signs of Fall!  A ton of bloggers out there are posting the first fall celebrations or dedicating entire posts to The Hoodie.  It is GLORIOUS!!  My favorite season is upon us and I am starting out strong.


In order to cook a proper Fall meal, you must open all the windows and sliding doors in the house, throw on your favorite sweatpants and bask in the glory of cool fresh air wafting through the house.

But check the weather report before you plan soup and make sure it's not going to be raining, humid and 80°F.

Oops...

Here are two amazing recipes I found this week for Butternut Squash Soup and Butter Soft Whole Wheat Pretzels!



Butternut Squash Soup
adapted from Allrecipes.com


Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2-3 small/medium potatoes, cubed (or sweet potatoes)
  • 1 medium butternut squash
  • 6 cups of homemade chicken broth
  • Pinch of curry powder
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • Himalayan sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Sour cream (optional)

 Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds.  Lightly grease a pan with some olive oil and place the squash, flat side down, on the pan.  Bake it for an hour.
  2. Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, carrot, garlic, and potatoes 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Scrape pulp from butternut squash into soup pot. Pour in chicken broth over vegetables. Season with curry and nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 20 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
  3. Strain the vegetables into a bowl and blend until smooth. Return to pot and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.


This soup was amazing.  Thick enough to be filling and a great option if you don't have any meat thawed.  I'll be making it again very soon!!

Now, moving on to the soft pretzel!!  I found this whole wheat soft pretzel recipe and was SOOO excited to make it.  Here is a picture of the finished pretzel from Laura's blog.  Don't they look amazing?  (She is one of my favorite real food go-to recipe blogs!)


After I started the dough and put it aside to rise, I sat down to read the comments on her blogpost.  Just about every comment declared these pretzels to be delicious.  But then I saw this one:

I immediately started to panic!!  I don't have "hard white wheat" berries!  I only have the darker red wheat berries.  I was super frustrated because I had wasted 4 cups of freshly ground whole wheat on a potentially disgusting bread substance.

When they were done baking, I pulled them out of the oven, buttered and salted them and took a little bite.  One little bite turned into 5 very large bites...just to check if they were really as delicious as I thought they were, or if I was just being hopeful.  They were SOOOO yummy!

Then I went back to the recipe to figure out why.  I took Laura's recipe and halved it...all except one ingredient.  I completely forgot to cut the amount of butter in half!  Well, it worked out perfectly!!!

Laura's Amazing Soft Preztals
from HeavenlyHomemakers.com (makes about 12 pretzels)

Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 teaspoon raw honey
1 and 1/4 cup raw milk
1 stick of butter
1/4 cup raw honey
2 teaspoons Himalayan sea salt
4 cups whole wheat flour
Melted butter
Kosher salt









Directions
  1. In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup of very warm water, 1 Tablespoon of yeast and 1 teaspoon of honey.  Stir well and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it has started to foam.
  2. Melt a stick of butter in a saucepan.  Add 1/4 cup of honey, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 & 1/4 cup of milk.  Heat it to about 120 degrees.  (I just heated it until it was hot to the touch but not too hot to touch!)
  3. Pour it into the yeast mixture and stir.
  4. Stir in 4 cups of whole wheat flour, 2 cups at a time.  I added some unbleached white flour to this mixture until it reached a better consistency - about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup.
  5. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.
  6. Let it rise in a warm place for 1 & 1/2 hours.  (Tip: Turn on the oven to 200 degrees.  As soon as it preheats, turn the oven off and place your bowl of dough in the oven.  The warmth will help it rise.  Just make sure you turn OFF the oven or you will begin to cook the dough.)
  7. Knead the dough a little to get the air pockets out.  Then grab a fistful of dough and shape it into a snake and shape into a pretzel.
  8. Place pretzel on a greased pan.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
  9. When they are done, brush with melted butter and top with kosher salt.  Be generous!! 

Finger Lickin' GOOOOOO-OOOOOD!!!!

My Recurring Pregnancy Nightmare

I am still having super bizarre and wacky pregnancy dreams.  If you have ever been pregnant, you probably remember the vivid technicolor dreams where your subconscious pulls from some weird commercial you saw that day or the pop up ad for computer accessories from last week...

Actually, if you have ever eaten a chipotle burrito with the spicy corn salsa accompanied by a shot of tequila a half-hour before bedtime, you definitely know what kind of dreams I'm talking about.

Let me tell you a little about my recurring nightmare, Pregnancy #3 Edition.

I have a dream that I am at work and I am a very important member of the company (that should have tipped me off that it was a dream).  I spend the entire day in very important meetings.  Coincidentally, all of these meetings are with my friends...I don't think we talked "shop" at all.  This made me feel silly and it reminded me that I have better places to be...

...like at my home with my children...who are at home...alone...because I'm at work.

Begin panic session:

When is Jason going to get home from work and text me that the children are still alive and well???  It's already 6 pm and I haven't even finished this meeting yet?  Are my kids even alive???  I haven't seen them or talked to anyone who has seen them all day.  Why am I just thinking about them NOW???

Who is going to get Elena out of her crib???  Did she ever get out of her crib all day?  Wait - maybe that's safer...


What are the kids going to eat for breakfast?  


Oh I really hope Leo isn't trying to cook.  He'll definitely burn his hands on the stove...


What are the kids going to do all day?  They don't even know how to operate the TV!! 


What if someone gets hurt???



Are the neighbors going to find out that the kids are home alone and call CPS on us??


The panic only gets worse as I keep checking the clock and time is ticking away.  I start to wonder why I am even at a full-time job??  Aren't I a stay-at-home-mom?  Why didn't I arrange for someone to take care of the kids while I was at work all day.  Surprisingly, I never wondered why Jason thought it would be a good idea for me to leave the children and go to work considering he was at work as well.  

Thanks to this recurring nightmare, going to sleep at night is the most traumatic part of my day.  I always wake up before I ever get confirmation that the children are safe.  I think that if I could stay asleep until I got home to see that the kids made it through the day without me, then this dream would stop reappearing, but since I haven't had closure it continues to haunt me!!!

Jason is just excited that the recurring dream during this pregnancy doesn't paint him as the bad guy so I don't wake up angry at him every morning :)
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