All the Small Things...

1st Day of School...

What a morning!  Three kids in three different schools...

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This is the outfit I made for Scarlet for her 1st day of school.  Recognize the fabric from my pancake bags? 

I don't know if you can see, but Scarlet's bows have little polymer pencils on them... cute!

Teacher Gifts...

So, I'm a traditionalist... on the first day of school my children always bring their teachers a red juicy apple. 

Well actually, it's always a galvanized bucket of apples... even cuter, huh?  Their teachers always get such a kick out of the gift and it is the EASIEST gift EVER!

You can get these cute buckets HERE... and they're super inexpensive!

Back to School Gifts...

Well,  quite a few of my girlfriends' children are starting Kindergarten tomorrow (such an exciting day!) and I thought it would be fun for the kids and I to deliver a little something to make their breakfast a little more special.

This was a fun project!  I just sewed some fabric bags with the fabric I had left over from Scarlet's "First Day of School" outfit (I'll post the pics of her in the dress tomorrow) and made some cute tags with the same fabric and ironed the fabric onto the tags with WonderUnder.

I then made up batches of our fav homemade pancake mix and put the mix into mason jars and put some stickers on the jars to identify what the jars contain.  I then added an instruction tag to the rim of the jar.

I then put the mason jars in the bags, tied a cute bow, attached some cooking utensils and the tags with another cute ribbon and VOILA... a fun gift!  I hope they like it!

My SUCCESSFUL Culinary Creations of Week...

This is the YUMMY food I prepared this week... I choose to leave the not so fab dishes to myself!

California Quiche

1 deep dish pie shell

3/4 lbs. hot Italian sausage               

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 3/4 C. milk

2 C. Monterey jack cheese, shredded

4 oz. can green chilies, chopped

Prebake unpricked pie crust on a preheated pie pan in 450 degree oven for 6 minutes.  Reduce temp to 325 degrees.  Remove casing on sausage, brown in skillet, breaking up meat with a fork.  Drain well.  In a bowl combine eggs, milk, sausage, cheese and chilies.  Turn into a partially baked pastry shell.  Bake in 325 degree oven for 45 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.  Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.  Makes 6 servings.

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Turkey Bagel Sandwiches

1 cucumber, diced

1 carrot, diced                         

1 t. dill weed

1 T. fresh chives, chopped

1 C. mayo

4 sliced bagels, toasted

4-8 lettuce leaves

4-8 tomato slices

16 slices cooked turkey breast

8 slices favorite cheese

Combine cucumber, carrot, dill, chives and mayo together; set aside.  Layer bottom halves of bagels with lettuce and tomato; top with 4 slices of turkey and cheese.  Spoon veggie mix on top; replace top halves of bagels. 

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Roasted Asparagus

2 lbs. fresh asparagus, trimmed

2 T. olive oil

1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese      

1/4 C. butter, softened

1/4 C. finely chopped radishes

2 T. snipped fresh chives

1 T. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place asparagus in a 3 quart rectangular baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with half the cheese.  Roast, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until crisp-tender, using tongs to lightly toss twice during roasting.  (I also add more cheese after tossing)  Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine butter, radishes, chives, and lemon juice.  Transfer asparagus to warm serving platter.  Serve with warm butter mixture.

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Steak Pizzaiola

4 small steaks

1 T. olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced                         

28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 T. chopped fresh oregano (or 1 t. dried)      

1/2 cup grated mozzarella

Generously season steaks on both sides with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sear until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side, transfer to plate.  Reduce heat to medium and add garlic.  Cook, stirring until golden, about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and oregano.  Cook over high heat until sauce is thickened, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan, for 8 to 10 mins.  Return steaks and any accumulated juices from plate to skillet; cover and cook until steaks are just heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.  To serve, transfer steaks to plates and top with sauce and mozzarella.

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AMAZING Meatloaf

4		slices white bread, torn into pieces
1 3/4		pounds ground beef
3/4		pound ground pork
1		medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into eighths
2		cloves garlic
2		stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
2		carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2		cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1		large egg
3/4		cup ketchup
4		teaspoons dry mustard
1		tablespoon coarse salt
2		teaspoons freshly ground pepper
2		tablespoons packed light-brown sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 400°. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse bread until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a medium bowl; add ground beef and ground pork. 2.  Place onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and parsley in food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add to beef mixture; combine using your hands. Add egg, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, salt, and pepper; combine thoroughly, using your hands. Place in an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pan. 3.  In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup and 2 teaspoons dry mustard, and the brown sugar; stir until smooth. 4.  Brush mixture over top of the meatloaf. Place the pan on a baking sheet to catch drippings, and transfer to oven. Bake until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reaches 160°, about 1 1/2 hours. (If the top of the meatloaf gets too dark, cover with foil and continue baking.) Let meatloaf stand 15 minutes before slicing.
AMAZING Meatloaf Sandwich 2 slices sourdough bread 2 tablespoons prepared olive tapenade 2 slices meatloaf 2 to 3 canned artichoke hearts, packaged in water, thinly sliced 2 small dill pickles, thinly sliced lengthwise 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced into rings 1.  Place bread on work surface. Spread each slice with 1 tablespoon tapenade. Top one slice of bread with meatloaf, artichokes, pickles, and onions. Place remaining slice of bread tapenade-side down. Using a serrated knife, slice in half, and serve. ******************************************************************* Strawberries and Cream Pastry Cut 2 sheets of puff pastry in half.  Bake 3 of them at 400 degrees for 18 minutes. In a medium bowl, whip 1 cup whipping cream and 5 T of confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Layer pastry, cream and 4 oz. strawberries; repeat.  Dust with confectioners' sugar.
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Portuguesse "Punched" Potatoes 1 large garlic clove                 4 T. extra virgin olive oil 8 small red potatoes (scrubbed and unpeeled) 1/2 t. kosher salt 1/4 t. pepper Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine garlic and olive oil; let steep 40 mins. Roast potatoes in a shallow baking pan at 400 degrees for 40 mins. or until potatoes are tender. "Punch" each potato, exposing the flesh, by whacking with a rolling pin or meat mallet.  Arrange potatoes on a warm serving dish. Strain olive oil, and drizzle over potatoes; sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper.
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Grilled Salmon with Mustard Sauce and Asparagus 1 T olive oil 1/2 C Dijon mustard 1/4 C sugar 2 t. white-wine vinegar 2 lbs. asparagus coarse salt and ground pepper 4 salmon steaks 4 slices grilled bread (optional) 1.  Heat grill to high; lightly oil grates. Make mustard sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, sugar, and vinegar. Divide sauce between two bowls (about 1/2 cup each); use one for basting and the other for drizzling. Set aside. 2.  In a large bowl, toss asparagus with oil; season with salt and pepper. Working in batches, if necessary, grill asparagus, turning occasionally, until lightly browned and tender, 4 to 8 minutes, depending on thickness of spears. Set aside. 3.  Arrange salmon steaks on a baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. With a brush, baste each side lightly with some of the mustard sauce. Grill salmon steaks, basting with sauce again, until glazed and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer salmon to plates; drizzle with mustard sauce. Serve with half the asparagus and, if desired, grilled bread. ******************************************************************************

Gillian's Lemonade

4 C water

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2/3 C sugar

In a pitcher combine water, lemon juice and sugar.  Add more sugar if you want it sweeter... I like it TART!  Stir till sugar dissolves.  Serve immediately over ice or chill till serving time.  Makes 5 glasses.

A Brag Book---- To Go...

I have to tell you that even though I take 50 million pics a months of my family, I am probably the only mother on the face of the earth that doesn't carry around pictures of her kids!  I'm not proud of this... in fact, I wince everytime someone asks to see a current photo of my kids because I know I have to let them in on my dark secret.

Why do I not carry around pics?  Pure unadulterated laziness... I just haven't gotten around to it yet!  Hey, cut me a break... Patrick's only 12!

So, yesterday I decided to enter the realm of photo packing moms.  I know... quite  a leap. 

Well, instead of just printing out some wallet sized pics and placing them in my wallet, I decided I HAD to do a big ol' craft.  Okay, so I exaggerate, but I did get crafty.

Here's what I did and I'm quite pleased with it!

It's basically a luggage tag sized brag book with each tag having a picture on each side.  I also added some stickers and charms and other thingies to personalize the book.

The pages are made out of these self sealing ID badges.  I didn't use the clips that came with them, but that would be super cute too!

Here's a closer look at the tags:

Now I have a fun little brag book to keep in my purse!  I also made one for Dan's mom for her Birthday... hope she likes it!

Not Quite Spring Cleaning...

Okay, so Spring was MONTHS ago and YES, I have cleaned Scarlet's room since, but today I got rid of so much stuff and completely organized the heck out of her room.  Oh my gosh, best feeling ever...

It is still my favorite room in the house, even after her 4 years of systematically destroying it with every Happy Meal toy known to man and more than her fair share of Crayola "murals" on the walls.

Here's a peek...

And On The 7th Day I Crafted...

I LOVE some Sunday crafting.

Today, Operation Kung Fu Shoe. (I wasn't aware these shoes had a name, but apparently they are called Kung Fu shoes)

So, normally I think these shoes are kind of ugly (sorry for all you Kung Fu shoe lovin readers), but add a HUGE tacky plastic flower and now we're talking!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Scarlet LOVES them...

I told her that I planted her shoes in the yard and watered them and they grew flowers... she doesn't believe me.

I bought the shoes online here, if you're interested.  They are only $4.50 each, and I bought the flowers from Joann's summer clearance section for about $.70 each, so this is a super inexpensive craft and one that Scarlet ADORES!

Directions: (this isn't exactly brain surgery, but I do have a tip or two!)

• I cut the stem from the base so that the flower has as flat a surface as possible
• Now that the stem is cut, the leaves can be pulled apart very easily and this is something we don't want, so either sew a few stitches through ALL layers of the flower in the center (this is what I do) or with a glue gun, glue between all layers of the flower so it is held together
• Now sew the flower to the top of the shoe with a few stitches (I use embroidery floss because it is more heavy duty)
• Don't tie the final knot on the inside of the shoe because it will be an irritation while the shoes are being worn.  I tie the knot below the flower on the outside of the shoe

Okay, so that was Operation Kung Fu Shoe...

Go #5!!!

Well, as they say... life goes on.

Today Patrick played in a soccer tournament and as usual, he played his heart out.  I swear, I could watch that boy play sports all day long.

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Well, soccer isn't traditionally a sport known for having cheerleaders, but I decided that Patrick needed to have one!

Sad...

One year ago today was the saddest day of my life... my beautiful baby brother, Scott, lost his life trying to save 3 of his friends in a drowning accident.  All 4 of them lost their lives.

I can hardly type those words...

How have we survived this year? 

Sometimes I believe that's all we're doing... surviving.

I want to start living again...

I miss you, Scott.

Dan Called an Emergency...

The kids and I walked into my bedroom tonight to discover that Dan had put together an EMERGENCY MOVIE NIGHT ! 

So we all hung out in our bedroom, on our favorite blue furry blanket and watched The Pink Panther and ate lots of yummy treats.

Way to go Dan, we needed that!

My favorite thing about the Movie Night set-up?  Scarlet's contribution... the Little Mermaid Bubble Maker!  You can't have a movie night without one you know!