kids in the kitchen

i was soooo tired yesterday.  it really does take that many "o's" to describe how beat down, dog tired i was.  i had worked out hard at the gym, ran errands all afternoon, and was just tired.  i wanted a nap while my 4 year old only wanted mommy to read one more story (i've read to you for an hour already!), watch one more tv show (no, you're done.), have one more thing to eat (you've already emptied the fridge into your belly!), and play one game of "in a pickle" (just plain, no, baby.)  and when this mama's is this tired, her nerves become a little raw.

by the time i had all three kids home, i wanted nothing more than to be by myself.  but in our small home, that just doesn't happen.  i wanted to lock myself up in my bedroom, but i had to cook dinner. i start browning the ground beef when my daughter comes in the kitchen to ask to help.  i told her that it would be best if i just cooked dinner by myself because i want to be alone.  that's when that sweet angel of mercy says, "yes, but you can be in your bedroom by yourself, while i cook dinner."   i didn't hesitate.  i handed her that wooden spoon, told her to be careful and went to lay down.  by myself.

my husband came home, saw how tired i was, and told the kids that he was going to be mom tonight.  (bless him.)  i came out from hiding when i heard them finishing the pasta for dinner.  i didn't want to get up, but i knew i had to get the side salad done.  i go to wash the lettuce and my husband tells me that natalie had already made a fruit salad for dinner.  that bowl of blueberries, grapes, sliced strawberries, and chopped apples absolutely made my night.

and THAT mamas and papas is why we teach our children how to cook.  so that when i'm tired and don't want to cook, they can pull a meal together instead.  teach them how to use a knife, how to handle a hot skillet, how to season foods so that YOU can have a night off!  most people will tell you that kids should cook because it makes them more likely to try new foods, it teaches them self-sufficiency, it helps them to know where their food comes from, and blah, blah, blah.  while all that is well and good, i'm hear to say that the best reason is that they're cooking and you're not.   woo-hoo, can i get a big amen on that one? nothing is better than laying late in the bed on a saturday morning having a quiet conversation with your husband while your kids are whipping up buttermilk pancakes from scratch.  well, there is one thing better....when one of your sweet young'uns brings you a hot cup of coffee that you didn't have to brew.

of course, just to put this in perspective...my kids aren't always eager in the kitchen.  there are many mornings when they can't seem to pour their own bowl of cereal.  (insert exaggerated eye roll here)  they don't cook a whole lot but i'm determined to dump this task on them encourage them to take on the challenge of cooking more often.

and one more note, i spent a lot of time WITH my kids teaching them how to cook BEFORE i trusted them to be around the hot stove and sharp knives without me.  i started them young, depending on their own maturity level and dexterity.   and then slowly gave them control.   i still won't let my daughter use the BIG chef knife, but she knows which in the block she can cut with.   they have to learn somehow and i don't believe in shielding them from all possible danger.  all i'm saying is don't be stupid about when it comes to having your kids in the kitchen.  :)

I do like being a domesticate. I don't mean the cleaning and laundry kind of domesticate. If you came to my home, you'd know right away THAT'S not what I mean. :) I'm talking about the domesticate who likes to get back to the basics of homemaking. I love sewing things for my home instead of buying them. I love quilting and creating warmth for my family. Hanging the clothes on the line is the only part of laundry I enjoy, besides seeing an empty laundry basket which is truly a rare sight in this house. I prefer to bake bread rather then pick it up at the grocery store. You know, the back to your roots kinda girl. A personal challenge of mine is to put up more fresh produce during the summer. I really haven't done it much at all, and sadly I'm kinda starting late in the season to really plan this. Next summer, I'll be prepared to put up some strawberry and blueberry jam for sure.

Anyways, so I was at the farmers market last week and on a whim I saw a box of canning tomatoes and snatched them up. Canning tomatoes is so incredibly easy. Or at least to those of you who are not working on an ancient stove like mine that only has two burners that don't ever get quite hot enough. But that's another story.

I thought I'd share some pictures. Seeing my tomatoes all lined up in cans makes me blissful.

Oh, and by the way, I'm totally digging this free actions by Pioneer Woman for photoshop! This is the "seventies" actions. Love that setting!

What's for dinner tonight?

Well, okay, so we had this last night, but you know what I mean! This is is such a simple marinade for chicken I found on the internet the other day. (please forgive, but I can't for the life of me remember exactly where!)

4 chicken breasts
1/2 c buttermilk
2 T fresh chopped dill
2 T lemon juice
1 T zest
3 cloves garlic minced

Marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight and then grill. Delicious!

Blueberry Bliss

If you're not fortunate to live or to have lived in the South, you might not understand me when I say "gotta, wanna, needa, geeta, hava...Bojangles!" I know, I know fast food is not good for and all that jazz, but on the occasion I do like to grab a quick bite. Now, I don't get excited about a McDonalds or a Burger King or anything like that, but there is something about chicken biscuit, seasoned fries and a big sweet tea from Bojangles. That pure Delight with a captial "D". They also have this delcious confection called a BoBerry Biscuit. My daughter and I decided to try and whip us up a batch of our blueberry bliss biscuits.

And they were so good.

We could have ate the whole plateful, but my 4 year old told me we would get sick if we did! So sadly we restrained ourselves. :) I'm going to tell you the way we made them, and then I'll tell you what I'll do next time.

2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c butter
3/4 c milk, more if neccesary
1 c or so of frozen blueberries

Cut the butter into the 1st three ingredients until crumbly. Add milk, stirring just until moistened. Add 1 cup frozen blueberries, I think fresh would be too delicate for the thicked biscuit dough. Gently work them in. I didn't knead the biscuit dough because I was afraid that kneading on top of working in the blueberries would make my biscuits tough. Pat dough to 1/2 in thickness and cut out using a 2 in biscuit cutter. Bake on ungreased sheet @400 for 12 minutes or just until golden. Let cool for a moment and then drizzle with glaze.
Glaze:
1 c powdered sugar
1 1/2 T milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Next time I will switch half the flour for cake flour and maybe add 1 T sugar to the dough. I think they would be equally as yummy with sliced strawberries!

not like martha...

I admit it, I'm nothing like Martha, as in that Martha. Try as I may, my collars aren't nicely pressed, I don't wax my wood floors, and my cakes are not anything to write home about. For awhile there, I was going to give up being the Domestic Goddess I so longed to be. But, then I came across this book. One quick looksie, and I just knew I had to snatch it up!
I love the book because it doesn't make me feel inept. Instead, I feel inspired! Sure my quilts may not be the stuff of blue ribbon winners and my cakes don't always look pretty, but I have so much fun creating them. And that is most important of all.

I'm hoping to cultivate that same spirit in my children. I want to them to be free to create without worrying about whether or not the end results are "perfect". I just want them to create freely.

Today, it's nasty and dreary outside. So my daughter and I made a little cheer of our own inside. We baked up a lovely little chocolate cake. As we were mixing up the icing, we thought let's add a little color to it. Natalie picked green, a nice little spring green. Of course, the cake needed sprinkles. The only sprinkles we had in the house were snowflakes. I love the juxtaposition of new spring grass green and the crisp white snowflakes. :) She didn't realize that the top was completely open and didn't have one of those sifting screens over the bottle. So it looks more like a blizzard than a gentle dusting!

What is that?!

I know that's what you're asking yourself when you look at the picture! Well, I won't keep you in suspense; yes indeed, they are perhaps the world's ugliest bagels. I had never made bagels before, and they really look nothing like those gloriously golden circles of warm love you see at your local bakery. But, oh, oh, oh! These are the best tasting bagels I have EVER put into my mouth. I kid you not, these are amazing. You NEED to try them. Until they figure out how to send a real bagel through a computer screen, maybe you should just make your own. You could probably find this book at your local library.

Next time, and there WILL be a next time soon, I'm going to do some add ins or top with sesame seeds.

Mmm...Soup

I made the best soup last night! It's actually quite cold here in NC this week, so I'm taking advantage of the weather and making soup to warm us up. It's so good, I wanted to share it with you. I did add a secret ingredient, though. I'm desperate to add more vegetables to my family's diet, so I sneak it in whenever possible. They never noticed the chunks of cauliflower I added. :)

Sausage and Bean Soup
3/4 lb ground sausage
onion chopped to your desired amount
garlic clove minced
can of baby butter beans, drained
can of black beans, drained
14.5 oz can of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes
14.5 oz can of beef broth
1 T fresh basil, minced
1 T. Parmesan cheese

Brown sausage with onion and garlic, drain. Add next 5 ingredients and simmer 10 min., sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

mmm... Granola

I love homemade granola. And it's so easy to make.
Here's my recipe: (it makes a lot, but it freezes really well)

Mix together in large bowl:
8 cups oatmeal
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1-1 1/2 c wheat germ
1 c of your favorite chopped nuts (I used almonds today)
1 T cinnamon

Bring to bubbly in pan:
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c honey or maple syrup or combination
1 T vanilla

Pour liquid over oatmeal mixture and bake at 300 degrees for 30 min.
If the oatmeal mixture seems a little dry, add in some more oil and honey.

Oh so yummy!
My daughter's hand sneaking a bite!

Blueberry Muffins

I love blueberry muffins, so does my daughter. A friend of mine gave me a whole mess of berries that she had picked the other day, so sweet, I know! So today, my daughter and I decided to spend some time baking in the kitchen. Don't they look delicious?

I have a lot of different recipes we've tried, but this is one I like. I modified it from the original which came from an old cookbook. I like my muffins to be nutritious enough for breakfast so I don't put on a streusel topping or anything like that. Here's the recipe:

Mix together 1 c. white flour, 3/4 c whole wheat flour, 1/2 c sugar, 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 3/4 tsp. salt. Next, combine and then add to the dry mixture 1 egg (or two egg whites) 3/4 c. milk and 1/3 unsweetened applesauce. Fold in 1 c or so of fresh blueberries. Bake @400 for 20 min.

Super simple! If you try this recipe and like it, make sure to let me know!