Christmas in July

My parents are visiting us in the Arctic this week. We've been looking for things to do, and I figured since one of my favorite childhood memories is decorating Christmas cookies with my mom, why not share the memory with my children. Audrey was the most excited about Christmas in July and kept asking, "We're really making Christmas cookies? When it's not even Christmas??"

She was so excited, she sorted through and played with all of the Christmas cookie cutters last night, discussing the merits of each one with Grandma. She couldn't wait to cut the dough.

I set the mood with some Christmas music:

And even the boys who were busy building a treehouse with Dad took a break to come in to decorate.

Although we were all in the presence of the Master Decorator,

the kids still did things in their own style: a la lots-o-icing.

And that's only because a la lots-o-icing tastes so delicious.

Hippy Chick

Today after church, I took the kids to a restaurant called Flatbread. As its name suggests, it serves flatbread pizzas. The menu is by no means extensive, but what I love about it is that it serves all-natural food: organic produce, freshly milled flour for its pizza crusts, nitrate-free pepperoni tops its pizzas, and free-range chicken stars in some of its dishes. The best thing? The kids love it!

While the kids have enjoyed take-out from Flatbread, they had never been inside before today. They were very impressed with the interior...the eclectic seating arrangements composed of tables, booths, picnic tables, and couches; the wood-burning oven; the tin cans turned lighting fixtures; and even the outhouse-like restrooms (outhouse by decor only!), which each of them checked out in turn. As Alex looked thoughtfully around, she noted, "This place is kind of hippy." Her comment was not critical in any way, just her observation.

I chuckled inside because that hippy label is a bit reflective of me at this moment. You see, I have spent a lot of time over the last few weeks educating myself about food, especially the food here in America. I watched Food Inc. and Fresh, two documentaries about how food is handled in the US. As you can imagine, the focus is on the fact that food is so very processed here. In addition, I have been reading Michael Pollan who wrote both The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food.

I have not finished the latter title, but I thoroughly enjoyed The Omnivore's Dilemma. The only way I can describe this book is by calling it grippingly informative. And more than that, it gave me a greater appreciation for nature. Mr. Pollan clearly does not share my views on creation, but even so, all of the information in this book put me in absolute awe of God..His creation, its intricacies, and how everything works together so very perfectly! Additionally, this book lowered my ignorance about food so I can make much better decisions about feeding my family.

I have heard many people say they decided to stop eating meat after reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. Totally not the point of the book! The point is that we need to make wiser choices in the meat we do choose to eat. Knowledge is power as they say. I think most of America is completely ignorant about the food they eat. Not ignorance by anyone's fault, really. The true information out there is hard to find. This book spells it out definitely, thoroughly, and in an interesting way.

Although I'm still processing all of this information as well as picking up additional information, one of the biggest things I have taken away so far is the importance of ensuring that the beef I buy for my family is from grass-fed cows. God created cows to eat grass, not the grain diet they are fed by big beef producers. If they are permitted to eat grass as God designed them to do, they will not get sick and thus they will not need the antibiotics the big meat producers must pump into them. And if they are permitted to eat grass as God designed them to do, their bodies will produce the nutrients that sustain them when they are alive and that are passed on to us when we enjoy a burger or a steak.

Now I won't go on and on about a cow. I have already been chastised by my oldest who rolled her eyes and asked me why I am suddenly so obsessed with the cow and its diet. I did convince her to go with me to a local store today which carries grass-fed beef. I'm thankful I live in a state where there are so many local farms and other outlets where I can pick up fresh and more healthful food.

Getting the food is only half the battle of course. If you know me, you know I am not on great terms with my kitchen. However, over the last few days the kitchen and I have become much more intimate. This takes a lot of time and is not easy! When the kids want a snack, instead of turning to that big red box of Cheez-Its, I have to make something for them (homemade Cheez-Its are actually very delicious!).

It's definitely an adjustment and one I'm trying to make slowly...for my own sanity and for the sake of the children. Although I do not regret never forcing them to eat something, I do regret not providing better choices for them. It's hard for them to see some of those processed choices disappear to be replaced by one of Mom's kitchen experiments. Naturally, their suspicions have decidedly risen as they wonder what healthy thing I have hidden in those crackers or where exactly that package of processed Oreos has disappeared to.

I hope eventually I am able to educate them about health. In the meantime, one big reason I want to head my family toward more healthful eating is to address my fibromyalgia. I have been experiencing a lot of aggravating pain, and I hope that a healthier diet and lifestyle will help alleviate some of that. I do not want to turn to any of the marketed drugs at the risk of any of those side effects (possible side effects include thoughts of suicide? No thank you!). More importantly, I want to protect my family from the myriad of ugly diseases out there, most of which can at least in part be traced back to a poor diet.

I want to get back to eating a little more like God intended us to eat (and thankfully, my personal chef loves to cook from scratch!), and if that makes me a granola girl or a hippy, I'm OK with that!

Peanut Butter, Brownies, and Pizza...Wholeness. Oh yeah!

I learned two things today. First when I'm not lazy, there are more hours in the day. And second, my food processor is my best friend.

After school, I attacked my planned whole living experiences for the day: homemade peanut butter (I actually made the PB yesterday, but it's easier just to lump it in to today), Rich Peanut Butter Bars (aka, brownies), and whole wheat pizza with "special" sauce.

Homemade Peanut Butter
We have been pretty good about buying "natural" peanut butter over the last couple years; however, those jars of "natural" peanut butter still include a lot of sugar and are still somewhat processed to increase shelf life. So I figured...what do I have to lose giving it a try?

It was SO easy.

I dumped a pound of peanuts into the food processor and turned it on. After the peanuts started to break up, I dribbled a bit of oil over the mixture through the little hole thingy at the top. I let the food processor keep going until the peanuts turned to paste. The kids thought that was pretty cool. Then I dribbled a couple teaspoons of the delicious honey I got at the farm yesterday on to the paste.



That was it. And it's good! Michael even said it tastes better than the "normal" peanut butter. The only one who doesn't like it, surprisingly, is my best eater, Audrey. She's not so fond of the straight peanut taste. But 3 out of 4 ain't bad.

Rich Peanut Butter Bars (aka, Brownies)
I decided I needed to put the homemade peanut butter into some sort of snack for the kids today. I still don't have my honey granules from Bread Beckers, so I went to the Bread Beckers cookbook for help. I have a bucket of Sucanat which came with us from Georgia, so I found a recipe that called for it. Sucanat is evaporated cane juice. Regular Sucanat has a rather strong flavor, so it cannot always be substituted for refined sugar. It can almost always be substituted for brown sugar, however. If you don't have Sucanat, use regular sugar or even light brown sugar.

Anyway, this recipe from the Bread Beckers cookbook already calls for Sucanat, and the end product turns out very brownie-esque...which the kids really liked (with the exception of the Princess who still had an issue with that peanutty peanut butter). They were very quick and easy too!

Rich Peanut Butter Bars
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. Sucanat
2 eggs
1 c. whole wheat flour (I used hard white)
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. cocoa
1 t. vanilla

Melt butter and peanut butter together. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well blended. Press into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake in preheated 350 oven for 25-30 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

Pizza
So I got stuck with dinner duty tonight. Ugh! Even though I am only at this time focusing on healthifying snacks, I thought I'd take the challenge and make dinner worth it too. And all I had to work with was some ground beef. So I decided on pizza.

The kids always opt for cheese pizza, sometimes with some kind of meat. They don't opt for pizza with green peppers, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, or onions. So I waited until they went outside to play, and I dumped big hunks of green pepper, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, and onion into my food processor and pureed it a la Deceptively Delicious style.



I then added tomato sauce (someday I am going to try my hand at making my own tomato sauce) and threw it in a saucepan. I added seasoning, a couple of bay leaves, and some molasses. Molasses takes away some of the acidity of the tomato sauce and enhances the flavors.

OK, so I don't really know if that's what it does, but my mom used to always add it to her sauces. Plus I wanted to sound all Food Network-y. But here is something I do know about molasses (I read it anyway): Blackstrap molasses is the only kind that has any nutritionl value.

Anyway. Then the crust. This recipe comes from Marilyn Moll who owns Urban Homemakers, which is where I purchased my grain mill, Bosch mixer, and other start-up bread making stuff. This is quite possibly the easiest pizza crust I've ever made.

I had a sudden panic attack at 4:00 this afternoon because I hadn't yet looked over the pizza dough recipe, and I worried that I wouldn't have enough time to make it, let it rise, shape it, let it rise again...BUT this dough does not need to rise! Here is the recipe:

Basic Pizza Crust
4 c. whole wheat flour (I used hard white)
1 T. yeast
1 T. olive oil
1 T. honey
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. warm water

If you have a pizza stone, preheat it now. If you don't have a pizza stone, get one; pizzas are so much better from a stone! I only have one and need to get another one because 1 pizza doesn't feed all these growing children anymore.

OK, so put the warm water in your mixer bowl and then add the rest of the ingredients (maybe go easy on the flour at first - not all at once). With your dough hook, mix ingredients and add enough flour to make a stiff dough that pulls cleanly from the side of the bowl. Continue to knead with the dough hook for 3-5 minutes until dough is elastic.

Roll out pizza dough on cornmeal and then place on heated stone. Brush with olive oil and prick with a fork. Pre-bake in 400 oven for 5-8 minutes.

Remove and add sauce, toppings, and cheese. Bake about 10-15 minutes.

So why no photos of my masterpiece pizzas? Well, if you know me, you know cooking is really not my thing. My pizzas did not look all that pretty. But they sure tasted good!

Whole Food Living - Week 1 - Snacks, Banana Bread

Today was a busy day. For one, last night the moment Irene made her exit, our power went out, prompting us to take our frozen and refrigerated food to a friend's house. Our power was only out for a couple of hours, but I waited until this morning to go get our food.

While I was retrieving our food, I stopped by a farm. I've said before how much I love all of the farms around here; you don't see this in the south. We have 3 or 4 of them within a mile or two of our house. If you remember, I visited one last year at the end of the season. All I got was some not-so-good end-of-the-season corn. Today, though, I was seeking two specific things: farm fresh eggs and local honey. I got both at one stop...eggs only a couple hours old and honey from hives right there on the property. ("They" say consuming local honey can help if you have allergies; we'll see if "they" are correct.)


I also had other things to do like teach the kids school, sign Michael up for swim team, and find some new running shoes for me that will hopefully help my painful ankles. As expensive as they are, they ought to enable me to comfortably run a marathon.

All this to say, today was more of a prep day than a day to focus on making elaborate new and healthy snacks for the kids. I did, however, have some yummy banana bread on hand that I had made the day before Irene visited so we would have a ready-made breakfast.

In college I had this yellow cookbook that, though lost, I can still picture in my mind. I also still use some of the recipes from it, like the banana bread recipe. Here it is:

Sift together:
1 3/4 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

In separate bowl, eat until frothy:
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
2 eggs

Add:
1 c. mashed banana

Add wet ingredients to dry and fold. Bake at 325 for about an hour.

I used freshly milled flour in this - hard white wheat. I only use my hard red wheat in bread as it does definitely have a stronger whole wheat taste. Honestly, you really can't taste that much of a difference between the processed white flour you'd find in the store and freshly milled hard white wheat, but the health benefits for the freshly milled flour are plentiful! Don't be fooled by "whole wheat" flour in the store either; it is still processed in order to allow for a long shelf life. I will tell you more about fresh milled wheat later this week when I make bread.

Anyway...for the sugar, I used the last of my honey granules; thankfully, I have my new bucket arriving sometime this week from Bread Beckers. I didn't quite have enough bananas to make a cup, so I filled the rest of the cup with organic plain yogurt, which I actually think made the bread more fluffy; I may make yogurt a regular add-in!

I meant to add some ground flaxseed because, honestly, that can be added to ANYTHING, and it's so healthful! But I forgot. I also often add chocolate chips and/or finely ground nuts of some kind (the kids don't like big pieces of nuts in bread or cookies).

So that was their snack today - whole, real food, just leftover whole, real food! Tomorrow hopefully there will be less running around so I can get more creative.

Back to Clubbing

I'm a very enthusiastic starter of stuff. I'm not that good of a finisher of stuff. I'm trying to do better. One thing I've picked back up are the Contenders of the Faith/Keepers of the Home clubs. I started these clubs in our home at the beginning of last year, and we really did accomplish a few things with the materials.

This year, I decided to bring back the clubs for a couple of reasons. First of all, earning the badges does force the children to LEARN. And in a really fun way. Secondly, we've decided not to do the mid-week church activities for the younger three. Since Alex is now in middle school, she has moved up to the youth group which meets on a different night than the younger kids' programming. I decided that, for my sanity, we are going to do just one night out at church during the week, and since I think youth group more valuable than elementary age programming, Alex gets the night. So anyway, now the kids still get clubs, and I get to slow down my Carschooling lesson plans.

Our first order of business for this session of clubs was, of course, learning how to make something delicious to eat: doughnuts! This week we learned about the different kinds of doughnuts, and we made baked mini-donuts; we will leave the more delicious, more fattening deep-fried treats for next week.

Our baked doughnuts didn't come out all that great looking, but they did sure taste good.



What was even more fun is that the kids remembered that the last time we made doughnuts, we read Homer Price and his adventure with the broken donut machine. Love that childhood story! So we read half of the tale this week and will finish it up next week.

Not a bad way to spend an evening...and certainly a tasty way to earn a badge!

Photo Scavenger Hunt, Vol. IX

1. Decay (old/abandoned)
When I saw the parenthetical explanation of this prompt, I immediately thought of the buildings I often drive by. I have been itching to photograph them, but in my drive-bys, I either don't have my camera, or it is just too stinkin' cold to exit the car. But Sunday was sunny, the temp bearable, and I knew I'd be driving by to pick Michael up from a bday party.




Alex came along, and she even willingly let me take some pictures. She obviously is not old or abandoned, but I grab the photos when I can!




2. In the Kitchen
When I saw the suggestion for this prompt to do a self-portrait, I almost choked on my Starbucks sweet iced tea. Unless there is a cake to bake or a mess to clean up, the kitchen is not really my domain but my husband's. He does the cooking for our family.

Of course, since he is often gone, I am forced into the kitchen...more often than I want and definitely against my will. I do have a responsibility, though. At least I assume when I birthed these children, I signed some sort of unwritten document stating that I would keep them fed.

It's not that I don't know how to cook. I do. Sort of. There is just a huge gap between my husband's skills and my own.

He cooks gourmet. I have no problem whatsoever with dumping the contents of a box into a pan.

He can make something extraordinary out of whatever is on hand.

I have to follow a recipe right down to every teaspoon and dash.

He finds cooking relaxing and claims it as a hobby. Cooking stresses me out.

He will whip up a 6-course meal just for him because it was something he felt like eating. I will throw some Rice Krispies and milk in a bowl and call it dinner just to avoid actually cooking something.

3. & 4. Groups of 3 & "Me" Time


AFAQ (Anticipated Frequently Asked Questions)
Are you wearing glasses in these photos? Because I don't remember seeing glasses in any other photos of you.
Yes. I decided to give you the real me. And when I am watching TV, reading, or working on the computer, I wear glasses or I get a killer headache.

Why do you have theater chairs in your living room? Most people put a couch or sofa in their living room.
Yes, well...we had a nice little theater set-up in our house in Georgia. We do not have a nice little theater set-up here. AND we came to CT with one less couch than we had in GA because our second couch had been abused enough by wiggly, jelly-smeared children that it seemed wiser to leave it behind. They are very comfortable and even have a cupholder. Maybe I'll start a trend.

Is that plastic I see on one of the theater chairs? What are you, an old granny or something?
There are actually 4 theater chairs, and yes, 3 of the 4 still have the plastic on the "foot" part. We thought it prudent since we put our dirty feet on them! The plastic got ripped on one of them, so off it came.

What's with that blanket? What are you, an old granny or something?
I am cold. Always cold. Especially here in the Arctic.

Are you trying to strangle that cat?
I assure you, no animals were harmed in the making of this post. I shot that middle shot 3 times, and she was none too happy with being jostled about as I re-set everything.

5. Things that make you go hmmmm...
I am pulling from the archives for this one. A couple of years ago, we vacationed with some friends in Panama City Beach. We were out one evening playing mini-golf, and I noticed this sign over a motel right down the street. It was too funny to leave alone, and of course the kids all thought it was the funniest thing ever.

Cocoa Cakes in a Cup

A couple months ago, a friend shared a simple and fun recipe with me...one I kept but hadn't yet tried with the kids. With Daddy's long absence, we needed something fun to do and something yummy to eat, so the other night I decided to give it a go.

Although I like the alliteration of Cocoa Cakes in a Cup, I should point out that the recipe is actually called Minute Chocolate Mug Cake, and it really did live up to my expectations of simple and fun!

First, get out one mug for each person. I collect mugs from our travels, so it was extra fun for me to get to use 5 of them.


Into each mug, add:
4 T. all-purpose flour
4 T. sugar
2 T. baking cocoa


Give them to the children to mix up the dry ingredients.


Add 1 egg and mix thoroughly.


Add 3 T. milk
3 T. oil
dash of vanilla and mix again.

Fold in 3 T. chocolate chips (the best part!) (I used mini-chocolate chips).


Now microwave on high for 3 minutes.

And here's the fun part: The cake will rise way above the top of the cup but not spill over - so much fun to watch!




And though it may fall just a little bit when you open the microwave and take it out,


it still tastes incredibly delicious, especially with a big dollop of whipped cream on top (ice cream would be good too!)!

Cookie Love

I didn't get an activity planned for the kids for Valentine's Day this year. In fact, I didn't even have enough powdered sugar for the icing for our traditional goodies and had to make an impromptu trip to the grocery store. But I managed to get all supplies in stock for our Valentine cookies.

I decided to throw a little challenge in to it. We watch a lot of Food Network challenges, so the kids were immediately up for it when I mentioned we would have a challenge of our own.

We all drew names and each got one giant-sized heart cookie. Each big heart was to be decorated for the secret recipient. I purposefully gave Audrey her daddy's name, and she went about her task with enthusiasm.


Michael created a masterpiece for me.


Under all of that icing, he frosted "I {heart} U". So sweet.


As for Alex and Jacob, well, they were mostly about globbing on as much frosting as gravity would allow to stay on a heart-shaped cookie.


And of course there was much, much cookie munching.

You Capture - Cold

Show of hands...
Who is sick
and tired
of me complaining about the cold?

That is why this You Capture post is brought to you by ice cream. You're welcome.


Honestly, sometimes I'm not sure what gets into me...a little crazy, I guess. Or maybe I just want to be Mommy Hero for a change. Anyway, this afternoon, I decided to let the kids make their own ice cream sundaes. I set them on a buffet line with all of the toppings.


They put on Oreos



and marshmallows


and lots of sprinkles.


I had fun playing with the sprinkles:



And the kids? Well, I think they really enjoyed their make-your-own-sundaes.

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

Yes, I've been watching Cupcake Wars again. Why do you ask?

I have made Cookies and Cream Cupcakes before, but I didn't like how they turned out last time. I wanted to give it another try. Then, when I saw the You Capture theme was Circles, I had to make them again.

First, you need to stock up on Oreos - regular ol' fashioned ones and mini ones. (You may have to sample a few to make sure they are OK. After all, the children will be eating these.)







For the cupcake, I used the Joy of Cooking's recipe for Chocolate Cake:

Whisk together thoroughly:
1 1/4 c. sifted flour (*Be sure to sift and then measure as this does make a difference in volume.)
1 T. baking powder
1/4 t. salt

Melt over hot water:
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate (I used semi-sweet.)

Add:
1/3 c. boiling water

In a large bowl, beat at high speed until creamy:
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter

Add and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes:
1 1/2 c. sugar

Beat in, one at a time:
4 large egg yolks

Add the cooled chocolate mixture. Beating at low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 parts, alternating with:
1/2 c. milk
Beat the batter smooth after each addition.

Add:
1 t. vanilla

Beat 4 egg whites until stiff and fold into chocolate mixture.

I can't say I am all that impressed with this recipe. For one thing, the batter was so light there clearly was not enough chocolate in it. Next time I might double the chocolate and maybe add a little more flour. Too late this time, though, so I just dumped in a couple handfuls of mini chocolate chips. I'm glad I did because those chips are about the only chocolate I can taste.

I won't go into detail about my icing because mine got too soft. I should have added more powdered sugar, but frankly, I was too lazy. Just use any buttercream recipe for your icing. Here's the thing, though: When I made Cookies and Cream the first time, I put Oreos in my food processor and then mixed them in to the icing. My icing turned a sickly gray color. This time, I gently crushed the Oreos and then folded the crumbs into the icing. Much better this time.



Of course Cookies and Creme Cupcakes are enjoyed most by a circle of adorable, sweet children.



Don't forget to wash the dishes!