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Saturday, October 8, 2011

TRYING SOMETHING NEW DAY 5...Craziness

Although I had all sorts of grand ideas for trying something new on Wednesday, it turned into a day of mommy-firsts. It was one of those days where I drove here, went there, got in the car, out of the car and felt like with a blink of an eye, the day was over. 

My first "first" of the day had to do with going on a tour of a pre-school for my three and a half year old son. I am an old fashion girl who has a hard time with the thought of sending my three year old to school, but unfortunately in a day and time when every kid his age is in school, I knew the best thing was to start looking at schools. My munchkin and I walked the grounds, taking in everything this outstanding place has to offer and I was both extremely excited for him and terribly sad. My youngest child and almost certainly my last child, will soon be leaving my side and starting something of his own. I'm not one who usually gets sentimental with these things, choosing to be more excited for the growth and experience my child has to look forward to, but this did pull at my heart strings. I was slightly stunned that at 29 years old I was watching my my baby turn a corner in his life which undoubtably means I too will find myself on a new journey as well.

I left the pre-school with a sentimental heart as well as an extremely positive feeling towards the school I had just seen. I was feeling good but knew a day of non-stop, full speed ahead chaos was ahead of me. I had one hour to hit a few different stores and pick up all the supplies for the art project I was responsible for in regards to my daughters school auction. I am the chairperson for the KS class project (first number 2) and the deadline was sneaking up on me. I was on my way to have each kid in her class grace a single wall shelf with their fingerprint and name, although I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing and how it would come together.

The guy at Michaels had assured me that I was buying all the right paints and such for my project but after the paint began to dry on twenty one fingerprints I watched in horror as paint began to chip and peal away. With one hour before I had to return back to school to grab my baby girl, I found myself at Michael's again, buying a sealant and praying to God things would work out. 

My need for speed became an issue and although I was able to secure the safety of the kiddos' fingerprints, I had somehow made the massive mistake of writing 2001 instead of 2011 with a Sharpie paint pen! Now I had a huge blob and smear to solve....not to mention it was 2:45, I was almost late for pick-up!!!

When I returned home with kids in tow, I made a decision I rarely choose (first number 3 for the day). I decided to set the project aside and return to it in a day or two with a clear mind. Thankfully just in time to leave for my favorite part of the week....The Downtown Phoenix Public Market on Wednesday Nights! Or in other words......FOOD TRUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First number four came in the form of a chocolate covered banana from Mojo Bowl at the Downtown Public Market. We hit up this market every Wednesday night because the produce is spectacular (perfect for our morning vegetable juice) but also because we cannot pass up the mobile food biz done right. Short Leash Dogs feeds us, while Mojo Bowl and their refreshing all-natural shaved ice satisfy our sweet tooth at the end of the evening. This time however, as Mojo Bowl begins to expand their menu I tried the Chocolate Covered Banana with nuts. This frozen chocolate-y fruit on a stick was out of this world good and I ended up sharing with my entire family as each person chimed in over and over again "can I have a bite".

This day of firsts was a challenge but in the end so incredibly satisfying. The constant action was exhausting but as I fell asleep that night I drifted off to dream land with a smile on my face. Life is good!



Chicken with bacon....heck yah!!!!


Tuesday nights dinner was a new recipe and one I was extremely excited...Chicken with Cabbage, Crispy Potatoes and Bacon. The steps were simple and although the ingredients were extremely basic, they were ones I don't often use (cabbage, bacon), especially in such a fashion. I had extremely high hopes and had a feeling it was a meal that could please everyones different tastes.

The crispy tiny pieces of bacon, the cabbage cooked in a way that turned it into a tangy slaw, crispy chip like potatoes and simple grilled chicken. So yummy, so easy, SOOOO great!

Try this one and please the masses!!!!!

Monday, October 3, 2011

S'more Cupcakes.....Yes Please!!! (Day 3 of New Things)



On day three of my NEW THINGS challenge, I was racing to get a million things done and wondering if I was going to miss out on a NEW THING already! I had my regular Monday chaos combined with my every-other- Monday volunteer work in the cafeteria at my daughters school. I thought I might have a chance after lunchtime but mopping my floors took way more time than I thought (yuck, the weekend really adds some extra sludge) and before I knew it I was getting back in the car to pick up the munchkin!

After the munchkins dentist appointment it was time to prepare dinner which I was worried about because I was rushing and I destroy meals when I'm rushing (or talking on the phone)! But shockingly enough, dinner was awesome. So awesome my husband took this picture. I will post the recipe another day when I have time to figure it out because I've made so many adjustments to the recipe over the years I'm not even sure what I do anymore.

Oh and for those keeping track, it was chicken meatballs with penne pasta, baby heirloom tomatoes, small buffalo mozzarella balls and basil.


So anyway, I had crumbled and SMASHED the graham crackers for my S'more cupcakes earlier in the day, in between mobbing the floor and picking up the kiddo. As soon as I washed the dinner dishes, I grabbed the graham cracker crumbs, chocolate bars, butter and marshmallows and immediately got started!

This is what you'll need!

- 2 cups crumbled graham crackers
- 3 Hershey's chocolate bars (1.5 oz), chopped
- 11/2 sticks butter, melted
- 12 marshmallows

Using one 12 cup cupcake pan, place liners inside and then spray the inside of the liners with cooking spray.

Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Once combined really well, add the chopped chocolate.

Scoop the mixture into each cupcake holder, a little more than half way full. Press down on each, so they are packed inside.


Bake at 325 degrees for ten minutes. Remove from oven and place a large marshmallow on each. Return to oven and bake another ten minutes. Cupcakes are finished when the marshmallows are golden brown.

Remove from oven and place pan on a baking rack. After cupcakes have cooled for 20 minutes, pop each out of the cupcake liner and sprinkle with powdered sugar!

These cupcakes are easy and OH SO TASTY! They taste great with a glass of red wine and in my eyes they seem more like a grown up version of the campfire treat!

ENJOY!

Here's mine with a big giant bite taken out!

Yep, I made a Cognac Sauce!

I'm not a very saucy girl! I've attempted a couple simple gravy recipes but have never been thrilled with the result and never, ever have I tried to make a sauce. I've always wanted to, but this has been my kryptonite, something I am terrified of and the results I've experienced thus far can be the death of my mood and my meal. I'm embarrassed to admit that I usually rely on recipes that don't require 'saucing it up' or I reach for a powdered version that instructs you to just add water! Horrible, I know. I can feel your judgement already!

SO last night I gave in and after throwing my silly little fears out the window, I created not only a NEW meal for my family, but one that was unbelievably yummy and to top it all off, embarrassingly simple yet dripping with a tasty sauce. Cognac sauce to be exact!!!

The meal was out of the latest Real Simple magazine: A skirt steak with cognac sauce, crisscross fries (which are store bought and the best I've ever had) and a romaine salad with an oil and vinegar dressing, red onion and crumbled blue cheese. Here is the recipe for your own cooking pleasure:
YUM-O DINNER!

I bought Alexia Waffle fries which are all natural and already seasoned to perfection! I also switched out the blue cheese for another crumbled cheese because we had it on hand! The oil and vinegar dressing is simple but really delightful, possibly one of our favorite aspects of the meal. And the cognac sauce....well we have an overly stocked liquor cabinet and a beautiful cognac was on hand for my cooking pleasure. I recommend you use a good bottle...the sauce reduces and the flavor stands out, which wouldn't be so awesome if you went for a cheap-o brand!

Day Two of 31 DAYS OF TRYING SOMETHING NEW went great! Now....what to do tomorrow?

THE BEAUTY OF TRYING SOMETHING NEW...(FOR 31 DAYS, to be exact)!



Recently, after a ton of change in my life (massive amounts actually) I have fallen into a slight rut. I have been cooking the same things every week, following the same routine every day (which is comforting I know, but sometimes we need to throw a wrench in our carefully constructed system) and at the end of the day, although feeling fulfilled I knew something needed to change.

On Saturday afternoon, after futzing around for a bit I knew what I had to do. I pulled out my favorite baking bible and began searching the pages. This time I wasn't going to simply bake one of my four favorite recipes which lay within these pages, I was going to try something new!

I decided on a peanut butter cupcake with milk chocolate glaze. This was the decision for many reasons: (1) the kids and adults in our home would all enjoy it equally. (2) I had all the required ingredients. (3) It was a new version of the old reliable peanut butter cookie I had been thinking about making for days.


The result of my TRY SOMETHING NEW experiment was a massive success, which doesn't always happen and is the thrilling part of thinking outside the box. I am one who believes in trying new recipes on a regular basis (although I haven't been doing it lately) and like I tell my husband on a regular basis...Attempting a new recipe is 50/50 on whether we will have a great or terrible meal/treat, but if it turns out well, we suddenly have a new addition to our regular rotation. There is something to be said for that, for sure! As for my husband, not sure what he thinks of this motto, he does in fact have to eat the lousy experiments and the look on his face as he slowly eats a disaster of a meal is pretty sad, although to his credit he has only suggested we throw out a meal and cook a frozen pizza once or twice!

So this weekend I made an exciting decision! For every single one of the thirty-one fabulous days in October I will attempt something new. Most will be food oriented, either a meal or a delicious delightful treat...but you never know, I may even get crafty or go sky-diving (however, this is very, very, very, unlikely)!

Stay tuned to see what happens!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

A Fun Little Marshmallow Project!



My daughter's school decided a three day weekend wasn't enough, a four day weekend would be much better. So on this day after Labor day, I was looking for new little projects to do with the kiddos. Enter my favorite entertainment and arts and crafts wonder woman Amy Locurto at http://www.livinglocurto.com/. Amy has a million and one incredible ideas and I'm always game to give them a try. Today she was painting marshmallows which immediately I wanted to do to!!!!

I tried Amy's way which included mixing bright food coloring with milk in many different shades, in individual cups. The kids and I had a blast making marshmallow magic. The colors weren't totally bright once on the fluffy cushion of goodness, which may have been because my food coloring is kind of lame, but whatever the case we had fun. My kiddo even remarked, "Mom this is the best project ever, lets do it everyday!"


After a while we had surpassed the milky paint and were itching for something better. A lightbulb went off in my head. I melted some Candy Melts which I always have on hand for treat making (but white chocolate would work too), we made some small sections of the stuff on a plate and used food coloring to make our very own pallet. Our second painting project looked to be just as much fun as the last! This time we used toothpicks instead of paintbrushes and it was a blast. The kids were concentrating and meticulously working on each little curve of their canvas. The marshmallows were gloopy and silly (and this project doesn't last forever because the melts and chocolate will eventually harden) but so much fun to do. We had a great time sitting on a picnic blanket on the kitchen floor, cross-legged, bumping knees and trading colors and brushes. The kids squealed with glee when I told them they could eat their masterpieces. REALLY MOM!?!?!?! they screamed in absolute heaven. BEST DAY EVER....for them and for me!!!!!!!



Tuesday, September 6, 2011

TASTY TUESDAY! Waffle Lady Giveaway Winners!!!!!!!!!




Well fellow Crazy Mommas, the time has come to pick a WAFFLE WINNER! I am so excited and thankful for the tons of people who have emailed me and commented on my blogs for the chance to win these tasty treats over the past few weeks. I am an advocate for GOOD food and serving your family the absolute best products. The great thing about Waffle Lady Waffles, Oatmeal, Syrups and Granola is that you get some of the best stuff on earth yet are never reminded that its healthy (until you read the box)!

So.....thank you one and all for entering our latest giveaway and if you didn't win this time, I guarantee we will do it again!

Winner of the Gift bag: Jackie Welling

Winner of the refer a friend contest: Chelsea (not only for referring a ton of friends but also for writing a breakfast haiku!!!

Okay ladies! Email me your address and we are all set!!!!! Mandagoose@aol.com