PANCAKES!!

This title has a double meaning today.  First, a story, and then, a recipe.

When we lived in Birmingham, we had a friend that would come over and play video games with my husband.  Peamite Alpha was (and still is) at the age where he repeated everything he heard.  I'm sure many of you know what that means....you have to watch your mouth.

Gamers really get into whatever they're playing.  It could be something as simple as Tetris or as complex as one of my husband's games of NCAA 10.  If something doesn't go just the way they want, they yell.  And yell loudly or in this case, rudely.

I was discussing this with David saying,

I really don't like that he (his friend) uses that language when Peamite Alpha is around.  You know how he picks up on things when you think he's not really listening. 

David responds with, I don't remember him saying that.

Of course he didn't.  David doesn't remember what he wore yesterday.

I didn't feel comfortable "getting on" to his friend, and I thought it should be David's place to tell him to watch it around the peamite.  So, since David said that he doesn't even notice when he says anything out of place, that I should let him know when it happens.

But how to do that without being so obvious?

But I want it to be you that brings it up, not me!

David comes up with the idea of using a code word.

Pancakes!

Huh?

Huh?

That'll be the code word you say when I need to discuss the language situation.

So, from that day forward, that is the word we say whenever our language is not appropriate and the other needs to be reminded to watch their mouth.  It was meant to just point out when this one particular friend was using language in front of my son, but it quickly turned into a code word for both us.  Hey, none of us are perfect.  Afterall, David was a Marine and I have a temper, so things slip out.


Onto pancakes that will have your mouth too full to say anything bad. ;)

I asked David what he wanted for breakfast, and after a few, I don't knows and I'm not a morning person and me saying I'll make you anything you want, he finally came up with pancakes.

Fine, finally, I got something out of him.  Pancakes were no problem.  The kids love them, I love them, and obviously my husband loves them since he requested them.

I wanted to jazz them up a bit with some fresh strawberries that I bought yesterday.  Fresh fruit is so yummy, and it's even better when in season.  I also love how the warm fruit tastes in the pancake.

So, Strawberry Pancakes it is.  This recipe is the one I use for regular, plain ol fluffy pancakes, but in this case I added a cup of diced strawberries.  Feel free to add different fruits, or try without any.

Strawberry Pancakes
1 1/2 cups self rising flour  (you can use All Purpose, but I really like them fluffy)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup diced strawberries
2 Tbsp butter

Sift all the dry ingredients together.  Beat the egg in the milk and add to the dry ingredients.  Stir until moistened.  (Don't over mix or the pancakes will be tough) Fold in the strawberries.

Melt the butter and add the pancakes to the griddle/pan.  When the pancakes start to bubble around the edges, check the pancake for brownness. Flip and brown on the other side.  Put butter between each pancake. If you're working in batches, keep them warm in a 250 degree oven until ready to serve.

Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells

I made this dish the other night for a potluck, and they were delectable.  Since my husband and kids were not accompanying me to said potluck, I made sure they had some in their own dish.  These are a bit time consuming to make, so I don't break out this recipe that often, but man, they are good.  To help with time, the filling can be made a day in advance and refrigerated until needed.

I start off defrosting a couple of packages of frozen spinach under running water...

While the spinach is defrosting, I brown the ground meat...

 and chop an onion... (Sorry Dave, but the rest of us like onions)

When the meat is browned, drain off the fat reserving a tablespoon or 2 to saute the onions in until translucent.

Once the spinach has thawed, squeeze all of the water out of it and place in a large bowl with the drained meat.  Add a block of cream cheese to the meat and spinach and stir until blended.

Add in the onions, shredded Parmesan, salt, pepper, and combine.

The kids showed up and said take my picture! So I did. Here are Peamite Alpha and Peamite Bravo.

Now, back to the food. Let the mixture cool and then add the egg.  (Don't want scrambled eggs in your mix...)

If you're on top of things, which I'm usually not, you'll remember to cook your pasta shells in boiling salted water while you're making the stuffing mixture.  That way, when you're done with the mixture, the shells will be cool to the touch, so you're able to get ta stuffin.

Put a little tomato sauce in the bottom of your baking dish...

and place your stuffed pasta shells on top.  Pour the rest of the tomato sauce on top of the shells.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about an hour.  During the last 10 minutes of baking, remove the foil and sprinkle some shredded mozzarella on top to your liking.  Bake uncovered for the remaining time.

 

Mmmm...yummy.

They were a success.  I didn't have a single one left over from the potluck.  When I got home, my husband informed me that my newly-one-year-old ate 2 shells.  Wow...that's a lot for the little lady! Since I had a brain fart and totally forgot to leave some mixture onion-free, my poor husband didn't get to enjoy them. (he reeeeeaally doesn't like the taste of onions.)  But hey, more for me.  I enjoyed them next day for lunch, too!

Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells

2 packages frozen, chopped spinach

1 1/2 lb ground beef

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 large egg

1 (12 oz) package jumbo pasta shells

2 cups tomato sauce (your own or jarred)

1/2 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella

Place the spinach in a colander and run under water until thawed.  Meanwhile, brown the meat and chop the onion.  Drain the meat reserving a tbsp of fat to saute the onions in.  Squeeze all the water out of the spinach and place in a large bowl with the meat and a package of softened cream cheese.  Stir until blended together.  Add the sauteed onions, shredded Parmesan, salt, and pepper.  Stir to combine.  Let the mixture cool and then add the egg.

Cook the shells in boiling, salted water until they are al dente.  Drain and cool.  Stuff the shells with the mixture.  Pour a little tomato sauce into the baking dish and spread around until lightly covered.  Add the stuffed pasta shells and top with the remaining tomato sauce. Cover with foil and bake for about an hour.  During the last 10 minutes of baking, remove the foil and add the shredded mozzarella and baked uncovered for the remaining time.

Peach Orange Banana Smoothie or Peach Banana Orange...whichever you prefer

When I lived in Hattiesburg, I went to Smoothie King all the time.  I had the punch card and it filled up quickly.  I would do a little dance for joy inside my head every time I got another punch...that much closer to a free smoothie..woo!  Ahh, the simple things in life.

So, now, without Smoothie King, I make them in the comfort of my own home.  Which is probably better for me, because I always wanted the really big size, which probably had 10 million calories, but I didn't want to think about that...I just thought about the yummy goodness that was disappearing quickly with each sip of the straw.

Anyway, back to me making them at home now.  I put a cup of frozen peaches and one small banana in the blender.

Then I measure 1/2 cup of orange juice...

Then I add the creaminess - yogurt.  Today I'm using plain yogurt, but if I can find it vanilla yogurt is really good, too.

Then I hit the Blend button and let the blender do its thang.  See? The blender doing its thang?

And here's the end product in all its deliciousness...

And...it was gone in like, 2 minutes.  Well, maybe not that fast, but probably very close.  Great breakfast.

Peach Smoothie
1 cup frozen peaches
1 small banana          
1/2 cup orange juice 
1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

Blend until smooth. Drink. Yum.

 

Sunshine On My Shoulder

Now that I'm a homemaker, my schedule is totally different than what it used to be 2 years ago.  I had to wake up really early - ok, maybe not really early to some of you, but to someone who likes to sleep, it was early - and get myself and the little munchkin ready for work and daycare.  At that time, my husband got up uber early...like, before the sun (poor guy) to get to work, so he wasn't there to help me get the little munchkin ready.

A few things have happened in the last year that have altered our previous sleeping schedule.

• Now that my husband has a new job, he goes into work waaay later than he used to at his previous job.
• We had a baby, and many of you know, babies like to sleep...a lot...more than me. ha.
• I stay home with the kids now, so no need to hop up and get everyone ready ASAP.  
• We changed Peamite Alpha's bedtime so he would sleep later in the morning so A) he wouldn't wake up Peamite Bravo (see point #2) and B) he wouldn't wake Mommy and Daddy up who had stayed up later to have alone adult time - and no, not like that, get your head out of the gutter.  Just normal adult conversation or the ability to complete a task without a peamite being under foot or crying or screaming or asking a million questions.

 Everyone once in a while a peamite will wake up before I'm good and ready to.  I just want to get 8 hours! Please! Is that too much to ask? ... I was tired when I thought all that...  Today was one of those days.  Poor Peamite Bravo had a dirty diaper, and she was letting the whole house know about it.  She wanted to be clean - pronto. I believe (I could be wrong) that Peamite Bravo's wailing woke up Peamite Alpha, and at that point, I really have to get up.  He is very insistent when he wants a "ganola bar" (granola) first thing in the morning.  Somehow, Dave is able to sleep (or pretend to sleep) right through all this so that it will be me that does the getting up.

After I tended to both the kiddos, I caught a glimpse of the clock...wow...a whole hour before I normally get up.  No wonder I can't think straight.  I go into the kitchen to get some OJ and I see little rainbows being thrown on my cabinets.  I have this beautiful tealight holder given to me by my awesome friend turned sis-in-law.  I have it sitting in the window sill above the sink, and when the light hits it just right, rainbows are created.  Purdy.  Well...I usually miss this, because for the sun to be able to hit it just right, it has to be low in the sky and I'm usually asleep for another hour at this point.

 Pretty rainbows...sorry, the picture just doesn't do it justice.

So, I had sunshine in my window and then on my shoulder when we met up with some friends and family for a picnic at the park.  That was a bit random, that last sentence...but hey, that's me...I'm a bit random.

Bye.

Simple Statement = Big Compliment

Lately, my clothes haven't been fitting, and I just look like I have a sack on a lot of times, because they have gotten so big on me. I rarely spend money on myself, but yesterday, I felt the need to buy clothes (and bras) that fit. I have gone from an XXL shirt to an XL shirt (and a whole cup size in my bra - don't be dismayed, I have ple-enty to spare.)

I went to Old Navy last night to find some tops...just some basics, nothing fancy. Well, except this adorable cardigan, but a little splurge is ok, right? As I would try on a top, I would come out of the dressing room to show my husband the results and get his opinion. One of the times I emerged from the dressing room, a little girl was there with her family.

I'm a terrible judge of age, but if I had to guess, I would say she was about 8ish. She had that kind of uneven smile of a young girl that had just recently gotten some of her permanent teeth in, but still had some growing into them to do. :) She had the color of blond hair that it seems only a little kid can have naturally and bright blue eyes. As I was about to walk back into the dressing room, she said, "You look very pretty!"

I was pleasantly shocked, but thankfully regained my composure before she noticed and replied, "Thank you!" I had a big grin etched on my face for the rest of the evening. It was so unexpected and from a little girl I've never seen before. I FELT pretty, so having her confirm it definitely made it so.

Food for thought, or action...

(click on the image to enlarge)

I came across this image today filled with all these different quotes...or sayings...or suggestions. Whatever you call them, I thought they were neat.

I find myself kind of running away from myself when I read the one about setting goals for 1, 5, and 10 years. I guess because I still don't know what I want to do "when I grow up." Or maybe I'm just being too hard on myself. I'm still successful and happy without having a "dream job." I have the most amazing husband and two gorgeous kids - all of whom are smart. I'm still in the push yourself to be the best mode...but besides being a mom and wife, I don't know where I want to be. Guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I keep feeling like it's coming up soon though, and that has me anxious. I should take my own advice, huh? Hand it all over to God. He's big enough to handle it, plus He does a million times better at it than I do, fo sho.

Happy Ending to a CRAPTASTIC Day

Today was just one of those days where I figuratively woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I'm a SAHM, and so my job is my kids, and today, I was tired of my job. What was I thinking wanting kids?? (I absolutely love my children and wouldn't trade them for world - just to be clear.)

I just wanted to sleep late and I wanted to sit down for 5 seconds to check my email without my daughter needing to be held and I wanted my son to actually go sit on the potty when he needs to go #2. (Potty training is the worse by the way that have not had the privilege of doing such.) I mean, he goes on the potty every time he goes #1, so what's the deal? I've tried all the tricks in the book, every suggestion given by "experts" and parents that have been there. I just have a stubborn boy that will do it when he's good and ready. But in the mean time, I'm stuck cleaning up dirty underwear, which is way worse than dirty diapers.

I don't remember my son being as clingy as my daughter is. She needs like, constant attention. My husband and I joked tonight that she would wake up as soon as we sat down to watch a Netflix, but if we just sat on the couch doing nothing, she'd nap all night. I entered my food eaten for the day and my husband channel surfed (which doesn't take long with 5 channels.) As soon as we popped the movie in and was about to sit on the couch, she woke up. All we could do is laugh. How does she do that??

So, it wasn't just one thing in particular. I had a short fuse today (lack of a good night's sleep) and wasn't equipped with dealing with whineyness (due to lack of a good night's sleep) For the most part, both kids sleep through the night, but every once in a while one will wake up for something. Yay me, I'm the light sleeper, and my husband could sleep through an earthquake. Which actually, he has done when he lived in Japan....but I digress. Tonight, if any child should wake, I will make him go attend to said child. (he's actually very good about helping, I just have to wake him up!)

But kids will be kids, and they're not trying to aggravate me, they're just vying for my attention. I was sooooooooo relieved when my husband came home from work. The kids are uber excited to see him, and he's more than willing to play like a big kid with them. He entertains them, and I set off to cook supper. While I'm cooking, I hear a truck pull up. It's the UPS man with a delivery.

I said, I don't remember ordering anything. My husband met the UPS man at the front door to accept the package. As soon as I saw the box, I knew what had been ordered. And no, I didn't order anything! My sweet husband bought me flowers for Valentine's Day. And you may think, big deal, flowers. But it was! We don't typically do much for Valentine's and he's crap at keeping secrets. For heaven's sake, we open Christmas presents a week or two early because he can't stand not to tell me what he got, he's so excited. So, the fact that he ordered this daaaays ago, and didn't even hint that he got me something, was remarkable. I was totally surprised. And he got some of my favorites. Stargazer lillies (had them at my wedding) and irises. I had just gotten some purple tulips to brighten up the kitchen the other day, and so they look perfect with them.


He was so glad that the flowers were delivered today since I had been having a bad day. He is truly a blessing to me, and makes my life easier and happy any way he can.

On a side note, I thought I had totally blown my calories today, but when I entered it all in, I still had 200 left over. Woo!

Oh, and one more thing. I'm training - ha, training - um, I'm *trying* to get ready for a 5K coming up in June, and I made it a mile yesterday without stopping. It took me 12 1/2 minutes. I'll have 2 more tacked on in no time!