H1N1 - a.k.a. Swine Flu!!!

How can you tell there has been too much talk of the H1N1 virus???? When you check on your daughter and she is bathing all of her Littlest Pet Shops so they don't spread the virus!! I have some friends that have been really sick with it! Now I am hearing of more local friends getting it! We had 4 days of school canceled, activities canceled and even no church! I am really nervous that we are going to get it now when all the sick days are used up! Notice that Tia is showing a pig for the shot!!

Temple Trip

We had a good time going to Chicago to the temple. We price lined the hotel again and I am always amazed at what great deals you can really get!! The girls and I did the happy dance when we saw that the hotel had sleep number beds. It is always so nice to go to the temple. The girls had fun swimming, a little shopping and hanging out with friends while we were in the temple.

Help!

Does anyone know why my blog list would suddenly turn blue and why I can't change it?
Does anyone know why certain word are in green and they show coupons - I don't want that?
If you know how to fix it, please leave me a comment. It is driving me crazy!!!

Tortellini Sausage Soup & Bread Sticks

I must tell you that one of my very favorite blogs is ourbestbites.com !! I have loved everything that I've tried!! I saw this recipe this morning and while I was in the dentist chair I was trying to stop thinking of what they were doing and visualized this soup!!! We had it for dinner tonight and it is soooo good! Give it a try and hop on over to their web-site to be inspired!!

Tortellini Sausage Soup
3 links Italian sausage
4 cloves pressed garlic
1 onion, diced
½ c. water
2 cans chicken broth
½ c. apple cider (don't leave this out! I did once and it wasn't the same...)
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. sliced carrots
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated (great way to use your food processor if you have one)
8-10 oz. package cheese tortellini (check the freezer section of your grocery store; if you can find it there, it will almost always be way cheaper than fresh tortellini. Also, Barilla makes a great dry cheese tortellini)
2 Tbsp. parsley (yes, that's two tablespoons)

If you're using link sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a large soup pot. To remove the casings, you can use a sharp knife to cut a slit down one side of the sausage and then peel back the casing.

Begin cooking sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. If your sausage is pretty fatty, you'll want to drain it when it's about halfway cooked. Meanwhile, chop onions and garlic and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked. Your house will smell heavenly.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add parsley and zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes or so.
Add the tortellini and cook until tender, and then serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.We loved it!! They also suggested these yummy bread sticks! They are really easy to make and a lot of fun to eat!


Bread sticks & Pizza Dough
Another recipe from ourbestbites

1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour


In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly, but it's okay if they're close; pulling apart hot bread is one of life's greatest pleasures!

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks (just put a ziploc bag on your hand, grab some softened butter, and have at it) and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese in a can and garlic salt. Or you could sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar.


Note: If you're making breadsticks, start the dough first, then prepare the first "phase" of the soup while the dough is rising. While the soup is simmering, twist the breadsticks, let them rise, and they'll be done baking about the same time the soup is done.

10 Minute Dinner & Pumpkin Pie Shake

So you don't have a lot of time to make dinner~what do you do? Tacos &/or Taco salad!! To make it even easier, buy your meat in bulk and cook it when you get home. Then put them in one pound bags and stick them in the freezer. I know the recipe is basic, but that's the idea. Just warm up the meat and follow the recipe on a taco seasoning packet!! Then next part is to be creative! Use taco shells, tortilla chips, tortillas or what ever you like! Add lettuce, spinach, olives, tomatoes, cheese, salsa or what ever you want!! I always forget about making this and it is fast, easy and cheap!! We all had fun making our own!

Ready for a fall yummy treat????

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/3 C pumpkin, canned
1/4 - 1/2 C milk
1/2 t cinnamon
1/16 t cloves (just use a 1/8 t measure and fill it half way, or do a pinch)
1/16 t nutmeg
2 T brown sugar
2 C vanilla ice cream
a few graham crackers

Pop it all in a blender. Start with 1/4 C milk and then slowly add more if needed to make the blender process it all. I used somewhere between 1/4-1/2 C.

Sprinkle with crushed graham cracker crumbs before serving. I like to top mine with a few squirts of caramel topping!!! This is so yummy!!

BOO-hoo another year older!!!

Guess who had a birthday!!

ME!! I'm 32! (again!) I left early for meetings at church and while I was at church I started to feel sick.(I'll spare you the details) I came home and was able to relax while my family did the cooking! Everyone was kind and thoughtful. Thank you family for spoiling me and for my friends and family for calling and remembering me on my birthday! It made made me feel so good to be remembered!

Chris worked hard to fine wonderful gifts and the girls wrapped them. Larisa was also sick, but was a trooper!

Tiana said that I had to open her present last and that it was going to be good. She said that I would want my video camera! I did, but the batteries were dead. When it was time to open her present she called me down to her room where Larisa and Tiana were working on something. They had this puppet theater hanging up (I just purchased it at a Church sale for$3). Larisa's puppet the lamb introduced the entertainment! Then out came Joy Boy with a present.

Tiana and the puppets presented me with a card!

The thought and production were the true highlight of my birthday!! Thanks Cuties!!

Recipe Book

Last month I followed a menu again and it saves me so much time and keeps us from going out to eat!! I found that if we plan out a month we can make a few adjustments the next month, but I can generally repeat the menu the next month. I have also been wanting to make a recipe book for my girls so I thought I would post them here and then print them out in a blog book for them later. My goal is to post 30 different meals and some of the treats that I make too! Sometimes things come up and we are not at home for dinner so it will take me longer than a month. I am sorry if this is boring for family and friends, but you can just skip over these post.

Steak and Oreo Cake!

Okay, so I know that this is a simple basic meal, but it is one of our favorites. This was my birthday dinner and we purchased the steaks on a great sale! This is also my birthday cake! I don't need to tell you girls how to grill a steak, but we always season ours with Montreal (sometimes called Canadian) steak seasoning.

Here is the recipe for :
Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes

8 medium red potatoes, washed and quartered
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 T butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cut grated Parmesan cheese

Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are very tender. Drain well. Add the butter, milk and salt; mash (or whip if you like). Stir in Parmesan cheese

Chocolate Covered Oreo Cake (Kraft Recipe)

1 pkg. (2-layer size) devil's food chocolate cake mix

4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

12 OREO Cookies, coarsely crushed

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

PREPARE cake batter and bake in 2 (9-inch) round pans as directed on package. Cool cakes in pans 10 min. Invert cakes onto wire racks; gently remove pans. Cool cakes completely.

MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool 5 min.

MEANWHILE, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Gently stir in COOL WHIP and crushed cookies. Stack cake layers on plate, spreading cream cheese mixture between layers. Spread top with chocolate glaze; let stand until firm. Keep refrigerated.

I enjoyed the cake more after it had been in the fridge for awhile. It tasted more like an ice cream cake that way and the chocolate had set more! Yummy!

*You only need a small piece- it is rich!

Cous- Cous!

When Chris was on his mission, dinner appointments rarely existed and the cost of his mission was very high! He learned to make couscous and would make a big batch and it would feed them for days! Chris likes to make it and the girls love it!! It was on the menu last month, but was skipped over and the girls were very disappointed.

Here is his recipe:
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 eggplant
1 lb cooked smoked sausage
1 pound cooked chicken tenders
1 can garbanzo beans
2 cans Italian stewed tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp Jambalaya seasoning
(if you don't have this you can use a mix of paprika, cayan pepper, salt and pepper)

Slice vegetables 1/2 inch thick. The cut eggplant you will want to then quarter. Put a little bit of olive oil in the bottom of the pan and saute the vegetables until soft. Add cooked meat, stewed tomatoes, garbonzos and seasoning to the vegetables. Cook until everything is warm all the way through. Serve over couscous pasta(follow cooking instructions on the box).

*For those of you who know me well - yes I did eat it - even the eggplant!

Old Table - New Table

I have been wanting a table in my entry way for a long time! If I find one that works, it is always cost more than I want to spend! Well I found this little beauty at a yard sale for $3!! It really need a lot of TLC!! I painted it with left over spray paint from my mirror.

Here it is refinished!! I really like it! It isn't perfect, but for $3 it will work until I can afford something else. I collected some pretty fall flowers and leaves and put them in a vase - I really love fall!

My favorite thing about the table? ~ When ever Tiana walks by it she tells me how amazed she is at the transformation!! She's a cutie!

Corn Maze

We made plans to go with our friends the Rowleys to the corn maze. The first time it rained!! It seems to be in the forecast whenever we plan on doing something together! The second time - strep throat in the Rowley family. As they say, the third time is a charm and we were able to go! Tiana was disappointed each time we had to postpone, I knew we had to go this time, rain or shine!!!! We had a great time! It was so fun to watch the children be so happy!

This is a picture of Tiana and Tailee jumping on the jumping board. (whatever you call it!!)

Tiana wanted to ride the train, and no one else really wanted to! She didn't go when we first walked by and then Chris came over to me laughing and said that Tiana was on the train by herself. It cracked me up to see her come by with her huge grin!!!

She know how to have fun!!

The girls had a great time racing in the obstacle course!

Quincy catching some air!!

This picture cracked me up!!! Chris and Larisa went to go through the Labyrinth. Larisa thought it was a wooden maze and was not happy when she went through and saw that there was only way to go and it was just walking back and forth!!! They had been in for awhile when I took this picture and I love that I caught Larisa whining and Chris being through with the whining!!

They had a lot of pumpkin displays - my favorite was the pumpkin preschool!

A lot of girls having a lot of fun!! (and Boston too!!)

A glimpse of Chris and I in our retirement!! I really wanted to get into a fluffy dress and sit up there and do an Edith Ann impersonation -"Now that's the truth" (If you don't know about Edith Ann - You're younger that me -look it up!)

Anna and Mike

Tiana was so excited to go on the zip line!!! She had been talking about it for weeks and ran directly to it!! They said it was for 12 year old and under. My girls went to get on and they told them they could go only one time, that they were to tall!! Tiana looked at them and said, "I am only 9"!!! She said they looked stunned and they let her go as much as she wanted.

Opps!! Mackenzie falls down!

Off they go!

What a fun group!! Off to the corn maze and to pick apples!

I can tell by the blackened knees that Tia and Tailee will get along well!

Tailee being silly!

On the MUDDY path!!

Larisa is so excited to have another beehive in the ward!

Tiana acting out the signs!

I love fall!!! It is so beautiful!

Decorating for Fall

Okay, so I know it might be a little early to get the fall out, but I can smell it in the air!!! I love fall and go a little bit crazy with it!! Last year I made this centerpiece for my table.

I have had this mirror for several years and it was gold. I liked it when we bought it and it served me well. I have not liked its gold color for awhile. It didn't match anything in my house. Chris wanted me to keep it gold, but then I remembered it was a gift and I could paint it if I really wanted to - so I did!! I like it a lot better brown! It feels a lot warmer and blends in better.
I bought this black metal thing at a yard sale for $2!! I didn't quite know what to do with it, but decided it would be perfect for fall!! I love it with the fall colors in it. I bought the candlesticks at the dollar store and the pumpkins at 90% off at Hobby Lobby!!

The bad part is whenever I am in my kitchen now - it makes me want to bake!!