Another episode of Super Mom....

It was an average evening.

You'd find me cooking up something for dinner. Children playing, being cute as always. Darling husband clicking away at the computer. Dog lazily snoring on the couch.
When all of a sudden.....
the cutest little girl is putting a box on her head!

Way too cute to not document with the camera!

Oh Rach-ee! You're so silly!

What happened next, I didn't realize I had captured on film (well, actually digitally, I guess), until I looked through them the other day.

It was a moment of confusion and then horror......

My heart skipped a beat.

Judah, what are you holding??

Look Mom! Deadly piece of broken glass! I'm so cute and happy!

Then Super Mom moved in at super sonic speed!

Have no fears! No one was harmed.

.......and all is well again.

"Fancy"

I contemplated not sharing today's recipe in fear that nobody will want to come to my house for dinner anymore. This is my signature "fancy meal" for guests. So, just promise me that you will still act all surprised and amazed if you are served this meal at my house. Deal? 

All-right-y then!

I believe I was introduced to this recipe by a life-long family friend, Jammie Eastham. Thank you, Jammie! 

As always, I "shortened" and simplified it slightly.

Hot Chicken Salad

 

Really any sort of ginger sauce should work.

Chicken Topping:

• 3-4 Chicken Breasts
• Soy Sauce
• Ginger Marinade (of some sort)
• Ranch Dressing
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced (red looks the prettiest, but any color works)

I usually use 3 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts, from Costco. I defrost till only slightly frozen, cut it in half lengthwise and then cut into 1/2 inch slices. 

Place chicken in a large lightly oiled pan, cover and cook on high heat. When chicken is white on all sides, add soy sauce (maybe about 2 tbsp) and ginger marinade (1/4 cup'ish). 

Stir and let simmer for just a minute or two. Add sliced bell pepper and ranch dressing (maybe about 1/2 cup). Simmer on low until pepper is softened. 

If you couldn't tell already, I don't measure anything. I just eyeball it, and add stuff until it tastes good. If you have any questions, just ask.

Other Salad Fixings: 

• Cooked Rice
• Fresh Spinach
• 2 cans Mandarin Oranges
• Sliced Almonds

How I stack it:  handful of spinach, spoonful of rice, chicken topping, a little extra sauce, oranges, then almonds

Seriously delicious! My kiddos love it, minus the almonds. 

It took a year of putting fresh spinach on my son's plate every time we had this meal before he decided that he liked the "rabbit food."  Never give up!

Some like it hot.....

If you like it spicy, hot, and delicious...... then you are going to love this! I know my honey does!

My salsa recipe is the topic of the day.

What did you think I was talking about? Sheeesh! Get your mind back in the kitchen, will ya!

Anyway........ (awkward silence)....... here it is:

"Super Duper" Hot Salsa

I originally got this recipe off of allrecipes.com. I since then simplified it and really increased the heat factor.

 

Ingredients:

2 cans diced tomatoes                                 1 tbsp sugar
1 small onion                                              1 tsp salt
12 jalapenos peppers                                   1/4 tsp cumin
3 habanero peppers                                     fresh cilantro
5 cloves of garlic                                        lemon juice

Let the blender do most of the work for you.




Roughly chop onion.

I used 5 habaneros this time, but they were kind of small.

 Cut off the
pepper stems.

Place tomatoes, peppers, onion and garlic in the blender.
Use the "chop" setting to blend it together.

Then add the seasonings, cilantro and lemon juice.
I personally use a "handful" of cilantro and a big squirt of lemon juice.

Just eyeball it, or follow your "inner chef" instincts!

Best if chilled before serving. Beware: the heat intensifies after a day or two.

I hope you enjoy and retain all your inner tissues!

Break out the glue gun!

What a sad day for my little Native Alaskan children! It snowed last night while they slept, and then they woke to the rain melting away their dreams of snowmen. Poor things! I am hoping that the rain with soon stop, so that we may trek out into the mushy mess.

So to brighten up the day, I will do a little show and tell for you. This is a craft project that I completely blame Pinterest for. Aaaaah.... Pinterest! I love and hate you! Yet for an addiction, you are quite useful.

Anyway, here it is....

I wanted some art to brighten up the kiddos room. So I just took some cheap canvas boards that I had on hand, arranged them into my desired shape, and painted them as if they were one piece. And then I hot glued on a zillion buttons! Here is a close-up shot:

I attached it to the wall with poster tape.

Sorry I didn't take any step by step photos, I kind of forgot. Oops!
Anyway, just wanted to share! Have wonderful day all!

Healthy-ish

I ask you, what's better than fresh baked muffins for breakfast? Well, probably lots of things actually...   However, today seemed to be the perfect day to bake my "healthy-ish" version of banana bread muffins (mostly because I had some extra ripe bananas that needed to be used up).

My kiddos pound these down like cupcakes. So, I know that these are kid approved!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 3 ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup whole ground flax-seed meal
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Ok! So, I am kind of lazy. I use the Kitchen Aid, and only wanted to "dirty" one bowl.  So, here is how I put it all together....

  First, I peel and place the bananas in Kitchen Aid bowl. Beat on medium speed till they are all mashed up. Then I add the 2 eggs, applesauce, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Mix on low speed, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Next add flour, baking soda, flax-seed, and cinnamon, then mix on low speed just until combined. Do not over-mix!
Add mini chocolate chips and stir in by hand. 

Ok.....so maybe I added more like 3/4 of a cup of chocolate chips....

Fill muffin tin with batter. This batch actually made 15 muffins, instead of the regular 12. Bake at 350° F for 25 minutes.

You can sprinkle to top with cinnamon-sugar to make them extra special!

There you go! A delicious "healthy-ish" breakfast treat, full of fiber! Enjoy!


(In the summer, I use 1 cup chopped strawberries or fresh blueberries instead of the chocolate chips for an "extra healthy-ish" version)

A good day to use the crock-pot!

Whew! My first post on my first blog! Yeah..... let's just see how long I can last. Typing up witty commentary and original ideas all while feeding my little "snack-aholics" and making sure they don't destroy every room in the house may be quite the challenge.

So, I am going to start out nice and slow with a simple crock-pot recipe.

Aaaahh... I love those days when the house is clean and the aroma of dinner and freshly baked bread fill the house by the early afternoon. Too bad today is NOT one of those days! Uggg! However, it is a good day to get a head start on dinner so I can take a nap. So let's get started...

Chicken Chili

• 1 lb. chicken sausage

I find this at Safeway. It is a pretty pricey if you don't find it on sale.

• 1 can red kidney beans

• 1 can black beans

• 1 can diced tomatoes

• 1/2 of a green pepper, chopped 

• 1/4 of a medium onion, chopped

• 1/2 tsp chili powder

• 1/2 tsp dried basil

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced (I really just use a garlic press. Way easier!)

• Chicken broth, approx. 5 cups, add more or less depending if you want it "soupy" or "stew-y." (I used "Better than Bouillon" and water, because that is all I had on hand)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

First, just cook and crumble the chicken sausage on high heat. Then add to crock-pot, grease and all!

Mmmmm......this stuff smells amazing!

Pop open cans, drain and rinse the kidney and black beans, and chop up veggies.

Then just throw all of your ingredients in! Cover and cook (Low for at least 8 hours or on High for at least 4 hours).

Kiddos decided to reorganize Mommy's protein shakes in the meantime.

Pretty simple right? Our family prefers it served with shredded cheese, sour cream, and corn chips, but it would be delicious with corn bread, rolls, tortilla chips, lettuce leafs, or whatever else you like with chili.