The Garden

More garden updates:

2 jalapenos almost ready to pick

I love the flowers on the green bean plants

I was taking pictures of the blossoms on the cucumber plants and noticed this one for the first time! It's about 5 inches long.These creepers double in size every 3 or 4 days. Can't wait to be eating some fresh squash and to watch the pumpkins and watermelon grow.This morning's garden - huge difference from day 1!

Another Babyfood Tip

A few months ago I stopped making purees for my approaching-toddlerhood baby. She was used to more texture, so I started mashing things or chopping things instead. But when I tried those veggie pancakes the other day, I decided to use purees so the pancakes would be a smooth texture. I recently made another batch with spinach, broccoli, garbanzo beans, and a little applesauce. I had quite a bit of the spinach and broccoli purees leftover. I keep them in the refrigerator in air-tight containers, and I've added them to everything lately. It's made me realize I need to start making purees again because they're not only good for beginner-eaters. I've used them in our food (ham and cheese quiche - I added a few spoonfuls of spinach) and in my one-year-olds. I've spread it on sandwiches and quesadillas, added a scoop to soups and sauces, and mixed it into beaten eggs for scrambled eggs and omlettes. It has been so handy.
So, if you're like me and you dismissed purees when your child was old enough to tolerate more texture, try steaming and pureeing some spinach to add a boost of leafy greens to your next pot of spaghetti or tomato soup. You'll never know it's there, and you'll benefit tremendously in the nutrition arena!

Beach Tip

A long time ago, way before I had a child, I heard a tip that I wrote in my classroom notebook should the need arise. Apparently baby powder sprinkled on a damp, sandy child dries and removes the sand instantly. I never had the chance to test it out until this Memorial Day weekend. We spent it at my parents' lake house. Although the lake is 15 feet above normal, we were able to find a small beach area to interrupt our boat ride with a little dip. We sat in the sand for awhile, and Miss Priss had sand everywhere in 2 seconds flat. As soon as we got back on the boat, I grabbed the powder and sprinkled her up. She went instantly from a sandy, wet, uncomfortable baby to dry and sand-free.
Awesome tip. Try it!

I am not a granola, but...

I cannot honestly say that I do anything around my house for the sake of the environment. For me, what it comes down to is ease of use and the bottom line - money. We use energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs and such to save money on our electricity bill, for example.

Well, I was recently reading a blog that suggested using natural cleaning products. I have always wanted to try these cleaning solutions, but I always forget until I'm tossing my Clorox wipe. I just want to say for the record at this point that I am a proud bleach user. I also use products such as Soft Scrub, Mr. Clean, Pledge, and Windex.

So the other day when I was reaching for my caddy of cleaners, I remembered the post and grabbed my vinegar, salt, and baking soda instead. I sprinkled my (filthy, stained) counters with baking soda and salt, grabbed a damp rag, and poured a little vinegar right out of the bottle onto the counter. It bubbled and fizzed just like a science fair volcano. I wiped the counters off with the rag, and they were sparkling clean. I used very little elbow grease (it was nothing compared to the usual scrubbing I have to do with a coarse sponge and soft scrub to remove the stains), and the counters were just as clean as they normally would be after a rigorous scrubbing. I was pleased and thought it was definitely an option I'd use should I remember next time. I put everything away before realizing I had forgotten to scrub one section of the counter. I grabbed a handy Clorox wipe to do the job. After scrubbing a couple of trouble spots for a few minutes I realized I was having to do way more work than with the salt, baking soda, and vinegar solution. After I had gotten the counter as clean as I could, I ended up getting everything back out and using my new found cleaning regimen which made the countertop sparkle. I should have just done that in the first place. I think the most notable difference was in my hands afterwards. They were soft and smooth, not cracking and burning from dryness! I am very sensitive to chemicals, so I have to make sure to have heavy ventilation and wash meticulously after I use them to clean. Then I have to apply layers and layers of Eucerin to combat the peeling skin. This was enough to convert me!

Yesterday my smooth-top stove was filthy. I have found nothing to clean it effectively. Things get burned on and not even a razor blade can get them off. I usually use dish soap and my dish scrubber. Then I use a damp rag to remove the soap and polish it. I did this as usual, but it wasn't getting clean. So after cleaning it thoroughly, I grabbed my new cleaning combo. And it worked!

I am absolutely not going to give up my Clorox wipes for quick clean-ups, but this will definitely be my mode of operation for deep cleanings from now on.

Fake-out Lasagna

I make this all the time around here in some form or fashion. I've had several requests for the "recipe" (term used very, very loosely). I can't remember if I've posted it yet, so please pardon me if I've already shown this one.

Fake-out Lasagna

1 box rigatoni, lasagna, spaghetti, etc.

1 large jar of spaghetti sauce (I use Prego religiously)

1 small tub ricotta cheese

1 pound ground turkey, beef, sausage, etc.

1 small sweet onion, chopped

2 cups mozzarella cheese

garlic salt, seasoning salt, basil, oregano, pepper, or any other spice you choose

Directions:

Cook noodles following the directions on the box. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375.

Brown the onion and meat in a skillet. Add the seasonings of your choice here.

When the meat is fully-browned, add about half of the spaghetti sauce, and warm through.

In a 9x13 pan, spread a small amount of sauce to cover the bottom to prevent the pasta from sticking. Layer pasta, then meat and sauce mixture, ricotta cheese twice. Make sure you use roughly half of the ingredients in each layer. Top with the mozzarella cheese, and bake for 25-35 minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned and the sauce is bubbling.

You can mix the pasta with the sauce before layering for fewer steps unless you are using lasagna.

Enjoy!

This morning's garden

Fence painted, edging bed complete and planted, awaiting window boxes with sweet potato vines and pretty flowers (and a TON of work on that crazy lawn that's been neglected during the gardening prep)

Cucumbers - at last count there were over 30 baby cukes or blossoms...from ONE plant...that I ought for $1.29!

Zucchini blossom

I'm so excited about how well my squash are doing. There are hundreds of blossoms, so I hope the neighbors like summer squash! The tomatoes, strawberries, and banana peppers, however, are not doing well. Not sure how to fix that, but we're moving on...

More Babyfood Ideas

I'm a member of a baby board made up of other moms to April 2008 babies. It's a great way to get ideas and advice from people going through exactly what I am. One of the ways it has helped me tremendously is in the homemade baby food category.

I am a huge advocate of filling our kids' tummies with healthy foods. When I taught, I called these "brain" foods. And I will say that through fun lessons and experimentation we got even the pickiest of eaters to try everything we made. It is so important to set the foundation for the future of healthy eating for our kids. And, in my family, where Hannah has inherited the genes for cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, it is important to start from day 1.

I'm blessed that Hannah is a great eater. She has quite the palate for all things healthy. I have be honest, though. One day I was being lazy and did not feel like preparing a healthy meal. I grabbed a box of macaroni and cheese, and whipped it up quickly. Hannah would not touch it! It was then I realized I've created a monster! She prefers healthy, homemade meals hands-down. The way I benefit, though, is that I might as well eat a healthy, well-balanced meal if I'm already making one for her!

Anyway, on a recent thread on my baby board, a mom posted a recipe for veggie pancakes. I couldn't wait to try them, so I got to work while Hannah ate lunch. I had some carrots, peas, and green beans, but you can use any veggie (can't wait to try this with spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower). The original recipe was a from-scratch pancake mix, but I had some Bisquick on hand and just used that. They turned out to be delicious! I even had two for lunch. Hannah was eating while I made these, but I wanted her to try one. After lunch I gave her a couple of bites, and she went nuts. She signed and said "more" incessantly until she had wolfed down two as well...after eating a full meal! These were a huge hit, and I got another couple of servings of veggies in her - win-win!

Veggie Pancakes

1 1/2 cups Bisquick

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1 1/2-2 cups veggie puree

I mixed the ingredients together and made these as I would any pancake. They are sweet, so you could absolutely top them with butter and syrup. But they were so flavorful that we ate them without accompaniment.

Enjoy!

More Projects

I cleaned out my closet a few months ago and set aside some shirts that were made of cute fabric. I figured I'd use it for something. Last night I was inspired and in the mood to create, so I turned two shirts into new things for Hannah. First, a dress. The other one is a new pair of incomplete pajamas that I'll post when I'm finished. I love the way they turned out!

I've had tons of orders lately, and I just wrapped up the last of them. I'm actually taking the summer off to try to work on building up an inventory using the fabric I already have. I have several things that I've seen and have been wanting to recreate. I'll make sure to post when I'm finished and have new things in the shop.

Here's the last order of coffee cozies completed, packaged, and ready to ship.

Garden Update

Blogger is giving me trouble with picture uploading, so I apologize that some of these are sideways. But I wanted to document my garden progress. I cannot stay out of the garden and am loving every minute of it. It's great exercise digging, weeding, and generally taking care of everything. It is still a work in progress which I kind of hope never changes. I cannot wait to eat fresh veggies, and it looks like we're getting close

Here's the whole plot 3 weeks ago then again about a week ago

Sugar Snap Peas 2 weeks ago then last night (tilt your head to the right for this next one):

Jalapenos - see the two tiny peppers? The larger one is about 1 1/2 inches long so far: Cucumbers - we have about 12 blossoms and tiny cukes. Yum!

Okay, now tilt your head to the left to see my creepers (pumpkin in the back, watermelon in the middle, then squash - both yellow and zucchini - in the front). The top is 3 weeks ago, the bottom is now:Last - banana peppers. Can you see all of the ants on the blossoms? Ugh! I tried a home remedy last night, and they are all completely gone this morning. Mix 1/2 cup veg. oil, 1 1/2 cups water, and 2 tsp liquid dish soap in a squirt bottle, and spray the plant 1-2 times per week.

Diving In

I can't stand to throw things away that might become useful later. I try to keep this to a minimum because we live in a house with very little storage. But the one exception I've had is with fabric. I cannot get rid of it! It's my weakness. I keep everything, including old dresses and sweaters. And I use a lot of it. So a year or so ago I saw a spiderweb quilt on Sew, Mama, Sew and fell in love with it. It was way more advanced than I felt I could tackle, but it was a goal of mine. I had been saving fabric scraps for years and years, so I had tons of little crumbs that needed a purpose. I had lots of fabric samples from projects of old, extra fabric left over from quilts, etc. I had saved them in cardboard banker's boxes, and I had two that were overflowing. It's been a bit intimidating, but I decided to tackle them last night while we caught up on DVR'd shows. I brought the boxes in the family room, pulled everything out, and cut it all into strips (varying in width from probably around 1' to 3' wide). Then I sorted out all of the tiny pieces that were less than 2'x2' squares. I sorted all of the strips by color. This morning I dove in. I'm using a taupe cotton for the center, and I'm using every color and pattern in my stash for the circles. If you are contemplating a more advanced craft/recipe/sewing project than you're used to, won't you dive in with me?

Mother's Day Brunch Recipes

The Menu:

Ham & Swiss Quiche

French Toast Casserole

Fruit Salad

Sausage & Cheese Biscuits

Orange Juice, Coffee, Iced Water with Lemon

Recipes:

Ham & Swiss Quiche

1 pie crust

5-6 slices of Swiss cheese

3/4 cup chopped smoked ham (cut 1/4 inch thick)

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/4 cup sliced mushrooms

4 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup milk

pinch of salt and black pepper

*This recipe is to be made in a traditional tart pan. You will have to adjust (by adding more ingredients, obviously) for a pie dish or a deep dish tart pan.

Press the pie crust into the tart pan. Using a fork, poke holes into the bottom of the crust. Cover with aluminum foil, and fill with dry beans to prevent the crust from rising or shrinking. Bake in a preheated 400* oven for 10 minutes. The crust will not be fully-cooked.

Remove the beans and foil, and line the bottom of the pie crust with slices of Swiss cheese. Top with ham, green onions, and mushrooms.

In a separate bowl, stir together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper, and pour over the rest of the ingredients. Fill to within 1/8 inch of the top of the tart pan, and discard the remainder.

Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes.

French Toast Casserole

I followed the recipe found here. When I mixed the custard, I added 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. I also used maple-flavored syrup and not maple syrup, and I think it turned out just fine.

Fruit Salad

Combine chopped cantaloupe, watermelon, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, and kiwi. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the fruit and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Serve cold.

Sausage & Cheese Biscuits:

1/2 lb browned breakfast sausage (I used maple-flavored)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2 1/4 cup Biscuick mix

3/4 cup milk

Mix Bisquick mix and milk until combined. Do not overmix. Add sausage, cheese, and onions, and stir. Drop spoonfuls onto an ungreased, parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 400* for 10 minutes (or until lightly browned).

Enjoy!

New Mom Survival Kit

Know any friends having a baby anytime soon? When one of my best friends had her baby back in September, I wanted to do something unique and thoughtful. So I posted a thread on my baby board asking for ideas of things to include in a survival kit. I was so excited about the responses! Tons of people chimed in. I just finished creating my second kit which will be delivered this evening (unless, of course, the baby is delivered this evening!). I thought I'd share the finished basket and the list for you all. Please comment if you have any additional ideas of things to include!

Contents:

• Bottle of wine - went 9 months without it, and it is said to help stimulate milk production
• Binder filled with take-out menus and gift cards
• Night lights - get the kind that turn on and off for midnight feedings
• Extra batteries - always seem to run out at the worst times, and most baby things need them
• Cute hair things - what new mom has time to dry and style their hair after a shower? These help her feel cute even in a pony tail
• Word puzzle book - something to do during feedings to keep you awake
• Hand Cream - to combat the million handwashings per day
• Kleenex - because the tears are plenty
• Dog bones - for dog owners to occupy their curious 4-legged friends
• Water bottle - it's helpful if it has a straw so it doesn't have to be tipped (hard to do when nursing)
• Distilled water - most microwave or countertop sanitizers recommend using distilled water
• Snacks - include several jars of healthy snacks to be stashed in all the nursing/feeding spots AND include lots of indulgent snacks as well
• Deodorant - new moms are shedding a lot of that extra fluid!
• Gum - for those times that people drop by to visit and you haven't had time to brush your teeth

Hope you have a new mom you can spoil soon!

How to make homemade play dough

Step 1: Invite your favorite 3-year-old nephew over for a visit.

Step 2: Put your very helpful 1-year-old down for a nap.

Step 3: Gather the ingredients: 1.5 cups flour, 3/4 cup salt, 3 tsp cream of tartar, 1/2 Tbsp oil, 1.5 cups water

Step 4: Let your 3-year-old help dump the salt into the water and stir to dissolve.

Step 5: Add the food coloring of your choice to the salt and water mixture (we chose blue), and stir.

Step 6: Combine the dry ingredients in a pot, and stir. Slowly add the water/salt/food coloring, and stir.

Step 7: Over medium heat, cook the play dough stirring constantly until it comes together in a ball in the middle of the pot. Meanwhile, make your helper do the dishes to keep him safely away from the hot stove. =)

Step 8: Knead the play dough on the counter 20-30 times until it comes together in a smooth consistency.

Step 9: Get out plastic spoons, knives, forks, and cookie cutters, and have a blast creating. Smiling until your cheeks hurt is optional.Finishing up: After you make 3,862 trains and name them all at the request of your nephew, make a stick figure person explaining as you go as so, "Look - see the eyes? I'm giving him a huge smile...and a button nose." Then hold it together when your nephew looks at your creation and says, "I like your frog, Aunt Alicia."Seriously, if you haven't played with play dough in years, grab a kid and make some. So much fun!