#3 Beef Goulash

 Today's dish was a twist on yesterday's meal were we omitted a few items and added a couple of others while still using the same basic techniques we learned yesterday. So out with the potatoes and in with some pasta to switch it up and make a goulash. Interesting concept. Well since my dear daughter was not thrilled yesterday with the veggies we decided to go a little lighter today by halving the amounts. 

 We have pasta boiling on the back burner while the meat and veggies were being spiced and sauteed on the front.

 Less chopping today but chop chop.

 Beef goulash..it was suppose to be served over egg noodles but since we are gluten free I substituted Sam Mills pasta d'oro lasagna corte. It worked very well.

 Everyone plated their own dish and took a picture. I tasted it as it was meant to be served but it was lacking, it did not seem like goulash without a tomato product so I added some leftover spaghetti sauce from the other day. Yum! If we make it again it must have spaghetti sauce.

The teen boy's plate.

 And DD's will share her plate but notice she went light on the meat/veggie mix and heavy on the noodle and sauce. Hey, we pick our battles. She ate, she is happy, win!
Overall a great and relatively easy dish to prepare, it took 33 minutes from start to finish. I would make it again.
-Mom

 It was a lot easier to make the dish this time because we knew what to do.
As you can see I was much happier in this then my Smoky Turkey Shepard's Pie.
Instead of putting the goulash ON the noodles I put them BESIDE the noodles ;p
I had it as spaghetti and had goulash on the side. Yummy! I would make it again but (yes there's a catch) I would plate it just the same.    

 When we finished dinner I had a craving for something sweet. I asked what I could make and my answer was Rice Crispy Treats 

 We whipped up some homemade marshmallows. They were delicious  

 There was so much we actually made two whole pans. More for me!

Thanks for reading.
-DD

Curious Crew

My kids have long loved science. I was reminded about this sweet gem of a video. You should go check it out, it is adorable. And the boy made this. I can hardly believe these were almost 6 years ago.

Science and our family go together so when we saw that our local TV station was filming a kids Science show, Curious Crew, we were pretty excited. Well the girls were really excited but the boy was a little standoffish about TV, apparently if you make a mistake on TV it is documented forever. He got over this fact though and was soon just as excited as the girls were. The audition was yesterday, there were a few hundred kids that showed up. The got a lanyard, then a name and number card and we waited in line. They funneled the kids through three stations, a quick name and interest interview on camera. Then a waiting room with a little info about the station and Curious Crew. Then the highlight meeting the host and performing a challenge. The kids were broken up into groups of four and asked to build a tower out of spaghetti noodles, tape, string and they were to place a marshmallow on top. Using scissors and their own ingenuity they were on their way. It was really an observation of their problem solving and team working skills, seeing how they communicated their thoughts, handled problems and whether or not they were hands on or stand off. It was awesome.  For three years the kids did Destination Imagination at our homeschool co-op so they were more than prepared. Uber proud mama. They were on the same team and they had the most original idea of the day, the host eyes light up when he saw it. So here is hoping they get a call back.

#2 Smoky Turkey Shepard's Pie

 I would have to say a huge bonus of this whole cooking challenge is the confidence it is giving my daughter in the kitchen. This morning she took charge of breakfast and made these delicious waffles. From scratch...by herself. I was amazed.

 Today's meal had a whole lot of ingredients and to the dismay of my daughter it also had lots of veggies.

 It required chopping, chopping, and more chopping. Due to the amount of chopping required for this meal it took closer to an hour to complete. Look at those beautiful colors. It was just about this moment I was reminded that I myself am not a big fan of frozen peas, I got that weird feeling in my stomach, one of displeasure. Yet it smelled amazing with all the spices so I hoped I would be alright. It is a good thing DD encouraged me to do only half of the peas. ;)

 It cooked up nice and the potato mixture on top was super creamy.
I present to you Smoky Turkey Shepard's Pie.

 It was good. The flavors melded nicely together but if I were to make it again I would probably omit the peas. Not very Shepard's Pie of me but hey. The teen however loved it and ate three heaping servings.

 This would have fed a small army so we have quite a bit leftover. It will be making an appearance this evening at a friends BBQ. Hope they like it.
-Mom

My new skill for the day- peeling potatoes and carrots.

As you can see not my favorite dish, I am not a big fan of vegetables (especially cooked onions, peppers, and frozen peas) which this dish had all of them. I never really liked Chicken Noodle soup or Shepard's Pie (yes I know I'm a picky-eater) But I ate it, rule number  4. :P

2 down (with my least favorite foods) 363 left to go...with some of my favorites coming up.

-DD

#1 Scramblewiches

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. Sorry a little Sound of Music, we went to see Muppets Most Wanted this evening and it has me a bit sing-songy. But the very beginning it is, recipe numeral uno, Scramblewiches. We assembled the ingredients but nearly forgot rule number 6, we will wear our aprons. We righted that before any real cooking started.

 

We decided to divide and conquer, DD tackled the meat.

While I whipped up the egg mixture.

 

Viola! The finished dish with a star chef.

Scramblewiches, Bon Appetite!

 

The critics had the following reviews.

And...

It was a success! One down, three hundred sixty-four to go.
-Mom








So I have to say I was a little nervous with the whole egg deal. I practically despise the wretched little things, and to have to eat them, YUCK! But I was super excited to do 365 days of making dinner and this was recipe #1 so if I wanted to eat the good stuff I had to go through this first.
Making the dinner was fun, and eating was even better.

Surprise, surprise I loved them (even the eggs) and surprisingly I would LOVE to make it again.
-DD

Rachael Ray 365

Here is the book, if you purchase it through this link it helps us generate some funds for our adventure.

Bon Appetite

Every now and then you stumble upon something so amazing that you can not contain your excitement and you have to shout it from the roof tops. This moment, today, is one of those events. It started innocently enough, taking my kids to a movie. Yet we walked out changed, we walked out inspired. The movie, Julie and Julia. A new theater in town was showing $2 movies for charity to get things in order before their grand opening this weekend. What mom can resist $2 movies? Since the charity was The Greater Lansing Food Bank, I was all in for supporting an organization that has done so much for the community garden through their Garden Project. So back to the movie, it was not a new block buster, although they were showing those to, it was a 2009 throwback to food. Food Bank- throwback movies on food, clever. Julie and Julia is a reflection on the lives of two real life women, Julia Childs and Julie Powell. Julia being the well known cook and author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julie being the author of a blog with the brave endeavour of cooking her way through Mrs. Childs cookbook.
Which brings me to our moment, to our challenge. For my daughter and I to cook OUR way through a cookbook. Definitely NOT Mastering the Art of French Cooking! We were still in the mall so we headed over to the bookstore to see what was there. It was still just an idea rumbling around but it was gaining steam and fast. In the first section we found Mastering the Art of French Cooking, The Joy of Cooking and other volumes of intimidating length. One thing we had decided was we would do the whole cookbook, every recipe. This made it easy to eliminate many of them. 1000 recipes, um no. We picked up some with recipes that looked so revolting that I can not even remember what they were. We fingered through a few that showed promise; potential. Then we found the one and we both knew it instantly, Rachel Ray 365: No Repeats. A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners. A 30-Minute Meal Cookbook. My daughter loves the Food Network, if she has control of the TV it is usually where you will find her, so Rachel Ray was familiar. 365 recipes, one year, that worked. 30 minute meals, yes please! It was settled Rachel Ray 365 it was. The book was purchased. We both literally skipped to the register with fits of giggles.
Then the rules poured out:
1. We will cook every recipe.
2. We will work our way through, beginning to end.
3. We will both be present for every meal. It does not have to be dinner, we can make it into a lunch and we will not fret if we skip a day here and there because of life. We will make it through the book whether it be in 365 days or longer.
4. We will try one serving of whatever we made no matter our previous opinions.
5. We will clean the kitchen completely at the end of each meal.
6. We will wear our aprons.
7. We will share our adventure with the world.
8. We will adapt all recipes to fit our gluten free needs.
9. We will learn to cook.
10. We will have FUN!

The food is purchased, today is the day, let the adventure begin!
Bon Appetite!
-Mom

I am so excited! I am going to expand my palette.
-Daughter age 10

Homeschool Buyers Co-op

I started using this homeschool buyers co-op to purchase some of our curriculum. It's free to sign up and a way to save money on things you were already going to buy or find a new favorite. Happy browsing!

Homeschooling's #1 Way to Save

testimony

We stumble through this world. Some of us, most of us, hurting in one way or another. Be it addiction, broken relationships, dysfunctional home life, sickness, lack of self-worth, rejection, frustration, despair, stress at work, confusion, memories of the past, lack of control, trying too much to control...the list goes on. Let's face it, in this world we will face troubles of many kinds. Last night I was challenged to ask myself what area of my life I needed to give God access. What area did I need to hand over to him?
Revelation 3:20 ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
It's not a question of whether or not God is interested in us. For He stands at the door, ready, waiting even for us to respond. Knocking...requesting access to our lives.
Yet we shut the door to certain areas of our lives. The areas most affected by our hurts, habits and hang-ups. Or wanting to control, we deny access to those things that we are certain we can handle on our own. Why must this be? It doesn't need to be.
Lord, I give you access.
To my life. To my marriage. To our homeschool. To this home. To my thoughts. To my actions.
Come on in.
Access granted.
How about you?

Sarah Speaks

While I was silent here on the blog I was not so silent on FACEBOOK. Check out this glimpse of 2010 statuses.

Pilgrim Proclamation

Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.

Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.

--William Bradford
Ye Governor of Ye Colony

After studying Pilgrims for the last month I have a new appreciation for this proclamation.

Kit Kittridge

Who is Kit Kittridge?
Besides being an American girl doll and the star of a chapter book or even a movie star, she is my new best friend. Seriously, I love her!
A week ago my daughter picked up the American Girl books at the library. She quickly devoured book 1 of Molly. When she went back to the library she could not find book 2 so she got the Kit Kittridge series instead. Hooked I say. In three days she has read three books. But my joy is not that alone. Oh no! The true reason I love Kit Kittridge: She has turned by daughter onto writing .
In the books Kit is a nine year old growing up in the Depression. With the help of her typewriter she writes daily newspapers to her dad to fill him in on the happening of the day.
Little girl finished book one of the series and asked if she could do that too. Of course, she can write articles for a newspaper!
We hopped on the computer, sorry no typewriters at this house, figured out how to make a newsletter on Word and off she went. Within 24 hours she had written 5 articles for her News. She figured out how to add pictures and clip art, then discovered text wrap.
With a little help from spell check and her editor(me) she was ready for print.
I could not be more proud or excited!
She has already exclaimed to dad that he will be recieving a weekly newspaper. Woot woot.
See I told you I love Kit. And now you know the rest of the story.

I Will Write Love On My Arms

If you have ever struggled with depression. If you have ever thought that this life was not worth living. If you have ever tried to take your life. If you have ever cut yourself. If you have ever struggled with addiction. If you have ever injured yourself. If you have ever been abused. If you ever feel alone...

KNOW YOU ARE LOVED. I have written LOVE on my arms FOR YOU!

Gratitude

Last night, I had a great discussion about Gratitude.
No matter where you are in life. No matter what you are going through; you have SOMETHING to be grateful for. Whether it is something as simple and mundane as toothpaste. If you look for it I am sure you can find it. Are you breathing? Perhaps you are grateful to be alive. Are you sober? Then you are probably grateful for your clarity of mind. Do you have shelter over your head? Then maybe you are grateful to be warm.
I know I am grateful!
I was challenged last night to think of things I am grateful about in regards to God, people in my life, my growth and my church. Once I started the list flowed with true gratitude. I am blessed.
Somedays I don't always see the blessings. Somedays I am inclined to complain. Yet if I truly pause, I see that whatever it is that has me frustrated or discouraged is an obstacle that can be overcome. Even on my worst day I can give thanks, even if it is only for toothpaste.

Colossians 3:16
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

1 Chronicles 16:34
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Bobbitybobbitybobbity

Yesterday for Math a stream of continuous and nonsense sound came from my son. Bobbitybobbitybobbitybobbity...for 10 minutes. I found it annoying at first and then I realized something. It was helping him.
Sometimes in our house Math can take a half hour other days in between standing on his head and sharpening pencils it can take an hour. Distractions abound and there are times the distractions are overwhelming. Focus.
So enter the bobbitybobbities and for once there were no other distractions. For 10 minutes he sat focused on his Math, as he sang he was doing his Math. and people say men can't do two things at once.
Here was the boys journal yesterday:
Mommy, can I please sing at my desk? It helps me and (my sister) focus very much. I know that it makes you kinda mad but I would really love to. I would like to sing while I do Math. When I sing it gets the pressure off of me so I can focus better. Thank you very ,very much. Love, (Your son)

Who am I am to argue with that? In fact we just completed day two of singing during math and guess what? He finished 40 problems in LESS than 10 minutes! A miracle. A singing miracle.
Bobbitybobbitybobbity- Now if only that would help me accomplish all I need to do.

Excess

I had a dream this morning.
In my dream, the kids and I were at a pond with fishing line, hooks and a small bucket.
The fish were more than biting they were jumping on our lines. As soon as we would take one of and throw it in the bucket another one was on the line. It was frenzied fishing. In no time at all I looked over to see the bucket was overflowing and fish we piling up , flapping around on the ground.
Now from previous experience I know that fish need oxygen to live and even in a bucket they can die from lack of oxygen. So I frantically try to put them back in a bucket looking around for something bigger. I look over and a large storage tote is there. I begin dumping out the contents to "save" the fish. I don't know why we were fishing. I don't know what we intended to do with the fish. They were all small and most likely not keepers yet here I was trying to keep everyone.
In the midst of me trying to get the space, God spoke, "Why the excess?"
I love it when God speaks. Even in dreams God speaks to me. I knew immediately what this one meant.
The fish is stuff. Small. Insignificant stuff. Piling up and multiplying before my eyes and rather than throw it back or getting rid of it I try to cram it into the corners of my home. Excess. Unnecessary excess.
Thank you Lord for blessing me. Help me to get rid of the excess and keep only what I need.

How Granola Are You?

Many years ago when my children were still babies, I was told I was granola crunchy. Which according to the Urban Dictionary means; crunchy granola Noun. A person who is lives in a healthy, green, vegetarian way. This person often supports Greenpeace and other such environmental and anti-war groups.
Now at the time I was in no way a true granola crunchy, I considered myself more...oatmeal. I had home births, I breast-fed my babies and I was moving in a direction of healthy living for me and my children. But Greenpeace, anti-war...not so much.
This morning I was pondering where I was on the scale; was I moving towards frosted flakes or more toward granola. Since there are no guidelines and the definition of crunchy granola is ever changing, I decided to set up a little survey to gauge us all. Its a simple little test really. With point values...so keep track.
Choose one for each category or skip to the next if it does not apply. Men feel free to count your household choices on the ones that apply to women. If multiple choices are true for you, choose the highest point value for that topic. Here goes...
If you...

Had a natural childbirth in the hospital (+1) gave birth in a birth center (+2) at home (+3)

Breast-fed your baby (+1) 6 months or more (+2) a year or more (+3) a potty trained child (+4)

Used cloth diapers (+1) Until the child was potty trained (+2) Carried around a potty to train your infant (under a year old) (+3)

Carried your babies around with a sling or carrier (+1) toddler (+2)

Co-sleep during infancy (+1) as a toddler (+2) Can't remember the last time you had no children in your bed (+3)

Made your own baby food (+1) Never bought store baby food (+2)

Chose not to circumcise your son (+2)

Use a DO rather than a MD (+1) Chose not to vaccinate (+2)

Use herbals for most medical issues (+1)

Are a Vegetarian (+1) Vegan (+2) Eat only raw uncooked foods (+3)

Garden (+1) Organic gardener (+2) Eat only food that does not come from a super market (+3)

Have a specialized diet for at least one member of your household i.e gluten-free (+1)

Make your own bread (+1) Make your own granola (+2)

Can your own produce (+1) 3 or more varieties (+2)

Buy organic food (+1) Exclusively organic (+2)

Sew or knit clothes for your family (+1)

Recycle (+1) Conscientious cut down on household trash (+2)

Used alternative fuel ie. vegetable oil (+1)

Compost (+1) Vermiculture (+2)

Raise chickens (+1) Free range chickens (+2)

Raise livestock (+1) organically or hormone free (+2)

Have a beehive (+1)

Bring your own bags to the grocery store (+1) Make your own bags to take to the grocery store (+2)

Make your own laundry soap (+1) Make all household cleaning products (+2)

Have participated in an earth day clean-up (+1) Pick-up litter not on earth day (+2)

Are a member of wild life association (+1)

Are a member of La Leche League (+1)

Written your congressman (+1) Attended a Tea Party or other public demonstration (+2)

Home school (+1) Charlotte Mason Sytle (+2) Unschool (+3)

Prefer to be barefoot (+1)

Laughed your way through this survey because it was all to familiar (+1)

So...How granola are you?
Out of possible 61 points
0-5 Fruit Loops
6-10 Frosted Flakes
11-20 Cheerios
21-30 Oatmeal
31-40 Granola
41-50 Granola Crunchy
51+ You are the crunchiest granola ever

HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERY ONE!!!
Post your results in the comments.

Check It Out

A month or so ago I decided to contribute to our church, Family, Faith and Fun blog.
You can find my latest post here: http://trinityfamilylife.blogspot.com/2010/04/minute-to-win-it-fun.html
Enjoy!

Another Exciting Day

Lately the weather has been ABSOLUTELY gorgeous! Needless to say we have been trying to make the most of it.
Yesterday we decided to pack a picnic lunch and head over to Hawk Island. We ate, played, walked the board walk and soaked in the sunshine as the ducks swam out on the lake.

Since it was Babler's birthday we decided to go to on of her favorite places...The Dairy Farm.
And lo and behold, we go to see yet another birth. This one was a boy. :( So it won't be staying on the farm but we named him anyway. Introducing Axe. Hopefully this is not a foreshadowing of his fate.

Regardless he is a cute little thing with a white heart on his forehead.

Looking for something to do? Check out the MSU farms. The horses, cows and sheep are all expecting little ones. Oh and it's FREE!

Jolly Grove Garden- Sod Removal

I must tell you! Things are happening at the Jolly Grove Community Garden. We knew going in that this garden had some remarkable connections as it is a collaboration of the Land Bank, South Lansing Community Development Association(SLCDA) and the Garden Project. Recently, we acquired yet another corporate association as Comcast has chosen the Jolly Grove Garden as a recipient for their Comcast Cares Day. This means that we will be holding a workday sponsored by Comcast where things are truly going to come together and make this plot of land into a garden.
In order for the site to be ready for the workday we had to lay out the plots and remove the sod. With the BEAUTIFUL weather the leadership of the garden decided to act fast while the ground was ready. Here is what got done on April 1st.
Here is the site first thing in the morning.

Some picked up trash.

Some picked up sticks.

While others measured out the plots.

Then with the land prepped, we used the sod cutter to remove the sod.

Here is the boy rolling the sod.

Mounds and mounds of sod. By 3:00 we were finished and all plots were defined and the sod was removed and rolled.

The crazy crew feeling victorious! 8D

It was a wonderful day, with much being accomplished.

Now, we are looking forward to April 24th; the Comcast Cares Day. Where we will install the fence posts, fence, build a shed and benches, put up the sign and perhaps even plant some flowers. Woohoo!

Highlights of Meijer Garden 2010

With the butterflies flying at Meijer Garden we joined our homeschool co-op on a visit.
I must say the diversity of the plants and flowers there is amazing. I must also state that the following pictures were taken by my mother, who did a fabulous job. Thanks mom!

Cactus

Pitcher Plants

My beautiful butterflies.

Butterflies all around in the aviary.

How many butterflies can you find on this one plant?

Don't forget to look for the birds...here is a blue one, an orange one and a yellow one.

Jailed? Not really, they are enjoying the kids gate of the Children's Garden.

Butterfly dress-up.

Archeological dig.

When we did our sculpture study back in January we studied Marshall Fredrick. After reading, The Outdoor Museum: The Magic of Michigan's Marshall M. Fredericks, we fell in love with his work. We even visited his museum. So we were delighted to revisit so many of his sculptures at Meijer Garden.
Here is the Leaping Gazelle...

Which is actually a fountain.

More Marshall Fredrick.

Red-Tailed Hawk looking for lunch.

Davinci's Horse...we were highly anticipating this sculpture after reading Leonardo's Horse by Jean Fritz

I absolutely LOVE the expression of the grandfathers face.

What kind of bird do you think might hatch from these?

Strike a pose.


Hope you enjoyed our trip to Meijer Garden as much as we did.