A New Kind of Addiction

So I've found a new evil...one that will cause me to create more things in my kitchen than ever before and maybe even start crafting.  If nothing else it will help me keep up to date on my blog.  (which has gone by the wayside)  This new evil addiction is called Pinterest.  If you haven't checked it out, it is so worth it.  Google it.  Your life will never be the same (nor will your free time)  :-).

Anyways...I was looking through some of the crafts on the site and found a calendar made from a picture frame.  I loved it so much that I adapted it to a need I had in my home and that was my Family Night chart.  In years past I had a cute little chart with pictures of our family on it and we moved things from one magnet to another but as the years have gone on, things have gotten lost or banged up and it has lost its lustre.  So! I decided to put together a new family chart with my new found wisdom from Pinterest.  I had no idea that you could use dry erase markers on glass (I know, I live under a rock) but have tossed the moving pieces for dry erase to make my life easier. 

I was shocked to see my hubby pick up the marker at the end of our last Family Night and move everyones names around.  As I am not really that crafty, this was fun.  (and simple) 

You need:  any picture frame you'd like ( I got mine at Walmart for around $20)

                  scrapbooking paper and stickers (or whatever other lettering you like)

                  white board markers

                  about 20 minutes worth of time.

Cut your paper to the photo sized openings listed on the frame.  Designate which slot is which by using your stickers/letterings.  Place in each window on the frame and TaDa!  You are ready to go.  You can use this for all kinds of things...job chart, family calendar, message board.  You are only limited by your imagination!!



Spring Has Sprung...and so have the mosquitoes

It's been so long since I've updated this page.  I'm ashamed to say that there has been very little creativity happening in my kitchen since the last time this was updated.  I did make a lovely (and super EASY) dessert for Mother's Day which I'm happy to share with you.  I don't even know if it has a name.  It's something our family has made over the years and is particularly good on a hot day.  I call it Frozen Lemonade Squares but you could call it whatever you would like.  It is simply a graham cracker crust in a 9x13 pan with an ice cream mix on top.  You soften a carton of ice cream (just those little boxes in the frozen section...I go with whatever is cheapest because you don't need to really taste the quality of it) and you thaw out a can of Pink Lemonade concentrate.  Mix the two together and pour it on the graham cracker crust and then refreeze it.  Cut them in squares and serve immediately.  We love this dessert...and it is so easy to make. 

I'm in the process, as many others are, of planning out my garden.  We went out for Family Home Evening last night to do the weeding prior to planting and were swarmed by millions of mosquitoes.  I've recently learned that our community doesn't spray for mosquitoes (or weeds) and find this rather disturbing.  I grew up thinking that if there was wind out there that the mosquitoes would stay away.  I've discovered that this is untrue...or that the little pests would be even worse without the wind.  Needless to say, I hate mosquitoes.

Back to the garden...I digress.  So we're getting ready to plant with the hopes of having and maintaining a vegetable garden for the summer.  Corn, peas, carrots, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, spinach, squash, zucchini, and other plants are in the works.  I love a garden full of produce to feed my family and can say that what I truly love most is a meal in the summer consisting of only veggies we've picked from there.  There is nothing like being stuffed full of your own fresh vegetables on a hot day.  I love it.  And I think my kids love it too.  It is my hope and prayer that it will be a great summer so we can actually get some corn as we didn't get one ear last year.  I was so bummed out about that...because the year before it was out of this world!

So, break out your "Off" and get out and garden...what's good for the garden is good for the soul!

Top O' The Mornin' to Ya!

A Leprechaun from me to you!!!

So yesterday was St. Patrick's Day and, as usual, I had to have a little fun.  In years past I have done everything from Green Shake and Bake chicken to Green Tuna Fish Sandwiches (-and yes, those sandwiches went to school with my kids...).  As we were having our missionaries for dinner this year, I decided to do something different.  For those of you who don't know, there are grocery stores that will color baked goods for you (Sobey's here).  I wouldn't have known it was possible except for my neighbor letting me know she ordered orange ones at Halloween).  I ordered large bread bowls for soup in green...I must say, they were a little scary looking at first but once you cut them open, they were a lovely mint green.  I made some homemade broccoli soup to go in them and served that with a Caesar salad.  I also served Grassy Green Punch as a beverage.  I must say that most of my fun came from the creations I made for dessert.

Rainbow cupcakes were on the menu with a pot of gold and a bunch of leprechauns.  The kids and the missionaries loved it.  (The missionaries even took pictures--which was totally unnecessary but flattering)

Check other parts of my blog for recipes for your next St. Patrick's Day Celebration!!

It must be Spring...SOMEWHERE!!!

As I sit in my kitchen I can see my yard is full of light.  It is not sunlight...it's reflected sunlight.  The snow in my back yard is causing me to go blind...will it ever be spring? 

I skyped with a dear friend the other day in Oregon and she laughed as she could see all the snow out in my yard and exclaimed, "Callie!!!  It's green here!  My bulbs are in bloom!!!"  Half of me wanted to cry.  Most of me wanted to go back to bed and escape all the white.

I've often been asked..."How do you live in such a place?!?!?"  Good question.  So I've been trying to think of things we do around here to escape the cold and snow that constantly surrounds us for at least 6 months of the year.

Here is what I've come up with:
1.  We eat.--not just a little but a lot!!  We surround ourselves with the foods we love, the foods we hate, and the foods we love to hate but eat anyways because they are so delicious and tasty.
2.  We sleep.--not just a little but a lot!!  It's dark outside by 6pm anyways so sleep should come easy and you can't go out in the yard to play games with the kids until 11pm...you're face would freeze!
3.  We read.--we read books of all kinds to help us forget that there is snow outside piling up that will break our backs if we shovel it.  We read to escape the reality that there is much heavy work to be done outside in the cold.
4.  We potato.--ah, the couch.  Watching TV is a wonderful past time in winter.  It's an escape all its own and we love to find new things with which to let our mind escape the cold blustery days and nights.
5.  We exercise.--some of us a little and some of us a lot.  (some not at all, let's be real here...)  If we are doing lots of eating then lots of excercising would be a good thing to keep our minds and bodies invigorated.
6.  We play.--games, games, games!!  Everyone can be entertained with a good old fashioned game.  The ones we play here vary from Monopoly, and The Game of Life to Perudo, Greed, and Sequence.  Games are fun!
7.  We cuddle.--grab a blanket a book and one of the cute people in your home and cuddle up!  I know snuggling with my kids and reading a story is always a way to escape the cold...and it builds relationships all at the same time.
8.  We watch.--as I look out my window while the snow falls, I watch to see what is happening...is it falling hard or softly?  Is there a wicked wind blowing it all over?  Is it a blizzard?  Is it the right kind of stuff to play in and build snowmen?  Every snow fall is different.



the snow outside our front has provided much entertainment for our kids and their friends!

 9.  We do.--we do things in the snow that people who don't have snow can't.  We toboggan, build snowmen, snowshoe, ice fish, skidoo, snowboard, ski, build forts, and let it fall on our tongues.  We throw it and throw ourselves in it.  We do things that allow our creative energies to flow from our very core.



2 buses and a delivery truck all stuck at the same time on one day...ridiculous!

 10.  We help.--such a climate gives us opportunities to get to know our neighbors with shovels and with brute force.  Many of us get to know our neighbors from the act of pushing them out of the place their car is stuck...perhaps dogleds aren't so crazy after all in this climate.
11.  We remember.--it will leave.  Sometimes when we're deep in the freeze we can't remember what it was even like to have grass, trees, and flowers all around us.  We forget about the smell of the campfire with marshmallows roasting  or the sound of the lake lapping at the shoreline.  We remember though, that the snow will melt, the birds will return singing and the grass and flowers will grow and bloom again...and we are grateful. 

I'm Not Afraid Anymore!

Getting Roxy has been so much fun but at the end of the day, I'll admit, I've had one big fear...what about her grooming?!?!?  What if she gets a bad haircut?!?!  Will the other dogs laugh at her?!?!?  Will we think she's less cute than she really is?!?  Where do I take her?!?!?  How much should it cost?  Will they be good to her?  More importantly, will SHE be GOOD for THEM?!?!  So after asking friends of ours who also have a schnauzer, asking at the vet, and doing a little of my own research online, I took the plunge and made the dreaded appointment for today. 

I called Shear Brilliance here in Sherwood Park on Brentwood Blvd.  They did a terrific job and she was only gone for an hour and a quarter.  No dropping off first thing in the morning and leaving them there to wait their turn in line all day. 

Here is her look before: (don't mind the sock in the photo--she is our resident sock monkey) (taken January 19th)

And here is her look today, February 4th:

She's all pretty!  And she smells like baby powder!!

Needless to say, I'm not afraid anymore.

(and I so love her little crooked ear!!)

She Can Ring My Bell!

Okay.  I've now decided not every treat in my blog will be food related.  This is a little treat that my dog has given me (take that how you may...).  The title  of this post actually reminds me of the song "You Can Ring My Bell".  Unfortunately I can relate different cheesy songs to all kinds of things in my life. 

Getting a puppy has had its challenges and its rewards.  Overall, it has been a life changing experience for the better.  There is nothing more wonderful than having someone be soooo excited to see you every time you walk through the door--even if you were only taking out the trash.  She loves the kids and also adores Chris and myself.  Roxy is my buddy all day long, following me wherever I go (and crying outside the bathroom door because she can't see me) and sleeping next to me wherever I sit down in the house.

One of the daunting tasks for our family has been potty training.  When we picked Roxy up from the breeder in Westlock, she was paper trained (with some exceptions).  With the weather being what it was, and Roxy being so little we had mercy on her and allowed her to continue with her using paper as her potty.  But when we had some unseasonably warm weather in January we found our window to the outdoors for her and started to encourage her to go outside.  Chris, my clever husband, took some of the paper she had used (by the way--when I refer to paper I actually mean plastic lined puppy pads) and put it out where we wanted her to go.  It didn't take long before she started to figure out that she needed to go outside to do her business...but we still had one little problem.  Roxy was not very good at asking to go.  She wouldn't bark or whine and if we were busy doing something, we would sometimes miss seeing her at the back door and she would go elsewhere (usually back to her paper).  So we did some research and some talking to friends and decided to try the back door bell. 

Essentially, you train the dog to ring the bell when they need/want to go outside.  I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it...it works.  Roxy will take her nose and nudge the bell for it to make noise and then wait for us to let her out.  She'll get busy out there and come running back in for her treat (very proud of herself).  We are loving the fact that she is so smart! 

Okay...I just realized that she looks like she is trying to eat the door right now...what a silly girl...she noticed condensation coming off the window and was "cleaning it up".  (Let's be real here...she's really no different from a toddler...only she rings my bell when she is potty training)

One of my favorite things

So if you can hear the song from the Sound of Music, "These are a Few of My Favorite Things" that is what has been going through my head when I think of what I made this week.  For those of you who know me well, I love my Greek cooking heritage.  I love Greek food (most of it anyways) but one of my absolute favorite things is a bread I make a few times a year.  My dad (who is greek) spelled it Tsoureke on the recipe but for those who wouldn't get the pronounciation it's called "too-RAY-kee".  There is nothing on earth like the smell or taste of it for me in my world. 

Anyways, I didn't get enough of it at Christmas time and opted to make another batch to enjoy...and we DO enjoy it.  It is a pretty simple enough thing to make--considering I'm not the greates bread maker out there--but if you are missing this one ingredient, it just won't taste the same.  It is called Machlebee (mak-LEH-bee) and it gives this bread a very unique aroma and flavor.  Delish!! 

Making this bread is pretty old school.  Everything is done by hand with not even a wooden spoon.  The dough initially rises for 2 hours before you braid it and let it rise again.

Once it rises again, you baste it with egg and bake it.  Truly it is one of my favorite smells in the world; even better than just bread or buns baking in the oven.

And to me, it is such a pretty bread too.  One I love to share with others like my neighbors and friends.  This is probably the biggest thing that's happened in my kitchen this week.  (it's been a pretty dull week, I guess) but it is fabulous!



Two Ingredients...okay three counting the pepper

So, I've decided to try and feed my family some different/better foods.  I realized that my fridge was full of junk and my pantry was full of junk...thus we were becoming what we ate...junkies.  That being said, I knew there would be some resistance from some in the Smith ranks...namely one of my children who shall remain nameless.  (although anyone who knows this child will know who I'm referring to...)

I signed up on a free website called sparkpeople.com.  It is a weight loss site that is completely free.  It has apps for my ipod and I downloaded both of them; one of which being an app with recipes on it.  I decided to try one of them out.  Broiled Tilapia Parmesan sounded pretty adventurous given that my family doesn't eat a whole lot of fish but since I'm determined to get us eating better I thought I'd give it a try.  What was tricky for me was what to serve with it.  I didn't want heavy potatoes or pasta with sauce.  It had to be rice--how lovely--two white things on a plate.  So I dug around in my fridge and wracked my brain and came up with a few extra items.  Spinach salad with hard cooked egg and bacon, and then the best side dish I've made in a long time--bacon wrapped asparagus. 

You'll have to forgive the fact that I didn't take any photos but don't fret as I will be making it again and will post them then.  So you will need a total of 2 (possibly 3) ingredients: bacon, asparagus--and fresh cracked pepper if desired.  Preheat your oven to 400F.  Line a cookie sheet with foil.  Wash your asparagus and chop off the woody end parts.  Bunch the asparagus in groups of 4 (or three I suppose if they are large stalks).  Take one piece of bacon and wrap it around the 4 stalks of asparagus.  Place it seam side down on your baking sheet.  Repeat with the rest of your asparagus.  Sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper if you'd like--I did 4 bunches with and 4 without.  Bake in your hot oven for about 20 minutes and then crisp them up under the broiler for about a minute or so (but keep an eye on them so they don't burn.)  Voila!!  Simple side dish with yummy reviews.  Even my pickiest eater ate them!  (although the tops were cut of because they weren't enjoyed very much--but everything covered in bacon got eaten with rave reviews!!!)  If you give them a try, let me know.

The Numbers Are In!

So Christmas has come and gone and what are we left with?  We are left with the accomplishment of dipping over 3700 chocolates, having a terrific Christmas Day, avoiding the nasty flu that went around...oh, and a partridge in a pear tree.

It was a lovely Christmas overall but very busy in my house.  I didn't even get my Christmas Cards done!  Sorry, but a New Years note will have to do for everyone.  The kids are back to school today and I am back to normal life but with an added friend of Roxy, our Puppy.  She will, no doubt, cramp my style at times but I adore her and we'll get things all figured out.  We had fun with my husbands sister and her family (and dog) and had a chance to see many family and friends.  It was a wonderful 2 weeks. 

The house does seem rather quiet so I guess I'd better get some music going and get it in shape.  Puppies are like toddlers and tend to put everything in their mouths...time to get everything out of mouths reach. 

If I haven't said it to you in person, Happy New Year!  I truly wish you all the best this coming year!