In the mood

I woke up this morning and thought “I’m gonna look at that Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Roll recipe and make cinnamon rolls for the kids cause they are out of school today for a teacher workday….(plus we have two friends staying with us for the day because school is out and they needed some momma back up..)

I’ve heard that these things are incredible (Marybeth)…and I’m in that cooking mood.  I bought yeast the other day because I made homemade whole wheat pizza dough (Yes I did) and I knew that I would need it for this recipe.

So I trotted downstairs at 7:15am to look it up….

You also need a QUART of whole milk….A QUART!  Not happening…

Plus vegetable oil (I ran out last night making muffins)PLUS I needed baking soda, baking powder and PLENTY of melted Butter.  

Nope, nope and nope….I had the milk, but a QUART!!  Really?

Oh and Maple flavoring (Oh yeah, like I’ve got that ……hey wait, does maple SYRUP count??)

And I looked at the pictures that she so graciously puts up for each of her recipes…..and apparently you also need a stainless steel countertop, literally the size of Texas to make these bad boys.

This is a picture from her recipe-documentary on how to make these damn things…. 

Pioneer Woman gets on my damn nerves.

So after checking back into reality….I popped open two rolls of CANNED cinnamon rolls. 

And my kids were freaking singing like Bill Cosby….thanks mom…you’re the best mom…..wow mom….(this is because I typically DO NOT MAKE these things, my daughter does….so she was able to just enjoy)

I made them the fancy way….I unrolled them THEN I twisted them….

Un-Pioneer I know, right!

Back off, I feel enough pressure from the PIONEER wench and her dang perky self on that TV show now.  (Not really, but she does get on my nerves, her voice is waaaayyyy to calming for me…I need a little Guy or Emeril to make me watch..ya know, BANG!)

The good news is that I’m back in my meal planning mode.  Life in this house runs a tad smoother when I have a PLAN for dinner.  My friend Suzy and I were chatting about it this morning….with all the running around both of us do with sports and after school activities it’s real easy to get in the grab and go mode…But that is so expensive and it’s not the healthiest of decisions.  AND, I am also doing Weight Watchers (and working out most everyday), well, I’m cooking things that I can eat, that are on the healthier side, and my family gets the benefit. 

Last nights Turkey Chile Verde was a hit.  I also made Pumpkin muffins to go along with the chile.  The flavors really worked well together.  (It’s a mix from Trader Joes, and oh my gosh, super super good!)

This morning I started dinner for tonight, since it’s a WW Crockpot recipe.  I cannot tell you how freaking good my house smells right now!  It’s a Pork Loin roast with Sauerkraut and Apples.  I’m gonna make the none WW folk some mashed taters to go with the pork roast…

I took pictures because it looked so dang good!  Oh and this was super easy…..

Pork loin roast with fat trimmed off – sprinkled with salt and pepper and dried thyme in 2 tsp olive oil.

Crock pot with rinsed and drained sauerkraut, diced apple and thinly sliced red onion – with a couple dashes of caraway seed….

Pork loin goes on top of veggies in the crock pot then recipe calls for 1/2 cup of dry white wine, poured over roast and veggies…I went with 1 cup of white wine in the pan that I browned the roast in, to get the crispy stuff and the thyme – then poured over top of roast and veggies…

Here it is after cooking for a little while – it’s it lovely?

This is a 5 point meal – without the mashed taters of course.  I cannot wait to try it – because the kitchen smells so good!!!!!

Pioneer Woman can kiss my grits. 

With love,

The Southern-momma-who-doesn’t-have-a-TV-show-and-production-clean-up-crew-soccer-mom-carpool-driving-working on my weight wife.

 

Yummy yummy

This is a super yummy recipe….and it’s a weight watchers if you happen to be counting your points.  This is what we are having for dinner tonight. 

7 points per serving.   

Turkey Chili Verde

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 onion finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 garlic glove, minced (I used two gloves)

1 pound ground turkey breast

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 pound tomatillos, husks removed and halved.  Tomatillos are super easy to find, they are usually near the tomatoes in the veggie section of the supermarkets.  Our local markets, BiLo, Lowes and Harris Teeter

1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chiles, drained

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

2-15 ounce cans cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon sugar

1- Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan, then add the onion, bell pepper and garlic.  Sauté until softened, about 8 minutes.  Add the turkey, chili powder, and cumin.  Cook, over medium high heat, breaking up the turkey with a fork, until the liquid evaporates and the turkey begins to brown, about 6 minutes. 

2-  Meanwhile, puree the tomatillos, chiles, and cilantro in a food processor; add to the turkey mixture.  Stir in the broth, beans and sugar; bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer; covered, until the mixture is thickened and flavors are blended, about 45 minutes.

Per serving (1 cup);  334 calories, 11g fat, 3g saturated fat, 51mg cholesterol, 527 mg sodium, 33g total carbohydrate, 9g dietary fiber, 27g protein, 128 mg calcium

Dear Jessi

This is for my blogger friend Jessi, cause I think she needs to hear this…..

Dear Jessi,

I just read your blog post today about Miracle Jack and getting faced with questions, something  new that ya’ll are starting to deal with now that life is not about staying isolated.

First, I think the way that you responded to the little one asking questions was really sweet….but I’m not as sweet as you (quiet please, I don’t need an AMEN on that)

I’d have responded like this. “Cause he’s TWO!” 

And when the little angel made the comment back about their sibling not acting like that, I’d have said – “oh gosh - there must be something wrong with him/her”….  .  OR I’d have said  “Because this is what two year olds do.  They get frustrated, they get tired, the price of tea goes up in China and they can’t understand why – AND THEY SCREAM, SQUEAL or THROW THEMSELVES in the DING DANG FLOOR. So back off!”  (I’ve actually said that to my daughter regarding one of Bubba’s hissy fits.) Either that or I’d have gone all Princess Bride scene on him and said “LIIIIIAAAAAAAR!”  I’d recommend saving the the  Jack Nicholson “you want the truth, you can’t handle the truth scene”.  I’ve found that it gets lost on most little kids but works great on adults. 

Bubba can communicate REALLY well.  Freakishly so.  Sometimes I forget that he’s just two and find myself in a “deep” conversation with him about lord knows what.  His case worker – she’s gauged him to have a vocabulary of a 5 year old.  Swear.  I’m telling you this so you can then appreciate this next part….

THIS MORNING – no lie – my child rolled in the floor screaming his head off and kicking at the wall  for the better part of 30 minutes. (I’d put him in his room for trying to PINCH me AGAIN).  He was mad as a hatter and pitching a hissy fit because I had told him NO about something and HE’S TWO!!!  I told him he could NOT come out until he stopped with the HISSY FIT…..and he had NO intention of stopping until he was ready….That’s what they do until they learn that it doesn’t work and all the other parenting stuff that goes with that. 

We go places and Bubba is with other (new) kids close to his age and he is a MIDGET compared to them – and he doesn’t run like they do. Or he tries to run and falls a million times…They can see his braces and you KNOW it’s killing them to ask me why he has them……I can see it in their eyes.” WHY does he need the braces????”     And parents are just as bad….I’m not kidding, I swear I think THEY think it’s contagious….like his needing braces might jump over onto their kids like a cootie or something…..”ohhhhh look, he has braces”…

Really???? 

YOUR Jack is a MIRACLE.  He is the cutest dang thing that has managed to capture hearts around the world because he is a fighter and he is going to do everything in his own time……

You are so right – sometimes kids are very cruel…and don’t even get me started on adults!  I swear they are worse than kids sometimes! 

Don’t feel you need to explain everything – ALL parents worry about things with their kids.  Different things – but it’s still worry.  Dear lord, please don’t let her say DAMN again at the mommy and me gym class like she did last night because she heard me say it two weeks ago when I dropped that entire bottle of wine.  (Swear, that’s a common worry with SOME but not me – I don’t cuss hahahahahah.  Ok , stop laughing people)  OR Please please don’t let him take his pants and diaper off AGAIN at the playground and run around streaking – like he did at the neighborhood cookout.  Please please please don’t let my older THREE precious angels start bickering in the restaurant and make me want to GLUE their million dollar medal months closed (ok that may or may not have happened last night).  Pretty please let me get thru Walmart without the baby screaming and trying to throw little powdered donuts at me.

I know it’s tough… I do, but I want you to keep that chin up – you’re going to need to toughen that skin.  You’re a MOM for goodness sakes!  We need tough skin to survive this craziness! 

If ya feel like you need to answer a question, add a dash of humor, it’ll help you in that moment too….And remember that all mommy’s fret about something.  (And I swear, those that say they don’t are BIG FAT LIARS!!!!!!)

Hang in the Jessi!   Jack really is one tough guy and continues to amaze us all!!!

On vacation….??

Not hardly – we’ve been sick.  As buzzards sick.  The STOMACH bug that’s been in the news –

The Bubba woke up Sunday night barfing his little guts up….that went on for a couple of hours…

Then I joined him. 

Then we had diarrhea.  So we spent all Monday bounding as only mother and child could do.  Barfing and pooping.  And sleeping.

Then Hubby came home from work and said he didn’t feel good.

So he stayed home from work on Tuesday with aches and fever.  (He NEVER stays home sick – EVER.)  I thought I felt better.

Then Tuesday night – Hubby started yacking.  It was about 11:30pm….and he yacked and yacked. Then me being such a loving wife felt I needed to join him – so about 2:30 I started yacking…and we took turns yacking ALL night long!  And in between the Bubba would wake up and say “I have to frow up”.  But he didn’t.

So Wednesday Hubby and I took turns sleeping and taking care of the Bubba – who felt like frowing up and did and had diarrhea in between.

Then Pootie got home from school and within an hour or so, he was running to bathroom with both ends in full swing.  He stayed home from school today – seems to have faired a tad better than we did…..but we’ll see.  I thought I was in the clear and it reared it’s ugly head on me.

HOPEFULLY – Crash and Lola will be ok.  She got her braces on today and is climbing the walls miserable right now from that.  I don’t think it would be fair to make her yack too.

Life will be back to normal soon…have had lots going on despite the illness…will catch you up later..

Until then – hand sanitize like there is NO tomorrow!!!  And to my friends in RSV hibernation – HIBERNATE!!!!! 

Brothers and Sisters

My long time friend (notice I didn’t say OLD) friend, Marybeth, wrote a post for one of her blogs about brothers and sisters.  She’s a great one to write about that subject because she has 6 kids. 

Of course, her talking about being a mom of six, always makes me think of my Aunt Artie (Margaret) because she too is a momma of 6…..we refer to them as the California Cousins.  (Pretty genius name if I do say so myself…lots of thought went into that name, ya know, since they are my cousins and they live in California.)

And as crazy as it was around their house when they were growing up – and trust me when I say it was crazy-look how awesome it is since they are “all growed up”. (Michelle is hiding – goofy)  Three girls, then three boys.  And yes, they are all as beautiful as they look – it’s somewhat annoying

Doesn’t it look like the most fun? 

It was just me and my pain in the butt younger brother.  (yes, yes you are.  It’s my story, I get to write what I want.)

I think it was 80% of the time pretty darn awesome to have him.  While there were times I would have traded him for a stuffed animal, now, I’ll keep him.  We could behave like we were 6 and not 2.  Laugh, fight, and yes, raise a little hell……

So, in honor of Marybeth’s post about Brothers and Sisters week, I honor my only sibling, my goofy, tall, good looking, twisted, smart, athletic, loving, best uncle, ranger, sweet, tender hearted, fun, stupid , best brother ever.

I love you ya big dumb ass.