Easter Cross Craft

When my youngest was in first grade her teacher instructed her to bring one big box of matches, with the ends already burned, to school for an Easter project. This seemed strange to me but her teacher, Mrs. Lesher, was the sweetest teacher, and I knew an amazing project would be coming home. You can imagine how breathless I was when this popped out of her backpack just 2 short years ago. Her teacher had walked them through this craft and each child got to take home their own Easter Cross.

We always spend Spring Break with my mom and dad and I knew the only people who would appreciate this more then me - were my mom and dad. I asked Jensen if she wanted to give this to Gumma and Gumpa - she excitedly said YES - and I reluctantly let that beautiful cross out of my grip. However, the good news is...for the past two years my mom has displayed the Cross and it has welcomed us to Florida.

Celebrate what Easter is all about this year! Make a Cross of your own to cherish for years.

You'll find directions HERE!

Tip of the Day - How to Organize Schoolwork!

Let's see - My daughter is in 5th grade this year and I finally figured out the perfect way to organize her completed school work - DON"T! Year after year I would try to come up with an organizational system to "file" away their completed homework when they brought it home from school. I had files - Artwork, Teacher info, Math, Spelling....you get the picture.
My system was too complex and too time consuming. Since I never had time to "file" - homework would just build up on the counter till I couldn't stand it anymore. Not this year. I decided to implement the "Big Bin" approach.



I told my girls that whenever they had completed homework, art work, or misc. papers - I did NOT want to see it! (Ok - I did want to see them - but I didn't want to be responsible for them!) They were old enough to just come home and plop it into their own bins. This system has worked beautifully! No clutter on the counters (ok - no Homework clutter on the counters) and whenever we need to find additional info on a homework assignment we know right where to go! My only disappointment is that it has taken me 6 years to figure this out!

At the end of the school year - I will go through and sort their papers. I will keep about 10 percent of what you see. I will make a little accordion folder for that year, label it on the outside and stick it in their closets. They can throw it away when they get older but I will feel like I did my job as a mother to keep those special papers!

How do you organize your children's paperwork?

Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies - Jenny Mac Style!

I ran across a blog the other day that had the most interesting cookie recipe on it. I had all the ingredients on hand and a large dose of curiosity - so I was off to make a batch! I found the recipe on Jenny Mac's Lip Smack blog. Check out her Crazy Cookie Cake Chippers. She made hers beautiful. I made mine fast. Check out the difference.



Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies
Adapted from Jenny Mac's Lip Smacking Crazy Cookie Cake Chippers

18 oz Vanilla Cake Mix
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips and pretzels
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Stir dry cake mix, oil/butter, 2 eggs, crushed tortilla chips and pretzels until dough forms.
Spoon batter out onto cookie sheet (I use a mini ice cream scooper to make them a uniform size as shown below)
Bake for 8-12 minutes.
Remove from pan after a minute or so and cool on wire racks!



My oldest daughter, Logan, helped me whip up a batch in about 5 minutes. These were quick, easy and yummy!
Thanks Jenny Mac!



When I make them again - which I will - I will only put in the pretzels. I enjoyed them more than the tortilla chips!

Chicken Nuggets: The Fibrous kind

I've been doing a lot of pantry diving lately. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing - but I'm happy I have been using up some odds and ends. This weekend I knew I had to use up a package of chicken breasts I had bought this week - and when I spotted the panko crumbs I knew I would be making some nuggets. On the way out of the pantry I spotted the Fiesta ranch dressing mix and was excited to put a little kick in those chicks!



I won't even tell you the expiration date on this package for fear they will accuse me of child abuse - however I did smell it and it smelled fine!



I was all set to start ripping, dipping and dunking when I opened the box of Panko crumbs to find only a half of a cup in the bottom of the bag....what to do what to do. No problem. I opened my cereal cabinet to see what I could add to my Panko crumbs.



I chuckled as I ground up about a cup of Fiber One cereal. My kids would die if they knew what I had used but I was anxious to see what they thought of the fibrous nuggets!

Fibrous Nuggets
1 egg
3 Tablespoons milk or buttermilk
1/2 cup Panko crumbs
1 envelope Fiesta Ranch Dip mix, unmade
1 cup Fiber One cereal ground course
4 chicken breasts, cut up in 2 inch by 1 inch pieces

Mix egg and milk in small bowl.
Mix Panko crumbs, Fiesta Ranch Dip mix and Fiber One cereal crumbs and put in bowl by egg bowl.
Set oven to 400. Line baking sheet with Parchment. Dip cut chicken in egg mixture and then roll in crumb mixture. Set on parchment. When complete bake chicken for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and serve with homemade honey mustard.

Homemade Honey mustard:
2 parts Honey
1 part yellow mustard
Mix and Dip!



My kids LOVED the nuggets! Fiber One cereal has a slightly sweet taste and the kick of the Fiesta Dip mix was the perfect blend! It turned out to be one "Kickin' Chickin'"!

Sausage and Boursin Breakfast Casserole

The other day, as I was cleaning out my cheese drawer in the fridge, I discovered a package of Boursin cheese about to expire. My love of Boursin cheese goes beyond words so letting something that delectable go to waste would go against every fiber of my body. I quickly scoured the rest of my pantry to see what I could whip up.



I spotted the 2 day old loaf of french bread on my counter and hoped I would have a frozen "log" of sausage in my freezer - Score - I did!



I love a "Breakfast" dinner and knew if I threw all these things together - they couldn't be bad!

Rindy's Breakfast Casserole
1 loaf french bread, cubed
1 sweet onion, chopped and fried till just starting to carmelize
1 pound sausage, I prefer HOT (spicy that is)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
pepper to taste
1 cup cheddar cheese
5.2 oz Boursin cheese
2 cups milk
5 eggs



Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 9 by 13 pan. Cook sausage in pan and drain grease. Cook onion in skillet till just carmelized. Cube french bread and place pieces in bottom of dish. Spread 1 cup of cheddar cheese over bread and dot with the Boursin cheese. Put sausage and onions over mixture. In separate bowl, mix 2 cups milk with 5 eggs. Pour over entire casserole. Cover and let this sit for at least an hour - or overnight. Bake for 45 minutes in 325 oven.



I hope your family loves this as much as mine did! Enjoy!

Field Trip: Frederick Maryland

My sweet friend, Merry (you remember - the girl who is as happy as her name) planned a field trip to Frederick Maryland on St. Patty's day. I am ashamed to say this, but in the 9 years I have lived in northern Virginia - I have only once ventured up to Frederick and it was to buy a cabinet - not to sight see and shop. Boy, was I in for a treat! Frederick is the cutest place on the face of the earth. If you ever plan to come to D.C. - Frederick would be a great side trip to take. In the above picture we were accosting random men on the street who were wearing kilts. That's just the kind of women we are - but lets be honest - what woman could really pass up a man in a skirt?



As we walked up Market street I could hear my friend Sarah shriek from the back of the pack. "That's Volt" she said. I have heard so much about that place - their food is supposed to be AMAZING. Merry chimed in and said when she had called up for a reservation there was a two month waiting list. I guess you know where we didn't eat lunch!



We walked on and admired the beautiful architecture. One building was more spectacular then the next.



The homes had doors on them as if to say "Look at me ladies - I put my lipstick on just for you".



We wondered what was the history behind each building. What treasures were still in their attics. What did their future hold...and then we got hungry and could care less about what gem was behind the next corner. We wanted food and Merry knew right where to take us.



The Tasting Room was this ADORABLE corner cafe with elegance written all over it! Everything on the menu looked better then the next. We all wanted someone else to start the ordering for fear of entree envy. I decided on the fish and chips purely for the amount of mayo I knew I would be able to consume with that lunch selection. What can I say - I love that "White Butter" as my girls call it.



Speaking of butter - check this out! The pats of butter came with what appeared to be Paprika initials on them. Even though they probably stood for "The Tasting Room" - I told everyone at the table it meant "To Rindy" and they were to keep their paws off!



Remember our mascot from our IKEA trip- Meredith? She came in very useful for this trip as well. This time it went a little something like "Meredith, of course you can have more bread". "Waiter - could we get some more bread for our table - this little lady loves it"! Waiter brings the bread - women devour bread in 2.3 seconds - women ask waiter for more bread - blame child. I love you Meredith!



The meal did not disappoint - and to be honest- I think it was the best fish and chips I have ever had. Those fresh cut fries were to die for and the tarter sauce - AMAZING!



Another field trip under our belts! Thank you Merry for planning such a perfect day. Can't wait to see what is next on the list.

Naan: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

After my Tandoori Chicken I was inspired to try to make my own Naan. Needless to say, I have a new appreciation for the prepackaged kind. I admit it - I have a yeast phobia! What truly constitutes "Warm Water" and why doesn't my bread ever rise like it should? With all of this against me - I trudged on and tried to make my own Naan.



I brought in reinforcements - my 9 year old to do the heavy manual labor part - kneading! She did a great job and I see a future for her in an upcoming "Survivor" episode. With skills like this she would never be kicked out of the tribe!

My first attempt would be this Garlic Naan:
1 (.25 ounce) package dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup butter

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

3. During second rising, preheat grill to high heat.




4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over.



5. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.



As you can see from my top picture - mine turned out more like the shape of Ugly Dolls - but they really were delicious. Would I do it again? Probably not - but I sure loved spending time with one of my favorite "Kneaders"!