Just to Prove I'm a Stand-up Guy

Here's another post, on consecutive days, to prove that I love people even though I don't regularly post items on my blog. Hey, I'm the girl that doesn't even regularly brush her hair. Tasks that must be done every day or almost every day are HARD. Plus my hair is naturally lovely, so...

A little info on this picture: This is another one of Eric's Bionicle dudes. He apparently did a whole photographic essay one day starring these guys. Please notice the burly armor at his wrists. Also that blue-flamey pillow case is one I made with the leftover fabric from the puffy-quilt I made for him to get him to give up the puffy blanket that goes with the toddler bed.

This One Goes Out to The Ones I Love

Here is a random picture I just grabbed from a folder full of pictures with number-jumbled names. I couldn't see the thumbnails, so thank goodness it's a super-cool picture.

Eric loves to make up his own Bionicle dudes, then pose them and photograph them. In the background of his desk you can see the crystals he's growing. They're from a kit he got for his birthday.

Hope this makes it to anyone clambering for an update in the South Pacific, wink wink!

January 29th

Planned Breakfast: Banana Muffins. I'll have to try these later because I have plenty of ripe mashed bananas in the freezer. It didn't work out for this morning because I used the sour cream for a Green Cake to take to the DiGiorno party instead of saving it for the banana muffins. I'm pretty sure we just had cereal. Plus Scott was sick and had a bad old night, so I was in No Mood to bake anything.

Planned Dinner: Tuna and Pasta Cheddar melt. I can really get behind this dinner, so it'll be on the menu again later. But this isn't what we had on Friday the 29th. No indeed, we made a big Pizza Pocket dinner, because Eric requested it. It was a ton of work, but we made them extra delicious by squirting them with Pam when they were fresh out of the oven and then sprinkling them with Italian Seasoning and Parmesan.

January 28th

Breakfast: fruit and toast. I cracked open a #10 can of Tropical Fruit Salad from Sam's Club. I also put a loaf of bread and the Country Crock on the table. This was the extent of my breakfast-making.

Dinner: Polynesian meatballs. These are from Sherene Winkel out of the Apex/Holly Springs cookbook.

1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
3/4 c. quick oats
5 oz. can water chestnuts, chopped
1/2 t. onion salt
1/2 t. garlic salt
1 t. soy sauce
1 egg
1/2 c. milk

Mix together and form into balls (I use the small cookie scoop). Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes while you prepare the sauce.

8 1/2 oz. can crushed pineapple
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 c. beef broth (bouillon)
1/2 c. vinegar
2 T. soy sauce
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1/2 c. chopped cooked carrots

Place undrained pineapple, brown sugar, bouillon, vinegar, and soy sauce in a pot and brint to a boil. Dissolve cornstarch in a little water and add to the pot. Add peppers and cooked carrots (I mash them with a fork). Simmer 10 minutes. Add to meatballs and serve over rice.

January 27th

Breakfast: Chili Egg Casserole. I had this at the Visiting Teaching Brunch thinger and it was so good I kept eating it when the event was over and the ladies were leaving. I made a full batch for General Conference weekend, but the children balked at it and I was left eating it for a long time afterward. This time I only made a half-batch, and I blended up the chilis so they were unrecognizable. Scott and Seth both appreciate it as much as I do.

10 eggs
1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
16 oz. cottage cheese
16 oz. shredded Jack cheese
1/2 c. melted butter (cooled)
8 oz. diced green chilies

Beat eggs until smooth and lemon-colored. Add flour, baking powder, salt, cottage cheese, jack cheese, and butter. Blend until smooth, stir in chilies. Bake in a greased 9X13 pan at 350 for one hour. I would probably use less butter next time... so the half batch is only 5 eggs, 1/4 cup flour, and etc., and cooked in a greased 8X8 pan.

Dinner: Kraft Parmesan Chicken and roasted vegetables. Well, I cheated and did chicken nuggets instead of the Parmesan chicken. The children ate those, and then Seth and I had leftover Restaurant chicken with the roasted vegetables. I roasted carrots, cauliflower, and potatoes. They come out so crisp-a-licious and salt-and-peppery.

Heat oven to 450. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Toss 1 lb. vegetables with 2 tsp. olive oil and 1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper in pan. Roast for 20 minutes the following: potatoes, fennel slices, carrots, halved brussels sprouts. Roast for 15 minutes the following: cubed, peeled butternut squash, red pepper strips, cauliflower florets. Roast for 10 minutes: asparagus, red onion wedges, zucchini slices. Except that I just put the cauliflower in at the same time as the potatoes and carrots. And I use olive oil. And these are so delicious. The only thing that keeps me from eating a whole trays-worth is the threat of Southerly Winds, if you catch my meaning.

January 26th

Breakfast: Overnight Oatmeal. This said to cook it overnight, but I started it in the crockpot before my show-watching time with Seth, so it had a long time to crock. As a result, it was a wee bit over done. Seth trooped onward and ate a bowls-worth, with milk to re-cream it. The children ate a couple bites total, except for Scott, who ate Jules' leftovers and most of Russell's leftovers. Here's the link

http://www.betterbudgeting.com/articles/frugal/breakfast.htm

It's the same place I got the Oatmeal Packets recipe. It'll be better in the future when I add more liquid and crock it for less time.

Dinner: Restaurant Chicken. This is from the George Foreman Grill Cookbook. It's actually called Pineapple-Honey Chicken Breasts, but it tastes like it could be from a restaurant, especially if you marinate the chicken in the sauce for a few hours. Here's the recipe:

1/4 c. soy sauce
1 t. ginger
1 t. oil
1 clove garlic
2 T. honey
4 chicken breasts
4 pineapple slices

Mix ingredients to form sauce. Marinate chicken if desired. Grill for 3 minutes, spooning sauce over chicken periodically. Top each with a pineapple slice and grill for 3-5 minutes more or until done. Serve with the extra sauce. I usually serve this with rice and then put the extra sauce/chicken juice over the rice.

January 25th

Breakfast: pancakes, as usual.

Planned dinner: Chip's Mom's Meatloaf, from the Apex/Holly Springs cookbook. The name makes it sound like it's so good. BUT, I didn't have all the ingredients or the gumption to do it up. I remember making something else, but what? WHAT? Quesadillas? or something?