the "thankster" sandwich

My new favorite sandwich is a perfect mashup of Thanksgiving and Easter.

 Costco Croissants (yum) plus sliced turkey, canned jelled cranberry stuff, avocadoes and alfalfa sprouts - with a little bit of mayo in there.

 This was part of our feast on the Saturday before Easter, when we had my side of the family over. Bobby and I ate a similar sandwich recently at a sports bar - yes, a sports bar with EXCEPTIONAL food - only the croissant I had that time had some bree in it, too. We nixed the bree for this one. I don't think it needs it!

You know how it is, trying to figure out your menu for when lots of people are coming, but it's lunch time, and maybe the BBQ isn't the best idea because the kids will be playing right near it (and you want to hide some easter eggs IN it) - so we came up with this idea thinking all the kids would eat it, too. They did, once I called it "donut bread" and took out the cranberry and avocado and spouts, and added some cheddar. Then it was just a turkey and cheese sandwich, but on a croissant, it was still a masterpiece.

friends are like pancakes

No, no they're not. I just didn't know what to put as a title.
Made these last week: Oatmeal pancakes! Yum.

My friend Jodie introduced me to this site Mel's Kitchen Cafe, and I love it.
I made the pancake mix, which was perfect timing since I just ran out of Bisquick. Earlier in the week I used the rest of the box of Bisquick to make lotsa pancakes - we ate some that morning before school, then I froze the rest - freezing pancakes is SO smart! What an EASY and quick breakfast - we would pull out three pancakes, plop it on a paper plate and microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes, and top it with either maple syrup or jelly (reduced sugar Smuckers, that's one of my faves - Or Fresh and Easy brand apricot preserves).
So when Andrea called one morning and mentioned waffles, I thought of pancakes and during our 45 minutes conversation, I got going on the oatmeal pancakes Jodie had suggested.
Yum. Now I have a ziploc bag full of the mix, and I used two cups of the mix, mixed with 2 cups buttermilk (I think this is the first time I've ever bought buttermilk!) and two eggs, (and I added a little vanilla extract) and Jack and I LOVED them! We ate some of the pancakes, I probably got about 24 palm-sized pancakes out of the 2 cups of mix, and we froze the rest and ate them on busy morning for the next week!
So, thanks friends, for being the inspiration for me to prep some breakfasts around here!

ode to the eggs

It's not a REAL ode.
Everyone knows, I'm Cadbury's biggest fan. I'm Mini-Eggs' biggest fan.

I could eat these year round, as every candy treat I'd ever need or want, but they're not available year-round, which makes me so sad. It also makes me stock up and freeze them. I always imagine them lasting months after Easter, but they never do. Usually, within about two weeks of Easter being over, these bags are gone. I'm not proud to admit it, but I've bought 7 of these 10 oz. bags in the past month. They're about $2.89 each. $2.89 x 7 = $20.23. And yes, I pulled a calculator out for that one. $20.23? I think that's well worth it.

At a recent poker night, Sidney decided to set out a bowl of MY treats (I'm not a good egg sharer) and I loved the sign she put with them. She's always thinking of ways to decorate and entertain. Usually I have to shoot her ideas down, because they involve  really elaborate setups, or they involve her hands in the food. But this idea, I loved.

In my freezer

So a new friend Shari, who has a great blog (http://www.running-upward.blogspot.com/), came to my mom's group sometime last year and gave us ALL sorts of neat ideas on meal planning, meal prep, and things to make yourself and save money on. EVERYTHING she said, I clung to and think of often. I bothered my friends and family for weeks telling them all about what she taught me (and 65 other people) when she spoke to us. THEN Shari taught a bunch of ladies how to make bread. Again, I bothered my poor family and friends about all the details of this, and how I was going to totally do this with all my free time. Blah blah blah.

What is the little trick I use MOST that I've learned from Shari?

I make my own uncrustable sandwiches now instead of buying them.

First of all, I think uncrustables are a GREAT invention. My kids don't mind the crust on white breads, but when I get them to eat yummy fiber-filled wheaty bread, they don't eat the crust so much. They may eat california rolls, seaweed paper, crab legs, green olives stuffed with all sorts of stuff and top it off with a swig of pickle juice, but they won't touch wheat bread crust. Ugggh.

So I get out the wheat bread, the double fiber bread, and all the other breads I buy from Costco that they won't eat unless I FORCE them, and I turn them into cute little uncrustables, pop them into a Ziploc baggie and freeze them in the freezer doors (that way Jack can find them easily and have a snack that's premade, but premade by ME, and I know what's in there!!!).

Here's the look of the latest batch.

 And here's my current jelly/jam of choice - Smucker's. Funny, since they are who make the uncrustables anyway. Usually I use the jam made by my wonderful mom - it's from fruit from her orchards (usually apricot) and it's all organic and great (or so I tell myself - really, only she knows what she does with her fruit!). Still sugary, but that's okay with me. As long as I'm coupling this with great fibery bread, we're all good. And I tell myself I'm saving money, which I probably am, and then I can go to Target more often.

(by the way, this Apricot Pineapple Smuckers is GREAT mixed into your oatmeal).

Go check out Shari's blog - you will love it, and you will be inspired to cook great things...and you'll laugh. She's funny.

Mix 'n Match

Earlier this week, I was busy cleaning everywhere and laughed when I noticed I had started drinking a V-8 in one room, was still sipping my coffee in another room, and had a big glass (ok, a jar) of ice water in another. I was drinking all those drinks at the same time, and when I realized it I almost became sick. But I didn't. I'm a mixer. Guess who else is? Sid came home from school the other day with a lovely ice cream from Grandpa Mike, and when she walked in she noticed the "ants on a log" - both at the same time, no problem. Know what food is NOT pictured but was also being eaten at the same time? A dill pickle.

So take THAT, you weaklings who can't have your food touching each other on your plate!

It's really a wonder we don't have more stomach aches around here.

Chef Sid's Homemade Miniature Sushis

Sidney and her recipes - she's been writing a lot of these lately, and I love them. This is one she actually MADE, too! You can buy these little snackpacks of seaweed paper at Fresh & Easy and my kids LOVE them. She decided if I made a little rice and she cut up a few veggies, she could make us some rolls. She did, and minus the DUMPING of soy sauce all over them, they were DELICIOUS! Here's her recipe page...some of my favorite parts: her misspellings (one day she won't - hopefully - misspell things and I'll be secretly sad), and her picture of the before and after of the seaweed paper...I love how the soggy seaweed paper is placed over a little finger. Details details, it's her life.



What I'm making

The house smells DELICIOUS, because right now, yes, in the middle of the day, I am baking a double batch of Turkey Meatloaf with Feta and Sun Dried Tomatoes. I have made it before, but never with turkey. I've used this recipe with beef and made a more tradional meat loaf. But tonight, it's turkey. I am getting excited, because the way the house smells right now, this is how Giada lives every day of her life? With this scent and others like it floating through the air she inhabits? Awesome. If you want to check it out, here's the link.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/turkey-meatloaf-with-feta-and-sun-dried-tomatoes-recipe/index.html
I got the recipe from Andrea - she makes it all the time, and when I made it with beef she continued to urge me "make it with TURKEY" and inside she was probably adding "YOU IDIOT" at the end of that demand! Finally, I am. I'll have to upload a pic once it's done.
Why cook it now, you ask? When it's not even 2 p.m.? Because the crazy calendar that I live under prescribes that today I will have to run in and out of the house so many times between two sports, three kids, and one school, that I'd rather make it now and reheat it later tonight! What is it about meatloaf that makes it that much better as a leftover? That's an amazing trait.

Oma's cookies

There is nothing like getting real mail. Especially when your real mail is the size of a shoebox, comes from Germany, and is full of homemade cookies and german chocolate. I'm blessed to have an Oma (Grandma) in Germany who loves me and knows how much I love chocolate, so this is the package I recently got in the mail from her.

Do I care that her handmade cookies sat in this box for one month during shipping? Nope. I tore into them just the same. Bobby brought the box in from the mail and straight up to me in bed, and I ate a ziploc bag sized portion of german sugar cookies, some linzer cookies, and other assorted Oma favorites in bed. It was heavenly.

If only everyone had an Oma from Germany who sent them cookies and chocolate, I swear the world would be a nicer place.

She even sent some specialty ritters, this one is in the flavor of vanillekipferl cookies...the kind my mom is a master at making, because my Oma is a master. I like Oma's vanillekipferl cookies the best, but I think it's sweet that she thought to buy me this particular variety.
Good to be loved.

making lemonade

So when life (the store) gives you (let's you purchase) lemons, go ahead and make lemonade.
BUT I HAVE BEEN MAKING IT ALL WRONG!?!
Because I am addicted to looking up how to make everything, even if I already know how to make it, I found out two days ago that I make lemonade wrong!
Do YOU combine the water and sugar and heat it up into a simple syrup before adding it to the lemon juice?
I never did. Am I the only stupid person who doesn't know to dissolve the sugar into the heated water? Sheesh. Sometimes I'm surprised I don't accidentally burn my house down.
Anyway, that's probably why my lemonade always stinks, and I end up buying Country Time instead.
No more.
Ladies, make your lemonade the right way. I tested it, using the organic lemons from Trader Joe's. I don't usually buy organic lemons, I did it by accident. I'm pretty sure that if your lemons aren't organic, the simple syrup you make will reduce impurities by killing it with it's sugary kindness.
Thinking back to the day Sid held her lemonade stand to raise money for snow leopards (yes, she really did, and raised $13 thankyouverymuch) I really think we could have doubled it with THIS lemonade...it's that good.
Back to Sid and her raising money for charity - she is currently selling things at her desk at school for charity. What charities you ask? First, cancer. Second, snow leopards. Third, the fund to help her grandparents feed their horses (because she heard they want to sell them and thinks a little money for hay will change their mind!).
Oh lemons.