My kid is so sweet.  Two little girls in his pre-K class have swine flu.  Gryffin felt really bad that they were sick so last night while we had the dining room covered in crafty goodness he decided (all on his own) to make a get well picture for one.  We asked him to make one for the second girl too since they are twins, which he did.  He was quite disappointed to learn that we couldn't go to their house to deliver them but cheered up when he learned that we could mail them.  When you're 4 there is nothing cooler than getting a piece of mail addressed to you.

Mike was off most of last week and it was awesome.  He and I squeezed in a couple of lunch dates while Gryffin was in school.  It's really rare that he and I get to go out just the two of us so even if its just a quick lunch and errand running it is always a treat.  I am so lucky to have a husband who is also a best friend.
So much went on while he was off, some everyday boring, some really fun and special.  I would love to go into details but its time to get Gryffin up and ready for school. 

Give us this day...

I jumped in head first and landed in flour.  I was at Satan's (aka Sam's Club) and saw they had 25 lb bag of bread flour for $7.  A loaf of bread at the grocery costs, when on sale, $2.50.  Stand back, I'm about to do math.  That's 2.5 divided, no multiplied, carry the zero, that's not right.  My brain hurts, let's just say that if I waste (shame) most of the flour I will still have saved a frillion pennies.  And with Gryffin eating PB&J's like crazy and toast with breakfasts, we go through a lot of bread.  Plus with Fall Soup season on the brink, what's better than some fresh bread with soup?
For years I've struggled with bread machines.  When they first came out I wanted one so bad.  Mike and his Mom bought me one for my birthday one year.  I used the hell out it until it gave up the ghost.  Got another one used and ran it into the ground too.  For over a year it's been sitting my cabinet taking up valuable real estate, but not for long.
I used to think mixing, kneading, proofing, waiting made for a whole day to make one loaf of bread.  And sometimes it does, depending on the recipe.  However, I've found a recipe that in less than 1 hour, most of it resting time, I can have a loaf of bread in the oven.
This recipe is from breadworld.com and is so quick, easy and delicious it's unbelievable that it requires so little work.

Rich White Bread (Food Processor recipe) Makes 1 loaf. 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sugar 1 envelope FLEISCHMANN'S RapidRise Yeast 1-1/4 teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, cut into pieces 1 egg 3/4 cup warm water (120° to 130°F) Directions Insert metal blade in food processor bowl. Add flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt; process 5 to 10 seconds to combine. Add butter and egg. Begin processing, then slowly pour warm water through feed tube just until dough forms a ball, about 10 to 15 seconds (all water may not be needed). Continue processing for 60 seconds to knead dough. Carefully remove dough from processor bowl to lightly floured surface. Cover; let rest on floured surface 10 minutes. Roll dough to 12 x 7-inch rectangle. Beginning at short end, roll up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch seam and ends to seal. Place, seam side down, in greased 8-1/2 x 4-1/2-inch loaf pan. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; let cool on wire rack. Nutritional Information: Per serving: Serving size: 1 slice (1/12 of recipe) calories 159; total fat 4g; saturated fat 2g; cholesterol 25mg; sodium 280mg; total carbohydrate 27g; dietary fiber 1g; protein 4g.

Just as an example, today I had the ingredients out, mixed and covered for the first rise in 5 minutes.  That gave me a 10 minute break to put on some eggs to hard boil, clean up the mess, empty and refill the dishwasher.  Then it was roll, put in the pan and cover for another 30.  During that time I put on my makeup, did my hair, brushed my teeth and ruined them with a cup of coffee.  Then the bake time was spent playing with Gryffin. 
Fresh, home made bread with only about a 15 minute investment of time. It took me longer than that to wrestle the behemoth bread machine to the counter, plug it in and program it!  Not to mention all the time saved by not having to curse at it, clean it and figure out why the crust was nasty.
My bread machine will be put in the "Donate" corner of the basement, along with the waffle iron, the old clothes and the numerous other things I felt I just HAD to have.

Manwich, schmanwich. I want real food!

Yesterday was a day that screamed for something warm, hearty and comforting for lunch.  I had cooked, crumbled ground beef, hamburger buns and peppers.  Hm, Sloppy Joe's!
A while back after reading the ingredients on a Manwich can I was surprised.

INGREDIENTS:
Tomato puree (water, tomato paste), high fructose corn syrup, distilled vinegar, corn syrup, less than 2% of: salt, sugar, dehydrated onions, dehydrated red and green bell peppers, chile pepper, tomato fiber, spices, guar gum, xanthan gum, dehydrated garlic, carob bean gum, natural flavors.

 Yes, the 2nd, 4th and 6th ingredients are sugar!  And exactly what are guar gum, xanthan gum and carob bean gum?  I want a sandwich not candy!  

The first couple of recipes I tried were OK, but around here OK isn't good enough to get a second try.  The one I tried last night was THE ONE!  http://www.recipezaar.com/Manwich-Copycat-198485 

I did make some changes, so here is my version:

1 lb ground beef, cooked, drained and crumbled

1 cup ketchup

1 T mustard (I used Jack Daniel's mustard because I don't like the neon yellow stuff)

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 T chili powder

1 T paprika

1 small chopped onion

1 chopped green pepper

1 T chopped garic

Saute the onion, pepper and garlic until softened but not mushy.  Mix everything else in and heat through.  

Yesterday I made six pounds of this stuff, that is how good it was.  No, we didn't eat it all.  We had a little less than a pound for lunch, another pound in the fridge and the rest was put into freezer bags and well, frozen.  In the time it took me to make lunch, I made another 5 meals!

I can get there without a Compass

Earlier this week we received a letter from a local car dealership telling us that they were interested in our Jeep and we could trade it in for another car for little to no money.  OK, gimmick alert.  But our Jeep is a 2001 in excellent condition so lets just see if they could give us a deal we couldn't refuse.
We test drove a lot of cars and found one that we liked.  A Jeep Compass loaded with more features than I ever knew existed.  They offered us much more on our Jeep that we expected and brought the price of the
Compass down too.  Along with free oil changes for a year, it was a really good deal. 
But not enough for us.  We like our Jeep.  We like not having car payments.  The experience at the dealership Saturday reminded us that we like what we have, our life and lifestyle, our knowledge that we are defined not by what we have or don't have but who we are inside. 

8 Days A Week

In just 8 days Gryffin starts school. This morning we started transitioning into the school morning routine: Get up, dressed and make bed at 7:30, breakfast and both of us ready to leave at 8:15. School starts at 8:30 and is (maybe) 5 minutes away WITH traffic.
Today Gryffin will be my little chef. Mike's department is having a Bake Sale Fundraiser Wednesday so I need to whip up some brownies and mini bread loaves. Don't know what kind of bread yet but maybe I will bring you in on the adventure.
Tomorrow is Open House at school. I think Mike and I are more excited about it than Gryffin, but that's OK. I'm sure when he sees the classroom, kids and gym he will perk up.
This week I also need to finish up the freezer cooking for the neighbors. Their baby is due any day.
That about wraps up this week, except for grocery shopping, another Sam's run and whatever pops up in between. I think that's plenty to keep me out of (too much) trouble. But right now I think I will drink the rest of my coffee and keep letting Scraps pretend he's a lap dog.

Mmm, (almost) year old bread.

Yes folks, the date on the jar is correct. This bread was made in October of last year.
I've never know anyone I've given my 'canned' bread to to wait more than a few days before cracking it open so I just had to make sure for myself that it would last this long.
I hid the jar way in the back of my pantry so I would forget, which worked pretty well until this morning when I was craving something sweet but filling for breakfast. I had my doubts, I mean 10 month old bread, yuk. I unscrewed the ring and was happy to have to pry the lid off. That meant that it was sealed up tight this whole time. I just couldn't believe it, it was as moist as the day I made them and tasted just as fresh!
Any kind of quick bread can be baked right in the jar like this, just make sure to spray the inside with nonstick spray and when they come out immediately place the lid and ring on. When the middle of the lids are completely depressed they are sealed air tight, this is accomplished by the hot air in the jar vacuum sealing the lid on. You should hear a little pop when it seals. When the jars are completely cooled label them. Don't forget to label! No one wants to eat mystery bread that's who knows how old.
I don't know the true shelf life of these but I would have to assume they aren't the infinite lifespan of a Twinkie. Especially since they taste a whole hell of a lot better.

It's not a doughnut, but it will do

Last week Gryffin was begging for doughnuts for breakfast. I tried explaining to him that without dough you can't buy doughnuts. He didn't get it. My humor isn't even bad enough for a four year old to understand.
I looked in the fridge and spotted a can of crescent rolls and a jar of blueberry/blackberry jam. Hmm, I could do something with that. The addition of some brown sugar and chopped walnuts made it perfect.

Nemesis Thwarted

I have many Superhero powers, picking up toys, shoes and dirty laundry, cooking a fabulous meal from scratch, grocery shopping for 2-3 weeks in under 30 minutes and taking 2 hour bubble baths. My nemesis is laundry. The evil, ever growing monster of stink has been tormenting me for years. I HATE doing laundry. I'm down right terrible at it. If I remember to put it in the dryer it will sit there until the wrinkles are permanent because my memory is as long as a yawn.

Mike and I have had a long standing agreement that if he cooks, he cleans the kitchen and if I cook he still cleans the kitchen. Come on, he doesn't cook that often. Well, last night I traded him kitchen duty for laundry detail. I know, I'm getting the pretty end of the chore stick, but he can do laundry like nobody's business. It is HIS superpower, one of them anyway.

Today's Harvest

A sunny little windowsill will turn these red in no time!

Not bad for a day's work!

Yesterday's weather was so good that we forgot about the laundry monster taking over our basement and headed to the zoo. It was a lot of fun. Afterward we stopped by our favorite Mexican restaurant, Arcelia's. Oh holy chips and salsa, it was good!

PS: I've made some changes to the sun dress, no more trim under the bodice, the skirt finally goes all the way around, darts around the waist for a slimmer fit and a small bow at the back of the neck. Remaining: sew skirt on, add zipper and hem.

So-so sewing

This is sundress that I'm currently cursing (I mean, making). It's no where near finished. The skirt and waist trim aren't sewn on. The neck strap is hard to see but it's a halter style. Mostly because the patterns measurement of 40" is much different that my measurement of 40". There is a 6" gap in the back of the skirt. Good thing I have plenty of fabric left!

This is my rainy day skirt, hence the umbrellas. I didn't make the shirt, just an old black T-shirt I had laying around.

This is my Hawaiian blues skirt. Palm trees and dolphins, aaaah. So not me, but much cooler than denim shorts on a 100 degree day. Again, the T-shirt is an oldie but a goody from the closet floor.

Aaahhh, I'm melting!

Another triple digit day. Have I mentioned that the Jeep is out of freon? No AC means sweat for me. Luckily, other than dropping off a prescription and taking Gryffin to Day Out, I have no other driving to do.

Butcher, Baker, Ice Cream Maker

That is me today. Gryffin is 'helping' me make chocolate ice cream and peanut butter cookie sandwiches. Later I have to take all the meat I bought at Satan's (aka Sam's Wholesale) and vacuum seal it into smaller portions to freeze.

Garden Update:
TONS of Mexican Midgets (grape tomatoes) turning red, two huge Hungarian Hearts (Roma's) growing and more sprouting, bunches of cucumbers getting bigger and the last of our lettuce needs to be harvested. Plus, I have to take out the giganto broccoli that has taken out our green beans and remove the strawberry plants that are no longer producing.

Super weekend!

Metropolis, Il.

Just waiting around to save the day.

Gryffin meets 'the real' Superman.

Even the Caped Crusader showed up.

We had an awesome time at the Superman Fest. Gryffin got to meet a lot of Superhero's and ate a corndog the size of his leg. Before we left we filled up on Dippin' Dots and everyone but Gryffin regretted it.

Store bought potato salad, sort of

Last night I was going to fix some sweet potato fries to go with our pork burgers but didn't feel like: A. heating up the house or B. waiting for them to cook. Mike mentioned getting some potato salad from the market so off I went on my merry little adventure down the alley.
Hmmm, lets see, the Market's potato salad for $3 for a quarter pound of $1.30 for 1 lb of their baby baked potatoes from yesterday. I opted for the leftover potatoes and the idea of making my own potato salad, which silly as it may seem I have never done before.
But I will certainly be doing it again:

1 lb cold baked potatoes, cut into bite size pieces
3 T Miracle Whip
1 T yellow mustard
1/2 red pepper, chopped small
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped small
2 large green onions, sliced thin
good shake of salt
even better shake of pepper
1 tsp of celery seed

Mix until combine and fight over!

More rain...

I don't know if this rain is good or bad. It's nice to get a break from the heat but yesterday it was so cold my nails turned blue and the tips of my fingers numb. Not to mention the fact that my tomato plants are now 5 foot tall. I have to get out to the back 4.0 and do a little farming. Cut back the 'maters so more nutrients will actually go to producing 'maters, weave the cucumber plants into the chain link fence so they don't overtake the yard, harvest lettuce and broccoli and remove the broccoli plants that actually went to seed. Then I get to deliver said lettuce harvest around the neighborhood because well, there's TOO much!
After Mike brought home the Fair Shares food yesterday the inside of our fridge turned green, leafy and packed. We received garlic shoots, which I'm really excited to use. When garlic grows it sends up pretty green shoots that look a lot like green onions. The farmer cuts these back to encourage larger garlic cloves. The shoots have a mild garlic flavor and are used like green onions.
What I'm not excited about is the mustard greens. I'm sorry but any green that you have to cook until its limp and lost all nutritional value I can't do. Unless any of you have a great recipe for it that you would like to share?

Up, up and a weep

Yesterday we took Gryffin to see the new Pixar flick, Up. It was Gryffin's first movie at a theater so we opted for the 3D version. We purchased our tickets and took Gryffin inside. His first words were, "Whoa, cool!" He and I went to look at the 'money wasters', aka video games, while Mike got the popcorn and drinks. Then it was time to pick out our seats. It was a good thing we got there early, by the time it was lights out the joint was packed. Gryffin, along with Mike and I, sat mezmerized by the movie. Not only is the new 3D technology amazing, the movie itself was awesome. Don't tell anyone, but Mike and I actually shed a tear or two. It was a wonderful, magical first expirience for not only Gryffin, but our family. We will definitely be seeing more movies together, but at $50 for the three of us I may have to get a job in order to pay for them. It was worth every penny though.

Rain, rain, go away!

It seems we may have to start building an ark. What Mother Nature doesn't understand is that my garden needs sunlight as well as rain. The tomato plants are going crazy, the lettuce has been enjoyed many times and is into the second & third harvest on some plants, the squirrels have enjoyed my strawberries (damn squirrels). I've got flowers on my cucumbers, a broccoli ready for harvest and buds on the beans. Being that this is my first attempt at gardening, I'm more than happy. I really only expected a salad, two at most.
Our new dog, Scraps, is coming along. He will now sit on command. I just wish he would calm down on command too. Being that he is only six months old, I'll take whatever I can get. I am signing him up for training classes to help him along though.
Gryffin really enjoyed his birthday party, complete with a Ben 10 omnitrix watch cake, which he got to cut with a samurai sword. His dojo was a wonderful place to have the party. They gave the kids karate lessons and did all the clean up. Can't beat that for free.
He received a scooter, a skateboard and a bicycle. Guess what I got him? A helmet with knee and elbow pads.
I'm hoping to get to the grocery store today, if the rain lets up. Better get to making that list!

I got the fever & the cure is more cowbells!

Gryffin has made a full recovery. Just one of those mysterious kid fevers I guess. Thank goodness, because we were afraid we might have had to cancel his birthday party tomorrow. That would suck.
Today I have to bake his cake and decorate it. He's requested a Ben 10 cake with all the aliens on it, our dog Scraps on it and sprinkles. I'm pretty sure I can do all but the dog. I also have presents to wrap, goody bags to cram full or stuff, pack up the plates, utensils, napkins and cups. Oh yeah, and I have to plant the peppers and tomatoes. That should be enough to keep me out of trouble, hopefully.