Pie of the Turkey Variety.

I feel kinda like a slacker. I've been cooking and baking tons so it's not like I don't have some really good recipes to share BUT I've just stopped taking pictures. I did remember to take a picture of last nights dinner BUT it was after we'd eaten it and the pictures didn't turn out that great. Yesterday on Pioneer Woman she posted her recipe of turkey pot pie. I was excited because it's ALMOST the same as mine. I just don't fancy it up. I like my turkey pie simple. I was kind of nervous making it because Dusty has proclaimed to strongly dislike meat pies. I've never made him any meat pie because of this BUT I had a ton of left-overs in the fridge so I knew if he hated it he could always heat something else up. BUT he didn't have to. He didn't say much while eating it but asked for seconds and then thirds.

He officially revoked his previous dislike for turkey pie and has said it is one of the best things I've ever made.

Try it.

It's is really good.

Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients:

4 cups of turkey
1/2 cup of butter

1 cup of carrots and celery

1/2 cup of roasted potatoes cubed small (you can use mashed too)

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 1/2 cups of flour

4 cups of chicken broth (I use oxo because it's cheap and I have it in my food storage)

2 cups of cream or whole milk (I've used everything but skim and it turns out fine BUT it tastes so much better with cream)

salt

pepper

Directions:

heat butter in pan over medium heat.

throw vegetables in

cook for a couple minutes until the celery is clear

Add turkey
(if you're using mashed potatoes add them when you add the garlic)

put in the garlic and cook for a minute or two

dump your flour in and mix it.

slowly pour in your chicken broth, stirring continually.

let thicken for a minute.

slowly add your cream, stirring continually.

add salt and pepper to your taste.

turn heat to low and simmer.

taste and adjust spices.

turn off heat and scoop into pie shells.

bake at 400 for 15 minutes

turn oven down to 350 and bake for 45 minutes.

You will probably have to cover the top of the pie to prevent burning.

Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

For my meat pies I use the Crisco vegetable shortening recipe for pie crusts.

I always get a beautiful flaky and tender crust for these pies.

blue or green?

I turned on the football game to check the score. Immediately Ellie started chanting, "Green". As soon as Lucy figured out what was going on (like in 2 seconds) she began yelling, "blue" which then changed to, "Allouettes". Yikes.

Who knew football could muster such passion in a 4 and 2 year old!

They even asked to stop watching Ice Age to cheer on "their" teams.

In the Quiet

My house is really quiet. Ellie has been playing softly in her room the past two days. The dog has either been locked up or outside. I have just sat. Sitting and holding Lucy. Poor Lucy. She has the flu. She's fevered, restless, and sick. She's hot and whimpery. She says she's cold and wants "pookey"- (that would be pooh blanket). For two days I've done nothing but hold her. I can't wait until she feels better but part of me is really enjoying just sitting in the quiet.

Pumpkin Bread

For the life of me I CANNOT remember whose blog I got this recipe off of. It was someones. It is delectable. Seriously. I don't really love pumpkin or cinnamon and I could eat an entire loaf of this. So good.

Pumpkin Bread by Dixie

1. Preheat oven to 350F & grease and flour your pans.

(This recipe makes a lot of batter so you'll get at least 3 9X5 pans or 30+ cupcakes out of it!)

(I put it in a bundt pan and still had enough batter to make two smallish loaves)

2. In a large bowl combine the following until smooth:

3 cups of sugar

1 C vegetable oil

1 can pumpkin puree {15 oz}

2/3 C water

4 eggs

3. Blend in:

3 1/2 C flour

1 T cinnamon

1 t nutmeg

2 t baking soda

1 1/2 t salt

4. Fold in:

1 c chocolate chip

5. Put batter into baking dishes and bread pans and bake for 1 hour or until knife comes out clean. The cupcakes for about 20 minutes or so & the cookies for 12-15 minutes depending on how big you make them.

p.s. picture to follow

Frightful and yet, Delightful

Oh the weather outside is frightful,

But the fire is so delightful,

And since we've no place to go,

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

It is snowing here. It is snowing a lot. Not that it makes much difference, seeing how there was already snow on the ground, in trees, on the cars, and sidewalks to begin with.

It is cold and blustery.

It is the most perfect day to make pumpkin bread.

Normally once thanksgiving has passed, so has my desire to eat pumpkin. It gets packed away in my food storage until next year. This year I've decided to do 2 thanksgivings

(well maybe not the whole thing but at least some of it).

I thought, "Why shouldn't I have thanksgiving, while all our American counterparts are being all festive and merry?".

I think to myself, "There is NOTHING good on the telly (but football, of course). There is absolutely no reason why I can't have turkey and stuffing and potatoes and pumpkin AGAIN."

So in my house I am having one more week of Thanksgiving and eating delectable pumpkin bread.

Because there really isn't much else to do.

It is snowing. IT is snowing a lot.

AND

it's cold and blustery.

AND

THAT

is the most perfect reason of all.

All tuckered Out

It has been a CRAZY week. It almost feels like there hasn't been a week at all. It's a blur. Dusty and I (and the kids... I don't think they are quite to the leave at home by themselves stage... is it wrong to secretly be counting down to that?) went to "town". We stayed at my parents. My dad is exhausting. There was oodles of running around to do and they are in the process of finishing some old reno's and starting on some new one's plus fixing broken quads and hunting season is in full steam soooo like I said, exhausting. and yet even in all the bustle it felt good to visit and to be of some use.

I am very happy to announce that our dog got spayed over our days down there. Bob Barker I'm sure would be proud that his little blips on 'The Price is Right' wasn't just in vain. After our last dog got spayed she died. Try explaining that getting run over by a car has nothing to do with the dog going to the vet. Lucy was VERY upset that my mom was taking Belle to the vet. I don't know who was more relieved to see one another, the dog or Lucy.

In all the chaos I did manage to finish ALL the Christmas shopping for the girls. The feeling is awesome. I also bought garland for the fireplace. I don't know why, but now that I have garland on my fireplace, I somehow feel like I've made it in the world. I feel like I'm living a small piece of the life of the Cleavers. So satisfying. Dusty thinks I'm crazy. I am a little. Who isn't?

I should go to bed. My eyes are heavy and my family is all snoring away.

I hope your week was as good as mine.
I love to see the extended family BUT I really love coming home. (I feel at this point it necessary for everyone to sigh and say, "ahhh home".)

Humph!

I am folding laundry AND looking for any ol' excuse to get out of it. It has been sitting in a basket for just a couple of days. It's been taunting me BUT I've been able to walk past it and say, "Nope not today. I am TOO busy." Well, Dusty is working, my friends all have their hubbies home or are working or are playing, and all my regular weekly chores are done. I thought that maybe I could be too busy working on Christmas presents today but I ran out of thread, yarn, buttons, and all other fabulous things that would of kept me busy.

Laundry makes me feel charitable. It makes me feel like giving away all these clothes to someone who needs them. Our little family has been very fortunate. We haven't had to struggle as much as most during the economic downturn. We have very supportive extended families that are very generous. I am looking at just Lucy's clothes right now. I've folded them and they are sitting here ready to be put away and I honestly don't know if I can fit them all in her dresser. She has AT LEAST

20 pairs of pajamas

12 pairs of good jeans and leggings

14 pairs of play pants

18 play shirts

23 good shirts

I'm sure, in fact, I KNOW that there are people out there that have that, if not MORE. BUT I don't like doing laundry. With that many clothes I don't have to do laundry for at least 26 days. BUT at the end of those 26 days I am left with a full days worth of laundry. That is what I am doing today.

Poser

Ellie during nap time with her

"reading spectacles"

Buckteeth with a cut lip.

The cut lip was courtesy of her mama's hip check into the

garbage can.

Chicken with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Supper last night was really good.

I didn't really feel like anything so I just started tossing stuff into the pan. I saw a similar sauce on Pioneer Woman but I didn't look at her recipe so I don't know how close it is.

Ingredients

bacon grease

5-6 chicken breasts

a carb. ( I used perogies (about 20) BUT it would be so good with rice)

onion

garlic

1 can of diced tomato's

hot sauce

dried chili peppers

salt

pepper

cream

cheese

Directions

Heat bacon grease

cook chicken in grease

set chicken aside

cook perogies in bacon grease

add 1/2 of chopped onion

set perogies in casserole dish

cook remaining onion in bacon grease

add minced garlic

add tomatoes once onions are cooked

season with salt, pepper, 1 - 2 Tablespoons of hot sauce, 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of chili peppers.

simmer.

add 1/2 of cream and green beans.

simmer.

put chicken on top of perogies in casserole dish.

Pour sauce over top.

cover in cheese.

bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes

broil for 5- 10 until cheese is crispy.

6 to 9 months. 69 MONTHS! No, 6 TO 9 months

I love Madagascar. We watch it a lot. We play it a lot. I like to be Melman (I get to sit on the couch and be sick... I'm sure one day the kids will figure it out). This post has nothing to do with Madagascar.



Between the hours of 3 to 5 I get bord. It's before I make supper, the kids are either still napping OR they are playing (on a good day together), and I have just had an hour or two to catch up on my stuff. Between the hours of 3 to 5 the house is generally tidy and I am left wondering what to do. A "good" mom would think of a brilliant game to play with the kids AND sometimes I am a "good" mom BUT most times I just watch the clock and wait. I wait for Dusty. I wait for him and I hope. I hope that he comes home early. But that hope is futile. He ALWAYS gets home the same time everyday. It's not between the hours of 3 to 5. But it's 5 minutes to 5 and today I wasn't bord. Today I decided to trick father time. I put the girls down for a late nap and then I baked cookies. I baked lots and LOTS of cookies. It's 5 to 5 and I am just sitting down to do "my" stuff and in 1 hour I get to start supper. 1 hour is hardly enough time to even think of getting bord!

Where My Wild thing is.

I threw together this crown. I used 4 pieces of worsted weight yarn and knitted it on 6mm needles. I didn't knit it in the round so it is stitched together in the back. I LOVE it. I wasn't sure if I was going to post it yet or not just because it's not quite done. I want to go get some jeweled buttons and stitch them in the band part just to make it a wee bit fancier.

It fits so well. It stretches and it can't get broken (yipee for not having to glue gun it back together!!!!!!!!!) I know that both of them will love it. and they will wear them everywhere. Inside. Outside. Church. Home. Playing. Not playing. Everywhere.

Round

Today at church we had auxiliary leaders from our local stake come to talk to us for ward conference. It was THE most chaotic morning EVER.
It snowed like the dickens the night before. Dusty emailed the Young Men's president just to let him know that he might not make it to the leadership session. Good thing cause when we got up in the morning the hi-way report was yellow. ARGH. So after a discussion on whether we should even go we decided to get to the hi-way and see what it was like. So up out of bed we all got. We got dressed in our fab. duds and were out the door. OH wait. THE DOG. Where is the dog?? Gone. She RAN AWAY. Great. Dusty went to look for her. I decided to make more sauce for the salad and the meatballs that I made to take to the pot luck (oh I love pot luck.... seriously but that's another topic). So after more sauce and a found dog (1/2 hour later) we left. The hi-ways weren't too bad (for Dusty's driving). We got to Church and we were only 5 minutes late! Unload the truck. I take the girls and Dusty takes the crock pot full of meatballs (182 of them). I get the girls in and turn around just to see Dusty's feet over his head. Yup. A whole crock pot of meat balls over the head, down the white shirt, and all over the parking lot. Too Dusty's credit he did save the crock pot BUT he may have broken his arm (he won't go in to get it looked at... he says it's fine!). I got out to see if he's okay. I know not to mention the meatball on his shoulder. I say, "You can sit in the truck if you want.... there might be a coat..... do you want to go home...." He is grumbly and not happy.... and if I smelled like he did walking into a church full of hungry people I wouldn't of been happy either. I went to primary (only 15 minutes late) just in time to hear the kids sing a round of 'The Shepherd's Carol'. I'm glad I went to church today. The kids were amazing. I'm not exaggerating. They were amazing. The Sharing time lesson in Primary was also REALLY well done. I didn't want to be anywhere else but where I was.

What started out as a sketchy day turned out really lovely. I had a wonderful time at the pot luck and Dusty and I had a good chuckle about the meatballs on the way home. AND to top it all off I will be enjoying fresh buns for dinner and chocolate cake.

Life really can't get better than that.

Girl, Twirl, hurl?

I am avoiding. I am avoiding EVERYTHING. I have Christmas presents out that need to be finished. I put out some stuff to bake but even that seems like work. All I want to do is sit. Sit in the quiet. NO TV NO kids NO dog NO noise but the wind and the leaves and the whirr of the furnace OH and the washing machine. I need to hear that. I am out of unmentionables. It's an important sound. It is also the sound of success. Success that I actually DID do something on my "to-do" list.

You know what else I did today? (while I was avoiding my to-do list)

I just sat. Sat and watched my girls twirl around with Angelina Ballerina. They were so happy. Twirling and falling and laughing. It made me laugh.

They aren't happy anymore. Their tummies hurt. I am hoping that this stomach aching situation won't turn into a vomit situation. I will be in trouble. Dusty does the puke patrol. He is a great dad. I hope the girls remember that. I hope they remember that he was the one that cleaned up the puke. That job deserves a lot of credit.

Hot chocolate and an Early Morning

We put up our Christmas tree yesterday. The kids were/are beside themselves with excitement... not just the kids. We sang carols, drank hot chocolate, and watched Shrek the Christmas movie. It was such a fun night. I didn't take any pictures. I wish I would of but I was a little preoccupied untying all the beaded garland.
As I sauntered down the hall this morning, wishing for one more hour of sleep, I got to say that seeing that tree made me smile just a little bit (not enough to damper the want of one more hour BUT a smile is a start).

One Witchy Two Witchy

OUr Two little Witches

Ellie was so excited to get her hair straightened for Halloween.

At first she was concerned that her curls would be gone forever but the idea of having Cinderella hair was too appealing to be worried for too long.

Lucy and Ellie decided to be witches for Halloween

BUT

Lucy made it VERY clear she was a MEAN witch.

She took her role VERY seriously.

The only time she perked up was when she got 'Andy.

Sorry about the red eye. I was too lazy to edit the pictures on my other computer.


The girls the night before with the pumpkins.