Popcorn for Breakfast

So, I saw on Brown Eyed Baker a recipe (if you can call it that) for Homemade Popcorn.  I bought some popcorn kernels and popcorn salt the other day and we have made popcorn every day since.  In fact, yesterday, Cidney and I had popcorn for breakfast.  She said, 'Mom, will you make popcorn?'  I said, 'No.'  She said, 'Please?'  I said, 'No.'  And so on and so on until I finally gave in.  And then we had popcorn again last night while Cort watched tv and the rest of us read or played on our iPods.  It is really so much better than microwave popcorn and just takes a tad bit longer, but it is very worth the wait.  Here's the link if you want to try it, although the recipe on the side of the popcorn kernel jar is exactly the same - How to Make Perfect Homemade Popcorn.  And if you look on her home page, you'll find her Salted Chocolate Shortbread cookie recipe that looks so delicious.  I think we may try that this weekend.

I want to share this video of a great singing family that visited our church a few weeks ago.  They were a blessing to us on our Old-Fashioned Western Sunday and we are so happy to have met them.  Very talented family.  This is my favorite song that they sang, although all of them were so good.  Rochester Family - Ephesians Chapter 1.

See y'all tomorrow.

Baby in a Backpack and Other Random-ness

Long time, no blog, eh?  Busy times around here, but that's the way I like it.  I got a couple of things made last week, so I'll share one of them with you today.  The other is waiting to be delivered and was a birthday gift to my mom, so it will have to wait until she gets it. 

But first, I have to show you a cute picture of Cid and Conner that I took before Cidney went to school the other day. 

She was ready to cart him off to school with her.  I love the way he's looking at her.  'Uh, sissy, are you sure this will be ok with mama?'

Ok, now that we've got those cutie-patooties out of the way, here are three little bunnies I made to go in the kids' Easter bags.  The tutorial came from Chubby Hobby's blog.  They were easy little things - probably took me about 2 hours total including stuffing. 

The only thing I did differently from the tutorial was that I machine stitched the arms on the body instead of embroidering them.  It was a little bit of a time-saver.

And, before I forget, I have to give a big shout out to my hubby.  He has lost 17 pounds in our church's weight-loss challenge.  He's shrinking by the minute.  So proud of you, honey.  Me, I'm only at 6 pounds, but I haven't really been trying hard.  I've cut down on eating and we're eating more veggies and less casseroles and pastas, but I need to jump on the train here.  6 pounds in 4 weeks ain't much.  Maybe I can make it 10 total by the next weigh-in.

I'm going to go and finish working on a project my mom and I are doing long-distance.  We're exchanging two Dresden plates (plates only, no backgrounds yet) every month.  I haven't even finished my March ones, so I'm doing that now.  Actually, this is what I'm doing now:

Sewing about 300 million trillion hundred thousand billion Dresden block wedges.  Then I will have to flip and press these little lovelies, which will take about 3 days.  Or 9. 

I also need to sit and plan what I'm cooking for our dinner Friday night.  It's our 4 year anniversary.  I'm thinking Pioneer Woman's Steak with Burgundy-Mushroom Sauce.  Mandy tried it and raved about it.  I think I make at least one of PW's recipes a week.  Seriously, if you haven't made anything of hers, go and look on her blog and find something you can make soon.  Everything I've tried of hers is wonderful.  She's my new best friend.   Tomorrow night I'm making her Spaghetti and Meatballs and tonight, maybe her favorite sandwich.  That is, if I can get my hiney in gear and go to Wal-Mart to get the ingredients. 

Finally Finished

I've been working on these aprons on and off for about 3 weeks.  The pattern is called the Four Corners Apron from Vanilla House Designs.  I think if you could sit down and devote time to make one, it should only take a couple of hours.  Very easy - although I despise turning skinny things like the ties and neck strap right side out.  That took me longer than putting the rest of the apron together did.  Fiddle dee dee - 'tis done now.

One of these is for a gift, the other I just made because sometimes it's just as easy to make two and then I'll have a gift to give sometime if I need it.  Cid doesn't need one because her darling Memaw made her two and sent them to her last month.  Here they are:

I just love the half apron.  One of my favorite Alexander Henry fabrics. 

Ok, I guess I better get going on tonight's dinner - Spicy Marinated Fish Tacos.  Yum-o.  Will post the recipe and pics later. 

Do-Over!

I know, I know.  I disappeared for a couple of weeks.  I have a whole list of excuses for why I haven't blogged in so long.  Conner got RSV.  We were getting ready for vacation, then we left for vacation.  We came back from vacation early, which meant Brad was home, which meant I was hanging out with him and just being a little lazy.  Don't think I haven't thought about blogging, though.  I think I just needed things to be back to normal so I could get back into the groove.  So now Brad is back at work and I'm trying to clean up my house from the last couple of weeks.  I have so much sewing I want to do and cleaning I need to do.  I have a whole pile of new recipes I want to try, too.  And I want to share it all with you!  I just have to get my head back where it needs to be. 

So here's my plan:  I am going to try and clean something every day.  Doing laundry counts.  Vacuuming the floor counts.  Major cleaning, of course, counts.  Organizing something can work, too.  I am also going to try to make something every day.  Make a card, sew on my latest project, sew on a new project.  I'm even going to try and think about gifts I might need in the next months and work on that if my current project is boring me.  I even think trying a new recipe could be my 'make' project for the day if I haven't gotten to something else.  I've been trying to make my meal plan for the weekdays and grocery list for those meals on the weekend, so I'll try to continue that.  And I'll share the recipes I make with you - new or old.  Really, these goals are just going to make my life easier and that will make everyone happier.  I'll keep track of what my weekly plans are on my weekly to-do list that I got at Michael's for $1.  Here's a picture of that if you want to look for one like it.  You can find them anywhere. 

As a family, we have committed to a couple of new goals, too.  Among them, being more active as a family.  We'll take a walk or go outside and play.  With the weather getting nicer and time changing soon, these will be easier and more fun for us.  Also, we're going to start having a Bible study or story every night.  And not so much TV!!  We made a list for Cidney of our expectations for her, so she knows what she needs to do without us harping on her.  Isn't it nice to try and better yourself?  I know we'll fall off the wagon at times or we'll get busy and our routine will be off, but we'll try to jump back on and do what we have been doing because we know it will make us all happier.  If you have a busy family like we do, this may be worth a try.  It definitely keeps the stress level down.  Let me know if you try it and maybe along the way we can compare notes. 

On another subject, I've been wanting to share these sweet Valentine cards that my mom made for us.  She sent them along with some yummy Valentine cookies, but sadly, I can't show you pictures of those because, well, we ate them.  That same day.  Oh, cookies.  How I love you.  But I can't have you anymore because I'm too fat and I'm trying to take care of that, too.  Anyway, here's the cards:

Don't you love them?  She's so awesome.  She's my inspiration for many things.

Ok, tonight's dinner recipe coming up.  Lots of veggies in it because we're trying to lose weight.  But even when we weren't trying, it's sooooo good.  Usually we have it with cornbread, but you know, we're fat, so no cornbread for us.  Here are recipes for both:

  

             

Hamburger Soup

1 lb. ground beef

1 c. chopped onion

1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans

1 c. sliced carrots

1 c. sliced celery

1/4 c. uncooked regular rice

2 (18 oz.) cans stewed tomatoes

3 1/2 c. water

5 beef boullion cubes

1 T. parsley flakes

1 t. salt

1/4 t. dried basil

1/8 t. pepper

1 c. green beans

Cook ground beef and onions in large saucepan until beef is browned.  Drain off fat.  Add remaining ingredients except for green beans.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer covered for 40 minutes.  Add green beans and simmer another 10 minutes.

Cornbread

1 c. flour

1 c. corn meal

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/4 c. sugar

1 c. milk

2 eggs

4 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

Mix all ingredients together.  Pour in greased 9" cake pan and bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

There you go!  For the soup this time, I used ground turkey and lots more vegetables than the recipe calls for, thus more water and beef boullion.  I've become the cook that doesn't measure much unless I'm baking, so I couldn't tell you how much of anything I put in.  Just use your best judgment based on your preferences.  We like more hearty than broth-y soups, so that's what I make and I usually make enough for us to have leftovers at least one night.  The cornbread is the best I've ever had and is so easy, you won't miss using a store-bought mix.  Just try it and you'll never go back to cornbread in a box.

Happy Monday!

Magazine Love

Have you seen this magazine?  I think it only comes out quarterly, but it's definitely a winner in my book.  I buy food magazines often and most of the time I wish I hadn't bought them.  There are usually a few recipes in a magazine that I decide I want to try but, considering there are probably 50 recipes (or more) in some magazines, buying one is kind of a waste of money.  One of our favorite recipes - Chicken Spaghetti came out of the last issue of Mixing Bowl, so when I saw a new issue at Target today, I didn't even look inside it and put it in my basket.  I am soooo glad I did.  I dog-eared pages that had recipes I wanted to try and guess how many I found?  22!  Almost everything in there looks so delicious.  I can't wait to get to cookin'!  Go buy this magazine!

Oh, and on another food-related note, please, please, if you have green chiles hanging around, put some on your next grilled cheese sandwich.  Apparently, this is a popular thing in this area we live.  Brad made me one the other night and now I never want to have another plain grilled cheese again.