Recipe Friday

Italian Cheese Bread

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

1 tbsp. quick-rise yeast

1 c. warm water

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1/4 to 1/3 c. prepared Italian salad dressing

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

dash pepper

1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Combine water and oil; add to flour mixture. Add additional flour if needed to forma  soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Punch the dough down; place on a greased 12-in pizza pan and pat into a 12-in circle. Brush with salad dressing. Combine seasonings, sprinkle over top. Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes or untili golden brown. Serve warm.

before I forget...

I just wanted to jot down that as of yesterday Colin is officially 8 months old. He has 5 teeth, crawls (for reals) like a pro when he's naked, reads English and Spanish fluently, can get from laying down to standing up on almost any surface, and signs "more" when he eats. Well done my boy!

Recipe Sunday, and other miscellaneous goings on

It's funny how as a first-time parent you wait and wait for your kid to reach certain milestones, but then as soon as he does, you wish he couldn't pull himself up on the coffee table or crawl through his own vomit. Those are two of Colin's favorite things to do. If only he threw up Pine-Sol instead of milk—then he could mop the floor for me as he scooted around the house. These days he's pretty much not content unless he's exploring something new, climbing up on it, and tasting it. 

Colin had a lot of fun playing with his crib mattress when it was on the floor earlier this week. We took it out so we could lower the bottom of the crib since he was pulling himself up and hanging over the edge.

On Monday night we went over to Caleb and Heather's for FHE. 

When I fixed Sara's red eyes, it kind of grayed them out, so now she looks like a robot.

The kids and Granny had fun playing on the floor with toys.

Rachel is so grown up these days, wearing her fancy skirt and dangly earrings, and texting her boyfriend on her cell phone. :)

Bryant gave the lesson on baby Moses. (There's a baby in the basket he's holding up.) Good job, Bry!

We had hot chocolate for a treat. Well, everyone else had hot chocolate for a treat. As soon as I went for mine, Colin did too and knocked the huge mug over. This picture doesn't quite do the mess justice. My leg was soaked all the way around to my bum, my shirt was soaked, Colin's legs were covered, and the table and floor were drenched. Thankfully Heather let me borrow a pair a pj pants and a shirt so I didn't have to remain in my chocolaty clothes. 

Colin wondered how pants taste, so he pulled himself up to the clothes basket to find out.

I really liked this picture. He kind of looks like a blue-western-bib-lion coming after me to eat me.

Colin's always enjoyed playing with the vents, but he likes it even more when the warm air comes out. He'll sit and play with them for quite a while.

I put him in the laundry basket with a blanket, and he snuggled right in and enjoyed being pushed around his room.

Awww. A boy and his dragon.

I was trying to get a cute picture of Colin in his other UTEP onesie to send to Hannah, but this is the best I got. Between the crazy eyes, the buckteeth, and the huge open mouth, he looked pretty deranged in all of the pictures.

On Saturday night Caleb and Heather's kids slept over while the parents went to dinner and the Jazz game. After her bath Li'l Miss Sara had fun going through her Kung Fu poses. Here she is doing Attack of the Monkey Fist.

When I started taking pictures of Sara, the other two girls decided they wanted in. Rachel told me, "This one will be cute."

Awww. Sisters. 

For dessert we had a fruit pizza. I made the crust and frosting and let the girls go crazy putting on the toppings. They made a beautiful pizza and it was delicious to eat! Yum!

Speaking of fruit pizza, here is our Recipe Friday recipe.

1 tube sugar cookie dough

8 oz cream cheese

1 jar marshmallow creme

cut up fruit of choice, we used kiwis, bananas, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries because that's what I had at home

Press cookie dough into bottom of a pan (I used a pan that was like half the size of a cookie sheet. I don't know the technical term for it. I suppose you could double the recipe and put it in a regular size cookie sheet.). Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until it is cooked. Cool completely. Mix cream cheese with marshmallow creme. Spread over cookie crust. Top with fruit. Eat.

After dessert the big kids had some popcorn and watched  a movie. Then it was off to bed...

...except for Li'l Miss Sara, who decided she just wanted a short nap and then to get up and play with me and Nate. 

Who could refuse this face? So she stayed up with us until Caleb and Heather got home and then went to sleep in her own bed. 

And last but not least we have a short hello from the Utah Cousins to the Iowa Cousins. 

I know it sounds like I was forcing them at gunpoint to recite this, but I really wasn't. They told me what they wanted to say, and then they said it for the camera in their hostage video voices.

Comet

Colin was a puke factory all day yesterday, especially at church. This has prompted me to give him a nickname, Comet. That would be a combination of Colin and Vomit. (Spelling has been adjusted to make sense.)

almost 2 weeks of pictures

Shame on me! I feel like I've posted a lot recently, but I haven't really posted pictures of Colin in about 2 weeks. I'd like to correct that heinous oversight by posting some pictures now.

Colin loves, and I do mean LOVES, pulling himself up onto anything he can reach. We have a stack of boxes in Nate's office that Colin uses as a jungle gym. He likes climbing up people when they're sitting on the couch. He likes hanging over the edge of his crib. He likes scooting along the edge of the coffee table. He smiles so big, like he's so proud of himself, like he's doing something awesome. It's been a lot of fun to watch.

I guess I got a little carried away cleaning up the living room.

What a poser!

Colin loves, and I do mean LOVES, his Christmas blanket from his Granny. It's the softest snuggly material. When it's time for a nap or for bed I just grab this blanket and he snuggles right down into it. It's nice that he has something that lets him know it's time for sleep, and it comforts him when he wakes up in the middle of the night. I check on him often when he sleeps because I'll find him completely covered up, and I like to uncover his face so I don't worry about him suffocating.

Here he is getting ready for church last Sunday. I wanted to buy him a little tie to wear, butI thought the really cute ones at the Children's Place were too expensive, but it turns out they're about the same price as everywhere else. So I guess I'll be heading back to the mall.

Matchy matchy.

Colin cheesing it up in his cage.

Oh, naked time. Colin's had a lot more of that recently because he's been a bit of a pill when it comes to putting on his diaper and pajamas after his bath. And since he can pull himself up on the railing he's much more interested in that than in getting dressed.

I had to edit this next picture because as I went to post it I noticed there was a little surprise hanging out. Good thing I'm a pro at this so you can't even tell!

That looks like a picture of Nate's son to me—crinkly eyes, cute smile, dragon.

There was something about the way the food was on his face that made me laugh. So I took a picture. And then I posted it.

Pulling himself up on the laundry bin.

Yes, Colin still loves playing by the mirror. And yes, he's figured out how to stick his own finger inside his pacifier so he can chew it more easily. He was cracking me up because he had it stuck on his finger, and then he would bang it against the counter and then shake his hand. He thought he was so funny.

These next pictures are the same one with a couple of different tints I was playing with. I was trying to take a picture of Colin looking like a sweet bro with his hood up, but he was mad at me for putting him on the floor, so his head is down. I snapped a picture anyway, and I kind of like how it turned out. It had a simple enough background that it was fun to play around with.

Thank you Ikea! Colin loves to play with these bowls almost as much as he loves to eat from them.

Nate teased me this morning about Colin's outfit, but it really was just a filler between his pajamas and his church clothes. Also, Colin chose the hat. Really. Ask him.

And if anyone cares what Nate and I have been up to, we finally got to meet Nate's friend Renn's fiancee. She's nice. We like her. Nate has been busy with work and the World, and I have been dominating my new favorite game, Star Wars Legos on the Wii. Yes, there are several 6-year-olds who are better at it than I am, but I like it. It's fun! Also, I made bread bowls for our soup tonight and I'm quite proud of myself. Way to go me!

Recipe Friday

Red Lobster-style Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

Nate and I like these biscuits quite a bit. They're a quick alternative to rolls, which are delicious but time consuming. And they're a little bit classier than regular ol' baking powder biscuits. We eat them with soup and stuff. 

2 c. Jiffy or Bisquick mix

2/3 c. milk

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

2 tbsp. butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 400. Mix Jiffy mix, milk, cheese, and garlic powder into a sticky dough. Drop by spoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter and mix with garlic salt. Coat biscuits with garlic butter as soon as you take them out of the oven while they're still on the pan. 

give oh give away!

I saw this on a friend's blog and thought it would be really fun to have a reason to make something for some friends. So I commented on her blog and reposted the info here (after editing it because Random capitals BUG Me, as, does, improper punctuation?). Good luck to all who read! I'm excited to get crafty! (Obviously copious exclamation points do not bug me!)

The Rules

1. Be one of the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post. This will entitle you to a handmade item from me.

2. If you win, you must post this on your blog, which means that you commit to pay it forward, creating a handmade gift for the first 3 people who leave a comment on your post about this giveaway.

3. The gift that you send to your three friends can be from any price range, and you have 365 days to make and ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And remember, it’s the spirit and the thought that count!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it. If you are not one of the first 3 to comment on this post, you can still play along. (And I encourage you to.) Post the rules on your blog, start your own pay it forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!

Also, I will need your address if you are one of the first 3 to comment. I'm super excited to see who plays along.

Edited to add: Don't be scared by the number of comments. There is actually only one "winner" at the moment. We're still waiting for lucky peoples two and three!

Recipe Friday

Chicken Enchiladas

This is a Nathan-ized version of a recipe I originally got from his sister Lenna. Nate doesn't like sour cream, and he doesn't like them to be too soupy. I like to use my food storage chicken or turkey when I make these, so that's why it says "cans" of meat. I suppose you could use a couple of chicken breasts and be just fine.

2 cans of chicken or turkey chunks, drained (I really like the stuff I've gotten from the family cannery. I say "or turkey" because Nate wasn't able to tell a difference when I used the other meat.)

1/2 c. salsa (I think I usually use more. I kind of adhere to the just dump some in method of cooking. The same goes for basically all of the other ingredients listed here.)

1 small can diced green chiles

1/4 c. diced tomatoes

1/4 c. diced olives

2 c. shredded cheese

1 tsp. chili powder

1 pkg. tortillas

1 can green enchilada sauce

Lenna's recipe also calls for 1-2 c. sour cream and a can of cream of chicken soup

Mix ingredients and spoon into tortillas. Place a small amount of enchilada sauce in bottom of 9 X 13 dish so enchiladas don't stick. Roll tortillas and place on sauce. Top with the rest of the green sauce and some shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

crawling for reals!

So it looks like Colin's getting the crawling thing down. When I took his pants off and let him play on the floor this evening he started crawling on his hands and knees. It still slow going, but he's doing it! After a while he gets frustrated and falls down on his belly to get where he wants to go. I guess I just need to give him more time pantsless so he doesn't slide around so much. Also, here's a video of him trying out pushups or something....

kiss and cry

Colin loves to look in the mirror. It's one of the few things that consistently cheers him up when he's grouchy. He'll sit and coo at himself, laugh, and occasionally try to eat himself. The last one is the part that cracks me up because it looks like he is kissing his reflection. I finally thought to get the camera out and capture it for you all.

This is a video of one of Colin's first experiences with his Christmas present from Lenna and Scott. It's easy to see how much he loves it! Thanks guys!



Okay, I should probably add that he was only scared of it that night. He cried every time I turned it on. But by the next day he was over it and now he loves to listen to the tunes! So thanks for realsies.