Snowmen in May?

This morning as I was making pancakes my daughter asked "Mom, can you make men like Laura's mom did?" She has been reading "Little House in The Big Woods" and "Little House On The Prairie" for Language Arts. She read about how Ma made little men shapes out of batter. I said "I'll see". I thought how can I do that? I continued making the pancakes and when the griddle was really hot I gave it a shot. I connected a smaller circle to a larger circle. I didn't know if it would fall apart when I flipped it, but it didn't. I used chocolate chips for the eyes, raisins for the buttons, a craisin for the nose and a chewy fruit candy for the mouth. I called the kids for breakfast and they were so excited to see what was on their plates. They said they were delicious too!

My Blog Party Post

My name is Theresa and I am a Christian wife and homeschooling mom. I am a former public school teacher. I like to visit other blogs and share ideas for being a more Godly wife, mother and woman. I have met a great bunch of women through blogging and look forward to meeting more. I am including a great, quick and easy recipe for a party.

Taco Dip
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (browned, and drained)+ seasoning
1 16 ounce container of sour cream
1 16 ounce package of shredded Mexican cheese
1 jar of salsa (I love Trader Joe's peach salsa)
tortilla chips (I love Trader Joes's unsalted white corn tortilla chips)
Directions:
1. Brown the beef. Drain off the fat. Return to skillet and add taco seasoning (I add my own to avoid MSG)
2. In a 9X13 pan, spread the beef evenly on the bottom.
3. Layer the remaining ingredients; salsa, sour cream and cheese.
4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.
5. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy.

Oh and did I mention...there are prizes involved with the blog party! There are so many great ones, I would love to win any. The following are my top three picks:
1. US6 necklace from Kristen's Custom Creations
2. US 8 necklace from Lisa Laverty at Elemental Memories
3. US28 necklace from Jessica Fuqua- Ind. Guy and Eva Advisor

Do you see a theme? Well, yes I am in search of a new necklace. You see, a couple of months ago I lost my favorite necklace. It was a white gold chain with a charm of a little girl and a little boy. It was a present from my children. First I had just the little girl and then when my son was born, my husband had a little boy added to it. I wore it every day. I know the day I lost it. I was grocery shopping and took off my scarf and heard something fall. I checked my earrings (since I am always losing them) and saw that they were still there, so kept shopping. Later that night I realized my necklace was gone. I was so upset. I called both of the stores that I was at, but no one turned it in. I thought my husband would be upset and was hesitant to tell him. He wasn't upset and actually took a flashlight and went back to the one store. No one turned it in and he couldn't find it either. I kept saying I hope a mom or grandmother finds it because they will be more likely to turn it in (gold is worth a lot right now). My husband said "Well, maybe the person who finds it needs food on their table." How's that for putting things in perspective? So as much as I miss my necklace, I do not want to ask for another one right now because gold is so expensive. I do have a white gold sapphire cross that my husband gave me before we were married, but I don't have a chain to wear it on. However, since jewelry is being offered as a giveaway I would be a thrilled recipient.

Delicious Six Ingredient Pancakes

Last night at bedtime, my daughter excitedly asked "Mom, can we have pancakes for breakfast tomorrow...please?" I said "We'll see". I try to make a double batch at least once a week so we can have them for a couple of days. I am not talking about the frozen ones, or even the mix that you add water to. Have you ever tried to read the ingredients listed in those? If you can pronounce the ingredients, do you know what they are? If not, maybe you would like an easy, delicious recipe. This recipe was given to me by my mother-in-law. She would make these on Sunday afternoons for Tom and I when we were dating. I loved going there for her special griddlecakes and tea. She makes them much thinner than I can, more like a crepe, but they are just as delicious.

Ingredients for a double batch (about 30 pancakes):
2 1/2 cups flour (I use 1 1/2 cups unbleached white and 1 cup whole wheat)
5 tsp. baking powder (I recommend Rumford's aluminum free)
2 Tbsp. sugar (I don't double this since I use cane sugar which is sweeter)
2 eggs
2 cups lowfat milk (organic, of course)
6 Tbsp. melted butter
Directions:
1- Combine flour, baking powder and sugar. Set aside.
2- Beat eggs, add milk and melted butter. Mix well.
3- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir.
4- Pour by 1/4 cups onto a hot griddle. Flip when bubbles start forming. Cook until golden brown.
5- Serve with pure maple syrup, all fruit spread or plain. Enjoy!

*If you have any leftovers, you can layer them between wax paper and place in a storage bag in the refrigerator or freezer.

Homemade Pizza

Oops! Well it was a full pie. I forgot to take a picture before giving my kids a sample. They could hardly wait. Thanks to my husband for rolling the dough out for me. The engineer in him makes the perfect circle. I have made pizza before but only with dough that I bought at the store or bakery. I came across a recipe and just like the bread, it didn't sound difficult at all. So I decided to try to make my own and see how it goes. Would it be worth it? Afterall we do have the best pizza in NY. (Sorry you Chicago fans!) I think a pie goes for about $13 now, and I can't even figure out how much this one costs. My best estimate would be $5. It really doesn't matter if I am saving the money if it doesn't taste good though. I read excellent reviews of this recipe, but wondered if the reviewers had actually tasted real pizza, you know NY pizza. Well I have to admit... I agree with their rave reviews. I adapted the recipe by using some whole wheat flour in place of all white flour and didn't use cornmeal on the crust. It is delicious. The kids loved it and said "Mommy, your pizza is the best!". What more could a Mom want to hear. It is music to my ears. And the best part... I know exactly what ingredients were used to make it. You can find the recipe here
We just topped the crust with sauce and cheese since that is how the kids like it best. Thanks Tammy for another great recipe. I give it a 10 as well. And that's coming from a NY pizza lover. I think it even looks like a NY pizza pie from the pizza place. If I put it into a cardboard box I bet you couldn't tell the difference. What do you think?

Bread Baking

Well, I finally gave it a try. I have been so intimidated by the whole idea of baking my own bread, that I was afraid to try. I received a bread maker for my bridal shower, over 8 years ago, but have never used it. I don't have much counter space so it is a project to find room for it. I found a couple of recipes and read that I could use the dough hook on my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer to knead the dough. I love my Kitchen Aid, so I thought I would see what I could do. It was so easy. The most difficult part was waiting for the dough to rise. I did get discouraged at one point and think... oh all of that and now the dough isn't rising enough. It is going to end up in the trash. My husband encouraged me and I was happily surprised that the loaf did rise more in the oven. It popped out of the pan so easily it startled me. My husband and kids were standing around waiting to taste it, so I started slicing it. Everyone loves it. It is delicious if I do say so myself. You can find the recipe by searching for homemade wheat bread here.



I also made some wheat rolls. This recipe was in my Kitchen Aid book. It was for smaller rolls, but I made them big like hamburger rolls. The kids and I tasted one with butter tonight for snack and they are also delicious. Now no one wants store bought bread. That is a good thing, I keep reminding myself. Next I will need to get some more loaf pans and get a system down. I will be reading through some blogs to see if I can find some suggestions. If anyone here has any suggestions, please share. Thanks.