This was a triumph. I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS.

Every once in a while I like to have a "Day Off". Where I get up make sure the kitchen is clean, feed people breakfast, make sure there is lunch in the fridge, and throw something in the slow cooker for supper. Then high tail it outta there for the rest of the day till it's time to eat and put the munchkins in bed.

After the last few weeks with all the trips to the ER, DH being in Alaska, the rain, well I needed that day off lemme tell ya!

I made some Chicken salad for them to eat for lunch while I was out (not pictured). 2 cans chicken, 1/2 cup Mayo, 2-3 Tbs Brown Mustard, 1/4 cup Pickle Relish (kosher or sweet, whichever you prefer), Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Onion powders, and Dry Parsley finish it off. They ate it with crackers, but it's equally good on bread.

For my make ahead supper (pictured top ) I did a chuck roast in the slow cooker. I use the frozen sliced bell peppers (no prep work, the price and availability don't change much with seasons either, and since I'm cooking them I don't mind that they're gonna be mushy from being frozen), 1/2 bag family sized frozen baby carrots (same as the peppers here, all the prep is done, blah blah) 5 LARGE potatoes, washed and cut up into large bite size pieces, 1 large onion rough chopped. All that goes in the bottom of the slow cooker making a bed for the chuck roast to sit on. I seasoned the roast with salt, pepper, rubbed sage, and nutmeg (not much tho, for some reason it just goes well with beef, you don't really taste it, but you'll know it's not there). I also added some water with a few heafty shakes of Worcestershire sauce in it (just enough to see it thru the veg under the roast). Set the cooker on high and left the house!

While I was getting supper ready the kids started on the laundry, and while I was out enjoying a brunch with my neighbor and friend (steak and eggs benedict, mmmm), they got most of it done while I was out and managed to thrash the toy room pretty well too! DH had invited a friend over to play video games, so I came home to a second TV in the living room and lots of monsters meeting their demise.

I just cooked up some butter beans with ham seasoning when I got home to add to supper, you can cook them on the stove top, but I did mine in the a microwave steamer in about 30 min, in 5 min intervals (just cook till tender, check often as it will boil over and your microwave likely has different power settings than mine).

DD#1 had a pretty rough cough Sunday morning so we stayed home from church, and I made the crepes (pictured second) DS#1 had been asking for (for the past month or two). 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, 2 Tbs melted butter, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 egg. Combine the wet ingredients then add them to the dry, mix well. Cook in a well buttered pan with just enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan, flip when the crepe looks dry. We filled ours with fresh whipped cream and blueberries (I get them in the freezer section, cheaper than fresh, and I can get them year round).

Supper Sunday night was some baked Salmon and Eggplant lasagna (pictured third). DH gave me a hand seasoning the fish and getting them on the broiling pan while I made the eggplant. The fish were seasoned with Oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, dry ground mustard, marjoram, and in the bottom of the pan he put some water, Worcestershire sauce and a sliced grapefruit to steam the fish. Put all the seasonings in a small dish, and mix, then sprinkle to lightly coat the fish, dump whatever is left in the water below. For the Eggplant Lasagna I used 9 japanese eggplant (they are deep purple but long and slender, use however many you think you will need to fill a 9x13x2 dish), 2lbs shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 1/2 jars of spaghetti sauce (we use a Chunky Garden variety, use what you think is yummy tho), about 1 cup Italian bread crumbs, and a mixture of 2 eggs, a splash of milk and a dollop of sour cream, with salt and pepper. Slice the eggplant thin and on the bias so you get nice oblong slices, and let them soak in the egg and milk mixture for few minutes. Start layering, first a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle on some breadcrumbs (think shake and bake here, but only one one side) then spoon on the sauce to cover, then a layer of cheese, repeat, on the last layer I don't put any sauce to avoid any bubbling over. I baked the fish and the eggplant at the same time for about 30ish minutes.

Supper was a hit, DD#1 even went back for seconds! and I think DD#2 would have liked it more had she not rubbed tomato sauce in her eye, ouch.

Pictured bottom is one of my favorite breakfasts (how I started my week), or snacks, or well, foods. A tin of Oysters smoked in cottonseed oil, a plain bagel with garden veggie cream cheese, and a cup of herbal tea. Breakfasts of champions! or weirdo's at least!

10000 bonus points for anyone who gets the song name from today's blog post. And also, my condolences as you too, are probably a video game widow.

Well, don't you know that other kids are starving in Japan So eat it, just eat it

Still no fever for DD#2, YAY! Called the Dr again, and they still haven't seen the paperwork from our ER visit, but scheduled the follow up anyway. So, progress?

Is it sad when the lady who just makes appointments recognizes your voice, or back story or well, YOU?

Friday is movie night, and I wanted to finish off the left overs from last night, so I let the kids have what they wanted for supper. Be prepared to avert your stomach, er eyes.

Hotdog Helper.

Which is, when you cut hot dogs up into lil bites, and cook them with the pasta from 2 boxes of Mac and cheese, and a bag of peas and carrots, then make the cheese sauce and add 2 Tbs of BBQ sauce.

Really, they only ask for this stuff about once every 2 months, cause there's SO much sodium in it that I think their bodies would die twitchy deaths of horror if we ate it more often. But they think it's fun every once in a while.

Also, I'm SO not taking a picture of this, I've a reputation at stake here.

goodnight, goodnight sweet baby

A while back my neighbor made some potato salad with Chayote (pictured left), sweet pickle relish, and green spanish olives in it, man oh man, was that the best potato salad I had ever had.

We had plans for her to teach me how to prepare this dish, but with the weather being horrible the past couple weeks, and then the kids getting the sniffles, and DD#2 taking that fall, she just told me to bring over the things I had picked up and she'd make it for me. (when she gives me the recipe if it's OK with her I'll post it)

I love my neighbors!

She made it last night and it chilled in my fridge all day. She even garnished it with some deviled eggs!

I just boiled up some shrimp (salt and lil liquid smoke in the water is all ya need). Made a fresh salad, and called it a night.

Also, I'm happy to report, that DD#2 has not had a fever since yesterday afternoon! Now, if only I could get her Dr to give us that follow up apt that the ER Dr. said she should have.

No more monkies Jumpin on the bed

OK, she wasn't jumpin on the bed. DD#2 was trying to climb up on her lil scootie car thing and didn't get her leg up high enough and tipped over, gravity took over from there, and she fell to the ground. Hitting her head on the concrete, and getting muddy in the process. Up to the bath she went to get cleaned off, and apparently have a seizure and then promptly fall asleep.

To the ER we go!! (and the receptionist is all, "Oh, it's you again")

Where we sit waiting. For hours. While people with UTI's and sprained ankles and the like are seen first (first come first serve I suppose).

Get to Triage where they take her temp, it's 102.something!! Where did that come from? She had been fine all day. Cutting 6 teeth but fine. Bit sneezy, but fine. Nothing that I would have been alarmed over. And really the bump on the head wasn't even bad, it's just what happened AFTER that made me take her in.

The Dr thinks the sudden on set of the fever triggered the seizure and not the bonk on the head, which didn't even give her a bump on her noggin, but the sent her for a CT anyway to be safe. The CT came up clear. We will be following up with her regular Dr in the next few days.

ALL that to say, I might not be posting the most fabulous things for a while (or anything at all), cause I've got a sick baby, and I'm a bit of a nervous wreck. I'll be back when things settle down, say a prayer for us, think happy shinny thoughts, and know that I'll still be cooking and will prolly think of some sort of silly montage upon my return!


OH! and we had Skettie tonight. that's from the last time I posted it.

Concocting soup inside my nest

Ever forget you're cooking, till the smell works its way thru your stuffed up nose? And I had been wondering for like 20 min what that LOUD hissssssssing noise was! turns out, it was the pressure cooker full of chicken for soup for tonight's supper!

That was my Facebook status yesterday afternoon.

It got worse.

I then realized that I didn't have what I needed to make dumplings or biscuits, nor did I have any green peas, or any more carrots.

Also DH had the car at work and told me he was going to be working latish.

Here's what I ended up doing.

5 Chicken leg quarters in my pressure cooker till meat was falling off bones.
3 cups brown rice plus 7 cups water plus 3 chicken bullion cubes in a medium pot till rice is tender.
pull chicken out of stock/broth. Add 2 bags edemame and 1lb frozen corn, and the left over glazed carrots (that you rinsed thoroughly) and cooked rice.
pull meat off bones, enjoy.

I should have done more meat, because there was only enough meat for half the soup, the left overs (and what's pictured) are meatless, but taste meaty due to the stock it was cooked in.

I shouldn't have cooked soup when so distracted by not feeling well.

You can't always get what you want

The other day I made yummy dinner, I did not however take a picture of it, cause I'm a slacker.

Also I didn't want to make yummy dinner, what I wanted was Coco's Curry, cause they have yum gravy and fried meat, and these creamed crab croquette things that are just heaven when you are craving junk food. But DH and I after running our errands as soon as the kids came off the bus decided the responsible thing to do was to go home and let them do their homework. BAH stinking homework, foiling my junk food takeout plans! (that up there by the way is what I wanted to eat)

So, here's what I made.

Broiled Talapia with Salt, pepper, garlic, onion and Thyme powder and a drizzle of Olive oil. broil till flaky and golden brown. In the bottom part of the broiler pan I placed a thinly sliced onion and lemon and some water so that would steam the fish while it cooked and prevent it from drying out.

Glazed Carrots with salt, butter, brown sugar and ground ginger. Just dump all that in a pot and cook till the carrots are tender, and the sugar and butter reduce to make a nice glaze. I think I had 2lbs of carrots, 4 tbs butter, 1 loose 1/4 c scoop of brown sugar (I just keep a 1/4 cup scoop in there and used that, but I wasn't exact here, no packing it in just a lil is all you need) and a hefty sprinkle of ginger powder and a dash of salt.

Steamed Spinach with ham flavor (by Goya) just till hot tho, cause I used frozen spinach so it doesn't take long to cook.

And some fancy twirly pasta with Parmesan cheese and olive oil.

*UPDATE*
I got my curry, a day late, but it was still yummy!

You might have to walk the fine line, you might take the hard line But everybody's working overtime

Things I learned yesterday:

1:Orthopedic Dr.s are sadists. Called the Dr cause my hand is still hurting pretty badly, I'm now advised to treat my splint/removable cast like a real cast till I am pain free, and they have no desire to do the second set of x-ray's the radiologist thought I needed 2 weeks ago. Oh, and to follow up with my regular Dr. 6-8 weeks from my injury.

2:Turns out one handed sympathy is short lived. DH was miserable from working in the rain for the last few days (who can blame him?). He also went to the store for me to pick up lettuce n stuff for supper, but no help cooking or cleaning from him or the monsters (uh, I mean kids).

3:And Taco Rice is on the list of meals you can prepare one handed. Prepare ground beef as you would for tacos, and everything else, just replace tortillas with rice. Although shredding the cheese was a bit tricky.

4:If on Mother's Day you get up make every one blueberry pancakes, then have to drive to church one handed, in a downpour, with a sty in your eye, and you feel a migraine coming on, you should have stayed home, in bed, cause Monday will SUCK!

Sorry folks no pic, wasn't in the mood for much besides eating and sleeping.