Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Refreshing and Easy Breakfast

This is what I've been eating for breakfast almost every morning for the last few weeks.  It's quick, easy, nutritious and delicious.

Just layer yogurt (vanilla is my choice), cut up strawberries and granola. Can't get much simpler than that.  Enjoy!



Saturday, March 17, 2012

Crockpot Corned Beef

My family loves corned beef.  All of them!!  Amazing, especially since Little Bee is not much of a meat eater.

I always make it in the crockpot because it's quick and easy. I love that I can throw it together and walk away from it the rest of the day. Nothing like preparing a meal you don't have to babysit.

Ingredients:

• Corned beef brisket with spice packet (tried flat cut this year and loved it!!)

•  1 medium onion cut into wedges

•  4 potatoes

•  3 garlic cloves minced

•  1 bay leaf

•  1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

•  1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Directions:

1.  Remove brisket from package and throughly rinse with cold water, then place in crockpot .

2.  Place remaining ingredients on and around brisket (excluding potatoes unless you like them cooked that way). 

3.  Fill crockpot with enough water to cover brisket.

4.  Wrap potatoes individually in foil and place on top of brisket. 

5.  Cook 1 hour in high and 6 on low or 8-9 hours on low.  Remove bay leaf before serving.

*** Cook in a 5-7 qt crockpot. Serves 4 with leftovers. Yum!

*** Potatoes can be cut into quartered and placed under brisket. The same with carrots. We don't like veggies cooked in the crockpot that way so I make foil packets.

*** Cabbage can be cut into wedges and added to the pot the last hour of cook time. 

Enjoy and Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!


Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Easy Peasy Cherry Cobbler

This is seriously the easiest cherry cobbler to make. It has just four ingredients.  Ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now.  It's the perfect recipe when baking with kids. Give it a try today!

Ingredients:

•1/2 box white cake mix (approximately 1 1/4 cup)

•1/4 cup butter

•1 cup milk

•1 can cherry pie filling

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees

2.  Place 1/4 cup butter in 8x8 baking pan and put inside oven to melt.

3.  Mix cake mix and milk together until smooth.

4.  Pour batter over melted butter in pan.

5.  Pour pie filling over batter being sure it is spread out over top. Do not mix.

6.  Bake 45 minutes or until top in golden brown and cherry filling is bubbly. 

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

My family devoured the whole pan tonight!  They are already asking when I'll be making it again.  It's also very customizeable. Just think of different pie fillings and different cake flavors. Plus you could double the ingredients and use a 9x13 pan.

Hope your family enjoys this easy dessert as much as mine!!


Saturday, March 03, 2012

What I Learned This Week


Here's a few things I learned this week:

1.  Check the settings on the washer before doing a load of laundry. Realized as I put my second load in that somehow the load size was set on medium. Here's hoping the large load in the dryer is fully clean.

2.  Pin a note to forgetful child so she remembers to bring home the small containers you put in her lunch box during the week. My dear daughter saved  5 mini ones in her desk from snack this past week. Thankfully they finally made it home and were empty. It could've bern a very stinky mess.

3.  Getting a new movie from Redbox or DVD Express can keep your children occupied and not fighting for a couple hours. Even better when the movie (Hugo) they thought was going to be stupid and boring entrances them to silence 5 minutes in.

4.  School districts ten miles apart can and will handle inclement weather differently. The school I work in closed due to an impending snow storm (started about 10 a.m.).  My kids school district finally called early dismissal at 9:50. They dismiss high school first, then middle school and last elementary (based on school start times).  So my kids were released into a mess. The roads hadn't been plowed or anything. Thankfully we live 3 blocks from school.  The district and town need to do a better job (releasing and plowing).

Life always keeps you guessing. The learning is on going. You adjust and keep moving forward.

What did you learn this week?