Zoe's Gotta Go Back To School Before She Makes Me Fat!

Weather hasn't been the nicest for our Spring Break . . . but not horrible either.

The kids have definitely spent their share of time running around outside . . . but not in the 60 degree weather that I had hoped for.

We knew that the weather wasn't going to be ideal, so Zoe's plan was always to cook and bake a lot. And that's exactly what she did.

Julie, she lived in this apron all week . . . seriously!

First, Whoopie Cookies . . . from scratch!

All I helped her with was thinning the batter and pulling the hot pans out of the oven. Other then that . . . I walked away and let her do her thing. She is my little Ms. Independent.

Look at all those ingredients, I found a recipe that used Devil's Food cake mix, but she preferred the list of ingredients, exactly the opposite of how I cook :)

I also told her that she'd be in charge of clean up this time. I have always let her bake and walk away, but she always makes such a HUGE mess. I thought if I gave her the responsibility, somehow she wouldn't make as big of a mess . . . but she did.

She didn't like it, but she did it :)

And if you aren't familiar with Whoopie Pies . . . they are basically giant Oreo cookies . . . but again, my brilliant little 10 year old's mind at work decided there would be twice as many if she made them iced cookies.

She named them "Whoopie Cookies", which she was very proud of and they were delicious!!!

And Zoe continued all week . . . very happily :) Monkey Bread, yummy!!!

Deviled Eggs, that Audrey turned her nose up at, but then realized she loved them :)

This doesn't include pictures of the carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Yes, she made those too :) My favorite!!!

She had more on her list: Fat Bars and Rice Krispie Treats and Apple Pie . . . but I had to say "enough"

Yesterday morning she made a pile of French Toast, seriously, she's so happy in the kitchen. But I think I gained five pounds this week!

So guess what this week has inspired?!?!?!?

P90X TIME!

If I'm not complaining about my entire body aching on Monday evening, I want everyone to yell at me to get my butt moving . . . please . . . I may need some yelling . . . I mean encouragement :)

Also, I have to get down on my hands and knees and scrub the kitchen floor, between Zoe's baking and the Aqua Sand, it needs it.

I better do that before the P90X :) Otherwise, I may not be able to.

Today's their last day off and I have approved handmade ice cream (in the ball . . . gift from Tracy and Mike) and personal sized pizzas . . . each kids gonna make their own for dinner :)

This week has definitely not felt like a vacation to me . . . but it never does with 5 kids :)

Cordon Bleu or Green and Gold?

I don't know what I was thinking! There will be no inspirational cooking in my kitchen today.


Packer game at 3:30 with Digiorno Deep Dish pizza and breadsticks for dinner. We don't have a t.v. near the kitchen, so I can't possibly.


Kids are dressed and ready for the game :)

Even my napper is dressed in green and gold. The twins will be going down for their nap around kick off. And yes, I planned it that way.

It's sometimes sucks to be a Packer fan in the land of the Bears. Especially on weekends we don't get to watch the game because a Bears are playing at the same time. We are diehard Packer fans and are raising our children to be the same. I figure it's one of the traditions that we are passing on to our children, even if we live in Illinois for the rest of our lives. We have taken heat for years from the neighbors, but we have also taught them how to grill a brat correctly.


Once, when I was shopping with Cameron, he was around 3 years old, I had him dressed all in Green and Gold. I saw a boy, about 6, look at Cam in disgust and ask his mother "Why is he wearing that?" I smiled at his mother and we shared a laugh and I said "Because the Packers have beaten the Bears twice this season."


Everyone have a great game day.


Go Pack!!!!!

K.C. Gave It 4 Stars!!!

First of all, I had to use K.C.'s name in the title, because he told me I didn't have his permission to use his name in my blog. I'm showing K.C. that I will be using his name in my blog :)


Going to the grocery store inspired me to make a new meal tonight and tomorrow. At least that's the plan. I accomplished tonight's meal and it wasn't painful at all.


Dinner was a success, I think. Well, we decided that it was too messy for the twins, they wouldn't really be able to pick it up well with their fingers. And Cameron didn't get a nap today and fell asleep just before dinner, so he didn't eat, but I knew he wouldn't. So I don't consider it a failure with him, just bad planning.


Girls loved it. Zoe gave it 4 1/2 stars! Audrey gave it 4 stars! And I give myself 3 3/4 stars. I told them that anything over 3 stars means they want me to make it again.


There are definitely a few things that I would change next time I make it. This meal is 5 star worthy, I'll just tweak it next time.


Recipe found on www.campbellskitchen.com 

Beef Taco Bake
			Ground beef, spicy tomato sauce, tortillas and cheese are layered and baked for a hearty one-dish meal.
			Instructions
			Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often.  Pour off any fat. Stir the soup, salsa, milk, tortillas and half the cheese in the skillet.  Spoon the beef mixture into a 2-quart shallow baking dish.  Cover the baking dish. Bake at 400°F. for 30 minutes or until the beef mixture is hot and bubbling.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
							At a Glance
							Prep: 10 minutes Bake: 30 minutes.
			Ingredients:
			1 pound ground beef 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup 1 cup Pace® Chunky Salsa or Pace® Picante Sauce 1/2 cup milk 6 flour tortillas (8-inch) or 8 corn tortillas (6-inch), cut into 1-inch pieces 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

Cooking went smoothly. I didn't burn anything, forget any ingredients and no one cried when dinner was placed in front of them. So already, I could pat myself on the back before a bite was taken.


Zoe helped cut up the tortillas and black olives, she loves to help in the kitchen and I love the help. K.C. made "Jiffy" Corn Bread muffins to go along with the meal. He was just checking on me, making sure that things weren't going wrong, no trust in my cooking skills, not that I blame him. Not everyone can have a chef as a father.


We made some changes to the recipe. We choose to add Mexican Style Corn to the meat mixture. K.C.'s idea, I give him full credit. It was definitely a good add. We also set the table like we would for taco night. Bowls of black olives, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream, taco sauce and salsa. This made it more kid-friendly, because everyone was able to top their plate however they wanted.


Next time I make this meal, I will add taco seasoning to the meat and maybe some onions too. Needed more flavoring in my opinion.


Overall I consider the meal a success.


My plan isn't to just make 24 new meals and make everything else from a box as normal. I plan on adding all the successes to my regular meal nights. I am now +1 meal for the year  :)

K.C. also asked for credit for the plate presentation. He added the sour cream and tortillas on top, kinda cheesy if you ask me :)


Hoping that it goes this well tomorrow.

I Think I Can, I Think I Can, I Hope I Can

My first meal attempt.

This isn't really my first big meal. I have tried before.

In the past, I have totally gone overboard, became overwhelmed and failed. But even I have had some successes, but failed to continue to try. I have always wanted to love cooking. I just don't feel that I know enough about cooking or food to enjoy it, so it always feels like it takes so much effort. I would love to take a cooking class. Maybe that's something that I will try out this year.

I believe that the more you do something, the more comfortable you get. That is what I am attempting to do. Make myself comfortable in the kitchen. I'll be honest. Most nights I plan, make and serve dinner all within a half hour. I know that a good meal takes more planning than that. I have to set aside the time to make more of an effort.

Also, the fact that I have five kids to please is discouraging. Also my husband :) I don't know if I've ever made a meal that all of them "loved", besides the boring basics like Mac and Cheese with hot dogs. I've gotten them all to eat a meal, but the differences in taste buds are working against me.

I refuse to be a short order cook. 

My least picky eater is Emmitt. Most anything I put infront of him, he eats. LOL, past blog. The only thing he won't eat is buttered noodles, which all the other kids love. And again, boring! Castiel is super picky. I never know if he will eat something or throw it all over my floor. He prefers a liquid diet, juice and milk. Cameron has issues with too much on his plate. I think he gets overwhelmed. Casseroles look scary to him. Audrey hates any red sauce and tuna and will only eat take-out pizza. Zoe will eat just about everything, if she can smother it in hot sauce.

Even when I've made a meal that I'm proud of. K.C.'s plate is empty in two minutes. He eats so fast, I can't believe that he's even tasted it. Which in a way, is as insulting as refusing to eat it. In my head, all I am thinking is "I just spent two hours on that".

So along with the new meals. I think I have to come up with better dinner etiquette for my family to live by. It's not like they are a bunch of monsters at the dinner table, but I can feel that things are starting to get out of control. And with five children, keeping things in control is everything. So I think there might be some new changes to our dinner routine besides my cooking.

So, I have bacon, ground beef and chicken breasts in my freezer and I'm going grocery shopping on Saturday. If you have any suggestions of what I can do with them, send them my way. Please don't send me anything overwhelming to start with. Think basic and delicious. Maybe something that your family loves. I will be looking for something too. First meal is planned for Sunday night.

Wish me luck, I'll need it :)

I would like to think I'm not the only mom with these issues. So I promise to share the recipes and let you know if how many of them ate it.