Today..

Well and yesterday...

After 2hrs in the car last night, we arrived in the Valley for night one of Passover....Got home at 2am...

I was awake at 745 this morning...and got out of bed about 815am.

Woke (little) kids up at 930....they ate and stuff plastic eggs for an Easter egg hunt later in the day. They stuffed them with change, hersey's eggs and starburst double flavored Jelly beans

Ivan and I made deviled eggs to bring with the eggs that cracked when I boiled eggs for dying.

Then we dumped 1 hard boiled egg in vinegar and one uncooked egg in another jar of vinegar. SCIENCE....by tomorrow noonish both should have soft jelly shells. Then we will leave the hard boiled one on the table and the shell should reabsorb what it lost and become hard again. We will place the uncooked one in a jar of water where by osmosis, it should take on so much water it explodes.

We arrived around noon. And had a great time. Nathan was hoping to find a few more of the money eggs but, he came up with a scheme to make more money....he sold his candy for the change.

On the way home, we stopped at home depot and bought killz, spackle and rollers for the upstairs bathroom....the ceiling has begun to peel...opps...fun to wash your hair then find paint chips in it. It hasnt been painted in 16 years.

We came home, Ivan and Rebekah scrapped the bathroom while Nathan and I dyed eggs in KOOL AID. That was fun and different but I still hate dying eggs. We did 6 colors and had 3 or 4 more flavors of koolaid but decided they would all be so red/pink that we had enough of that shade. Our Albertsons didnt carry the lime flavored koolaid so no green eggs. Grape eggs look like century eggs.

I took pics today I would be more then happy to share, except I never bothered to figure out the picture thing on my blog. HEY links and videos were hard enough. Koolaid eggs pictures are on my facebook.

And now I am drinking an adult Shirley Temple. We are supposed to be headed to MIL for night 2 of Passover (no seder)...at this rate my walk there might be more of a stumble....and I am out of cherry vodka....

The beef stew was a hit. Rebekah had some for breakfast the next day LOL

Last nights dinner was
Sliced avocado (ended up being THREE)
roast aspargus (olive oil, lemon pepper, garlic cloves, at 425)
Swiss chard (will share recipe)
and
baked chicken in an orange marmalade sauce...(it was ok, not worth a recipe share LOL)


Swiss chard

2tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 diced leek
1 bunch of swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped together, leaves coarsely chopped (we cut in half)
1/2 cup white wine
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (hmm, I think I used 2)
2+ tbsp of grated parmesan cheese

Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in leeks and cook abt 30 seconds. Add chard stems and white wine. Simmer until stems begin to soften. Stir in leaves and cook til "just" wilted. Stir in lemon juice and cheese.

They are gone, there are no leftovers....

Not sure whats on the menu for tonight. Nathan wants artichokes with butter to dip the leaves in. Not certain what to serve with that...kinda want peppers, sausage and onions but dont want to actually make it ROFL

Hoping we can actually get some school work done today. I don't think any got done yesterday...

Nathan has an early am game tomorrow morning. He has to be there at 7am. That is soooo early for us...

Wednesday

Today is Wednesday. Wednesday means a new produce basket from Abundant Harvest Organics.I still have quite a bit from last week...oops
Today's basket contained more leeks so I quickly found something to throw into the crockpot using the older leeks and since tonight Nay has baseball practice,the crockpot was ideal.

Beef stew with leeks
5 chopped leaks (leftover from last weeks box)
3 chopped carrots (leftover from last weeks box)
3 chopped parsnips(in this weeks box)
3 chopped russet potatoes (leftover from last weeks box)
2lbs beef round cut into stew sized piece or stew meat
6-8 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
2-3 cans of water
3 beef bouillion cubes (abt)

Place everything in crockpot in order (like layers) until you get to the spices, drop peppercorns down the sides or other "holes". Dump tomato sauce on top, then basil and oregano. Add 2-3 cans of water, just until you can see the water level rising. Add 1 beef bouilion cube for each can of water used, and 1 for the tomato sauce. Cook on low 7-8hrs.

Will let you know how it comes out.

Will be headed to a park day in a bit. Then Nathan to baseball practice. Last night was a game.

Ta ta for now LOL

I'm a reader, not a writer..........

I read.

I don't write

and I rarely blog.

Even way back in high school....no issues reading the assignment...write an analysis? I was the one counting the words...and making my margins on the typewriter smaller to fill the pages.

October is over....which is good....it was crazy.

November is here...and we are almost half way ...and it has been so much calmer.

Next Friday we will go with the science group to the local planetarium/observatory...I am not sure which...heck I dont even know where it is.

Tomorrow Christine has another Faire workshop....I have to take her all the way there and back....her normal carpool partner couldnt get the day off work. No biggie, I dont usually mind driving. Now, if I only knew where to go.

My laundry is behind again, it was caught up on monday...I am not sure how I let it fall behind yet again.

I need to get some blankets made....really, really need to...

And perhaps some tye dying...park day is having an arts and craft fair and the kids want to tye dye for it....
Its on the list....

We also finally ordered our cabinets for the kitchen....they should be here the week of the charity shoot....hmm I see December ending up much like October...CRAZY

Kids are having evaluations at Gymnastics this week. Hopefully, they will all advance at least a level....

I have been branching out in cooking again...found a few new recipes that have been hits....have another I am dying to try...turnip gratan...I also have been keeping closer tabs on our food budget.....

Off to go yell at 2 youngerst to clean up the living room...yet again....with as long as it takes them, you would think we lived in a mansion...instead of a 1,100 sq ft townhome.

What's for dinner?

So, what are you making? I am always looking for something new.
Todays is a recipe from a friends Live journal....I could save myself alot of time and link you there but, I believe the entry is a private one....so you would see nothing.
Its a crockpot recipe, which generally means easy which fits my first requirement for a new recipe...
It is originally called Brett Favre chili but, her son renamed it 49er chili.


1 1/2 lb ground beef
2 med green and/or red sweet peppers, chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 sm onion, chopped
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15-16oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained
1 14oz can diced tomatoes with garlic, undrained
1 140z can diced tomatoes with green chilis, undrained
1 10oz can cream of mush soup
1 1.25 oz pkg chili seasoning mix
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tsp creole seasoning or 1/4 cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

In large skillet, cook ground beef until no longer pink, drain off fat. In crockpot,stir together all ingredients including ground beef. Cover and cook on low for 7-8hrs or high for 3-4.

I skipped the creole/cayenn pepper as I am serving it to small children.
So far my house smells pretty good.
I think I will serve corn muffins with it....

SOOOOO what are you having....
(Hmm i think my favorite word, at least to type, might be so)