A Few Very Good Things...

I have two bits of information to post about today.  Both of these things are exciting to me.  One is very exciting!   In fact, it's not just good, it's great!

Because October is almost here, because it's cool and cloudy outside, and because everyone needs to know about pumpkin spice pudding mix, I decided to make pumpkin bread.  Nothing puts you in the mood for Fall like the taste of pumpkin (well, besides football)!  I got this recipe from a friend I used to teach with before I had Adda.  I taught second grade here in Arlington for three years.  I was apart of a great team who I became very close with.  The three years I worked at Williams, were the three years we were trying to get pregnant.  There were countless times that the ladies on my team listened, cried, and prayed with me.  I will forever cherish the friendships I formed with those five ladies.  I will forever be grateful for the time the Lord provided with each of them.  Roz is who I got the recipe from.  She is a fantastic cook!  It is truly her passion.  This first time I meet her I knew she was someone I would become great friends with.  I did check with her about sharing this recipe before I posted it!  Everytime I make it I think of her!

Roz's Pumpkin Bread

 2 cups of flour

1 3/4 cups of sugar

1 - 3.4 oz. package of Jello brand pumpkin spice pudding mix 

(This pudding is only sold during the Fall months.  Stock up on it!  It's delicious!  If you can't find it Roz uses vanilla instead.)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

5 eggs

1 1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 small can of pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease 2 loaf pans (I decided to make mine in the bundt pan today).  In a bowl combine flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking soda, salt, and spices.  In another larger bowl beat eggs until combined.  Add pumpkin and oil and mix well.  Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients just until combined.  Do not over mix.  Pour into pans and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  She said she has also made this in a jelly roll pan.  

Today I made a maple glaze to drizzle over it.  I used powdered sugar maple syrup and a little maple flavoring because I had it in my pantry.  I mixed them together until I got the consistency and flavor I wanted.  I also added a little milk.

 While the pumpkin bread was baking I went out to the sunroom and put together our new DOUBLE STROLLER!  The capital letters are my attempt at letting you know how stinking fired up I am about this!  I looked all over the internet, read tons of reviews, and talked to a bushel of people about double strollers before Ella was even born.  We planned on getting one and then she got RSV, was put in the hospital, and we had a few thousand more dollars of hospital bills that were unexpected.  I kept telling myself that I could do it without one.  I have done it for almost 8 months without one!  Most of the time it was no big deal.  Adda was responsible enough that I could let her walked beside me.  The only times that I longed for one were times when I wanted to go exercise (Letting Adda ride her trike while I pushed Ella in the stroller burned about .483 calories per hour), or times when I was in a huge hurry and the store we were in was really crowded.  I finally threw in the towel on Saturday afternoon when I took the girls to the mall by myself, in the rain, during the big Dillards sale!  I was almost in tears before it was all said and done.  Adda had already cried many tears from falling (more than once) because I was pushing the stroller too fast.  My toes were bleeding because she stepped on them about twenty times!  I know I wasn't very nice to that poor girl!  Listen, I'm not a perfect mom by any means.  I don't keep my cool 100% of the time.  I get a little tense at times.  None of that changes how much I love my girls.  My mom still apologizes for things that she did (all of which we think are really funny).  I will apologize for some things too some day!  I do know this...a double stroller will make things sooooo much easier on us all!!!!  

I walked out in the sun room and found Sissy asleep on the stroller.

 Here are all the parts. 

 My handy helper Sissy is back, but this time in the basket.

 Complete!  Oh, this makes me smile!

 Ready for a walk when the girls wake up from their nap.  Notice the basket is sagging on one side.  That's Sissy again!

 Rotten Cat! Notice the really large basket under the seat!  Huge perk!

 Sleepy Cat!

It was a successful calorie burning walk!!!!  At one point as we were going up a huge hill and I was breathing very heavy Adda said, "Mom, we need to go much faster than this!"  I told her I was going as fast as I could!

   

  

A New - New Do!

I posted two weeks ago that I cut my hair.  I did actually cut 6 inches off, but I still wanted it shorter.  I went this morning and cut another three inches off.  I love it!  I needed a big change.  I liked it before this cut, but it was still pretty long.  So here it is!  Short for me!  I'm looking forward to doing it curly.

 We have our first district game tonight against Arlington High!  Wish us luck!  Gotta have a W!

Chinese Take Out...At Home

I have a few things in my kitchen that I love!  One of these is my wok.  My parents bought it for Gonzo and I right after we got married.  Growing up my mom made stir fry all the time.  It was a meal that had lots of vegetables and made plenty for leftovers.  (My love for leftovers came from her!)  She had two complaints about her wok.  It wasn't non stick.  Every time she made something in it the bottom had a thick layer of burnt food that had to be soaked off.  It also didn't go in the dishwasher.  My mother loves the dishwasher!  Even more than that she loves when things that normally wouldn't be able to go in the dishwasher, can go in the dishwasher.  When my mom picked out our wok she looked for non stick and dishwasher safe!  She found it!  I think she was living vicariously through us with the new wok.  I think she really wanted it for herself but she bought it for us!  She is one good lady!

 

Breville Electric Wok

If you are ever in the market for an electric wok, this is a great one.  Last year we got my mom a gift card to Williams Sonoma so she could get a new wok with all the things she was looking for.  Of course, she bought this one!  

Along with my wok, I love Chinese food, and I love fried rice!  There are these great boxed meals you can buy at the grocery store that have everything you need (except chicken) to make great Chinese take out at home.  I like them because you can add pretty much whatever you want to it and have a great stir fry.  I like to use the rice in the box and add vegetable to make fried rice!  When they are on sale a Kroger I will get two or three of them just to have in the pantry.  It's a great meal!
 

I don't follow the instructions on the box exactly because I add more chicken than it calls for and I usually add different vegetables.  The first thing you do is cut the chicken up and put the seasoned cornstarch on it.  I always add more cornstarch to it since I use more chicken.   

 Heat the oil in the wok.  I use a little more oil than it calls for. 

 On a high sear you add the chicken and cook (stirring frequently) until it is golden brown.

 I drain it on a paper towel to get rid of the excess oil.

 Empty the extra oil and add the vegetable.  These are for the fried rice, but if I were going to add vegetable to the chicken mixture I would cook those before the carrots and peas.  Pour a little bit a water in the wok and cover.  Cook on high for 2-3 minutes just until they are starting to soften.  If you were cooking vegetables for the chicken you would take them out and start the carrots and peas for the rice.  I didn't add any other vegetable tonight so I continued with the fried rice.

 Before you add the cooked rice uncover and cook off the liquid from steaming the vegetable.  Add a little bit of oil and the rice and stir.  Cook on high (stirring frequently) 3-4 minutes.

 Add a little bit of soy sauce and continue to cook and stir for a few more minutes. 

 Empty the rice from the wok and add the chicken and vegetables of your choice back to the wok with the sauce.  I add a little bit of water to create more sauce.  Cook and stir a few minutes until it is warmed through and all combined.  Serve over your fried rice.

 Adda came in the kitchen and said, "Mom take a picture of my food too!"  Maybe I blog too much!  I love that girl because she never misses a beat!  Her bowl is minus the spicy garlic sauce!

 Looks pretty close to the picture on the box.  Try it!  You'll love it!  There are several flavors and we like them all.

Green Chile Sauce

I was in the mood for green chile sauce so I decided that it would be good over a steak.  I had some steaks in the freezer that I got on sale a while back and marinated them.  Besides throwing some sweet potatoes in the oven to bake and wrapping corn in foil for the grill all I had to cook was the sauce.  It's so easy to make!  Even if you can't get your hands on Hatch Green Chiles you can make this with any chile you can pick up at the grocery store.  It would be delicious with roasted poblanos as well.  If you have ever eaten at Chuy's this is like the green chile sauce they use.

Hatch Green Chile Sauce

(This is not an exact recipe.  You can use a little more or less of all of the ingredients)

  12 roasted and peeled green chiles (about 2 cups)

1 large onion diced

3-4 cloves of garlic minced

2-3 cups of chicken stock

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. chile powder (optional)

1 heaping tbsp. of flour

salt and pepper to taste

You can also add fresh or a can of diced tomatoes.  I would have probably added some but I didn't have any in my pantry.  We like tomatoes on pretty much everything.  If you do make sure and drain them well before adding.  

To roast a chile: Char the skin of the chile either on the grill or under the broiler in the oven.  Continuously turn it until it is black all the way around.  Put the chiles in a ziploc bag (or bowl covered with saran wrap) and seal.  The steam will help the skin come off when they are cool.  After they cool, or have thawed from the freezer peel the skin away trying not to rinse the chile with water.  If you rinse them it washes away some of their flavor.  Hold the chile at the top and pull down.  The skin should slide right off. 

 Cut the top off and scrape out the seeds. 

 I only had two small garlic cloves so I added a little bit of garlic powder while I cooked the sauce.

Saute the onions and garlic with olive oil until they are translucent.  Add the spices and seasonings and cook a few more minutes.  

I used Hatch Red Chile powder because I didn't have any green chile powder.  Add the seasonings to the onion and garlic mixture. 

 You should also add the flour at this point and let it cook a few minutes with the seasonings.  I forgot to add it then so I ladled a little bit of the liquid out after I added the chicken broth and set that aside to add later with the flour to help thicken it.

 After adding the green chiles add the chicken stock.  Turn the heat to low and simmer covered for 20-30 minutes.  Uncover and cook down to reduce the liquid by half. 

 We ate it over our steak, but it can also be served over chicken.  It could be used in quesadillas, burritos, or enchiladas.  It could be served over fried eggs for huevos rancheros.  If you have leftovers they can be frozen and used later.   

Oh, Fair New Mexico!

 We love, we love you so.  

Our hearts with pride o'reflow

No matter where we go.

O, Fair New Mexico, 

We love, we love you so,

The grandest state to know

New Mexcio.

If you're from New Mexico and you hear or see the word Hatch you start to salivate.  You start to crave the flavor of a green chile, roasted to prefection and ladeled over stacked enchiladas with a fried egg on top.  You hear the word hatch and you can smell the burnt skin of the chile's as they turn around and around in the roaster, turning from green to black in a matter of minutes.  The word Hatch symbolizes what New Mexico food is all about.  There is a difference between Mexican food and New Mexican food.  The chile pepper is the base of all the flavors of Nuevo Mejico.  Well now that you are all ready to eat some green chile sauce by the spoonful, let me give you a list of recipes that will be posted on the blog in the near future.  

Chile Rellenos

Stacked Enchiladas with Chile Verde Sauce

Green Chicken Enchiladas

Green Chile Stew

Green Chile Mac and Cheese

Green Chile Burgers

Yesterday, I finally bought our half bushel of Hatch green chiles.  They are roasted and put away in the freezer to use for the next few months.  If you are from New Mexico and you are reading this I will eat these for you!  Come on over and enjoy them with us if you want!  Your always welcome at our house!  

 Here is the roaster!

 The smell of them roasting is amazing! 

 Here they come!  When we walked back to the car and he put the box in the car for us Adda said, "Thank you, that was fun!"  Sweet girl!

 Half a bushel...wonder how long these will last us?

 I wore gloves, just in case!  You never know how hot they will be.  I got medium, but that could be hot this year and mild next. 

 I got 15 1quart bags with 6 chiles per bag.  I should get a little over a cup of chopped chiles per bag.  

Yummo! 

A chewing problem! No judging!

I have decided that both my girls have a chewing problem. I'm pretty sure (actually, positively sure) that I passed this trait down to them. As a kid I chewed on everything. I still find myself chewing on stuff. I don't know what's wrong with me. I probably need some sort of counseling for it. Adda does the same thing. Everything, and I mean everything, goes straight to her mouth! It's like she needs to explore things with hands, eyes, and tongue! Listen, I totally remember thinking those thoughts as a kid! It's a problem!

The other day my cousin (Suzanne Shipp Green) posted this picture on instagram. Her caption was that her mom found her old Barbies. I replied to her asking if any of them had chew marks on their feet. I used to chew her most prized possessions. She also had an amazing eraser collection, and I might have chewed a few of them up. I know, I know, I am shaking my head right now too! Again, it's a problem!

 Poor Ken! You would think by looking at these teeth marks it might have been a puppy. No, just a little cousin named Jocelyn! Love you Suz!

Adda is crazy in love with her paci! She has always loved it! Before she turned two we made her keep her paci in her bed. She could only have it when she slept, either nap or bedtime. She had no problem with this at all. When she woke up it stayed in her bed. We didn't feel like it was hurting anything for her to keep using it while she slept. It wasn't affecting her speech, she didn't use it in public or around the house, and she never threw any fits about wanting it. In February (when Ella was born) she got RSV and we noticed that one of her pacifiers had a hole. She had four Avent brand pacifiers. These were old and I just thought this particular one was just plain worn out. I threw it away and she started using another one. Then Ella got RSV and we were at Cook's Childrens Hospital with her for 3 days. During these three days she stayed with a few different people. When we got home I noticed that the two pacifiers she had in her overnight bag both had holes. I honestly thought that maybe the dogs at both house she stayed at might have gotten a hold of them. I threw them away and gave her the last pacifier. A few days later I noticed it had a hole. I realized that we had a piranha on our hands, and her name was Adda!  Gonzo and I talked about it and decided that with a brand new baby who was getting over RSV, Adda getting over RSV, and Gonzo and I both getting over being sick, I didn't care if she had one more pacifier. We had a bag of extra ones that were gifts or free ones we got in the mail. We let her pick one more and told her that was it. She of course picked the pink glitter one that said "Princess" on the front. She knew that if this one got a hole it was going in the trash and she wouldn't have another one. Well...yesterday she talked and played during her nap. I didn't think too much about it because I had given her Zyrtec that morning and thought maybe that was just keeping her awake. When I went in to get her she asked where her paci was. We found it and she said, "Mom, I gave paci a hole." It wasn't just a hole! The whole tip of the paci was gone! We took it to the trash and she had to toss it in.

There it goes!!! We made a really big deal about it last night and gave lots of high fives! Surely, she would sleep good! She had no nap, swam, and jumped on the trampoline! She did! Slept great! This morning we went to get donuts and chocolate milk (after she told me that's what Papa gets her) to celebrate saying goodbye to paci!

Her nap wasn't great today, but she did sleep! 

Ella might also have a chewing problem! Maybe not, I do think she is getting her top two eye teeth right now. I went in to get her after she woke up from her nap the other day and this is what I found.

This is what it should look like.

She could reach the ruffle with her mouth and she chewed and ripped it during her nap. Really!!! Wow!  It's a problem, I know!