Raindrops on roses, etc.

I thought I would post about some of my favorite things lately.

1. I requested this item for Christmas and LOVE it so far.
The enamel was chipping off of our other beater (what's with that?--we've only had it 6 years) and we risked consuming it in our food long enough. Anyway, this thing is great. Why couldn't I think of inventing that? When I made the cake batter for Elizabeth's birthday, I didn't have to scrape the bowl one bit.

2. I love this soup*. Serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches and it is so yummy and takes all of 10 minutes to prepare. The girls love it, too.
*Just don't make the mistake I did and buy the low-sodium kind. I could definitely tell the difference. The kids did, too, and were not fans of it either.

3. This game:
Elizabeth and I were playing last night and I was amazed at how good she is. I like it because it's math-y and all about seeing patterns. I keep hoping she'll like math, too. So far she does. For the record, Joe hates this game so if you don't like games like this don't bother with this one but I think it's fun.

4. This roll recipe that I got from a friend from church:

60 Minute Rolls
Combine:
3 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar (or less)
2 Tbsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. dry milk powder
1 tsp. salt

In glass measuring cup combine:
1 1/2 c. hottest tap water
1/4 c. vegetable oil

Gradually pour the liquid into the dry mixture, stirring. Beat (by hand or mixer) for 1 minute. Gradually add another 1 cup of flour and knead for 4 minutes. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes. Punch down and pinch off little balls about the size of golf balls. Place in greased 9x13 pan (we like about a Tbsp. of butter melted in the bottom). Brush another Tbsp. of butter on top of rolls. Cover and let rise 15 minutes. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Makes 24 rolls.

They are so fast to make and oh so yummy. I make them all the time now. I always half it and use more than half whole wheat flour.

4. These cute clippies. I finally got my act together and ordered some hair clippies from my friend Cindy. I don't want to steal one of her pictures but her button is on the side. I love them! They are all adorable, for one thing, and the girls fight over which ones they get to wear. But, what I love most is that they don't fall out! Thanks again, Cindy.

5. This book:
If you haven't read it, I would really recommend it. My mom let me borrow it when Natalie was a baby and I loved it then. I got it for Christmas and have been reading it again. She writes so beautifully and it makes me feel calmer just reading it.

This and That

We've been taking it pretty easy around here while Joe has finals. We've watched Christmas movies, I've been working on some Christmas gifts, and we've hung out at home a lot. Some of my favorite Christmas movies that we've watched are Miracle on 34th Street (we have the new version although both are good), Mickey's Christmas Carol, White Christmas, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (original cartoon). I also have Home Alone from the library right now which I need to watch and I tried to watch The Nativity but it was all scratched. Has anyone seen that? Is it any good? Anyway, I love Christmas movies. It's a Wonderful Life is the ultimate and I always save that until right before Christmas. What are your favorites?

Today we made some "edible snowflakes". We saw the recipe in The Friend and decided to make them. They were pretty good. I've never been good at cutting out snowflakes so they look kind of weird but the girls liked them.

Speaking of recipes, I wanted to share another new one that I love. Natalie talked me into buying a big thing of pears at Costco the other day. Of course, she's already basically done with them and we have a bunch left. I made a pear salad to help use them up. I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Melissa and it's one of my new favorite salads:

Gina's Salad

Pears (or apples), sliced (I left the peel on)
Spinach (or lettuce)
Feta
Dried cranberries
Walnuts

Dressing:
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. honey
1 t. poppy seeds
1/2 t. prepared mustard (I had to Goggle this and found out it just means actual mustard)
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/3 c. oil

(This was enough dressing for a pretty good sized salad that fed us all plus leftovers)

Yummy!

I also might try to make this pear torte from kraftfoods.com. I think it looks pretty good.

Also, we had my brother and his family over for dinner last night. The kids had fun playing together, especially my nephew Isaac who particularly enjoyed himself:

He totally dressed up like this all on his own! It was pretty funny.

More Halloween, etc.

A friend of mine sent me these pictures from our first Halloween party and I just had to post them.

How can you resist that chubby face?

Here is a picture from trick-or-treating Halloween night. The girls were loving life. After they got their candy, they would turn around immediately and say to us "I got an M&M/lollipop/etc., etc.!" and then would turn back around and say "thank you".
My sister-in-law Shari made a really yummy pumpkin roll about three years ago and I've literally been craving it ever since. I finally got around to making one and it really hit the spot. Here is the recipe if anyone's interested. Yumm...

I'm no food photographer but it really was good

Here's a random cute picture of the girls one morning.

Are they sisters or what?

Tried and True Recipes

I thought this was a fun and useful tag from my friend Katy. Please do it, too, so I can have new recipes!

Dinner recipe:
We love this recipe because (1) it's a family recipe, (2) it's delicious and my whole family loves it, (3) I get tired of eating chicken and beef all of the time, and (4) it's really easy to make and I always have the ingredients on hand.

Barbecued Pork Chops
4-6 pork loin chops (I like center-cut bone in, but you can use any kind)
1/2 onion, sliced into rings (white or yellow)
3/4 c. ketchup
1/2 c. water
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Mix all except pork and onions in a medium saucepan over med-low heat and simmer. Lay chops in a 13x9 pan and top with sliced onions. Pour sauce over the top and cover pan with foil. Cook at 200-250 for 5-6 hours. It can be cooked faster (say like 300 for 2ish hours) but the meat is more tender when it is cooked slower. Serve over rice using the extra drippings from the pan, too.

Fall/Festive recipe:
I found this recipe in a slow cooker cook book a few years ago and have made it many times since then. If you are a roast and mashed potatoes family, try this recipe. I am a gravy fanatic and the cinnamon makes this gravy and meat taste so yummy.

Spiced Beef Brisket
1 3 1/2 - 4 lb fresh beef brisket (I usually get beef chuck roasts)
2 c. water
1/4 c. ketchup
1 env. onion soup mix
2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. pepper
extra water and flour for the gravy

Place beef in a slow cooker, cutting to fit if necessary. In a bowl combine ingredients and then pour over brisket. Cook on low heat for 10-11 hours or on high heat for 5-5 1/2 hours (my crockpot cooks a lot faster than this so you may have to watch it).

To make the gravy, save the drippings from the brisket and skim fat. Pour into a saucepan on med-low heat. I put some flour and water in a jar or tupperware container and shake until it's mixed and forms a thick liquid. Pour this slowly into the saucepan while whisking to prevent lumps. Then, I usually add some of the water from the boiled potatoes (for some extra flavor) to thin the gravy back to the right consistency. This paragraph probably doesn't make sense. I only know how to make gravy from watching my mom and I obviously can't explain it well. :)