My kids discovered a new joke this week. I’ve heard it about 100 times in the past few days. It goes like this:
Just in case you didn’t catch that, here’s the dialogue.
Madison: What is Captain Hook’s favorite kind of breakfast?
Donovan: I dunno.
Madison: Peter Pan-cakes!
<insert hilarious laughter here>
I think of butter mints alongside turkey and stuffing, not hearts and flowers. Thanksgiving always meant butter mints when I was a kid. My Nanny (English grandmother, not baby-sitter) would have a bowl of them sitting on top of her giant TV, temptingly out of reach. It was the best turkey day ever when I was tall enough to reach up and help myself to sweet buttery goodness that dissolved on my tongue. I’m not sure what made it pop into my head to make my own mints, but when I realized how EASY it is, I couldn’t wait until next fall. I decided to make some for Valentine’s Day (season). Which, as you may or may not know, runs from the second week of January until mid-February. It’s true. Just ask Hallmark.
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My kids LOVE corndogs. They would eat them breakfast, lunch and dinner if I let them. Seriously. If I ever make the mistake of asking what they want to eat, the unanimous enthusiastic response is CORNDOGS!! Here’s the problem-o though. My kids are still young enough that I’m paranoid about them choking on a hot dog. I still cut them in half lengthwise and then into small little bites for them. So, aside from not being that healthy, corndogs are kind of a pain. The kids can’t just dip them and eat them, it’s a big production for me before they can even touch their food. Annoying! I’ve found a great solution in these adorable mini corndogs made in my tart pan.
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Note to self. A three-year-old plus a platter of cookies = temptation beyond measure. Every single cookie — about 20 of them. Mangled. A little finger print right thru the top. Actually, it kind of looks like what my sister’s boxes of chocolates look like after they’ve tested them to see which ones are cremes/caramels and which are just yucky nut filled things. Maybe Donovan was just checking to see what was inside. Good thing they were wrapped in plastic I suppose. Otherwise, he probably would have eaten them instead of only playing with them.
I just had to share this from my church service this morning. It’s too cute not to pass on. Enjoy!
So, I just have to share this because my daughter is too cute.
Madison has been learning memory verses at a program called Cubbies at our church. She was super excited to finally nail down her final verse this week. She gets to advance to the “big book” of memory verses after she says this one for her teachers tonight.
It’s a beautiful thing for me to see my 4 year old keeping God’s word in her heart. And being totally psyched about it. Her simple little verse was a reminder to me today that God didn’t wait until I’d done a bunch of good things, or fixed all my failings before He saved me. While I was still a sinner, He died for me. How awesome. Also, Madison is the cutest little Dorothy in the world.
I had big plans for today. I had shopping to do – places to be. In the midst of making my grocery lists, my little boy got sick. So, I was stranded in the house all day with limited ingredients. The pumpkin pie poppers I’d planned to make will have to wait until I can get out to the store – which is fine since now I’ll be able to make and take them to my Grandma’s birthday party tomorrow. I had everything on hand for these mints though, and they made a fun project for me and my daughter to make while the little man recuperated on the couch. The dough is a little sticky and you’ll probably make a mess with it and the sugar, but these little mints are totally addictive! Which I only know because I’ve eaten at least a dozen – and they aren’t even fully set up yet. Oh well.
Cream Cheese Mints
Cream Cheese Mints
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
any color food coloring paste (optional)
My husband is not really a fan of sweets. Which is probably good since I’m baking all the time. However, he loves pie. So, on top of all my baking for going away this weekend – I made him an apple pie. I’m one of those people who views the crust as simply something that gets the pie into my mouth – but Zack loves crust. Dutch apple pie is a nice compromise. Delicious flaky crust for Zack plus a yummy sweet and crunchy topping for me. Last year my MOPS group made this pie and I used up the leftover ingredients to make 10 more to sell (profiting MOPS) to Zack’s co-workers. They were a HUGE hit at all their Thanksgiving dinners. I love that you mix up the ingredients in a Ziploc baggie – kids love helping with that part and it’s one less bowl to clean!
Dutch Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie
1 Pie Crust (my recipe below)
Filling:
4-5 tart apples peeled and sliced (I like to use granny smiths cause I’m a fan of the tart, but using 3 tart apples and 2 sweet ones works well too)
3/4 C granulated sugar
1/2 C flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Crumble Topping:
1 C flour
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C butter (room temperature)
Roll out pie crust and place in pie plate. For lots of ideas on decorative pie crust edges, click here. Place all filling ingredients and apples into a large Ziploc bag and shake to mix. Pour apple mixture into pie crust. Cut crumble ingredients together and crumble over apples. I have found that it helps if my hands are fairly cold when doing this, so if you tend to have warm hands – try running them under cold water, drying them and then crumbling the topping. Bake at 375° for 40-50 minutes. Foil the edges for last 15 minutes if crust begins to brown too much.
Flaky Pie Crust — This recipe makes three pie crusts – enough for one dutch apple plus one two crust pie. Or, half the recipe and use it in a deep dish pie plate. You’ll have a little extra for your munchkins to play with and roll out for themselves. 
Or, make the whole recipe and freeze (wrapped in plastic wrap) any remaining dough. Then you’ll have instant pie crust the next time you want to make a pie!
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups shortening
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
1/2 cup ice water
I like to just put all the ingredients (except water and egg) into my food processor. Pulse until crumbs form. Then pour in the egg and water, pulse some more to combine. Then remove, press into a ball and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use. Roll out on slightly floured surface.
If you don’t have a food processor, then follow these directions. In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, shortening, sugar, and salt. Blend together with a pastry cutter until crumbly. In a small bowl, mix egg with water. Blend into flour mixture. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use. Roll out on slightly floured surface.
This weekend, while shopping for the ultimate present for a little boy turning three, I overheard the following exchange between a mother and her young boy:
Boy: <throwing some kind of fit>
Mother: Come on honey – let’s get your Wii games first.
Boy: Noooooooo, I don’t want to.
Mother: Do you want your pizza?
I was totally appalled. Had this been my mother, we would have been heading out the door straight for a spanking after the first hint of fit-throwing. Certainly I would not have been offered pizza as a prize for complaining about the Wii games I was being purchased. Well, since I played with sticks and rocks as a kid, I’m not actually sure what the appropriate fill-in toy for my age range would be. I was just very thankful my daughter wasn’t with me to witness this behavior and see it being rewarded. Continue reading
I ran the Costco marathon today. I made excellent time. The track is three times from the far wall to the bathrooms at the front of the store. I can run it in about a minute and a half. Too bad it isn’t a real event.
I went to Costco to return a sweatshirt and pick up some pretzels. I’ve eaten my way through two 6 pound bags since I got on the weight loss gig in January. I’m not really enjoying them anymore, I now hate the sight of a bag of pretzels the size of a 5 year old, but they are a great low-fat light calorie snack. I headed to my local store after my workout this morning, but before I left the Y, I had to see if Madison needed to use the bathroom. We’re in the middle of our second week of potty training – which means I’ve spent more time in rooms with a toilet than rooms without one recently. Balancing Donovan on my hip, I managed to get Madison’s dress up, panties down and lift her to the seat. I know, it’s hard imagine one person doing all that unassisted. I’m pretty amazing. She wiggled around, asked what the bar on the wall was for and ultimately did not do any “business”. Continue reading
