Sunday Dinner with Pa

The first Sunday of every month, we got to my Father-in-law's house for dinner.

My father-in-law Richard (Rick to everyone else), is a terrific guy.  I know this because of big things, but also many little things he does.  Among other things, one of the biggest ways he has helped Nathan and I is by helping to watch our kids since Jared was a baby.  Not many grandpa's sign up for that.

Also, when he cooks chicken for dinner, he always cooks me boneless, skinless chicken breasts because he knows I hate bone-in chicken.  He knows the way to my heart is directly through my belly!!

Wordless Wednesday - FHE at Swig

Ok, nearly worldless, last week for FHE we hit up Swig for drinks and cookies.  The cookies are good and the Dirt Ball is my favorite (Isaac has one in his hand).

Lunch with the Kids

A couple Saturday's ago, I decided to take the kids to lunch.  Nathan was working and I needed to get out of the house.  I wanted to do something out of the ordinary, so I took them to +Buffalo Wild Wings.

This is about how the entire lunch looked from my perspective:

So many TV monitors for them to watch.

The only child who paid attention to me, was this one:

So we took some selfies...

 At least all of the kids were quiet and entertained.  :)

Halloween Pictures & My Birthday

It's almost Thanksgiving and I am still posting about Halloween!?    Oh well...

I was a lame mother this year and didn't take a picture of my children in their costumes, except Clara who insisted on having a mini photo shoot.  She dressed up as Queen Elsa from Frozen.

I did snap a picture of Isaac with his "finished" Jack-o-lantern.

Since it was also my birthday, I went to lunch with my mom to +Olive Garden.  I had their yummy Pumpkin Cheesecake for dessert.

Somehow, Google knew it was my birthday and presented me with a "Google Cake" on their homepage.

That sweet guy I married surprised me with flowers and running clothes.

Later in the evening, after the kids had trick-or-treated, Nathan and I and a couple friends went and got some dinner.

It was a great day!

Quick Beef Stroganoff

This is a favorite recipe at our house.  It is loosely patterned after this recipe from Kraft Foods.  Their recipe is for a crockpot meal and uses stew meat.  I wanted it quick and easy and I wanted to use ground beef.

Quick Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb.  ground beef
• 10 oz.  canned mushrooms (you could use fresh)
• 1/2  onion, chopped 
• 1 clove  garlic, minced 
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 2 tsp.  paprika 
• 1 tsp.  salt 
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream (I like things saucy, so the 1 cup they suggested wouldn't cut it!)
• 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard 
• 4 cups egg noodles, uncooked 
• 2 tsp. dried parsley 

Directions:

In large pot, cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, lightly oil, large skillet.  Saute onion, garlic and mushrooms, until tender.  Add ground beef and cook until brown.  Drain grease.  Return meat mixture to medium heat and add beef bouillon (and a 1/2 cup water), paprika, and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix sour cream and dijon mustard.

When pasta is al dente, drain and add to skillet with meat mixture.  Mix to combine.  Then add the sour cream mixture and mix more.  Add parsley to top.  Serve in skillet.

Serve with green beans or the vegetable of your choice!  Enjoy!

The Weekend Wrap-up - Birthdays, Mother's Day and an Anniversary

Last Friday was Isaac's birthday.  Nathan checked him out of school at lunch time and we went to Milagros for lunch.  It was the first time Isaac had ever eaten there and he loved it.  I love a kid who loves food!

After stopping at the store to get him his gift, I had to go back to work, but Nathan and Isaac hung out for the rest of the afternoon.

Later that night he had a bunch of his friends over for a pizza/night-games party.  I didn't snap any pictures. You'll just have to trust me on this one.  

The next morning, we got up early and went to +Kneaders for breakfast.  This is fast becoming a tradition in our family.  Since it was the day before Mother's Day, all the Moms got free french toast.  YUM!

Here are the three of us at breakfast.

Later that afternoon we went to +Texas Roadhouse to help Debbie celebrate her birthday. What a great couple!

Someone, not me, told on her and she had to "saddle up" for a Texas-sized Yeehaw!

After dinner, we hurried home for cake and ice cream with family for Isaac's birthday.

Which brings us to yesterday, which was not only Mother's Day, but also Nathan and I's 14th wedding anniversary.

The kids and Nathan made me a terrific breakfast in bed and cards and goodies that they had made for me.  Such sweeties.  After church we went to visit Nathan's mom and then my parents came over for roast and potatoes, which Nathan cooked.

It was a good day!

Not only was I spoiled for Mother's Day, but I am also spoiled to be married to my best friend for the last 14 years!  He always accuses me of acting like a princess, but that is how he treats me, so it's his own fault.

Love that guy I married!

An Angry Bird Cake

For the Blue and Gold Banquet this year, Isaac and I needed to make and bring a cake.  The theme was "Angry Birds" and my friend Collette gave us a great idea.

Our cake's theme was "The unseen dangers of Angry Birds"

First, we made a sling shot out of bamboo skewers and a rubber band.  We printed out some angry bird cupcake toppers that I got here and attached them to toothpicks.

Then using some white frosting and brown sprinkles, I made some bird poop.  We just made blobs on wax paper and put it in the freezer.

After the cake was baked and frosted with chocolate frosting, we began decorating.  For the big yellow bird, I just made one of the birds really big and had Isaac cut it out.  We attached that to a bamboo skewer also. Isaac loved the cake.  It was right up his alley - remember his Valentine box?

Pan Bread Traditions

When I was a little girl, my mom would make us pan bread for a treat.  We called them "scones" back in the day, but we now refer to it as "pan bread" at my house because I don't deep fry them.  Going for semi-healthy here..... not really!

Anyway, my kids love pan bread too  And even though it is only bread dough fried up in a pan, it is the treat they like the best.  I usually make these delicious edibles on Sunday after dinner - just like my mom used to do for us.

I just whip up a batch of dough in my bread machine and then roll it out with a rolling pin until it is about 1/2-inch thick and cut it into squarish pieces.  My mom liked to make them thick and my dad always like them really thin.  I usually go for a good in between thickness.  Just remember that the thicker you make them, the fewer pieces you'll end up with.

Put some oil into a frying pan, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan and heat it up over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, put your square dough pieces in there and cook until golden brown.  Then use a spatula or tongs to flip those warm yummies over.

If they cook too fast, you'll need to turn down the heat so that they aren't crispy on the outside and doughy in the middle.

Once they are browned on both sides, transfer them to a paper towel lined plate to cool.

We serve ours up with either honey or homemade strawberry freezer jam.  SO GOOD!

Even Nathan loves them.  I tried to take the picture of him mid-bite, but wasn't quick enough.

Peace out!

My Favorite Mashed Potatoes

For Thanksgiving this past week, we celebrated at Mom and Dad's house with all of the Carter Kin.

For dinner, I made my favorite mashed potatoes.  You can find the recipe here.

I also made Cranberry Relish, which I neglected to take a picture of, but they are seriously delish!  People always turn their nose up at cranberries until they try this wonderful concoction of cranberries, apples and cherry jello.  It tastes great on turkey and rolls.  One day I'll post the recipe.

Ham and Cheese Pinwheels

I came across a pin for these Ham and Cheese Pinwheels a while ago on pinterest.  The pin I pinned didn't link back to anything, so if you know where the original pictures came from, let me know.

Last night I decided to make them for dinner.

Here's how mine turned out before baking and after.

Making this was not rocket-science.  It was super simple.  You could use pre-made refrigerated dough, but I just whipped some bread dough up really quick.

Ham and Cheese Pinwheels

Ingredients
Bread Dough
Sliced Ham
Grated Monterrey Jack Cheese (you can use any cheese really, this is just what I had on hand)
Sliced Muenster Cheese

Directions
Roll dough out into a rectangle shape.  Top with sliced ham.  Then add a layer of muenster cheese down the middle.  Spread shredded cheese around the edges.  Then carefully roll up. (If you need a visual of this click here to view the original pin on Pinterest.)  Cut into 1-2 inch sections and place on baking sheet.  Bake in the oven at 425 for 20-25 minutes.

_______________

Super yummy,  They were a hit with the kids and the hubby.

I also whipped up a sauce to go with them, just some mayo and dijon mustard mixed together.  Delish!

Working with a Donkey

Clara hung out at work with me yesterday.  We went to +Wendy's for lunch and she got this Shrek Donkey mask in her kid's meal.  Hilarious!

I had the new Pretzel Pub Chicken Sandwich for lunch and it was delicious!

Hunting in Wyoming

Last weekend, Nathan, the boys and I went to Wyoming to hunt deer.  The girls stayed with grandma and grandpa.

We went up through Provo Canyon and made the obligatory stop at Dairy Keen for a Train Burger and a shake for dinner.  YUMMY!

Then we were off to Kemmerer to spend the night.  My blurry picture of the sign leading us to our stop.

We stayed at the Best Western in Kemmerer.  It is a new hotel and was really nice.  They served breakfast that was reminiscent of our stay in St George.  Tons of good stuff.  Nathan was happy because they had biscuits and gravy.  They boys even went down to the indoor pool for an hour or so that night before heading to bed.

After eating breakfast we headed off to do some hunting.  It was cold and rainy.

Nathan giving me his ever-present onery photo look.

Even though we only saw antelope, Jared and Isaac had a great time!

In travelling down unfamiliar dirt roads, we came across this deserted place called Warfield Springs.  We spent a few minutes looking around at the rundown place.  It was a little creepy and I refused to get out of the truck.  In the movies when people come across an old deserted place like that, there is always a crazy person who kills them.