blue fishbowl jell-o

So I have this glass bowl/vase that is shaped like a little fish bowl. So I thought, hey - I'll make blue jell-o and put Swedish Fish inside, and make a little edible fishbowl!

James loved it, he helped drop the fish in and had tons of fun. I have to say that the Swedish Fish actually don't taste that great once they've been in jell-o for awhile - they get a little slimy and sticky. Kind of fishy, really. Still a fun little activity, nevertheless.

wafflelibraryfriday.

wafflelibraryfriday: noun. A day (usually a Friday) in which our family eats a yummy waffle breakfast together, then goes on a trip to the library. It's also kind of a fun word to say. Try it.

We actually haven't been able to do this as much lately with Daddy's work schedule, but we still love going to the library together (even if it's not on a Friday)! This has become a fun family tradition. James especially loves it. He not only loves reading books there (his current favorite is the Clifford the Big Red Dog series) but loves to play on the toys there in the children's section.

Mommy and Daddy also love checking out books, but have found that with a toddler who just wants to play in one section of the library, it is much easier to reserve the books online and then pick them all up in the same place.

And we love waffles! I didn't used to make them so often because they always seemed like too much work for a sleepy mama who really isn't a morning person. But then I came up with a great solution. I make multiple recipes of the dry ingredients and then dump them all in a canister to make my own waffle mix! Then all I have to do is measure out how much I need, then add the milk, oil, and eggs...it is so much faster!

Here's my recipe:

Favorite Waffle Mix

1 and 3/4 cup flour (I use a combination of white & wheat)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Make as many recipes of this as you need to fill your canister or container. Make sure all the ingredients are mixed together well.

And when you're ready to whip up some quick, yummy waffles:

Favorite Waffles

Separate yolks/whites of 2 eggs.
Put yolks in a large bowl.
Beat the whites in a separate bowl with a hand mixer until fluffy; set aside.

To egg yolks add:

1 and 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup oil
1 and 3/4 cup Favorite Waffle Mix

Beat with hand mixer until smooth. Fold in egg whites.

This recipe makes quite a bit and feeds our little family of 3 for a couple of meals. I either make half a recipe or I save the remaining batter in the fridge for the next morning.

Enjoy!

we don't usually eat on the floor...but sometimes it's fun :)

Taco Seasoning Recipe

Don't you hate it when a recipe calls for a taco seasoning packet, and you don't have one? When faced with this dilemma awhile ago I finally decided to just find my own recipe and make it myself. I think it tastes a lot better, it's probably cheaper, and you have the great sense of satisfaction that your meal is that much more homemade. I am not sure where I found this recipe, but it was online somewhere...

Taco Seasoning Mix

6 teaspoons chili powder
5 teaspoons paprika
4 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons onion powder
2 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

This recipe makes more than one regular packet, so you just have to figure out how much to add. I like to make a bunch and keep it in my spice cabinet for whenever I need it. Enjoy!

yummy crock pot soup!

I love trying out new recipes, and I tried a winner yesterday and thought I'd share!


The recipe is for Smashed Potato Soup that you make in the crock pot. I got it from this website. I also made Golden Flax Bread to go with it - which sounds impressive but is totally cheating because I made it in the bread maker! Oh well, what better thing to wake up to in the morning than the smell of homemade bread (AND it only took about FIVE minutes of prep time)? I've been making this bread recipe for awhile and we love it! I also thought I'd whip up some Honey Butter to go with it. Yummy!

Here are the recipes....hope you enjoy!

Smashed Potato Soup

Ingredients

3-1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped yellow and/or red sweet pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons bottled roasted garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream, half-and-half, or light cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
Sliced green onions for garnish (optional)

Directions

In a 4- to 6-quart slow-cooker, combine potatoes, sweet pepper, garlic, and black pepper. Pour broth over all.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or high-heat setting 4 to 5 hours. (I did it on high for an hour and a half, then low for 5 hours.)

Mash potatoes slightly with a potato masher. Stir in whipping cream, cheddar cheese and the 1/2 cup sliced green onions. If desired, top individual servings with additional green onions. Serves 8.


Golden Flax Bread

Ingredients

7/8 cup water
2 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons milled flax seed
2-1/2 cups bread flour (I used 2 cups white flour and 1/2 cup wheat - I may use more wheat next time)
1-1/2 Tablespoons non-fat dry milk
1-1/2 teaspoons fast rise yeast

Directions

Add ingredients to the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer (I do it in the order listed here). Select basic cycle with a light or medium color setting. Yield: 1-1/2 pound loaf.


Honey Butter

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Mix all ingredients together. I actually made about half this much for our little family.

Amazing Makeshift Peach Cobbler

Thanks everyone for all the sweet comments - we really appreciate it! Life is good.

I thought I'd share an awesome recipe we sort of...came up with...the other day. Anyone tried the dutch oven peach cobbler recipe where you layer peaches, cake mix and 7up? Well, we have and we love it - it tastes great and is so simple. The other day I was so craving some peach cobbler - but didn't quite have all the ingredients. We made do with what we had, and it turned out delicious! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

Peaches (we just used a store-bought 16 oz. can)
Blueberry muffin mix (we used the Betty Crocker kind where you just add water & it makes a small batch; we tried the Triple Berry flavor the 2nd time and liked Blueberry better)
Cherry 7up



Drain out syrup from peaches can and dump peaches in a baking pan. Cover peaches with muffin mix. Pour cherry 7up over muffin mix until there are no dry parts left (we used about half the can).

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 or 25 minutes.



Turns out delicious, oozing with purple amazingness.

Hope you enjoy!

Homemade :)