I have been checking out Audiobooks for my 1st grader lately. They are chapter books and are a great addition to his advanced readers. He listened to Mrs. Piggle Wiggles Farm, Cam Jansen and now the classic, Shiloh.
Kids Audio
I decided to browse the adult audiobook section and I came across these cool cases called “Playaways”. I picked one up and discovered that it is an all-in-one audiobook. Meaning all I need to listen is a AAA battery and headphones, the book is also the player! I really like this for several reasons, the biggest being that I don’t have any kind of CD player, MP3 Player or phone. This is perfect! What an awesome concept! My library system has over 700 titles available!
They even have children’s books too! Audiobooks have proven to be great to have in the car.
In my family, the Fall means more than beautiful trees, colors, apples, pumpkins and cider. It also means it is time for green chiles to come up from Southern Colorado and New Mexico.
My mom used to get to actually go pick em with her parents but we just venture down the street to a temporary produce stand. The smell… AMAZING! Have you ever had fresh roasted chiles in your car? It is quite heavenly!
This year we chose a mix of Pueblo Mosca Hot and a Hatch Medium, we had them fired and bagged together, it makes for a nice mix.
The boys really enjoyed watching the process, we got to pick our chiles out and then the lady put them in the roaster and fired them up. Then we watched her pour them into a bag, then into our car. When we got home we bagged them, about 5-6 per bag, then froze them.
nice variety!yum!freshly roastedOliver watching the roasting
I happened to be making french bread pizza that night so I took a couple of chiles, chopped them up, added garlic salt, then spread on the bread after the sauce and before the cheese……. yum!
There are so many things you can put green chiles on, the possibilities are almost endless. I will be sure to post some recipes once I start pulling them out of the freezer.
Some more shots of the produce stand – the boys got to pick out a mini-pumpkin to decorate.
Chile Stand in SW DenverOliver found his pumpkinBoys with the pumpkins
We love chocolate chip cookie dough. Now, thanks to Joy the Baker we can eat it on stick, and not worry about Grandma’s warning about raw dough! Thanks Joy!
By the way, you MUST visit her blog, Joy has the best food blog ever!
eggless batterbefore freezingdipped in semi-sweets
skittles
As I mentioned in the previous post, my sister-in-law’s baby shower was today. I made chocolate covered pretzels and then added store bought candy to the table and made what I call a mini candy buffet. I have seen some amazing candy buffets on the web and was really wanting to try one. It is not as grand as I would have liked but it seemed to be a hit.
My sister-in-law is due in December, tomorrow we celebrate with a baby shower. Her sweet friends are putting the shower on and I asked if I could contribute with a “mini” candy buffet. I will take pictures and blog about the buffet later. Tonight I made chocolate covered pretzels. I looked up some recipes but the first few I found called for a double-boiler, which I do not have.
I finally came across this recipe ,it allows for microwave chocolate melting. I used butter Crisco which gave the chocolate a smooth, buttery taste. They are using the colors purple, lime green, orange and black for October so I added sprinkles I picked up at Walmart.
the ingredientschocolate chips with criscoon the cookie sheet
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 package (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp shortening
2 dozen pretzel rods or large pretzel twists
Assorted sprinkles or small candies (optional)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional)
Preparation:
1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil.
2. Combine the chocolate chips and the shortening in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave until melted, stirring after every minute.
3. If dipping pretzel rods, hold a rod by one end and dip it in the chocolate, leaving an inch or two uncovered. If you are dipping pretzel twists, drop the whole pretzel in the chocolate and submerge it slightly. Use a fork to pull the pretzel out of the chocolate. Shake the chocolate-dipped pretzels several times to remove excess chocolate, and place it on the prepared baking sheet. If you are using sprinkles or small candies, sprinkle them on when the chocolate is still wet. Repeat with remaining chocolate and pretzels.
4. Place the pretzels in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to set the chocolate.
This is Samuel aka Sam Toot or Toot Toot. We love nicknames. Sam has jumped right into the family, he is sweet and spunky! He is a total ham too. He loves to be involved with everything and everyone.
He keeps himself busy during school time with the older boys…
He loves chocolate…
He keeps us smiling…
Thank you God for Sam Toot Toot, he is such a joy and a gift!
Today was the big day! A few days ago I blogged about my 1st Apple Pie, I wanted to enter a pie contest this weekend. I had planned on making a pie between then and now but my husband went out of town and I became really sick. I didn’t think I would end up in the contest after all. I woke Saturday morning and went right back to sleep, like 3 times! I had already missed my Saturday morning class and I relished the thought of staying in and doing nothing.
Then I walked into the kitchen, there sit all my pretty Granny Smith Apples… darn. Then I open the fridge and see my pie crusts waiting to be rolled out, hmmm. I had to at least give it a try. It was 9:30 by then, entries could be received no later than noon. I started but with the 3 little boys and all the prep work, I put the pie in the oven at 10:50.
crustapple in the crustlattice worklattice after trimmingbaking
I pretty much gave up then because I would only have 10 minutes to drive there and get the pie entered. Then I decided to keep trucking. I got all the kids ready, the car ready, the entry form, everything. I loaded the kids in the car and then came back in to get the pie and head out. SHOULD have taken the pie out before I loaded the kids, I should have not left it unattended at such a critical stage! Overcooked, some burnt crust! No!
Ugh! I cooked it about 6 minutes too long!
At this point I was like, “just keep swimming, swimming” (think Dori from Nemo). I was determined to keep going, keep trying. I headed up a traffic filled, over-congested major throughfare. I even muttered “It is in the Lord’s hands now”, to which my 7-year old asked what I meant. Traffic is killing me but I have resigned myself. OK we are at the light to turn left into the parking area… 2 minutes. NO PARKING, anywhere, I ask an attendant what I can do since I literally have 1 minute left. He told me to find a cadet and the cadet would run it in. AWESOME. Ok, I am not out of this yet.
I flag down a cadet and give him the run down, he is on a mission!
Now, since the winners will not be announced for another hour or two, I head home. I planned on meeting my mother and sister there later so we headed home to get water and use the facilities.
Cider Days TicketsOliver with his Soda Shop Hat
Back at the event, while waiting for my mother to show up, we missed the announcement of the winners. Turns out my mom already went in and she said she thinks I might have won. I was thinking, no way – it’s kind of burned… So here is the video, you have to watch and listen to what one lady tells a couple of other ladies, it is hilarious! I turned the camera on when I first walked in the room, the room had pretty much cleared out at this point.
So there you have it! It won on taste! I’ll take it, that is very cool! Even though it doesn’t look pretty, it’s tasted delicious! When they asked which one was mine I proudly said “the ugly one”. I took 2nd Place!! Yay! This has been quite an experience, so fun, even though I was sick I am glad I preserved, what a great feeling.
2nd Place!!!Just proving that looks aren't everything! :O)
I am still bummed that I burned the crust but I know it will never happen again! I didn’t expect to win or even get an honorable mention, so I am thrilled.
Lunch. Lunch can become boring for kids and they become uninterested and picky. At least that is what has happened to my kiddies. While browsing blogs I came across 2 really cute blogs FULL of ideas on making fun lunches. They are:
Inspired by other blog moms once again, I set out. I had cutters so I didn’t need to get any. I did pick up the muffin tins at the Dollar Tree and then some cupcake liners at my local grocery store. I picked up 10 packs of fruit leather (.50/each), pretzels, crackers, cheese, almonds, turkey and cookies.
Our Muffin Tin Lunch:
Cut Fruit Leather into Rectanglesuse small cutters to punch out shapeOliver helping outfun muffin tin lunch
3-Cheese Cheese Slice, cut out with extras chopped up… Fruit Leather cutouts… Almonds, Turkey Rolls on fancy toothpicks… Goldfish and Mini Oreos
lunchtime
**In this last picture I show my 2-year old with fruit leather – MISTAKE! Do not give to toddlers, trust me**
It was fun and the kids were so excited when they came to the table, that is a first! Thanks for the inspiration ladies!
My first Apple Pie and the 2nd pie I have made in my entire life. Last year I made a crust at my former Mom’s group , I made the Libbys pumpkin pie recipe with it.
Did I mention this was a trial run for a Pie Baking Contest I decided to participate in? Recently we went to a local city cultural and history center, it was really cool, I plan to blog about it soon. While we were there I picked up some brochures and one was advertising ‘Cider Days’.
Here is what the city website says:
Celebrate the autumn season at the 35th Annual Cider Days harvest festival! Cider Days includes booths serving cider by the glass or gallon. Festival-goers can also bring apples (or buy them at the event) and use our presses to make fresh apple cider to take home.
There is the bake-off, demonstrations, hayrides, petting zoo, arts and crafts, bands and more.
Who could resist? The event sounded so fun, so Fall! A Bake-off… what a fun experience! I am game. I set off to research crusts, pies, apples, everything! Not that I expect to win or even come close but I want to do for the fun of it all. Experience some Americana, if you will.
I originally was going to use 1 recipe but wanted to do my own thing too. In the end I took ideas from several recipes and took what I like, left out what I didn’t. I came up with some ideas, made a game plan and tonight it was time to get to work.
I posted pictures below, against my husbands better judgement *laughing*. I told him I wanted to keep it real and hopefully it would get better as I blog about making another practice one and then one for the Bake-off, at least that is my plan right now.
So here it is…
Getting started on the crust, then the applesGranny Smith Apple slices before I sprinkled them with cinnamon
OK, so far so good! At this point I have a sugary mixture simmering away on the stove-top, looking good still….
Timing is everything and as an amateur I simply didn’t have my lattice work done in in time for my stove-top concoction to be ready. I had my husband keep stirring it while I rolled out more dough and cut the strips. I was in such a hurry when I pulled them up quickly most of them broke, I threw them on anyway. At this point all I keep saying is, “Well at least it will taste good!” and giggling nervously.
I put it in the oven without taking a picture, this is what came out:
Critique: few spots are burnt, mixture didn't spread, it had already hardened by the time I put it on the pie, no lattice is apparent _lol!
Then I cut a piece out, it didn’t look so great on the plate, but let me tell you it was so very tasty.
Fell apart, but was very good! Very, very good!Side view after cutting …Ooey gooey, crispy, carmel-ey
Stayed tuned for parts 2 and 3! Happy baking! Happy Fall!
On a recent field trip to, we visited a new children’s garden play and discovery area. It has fantastic stations all around to encourage interactive play and learning. 2 stations caught my eye and more importantly, caught the boys eyes and kept ’em too!
Wood blocks, real wood blocks only they aren’t the kind we are all used to. These are more rustic and authentic and fun for boys. One set had big tree rings cut into chunks, the other set was Aspen tree trunks chopped into different thicknesses to stack. This gave me some great ideas for gifts and toys for my boys. The possibilities are endless.
