Upside Down Cats

Friday was impromptu movie day at my home daycare. The children had seen a commercial for the movie E.T. all week on a station we watch regularly. They were enthralled by the commercial itself and asked if they could watch the movie when the network showed it. Unfortunately, it was going to be on at 7 P.M. which is after my daycare closes.

But hey! I have E.T. on videotape. Yes, videotape. I refuse to be ashamed of still watching the gazillion videos I own, so don't even start on calling me a technology dinosaur...

I was glad to be able to indulge the children's desire to see the movie during the course of the daycare day.

Continue reading "E.T. Revisited" »

This is a desperate attempt to write myself out of an energy slump...

I really hate Tuesdays - they are the most uninspirational of days for me. Tuesday just wallows there, not quite midweek and nearly as far from Friday as Monday.

And today I woke up on the wrong side of Tuesday.

Continue reading "If It's Tuesday, This Must ... »

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful moms! I'm not a mother, so today is just a plain old Sunday in my kitchen... As usual, I've planned my week's menus in advance to make things run more smoothly during the week. Here's some of what I'll be cooking this week:



Breaded, Sauted Ocean Perch, Oven-Roasted Red Potato Wedges & Ramen Noodle Coleslaw

Risotto & Mixed Greens Salad

Thai Peanut Chicken w/ Rice Noodles & Thai Vegetables

Italian Macaroni & Cheese & Garlic & Lemon Broccoli

Chili & Cornbread

Roast Chicken, Cornbread Stuffing & Oven-Roasted Vegetable Medley

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Wrap, Hash Brown Potatoes & Fresh Fruit



Here's hoping all you moms out there get treated to a special meal on your special day!

You may know by now that I am rather fond of my Sweetie, Scott...

What you may not know is that I got a very nice bonus when I opened my Box of Scott...

I got another mother in the bargain!

Continue reading "My Other Mother" »

I'm taking the occasion of Mother's Day to reflect on and celebrate the woman who gave me life

...and so much more.

Continue reading "My Mother" »

Today is our Abbey's birthday. Our eldest turned fourteen today.

Those teenagers sure do sleep a lot!



Here she is celebrating her special day with a Girl's Day Out (of the bedroom where they usually sleep for extended periods). Abbey's the one in the middle flanked by Beemer (top) and Desi (left). It looks as if she is enjoying her birthday, no?

You may not recognize her in this position, but she's the Upside Down star of my header. She's so multifaceted!

Happy Birthday, Special Girl! Your whole family adores you (obviously!).

Yesterday I made German Potato Salad the way my mom taught me. Like all natural-born cooks, her recipe resides completely in her head. So when I asked her several years ago to tell me how to make it myself, she retrieved what she believed was the recipe from the recipe box in her head.

I dutifully copied down every ingredient and step. Then I attempted to make my mom's German Potato Salad...

Hmm...

Continue reading "There's A Mother In My Kitchen" »

OK, OK...sheesh, you guys...

I will gladly offer you the recipe for Roller Coaster I mentioned and pictured in a recent post...no begging necessary - it's undignified!

I want to clarify that I am not taking credit for inventing this spectacular breakfast creation. In fact, Scott discovered it online several years ago.

If you watch it bake, you'll discover with your own eyes the reason it's called Roller Coaster. The eggs make it puff up all over the surface creating lots of hills and valleys - lots of ups and downs - like a roller coaster! It's the only roller coaster that doesn't make me sick to my stomach!

Here goes:

Roller Coaster Breakfast

Ingredients

6 eggs

1 c flour

1/2 t salt

1 c milk

2 T butter, melted

Powdered sugar, additional butter and your choice of syrup for serving.

Method

Butter a 9"x13" pan (not Pyrex). Place pan into freezer while mixing batter.

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Beat eggs in a large bowl with a fork. Slowly add flour. Beat well. Add salt, milk and melted butter. Pour batter into chilled pan.

Bake at 450 degrees for 18 minutes;* lower temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking 10 minutes longer. Gather the kids. Enjoy the show!

*Note about baking time: I notice from one time to the next baking time can vary. Watch the color carefully during the 450 degree part of the baking. If it begins to go from lovely brown to too brown, lower the temperature to 350 degrees up to five minutes earlier.

Top with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, butter and syrup as desired.

That's all, folks!

We really love this for brunch! I hesitate to say how many servings this recipe makes because it depends upon whether it is served as a main course or side dish. When served with sausage and fruit, there is usually a serving left over when the two of us enjoy this for brunch.

I hope you'll give this recipe a spin! When you do, let me know how it turns out and how you liked it in the comments.

Just a suggestion...this might be a tasty addition to a Mother's Day brunch...

The daycare children have got me laughing early this week...

A five-year-old girl is going on a preschool field trip to a place called Exploration Station.

While excitedly reporting the details of her upcoming excursion to me she kept referring to it as Expiration Station.

I wonder what there is to explore there?

I can hardly believe it's May already! Before long I'll be wanting to fire up the grill out back! Our weather's not quite there yet, so here's the list of meals I've planned in advance to cook in my kitchen this upcoming week:



Wagon Wheel Pasta w/ Shrimp & Broccoli in a White Wine, Sun-Dried Tomato & Parmesan Sauce & Garlic Herb Breadsticks

Southwestern Chicken Burgers Topped w/ Cheddar-Monterey Jack Cheese & Chipotle Sauce, Onion Rings & Mixed Greens Salad

Chicken-Fried Steak w/ Creamy Gravy, Mashed Potatoes & Spinach Sauted w/ Shallots in Olive Oil

Hot Dogs, German Potato Salad & Chili-Lime Corn on the Cob

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches on Oat Bread, Tater Tots, Raw Vegetable Platter w/ Garlic Herb Dip

Pesto-Marinated Chicken Breasts Served over Vegetable Rice Pilaf

Puffy Egg Roller Coaster,* Chicken Maple Sausage Links & Blackberries w/ Whipped Cream

Beef Enchiladas & Mixed Greens Salad



Wishing you a wonderful and well-fed week! Bon Apetit!

*Here's a photo I took the last time I made Roller Coaster for brunch. It is a concoction of eggs, flour, milk and butter. Drizzled with a touch of maple syrup, it is absolute heaven, my friends!