The Best Brown Stuff on Earth

Thanksgiving dinner is special and highly anticipated by my husband.  In fact the food network seems to be on every night beginning Nov. 1st and the talk of turkey and "your mom's" stuffing is the topic of our conversation for weeks.  When I think about thanksgiving and autumn and coziness I tend to fall back into love with cooking.  It's the one season I seem anxious to try new recipes and make some of the old favorites.  So...as my gift to you all and so that you can plan accordingly I give you the best dish you will serve Thanksgiving day.....MY MOM'S not soggy or nasty Amazing Stuffing in all it's buttery glory.

First you will need to make...

My Gammie's Sour Dough French Bread

Dissolve 2 T. yeast in:

5 1/2 cups very warm water

1/2 cup powdered milk

1/2 cup Vegetable oil

1/4 cup sugar

Let yeast proof for 10 minutes then add:

2 T. salt

12-14 cups flour

1 cup sour dough start

Knead for 10 minutes.  Let rise in bowl until double in size.  Punch down.  Let dough rest 5 minutes.  Divide into six portions.  Flatten each into a rectangle then roll into loaves.  Place 3 on each cookie sheet.  Slice top diagonally with a sharp knife.  Cover with cloth.  let rise until double in size.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

* I know this seems labor intensive but it's soooooooo worth it.  Make the bread early in the week and then you won't have to stress over it Thanksgiving day.  This truly makes all the difference.

Then...

Mom's Homemade Bread Stuffing

 

Cut 3 loaves of homemade Sour Dough French Bread into cubes.  Dry out in 200 degree oven.

1 pound ground Italian sausage

1 cup finely chopped onion

3/4 cup finely minced celery

1 cup butter

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. poultry seasoning

2 tsp. ground sage

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1-2 cups chicken broth (enough for the correct- non-soggy-still-has-some-great-crunch-to-it-just-right consistency.

Brown sausage.  Cook onion and celery in butter. Combine with seasonings and bread.  Toss with enough liquid to moisten (I can't believe I just typed up that word in a recipe I love...more on my word discomfort later).  Test for seasoning (which means keeps sneaking a taste).  Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.  Serves 10 or more.

Make this and I promise you will love it.  If you hate stuffing then you have to try this.  If you Love stuffing more then anything...you still should try this.  You'll use this recipe every year I promise!  Your husband will talk about it for weeks and you'll always have people who want to be at your table on Thanksgiving day.  I love that my holiday dinner is full of tradition and even though my sweet family legacy may not be in my kitchen helping me this year it'll feel like they are and I love that.  Be sure to let me know what you think.  If you are still skeptical...come over Thanksgiving evening and take home some of my leftovers (if there is any). 

Bunk Beds--for the Love!

image found here

I wish I had a photograph of my first bunk bed. There are so many parts of our childhoods that get photographed and video taped "so that we can remember..." but I will always remember certain events surrounding my bunk beds, photo or no photo.

My first bunk bed was built by my dad. It was made of sturdy wood and had the first half of the alphabet on it--only half because, well, that's just how many letters fit. :) It was painted white, with red, blue and green making the letter design. I slept on the top and the bottom, but mostly I remember the top because I am the oldest, and naturally the oldest gets the top bunk, right?

Untill...

We upgraded to a store-bought, metal bunk bed. This was much more sophisticated for us older more sophisticated girls, and the bottom bunk was a queen-size mattress. Now who gets to sleep where? Well, we traded back and forth, and for good reason--a lot can happen when you are sleeping underneath someone else bed!

Like the night that my little sister threatened to drop a HUGE loogie on my face because I was pushing up on her mattress with my feet. Leaning over the edge of her more narrow twin size mattress down to my queen (on which I slept at the very edge, due to a paranoia that her mattress was going to fall on me), she had a clear shot. And she was a good shot! I wonder if my mom and dad remember that night... :)

Rewind to the alphabet-bed years when I remember standing on the top bunk in my "Princess Bride" dress, my friend Lauren beside me--the prince, both of us hollering down to our lowly subjects below (our younger siblings, of course). During those princess years I remember lining the edge of the bed beside my window with all my stuffed animals to hide me from anyone trying to look in my window while I slept. I remember waking up from a nap, staring at the striped sunlight coming in through the blinds onto the ceiling and tracing them with my foot--well, almost.

Fast forward again to the second bunk bed, still in my old room on the night before my wedding. I slept on the bottom bunk with my cousin Lindsay that night, two giddy and excited girls unable to sleep with anticipation. The next day I took a few minutes to sit on the edge of that bunk one last time, and write in my journal. What I wrote had nothing to do with that bunk bed, but the memory of that day seems somehow enhanced by the moments I spent reflecting there.

Alligators!

Mercer Mayer has got to be one of my favorite classic children's books authors/illustrators. I can not get the title of one of his books out of my head this week. "There's and Alligator Under My Bed."It is automatically what I went too. Is it sad that I automatically think of children's book titles over adult books? I hope it is not saying something for my intelligence. I am just drawn to them I guess.

While researching for this post a little about Mercer Mayer, I now think he is even cooler. His website is awesome for kids, and he reads for kids on YouTube! How cool is that. Seriously, my sister-in-law told me a story about him that made me really admire him a while ago, and now this! My kids are going to love it. So if you need some bedtime stories, check this out! If you need some kids coloring pages or come kid friendly tech time, check out his website. It is awesome!

Here is the link to his YouTube Channel. Enjoy!

Man I love this guy! What are your favorite bedtime stories?

On any given morning...

...this is what I find under my son's bed:

I lucked out to find a husband that likes to make beds. No, he needs to make beds. He's a very routine-driven person, and this is part of his daily schedule. Have you ever seen a bed made in phases? He first strips all the top sheets and blankets and smooths out the fitted sheet so there is not one bump or wrinkle. See what I mean?

Then he leaves for awhile to do something else so the linens can get the "sleep stink" out. He'll come back later and place each layer of top sheets and blankets with as much precision as the one before. Since my son's bed is up against the wall, he scoots himself underneath to pull the covers down on the back side, and that's where the kids come in. They like to "help", but there's sure a lot of giggling going on down there for any help to be going on. I love it!

For me, the house may be a mess, but I always feel better knowing the beds are made. Thanks, honey, for making this seemingly-small-but-so-important task part of your day and for giving me a perfectly smooth and comforting place to lay my head every night.

The Blessing of Not Having

There is nothing under my bed. Not one box or lost shoe or item of seasonal interest; not even one little dust bunny. And I don't ever vacuum under there. How can it be possible, you ask? It's simple. I don't have an under to my bed - no bed frame, just the box-spring right there on the floor with a tidy little bed-skirt to cover up the truth. And I love it.

Sure, sometimes I feel like something's missing. Like I ought to have a bed frame, that perhaps that's exactly the thing that will suddenly make me a real adult. (And then I read Jenni's post, realize for the millionth time that I take myself far too seriously, and run like mad for my tutu.)

Mostly, though, it's a reminder of all the things in life that I think I want, but don't really need. And that not having them can actually be a blessing. Like how having no bed frame means I never lose things under the bed and I never have to vacuum. Seriously, I do stop sometimes and look at my bed without its frame and think about how lucky I am to 1) have a bed to sleep in, and 2) never have to crawl under it to look for ... anything. And then I start thinking about how lucky I am in so many simple ways.

Recently, I think of President Monson's words in General Conference:

"Regardless of our circumstances, each of us has much for which to be grateful if we will but pause and contemplate our blessings.

"This is a wonderful time to be on earth. While there is much that is wrong in the world today, there are many things that are right and good. There are marriages that make it, parents who love their children and sacrifice for them, friends who care about us and help us, teachers who teach. Our lives are blessed in countless ways."

I love the peace I have in my heart when I will simply choose to see the blessings in my life. It's amazing what a little gratitude can do.

Maybe someday I'll find the perfect bed frame, the one that makes vacuuming under it a joy. But for now, for the way that not having one makes me count my blessings, it's worth putting it off indefinitely.

Tutus, Glitter and Hide n' Go Seek

Last night...this was me!

source

This of course was not actually me but I felt just like this little girl.  I had been magically transformed the minute I put on my pretty pink tutu.  I hadn't planned for this to happen.  It just did!  There was purple glitter in my hair and on my face (there still is) and silly stripey socks that went to my knees.  I had on a silver crown, jewelry and a pink wand that somehow made me feel like I was actually some sort of fairy.  I caught myself skipping around the house, sliding across our wood floors in my super slippery pink socks and feeling this overwhelming desire to run around and be extra loud.  I would answer the door with a cheesiness that even made me laugh and I was so giddy I couldn't stop.  Last night was my night to loosen up and be little again.  It felt so good to forget about all my cares and worries.  This is ME we are talking about!!!  The girl who worries about EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY.  Who knew that a tutu could fix my obsessions.  I needed that!  Is there such thing as tutu therapy?  Anyway...

My house was filled to the brim with little boys and girls in costumes.  Tinkerbells and ballerinas, fairy princesses and story book favorites.  They were all feeling  pretty and imaginary and for one crazy fun night I got to be one of them. 

While the "grow ups" talked about their kids and their hectic lives we played circle games, read stories, I put silly spells on each one of them with my wand and my awful ability to rhyme, we told secrets under the kitchen table and played hide and go seek.  I was in girl heaven!

(Just to paint the picture correctly there were about 25 or 30 kids there and almost all of them were cute little girls under the age of 6).  

As half of us (my team) snuggled closely together under our big fluffy white bed, giggling and whispering as we were anticipating the other halves ability to find us, I had one of those MOMENTS.  A moment that I'll never forget where I suddenly wished to I could be 4 again.  I really wanted that.  Not only so that I could fit my entire food loving body under the bed but mostly because I would get to live it all over again.  Live it all over again with the same amazing childhood that I had only this time I would never remove my tutu.

Those cute, simple and innocent girls taught me an important lesson last night.  Who says you have to stop being a kid when you turn 18?  Who told you to take your tutu off and grow up?    I say put on your pink shoes and your glittery headbands and be a grown up but don't be a boring grown up who forgets what it's like to be fun and to have a silly time. I think I'm going to focus more on what makes me really happy and less about what other pople think of me.  I want to make a best friend just by asking them if they want to be my BFF and quit worrying about the things that don't really matter.  More importantly...I want to try and make somebody else's day by showing them how fun life is and how great it is to be a kid at heart!  Come on...I know you miss it!  I already do and I have only had my tutu off for like 24 hours.  If I sleep in it will I have fun dreams?  Hmmm.....I like that idea.  Any others?

Spider Soup

I LOVE this soup! It is actually an apple and butternut squash soup with yummy curry seasoning, but it is the perfect orange color for Halloween and it is fun to add a few fun embellishments to something that kids would normally cringe at (because what kid really likes squash soup, anyway?).

Here is the absolutely fabulous recipe:

Apple and Butternut Squash Soup

(I got the recipe from Holly Hollinger, who got if from Linnea Bruns)

3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

2 Large Onions, Chopped

2 Tablespoons good quality Curry Powder

1 Tsp. Chili Powder

5 Cups Chicken Stock, Homemade or low-sodium canned

1 Large Butternut Squash (Approximately 8 Cups),

Peeled, seeded and chopped

3 Firm, tart Apples (Such as Granny Smith),

Peeled, cored and diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ Cup Heavy Cream

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or fresh cilantro

In a heavy skillet, melt the butter over medium hat.  Add the onions and sauté until translucent, approximately 5 minutes.  Add the curry and chili powders and cook for another 5 minutes.  Add half the stock and bring to a boil.

Transfer the mixture to a soup kettle, add the squash and apples, and season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the squash is tender.  Stir occasionally to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the pan.

Place the mixture in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until pureed.

Return the puree, reserved liquid, cream and the remaining chicken stock to a clean soup kettle and bring to a simmer.

Ladle the soup into warm soup bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley or cilantro.

Serves 10

Note: The soup can be made ahead or frozen without the cream.

For the spider web I just make a blend of sour cream and milk, suck it up into a kid's medicine syringe and then slowly squirt it into a spiral starting from the middle of the soup. Then I take a tooth pic and drag it from the middle of the bowl to the outside to create the webbed look. With a few plastic spiders to add the finishing touch, this soup is a healthy, tasty, and fun Halloween treat!

Gross!

So I am not sure if this is praiseworthy or not, but it is all I could think of when it came to Halloween goodies. They are gross, but they are two things I remember from my childhood. Kitty Litter Cake, and Boogers on a Stick. My neighbor made the Kitty litter cake once and it looked disgusting, but was delicious, and my mom has done the boogers on a stick. So if you are looking for a good "trick" of a "treat" for a party coming up, here are two ideas for you.

The Boogers on a Stick is actually quite easy. You just dip the tops of pretzel sticks into some cheese dip mixed with a little salsa. It is actually very good, but tastes delicious.

The Kitty Litter Cake is something I had to look for since I did not make it myself, but there are several recipes out there. Even some for a casserole with rice, so you could have it for a main dish. The best one I found was here. Kitty Litter Cake.

I thought I would post a picture, but it really does look disgusting so I choose not too. Maybe I will make it for the potluck this weekend.

What is your favorite gross yet delicious "Trick" of a "Treat?"

Have your treats and eat them too!

So with Halloween just around the corner, we're coming up on the first of the trifecta of holidays that are not exactly centered around, but at least largely focused on, eating delicious foods. The average person gains 7-10 pounds between Halloween and the end of the year. Do you want to be that average person? Didn't think so. Me either.

I'm not so much a big fan of candy, but I do love baked goods, more than I should. So here's something I made yesterday - a healthy version of pumpkin brownies.

I only halved the recipe because I was skeptical of the fact that it used all whole wheat flour (I usually like to do half wheat and half white so it's not too dense) and all white bean puree (I've subsitituted it for half the butter in recipes before, but again, not all of it), and I really hate wasting good ingredients on something that doesn't turn out. But, I made it just like it said, using only half the sugar it calls for too, and it was a delightful surprise of deliciousness!

I would recommend taking the time to watch her demonstration (scroll down below the recipe) of cooking beans in a pressure cooker. I didn't soak and cook dried beans for this recipe. I used canned white beans and didn't put any salt in the recipe, even though I rinsed them. I've been thinking I'd like a pressure cooker, and now I'm for sure putting that on my Christmas list!

For another fun, easy recipe (and this one, not too health-conscious, but that's OK!) I'm going to make these.

Like I said, not a big candy fan EXCEPT for candy corns - yum! Here's how to make cupcakes that look just like one!

Do you have a favorite healthy holiday favorite? Or a holiday favorite turned healthy?

Monster Menu

We love Halloween!  I think it goes by too fast though.  There are so many ideas to try and fun things to make that doing them just on Halloween seems crazy!  So... at our house this week we are going to be doing some fun celebrating each day and to help us do this I'll be making some fun Halloween food. 

MONDAY: Pizza Mummies for dinner

Recipe



TUESDAY: Meatloaf and Mashed BOOtatoes

Recipe

WEDNESDAY: Snack-O'-Lanterns as an after school snack

recipe

THURSDAY: Eye Poppin' Soup

recipe

FRIDAY: Haunted Ginger Bread Houses

SATURDAY: Mouthless Mummy Cake Pops for a Church Potluck

source

SUNDAY:  Homemade Doughnuts and Hot Cider for our Annual Open House

What will you be making to get in on the fun?

Can there be Two Little Cindy Lou Who's?

"Can I be Little Cindy Lou Who?"
"I already told your sister that she could be Little Cindy Lou Who. Sorry sweetheart."
"Can I be Little Cindy Lou Who too?"

My four-year-old has been telling me for weeks what she wants to be for Halloween...a pink and black witch, no, a pink rock star princess, no, a rainbow pony...

I have finally decided on the perfect, and I mean perfect, costume for my two-year-old, and now her older sister wants to be the same thing. Can they both be the same thing?

This is the little Cindy Lou Who that is in my mind. Cute, little, blond with big blue eyes and simple yet totally adorable pink nightgown. Not only is this a totally do-able costume, but it is a perfect cartoon portrait of my two-year-old! The spittin' image...

This is the Cindy Lou Who that seems to be most popular now...too bad I just cut my four-year-old's hair. We'll see what we can do, I guess...

Any suggestions?

Do what you can!

I have done a few of my own homemade costumes for my kids. Most of them I was inspired by an idea and put my own spin on them. Here are some that I have done. And they were pretty easy too.

2008

My son was almost 3 months and my daughter was 2.

He was a bee, she was a pumpkin.

His costume consisted of

2 pieces of black felt

1 piece of yellow felt, cut into strips

4 strips black ribbon

Screen material

glitter glue or puff paint

Fabric glue

I cut the black felt into what looked like a vest piece, glued on yellow strips. Cut the screen material into wings, painted it with puff paint to make it a little sturdy, placed ribbon on the sides and over the shoulders. and I think that is all. Oh, and I sewed a cone shape out of black felt as well and hand sewed it to the back to look like a stinger. It was really easy.

While trick-or-treating, I just safety pinned the back to the sling.

Simple as that.

The lumpy pumpkin was pretty easy too.

2 shirts, one orange, one what ever color you want

one piece of black felt

stuffing

green felt or fabric

1 or 2 green pipe cleaners

Fabric Glue

I removed the sleeves from the shirts, and saved them. I made them into the hat. (I can't remember how exactly i did that, but I did)

Cut your fabric felt into the shapes for the face. (I let her decide the shapes.)

Sew the shirts together keeping the orange one on the front. Leave an opening for the stuffing. Oh, the shirts do not have to be the same size either. As long as the inner one is smaller. I used an old shirt for the inside.

Glue or sew on the face.

Cut green triangles out of the green fabric and sew or glue them around the collar of the shirt.

Stuff with the stuffing and sew the opening shut.

Figure out how to make a hat out of the selves if desired

Add pipe cleaner to the top for a little curly top.

Wah la, a lumpy pumpkin! Halloween 2009

He was a Caterpillar, She was a Butterfly.

I bought her wings, but made her hat.

I made his costume.

Yeah, this costume was all of maybe a dollar. He needed PJ's and I had socks. I think all I bought was the hat. (Not Pictured)

One sleeper
Lots of pairs of socks
stuffing (I had left over from the previous year)
Ribbon (If I did this again I would use thick ribbon. All I had was the skinny stuff.)
Cheep one dollar bennie hat from Walmart
two pipe cleaners
two pom-poms


For the hat poke pipe cleaners through the top of the hat. Hot glue them so they stay. Hot glue the pom pom on top of the pipe cleaner. Instant antennae hat.


For the body
Stuff socks with stuffing.
Had sew the socks up the side of the sleeper
put boy in
stuff with stuffing
zip
tie up with ribbon to look a little rolley
Instant Caterpillar.
Easy Peasy!

Seriously all it take is some imagination and for me practicality. With the Caterpillar I took off the socks and my son still wore them and unstuffed the PJ's and he could still wear those as well. And the other day my kids were wearing there hats. Cheep, easy, and practical. You can do it!

Secret Weapon for Costumes

Jenni mentioned her little hero "Under Wonder." Well, for completely different reasons, my secret weapon hero when making costumes is a little thing called Wonder Under (made by Pellon), otherwise known as Steam-a-Seam, otherwise known as Heat n' Bond. I'm sure there are other names for this awesome heat-activated material that turns shapes and letters into custom stickers!

.

Two years ago, I made a NASCAR Halloween costume for my boy, and I wouldn't have been able to do it without this stuff.

It was more difficult than I thought it would be to find a pattern to make a zip-up jumpsuit. But then again, it's not 1976, so what kid wears these anymore? Enter Ebay. I found this vintage pattern, and View C looked like it would be perfect.

It's funny to see how older patterns are written. Good thing I've put in a zipper before, because the complete explanation of this step in the pattern just said "put in the zipper."

Anyway, I got some black stretch cotton and added some red piping around the sleeves and down the sides. I printed out a bunch of logos (LEGO, Matchbox, McDonalds, Hotwheels and Tonka), traced them onto Wonder Under, and ironed them on to the jumpsuit.

I learned two things: 1) small shapes have a little difficulty staying on, and 2) it's possible to iron too much. After repeatedly ironing them on (just to make sure they were good and stuck on), the adhesive kind of dissolved or something and the shapes didn't really stick at all. I went back and zig-zagged around the edges with invisible monofilament thread.

I made the kids' trick-or-treat bags out of dish towels and a Frankenstein and a Jack-o-lantern stuck on with, you guessed it, Wonder Under.

This year's costumes don't lend themselves so well to using Wonder Under:

a little of this:

and one of these, as soon as I find time to make it (too cheap to pay 10 bucks at the party store!):

So, if you haven't made anything using this stuff, whatever you call it, try it...it's easy, fun, and the possiblities are only limited by your imagination!

My Costume History: A Comedy of Errors

I am horrible at costumes. Really. Dreadful. It's always been that way.

Like the time in elementary school when I decided to dress up as a juke-box: I wore a big cardboard box that I'd decorated with markers by hand. By the end of the day, I had resigned myself to telling everyone that why, yes, I am a robot! Also, me and my box got stuck - literally - in the scariest part of the haunted house. Definitely a costume fail.

Or then there was the time, also in elementary school, I decided to be a painter. So I wore these overalls that were made with a splattery-patterned fabric and tucked a paintbrush in the pocket. Everyone thought I was a clown - which I totally don't blame them for, I mean, who dresses up as a painter? (Though, on second thought, who in their right mind dresses up as a clown? Now, those guys are scary!) The worst part, though, was when I tried to wear those overalls to school post-holiday. Everyone was like, "Hey, isn't that your Halloween costume?"

Oh, oh! Or that one time in junior high when I thought a simple sheet-ghost couldn't fail. Except the part about forgetting the rule about no covered faces at school. So I cut a big face-hole in the sheet, and got more-than-once mistaken for a nun.

I think my best shot ever was in college, I made myself into American McGee's Alice. It was probably my best costume execution, but the obscure game reference made it a little hard for most people to understand.

But this year - THIS year, I tell you, is going to be awesome. Why? Because my kids are much better at coming up with ideas than I am. Looking through last year's Martha Stewart Halloween magazine, we saw this costume idea for an adult:

Here's the source

And the kids thought it would be funny if their dad dressed up as a beekeeper, and then they could be little bees! Cute, huh? Now the only problem is execution - am I up for it, or am I accidentally going to make them look like a guy in a straight-jacket and a couple of tigers? And then there's the issue of me: I haven't made myself a proper costume in a long time - see examples above for a simple explanation of why. I'm thinking queen bee, but whether it comes across or I just look like an ex-con with a tiara, well that's just all part of the Halloween surprise around here!