Homemade Cream of Wheat - Blendtec Recipe

For Christmas we got a Blendtec from my father-in-law.  I've always wanted a fancy blender but I already had one and I had a blender attached to my Bosch mixer so there didn't seem to be any point in buying a new fancy blender, but when your father in law gives you one...well then that really is Christmas.  I mainly use my Blendtec to make green smoothies.  It is awesome at that but yesterday morning while I was in bed I suddenly wondered what the heck was in cream of wheat.  I loved cream of wheat as a child.  Oatmeal....well that was OK but cream of wheat was my favorite.  Now as an adult I don't eat it nearly as much as I want to.  Cream of wheat is not cheap.  My husband laughed at me when I said this but it is true.  Cream of wheat cost more than oatmeal so I buy oatmeal.  But yesterday morning I was really craving cream of wheat so I got online and typed in homemade cream of wheat.  Turns out you can totally do it and thanks to my blendtec it was super easy!  There are tons of recipes of this online and honestly I just spent about ten minutes trying to find where I found the recipe...I can't but there are lots of recipes out there so use my write up or find one you like.

I threw a bunch of white wheat in my Blendtec and just hit pulse.  In less then a minute I had a nice coarse ground.  Then I put ground wheat, milk, and water in a pan and let it simmer.  I just keep stirring the stuff because it sticks like crazy to the bottom of the pan.  In less than ten minutes I had homemade cream of wheat!  A little butter, a little brown sugar and I was in heaven.  My kids loved it.  Can you believe this is the first time they'd ever had cream of wheat.  So exciting to find out it was so easy, so cheap, so not full of preservatives....

2/3 cup ground wheat
1 1/3 milk
1 1/3 water

Mix, simmer, stir, keep at it until the liquid is boiled off and the wheat has softened, then enjoy!

Resurrection Rolls - A Sweet Easter Treat

I cook a lot of stuff from scratch.  I think it is healthier.  I think it taste better.  I know it is cheaper.  The nice thing, my kids love to cook too.  Wait is that a nice thing...it definitely adds to the mess.  I guess it is nice.  It is fun to see them having a good time and playing together.  This Easter we didn't have church until 1 o'clock so we decided to use our morning making Resurrection Rolls.  Most of the people who make Resurrection Rolls do so using crescent rolls from a can.  I never have any so I went online to find a recipe for from scratch rolls.  I found the recipe I used on Love From Scratch.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm water
1 large egg
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons dry milk
1 and 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
24 marshmallows

Directions:
Mix first eight ingredients and let rise until doubled.  Divide into 20-24 balls and flatten.  Dip marshmallows in melted butter and then dip them in the sugar and cinnamon.  Place the marshmallow in the center of the flattened ball and wrap the roll around the marshmallow.  Dip again in the butter and then roll in the sugar/cinnamon mix.  Place on a greased pan and allow to rise until doubled.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

While we were putting the rolls together we talked about Jesus and the Resurrection.  We talked about how the marshmallows represented Jesus's body and how after he died his followers took him down and rubbed it with oil (the butter) and spices (the sugar and cinnamon).  They then wrapped him in linen wraps (the roll) and placed him in the tomb.  When the rolls come out they are hallow in the center.  While we were eating the rolls we talked about how when the disciples came to the tomb they found it empty.  It was a great/delicious way to spend Easter.

Easter we also spent some time in the back yard.  Can I just tell you how much I am loving spring.  Enjoy looking at my beauties in a tree...in their Easter outfits :)

St. Patrick's Day

So I mentioned before that we don't really do characters for holidays but I do like to do a little something to celebrate the holiday.  My parents were always like that.  When I was a kid we'd always get a rose and a tiny box of chocolates from our parents on Valentine's Day.  It always made me feel special and I told my husband even before we had kids that traditions were part of what makes families great and I hold to that!  I love our traditions.  I love our Fancy Family Valentine's Day Dinner.  I love our Birthday Cake  Anniversary.  I love our Saturday Easter. I love reading a story before bed.  I love our Sunday walks in the summer.  I love our movie and game nights.  I love our Dance Dance parties.  Traditions are the things you do over and over that join you as a team.  They make you feel special and while not all efforts are equal or even need to be equal I think some effort goes a long way in building a happy family.

I like to do a little something on St. Patrick's Day.  I don't dye the whole house green or play a lot of tricks but I do try to make sure the kids are wearing green before I send them out of the house and I think it is fun to give them a little treat on the table.  This year Captain E requested a licorice rainbow I first did after finding it pinned two years ago.  I bag of rainbow licorice and a bag of Rolos and I was set.  Two years ago I bought cute bags.  This year I stuck them in ziplocks I already had.  There was enough candy to make five.  The kids loved it.  Cheetah ate every piece of candy she had on the spot, even throwing her Rolos in her breakfast cereal...um, yum?  Peach ate most of her candy.  Captain E, Gigi, and Dr. J took theirs to school to enjoy at lunch.  We also painted our nails green and had crock pot corned beef and cabbage for dinner.  That is one of Gigi's favorite meals but it is so salty I try and limit it to just once a year.  

Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Wash 5-8 potatoes and cut into wedges.  Throw into crock pot with a bag of baby carrots.  Add 1 cup of water.  Put corned beef on top.  Cook on high for 8 hours. One hour before serving stir in some cabbage leaves.  Enjoy.

A Cruddy Day and Two Loaves of Bread

I'm having sort of a bummer day.  It started out with me running late.  Dr. J didn't have to leave for work until 8.  You think that would have been some sort of help but instead it just meant I was delayed getting everything started.  So at 7:50 I was scrambling to get kids out of bed and dressed.  Then we were running downstairs to get breakfast, pack lunches, and get the two olders out the door so they would make the bus.  Normally then I'd just head out with the youngers to preschool and the gym but today I need some extra stuff.  Our car was overheating two days ago so we'd scheduled an appointment to have it looked at.  Because the mechanic is right by the gym I needed to pack clothes so I could shower at the gym before heading over and lunches so that we could just eat at the play area of the gym before our appointment rather than drive home and then just have to turn back to drive to the mechanic again.  It wasn't a huge task but when you are already behind every little extra bit is an annoyance.  Oh yeah and then there were the ants everywhere.  Dr J was in charge last night and apparently the dishes he left in the sink were a major ant attraction so before we could leave I also needed to load and start the dishwasher, fold a small load of laundry, and start a new load.  Does anyone else ever get the feeling that they are in the level of the paddle game when all the balls split up and start going every direction.  Motherhood=like having six balls coming at you from all directions.  So finally we got in the car and I realized I hadn't eaten anything for breakfast so I ran back in and mixed myself up a green smoothie.  Then we really were ready and we got to preschool only 15 minutes late.  I did my workout, took my shower, and than we picked up Peach and went to the playroom with her friend S.  S's mom and sisters showed up and we ate lunch while the girls played.  That part of my day was nice.  Then S took Peach home with her and Cheetah and I headed over to the dealership.  

We only had to wait for an hour but in that time Cheetah got super restless....the kind of restless that freaks me out for being trapped on a plane for 20 hours.  She got tired of Toy Story, my phone, the toys in the room and was soon running around the show room trying to sit in cars.  People how am I going to keep her contained, entertained, and not get kicked off a plane?  Finally the guy came out with the bad news.  The car is overheating because the radiator is leaking, which is why when I checked it two days ago there was no coolant in the tank. " It is going to cost 826 dollars (FYI that does not included taxes) to replace and flush the system.  Also just so you know the left front caliper is leaking which will cost you another 240 to fix and your rear front axle is leaking.  That will be another 340. So basically we are looking at $1500 (once you add tax in) of repairs for the van."  Of course I had to pay $100 to get this information.  This is after last month where we had to pay $375 dollars to fix Dr. J's car and $650 to patch our roof.  Seriously people how do you save money?  I'm pretty sure this is why we are so lousy at saving money and are always getting ourselves into debt.  Is it even possible to save when it seems like every month we have a $1000 in extra expenses.  "I need to talk with my husband," I told the guy and loaded Cheetah up into the van that is a lot less safe than I originally thought.  I came home and crawled into bed. Sometimes being a grownup is overwhelming.  We have this huge expensive trip coming up and I'm trying my hardest to squirrel any little extra bits of money toward that, but with this barrage of bad luck it feels nearly impossible.  Stress was making me depressed and I just wanted to hide away in my bed.  

After a couple hours of hiding away in my room I finally came down to make dinner.  While I was whipping together breakfast sandwiches with frozen English muffins I found in the freezer (a great dinner for overwhelmed moms) I realized I didn't have a single loaf of bread left in the freezer and not a single slice left.  I've been trying to do this only shop every two weeks thing and I'm totally lousy at it!  I mean really, really, really bad!  I already had to break down at the beginning of the week and go and get more fruit because we were almost completely out.  When I realized the bread was gone I just wanted to cry but then I realized I could just make two loaves.  So I pulled out some yeast, sugar, flour, salt, and butter, and I tried this recipe here for the "best homemade sandwich bread".  The only thing I did differently was I did a mix of white and wheat flour and I used my Bosh to mix it .  There was something extremely satisfying about making those loves.  I'm grateful for a mom who gave me the confidence to cook and my friend Erica who years ago taught me the signs to look for for great bread making.  I still don't know what the future holds for the car and what we can afford to fix.  I still don't know about the trip, how we are going to make this happen, how we will survive the plane trip, how we are going to be able to afford this crazy thing if we keep having so many expenses pop up.  I don't have any idea on this two week grocery shopping thing, if I'm going to be able to actually figure it out, if it will lower our grocery budget, if we are even going to stay in grocery budget this month.  I just don't know.  What I do know though is that tomorrow because of my two hands we will have bread and for that one thing, today I am grateful.  

I Made These - Cherry Scones

Can you believe before today I'd never made a scone before?  I'm 33 years old and I bake, but I've never even thought to try them.  Today I need a treat for Dr. J's work buddies and something for my Sunday School kids tomorrow.  I knew I had a bunch of dried cherries in the pantry, and the thought hit me, "how about cherry scones?"  I found this recipe on marthastewart.com  and just slightly altered it because I didn't have any lemon zest.  Truth here, I didn't actually get to try them because I'm having a no grain, no sugar week but they looked and smelled so delicious and everyone who tried them said they were super GREAT! I will definitely be making them again when I can try them. Plus they were so, so, so easy, pretty much just like making beautiful biscuits.  I definitely recommend them.





Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled butter
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 large egg
5 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more for brushing on scones

Directions
Preheat Oven 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set Aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.  Chop in butter.  (Martha suggest using a food processor on pulse 3 to 6 times until mixture resembles a coarse meal but I just used my pastry cutter because I wanted less things to clean.  It worked just fine).  Stir in cherries.

In a small bowl, beat together egg and cream.  Add to flour mixture.  Stir gently with a fork until mixture just comes together.  Add a little more cream if to dry but you don't want it to be too sticky.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface.  Shape dough into a circle about an inch thick.  Cut dough into 8 equal wedges.  Put on the baking sheet.  Bush tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.

I doubled the recipe, made three circles of dough and ended up making 20 scones.  They were perfect!

Pea Pod Delivery Review

This last two weeks have been rough for me.  We've had illnesses on illnesses and some other health problems and my desire to leave the house is at an all time low.  For months we'd been getting coupon codes from pea pod grocery service trying to entice us to have our groceries delivered and when I looked at our quickly emptying shelves and thought about going to the grocery store I almost had a panic attack until I remembered a pea pod coupon in my junk drawer.  I sat down and in maybe fifteen minutes had ordered my entire list.  They had everything on my grocery list.  The prices were maybe a little higher, like not necessarily the sale price but about equivalent of normal prices.  They have sale items.  Chicken was cheaper then in my store this week.  They carry organic.  They have their store brand and they accept manufacture coupons.  The grand total for my list, 110, 85 after I used my $25 off coupon.  The price to deliver to my house, 6.99 although for the first 60 days I get free delivery.  I picked a delivery time, hit send,  and was done.  This morning I got a text during breakfast that my groceries were here.  Six boxes were on the porch.  I pulled them in and had them unloaded before the kids were on the bus.  It was AMAZING!!!   For me at this moment a real life saver.  I imagine that if I stuck to one Costco trip a month and this the rest of the weeks I would probably even save money because I wouldn't be tempted by random clearance items.  Maybe this month I'll test that theory out!  The one negative I see, you are stuck with the boxes until they pick them back up.  Right now they are hiding in my guest room :)

Tacos de Lengua

This year Cinco de Mayo sort of snuck up on me.  I'd planning on doing a party, not because I feel any special affinity for Cinco de Mayo but more just I like to take any excuse I can to eat Mexican food.  My party plans kind of fell by the way as winter dragged on and I just couldn't muster the enthusiasm to cook for other people, and so before you knew it May 5th was here and I had nothing exciting planned for dinner.  It was as I was pulling steak out to defrost that I realized I had a tongue in my freezer.  Last year when we had the cow slaughtered the butcher asked if we wanted any of the extra bits.  At first I said no but then as sort of a joke I asked for the tongue.  When Dr. J and I first got married we went to this taco stand where he ordered tongue tacos.  He told me they were delicious.  I absolutely refused to try them.  But for some reason I decided it would be kind of fun to try and make them.  So that's what I did.  I read about six ways to prepare tongue as ours was defrosting in the microwave, most of them involved cooking it all day on the stove or the crook pot.  I just did not have that kind of time.  I decided to use my pressure cooker but as I pulled the tongue out of the microwave I almost lost it and started gagging.  I thought, "There is no way I can do this."  I took a moment to compose myself and sort of lobbed it into the pressure cooker.  It took about forty minutes and then I pulled it out.  The next step was to remove the black spotted skin covering.  You have to pull it off while the meat is still hot.  The kids thought this part was the best.  They kept running over and touching the rough bumps, then running away screaming.  Next I chopped it up to saute it.  Chopping it small and sauteing it is suppose to help disguise the rubbery feel it has, because hey guess what, it is a tongue.  Then I threw the meat on some corn tortillas with Spanish rice and black beans.  Dr. J loved them.  I even tried one, and I have to say the meat had really great flavor (even better than the steak) and  was exceptionally soft but there was also this chewy texture that I just couldn't get over so in the end regardless of how delicious they were, I could only eat one.  Definitely interesting and it did make the holiday memorable.  The kids refused to eat any tongue and stuck with steak instead, but they did have a good time drinking the mango, pineapple, and orange smoothie I made.  Hello delicious!