Monthly Archives: June 2011

A treasure chest for his most prized possessions.

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a treasure chest on 365 Project

A conversation two days ago with MM:

“Mommy, I want to do a project.”

“Well, what kind of project?”

“How about we make a treasure chest!”

“A treasure chest?”

“For my gold doubloons!” (duh!)

Clearly my son has been watching way too much Jake and the Neverland Pirates but how could I turn him down when he sounds SO cute saying doubloons? Bonus points for the big words right? So I spent the afternoon digging through cardboard until I finally found a perfect shoe box from Lands End that was mostly brown and colorable.

Today I found some pirate-themed stickers that we could color ourselves and then decorate the treasure chest with. I grabbed those and some washable markers and we got to work after putting BB down for her nap (I don’t care if they are washable, I’m not using markers of any kind when she’s awake just yet).

It was a time-consuming project, surprisingly, but still easy. I wrote [MM's] treasures on the top in big bubble letters and drew a lock on the front then helped him with coloring all the stickers. He colored in the letters and chose sticker placement and now he’s totally ready to start collecting treasure!

I am already picturing the marble collections and baseball cards and random awesome rocks that he might keep in this box. Maybe he’ll hold onto it forever and someday when he’s going to college he’ll debate whether or not to bring it with him and he’ll look through the box of his most treasured possessions and smile and remember what a fun mom he has.

More likely he’ll somehow manage to break it before morning, but hey? I can dream right?

momma cooks: four cheese tortellini alfredo with steak so easy, anyone can make it!

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I have basically zero experience cooking steak. It intimidates me and comes across as very much in the Man Zone of Cooking – something to be left to my husband who knows what he’s doing. We also rarely buy it because, well, steak is expensive. And there are a lot of different cuts that mean nothing to me.

But when I saw this picture on Tasty Kitchen the other day while obsessively looking for something, anything new to make for dinner this week, I stumbled across this picture:

And suddenly this delicious, buttery looking skirt steak by Amy @ She Wears Many Hats was all I could think about. I became a woman on a mission to make her husband steak and make it goooood.

I decided pretty much right away that I was going to pair it with some homemade gnocchi and an alfredo sauce, thinking that the alfredo sauce would be heavenly with the steak marinade and that I’d finish it off with an easy salad. No sweat!

That weekend I went to the grocery store and realized two things:

  1. I have no idea how to make gnocchi and never bothered to look for a recipe. What’s in gnocchi anyway? Potatoes right? [picture Jen standing in the pasta aisle imagining herself making homemade gnocchi somehow out of potatoes] At about this point I considered getting store bought, then remembered that all my attempts with store bought gnocchi had been supremely lack luster – and this meal? Not allowed to be lack luster. Having no idea what pasta I’d be using, I walked away and went to look at the meat.
  2. At which point I found out that not one single cut of steak in our meat department was called skirt steak. Also, I couldn’t actually remember what skirt steak was except I was pretty sure it was thin since it cooks so quickly. I pulled out my Android cell phone and looked up skirt steak on wikipedia and found that it’s often associated with flank steak. Then I found that a package of flank steak is $10. Then I laughed. And silently said goodbye to skirt steaks. Not happening.

Then I looked for a cut of steak that seemed thinnish that was in my price range (read: about four dollars) and found a cut of meat so generic it was called simply “sandwich steak” for roughly $4.50. Perfect. How bad could it be right?

I left the store still debating the odds of me actually making homemade gnocchi and hoping that my cheap cut of beef wasn’t going to ruin the whole meal.

…Later that weekend I was at Target and I gave up and picked up a package of four cheese tortellini in that refrigerated “we make things easy for you by making you pay more” section. It’s an area I try to avoid but I decided that hard times called for desperate measures. Or something. I figured I could cook it up in less than 10 minutes while my steak cooked. Perfect.

Tonight I threw it all together and hoped for the best and guess what?? Despite my zero lack of experience in cooking steak and all my substitutions (halfway through making the marinade I realized I don’t own rice vinegar and substituted white wine vinegar instead) and shenanigans (I never actually bought alfredo sauce and called my husband up around 6pm telling him to bring home alfredo sauce unless he wanted his tortellini plain) - It was awesome! I believe my husband said something along the lines of, “I can’t believe I’m eating food this GOOD on a WEDNESDAY.“

And you should know that there were many months where Wednesday meant hot dogs and mac and cheese or grilled cheese and canned soup. Wednesdays have come a long way as of today!

This was just one of those meals that I cheaped out and messed up and changed my mind from start to finish and still somehow ended up with gold. So how could I not tell you about it?

Since I made you read this whole damn thing, I’m going to give you my altered recipe, adapted from Amy’s skirt steak recipe which really made all of this possible, If I were you, I’d go check out her blog for goodness knows how many more amazing finds.

And in the meantime, here’s the Recipe for Fellow Cheap Lazy Unorganized Moms Who Want GOOD Steak (please?):

Recipe: Steak So Easy, Anyone Can Make It

adapted from Amy @ She Wears Many Hat’s Skirt Steak recipe

Ingredients
  • 1 pound sandwich steak
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

Instructions

  1. Mix all the ingredients (except the steak) together in a zip top bag. Add steak, coat well and marinate in the refrigerator until ready to cook. Marinate for at least 30 minutes if time allows.
  2. Place the steak on an iron skillet over medium heat. Slightly press down to create sear. For medium rare, cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip steak and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes. If more done steak is desired cook for longer. I cooked until my meat thermometer read just under 160.
  3. Let steak rest about 10 minutes, then cut thin slices against the grain.

Serve with a tasty cheesy pasta dish and a side salad and enjoy!

  • Preparation time: 5 minutes
  • Cooking time: 8-10 minutes
  • Number of servings: 4

 

 

 

ww: kid-powered fun

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Kid-Powered Fun! on 365 Project

Oh, who are we kidding? We all know I’m incapable of being wordless.

I have been on the lookout for a cozy coupe for the kids since we bought the house three months ago, gazing longingly at the new coupes for sale at the store that were just too expensive for my taste, craning my neck at every yard sale we passed, stalking neighborhood sales with no luck, and perusing Craigs List whenever it came to mind. This week I finally hit the jackpot and found one for sale on Craigs List in the next town over (really just 15 minutes away). An email and a phone call later and I was making plans to pick it up that night after dinner. Score!

Today the kids went outside to play with it (and another recent yard sale find). The weather was glorious, the kids were playing *together*, running through the yard. A magazine and a bottle of water made the afternoon complete.

Nightstand: June

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What's On Your Nightstand @ 5 Minutes For BooksIt’s time for another Nightstand post, a blogging carnival hosted monthly at 5 Minutes For Books – the premise is pretty simple: write about what you’re reading, read recently and / or plan to read in the future.

Here’s what I’ve read in the past month:

  1. Fifth Avenue, 5 a.m. by Sam Wasson – finished May 27, 2011 - I really enjoyed this book. It had so much information on the making of both the book and the movie, giving a lot of perspectives on both projects and filling in on what the time period was like and how hard it was to get a movie like that made back then. And of course I am such a big Audrey fan, that just getting to learn more about her life was awesome. Wonderfully written, very interesting.
  2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett - finished June 8, 2011 - This was definitely the best book I’ve read so far this year. It’s a book that will touch your heart and move you – make you think even when you don’t want to think. I learned a lot from this book about things I hadn’t expected to be learning, along with the things you would expect. I’d recommend it to anyone. – full review -
  3. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (June book club pick) – Finished June 22, 2011 – I’m a bit on the fence with this one. There were aspects of the book that I liked and thought were well done, but other things which irritated me. I found the overall plot interesting but often the telling of the story left me unsatisfied as the author / narrator moved from one bit to the next, I often felt like I was given too much info in some areas and not enough in others.

Right now I am reading Second Wind by Cami Ostman, which I received to review. It’s a memoir which tells Cami’s story of running seven marathons in seven continents, an endeavor which began initially as a way of getting over a painful divorce. I am really enjoying this book which has me itching to go outside and walk / run as I read it – never a bad thing!

I was originally flipping through a few easy, breezy summer titles when this book came in and I had to put them down to focus on the review book first. Now I’ve just found out that next month’s book club pick, The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall, is a 600 pager! This is a book I’d probably never pick up if it weren’t for the book club and it looks interesting to say the least:

“Golden Richards, husband to four wives, father to twenty-eight children, is having the mother of all midlife crises. His construction business is failing, his family has grown into an overpopulated mini-dukedom beset with insurrection and rivalry, and he is done in with grief: due to the accidental death of a daughter and the stillbirth of a son, he has come to doubt the capacity of his own heart.”

I’m just hoping I’ll have time to finish Second Wind and The Lonely Polygamist by our meeting on July 27th.

If I somehow manage to finish those two books before my next nightstand, I’ll be picking my easy breezy books back up for sure! Which books you ask?

  • Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster - A NOTE FROM JEN LANCASTER: ”To whom the fat rolls…I’m tired of books where a self-loathing heroine is teased to the point where she starves herself skinny in hopes of a fabulous new life. And I hate the message that women can’t possibly be happy until we all fit into our skinny jeans. I don’t find these stories uplifting; they make me want to hug these women and take them out for fizzy champagne drinks and cheesecake and explain to them that until they figure out their insides, their outsides don’t matter. Unfortunately, being overweight isn’t simply a societal issue that can be fixed with a dose healthy of positive self-esteem. It’s a health matter, and here on the eve of my fortieth year, I’ve learned I have to make changes so I don’t, you know, die. Because what good if finally being able to afford a pedicure if I lose a foot to adult onset diabetes?”
  • Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin – “Rachel White is the consummate good girl. A hard-working attorney at a large Manhattan law firm and a diligent maid of honor to her charmed best friend Darcy… But that suddenly changes the night of her thirtieth birthday when Rachel finally confesses her feelings to Darcy’s fiance, and is both horrified and thrilled to discover that he feels the same way.”

They sound like the perfect summer reading books, don’t you think? But I’ll have to earn them by finishing my “required” reading first!

What are you reading now?

Knowing when to let it go

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When we’re in travel mode especially, we’re suckers for making our kids pose with cute things (You may have noticed our turtle obsession). But sometimes, no matter how nicely we beg, they just don’t want to play along.

“Mom, this cow is hot. I don’t want to sit on it.”

“Oh come on, just hug your sister for a minute and smile.”

“Can’t we just go inside and look at candy?”

So we did. And the candy was delicious. And the pictures were actually pretty hilarious.

PS: Did I show you our most recent turtle pictures?

Daybook: June 27th

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Up and away! on 365 Project

Today

Outside my window… it’s a bit cloudy with rain predicted but at least it’s not too cold. We had a perfect weekend weather-wise with nice warm temps and just enough of a breeze to keep us comfortable – perfect camping weather!

This weekend we took the kids camping at a private campground about an hour away. It was really more of an RV park which wasn’t Dan’s favorite thing, especially with a firefighter convention thing going on that weekend, it made the place pretty crowded and noisy. But the campground did have an incredible kids’ playground and the area it was located was ideal. We’ll definitely camp in that town again but we might choose a different campground.

Devils Lake State Park on 365 Project

extra: another shot of the water on 365 Project

extra: I can't help myself on 365 Project

Before we came home yesterday we stopped at Devil’s Lake State Park which is very popular around here, boasting gorgeous views, a playground and a small beach and picnic areas. It was definitely beautiful and of course the kids loved the playground and MM quickly made best friends with another boy his age that was there. MM can make best friends anywhere. :O)

I am reading Second Wind by Cami Ostman right now, It’s a memoir I’ll be reviewing soon about Cami’s quest to run seven marathons on seven continents – a challenge which began as an attempt to recover from the pain of divorce. I am not a divorcee or a runner, but I’m really enjoying this book which already has me wanting to start exercising more – and if that’s the only thing I end up getting from this book, I’ll consider it well worth the read! I am really enjoying the book though and I expect to give rave reviews when I finish.

A few links you should click:

Two more picture I gotta show you: a couple more pictures from playing check up with BB on Friday:

Have I mentioned that BB is pretty sure that all medication is applied topically? After she “gives shots” she always rubs the medicine in afterwards.

Stuffed Bunny Heart Health Awareness: Have you checked your bunny's heart recently?

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extra: bunny health is so important these days on 365 Project

Couldn’t resist sharing one more picture tonight of BB and I giving her stuffed bunny a check up. A bunny’s heart health is very important you know, we had to make sure she was taking care of herself.

Good news: Bunny got a clean bill of health, had her eyes tweezered and wore a blood pressure cuff as a dress for awhile.

Hallway Hopscotch: Let them jump in the house!

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I was inspired by this idea I found on Pinterest to create a hallway hopscotch course for the kids. After stumbling on the idea while the kids were napping, I quickly grabbed construction paper, a marker and some masking tape (I think I might have actually used packaging tape, hope it comes off the floor okay!) and got it set up before the monkeys woke up.

hallway hopscotch on 365 ProjectThey were pretty thrilled with the idea of being told to jump in the house instead of being told to stop jumping for once! Score one point for mom.

We're wild for Anamalz! You can be, too!

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the moose is in the lead! on 365 Project

I am basically smitten with these adorable Anamalz, environmentally friendly little creatures handmade from sustainable maple wood. Both of my kids are crazy for them and I find them in constant use around the house. And okay, sometimes when the kids are napping, mommy plays with them, too. Shhh, yes I know, I need a life.

But guess what? You Your kids can play with them, too! I’m giving away three anamalz of the winner’s choice at my review blog right now, where you can read more about why I <3 anamalz and enter to win some of your own!

as promised: pictures from my week away

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on top of the world at our mall’s play area

catching up on yard work

my little Magnadoodlers in the car on our way to another adventure

RANDOM DANCING! (in the iCarly style of course)

randomly gorgeous

playing with friends in a most awesome yard sale find!

fishing with daddy for fathers day weekend (you’ll just have to trust me that he’s holding a fishing pole as it’s the only picture of him I got before his little sister went berserk)

daddy fishing (also known as proof that I’m not lying)

celebration fireworks after my first ever Mallards game (We won!!) with friends

reading Olivia with Daddy on Fathers Day!

So yeah, I guess you could say these are not my most impressive pictures after a week away, but hey, I was busy doing stuff, not taking pictures of doing stuff!