Salmon Non-Salmon Eaters will LOVE

The first time I made this meal, my husband told me it was "restaurant quality."  Now that is not a review that I often hear from him.  My husband always gives his review at the end of the meal.  And although he enjoys my cooking, I don't always take home the Gold medal when I make dinner.  Because I don't just get rave reviews, I believe he is honest and I feel that I can always trust his reviews.

This salmon is a bit sweet, a bit Asian, and totally easy to make.  I have adapted it from Great Food Fast a recipe book written by The Martha Stewart. I have made it for my family and served it with white rice and green beans.  My four year old and two year old only make yummy sounds when eating it.  My son ALWAYS says, " Oh, thank you Mommy ... I love this" when I place his salmon filled plate on the table for dinner.  I am telling you if you love salmon, you will love this .... and if you don't like salmon, it is possible you might not hate this salmon.  It is pretty darn good.  And the best part is it is so easy to make.



Sweet Salmon that makes Non-Salmon Eaters say," Ohhhhhhh
Maybe I do like Salmon"

The ingredients you will need:

salmon
orange juice
Hoisin sauce (you find this in the Asian section of your store)
honey
sesame seeds

Place your salmon in a baking dish that just fits your salmon (in other words you don't want there to be too much room in the dish because you want the sauce you make to really sit on and around the salmon)

In a small bowl mix

3 Tablespoons of orange juice
2 Tablespoons of Hoisin sauce
1 - 2 teaspoons of honey (the truth is I am not sure about the measurement; I just squeeze some in)


And that is it!  Pour the mixture over the salmon.  Put it under the broiler for 5 - 8 minutes (400 or 450 degrees) depending on the thickness of the salmon pieces.  Sometimes if I am not ready to serve my salmon right away, I turn the oven down to 300 degrees and leave it in there another 2 minutes and then shut the oven off.

I serve the salmon with rice and green beans.  And just before I serve the salmon, I sprinkle it with sesame seeds.  It gives it that restaurant look. Buon Appetito!

Quaker Oats Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

So we have been sick at home for awhile now.  It is time to make cookies.  I need a cookie recipe where I have all the ingredients in the house, as I haven't been out of the house in .... what day is it again? So you see what I mean.  My two year old daughter and I eat Quaker oatmeal for breakfast about five days a week.  We love it.  And it is super easy.  Here is how we make it.






Quaker Oatmeal -- quick 1 minute oats

use a microwave safe bowl

1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup skim milk
splash of maple syrup (real maple syrup not pancake fake stuff)
sprinkle of cinnamon (the spice not cinnamon sugar)
Microwave for 1 and half minutes (90 seconds)

"YUMMY" and that is a direct quote from my daughter Madeleine.

Since we eat this almost everyday, I see this Vanishing cookie recipe all the time.  I have also notice that I have all the ingredients on hand.

This is Quaker's recipe; I just added honey.  They turned out great so I thought I would share.

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1/2 cup plus 6 tbsp. butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups Quaker oats (quick or old fashion uncooked)
1 cup raisins
I added some honey

Preheat oven 350.  Cream butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet.  Then add oats and raisins.  This is where I added some honey.  Drop small rounded tablespoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 8 - 10 minutes.  I cooked mine for 10 minutes.  They turn a light golden color.  Cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet.  Cool completely on a wire rake.  Store in a covered container.  Makes about 4 dozen.



I have to say they were easy to make, and the kids loved making them --
but they loved eating them even more.

Pink Eye and Toddlers

I am not saying it is the worst childhood illness.  I am not even saying it ranks in the top ten worst childhood illnesses.  I understand and am able to keep thing in perspective.  I have healthy children, but that being said.  Wow!   Eye drops are hard to use on a toddler.  Is hard the right word?  I am not sure.  Almost impossible might be a better word.  I know the nurse told me to drop some of the medicine into the corner of my son's eye and have him move his head to the side and the drop will just roll gracefully into his eye all by itself.  When she described it, I thought great idea -- I can do that.  I tried her way a few times, but my son kept his eye closed with a vise like closure.  There were no drops getting past those beautiful drawbridge lashes. I have never seen him close his eyes tighter.

So quickly realized I had to physically open his eye myself and get those drops in there.  It is my job; I am his mom.  I felt like I was at the carnival playing some awful water gun game where the target moves back and forth and up and down. This is not to mention the eight arms my child clearly must have.  I never knew my kid was this strong.  If he is this strong, why does her still ask me to carry him. As person administering the medicine, you have to hold the arms -- all eight of them -- down, gently pry the target (eye) open with your two free fingers, while you hold the medicine bottle in the other hand and carefully drop a small amount of liquid into the MOVING target. All the while listening to your child say "NO Mommy don't, NO!"  Nothing like trying to preform a difficult task with your own child yelling at you to stop.  Best part --- after you are finished, you remember you have to do this four times a day for seven days.  That was just the first dose.

Forty-eight hours later...eight doses in... 20 doses left.  My other child, my youngest, Madeleine wakes up with pink eye too. I do the quick math and .... 48 doses left.  Today is a pajama day.

Easy Valentine's ... Swedish Fish Bowls

I saw this idea in Family Fun Magazine.  It is super cute and best of all it is super easy.  I created all the parts, and my kids put the Valentine together.  I started this project yesterday afternoon and finished a couple hours later.  You know what part took the longest?  Finding Swedish Fish.  I went to three stores.  So if you know where to locate these yummy gummy fish, the project itself is fast and fun for the kids.

Items to gather before you start:

blue card stock, or blue construction paper, or blue paper
small clear treat baggies
Swedish Fish (gummy fish)
marker
something to tie the baggies with (ribbon, twisties, string etc...)
regular scissors 
scissors that cut with a curvy edge or regular scissors (you have to cut the waves by hand - up and down with your scissors)



Depending on how old your kids are they can help with the entire process. I have a four year old and a two year old, so they couldn't join in on the fun until step three.

First Step:

Cut the blue paper a bit shorter than the width of the clear baggies so it fits inside.  And only about half has tall as the baggie; you have to leave enough room to use the ribbon or twistie to close the baggie. After you have all the little blue squares cut, cut the top of the blue paper with the curvy scissors or use the regular scissors in an up and down fashion to create the appearance of a wave.  This is going to be the water background for the fish.

Second Step:

Write on the wavy water background you just created.  The suggestions from Family Fun Magazine are:
I am glad you are in my school, It's ofFISHial - you're awsome, and I FISH you were mine.  So cute with the fish at the bottom of the "bowl" aka baggie.  I added a heart and my child's name.

Third Step:

This is when my kids joined the process.  I set the project up like a little assembly line; they loved it.  They put the water (blue paper) in the fish bowl (clear baggie) and then put five fish in the bowl on the same side as the little note I wrote about being in "school together."  And lastly, they placed their small Valentine on the backside of the water.  And I tied the bowl (clear baggie) closed.  It was a great afternoon project.  It used various skills: listening to directions, following the process, and counting.

And the best part is it looks special even though it didn't take must time or money to add something to the simple Valentine card.

Thanks again Family Fun!

Milk Shakes for the Kids because... why not?

There are plenty of difficult parts involved in being a stay-at-home-mom.  No need to list.  Of course  there are built in perks, and there are those perks that are a mommy's prerogative to create. Today I used my mommy power to create Milk Shake Friday.

No reason to do it. But no reason not to.  My two year old daughter asked me for a milk shake.  I have never made her one.  I don't know how that idea popped into her head.  My guess is a cartoon. Or one of her story books has some fairies drinking milk shakes.  Anyway she asked me.  They just finished their lunch, and I could not for the life if me think of a reason to say no.  So I said yes.

*Side note -- I have never made a milk shake before, so I this is what I did.  I am not sure if this is what the experts do, but it worked perfectly.


Vanilla Milk Shake

these are approximate -- I just eyeballed it

Vanilla ice cream (3-4 scoops)
Some milk (1 cup)
Splash of vanilla extract (1 Tablespoon) 
Whipped cream for decoration
Strawberry for decoration

I made the kids sit at the table, close their eyes, and wait for their surprise.  This was their reaction when they opened their eyes -- truly priceless!  

This is the reason I decided to stay at home and stop teaching.  I loved teaching high school English, but I love this more.

Milk shakes at 1:30 in the afternoon on January 11, 2013.  What life is ALL about.

When Mommy gets sick...

the kids still have to be taken care of and played with.  I came down with the flu on Christmas Eve and my kids and my husband got sick three days later.  We were sick during all of Christmas break.  My four year old and two year old were sick with runny noses, coughs, and a fevers.  But thankfully in true kid form they didn't lose their desire to play and run around the house even with their fevers.  And this is a Blessing because they are sick, but not that sick.  Nothing is harder to see than your little one too sick to drive you crazy. On the flip side of this family-is-sick-for-the-Holidays-coin is adults are much weaker than kids when they get sick.  As we get older, sick means sick and adults do not feel like running around and playing with a fever. HOWEVER.... kids don't understand that and all they see is we are all home; let's play!

So hear are a few ways I kept my little sick, not so sick kids entertained while I was real-adult-sick this Christmas break.

We made sock puppets..... I have to say they loved it.  They picked out eyes and noses out of a button bowl.  And this process took a long time, which afforded my a bit of time to just sit at the kitchen table and rest.  I liked that part.  I hot glued their choices onto my husband's socks.  Then it was time to give the puppets hair.  We looped a bunch of hair, and I glued it down.  Lastly, they wanted tongues on their new friends.  We made those out of felt.  Once the puppets were complete, Aidan my four year old had a new object to chase my daughter Madeleine around the house with..... and by some weird twist my daughter was all of a sudden absolutely afraid of the puppet she made from start to finish.  The process was relaxing for awhile until it ended up in a chase through my kitchen, dinning room, and family room.  But I highly suggest making sock puppets even while you are adult sick.

Aidan kept asking to make Star Wars cookies, and he wanted to "paint" them -- decorate them for  you none four year olds.   Like any determined little boy..... he asked me, and then asked me again, and then asked me again, and again, and again .... you get the picture... I pulled the butter out of the refrigerator to bring it up to room temperature.  He saw me do this, and he squealed in delight because he knew that was the first step in making sugar cookies.  He is a very bright boy.  Aidan wanted to cut out Star Wars cookies and Maddie wanted to cut out butterflies and flowers.  And of course they wanted to paint them.  Funny part --- I only let them each paint five cookies because I had a feeling they would not like to eat the "painted" (royal icing) cookies as much as the plain cookies that they are used to.  Mommy was right -- Aidan bit into his Darth Vader cookie and said "it is yucky... too sweet." Another project done.  When will the flu end... that is what I kept thinking as I was coughing during this baking session.  Needless to say, I will not be sharing our baked treasures with anyone this time around.

Of course there was castle building, bridge building, fort building...playing with blocks.

And one day I even decided to bake donuts with the kids.

Because sick kids still need to be played with regardless if their Mommy is healthy or sick herself.  The kids have to come first; that is why we have them.  They are our Blessings.

Oreo Balls

Oreo Balls!   I first time I tried these I was at my friend Cheryl's home.  She is the mother of my beautiful Godson, Quinn.   When you taste one of these for the first time, you remember where you were.  I had never tasted something so rich and perfectly Oreo before in my life.  The Oreo taste is unmistakable, but the texture is dreamy, soft, and rich.  I asked her for the recipe, and she happily passed it on because she said she got the recipe from a friend of hers.

Yesterday, my sister-in-law, Becky, called looking for this recipe to take to my brother, Tony's, work Christmas party. These are a perfect treat to take to a party.  They are easy to make and always a big hit.  It touches some heart strings from most people's childhood -- Oreo cookies.  Because it is made out of this childhood cookie.  It is a bit nostalgic and a bit sinfully decadent; let's face it, most of us don't eat Oreos anymore --- most of us -- I am not saying all.  My home has Oreos; thank you husband for your little craving.  Baking isn't Becky's passion, but I know she will successfully make these Oreo balls. And I am sure they will make her a big hit at my brother's Christmas party.

Here is the recipe sister----

Oreo Balls

1 regular size package of oreos
1 package of cream cheese 12 oz (brick, not tub) softened (leave out on counter for awhile)
1 package of almond bark or 2 packages of white chocolate (I always use the almond bark)
a pinch of salt

Crush the Oreos by hand with a rolling pin in a sealed plastic bag or in a food processor. Completly mix cream cheese, crushed Oreos, and a bit of salt.  Cover bowl and place in refrigerator until firm.  Take mixture out of refrigerator and form into small bit sized balls about 1 inch in size. Place balls on wax paper on a cookie sheet and put in the refrigerator for about an hour. Melt almond bark by placing some (not all) in a glass bowl and putting in the microwave on high for 2 minutes. Take bark out of microwave stir until melted and then add more bark and put back into the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until all bark has been added and is melted. Or you could use a double boiled; it is up to you.   Once bark is melted, use tooth picks to dip the Oreo balls in the white bark and then place them back on waxed paper and back into the refrigerator.  Once hardened, place balls in a sealed container.  Store in refrigerator.   Enjoy these rich little treats with the nostalgic taste !