Wednesdays Wonderful Recipe- ON Wednesday this time

Sorry I didn't post last week.....and I'm saying that to no one because I'm pretty sure all of you (the 1 or 2 of you) that read my blog just read it when there is an updated title in your readers and you don't actually keep checking each day to see if I have a new post nor do you expect me to post in a timely manner. (Thank you for that!)

This week I am sharing one of my favorite Pioneer Woman recipes: The Only Casserole Marlboro Man Will Eat aka Chicken Spaghetti.

I know some of you already make this but it is what is for dinner tonight in the Behunin house and I haven't had time to try any new recipes to share with you. The one thing I do differently than PW is to use a cut up rotisserie chicken and canned low sodium broth instead of boiling my own chicken and using the homemade broth. It is mostly because of time constraints and ease of use.

Try it one night with a loaf of crusty bread and a side of steamed broccoli and you have a meal even the pickiest of Marlboro Men will love!

Wednesday's Wonderful Recipe-on Friday

So I'm a couple of days late in getting this post up. So what? I thought about it a few times on Wednesday and could have gotten a recipe up pretty quickly....but decided to take care of my kids instead.

They both had a Frenectomy done at the dentist's office on Wednesday morning. We gave them a Kiddie Cocktail to make them relax and numbed their upper lips and the awesome dentist used a very tiny laser to cut the extra skin they had connecting their upper lip to their upper gum line. It was keeping their front teeth from growing together, causing a Letterman like gap that could have made dental life harder as they grow older.

Since they couldn't eat anything but soft foods for the rest of the day, they were lucky and got pudding for lunch and shakes for dinner on Wednesday but for lunch on Thursday Colin was starving and needed a little more than junk. He asked me to make some Egg Drop Soup like I did last summer when he had his tonsils removed. 

Egg Drop Soup for Two-Tasty Kitchen

I loved that he asked me to make it! It is a simple, basic recipe and totally adaptable to your family's tastes. If I have some, I add a 1/2 cup of frozen peas and carrots to the original recipe but I also double and triple the recipe since Colin loves it so much. I also 1/2 the amount of egg it calls for, since I'm not very good at streaming the eggs into the broth and I don't want to end up with Scrambled Egg Soup.

Try it next time someone is sick, or as a starter to your next Chinese food meal. Enjoy!

Wednesday's Wonderful Recipe

I know I haven't posted in a week....but we are trying to fit as much FUN into the last few weeks of summer as we can! We spent a day at my parent's having a "Grandkids Day" where all 4 of the grandkids just played in Granny's backyard. It was a lot of fun and really nice to just SIT and let the kids hang out. We spend a morning at a friends pool and we have lots of other fun stuff planned in the days to come! (I might even be able to take a few pics to share)

For now, I'm going to share my favorite cake recipe with you. It is my favorite because it is pretty simple to make (well, I think it is), and it is HOMEMADE FROM SCRATCH. No cake mix required.

Dr Pepper Chocolate Cake 

Everyone loves how rich and moist this cake is, and it is easy to take to a potluck. A 9x13 pan and a spatula and everyone can serve themselves. OR you can always plate it at a fancy dinner party (like I have those) and garnish with a few fresh raspberries on top. Sorry I don't have any pictures, I haven't made it in a while...maybe that will be next week's LL dessert!

ENJOY!

I'm a blogger- reviving my Wednesday's Wonderful Recipe posts!

I haven't shared a recipe in a long, long, long time. Since Christmas, I think. I DO still cook. I DO still take a potluck item to LL once a week. AND I DO want to share a recipe with you. And I AM going to start sharing a recipe every Wednesday. Again.

My husband's favorite dip for chips is French Onion. He loves mixing a carton of sour cream with an Onion Soup Mix packet and going to town with some potato chips (usually Pringles plain). I, on the other hand, find the soup mix to be too salty. So I did some Googling and found an onion dip recipe that I LOVE, my husband LOVES and all of my friends LOVE too. Alton Brown sure knows how to break down recipes and make things simple but delicious.

Alton Brown's Onion Dip From Scratch

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (I use butter)
• 1 1/2 cups diced onions(I do 1/2 diced, 1/2 sliced)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

In a saute pan over medium heat add oil, heat and add onions and salt. Cook the onions until they are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Mix the rest of the ingredients, and then add the cooled onions. Refrigerate and stir again before serving. 

This dip is soo good with regular potato chips, Fritos and even as a dip for a sliced baguette. I have EVEN used the little bit we've had leftover as a spread for sandwiches (go ahead, try it that way....it makes a GREAT turkey sandwich).

I'm person saying: WTH?

I know I haven't posted in a week but things have been busy around here! I didn't have a Happiness post not because I didn't take pictures, but because I haven't had a chance to go through them all. Next week for sure. 

I just came across this article on the Yahoo News! website. It seriously goes in the WTH? category.

Job listings say the unemployed need not apply

Seriously!? They only want applicants that either currently have a job or have recently been laid off? How the HELL is that possible? Our economy is bad and the number of open positions out there are scarce. How do employers think we are going to lower the unemployment numbers in this country if they don't accept applications from workers that have been unemployed for longer than a few months? If there is a job opening, let ALL qualified applicants apply. It is a start to getting our economy back on track.

WTH people? WTH!

I'm a Mom starting to do new things with my family too...

...things most of you wouldn't think I would do.

First off- I'm a kind of a girly girl. I don't really enjoy being outdoors  unless it includes me sitting on the back deck with bottle glass of wine and a good book or my laptop. That means a shower and a bathroom aren't very far away. If we go camping (which we haven't done since way before the kids were born) it is at an established campground or KOA. We car camp.

SO you would assume I don't like to fish. Well, you are right...I'm kind of squirmy when it comes to baiting the hook with a live night crawler (or part of a live night crawler) and I will never, ever gut a fish, EVER. But I'm pretty good at casting, OK at waiting patiently for a fish and sitting at a fish pond or lake side isn't too bad.

We got gear together for us to go fishing while we were at Bear Lake. Due to a couple of severe sunburns, only Seth and Colin were able to go out on the raft and fish. So before our fishing licenses expired, we decided to take the kids out to a local fishing pond and teach them how to fish.

We didn't catch anything, and we learned a few lessons- don't fish at a place that has a playground or Lilly will complain that she doesn't get to play, make note of the wind so the line doesn't drift as you are casting, and make sure you bring a pair of sunglasses for Colin or he will complain too.

We will go again and maybe try a new spot (one without a playground) and hopefully I'll have some fish to try new recipes on!

I'm the Mom of a kid that finds Happiness in the funniest ways.

My oldest  has a non-typical way of playing most days. He likes to do what we call "Projects". My Dad gives him plumbing parts that don't work anymore (and are not fixable) and he gets to take them apart and see how they work. Sometimes he puts them back together, sometimes he doesn't but these "projects" keep him busy for hours. And I don't mean just 1 or 2 I mean 8 or more. That translates into Happiness for the kid and Happiness for the rest of the house (meaning, we don't have to entertain him).

Colin and his own set of tools

 

 

Studying a circuit board

I'm linking to Leigh vs. Laundry and her 52 weeks of Happiness. Trying to find Happiness in my week. Sometimes it is hard and sometimes it is pretty easy.

I'm a Mom that found happiness this weekend- so did my family!

We spent the weekend at a cabin near Bear Lake, Utah. The kids had a blast playing with their cousins, fishing and riding in the boat. We had a blast doing the same thing. Here are three pics that depict the Happiness we all found while out on the boat on Friday. 

 Colin on the boat for the 1st time

Daredevil Lilly on the tube for the 1st time

Seth just chillin'

We all found some Happiness this weekend, mine was found behind the camera. I'm linking to Leigh vs. Laundry's Happiness Project this week. I'm going to try to get behind the camera more often and force myself to find the happy things in my life. 

I'm a slacker blogger that keeps adding to the post in her head.

No really, I do. I have been writing a post in my head for months now and since I never get around to actually typing it out, I just keep adding events to it. SO- I think this post is going to be a bullet point post and it will be pretty long since I'm going to cover pretty much the whole year until now.

This is what our year has been like so far:

February

• Colin lost a few teeth. 2 I think. He lost 2 last year and it was slow going for the Tooth Fairy.

• Colin turned 8! We had a great birthday with my family going to the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum in Provo, Utah and then having pizza at Grandpa and Grandma's. It was exactly what he wanted to do! 

• For Valentine's Day my sweet husband bought me a copy of The Pioneer Woman's book Black Heels to Tractor Wheels AND conspired a bit with my friend Katie to get me a ticket to see her (again!) and get my book signed! It was a fun night with Katie, Holly and Michelle. 

March

• Colin had his 2nd grade program: The Dinosaur Fair. It was awesomely filled with songs about dinosaurs, facts about dinosaurs and the always cool dinosaur dioramas. He had a small part which he memorized quickly and said with great enthusiasm. 

• At this point in the year, Lilly is just being Lilly, learning new things each week and growing up way too fast! (I couldn't leave her out!)

• Colin lost 2 more teeth! The Tooth Fairy was a little busy around here the first few months of 2011. 

April

• Colin started Cub Scouts and loves it! He participated in his first Pinewood Derby AND won 4th place overall (out of 17 cars) AND his first run was the fastest run of the night! He named the car Meteor Speeder and boy was it fitting!

• Lilly's Kindergarten Orientation was at the end of April. I will have both kids in school 5 days a week for a few hours each day. We are BOTH so excited for her to start school in September. 

May

• I became Colin's Cub Scout assistant Den Leader. It has been so much fun helping the boys learn more about the world around them, doing crafts and making gifts for parents. 

• Colin's class (and I) went on a field trip to the Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur museum. It was a lot of work for the chaperones but so much fun for the kids! 

• For Mother's Day I got a new laptop! I needed one really bad and it was totally time to upgrade. I love it and can't wait to get a "skin" for the top. 

• We helped with a yard sale to benefit the Ride For Javin Tour deCure team. It was at my parent's house and we earned quite a bit of money between the items that were donated and the goodies I made! 

• Lilly turned 5! We had a BBQ/Strawberry Shortcake Birthday party at my parents after the yard sale and had a lot of fun. 

• Lilly graduated from preschool. Her program was so cute (she is an adorable little Hula Girl) and the end of the year video made me cry. She has grown up SO MUCH this last year and learned  a lot of things to help her in Kindergarten. 

June

• We had a birthday party for Lilly- a little late I know- but it was the only time we could do it.

• Colin had his last day of 2nd grade! Despite some social issues and a change in meds in March he made it through! His grades and behavior improved over the previous term and we are so proud. His teacher was so good with him all year long and I am going to miss volunteering in the classroom every week. 

• Seth rode his first benefit bike ride the Tour deCure! 25 miles with the Ride For Javin Team and they raised over $2000 to help find a cure for diabetes. It was a fun day and a great accomplishment for Seth, he now wants to do a few other rides around the state. 

• I had a birthday. I am now one year older and I have quite a few more grey hairs on my head. We went to the Clark Planetarium and saw a 3-D movie about the Hubble Telescope and had 5 Guys for lunch. My friends had a birthday LL for me the following Tuesday and overall it was a great birthday. Now if only the grey hair would go away. 

July (so far)

• We had a fun 4th of July weekend. Lots of time as a family. Neighborhood/Scout breakfast and an impromptu pancake breakfast with neighbors. Fireworks with the same neighbors and lots of fun. It was nice to spend time at home and just relax.

• We spend a weekend at Bear Lake using a cabin that is owned by a friend of my Dad's. That is totally my idea of camping- cabin with running water and electricity, mattresses to sleep on and a shower! We had a lot of fun going out on the boat and my kids LOVED riding on the tube. Colin went the fastest without falling off and Lilly was a little daredevil. I took hundreds of pics of them on the boat, and if I get a chance I will share a few of them!

 
That is our year so far! We've done so many fun things and have many fun things ahead for our family! I'm going to try to start sharing a new recipe each week and at least one WTH? post a week too. Try is the key word (as usual) since we are busy, busy, busy this summer.

I'm a Mom WAY overdue for a blog update, I know!

I have pretty much set blogging aside for, well, real life stuff. I have a blog post in mind- a quick overview of our month of February but until I have a bit of time to write and add pics and stuff this one will have to do for a bit.

Last year,I became aware of a great company here in Utah that makes quality, modest, CUTE swimsuits. Not only are they CUTE but they have a whole line of Plus Sized suits that DON'T make the curvy girl look like an old lady.

Hapari Swimwear rocks! I got this tankini last year:

Pic- on the Hapari website here

Now I don't look quite as cute in it as she does but I DO feel comfortable in it and I feel well, SECURE in it (no wardrobe malfunctions here) and I feel stylish in it!

Do you want one? Go to Hapari and take a look. Do you want to WIN one? Go to My Giveaway Today and see how YOU can win a gift certificate to Hapari. Don't forget HAPARI!

I'm trying to find happiness every day.

I haven't been very "happy" lately. Stress from getting calls from Colin's school, the family getting colds. the overall Utah weather and multiple other small things have kind of put the kibosh on that.

Things have been looking up- Colin is doing better in school, the family is getting better and the weather, well the weather still sucks but not much I can do about that. Colin has recently decided it would be fun to help me in the kitchen. My favorite time so far, was when he helped me make French Bread to go with an easy Chicken Alfredo meal. We both had a lot of fun and he did a GREAT job! He doesn't pose for pictures very nicely, so my picture for Leigh's Happiness Project is the first loaf of French Bread he formed. Not only does BREAD make me happy (my thighs will attest to that) but spending that time in the kitchen with him makes me happy too.

I'm linking to Leigh vs. Laundry and her Happiness project (check it out!). She is on week 49 of her project and well, I guess I'm starting over again. Hopefully I will start to find the happiness in every day things again.



I'm also a Mom sick of my last post.

 I'm sick of my last post being at the top of my page. I don't have a REAL post even remotely prepared but the Holidays are so far gone and I hate to be reminded of my slacker qualities each time I check my blog.
It has been cold here, so cold that the kids haven't played outside for weeks and we haven't had enough of a snow storm since December. Hopefully we will wake up to snow tomorrow morning so I can send the kids out to play and we can get rid of this COLD.

Here are pics of the kids playing after the last snow storm. Check out how cool the "snowman" is. Seth made a fort and the kids wanted to build a snowman when he was done but he had used most of the good snow for the fort. The result of Seth making the kids happy is in the second pic below.

WHEW! Now my "Happy Holidays" post isn't at the top of my blog.