Getting Ready for NorPac Christmas Party

Last friday was our annual NorPac Christmas Party! We started out the day finishing making dessert & appetizers! Here are the boys helping us make some choco crunch treats & almond bark... super fast easy and yummy treat for little ones to help with!


Choco Crunch Treats:
equal parts milk chocolate chips & butterscotch chips- melted...
stir in crunchy chow mein noodles and drop on wax paper to harden!

Almond Bark:
Roast Almonds... melt chocolate chips over med low heat.... spread almonds out on cookie sheet and pour chocolate over top... let it harden then break into pieces...so good! Thanks Keziah for showing us how to make the bark!


Other desserts & appetizers we made for party:
Christmas cookies... Mint fudge... Fondue Fountain... deviled eggs (my fav)... famous meatballs...
cheese plater... and more! Thanks to All that Jazz Catering I didn't have to cook dinner this year! What a nice break! The food was awesome... and so nice to not have to do it all!

Kelsey's Kale Scramble

While Kelsey can not take all the credit for these eggs because sooo (my postpartum nurse-midwife, Isaac, Keziah & Kelsey) many blessed people have served me in making these eggs...

I am so thankful to her for all the dozens of mornings she has made these for me and with different variations. They are delicious as well as nutritious...

A MUST TRY!

Kelsey's Kale Scramble
Ingredients:
Eggs, chopped kale, diced onion, kelp & salt mixture, pepper, diced tomatoes, & diced bacon or diced Italian sausage.

How to prepare:
Prep all your ingredients, saute onions & meat. When meat is about done, add whisked eggs, add salt & pepper to taste. Stir the eggs to make them scrambled for about 1.5 minutes, then add kale and tomatoes. Serve with fry bread or English muffins!
Delicious and Nutritious!

Austin's Stuffed Apples!

A few nights ago Austin and I made these stuffed apples with left over pie crust dough....
they turned out soooo yummy!





Here is the recipe:
4 apples
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup walnuts (chopped up)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Core out the apples, mix all the ingredients together and stuff the apples. Wrap the apples in pie dough, bake in a buttered dish at 375 degrees for 17 minutes.

Enjoy!

Our 2nd Last Supper

Last year we celebrated Maunday Thursday by having a Passover Meal together. It was such an awesome time of reflection and really helped to make the crucifixion real to the kids so we decided to make it a tradition.




Menu:
Unleavened Tortillas
Grapes
Potatoe Latkes
Garlic & Onion Baked Tilipia
Charoset


Recipe for Charoset:
3 med. sweet apples grated
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup grape juice or red sweet Passover wine

Prepare as listed then mix and chill.
This is a great dish for children to prepare on their own.
Kelsey made it all by herself and it was so yummy!

Yummy Juice!

Yesterday we made a yummy new juice.
Here is the recipe!
1 red beet
2 long slices of pineapple
1 pear
1 tangelo
half a lemon with rind

A family favorite next to straight tangelo or little cutie juice is:
1 cucumber
1 pear
about 2 cups of pineapple

The great thing about the juicer is that you can't go wrong... everything I have tried tastes so yummy! I really love this one:

a handful of carrots
1 cucumber
2 granny smith apples

Happy Juicing!

New Ways to Cook Salmon

My Kids love Fish... Especially Salmon but cooking it the same way... even if it is good can get a bit old after a while. The last 6 months or so I have tried a few different recipes and these are our favorite in order from most favorite to still awesome but not the best.

Just a little note about trying new recipes:
Being a mom of little ones it can get real difficult for me to be motivated to try new recipes. I used to do it a lot when I only had two kids, but now with five little ones... :)
Last year one of my goals for the new year was to try at least one new recipe a month. After I got started it became so much fun! My oldest daughter LOVES to cook and I have to say she is pretty amazing at it. Even my oatmeal can not compare to hers. it has been fun for her too since she is always in the kitchen with me. I want to also add that it is good for kids to have to try knew things so that they are ready to eat at others houses without grumping. Plus my husband really appreciates my efforts and really builds me up at dinner. Isaac has pretty extravagant taste when it comes to food so it is such a compliment when he really likes the food I make. I hope this inspires you to try new recipes this new year. I am upping my goal to three new recipes a month for 2009! That is almost one a week. I would love it if any of you out there in cyberspace would recommend your families favorite recipes! It would help me a ton!
Hope you enjoy these three Salmon recipes!
Pecan Encrusted Salmon
In a small bowl, mix together2 tbsp mustard, 3 tbsp melted butter, 5tsp honey. In another small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup bread crumbs (I like to use Panko), 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley. Salt & pepper Salmon fillet to taste, pour the liquid mixture over the top of the salmon and top with the crumb mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges, rice and salad.

Planked Salmon with Peach Mango Salsa
This is better in Summer when Peaches are fresh and it is easy to use the BBQ.
Make Peach Mango Salsa while you soak the cedar plank for one hour.
Mix together these ingredients and chill for one hour or more.
*1/4 cup lime juice
*1 tbsp honey
*1/4 salt
*1 med. mango, cut lengthwise in half and then chopped
*2 cups chopped peeled peaches
*1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
*1 tbsp finely chopped bell pepper (optional)
*1 small chopped onion

Rub a little coconut oil onto plank. Place salmon , skin side down on cedar plank. Make diagonal cute in Salmon every 2 inches w/o cutting through skin. Rub Salmon with brown sugar. Place on grill. When plank begins to smoke cook 30 minutes. Serve with Salsa on top. I like to serve this meal with Rice or Quesidillas.


Last night we tried a new one which was also awesome.

Lemon Herbed Salmon
In a small bowl combine:
*1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
*2 cloves minced garlic
*1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
*6 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
*1/4 cup fresh thyme
*2 tsp grated lemon peel
* 1/2 tsp salt
*4 tbsp melted butter

Spread over Salmon fillet and bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

It's The Season To...

Make Cookies, Fudge & Candy...


















Pack & Ship Cookies, Cards, & Gifts...











To Wrestle & Dance to Christmas Music...






To Think & Pray for & Help Others in Need!

This year our church made Hope to others Bags for us to keep in our car ready to give to those less fortunate. A good idea for all year round that we will be adopting! How powerful to meet the needs of people even in this small way. If you would like to make your own Hope to Others bags to give here are some odeas to put in them.
Bootled Water, new socks, bandages, can of tuna and crackers, breath mints, granola bars, poncho, new testament, gospel tracts, meal; voucher for union gospel mission, ticket for housing at local shelter, qtips, toothbrush and toothpaste.

There are many other things you could add... be creative!

Tis the Season!

Fun Food Friday

My home grown chef, Kelsey, loves to try new recipes. This Potato Latkes Recipe was a huge hit with everyone tonight.... fun and easy to make too! Kelsey did everything, with the exception of mincing the onions of course.

Potato Latkes Recipe
You'll need:
-2 cups grated potatoes
-1/2 small onion chopped finely
- tsp salt
- 1 tblsp flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 egg, beaten well
- 1/4 cup oil
Instructions
1. Mix together potato, onion, salt.
2. Mix just the flour and baking powder together, then add to the potato mixture.
3. Add the beaten egg to the mixture.
4. Heat oil in skillet and drop small piles of mixture into skillet. Press the potato piles flat with the spatula.
5. Fry for 2 minutes on each side or until brown.

Serve with ketchup or sour cream! Enjoy!

Our "Last Supper"

The Feast of Unleavened Bread.
This was our family's first attempt at having a Passover Meal together. What a great experience! Originally I would have loved to practice it on Maundy Thursday, but because of a sick kiddo we decided to hold off one day.
We spent about 4 hours trying to find a good unleavened bread recipe on the computer. After a few failed attempts we finally found our favorite two.



At dinner Isaac lead the family in a communion dinner! We all had such a great time and it was so great for the kids. It made it so much more real to them. Kelsey and Austin want to do it once or twice every month now.

My plans for next year are to try to incorporate at least two new rituals to practice while we eat. Maybe a new passover main dish and then have communion together after dinner. This is definitely something I am excited about investigating and learning about. It is so fun for the kids to participate in the learning with me.

The kids have really been grasping that Easter is all about Jesus and the sacrifice He made along with the miracle of His Resurrection. I really think it is because of the hands on activities we have been trying with them this year. It is so fun. I am excited to make this a part of our lifestyle.