Random Weekend Nonsense

Since I have about 20 minutes to write something fantastic, and nothing is coming to mind [that can be written in 20 minutes], I'm going to bore you lovely readers with some random weekend nonsense!

-Friday was highlighted by the turning in of the husband's SUPER INTENSE application for the big kid's film program.  Yep, that's what it's officially called in these circles.  After two months of getting multiple references, writing two 3-page papers that critically analyzed a film and himself, and pounding out a 30-page script, he's done.  We made shortbread cookies to celebrate that I may actually get to see him on a regular basis once again.

-We had this bag of gluten-free shortbread cookie mix sitting around for a while after getting it on discount at Big Lots.  Did you know Big Lots sells gluten-free mixes for cheap?  Now you do.

-The cookie mix was pretty delish, but required twice as much water as the instructions said, and the cookies have a really bad habit of crumbling if not handled with care.  Or if the box gets dropped three feet.

-My goal for the month of February is to get all the carpets cleaned in our house. Saturday turned into a cleaning extravaganza that has ended with almost all but one room done, a working motorcycle, three piles of dead branches in the backyard, and a steam vacuum that looks like a giant, dead scorpion on the floor.

-I had every intention of making this soup for dinner Saturday night [hearty and delicious sounds perfect after a long day of home care catch-up]. My efforts were thwarted when, upon stirring all my lentils into the pot, I discovered a black bean that wasn't actually a black bean. Being that it was supposed to be a vegetarian soup, I felt the need to dump the whole thing into the trash can.  So instead we feasted on brinner/breakfast-for-dinner.

-Cute-patootie has started singing in church.  And insisting on playing music constantly, while shaking her rattle or banging blocks together.  As a biased mother, I find it adorable.  Also, maybe a sign of musical potential?  Here's to hoping...

How was your weekend? Make any new discoveries or do something infinitely more interesting?

Chicken-less Chicken Chowder

It's a bit of an ironic title to give this soup recipe.  While there truly is no chicken cooked into this soup, it is made with a chicken stock base.  And the origin of this recipe was a chicken chowder - it actually had chicken in it.

But  in this house, we roll with what we don't have.  And the night I made this, we had no chicken.  So we made up soup with what we have.  This recipe has turned out to be my most beloved of all, so far.  Its the kind of soup you would find at a Panera, or Spoons [for you local Fort Collins friends].  A little different, but hearty and delish. I also am pretty proud of it because none of the ingredients are expensive or difficult to find, but you wouldn't know it when you eat it.

A couple quick notes:

-This soup will take up most of your focus while making it.  I would recommend to all the moms reading to plan on making this over a nap time or on a night when another responsible adult can pay attention to your children for about an hour or so.

the responsible adult

-You can definitely add cooked chicken in this recipe and make it Chicken-full Chicken Chowder.  You also can easily use vegetable-based broth and make this vegetarian.

Chicken-less Chicken Chowder

[Based on Fine Cooking's Chicken and Rice Chowder from their 2010 Soups and Stews Magazine]

Time: 40 minutes to an hour of dedicated time
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 jalapenos, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 red potato, peeled and diced
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 cups chicken broth [or veggie, if you want it vegetarian]
• 2 tbs butter
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 red pepper
• 1/2 c milk
• 1/2 cooked wild rice/brown rice mix, if you prefer
• 1 tsp pepper
• splash Worchestershire sauce

Directions

*If you haven't already cooked your rice, I would start cooking it now.  That way you don't have to wait forever for it to finish while the family is starving*

Part One - In a 4 qt pot, put in jalapenos, onion, garlic, red potato, 1 of the 2 sweet potatoes, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then let simmer, covered, for 30 minutes - long enough that all of your ingredients are really mushy.

Next, blend your broth mixture until creamy. Then pour the mixture back into the pot.

Part Two - [Do this while the broth mix is simmering] In a large skillet, melt butter, then add celery, red pepper and other sweet potato.  Saute veggies for about 10 minutes on medium heat - until they are soft and browned a little bit.

Part Three - Add to the blended broth mix the sauteed veggies, milk, rice, pepper, and Worchestershire sauce.  Heat soup to a simmer [but not to a boil], and let sit for at least a few minutes before serving.

While this soup is a little spicy from the jalapenos, its not enough to deter me [the spicy wimp], or a one year old from really enjoying it. Because the jalapenos are fresh, the soup takes on more of a sweet-spicy tone to its flavor.

Have any stories of making due with what you don't have and succeeding? Do YOU have President's Day off?

Happy Varentine's Day!

My husband and I have this really bad habit of talking with weird voices and mis-saying words.  It is a regular fear that when our kid begins actually talking, she is going to pick up on the voice we have dubbed her with since birth, and won't know how to say words properly, like "valentines" or "really."

Wanna know what we were doing 5 years ago, this day?

We were getting married.

Quick trivia: the state of Colorado does not require both parties to be present to sign a marriage license.  The absent one just has to fill out a bunch of paperwork and find someone crazy enough to represent and sign for them.  That, my readers, is what we did, this day, five years ago.

So to celebrate our fifth anniversary and the sappiest day of the year, we did Valentine's a day early.

a gluten-free, pancake, bacon, and grease-soaked egg breakfast.

Dellie was introduced to bacon for her second Valentine's Day.  She didn't quite get it, however, so her daddy more than willingly finished her piece for her.

Both daughter and mother received a hand-written poem from their loves.

We spent the day by going to the public library for some school research, having way too serious of a marriage conversation while kiddo napped, making up, and having our first nice date in months.  We had dinner at The Stockyards [steak, yum!] and Slickables ice cream sandwiches.

Today we're hoping to go get some free Qdoba for the price of a public smooch.  Then a birthday dinner delivery for a lovely friend.

Valentine's, for me, is not complete without some delicious cheesecake. A super delish gluten-free version is Japanese cheesecake, found over at Green Cilantro.

[image and recipe are both from Green Cilantro]

What are your plans for today? Let me know in the comments below!

Cloth Diapers at 12 Months

You know you're a mom when... you buy a new cloth diaper you've been coveting for months - with your Christmas money.

I honestly couldn't come up with anything better to spend it on.  I swear.  If that isn't enough to defend myself, here's a picture of it -

adorable, no?

Adelle - 12 Months 

# of Children: 1

Gender: female

Size: 18 lbs, 27 in

Average # of Diapers a day: 9

Laundry Schedule: Every three days.

 Routine: 2 pre-folds used during awake times, all-in-ones during naps, all-in-ones with extra insert at night

Diaper Size: One size diapers - middle settings, Thirsties covers - size 2, second smallest setting, Disposables - size  3

Leaking?: Not any more, thankfully.  We bought three hemp inserts to use for the overnight leaking issues we were having last month, and they have solved the problem (success!).

How's the Poo?: Good.  Nothing new to report this month.

Night Time: Buying the hemp inserts was the key to keeping Dellie from leaking.  We have had zero issues since we started using them.

Did you Use Disposables?: For a day, I think.  I don't remember why - I think I just got lazy.

Any Changes: We bought some more diapers - 3 hemp inserts, another pre-fold cover, and an all-in-one. Kiddo also got a little bit chunkier around the waist - we are snapping the Thirsties covers one size out from last month.  To be honest, she's really inbetween the two snap sizes.  That would be one downside to snaps versus velcro.

Any Issues: None!

Favorite Brand: Bummi's TotsBots still wins.  It's the brand of the new diaper I got with my Christmas money.  I have been completely suckered in now because [1] their new fairytale patterns are adorable, and [2] the diaper insides are made of minky.  What I would give to have my behind swaddled in minky all day... [I promise, this is not sponsored, I am always this obnoxious when I like something.]

Still Like Cloth?: Yes, indeed.

Birthday Pot Roast

You remember ages ago when I said I would be posting regularly about food and diapers?  Yeah... that obviously isn't happening.  And I'm super-duper overdue for a post about gluten-free foodies.

That being said, here's one!

What happens when it's my birthday, I'm getting over a cold, and the hubby has found a chuck roast on manager's special at the grocery store? We make pot roast.

This pot roast recipe is a combination of two recipes and some adaptation courtesy of a lack of spices.  Here's how it went down: hubby found this recipe, and declared it must be amazing because over 1000 people have rated it very highly.  However, dry onion soup mix has a little note on the side of the box stating that "this product has been processed in a plant that also processes x, y, z, and wheat." Go figure.  So, I went and found this recipe to substitute. Then, on birthday morning while we were scrambling to get everything in the crockpot in time to eat it before midnight, I realized we had no onion flakes.  So, here's what we came up with!

Birthday Pot Roast [with all credit given to Marie and Chef Dee]

Ingredients

• 1 4 lb. chuck roast on manager's special
• 1/3 of  a small bag of baby carrots
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 red potatoes, cubed
• 1 cup water
• 3 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 cubes of beef bouillion
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions

1. Brown the chuck roast on a skillet, about 4 minutes on each side.


2. Dump all the ingredients in a crock pot.


3. Cook for 10-12 hours on high.


4. Invite some friends over for dinner, and enjoy!

Sorry for the lack of pictures.  That whole being sick thing, you know.  Makes one forget to do important things, like take pictures of their quarter-century birthday for posterity's sake.

Locked Out

Remember way back when I told you the story about how I locked myself out of the house with a sleeping child inside for over an hour?

I now present to you the short, Locked Out, which was inspired by said events.

Enjoy!

Locked Out from Daniel Lane on Vimeo.