Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Ryan's famous again

You can go here to catch a clip of Ryan directing his band on Veteran's Day.

Hudson can ride a bike!

He's so proud of himself!

Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

I made this bread for dinner last night and it was so good! We ate the entire loaf. It was crusty on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. It went perfect with the lentil stew we had.

Awesome Crusty Bread

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour

1. Place ingredients in bread machine in the order according to the manufacturer's directions.
2. Use the 1 1/2 lb regular bread cycle.

I made this apple topping to go on top of Belgian waffles. It was wonderful! I think I will make some more up and stick it in the freezer to have on hand. The boys declared that it was the best breakfast ever.

Apple Topping

4 cups sliced peeled cooking apples (about 3 large apples)
1 1/2 cup water, divided
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons cornstarch or Clear Jel
1 tablespoon lemon juice, optional (use if apples aren't tart)

1. Place apples in a saucepan with cinnamon, nutmeg, and one cup of the water. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes or until apples are tender (but not mushy!).

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the remaining half cup of water, along with the lemon juice if using. Whisk until smooth. Add to boiling apples and cook and stir for one minute or until thickened.

Fun with the tuba

The boys love to play the tuba when Ryan has it out for lessons. Brooks has been able to get a pitch for quite some time, and Hudson is finally getting the hang of it. He used to just sing into it!

Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

I am addicted to Pumpkin Spice Lattes. They are like fall in a cup. Fortunately, I found this recipe that is pretty close to the real thing and much cheaper!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute – adjust to taste
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (or 1/4 cup of espresso if you have an espresso machine)

Directions:
In a saucepan stir together milk, pumpkin and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pumpkin pie spice, transfer to a blender and process for 15 seconds or until foamy. *I used my immersion blender and blended it right in the pan*

Pour into a large mug or two mugs if you decide to share. Add the coffee or espresso on top.

We had this chowder for dinner last night. It was so creamy and good. I used the immersion blender to blend some of the chowder and left some chunks in it.

Crockpot Potato Chowder

• 8 cups diced potatoes
• 1/3 cup onion, chopped
• 3 (14 1/2 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cubed, softened
• 1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
• chives

1. Combine potatoes, onion, broth, and cream of chicken soup in crock pot.
2. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or until potatoes are tender.
3. Add cream cheese and blend.
4. Top with bacon and chives before serving.

SuperHudson and the Robot

We didn't go trick or treating, but we did go to a party on Friday night. The boys had fun picking out their costumes and dressing up. I spent a grand total of $4 on their outfits. I gave them a few choices for costumes using things we had around the house and this is what they came up with. Hudson was Super Hudson and was definitely the most unique costume at preschool. Brooks's robot body is made out of a gift bag. He did all the decorations on the front. In the top picture he's pretending to take all your medicine away (reference to an old SNL skit which you can watch on Hulu).