Arrrrrrrrrrrrgh!

Brooks and Hudson decided that they wanted to be the Pirates who don't do anything this year. We picked up the outfits for free at the Taste of Hudson (Thanks Little Tykes!) and spent $1.50 for the other accessories ($1 for a black eyeliner and .50 for black posterboard).

I took them to a Halloween party at a friend's church last Saturday, and on Friday they were able to trick or treat at the Y (while I was in Pilates :). Tonight the Pirates will make one more appearance to the Harvest Party at our church.

Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

Most of you know that I love pumpkin. This baked oatmeal is so good. It's like eating a pumpkin cookie for breakfast. And it's filling, it stuck with me through the morning, even after lifting weights for an hour. I will be making this through the fall!

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries *I didn't have any, so I omitted*
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) or 1/2 cup pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Start cranberries soaking in hot water to plump them.
3. Mix first five ingredients (butter through eggs).
4. Stir in dry ingredients.
5. Drain cranberries and stir into mixture along with nuts (if using).
6. Pour into buttered 9x12 pan (I use glass).
7. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes until center springs back when touched.

Hummus has been one of those things I've wanted to make for awhile but had never done it. I finally picked up the tahini (at a Indian grocer on campus) and made some. Wow, I wish I hadn't waited, it was super good. A great dipper for the hummus is baked pita chips. I just slice some pitas into triangles, spritz them with oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake them at 350 for 10-15 minutes until they're crispy.

Hummus

Ingredients

• 2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans
• 1/2 cup tahini ( sesame seed paste)
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Drain beans and reserve the liquid when you do so.
2. Blend beans, along with the other ingredients and 1/4 cup of the liquid.
3. Process until the mixture is smooth.
4. Add liquid until the desired consistency is reached.
5. Adjust seasonings along with more cumin, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Sambie 2 had a secret....

Sambie 2 showed up the other evening with some friends in tow. I was thinking she was the kittens foster mom since she never looked big enough to be pregnant. I was wrong, after I left for the Y yesterday morning she laid down and nursed the kittens! The kittens are very cute and friendly, the boys named them Chewbacca Bob, Darth Vader Bob and Cookies and Cream Bob. I'll try to get a better picture sometime, this one was taken when it was still dark out!

Tasty Tuesday

I still had a few apples left from the bushel I picked a few weeks ago, so it was time for apple crisp. I like my apple crisp to have oats in the topping and to be crispy. This recipe fit the bill and I liked the fact that the apples didn't have anything mixed into them. My only regret is that I didn't make a double batch. It didn't last too long!

Possum's Apple Crisp

Ingredients

• 4 cups sliced and peeled apples
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/3 cup soft margarine or 1/3 cup butter
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Peel and slice apples.
2. Grease a deep baking pan.
3. Lay the apples in the pan.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.
5. Stir thoroughly.
6. Spread mixture over apples.
7. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes.

Our Soup de Jour this week was Chicken Tortilla. This recipe had a lot of flavor and was easy to throw together, especially if you have some stale tortillas in the fridge!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup celery
• 1 cup onions, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 fresh diced garlic cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons corn oil
• 4 (15 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (15 ounce) cans tomatoes, diced (optional)
• 1 (10 ounce) cans Rotel tomatoes & chilies, diced
• 1 (1 1/4-1 1/2 ounce) packets taco seasoning, I use McCormicks
• 1 (10 count) packages corn tortillas ( broken or cut into small pieces)
• 12 ounces chicken meat, poached, diced
• 1 cup milk
• 12 ounces monterey jack cheese or 12 ounces Mexican blend cheese, shredded
• corn tortilla chips, broken into small pieces

Directions

1. Saute carrots, onions, celery in corn oil, garlic, salt and pepper until tender.
2. Add chicken broth and bring to boil.
3. Add tomatoes, Rotel, taco seasoning, and chicken.
4. Cut Tortillas into small pieces and add to broth mixture.
5. Let boil for 20 minutes or until tortillas are thoroughly incorporated into soup stirring occasionally to keep from sticking.
6. Reduce heat and add 8 oz. cheese. Simmer for additional 10 minutes.
7. Add milk and simmer for additional 10 minutes.
8. If thicker soup is desired, add more diced tortillas and let incorporate into soup.
9. Garnish with shredded cheese and broken tortilla chips.

I whipped up this chocolate syrup to replace the stuff you buy at the store that contains all those questionable ingredients. I used it to make a Mexican Mocha (Mocha w/cinnamon added) and chocolate milk mochas (warm frothed chocolate milk) for the boys. I love the simple ingredients and the great taste.

Chocolate Syrup

Ingredients

• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 dash salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Stir together.
2. Boil 2-5 minutes, stirring rapidly, until sauce begins to thicken.
3. This must be stored in the fridge.

Wordless Wednesday

Slacker

Sorry that I've slacked off on the blog, I guess you all know that it means that we've been busy with other stuff!

We were matched with a new International friend a couple weeks ago. He just turned 18 and he's from China, near Beijing. Last weekend we took him to the Farm at Prophetstown. They were having an old-fashioned corn harvest, you know, harvesting corn without a combine. It was Ray's first time to a farm. The boys had a great time, although they said their favorite thing was all the barn cats. Hudson was initially freaked out by the cows (there was one hungry mama cow mooing loudly into the barn) but then decided he wanted to try milking a cow.

Brooks did not want to milk the cow, but then later said he would next time we go there. Brooks is really enjoying learning how to read. He's been working on it quite a bit at school.

We are happy that fall is here. It's one of my favorite times of year. Last weekend I made a big batch of applesauce, 4 batches of apple pie filling, and a batch of baked apples (for waffles) with around 25 pounds of apples. Now if I could just get my hands on some canned pumpkin...