There's something about cold weather that makes me want to stay home and cook! However, between working on leftovers and eating out a couple of times, I haven't gotten to make all of the recipes that I was planning on this week. I still plan to make them in the next few days. I won't give you a blow by blow of our daily meals, and I don't have all of the recipes written down. But in case anyone else likes finding new recipes to try, read on.
We have made the Absent Cook Stew twice now (only once this week), inspired by my second-cousin, Kim. We used her additions as well as mushrooms and a little sherry. Wayne really loves this recipe and is now finding more crock pot recipes to try.
Another night, I made Enchiladas Con Pollo from the Women of Great Taste cookbook (Junior League of Wichita). I love just about anything with green chilies!
Enchiladas Con Pollo
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
3/4 cup water
1 cup sour cream
1 can (4 1/2 ounces) green chilies
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (I think I added 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper)
12 (8-inch) flour tortillas (At 10 tortillas, I ran out of filling and my pan was full, so I stopped there).
4 cups cooked, diced chicken breast
4 cups (16 ounces) grated Monterrey Jack cheese, divided
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced (I didn't have these, but it would have been good)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 13x9-inch casserole dish. Melt butter, add flour, stir until smooth and cook for one minute. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened. Stir in sour cream, green chilies, salt and pepper. Pour half the sauce in the bottom of prepared pan. Soften tortillas in microwave for ten seconds. Combine chicken, 2 cups cheese and 1/2 cup onions. Place 1/2 cup of chicken mixture on each tortilla. Roll up and place in baking dish seam side down. (Good luck with not dropping a little of the filling on the way to the pan as I seemed to do with every one). Pour remaining sauce over top. Bake uncovered for 2o minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and onions. Bake for 5 minutes.
Serves 8-10.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Allergy update
We are still trying to figure out what Tyler is allergic to. I am very happy that we don't think he is allergic to flour, cheese or eggs!! (We tried eggs for breakfast this morning).
In my talking about wondering what it is, Tyler makes sure to tell me that it is a mystery that we'll never know.
Tonight, he told me,
"All the food I don't like makes me allergic. There's only one fing I don't like. Mix."
What in the world is Mix?
In my talking about wondering what it is, Tyler makes sure to tell me that it is a mystery that we'll never know.
Tonight, he told me,
"All the food I don't like makes me allergic. There's only one fing I don't like. Mix."
What in the world is Mix?
in his father's footsteps
Yesterday, Tyler walked by mannequins at the mall. He looked up, waved and said, "hello ladies."
Apparently that's how Wayne greeted women when he was a little guy.
Squirt.
Apparently that's how Wayne greeted women when he was a little guy.
Squirt.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Double Chocolate Dream Cookies
I made these cookies for the first time this week. The recipe is from my Nestle best-loved cookies cookbook. I made them because of Tyler's request for a "chocolate-chocolate cookie."Double Chocolate Dream Cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened (I used margarine)
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz pkg) Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are puffed. Cool on baking sheets for 3 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Tyler declared that they were very good, but especially good with "a bite of cookie, then a drink of milk, then another bite of cookie." I will definitely make these gooey, chocolaty cookies again!
I have some new recipes to try this week, so I may have more recipes on the way...
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened (I used margarine)
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz pkg) Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are puffed. Cool on baking sheets for 3 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Tyler declared that they were very good, but especially good with "a bite of cookie, then a drink of milk, then another bite of cookie." I will definitely make these gooey, chocolaty cookies again!
I have some new recipes to try this week, so I may have more recipes on the way...
Friday, January 23, 2009
the Ty man
Today we looked at a couple of preschools. It was a little weird to be home again this week, though I'm not complaining! We've decided that if there is room, we'll send Tyler to Little Lambs preschool next year. It is based at a Mennonite Brethren church close to our house. We like the small class size, they are licensed with the state and most importantly, we felt very comfortable there. Hopefully, there will be room for him.
An allergy update...kind of. I was pretty sure that Tyler's incident earlier this week was an allergic reaction to penicillin. This evening, however, he broke out in hives again. YIKES! We'll have to start a methodical process of figuring out what the culprit is. I gave him Benadryl as soon as I noticed, so let's hope that preempts another incident like Monday's. I sure hope he's not allergic to eggs. They are his favorite food and they seem to be in so many things.
An allergy update...kind of. I was pretty sure that Tyler's incident earlier this week was an allergic reaction to penicillin. This evening, however, he broke out in hives again. YIKES! We'll have to start a methodical process of figuring out what the culprit is. I gave him Benadryl as soon as I noticed, so let's hope that preempts another incident like Monday's. I sure hope he's not allergic to eggs. They are his favorite food and they seem to be in so many things.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
new camera
Wayne has been playing around with his new camera this week. This is probably my favorite series of shots.
Quelf
Saturday evening we had friends over for a Quelf party. (Quelf is a game I gave Wayne for Christmas - it's random and more fun with a group). We had a great time. The kids did a good job of playing nicely, which made it easier for us to play our silly game.
Scary hair...scary face!
Scary hair...scary face!
Mummy Mark
Panic
Well...it feels like a lot has happened since my last post.
It started in the afternoon with that red, swollen spot on Tyler's leg. He had a welt/hive on his back. As the evening went along, he complained of the back of his knees hurting, saying it was hard to walk. I thought at that point that he was probably tired from his trike ride to and from our close park and his playing and running at the other park.
I put hydrocortisone cream on these spots, and it helped with the itching and a bit with the redness and pain. But, in the evening, we noticed his hands were swelling and a bit red. That's when he said, "my body is shutting down. What does it mean when my body is shutting down?" And, "I want the nurse to look at my bumps." So, I called the nurse-on-call who agreed with my assessment that he was having some sort of allergic reaction. I went out to get Benadryl. When I got home with it, I noticed that his left foot became swollen and it was painful for him to walk. We considered taking him to the emergency room, but at that point, it was getting late and Tyler was nodding off saying he didn't want to go anywhere. Wayne and I were both uneasy, and unsure what was the best thing to do.
By this point, I felt panicked. I had all kinds of worries running through my head. I put him to bed, and made my own bed on the floor next to his bed. (Of course, I couldn't sleep and did what I know not to do - I went to the Internet to check for symptoms). Throughout the night, with fears of necrosis or anaphylactic shock, I checked for breathing.
When I arrived at work, I requested keeping my cell phone on during our morning training. I started to explain what had been going on, and why I had gone to work (I had created the power point presentation for the morning's in-service and felt that I had no excuse not to go since Wayne was home with Tyler). But being a very understanding principal, she told me that I should go home. After getting my power point set up and explained, I did just that.
The ARNP who saw Tyler initially thought it could have been a strep rash. The strep test was tough for Tyler. Since she didn't get it the first time she put the swab in his throat, he was not about to make the same mistake again, and refused to open his mouth. She made me hold him down, she held his nose shut and poked around until she finally got it...and it was negative.
She said that he had not gotten a spider bite. She was skeptical that it was an allergic reaction to the antibiotic he had just finished. She thought it must be an allergic reaction to something he ingested. However, we're a little skeptical about any foods he ate being the culprit. We did possibly "ingest" some fumes watching the playground renovation. Don't know if that could be it or not.
I did ask about whether I should have taken him to the emergency room - because I had been questioning myself all night and was in fear that we had caused irreparable damage by not taking him in. She said that it was probably best that we didn't take him in. She said that having some time and knowing that the Benadryl had helped gave her a more clear picture of what was going on. I wondered whether she said this just to make me feel better, but that didn't seem to fit her personality...as she seemed rather unconcerned with personal warmth.
So, basically, he had some sort of allergic reaction. We've kept giving him Benadryl and he is getting better. Thank goodness.
Here he is yesterday afternoon, lounging on the couch because his legs hurt to sit on them or stand too long.
I, myself, was so exhausted and relieved, that I took a long nap in the afternoon.
It started in the afternoon with that red, swollen spot on Tyler's leg. He had a welt/hive on his back. As the evening went along, he complained of the back of his knees hurting, saying it was hard to walk. I thought at that point that he was probably tired from his trike ride to and from our close park and his playing and running at the other park.
I put hydrocortisone cream on these spots, and it helped with the itching and a bit with the redness and pain. But, in the evening, we noticed his hands were swelling and a bit red. That's when he said, "my body is shutting down. What does it mean when my body is shutting down?" And, "I want the nurse to look at my bumps." So, I called the nurse-on-call who agreed with my assessment that he was having some sort of allergic reaction. I went out to get Benadryl. When I got home with it, I noticed that his left foot became swollen and it was painful for him to walk. We considered taking him to the emergency room, but at that point, it was getting late and Tyler was nodding off saying he didn't want to go anywhere. Wayne and I were both uneasy, and unsure what was the best thing to do.
By this point, I felt panicked. I had all kinds of worries running through my head. I put him to bed, and made my own bed on the floor next to his bed. (Of course, I couldn't sleep and did what I know not to do - I went to the Internet to check for symptoms). Throughout the night, with fears of necrosis or anaphylactic shock, I checked for breathing.
When I arrived at work, I requested keeping my cell phone on during our morning training. I started to explain what had been going on, and why I had gone to work (I had created the power point presentation for the morning's in-service and felt that I had no excuse not to go since Wayne was home with Tyler). But being a very understanding principal, she told me that I should go home. After getting my power point set up and explained, I did just that.
The ARNP who saw Tyler initially thought it could have been a strep rash. The strep test was tough for Tyler. Since she didn't get it the first time she put the swab in his throat, he was not about to make the same mistake again, and refused to open his mouth. She made me hold him down, she held his nose shut and poked around until she finally got it...and it was negative.
She said that he had not gotten a spider bite. She was skeptical that it was an allergic reaction to the antibiotic he had just finished. She thought it must be an allergic reaction to something he ingested. However, we're a little skeptical about any foods he ate being the culprit. We did possibly "ingest" some fumes watching the playground renovation. Don't know if that could be it or not.
I did ask about whether I should have taken him to the emergency room - because I had been questioning myself all night and was in fear that we had caused irreparable damage by not taking him in. She said that it was probably best that we didn't take him in. She said that having some time and knowing that the Benadryl had helped gave her a more clear picture of what was going on. I wondered whether she said this just to make me feel better, but that didn't seem to fit her personality...as she seemed rather unconcerned with personal warmth.
So, basically, he had some sort of allergic reaction. We've kept giving him Benadryl and he is getting better. Thank goodness.
Here he is yesterday afternoon, lounging on the couch because his legs hurt to sit on them or stand too long.
I, myself, was so exhausted and relieved, that I took a long nap in the afternoon.
Monday, January 19, 2009
worm statue
I will probably post another day, when I have time to upload photos, about our fun weekend party with friends. But, for now, I just had to share something Tyler said today while I can still remember it.
We were by the lake at the park, and had been throwing sticks and rocks into the lake, trying to see how far we could throw. Tyler was digging in the dirt for more rocks. He picked something up and then tossed it away stating, "that looks like a worm statue." I wish you could have seen the look on Tyler's face when I explained that this was dog poop. For lack of words, he looked shocked. You can pretend I said something more mature or appropriate like feces...but I didn't. Then we both had a good laugh.
Anyway, for my boy who is constantly picking his lip, he had a hard time remembering to keep his hands off of his face. Then he had a bathroom emergency during which I discovered that he has some strange swollen spots on his legs.
I was worried, so we went home and put him straight into the bath. Apparently, he is now old enough that I need to be careful not to show my concern over his possible ailments. When I yelled for Wayne to come look at his legs, it sent Tyler into a tizzy. Ah well, he is calm now. We'll see what comes of his strange spots and contact with worm statues.
We were by the lake at the park, and had been throwing sticks and rocks into the lake, trying to see how far we could throw. Tyler was digging in the dirt for more rocks. He picked something up and then tossed it away stating, "that looks like a worm statue." I wish you could have seen the look on Tyler's face when I explained that this was dog poop. For lack of words, he looked shocked. You can pretend I said something more mature or appropriate like feces...but I didn't. Then we both had a good laugh.
Anyway, for my boy who is constantly picking his lip, he had a hard time remembering to keep his hands off of his face. Then he had a bathroom emergency during which I discovered that he has some strange swollen spots on his legs.
I was worried, so we went home and put him straight into the bath. Apparently, he is now old enough that I need to be careful not to show my concern over his possible ailments. When I yelled for Wayne to come look at his legs, it sent Tyler into a tizzy. Ah well, he is calm now. We'll see what comes of his strange spots and contact with worm statues.
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