It was a beautiful day for our Easter Egg Hunt. We have officially started a wonderful Easter tradition. Everyone had a great time and found at least one egg (and we will probably find another one or two more during the next lawn mow!)
Aeris needed a little bit of help finding the eggs, but once she found one, she didn't want to let go of them!
Chloe LOVED the pink ones!
As we await the coming of Easter, I decided to create my after--Easter menu plan early so I'm not scrambling around on Monday morning. The Easter menu is planned, with:
Brown Sugar Ham
Hot Cross Buns
Deviled Eggs (Isis' favorite)
Creamy Potato Salad
Ambrosia Salad (Logan's favorite)
Cheesy Cauliflower
Kids decorated cupcakes for dessert
Here's the menu Plan for the next week:
1. Chinese Chicken with Veggies in Mustard Sauce with egg rolls
2. Pineapple Hoisin Cornish Game Hens with Mashed Potatoes (see below)
3. Potato Chip Chicken Strips (a kid's favorite) with french fries
4. Zesty Onion Burgers with baked potato chips
5. Hamburger Stroganoff over egg noodles
6. Three Cheese Pasta Shells with a simple tossed salad
7. Buffalo "Ham" Enchiladas (this recipe will be utilized with leftover ham from Easter dinner substituting the chicken in the recipe for ham)
....and leftovers!
Our fourteen year old son, Ethan, is living with moderate autism. He has been virtually non-verbal since he was born and very rarely initiates verbal communication or social interaction. But, in spite of this, he does have his own interests that he sometimes displays and we are constantly looking things for him to stimulate his curiosity.
A few weeks ago, he took a field trip to Oriole Park in Baltimore, Maryland. He didn't say much after, but he did buy a few post cards at the park that day.
This evening he was playing in his room, and he picked up his baseball mit and ball that we have displayed on a shelf in there. My husband put good use to his new interest and took Ethan outside to toss the ball around.
It was a REALLY great feeling to see the both of them interacting as just father and son, and Ethan thoroughly enjoying himself. It IS truly those little things in life that really make my life special.
I figure that the photo of Chloe on today's post could sum up the entire week and a half for us all here in the "Miles" household. Each one of our six kids has been consecutively sick for almost two weeks. Since we have three kids that attend school, one of them has been regularly bringing some virus home and it spreading throughout our household.
Last night, as I was beginning to think that we had finally gotten over the hurdle of illnesses, Slater went to bed last night complaining of an earache. He's home sick today and back to the doctor we go (hi-ho)!
This week we celebrate the third year anniversary of Chloe's "Gotcha Day," which is the day that we traveled to China, and Chloe was placed in our arms to became a member of our family. It's hard to believe that three years has gone by.....
We love you, Chloe! We've been through a lot since then, and have gotten to know the sweet little girl you are, and cannot wait to see the woman you will grow up to become.
When Spring arrives, one activity my family greatly enjoys is birdwatching. It seems as though every year, a family of birds make a nest either in one of our trees or in one of my hanging plants. Last year I had a Wandering Jew plant that THREE families of birds decide to nest in. So for this year, my husband built a few birdhouses, so the birds could be a little safer from squirrels and rabbits.
I do wonder why the hole in birdhouses is so small. It doesn't think it would make it easy for entrance into the house, do you?
We found this perfect bronze chandelier for our dining room. It was a real challenge to hang because the wiring seemed to be a bit wacky. The light dates back to the 20's, during the Colonial Revival period--some decade as when our house was built, so it looks original to the house. The candlestick have actual wax that was handcrafted--I though that was a great finishing touch!
Some of the best meals that I have made for dinner are those that I concoct by simply throwing things together. I have leftover items in the pantry and want to use them up so I add them to a recipe. Sometimes it does end up an unsalvagable mess, but at other times, an unforgettable dish is born.
Last night, I made a delicious chicken dish that was created in this fashion. I wanted to share it with everyone, and also put it down on virtual paper so that I can remember what I did so I can make it again.
It's a creamy and savory rice based dish that is VERY inexpensive to make. The chicken cooks up creamy and is reminiscent of a smooth risotto. I call it....
Chicken A La Skillet
5 tbs butter
2 containers of Chive and Onion tub cream cheese
1/4 c milk
1/4 tsp thyme
dash of salt and pepper
3 portabello mushroom caps, diced (or your preferred variety)
1/2 onion diced
1 1/4 lbs. boneless chicken thighs, cubed
1 c dry rice
Cook rice--I used the REAL rice because I prefer the taste and cooked it in my steamer but if you could use minute rice. Set aside.
Melt butter in a large dutch oven. On medium heat, saute the mushrooms and onions in the butter until the onions are golden brown. Add the salt, pepper, and thyme. Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes then turn heat down to low. Add the cream cheese and milk--stir until mixture has melted.
Cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Add the cooked rice and mix until rice is heated thoroughly. Serves 6.
When we moved into our "new" old home last year, our steps were completely carpeted. Since our staircase hugs one of our walls, I thought the carpet made it look and feel very narrow and small. My husband took a challenge on about three weeks ago, and looked at what was hiding under all of that padding--and yes, we found very beat up and weathered wooden stairs with lots of potential.
He sanded every step--which resulted in a WHOLE HOUSE dusting and wiping down for an entire week. We had so much dust that our vacuum broke! He stained--which meant that we went up and down the stairs with bags on our feet. And he varnished--which resulted in us all being quarantined to the family room for three days. BUT--I think the results made all of the sacrifice worth it.
With six kids running up and down them, we will see how long they hold up.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
One of my most vivid memories is of me, at about eight or nine years of age, listening to my mother singing along to the songs on a popular top 40's music station. Yes, I realize there is nothing wrong with that, but at age 8 or 9, all I cared about was whether any of my friends would see her doing this, and worse, whether my mother could implicate me in her embarrassing attempt at trying to be hip and cool. And I won't dare to go into the dancing that was added during the chorus!
In the past few years, my three oldest kids have been steadily gaining an interest in popular music. They will sing a chorus from a song, and I can usually recognize what song it is or--I admit,that I have googled lines from a song more than a few times if I don't know it, then go to YouTube to watch the video!
The other day, my son, Slater caught me singing one of his favorite pop songs, and I finally received THE eye roll from him. I can also guess that a few years from now, I will be the one in the front seat singing, dancing, and jamming along, while my kids cower in the front seat praying not to be seen.
Maybe I need to just stick with the 80's music I grew up with--ya know, the oldies station!
One of the primary reasons why I create a menu plan each week is because it really helps to organize everything inside of my head. Cooking for eight people, three times a day, can be quite a challenge, and without a meal plan, it can be sometimes downright daunting. Also, creating an organized menu, greatly cuts down on costs because can I try and buy the things I DO need for meals, and cut down on the extras that I think I MIGHT need.
This week's focus is on using up the half empties in my pantry. I have numerous leftovers from meals that I have made but didn't completely use up, so I am incorporating them into this week's menu and using up as I can. Also, the weather is still a bit chilly, so I wanted to make some of those "comfort foods" that I will miss once the hot weather is here.
One of our favorite dishes, and one that we have as a staple around here is the sesame noodles. It makes a lot and it's even more delicious the next day in my husbands lunch. I usually double the batch because the kids LOVE it too!!
Menu Plan:
1. Risotto with Gourmet Mushrooms
2. Cracker Barrel's Chicken and Dumplings with a sourdough round
3. Chicken Parmesan (Crockpot)with a simple tossed salad
4. Blue Cheese Stuffed Burgers with oven fried potatoes
5. Stove Top Citrus Chicken (trying to use up leftover stuffing!)with cheesy rice
6. Calgary Cheese Steaks with baked potato chips
7. Sesame Chicken Strips with Sesame Noodles
Extras: I don't have any pumpkin in the cupboard or freezer, but I'm in the mood for these delicious muffins!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
| Awards I Have Been Graciously Given: | [−] |
DOB: 07-18-05
XuWen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China
