Figs!

Until I moved to Arizona I had never eaten a fig outside of a Fig Newton cookie. When we bought this house it came with a sickly looking fig tree in the backyard. The past few years we have gotten a handful of figs that end up getting eaten by the birds.

It still isn't the healthiest looking tree, but this year it has produced a TON of figs. I'm not really sure why, but my guess is that the chickens have something to do with it. They love to hang out under the tree all day - which means they are dropping "fertilizer" under it. I also put a water dish out for them and in dumping it out and refilling it daily I'm sure the fig tree has gotten more water too.

We have tried the figs and none of us really care for them much. I've been giving them away to anyone who will take them in addition to dropping the really ripe ones on the ground for the chickens to eat.

I spent a little time on Pinterest looking for fig recipes. I ended up making some fig jam/spread figuring that the kids might like the figs if they were mixed with some sugar. It's not bad! A kind neighbor gave me some fresh goat cheese and I have been enjoying a bit of the spread on the goat cheese with a cracker.

Just 4 cups of chopped figs made 32 ounces of the fig spread so we gave away several jars and will give away a few more since we won't eat it all. I might try to make some homemade fig newtons with one jar of the spread since the cookie filling is pretty much the same thing. 

I also learned one other interesting thing about figs. I can eat them, but I have a skin reaction when I touch the tree. The first time I picked the figs, I thought I got bit by a bug. The next time I picked, it felt like I got into poison ivy. I looked it up and, sure enough, there is latex in fig trees and I am mildly allergic to latex! I got smart and started picking with long sleeve and gloves on!

So, if you want some figs or fig spread let me know!

Friday's Lunch

We've been in a bit of lunch rut lately so I've been trying some new things. As we were swimming on Friday morning Wesley and I were talking about something different we could make. It just so happened I bought a big bag of mostly ripe bananas for $.99 at the grocery store. So we decided it might be fun to have banana splits for lunch. After all it's lots of fruit plus some dairy too!

After hearing several "Is she kidding?" comments, I passed them out. Justus wasn't happy, but everyone else enjoyed the unusual lunch. Unfortunately, this will not be making it onto the regular lunch menu. But it was fun and something different!

Fourth of July

What can I say about our 4th of July this year? First, the weather was AWESOME! The day started out cloudy and rainy which is always very exciting in the desert. The sun came out here and there yet the temps stayed relatively low. I think our high was only about 90, which is much lower than it has been for many weeks. We spent a good bit of time outside exclaiming our astonishment that it was cooler here in Arizona than back in Wisconsin. Actually, it felt a lot like Wisconsin to us with the unusually high humidity.

We had a relaxing day. Swam in the morning and prepared some food for our feast later in the day. Grandma Joddy and Grandpa Steve drove up and spent the evening with us. Grandma brought watermelon, coleslaw, and some very good potato salad. (Roz you missed out!)

I made a few festive foods. Red, white, and blue strawberries...

These were super easy. Just wash and dry the strawberries then dip them in white almond bark and blue sprinkles. The boys loved them! (Thank you Pinterest!)

Red, white, and blue drinks...

Again super easy. First, you have to use a clear glass filled with lots of ice. Then the trick is pouring the most sugary liquid first. In this case, Sobe Pina Colada for the white, Gatorade Fruit Punch for the red, and G2 Blueberry Pomegranate for the blue. And you have to pour slowly! (Thank you again Pinterest!)

Jerry did the grilling honors. We made our new favorite Bacon Cheddar Burgers and some hot dogs. Unfortunately, the grill got a little hot with a double batch of greasy burgers and we had a small flare up. I wondered why Grandpa Steve was asking if we had a fire extinguisher until I looked out the window and saw the flames. Jerry is an excellent grill master so it is quite unusual to see four foot flames when he's manning the grill. Jerry says he doesn't have any hair left on his arms but he managed to save the burgers. They were a little blacker than normal but still edible. In the end it was a good thing we didn't need to spray the fire out with an extinguisher because we don't have one. We weren't allowed to pack them when we moved and we never got around to replacing them. Guess we better add that to the "to do" list.

For dessert I made a cake. It was white cake mix with my yummy homemade frosting.

But, surprise, the white cake mix wasn't white after I was through with it!

After dessert we went out and did a few pop-its and smoke bombs before the grandparents left. Then we sat around and waited. We didn't buy any of our own fireworks this year, even though they are finally legal in AZ, because they are so expensive. We figured we'd be able to see the big fireworks just a few miles to our east. While we waited the boys jumped in for a quick swim...

... and did a few sparklers...

... and got in our jammies...

... and sat with Sam.

Right at 9pm the fireworks started. It is nice that it gets dark here so much earlier. In Wisconsin it seems it's never dark enough for fireworks until after 10pm. We could (mostly) see the big fireworks show but they were a bit far away. Unfortunately, we could just barely hear the booms. Next year we might have to drive and get a bit closer. Although it was nice to just march everyone right into bed when they were over and not have to worry about driving home.

And don't worry, we did talk a bit about why we celebrate the 4th of July. In fact, Justus impressed us all when he knew Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence!

Pretzels

Every so often the boys and I like to make soft pretzels. I found this new recipe online that is supposed to taste just like Auntie Anne's so we thought we'd give it a try. They were delicious! Definitely a keeper recipe that we will make again.

1 cup milk
1 package (or 1 T.) active dry yeast 
3 T. light brown sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 T. butter
1 t. table salt
3 T. cup baking soda
2 T. coarse salt

Warm the milk in microwave to about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining flour and the table salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450º and grease a large baking sheet. Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.

Dissolve the baking soda in 1 cup warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then place baking sheet. Sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

Arizona Breakfast

Well, as long as we are now living in Arizona we might as well start eating like it! This was Jerry's breakfast this morning. Eggs and a homemade tamale from co-worker Hugo's mom. In an effort to keep it a little bit midwestern, he had a Bloody Mary with it.

Pizza Night!

A few weekends ago we decided to have homemade pizza for dinner. Since it was a Saturday and Dad was home to help we decided to let each boy make their own. This is always a big hit with the gang!

We are finally getting a few of the boys to branch out to other toppings besides cheese and pepperoni. Eli is willing to try just about anything. Justus likes a little heat so he put jalapeños on his!

As they came out of the oven I snapped a shot of each boy with his pizza creation:

 

Sesame Chicken

I found this recipe for sesame chicken a long time ago but decided it was too complicated to make without a little help. So with Roz home on Spring Break and Jer here to help too, we decided to make it for dinner.

Ingredients:
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
2 green onions (sliced)

Marinade-

1 teaspoon chicken base
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sesame oil
ground white pepper (to taste)
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon raspberry wine (or any fruity flavored wine)

Batter-
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg (beaten)
½ cup water (or as much as needed to make batter smooth)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
salt (to taste)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Sauce-
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt (to taste)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
a sprinkle of ground black pepper

 
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: Cut chicken breasts into 1” chunks and in a glass bowl combine all of the marinade ingredients and mix well. Add the chicken and coat evenly. Cover and marinade for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Step 2: Meanwhile, in separate bowl combine all of the batter ingredients and mix thoroughly. The batter should be thick enough to coat the chicken but thin enough to flow around the pieces. Set aside.
Step 3: Using a fork or tongs remove the pieces of chicken from the marinade and dip them into the batter to coat evenly (one by one). Deep fry the chicken in batches in your deep fryer for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. (or you can fry in hot oil at about 325 degrees in your wok for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
Step 4: In your wok combine the sauce ingredients and warm over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring and simmer until sauce slightly thickens.
Step 5: In the wok or in a serving dish coat chicken with the sauce and garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

We marinated the chicken and then I made the batter. Roz and Jer did the dipping and frying out in the garage so we didn't stink up the house.

Roz... Fryer Extraordinaire!

We were encouraged by the fact that the chicken coming out of the fryer looked and smelled just like chicken you'd see in a Chinese restaurant.

Looks good and smell great!

The Finished Product!

We were all pretty please with the way it turned out. There wasn't enough sauce to cover all the chicken we made even though we doubled the entire recipe. That worked out to be a good thing because the boys liked the plain chicken. We got some sweet and sour sauce with our egg rolls that we used to make some into sweet and sour chicken as well. I think it would be a great freeze ahead recipe. Just cook up a bunch of the battered chicken and then freeze it on cookie sheets before putting it in freezer bags. Then you could take out as much as you need and make it into any type of various Chinese chicken (sesame, sweet & sour, Kung Pao, orange, etc).

The chicken was perfect but next time we make it we plan to try a different sesame sauce (maybe this one). This sauce was good for kids but we want something more sesame flavored. This whole post where I found the recipe is filled with various Chinese yumminess. If you are looking to make some tasty Chinese food at home... check it out!

Fresh Taste of Summer House Party

This past Friday I hosted a Fresh Taste of Summer House Party. I ended up with 11 guests and we had a great time canning salsa! Ball was nice enough to send everything we needed (for free!) except the fresh veggies.
These House Party parties are a pretty neat concept... it the newest form of advertising... getting products into people's homes where people can try them out and spread the word. If you ever get invited to one, you should definitely go... there is nothing to buy... just free stuff and fun! Consider signing up to host a party too... you get to keep all the free stuff the companies send you!
My friend Candy brought some super cute cookies that went well with my Fiesta theme! Not only were they cute but delicious as well! (Thanks, Candy!) If you've never had your cookies turn out that cute don't feel bad, Candy is a pro.
Many hands make like work! It's true. With the assistance of many helpers, this batch of Zesty Salsa was made a lot faster than the trial batch I made myself. I hope they can all come back the next time I can something!

Everyone got to take home a goody bag full of coupons and freebies. And two guests won extra prizes!
I have a few leftover coupons for the Ball Blue Book ($1 off) and Canning Discovery Kit ($2 off) if you are interested let me know and I'll mail them to you. With these coupons you can give canning a try for under $20!

Foolish Food

Last year I made a few April Fools Day recipes. I didn't mean for it to become a tradition, but Wesley wasn't about to let April 1st pass without making something fun to eat.

I get a freebie subscription to Family Fun magazine and they have had several cute "trick" food recipes that work perfect for April Fools. If you don't get Family Fun you can still get plenty of ideas here, on their website.
We started off with a hearty breakfast of eggs and bacon. Reactions varied.
Justus: "That's all we get?"
Everyone else: "Oooh! Candy!"

Of course, that wasn't their real breakfast, but it was a special treat to get candy that early in the morning. Unfortunately, it was only one M&M in a bit of white chocolate and a third of Tootsie Roll.

We didn't do anything crazy for lunch, but we went all out for dinner!! For the main dish cupcakes:
That would be meatloaf cooked in muffin liners topped with mashed potatoes dyed blue. Hayden insisted they were real cupcakes until he tasted one! Justus likes to follow rules so this whole idea of tricking people with food didn't go over well with him. Everyone else seemed to really get a kick out of it, even Roz requested we save her a "cupcake" to eat after she got home from work.

Let me tell you... it is quite weird to take a bite of blue mashed potatoes and have them taste... normal. It really does mess with your mind!
Cupcakes for dinner and pizza for dessert? Craziness! Wesley requested that we make the same thing we did last year. So, while the twins were playing outside and the little ones napping, he helped me make jello "drinks" and "pizza" cake. Wesley loves to cook and as an added bonus we did this instead of his regularly scheduled math lesson.
The big boys weren't fooled at all by the jello this year. They have great memories. JD, on the other hand, was a prime target. He tried and tried to suck that jello through the straw. We don't use straws very often and when we do it usually means there is something very tasty in the cup (shake or smoothie). He wanted to make sure he wasn't missing anything good! And, FYI, it is possible to suck jello through a straw if one sucks hard enough!

I have one year to come up with some new April Fools recipe tricks so if you see any send them my way!

Date Night (at Home)

This past fall, my dad shared some venison with us. He suggested we save the best cut to fondue and serve it with some shrimp cocktail. So... being good, obedient children that's exactly what we did! Instead of using the fondue pot my dad also suggested using the FryDaddy, which worked quite nicely. To round out the meal we had some bread with two dips (one store bought spinach, the other homemade oil and herbs), both were delicious.

We fed the children early and kicked them out of the kitchen to watch a movie. We set out our spread, then ate and chatted. The food was excellent. We took a short reality break to clean up the kitchen and get the boys to bed before we settled down to watch a movie. We had Netflix send us "The Proposal". You won't get glowing reviews from either of us, but it was still fun.

I voted we should make this a monthly event. Coming up with delicious food to eat is easy (although if you have any recipe suggestions I'd love them). It's the movies that are hard to choose... we don't sit down to watch movies together very often because our taste in movies differs so much. Got any good movie suggestions?

February Menu

Here is the February menu. As a reminder we have two week rotating lunch menu, one planned big weekend breakfast, and usually something in the crockpot for lunch after church on Sunday. I don't really plan veggies and side dishes ahead. We usually have a nightly salad and then some kind of frozen veggies. Side dishes are usually whatever sounds good and I have on hand (potatoes, rice, breads, etc.). If you want any recipes let me know.


Click the calendar above to enlarge. The monthly menu is also available anytime by clicking on the "Monthly Menu" tab near the top of the blog.

Our Weekend (in Food)

Here are the Shown boys in their sweaters before heading to church this morning:
I wore a sweater too (not pictured). Oddly enough so did many other people at church. I didn't get the memo but was glad most of our family had on sweaters for Sweater Sunday!

In other news, Roz arrived home this afternoon after a weekend in the Dells with a friend. I barely got a "Hi Mom" before she was asking "what's for dinner?" and grabbing poppy seed bread (recipe below). Apparently home cooking is what she misses most while away at college! Here's why...

This is what we had for breakfast this weekend:
Saturday-Egg & Sausage on Biscuits

No recipe for these really. Just cook up some sausage patties and eggs. Stack them on homemade biscuits with a slice of cheddar cheese. I cook the eggs kind of omelet style then cut them into round shapes with the biscuit cutter. If you want a great biscuit recipe here's the one I use:

Light and Flaky Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 T. baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter or margarine
3/4 cup milk (+ 1 or 2 T. more)

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in butter. Add milk and stir with a fork until ball forms. Knead lightly into a ball but don't knead long. Pat out on a floured surface and cut with biscuit cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400 until golden brown (about 10-12 minutes).

Sunday-Continental Breakfast Potluck at Church (I brought Poppy Seed bread)

If you need something yummy to serve at a Christmas brunch or even a quick baked gift? Try this. I got this recipe several years ago from a friend I went to nursing school with. I hadn't made it in a long time and revived it a few weeks ago. My whole family loves this bread. In fact, Jer got after me because I've "had this recipe for 15 years and only made it a few times?". What's wrong with me! It is really easy to make too, so I don't have a good excuse.

Poppy Seed Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons butter flavored extract
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 1/4 cups white sugar

Mix all of the above well. Put into two greased 9 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 for about an hour (until golden and tests done). Cool a few minutes in the pan then poke holes in the top and pour on the glaze (below).

Glaze

1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon butter flavored extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (approx.) cups confectioners' sugar

To make glaze: Mix liquids and then add enough confectioners' sugar to make glaze.

November Menu

click to enlarge

Here's the new menu. Nothing too new or exciting. Except for the spreadsheet I used to make it. I found this site that offers all sorts of pre-made spreadsheets. This one for menus allows you to put in all the meals you normally make and then choose what you are going to put on the menu from a drop down box. It was pretty slick. I liked being able to see the list right in front of me on the computer as I was making the menu.

The designer didn't leave a spot for my Sunday lunch or weekend breakfasts so I had to squeeze those in on the bottom. I tried to put them in the boxes that were marked for side dishes since I never really plan those out ahead of time but it kept telling me the items I put in weren't "allowed". I'm sure I can get that fixed, but for now I just put them at the bottom of the box.

Can We Build It? Yes We Can!

Several months ago I came across these plans to make a can rotating device out of cardboard. Since I tend to buy large quantities of items, but have a bad habit of just putting the new items in front of the old... I always wanted some can rotators. But being the frugal person I am, I just couldn't spend the money on fancy, expensive ones. So, I thought I would take "Grandpa's" plans and make one to try out.

My prototype

Well, the first one was a challenge. I finished it, but set aside the idea for awhile because I had so much trouble putting it together... it seemed that it was a project for someone with six hands! Plus Grandpa's plans were not exactly written out in a helpful, step-by-step fashion.

Then another blog I like to read posted the same instructions and in the comments I got several suggestions that helped me out. The most important tip was to use pins to hold everything in place instead of growing a few extra hands! Why didn't I think of that?! Now I was willing to give it a second try.

I made a few other "improvements" to the plans as long as I was at it. The second rotator went together much easier and by the fourth I was a pro. Now I think I could put them together with one hand tied behind my back. Okay, so not really... but this new improved method really helped! And my new and improved method is stronger because it adds shelf supports:

If you want to make more than one I highly recommend making a template of the pieces. I used shirt gift boxes. They're thin yet sturdy enough to use repeatedly if you mark lightly with a pencil. You also want to use a utility blade with a fresh blade. It just makes the edges so much nicer. Use a straight edge too! Crooked pieces don't go together as nicely. (Trust me on that one!)

Here's what you'll need:

utility knife, wood glue (or caulk), metal carpenter square (or ruler),
sturdy 2 ply cardboard, pins, and the plans*

Assembly Shelly's Way:

1. Measure and cut out all necessary pieces. This is probably the most time consuming step and why you'll want templates if you're making more than one.

2. Mark the sides (both left and right) where the shelves will go. This part is NOT in the plans... glue thin strips of cardboard (mine are about 1/2 inch wide and 5 inches or so long--no longer or they'll interfere with the can rolling) just below the lines you've marked (left photo). Squirt glue on marked lines (center photo). Place center shelves onto glue (right photo). Let it dry for a bit. If your shelves won't stand up support them with something.

3. Now squirt glue onto the opposite side and... this is the hardest part... line it up just right and put in place. If you placed those thin support strips in the right place it will help you line it up. When you are done it will look like this:

I like to pin it all in place to keep everything from shifting because at this point it's like a house of cards and prone to collapse.

I cheat a bit and don't wait for the glue to dry. I just keep on truckin', but I'm brave like that... or impatient. You can let the glue dry if you want. Just do yourself a favor and stand the whole thing up and make sure it's square and all the shelves look even.

4. Glue (and pin) the bottom front (left photo), top front (middle photo), and back (right photo) in place. These pieces kind of come around the corners which adds strength. Grandpa's original design did not have the back this way. That is a modification by Shelly (aka "Shellification"). You will also need to glue the "wood block" in place at the back of the bottom shelf. The wood block is not really wood, it's just a card board rectangle glued in on an angle that keeps the cans moving forward. It is hidden away in there and therefore not easy to photograph, but trust me... you need it!

5. At this point I like to turn the whole thing on it's side and set some heavy books (heavy in weight, not content... although I used books heavy in both respects for mine!) on top of the whole thing. Once the glue is dry, remove the books, then the pins. Cut a small notch where indicated to make it easier to remove the cans. Label, if you so desire, and then try it out!

Grandpa paints his to make them sturdier, but I am just using mine plain and taking my chances. Grandpa's plans include dimensions for all sizes of cans. I need to do a little math and make a couple that are wide enough for peanut butter jars. Peanut butter is the thing I have the hardest time following the FIFO rule on (FIFO=first in first out).

Want to see it in action? I thought you might!

Too lazy to make these?? I found, after I made mine, that you can buy something very similar made from cardboard for pretty cheap. I might have gone with this option had I known about it sooner, but I guess there is some satisfaction in knowing you made them yourself... that's what I keep telling myself anyway. (UPDATE - These are no longer available to purchase.)

*If you want a copy of MY plans with improvements I'd be happy to make a copy and give it to you.