Happy Halloween!

Our month has been CRAZY! In fact I just realized that I never changed my title to reflect anything about October! I'm going to start preparing for November instead!

Anyway, today is Halloween. And I had *big plans*. And God decided it was my children's/husband's turn to get the cold going around. It sucks but that's ok. So instead of doing the "Boo at the Zoo" this weekend we stayed home. Arnold did some home improvement projects (another post on that coming tomorrow) and I had the girls from the youth group over and Sunday the boys all stayed home from church. I went, did nursery (where everyone seems to be sick), and came home.

Today is Halloween and my kids are over the moon excited! Quinton has been up since 5am (thank you Lord for the bowl chair that he can snuggle in) and they were dressed, teeth brushed, and bags packed for school by 7:30am! It never happens.

Here are some pictures of our pumpkins, and little men! Oh yeah! Best thing ever. I cleaned the pumpkins while they napped! Less mess!

These are the photos that Arnold does every year of our pumpkins. I'm so greatful he loves playing with the camera!















Kylers Vampire Pumpkin:







Miranda's Pumpkin:





Quinton's Scary Face Pumpkin - and our only white one:






Our pumpkins outside and the boys costumes:











The Police Man capturing the Pirate:











All bundled up for school:



At school. Mr Brown with his class (and Q is upset that the TML's lost :( )

New Meal Fridays #72 ~ Busy Day Beef Stew

Made: October 21st
From: FI&FI

2 pounds of stewing meat, cubed
2 medium onions, diced
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups of sliced carrots
4 medium potatoes, diced
2.5 Tablespoons of quick-cooking tapioca
1 Tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
10.75oz can of tomato soup
1.5 soup cans of water

1 - Layer meat and vegetables in slow cooker. Sprinkle with tapioca, sugar, salt and pepper. Combine soup and water and pour into slow cooker. Do not stir.

2 - Cover. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.


Miranda's Mix Ups: I totally didn't follow the "layers" idea... and I stirred :) But it was soo good! Oh and I didn't have any tapioca.

New Meal Fridays #71 ~ Easy Microwave Jammin' Jambalaya

Made: October 19th
From: PC

1 cup of frozen bell pepper and onion stir-fry
1/2 cup of thick 'n chunky salsa
1 can of Mexican-style stewed tomatoes undrained
3/4 cup of cooked instant white rice
1/4 pound kielbasa or polish sausage, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1 cup of chopped cooked chicken

1 - in a 1-quart microwaveable casserole, mix bell peppers and onion stir-fry, salsa and tomatoes. Cover; microwave on high 3 to 5 minutes stirring once or twice, until mixture boils, and bell pepper and onions are crisp-tender.

2 - Stir in rice. Cover; microwave on high 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking.

3 - Gently stir in kielbasa and chicken. Cover; microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once or twice, until kielbasa and chicken are thoroughly heated.


Miranda's Mix Ups: I didn't do it in the microwave I did it in a skillet instead. I added a bit more water to do the rice and it was yummy!!

New Meal Fridays #70 ~ Nacho Casserole

Made: October 18th
From: Pillsbury Casseroles

1 pound of lean ground beef
1 Tablespoon of taco seasoning mix
1/3 cup of sweet-spicy French dressing
1 can condensed fiesta nacho cheese soup
1 can of Mexican-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can of pinto beans, drained, rinsed
1.5 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
4 cups of nacho-flavored tortilla chips (3 cups coarsely crushed)
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 can of sliced ripe olives, drained, if desired

1 - Heat oven to 375F. In 10 inch skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix, dressing and soup. Spoon evenly into ungreased 8-inch square glass baking dish.

2 - Spread tomatoes and beans on top of beef mixture. Sprinkle cheese evenly over top. Cut 12x9 inch sheet of foil; spray with cooking spray. Cover dish with foil, sprayed side down.

3 - Bake 30 minutes. Uncover dish; bake 8 to 10 minutes longer or until edges are bubbly. Top with chips, lettuce and olives before serving.


Miranda's Mix Ups: I did just what it said but I couldn't find the pinto beans so I used beans in tomato sauce instead. Then it had TOO much liquid in it... so instead it was more of a soup than a casserole. But SO yummy!

New Meal Fridays #69 ~ Garden Medley Alfredo Chicken Skillet

Made: October 17th
From: Pillsbury Casseroles

1 Tablespoon of butter or margarine
1 package of fresh chicken breasts tenders
1 bag of Green Giant frozen garden vegetable medley
1/4 cup of water
1 container of refrigerated Alfredo sauce
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese

1 - In 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add chicken; cook and stir until browned.

2 - Stir in frozen vegetables and water; cover and cook 13 to 17 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and potatoes are tender.

3 - Stir in Alfredo sauce. Reduce heat to low; cook 1 to 2 minutes longer or until thoroughly heated. Top individual servings with cheese.


Miranda's Mix Ups: I burned it :( But it was still yummy! It missed something... I'm not sure what but it missed something.

New Meal Fridays #68 ~ Pot Roast With Sweet Potatoes and Parsnips

Made: October 13th
From: Pillsbury Casseroles

1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 boneless beef chuck roast
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can of beef broth
2 Tablespoons of molasses
1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
2 medium dark-orange sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 2 inch pieces
3 medium parsnips, peeled, cut into 1 inch thick slices
1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup of water

1 - Heat oven to 350F In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. add beef roast; cook until browned on both sides. Place roast in center of ungreased shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper

2 - In the same skillet, cook onion over medium-high heat 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in broth, molasses and thyme. Heat to boiling. Boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour broth mixture over roast. Cover tightly with foil.

3 - Bake 1 hour. Place sweet potatoes and parsnips around roast bake 1 to 1-1/4 hours longer or until roast and vegetables are fork-tender.

4 - Remove roast and vegetables from pan, reserving juices. Pour juices into 2 quart saucepan. In small bowl, mix flour and water until smooth. Place saucepan with drippings over medium heat; gradually stir in flour mixture, cooking and stirring, until mixture comes to a full boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cut roast unto slices; serve with vegetables and gravy.


Miranda's Mix Ups: I did it in the crock-pot instead. Put it in and then covered with just sweet potatoes (no parsnips for us). I took out the juices and made the gravy. SO yummy!

New Meal Fridays #67 ~ Personal Grands! Pizzas

Made: October 11th
From: Pillsbury Casseroles (Oct 2005)

1 can of Pillsbury Grands! Home-style refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 cup of pizza sauce
2 cups of shredded mozzarella Cheese
1/2 package sliced pepperoni
Green bell pepper strips, if desired

1 - Heat oven to 375F. Lightly grease 2 large or 3 small cookie sheets with shortening. Separate dough into 8 biscuits; place on cookie sheets. Press or roll each into 6 inch rounds.

2 - Spoon about 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce onto each dough round spread evenly. Top with cheese, pepperoni and green pepper.

3 - Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until bottoms are deep golden brown and cheese is bubbly.


Miranda's Mix Ups: I couldn't find the refrigerated buttermilk biscuits. So instead I used the country style ones (not grands). And because they weren't grands I couldn't spread them out as much so pushing them between my hands worked :) I would be SO careful how long it goes in. I burnt the first pan and they were in for about 8 minutes! I did pepperoni and cheese for some and chicken and tomato for some others. They were GREAT

New Meal Fridays #66 ~ Croque Monsieur Mac and Cheese

Made: October 6th 2011
From: GEM

1/2 pound of ziti (pasta)
2 cups of milk
2 cups of coarsely grated gruyere cheese
1 cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
3 slices of white sandwich bread, roughly diced
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
kosher salt
8 oz of deli-sliced boiled ham

1 - Preheat oven to 425F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil Add the ziti and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl; toss with 1/4 cup of milk.

2 - Meanwhile ,combine both cheeses in a bowl. Beat 1/4 cup of milk and the eggs in another bowl; fold in the bread and add half of the cheese

3 - Melt the butter in a sauce pan over high heat. Add the onion and garlic; Cook, stirring, until just brown, 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, cayenne, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon salt; cook , stirring about 2 minutes. Slowly add 34 cup of water and the remaining 1 and 1/2 cup of milk; bring to a boil, stirring until thickened. Remove from heat nd whisk to cool slightly. Whisk in the remaining cheese, then add the pasta and toss.

4 - Butter a shallow casserole dish. Add half of the pasta, top with some of the ham and cover with remaining pasta. Top with remaining ham, then cover with the bread mixture. Bake until golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Let rest a few minutes before serving.


Miranda's Mix Ups: I didn't have gruyere cheese, but I used the leftovers from the spaghetti one. I also didn't have white sandwich bread. I used the ends of a brown loaf and the end of my home made bread. It was YUMMY!!! Sooo good!

New Meal Fridays #65 ~ Spaghetti Carbonara

Made: October 3rd 2011
From: GEM

Kosher Salt
6 slices of thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic crushed
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
2 red jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1/4 cup cognac or brandy (optional)
12 oz of spaghetti3 large eggs
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for topping
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Fresh ground pepper

1 - Bring a large pot of slated water to boil. Combine the bacon, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, jalapenos and 1/4 cup of water in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the water evaporates and the bacon crisps, about 12 minutes. Discard the garlic. Add the cognac, if desired and cook until it evaporates. Remove from the heat and set aside 1/4 cup of bacon mixture for topping.

2 - Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in the boiling water as the label directs. Mix the eggs, cheeses, parsley and 1 teaspoon of pepper in a bowl. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 up cooking water.

3 - Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the pasta and toss until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Whisk the reserved pasta water into the egg mixture, then quickly pour over the pasta and toss to gently cook the eggs and make a creamy sauce. Top with the reserved bacon mixture and more Parmesan



Miranda's Mix Ups: I didn't use jalapeno peppers, or the brandy/cognac. It was super yummy. I did use M&M meats bacon and just cut it up with scissors. IT was perfect. I forgot to reserve some liquid! Next time MUST remember to do that.

New Meal Fridays #64 ~ Bacon-Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

Made: October 2nd 2011
From: GEM

2 pounds of small russet potatoes
1 cup of milk
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
bacon (crumbled)
scallions

Simmer 2 pounds of small russet potatoes in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes; drain. Cool slightly, then peel. Heat 1 cu of milk with 1/2 stick of butter. Mash the potatoes with the hot milk and stir in 1 cup of shredded cheddar. Top with crumbled cooked bacon and sliced scallions.


Miranda's Mix Ups: Arnold made it! I'll be honest I didn't taste any cheese but it was so yummy! I had way more than I should have!

New Meal Fridays #63 ~ Coriander Roasted Carrots

Made: October 2nd 2011
From: GEM

1.5 pounds of carrots
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 lime wedges (juice)
3/4 teaspoon cracked coriander seeds
Salt and pepper

Toss carrots, olive oil, and juice of 2 lime wedges coriander seeds and salt and pepper on a sheet of foil. Seal into a tight package and roast at 425F until tender, 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime.


Miranda's Mix Ups: Actually, Arnold made this! Did it just like it said. Was good! Not incredible but good.

September Photo Catch Up - Post #3

We went to my parents house last weekend to help out with some computer stuff, and ended up closing the pool. One of the many things Nana and Papa's house has that ours doesn't.... leaves! We have a pine tree and as fun as it is to rake those up and jump into them, it's not as cool as doing it with leaves like Nana and Papa's house.

The boys had fun:

September Photo Catch Up - Post #2

We worked on the trailer a few weekends ago. We needed to clean it up and have it looking better. Arnold re-calked the top of the trailer so it wouldn't leak at all. I repainted the arms of it, the bumper as well as "Vim'ing" the white canvas parts of the trailer. All we have left to do is stitch up the screens inside. I can totally do that. Then it's ready to sell.