How can we do that?

Ethan is extremely observant and has been really paying attention while I'm driving. Somehow (probably me or Joe) he learned that red=stop and green=go and he LOVES to point out what color the lights are as we're driving.

Tonight we were driving home and, as usual, he was informing me: "mommy that light is red that means to stop!" and then "now it's green you can go now mommy!"

Well...we come up to a light and it's red (so I stop) and Ethan tells me to stop. I'm going to take a right turn and I tell Ethan I'm going to turn (trying to explain you can do that on red) and as I'm turning I hear a chorus of "mommy nooooo how can we turn on red? you can't go on red! It's not green! don't go mommy! how can we turn on red? you can't go on red!....." and on and on!

I tried my hardest to explain that you can turn right on reds... we'll see if he processed it next time we're driving and that tricky right turn on red comes along!

the gifts we gave...

This year for Christmas we made all of our gifts; it was fun, economical, personal and practical!
We made: Brownie Pie Mix, Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix and Spiced Hot Chocolate Mix.

To go on our jars we made personalized labels with the directions on how to use each jar and a little stick family of us!

We (me and Joe) had a blast creating all these jars for all the people we love! It was fun to research recipes, find what size jar to fit them in, actually assemble them, create cute labels, and give them away! My mind is already thinking of fun 'homemade' gifts to do for next year... oh the possibilities!

Black Bean and Corn Salad

I first made this recipe for a Christmas party and got wonderful reviews! Everyone that has tasted it so far has fallen in love with it - as have I! I have eaten it plain; with tortilla chips; on top of chicken; in a quesadilla; and am currently thinking of more ways to enjoy it! It is so simple to make yet jam packed with flavors and textures! hmmm. And healthy to top it off!

Black Bean and Corn Salad
*Rachael Ray; recipe from foodnetwork.com; photo from Food Network
-1 can, 14 ounces, black beans, rinsed and drained
-2 cups frozen corn kernels
-1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
-1/2 red onion, chopped
-1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
-1 lime, juiced
-2 Tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
-salt and pepper
-2 tsp hot sauce (optional) - I haven't added this to mine yet.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand for at least 15 minutes for corn to fully defrost and flavors to combine, then toss and serve. The corn will also place a quick chill on this easy side-salad as it defrosts -- no need to refrigerate!

I just brought this to a baby-shower this afternoon and everyone loved it! Not all of it got eaten so I was able to bring some leftovers home...yeah for us! I'm off to enjoy some now....

Menu Momma...

Here's what this momma will be cooking this week:

*Chili Rubbed Roast Pork Tenderloins/rice/black beans/corn (didn't get to it last week)
*Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders/rice/veggies
*Tex-Mex Mini meatloaves/beans/chips
*Chicken with Dried Cherries/rice
*Pumpkin Pancakes/eggs (yummy Trader's Joe mix we were given for Christmas!)

looking at my week plan I'm realizing we're going to eat a lot of RICE this week - good thing we like rice around here:)

Forts

Both my boys love forts; we make them with blankets, chairs, boxes, or whatever they find! The other day they thought the stools at our counter looked good.... gotta love my silly boys!

little problem solver...

I go to the YMCA twice a week and the boys come with me; they love playing in KidsStuff so it's a win-win for everyone! When you walk in you see the pool through a large window wall; the past few times we've gone Ethan has inquired about swimming in the pool. I'm normally able to satisfy him with a simple: "we'll have to do that sometime! That'll be fun!" with true intentions of going swimming sometime.

Well, this morning at the Y he saw the pool as we were leaving and asked to go swimming; I explained how we didn't have our swimsuits with and we need our swimsuits to go swimming - this seemed to satisfy him.

Then, in the car on the way home he declared: "we'll go home, eat lunch, take a nap, wake up, get our swimsuits, then we can go swimming!"

What a little problem solver! We don't have our suits with - easy..we'll just go home, eat lunch, take a nap, get our suits - problem solved!

I personally find it amusing that he added it onto our normal routine (lunch->nap)

Don't worry - I will take him swimming soon!

Nutella Swirl Pound Cake

I am drooling thinking about the delicious cake I made about a week ago....

Meet: Nutella Swirl Pound Cake. Hmmmm

I saw this recipe in the "Real Food" magazine they give out free from Byerly's (thanks Theresa for your copy!) and it looked delicious! In the original recipe they have you put it in a 9x5 loaf pan but I decided to try it in a Bundt pan and it turned out beautifully:) I think it created a much more appealing presentation; and it still tasted wonderful!

Nutella Swirl Pound Cake
(from 'Real Food', winter 2009)

4 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 jar (13 oz, about 1 cup) Nutella, warmed in a bowl of hot tap water

*preheat oven to 325 degrees. Dust and grease 9x5 loaf pan (I used my Bundt; I recommend that!). Fill a bowl with hot tap water and set in the whole unopened jar of Nutella.
*Combine eggs and vanilla in a bowl and lightly beat. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl.
*Combine butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream with a mixer on med-high until fluffy (about 3 min)
*With mixer on med-low, pour egg mixture into bowl
*Turn mixer to low speed, add flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, after last addition mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
*Scrape 1/3 mixture into prepared pan and smooth with a spatula.
*Spread 1/2 of Nutella over batter and smooth with a spatula.
*Spread another 1/3 of batter over the Nutella and smooth.
*Pour remaining Nutella over batter and smooth.
*Spread remaining batter on top and smooth.
*Run a butter knife through batter to create marbling (I like to use a chop-stick!) Do not overmix!
*BAKE cake until golden brown; about 1 hour and 15 min (or until a toothpick comes out clean)
*Cool cake in pan for 15 min then transfer out of pan to a rack to cool completely.
***I choose to finish mine with a dusting of powdered sugar***
This was my first bundt cake so I was a little nervous when it was so hard on the outside; but once cut into it you see the moist inside - I enjoyed the combo of crunchy crust and soft inside:)
ENJOY!!! I wish I took a picture of it cut so you could see the marbling...but after I cut it, it was gobbled up in a matter of minutes!

Another week of food

Here's what's on the menu this week:

Coconut Chicken Fingers/peas/raw fries
Chili Rubbed Roasted Pork/rice/black beans
Chicken and Sweet Onions Sandwiches/cheesy mashed potatoes
Sesame Noodles with Chicken
Meatballs/Pasta
Turkey Sausage with Roasted Peppers/rice

hmmmm I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!! Is it dinner yet?

"We're playing a game..."

are the words Ethan answered when daddy asked (through a closed door) "what are you boys doing?"

back-up: Joe was in the bedroom on the computer and one of the boys (don't know which one; as both are capable now of doing this) shut the bedroom door. no biggie. I was in the kitchen cleaning up from dinner; those of you who know our house layout know that there is a hallway connecting our kitchen to the bedroom but you cannot see from the kitchen to the bedroom.

So, when Joe asked "what are you boys doing?" and I hear "we're playing a game" I had to go check it out.....

...this is their game: Judah on the floor and Ethan putting a laundry basket over him (completely enclosing him) and Judah trying to crawl away (with the basket on him) and Ethan trying to keep him still. I wish I thought quick enough to grab my camera. opps. I open the bedroom door to show Joe what this 'game' was and both of us couldn't stop laughing! Both boys were good sports about it and were having fun (thankfully) BUT when Judah saw the door open and had a free moment to get out from under the basket.... he ran (well crawled) so fast to daddy! Interpretation: save me daddy!!

Just a little snippet into the crazy thing we call life around here:) Always something new and exciting (and hopefully not too dangerous) happening in the Mancuso home!

Frugal Menu

This week we have to watch our funds so I had to create our menu from ingredients we have in the house! I call it a fun challenge:) I was able to create 6 dinners from the food we have on hand - woo-hoo; I win!

Here's what's on the menu this week:
Enchiladas Verde (never got to them last week)
Hoisin Baked Chicken/Broccoli/Rice
Zesty Chicken Cutlets Parmigiana
Sesame Chicken/Rice
Baked Tacos/Corn
Grilled Chicken/Black Bean and Corn Salad

12 months...

I thought it would be interesting to compare the stats of both my boys from their 12 month check ups. For the longest time I thought Judah was 'ahead' of Ethan in height and weight; that was until I compared notes; this is what I found:

Ethan 12 month: Judah 12 month:
Height: 2'4.25" Height: 2'2.5"
Weight: 18lb 6oz Weight: 17lb 4.8oz
HC: 46 cm HC: 46.5 cm
*HC: head circumference

So, my intuition was off! Ethan was bigger at 12 months! not by much though:)

I find it amusing how fast time is flying; I can remember vividly Ethan being born and now his baby brother is one? wow that flew. Watch out, I'll blink and they'll be driving! ahhh!

Our Christmas Card...

Here's what we sent out this year for our (first ever!) Christmas card! I found an amazing deal online for printing them (ie: free) and thought it'd be fun to do. Watch out, I may want to do Christmas cards every year now!

Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday!

More Menu's

Well, we finished eating our way through my last meal list and it's time to plan some more!

Here's what's cooking this upcoming week:
Turkey and Corn Chili
Ziti with Sausage and Cannillini Beans
Burrito Bowls/rice
Patty Melts/chips
Banana Pancakes/eggs
Enchiladas Verde/rice

I ran out of 'meal' plans tonight so I whipped up an easy meal from stuff I had laying around. We had Mexican Rice/Vermicelli (love those .79 cent boxes!) with diced tomatoes added in and grilled chicken.

Do you have any meals that you can whip up quick with stuff you 'always' have in your pantry? If so, let me know! I'd love to have some more backup meals for night when I want an easy dish or haven't gotten to the grocery store in a while!

HAPPY COOKING!

Happy New Years!

Welcome to 2010!

To ring in the new year Joe and I had a date night at home (thank you 8:00 bedtime for the kiddos!) ~ we made food; ate food; watched The Proposal (hilarious!) and I actually stayed up past midnight!

We were given a sweet Asian dining set from Nick and Tonya and wanted to put it to use; I found a recipe that looked good for Sesame Chicken and we were off! The recipe itself was super simple and used ingredients that we had on hand (added bonus!)..and to top it off it was REALLY TASTY:)

Sesame Chicken
1/4 cup flour
black pepper
4 boneless chicken breast cut into pieces
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil (we didn't have this)
2 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds
2 Tablespoons oil

Combine flour and pepper in a ziplock bag; add cut up chicken and shake to coat.
Heat oil in skillet, add chicken and cook till no longer pink.
Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
Add soy sauce and sugar (*I also added some ginger here) and cook till sugar is dissolved; stir in sesame seeds and sesame oil.
Add chicken and stir to coat.
Serve with rice and ENJOY!