Quick Dinner Idea

Do you sometimes get in a rut and need a good and easy/quick dinner idea?

Here's what I cooked tonight.  I was able to do it while Jackson was eating his dinner of black-eyed pea hummus and also apple/raisin/quinoa baby food puree, with a vegetable Juice Plus emptied capsule in the mix.  (Puree courtesy of Plum Baby Ganics)

Everyone has been "pinning" this chicken recipe, and since it was quick and easy and I had all the ingredients on hand, I gave it a try.  I cooked mine at 400 degrees (instead of the 450 she suggests) for 35-40 minutes.  Note, it's NOT the "world's best chicken" as she claims it to be.  This pecan honey mustard chicken is the best chicken recipe I've ever had.  Or maybe this easy crockpot chicken.  But again, it was a good recipe, but I probably won't repeat it anytime soon.

(Can you tell I'm aggrieved by her obsession with the title "world's best chicken" and that everyone I know has re-pinned it!?)

My new favorite

I've enjoyed quinoa the few times I've cooked with it over the past year.  But it's pretty pricey if you buy it from Whole Foods or from Publix.  Someone told me that Costco sells a big bag of organic quinoa, and we found it there for a whopping $8.50!  Woo hoo!

For those who haven't cooked with quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah"), it's a "highly nutritious gluten-free seed" (so says the packaging), and it's really yummy.  Similar texture to couscous, packed with protein, easy to cook.  It's best to cook it with chicken stock, I personally think.

Here's the recipe from the back of the bag that I cooked tonight, and my boys just ate.it.up.  Loved it!  Good way to sneak veggies in too.


Quinoa Summer Salad

2 c vegetable or chicken stock or water
1 c quinoa
4 c combined vegetables or fruit such as:   Fresh raw diced or sliced cucumber, tomatoes, stone fruit, peppers, mushrooms, or grapes and/or lightly steamed vegetables such as broccoli or asparagus spears, sliced zucchini, green beans, pea pods, corn kernels, peas, squash or pumpkin dices
1/2 large red onion, minced
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp wine or sherry vinegar
3 1/2 Tbsp EVOO
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3 Tbsp sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 c finely chpd parsley or cilantro

Cook quinoa with broth or water according to directions, allow to cool. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the vegetables, lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss in the cooled quinoa, almonds, and parsley or cilantro, taste, and adjust seasonings.  Serve chilled.

My version:  I followed the directions, but the only veggies I had ready in the garden were one cucumber and one tomato.  I omitted the almonds and parsley because I ran out of time.  Still tasted delicious!

Pair with a salad and you have dinner.

Happy Summer Cooking!

Cleaning with Lemons

Save those lemons that might be getting old!  Here are 2 easy tips for cleaning with lemons:

1) Remove any stickers on outside of lemon. Cut lemon in half and place cut side up in your microwave. Heat for about 2 minutes, remove with hot pad (very hot lemons!), and discard. Then wipe your microwave down with a clean cloth. Easy and smells so good!  Idea from this blog.

(**Note, if you don't have any lemons on hand but don't feel like scrubbing, and scrubbing, and scrubbing, and scrubbing, your caked up microwave, follow this simple tip that I've used for years:  fill a coffee mug 3/4 full of tap water, place in microwave and heat up for about 1 minute. Remove mug, and the grime in the microwave will be much easier to wipe down because that steam has loosened it all up.)

2) Clean your countertops!  Since moving into our house, I say, probably every month, that our white countertops are "of the devil."  I know that's a little dramatic, but you can see EVERYTHING on the counterops: coffee spills, black dog hair, red wine droplets, crumbs...you name it, it's there.  Then I read somewhere that you can cut a lemon in half and squeeze some fresh lemon juice onto the stain, and even rub the stain away with the lemon.  Works like a charm.  And it makes me happy to see the gross little stains just disappear!

(Disclaimer, not all countertops can handle the acidity of the lemon, so make sure you know your countertops and what they can and can't have for clean-up on them) 

Now to just learn about cleaning with vinegar from this Seventh Generation blog...

Patycake Kids Show

I would not normally advertise this for all the world to see, but many of you have expressed interest in this adorable line of smocked kids clothing, so I'm just letting you know about it.  :)

I'm having a show at my house this next Wednesday for the Patycake Kids clothing line.  Comment if you need my address and I can email you back. 

Sadly I can't post any pics on here, but definitely go to their website and look at their cute Fall line.  If you want to order something, contact me...I can order it for you or you can order it online and put "order through Emily York" in the Comments section of your order.

17 Months

First time eating spaghetti (and no, I did not put that "red dot" of a tomato on his forehead)

And some bath time fun...

First time eating Chick-fil-A in front of Langdon Hall on Auburn's campus (where daddy proposed to mommy!)

First time running on Samford Lawn, in 96 degree weather and 100% humidity, but having fun nevertheless

He would not let go of the Chick-fil-A cup. Oh well. It's the memory that counts.

Posing in front of the Auburn University sign with dog Tucker in tow

En route to Jackson's first time in the pool all summer and first spend the night at Meemaw and Papaw's (Jackson's Great-Grandparents) in Montgomery with mommy

(unfortunately no pictures as it was all-hands-on-deck when we were in Montgomery)

And first time to Wyoming

Has lead to a good bit of "firsts" this month for our little trouper

Toma-toe, Ta-mato

Lately, we've been eating a lot of these for dinner (caprese salads...literally fresh tomato, fresh mozzarella, fresh sliced basil, salt, pepper, EVOO)

And tonight some of this (courtesy of Bobby Flay)

That's right, our tomato garden is exploding with red, ripe, juicy tomatoes. I'm delighted, and yet scrambling for recipes to use up these beauties.

So I thought I'd share some of what I've been cooking lately

Heirloom Tomato Salad on Grilled Bruschetta

by Bobby Flay

2 lbs assorted heirloom tomatoes, diced

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 Tbsp red-wine vinegar

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup packed basil leaves, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

4 1/2-inch-thick slices ciabatta bread  (I used French bread)

1) Put the tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar, 1/4 c olive oil, and the basil in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

2) Heat a grill pan over high heat (or a grill to high). Grill the bread on each side until slightly charred, about 30 seconds per side. Remove from the grill and brush the tops with the remaining 2 Tbsp of oil.  Mound the bread with the tomato mixture and some of the juices and serve immediately.  

(Note: I just put my bread in the oven and broiled for a few minutes until lightly browned)

 Enjoying momma's homemade spaghetti for the first time and upset that it's "all gone"

(I'd post the recipe, think I got it from allrecipes.com, but I'm not the most wild about it. Still searching for the best homemade spaghetti sauce, so pass ideas my way!)

Freezer Burritos

Freezer Burritos


Recipe here.  For my burritos, I pulled some diced orange bell peppers out of the freezer and sauteed those with a fresh green bell pepper from our garden.  I added some salsa rice (leftovers from tacos earlier in the week), along with some black beans.  And of course a good healthy topping of taco-seasoned shredded cheese on top, but I couldn't take a picture of the added cheese or it would cover up the above picture of my veggies.

Taco Soup

Recipe here.   Thank you Sarah Barry for my cooking inspiration lately!  And I think it's funny I've been on a big Mexican kick in cooking this past week.  When I was pregnant with Jackson, Mexican food did not sound very appetizing.  Or maybe it's the spiciness that I tend to repulse in both of my pregnancies.  Anyways, Andy liked this taco soup that I made tonight, and I'm glad to have some to freeze as well.

Can you tell I finally have bursts of energy now that I'm in my 2nd trimester!  Thank goodness, and literally, praise the Lord!  I feel like a new woman!

Up next, trying to save all of our cucumbers to make these dill pickles.  Just might be getting Andy to help me with this one :)

Sewing

Here's my latest attempt at sewing and doing my own applique on a t-shirt.  I thought it turned out cute (but see my further thoughts below.  And I haven't tried it on Jackson yet since he's sleeping and I just now finished it).

Thanks to Alicia's blog and inspiration,  and the tutorial on this blog for how to hand applique, I whipped up this whale applique in no time.  Because I accidently bought the wrong bonding (I got Heat N Bond instead of Heat N Bond Lite), I couldn't stitch it.  But this just cut down on my time in making it, and I still like the way it turned out.

I have heard that shorts are the easiest thing to make.  Well, after some much trial and error, here is an attempt at a creation without a pattern.  This is the tutorial I used, and Dana has lots of great step-by-step instructions and other tips on her blog.  But my favorite blog is Cool People Sew, and Jama has a great tutorial for shorts on there.  Now I just need to purchase the shorts pattern she uses.  I plan on using this latter blog with pattern for my second go around. (fabric from Jo-Ann's)

Next step, sewing a Jon Jon!

p.s.  I used the Circo t-shirt from Target that I had bought last year. However, I'm noticing that the Wal-Mart and Target brands have pockets on their plain t-shirts for boys.  Anyone been able to find another good but inexpensive alternative, without pockets on the shirt??

6 Years

Today marks 6 years of being married to this great man! I pray we have many many many more years of a healthy marriage!

We had a day like any other day...laundry, organizing the basement, church, cooking, cleaning, but we both got in 2 hour naps while Jackson napped!  Woo hoo!

 Mommy & Daddy are about to head out to dinner while Aunt Margaret babysits!  She's the BEST!

 Slight baby bump at 17 weeks pregnant!

It's A...

GIRL!!!!

Bring out the ribbons, pink, and pearls,
The York Family of 3 is adding a GIRL!!!

Traveling with Toddler

This blog post was a great deal of help in traveling with a 17-month-old practically across the country, including early morning wake-ups (4 a.m!), 4 hour layovers in Chicago, etc.  Kudos to Elizabeth for flying by herself with 2 kids.  I could barely keep up with one!

I wanted to add a teeny bit more to Elizabeth's very thorough blog post, so I hope you find this helpful.

1) I'm glad she mentioned that you need to bring your own milk, because you do.  I ordered this milk from Amazon, and while the individual pack of milk did weigh down our backpack, it definitely helped to have milk on hand when we were flying or waiting in the airport.

2) Definitely check with your individual airline on what you are allowed to check for free on the plane.  For instance, United Airline's policy is that you may check either a car seat OR a stroller for free.  They never gave us any hassle on this, as we brought both on board.  But also Andy and I were both traveling adults, so maybe that's what they counted.

3) Try to check your bag if possible, as the least amount of items you can carry, the better.  I agree with Elizabeth on bringing several small toys/books/and lots of snacks.  We splurged on Mott's all natural fruit snacks (which he never has), along with the Plum Organics pouches.  Crackers, Cheerios, any treat he doesn't eat often, we brought it.  The Kindle Fire was our last back-up with some downloaded movies on it, in case of a meltdown. And make sure to pack pacifier/lovey, whatever calms them down for nap time, as Jackson used both and slept on most of the flights.

4) I definitely second her post on letting kids run around the airport.  It will wear them out so they'll sleep on the plane.

5) Make sure the seats you're sitting in have 3 oxygen masks, if you have a child-in-lap.  We had to move on two of our United flights because our seats only had 2 oxygen masks.  It helps if you check in with the airline before boarding, but the flight attendants can also address those issues (and get the 2 mean guys out of your new seats so you can "legally" sit with a child-in-lap).

6) Have a copy of your child's birth certificate with you.  While United did not ask to see a copy of it, I have had other airlines (Southwest) ask for it.

7) Children don't have to remove coats or shoes to go through security.  Just carry them through, once you've removed your shoes and put all your gear through the X-ray scanner.  Make SURE you're holding your child and not some family member who walks off with them.  That way you can prove to security that the milk you're carrying, along with other big liquids (like their medicine, Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl) are definitely for a child.  We actually had problems getting the 4 oz. veggie/fruit pouches through Jackson Hole security, but my brother (who was generously helping us carry one of our three backpacks) convinced them that his nephew HAD to have the pouches for our long layover in Chicago.  Thankfully they let him pass.

8) I shipped diapers for free to the Ranch with my Amazon Prime account.  I'm glad I did, as that cut down on one more necessary item that I needed to pack.

9) Earlier I mentioned medicines, and I'm grateful we brought Jackson's Benadryl, Motrin, and Tylenol, as he battled his first fever virus while we were in the middle of no-where, so it was nice to have on hand.  I also had added a syringe for the medicine, thermometer, and band-aids.  Some people will Benadryl their kids if they are getting grumpy and won't sleep for a flight, but we really didn't have to do that since Jackson slept so well on the flights.
(And I have to give a huge "plug" of thanks to St. John's Urgent Care Clinic...when I called our pediatrician, they said we needed to take Jackson to a doctor to have him checked out since he had a fever, chest congestion, and is under age 2. So we raced out of Yellowstone National Park, me frantically searching for cell service and a local pedatrician's office, and both offices I called recommended this Clinic.  It was fairly quick, they had a pediatrician on hand, and he was sooo good with Jackson, making him laugh and feel comfortable while checking out his ears, listening to his chest, etc. Just an FYI for those of you traveling out to the Jackson, WY, area!)

10) And finally, realize a vacation is never truly a "vacation" for you if you're traveling with small kids.  If you have low expectations, you can relax, be more low-key, and just realize that it is a vacation from cooking, cleaning (except cute little booties), and it's a nice change of scenery to enjoy time with your family.

Happy Travels!

The Wild, Wild West

We just came back from a really fun family trip to Moose, Wyoming.  We stayed at the Gros Ventre River Ranch, and enjoyed three gourmet home-cooked meals a day, fishing, horseback riding, outdoor cook-outs, fellowship with family and with new-found friends, and a fun, humidity-free-very-chilly-weather week!

See pictures below  (Warning, LOTS of pictures, in no particular order)   :)

 View from our cabin...Good Morning Teton Mountain Range!

 Uncle Jason really liked Jackson's cowboy hat

 Check out those bison

 Prairie Dog

 Loved our cabin

 Jackson's first time to touch a horse

 "Snuggling with the horse"

 Playing "peek a boo" with the wrangler

 Elk horns in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Uncle Jason and Jackson toasting their drinks

Below, state flag of Wyoming

Pictures at Slide Lake

 July 4th
Sadly, no fireworks on the 4th due to the risk of starting wildfires, but we had a fun cook-out at the Ranch with 150+ locals from the surrounding areas

 Sunset over the Tetons

 Old Faithful

 The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone National Park

 Yep, that's snow "stuck" to the side of the canyon

 This bison was literally right outside my car window.  If I stuck my arm out, I could have touched him. Craziness

 Mama Moose outside our cabin (apparently baby moose had wandered into the horse corral, and the wranglers set her free so she could go find her mama)

Below: morning horseback ride, and eating breakfast by the river

 Outside Jackson Hole Lodge, with the Tetons behind us

 Hiking around part of Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park

 Aunt Margaret tampered with wildlife to entertain Jackson...sssshhh, don't tell

Heron Pond, in Teton National Park