Homemade Knee Protectors

Recently Colby our almost 6 month old has started scooting and is on the verge of crawling which of course is reeking havoc on his soft smooth little knees.  I start him off on a blanket on the floor, but in no time he has scooted off of it, that is where these nifty little knee protectors come into play.  Please excuse my stained socks, these are from running in the rain in muddy shoes.  Basically, take an ankle sock, cut off the toe, and place where the heel would on your babies knees.  Pretty sweet!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

This past Sunday my husband and I had a potluck to go to after church. We just joined this church two Sundays ago so I was set to impress the congregation with my culinary skills-however-it being a weekend I didn't feel up to running out to the store or baking anything-so I went with the two packages of strawberries I got at the store and did some chocolate dipping sauce, yum.








Ingredients:
Strawberries
Semi-Sweet Chocolate or Chocolate Chips (1/2 Cup or so...more or less depending on amount of strawberries)
White Chocolate (1-2 Chunks)


1.  Melt Chocolate in double boiler so it won't burn and you won't have to watch it so closely.
2.  Cool so it won't wilt the berries.
3.  Dip Berries and place on wax paper.
4.  Melt White chocolate and drizzle over strawberries.
5.  Refrigerate and eat!  Yum.

Zuchinni Grill Recipe

When I visited my parents last week I got sent home with a zucchini from their garden.  Unfortunately I didn't plant any this year but I'm sure my neighbors will have zuchinni out their eyeballs soon.  This recipe is quick, fresh and tasty.  Yum.

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup Chopped Onion
1/4 Cup Chopped Pepper (red, yellow, green, whichever)
1/4 Cup of Snow Peas
1 Clove of Garlic diced
1 Zucchini Sliced
2 Carrots Chopped
Dash of Soy Sauce
1-2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Put Olive oil in skillet.  Put in everythings else.  Saute for 5-10 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. 

Breastfeeding Tips

Yes, I know this will probably interest very few of you out there, but I hope it can help some or at least help me remember some pointers for the next baby we have.  First off, I believe breastfeeding is pretty awesome since it is basically free and health for the baby.  Apparently I was a closet flasher because these days it doesn't bother me in the least to whip out  a boob in public-although they are so much more functional now-not just a hindrance in my attempts to run.  At the hospital I was so incredibly nervous about breastfeeding that I asked pretty much every nurse we had if I was doing it right, there were some helpful ones but some incredibly unhelpful nurses as well so we'll start with some tips:


1.  It will hurt.  Yes, it hurts until your nipples get used to being yanked on by a little vacuum mouth, but this too passes.

2.  Your baby will be attached to you most of the time.  Newborns eat about every two hours at least.  I read in a book that said to make your baby go three hours between feedings to get on a routine and this just made him one cranky little man-don't do it until they are a few months old if you feel it necessary to have the baby on your schedule instead of its own.

3.  15 minutes per side is adequate.  They should be able to get their meals finished in this time frame-any more and you're just asking for chapped nipples-ouch!

4.  Your baby will fall asleep eating and I found it is futile to try and wake them...just feed them sooner next time.

5.  Closed fists=hungry baby   Open relaxed hands=full baby

6.  When babies are first born you will need to squish your boob to help it fit into their mouths...so you squish your breast with your forefinger and thumb like you are making a breast sandwich-eventually their mouths will be big enough you will no longer need to do this.

7.  Latch, latch, latch.  All babies nurse differently and I was really worried that Colby and I didn't have an appropriate latch.  You shouldn't be able to see your babies lips to see if they are flanged out because their shouldn't be enough room to slide a credit card between your babies nose/chin and your boob. As long as it doesn't hurt and your baby is seeming satisfied afterward you should be fine.

8.  When your milk comes in your boobs will feel like they are filled with sand and ready to explode.  This was quite painful.  Use ice packs and massage gently around the nipple to soften your boob up so your baby can latch on.  

9.  Be prepared to wear nursing tanks for approximately the next year-they are oh so convenient although a little lacking support.

10.  Try to appreciate those night time feedings.  Soon enough your baby will be running all over and won't want to snuggle this much.  Do your best to enjoy these quiet moments.

11.  Things you will need to breastfeed: 
                      lanolin-I only used this the first week
                      3-4 Nursing Tanks
                      1-2 Nursing Bras
                      Breast Pump-I just bought a $70 dollar one at Target and it does the job
                      Breast shields or burp cloths to put in the other side of your bra when the baby starts
                                 nursing  because it will leak.
                      3-4 Bottles to have on hand for expressed milk
                      Nursing Coverup 

How to Make Frozen Yogurt

Yum, I love Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt.  The best part about this recipe is that you can make it your own.  If you want to be healthy use yogurt made with skim milk-if you want to be a fatty-make it with whole milk (I always make it fatty)

Ingredients:
3 Cups of Greek yogurt
3/4 Cup of sugar or honey
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Optional:  Fruit

1.  Mix all ingredients together then refridgerate for an hour or so.
2. Place in ice cream maker-or if you don't have one place a small ziploc bag full of the mixture inside a bigger baggie filled with ice and juggle it around until it becomes solid.
3.  Enjoy.

How to Make Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is a fad right now-it totes many health benefits such as high protein, low fat, and tastiness-well, I made up that last one, but it is pretty good.  Greek yogurt is also way expensive.  A while back I borrowed my mom's yogurt maker from the 80's and started making yogurt and eventually began to make this Greek yogurt.  Greek yogurt is great for dips, spreads, and frozen yogurt.  It has a creamy texture and flavor similar to cream cheese. 

Here we go:
Ingredients:
Yogurt

Tools:
Cheese cloth or a tea towel
Strainer
Bowl
Rubber band

Directions:  Place strainer over bowl.  Inside strainer place tea towel with edges of the towel draped over the strainer.  Spoon/dump yogurt into tea towel.  Gather edges of tea towel and tie closed with rubber band.  Wait a few hours and you'll have Greek yogurt.  The juices that are flowing out is the whey from the milk, according to my mom the whey is excellent for making bread with. 

Homemade Yogurt

Picture came from here

Yes, I know, it sounds quite daunting and strange to make your own yogurt, one would even go so far as dangerous; but basically making yogurt is science at work in your kitchen.  The way yogurt is made is by mixing milk with some bacteria that eat the milk resulting in a creamy tangy treat.  Yogurt at the store if you buy the expensive kind is simply milk and cultures but if you buy the cheapest kind if has gelatin in it to give it a thicker consistency. 

Ingredients:
Milk (Whole, Skim, 1% or 2%)
Plain yogurt with live cultures (Make sure it is plain and most yogurts have live cultures, just don't buy the kind with gelatin)

Tools:
Candy Thermometer
Big Pot
Smaller Pot
Spoon
Sink

1.  Bring the milk up to 185 degrees Fahrenheit.  (Do this by boiling water in larger pot on stove and fitting the smaller pot full of milk inside the bit pot, basically a water bath,  microwave it until it reaches 185-usually 7-10 minutes depending on the microwave, or you can heat it directly on the stove just make sure to stir frequently so it doesn't burn.)

I made a slight mess-I scooped the skin that forms on the milk out into the water.

2. Cool milk down to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  You can either just put it in the fridge, set it in the sink surrounded by cold water, or just wait with it on the counter cooling.

Yogurt in sink filled with water and thermometer  for step 4. 

3.  Once it has reached 100 degrees add about 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt per cup and stir it in gently. 

4.  Now here comes the waiting part.  Place yogurt inside pot or bowl with lid and surround with water at approximately 100 degrees.  Check the water about every 30 minutes to an hour adding hot water to keep it near this temperature of 100 it can be slightly higher or lower.  Leave in water for 7 hours or so, the longer you keep it in there the tangier it will become. 

5.  Take out after seven hours and refrigerate a few hours before eating.

Ideas to make it delicious:  Add fruit, sugar, honey, granola or make greek yogurt or ice cream...posts to follow with directions for that.

Side Cabinet Redo

Earlier this summer on one of my secret garage sale escapades I found this little side table.

 It was just made of cheap plywood but sturdy.  It looked as if it had been used in the garage at one point and had holes drilled into the top as if it was holding a tool. 

The tag said $2 so I bought it.  Let me back track a bit...prior to this my husband said, "Don't buy any furniture,"  so I brought the table in while he was at work and hid it by the cat litter until the time was right to tell him I had purchased furniture against his wishes...long story short he noticed it after about a week-the cat litter is by the washer and dryer and he rarely visits those parts of the house, he was a bit perturbed but, hey it was $2 so he couldn't get too mad. 

Process:

1.  I filled in the holes in the top with some wood putty.  Then sanded it down when it dried and reapplyed another coat, sanding afterward. 

2.  I primed the whole thing, did a light sanding after ward with 400 grit sand paper and then spray painted the whole thing with a few light coats of Paprika spray paint. 

3.  I reattached the hardware, and wholla, a fancy new dresser-my husband has volunteered to make a drawer so the whole finished product picture will be postponed for a bit...

Chocolate Waffle Recipe

Last week I attempted to simply make brownies in the waffle maker which did not turn out at all.  This week I decided to use my tried and true waffle recipe and tweek it to add in more chocolate and more sugar.  They turned out pretty well, but they don't get as crispy on the iron as I wanted them too before we ate them I threw them in the toaster.  We stored the rest in the freezer so we can toast them when we want to make delicious sundaes.  Yum.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 Cup of Flour
1/4 teaspoon of Salt
3 teaspoons of Baking Powder
1/3 Cup of Baking Cocoa
3 Tablespoons of Sugar
2 Egg Yolks
1 3/4 Cup of Milk
1/2 Cup of melted butter
1 oz to 1/4 cup of melted chocolate
2 Stiffly beaten Egg Whites

1.  Mix together flour, salt, powder, cocoa, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
2.  Mix melted butter and chocolate together.
3.  Mix milk and egg together.  Combine this with the flour mixture from step 1.
4.  Add the chocolate and butter mixture into the flour mixture. (I found if you try and add this to the milk it hardens the chocolate)
5.  Fold in the beaten eggs.
6.  Make waffles as you normally would for your waffle maker.
7.  Top with ice cream, whipped cream, fruit, chocolate sauce or whatever your heart desires. 

Homemade Pizzas

Previously I posted about a whole wheat pizza dough recipe that I use all the time.  These pizzas are part of our weekly diet it seems.  They are so quick, easy, and healthy-ish.  Our favorite pizza to make is pesto chicken pizza.  Basically it is pesto sauce (found by spaghetti sauces) and grilled chicken with onion and peppers.  We also make this barbeque pizza with barbeque sauce instead of spaghetti sauce with grilled chicken, cheese, onions, and peppers.  We also do the boring pizza with pepperoni and onion...nothing fancy but very filling.

4th of July Weekend

Colby had a great 4th of July-and a red white and blue outfit to boot:

For the 4th we took the 4 and a half hour journey over to South Dakota to my in laws.  In general this drive is most miserable because it is on two lane highways that weave through small towns and they carry a lot of farm traffic and I'm always hesitant to pass these people.  Traveling with our dog and child we had to make a few stops to stretch and feed him.  When we started off it was 99 degrees out with clear blue skies.  With about an hour left of our journey the skies turned greenish yellow, the wind picked up and then it started to down pour.  We got a mile out of a very small town when my husband and I made the decision to turn back into town to find somewhere safe to hide out.  We had just pulled into the downtown area when the tornado sirens started going off.  We saw some lights on at a pharmacy so I told my husband we should go there.  I got Colby out of the car in his car seat and ran to the buildings and saw some other people in a hair salon walking so I darted in there to see if they'd let us bring our dog in and down stairs.  Of course, being the polite Minnesotans that they were they said of course, I stepped out to tell my husband and I couldn't find him.  Colby and I hunkered down in a dank stonewalled basement with another couple.  The electricity flickered off and we were left in the dark.  Luckily Colby was a trooper and he was content trying to eat his stuffed dog.  When we finally emerged from the basement my husband and do walked in the door and our family was reunited again.  He had went into the pharmacy and got ushered to the back of the store where he thought he'd find me waiting-and he said he was extremely disheartened and nervous when I was nowhere to be found.  We finally made our way  back out to our car and back on the road.  Most of the streets were flooded and we drove by several trees split in half our uprooted.  Luckily the rest of our journey was uneventful. 

Whoops

It was over 90 degrees outside and I was craving brownies.  What to do?  I didn't want to turn on the oven so I said to myself, "Self, it is too hot to use the oven so let's use the waffle iron."  I tried it out-ready to wow the world with lovely delicious chewy brownie waffles-only to end up with crumbles that too closely resembles dog food.  So for all of you out there thinking about making cookies or brownies in your waffle iron, don't do it...or at least find a recipe specially made for this endeavor.