Christmas Cards - 2014

It's that time of year again, time for our annual Christmas card.

This year we did a Coloring Book.

Take a look:

And we also included this picture:

Happy Birthday, Vernon!

It's my husband's birthday today. 5 years ago I made him a video to honor our life and times together. I made a new video this year, since, 1) We have gone on living the past 5 years, and 2) I converted a bunch of VHS tapes, so there is never before seen footage of us as teenagers. Sure, the video might be missing some of the magic of the original, as sequels often do, but it's still pretty sweet. I'm glad and lucky to have this guy in my life.

Mango Coconut Ice Cream

This was divine and super easy. (Original recipe here.)

2 cups coconut milk
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup frozen mango chunks, divided
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
pinch salt 

 

Place the coconut milk, honey, 1/2 cup mango chunks, vanilla extract, egg yolks, and salt in a  blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into an ice cream maker and follow its instructions. About five minutes before the ice cream is finished, chop the remaining mango chunks into corn kernel-size pieces and add to the ice cream.

Hazelnut Chocolate-Chunk Ice Cream

This was alright.

Find the original recipe here.

We didn't follow it exactly though.

Spiced Sweet Potato Ice Cream

This was fantastic. (Here is the original recipe, which I am copying in its entirity, but I'm not sure how well Vern ended up following it.)

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• Table salt
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of ginger
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of cinnamon

In a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup of the cream with the milk, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Warm the cream mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and tiny bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan, 3 to 4 minutes.

Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with several inches of ice water. Set a smaller metal bowl (one that holds at least 1-1/2 quarts) in the ice water. Pour the remaining cup of cream into the inner bowl (this helps the custard cool quicker when you pour it in later). Set a fine strainer on top. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl.

In a steady stream, pour half of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling.

Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heatproof rubber spatula until the custard thickens slightly (it should be thick enough to coat the spatula and hold a line drawn through it with a finger), 4 to 8 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should read 175° to 180°F at this point. Don’t let the sauce overheat or boil, or it will curdle. Immediately strain the custard into the cold cream in the ice bath. Press firmly on the strainer with the spatula to extract as much flavor as possible.

Cool the custard to below 70°F by stirring it over the ice bath. Stir mashed sweet potato, vanilla extract, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon into the cooled custard.

Refrigerate the custard until completely chilled, at least 4 hours. Then freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the ice cream to an air-tight container, and freeze for at least 4 hours or up to 2 weeks.

Blackberry Fennel Pizza

Our year of Unique Pizzas has come to an end.

Our final pizza is this Blackberry Fennel Pizza, and it was delicious. (Original recipe found here.)

• 1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
• 1 small bulb fennel thinly sliced (reserve the fronds for garnish)
• 8 ounces fresh gorgonzola
• 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 -2 tablespoons honey
• pizza dough

Top pizza dough with the blackberries, fennel and gorgonzola.  Sprinkle the thyme and hazelnuts over the top and bake at 400 degrees until the crust is crispy and the cheese is melted 8 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with the reserved fennel fronds and drizzle with honey.  Let stand for a few minutes before slicing and serve while still hot.

Artichoke, Goat Cheese, and Chicken Pizza

This was not that great. (Original recipe found here.)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked.
4 ounces goat cheese
1 cup nonfat ricotta
1 whole-wheat pizza crust (12 inches)
1 cup rinsed and drained canned artichoke hearts, halved
2 large plum tomatoes, diced


Mix goat cheese and ricotta in a bowl; spread evenly over pizza crust, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with chicken, artichokes, and tomatoes; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Indian Mulligatawny Soup

This was so super amazing, oh my gosh, you have no idea. Absolutely loved it.

(Here is where I got the recipe, and I followed it pretty much exactly.)

• ¼ c. butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 red jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. peeled and minced ginger root
• 2 small firm apples, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• ½ tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. turmeric
• ¼ tsp. cardamom
• ¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. dried thyme
• ½ c. red lentils (uncooked)
• 3 c. chicken or vegetable broth
• ⅔ c. canned unsweetened coconut milk
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• ½ c. roasted cashews
• ½ c. chopped scallions

1. Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and jalapeno, then saute for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onions have softened.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, apples, and diced tomatoes to the pot. Saute for another 3 minutes, then add in all of the spices and toss to coat. Add in the lentils and broth and let the contents come to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
3. Puree about 75% of the ingredients using either an immersion blender or by transferring a portion of the contents to the bowl of a standard blender. Leave some of the chunks whole, as it adds a nice texture and consistency to the soup. Return the soup to the pot if needed, then stir in the coconut milk. Taste, and adjust salt and black pepper as needed.
4. Serve topped with cashew and scallions along with naan bread for dipping.

Turkish Pizza

This was good and tasty.

(Original recipe found here.)

• 12 oz of minced beef or lamb
• 1 big onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1-1/2 cups of fresh curly parsley
• 1 cup of fresh mint
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 tsp of chili pepper
• 1 jalapeno 
• 1 tsp paprika (optional)
• 1 tsp of cumin (optional)
• salt according to your own taste
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Pizza Dough

Brown the beef with onion and garlic. Add the rest of the ingredients, then put on the pizza dough. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

This was really good. Here's where it came from.

Dressing:

• 2/3 cup sour cream or yogurt (I used sour cream)
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce (I found this in the ethic section at Rainbow Foods)... when I make it again, I don't think I will even bother with it though.
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:

• 4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts) Leftover grilled chicken works too.
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
• 1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup corn

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stir until well mixed.

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat.

Serve alone or with tortilla chips or in a lettuce wrap.

Beef and Bulgur Salad

My whole family really loves this recipe. I've been making it for awhile. Got the original recipe here.

 

1 cup bulgur, prepared according to package directions

1 pound ground beef

1 medium-size onion, chopped

3 to 4 large cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

2 tomatoes, diced

1 small head iceberg lettuce, rough chopped

While bulgur is cooking according to package directions, heat a large non-stick skillet to medium high and add ground beef.  Brown ground beef breaking it up as you go for about 8-10 minutes or until almost fully cooked.

Add onions, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Continue cooking over medium high heat, stirring occasionally and allowing onions and garlic to soften and become fragrant, about 3 more minutes.

Add tomatoes to beef mixture, stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium.

By this time your bulgur should be ready (water fully absorbed).

Add bulgur to skillet with beef mixture and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt or pepper if needed.

Remove from heat and serve individually over beds of lettuce. Top with cheese, sour cream, and salsa as desired.

BBQ Black Bean Tortilla Pizza

This was really good. I found the original recipe here.

• Pizza Dough
• 2 cups cheese
• 1-15-ounce can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
• green onions for garnish

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees, grease a baking sheet with spray.
2. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the beans and onions for 5 minutes. Add the spices, salt & pepper.
3. Transfer the beans to a small bowl and mash coarsely with a fork or potato masher.
4. Spread the bean mixture on pizza dough, top with the chicken.
5. Drizzle the BBQ sauce on top of the chicken.
6. Sprinkle the cheeses on top and bake for 15 minutes until melted and bubbly.
7. Remove from the oven, garnish with green onions.

Indian Cauliflower Pizza

Very good! (Original recipe found here.)

1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
Pizza Dough
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 jar Indian simmer sauce

Roast cauliflower florets in 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes.

Spread simmer sauce over pizza dough. Top with cheese and cauliflower. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Thai Red Beef Curry

This was good. (Here's the original recipe.)

1 pound ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
4 scallions, white and green parts sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tsp red curry paste, or more to taste
Juice of 1 lime
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp fish sauce
1 can coconut milk
Rice

Brown the ground beef. Add the garlic, scallions, bell pepper, curry paste, lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, and coconut milk. Stir to combine.

Heat through and serve over rice.

Pumpkin Hummus, Caramelized Onion and Fontina Cheese Pizza

This recipe was super-duper good. Lots of good stuff happening here, people. Lots of good stuff. (The original recipe can be found here.)

2 medium onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons brown sugar  
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar  
1 pound bacon
Pizza dough
1-2 cups pumpkin hummus (see recipe below)
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and cut into matchsticks  
2 cups shredded fontina cheese

Heat some butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until they turn soft and begin to turn golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, and continue cooking and stirring until the onions are deep brown, about 10 minutes more. Pour in the balsamic vinegar, and simmer until the vinegar has reduced and become syrupy.

Meanwhile, place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until crisp and evenly browned, about 10 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees.

Spread pumpkin hummus on the pizza dough. Sprinkle with the caramelized onions. Top with the apple and crumbled bacon. Finally, sprinkle the fontina cheese over all of it.

Bake in the preheated oven until the pizza is hot and the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 15 minutes. 


Pumpkin Hummus

1-3/4 cups garbanzo beans, cooked (or just buy them canned)

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup tahini paste

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

salt to taste

Puree ingredients in food processor or blender until smooth.

Chicken a la Bacon

This meal is really good and is becoming a regular in our house. I got the recipe from here, and almost followed it entirely.

16 oz turkey bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 leeks, chopped
1 package mushrooms, halved
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup shredded chicken (or you can use a chicken breast)
1/2 cup white wine
1 (14 oz) can coconut milk

1. Fry bacon. Set aside.
2. Cook the onion and leeks in the pan and cook for 3 minutes or until the onion starts to turn translucent.
3. Add chicken, mushrooms, cooked bacon and red bell pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Add white wine and cook until wine is reduced by 3/4.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

As with any meal, please remember to add enough salt. I would do at least 2 tsp for this recipe, maybe more. If you don't add enough salt, it will taste bland.

Italian Chicken Soup

This is one of the best soups I've ever had. Here is where the recipe came from, but I made alterations.

8 oz penne pasta
1-2 cups shredded chicken (or you can use chicken breast)
6 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2  jalapenos, diced
3 tomatoes, diced
2 T oregano
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese shavings (optional)

Cook pasta in a pot according to package directions, being sure not to overcook it. Drain and rinse in cold water to cool.

In a big pot, saute onion, green pepper, celery, and jalapenos in butter or coconut oil over medium heat until tender and golden brown, about 5  minutes. Add chicken broth, shredded chicken, and tomatoes, and oregano. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add cooked pasta and cream. Stir to combine. Turn off heat. 

Serve with Parmesan sprinkled on the top, if desired.

Mongolian Beef

This was yummy and super easy to make. Here is where it came from.

1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup tamari
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger

1. In a small saucepan, heat tamari, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Bring to a low boil until sauce thickens slightly (about 1-2 minutes).

2. Place meat in a bowl and add cornstarch. Toss meat until all pieces are coated in cornstarch.

3. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet. When oil is hot, add in beef slices until slices are brown and just cooked. Add sauce to the beef and stir until sauce becomes thick. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve over rice.

Green Macaroni and Cheese

This is what we had to eat today, the 17th day of March. It was really good.

• 1 lb macaroni noodles
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 yellow onion, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 6 cups packed fresh spinach
• ½ cup boiling water
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 8 ounces white cheddar, grated
• 8 ounces fontina, grated
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

 

2. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the macaroni until just shy of al dente (about 6 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside. **Before draining pasta, remove ½ cup of boling water for the spinach)

 

3. In a small pan, melt the butter and add the onions and jalapeno. Let them gently cook over medium-low heat for 7-10 minutes. Set aside.

 

4. In the jar of a blender, add the 6 cups of spinach and the boiling water. You probably need to use a spoon to push the spinach down. Blend to a fine, bright green puree.

 

5. In the pot that you used to cook the pasta, melt the butter and add the flour. Stir until smooth and cook over low heat about 1 minute.

 

6. Add the milk and stir until very smooth. Simmer about 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened.

 

7. Add the cheese and stir and stir until melted, very smooth and thickened.

 

8. Add the spinach puree and stir until smooth. Season to taste with Kosher salt.

 

9. Pour the pasta into the pot of sauce, and add the onions and jalapeno and toss until everything is well combined.

 

10. Pour the macaroni into a 9x13x2” baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes until golden around the edges. Serve Hot!

Sweet Potato, Balsamic Onion, and Bacon Pizza

Another good one, although I seemed to like it more than any other person in my family. Here is where I got the recipe, but we did alter it a bit.

• 2 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter
• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon oregano 
• 1/4 cup(s) balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoon(s) balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup cooked mashed sweet potatoes
• Pizza crust
• 2 cups cheese
• 16 oz bacon, cooked and chopped

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion and oregano, cover, and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until the onion is caramelized, about 10 minutes; add a few tablespoons of water to the skillet if necessary. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until it has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Discard the oregano sprig and season the onion with salt and pepper.
2. Spread the sweet potatoes over the pizza crust. Top with the mozzarella, onion, and bacon. Scatter the oregano leaves on top. Slide the pizza onto the stone and bake at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes, until bubbling and golden in spots.

Ocean's Eleven

)

Chicken Pot Pie Pizza

This pizza was really super duper awesome. Here's where I got it from. Everybody loved it.

Biscuit Crust (recipe below)

6 tablespoons butter, divided

onion, chopped

1/2 cup carrot, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

salt and ground black pepper

1 tsp thyme

4 tablespoons flour

3-1/2 cups cold milk or half and half

1/2 cup frozen peas

2 cups Fontina cheese, divided

1-2 cups shredded chicken

 

For Biscuit Crust

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

12tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into chunks

1 cup milk 

 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Press biscuit crust onto a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoon butter in medium size skillet over medium heat and cook onion, carrot and celery for about 5 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften. Season with salt and black pepper and thyme.

Add additional 4 tablespoons of butter to melt. Sprinkle flour over veggies, and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly so flour doesn’t burn. Add cold milk or half and half and whisk until flour is incorporated and sauce begins to thicken. Cook for 3-5 minutes over medium low. Add peas and 2/3 cup cheese, whisking to blend.

Remove vegetables and sauce from heat and pour onto the biscuit crust. Top with remaining cheese and chicken and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

For Biscuit Crust:

Place flour, baking powder, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse for 10-15 seconds or until butter becomes crumb like. Pulse while pouring in milk until dough begins to clump together.
Turn out onto lightly floured surface and gently pull together into ball.

Easy Creamy Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bake

This recipe is so super amazing. Here is where I got it, but I made alterations, because making alterations makes my life easier.

3 cups water (or chicken broth)

1-1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

2 small heads of broccoli, chopped

1-2 cups shredded chicken (or you can use chicken breasts)

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon butter

1-1/2 cup milk

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided in half (slices work too)

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup Sriracha sauce

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

green onions, chopped, for garnish (optional)

1. Put quinoa to a big saucepan. Add water or broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the broccoli right on top of the water, do not stir. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork and stir the veggies into the quinoa. Add the chicken, toss and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the 1 tablespoon of butter, once it’s melted and bubbly add the flour. Whisk together to create a roux and cook for 1-2 minutes until mixture gets a bit golden in color. Add milk, stir and turn down heat to low. Continue stirring until milk thickens. Add in half of the cheddar cheese and continue to stir until mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the 1/4 melted butter, hot sauce, seasoned salt and pepper.
4. Pour the sauce over the quinoa mixture and mix well to combine. Put in a 9x13 dish. Top with remaining cheddar cheese, sliced (for an extra gooey top) or shredded.
5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes and then turn the broiler on and broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.
6. Remove from the oven and top with blue cheese, and green onions.

Salted Caramel Better Than Sex Brownie Cheesecake with Pecans, Chocolate Chips, and Chocolate Sauce

Here is the cake that Vernon and the kids made for me on my birthday:

They used a combination of recipes and called it: Salted Caramel Better Than Sex Brownie Cheesecake with Pecans, Chocolate Chips, and Chocolate Sauce.


It was REALLY good.

Southwestern Chicken Barley Chili

I've been making this meal for a while (in a part of our regular rotation, especially in the winter), and just decided to take a picture of it now.

Here is the source.

And here is the recipe:

2 tomatoes, diced
16-ounce can tomato sauce
1-3/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup medium barley (not quick cooking)
4 cups water
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
dash cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
1 cup cooked shredded chicken
15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

In a large pot, combine the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, chicken, barley, water, chili powder, cumin, dried oregano and cayenne (if using). Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer the chili for 40 minutes, until the barley is tender and chewy. Stir occasionally, while it simmers to prevent sticking and to make sure it stays at a steady simmer. After 40 minutes, add the beans and corn. Stir to combine and simmer for five more minutes.

Penne Pasta Dinner

I got this recipe from here, but, as usual, made some alterations. It was really good. It's so good you might want to lick your plate. Or somebody else's plate.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, minced
salt
1 pound ground beef
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine
16 ounces penne pasta

2-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 (5 ounce) bag spinach
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
pepper

Heat the oil in a bit pot over medium heat until simmering. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the ground beef and cook.  Stir in the garlic. Add the tomatoes and (dry) pasta. Pour the broth and cream over the pasta. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the spinach a handful at a time and cook until wilted, about two minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Thai Peanut Pizza

Here is our pizza for this week. It was really good. (Originally recipe found here, but I made alterations.)

I wasn't sure if I would like the cucumbers on the top, but they actually complemented the pizza quite well. All the ingredients came together really, really nicely.

Pizza Dough

1 cup shredded chicken

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

3 green onions, chopped

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 cucumber sliced

Peanut sauce:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

3 tablespoons tamari

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

Spread pizza dough on pan.

In a medium saucepan combine all the ingredients for the peanut sauce. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, 10-15 minutes or until thickened. Set aside to cool. 

Stir fry the chicken in some coconut oil and soy sauce until completely cooked. Spread peanut sauce over crust. Top with red peppers, green onions, cooked chicken and cheese.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with cucumbers.

Boeuf Bourguignon

This recipe is so freaking amazing. (The original recipe can be found here, but I've made some alterations. For instance, the first time I made it, I used the pearl onions that the recipe called for. It was a lot of trouble, so every time I've made it since, I've left them out, and it is just fine.)

It should be noted that my kids did not enjoy this meal. They usually enjoy almost 100% of the meals that I make. They are crazy not to like this.

• 16 oz. of bacon, cut into 1" pieces
• 1 lbs. stewing beef
• 4 sliced carrots
• 1 sliced onion
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 T flour
• 2-1/2 cups red wine
• 3 cups chicken or beef broth
• 1 T tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lb. mushroom, quartered
• 2 T butter, divided

1. Saute the bacon in a big pot that you can put into the oven. (If you don't have such a pot, just use your skillet, and then transfer everything to a casserole dish.) Remove.
2. Brown the stew beef. Preheat oven to 325 F.
3. In the same pan, brown the carrots and onions. Toss the meat and vegetables with the salt, pepper and flour. Mix the tomato paste with half cup of the wine so that it will easily mix in. Pour that onto the meat mixture followed by the rest of the wine, garlic and herbs. Top off with chicken or beef broth and add in enough just to cover the beef. Add the bacon. Place in the oven and let simmer slowly for 3 hours.
4. Cook mushrooms in 2 T butter.
5. When the meat is done, add the mushrooms. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook for another 20 minutes. If sauce is not thickened, add flour accordingly. If it is too thick, add more chicken or beef broth.

This is so yummy. Seriously. Very, very, very, very, very, very yummy.

Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake

This was really yummy. (You can find the original recipe here.)

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed,diced
1 red pepper, seeds removed, diced
1 orange pepper, seeds removed, diced
1 cup corn frozen kernels
Juice of 1 small lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Add quinoa and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Cover quinoa and set aside.

3. In a large skillet, heat the tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the peppers and corn. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add the lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and cilantro. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. In a large bowl, add the cooked quinoa and black beans. Add the sautéed vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Pour in the enchilada sauce and stir. Add 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

5. Pour the black bean and quinoa mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil. Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and edges are bubbling.

House Tour - Bedrooms and Bathroom

Upstairs we have three bedrooms.

Here is Ocean's bedroom before:

This is Ocean's room now:

The color is Hawthorne Yellow. There used to be a closet taking up the entire wall where her bed now is, and Vern took that out.

Another view:

She had that heart garland strung up for Valentine's Day, but it is down now.

A close up of what is on her shelves:

Again, using leftover mats and frames from my art show days.

This is Ezra and Peace's rooms:

This is Ezra's side of the room:

And this is Peace's side of the room:

It should be noted that I am not entirely happy with how any of these bedrooms turned out. They were just kind of thrown together, and this is what happened.

It should also be noted that instructions on how to make those paper stars that can be seen hanging in almost every room in our house, can be found here. Total cost to make one star was about 50 cents.

This is our bedroom:

Our room is not quite down yet. I don't know what it is that needs to be done yet, nor do I have any idea when we will do it, so I will post pictures of it now. It needs more stuff on the walls or something. We used to have large framed pictures of our pregnancies on the wall (I had thought it was a nice symbol of creation and fertility and love, all things I think a bedroom should encompass), and it seemed like a good idea with one picture, or even two... but now with three kids, and thinking of more, it just seems like overkill, you know? So, now our bedroom walls are naked (which I guess is also nice symbolism for a bedroom, wink, wink), and the frames we used for the pregnancy pictures are now being used to house the children's artwork in the dining room.

The bedspread is from World Market. The bed and dresser set (including the piece with the round mirror that is in Ocean's room) is from my dead grandmother.

Here's another view:

Note: I don't even like that picture hanging up over the dresser anymore, but I didn't have anything else to put there, and it was bothering me to see the walls so blank.

I guess I might as well show you the bathroom, which is also located upstairs, and then that will put an end to our house tour:

There's really not much to see here. I still need a bathroom mat.

Here's the sink.

And I guess that's it for the online house tour. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

I'll post some pictures of the outside of the house once the weather warms up.

House Tour - Going Upstairs

So, we have now seen the downstairs of the house. Time to go upstairs.

Here is what the stairs looked like before:

And this is what they look like now:

So, we pulled carpet off the stairs and painted the paneling white. It really helped to open it up, and not feel so much like a dark tunnel.

Then, I got it in my head that I wanted to do some stenciling on the stairs. So, I googled "stenciled stairs", and this was an idea that popped up. I'm not sure if I'll get sick of this in a couple of months or not, but I do kind of like the whimsical aspect of it now. It's not very well done (there's smudging) and you'd kind of think that one of our children did it, but it was actually me and Vern tag-teaming it... him holding the stencils, me painting.

Okay, so then we get upstairs, and we have this hallway that leads to the bedroom. I have a bunch of mats left over from my old art show days, so I decided to do this:

The color of wall is Labrador Blue, which was a color I saw and liked on Modern Family and looked up on this website (seriously one of the coolest websites ever).

The criteria for photos featured on this wall were that they be silly or sweet memories from our lives.

Seen above is Ocean eating corn at Sleepy Eye Corn Daze, which we try to go to every year. There's a picture of Vern and the kids riding the Tilt-O-Whirl during our vacation in Brainerd this summer. Baby Ezra being thrown in the air.

Three-year-old Ocean dressing up in our underwear. Me and Vern outside our apartment from when we lived in Colorado. Vern with the kids on Father's Day last year.

Peace in curlers. And then the one next to that is the kids in front of Al's Breakfast, which is where we go to eat pancakes after the first snowfall of every year. (Peace decides to fall down to be funny... it makes me laugh every time I look at it. That kid has my sense of humor.)

This whole layout, from picking out the pictures to placement to ordering the pictures to putting them in mats and hanging them up, probably took around 4 hours of my time... and it's amazing how quickly they become invisible. Like, you walk past them every day and you just don't notice them anymore.

Here is the mock-up layout I did beforehand, complete with measurements:

Alright, one more look down the hall, and then we'll head into the bedrooms tomorrow.