Updates soon!

As always I had every good intention of updating this before I sent out the Annual Christmas Letter.  I was also waiting for it to snow!  Well the snow never did come, however Christmas did!!  I think that Vancouver has had more snow then we have...go figure!

Some of you have been asking for pictures of our new house...I'll try and get those up soon and a few other bits and pieces.

Have a wonderful Christmas! Thanks for stopping by!

My three favorite things for making Apple Pie

Apple pie is a favorite at our house, especially for Nolan and I. (It must be that we are the two with true American ties!) So fall means APPLE PIES FOR THE FREEZER! Yummy! If only they would last all year. This past week-end I made 6 in a few hours....these are my 3 favorite tools.

1. Pie Crust in a Food Processor (see earlier post for video)

Favorite Apple Pie Crust Recipe:

Mix in processor

 2 1/2c flour

 1 t. salt

 2 T sugar

Pulse and add

 1 cup cold butter chunked

Pulse until resembles oatmeal

Slowly add 2-3 T at a time of very cold water until small clumps start to form. Add no more than 1/2 cup water.

 Turn out onto surface, kneed all the flour in, divide in two and chill for one hour.  Roll to size of pie plate.

2. Apple Peeler, Slicer and Corer 

 I bought mine at Target a few years ago.  I don't see it on-line...but I see a similar one at Bed Bath and Beyond. Here's the link and a short video.

 Apple Tool Video

3. Adjustable Rolling Pin

This rolling pin keeps everything the same level...magic!  Three levels. You can order them from amazon or http://www.karenscookies.net/

 Now onto the apple crisp. I love fall!

Lord Stanley Arrives at the Blakely Estate

On August 6, 2011 this little ball of fur came to rule at 8 wks. old! Stanley is a Black Lab. He demands food at least three times a day, belly rubs, daily walks and multiple bathroom breaks.  Nolan has become his devoted companion, Melinda has become his full-time cook, housekeeper and over-all caretaker, Malaya is slowly warming to his presence and Jeff gives into his every hearts desire.

In order to help his reign here on the estate be pleasant for all, classes have begun weekly to ensure proper behavior. Those attending are Melinda, Nolan and Stanley.

While the Blakely's are enjoying this new presence, they are also looking forward to the future as Lord Stanley grows to maturity and will be able to more successfully keep the peace. 

Cool 4th of July Treat!

Wishing you a COOL rest of your summer! Ok for those Vancouver people a HOT rest of your summer!

THE BLAKELY’S

Here’s a fun EASY summer dessert that I made twice this summer. It’s hard to see in my picture but there are star sprinkles on it…but you could use whatever sprinkles you have on hand. You just have to start a day or so before you want it. You could also change up the colors for any occasion.

Festive 4th of July Treats

This Jello desserts involves layering any flavor of red jello, a layer of blue jello, and the layer in the middle is made by preparing a small box of lemon jello, put it in a bowl in the fridge until it thickens slightly and then fold (gently mix) in a 8oz. tub of Cool Whip.

Top with Cool Whip. I love real whipped cream for most desserts, but Cool Whip holds up much better in the heat, so it's more appropriate for these summer treats.

One Player Games

In an attempt to find better ways to use free time than the go to option DS.... 

Lately I have been on the hunt for one player games or travel type games.  It seems we are always at a hockey practice, swim lesson or traveling.  And with one child in a lesson, what to do with the other one to keep them occupied.  Here are some of our favorite finds....kid tested, mother approved!

COMPANY: SMART GAMES

Available  more  often at specialty type toy stores.  Check out their website for a complete list. Sadly they are not made in Northe America...so harder to find.  But worth the challenge. 
http://www.smart.be//en/products/puzzles-games/smartgames

 - very durable...made of hard plastic.
- multi level challenges.
- fun for the kids and adults too!

  GAMES  Hide & Seek Safari 



Camouflage North Pole

Camelot JR.Alcatraz

-------------------

 

COMPANY : THINK FUN

http://www.thinkfun.com/

 

- I also love the quality of this companys games. Primarily hard plastic.

 

GAMES

Peg Solitaire Jumping Game

.....and of coarse this classic is still a family favorite! You wouldn't believe all  the variations that are out now.

Rush Hour Deluxe Edition

Take Gridlock to the Next Level

(did you know that you can buy expansion packs!)

 

 

Does  your family have any favorite travel  or one player games!   Let us know.  We love games and are always on the hunt for new ones.

 

Happy THINKING!

 

Rice Krispy Squares in a Bucket?

Up until this past year I avoided making Rice Krispy Squares.  To me I would have rather made a pie!  Who wants to clean the pot from the stove...all the messy utencils and I could never get them all out of the pan. Not to mention keep from burning the marshmellows.

Thanks to a tip from Stephanie....I now make them all the time....in an Ice Cream Bucket in the Microwave.  Here's how I do it in less than 6 minutes...start to finish including washing the dishes.

1) Spray a 9 x 13 pan and your spoon with PAM

 2)Melt 1/4 cup butter in a bucket in the microwave.  If you have a high pwer Microwave you might want to do this on med-high.  Swirl around the sides to cover as best you can.

3) Add 40 large marshmellows.  Microwave for 2 minutes or until puffed just above the rim. Stir til smooth...add 1 t vanilla.

4) Add 6 cups cereal. Stir and then watch it drop right out of the bucket into the dish. AMAZING!

5) Spray your hand with PAM and press lightly down to even it out. 

6.) ENJOY!  The easy clen-up and the tasty treat.

Mini Apple Pies...

Nolan wanted to bring "Apple Pie" for his birthday treat to school tomorrow.  Apple pie is his all-time favorite dessert.  So I made these little apple turn-overs.  Wasn't sure how they would turn out....but according to Nolan...they were "awesome"  And he isn't easy to please when it comes to the food department.  To make them I made my favorite pie crust recipe in the food processor of coarse.  I used a large circle cookie cutter with the scalloped edge.  Put a little apple pie filling in the middle and folded over.  I then put egg and sugar on the top.  Baked for 19 mins. at 350.   Of coarse as always I made lots.  So now I have a new lunch /snack item in the freezer.  Making lunches is a chore.....when you have a picky eater...even sweets!  Silly kid!

A Party with a different Spin….

This year I had several objectives to follow with Nolan’s party for his 8^th birthday.

-          A budget of $50.  (Not including what I already had on hand. i.e. CAKE MIX)

-          Recycle and Reduce what I have already.  And Re-use

-          Involve the kids in prep.

For me this is a completely different approach.  When I was working full-time it was all about convenience and working til past midnight to get it done.  While I almost always made the cake etc and really got into the planning part….I purchased a lot of stuff to do it.  Now money is tighter and I have lots more time. For this party I gave up having everything look perfect….i.e. the MONOPOLY BOARD.  Typically I would make it all and the font would be printed exactly centered etc.   I’m trying to loosen up!  It was hard but in the end Nolan had as much fun if not more preparing as the party itself.

As I posted earlier…currently Nolan is obsessed with anything Monopoly. A month or so ago we began to plan.  Each step of the way Nolan was involved from invitations to goodie bags.  Here’s some things we did to keep with our guidelines

-          Used Evite vs buying invites.   “Come take a CHANCE and play our game.  Take a ride on our giant game board, eat your way across BOARDWALK and try to stay out of JAIL…..”  RSVP with Mr. and Mrs. Monopoly.  We only invited 11 to keep our numbers reasonable.  7 attended.

-          We created our giant board with 12 x 12 scrapbook papers that I already had (back was white )  I created the grid for the color block and drew the outlines for artwork and the kids markered it in and wrote on the property names.   We came up with our own CHANCE cards….i.e. GIVE A PRESENT TO THE BIRTHDAY BOY. JUMP 8 TIMES    For the houses and hotels, we asked two classes at school to save their milk cartons from Hot Lunch.  Then we spray painted them.  For play pieces the boys made a lego figure when they first arrived.   When they purchased a property they put their name on it and decorated it with trees, roads etc.  Kept them busy while the game was in progress.  We didn’t use all the properties and simplified the game.

-        The cake.... I covered a M. Game board with plastic wrap and then created two layered cakes. One choc…one white.  I had the homemade fondant already from another project.

-          Food….I had let-over little hot dogs from NEW YEARS in the freezer.  I bought fresh veggies and chips. ($6) I already had juice, dip ketchup etc.

-          We used real plates, cups etc vs plastic.

-          Goodie Bags.  I bought Monopoly Deal at Wal-Mart in the states for $5 each.  We made the cookies…dice and player pieces.  The kids helped…here again they were far from perfect looking and tasted a little salty!  We put them in cello bags cut down (already had)  and made a cardstock topper.  “THANKS FOR PLAYING OUR GAME”   Bought choc coins $6 total.  Put them in clear bags that I had and tied with ribbon that I already had.

TOTAL COST- 7 guests - $47

We did it….and it was so much fun!  Not one argument during the game…however the noise level was out of this world!  Mrs. Robb I commend you for keeping 13 boys(and 8 girls) focused on schoolwork each day! My voice was gone after 2 hours!

Valentine Cookie Class

Over the years I have brought in lots of cookies and baking for holidays, gifts etc to the kids school.   One of the teachers asked me if I would teach a cookie class.  So on Monday night 12 of the staff from Riverview came over for an evening of fun and decorating.  Thanks ladies for trusting me to TEACH you! It was a lot of fun and I think everyone came away having learned a trick or two---thankfully!  What they don't quite understand is I rarely ever do anything twice....that's what makes it fun for me.  However an expert I am not!
Having said that one thing I do make over and over is the sugar cookie dough.  Especially at Christmas...it has become a family tradition to decorate cookies on Christmas Eve.  I just never use it quite the same way.  For example this time I added cocoa to it to make choc cookies.  And pink food coloring to make it pink.  I then used a lot of flooding techniques in the decorating.  A lot of the ideas I used for the class I found on this website.  If you are at all interested in making sugar cookies, you must check out this site.  www.karenscookies.net.  There are videos that show techniques, recipes and ideas.  Not to mention a whole site of other cookie related stuff.

My tips and tricks….

DOUGH

Try rolling it out just after you mixed it on wax paper.  Cover it with plastic wrap first and roll til you have your desired thickness (I like 1/3 inch)  Then refrigerate for 1 hour.  Cut into shapes and cook immediately.  You will find this keeps the edges crisp.  It also allows you to roll it out again with-out using more flour.  More flour makes a less tasty cookie.

ICING

I am totally into outlining with a thicker consistency frosting to form a dam.  Then flood with a thinner icing.  Go to Karen’s website for recipes and to see this technique in action.

Make sure your glaze is hard….then you can write on your cookie or whatever you want as a design.  If you mess up…just carefully scrap it off and start again.   Taking the time to work in steps is what creates the really finished look.

A pizza box we decorated and a few of the example cookies inside.

More example cookies.  I also had some of these on sticks and put in a vase.  The vase was filled with a layer of rice and then a layer of red hots and then more rice.  Sorry didn't take a picture.

 For two little girls that come to my house.

 For Jeff...using rolled buttercream icing.

 For Malaya...

For Nolan...

A few of my favorite things...from my kitchen.

To go along with my new hobby this last year COOKING!  Jeff has been presenting me with some pretty cool appliances for Christmas and birthdays.   While investing in quality small appliances might not be recommended for someone that doesn't cook very much, as they will most likely collect dust.  Mine did for a few years when I just didn't have the time to cook. I feel it is worth it for those that cook a lot! And especially if you are a bulk cooker and baker like me.

My mom to this day has the same Kitchen Aid Stand mixer she had when I was growing up.  I saw how much she used it and a stand mixer was one of the first thing I purchased when I married.  Unfortunately I didn't buy a good quality one and it just didn't last....along with most of the other appliances I had purchased or been given in the early years of our marriage.  Let's see....how many blenders and coffee pots have we gone through. LOTS.

Here are a few things I love to make with my appliances.

Stand Mixer....6quart  Kitchen Aid
- I can make 7 loafs of banana bread at once or a X4 batch of cookies. Then I freeze them in individual serving(snack size zip-lock ) for the kids school lunches.

Blender...Architect Series - Kitchen Aid
- about once a week I make smoothies.  Yogart, frozen fruit and juice. A quick way to get some fruit into breakfast.

Food Processor....12 cup  Architect Series - Kitchen Aid
- last weekend I diced 37 onions in about 4 minutes. 
- Cole Slaw is also a favorite here. Done in no time.
- and of coarse pie crust!

My advice, save up and go for a good one!  Years later you will see the savings...but it will be well worth it!

Just for fun... a few of my non Kitchen Aid small appliances.

 Black & Decker GRP106QPGR Foreman 360 Round Grill Red

 (thanks Faye and Sue – Christmas last year)

In our family we love quesadilla’s.  This is the ultimate appliance for that.  No flipping involved! And it even leaves creates cut marks.

Black and Decker Grill

This is my favorite for breakfast.  Enough pancakes or french toast or bacon in minutes!  I have gone through several of these!  So I need to buy a better one at some point. 

Happy Cooking!

Who Made this Mess in the Microwave!

Just a quick tip that I have found works well for me.   Place a glass bowl in the microwave with approx. 2 cups of water.  Cook for 10 minutes.  It will steam the inside and everything will wipe away easily.  I also add an old lemon or orange if I have one hanging around.  Or even just the rind.  It makes it smell heavenly!

Another tip is use a coffee filter to put on top of bowls or small plates to keep the splatters contained. It cheaper than a paper towel and often fits perfectly.

Happy Nukking!

Once A Month Mom....Freezer Cooking

60 meals in one day!  Could it be possible.  I am living proof that it can happen....(however we did it in two days).  14hrs. total with a friend.

I am always on the hunt for a quicker, easier way to do things.  I have always been a bulk baker and cooker. Here and there I have heard of actual websites and books dedicated to this theory as well. Recently I came across this website and had to give it a try! 

Thanks Pam for doing this with me...even though you thought I was insane!

http://www.onceamonthmom.com/

- This site gives you a complete grocery list for 15 recipes x 4

- Printable receips that have the ingredients listed x4

- Step by Step instructions. Right down to the containers you'll need.

- Printable labels that make all your hard work look so professional .


We did OCTOBER 2010.  Here is the list of the recipes. 

Breakfasts

• Bacon Quiche
• Cinnamon Apple Pull Apart Rolls
• Apple Cinnamon Waffles

Lunches

• Tex Mex Pumpkin Patties
• Baked Eggrolls
• Chicken Ranch Quesadillas
• Taco Soup

Dinners

• Chicken Broccoli Casserole
• Cider Stew

• Chicken Pomodoro

• Better For You Orange Chicken
• Cheese and Onion Enchiladas
• Cold Weather Chili
• Smoked Pork
• Apple Pie Pork Chops

A word of warning you will need lots of freezer space.  I will definitely be doing this again if anyone wants to join me! 

We ended up making 66 meals. At a cost of $290 per person that was average $8 a meal. Add aside and easily have a meal for 4 at under $10.

Sources
- We bought all our meat at Meridian Meats.  They gave us bulk discount. I also like knowing it is free range meat etc.
- We bought all the dairy in the states
- There is a produce store next to the Meat market - Kin's. We bought all the produce there.
- The rest various places.

Skiing 101

The long wait is finally over - 8+ years since Jeff or I have skied due to the arrival of our children!  When Jeff and I first met we spent a week-end together at Lake Placid, NY on a singles ski retreat and have enjoyed many ski trips/days since then.  (Wow…that trip was 18 yrs ago) Our kids are now old enough to join us on the many ski Mts. that surround us here in Vancouver.  There are 6 with-in 2 hours.  One of which was home to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics - Whistler/Blackcomb.

For the first two days of lessons we choose Hemlock.  A quiet, gentle Mt. We were lucky to end up with 2 hr. private lessons (1-on-1) both days….that made an amazing difference!  Looking back I would have spent the extra money for private seeing how the other children faired in group lessons.

Thanks to lessons and a few hours skiing with Dad, both of the kids can now ski any green.  Looking forward to hopefully a few more ski days this season.  Maybe Mt. Baker next.