Strawberry Sheet Cake
May 14
Strawberry Sheet Cake
I’ve always been a big fan of reading. When my sister and I shared a bedroom and slept in bunk beds, I use to hide books under my sheets so I could read out loud to her after our parents had put us to bed. In junior high I devoured “The Babysitter’s Club”, and “Sweet Valley High” book series and was known to read an entire book in one day! In my early 20′s the library became my silent refuge after becoming a stay at home mom with only one family car and no cable T.V. Today finding the time to indulge in a really good book is hard to come by, and because of my lack of time I rely heavily on book recommendations from girl friends and once in a while the media. I was not surprised when my curiosity was peeked after hearing about a brand new book that was taking over book clubs, on the New York Times best seller list and even the subject of a Dr. Oz show! Despite this book’s slightly taboo subject I decided to read it and see what all the fuss was about. If you haven’t yet guessed the title of this book I’ll give you a hint, it rhymes with “Fifty Shades of Grey”.
I downloaded the book just in time for the weekend, and I even let Ryan know what I was about to read, and what this book was supposed to be about. We laughed and I promised to let him know the moment this book got interesting. It got interesting alright, but I just couldn’t bring myself to read any more past the third chapter. I’m not here to label this book as cheap or sleazy (the first three chapters were very well written!), but here’s my deal; I’m one of those people that tend to really absorb whatever it is that they are reading or watching. When I’m into a book I’ll think about the characters even when I’m not reading that book, and I guess I just didn’t want the content of this particular book to be floating around in my head all day. Most woman probably won’t agree with me on this, and I’m perfectly ok with that. I’m no Pollyanna, and in the past I’ve ruffled a few feathers with certain decisions I’ve made. Because of that I’ve learned we all need to live to the beat of our own drum and the only person who can figure out that beat is you.
In other news I made a fresh strawberry sheet cake last weekend and it was pretty fantastic. Sheet cakes are great because they are grood for a crowd, super easy to bake up and even easier to serve! The only hard part was trying to find a recipe that didn’t have a bunch of funky ingredients in it like cake mix, jello or strawberry flavoring. Not that there is anything wrong with these kinds of things. I’ve certainly been known to use them, and they do have their place. But sometimes I need to know where to draw the line, because not everything is good for me all the time.
May 7
Savory French Toast
Alright dads and kids listen up! Mothers day is this Sunday and if you don’t have anything figured out for the mom in your life yet don’t worry, I totally have you covered! Let’s start with how the rest of this week is going to go down…
Tuesday – Thursday: Kids, you’re going to pick up your clothes, take out the garbage and brush your teeth every night without being asked. You’re going to do your homework without complaining and speaking of complaining you’re going to love everything your mom makes you for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Got it? Dads, your going to call your mom (and the mother of your children) randomly just to tell her how much you love her and to also see how her day is going. Just let her talk, she might have a lot to say!
Friday – Take mom out to dinner! It doesn’t have to be fancy, burgers are perfect for a family Friday night out! Maybe you could invite some friends to join you. The more the merrier I always say!
Saturday – Is there something your mom would like to do or get done? A nice long trail run with friends, lunch with her mom or maybe she would like to work on the yard? Whatever it is give her the gift of time to get it done and don’t let her feel guilty about it! Moms have a funny tendency to feel guilty if we take a little time out for ourselves.
Sunday – Quietly slip out of bed, wake the kids and immediately get a pot of coffee going (I’m just going to assume that most moms like coffee in the morning as much as I do!). Find a tray, a plate, a pretty napkin and maybe even some fresh flowers. Turn on the stove, whip up some breakfast with the kids (don’t worry I’ll tell you what to make!) and then clean up your mess! Put everything together and surprise the mom you all love with breakfast in bed! She might cry, laugh and give everybody a bite to eat off of her beautiful breakfast tray because that’s what moms do. We give back the love we are given to the people we adore the most.
When children eat well they tend to sleep better.
When kids get a good night’s sleep, getting ready in the morning for school might go a little smoother. “Where are my shoes?! Oh here they are…”
When school mornings are drama free it’s easier to get the kids out of the door and to school on time.
When kids get to school on time they might be able to get in a little play time before the bell rings.
If kids get just 5 minutes of playground time before they need to sit and learn all about fractions and Presidents their minds will likely better absorb all of that information because plenty of fresh oxygen has just been delivered to all of their brain cells.
When kid’s brains are firing on all cylinders you’ll probably start to notice their grades and confidence levels come up.
When the grades and confidence levels come up mom and dads stress levels can come down.
When the stress levels come down the peace goes up. The laughter goes up and the love that is already there is enjoyed even more!
Fill your children’s bellies with this easy pasta dish tonight and witness the beginning of a wonderful chain reaction.
Well it’s about stinkin’ time!
I don’t know about you but the moment winter begins I patiently wait for summer to return. Don’t I enjoy the holidays you ask? Sure, but wouldn’t they be so much better if it were 80 degrees and sunny outside? I start to get a little antsy for the sun when Spring rolls around, and when it’s still gloomy and pouring rain in April that’s when I start to get down right impatient and mildly annoyed. I get it, I get it, April showers bring May flowers but between you and me I would happily sacrifice those flowers in order for the warmer weather to begin. Thank goodness the flip-flop-tank-top-running-outside-time-to-dust-off-the-BBQ weather is almost here!
Speaking of the BBQ Ryan absolutely loves to grill outside. I think it makes him feel like he’s on vacation or something and that’s totally fine with me! He’s responsible for half of the dinner and there’s less mess in the kitchen for us to clean up. While he’s in charge of the grill that puts me in charge of the sides. I try to keep it simple, roasted veggies and maybe a little bit of garlic bread. If I’m in a creative mood I’ll whip up a salad consisting of the remains in my crisper and possibly whatever pasta or grain I might have floating around in my pantry. Completely inspired by our family’s first BBQ of the season I threw together this roasted cauliflower and orzo salad a few Sundays ago. My carb loving boys gobbled it up and this veggie loving mama smiled as they did.
Apr 16
Stinson Beach 2012
To me a getaway is a trip that is longer than an overnighter and shorter than a vacation (which is at the very least a week long). There are several types of getaways you can take. There’s the romantic getaway that comes with lots of kisses and cuddles, the adventurous getaway which could end with getting a tattoo, and then there’s my most favorite of all, the relaxing getaway. Much like the romantic and adventurous trips everybody needs to be totally on board with this kind of getaway. All parties involved must be ok with the lack of planned activities which is essential to a relaxing getaway. However naps will definitely be taken and I’m pretty sure tons of snacking will happen. The whole point of a relaxing getaway is to do just that, relax!! Sleep in, let the day unfold before you and trust your instincts when they tell you to eat pancakes for lunch instead of a salad.
Ryan, the boys and I did exactly this on our Easter holiday. We packed our van with treats and swimsuits and headed out to Stinson beach for a few days. There we took family walks on the beach, played Farkle, and Ryan and I even enjoyed a nap one afternoon. This getaway was surprisingly serene given the four little boys in tow. At the end of it we even snuck in a little spontaneity and spent a few hours riding roller coasters and eating funnel cakes before heading home.
Thank goodness for the relaxing getaway, thank goodness for all of my boys.
Apr 10
Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
It can get a little tricky when trying to raise boys to be compassionate and caring and at the same time to also be capable and fearless. Ryan and I want our boys to grow up to be the kind of men that can love, cry and laugh freely. We also want them to be courageous, to have the ability to speak up for themselves and to also posses the extraordinary strength it will take for them to someday lead their future families.
As their mother I naturally want to protect them from all of the bullies, bad words and ugly things they can stumble upon online or on T.V. Unfortunately sheltering them from every hurtful thing won’t help them to develop their own strength against the harmful things of this world. So how do we help suit our boys up for the day to day battles that they come across? We talk openly and honestly with them about life, girls and everything in between. We try not to candy coat things but instead give them real and age appropriate answers when they come to us with questions or concerns. We pray together, we kiss and hug a lot and we try to share a meal together every night. I know these sacred family dinners will slowly start to fade as their own social lives begin to develop and take shape so I try my hardest to get the six of us around the dinner table each night. The food doesn’t have to be fancy nor does cooking dinner mean having to wash a thousand dishes later in the evening. Most of my favorite meals are usually created in one skillet (or pot) which helps make the clean up easy and enjoying a home cooked meal with my boys even easier.
Dinner is not necessarily always about the food. Sometimes it’s about what happens around the food when your family comes together.
Apr 3
Chocolate Chip Mayo Cake
I consider myself extremely lucky to have so many wise women in my life and even lucker that those women are also my very dear friends. Not only are these gals a blast to be around but they are also excellent at giving out advice on quite a wide variety of subjects. Keep in mind that good advice is not always the advice you want to hear. For example I might ask a friend “Is this crazy sparkly tank top from Forever 21 a little too flashy?” She might sweetly reply “Yes Melissa, that tank top might be a bit much but it would probably look really cute if you wore it underneath this blazer.” Another priceless piece of advice I recently received from a friend is that sometimes life is totally unfair. Sometimes the cards you have been dealt just don’t make sense and even though you don’t deserve to be in the yucky situation you’re in, it doesn’t change the fact that you still have to deal with the problem at hand. Sure you could choose to ignore it or you can choose to tackle that obstacle and walk away a stronger person for it. Her wise words helped me to choose to the latter, and to also understand that just because something is broken at the moment it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s garbage forever. Sometimes things need to be broken so that they might heal reinforced and sturdier.
A few weeks ago I asked that same friend if she knew of any good cake recipes. Easter is around the corner and everybody likes a pretty cake on the table. She told me about a mayo cake she’s been making for years and how deliciously moist it comes it every time she makes it. Not the answer I was expecting to hear, but hey I was willing to give this whole mayo cake thing a shot. Once again I was glad I took her advice. Thank goodness for wise friends who never want to you to wear silly clothes, live in anger or bake dry cakes!
Mar 26
Jude’s Slumber Party
Hey mom! Can I invite my best friends over to spend the night?
Can you make us a bunch of fun snacks to eat and can we drink as much soda as we want?
Can I show them my bike, my bunny, my bed and all of my brothers?
Can we play lazer tag, freeze tag, flash light tag and maybe even regular ol’ tag?
Can we watch movies, play video games and eat candy all night?
In the morning will you make us pancakes for breakfast and then help us roll up our sleeping bags and find all of our missing socks?
Mom, this year for my birthday can I please have a slumber party? Pleeeeeeease!?!?
Just as it’s important to take care of the people you love it’s also important to let those same people take care of you when you need them to.
I’ve discovered that it’s important for me to take time to run, kick-box or Zumba away any unwanted stress and anxiety. I’ve also found it’s really important to blow off the gym every once in a while and instead use that time to take a long, hot quiet bath.
I think it’s important to have plans, goals and dreams. I also think it’s important to sometimes forget all of that for a bit and allow a day to take you where it wants to go. Who knows where you’ll end up and how exciting is that!?
Because I usually hit the ground running in the morning I find it to be very, very important that I try my hardest to get 8 hours of sleep every night. I recently had a night out with a couple of my favorite girlfriends and the three of us talked, ate and completely threw our usual bed times out the window that evening. Staying up that night until 5 am to laugh louder than our neighbors would have liked while enjoying a few Tom Collins, bean dip, Fritos and a handful of Oreo’s proved to be more important than hitting the hay at a more reasonable hour. I woke up exhausted the next day but thanks to my friends I was completely revived mentally and more ready to take on the week ahead than if I would have had a weekend full of rest.
Thank you to my girlfriends for such a wonderful night out. The only thing that I would change about that evening was the bean dip we ate. I wish I could have made this bean dip instead of us eating the kind that comes out of a can. Not that there is anything wrong with that kind of dip! Along with the rest of the silliness of that night it helped to remind me what it feels like to be a kid again and also how great Fritos with bean dip taste!
About this time last year I was going back and forth on whether or not to write this food blog. On one hand I loved the idea of sharing my recipes and stories with my friends but on the other hand I kept reminding myself that I am not really a writer, a chef, or a photographer. What the heck do I know about anything?! I’m just a housewife who is also a retired hairdresser of ten years, with four kids, and a big bulldog that loves to scare the heck out of the poor UPS guy. After a lot of thinking and with a ton of encouragement from my husband I nervously decided to press publish and share what I had been keeping to myself for quite some time.
Thank you for allowing me to find my voice, for encouraging me to write and for helping me to uncover my art. Thank you for putting up with my sometimes awkward food photography, for letting me know when I’ve misspelled words and for reminding me to let you know how many people a particular dish will serve. Thank you for helping me create this wonderful place and I hope we’ll get to hang out here together for a really (really) long time.
Also around this time last year we were celebrating Jude’s birthday, kinda like we do every year. Of course all of my boy’s birthday’s are special but Jude’s is an especially fun one for me. With two summer birthdays and one that sometimes lands on Thanksgiving I love Jude’s because his is the only birthday that allows me to bring something yummy into his classroom to share! We like to come up with these treats together and last year we created a tripple chocolate frosted, sprinkled cookie which also became one of my first post’s. We were excited to get back to our cookie drawing board this year until I remembered that parents are not suppose to bring in sweets for birthdays. Kind of a bummer I know but no biggie, I ended up throwing together some fresh fruit kabobs (we’ll talk about those later!) and to the rest of my families’ delight kept the cookies at home. We decided to go the traditional chocolate chip cookie route but with a few delicious twist. Instead of using room temperature butter we opted to brown ours (that’s right, browned butter) and we also added some toffee chips to help give this cookie a little more crunch.
Happy birthday to my handsome boy Jude. I can still remember holding you when you were a just a few hours old and absolutely knowing you were going to grow up to be a wonderful and compassionate man. Happy first birthday to this blog and thank you again for allowing me to share. I am grateful everyday for the constant inspiration and joy it has brought me.
I am a married gal and mother to four boys. I love cooking with bacon, drinking wine out of tumblers, and watching-back-to-back episodes of "Housewives of Beverly Hills". This is my blog about what I feed my crazy family/friends, and I am super excited that you are here.
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