Breakfast for dinner

This past weekend I went to a GEMS sleepover. Saturday morning our head counselor made the best pancakes. She gave me the recipe and last night I made them for my boys.


Mark isn't a huge fan of breakfast for dinner...but will humor me when I have a craving for pancakes. They both agreed that these were exceptional pancakes. I know because Mark told me he liked them and Eddie actually ate them!


In case you are interested in giving them a try...

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup buttermilk (I used reg milk)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup sour cream
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Stir together first 4 ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix next 3 ingredients. Combine both mixtures. Add melted butter and sour cream. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold egg whites into mixture.

Enjoy!

Would you like water with your wood chips?

This morning Eddie and I headed to the park for a play date with friends from church. We had a great time! Eddie had no problem tottering around on the wood chips. I was very glad I remembered to put his shoes on.

He wanted to push the swing instead of ride it.


When we gathered the kids for a snack, Eddie's cracker popped out of his mouth while he was chewing. Before I could stop him, he had grabbed his cracker, a handful of wood chips and stuffed them into his mouth. I dug out what I could...but I know he got a little extra fiber!


While Eddie had wood chips for snack, I was hoping dinner would be better. Our grocery store now has (or maybe they had it for awhile, but I just found out about it) a menu section that gives meal ideas. Each week new menus come out and tonight was the first time I made one.

I am always looking for new recipes to make for dinner because I easily get stuck in a rut. I was pretty excited to make something new so I thought I'd pass it along.


We tried the Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Bundles. While I did try to follow the directions...I strayed a bit. The recipe calls for chicken thighs, but chicken strips were on sale, so I bought those. I still pounded them down which made them easier to roll. I also used 2 cups of broccoli instead of one cup because I did not closely read the directions. :)

You top the chicken with broccoli and a little cheddar, roll them up, stick them with a toothpick and then coat with Shake n' Bake. Place them on a foil lined shallow pan and bake at 400 degrees for 30 min. Super simple. It took me 30 min to prep 10 chicken strips.

Mark and I agreed that they were good and worth making again. We dipped them in salad dressing, but when I was cleaning up, I thought BBQ sauce would have been good too. Eddie did not really like them. It was his first experience with broccoli and he would put it in his mouth and then push it back out. I kept trying to get him to try more because it was funny.

While I was making dinner, the men watered the plants.


I couldn't help myself and took their picture through the window. They are so cute.

Licking the spoon

Eddie was fascinated by the mixer today while Grammum was making everyone's favorite fruit tart.


Auntie Em helped him get a better look.


Eddie can't get enough of Grandpa. He dives for him when he is near and if he can reach his shirt, he will grab on and not let go. Grandpa takes him places when they are together. They cook on the grill, check out the backyard and backwash the pool. Eddie enjoys their adventures...and I think Grandpa does too! :)


Mark wanted to see the spoon that Eddie had clocked me with. He also wondered how in the world I could have happened...I thought Eddie should demonstrate. :)


Everything has been going in Eddie's mouth lately. The tooth that has been on the verge of breaking the skin for awhile has been on the move the last few days. He has been showing all the 'classic' teething symptoms. I think we are both ready to see that tooth. (Him, I'm sure more than me...I can't even imagine how much that has to hurt!)

Eddie had to show Daddy the fun tunnel that Grammum found at Goodwill while he was gone.


Eddie liked it when Aunt Audrey let him lick the spatula Grammum used for spreading the fruit tart filling.


He thought it was yummy!


Here is the finished tart that Eddie 'helped' make...


Because it is so good...I thought I'd share the recipe. My Mom got it out of a Paula Dean cook book.

Ingredients

Crust:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks softened butter
Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
Fresh strawberries, kiwi slices, blueberries, raspberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Crust: combine the sugar, flour and butter until the mixture forms a ball. Press the dough into a 12-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly brown. Set aside to cool.

Filling & topping: Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust. Arrange the fruit on top.

Paula Dean puts a glaze on the top, but not all of us are fans of it so my Mom leaves it off. If you want to try the glaze, she has it on her website.