A little of this... a little of that

Not much has been happening here, but I have been cooking. Today, for the first time in my life, I cooked a WHOLE chicken! I even took a picture. It turned out great!! 24 Hours defrosting in the refrigerator, 1 hour preparing, and 3 hours for cooking! Stephen and I have been eating like Kings (and queens)! I really should have started planning my meals long ago.

Edward has been getting more teeth (it never ends) and hasn't been sleeping well. At his one year check up and shots he was 29 1/4 inches tall (short for his age) and almost 25 pounds. He sure is cute! AND to show you what you have been missing, here are a few random shots.

First Party

He cried, to say the least. I did get one picture of him smiling while we were singing... then the next picture is of him crying. He cried until I put him to bed at 7. Oh well. I got him some more zip up Jammies and Stephen got him some plastic cars and an airplane. My parents sent a box of goodies but the mail man didn't want to put it in her car so I didn't get to pick it up until Saturday. (Edward will never know). They got him some more zip up jammies and a cute top that counts to four and sings songs. Edward also got a few cards in the mail. I am so grateful for my family and for my friends, if only we could be together on memorable days.

One Year

Words can not describe how much my life has changed in the last year. Many things are different. Many things are the same. Edward has changed more than either Stephen or I. He walks, he talks, he laughes, he smiles, he eats, he sleeps, and most of all; he loves.

Edward has brought happiness in to our home with each new day. He is a true blessing in my life and each life he touches. He is described as a "joy", "calm", "contemplative", and most of all "happy".

Happy Birthday to Mr. Edward F. Barnes

First Birthday Party

YES! We are having a small party for Edward. If you are in the Albuquerque area Friday February 19 at 5:00 PM, stop on by for some cupcakes and singing. Don't worry about bring a gift, you will be enough. Just post a comment letting me know you want to come and I will send you my address.

Have a great Tuesday!

One Big River

Edward and I were ready for a small adventure yesturday. It seems like winter has been longer than usual. I would compare it to years, but Edward has only been alive for nearly a year. I thought the adventure would be beautiful and fun. I spent the entire time holding my little ones hand because he wanted to run right in to the river. A nightmare splashed before my eyes; him running into the river, me diving in after him, the news reporting a crazy woman and child went for a swim in the Rio Grande.
The winter colors are outstanding in New Mexico. I tried to capture a few of them on film adding a little flavor of the cutest kid; Edward.

More food than...

We could handle!

Wow! What a great week of yummy food! All in all, we did NOT save any money. I ended up running out of cereal and milk and, and, and... However, I am going to try harder this week.

So, to recap: We need to add in a day or two for left overs. We had so much food; I mean SO much food left over. My favorite dish by far was pizza. You must try it! The crust was amazing. It needs to cook a bit longer (or our oven needs a tune up).

We also tried a great dessert. Fat free chocolate pudding, fat free whip topping, peanut butter, and some milk. Mix the two tablespoons of peanut butter and milk together. Then add as much whip topping as you like. Stir them up. Make the chocolate pudding, but the mixture on top and YUM!

We didn't get to the Chicken with Mushrooms because we had so much food, so we are going to give it a try this week.



Monday

Brats and Potatoes

Four juicy brats, Four small potatoes chopped, 2 cups beef broth, a dash of sugar, and half an onion chopped. Throw all this in a frying pan and cook it up.

This is Stephen's recipe so if like it... yeah!



Tuesday
Chicken with Mushrooms. See the Recipe from last weeks menu



Wednesday
Left overs
I had to add this night because we had so much food from last week.


Thursday
Pizza and Movie night
I am going to suggest the veggie pizza from last week with different toppings. The crust was amazing!

Friday
Hawaiian Pork Chops
Pork chops
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
1/3 cup thinly sliced onion rings
1 can beef broth (14 ounces)
1 can unsweetened pineapple chunks
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
Cooked rice

Cook pork chops in nonstick skillet with salt and pepper. Remove. In same skillet saute green pepper and onion. Stir in broth, pineapple, ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Return pork chops. Cook for 10 minutes. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth stir into skillet. Bring to a boil. Serve over rice.
(We tried this recipe a few weeks ago. It was AMAZING!)

Saturday
Chipotle Chicken Casserole
Boneless Skinless chicken breast cubed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
1 onion diced
1 can navy beans (15 ounces)
1 can black beans
1 can crushed tomatoes (14 ounces)
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup orange juice
Combine chicken, salt, cumin, bay leaf, chipotle pepper, onion, beans, tomatoes with juice, stock and orange juice in your crock pot. Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours. Remove bay leaf and serve.
Sunday
Cashew Chicken
6 Chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sliced celery
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/1/2 cup cashews
Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.

Who Knew?

You can make pancakes from scratch! We had exactly one cup of milk (so not enough for two bowls of cereal), 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla, and an egg. Just add a cup of flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder along with 1/2 a teaspoon of salt. Voila!! Yummy and Edward ate TWO!
Happy Thursday!