Say Cheese

I recently uploaded a bunch of pictures from my camera and thought I would post some of the more amusing ones.



I told Audrey to smile and she held up her fingers like that. I also love Emma's wig-like 'do.



This one is just cute. (That's a Likely headband.)



We took some family pictures on Thanksgiving to put in our Christmas card. Emma's eyes in this one are hilarious.



I'm not sure when Molly took this self-portrait. Sneaky girl.

Meatless Main Dish

Lately I've been trying to feed my family less meat. Not no meat, just less. Mostly because of this which made me reconsider this. Even Greg's on board. He, who if given the chance, would eat only steak and a wide selection of beverages. (He loves almost all beverages but that's a story for another day.) I guess he can't argue with the Word of Wisdom. Anyway, it's been a struggle to find recipes that have no meat, are quick, easy, nutritious, and the whole family will like. But I discovered recently a "Meatless Main Dishes" section in my favorite cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. You know, the red and white checkered one. I think every kitchen in America should have this cookbook. It includes a "Beans, Rice, and Grains" section (hello, food storage!) which is where you'll find the meatless main dishes. Last week I made their Two-Bean Tamale Pie and it was great so I thought I'd share the recipe. It made enough to feed my whole family dinner and for Greg to take as lunch the next day. What's also great about this recipe is that it was small enough to cook in my toaster oven (I had to remove my stash first) which saved some electricity.



Two-Bean Tamale Pie

1 cup chopped green sweet pepper (1 large)
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T cooking oil
1 - 15 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed, drained, and slightly mashed
1 - 15 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed, drained, and slightly mashed
1 - 6 oz. can (2/3 cup) vegetable juice
1 - 4 oz. can diced green chile peppers, undrained
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 - 8 1/2 oz. package corn muffin mix
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 oz.)
1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro or parsley

1. Grease a 2-quart square baking dish or 10-inch quiche dish; set aside. In a medium skillet cook sweet pepper, onion, and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in kidney beans, pinto beans, vegetable juice, chile peppers, chili powder, and cumin; heat through. Spoon bean mixture into prepared dish.

2. Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions; add cheese and cilantro, stirring just until combined. Spoon cornbread mixture evenly over the top of the bean mixture. Bake, uncovered, in a 400 degree oven about 25 minutes or until golden. If desired serve with salsa and sour cream.

Act Fast!

Today only, you can get a free 8 x 11 custom cover photo book from snapfish.com. Go to:

http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20081029_tows_messyhouse/7

(Sorry, still having trouble creating links.) Scroll down to where it says "Get your free book!" in orange and click on it. Of course, you'll still have to pay for shipping, but this is a $29.99 book that they're giving away for free. Not bad, if you ask me. Here is the disclaimer from the site:

* This offer is only good for one standard 20-page 8" x 11" custom-cover photo book per household. Coupon dispersal ends at 11:59 p.m. PST Friday, November 14, 2008. Free photo book must be redeemed by 11:59 p.m. PST Sunday, November 16, 2008. Offer does not include customary shipping and handling changes or additional pages. Offer applies only to mail-order delivery to U.S. customers. Offer cannot be combined with other coupon codes. Coupon cannot be resold or otherwise transferred and is void on the earlier of redemption or the offer end date.


UPDATE: If you already have a snapfish account and your computer automatically logs you in to that account, log out before going to the Oprah site. This should ensure that you get your credit for the free book. Also, I think what that disclaimer means is that you only have to get the credit today and it will stay in your account until Sunday. It can take some time to put those books together!

My Little All-Star

Carolyn was chosen by her soccer coach to play in the all-star game for her age group. (She's on the right in the top picture .) They played under the lights at Kelly field and her team won 3-1. She didn't score any goals this time but she had an amazing defensive play where she caught up with a girl from the other team who had broken away with the ball, got possession of the ball, and took it back about a half- field length to the other side. I'm so proud of her. I kept getting choked up just sitting there watching her. She's such an amazing kid, so driven, and talented in so many ways. I can't wait to see what she accomplishes in life. I think she has the potential to do some great things.

I love you Carolyn!!

It's Over!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who helped make the primary program such a success! The children have such a sweet spirit about them and I think a lot of hearts were touched today. The music was amazing. They sang so well--the music carried the whole program. It's a relief that it's over but I'm already looking forward to next year's program!

My Stash

The kids keep giving me their Halloween candy. And they give me the good stuff. I try to refuse but they insist. I don't know where these nice kids came from. I never did anything like that when I was little.

And don't worry, they still have plenty of candy for themselves. They each filled a grocery bag to the brim.

Halloween

Since the kids had the day off of school on Halloween we had a special pumpkin pancake breakfast. I made some of Tammy's mix and added some canned pumpkin, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and vanilla. The kids loved them.


I recently read an article called "The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating." Cinnamon and canned pumpkin were on it, as well as pumpkin seeds. So next year when you carve your pumpkins don't throw out the seeds! (Rinse, sprinkle with salt, toast in oven at 350.) They make a great snack that the kids will love but they need to be eaten right away, not so good the next day. Here's the site where the article is, for some reason it won't create a link so you'll have to copy and paste if you want to read it:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/the-11-best-foods-you-arent-eating/?em&ex=1214971200&en=49df7aef9ad8754e&ei=5087%0A




The girls had a great time trick-or-treating. Each year they get closer to Greg's goal of making it though our entire neighborhood. Emma stayed at home with me and Audrey came home early.

Carolyn made the garland and poster as decorations. She's quite the crafter. Those are individually cut out ghosts and pumpkins that she drew faces on and taped together.

I love Emma's smile in this picture.