Friday the 13th

Enough said...

It is a miracle

We baked!!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I am MOST likely the ONLY person who LOVES Brussels Sprouts! But, I DO!! I love them!!
I ONLY like them FRESH, not frozen! Here is an EASY green veggie side you may need this Easter Sunday!
A couple of months ago I found a Roasted Broccoli Recipe on Pinterest from The Amateur Gourmet. I normally HATE broccoli BUT this recipe changed my life! I have been known to JUST eat this for lunch or dinner, it is THAT good! I now make ALL my roasted veggies this way. One of my favorite combos is broccoli, tomatoes, garlic, and onion! YUMMY! Today I made my Brussels Sprouts with this roasted recipe and they were AMAZING!!! My recipe is a tad different from The Amateur Gourmet. SO, here is how I make them! ENJOY!!!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

You will need:
Fresh Brussels Sprouts
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Old Bay Seasoning
Oh, So Garlic
Parmesan cheese
Lime

Heat the oven to 400

-Cut the bottom tip off the Brussels Sprouts and in half, long ways
-Coat with:
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Old Bay Seasoning
Oh, So Garlic
-Place them cut side down on a foiled cookie sheet
-Bake for about 20min, or until they are tender AND crispy
-Squeeze about a half of lime juice over the HOT Brussels Sprouts
-Sprinkle Parmesan Cheese on top
-Add it to your plate
And try to share if you can!

I hope you have a blessed Good Friday and a joyful Easter Weeekend!

Eskimo Kisses, Amanda

Why Clean When You Can Make

Robots!

Homesick Tortilla Soup

When I get homesick I always make my mom's Tortilla Soup, it ALWAYS hits the spot! I did not have all the ingredients it called for so I combined what I had from Mom's and added a little from this one I found on Pinterest and then added my own touch!

Here yall go: Homesick Tortilla Soup!

Saute: about 5min
1 cup of frozen onion
2 Tablespoon of minced garlic
4-5 Dashes of Tabasco Sauce
1-2 Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Add:
1 can of Rotel: Mild
32oz Chicken Stock
1 can of Cream of Tomato
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of corn
1 can of rinsed black beans
1 "can" of water
Stir thoroughly
Add:
1 Teaspoon of Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon of Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Pepper
½ Teaspoon of Lemon Pepper
2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
*Simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours uncovered between
medium and low

Add cheddar cheese to bowl before you pour your soup and top it with chopped cilantro!

Delish until the last drop~

Eskimo Kisses, Amanda

The two recipes I picked from:

Mom's Recipe:
1 cup of frozen onion
3Tablespoon of chopped jalapeno
1Tablespoon of minced garlic
1 Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
*Saute onion, jalapeno, and garlic in the EVOO
1 can of Stewed Tomatoes
6 cups of Low Sodium Chicken Stock
1 cup of Low Sodium Tomato Soup
*Stir thoroughly, add:
1 Teaspoon of Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon of Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Pepper
½ Teaspoon of Lemon Pepper
2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
*Simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours uncovered between medium and low

Chef in Trainings: Crock pot Chicken Tortilla Soup (click here)

Breakfast for Dinner

The kids LOVE LOVE scrambled eggs and bacon any time of day! Tonight I made them their eggs and bacon, BUT baby h was NOT in the mood for that! SO I decided I NEEDED an "Egg in a Hole." I had NO idea how to make it so I texted my good friend Jen and she gave me the scoop!
Egg in a Hole

Ingredients:

1 slice of bread

1 egg

Butter

Some Tony's

A glass

Punch out a nice hole in a slice of bread
Melt butter on MEDIUM heat and brown the bread and circle on both sides. Once toasted add some butter to the hole and crack your egg in it and dash on some Tony's. Once it starts to bubble and you CAN flip it, flip it it takes time until time to flip, I did NOT time it bc I was feeding the kids :) and let it cook until it is to your liking!

Add it to a cute plate with some oven baked bacon! DELISH!!

**Bake bacon in the oven on 400 degrees for about 15-17min!**Eskimo Kisses- Amanda

The Kitchen Area

A LOT has changed since the last post, THANK GOODNESS!!! We have moved AND am now a proud owner of a Swagger Wagon! Our home looks like we need to be on a TV show for hoarders!! I am so thankful that our house was UNpacked BUT now we has STUFF everywhere!!!! EEEKKKK! So, my sweet Tune told me to just take it a corner at a time, so I am. I started with our "Kitchen Area". This area includes our kitchen, dinning room, and playroom...ALL in one area. Here are some iPhone pictures: Kitchen Area.

Looking in to the kitchen. Yes, John. Our scrubber DOES need to be in a rose bowl.

On each side of the fridge: John would call this my clutter. I call it my Skelton touch

The oven/stove: I have NO IDEA how to work it. The microwave is so smart, I need classes.
Our Family table. I have missed eating as a family!The Playroom: Why I clean it up, I have NO idea. I tell myself each night I am cleaning for the robbers!This is the ONLY area that is put together!!! I am going to try to take it a day at a time and try NOT to stress over the mess. I know it WILL be done BUT I must take my time so I can be somewhat of a good mom and wife!

The past couple of weeks the only thing that has gotten me to this point is the app: Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. EACH day He talks to me through her words, His words, SO thankful. Today's was especially great for living in this mess I have on my hands, "When your mind is stuck on a negative focus, you see neither Me nor My gifts. In faith, thank Me for whatever is preoccupying your mind. This will clear the blockage so that you can find Me. - http://bit.ly/eF5kSq" SUCH truth! SO it will be one day at a time and give the stress to Him.

John has been amazing, he has been very helpful in organising our cabinets so it will ALL fit. We are down 1/2 in the storage department. His engineering mind is such a GREAT help!

My dad comes early April to hang our pictures and rearrange the furniture, then it will have the family touch! WHEW!!

Take it one corner and one day at a time my cute friends!

Eskimo Kisses- Amanda

To Be Thankful for My Problems

Wow, what a week. It was a HARD week. This micro apartment without a car all day finally caught up with me. I am SO over our living arrangements, I MUST remember this was MY choice, to be here, in Alaska at this time, in this tiny place, without a car, with two young children, and pregnant.
When John was over seas we were staying with my sweet, kind, generous, loving, giving, serving parents. It was a great great 4+ weeks, BUT our children needed to be with their daddy. When he came home we decided that we would ALL move together instead of waiting until the home closing date. I know I made the correct decision BUT it is still hard living in a "home" that could fit in our Midland den.
Some may ask and WHY is this so hard? I am raising my 3.5 yr old and 18M in a tiny place with limited toys and limited outside play (UM we live in the North Pole). Tiny is being a typical 3.5yr old which is NOT fun in ANY living place BUT add that to a 5th floor apartment surrounded by people. He has started to act out and not being his kind hearted self. Paps is a crazy 18m old into everything!!!! They also share a room which is hard bc they LOVE to wake each other up which brings a LONG whining day.
After crying ALL day Friday I decided that Tiny WOULD start school on Tuesday. That ment I HAD to put on my big girl undies and learn how to drive the truck, in the snow. So, I DROVE the truck, with my babies, in the snow!
As I type this I see how SILLY all these tears are. THIS is only temporary. We WILL be in our new home soon, the kids will grow out of these moods, and I won't we pregnant and hormonal forever.
I forgot my Jesus is Calling book SO today I bought the app. AND what a day I needed it! Today said, "The best way to befriend your problems is to thank Me for them. This simple act opens your mind to the possibility of benefits flowing from your difficulties." WOW- I should THANK the Lord for ALL this? So, I should not be asking the Lord to "PLEASE, please, change where I am, speed up theses days, and please make the kids NOT act their ages" AND say THANK YOU for ALL these things???- What a DIFFERENT way to look at this!!

In exciting News:
I have my 1st OB appointment today
Tiny starts school tomorrow (T/Th for 3hrs a day)
My Bffs Twins turned 4 today
My babies God Mother got engaged yesterday
I receive such up lifting voice mails and emails from friends and family daily
We are together as a family with a roof over our head

God is good and I AM thankful for my problems

Eskimo Kisses, amanda

Weekend Wrap-Up and Monday "School"

Not much is to report here! We are STILL in the apartment and I do not have my mom mobile yet. So we have been hanging out at "home" and when daddy is home we go do little family things. Daddy will take Tiny sledding, the boys to the store, or we go to the mall. WHICH i MUST say our Nordstroms is pretty great!! Here is our weekend and Monday "School"

Saturday

Paps stayed home with Mommy while the Big Boys went to the Fur Rondy (I think it is like the Alaskan Rodeo?). Paps had his 1st pickle and he ate some, but was pretty much unsure about this green thing!Tiny went on his 1st Farris Wheel ride at the carnival and loved every cold moment.
Paps loved playing with ALL the toys without brother aroundThat night we bundled up and went to see the fireworks. I do NOT think I have EVER been this cold in my life! OH MY WORD it was freezing. The boys did not mind but I HATED it!!!! Next year I will stay home :)

Sunday

I can't remember what we did, LOL!!!

Monday

We played with "Window Markers" it was fun, BETTER for Tiny then Paps but still fun. They clean up nice and it was a good 10min of fun!

School Time!

Paps tried some pipe cleaner fun. I stuck the pipe cleaners in and Paps pulled them out and tried to stick them back in. James is STILL having a hard time identifying "A" so we had a "stick on" activity. I used glue and wrote an "A" and an "a" and he was to stick the pom poms and marshmallows on them to make the "A"s. Then I pointed out that this is the SAME "a" that is in his name.

Paps' activity was to eat the marshmallows, ha!

I hope yall had a blessed weekend and a have a great speedy week!!!

I will be posting a "Use what you have Gumbo" recipe tomorrow! xoxo

Eskimo Kisses, Amanda

Love to Cook but Hate to Bake, BUT

Most of you know that I feel at home in the kitchen IF I am cooking NOT baking. I have never been great at baking, everything turns out HORRIBLE!!! Well, yesterday I was on a cooking AND baking GOOD day!!! I made Homemade Spaghetti-OHS and a Caramel Heath Bar Cake. BOTH turned out so yummy, I just HAD to share! I found them on 2 blogs that I read often: Elizabeth Ann's Recipe Box and Kathie Cooks. They are great reads with great recipes!!

The delish Spaghetti-OHS from Kathie Cooks
The scrumptious and super easy to make Caramel Heath Bar Cake from Elizabeth Ann's Recipe Box

Elizabeth's recipe calls for chocolate sauce but I used jarred caramel and instead of breaking the bars I just got the bag of the Heath Bar crumbles in the baking isle!

Tiny is NOT my child he did NOT like either one of them. BUT, Paps loved every single bite down to the last lick!!!

Eskimo Kisses, Amanda

"Mommy Mommy!"

"Mommy mommy, come here! a DEER a DEER"
"Where??? down there...HOLY MOLY it is a MOOSE"
Now picture Mommy 25 weeks pregnant and then.... i run to get johns boots, jump over the couch, open the porch door, to take a pic!! whew i am out of breath!

Family Favorite Recipes: Fried Rice with Teriyaki Chicken

This is delish! I MUST recommend to use Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce whenever ANY recipe calls for a teriyaki marinade! My dad taught me this tip and it is A-MAZ-ING!!!! I was SO thrilled when our store here in Alaska carried it!! WOO HOO! Alright, On to the YUMMY recipe...

Fried Rice with Teriyaki Chicken

What you will need:

-3 cups of rice, a day old I NEVER remember this part so I just make it early in the day and stick it in the fridge
-3 chicken breast: cubed (I use scissors)and marinaded in Veri Veri Teriyaki for at least an hour
-Olive Oil
-1 handful of chopped frozen onion
-2-3 garlic cloves minced
-1/2 a bag of frozen peas
-2 scrabbled eggs
-soy sauce

Time to Cook

1. Teriyaki chicken

-In a hot skillet add olive oil (just enough to coat dish), the onion, and garlic for about 3-5min
-Add marinaded chicken cubes, cook until no longer pink

2. Scrabble eggs, in a separate skillet

3. Once Chicken is cooked
-Add the peas, cook until no longer frozen

-Add scrabbled eggs
-Add rice

-Drizzle soy sauce (add as much or little as you like)

4. Cook all together on low for about 5-10min

5. Serve and enjoy!!

***You WILL have enough for 2 nights!

Eskimo Kisses, Amanda

ABCs Part 2...AND 2 MUST haves

This morning we continued on with A, B, and the C. We made animals with the letters. I got this great idea from the Totally Tots website! This is great for what we are working on! One thing that was a tad hard for Tiny was the gluing the shapes to the correct place. SO I used our PURPLE glue stick and did each step with him. I placed the glue where the shape needed to be and he match the shapes like the sample. It worked GREAT!!!! YAY for purple glue!

Here are the the before and after! He did enjoy this and did a wonderful job. His are now on our walls with painters tape!!What was Paps doing? He was strapped in his chair with a snack, empty wipes box with toys that fit in the top slot, and ate an orange nontoxic crayon colored!

Tiny and I then made pizza which no one ate but ME!! They are only into fruit right now....AHH frustrating! Here are my TWO new obsessions!!!! They make craft time with the kids easy and fun!!

(via)

(via)

Eskimo Kisses, Amanda

the ABC's

Today was the first day John went to work all day. The boys and I are apartment bound until we move and get a car. PLEASE pray for this to go by quickly!! I normally do not mind being stuck at home but when your home is about a 700 square foot area, on the 5th floor, it is WAY different! Our neighbors have yet to complain about the running, jumping, yelling, laughing, and crying. BUT I STILL worry about this, it is a stress that I have all day. I pray I can let this go because this worry is stealing my joy of raising our boys at this time. Moving on to our day....

Thanks to friends and Pinterest, I am going to try to do a morning activity and an afternoon activity with the boys! (those of you who may not know, I am about 6M pregnant with baby boy Henry, SO outside snow time is NOT on my agenda as of yet)

This weeks theme yes, I was a 3rd grade teacher and themes are a MUST is ABC, as in the letters A, B, and C.

Today's Morning activity: Parking Lot Flash Cards for Tiny (3yrs old) and color time for Paps (1yrs old)

(I saw this idea on Pinterest for older kids using sight words so I modified it with the A-B-C. This would be so fun for anything: colors, numbers, shapes, and so on)

-We first did the flash cards to make sure Tiny KNEW his A, B, and C. "A" was hard for him, not sure why. He kept calling it "H". SO instead of having him tell me what they are I had him point to the letter when asked "Which one is A"- this was a big help and showed me he DID know his A, B, and C....MODIFICATIONS people modifications!!! :)

-Once he mastered the flash cards we went on to the Parking Lot Game. HE LOVED this!!!! At first I would show him the card and he had to park a car at each "A spot" and so on.

-Then I took away the cards and we played the game by calling out "Park the cars on C." He wanted to play with this ALL day so we left it out so he could play parking lot!While big brother was at ABC school Paps

-Played with cars

-And colored

For our Afternoon Activity we gave the toys a "bath". THEY LOVED loved this! I WAS going to use snow BUT my children are obsessed with eating ice and snow, I mean OBSESSED!!! So I passed on the snow and did "bath time!"

As you can see Paps JUST got clear water with bubbles and still in his PJs

Tiny was given a red bath with bubbles and his ABCs. They played this for about 45min! Make sure to layout towels bc you WILL have water everywhere. BUT it is just water and LOTS of fun SO worth the mess!

and it is now dinner time!!! xoxo

Eskimo Kisses- Amanda

***PS spelling and grammar are NOT my strong areas! sorry