Pinned it... Cowboy Casserole

So, for my next pin review, I decided to pick another recipe simply because that's what I do most with pinterest.  I'd love to do more of the crafts/DIY projects that I find, but that costs money.  Cooking does too, but we've gotta eat so it's a little more justified.  Anyway, I present to you.....

Heather McD's pin on Pinterest.

Cowboy Casserole!  This is one that I've had and have been using for over a year now.  When we were moving into our house, Mom made this for us one night and I loved it so much I immediately pinned it.

One thing that bothers me is that the pin goes back to a page with more than one article/post on it.  At least it's not the home page of the blog, but you do have to scroll a while before you find the actual recipe.  

The recipe itself is very clear and easy to understand and/or adapt if you feel the need.  For example... Usually I just use one package (a little more than a pound) of beef and bake it in one of my smaller-sized rectangular pans.  I think it's 7x11 or something like that.  This ensures that I have enough Crispy Crowns to cover both the bottom and the top of the casserole.  It's also cheaper because I save the extra 1/2 lb. of beef, but it's still plenty for 2.5 of us to eat and we still get a small amount of leftovers.  This time, I used 2 packages (a little more than a pound each) of ground beef because I wanted lots of leftovers.  We didn't even eat half of it.  If you use both, make sure you do use the 9x13 pan (I use my Pyrex dishes for almost all of my cooking) otherwise you will run out of room.  It does bubble a bit in the oven, so you don't want it piled too high in the dish or you could get some spill-over into your oven.  In the 9x13, use the Crispy Crowns on the bottom sparingly.  You want the top coverage to be a higher priority than the bottom.  

When browning the beef, I leave out the onion and garlic.  I just don't like having the extra bits of things in there.  I know, I'm weird.  I just brown it with a healthy dose of onion powder and garlic powder.  It still provides a good, rich taste, but without the extra bits and it saves all the peeling/chopping.  I also don't use Cream of Mushroom soup.  Actually, I don't use Cream of Anything soups!  I found a recipe for something called Soup or Sauce Mix (I'll review it for you sometime!) that is a healthier substitute for "Cream-Of" soups.  So my version of this recipe includes one batch of that.  And I leave out the corn.  Because we prefer our veggies on the side, rather than mixed into the casserole.

Ok, so having said all that, I do actually follow the recipe pretty closely.  Another thing I don't like (because I'm nitpicky) is the fact that she's unclear on the amount of cheese you will need.  The ingredients list calls for 2 cups, but the recipe only indicates using 1 1/2.  It's really not that big of a deal.  I mix a full cup in with the beef and all the other ingredients and then sprinkle a good amount on top.  So who knows how much I actually use.  I also use sharp cheddar to give it a little more kick, but I've used mild and it is still yummy.

Definitely use the Crispy Crowns.  I have investigated all sorts of other options and they just aren't as good.  I've used the regular tater-tots (or Potato Puffs if you shop at Aldi) and loose hash-browns and neither was terribly good.  They just didn't get crispy at all.  The crispy crowns are the way to go.  It's worth the extra dollar, in this case.

Make sure you do bake it for the full half hour so that the Crispy Crowns get thoroughly cooked.  This time I was rushing and didn't leave it in there long enough and the potatoes were still a bit raw.  It doesn't hurt anything but the texture.  Also, after it is "done", I like to broil it for a minute or two to get the cheese good and melty.  Again, I skipped that this time because I had to leave for choir practice and wanted to have time to eat it, too.  It's good either way. 

This one doesn't look very pretty, so think twice before serving it to fancy guests.  But what it lacks in looks it makes up for in flavor.  It is good.  I've never fed it to someone who didn't like it.  [Well, my vegetarian friend Sarah probably wouldn't enjoy it, but that's beside the point...]  It's in the regular rotation on our menu and nobody ever complains.  Ellie even likes it, and she's not a huge fan of meat either.

Final Verdict: It's a keeper for sure!  Modify it the way you like it - delete ingredients like I did or add some more veggies of your choice - and it's probably still going to be good.  A solid, comfort-food standby that's difficult to mess up.  AND it microwaves pretty well for leftovers.  We love it!

Pinned it...

So, I recently said something on facebook about trying a recipe for homemade graham crackers for Ellie to eat and a friend asked me to share the recipe.  I've had enough trouble with internet recipes that I always try them before sharing them.  I don't want to be that friend that goes around giving out bad recipes!  So I told her that after I tried it, if it was good, I would share it on the blog.  And then I had a marvelous idea.  Why not make it a thing?!  I mean, as I'm going through stuff on pinterest, I always wonder if anybody has ever actually done that thing and had it turn out right.  So that's what I'm doing.  Everything that I pin and try and actually like how it turned out, I will share with you.  Well, maybe not everything, but you get the idea.  I'm calling it...

I'll share the original pin with you, my process in trying it, any changes or adjustments that I made, and the results!  And then I will feel a lot better about sharing pins with you, because you'll have all the honest details.  Like how that roast beef didn't turn out quite so tender, but that's probably because I forgot to turn the crock pot on.  Or how the homemade graham crackers were great, but I need to buy smaller cookie cutters.  You get the idea.  So, without further ado adieu [ah forget it] delay, here's my first Pinterest review...

This is the pin I referenced above that I tried just the other night for Ellie.  The pin linked to the proper page (which is always so helpful) and the recipe was easy to understand and follow.  There was even an easy-print recipe on the site!  I didn't actually print it, but I like to have the option.

I followed the recipe just as written, omitting the wheat germ that's listed as optional.  I used my stand mixer since I don't have a food processor.  The dough came together just like it was supposed to.  I did have to switch to my dough hook after adding the wet ingredients because it is a very thick, sticky dough and using the paddle was putting too much strain on the motor.  I would not recommend mixing this by hand.  

I liked that I didn't have to flour my surface to roll out the dough.  That always makes such a mess!  I recently invested in a silicone rolling mat to lay on the counter and roll out dough on.  This was the first time I got to use it and it worked GREAT!  The dough did stick to my (marble) rolling pin sometimes, but it peeled off and still worked fine.  I rolled my dough to a little thinner than the 1/4 inch that the recipe suggests.  I wish I had done them thinner still, as they do puff up a bit in the oven.  They came out a little more like cookies than the super-thin graham crackers that you buy at the store.  I did have to be very careful when transferring the dough to the baking sheet, since it was so sticky.  But a little patience and re-shaping once on the sheet and it was fine.

I used my air-bake cookie sheets, so I did not line them with the parchment paper or silpat.  The crackers came off just fine.  I baked them for 15 minutes, and that was perfect.  The last pan was rolled thinner and they got a little extra-crispy, so I could have put them in for less time and still been fine.  My favorite part of this recipe is that all of the ingredients are safe to be consumed raw.  Which means that if they are slightly under-done (or someone wants to lick the beater...), I don't have to worry about giving them to my toddler.  Wonderful!

These are a HUGE hit at our house.  And the babysitter's house!  They smelled great coming out of the oven and they taste great, too!  After taking one bite, Ellie took a whole second cracker to have one for each hand.  And she ate them both.  Our babysitter and her daughter loved them too.  And I ate one as a snack after getting home from work.  The honey and the cinnamon are in just the right proportions.  I want to get up and eat another one right now.  They're that good.  

This recipe made about 2 dozen graham crackers for us, but of course that will depend on the size of your cookie cutters and how thin you roll your dough.  I think the only thing I would change about these for next time is to use smaller cookie cutters.  I used bunnies, carrots, and peeps this time (I was in a spring-y mood!), but they're big to store and, more importantly, big to pack in Ellie's snack containers.  I don't have any of the tiny cutters, but I'll have to be on the lookout for some clearance ones here sometime soon.  You could also just use a pizza wheel and cut the dough into squares and bake, but that just doesn't seem like as 

Final Verdict: Love it!  I highly recommend it!  It's easy, not too time consuming, moderately healthy (I can pronounce all the ingredients!), and cheap (I didn't have to buy any specialty ingredients!).

We give it two toddler (and two mommy!) thumbs up!

12-Month Checkup Adventure

Yesterday was one of those days where you collapse into bed at night and think 'Thank God that's over!' and then He turns right around and says, "But wait!  There's more!  Tell them what they've won!"

Let me tell you about it...

So you may remember that we were unable to make it to her regularly scheduled 12 month checkup because of the whole locking-the-baby-in-the-car incident.  I called the office the very next day and the very next appointment that was available was a month later.  We love our doctor, but apparently everyone else does too, because she's gotten quite busy!  So yesterday, a day after turning 13 months old, we were finally supposed to go in for the 12 month checkup.

And Andy took the carseat to work with him.  An hour away.

The good news is that our doctor's office is only 3 blocks away from our house.  The bad news is that it was below freezing and there was ice everywhere.

And some people hadn't ever shoveled their sidewalks from the last time it snowed several inches.

And I have a cold.

So I left work super early to go home and start our trek to the office and got home to a sweetly sleeping baby.  Had to wake her up to get her all bundled up to go out in the stroller.  She wasn't happy with me.  I wouldn't have been either.  Got everything loaded up and got her in her coat/hat/mittens/2 blankets and we were off.  The first 100 feet of the journey was fine.  But then we got to the sidewalk.  Who would have thought that it would be HARDER to walk on the sidewalk than anywhere else??  When it wasn't the ice or the snow I was having to push through, it was the handicapped dips to cross the side-streets that were PLOWED SHUT and completely impassable.  So we had to go out and around and then back up the sidewalk on the other side.

Ok, when I type it out, it really doesn't sound all that bad.  But think about taking a stroller up a rocky path.  And then cover it with snow and ice.  And then make yourself weak with sickness.  That's pretty much what it was like.

Finally, we got to the office and took off several layers of clothing and all was well.  The appointment was actually not too bad.  Found out that she weighs 19 lbs. 3 oz. and is 29.5 inches tall.  That's in the 34th and 45th percentiles, respectively.  You've come a long way, little peanut!  Doctor also said that she seems to be hitting all of her milestones perfectly and that she's doing an awesome job of walking.  Duh.  I could have told you that!  But it's always nice to hear from someone official.  And after observing her throw papers on the floor and tear them up, run away from me, squirm out of my lap 17 times, pull the wipes out of the diaper bag and start pulling them out of the container, try to eat said wipes, scream bloody murder when I took the wipes out of her mouth, and finally be content when I let her hold that one special wipe she said a few very important words right before leaving.

"Seems like you've really got your hands full with that one!"

Yes.  Yes I do.  She is a wild child.  She has a mind of her own and an attitude to match.  She insists on doing everything how she wants and on her own.  She is a handfull, to say the least.  I've been saying it for months.  But the beautiful thing is, now the doctor said it too.  It's not just in my imagination!  I'm not just a wuss!  She really is an independent, strong-willed, dramatic, hand-full of a toddler!  I was right!  The doctor said so!

So anyway, she got two shots, which she was pretty good about.  But then it was time to go home.  We took a different route, which eliminated the sidewalks and it was smooth sailing.  Er, strollering.  Anyway... I thought she'd nap once there, but she decided that she didn't want to sleep, but she didn't want to play, but she didn't want to eat, but she didn't want to be held, but she didn't want to be put down.  She was just basically miserable all afternoon.  This continued on into the evening until it was finally bedtime and she just gave up.  Then we gave up too.  Andy has off today (he has off every other Friday, so that's when I do my grocery shopping after work while I'm already in town) so I didn't feel guilty asking him to help out if she woke up during the night.  So I popped some night-time cold medicine and drifted off into a lovely drug-induced sleep.  Until around 2 am.

That's when the crying started.  So, as previously agreed, I sent him over to check on her and about 30 seconds later heard, "Honey, I need help."  *sigh*  Her diaper had leaked, so she needed a wardrobe change.  I checked the bed and it wasn't wet, so I basically just stood around while he changed her.  Yeah, definitely needed help.  He asked me to hold her while he went to the bathroom and that's when I noticed that she was burning up.  This child has never had a fever higher than 99.5 and this felt way higher than that.  Turns out it was 100.8.  Not terribly high, but poor kid was so miserable.  We got medicine in her and it took a full hour to kick in and drop her temp back to normal.  Once it started to drop, she regained enough energy to scream at us non-stop until it was normal and she fell asleep.  So, around 3:30, we were all back in bed.  It's  bad enough having to be awake with a sick kiddo for an hour and a half in the middle of the night, but when you have to fight night-time cold medicine in order to stay awake it seems to take a lot more out of you.  The alarm went off way too early and I had to peel myself out of bed to shower and get ready for work.  

Her temp was back up this morning after the medicine had worn off, but not quite as high as last night.  So we gave her another dose and Andy called me at work to assure me that it did go back down to normal.  I'm thinking it's a result of one of the shots that she got, even though they were all repeat doses and she's never had a fever from shots before.  But I'm also 99% sure that she's coming down with the same cold that I have, so that can't be helping either.  Poor kid.  We'll see if we can kick the fever or if we'll be calling the doctor tomorrow.  Andy is not going anywhere that day, so I will have the car seat to take her in.

Or maybe I'll leave and make him walk there. 

Yes, yes.  I hear you.  I know it was an accident and I'm not actually mad at him.  I'm just amazed at how ridiculous the whole thing turned out to be.  And I'm allowed to be a little cranky because I'm sick.  And a little sore from our off-roading yesterday.  And my toddler is a hand-full.  

No really, it's true.  The doctor said so.

Brief trek outside on our first of two snow days this week.  Back when we could still smile at the snow.