I DID NOT Have a Senior Moment!

About the time around St Patricks Day, I was verbally invited to Nanny Family #1 annual Easter Day brunch. Later, I received an email reminding me I was invited & everything would be "As usual" and to expect an invitation in the mail.
One never arrived. I was unsure if C or B would go w/me so perhaps she thought I wouldn't come?  I texted her on Wednesday to let her know we would be attending, what time was her brunch starting & if I could bring something. Funeral potatoes was her reply, which made C's day as they are her favorite side dish & her brunch was 11-2pm!

I made the potato dish early this morning, Easter Sunday & w/B&C in tow, we headed to the brunch. When we arrived, no one was home! Odd.
I called her thinking she had stepped out for a forgotten item.
Imagine my surprise when she told me the brunch had been held YESTERDAY, Saturday!
What was "As usual" about that?!

We got a good laugh over my supposed oversight!
I was pleasantly surprised to discover it wasn't a "senior moment" for me but rather a difference of opinion as to what "As usual" means. This is the last time I think of it as something that happens on the same day, Sunday, every year for 3 years & then changes to Saturday on the one year I didn't get a written invitation!

Happy Easter anyway! Now I'm off to enjoy my first firehouse Easter dinner w/C's fireman boyfriend, G! He's been busy preparing the meal & seems excited about it!

"Better Than my Mom's!" Cheesecake

Not joking! B said these exact words when he tasted my mini cheesecakes I made for our weekly Monday dinner & cards w/friends tonight! He ate 2 1/2 of them!

I had never made a cheesecake before... NEVER! I assumed it was too complicated so I avoided it.
Turns out, it's very easy!

Before I type out the recipe though, I must wish the best of luck to my youngest sister, B & to my mother in-law, R, w/their upcoming surgeries.
As I type, my sister is recovering from gall bladder removal & some of her large intestine. She will not elaborate w/me on the details, but she is OK.
My mother in-law is heading into surgery soon for removal of things they discovered in a recent colonoscopy. I almost didn't find out about this recent surgery as my husband finds it difficult to keep me in the loop. He figured since there is nothing he or I could do, I didn't need to know! Guess he doesn't want me worrying? Anyway... Good luck, R!

So, now back to the recipe!

Mini Cheesecakes  serves 12-18 (my attempt made 12, w/a little batter to spare!)

What you need:

• paper muffin liners
• 1 cup of crushed graham crackers
• 3/4 cup plus 2T white granulated sugar, divided
• 3T melted unsalted butter (use the REAL STUFF! Not margarine!)
• 3 (8oz) packages of cream cheese (bring to room temperature by leaving out on the counter top, do not microwave it!)
• 1 tsp real vanilla extract
• 3 eggs

What you do:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Mix crumbs, 2T sugar & melted butter until blended
• Place about 1T of the mixture into muffin tins lined w/paper liners & press tightly
• Beat "softened to room temperature" cream cheese, sugar & vanilla w/mixer until well blended
• Add eggs, ONE @ a time, until smooth (lumpy batter will not cook properly!)
• Pour about 1/4 cup of mixture over the crusts in the tins
• Bake 25-30 minutes (batter shouldn't be cracked @ the end of cooking. You've cooked it too long! It'll taste OK & have a dryer texture)
• Take the cups out of the pan & let cool (condensation will soften the crust too much if left in the tins to cool!)
• Once cooled, refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight
• The centers of the cakes will sink. This is normal!

Toppings, if desired:

• Whipped cream, fresh blueberries & lemon zest
• Strawberry jam & fresh, slices strawberries w a sprig of mint leaves
• 2T of Philadelphia Indulgence "Milk Chocolate" & sweet, flaked coconut

A Better Trap!

March 2010!

March 2010

March 2013! This is their "silly face" pose!

The shiny coins are the "bait" to lure the leprechaun into the trap!

There are several cups of Lucky Charms cereal to excite his sense of smell thereby confusing his other senses!

I asked them to give me their best "I caught a leprechaun" smile!

Our best trap thus far!

The "rug" is placed over the cup. As the unsuspecting imp walks towards the pot of fake gold, he will fall into the cup! The rug will trap his arms making it impossible to escape! Unless he has a buddy w/him!

Drawn in by the scent of Lucky Charms, the glitter of gold & the familiarity of green clovers & rainbows, the leprechaun will climb the ivy covered stick onto a beautiful green lush hillside that reminds him of Ireland! He'll walk towards the pot of gold at the other side of the hilltop. Bammo! He falls into a giant cup hiding beneath the lush greenery! A sinkhole effect (Thanks for the idea sister CA!) Caught, he must now reveal his gold stash!

I just spent the best 3 hours of my week helping my kids from Nanny Family #1 create a Leprechaun Trap! They hope to catch one of the little green clothed men & have him tell where he keeps his gold!
The top 2 pictures are of one of the traps we made & my young friend Kaya when she was barely 4!

Fish, Sword, Salsa

When one lives in NE, I suspect it's a requirement to enjoy seafood, of all varieties! We've got the cod, clams, lobstah & shrimp! There's floundah for our chowdah & other yummy seafood!

As they were growing, my kids were not this way! Even fish sticks elicited groans from them! B says fish is his least favorite food in the whole world!

T seems to enjoy seafood much more since moving to the southwestern corner of VA, far from the ocean. Red Lobster is one of her favorite places to dine.

 But has C begun to like fish now that she has moved on to college? Not so much! She likes crab legs, calamari & shrimp. Mostly fried, of course!

I LOVE SEAFOOD! 

I look for it on menus & on the rare occasion, I get to enjoy some seafood @ home, usually when everyone has left for the weekend or if I persuade B to try a new recipe w/me.

Tonight was one of those times where I convinced B to try a new recipe out with me. 

Broiled swordfish steaks w/kiwi salsa served & a side of angel hair pasta 

(yeah, I know, pasta is a no-no, but I was craving it).

 DELISH! 

The salsa could be used w/all sorts of seafood... there is lime in it!

Kiwi Salsa (works great w/fish!)
** Make in the morning as it needs time for the flavors to bind together!**

What you need:

• 2 firm, not mushy kiwis, peeled & diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded & diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced small
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & diced (be careful! The seeds are where the "heat" is, wash your hands following this step!)
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 3T fresh lime juice (I used the juice of the lg lime I got my zest from)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt (I used kosher salt as it was the only coarse salt I had on hand)
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro (I don't like cilantro, so I omitted this step!)

What to do:
Mix all ingredients together & set in fridge all day.
Serve over the swordfish steaks (or other fish that citrus works with!)

Broiled Swordfish Steaks  ( serves 4)

What you need:

• 4 (6oz) swordfish steaks
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 T canola oil (didn't have any, I used vegetable oil)

What to do:

• Mix the cumin & pepper
• Set oven rack 6" below broiler & preheat
• Brush both sides of fish w/oil
• Sprinkle both sides w/the cumin & pepper mixture.
• Place on a foil lined rimmed cookie sheet
• Broil 5 minutes.
• Turn fish over & broil another 4-5 minutes.

Serve w/the Kiwi Salsa & a side such as angel hair pasta!

B liked this recipe! He wants the salsa for other dishes too such as his green salads. 

It also tasted good as a sauce for the pasta!  

Jello Cake, my way

 I will write out the recipe, as I remember it, since any copy I may have had of it, has long disappeared! Unlike others, I like to share my "family" recipes!

Use an angel food cake pan! A bundt pan or loaf pans WILL NOT WORK w/this recipe! 

TRUST ME!

Angel Food Jell-O Cake

What you need:

• 1 box of angel food cake mix (or you could make it from scratch, but who has the time?)
• 1 (3 oz) box of your favorite Jell-O flavor (I've never been successful w/lemon!)
• 1 (12 oz) tub of Cool Whip (store brands work OK, but Cool Whip is best)

What you do:

• Mix the cake mix according to the instructions on the box
• In a separate small bowl, set aside 2-3 scoops of the batter (I use a my big slotted spoon as a measure)
• Divide the remaining batter. Half goes into the angel food cake pan. Save the remainder.
• In the small bowl of batter, add a scant Tablespoon of the dry Jell-O & gently FOLD until incorporated.
• Colored batter goes on top of the 1st layer of batter. (Be careful! Avoid touching the sides of the pan w/colored mix!)
• Top with the remaining cake batter
• Hit the pan a few times, hard, on the counter, to remove the big air bubbles
• Cook in the oven according to box instructions & cool thoroughly before frosting!

Meanwhile, for the frosting:

• Bring 2/3 cup of water to a boil
• Mix in the remaining Jell-O powder & stir until completely dissolved
• Add 2/3 cup COLD water & stir well
• Pour into a shallow bowl & chill for about 1-1 1/2 hours (stirring once in a while to make it semi-chunky)
• When it's ALMOST Jell-O ( it's OK if you let it get firm. The texture of the frosting will be different) gently FOLD in the thawed Cool Whip. 
• Fold it until mixed through 

Frosting Hints & other tips:

I was lucky the cake did not fall apart as it cooled upside down. You can see the pink jello near the sides. If too much of the colored batter touches the sides, it weakens the structure & may fall apart when cooling!

This is the frosting.
I do not frost the cake until ready to serve. The cake tends to absorb moisture from the frosting, making the it rubbery.

• The cake must be completely cooled
• I have no wine bottles. I use a vinegar or soy sauce bottle to put the cooling cake on UPSIDE DOWN!
• Wait until ready to serve before frosting the cake.
• Frost the inner hole & the outer edges, FIRST
• Frost the top of the cake, LAST
• When cutting this cake, choose a serrated knife
• Use a gentle "sawing" motion to keep the cake from squishing

Easter Egg Craft Idea

Thanks to Yankee Magazine for this idea! I believe it to be March 2013 issue.

Easiest stiffener recipe ever, made from flour & water!

What we learned in our 1st attempt...
Be sure to wipe off all the globs of "glue" since it doesn't dry clear & it may stick to the balloon, making the egg crash inwards when the balloon is popped!
The more string used, the better structural integrity of the egg! Too little string made anemic looking eggs!
Trying to embellish the egg w/glitter... Use a paint brush & very little glue! Do it in sections as the glue will dry before all the glitter can be applied! Too much glue will soften the flour/water!
I applied a shiny coat of craft spray to seal in the glitter, again, not too much as the flour/water will soften!

I really liked the way our 4th egg turned out! Looks like an egg, was sturdy enough to hold w/o crushing & took the glitter well.

Been A While...

A & S, enjoying a snow day off from school!

Bebe' Jorge is requesting his "MOO" cow at 11 months old.

So, my time w/Nanny family #2 is coming to a close at the end of this month. They have found a place to move into close to their new jobs in MA. They hope to rent their place here in NH until it sells. They've had a few showings, but its hard to sell real estate when everything is covered in snow!

Bebe Jorge has been an absolute joy to care for! He's happy & quick to laugh. He ate baby food (homemade by his mother!) for about 2 months, then decided he had had enough! Now, he's eating real food like Cheerios, eggs, cheese & hot dogs! He LOVES hot dogs!

S has been much better w/her behavior since being diagnosed w/ODD. It's not perfection, but OH, soooo much nicer! She's begun reading & continues to enjoy our "craft time" every time! She's so excited for her new school!

A is pushing boundaries a bit more often. She throws fits like S used to do, but gets them under control a little easier than S did. She is "the middle child" for certain, trying to find out how she fits into the family. Baby Jorge is cute & adorable, S is reading & doing more grown up things, so what makes A stand out to her parents? We shall see, I suppose!

My search continues for Nanny Family #4. A few nibbles, but since the actual ending date w/Family #2 was so iffy, I couldn't commit to anyone yet. Now, that has changed & I must commit. We shall see who needs my services & hopefully it will be close to home & part-time, though I'll take anything at this point!

Handprint Calendar Craft Idea

Cover Page of Calendar

FEBRUARY (Valentines Day)

MARCH (St Patricks Day)

APRIL (Earth Day)

JUNE (freedom from school!)

MAY (May flowers)

JULY (Independence Day)

SEPTEMBER (back to school)

DECEMBER (Christmas)

AUGUST (dog days of summer)

OCTOBER (Halloween)

NOVEMBER (Thanksgiving)

JANUARY (snowfall)