Tricks for a Picky Palate

I have two picky eaters right now, but they're picky about completely different things.

Aiden (15 months) refuses every single vegetable. He won't eat any of them. Even fruit is hit-and-miss with him. I just got him to like grapes of all things, which I mistakenly thought he'd love right away. He didn't. Luckily, that was one of those foods where the old practice of "keep offering it to them whether they eat it or not" actually worked. That's the first and only time that technique has worked, but I'll keep trying!

So, how do I get him to eat veggies? I use to try sticking one in there with a bite of something else. That little goober spit it out every time, but somehow kept the other food in there. Now, I put it in his mouth and say, "Eat it. Chew it up," in my best no-nonsense voice. He fake cries for about a second and then grudgingly chews and swallows . . . unless I happen to look away. In that case, he spits it out.

Clearly it's a flawed system, although it probably sounds deceivingly simple. All you have to do is put it in his mouth and tell him to eat it? Unfortunately, not true. That's been a pretty recent development. Up until about a week ago I could barely even get him to open his mouth for veggies, let alone actually eat them. Even now he only gets a few bites, if that. It's frustrating. I persevere. Luckily, Aiden's great with meat and carbs, so we don't have too many problems in that area.

Asher (2 1/2), on the other hand, requires different techniques to get him to eat. He's usually eating all  his fruits and vegetables before the other food on his plate. Unless it's a meal he absolutely loves (mac and cheese, pasta with sauce, pizza, corn dog muffins), he usually refuses to eat and puts up a huge fight. He routinely covers his mouth with his hands when I ask him to please take a bite. What to do, what to do?

Well, I won't lie, we've resorted to bargaining. "If you eat your food, you can have fruit snacks!" I say, with all the possible excitement I can muster so he thinks it's a grrrrrrrreat idea. Apparently he's caught on, because this rarely seems to work anymore. But, it works sometimes so I keep it in the repertoire. I console myself with the knowledge that I can't possibly be the only one who's done this . . . Right?

The other technique that has been working really great lately is cutting his food into shapes. My parents gave us two sandwich cutters - one's a dinosaur, one's a dolphin - and those really do work wonders. "Oh no, you ate the dinosaur's head! Oh, man!" That usually gets a laugh and another bite. Other shapes are easy to do freehand (triangles, squares, Mickey Mouse, etc.), or if you have cookie cutters lying around use those, too. As I'm writing this, I'm wondering if Asher would like to cut his own shapes out of his food . . . I bet he would. I'll try it and get back to you. Of course, this method only works with food that can be cut - sandwiches, pancakes, French toast, waffles. I've discovered that it's easier to cut sandwiches and get it to stay stuck together if I roll it with a rolling pin before cutting it.

It's still crazy to me how different two kids can be. Their food preferences are almost opposite. That means no matter what I make for meals it'll be a battle with at least one of them, but probably both. Preparing and serving meals is becoming a real pain in the rear. But, on the up-side, it's a fantastic night when they both eat, and enjoy, their meal. I guess it's still the little things in life that make me appreciative.

On a Side Note: Lately, Asher is running around the house saying poopy and peepee. I don't know where that came from. And he's not saying it because he has to go potty. The other night during supper we were all being goofy and when I told him to do something he said, "No way, Poopy!" I tried really hard not to laugh, but it was so unexpected that I couldn't help it. Oh well. Hopefully this phase doesn't stick around too long.

 He's figured out how to do the slide all by himself!

 Getting set up . . . 

 Almost ready for take-off . . . 

 "I did it, Mom!"

 My big boy

 "Let me show you how the big boys do it!"

 "Here, you can play with this ball" . . .

"Changed my mind; I want it!" (look at Aiden's sad face!) 

They play so nicely together . . .  :)

Breakfast for Supper

I've always loved breakfast food - French toast, pancakes, muffins, waffles, bacon, eggs, sausage, cinnamon rolls . . . You name it, and I probably love it! I could eat it any time of day. That's probably why I love restaurants like Perkins and IHOP. I can order breakfast food no matter what time we go.

I also love that breakfast food is often so easy to make. Scrambled eggs? No problem. These pancake muffins? Total cinch! Seriously, these little gems were easy and delicious. And they really do taste like pancakes, right down to that light, fluffy, pancake-y texture I love.

These would be wonderful if you're serving brunch and don't want to stand at a griddle flipping pancakes. I bet you could even bake them up ahead of time, then just pop them in a warm oven a few minutes before you're ready to serve them. Or, prepare the batter the night before and keep it in the fridge until you need it the next morning to save time. They're so fun, too, because you can serve them a variety of ways - traditional maple syrup, just some powdered sugar, or maybe even a fruit topping with a dab of whipped cream. Yum.

Give them a try this weekend if you get the chance!

Cinnamon and Sugar Swirled Pancake Muffins (original recipe here)
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbls. sugar
2/3 c. milk plus 1 tsp. lemon juice (or 2/3 c. buttermilk)
1 egg
2 Tbls. melted butter
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1. Heat oven to 350 and lightly grease 6 muffin cups.
2. Mix cinnamon and brown sugar and set aside.
3. Whisk milk, egg, melted butter, salt, sugar, soda and baking powder until thoroughly combined.
4. Whisk in flour until just combined.
5. Put two Tbls. batter into each muffin cup, and top with 1 tsp. of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cover with remaining batter (about 1 1/2 Tbls.) and use a toothpick to gently swirl the cinnamon-sugar.
6. Bake 12-14 minutes, then allow to cool about 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve with your favorite syrup.
*Instead of brown sugar and cinnamon, I used the leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture I had from these.

Muffin cups are about 1/3 to 1/2 full after first batter goes in.

Sprinkle on cinnamon-sugar (you can certainly use less
or omit it if you want, but it adds a nice "something extra").

Muffin cups are close to full after the second addition of batter

Look how nicely they puff up - just like fluffy pancakes!

They hold up nicely, too, when you remove them from the pan. 

A drizzle of syrup was plenty for us since the batter itself has a little
sweetness to it, but by all means use as much as you want!

Tender and delicious . . . and devoured.

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda

Book Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

I finally got around to reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs, after having it on my Amazon wishlist for about 6-8 months. Sometimes I just put books on there to remind myself I want to read them. It's a good thing I do, too, because when I remember to check it I always find myself surprised at what I have on there!

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the originality of this book. It's along the same vein of fantasy/sci-fi books that I love, but was refreshingly different.

Jacob, the protagonist, loves listening to tales of his grandpa's adventures when he's younger, but he gets to a certain age and realizes there's no way those things actually happened. The photos his grandpa shows him of children levitating and holding enormous boulders are clearly just made to look that way. Well, after his grandpa dies under abnormal circumstances, Jacob finds himself on a journey that takes him to a remote island in search of answers. He finds himself face-to-face with the children from his grandpa's photographs and none of them has aged.

While thrilled that these children are real, and so then are his grandpa's stories, Jacob finds himself faced with a very difficult choice. And, he must make this choice while in extreme danger not only to himself, but his family.

It really was an interesting read, and I'm thrilled that Riggs is working on a sequel! Interestingly, the photos peppered throughout the book are real photos that people have acquired through the years and Riggs was able to locate and use. Although, I will say the photos displayed throughout the book were more disturbing to me than anything else. They didn't really jive with the way I was picturing the characters from the descriptions given. But, that was a minor deterrent for me that didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. Definitely check it out!!

Pinterest Projects: Kid Decor

I know I've mentioned Pinterest a few times already, but I want to start a new little segment devoted to some projects I've done that I found there.

Admittedly, I have very little creativity, but I do okay if I just have to imitate something. This first project, Kid Decor, was so fun and easy, and I could definitely see myself doing it again! It takes minimal effort, and the result is so colorful and unique.

Supplies
1 piece of canvas (I used an 8x10)
super glue
crayons (enough to cover the length of the top)
hair dryer

The finished product

Here's what ya do:
Super glue the crayons across the top of your canvas in whatever order you choose (I just did good ol' ROY G BIV). Once you've done that, allow it to dry and un-stick your fingers from each other if you're anything like me and got super glue all over them. After it's dry, either go someplace where crayon wax would be easy to clean up, or lay down some old newspapers. Turn your hair dryer on high, and point it at a slightly downward angle at the crayons. Soon, the wax will start dripping down the canvas. Move the blow dryer across the crayons until they've all melted/dripped down your canvas. Let dry, and marvel at your work of art!
I did this project months ago and didn't think I'd post about it, so I didn't take pictures of the process. Luckily, it's not too difficult to explain!

All the crayons I used - it looks blurry because they've already been melted.

Things I love about this project:
1) It would be great to do with your kids, minus the super glue - I think even Asher (2 1/2) would have fun doing the hair-dryer part.
2) It's so very customizable! If you want to make one for your kids' rooms, you can pick out crayons that match their decor (ours is in our play area, so I wanted to use all the colors).
3) I didn't even get my crayons glued on completely straight and it still looks good.

If you've done one of these, or end up trying it, I'd love to know!

Eat, and Be Happy

When it comes to bad days, down days, stressful days, sad days, etc., there's nothing that cheers me up the way home-baked goodies do. 

Some days, I can't shake that stressed/harried feeling, even after Dusty gets home from work and can help with the boys. Those are usually the days that you can find me baking (in addition to lots of other days). If the boys are in "rare," grumpy form early in the morning, I know it'll be a loooong stretch until naptime comes. If you're a SAHM, you know the feeling - crying, screaming, yelling, hitting, "NOs" - all of those things continue repeatedly until it's time for naps. Ah, sweet naps.

My go-to move to relieve some stress is to make something easy and delicious. (For example, there was a day last week that was horrible all around, so I whipped up some of my Grandma's Peanut Butter Bars and enjoyed them during the boys' naps.) Not only do I feel better as I'm making it, but then I also get to eat it after it's done. It's a win-win situation! Usually, I wait to eat stuff like that until the boys are napping or in bed for the night for two reasons: 1) they don't need to eat sweets every time I do, and 2) it's a lot more relaxing and enjoyable to eat uninterrupted. Sometimes Dusty and I will sit with the boys while they eat supper, but then just the two of us will eat ours after they've gone to bed. It's a nice change of pace sometimes to do it that way.

This recipe I'm sharing with you today was easy, but no one was in a grumpy mood while making/eating these! Oreos baked in-between layers of brownie? You can't lose! And, there's ice cream stirred into the batter. Bonus. (Note, I had to substitute a chocolate cake mix for the brownie mix because I didn't have any on-hand. Although the cake mix worked perfectly and tasted delicious, I think a brownie mix would give the bars a fudgier texture, which I prefer.)

Cookies and Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies (original recipe can be found here)

1 box brownie mix

eggs and oil as called for on the brownie box (usually 2-3 eggs and 1/3 c. oil)

1/2 c., heaping, cookies and cream ice cream (I used chocolate chip because that's what we had in the freezer)

1/4 c. hot fudge sauce, cold or room temp.

16 Oreos

1. Preheat oven to 350, and grease an 8x8 in. pan.

2. Mix brownie mix, oil, and eggs until combined (don't add the water the recipe on the box calls for). Stir in hot fudge and ice cream until combined.

3. Pour half the batter into the pan, followed by a layer of Oreos, then cover with the remaining batter.

4. Bake approximately 40 minutes, or until center is set.

5. Allow to cool, and enjoy (these were especially delicious with a scoop of ice cream on the side . . . if you're feeling indulgent)

This is how heaping my 1/2 c. of ice cream was

My helper enjoying a perk of the job

This is before I spread it out - it easily covers the cookies once you do.

I cut one right out of the middle - my favorite!

           

Asher bites right into the Oreo . . . 

Apparently, Aiden prefers to separate, then lick the cream filling before
eating the cookie part. :)

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda

Book Review: "The Land of Later On"

I was pretty excited to read Anthony Weller's The Land of Later On. It wasn't a book anyone had recommended to me; it was one I happened across on Amazon and thought looked interesting. I had high hopes that I had found a real winner all on my own.

It was average. I don't regret reading it, but I wouldn't read it again. That is saying something, because I am an avid book re-reader. Good thing it was inexpensive and is on my Kindle, not taking up valuable space on my actual bookshelf.

You know that Seinfeld episode where George sends Jerry to get a book he left at his ex-girlfriend's apartment and it turns into a whole fiasco? Jerry doesn't see what the big deal is because George won't read it again and people just collect books as a prestige thing. Totally not true in my case. I'll re-read books (mostly series) numerous times and enjoy them every time.

Anyway, the book was fine, I just wasn't able to get totally immersed in it. Weller's writing is interesting and fluid,  but I wasn't pulled in as I am with  books I love. The protagonist, Kip, writes his account of The Land of Later On (aka the afterlife). His wife has died years before him, and he commits suicide to be with her again. Weller's depiction of the afterlife was definitely new to me.

He describes it similarly to the regular world, except you can travel any where and any when. As in, you can visit any place in the world in any time period you choose, even exact dates in history. Kip is on a desperate search for his wife because people are subtly urged to reincarnate themselves and not remain in the afterlife. Kip's quest seems impossible, of course, because his wife has been there for years, and could literally be anywhere in the world, and maybe not even in the current year, let alone century. It's devastating to think of yourself trying to locate someone in those circumstances.

Luckily, he meets Walt Whitman (yeah, that was a neat twist) and is guided and aided by him in his search. The premise of the book is really intriguing and romantic in a bleak, morbid sort of way. It was an interesting read, and pretty out of the norm for me, so I was pleased with that. As I said, I didn't dislike it; I just wouldn't spend the time reading it again.

One Year!

Well, people, it's the one-year anniversary of my first post on this blog! And how appropriate that the fabulous Ms. Katie revealed the awesome new blog design just in time! How do you like it? I love it. I think it's marvelous . . . I could go on with a lot of adjectives, but I'll spare you - just know that I love it, and hope you do, too!

The purpose of my blog hasn't changed - it's still helping me keep my sanity! I don't always get to post as often as I'd like, but it feels good when I do.

I love when people are able to connect to a post, or when they have success with a recipe and love it as much as I do! It's a great feeling. Seriously, I get really excited when someone tells me, "Oh I made this recipe and everybody loved it!" I always tell Dusty as soon as I see him remember . . . For some reason he doesn't get quite as excited as I do. :)

Let's take a quick look back over the year . . . Here are the 5 most-viewed posts:

5) Two Under 2

4) No One Ever Told Me . . .

3) It's Wedding Season! Part 2

2) Why I Love Fantasy

and the Number 1 most-viewed post goes to . . .

1) Parenting Is One Crazy Rollercoaster

I'm glad to know that all three of my interests made it in the top 5. Most favorites were about "babies," but "baking" and "books" made the list, too. That counts as success in my book!

Thanks to all of you out there who keep reading this tiny little blog. I sure do appreciate it! If no one read it, I probably wouldn't continue it, so thanks for making it feel worthwhile!

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda

A Mom's Still Got Dreams All Her Own

I think I've said this a bazillion times already, so I guess this will make it a bazillion-and-one: having kids changes everything. Or does it?

The other day my future sister-in-law "Facebooked" me telling me that a woman she knows was giving a talk about her book Use Your Words: A Writing Guide for Mothers. With my blog and all, she thought it would be right up my alley (what a sweetheart - unfortunately, we won't be there that weekend, but check out Kate Hopper's website if you want more info. on her or her book). I thought, "Now here's a lady who's doing it all! Writer, teacher, editor, mother? Go Kate!"

That got me thinking . . . How have my dreams for myself changed since becoming a mom? This is totally aside from anything kid-related (i.e. I'm not talking about dreams of sleeping uninterrupted for 3 straight days). So what did my dreams used to be?

1) I always wanted to be the voice of a Disney character (Belle, Ariel, Jasmine . . . Something along those     lines. Silly, I know.)
2) I wanted to play Eponine or Fantine in the musical Les Miserables
3) I wanted to write a fiction/fantasy series, probably Young Adult, or edit fiction novels
4) I wanted to work at, or possibly own, a bakery
5) I wanted to be a mom

I think I can safely cross off the first two as "never-going-to-happen" dreams. First of all, they seem more and more frequently to be casting well-known celebrities as voices for animated characters. Secondly, I don't see a production of Les Miserables being put on in the area any time soon. On top of that, I have little to no experience other than a love of singing. Those were long-shots to begin with.

How am I coming on writing a fantasy series? Um . . . I haven't gotten anywhere. That's still on the "I'll-come-back-to-you-I-promise" dream shelf. I definitely haven't put it out of my mind, so if I'm ever a famous author, you can say that you once read my blog. Haha :)

I don't work at, or own a bakery. However, I've been asked to make cake/cupcakes for three weddings total, and also cookie/goodie holiday trays. I still love baking as much as I always have, and for now that's plenty for me. Other than that last dream, this is the closest I've come to reaching a dream. Not too shabby, but definitely room for improvement.

The last dream? I guess that one gets a double checkmark! I have always wanted to be a mom. Always. I don't ever remember a time when I didn't want kids. I used to worry pretty incessantly that I wouldn't be able to have a baby for one reason or another. In that case, we probably would have adopted, but it was a pretty common concern for me until I got pregnant with Asher. Which is weird because it's a baseless worry. Motherhood isn't always a dream (sometimes it's closer to a nightmare), but I love it.

So what does this tell me? I'm 1 for 5 on accomplishing my dreams. And, I also discovered that my dreams haven't changed since becoming a mom. I'll still dream of Disney and Les Miserables, but I've always known  those wouldn't happen. Writing a novel? The bakery? Sure, I can still do those things, but, I need to be proactive about both of them. Those are things that are within reach . . . I just have to keep climbing. And it'll be a long, hard climb for either of them.

Becoming a parent does change everything about your life. There is no aspect of your life that won't be affected by kids. But, it doesn't change who you are. Under all that stickiness and crusty food that got wiped on your shirt, under the tiredness, stress, and maybe even poop (yikes), you'll still be you. And I'm still me.

Weekend Recap and Cinnamon Roll Pulls

The recipe for this deliciousness is below . . . 

How was your weekend? Ours was pretty uneventful - the cold, rainy weather kept us inside most of the time. Asher chose to watch Toy Story on Friday for Movie Night. Initially he picked out Toy Story 3, but he must've seen the monkey somewhere on the cover, because he changed his mind. That monkey scares him every time he sees it . . . Have you seen it? It is creepy. It doesn't just look creepy, but it screeches and claps its cymbals and is genuinely frightening. Look at that thing! I'm glad Asher chose the first one, instead!

Asher watching the movie with Dad and enjoying popcorn.

Aiden, doing what he did most of the movie -
climbing up, down, and over the chair.

It wasn't a nice weekend weather-wise, and boy was that evident in the boys' attitudes. Yikes. It was easy to tell they were feeling cooped-up. I've also been feeling crappy lately: sore throat and achy all over. I hate being sick. Unfortunately for the boys, it means I don't have as much patience; add on top of that they both have coughs and are probably feeling crappy, too . . . Well, last week was looooooong. Not a good week. Blah.

On Sunday we went to church, and found out that friends of ours took a call and are moving to California. Sad day. They're wonderful people, and the wife is a SAHM, too, so I definitely enjoyed having her around. Their kids are great, too . . . They'll be missed!

But, I digress. This absolutely amazingly-delicious bread turned all that around, at least temporarily. I will most certainly make it again, although next time I'll wait until we have people over because I could probably eat the entire loaf myself. I couldn't resist, though - I'd been waiting and waiting to make it, and I couldn't wait any longer. Besides, who knows when we'll actually have people visit us? It could be a while. I'm not that patient.

What I really loved about this recipe is that the ingredients it calls for are ones I always have on hand, except the loaf of sourdough bread which is easy to pick up, and a lot of times you can find it in the discounted baked goods if it's a day old or something. Much cheaper that way. You can find the original recipe here.

Cinnamon Roll Pulls
1 round loaf of sourdough bread, unsliced
1/2 c. softened butter
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Glaze
1 c. powdered sugar
1-2 Tbls. milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice bread into 12 slices, but don't cut through the bottom crust.
3. Mix together the butter, powdered sugar, honey, and vanilla. Spread it on each of the slices, but don't use all of it, maybe 1/2 to 3/4.
4. Now, slice the bread crosswise, into 1 inch cubes, but don't cut through the bottom crust. (I think I sliced 7 times or something like that - it's not an exact science).
5. Spread remaining butter between cuts - again, it doesn't have to be perfect.
6. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together, and sprinkle it over the top of the bread, and in between the cuts. You might have leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture. Just use how much you think is enough. (I had leftovers, but it's great to sprinkle on muffins before you bake them, French toast, pancakes, quick breads, toast . . .)
7. Wrap the loaf in tin foil and bake for 25-30 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, mix the powdered sugar and milk together in a small bowl.
9. Remove the bread from the oven, carefully unwrap it from the tinfoil and move it to whatever plate/platter you might use. Drizzle the glaze over the top and . . . Well, you know the rest!

This is how it looks after it's been buttered and sugared, but not baked. 

This is how it looks after it comes out of the oven - golden deliciousness. 

This is how it looks after it's been glazed. 

This is how it looks right before it's devoured. :)

It's Never too Early to Start a Family Tradition (and recipe for PB Popcorn!)

I think one of the things Dusty and I were most looking forward to after we had kids was starting our own family traditions. Both of us have great memories of things we did with our own families, and I think we're hoping our boys one day have the same.

So, once Asher was old enough, we started having Movie Night at our house. Usually it's on Fridays because we're all ecstatic that the weekend's here, but I think we've probably had it on every night of the week at least once, whether it was because we were out of town, ran out of time, or Dusty and I actually had plans on a Friday night (although, to be honest, I don't think that last one's ever come up . . .)

One of the things I love about it is that Asher looks so forward to it. "Mommy, watch a noovie in four days. What should we watch? Toy Dohwee? OK!" That's the monologue I've heard about 80 times this week, but the movie has varied among "Chipmunks," "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," "Monsters, Inc.," and "Toy Story."

The funny thing is that it started out being just a fun tradition, but the anticipation is actually helping Asher learn a sense of time. Initially, this week, I told him we'd watch a movie in 5 days, and since then, he's gotten the countdown right every day - 4, 3, 2, 1 . . . Although, he seems to have a hard time grasping the concept that today is sooner than 1 day. Oh well, he'll learn!

The other added bonus of having a family movie night is that I actually have people to eat popcorn with me! Seems nerdy, I know, but Dusty never really eats it, and it just isn't very fun to sit there eating popcorn all by myself as we watch a movie. Don't get me wrong, I still do it; it's just more fun when someone else is eating it, too. :) Classic, butter and salt is the way we usually go and Asher, Aiden, and I gobble it up. But today, I made something a little more special that is really delicious.

However, it's sitting on the table staring me in the face right now, so hopefully it lasts until movie time . . .

Peanut Butter Popcorn (original recipe can be found here)
8 cups popped popcorn, with unpopped kernels removed
3/4 c. dry roasted peanuts
1/2 c. white sugar
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. corn syrup
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Snickers eggs, Snickers, or candy of choice (chopped) if you want the added indulgence . . . which I did.

Boil the sugar, honey, and corn syrup.

Stir in PB and vanilla, then pour it over popcorn and peanuts.

Spread it on a baking sheet and sprinkle with chopped candy.

Take a break to clean up the fruit loops someone dumped all over the
floor while your back was turned . . . Or wait, maybe that's just me.

Put in the oven for 5 minutes and then let cool.

1. Mix popcorn and peanuts in a large bowl, and line a baking sheet with waxed paper or tin foil.
2. Bring sugar, honey, and corn syrup to a boil, and boil for 1-2 minutes. Don't boil it too long or your popcorn will be rock-hard when it's done.
3. Remove mixture from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Spread on prepared baking sheet.
4. Sprinkle candy over popcorn and put in the oven. Turn it to 250 degrees, and leave it in for about 5 minutes just so the candy can melt a little and stick to the popcorn (your oven does not have to be preheated first)
5. Eat warm or at room temperature.