It has been a short week but a crazy, busy one too. Can't believe tomorrow is already Friday but I am not complaining. We have a busy but fun weekend planned!
Karis looked so sweet before school yesterday so I had to take some pictures of her. Her shirt says, "Daddy's Little Charmer." :)
Me and my sweet SEVEN year old!
Now that Hazel is 6 months, she is so active and wants to grab anything and everything with her hands. It won't be long and she will be sitting up, crawling and into everything ha!
Ax plays with Brayden's Buzz Lightyear from the time he comes in in the mornings until he leaves in the afternoons. He LOVES Toy Story!
Sweet Trey...he actually sat still long enough for me to take some pics of him! He and Brayden are hit and miss and hard to photograph these days!
Everett...he is the sweetest baby! Those chubby cheeks get kissed often! :)
Lucy has never worn jeans until today. She was SOOOO proud of them because they were like sissy's! :) She looked so growny in them and because she has no booty, they kept falling down. She has the Lemonds' disease...no booty haha! Oh and she picked out the bow because it has "dots" on it.
Yesterday I made banana bread for small group and I had one good helper. :)
I made Jay's grandmother's recipe and she is a marvelous cook! The recipe for it is...
No-nut banana bread (we are allergic)
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3 bananas, chopped
1 tbsp. cinnamon
2 cups self-rising flour
3 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla
Nuts (optional)
Mix all ingredients with a mixer. Pour into greased bundt pan and cook at 325 for about 50 minutes or until the cake springs back on top. So easy and delicious! Best when warmed in microwave with a spread of butter on top (oh and coffee too)! Even Karis likes it and she doesn't even like bananas...go figure.
I also made some homemade spaghetti sauce for dinner for tomorrow night. It was a little involved but it made NINE Mason jars so it will be enough for several dinners. I got the recipe off of Pinterest here and it is DELICIOUS!
*I’ve never measured how many cups of spaghetti sauce this makes, but it easily feeds my family of two adults and three children with more than enough to freeze for another meal of spaghetti or lasagna*
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped and divided
1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
2 pounds hamburger (at least 90% lean)
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 12 oz. can tomato paste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 teaspoons dried oregano
3 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 14-oz. can Italian-style diced tomatoes
2 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 carton fresh mushrooms (optional)
1 1/2 cups beef stock or beef broth
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups onion, chopped and divided
1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
2 pounds hamburger (at least 90% lean)
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 12 oz. can tomato paste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 teaspoons dried oregano
3 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 14-oz. can Italian-style diced tomatoes
2 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 carton fresh mushrooms (optional)
1 1/2 cups beef stock or beef broth
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add 1/2 of the onions and saute until translucent and slightly browned. Add garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add beef and cook until no red is showing. Drain beef slightly. Blend up the remaining onions and red pepper in a blender or food processor until mostly smooth. Add mixture to the garlic, onions and beef and stir to combine, cooking for another minute. Add tomato paste and spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring until combined. Add tomatoes, beef broth and sugar (and mushrooms, if using). Stir until combined and add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Fifteen minutes before serving, stir in the balsamic vinegar.
NOTE: The sauce will seem watery at first but will reduce to perfection after simmering for an hour. I’ve let it simmer on the stove for up to three hours before with no problems.
*Freezable Meal: The finished spaghetti sauce freezes very well. I store mine in a freezer-safe container. To serve, I thaw in the refrigerator (usually about one day) and reheat over medium-low heat in a saucepan on the stove.
My kitchen was bad afterwards though!
I kept out 2 because I didn't know how much it would take to feed my family but froze the rest for another time. I love knowing I have ready made dinners in the freezer (except for the noodles but those are quick!).
Karis and her morning buddy Everett
This morning it was raining when Karis left for school so she decked out in all her rain gear. She looked so cute!
Oh just to throw this out there...I do still have a son. But my girls (they are girls enough said!) ask, and beg for me to take pictures of them sometimes...and I oblige of course (as I run to get my camera!). But my son RUNS from the camera any time he sees me with it. And he's FAST....faster than my shutter speed. So I ended up getting pics like these...
Until I beg and plead with him just to get ONE good one. Oh well.
Today has been a very productive day for me...I am a box checking machine I tell ya! And it feels SOOOO good! Hoping for a good run tonight...I need one!
No comments:
Post a Comment