Cooking with the Mouskins

A couple of days ago we continued our holiday preparations with the Mouskins. Remember them? The sweet mouse family in the book we got from the library, Christmas with the Mouskins, that has craft projects and recipes for getting ready for Christmas? It's super fun.  

We finally got around to trying out some of their recipes. 

The boys busted out their new personalized gingerbread man aprons (purchased at Joann's, embroidered by moi). 

Eli is quite the passionate baker and chef. Amos prefers other ventures. 

We whipped up some Cinnamon Snail Cookies and they were a tasty delight. What are you baking these days?

And...Just to Keep You Guessing...A Recipe

(source where I stole this photo and I don't vouch for the content of the site)

This morning I made delicious cranberry muffins for my brood + 2. We have our Thursday crew here today - two extra cuties hang out while their Mama, my friend, is at work. We have loads of fun.

Some of my fave blogs (one in particular that always makes me drool) post photos and recipes for the yummy goodies they cook.

So I thought I'd share mine from this morning with you:

Ingredients:

• muffin mix from box of muffins
• can of cranberries included in box
• 1 cup water

Mix and bake according to directions on box.

And man were they delicious! Don't be intimidated by the complexity of this recipe. If I can do it you can do it!


And, some more Thursday fun:


Embracing the camera.


That's sweet-E. She's part of the Thursday crew around here.


Have I mentioned that I love my new camera? I took these myself of myself. The first two I just held haphazardly and clicked. Then I realized I could swivel the lcd screen to see what I was shooting. Genius I say.

I put that last one on facebook and got all kinds of buzz about my "new" nose ring and that this shot inspired a few people to go out and get one. I say go for it! But I think what looks different about me is not the "new" nose ring I've had almost a year, but the absence of my glasses. I couldn't see a thing, but I think the shot was worth it.

Ah, vanity. Good stuff.

Mini Ho Hos Vol. 2

Yaya, the Jolly Christmas Elf, is helping Eli to fully embody his Santa persona. Yesterday morning she appeared with a homemade beard that she crafted in her workshop while we were sleeping, just like up there in the North Pole.

Ho Ho Ho-larious.


I did make him take the beard off to make Christmas Wreath-cakes.
Yum. Me.

5 Reasons I love...

...these banana oat bars we made on Thursday:
1)On Thursdays I watch two other kiddos - a brother sister duo about the same ages as my boys. One is Dizzy's BFF and the other is Boogie's lady. Dizzle and his pal were excellent baker's helpers and loved making these yummy bars.

2)Baking was the perfect activity for a snowy day.

3)Eli's 2nd homework assignment ever was due the following day and it was to choose a yellow fruit or vegetable and talk about it, eat it, and cook something with it. Check.

4)We were responsible for bringing snack to Eli's class the following day. Check.

5)They were yummy.

Try out the recipe!

Cooking - gah!

Chicken (or to-ficken) Tostada Upsidedown Bake from picky palate

Mmmm. Doesn't that look delicious? Well, I wouldn't know how it tastes, because cooking is stupid.

Inspired by the fabulous Mary Allison and the readers of her blog, The Make Shift Revolution, I decided to ramp it up a notch in the kitchen. My own green-eyed Mama Guilt Monster also played a role in this foolish undertaking. I know I rock this Mama thing. And I know I have other gifts too. But I still listen when my v.o.j. gives me a hard time about not feeding the boys homemade nutritious meals very much. They don't eat total junk (just partial), but we do a lot of repetition and a fair amount of convenience food. In short, they subsist on a steady diet of grapes, cheese, yogurt, and morning star to-ficken nuggets. So shoot me.

So this morning I attempted to force myself to want to and to be better at cooking. Here's how this endeavor consumed (I'm in no mood for puns) my entire day.

1)Woke up feeling guilty about not providing better nutrition for the boys.

2)Spent Boogie's first nap researching recipes and making lists (that's right - plural).

3)Spent an hour and a few limbs at the grocery buying ingredients. Who knew ingredients were so expensive? (although I will say that Mary Allison's grocery list organizational strategies did make the shopping part of this run smoothly, while also catering (again with the puns) to my obsessive compulsive tendencies).

4)Rushed through a sewing project (something I enjoy and am good at) to get dinner going. I Chopped, sauteed, stirred, preheated, greased, and whipped.

And here's where things started to break down (and always seem to). I'm feeling rushed. We're all already hungry. Boogie who's teething is fussing at my feet. Dizzle is dizzying me with questions and "help." We're all fried. I spent a good hour cleaning our teency apartment kitchen (that's a stretch - it should really be called "Wall with Stove") earlier today in preparation.

Then in walks the fella. I probably should have picked another day to do this because the fella left before we all got up and hiked a fourteener today. He got home at...yes...dinner time.

He whisks away the whineys and tidies up a bit (thank goodness), and looks over as I'm chopping away and asks, "What's all that parsley for?"

"Honey," smugly I reply, "That's cilantro."

"Um. No"

"*&#**ing cooking!" "Cooking is *#*(@*&$@! Why do people act like this is $*&*^^ fun? Cooking is **&$**$& stupid."

Toss pot to back burner. Tears. Cursing. Grapes, cheese, yogurt, and morning star to-ficken nuggets.

So shoot me.