The Breakfast Club

One of my favorite types of food other than dessert is breakfast. I could eat it over and over and never get tired of it. OK, well I could do that with a lot of foods, particularly swiss cake rolls this pregnancy, but breakfast is usually a bit higher on the list. So here's a little breakfast menu for any type of occasion - brunch, Saturday morning, special occasion, you name it - this quick menu will work. 


The first thing to decide is if you want stewed/baked apples or applesauce. Now for me, applesauce is so much easier because it's as simple as chill and serve and I have rarely met anyone who didn't like applesauce, including kids. 


The great thing about this menu is that everything can be made the day before. The casserole is best made the day before but baked the day you are going to serve it so it is fresh. 

Menu:

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Casserole

Applesauce or baked apples

Blueberry muffins

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Casserole

5 slices of white bread buttered and diced (crust and all)
3/4 lb sharp cheese, grated (best if you don't use pre-grated cheese but grate it yourself)
4 jumbo eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt 
red pepper to taste (approx 1/2 tsp or several heavy shakes)
1 lb ground sausage cooked and drained


Mix all together in large bowl and let sit overnight. Place in casserole dish and bake at 350 till done (or firm) approximately 30-45 minutes. This recipe can also be doubled or tripled easily. Single recipe serves 6-8.

Blueberry Muffins

1 3/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup milk
1 cup blueberries


Mix all together with whisk or spoon until smooth. Place in muffin pan (with or without cupcake/muffin liners). Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes or until tops are lightly brown. 


Add some fresh coffee, orange juice and summer flowers to the table and Viola! A great meal is served! 

Bon Appetit! 

Patience is a virtue...or so I've been told

I kid you not, this is us when we go on vacation or at least it looks like it when you pack up a baby, 2 adults and 2 dogs for a week away from home. It drives the Hubby crazy! He always says we're never going to fit everything in but we always do thanks to my dad teaching me how to pack years ago. Anywhoozle, over the Memorial Day holiday we packed everything up and headed to the parentals for a week at the beach (they live in Beaufort, NC now). The night before we leave, we had a big rain storm. It had thunder and lightening, typical summer thunderstorm so I thought nothing of it. Until I woke up and realized that our brand new, pretty red umbrella was no longer on the deck...nor was it on the ground...or in the yard. So a-hunting I went. Here's what I found when I looked up:

that's our roof and it's in the top of the trees

Apparently the wind literally picked it up out of the patio table and blew it in to the trees. Here's a few more angles so you can fully appreciate how buried it was in the tree tops...

So just before we are supposed to leave Friday night, we - and by "we" I mean the Hubby - had to climb on to the roof and fish out the umbrella. Just what we needed when we're trying to pack up everything and everyone, including the kitchen sink and couch if you ask the Hubby. If you've ever traveled with pets or children, you know it takes forever to pack up everything you'll need, especially for a full week.

can you tell he's thrilled I decided to document and blog about this?

he's using a giant yard rake to fish it out of the trees

almost have it!

 And did I mention that it's about to storm and we hear thunder and see lightening all around us? And of course I keep saying, "honey, pose for the camera" and he keeps yelling "no! I'm a virtual lightening rod up here, leave me alone!" Ahhh...such love in our house.

Yeah! He got it! My hero!



Sadly it was broken beyond repair. We didn't even get to sit under it yet! Boo Hiss. We were still pretty excited about going on vacation so this didn't really set us in a bad mood, just an hour in leaving.

After traveling 5.5 hours Friday night, totally not wanting to drive another minute, we got back in the car on Sunday to drive 2.5 hours to visit my brother and his family for our nephew's first birthday party. On the way there, we stop at McDonald's. I'll spare you the details but lets just say that the Hubby ended up with human exrement on his shoes (and not the liquid kind) from a disgusting bathroom and to top it off, a poor customer service response from the staff. Now there's not much that sets the Hubby off but poor customer service is one of them. Patience...it's what we've decided the Lord is teaching us this trip...but it's not fun.

The week goes by, our little peanut (Charlie), sleeps through half of it since he wants to take an insane amount of naps all of a sudden (maybe teething?). And before we know it Friday arrives. Boo Hiss. Big sad face. Since our other nephew, Brennan, couldn't come visit, we decided to drive home Friday night so we have all weekend to get back on schedule. We've learned the hard way that driving at night is much better for keeping Charlie on schedule than during the day since he sleeps through most of the car trip (and so do the dogs).

Driving down the road I hear a *pop* type noise. Nothing was in the road so we didn't hit anything but I instantly thought "we're going to get a flat tire soon". Not 1 minute later Daniel says "I think we have a flat tire". REALLY!? I have an exhausted 7.5 month old, 2 tired dogs and a 5 hour car drive left ahead of us! I just want to be HOME!

Here's what it looked like:

I mean it's not just a flat - it's dead as a doornail. But the Hubby was fabulous and patiently got out of the truck while I held the dogs and the baby and proceeded to start the changing process.

While the rest of us watched in the parking lot (I had both dogs on a leash and Charlie sitting with me in the carrier). Thankfully we had a nice breeze or else we would have roasted. Stella was with us for a while until she lost priveleges and was banned to the truck cab where she proceeded to hop back and forth and drink most of my ice cold lemonade.

She looks sweet and innocent but don't let the looks fool you. She's pure mischief. 





Jackson and Charlie, as always were happy-go-lucky.

my child loves to have his picture taken!

Jackson is always watching out for our little peanut

But it did take about an hour to fix the tire because our jack wouldn't work right and lets face it, it's just hard work changing out a full size truck tire with a full size spare by yourself. But my hero Hubby saved the day and got it fixed up...just when my parents arrived to rescue us in case the jack wouldn't work. So they saw us off again and off we went.

Way to go honey!

So as we now have spent the last hour and a half getting gas, getting take-out, and changing a flat tire...we're finally on the road home. It literally took us centuries 7 hours to get home. At one point as we were driving down the road, I looked at Daniel then up and said "OK Lord, can we stop with the patience lessons for a little while? I think we passed the tests this week and we're tired!" The 7 hour car ride was another test of patience for me being 5.5 months pregnant.

As my grandmother used to say "every bit of patience I have, I had to learn." Guess we just learned a little bit more! And before you think we handled all these situations with ease and grace...don't be fooled. Once we got back on the road, we were...lets just use the word grouchy...and rode in silence for several hours. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Patience is a virtue...or so I'm told.

Side note: If you're wondering where the saying "dead as a doornail" comes from, as I did when I was using it in this blog, click here.

Greek burgers: A perfect summer treat

One of the wonderful aspects of summer to me is the grill. I realize that in many relationships that the man is the king of the grill but in my house we have a queen of the grill. Mostly because the Hubby likes to be cooked FOR not because he can't. Anywhoozle, when I was on vacation last week and watching a cooking show while my little peanut napped, the chef was making a twist on the traditional burger. I tried it tonight and it's D-lish! Now true to form, the Hubby was skeptical but he took one bite and his eyes rolled back in his head as a long mmmmm! came through his lips. Now I made a few modifications (shocker) because she used a different sauce that used mint but I'm not a fan of mint in sauces so I used my dill sauce instead. Same concept.

Greek Burgers

Dill Sauce:

1 cucumber, peeled and grated (drain juice after grating)

8oz cream cheese, softened

juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tbs dill, chopped (or use kitchen scissors to snip)

Mix all ingredients together to make sauce. Do not chill before serving or it will harden and not be easy to spread.

*whatever is left over, chill in fridge and it is great as a spread on crackers!

Burgers:

1lb ground lamb (or turkey if you are opposed to lamb)

garlic powder

salt

pepper

dried rosemary

Make meat into patties then coat both sides with salt, pepper, garlic and a sprinkle of rosemary. If you are going to serve on pita bread, make burgers in to oblong patties to fit pita better. Cook on grill at 350 until pink is gone.

To serve, place burgers on bun or pita bread, top with sauce, red onions, lettuce and tomatoes.

I served this with homefries (well, not homemade...the all natural ones you can get in your grocer's freezer section). I think originally it was served with a greek salad or you could even serve it with the greek pasta salad I shared not long ago from this post.

Try it and let me know what you think!  They are very easy and very yummy! Bon Apetit!





Womp, womp...bad wreath purchase

In the spirit of giving you the good, bad and ugly, I figured I'd share my bad wreath purchase, which goes in the category of bad and ugly. It was a womp, womp, womp. You may recall from this post that I had purchased a new summer wreath for the front door. I was a littled annoyed to learn that it would take 3 or more weeks to get here but nevertheless, excited to get a summer wreath up on the front door.

Well ladies and gentlemen...it arrived and was a big thumbs down. It was desribed as being "colorful, texturally rich wreath makes a beautiful welcome! It's handmade on a twig base with lavender and white larkspur, sorghum, green caspia, bear grass, white and blue silk daisy, lavender sinuate. Handmade to last for years."

Here it is as advertised

My flowers in the front of the house are all purples and hot pinks this year so it should have matched nicely. Well first, 16" isn't actually all that big when it comes to a wreath. Or at least their version of 16" isn't that big. I don't count the straw outlyers that aren't really shown well in the picture. Those, in my humble opinion, are just supposed to be added texture, not part of the width of the wreath. Anyhoozle, when they say handmade...they meant it. I could actually see glue gun reminants on the FAKE flowers that were glued in. Need I remind you how I feel about fake flowers? And if I'm splurging $40 on a wreath to "last for years" should it look like I could have made it myself? I think not.

So it was a big flop. I may try this technique from my friend Melissa's blog next since I can't seem to find a wreath that I like. Will let you know how it turns out if/when I try it.

If you see a good classy summer wreath anywhere, let me know!

Heels, Stilettos or Flats?

If you know me, you know that I L-O-V-E shoes. Always have. I tend to think it's hereditary and I got it from my grandmother who also loved shoes. I also loved high heels right up until I had my little peanut. Yep, at nine months pregnant I was sporting high heels and for the most part was perfectly comfortable. But there was something about being at home for three months and not having to wear heels that has changed my entire perspective. My "comfy" heels now kill my feet...and I'm pretty sure that it's not because my shoes suddenly lost their cushion. So now I'm a flats girl. 

As I was sitting on the couch one evening with Nightline in the background they had a segment on high heels. Can you believe there is now a crunch class called Stiletto Strength? It's "BYOH - Bring Your Own Heels - and strut your stuff runway style in this calf-boosting, posture-building, cat-walking diva class." Now isn't that going a bit far? 

Apparently not because there are also high heeled races - literally you run the race in high heels. Really? The last person who ran one of these races was kicking it at a high pace and dove across the finish line to win the honor. Now ladies, that may be going a bit far.

Granted, flats have come a very long way but they still don't make you feel quite as cute as heels do. But neither does chasing after your toddler or running errands carrying a 90 lb 22 lb car carrier in heels either.

So alas, I'm now on the hunt for really cute flats that are stylish, cute and not too "mommy-ish". Afterall, just because we're moms doesn't mean we have to convert to "mom jeans" and cotton sweatshirts. A girl still has to be stylish!

So which are you - heels or flats? Any good spots to find cute shoes (preferably online because lets face it, with working full time, being a mommy and running a household, who really has alot of time to shop around?)

Ivy: A Love/Hate Relationship

Ivy is one of my favorite accent plants. If you can keep it alive, I think it's beautiful indoors. Outside I've always loved it as ground cover or in trees and especially in topiaries. However...I hate it along the walls of a house unless it is perfectly manicured and in good taste. The Hubby, who is in charge of trimming the shrubs, cutting grass and watering everything I plant (I love to plant everything but tend to get side-tracked when it comes to the watering part. Funny how that accidentally happens) Oh, as I was saying, he actually liked the ivy that decided to start growing up along our front door. Now there are not many things in the garden/landscape that he feels strongly about. I finally got him over the trauma of "yes you have to rip out the summer or fall flowers, even if they are somewhat still blooming, so we can plant new seasonal flowers" That was a very big deal for several years. So when he adamantely opposed me pulling it down, I knew it was one of those battles to "pick"...or not pick in this sitch.

But then there are all kinds of little blessings in life...like when the ivy starts to turn yellow and die all of a sudden. And no, I didn't put anything on it or kill it in any way. Although Hubby did ask me 3x and make me pinky swear.

So this weekend as I was repotting all our window boxes, I got the sudden urge joy of pulling it down. There's only one problem. It left ugly ivy poop behind, seen here:

You can see the trail it was taking, not pretty alive or dead really.

from afar so you get the big picture...and Jackson & Stella at their post

And a close-up of the ivy poop

So does ANYONE know how to get it off? It's on brick so it's in all the crevices. I thought about sanding it but then was concerned it would take off part of the paint. I don't have a sample of this ugly oh-so-lovely green color and I'd rather not spend the time or $$ repainting the entire house (or would I? it would give me an excuse and the Hubby couldn't complain argue too much). Call me crazy but painting my house 6 months pregnant in the dead of Columbia summer is not my idea of fun. And I'm too cheap to pay someone the $1,000's of greens it would cost.

HELP! I plan on scouring the stores and internet this week to figure it out but if you have a suggestion, please let me know!!! Proven solutions are always better than experimenting. I'll post the "how to" on ivy poop once I figure it out.

I will beat you ivy...you can't stick to my house forever.

Oh and for those wondering, yes it was a little upsetting to Hubby when he learned I had pulled it all down. Insert #4: "and you promise you didn't kill it on purpose?"

Fun summer salad - mediterranean style

Ok so since I've been pregnant for oh...14 months now I can't really say that I've been in to cooking so much, especially in the beginning trimesters. But, starting around the middle of the second trimester I start nesting which includes cooking and baking. Makes the Hubby so happy. Not long ago I made a Pea Pesto Pasta Salad (recipe to follow in another post) which he thought was delicious but he also requested a pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes. Off to the internet I went...here's what I made and what has now been deemed the Hubby's favorite (and he's not a fan of pasta salads so that's saying something). 


Mediterranean Pasta Salad
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil 
3/4 balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs drained capers
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1lb whole wheat pasta, cooked al dente
12 oz cherry tomatoes, quartered (I used grape tomatoes)
8 oz feta cheese, cubed
1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup minced pitted black olives (oil or water cured)
1 jar artichokes, drained


Blend first five ingredients in a blender or food processor briefly, just enough to chop everything together. Add this dressing to the drained HOT pasta in a large bowl. Toss to coat well then let cool, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients (and salt and pepper to taste if desired). Cover and chill. 


For more sustenance, add shrimp or chicken. I recommend greek chicken (coat chicken with olive oil then add greek seasoning and grill, cut in to bite size pieces. Also good on garden salads!). I think it might even be good with kielbasa in it. Make it whatever you want! 


This will definitely be a summer favorite in the Schrall House! Let me know if you try it and what you think.