What to make for dinner.

Kids are fickle. You can make a gourmet meal and all they really care about is if ketchup is available. So, I love recipes that are nutritional and kids love. Plus, recipes that are tasty and quick.

Head to Giada at Home on Food Network and sample her baked macaroni and cheese cupcakes. So good. We made them tonight sans bread crumbs and loved, loved them. I loved how the cheese got all brown and bubbly.

I just used broccoli and peas for the veggies--that's all we had.

P.S. My sister, Rachel, and I were discussing why we love Giada or Barefoot Contessa versus a cook like Rachel Ray. Rachel thinks it's because we love looking at their life and getting a glimpse of what it would be like to be glamorous and pampered.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite chef?

Fall cutout cookie party with mom and dad

Look dad!

We used maple flavoring instead of vanilla, which was a huge hit.

Ava is really enjoying this!

sprinkle, sprinkle.

More sprinkles, more sprinkles.

Where my girls at?

in my bedroom. too quick for a normal camera to capture.

sick and grumpy.

tired and ready for lunch.

happy to be with her buddy, ava.

C'mon mom, get your slr camera already! You can never keep up with us!

Are you ready for a sick household? 10 things you need right now.

As our family is somewhat on the mend, I kept on thinking how much stuff we did not have or we just used really quickly in our house. Making trips to the store when you are sick is not fun and is dangerous when you are contagious. I am no expert, but thought it might be helpful to post some pantry items you should have in your kitchen and house during flu season.

Take what you want from it!

I was just really suprised at the lack of information on the Web about what to do when your family has the flu.

• One or two cool mist humidifers- helps kiddos breath=more sleep time for mom and dad
• Medical style nose bulb (the safety first one i had was awful-children's hospital gave me a medical one)
• Ginger ale in cans, or my favorite, Orangina - lasts longer
• Temperal thermometer-it's worth the money. Have you ever tried to make a toddler hold still for one minute with a thermometer? Not fun. Kelly, my sister-in-law, recommended the Exergen brand.

http://www.walmart.com/Exergen-Temporal-Thermometer/ip/3936091

• Tissues-more than one box
• Cough drops-went through two big bags
• Vaseline - to put under nose of kiddos after multiple wipings. Poor Sophia was red.
• Jello-
• Ibuprofen
• Grace. Grace for your messy house. Grace for whiny kids. Grace for mountains of unwashed laundry. Grace for snotty noses. Grace when you are up all night with baby. Grace when you are short on sleep on long on kids who need you and your husband.

Psalm 23
A psalm of David. 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Fall applesauce in a crockpot

Applesauce: the finished product

Pulse apples and company in a food processor with cider or water to make a smooth applesauce.

Ava helping me wash and prep apples for our crockpot applesauce. The red pjs are her princess pjs.

Fall apples are usually friendly on your budget when in season. You can usually find on sale for under a dollar per pound.

Fall apples are fresh, delicious and taste oh, so sweet. I love to go and buy bags and bags and try to preserve some of the fresh taste for the winter months when apples that taste like plastic abound.

Canning is good, but I love the taste of frozen applesauce, which is still a little slushy. Maybe because my mom used to serve it to us this way. It's just so good.

Here's how to make a simple and fresh applesauce in your very own crockpot.



Fall applesauce in a crockpot

equipment

crockpot and apple corer

3 lbs of apples (any tart apple will work. I used gala and Mcintosh apples)

1/2 cup of apple cider

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 cup of brown sugar (may substitute white if you do not have brown)

1 to 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice depending on how tart your apples are

Making the applesauce.
1. Peel, core and cut apples into fours

2. Add to crockpot along with rest of ingredients

3. Cook for four to six hours, or until apples are broken down and yummy

4. Add more cider or water if apples are too thick.

5. Blend with more water in food processor or blender if you would like to have smooth, leave as is if you like it more chunky.

Freeze in Ball freezer jars. These plastic 16 oz jars are amazing because you can stack them on top of each other and they screw on. Love them. I got mine at Whole Foods, but Amazon has them cheaper.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001XVZW3K/ref=s9_simz_gw_s0_p79_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0BHY692TPJBXNCMQ31CD&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846