Bruschetta 4 Ways

Do you get into the habit of making the same thing every week?  I do find myself making some of the same things every week and I am trying to be better about finding new good recipes.  Here's one of my favorite new quick dinner solution: Bruschetta 4 Ways!  It's as simple as making some traditional bruschetta and instead of just topping bread top grilled chicken, grilled portobello caps, and pasta!

1 can of Organic diced tomatoes

1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Mix together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

* For the chicken and portobello mushroom add the mixture at the end and top with fresh mozzarella cheese and close the grill lid till warm and the cheese is melted. 

* For the pasta it's best to add the olive oil (increase oil amount to about 3 to 4 tbsp) and garlic to a deep skillet and let the garlic cook for a minute but do not burn it. Add tomatoes with juice and let simmer for about 10 min. Remove from heat and add basil and pasta. Eat and enjoy. (If you want a whole lot of yummy flavor make the sauce the day before and let it mingle in the fridge. Then warm it up and add the pasta.)

I hope your family will enjoy these simple dishes and maybe they will even make your life a little easier!  

Update Your Cupcakes

Cupcakes are the dessert staple of childhood but that doesn't mean you can't gussy them up a little!  My 2 year old Liam has been begging me to let him "cooking" for two weeks and has had his eye on a chocolate cake mix in the pantry.  It truly makes me happy that he love to cook already but it is hard for the control freak in me to let go and have fun sometimes!  Liam is a great helper but insists on "me do that" and in my mind that equals a MESS!  But since my car is broken down and we had no place to go today I decided to make a mess!

Now I know that you have seen cupcakes made in ice cream cones before and this isn't an original idea in the least but it's always been my favorite!  The first time I made ice cream cone cupcakes was in third grade for my birthday class dessert.  If my memory serves me right there was a little cursing on my mother's part due to the falling cones in the oven!  Thankfully today I had better luck and they are in miniature!

To make these little beauties go to Walmart and pick up a box of Joy brand Kids Cones.  I picked them up one day thinking they were regular ice cream cones but they are tiny and adorable!  I used a flat bottom 9 x 9 pan and checked the bottom of all the cones to make sure they were clean and flat to ensure they would stay upright.  Fill with about 1 to 1.5 tsp. of cake batter and bake.  I would suggest using the time on the box but check them to make sure you do not burn them.  In my oven it took roughly 18 to 19 minutes.  Let them cool completely and frost.  The little runs down the cone make them look even more realistic.

I hope this idea will brighten your day and make your next party a little more special.  Everything in miniature is better!

What Luck!

Today has been one of those days when you wonder what you did for karma to kick you in the ass! My husband is out of town this week and I am trying to get ready for Liam's birthday and company that's coming into town for the weekend. So this evening, Liam and I went to dinner with our neighbors Wendy and Hannah. Wendy's boyfriend is out of town this week also and we like to hit the Mexican restaurant as often as possible! Everything was going great. Liam and I had a great day at our play date and a wonderful dinner with our friends. Well, that's all true till we went to leave. Everyone piled into the Buick and...nothing! OK, well at least it was trying to start but it wouldn't turn over!!!!! Now this wouldn't normally be a problem because I would call Mike, Wendy, Pete right? Well Wendy was with me and the guys are out of town! SHIT! We sat there for 10 min trying to get the car to start and thinking about who to call. Thankfully my girl Emilee and her husband were home and live only 5 minutes from where we were sitting. They came to our rescue and gave us a ride home and Wendy has an extra car I can use and I have AAA.
We all arrived home and I got the kids a mini ice cream cone (more about that another time) and I called AAA. Wendy's daughter was hanging out with us tonight since she has class so as soon as the tow truck called I had to rush both kids into the borrowed car and meet the guy. Thankfully he was a very nice guy and not a creepy horror movie tow truck driver! HA HA! You know the type I am talking about! HA HA! He asks me if I want him to try starting my car. I laugh of course because I KNOW it start since I spent 10 min trying to get the damn thing start. What happens when he gets in you ask? Of course it starts for a freaking man! Stupid damn car! Who has loved it and filled it with trash? Who has washed it once in a while and made sure the oil got changed every so often? Not a MAN!
So the car is sitting in the drive way thanks to the tow truck and the kids are in bed. But I still wonder if I should drive the car or wait till Mike gets home and we get it to the shop. Thankfully Wendy said I can use the car till Thursday and hopefully I will get everything for Liam's party done by Thursday. Wish me Luck!

Flaming Good Time!

Today started out like most days in our home; checking the playgroup calendar for our scheduled event of the day. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating today so the park was no go. Liam and I invited the group over to our home for some fun, but who knew it would be so eventful!

Eleven moms and kiddos came over and everything was great. Liam was being fairly nice and the there were not many fights or tears. Lunch time was getting close so I decided to bake up some chicken nuggets and tater tots in our newly fixed oven. (We have been without an oven since Easter weekend!) There was a little smoke coming from the oven but when I looked it was just some yuk on the bottom smoking. A few minutes later, one of the moms is yelling to me that there are flames in the oven! Thankfully we have a fire extinguisher by the stove but I have never had to use of those crazy things! Who knew the fine powder would cover everything in the kitchen and smell so horrible!

All the kids were ushered into the back yard and accounted for, and all the windows opened. Needless to say lunch was a bust!

Lesson of the Day: Clean the oven every now and then!