An Irish Meal

To go along with our St. Patrick's Day theme we added in a few Irish meals along with some fun shamrock food.

For lunch today Jake ate a sandwich shaped like a shamrock, with green ranch dressing, & cucumbers(he thought this was so gross even though he loves ranch dressing).

For dinner I made corned beef & cabbage with potatoes. I used this recipe I found online and it was very good. Better then when I made it last year...yum!

I didn't really think about dessert before hand. But I thought dessert would be fun for today so I made some quick brownies topped with whipped cream and green sprinkles. Fun & yummy too. Next year I will put more thought into dessert and might try something like this Irish Guinness Cake or Creamy Bailey's Mousse Pie, or Chocolate Potato Cake

Pie Crust

My new thing to learn for the month of November was pie crust. I have to congratulate myself and say this was a big success.  Even if I didn't try a completely traditional pie crust.

I made 2 different types both going with pumpkin pie. I thought it was only fair to taste them both against the same type of pie. I made a shortbread press in pie crust (martha stewart recipe). This is nothing like what you would expect a traditional pie crust to be. It was however good and like a shortbread cookie bottom.

The other crust I made was a cream cheese pie crust. This was much more like a traditional pie crust with a few change ups in the recipe.  But you still had to chill the crust and then roll it out before placing in your pie pan.

Makes one 9-inch crust

• 2 teaspoons cold water
• 1 teaspoon cold cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 4 ounces cold cream cheese, cut into small pieces 

Directions:

1. Combine water and vinegar in a small bowl. Combine flour and salt in another bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut butter and cream cheese into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining.
2. Add water mixture to dough in a slow, steady stream, stirring, until mixture just begins to hold together. (Alternatively, pulse ingredients in a food processor.) Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap, and wrap. Press dough into a disk using a rolling pin. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight. (Dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw before using.)
3. Roll dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Trim edge, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Turn overhang under so that edge is flush with rim. Flute edge. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Cream Cheese Pie Crust - Martha Stewart Recipes

This crust was so delicious and I am sure will go great with any type of pie. I am looking to try in on an apple pie at some point. My husband loved this and said my pie was exactly like you would imagine the best pumpkin pie should taste. His description was also that the crust wasn't as dry and flaky as a regular crust. He preferred this over the drier flakier crust. And so do I. I didn't take any pictures of the finished pie. But it was a yummy!

All in all my November new thing was a big success and I now have a great pie crust recipe to add to my recipe box to use for years to come!!

Week 5 Challenge

We are at week 5 of the Making your home a haven challenge, but first a recap of last weeks challenge. Which was spending tender moments with your family.

This week was a super busy week for us with Jake's birthday and Halloween, but we did find time to just spend together. A lot of our moments came early in the morning. Jake has been waking up almost every day between 3 & 4 in the morning. And even though my sister has to get up 4am to go to work to me this is still the middle of the night. Instead of taking Jake back to his bed I have just been letting him get into bed with us. We all fall back to sleep for a couple more hours of sleep. Then around 7 or so we lay in bed talking, playing, and some times watching tv together. I love these sweet moments together. It works great for us since Jason doesn't get home from work until after Jake is in bed. This way the 3 of us can have time together. Often when I am lying in bed awake and the 3 of us are in bed together I wish we had a photographer that followed us around. How I would love to get a picture of the all 3 of us snuggled in bed together.

One night this week I did let Jake stay up past his bed time and he and I snuggled on the couch to watch Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin. I have to say this was probably one of Jake's highlights for the week. I made popcorn and we got out pillows and blankets and we warm and cozy on the couch together. For several days after this he would tell everyone that his mommy made popcorn and we watched Charlie Brown. Of course this brought a smile to my heart to know that he really did cherish this time with me.


This brings us to week 5's challenge.

Focus on the kitchen, the heart of the home. Cook things with pleasant aromas. Pick a meal the family can cook together - include everyone in a task and take pictures so everyone can remember moments in the kitchen together - test tasting, being creative, laughing and loving. Remove discontentment with your home or family and give thanks to God for the home God has given you to in which to create a haven for your family.

I really enjoy cooking. However, I am super type A and have to follow a recipe to the T. No matter what it says I have to follow it exactly. I have to use measuring cups and spoons and follow every step. I can't eyeball it or add in something extra because I think it might be good in the recipe. Does this make me a good cook? I can follow a recipe and usually it turns out great, but I would never dream of making something up. I have a friend that can take 2 or 3 recipes and combine them to make something even better. Not sure that will ever be me. But I can still enjoy cooking & follow a recipe. 

I also really enjoy making most everything from scratch. One of my most favorite cook books is the Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book. I got this cook book in 2002 and never used it once. Then a friend was telling me several things she cooked from the book and I started flipping through. This cook book is all about cooking from scratch and has some wonderful recipes. After 8 years of never using the cook book I now use it for 2-3 meals a week. Love it. I also really love the blog Heavenly Homemaker. She is a big time from scratch cooker and also one of those make up your own recipe type people. Thankfully with her blog I can follow a recipe and not have to come up with something on my own. Not to mention she is super healthy and has great recipes for whole wheat flour and other stuff. 

For this weeks challenge I am going to have a yummy made from scratch dinner tonight with Jason & Jake. Sundays & Mondays are the only days Jason is home for dinner. The other nights it is just Jake & I and Jason gets a plate in the fridge for when he comes home at 9 or 10. Monday will be our big family meal. Usually we serve from the stove and then take our plates to the table. But tonight I am going to get out serving bowls and set the table. I am going to make sure we linger at the table a little longer enjoying the company of each other. Then the rest of the week I am going to make a few fun dinners for Jake & I. Probably letting Jake make his own pizza one night. And since Jason is home in the mornings I am planning a big family breakfast instead of fast and easy cereal. 

Take the challenge with me...get in the kitchen and cook some delicious meals for your family and make it fun.