What I'm reading.

 

 I just finished a few books (I like to keep a few going at the same time) and they've been hit or miss lately.

1. Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman.

 This is the story of how she met her husband and up to a couple months after she had her first child. She can tell a story really well.  At times you want to reach through and shake her but she always leaves you laughing.

2. Life of Pi by Yann Martel.  This story is about a boy and a tiger on a boat for over 200 days.  Yes, it is an amazing story.  It has a little bit hard to get into but I'm glad it stuck with it.

3. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender.  This book had a lot of promise and the concept (that the main character can feel the emotions of the people who make the food when she eats it) but it was just strange and fell flat.

4. A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle.  I'm about halfway through this book and I really like it so far.  It is about a British couple who move to Provence and the challenges of living there.  It has taken me a long time to read it because other books came my way that demanded immediate attention.

5. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  I'm having a hard time reading this and keep picking it up and then getting distracted by other books.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

6. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.  Halfway through this book already thanks to my listening to it at work in audio form.  It is a decent book, not one I would probably read again though.

Not pictured, because it is either on my Kindle or and Audio book:
7.&8. The Hunger Games and Catching Fire  by Suzanne Collins.  These are both re-reads and I'm enjoying them as much the second time as the first.  It is about the US in the future being ruled by a brutal government that oppresses and starves its people.  Each year two kids are chosen from each district to fight to the death in these hunger games.  It sounds pretty harsh but Collins she can write a gripping book.

9. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.  This is about a boy who signs up to fight for the north during the American civil war.  He runs away from battle and feels shame and ends up fighting again and returning to his original unit.  He then becomes a real fighter more so then before.

So there is the list as is stand for now.  I'm hoping to clean up those that I've started so I can move on to some more books on my to read list.

Homemade Pancake Mix

I discovered this probably 4 years ago and it is amazing in its simplicity.  I usually buy the boxed pancake mix but really I have the stuff for pancakes on hand, I just never knew how to make it.  Nigella to the rescue again!

Pancake Mix --Nigella Lawson
4 cups flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar

Mix together and store in an airtight container.

I have to keep them separate so that I can remember what I've already put in.  You can see I've added some cinnamon here.  We go through a lot of cinnamon in this house.

Sweet Pea always at the ready to help stir.  She loves to wear an apron.

All set for breakfast.

So to actually make the mix you'll need:

1 cup mix
1 egg
1 cup water
1 tablespoon melted butter

Mix it all together and cook the pancakes.

These pancakes are a little different than what we "Statesiders" think of.  They are bit runnier, thinner but still really lovely, Nigella is British after all, so it stands to reason it would be a bit different.

Pillow cases

Last month we decided to let Sweet Pea have a pillow in her bed when she moved into a toddler bed. I had the perfect pillow that my sister had made to match a quilt but since the main color was white I thought it needed a case.

What you'll need to do is measure your pillow and then add a 4 inches to the length and 2 to the width. After you've got it measured and cut; fold over and press the the top part about a 1/4 inch. Take the fabric for the cuff and fold it in half. Pin the raw edge of the cuff on the inside of the longer part and sew it around. Then pin the right sides and sew it together. Turn it right side out and your are done.

The second pillowcase I pinned the cuff to the longer part right sides together but the bottom of the cuff is at the longer side so that the cuff will flip over when it is sewn on. Then pin the sides (right sides together) and sew together. Turn right side out. Then fold and press the top part and do a top stitch.
Now that she has had a pillow there is no going back. She always asks for it now.

Easy kid lunch

I'm always looking for quick and easy lunches to make for Sweet Pea and me when we are home. Our largest meal of the day is dinner so I try to keep lunch light. I've made this before and it went over well with her so here it is again.

Pasta with Ham and Peas by Nigella Lawson
7 oz pasta
2/3 cup frozen peas
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cup diced ham
2 tablespoons crated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta and after 5 minutes put the peas in the water to boil. Drain and set aside. Put the cream, cheese and ham into the pan and warm through. Add the pasta and peas to the pan, stir together.

I love this lady, I want to be her when I grow up. Also this is a really lovely cookbook!

I made it a bit bigger so we could have lunch tomorrow too. Chopping up the ham, measuring the other stuff, looks good.
I used carrot and peas because I'm always trying to get more veggies in where I can! I love how it looks with the camera steamed up a bit.
I added some pepper and paprika when I was heating the cheese and cream, as I find it need a little bit more of a punch.

The finished product with a bit of cheese on top.
Sweet Pea at almost her whole dish, which is amazing in itself and was not taking small bites at all. In fact when I thought she was done and tried to take the bowl she freaked out on me a little.

Crockpot dinners

I really hate coming home from work and having to rush around to make dinner while the little one hangs off me legs asking for stuff, whining, and wanting my attention.  Not that I blame her, it just makes things a little crazy.  The crockpot comes to the rescue in these cases.  And of course in the winter it is like a bonus because usually they are comfort foods cooking away.

Today we had another snow day, I left and attempted to go to work, but the roads were not so very clear and the little one and I turned around and took the day off.  Since I had the roast ready I planned to make today I made it anyway.  I just chopped an onion, the beef was liberally seasoned with salt and pepper then some oregano.  Next came the carrots, potato and celery, a bit of garlic salt and a small can of beef broth. 





 
I think I'll maybe make some rolls or be lazy and give them bread to go with it.

Skirt!

I made what I intended to be a skirt for Valentine's day but it will fit Sweet Pea in about 3 years. Oops. Still, it was pretty easy and it turned out so cute. It only takes 2 fat quarters, 1in elastic and optional ric rac.

Here is the link for the tutorial. And here is the version I made. I also learned to how to make pleats on the fly and it was easier than I would have ever thought. I did make a few mistakes but I really feel like I'm learning a lot via trail and error.

The Confessional: Part One

I do not like sugar cookies, or at least I didn't until I found a great recipe.  I always thought they were bland, boring, dry and hard.  But Alton Brown changed my mind.  Here the the recipe I now use and I think the biggest difference lies in the fact that you roll it out on powdered sugar and cut it thick for soft, delicious cookies!

Here is is resembling pie crust, it is a bit crumbly.  When I is done cooling I like to warm it back up a smidge so it rolls out easier.

The icing is a whole 'nother story.  I like this recipe from Smashed Peas and Carrots (love that blog) because it is simple and the icing gets set up on the top but is still soft on the under part.

I'm still working on learning to decorate better but my daughter and I both love sprinkles so they cover any sins.

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