Introducing... Mattsicles!

My friend Matt shared this oober simple recipe for popsicles. We dubbed them MATTSICLES! They are SO good, and incredibly good for you too. These one have 7g of protein each, and only about 88 calories. Awesome!

Here's what you do...

1) Mix one big carton of Greek yogurt with one sligthly defrosted can of OJ.
2) Pour into 3 oz Dixie cups. Put in a stick of some sort (I may or may not have stolen some coffee stir sticks from Starbucks, and broken them in half).
3) Freeze and enjoy!

Now I...Write: Hike-U

I am participating in a writer's workshop at Peninsula College with writer-in-residence Nancy Rawles. Its pretty exciting to be thinking about writing again, after quite the hiatus, and to be starting to dust off my pen and paper.

Today in class I was reminded of a form of poetry I know as Hike-U. Nancy Rawles referred to it today as American Sentences, and stated it was something Allen Ginsberg (who, if you're not familiar with him, was an amazing Beat poet) started. I figured there was no better way to get back into the swing of things than with a short and sweet one-liner. So here for your reading pleasure, two new ones, and three from years back...

Crickets chirp in the velvet dark, inquiring to the others' nights.

Chaos ensues around me, children screaming and running wild.

Eyes nod shut as the students grow weary of her incessant droning.

The digital hollow zero holds no solace – "no new messages."

Musty pages lock away secrets uncovered only in reading.

Poem @ 5th Coffee

Thanks to Tom for posting one of my poems up over at his site, 5th Coffee! Go check it out, and look at some of his other stuff while you're there!

Resurrection Rolls

I had never heard of Ressurection Rolls, but when I read about them over at Feathers from my Nest, I knew I had to try them on Easter morning! Basically, the rolls, when you open them up, are hollow, representing the empty tomb.



They really are quite simple. I followed the recipe from the above blog almost exactally...

You need:
Frozen dinner rolls
Marshmallows
Melted Butter
Cinnamon Sugar

1) When your kids wake you up at the crack of dawn because the Easter Bunny came, stumble out of bed, and drop your desired number of frozen rolls on a cookie sheet. Make your tea, and wait an hour or so, or to around the time normal people (read: those without small children) are getting out of bed.

2) Squoosh (yes, that's the term) the rolls to be flatish circles. Pop on a marshmallow and bring up the sides, pressing them together at the seam to make a ball. Place the ball seam-side down on your sheet. Eat a few marshmallows. After all, if your kids are going to have a sugar-high, why shouldn't you?

3) Roll dough balls in butter, then in cinnamon sugar.

4) Let the balls rise for about 20-30 minutes, or as long as it takes your oven to pre-heat to 350 (because you forgot in your sleep-deprived state to preheat the oven). Pretend that is how you planned it.

5) Bake until golden brown, 15-20 minutes.

6) Enjoy!

Let's Do 52 - Weeks 12-16

Here are my pictures from weeks 12-16 for the Let's Do 52 project being hosted by Paint the Moon. I'm missing week 13...just haven't found anything good for the theme yet, but when I do I'll post it!

Week 12 - Handwritten
Tabby is learning to write at school this year, and I love her writing, her spelling, and the things she deems worthy of writing!


Week 14 - Softness
What is softer than cherry blossoms? They are so beautiful, and they just scream (or should it be whisper? I somehow don't think cherry blossoms scream...) that spring has arrived.


Week 15 - Unexpected
Somebody put eggs all over our lawn a few days before Easter, and when we came home there was an unexpected egg hunt. I love this picture, as it shows the total and complete JOY on Zeal's face.


Week 16 - Refreshing
Little is more refreshing than a spring rain. Well, unless you live in Washington, and then spring rain is nearly constant. But still...something about spring rains is still refreshing. I love the smell right before rain, and the earthy scent after the rain.

Here's Some Logic For You...

According to Monty Python...
"If she weighed the same as a duck, she's made of wood. And therefore...a witch!"

According to the very educated and scientific website, Peep Research...
"Of course, Peeps resemble birds, and ducks are birds, and ducks float (and don't usually dissolve), and therefore Peeps should float (and not dissolve)."

So...according the amazingly brilliant, educated, and wonderful (oh, and did I say sexy?) Angie...
"Peeps float, so they're made of wood. Therefore they are witches."

BURN THE PEEPS!

Grilled Chicken and Asparagus Pasta

Last night I grilled up a bunch of asparagus and chicken breasts. The kids turned up their noses. What?! So today I disguised the same food as this pasta dish, and what do you know...the kids ate it up! Since I was creating this as I went, I didn't get any exact measurements, but this is *about* what it was. :)

On a scale of 1 (uck) to 5 (awesome-ness!) I would rate this dish a 4! A bit bland, but that could easily be rectified!

Grilled Chicken and Asparagus Pasta
6 spears cooked asparagus, cut into bite-size peices
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 lb or so of pasta
1 c. chicken stock
sprinkle of garlic pepper
sprinkle of thyme
a few sprinkles of dried onions
1/3 c. sour cream
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1/4 c. pine nuts

1) Cook pasta according to directions.
2) In a pan, heat chicken stock and seasonings over medium high. When bubbling, add chicken and asparagus to heat through.
3) In a large bowl, dump chicken mixture. Add sour cream and mix.
4) Toss in pasta.
5) Add parm cheese and mix thoroughly.
6) Top with pine nuts.

April Foolsn!

My attempts at fooling the kids:

ME: When we get home we need to clean the toilets and mop the floors.
TABBY: Oooh! Can I help mom the floors?!
(April Fools fail #1)

ME: When we get home we're getting on pjs and going straight to bed! I'm tired!
ZEAL: (sounding a little bummed, but not too much) Oh. Okay.
(April Fools fail #2)

ME: You guys are growing too much. I'm not going to feed you any more!
TABBY: No! That's not nice.
ME: Yups. Only going to give you water.
TABBY: Oh, well if we get water...
(April Fools fail #3)




ME: We get cupcakes for dinner.
KIDS: Yum!
(bring them out and serve them...kids eyes light up)
ZEAL: (tasting 'cupcake') Mom, are you April Foolsn me?!
(April Fools success!)