Jasper Trip

We went to Jasper for the weekend with Russell, Andrea, Beck and Marlowe. Beck and Tyler had a great time together. The whole weekend was a lot of fun. It was very relaxing to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a few days. We stayed at the Tonquin Inn, which had a couple of outdoor hot tubs and a pretty big indoor pool. 

 We went on a little walk around Maligne Canyon. It was beautiful. There were some really nice waterfalls and awesome views from the bridges.

We also went to Athabasca Falls. Unfortunately, we didn't' get any good pictures of the falls, but this is a nice shot from the parking lot that Trevor got.

Make-It Monday

We are still cooking, don't worry! We just got back from a wonderful weekend in Jasper (pictures to come later). It was a lot of fun! Today's recipe came from the back of a pack of Kraft Shredded cheese, and I love it.

MACARONI & CHEESE

2 cups uncooked macaroni
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups milk
3 cups Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cook noodles as directed. Cook onions in butter on med heat 3 min or until tender (we prefer ours to be a little carmelized). Add flour, cook & stir 1 min. Add milk, cook 5 min, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, simmer 10 min. Stir in 2 cups cheese. Add macaroni. bake in greased casserole dish @ 350 F for 20 minutes.

**I don't always bake mine, and it is just as good, if not a little better?!

Picture Post

I haven't really posted much for a quite a while. Time just keeps getting away from me. This post is full of pictures of Tyler.

We went out to the Patrick's on Labour Day weekend and went out on the boat. The weather was beautiful.

Tyler rides his bike in this parking lot next to our complex all the time. There is no through traffic, which is unlike our complex, so all of the kids ride their bikes here. He met a lot of different friends here. He was very fast on his bike by the end of the season, and was lifting his feet and gliding everywhere.

This is Ella from Day Home. She left our Dayhome at the beginning of September. They moved to Hay Lakes, so she now goes to a Dayhome in Leduc, which is actually run by someone that we know. Crazy. Tyler was very sad when she left. He still asks everyday if Ella is going to be at Dayhome, and when I asked who he played with for the first couple of weeks after she left, he always said Ella.

This is our neighbour Miriam. She is really good at playing with Tyler. It is quite handy having her around because she will watch him outside while I cook dinner and what not. They dug out this hole and then filled it in one day, and had a great time doing it.

Tyler comes home from Dayhome in this outfit every once in a while. He loves it because he thinks that those used to be Ella's pants. This is a set of backup clothes that they have for when he has too many accidents in his own backup clothes.

Here is Tyler with Grandma and Grandpa Scott when we were down for Thanksgiving. He sure loves his Grandparents.

Tyler loved holding Tacie on the weekend. He was very good at it, and was so proud of himself whenever we let him do it.

Lightsaber Battles

Lately, we haven't been up to too much. Trevor has been fairly busy with school, and me with work. My boss was gone to Vietnam for 2 weeks, so I was working a lot of hours while he was away. Things are slowing down at work now, so that is nice. We are lucky and haven't had any snow yet, unlike those in Southern Alberta. The weather has actually been really nice this Fall.  Now that I've said that, we'll probably get hit, but whatever.

Happy Halloween

This is just a quick post so you can see pictures of our little Dragon. He loved being a dragon. They had dress-up day at Day Home and they said he had a blast. He was roaring at everyone. He was super happy all day.

We went trick or treating around our complex and filled this bucket almost 3 times. He said Trick or Treat at every door, as well as Happy Halloween. It was so cute.

Make-It Monday

I made this for dinner yesterday and we all really liked it. I paired it with some Betty Crocker scalloped potatoes. Tyler actually cleaned his plate. I was very impressed.

CHICKEN -IN-A-SKILLET
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3 large chicken breasts
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 1/2 Tbsp olive or veg oil
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 1/2 bag (1 lb) frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

Mix thyme, salt and pepper, sprinkle over chicken & set aside. Heat butter & oil over med heat.
Cook garlic in butter mix 1-2 min, stirring frequently. Add chicken. Cook uncovered 8-12 min, turn once, until golden. Stir in frozen veg. Cover & cook 6-8 min, until veg. & chicken done.

Make-It Monday

CREAMY CHICKEN & RICE BAKE

375 F
45 Min
Serves 4
420 Calories

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked rice
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups fresh or frozen veg. mix
4 chicken breasts
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix soup, water, rice, onion powder and pepper in 2 qt baking dish. Stir in veg. Top with chicken.
Sprinkle with additional pepper. Cover. Bake. Sprinkle cheese over chicken. Remove chicken and stir
rice before serving.

Make-It Monday

CROCKPOT CHICKEN FAJITAS
4 chicken breasts
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 8 oz jar salsa
1 medium onion, sliced
2 bell peppers, any colour, chunked up

Place chicken in single layer on bottom of crockpot. Sprinkle taco seasoning over, then pour in salsa.

On top of chicken, spread onion & peppers. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Shred chicken.

** I made this yesterday and it was so delicious!!

Make-It Monday

RASPBERRY SEMIFREDDO CAKE			SERVES	PREP	COOK	TEMP	SOURCE	CALORIES
					30 MIN
Cake:				Semifreddo:
5	eggs, separated			1 pkg (300g)	frozen raspberries
1 cup	sugar			3	eggs
1 tsp	vanilla			2/3 cup	sugar
1/4 tsp	salt			2 tsp	gelatine
pinch	tartar			2 Tbsp	water
1 cup	flour			1 3/4 cup	whipping cream
Cake: Beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla & salt 2 min. until fluffy. In new bowl, beat whites
with tartar until frothy. Beat in remaining sugar until hold peak. Gently fold in egg yolk mix & flour.
Bake in greased 9 x 13. 30 min @ 350
Semifreddo: Press raspberries through sieve for 3/4 cup puree. In heat proof bowl over boiling water,
whisk puree, eggs & sugar until no foam & thick. In new bowl, stir gelatine in water, over low heat until dissolved. Stir in raspberry mix. Whip cream & fold into mixture. Freeze 35-45 min, stir occasionally.
Spread over layers of cake. Freeze 6 hours.				

I made this cake once, years ago for a dinner at my Aunt Carolyn's house. I remember thinking it was really delicious at the time. It was pretty time consuming to make, but well worth it.

Make-It Monday

I realize that my recipe posts have been happening on Tuesday instead of Monday, but at least I'm getting it done. It seems that Mondays get away from me too quickly. Today's recipe may seem weird, but it is actually very delicious and very filling.

Vegan Apple Muffins 
350 F
18 - 25 minutes

Ingredients1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup raw suga
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
dash nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup diced apple
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Directions
Grease muffin tin or use liners. Whisk flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Add
applesauce, sugars and maple, stir until almost combined. Add apples, stirring until combined.
Fill cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle additional oats and brown sugar on top if desired. Bake.

End of Summer Fun

Tyler wearing Trevor's riding gear at the track.

Tyler learning how to shoot a gun.

Trevor and Tyler dressed matching for church today. It was awesome.

Our cool dude riding his bike around the neighbourhood.

The bite marks from Tyler's fight at Dayhome.

Make-It Monday

CHICKEN TATRAZZINI
1 box noodles
2 chicken breasts, cubed & cooked
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded onion
3 Tbsp grated parmesan
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream or milk
1/2 cup parmesan
to taste salt & pepper

While boiling noodles, melt butter. Add garlic, onion, zucchini & carrots. Sauté for 3 min. Add soup
sour cream, milk, cheese & chicken. Stir until noodles done. Drain noodles and add to mix. Toss well.

**I made this and we loved it. It made easily enough for 2 meals, with some leftover.

First Fights, School and Crashes

Tyler had his first fight today at Dayhome. He was playing with the toy vacuum and another boy wanted it and it net to fisticuffs. Tyler got bitten twice on his forearm (he has quite the teethmarks on his arm), and he decided to smack the other boy with the vacuum. They were both given a timeout. Apparently Tyler was so mad that he had to have a timeout that he peed his pants instead of using the toilet. Good times!

Trevor has started school. His first day of classes was Monday. He seems to be enjoying it so far. He said that it seems to be pretty easy so far. He has. Math course that is basically like Math 30, and another course that is like Physics. I think he will probably end up at the top of his class if he stays motivated. That would be nice, then we could get some scholarships!

On his second day of classes, someone backed into his Ducati. It was a hit and run. Luckily, there were some people around, and they got the guys license plate number and wrote it down with a description of the driver and the vehicle. Trevor reported it to the police, and then saw the guy at the school the next day as well. The guy went in and filled out his part, thank goodness. Now we can get ripped off by insurance and probably lose the bike. Hopefully they don't consider it a write-off.

Make-It Monday: Peach Pie

I decided to get back with the program. It's been a while, but we made this pie last week and it was absolutely delicious. I didn't refrigerate the crust at all, and it still worked perfectly. Enjoy!

Perfect Pie Crust

Added by callimakesdo on August 4, 2011 in Desserts, Pies

Prep Time 30 Minutes Cook Time 15 Minutes

Servings 16

Difficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

• ⅔ cups Cold Lard
• 2 cups Sifted All-Purpose Flour
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 4 Tablespoons Cold Milk

Preparation Instructions

Measure lard and place in the freezer. Sift flour onto a piece of parchment or wax paper. Re-measure flour and sift again with salt into a mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut cold lard into the flour mixture until the dough resembles small peas. Do not overwork. Add 2 tablespoons milk and work into the dough using a fork. Add one or two more tablespoons of milk, working with a fork until the dough pulls together into a nice ball. Divide into two equal pieces and lightly work into disks. Wrap disks individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hour or up to one day. On a floured work surface, roll out into a 12-inch disk about 1/8 inch thick and place into a pie plate.

Fill and bake according to your pie recipe. If a recipe calls for a pre-baked pie crust, pierce evenly around the crust with a fork and bake in a 400ºF oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes one double crust or 2 single crusts.

Mom’s Fresh Peach Pie

Added by callimakesdo on August 30, 2009 in Desserts, Pies

Prep Time 30 Minutes Cook Time 15 Minutes

Servings 8

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup Sugar
• 4 Tablespoons (Heaping) Corn Starch
• 3 drops Yellow Food Coloring
• ¼ cups Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 pinch Salt
• ¼ cups Butter (1/2 Stick)
• 6 whole Peaches, Peeled And Sliced
• 1 whole Precooked 9-inch Pie Shell

Preparation Instructions

Combine water, sugar, cornstarch, food coloring, lemon juice and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk until combined. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until thick and almost hard to stir. Remove from heat and add butter; stir until melted and combined. Add peaches and gently fold to coat. Pour into precooked pie shell. Refrigerate for 4 hours to set.

Top with whipped cream and serve.