Hike @ Hansville Greenway #6
1 week ago
Monday, July 13, 2009
Let Potty Training Begin
Our baby sitter decided to take the first step today...or should I say, plunge! She has five, two year old boys that she is attempting to potty train. Every ten minutes she has a different child on the toilet...she spends the whole day in the bathroom. I'm not sure I could do what she is trying to do. Anyhow, the kids get a sticker on an index card every time they go potty in the toilet...and then they bring the card home with them. Day 1: JMS got 1 sticker!!! We treated him to a milkshake tonight and made a big deal about it. One of the little boys got zero stickers today and another one got four. JMS told us all about it. Then, we took a trip to the store and bought Pull-Ups...I hope this works. :)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Recipe...Piggy Pies
I love this title...we are trying to get our son to eat. He likes to drink his milk, and he likes his fruit, and he really likes to snack...or should I say, eat sweets. He inherited all of his daddy's and grandparents sweet teeth(plural). So, I went digging into a cook book that is supposed to entice little ones to devour their meals. It is Just For Kids Collection by Publications International, Ltd.
And...I found a pot pie recipe which, of course, I tailored to our own tastes. Two days ago, while making a different dinner, I boiled the chicken tenders knowing that I'd need pre-cooked chicken for this recipe later in the week. (So smart!!!)
So, tonight, when I got home from work (yes a 9.5 hour day of retail) I only had to mix the following in a saucepan: 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 1 individual container of plain yogurt (not vanilla), 1/2 cup of water, 2 cups of frozen mixed veggies, chopped cooked chicken, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp ground sage, 1/4 tsp ground thyme. When it came to a boil, I put it in ramekins, and then topped with buttermilk pre-cut biscuits and shaped them to look like pigs. Then, I baked it at 400 until the biscuits were done...about 12 minutes.
These measurements will make 5 small ramekins or as I photographed...1 small and 2 adult portions. It filled us all up nicely. And, it really tasted great.
Unfortunately, it did not accomplish what we set out to do. My son...oh, my son, decided that he is a vegetarian at an early age and refused to eat his pig. Then, when we ate his pig, he got a very frightened look on his face and said, "my pig is in your belly?" Kids!?!
And...I found a pot pie recipe which, of course, I tailored to our own tastes. Two days ago, while making a different dinner, I boiled the chicken tenders knowing that I'd need pre-cooked chicken for this recipe later in the week. (So smart!!!)
So, tonight, when I got home from work (yes a 9.5 hour day of retail) I only had to mix the following in a saucepan: 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 1 individual container of plain yogurt (not vanilla), 1/2 cup of water, 2 cups of frozen mixed veggies, chopped cooked chicken, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp ground sage, 1/4 tsp ground thyme. When it came to a boil, I put it in ramekins, and then topped with buttermilk pre-cut biscuits and shaped them to look like pigs. Then, I baked it at 400 until the biscuits were done...about 12 minutes.
These measurements will make 5 small ramekins or as I photographed...1 small and 2 adult portions. It filled us all up nicely. And, it really tasted great.
Unfortunately, it did not accomplish what we set out to do. My son...oh, my son, decided that he is a vegetarian at an early age and refused to eat his pig. Then, when we ate his pig, he got a very frightened look on his face and said, "my pig is in your belly?" Kids!?!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Olive lovers???
Okay, so here's the recipe...
Start by getting your rice cooker going so you can serve the fish on top of some sticky rice...mm. Thank you Tanya and James for introducing us to this wonderful kitchen appliance.
Pan fry Tilapia (fish) for about 3 minutes on each side. I just used Pam cooking spray and salt and peppered the fillets.
Then, chop up some fresh oregano, parsley, and green olives with pimentos. Set aside.
Chop 1 cup of plum tomatoes and warm them for one minute in the pan that cooked your fish. Mix these warm tomatoes with the oregano, parsley olive mix and pour on top of the fish.
Done! The olives on the fish was almost heavenly.
Start by getting your rice cooker going so you can serve the fish on top of some sticky rice...mm. Thank you Tanya and James for introducing us to this wonderful kitchen appliance.
Pan fry Tilapia (fish) for about 3 minutes on each side. I just used Pam cooking spray and salt and peppered the fillets.
Then, chop up some fresh oregano, parsley, and green olives with pimentos. Set aside.
Chop 1 cup of plum tomatoes and warm them for one minute in the pan that cooked your fish. Mix these warm tomatoes with the oregano, parsley olive mix and pour on top of the fish.
Done! The olives on the fish was almost heavenly.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
MEME AWARD
What is this you ask? Well, it is some award...called the MEME BLOG 2009 AWARD and my friend and blog sista Shelly awarded it to me. :) I am responsible for passing it on to seven other lucky blog friends and then sharing 7 cosas (spanish for "things") about myself.
So...do I even have seven blog friends? Let me see:
1. Susan...you are awarded this award...and get the number 1 slot because you faithfully comment on my blogs.
2. Kim...you are awarded this award...because you haven't completely fallen off the blog train! You get an A+ for current activity. :)
3. Joanna...since Katie is probably in labor right about now. You get the #3 slot.
4. Pop Sutton...since its been pretty quite in the River Bend lately. Let's hear from you.
5. Laura ...I know you blog on MySpace...and read mine here in blogspot world.
6. Katie...sorry sister...if you can spare a minute between your controlled breathing we'd love to hear from you.
7. Man...Shelly, can I send it back to you to learn 7 more things about you??? You're the coolest.
Okay, so seven things about me:
1. I apparently don't have enough blog friends.
2. I do not use Facebook.
3. I love to do experimental cooking, and really wish I had Rachel Ray's never ending, someone else does the grocery shopping refrigerator/freezer.
4. I do not drive on the interstate...c/o claustrophobia and some residual side affects from OIF.
5. I have sweaty feet.
6. I am a Kid Rock fan.
7. I love my husband and son to no end.
So...not very exciting, but I just got off work, and I'm going to bed. Love ya'll.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Dinner on Monday Night
Last night I did Chicken Salad Panini's. Wow...again, another great recipe and very filling. I sliced italian bread thin, then layered with chicken salad (canned chicken, mayo, bacon bits, a squirt or two of ranch dressing, and a squirt of honey mustard), topped with thinly sliced tomato and cheddar cheese. Then, yippee, I got to use my grill pan to make those famous panini stripes on our sandwiches. I served with dill pickles and chips. No complaints.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Stuffed Pork Chops...
Okay, I know I've already blogged once today but I have to share this recipe...well, it's my recipe because I tweaked several others. So..I must thank Kraft Food and Family Spring '09 and Margaret Jefferies from the Rock Hill Treasures and Traditions Cookbook for their recipe's that inspired this creation...yes, creation, but it was successful. :)
3 pork chops (2 inches thick and butterflied)
1 box Chicken Stove Top Stuffing
1/2 cup white cooking wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground sage
1/8 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp. margarine
Make the Stove Top Stuffing according to the box and set aside to fluff.
Mix the salt, pepper, sage, and thyme.
Wash the pork chops and pat dry. Then rub the chops inside and out with the salt mix.
Stuff with the stuffing. Pin with toothpicks.
Preheat the oven at 350F.
Melt 3 Tbsp of margarine in a skillet over medium heat and brown the chops well on both sides.
Pour wine and chicken stock into a shallow baking dish. Add the chops. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.
Transfer the chops to dinner plates. Add sour cream to the pork juice/stock/wine mix and whisk. Pour this over the chops.
I served this with Bush's black eyed peas and the remaining stuffing. MMMM...the gravy mix alone was worth it! The gravy flavored the peas and stuffing wonderfully. Enjoy.
3 pork chops (2 inches thick and butterflied)
1 box Chicken Stove Top Stuffing
1/2 cup white cooking wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground sage
1/8 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp. margarine
Make the Stove Top Stuffing according to the box and set aside to fluff.
Mix the salt, pepper, sage, and thyme.
Wash the pork chops and pat dry. Then rub the chops inside and out with the salt mix.
Stuff with the stuffing. Pin with toothpicks.
Preheat the oven at 350F.
Melt 3 Tbsp of margarine in a skillet over medium heat and brown the chops well on both sides.
Pour wine and chicken stock into a shallow baking dish. Add the chops. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.
Transfer the chops to dinner plates. Add sour cream to the pork juice/stock/wine mix and whisk. Pour this over the chops.
I served this with Bush's black eyed peas and the remaining stuffing. MMMM...the gravy mix alone was worth it! The gravy flavored the peas and stuffing wonderfully. Enjoy.
Zoo Trip and Visit to Cincinnati
On our list of things to do while living in this part of the USA was to go to the Cincinnati Zoo with JMS. On Thursday we had a perfectly cool, overcast day with a slight chance of showers. We arrived around 12 noon and started our trip with a visit to the Lemur...reminds us of the guy in Madagascar...JMS called them raccoons.
Then we saw the gorillas. There was a momma gorilla and her baby in this space with about four others. This one was either posing or challenging my husband..."wanna piece of me?"
Then we have the story of the rhino. JMS wanted to see a Rhino today. I'm not sure why, but this along with the snakes and giraffes was an animal we had to see. Well this guy certainly gave us a show. JMS said, "jump in." And, the rhino walked casually towards his mud puddle, glided in, and proceeded to roll over on his back. He then gave us a look of total satisfaction.
When he climbed out he strutted our way, and I'm sure had thoughts of shaking off. (Hmm...if I shake off how many of these darn zoo visitors can I cover in mud?) It was time for us to go.
As a child...I never understood the red-butted monkey's, but they had a prominent sanctuary for everyone to see, and no matter which way you went you always saw these guys at the zoo. Their butts are still red. I offered Desitin, but they didn't quite understand.
We found the giraffes...there were four of them.
The elephants too...JMS didn't want his picture taken. Unusual.
This was the lady tiger. She had a couple cubs laying down near her, we saw them but couldn't get a good picture. They are behind the ivy.
Another rhino...JMS got to see several varieties. My husband wanted to see the hippo's, but we never found them. Does the Cincy Zoo have hippos?
The lions. The sign said that the females and males are displayed on alternating days. We got to see the males on our visit. They appeared very bored.
I've got to give my husband props...he had the camera all day and took some great shots. Check out the eagle.
The polar bears looked bored too...although it wasn't a hot day, it apparently wasn't cold enough for them still.
This orangutan was all buy himself. JMS said, "no friends." We ended up going on a hunt for his friends. This look reminds me of when I used to work in a cubicle...I don't miss it.
This tree trunk was real...and it was enormous. We found it on the walk through the jungle between monkey displays. Unfortunately, the top of the tree has been physically cut off...not just in the picture. (I didn't know I was in the photo.)
Another gorilla...with her baby. They were cute to watch.
We did several rides while at the zoo. We rode on the train that tours around the zoo. JMS enjoyed that. (Was there any doubt?) And, on our way to the parking lot, we stopped and let him ride the Merry Go Round. This too was a first for him. He picked the Rhino to ride on...first choice was the Shark, but another kid got to it first. All of the animals on the ride go up and down except for the giraffe and the camel. He waved at some stranger every time we went around, until he finally found his "dada" and then started waving at him. Fortunately, the random stranger played along and waved back every time.
We wrapped up with the zoo around 4pm when the chance of showers was growing more realistic. We then traveled across town to visit with my parents. We hadn't seen them in about a month. Mom had been cleaning out the attic and found a toy or two that I used to play with. JMS was fond of the chalk board.
Then, he and his grandpa got silly with the POP-ITS. He squealed and thought they were the funniest thing. He got the hang of it and then got into a "fight" with grandma.
See him taking them from grandpa...
And, then he's throwing them at grandma's feet. She was throwing them at his feet too. They were having a lot of fun!
Parting shot of JMS with his grandpa. I took one of him with grandma but his eyes were closed.
Then we saw the gorillas. There was a momma gorilla and her baby in this space with about four others. This one was either posing or challenging my husband..."wanna piece of me?"
Then we have the story of the rhino. JMS wanted to see a Rhino today. I'm not sure why, but this along with the snakes and giraffes was an animal we had to see. Well this guy certainly gave us a show. JMS said, "jump in." And, the rhino walked casually towards his mud puddle, glided in, and proceeded to roll over on his back. He then gave us a look of total satisfaction. 
When he climbed out he strutted our way, and I'm sure had thoughts of shaking off. (Hmm...if I shake off how many of these darn zoo visitors can I cover in mud?) It was time for us to go. 
As a child...I never understood the red-butted monkey's, but they had a prominent sanctuary for everyone to see, and no matter which way you went you always saw these guys at the zoo. Their butts are still red. I offered Desitin, but they didn't quite understand. 
We found the giraffes...there were four of them. 
The elephants too...JMS didn't want his picture taken. Unusual. 
This was the lady tiger. She had a couple cubs laying down near her, we saw them but couldn't get a good picture. They are behind the ivy.
Another rhino...JMS got to see several varieties. My husband wanted to see the hippo's, but we never found them. Does the Cincy Zoo have hippos?
The lions. The sign said that the females and males are displayed on alternating days. We got to see the males on our visit. They appeared very bored. 
I've got to give my husband props...he had the camera all day and took some great shots. Check out the eagle. 
The polar bears looked bored too...although it wasn't a hot day, it apparently wasn't cold enough for them still. 
This orangutan was all buy himself. JMS said, "no friends." We ended up going on a hunt for his friends. This look reminds me of when I used to work in a cubicle...I don't miss it. 
This tree trunk was real...and it was enormous. We found it on the walk through the jungle between monkey displays. Unfortunately, the top of the tree has been physically cut off...not just in the picture. (I didn't know I was in the photo.)
Another gorilla...with her baby. They were cute to watch. 
We did several rides while at the zoo. We rode on the train that tours around the zoo. JMS enjoyed that. (Was there any doubt?) And, on our way to the parking lot, we stopped and let him ride the Merry Go Round. This too was a first for him. He picked the Rhino to ride on...first choice was the Shark, but another kid got to it first. All of the animals on the ride go up and down except for the giraffe and the camel. He waved at some stranger every time we went around, until he finally found his "dada" and then started waving at him. Fortunately, the random stranger played along and waved back every time. 
We wrapped up with the zoo around 4pm when the chance of showers was growing more realistic. We then traveled across town to visit with my parents. We hadn't seen them in about a month. Mom had been cleaning out the attic and found a toy or two that I used to play with. JMS was fond of the chalk board. 
Then, he and his grandpa got silly with the POP-ITS. He squealed and thought they were the funniest thing. He got the hang of it and then got into a "fight" with grandma. 
See him taking them from grandpa...
And, then he's throwing them at grandma's feet. She was throwing them at his feet too. They were having a lot of fun!
Parting shot of JMS with his grandpa. I took one of him with grandma but his eyes were closed. 
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