We took the boys to the smokey mountains for spring break.  It’s only a few hours away and definitely worth seeing.  It snowed for most of our trip, but we still did most of the things we had planned on.  We took a few hikes through the woods, went fishing, played in the snow and visited a few touristy attractions.  The cabin was a bit more rustic than I had pictured, but I got used to it pretty quickly and had a great time with my boys.

Nashville allergies are doing a number on us!  We’ve never lived anywhere that has so much pollen I guess.  I’m recovering from a sinus infection and a busy weekend full of soccer games, Easter egg hunts, and birthday parties.

Luke didn’t really want to play anything other than basketball, but he is loving soccer.  He still plans on playing for The Heat, but is fine with playing a little soccer in the meantime.

Luke scored a goal in game #2.  His victory run was awesome.  Not the most humble I’d say.

Naturally the boys wanted light sabers from the balloon guy.  They posed with the Easter bunny despite their dad telling them he wasn’t real.  Brian is the most honest person I know.  I’m careful what I ask him!

The boys all came downstairs very early Sunday morning dressed in as much green as they could find.

They might be six, but they still love stuffed animals.

Samuel didn’t think it was fair he had to go to church and wear corduroys on his birthday.  He is one opinionated little six year old!

Always up for a silly picture.  Ian never knows quite what to do.

Could not have done this birthday without Brian.  He is dad of the year for sure.  Pretty lucky to live with these guys.

My party planning skills are something terrible.  Disappointed but not surprised that my cake was ugly as ever.  It was a little more involved, but mercy it was delicious, in my opinion.  Out of the 6 boys, none wanted a piece.  I made a green ice cream drink and none wanted that either.  I bought a few party favors, again no takers.  I am so meant to be a mom of boys.

We have a play room with nothing in it.  Not by my choice of course.  It was perfect for an hour of kick the ball as hard as you can at the wall, lights, each other, etc.

It was supposed to rain all afternoon, but PTL the rain held off and the boys were able to run like crazy and play tag for a few hours.  My upstairs literally was beginning to stink.

Beyblades games in the garage.  Running out of ideas.  Time for friends to go.

As crazy as it sounds, I’d go back six years ago in a heartbeat.  Maybe because I know that I can’t!  Can’t imagine these little guys being 12 and I’m so glad they aren’t.  Brian and I really cherished this simple and exhausting birthday party at home today.  Brian still remembers his sixth birthday and having friends over to jump on hay bails.

  So proud of my six year olds and how sweet they were to us today during their party.   They didn’t try and show off in front of friends and were as nice as can be to everyone, including their little brother.  Happy Birthday Luke and Sam.  So thankful for the both of you!

I cooked quite a bit this past weekend, but nothing was that great so I won’t bother posting the recipes.  Just not a fan of pork chops or cheese grits.  I’m ok with that, but people here in Tennessee are not.   I’m sure I’ll come around on cheese grits pretty soon.

The twins had their first soccer game on Saturday and the weather was absolutely beautiful.  Samuel scored a goal, Luke did not.  Samuel didn’t brag and Luke didn’t throw a fit.  It was a nice change.  Helped that their team won.  They ran hard and fast and both did really good.  I think they are ok with being the purple team now.  Ian decided he wanted to play a week after the sign-up deadline.  Not sure that he will run hard or fast, but he’ll get plenty of chances to play.  Soccer is a very popular sport here.  Brian and I both have a bad knee and already have a hard time beating the twins.  It was nice to sit on the sidelines and rest up my knee before cooking grits.

The boys are finally healthy and as rambunctious as ever.  Their dad is neither healthy nor rambunctious.  Strep has taken 4/5 of us so the odds are not in my favor.  At least it’s Friday and he can medicate himself.

I’ve eaten a lot of these brownies this week.  They just might be what is keeping the doctor away.   Brownies are not my dessert of choice, but oh baby these are good!  I’m so thankful we aren’t going to a beach for spring break.  I want cold and mountains so that I can continue to wear lots and lots of layers.  I really don’t want to give these up just yet and we’ve got a few more weeks until spring break anyway.  Even better than that, I’ve got at least 2 months until it’s time to put on my sexy one piece.

Chocolate Frosted Brownies

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Serves	16
Meal type	Dessert
Website	Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature (frosting)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (frosting)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (frosting)
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar (frosting)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (frosting)
• 5 tablespoons heavy cream (frosting)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with foil, letting excess hang over the edges. Lightly grease the foil and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the unsweetened chocolate and butter for brownies and microwave at 1 minute increments at 50% power. Stir in between, until chocolate and butter are melted. Whisk in the sugar and brown sugar. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Allow them to cool completely.

For the frosting, using a mixer, cream the butter, cocoa powder and salt on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Spread frosting on cooled brownies. Store in airtight container or in the refrigerator.

We eat waffles at least twice a week for breakfast.  I used to make brown butter waffles mostly, but we’ve been loving these light and crispy waffles from Our Best Bites.  They are definitely my favorite and the quickest recipe I’ve found.  Takes no more than 5 minutes to prepare.  Then simply let it sit for about 30 minutes.  I use this 30 minutes to my advantage and have the boys help me clean up if they want waffles to eat.  It takes them about 30 minutes to put away 1 toy, but that’s 3 less toys I have to pick up.

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  Add wet ingredients and whisk until combined.  Allow the batter to stand for 30 minutes or even refrigerate overnight.

Preheat your waffle iron and add about 1/3 cup of batter and cook until golden brown.  Serve with butter and real maple syrup.  I promise it’s the easiest and best recipe ever.

Light & Crispy Waffles

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Meal type	Breakfast
Website	Our Best Bites

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and whisk until combined. Allow to stand for 30 minutes. Heat waffle iron and ladle about 1/3 cup of batter into the waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

I’ve got 3 kids on 3 different antibiotics.   1 kid also on steroids and breathing treatments.  Good thing I went to nursing school or else I don’t think I could keep up with their different doses and schedules.  I want them well and back at school.  Hoping they don’t miss their first soccer game and school program this week.

This healthful and comforting dinner surely will help speed up their recoveries.   It was also hour 10 of crying and fighting and nothing I did seemed to help.  I gave up completely and got to cooking.  None really ate much, but Brian (he went a little overboard) and I stuffed ourselves so it was well worth the effort.  He stuffed himself so much that he had to take a power walk around the neighborhood.  He is also a little obsessed with reaching his Fuel points for the day.  Nice to have another OCD in the family.  Brings us to 3 out of 5.

Chicken casseroles really aren’t my favorite, but I have to say this one was really delicious.  Be careful not to overcook the chicken and noodles and I bet you really love this recipe.

Recipe: Chicken Noodle Casserole

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Serves	8
Meal type	Main Dish
From magazine	Cooks Country

Ingredients

• 12 ounces wide egg noodles
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped fine
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups half and half
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 pound chicken breast, halved lengthwise
• 4 ounces American cheese, chopped coarse
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
• 25 Ritz crackers, crushed coarse

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Melt 1 tablespoon butter over med-high heat in Dutch oven. Add bell pepper and onion and cook about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl and set aside. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in same Dutch oven. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in half and half and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. About 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn heat to low and transfer chicken to plate. Meanwhile bring water to boil in another large pot. Add noodles and 1 tablespoon of salt. Cook until al dente, about 3 minutes. Shred chicken with fork. Whisk cheeses into half and half/chicken broth sauce until smooth. Stir in shredded chicken, bell pepper mixture, peas, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/4 teaspoons pepper into cheese sauce. Transfer mixture to a 13 X 9 inch baking dish and top with crackers. Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Let casserole cool for 5 minutes. Serve.

Brian and I went out to our favorite spot for live music Saturday night.  We had such a great time celebrating his 35th birthday.  As soon as we got home, we went upstairs to check on the boys.  Luke’s breathing was not good.  Sunday morning he woke up and looked terrible.  He was so sick,  he watched an entire Meet The Press.  That’s when I knew he needed to go to Urgent Care.  His O2 sats were in the 80′s and the doctor talked about admitting him based on that.  He also had a double ear infection and strep.  After about 2 hours of breathing treatments and steroids, we went to the pharmacy and headed home.

Luke requested Star Wars so we had a full on Star Wars marathon.  Not at all what I had planned for the day, but better than being in a hospital bed.  I really hate asthma and Star Wars for that matter.

Luke also requested corn chowder and cookies for dinner.   I had already planned on making these chocolate sugar cookies for our company coming today. Clearly she hasn’t tasted them because she booked a hotel this morning.  How bad can strep be if you’ve got chocolate sugar cookies!

I am waiting around to take the 3 boys to the doctor later today.  Pretty sure Samuel has strep this morning.  I’m planning on checking into her hotel room once the boys get going on their last Star Wars today.  I’ll be sure and take plenty of cookies with me.

Recipe: Chocolate Sugar Cookies

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Serves	24
Meal type	Dessert
From magazine	Cooks Country

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 and adjust oven rack to middle position. Place sugar in shallow dish. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl. Microwave butter until melted. Allow butter to cool for about 5 minutes. Whisk brown sugar, vanilla and salt into butter until no lumps remain. Whisk in egg and yolk until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Working with 2 tablespoons dough at a time, roll into balls in sugar. Flatten with a glass and sprinkle each with sugar. Bake until cookies are slightly puffy, about 10 minutes. Let cookies cook on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.

Beef Tacos are a staple in our house.  The are delicious, super easy, and great for leftovers that even I will eat.  The only complaint I have is that they are messy for my kids.  They get frustrated, which means ugly comments towards me.  Forget that I just made them a yummy dinner and probably dessert, read to them for hours, played superheros, had arts and craft time, played soccer, had a picnic outside, and ended with a game of chase at the park.  Well most of those things definitely didn’t happen, but the dinner part for sure did.  And these little taco cups weren’t messy at all.  I think I may have even gotten a thank you or two.

Brown ground beef, salt and pepper over medium heat until cooked through.  Stir in the chili powder, cumin and tomato sauce.  Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Lightly grease two muffin tins and preheat oven to 375.  Cut circles, about 4-5 inches, using kitchen shears.  You’ll need about 16.  Microwave tortillas for about 10 seconds until pliable.  I forgot this part, but didn’t make too much of a difference.  Nestle one tortilla in each muffin tin, pressing the tortilla into the bottom and cornets of the tin.  Scoop spoonful of beef into each tortilla cup.  Top with a sprinkle of cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes until the tortillas are lightly golden brown and cheese is melted.  Remove cups from tin and serve with your favorite taco toppings.

Mini Taco Cups

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Serves	16
Meal type	Main Dish
Website	Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

• 10 inch tortillas
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablepsoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1-2 cups shredded cheese

Directions

Cook the ground beef with salt and pepper over medium heat until cooked through. Stir in the chili powder, cumin and tomato sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease two muffin tins. Cut a 4-5 inch circle in each tortilla with kitchen shears. You will need about 16. Microwave the cut tortillas for about 10 seconds until pliable. Nestle one tortilla in each muffin tin, pressing the tortilla into the bottom and corners of the tin. Scoop a spoonful of meat and sauce into each tortilla cup. Top with a sprinkle of cheese. Bake for 10 minutes until the tortillas are lightly golden around the edge and cheese is melted. Carefully remove the cups from the muffin tin and serve with taco toppings of your choice.

Brian has been without a grill for several months now.  He has perfected hamburgers in a cast iron skillet and I think we all prefer them that way now.  He has also improved how he cooks steaks by using a cast iron as well.  I say we buy a new ottoman instead of a grill, but that’s just my opinion.

He tried this new steam method over the weekend and we all thought they were really good.  All you need is a Dutch oven, a steamer basket and really good ground beef.  That’s probably the most important part! I’m sure you know where this delicious beef came from.  Burgers are such a simple meal and definitely still our family favorite.  We are spoiled by our ground beef for sure!

Combine beef, soy sauce, onion powder, tomato paste, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Divide beef into 4 balls and gently flatten into patties.  Bring 4 cups of water to boil in a covered Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  You don’t want water touching the bottom of steamer basket.  Arrange patties in steamer basket and set inside Dutch oven.  Cover and cook for 8 minutes.

Turn off heat and divide shredded cheese evenly among burgers.

Cover, and let sit until cheese melts, about 2 minutes

Place top buns on burgers and bottom buns, cut side up, on top of the top buns.  Cover and let sit until buns soften, about 30 seconds or so.

Transfer bottom buns to cutting board, add condiments, and top with burgers and top buns.  Serve with french fries.

Steamed Burgers

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Serves	4
Meal type	Main Dish
From magazine	Cooks Country

Ingredients

• 1 pound grass-fed beef
• 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
• sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
• 4 hamburger buns

Directions

Combine beef, soy sauce, onion powder, tomato paste, salt and pepper in a bowl. Divide beef into 4 balls and gently flatten into patties. Bring 4 cups of water to boil in a covered Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Water should not touch bottom of steamer basket. Arrange patties in steamer basket. Set basket inside Dutch oven, cover, and cook for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and divide cheese evenly among burgers. Cover and let sit until cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Place top buns on burgers and bottom buns, cut side up, on top of the top buns. Cover and let sit until buns soften, about 30 seconds. Transfer bottom buns to cutting board, add condiments, and top with burgers and top buns. Serve with french fries.

So sorry for the lack of posts lately!  We have been in our house for 2 weeks today.  I’ve been organizing and decorating and reorganizing and redecorating like a mad woman.  I’m also so thrilled to be cooking and baking again with my pots and pans.  I always plan out my menus on Saturday afternoons so I’m going to try and start posting that.  Always helps with my week if I’m not going to the store everyday and I know what we’ll be eating.  Most meals will involve ground beef.  Our family ate 40 lbs of ground beef in the 10 or so weeks we have been here.  Good thing it’s grass-fed!

 I ventured downtown to a hipster shopping/neighborhood today called 12 South.  I got asked to leave one of the stores because I wasn’t with the band.  I was very confused and felt like the biggest dork ever.  Wonder what gave it away that I wasn’t with the band anyway?  Could have been a number of things I’m sure.  I scanned through pictures on my phone just now and found this…

Like I said could have been a number of things.  I’m definitely staying home tomorrow to try and figure it out.  I’ll hopefully post something much more interesting as well!