Weekly Menu 3/24-3/30

March 24, 2014 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

We had a beautiful weekend here in the Pacific NW. It was sunny, a little chilly due to a breeze, but it was nice to see the sun break through. Sadly, today is our last day of the beautiful weather. According to my weather channel app on my phone, it's supposed to rain for the next 10 days! Really?

We made a lot of progress with our front yard endeavors. We got all of the ugly plants and two dead trees dug up. That's huge progress for us! We've been talking about doing this for two years! We bought one of those whiskey barrels on clearance last year and we moved that to one of the spots where one of the plants was and we plan to plant flowers and rosemary there and then in the other spot...maybe a tree. I'm leaning toward another cherry blossom tree. And then we still need to weed out our vegetable garden and build another one. We decided last year we should have two plots instead of one. That way we will have one for herbs and one for veggies and fruits. Josh and I are both eager to get going on it, but due to the weather, it's all going to have to wait.

Monday

(Meatless)

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Baked Potatoes and some of kind Veggie

Tuesday

(Taco)

Taco Pasta and Salad

Wednesday

-We have the week off from Awana, so instead of using the crockpot, I'm going to experiment with a chicken dish

Thursday

Shepard's Pie, Veggies, and Biscuits

Friday

(Pizza)

Hawaiian Pizza and Salad

Saturday

Birthday Party Dinner

Sunday

Fried Egg Sandwiches and Smoothies

March's Cooking Class

March 20, 2014 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

I didn't get around to taking any pictures from this last class which I was actually pretty sad about. This month's class was FUN! We cooked Thai food!

I was telling Lisa (our wonderful host) and some of my other friends there that I feel like this group of woman, this class that Lisa teaches has evolved into a Titus 2 ministry!

"Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored." Titus 2:3-5

I've mentioned that I look forward to the class every month, it has become such a wonderful time of fellowship for me and I feel like with every class, I grow a little bit more in the spirit-which feels awesome!! I feel like Lisa has figured out what her spiritual gift is (1 Corinthian 4:12) which is hospitality and teaching it to other young women. Hospitality is such an overlooked gesture I think. In our culture, I think we categorize hospitality with showing off our home or ourselves or making it more about us than serving someone in our home, which can be a real encouragement to someone who needs it. Hospitality is something I've struggled with over the years and still struggle with because I'm a perfectionist and I like my home to be clean and sparkling and the food perfect and almost ready so that my guests don't have to do anything, and I've talked with my kids about best behaviors and such and for me, I know that when I get to that point, it becomes more of a show, than a time of laughter and fellowship with whomever I'm sharing my home with. I just recently spoke with a man from Africa who shared his testimony with us and I asked him what he missed most about his home (he hasn't been back to Africa since he was a child) and he said he missed being able to just walk into his neighbors home and being completely welcomed. That the community is very tight and close, they are each other's family. I thought that was so beautiful and so different from how we do things here in America.

I want to be the same person at home, that I am outside of the house and these classes, really help keep me grounded and focused on what it means to really have someone in your home. The Hospitality and Homemaking (the official name of the class) is really more guided to making your home a place of rest and encouragement with helpful tips on how to be prepared for when you have unexpected guests and to not stress about what you're going to serve them to eat. How to encourage someone who may be under the weather, how to make your gift of hospitality appear nice looking without spending a ton of money and making the best of what you already have-and of course, we're cooking new recipes. Many recipes which have become my family's favorites.

So this month-we focused on some Thai food. We made Thai Spring Rolls (wraps) and Key Lime Whippers and Thai Bowls. You would not believe the smells coming out of the kitchen that night. It was seriously a little to delicious!

Hopefully in the next few weeks I can add a couple of those items to my menu and share them with you. It is something you would definitely want to eat!!

Fudgy Cappuccino Crinkles

March 19, 2014 By Chelsia Rief 6 Comments

I'm not sure how WordPress works, but on Blogspot, you can add pictures as you write or add them at the end of the post. I really like adding the pictures as I go. I kind of feel like it fuels my writing and inspires me. So I was all ready to write this post this afternoon and then I couldn't find my pictures. And then I realized that Josh had mentioned he had moved them from the file where we usually keep them (the folder is still on my desktop) to our Dropbox account.

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Tuesday's Tidings for March 18, 2014

March 18, 2014 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

1. Sick kids were my life last week. Eden caught the cold that was floating around and Christian not only got the cold but also an ear infection. There were many times I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown, but we all made it through and Christian and Eden are much better.

2. These are the kind of tweets my husband sends to me. Sometimes, I laugh and other times...I just shake my head.

3. I'm so excited-Josh bought me my very first rose bush over the weekend. I've been wanting one for a few years now and we got one and planted it in one of our pots this weekend. We got some great tips from Josh's dad on Sunday, but I want to hear more. What's your favorite rose?

4. I worked out at home AND went to the gym yesterday-for the first time in over a month!! With everyone being sick I hadn't been able to work out and I was starting to feel it, even though I was doing yard work and cleaning. It's not enough ya know and it felt so good to be back in the swing of things. A bit sore this morning, but it's the best kind of sore.

5. I have a hair appointment at the end of the week and I'm seriously thinking about cutting some inches off my hair. I just think it would make it healthier, but I don't know if I really want to start snipping inches off my hair. What do you guys think? Should I cut my hair?

6. Primroses! When we were at Lowe's over the weekend we picked up a few goodies. Eden fell in love with a pair of gardening gloves and Grace went head over heels for this really adorable kids yellow rake so we grabbed those, but while we were looking at sheds for our backyard, we saw the marked down section in the garden department and they had Primroses for $1 and hanging baskets for like $8! So we grabbed some. We had worked in the yard over the weekend and I was just craving flowers and since everything was marked down-it's not a big deal if they don't survive. But the front of my house just kind of pops with color now.

7. Wednesday night is our Awana Grand Prix and the kids have been working hard over the last few days to finish their cars and they are so adorable! I'll post a picture next week.

8. This salad from Pinch of Yum-I literally can't wait for the weather to warm up a bit to make this!

9. I've been taking advantage of some of the free photo deals through Shutterfly and Walgreens and developing some pictures of flowers. Josh and I want to redo the girls room this summer (after we clean out the garage) and I thought having some pictures that we took together would be fun and personal in their room.

10. Walking into Joanne Fabrics makes me want to be crafty. I see all these things and my mind get jumbled with so many ideas and I just feel crafty! But on a side note-those who are looking into homeschooling, they have a great section of stuff you can buy to home educate and it's all really cheap. I wandered into that aisle the other day because I ran out of stickers for Eden's school work and I needed more.

Weekly Menu 3/17-3/23

March 17, 2014 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Did you forget to wear green? This past week was crraazzyyy! Eden and Christian both came down with this cold last Tuesday and it was really rough. I honestly thought someone was going to have to commit me to the looney bin because I was so tired and worn out and tired of having such a positive attitude (or trying to keep one) that I think I would of lost my mind if it wasn't for Josh and the weekend.

But now the weekend is over. :( We have a very busy week ahead of us with the kid's Awana Grand Prix night this Wednesday. Josh and the kids are leaving for the evening on Tuesday to prepare for the event and won't even be eating here at all. Well, I'll probably feed the kids a corn dog or chicken nuggets, but I have no idea what I'll eat. Oh well.

Monday

(Meatless)

Skinny Buttermilk Pancakes with Fresh Strawberries

Tuesday

We're fending for ourselves

Wednesday

(Crockpot)

Taco Soup with Quesadillas

Thursday

Walnut and Rosemary Oven Fried Chicken

with Peas and Sliced Bread

Friday

Hawaiian Pizza and a Salad

Saturday

Cream Cheese Burgers and Fries

Sunday

Fried Egg Sandwiches and Smoothies

Minty Espresso Brownie Cupcakes

March 14, 2014 By Chelsia Rief 4 Comments

It has been one crazy last week and a half, lemme tell you! Christian's been teething and then he decided to start taking a few steps (bout time), then Grace came down with this awfully ugly cough virus, then I got just the cough. We thought we were in the clear until Tuesday morning when Eden and Christian both came down with the ugly cough virus. Its been fun guys. Oh, I would be lying if I said some of it hasn't been fun. There are benefits to your older kids being sick. You get sick days which means no school, extra cuddles for mommy, and you get THESE!

For the record, let me just state that these were more for me and Josh than the kids. I mean, being woken up six times a night by a teething baby who's sick has got to have some kind of perk right? I figured the espresso was a good idea for us, maybe not so much with the kiddos. But oh well. Maybe Christian got us up like ten times the night before was because he inhaled one of these brownie cupcakes! Yeah, that'll do it!

Moms not to smart in her sleepy stupor. GIVE ALL THE KIDS THE SUGAR AND CAFFEINE! I actually made a similar variation to this brownie cupcake at the cooking class I attend every month. Well, actually it's a hospitality and homemaking class, but cooking class is just shorter. I fell in love with these when we made them in February, but right away, my mind was going places in how I could transform them to fit into a St. Patrick's Day dessert. Let me tell you, I'm a little stoked about how these turned out. I'm not sure if you are anything like me, but if you are, you only want the brownies from the middle of the pan. Am I right? None of that edge of the pan stuff. But, in a cupcake form, there aren't any dreadful edges. Just pure chocolatey brownie glory. But then you top it with a minty cream cheese frosting with a hint of espresso and BAM, KA-POW! It's like you've found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

I didn't want the mint to take away from the chocolate glory so I added it to the frosting which is where the espresso powder lies, and I was a little hesitant at first, because then I was all second guessing myself and thinking, "maybe I should of added the mint extract to the brownie batter and let the espresso flavor in the frosting really speak for itself." But I ended up dumping everything into the frosting and I really liked it that way and Grace and Josh even attested that they thought it was better the way I made it. So there you go. The espresso and mint has a really deep flavor that doesn't take away from each other at all. It's like the perfect Irish marriage. To much? Yeah, I thought so. I need some sleep people!

Minty Espresso Brownie Cupcakes

Name: Minty Espresso Brownie Cupcakes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 box brownie mix; 1 tub (16 oz) prepared cream cheese frosting; 1 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso granules; 1 teaspoon peppermint extract; 1 teaspoon warm water; few drops green food coloring; sprinkles for topping

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

The green frosting is for St. Patrick's Day. The brownies and espresso are for blowing your mind. This recipe for minty espresso brownie cupcakes might just be the best thing about March!

Ingredients

1 box brownie mix
1 tub (16 oz) prepared cream cheese frosting
1 ½ teaspoon instant espresso granules
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon warm water
few drops green food coloring
sprinkles for topping

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare brownies according to the package directions. Fill a 12 cup cupcake pan with liners and fill about ½ full.
Bake for 20-25 minutes and let cool.
In a small bowl, combine mint extract, espresso granules, and warm water. Stir until coffee is dissolved. Scoop out the cream cheese frosting into a medium sized bowl. Pour the espresso mixture into the bowl of frosting and stir until blended. Place a few drops of green food coloring into the frosting and stir until the color is incorporated. Adjust the color to your own liking adding as few or many drops of food coloring as you want.
Scoop frosting into a piping bag with a frosting tip and frost cupcakes. Top with sprinkles.

Notes

Slightly adapted from Lisa Pearson

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 18Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 9mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g

Nutrition information isn't always accurate.

Guinness Fondue with White Cheddar

March 13, 2014 By Joshua Rief 2 Comments

Yes, I realize that Guinness doesn't necessarily equal Irish (I mean, actually it kind of does, but, whatever), but it seems like all of the good "Irish-ish" recipes involve Guinness in one way or another. Frankly, it has a unique flavor that still comes through even after mixing it and cooking it and diluting it, and you've got to love that. Need some examples? Last year, we made Broiled Lamb Chops with Guinness Glaze and, one of our more popular posts from last spring, Guinness Chocolate Cake (which, if you haven't made it yet, stop reading this post and do so).

For this St Patrick's Day, we've got some unbelievable, mind-blowing, palette-melting, green-frosted treats coming your way tomorrow, but, until then...we have fondue. Is fondue Irish? I can't imagine. It's French, right? No, German. Whatever (apparently it's actually French, Swiss, and Italian - since when do they all agree on anything?). At any rate, this fondue is considerably more Irish than most. Dipping bread? Nope. Cauliflower (and brussels sprouts, but I'm blocking that out...), potatoes, and apples for dipping this time. Also, a very strong (bold?) cheese mixture of white and yellow cheddars, Guinness, apple juice, and Dijon mustard (you are aware of the magical properties of Dijon mustard, are you not?). I don't technically know for sure that any of those things (besides the Guinness) are technically Irish, but the combination certainly gives that impression. Regardless, it's delicious, and you should try it.

The recipe we worked from pushed this as an appetizer, but, for our little crowd, it was a very filling meal. In fact, we had a decent amount of leftover cauliflower! You could certainly serve it as an appetizer for a crowd, but I wouldn't make it as anything other than a main course for a group of four or fewer (strangely enough, we served it with Challah bread - there's a story there that has to do with day-old Challah on clearance and curiosity meeting fatefully one Sunday afternoon - and while it was quite tasty, that may be a bit too much ethnic food blending for some).

So, whether you get to it on St Patty's or not, try this hearty, tasty fondue recipe sooner rather than later. You'll love it - and you'll be full.

Guinness Fondue with White Cheddar

Slightly Adapted from Bon Appétit via Epicurious

This distinctly Irish take on fondue will delight your palette and fill your stomach, allowing you to get your daily recommended serving of vegetables while indulging in the flavors of cheese and beer!

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 20 min

Total time: 30 min

Yield: 4 main dish servings, 10-12 appetizer servings

Ingredients

6red potatoes, quartered
1small head of cauliflower, separated into florets
2 cupsbrussels sprouts
3apples, cored and sliced
2 cups (8-10 oz)sharp white cheddar, shredded
1 cup (4 oz)medium cheddar, shredded
2-3 tbspflour
¾ cup (6 oz), plus more for adjusting consistencyGuinness Extra Stout
6 tbspfrozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 tbspDijon mustard

Cooking Directions

Prepare vegetables by steaming them until fork tender.
Toss cheese with flour in large bowl.
Bring Guinness, apple juice, and Dijon mustard to a simmer in a large saucepan, and then slowly add the cheese mixture a handful at a time, stirring constantly and allowing to melt fully.
When all cheese has been added, use additional Guinness as required to achieve the consistency you prefer, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer fondue to bowl, pan, or fondue pot and serve immediately, accompanied by vegetables on a serving tray.

Slow-Cooker Irish Stew

March 12, 2014 By Chelsia Rief 28 Comments

This delicious and hearty stew slow cooker Irish stew recipe will (maybe?) have you imagining that you're sitting in an Irish Pub with the locals.

Slow Cooker Irish Stew | Catz in the Kitchen | catzinthekitchen.com #SlowCooker

I love holidays and since becoming a food blogger its only made me embrace holiday food more. I was telling Josh the other night, that if it weren't for blogging, I fear I would still be living a little shell and not get to experiment with foods from other cultures. Food tasting from other cultures is very important. I mean, you guys know that we take our Italian and Mexican/Latin cuisines very seriously, but we don't really venture out past that very often. We don't cook a lot of asian food (unless you count stir-fry) or thai food either and trust me, that is something we both want to rectify.

But holidays give Josh and I a chance to venture out a little bit and try a few new things. Irish food is something we both like. In our city, we have this very Irish little pub and the food is amazing! Their fish n chips are out of this world, their mac and cheese will have you swooning and their desserts are incredible. I've only been there once (back when I was pregnant with Christian) and I've been wanting to go back like crazy and try other entrees. I would say St. Patricks Day would be a great day to go, but the place is already crazy popular with the locals and on St. Patty's Day....I think we would never get a table.

Since that will likely be the case with most Irish-type establishments on the 17th, you can always have your Irish meal at home and with the help of the slow-cooker! The original recipe called for boneless lamb which is a traditional choice of meat, but I ended up going with stewing beef for mainly one reason. Little did I know that boneless lamb is so expensive. I know it's a great cut of meat, but I was not about to spend $25 on it. I'm sure it would of made the flavor of the stew even more exceptional, but hey, I'm a mom on a budget and that $25 cut of meat did not fit into it. But regular stewing beef works very well and it this is one Irish meal I will be cooking again in the future, whether its for a holiday or not.

Slow-Cooker Irish Stew

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 hours

Total Time: 10 hours 15 minutes

This delicious and hearty stew slow cooker Irish stew recipe will (maybe?) have you imagining that you're sitting in an Irish Pub with the locals.

Ingredients

1 lb stewing beef
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 ½ cups peeled turnips, diced into ½ inch pieces (about 2 medium)
1 ½ cups carrots, cut into ½ inch pieces (about 3 medium carrots)
1 ½ cups peeled potatoes, cut into ½ inch pieces (about 2 medium)
1 whole onion, cut into wedges
¼ cup quick-cooking tapioca
3 cups beef broth
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

Instructions

In a large skillet of hot oil, brown stewing beef in half batches. Drain off the fat. Set aside.
In the bottom of your slow cooker, place cut turnips, carrots, potatoes, onion, tapioca and seasonings and stir together. Add in the browned beef and broth, stirring to combine.
Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or on high for 5-6 hours. Serve with drop biscuits or Irish soda bread.

Notes

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 170Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 689mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 7g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Tuesday's Tidings for March 11, 2014

March 11, 2014 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

1. It was around 60 degrees on Friday. So I busted the kids out of the house and we took a walk around our neighborhood and played at the park until Christian got bored. I can't wait for more days like this.

2. Have you guys seen this awesome video of those Hemsworth brothers reenacting "Charlie Bit My Finger" It's my favorite thing right now. Just brilliant!

3. We like to watch documentary movies with the kids. We're all real fond of all the Disney Nature ones. We watched "Chimpanzee" Saturday night and it was so good. Eden is obsessed with any kind of monkey and she has been begging to watch it. So glad we did. I would own it!

4. Have you guys ever heard of Graze snacks? Josh signed us up a month or two ago and we're loving it! Basically, it's this awesome site that delivers a 4 pack box of snacks to your door every two weeks for $6.00 and that includes shipping. They have all sorts of different varieties of snacks and flavors and you can customize it to your liking. If you would like to try your own box for free, just click this link. Graze snacks is not paying me for this, these are just my thoughts and opinions. I do however, get a $1 off credit for each person who signs up for a sample box.

5. I've been reading Women Living Well and the Ministry of Motherhood when I've got a few free minutes throughout the days and they are such well-written books. Very encouraging, uplifting, and convicting about the areas of a wife and mother's role in the home.

6. Little Christian decided last Thursday to take his first steps. And he's been selfish with them ever since. Only walking when he knows no one is watching and then immediately lowering himself down. It's very annoying. He can do it, but he knows he can crawl faster. Oy!

7. Wednesday...that's tomorrow kids, I finally get to go see an oral surgeon about my wisdom teeth. Wish me luck, because I want those suckers OUT!

8. Did I tell you all that my husband started school last week? Yup, my husband has enrolled back in college to finish his bachelors degree. This was not a decision I agreed to lightly, but I realize how important it is for my husband to set himself apart from other future candidates and if this will help my husband, then I'm for it.

9. Does this Irish Potato Pie look delish or what? I'm totally drooling.

10. Here's a tid bit of information that made me feel old real fast- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (otherwise known as the best tv show ever) made its tv debut 17 years ago.

Weekly Menu 3/10-3/16

March 10, 2014 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Last week I unplugged. I had recipes to share, but on Wednesday, when I would normally share a recipe, Grace came down with a cold and I just decided to take the rest of the week off to take care of her and stay off the computer a bit ( I was on here and there) and spend time with the kids. You know, it felt great! It's hard for me to take time off the blog because my site isn't where I want it to be yet and I want it to grow and flourish, but ultimately, this site is a hobby and not so much as a "Job" yet. I hope it evolves into that, but my main job is my family and it's a job I love doing and I like being able to give all of myself to it. And so this week, I put everything else aside and focused on them. But now, I'm back and I'm ready to dive back in and I've got some St. Patrick's Day recipes for ya too!
This week off was great. I got some yard work done on one of our dry days and on the other dry weekday we had, we took a walk around the neighborhood, played at the park and hung out in the backyard. I didn't realize how much I missed the sunshine until it came out to play.

Monday

(Meatless)

Pasta e Fagioli with Sliced Italian Bread

Tuesday

(Taco)

Grilled Quesadillas

Wednesday

(Crockpot)

Slow-Cooker Corn and Potato Chowder with Ham and Rolls

Thursday

BBQ Chicken Wraps with Fries

Friday

Roasted Garlic Chicken Pesto Pizza with a Salad

Saturday

Italian Chicken with Pasta and Caesar Salad

Sunday

Fried Egg Sandwiches and Smoothies