Catz in the Kitchen

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Roasted Broccoli Florets

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I love broccoli! Like, I L.O.V.E. it...A LOT! It was always my favorite vegetable as a kid. I would always take seconds if they were available and I'd steal the little trees off of my dad's plate when it was stir-fry night. I just love it!
I'm not sure how you all grew up eating broccoli, but I grew up with my mom steaming it with salt and pepper and topping with some cheddar cheese, which is how I always used to make it. I say used to, because when I roasted broccoli for the first time, I got weak in the knees. The vegetable I was already head over heels in love with just got better being roasted in the oven. I should have known better. I haven't met a vegetable that doesn't like being roasted in the oven.

It's super easy too! Here, let me show you with these nifty pics I took!

Wash your broccoli and chop it up into florets and throw them on a baking sheet that's covered in aluminum foil. (I heart aluminum foil because it makes clean-up is a cinch!)

*Sorry bout the wacky lighting- Oregon can't make up its mind if it wants to be sunny or cloudy!*
Drizzle the florets with extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. 
We keep it pretty simple 'round here, folks!
Then roast it in your pre-heated oven at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes. You'll know it's done because it will smell fabulous and the little sprigs on the the florets will have turned a little dark because it got toasted it up in all that evoo, salt-n-peppa goodness!
Speaking of Salt-n-Peppa-who remembers them from the 90's?  "What a man, what a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man!" Sorry, I can't help myself! I have issues. Clearly! You can thank me later when you find yourself humming to the tune of this while surfing your phone later!
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and you've got one tasty side dish that was super easy. Good luck keeping all your family members' hands out of it. One bite and you'll be beating them off with your wooden spoon!
Like I said, this is my new favorite way to cook broccoli and probably the only time I'll steam my broccoli again is if my oven is already in use...because I haven't got me a double oven yet. Someday, people. Someday!
Roasted Broccoli Florets
These little green trees are roasted to perfection with just a little bit of seasoning allowing these bite size beauties to let their natural flavors tease your tastebuds!
Serves: 4
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
2-3 cups fresh broccoli, chopped into florets
3 TB ( a nice drizzle) extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Scatter chopped florets on baking sheet.
  2. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss together with your hands to ensure even coating. 
  3. Place baking sheet in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes or until broccoli is tender and the bristles have started to turn a nice toasty brown. 
  4. Remove from oven and gently toss with a spatula and serve immediately.

Foldit Breakfast Panini

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Last week while I was off work on something of an event-filled "staycation" (we celebrated our daughter Eden's and my mom's birthdays, as well as our 10-year anniversary), I woke up one morning wanting to make something tasty and different, but not really having a whole lot of ingredients to work with. Due to company coming and going and plans changing and changing again, we hadn't done a "normal" grocery shopping trip in a few weeks. As I rummaged through the cupboards and the fridge, I found a random package of six Foldit Artisan Flatbreads (no endorsement here - it's just what I found!), eggs, a few tomatoes, and an admittedly old box of rather unappetizing frozen turkey sausage patties. I stole some spinach lettuce from Grace's pet rabbit's supply, and I had a meal.

I worked some life back into the turkey sausage by frying it in the melting water from its own "deep freeze," and then breaking it up into crumbles. I sliced up the tomatoes, fried up the eggs, leaving just a bit of runniness to add moisture, and heated up the panini grill. The flatbreads grill up beautifully, with wonderful grill marks and just the right balance of textures. I was pleasantly surprised by how well these little panini (remember, "panini" is the plural - "panino" is the singular) turned out! Chels and the girls loved them! Next time I make them, it won't just be because they were the only ingredients I had on hand!

Foldit Breakfast Panini
Don't have Foldit Flatbreads available in your supermarket? Any whole grain flatbread should work!

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min

Ingredients
1 package (6) Flatout Foldit Artisan 5 Grain Flax Flatbread
6 eggs
approx 1 cup spinach lettuce
1-2 medium size tomatoes, sliced
2-3 patties or links frozen breakfast turkey sausage
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions

  1. Heat a small pan to medium heat for the sausage, a large pan to medium heat for the eggs, and a panini grill to high heat (you could also use a grill pan set to medium heat). 
  2. Add frozen sausage to pan, breaking up into crumbles as it thaws and heats. 
  3. Fry eggs in pan, preferably leaving the yolks "unpopped," sprinkling with salt pepper to taste. 
  4. Brush heated panini grill with olive oil. 
  5. Lay Foldit Flatbreads out on preparation surface. On one side, add fried egg, and top with sausage, tomato, and lettuce. Fold other side over, and place on panini grill (you may be able to grill as many as four at a time, depending on the size of your panini grill).
  6. After a minute or two in the grill (once prominent grill marks have become visible), remove from grill and serve immediately. 

Sautéed Mushrooms and Spinach Over Angel Hair Pasta

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I have my mom to thank for this recipe! At our grocery store in the health food section, she always grabs the free nutrition magazines and tries out a bunch of their recipes. While she is always telling me to grab one of the magazines for myself, I don't. I think we can all imagine how easy it is to become slightly scatterbrained when grocery shopping with three kids and a husband, while trying to follow your grocery list, check items off, and price check. It's intense and while I love (really, I do love it) shopping with my family, I'm occasionally going to forget something. Thank goodness my mom passes on the recipes to me to try out.

She initially told me about this recipe because of the mushrooms in it. Eden became obsessed with mushrooms a little over a year ago and she thought Edie would really enjoy the mushrooms and that Josh and I would like how quick and easy it is.

When I say easy and fast, I'm not exaggerating. This dinner comes together in under 30 minutes and rides on the 20 minute mark. Josh was telling me while we, he was doing the dishes that now that he knows how the recipe goes, he could probably have it made in 15 minutes. How about them apples!?
Since fall back-to-school schedules and hecticness are going to be starting back up again and I think having a recipe like this in your arsenal is going to be a LIFE SAVER! You can thank me later! :)
Did I mention that this pasta dish contains zero meat? Yup, so you've got a meatless dinner that is also uber cheap, will fill you up, and that is quick and easy! What more could you ask for?
Sauteed Mushrooms and Spinach over Angel Hair Pasta
A vegetarian dinner full of fresh spinach and mushrooms that goes from stovetop to table in under 30 minutes!
Serves: 8
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
8 cups fresh spinach
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 lb cooked angel hair pasta (We used whole grain)
3 TB extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
Directions
  1. Boil water in a large pot and prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, pre-heat sauté pan over medium heat. Add butter and garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add spinach, salt, and pepper to taste. Cover and cook for one minute, or until greens are wilted.
  3. Add the mushroom and spinach mixture to the pasta in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and top with shredded parmesan cheese.

Tuesday's Tidings for August 20, 2013

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1. Last week we were on vacation. We took the kids for a hike to Multnomah Falls, went to our county fair, visited Enchanted Forest for Eden's 5th birthday, threw a b-day party complete with a sleepover, and completed the girls My Little Pony collection from Build-a-Bear. It was a busy week filled with late nights, laughter, and new experiences. It was the best!

2. I don't know about you ladies, but I have extremely sensitive skin. It dries out easily and I have to be very choosy with my razors when shaving. For the past few months I've been switching out different razors trying to find one I like. I was using a Schick razor that is blue ( I can't remember the name) but it was driving my under arm skin crazy and I would just constantly itch the skin because I don't think it was moisterized enough. I just bought the Venus Olay razor. Anybody use that and like it? I had a $4.00 off coupon, so I thought I would give it a whirl. What razors work for you ladies?

3. Christian turned 8 months old on Saturday and he is so so close to crawling! He gets his butt up, his feet are propped, but then he forgets to lift himself up on his arms! It's pretty dang hilarious to watch!

4. I saw these cute little Ham and Cheese Pinwheels yesterday and I'm totally digging how awesome they are. I think these will make such an adorable and fun lunch one day for the girls!

5. Eden requested a S'more cake for her birthday. I ended up going with this Smore Poke Cake and it was beyond delicious! Of course, Eden ate like 4 bites, but oh well. It was super easy and such a fun cake! The only suggestion I have would be to not serve it outside in the summer. It likes to melt, lol!

6. Speaking of the birthday girl, I cannot believe she is FIVE years old!? When did that happen?????????

7. Not sure how many of you guys are doing back to school shopping, but I am completely envious of the kids clothes at Old Navy right now. The clothes I'm seeing for Grace are totally things I would buy for myself. I ended up buying Grace this dress and I'm kicking myself for not buying this cute coral cardi to go with it and I also want this cute jacket for her. Seriously, I need to remind myself that these clothes won't fit me, but can I live vicariously through her?

8. Is it just me or is it getting cold at night? Brrr!

9. I promised myself that this summer I would clean out the garage. Summer is almost over and there sits my garage, still cluttered. Ugh!

10. I need to go live with Kevin and Amanda for a week because I am soooo drooling over this sandwich!

Weekly Menu 8/19-8/25

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You might have noticed things were pretty dark last week. Well, Josh was on vacation all last week and Eden's birthday was last Thursday. I thought it might be nice to take a little vacation myself so I could give 100% of myself to my family. You know what? It was a really nice break. There was no pressure to be in the kitchen cooking...and really, hardly any cooking or baking went on. We were so busy doing fun things as a family, I wouldn't of had time to cook or bake even if I wanted too. So I'm really glad I took the time, to focus on my family. But I'm glad to be back and get back on a routined schedule again. I know my kids are probably looking forward to it too. We've had a lot of fun late nights, but my kids, I think, are wiped out.

We finally did a full grocery shopping trip yesterday. We went two weeks just filling in the gaps here and there. It feels so good to have a full fridge and a menu!

Monday
(Meatless)
Sautéed Mushrooms and Spinach Over Angel Hair Pasta 
with Garlic Bread
Tuesday
Steak Tacos with Refried Beans
Wednesday
Chicken Orzo Skillet with a Side Salad
Thursday
and Garlic Potatoes
Friday
Sausage, Bell Pepper, and Mushroom Pizza with a Side Salad
Saturday
Crockpot Taco Soup with Cheese Quesadillas 
Sunday
Fried Egg Sandwiches and Smoothies

10 Years

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August 9th, 2003. That was the day I said goodbye to being single and changed my last name forever. It is hard to believe that Josh and I have been married for a decade. A WHOLE DECADE KIDS! That's like almost your whole school career!
Josh and I were only 18 and 19 years old. So young then, still young now, but older and hopefully a bit wiser and more mature. Well, I know he is, I'm not so sure about me, lol!
Josh, I love you more now, than I did when I married you. And I fell even deeper into love after I've seen you be such an incredible father to our 3 beautiful blessings. Thank you for choosing me to spend your life with!
Happy Anniversary, my one and only!

Pineapple Shortcakes

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I love dessert! I like having something sweet after dinner. I've had this dessert on my "To Make" list for several weeks now. But because for the last 3 weeks, the kids and I have been under the weather, it hasn't gotten made. Everybody is better now, so bring on the sweetness!

I found this recipe in one of my Rachael Ray Every Day Magazines and it is awesome. It took me like 5 secs to make and I got a YUM-O from everyone in the family for it. The original recipe called for a can of premade biscuits, but I used the recipe from the back of my Bisquick box and not only was it easy, but super yummy!

But what I think really makes this recipe sing, is the cinnamon-sugar rum flavored whipped cream. It is pretty dang good, if I do say so myself!

If you need an easy dessert that screams summer, this is it!

Pineapple Shortcake
Sourced from Rachael Ray Every Day Magazine
An easy and tropical shortcake that will make you feel like your tastebuds are on vacation!

Serves: 6

Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
4 cups fresh pineapple cubes
2 TB orange juice
1 pkg. (16.3 oz) biscuits or shortcakes made from the back of a Bisquick Box
1 TB ground cinnamon
2 TB sugar
¾ cup chilled heavy cream
2 teaspoon rum extract

Directions

  1. Prepare biscuits or shortcakes according to package directions. While shortcakes are baking, mix pineapple and orange juice together. Allow shortcakes to cool slightly.
  2. Whisk cream, cinnamon, sugar, and rum until soft peaks form. 
  3. Split shortcakes and fill with pineapple and cream. 

Tuesday's Tidings for August 6, 2013

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1. Yesterday was Monday. It felt like a Monday. Eden didn't want to make her bed. Unusual. Thus proving that yesterday was indeed a Monday.


2. Josh went grocery shopping for me last night after work. I was totally going to haul all three kids to the store. But Josh told me not to worry about it since I had been sick. He got everything on my list, plus even a few fun extras for me. Isn't that sweet?

3. I'm re watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! I love this series! Joss Whedon, you genius you!

4. I finished reading Nicholas Sparks The Best of Me last week while I was sick. I thought it was a really good book. It ended in true Sparks fashion, and like the ending in Nights in Rodanthe, this one made me mad too. But, I can see how it will make a good movie.

5. Our garden is out of control! My oregano is huge and I just cut my mint back a few weeks ago and it's already a beast again. My tomatoes though are doing incredible! I can't wait to start plucking them from the vine.

6. Since I finished The Best of Me sooner than I expected, I was book-less which is never a good thing. Normally, I grab my books from Goodwill. I'm kind of picky though. I don't buy them unless they are in really good quality and I feel safe buying them Goodwill because if a couple chapters into it, I don't like it, I'm only out a few dollars. But since I haven't been to our Goodwill in a few weeks (something I should rectify) I bought The Hiding Place (new) from Barnes and Noble on Sunday. I've heard several family members talk about it over the years, so I had added it to My Good Reads list. I'm still on the first chapter, (because I only read a few pages a night) but so far it is really good. I find a lot of holocaust books so inspiring!

7. Josh and I went into Cost Plus the other day. I had signed up for their program that sends you coupons and stuff and I wanted to use my 10% off on new dish towels. How exciting huh?! I used to go into that store all the time when I was younger, but lately, I've just started going back. I'm in love with a certain dining room table from there that is way out of my price range. Something to work up too right?

8. We got all of our homeschooling books in the mail a few days ago. Grace is really excited! Eden was really nervous and scared at the idea of starting school prior to seeing her books. Now she is super excited. She told me that she thinks her math book looks like the most fun! Music to my ears. I always struggled with math, so seeing her excited already, makes me happy. Of course we won't start school till October, but Josh and I are eager to figure out our school guide for the girls.

9. Everyone knows that Josh and I love a good burger. Recipe Critic posted these Queso Burgers and Josh and I were drooling. It's seriously one of those ideas that makes you wonder what planet you are on and why didn't you come up with it first!

10. I've officially hit my goal weight! It only took me five long, hard months of working my tail off 5-7 days a week! What's funny is that now that I'm there, I'm a smaller jean size than I was before I got pregnant and I was in really good shape then! I tell ya, that Jillian Michaels knows her stuff. But now that I'm here, I'm going to head back to the gym for a bit. I'm paying for it, I might as well use it, right?

Weekly Menu 8/5-8/11

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Soo, I spent Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and most of Saturday of last week sick. It wasn't fun. I laid on the couch, shifting in and out of different positions, moaning in pain. I lived on toast, tea, ginger ale, and soup. Josh dragged me out of the house later Saturday evening and it felt so good to get out of the house. Sunday I was pretty much back to myself and today, I resumed my workouts at the gym. I hope whatever I had is long gone! If you were wondering why I only posted two posts last week, now you know. BUT, I'm back and we've got a few yummy posts set for you this week! :)


Again, it's another makeshift menu. My girls are going over to their grandparents for a sleepover, so Josh and I are on our own again. Oh, how I dislike cooking for two. It's way to hard!

Monday
Tuesday
Girls are gone, we're on our own
Wednesday
Girls are gone, we're on our own
Thursday
Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken with Rice and Salad
Friday
Hawaiian Pizza
Saturday
Our 10th Anniversary-Dinner out
Sunday
Fried Egg Sandwiches and Smoothies

Tuesday's Tidings for July 30, 2013

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1. I just love this picture. Christian loves his daddy so so much. Asks for him all the time, and knows when his daddy is supposed to be home and starts asking for him then, too! I just love this!


2. Last week, I had two sick kids. I hate weird viruses!

3. Grace went to Apple Camp last week. She learned how to use garage band and make her own music. Shoot her own video, cut and edit the video and add the music in. It turned out pretty cute I think!

4. I found this strawberry brioche bread & butter pudding on pinterest today and not only am I completely in love with this picture but I need to make this! Like, this second!

5. Today, the girls are starting their Sunriver fund. Since they get allowance, I figure saving some money and throwing it in a decorated jar will make saving fun and it gives them something to look forward too.

6. Have you tried Tillamook Ice Cream's Fireside S'more flavor? OMG- So good! Go grab yourself a container of that and I just dare you to try and stay out of it.

7. I like to stockpile pantry ingredients when they are on sale. For example, during the fall and winter months, mayo doesn't go on sale as much as when it's spring and summer. So I've stockpiled a few containers of those away. Sunday, when I went grocery shopping, pasta was on sale. I grabbed four boxes for $1.51! I even had little notes written on the coupons on which pastas I already have a lot of and not to buy anymore of, ha!

8. I've decided not to buy anymore summer clothes. I'm already stocking up on my fall wardrobe. My American Eagle order should be here any day now! :)

9. I don't know about you, but Fall is starting to show its face here. I'm beginning to find leaves on the grass that the trees are shedding. I can't believe it!

10. I saw this Meme on Pinterest this morning. I laughed because it is so so true!