Getting Ready for Halloweeny!

Something as simple as sticking an Oreo on a stick then dipping it in melted Chocolate = Happy Kids!
I'm making these for my sons classroom party......    You should all give these a try. Cheap, Easy, and Fun :)

Dutch Oven? Say WHAT?

A Dutch Oven from one of my boys -Not soo good, A Dutch Oven as something to cook/bake in, is excellent! I highly recommend that you invest in one. They can handle a large amount of heat and they are perfect for slow cooking. It's nice to be able to start something on your stove top and move it into your oven. Sturdy but very heavy pots. Sometimes, cumbersome to travel with. Anywho, tonight I made an amazing slow cooked Chuck Roast ... with all the fixin's - Garlic mashed potatoes , sauteed veggies -YUMM! Here is my recipe , I hope you give it a go :) 

• 1 (3 to 4-pound) boneless chuck roast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced onion wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can beef broth 
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
• 3/4 cup water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Rub salt and pepper into the roast on both sides. Heat oil in a dutch oven and brown the roast, searing it on both sides. Take out meat and set it aside,  Add onions and garlic to skillet for 4 to 6 minutes to soften, return the meat now.... Combine the beef broth, wine, Worcestershire sauce and beef bouillon into a bowl. Pour over the roast. Add water, bay leaves and rosemary. Cover dutch oven bake for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until tender. Remove from pan, and seperate meat with a fork , if you like your gravy thicker add a little cold water mixed with a TBSP of cornstarch.  Serve with your favorite sides and pour gravy over the meat. 

Remove and discard the bay leaves and rosemary.

Hello My Name is Nathy and My Wish came True...

Hello My name is Nathy, I am 4 years old and my Disneyland Make-a-Wish came true.

On August 30th I woke up, had some vitals done and my home nurse checked my blood levels... and guess what? I was ready to go! :) A Limo, yes a Limo arrived at my house to pick me up, as well as my brothers and sister, Mom, and My Ma (Grandma) . I was extremely excited ! I've never rode in a Limo before, off to the Airport we go... Next stop Orange County!

We arrive at the Airport in Orange County, a little Chaos.... I'm restless and extremely excited to see Disneyland! We pickup our rental car and off to the Hotel we go, I am surprised there by my Aunties Yaya and Moni, and my Tata (Grandpa) they drove and met us.We check in, it's nice to settle down and rest a bit. We head off to Downtown Disney for dinner and some fun , tomorrow not only is it Disneyland day but it's my Birthday!! 

08/31 - Time to wake up! Happy Birthday to me :) I'm officially 4 years old today!

Time to head to Goofy's Kitchen for a all I can eat Birthday breakfast buffet.....  We arrive and I'm a little scared of Goofy and the Characters ... they are SOO big!! But my favorite was the sausage, and the Peanut Butter and Jelly pizza.... and they sang Happy Birthday to me. I feel soo special. 

Off to Disneyland we go, after a great filling breakfast . We get our tickets and we go to the Wish Lounge on Main street, where they have snacks, drinks, couches, toys, and movies for me. I'm able to use this room to rest throughout the day, in case I get a little tired or too hot. We also have a meet and greet set up with Woody. I'm excited for this. After waiting 30 minutes and watching Disney movies there is a knock at the door, it's Woody! Ok, I was scared(not as scared as my baby sister) but I warmed up to him enough to give him a big high 5, and we played with the toys together for about 20 minutes. 

After spending some time with my buddy Woody, the rest of the day is spent riding rides. We ride on Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan, Finding Nemo Submarine ride, Jungle Cruise, Buzz Light Year. I don't have to wait in any lines either. They gave me a special pass that has a green light on it that sends my family and I right to the front of the line. This made being able to ride more attractions easier, I'm not too patient and I can't stand out in the sun too long. My favorite snack at Disneyland was the Popcorn, I had 3 buckets of it! The end of the1st night I have to go to the Disney Medical center , I have a bad bloody nose, and they have to make sure my Platelet count is ok. After I get cleaned up and they are sure I'm ok, I get to leave. We start to head back to the hotel to rest up for another day of fun!

The next 2 days we spend between California Adventure and Disneyland. We even get to have dinner at the ESPN Zone (my older brother is excited about this one) ! My trip was Amazing I had the time of my life. I talk about my Disneyland trip and going back everyday. Thank you very much for helping with making my trip possible. Much Love and Hugs Nathy :) 

Nathy's Disney Wish Bake Sale

Hi my Name is Nathan James, I love swimming, my DS, and to shake my head like a CooCoo Bird; I am 3 1/2 years old. I was diagnosed with A.L.L. Leukemia at the age of 2 1/2. I started feeling very tired in July, I wouldn’t want to eat, I was very tired all the time. A couple days later my Mom scheduled me for a check up where they checked my blood, and my results came back that I was dangerously anemic and very low red and white blood count. I was rushed via Ambulance to Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital. I spent 2 weeks inpatient having test run on me, blood transfusions, constant monitoring. I was stable enough to be released from the Hospital and go back home to my family. I felt soo much better, my appetite was back, and I was able to run around and play again! My Mom was instructed to follow up in a couple days with Hematology for more monitoring on my blood and vitals.

After a couple days of going back to Hematology for blood work, my Doctor was satisfied with the results things were looking up! A week later, I came down with a slight abscess infection that came with fever and fatigue. After that all my levels went back down. My Doctors were left stumped; the only other thing to check was my Bone Marrow to see if it was a disorder with my Cells. I was scheduled with a Bone Marrow Biopsy on 08/02/2011 at 8:00 am, and after my procedure we waited for some results. The news wasn’t good, I was diagnosed with Leukemia L I was immediately admitted to One North with other children fighting cancer. It was a very hard time for everyone, I didn’t exactly understand why everyone was soo sad and why I had a new temporary home. I started Chemo immediately, I didn’t like it one bit. I had Chemo given by the mouth 3 times a day, I was given shots in my legs, I was put to sleep and had Chemo put into my spine. A couple days later, I under went a slight surgery and had a PICC line put in (A central line in my arm inserted into my peripheral vein) No more pokes after this!

My treatment is going to last a total of 3 years. I have been through the hardest part, after numerous inpatient stays, countless trips to the emergency room. I even spent Christmas in the Hospital. This August will complete One year of treatment. I have a home nurse that comes weekly to check my blood and vitals. I go to Lucille Packard once a month for routine Chemo, and every 3 months I have a lumbar puncture in my spine (I sleep while this happens) and I take medication daily and on the weekends my doses triple. I’m on Maintenance now, they are maintaining soo no new cancer cells develop. I’m a crazy active 3 year old now J My Wish of going to Disneyland was granted through the make a Wish Foundation, and approved by my Doctor as being medically stable to travel J I will celebrate my Birthday there with my Family! I hope you enjoyed my Story – Nathy

Nathys’ Disney Wish Bake Sale

·      Chip n Dales Nutty Banana Bread Mini Loaves   $3.00 each

·      Mickey’s Shortbread Cookies (w/chocolate dipped ears) $1.00 each

·      Goofy’s Crazy Everything Cookies * Chocolate Chip cookies loaded with nuts, oatmeal, coconut, and rice krispy cereal (2 pack) $1.00

·      Pluto’s Peanut Butter good boy Treats (2 pack) $1.00 *not for dogs

·      Minnie’s Sweet Strawberry Cakes $2.00 each

·      Disney Krispy Treat Pops (dipped in chocolate w/white chocolate drizzle) $1.00 each

All items baked fresh from scratch, and wrapped individually.

Please place your Order by Wednesday 07/27, all orders to be delivered on Thursday 07/28 … with all funds raised for Nathys’ upcoming Disneyland Trip on 08/30/2011

Email at nathysmom@gmail.com

Let the Smell of Cinnamon Rolls fill the air

• I hope you give these a try.......  these can work for a sticky bun too . These are not for the "healthy eater"  None the less they are my Kris's favorite! 
• 
  
• The Rolls 
• 1 1/4 (ounce) package dry yeast
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups flour

Filling 

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened

Icing 

• 8 tablespoons margarine
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

Dissolve yeast in warm milk in a large bowl . Add sugar, butter, salt, and flour - mix well Knead the dough, make sure you flour your hands. Form into a ball , place in a bowl cover and put in a warm spot for 1 hour and let rise. Roll dough on a floured surface ... to 16 by 21 inches in a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick..... Spread the dough with the filling butter and sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the top. Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge. Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan. Bake 10-15 minutes at 400 until golden brown.  

Mix all the icing ingredients together with a electric mixer and spread on top of the warm rolls and enjoy :) 

F*cking Profiteroles !

What is there to say about Gordon Ramsay......... the man is AMAZING, I really like this mans great cooking abilities, ok ok and his foul mouth. F*CK F*CK F*CK . As I was following his recipe, I couldn't help but continue looking over my shoulder thinking I was going to get a "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING??!!" (excuse my french) But I would say he'd be happy with my outcome of his recipe. 

INGREDIENTS

Choux pastry

• 125ml milk
• 200ml water
• 150g plain flour
• 1 tsp golden caster sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 100g unsalted butter
• 4 medium eggs, lightly beaten

Chantilly cream

• 1 ½ a vanilla pod, split
• 300ml whipping cream
• 1-2 tbsp icing sugar

Chocolate sauce

• 200g good quality dark Chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
• 30g unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp clear honey
• 125ml full fat milk

• METHOD

  How to make profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce

  1. Preheat the oven to 200@C/Gas 6. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Place the milk, cold water, salt, sugar into a pan and set over a low heat. Once the sugar and salt has dissolved add the butter. Once the butter has melted, bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat then tip in the flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon. As soon as the mixture starts to come away from the side of the pan, stop beating and tip onto a plate to cool.

  2. Return the mixture to the pan, then gradually beat in the eggs, a little at a time, mixing well between each addition, until you have a smooth paste. (Alternatively, transfer the mix to an electric mixer and gradually add the eggs while the mixer is running on a low setting).

  3. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Spoon the choux pastry into a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle (about 1.5cm in diameter). Pipe a small blob of the pastry mix under each corner of the greaseproof to keep the paper in place. Now pipe about 20 walnut-sized balls onto the baking sheet, spaced well apart. Level the peaked tops with the tip of a wet finger then bake for 18-20 minutes until well risen and golden brown.

  4. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.

  5. For the Chantilly cream scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into a large mixing bowl. Add the cream, and icing sugar then whisk together until the consistency of a soft meringue with floppy peaks. Spoon the cream into a clean piping bag, fitted with a small plain nozzle. Pierce the base of a choux bun with the tip of the nozzle and pipe in the cream. Repeat with the remaining choux buns.

  
  

  I hope you give this a try :)