Chloe chose these heart plates for a “lovely” Saturday morning breakfast. We had some friends over last night for wine and snacks. I guess you could say that I was not expecting the 5:50am Carter Alarm clock to go off, but there he was, just like any other day, “MAAAAAAM. Breakfast. I’m hungry.” Bisquick is SAFE! So are most syrups, frozen fruits and whipped cream! For the leftovers, just stack the cooled pancakes in a Ziploc bag, freeze and pop in the toaster when you want to use them! Enjoy your day!

You won’t need to burn those Pumpkin Spice candles when you come home from work if this recipe is simmering in your crock pot. After being out and about at the Dane County Farmers Market Saturday, we came home to a lovely, fall-smelling home! This recipe took about 25 minutes of prep, which was very easy, and then simmered on low for 7 hours (or until you get home from work is fine, too) Ingredients Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine, September 2016 issue: 1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock 1 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour Cooking spray 3/4 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2-in. pieces 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed…

The title is kind of an oxymoron. If you saw my pretty chalkboard menu on Instagram this week, I’ll have you know that I only made TWO of the items planned. Life happens. This week was more exhausting than I thought it would be. Emotionally. Physically. I’m toast! At 3pm today, I literally hit a wall. The kids played pirate, dressed up and used safety scissors to chop up boobie traps (an entire roll of yarn) all over the house. They kept busy and I watched. It’s just yarn, easy enough to clean up. Here’s what I “cooked” tonight. Deluxe Ramen Ingredients Two packages ramen 2 cups chopped broccoli 1…

This meal is what I consider a “multitasker” meal. Meaning: you can still answer 1,000 kid questions, consume your evening glass of wine, and save a Thomas the Train balloon from the ceiling fan, which is mounted to the ceiling, 18 feet up (this actually happened, btw, and I used a broom, and two wire coat hangers to create an extra long arm, then hooked thomas with the end of the coat hanger. It definitely helped that both kids were cheering me on THE ENTIRE TIME.) In other words, you can’t mess this meal up. Multitasking Smoked Sausage Skillet (Adapted from Hillsboro Farms) Ingredients 2 cups of your favorite smoked…

Can you believe Packer Football is on TV tonight?! Whenever we plan to watch a game at home, we prepare game-time food and snacks. Go pack go! The kids and I had a low-key day; 3 hours outside riding bikes this morning (think Chloe has a cold), then naps, and an afternoon of play time inside while I cleaned out their closests and dresser drawers. We have a few back to school items that need to be put away, but for every new item we bring in, an old item must go. Here’s what we decided on for dinner with the Pack. Chili stuffed baked potato sliders with a slide…

This week’s meal planning has been completely last minute stuff, just becuase of the virus Chloe had this past week. It’s OK, we are going with the flow. Yesterday at about 3pm, I was talking to Doug at work, and we decided to quickly marinate some chicken and slice up tomatoes for dinner. Easy. Fast. Under 20 minutes. He likes fire, so grilling is fun for him . I like using every measuring utensil in the kitchen, so marinades and salads are great for me to make. Team work. It’s a win win. The kids and I picked about 10 fresh tomatoes yesterday in the sweltering heat. Here’s the recipe.…

Did you know that orecchiette ( O-REE-KEY-ETT-AY) means little ears in Italian? This famous pasta is still hand made in Italy today, and it is a favorite of ours becuase the little shells hold sauce very well. I know. The word broccoli is usually an automatic turn-off. But, hear me out. Broccoli rabe is a little longer, and easier to eat for some picky eaters. The taste is much better, too! This meal is 30 minutes from start to finish, and everyone seems to enjoy it!  Orecchiette and Broccoli Rabe 1 pound box orecchiette pasta 1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage 1 pound broccoli rabe 3 tbsp unsalted butter 1/4…

Corn season has started a little early this year. It’s been a great growing season for many vegetables since it has been warm, humid, and fairly wet this summer. My husband drives past a corn stand on his way home from Fort Atkinson each week and decided to pick up a dozen ears of fresh corn on the cob. What a treat. The kids LOVE corn!! Here is one way to use up some of the extra corn we have on hand. Trisha’s Chicken Tortilla Soup 3 tbsp butter (unsalted) 1-2 Clove’s garlic 1 yellow onion, chopped 2 tbsp flour 3 (14oz ) cans of chicken stock 4 cups of…

When Justin Timberlake and Megan Trainor are blaring from Pandora, you know there is some serious dancing going on! After dancing at the library yesterday the party came home. We met another group of friends at the library yesterday and it was a ball. Chloe had some pretty fun moves, and they are posted for you to see on Insta. The rain kept us inside and our library kept us busy. The summer reading program has them totally engrossed in reading, both of them!!! Yesterday’s meal was dance friendly; you could easily dance and cook and not ruin anything. Here’s what we did. Shrimp Scampi + Broccoli + Angel Hair…

Back to the grind. I’m in the middle of making out our menu for the week, and subsequent grocery shopping list, and found this recipe. Lucky for me, I already have all of these ingredients, so less to shop for!  Now to decide on the Children’s Museum, Zoo, or Olbrich for tomorrow’s morning adventure…. BTW, making steamed broccoli and wild rice for the sides. Honey Garlic Shrimp 1/3 cup honey 1/4 cup soy sauce (I use reduced sodium) 1 Tablespoon minced garlic optional: 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger 1 lb medium uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined1 2 teaspoons olive oil optional: chopped green onion for garnish Directions: Whisk the honey,…