Pumpkin Carving

With the pumpkins we picked from High Hill's Pumpkin Patch, Cornie's set to the task of carving them.

Cornie's completed design (with help from his momma). :-)

Kicking off FALL 2010 - Class Field Trip to High Hill Farm

Last week Cornie's preschool class had a field trip to High Hill Farm to kick off the Autumn season. It was a crisp and chilly fall morning that turned into a day filled with lots of fun for all of the kids, parents and teachers.

We had a brief tour of the farm, meeting and even petting a few of the animals: calves, goats, bunnies, sheep, and even peacocks. One of the cows just had her calf a couple of days ago and we had a chance to see it.
After the farm tour, we were off on a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch. What a treat to have a real cowboy on a horse, as a tour guide, leading the way. He explained the crops High Hill produced and how many cattle they cared for.

Once we reached the pumpkin patch, we each got to search and pick out our pumpkins. We visited the orchards and picked out some apples. On our hay ride back to the barn, we got to munch on them. The apples were very crisp, sweet and juicy!

The class ended the morning having lunch together; giving us parents a chance to gab. Afterwards, the kids kept busy playing on the huge display tractors or running around the hay maze.

What a fun day!

Bomdiggity Chicken Wings - Easy Dry Rub Recipe

When it comes to cooking, I love keeping it simple and easy. I am all for delicious food, but don't think I need to spend all my time in the kitchen making it. So this recipe definitely hits the top of my list for both ease in preparation and cleaning.

Ingredients:
12-14 Chicken wings whole or 24-28 chicken halved

Dry rub mixture:
8 tbsp Dark brown sugar
3 tbsp Kosher salt
1 tbsp Black pepper
1 tbsp Crushed red pepper
1 tbsp Chili powder
1 tbsp Garlic powder

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line cookie sheet with foil and apply thin layer of vegetable oil. This will prevent the wings from sticking as they bake and help for easy turning. Set foil and cookie sheet aside.

Place dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Coat chicken wings evenly with the dry rub and place onto foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake in oven for an hour. Be sure to check chicken wings every 20 minutes or so, turning them to prevent from burning/sticking. Once wings are fully cooked, remove from foil onto plate. ENJOY!

Live well and happy. :)

Chicken Soup for the Sick Soul - Recipe

With all of the Anderson boys in the house sick, there's nothing better than a hot and hearty bowl of chicken soup to warm their bellies. Here is a delicious and simple recipe that was handed down to me by my mother.

Ingredients for the almost home made broth -

16 oz Swanson's chicken broth, all-natural

4 cups cold water

1 lb sliced chicken breast, -organic

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup sliced celery

1 large russet potato, peeled and cubed

1 whole onion, peeled and sliced thick

Combine all above ingredients into large pot and set to boil. As broth boils, remember to scoop out all the foam. You want to keep your broth as clear as possible. Once broth boils, turn down to medium heat and let simmer until all vegetables are tender. About 15-20 minutes. Salt and pepper - season to taste. For extra bit of kick, throw in a small dash of chili pepper.

Noodles -

2 cups dry elbow noodles

In a separate large pot, add 8 cups water and 2 tsp of salt. Set to boil. Add your noodles and cook until slightly tender. About 7-9 minutes. Once cooked, drain and set aside.

Once the vegetables in your broth are nice and tender, remove your chicken breasts and slice or pull apart in thin strips. Set the chicken aside.

To assemble your bowl of chicken soup, place a 1/2 cup of the cooked noodles into a deep bowl, add some of the chicken broth with veggies and top with a large helping of chicken meat. For a refreshing topper, add some sliced cilantro and green onions. Salt and pepper, seasoned to taste.

Enjoy! Be happy and healthy.

Good Old-Fashion Pancake Recipe - Dakota Kelly's Grandmother's Recipe

My family woke up this morning with a craving for pancakes, but unfortunately our Jiffy mix supply was out. Never wanting to disappoint, I quickly scoured the internet for an easy pancake recipe and lucked out to find this one: Dakota Kelly's Grandmother's Pancake Recipe. If you're looking for an easy, good old-fashioned pancake recipe, that's fluffy on the inside, and brown and crispy on the outside edges,... THIS IS THE RECIPE for YOU! I've added some minor changes (adding 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and substituting white sugar with powdered cactus honey) to give it my own twist. The entire recipe below is sure to delight your senses with its fluffy crispness and warm inviting aroma of cinnamon! Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon powdered cactus honey (or white sugar)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 egg

3 tablespoons melted butter

Mix all dry ingredients well. Then stir in milk, egg and melted butter. Mix together well with as minimum stirs as possible. Pour about 1/2 cup mixture into hot skillet for each pancake. Makes about 6-8 pancakes.

Happy July 4th!

May every one have a safe and fun July 4th weekend!

Reading is fundamental. Reading is FUN! Our Reading Lists.

I enjoy reading. My parents instilled in me the joys of reading at a very young age by reading to us, and in turn, I've tried to introduce the joys of reading to my own child. I started reading out loud to him since he was still in my womb, tumbling around to the rhythmic sounds of my voice. Now at age 4, he continues to enjoy our weekly visits to the library to pick out his handful of books. It's amusing to watch him search and explore through the various aisles in the children's section and page through the many offerings there. And, as if he had discovered a pure treasure, his face would light up whenever he spotted THE book of the week. Then, with great pride, he'd carry his book collection up to the check out counter and proudly hand the librarian his selection.

Below is a small sampling of Cornie's favorites within the last 3 months:

THE LORAX, by Dr. Seuss

THE BIG BRAG, by Dr. Seuss

GREEN EGGS and HAM, by Dr. Seuss

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, by Dr. Seuss

OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO, by Dr. Seuss

DINOSAUR VS. BEDTIME, by Bob Shea

DISNEY PIXAR MONSTERS, INC., Adapted by Cathy Hapka

THE CHOCOLATE BUNNY, by Rosemary Wells

BONE SOUP, by Cambria Evans

And, here is my reading list from the last 3 months:

THE NOTEBOOK, by Nicholas Sparks

THE WEDDING, by Nicholas Sparks

THE GUARDIAN, by Nicholas Sparks

DEAR JOHN, by Nicholas Sparks

THE SECRET DIARY OF ANNE BOLEYN, by Robin Maxwell

MADEMOISELLE BOLEYN, by Robin Maxwell

VANITY FAIR, by William Makepeace Thackeray

WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA, by Mac Anderson

USE YOUR HEAD TO GET YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR, by Harvey Mackay

48 DAYS TO THE WORK YOU LOVE, by Dan Miller

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE RIGHT JOB EVERY TIME, by Lori Davila and Louise Kursmark

Happy reading!