In Travis' high school day he, his friends and family made a very impressive detective movie. He got it up on YouTube for your viewing pleasure. It has become a Tubbs Cult Classic!! (The family can quote from it!) It is in three different parts. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbFtIPaQurM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKR4v_er-ps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4m9k7wgWCI
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Our 100th Post!!! Its Apparent your a Parent when....
Our 100th post! It seems like it took forever to get this far. It has been popular among bloggers to list 100 things about themselves for their 100th post. I did start to do that, but realized I was actually boring myself. So we wrote 100+ things that remind us what parenting is all about. Enjoy! We'd love to read what you would've added.
You know you are a parent when...
1. Your kids think your real name is Mom or Dad.
2. While ‘praying to the porcelain god’ all you can think is how you need to do a better job cleaning the toilet.
3. Shut-up and hate are bad words.
4. You’re jealous of how clean the houses are in your kid’s cartoon shows.
5. You’ve done all things you said you’d never do before you were a parent (i.e. lose your temper in public).
6. You know the theme songs to Dora the Explorer, Blues Clues, and other such kid shows.
7. Your Spanish is limited to what Dora or Isa the Iguana or Diego has taught you.
8. You never leave the house without your diaper bag.
9. Politically incorrect things that your kids say are funny and enlightening. (Like when your 4 yr. old observes that we’re all crackers or says “the black ones are still here” or is awed by a short big person ridding a little bike.)
10. Cereal is a blessing because it can be meal anytime of the day.
11. You are literally a cow.
12. You wonder each night when the tornado went through your house.
13. You leave the house forgetting that your two year old did your hair.
14. You let your kid wear his/her Halloween costume in public throughout the year.
15. You have tried to remove the dark circles under eyes with eye makeup remover thinking it was smeared makeup.
16. You feel 90 when your only 25.
17. You can’t wait for your pre-schooler’s first day of school, but cry after dropping him/her off.
18. You’ve combined the names of your children when calling for or yelling at them. ( i.e. Kathy + Maddie = Kaddie)
19. You set a place at the table for imaginary friends.
20. Dinners resemble art.
21. You don’t know what to do with yourself when you have free time.
22. You bought your children a toy with the simple premise that you would’ve loved to have that as a child.
23. You’ve said or done all the things your parents did or said that you swore you’d never do… in other words you’re just like your parents.
24. You understand and appreciate your parents more than ever.
25. You have blamed your child for something you did to avoid embarrassment. “Yeah, he dressed himself this morning.” Or “Next time we should be a little less messy when we eat.” Or “The baby ate my homework.”
26. You have used your child (born or unborn) as an excuse to get out of something. “Gotta go, I hear the baby crying!” “Can’t do it, I’m pregnant.”
27. You’ve plotted your child against each other. “Let’s go scare Mommy” or “Daddy I think we should go get ice cream”.
28. You only eat at McDonalds with Play lands.
29. Every picture you’ve taken of the kids is precious, even if out of focus.
30. You compare your baby pictures to your children’s.
31. You’re excited to share with them your childhood toys.
32. You think your kids are the smartest, cutest, best kids in the whole world.
33. You are addicted to your child’s laughter.
34. You give into, “Please just one more story!”
35. You keep a clean shirt handy when you have to run out the door or have unexpected company.
36. They know you by name at the ER.
37. You have to restrain yourself from giving in when what they want is what you would’ve wanted at their age.
38. Doing the dishes or folding laundry is a major accomplishment that day.
39. You bring home the new baby you can’t image what life was like without him/her. Like s/he was always meant to be here.
40. You act dumb when your child tells you something you already knew. “Wow, I didn’t know red and yellow make orange. You’re so smart!”
41. There are days that you don’t forget your birth control pill.
42. Everyone knows you’re pregnant before your husband.
43. Cuddling melts your heart.
44. You search and search for a kid that is in plain sight.
45. You’ve gotten really excited to tell a scary story and it was a little too scary.
46. You’ve fallen asleep nursing.
47. You’re stiff from actually getting a full nights sleep.
48. You’ve talked to your parents more now than you ever did living with them.
49. Your friends with someone because your kids are friends (and it’s a good thing!!)
50. You’re never in a single picture, because you’ve taken them all.
51. As a Dad you’re hoping the kids are still awake when you get home late and as a Mom you’re hoping they’re all in bed.
52. You’re the last one to get sick, but you get it the worst.
53. You don’t need a degree to be a Doctor.
54. You tag team a diaper change.
55. There is a direct relationship the number of kids you have and functioning of your brain.
56. (For LDS Parents) You have a countdown till nursery.
57. You realize your kids are smarter than you.
58. You purposely film embarrassing moments in your child’s life.
59. You live like a kid again (tea parties, cars, dinosaurs, house).
60. All you talk about are the kids on your date night.
61. You support your spouse, even if you disagree for your children’s sake.
62. It breaks your heart to see your child go through the pains of life.
63. You want to beat up a toddler for taking your kid’s toy and making him/her cry.
64. You never knew what unconditional love was until you had kids.
65. You’re kisses can heal owies and mend broken hearts. In other words, they’re magic!!
66. You use words that aren’t in the dictionary.
67. No matter how bad the day was, you count your children as blessings.
68. You want to show off your kids.
69. ‘Puppy dog eyes’ work.
70. You’ve gone grocery shopping in your jammies.
71. Bodily functions that once grossed you out are now a part of everyday life.
72. You’ve never felt so protective.
73. They cry and you want to hold them closer.
74. They cry and you want to pull your hair out.
75. Quite is a thing of the past.
76. You need a vacation from your vacation.
77. You have induced sleep on your child.
78. You have more fun shopping for kid’s clothes than your own.
79. ‘No’ is an overused word.
80. You can sit all day rocking a baby.
81. You cringe when your child imitates you.
82. You are honored when your child imitates you.
83. You make your child happy when you imitate him.
84. You need back surgery from giving horsey rides to a very happy little kiddo.
85. You never feel like you’re doing enough.
86. You shower and then put jammies on (and wear them for the rest of the day).
87. Your kids are involved in all things you wanted to do as a kid (dance, karate…)
88. You would give anything for your kids to be happy.
89. Seeing your newborn was worth the nine months of nausea and discomfort (or for the daddy: putting up with it!!)
90. You’re really temped to just get boxes and popping packaging for the kids for Christmas, because that is all they seem to play with anyway!!
91. Your house stays clean all day, except the few minutes before unexpected company shows up.
92. Your kids are your best cheerleaders.
93. You allow your kids to eat all the things you weren’t allowed to eat as a child.
94. You drive your kids crazy by doing all things that your parents did to you that drove you crazy.
95. You can’t help but to hug your kids, whether they want it or not.
96. You can’t remember the last place you went alone.
97. Your car can’t move unless everyone is restrained.
98. You still can’t believe you’re a parent.
99. You let your children talk on the phone even if the kid isn’t coherent.
100. There usually a naked person running around somewhere in your house.
101. You blog :-)
You know you are a parent when...
1. Your kids think your real name is Mom or Dad.
2. While ‘praying to the porcelain god’ all you can think is how you need to do a better job cleaning the toilet.
3. Shut-up and hate are bad words.
4. You’re jealous of how clean the houses are in your kid’s cartoon shows.
5. You’ve done all things you said you’d never do before you were a parent (i.e. lose your temper in public).
6. You know the theme songs to Dora the Explorer, Blues Clues, and other such kid shows.
7. Your Spanish is limited to what Dora or Isa the Iguana or Diego has taught you.
8. You never leave the house without your diaper bag.
9. Politically incorrect things that your kids say are funny and enlightening. (Like when your 4 yr. old observes that we’re all crackers or says “the black ones are still here” or is awed by a short big person ridding a little bike.)
10. Cereal is a blessing because it can be meal anytime of the day.
11. You are literally a cow.
12. You wonder each night when the tornado went through your house.
13. You leave the house forgetting that your two year old did your hair.
14. You let your kid wear his/her Halloween costume in public throughout the year.
15. You have tried to remove the dark circles under eyes with eye makeup remover thinking it was smeared makeup.
16. You feel 90 when your only 25.
17. You can’t wait for your pre-schooler’s first day of school, but cry after dropping him/her off.
18. You’ve combined the names of your children when calling for or yelling at them. ( i.e. Kathy + Maddie = Kaddie)
19. You set a place at the table for imaginary friends.
20. Dinners resemble art.
21. You don’t know what to do with yourself when you have free time.
22. You bought your children a toy with the simple premise that you would’ve loved to have that as a child.
23. You’ve said or done all the things your parents did or said that you swore you’d never do… in other words you’re just like your parents.
24. You understand and appreciate your parents more than ever.
25. You have blamed your child for something you did to avoid embarrassment. “Yeah, he dressed himself this morning.” Or “Next time we should be a little less messy when we eat.” Or “The baby ate my homework.”
26. You have used your child (born or unborn) as an excuse to get out of something. “Gotta go, I hear the baby crying!” “Can’t do it, I’m pregnant.”
27. You’ve plotted your child against each other. “Let’s go scare Mommy” or “Daddy I think we should go get ice cream”.
28. You only eat at McDonalds with Play lands.
29. Every picture you’ve taken of the kids is precious, even if out of focus.
30. You compare your baby pictures to your children’s.
31. You’re excited to share with them your childhood toys.
32. You think your kids are the smartest, cutest, best kids in the whole world.
33. You are addicted to your child’s laughter.
34. You give into, “Please just one more story!”
35. You keep a clean shirt handy when you have to run out the door or have unexpected company.
36. They know you by name at the ER.
37. You have to restrain yourself from giving in when what they want is what you would’ve wanted at their age.
38. Doing the dishes or folding laundry is a major accomplishment that day.
39. You bring home the new baby you can’t image what life was like without him/her. Like s/he was always meant to be here.
40. You act dumb when your child tells you something you already knew. “Wow, I didn’t know red and yellow make orange. You’re so smart!”
41. There are days that you don’t forget your birth control pill.
42. Everyone knows you’re pregnant before your husband.
43. Cuddling melts your heart.
44. You search and search for a kid that is in plain sight.
45. You’ve gotten really excited to tell a scary story and it was a little too scary.
46. You’ve fallen asleep nursing.
47. You’re stiff from actually getting a full nights sleep.
48. You’ve talked to your parents more now than you ever did living with them.
49. Your friends with someone because your kids are friends (and it’s a good thing!!)
50. You’re never in a single picture, because you’ve taken them all.
51. As a Dad you’re hoping the kids are still awake when you get home late and as a Mom you’re hoping they’re all in bed.
52. You’re the last one to get sick, but you get it the worst.
53. You don’t need a degree to be a Doctor.
54. You tag team a diaper change.
55. There is a direct relationship the number of kids you have and functioning of your brain.
56. (For LDS Parents) You have a countdown till nursery.
57. You realize your kids are smarter than you.
58. You purposely film embarrassing moments in your child’s life.
59. You live like a kid again (tea parties, cars, dinosaurs, house).
60. All you talk about are the kids on your date night.
61. You support your spouse, even if you disagree for your children’s sake.
62. It breaks your heart to see your child go through the pains of life.
63. You want to beat up a toddler for taking your kid’s toy and making him/her cry.
64. You never knew what unconditional love was until you had kids.
65. You’re kisses can heal owies and mend broken hearts. In other words, they’re magic!!
66. You use words that aren’t in the dictionary.
67. No matter how bad the day was, you count your children as blessings.
68. You want to show off your kids.
69. ‘Puppy dog eyes’ work.
70. You’ve gone grocery shopping in your jammies.
71. Bodily functions that once grossed you out are now a part of everyday life.
72. You’ve never felt so protective.
73. They cry and you want to hold them closer.
74. They cry and you want to pull your hair out.
75. Quite is a thing of the past.
76. You need a vacation from your vacation.
77. You have induced sleep on your child.
78. You have more fun shopping for kid’s clothes than your own.
79. ‘No’ is an overused word.
80. You can sit all day rocking a baby.
81. You cringe when your child imitates you.
82. You are honored when your child imitates you.
83. You make your child happy when you imitate him.
84. You need back surgery from giving horsey rides to a very happy little kiddo.
85. You never feel like you’re doing enough.
86. You shower and then put jammies on (and wear them for the rest of the day).
87. Your kids are involved in all things you wanted to do as a kid (dance, karate…)
88. You would give anything for your kids to be happy.
89. Seeing your newborn was worth the nine months of nausea and discomfort (or for the daddy: putting up with it!!)
90. You’re really temped to just get boxes and popping packaging for the kids for Christmas, because that is all they seem to play with anyway!!
91. Your house stays clean all day, except the few minutes before unexpected company shows up.
92. Your kids are your best cheerleaders.
93. You allow your kids to eat all the things you weren’t allowed to eat as a child.
94. You drive your kids crazy by doing all things that your parents did to you that drove you crazy.
95. You can’t help but to hug your kids, whether they want it or not.
96. You can’t remember the last place you went alone.
97. Your car can’t move unless everyone is restrained.
98. You still can’t believe you’re a parent.
99. You let your children talk on the phone even if the kid isn’t coherent.
100. There usually a naked person running around somewhere in your house.
101. You blog :-)
A great weekend
We had a great weekend! Travis only has one class on Friday. So when he got home that morning we packed a picnic lunch and headed out the door. I've been looking for toys for the kids to have in the back yard. Thursday I got a kids plastic picnic table for $5 at a garage sale so we thought we'd hit up some garage sales. We ended up in Huber Heights, just north of us. The first place we went had a nice lady that gave us the name of several places to visit in the area. So we went out to Charleston Falls. It was very peaceful and kid friendly. We ate lunch and hiked over to the falls. 
A huge snake fell out of a tree. I mean HUGE. (The picture doesn't do it justice)
Travis and Trouble explored a cave (even though Dynomite is in the picture).
We put our feet in the pond. 
The sign on the pond is written as a mirror image, so it reads correctly when reflected off the pond. 
There wasn't a cloud in the sky! That night we went over to our new (and will probably will be well abused) friend's house for dinner and kite flying. They gave us their extra swing set that they got from their neighbors!
A huge snake fell out of a tree. I mean HUGE. (The picture doesn't do it justice)Travis and Trouble explored a cave (even though Dynomite is in the picture).We put our feet in the pond. The sign on the pond is written as a mirror image, so it reads correctly when reflected off the pond. There wasn't a cloud in the sky! That night we went over to our new (and will probably will be well abused) friend's house for dinner and kite flying. They gave us their extra swing set that they got from their neighbors! Saturday we got up early (I mean I didn't even put my contacts in early) at went to our neighbors yard sell. We got Trouble a two-wheel bike with training wheels. They had a plastic swing/slide thing for sale for the yard, but we didn't buy it. So we walked over to our other neighbors for their yard sale and looked around. While we were there another neighbor had pulled out to the curb a large playhouse, covered sand box (like the turtles, but this was a ladybug) and basketball hoop. So I walked over and she said if we can haul it we can have it. Sweet! So I stood sentinel while Travis finished over at the yard sale. He and the neighbor carried it all over to our house. One lady did walk by while I was selfishly standing guard and asked about MY newly acquired booty. I guess she was pretty upset I got their first!! I directed her over to the swing/slide thing, which she bought. We just hung out for the rest of the beautiful day, had a barbecue and managed to keep the house clean.
Sunday we went to renew our temple recommends and I got a calling as the Enrichment leader. That's what I get for complaining about how long I've been out of Relief Society :-)
Monday we went to our church playgroup where I got the some 20 questions over and over. Luckily I found a lady who had a lot to say about herself, so I was glad of that. Dynomite had so much fun that she came home and had a 4 hour nap!!
Tuesday we went to MOPS!! Another awesome group of ladies. Its smaller than the Minot group because there is 5 groups in the Dayton area. They already asked me to be apart of leadership for next year, but seeing how that didn't go so well in Minot, we'll see. I explained what had happened last year and she really didn't care, which means they are desperate for help!! When I applied to help in Minot I was rejected because I am Mormon. The leaders of that church where we meet said it was because of the difference in religious views. Mainly because we don't believe in the Trinity. It was more of a blessing than a let down because it meant that I couldn't help, so I could just relax and enjoy the fellowship of the other MOPS ladies without feeling like I wasn't doing enough. I still helped in the kitchen. Anyway, I got the typical 20 questions. The kids had fun. So we'll continue with this group.
I also finished the book for our ward's book club. It was "The Peacegiver"By James L. Ferrell. It was all about finding peace in our lives through the Atonement of Christ. And all the different aspects of the Atonement. The book mainly focused on a marriage that was falling apart, but could be applied to any situation and to every person seeking to more fully understand what Christ did/still does for us. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this book.
It was a beautiful weekend full of family time and good friends! Its going to be hard to pack up in two years!! -- okay, you can ask me that again in two years HAHA!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
KTT: Tin Foil
My Mother-in-Law, Lori AKA Grammy, sent me a great kitchen tip about tin foil. To preserve the life of celery wrap it in tin foil before putting it in the fridge. Thank you!!
So I wondered what others were doing with their tin foil (aluminum foil, if you prefer). These are mostly from Thriftyfun.com and families.com (literally a cut and paste job!!):
1. Need to sharpen your scissors? Take a 12 inch-14 inch strip of Heavy-duty Aluminum foil and fold to 8 layers. Now, just cut as many thin strips of foil as you can manage (25 is preferred). Your scissors are now sharp! If using standard weight aluminum foil, just fold to 16 layers and proceed.
2. You can seal any plastic bag by placing a piece of aluminum foil over the end to be sealed and running a hot iron over the foil. Make sure you have foil on both sides of the plastic to be sealed so it doesn't stick to the ironing surface. No expensive sealing gadget required.
3.Having a white smooth surface stove top is a lot of extra work each time it's used. To make less work for yourself, place a piece of aluminum foil over the burner and under the pan. Cleanup is a lot easier and the little extra time is all yours! Recycle that foil! Stash it near the stove so it's handy for next time!
4.When making a casserole, double the ingredients and make two. Cook one and store the other in the freezer. Cover the casserole in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil before freezing. Use a marker to write the date on the foil. You can re-use the foil to cover the casserole when cooking it. Casseroles can be frozen for 3 months.
5.When you are out of scouring pads (or are on vacation without any), use a crumpled piece of aluminum foil as a scrubber. It takes a little bit longer, but it does the trick!
6. For grilling in and campfire dinner (look up on Internet for dozens of tips and recipes).
7. Place mats.
8. Around outer edge of pies to keep from burning.
9. You can use a piece of tin foil to hold batteries in place if you've lost the cover to the battery compartment. Crumple up a small piece and wedge in between the batteries. It helps to hold them in place. You can also do the same thing if the spring that holds the battery in place is broken. Tear a small piece of foil, crumple it up and place it between the battery and the spring. Works as good as new!
10. Cover baking sheet with to make for easy clean-up.
11. Polish chrome finishes (I would think it would scratch the chrome, but maybe not?) If there is rust, dip the foil in cola. The Cola eats away at the rust as your cleaning.
12. If you need to quit halfway through a painting project just wrap your brush in foil and put in fridge. Unthaw for an hour and so and continue painting. (This does work, my mom did this whenever she painted the house.)
13. Keep your drinks cold by wrapping foil around the outside of your cup. Even write names on it to know whose cup is who's.
14. You can create a make shift funnel for anything - cooking, placing oil in your car, etc. by using a piece of tin foil. Double it up and wrap it in a cone like shape. Tear the end and there you have it!
15. Place a piece of tin foil in the bottom of a basket or serving container. Place a napkin on top and the rolls on top of that. The tin foil will help insulate the heat and keep the rolls fresh and warm!
So I wondered what others were doing with their tin foil (aluminum foil, if you prefer). These are mostly from Thriftyfun.com and families.com (literally a cut and paste job!!):
1. Need to sharpen your scissors? Take a 12 inch-14 inch strip of Heavy-duty Aluminum foil and fold to 8 layers. Now, just cut as many thin strips of foil as you can manage (25 is preferred). Your scissors are now sharp! If using standard weight aluminum foil, just fold to 16 layers and proceed.
2. You can seal any plastic bag by placing a piece of aluminum foil over the end to be sealed and running a hot iron over the foil. Make sure you have foil on both sides of the plastic to be sealed so it doesn't stick to the ironing surface. No expensive sealing gadget required.
3.Having a white smooth surface stove top is a lot of extra work each time it's used. To make less work for yourself, place a piece of aluminum foil over the burner and under the pan. Cleanup is a lot easier and the little extra time is all yours! Recycle that foil! Stash it near the stove so it's handy for next time!
4.When making a casserole, double the ingredients and make two. Cook one and store the other in the freezer. Cover the casserole in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil before freezing. Use a marker to write the date on the foil. You can re-use the foil to cover the casserole when cooking it. Casseroles can be frozen for 3 months.
5.When you are out of scouring pads (or are on vacation without any), use a crumpled piece of aluminum foil as a scrubber. It takes a little bit longer, but it does the trick!
6. For grilling in and campfire dinner (look up on Internet for dozens of tips and recipes).
7. Place mats.
8. Around outer edge of pies to keep from burning.
9. You can use a piece of tin foil to hold batteries in place if you've lost the cover to the battery compartment. Crumple up a small piece and wedge in between the batteries. It helps to hold them in place. You can also do the same thing if the spring that holds the battery in place is broken. Tear a small piece of foil, crumple it up and place it between the battery and the spring. Works as good as new!
10. Cover baking sheet with to make for easy clean-up.
11. Polish chrome finishes (I would think it would scratch the chrome, but maybe not?) If there is rust, dip the foil in cola. The Cola eats away at the rust as your cleaning.
12. If you need to quit halfway through a painting project just wrap your brush in foil and put in fridge. Unthaw for an hour and so and continue painting. (This does work, my mom did this whenever she painted the house.)
13. Keep your drinks cold by wrapping foil around the outside of your cup. Even write names on it to know whose cup is who's.
14. You can create a make shift funnel for anything - cooking, placing oil in your car, etc. by using a piece of tin foil. Double it up and wrap it in a cone like shape. Tear the end and there you have it!
15. Place a piece of tin foil in the bottom of a basket or serving container. Place a napkin on top and the rolls on top of that. The tin foil will help insulate the heat and keep the rolls fresh and warm!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Youngs Farm
Saturday we went to Youngs Farm. It is a farm with some animals and a whole bunch of fun things to do. Our kids will be warped as to what a real farm is!! Anyway, at this 'farm' there is a mini golf course, go carts, driving range, hotel, restaurant, some old tractors to climb on, and some cows and goats. It was so nice to be outside. The weather was beautiful. We managed to sunburn the kids a little :-( We got to see quite a few F16 (F something anyway) take off, too. We ended our trip there with their homemade ice cream! 
Later that day we discovered the elementary school playground behind our house. I guess its good to explore. Beats the dinky one we kept taking the kids too!
Later that day we discovered the elementary school playground behind our house. I guess its good to explore. Beats the dinky one we kept taking the kids too! Monday, April 20, 2009
KTT: Crispy Ranch Chicken - and Ziploc Bags
#3 I really love breaded chicken and pork chops fried in flour, but always dreaded the dipping part...first in the eggs then the crumbs. My bowls never seem to be right to 'coat evenly'. So I started using Ziploc bags...the off brands anyway (I've also used bread bags to cut more costs). If the recipe, like the one below, calls for eggs I'd put the eggs in a gallon sized bag, close it, then smash the bag all up to beat them. Open the bag and put in the raw chicken and shake it all up. In another bag, put the crumbs in (i.e. crushed saltines, Ritz, cornflakes or breadcrumbs) and add the eggy chicken from the last bag. Shake it all up and your chicken is evenly coated! Discard the bags for easy clean-up! Below is a great recipe that I've had floating around for a few years but recently tried (kids loved it). It probably took so long because the cereal got eaten before I got a chance to cook this :-) Enjoy!
Crispy Ranch Chicken
Prep time 10mins
Bake 20-30mins
2 Cups crispy rice chicken
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 envelope (1 oz.) ranch salad dressing mix
2 egg whites beaten
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 5 oz. each)
You can use individually frozen chicken breast, which means you have to cook longer!
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the rice cereal, Parmesan and ranch salad dressing mix in a large bowl. (or bag!!)
2. Place beaten egg whites in a medium bowl. (or bag!!) Dip each chicken thigh in the egg whites and then in the cereal mixture to coat evenly.
3. Arrange the coated chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden and juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife, 20-30 minutes. Serve hot.
I like to dab on a little butter before cooking:
Crispy Ranch Chicken
Prep time 10mins
Bake 20-30mins
2 Cups crispy rice chicken
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 envelope (1 oz.) ranch salad dressing mix
2 egg whites beaten
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 5 oz. each)
You can use individually frozen chicken breast, which means you have to cook longer!
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the rice cereal, Parmesan and ranch salad dressing mix in a large bowl. (or bag!!)
2. Place beaten egg whites in a medium bowl. (or bag!!) Dip each chicken thigh in the egg whites and then in the cereal mixture to coat evenly.
3. Arrange the coated chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden and juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife, 20-30 minutes. Serve hot.
I like to dab on a little butter before cooking:
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Easter and Our First Visitors
We had a great Easter. We started off by dying eggs during FHE. This was sadly the first time we've done this since Trouble was born. At first Travis thought it would be a good idea to blow out the insides of the egg, then dye them so they'd be good for Easter. But the first thing Dynomite did was break them. So we just decided to do hard boiled eggs. I made them strip, so they didn't get dye on their clothes. They were very proud of their creations.
On Saturday who should show up at our doorstep? Mr. Pat, Ms. Kelly and Raina!! Pat and Kelly spent a fabulous week in Jamaica. They were driving back to ND from NY (where they left Raina with Gramma Donna and flew to and from Jamaica) when they stopped by and saw us for Easter. Come to think of it, we've probably spent the majority of the holidays together in Minot (with our without our husbands!!). So it was so great to have them! Actually they arrived about dinner time when Trouble and I were in the store. While at the store I thought about how Kelly always had or brought us brownies for dessert. So I bought few boxes. Well, after dinner she goes out to her car and comes in a tray full of brownies!! :-) She's always thinking of us! For Easter they brought plastic eggs filled with puzzle pieces. Trouble had camo eggs and Dynomite had pastel eggs. They went and hid them in our yard. So after they found all the eggs we put the puzzles together. Trouble thought that that was so neat that he slept with his puzzle that night. (He sleeps with his favorite toys!)
Sunday Morning we had breakfast and the kids found their baskets...Thank you Yaya and Papa for all the great treats, clothes, and toys. We went to church in all our Easter outfits. Don't you love Raina's rosy checks!
In order of age:
Just the way we like them:
We sabotaged Pat and Kelly's efforts to get an early start home by promising them a good Easter Dinner. We had the traditional ham with all the fixing and Kelly made us some candied carrots which I will be adding to the meal repertoire from now on. I made a Easter Egg Nest torte. It was a bit rich, but yummy!
It was a great trip! It was so nice to have Pat and Kelly stop by even though it was a little out of their way. We are grateful to have such great friends!
On Saturday who should show up at our doorstep? Mr. Pat, Ms. Kelly and Raina!! Pat and Kelly spent a fabulous week in Jamaica. They were driving back to ND from NY (where they left Raina with Gramma Donna and flew to and from Jamaica) when they stopped by and saw us for Easter. Come to think of it, we've probably spent the majority of the holidays together in Minot (with our without our husbands!!). So it was so great to have them! Actually they arrived about dinner time when Trouble and I were in the store. While at the store I thought about how Kelly always had or brought us brownies for dessert. So I bought few boxes. Well, after dinner she goes out to her car and comes in a tray full of brownies!! :-) She's always thinking of us! For Easter they brought plastic eggs filled with puzzle pieces. Trouble had camo eggs and Dynomite had pastel eggs. They went and hid them in our yard. So after they found all the eggs we put the puzzles together. Trouble thought that that was so neat that he slept with his puzzle that night. (He sleeps with his favorite toys!)Sunday Morning we had breakfast and the kids found their baskets...Thank you Yaya and Papa for all the great treats, clothes, and toys. We went to church in all our Easter outfits. Don't you love Raina's rosy checks!In order of age:Just the way we like them:
We sabotaged Pat and Kelly's efforts to get an early start home by promising them a good Easter Dinner. We had the traditional ham with all the fixing and Kelly made us some candied carrots which I will be adding to the meal repertoire from now on. I made a Easter Egg Nest torte. It was a bit rich, but yummy!
It was a great trip! It was so nice to have Pat and Kelly stop by even though it was a little out of their way. We are grateful to have such great friends! Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Kitchen Tip Tuesday
#2 I buy onions in bulk then chop them all up. I put 1/4 cup in Ziploc snack bags and put them in the freezer. So if a recipe calls for onions I have them already to go. From freezer to frying pan to soups to crock pot meals to casserole dishes to whatever. I also do the same with red, green and yellow peppers. It cuts down on prep time and too many episodes of crying :-)
So what do I use to chop? My absolutely favorite things...drum roll please....
Vidalia Chop Wizard. I love this thing!! Its great for chopping up food for little mouths. I do carrots and potatoes for stews, apples and pears for fruit salad, cooked chicken breasts for casseroles and so much more. Its easy to use and just tip it up and you have measurements. Then it comes with a comb to clean the lid. All dishwasher safe. It has really cut down on my prep time.
So what do I use to chop? My absolutely favorite things...drum roll please....
Vidalia Chop Wizard. I love this thing!! Its great for chopping up food for little mouths. I do carrots and potatoes for stews, apples and pears for fruit salad, cooked chicken breasts for casseroles and so much more. Its easy to use and just tip it up and you have measurements. Then it comes with a comb to clean the lid. All dishwasher safe. It has really cut down on my prep time.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Pictures of Kiddos!
We had these done at Sears before we left. The kids cooperated amazingly well. We, however, were very tired, therefore there isn't a family portrait. We, including my mom who was in town for visit, pulled an all nighter getting the house ready for the Realtors to come by. She cleaned while we worked. We couldn't have gotten the house ready without her! She worked really hard while we tried to keep our sanity.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Kitchen Tips Tuesday
I've decided to try something new: Kitchen Tips Tuesday (Like Nikki's Works For Me Wednesdays). I receive a lot of good advice regarding the kitchen that I'd like to share with you. I do enjoy cooking and baking (it brings me back to my chem lab days in college). So I will be passing on to you what I learn, either from others or by experimentation, on Tuesday. If you have an idea you'd like posted, credit given to you of course, just e-mail me at TubbsTribune@live.com. Stay tuned!!
Today's Kitchen Tip:
#1 I don't mind working with raw meat, but it seems as soon as I start a meal either a child desperately needs something at that exact moment or the phone rings or the husband is running out the door but can't find his keys. In order to quickly be at every one's beckoning call, I wear plastic disposable gloves. I keep a box in the kitchen. So I can just whip off the gloves in a moments notice and toss them. I also use them anytime I find it faster to mix with my hands then a spoon like meatloaf, salads, and some cookie doughs.
Blessed in OH
We've met so many nice people here! For example: We went out to eat at a place called the "Waffle House". Its like the old time diners. The waitresses even had funny names for the food that she would call back to the cooks. All the regulars were out for their Thursday morning waffles. The kids were very well behaved so a good time was had by all. When Travis went to pay the waitress told us that our meal was paid for by the gentleman who just left!! How cool is that!
