6 Months Old: 11/26/11

 Our sweet baby girl turned a half-year old over the Thanksgiving weekend! We have a healthy baby who brings us peace, joy, and a little bit of 'tude every day; and for that, I am so thankful!

Yumminess for the Week.

Hey, everyone!  I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving. Anyone have any recipes they tried and want to share?? Hit me up!  Otherwise, here is a look at our upcoming week:

Monday: Reubens
We are finally getting to that leftover corned beef from Thursday...

Tuesday: Spinach & Mushroom Quiche w/Hash Brown Crust
This is supposed to be the "lighter" version of a pastry-crust quiche, but tastes "un-light!"

Wednesday: Low-Fat Taco Salad w/Chunky Avocado-Tomato Salsa
The seasoning on this sounds amazing! Now if only avocados were cheaper...

Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner!
I am going to use some leftover pumpkin for pumpkin pancakes. We did this over Thanksgiving and I am totally hooked! Just mix leftover canned pure pumpkin with pancake mix recipe & pumpkin pie spice.

Friday: Chicken Salad Panini
I omit the bacon, but I'm sure it'd be good with it.

Saturday: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Yep, skipped it last week.  So easy, though!

Sunday: Mediterranean-Style Tuna Sandwiches
This is a tuna sandwich without the mayo. I use a little olive oil instead and dress it up more with chopped tomatoes & basil.  I throw some shredded mozzarella & parmesan in with it so that when I put it in the toaster oven or on the skillet, it adds a bit of melty goodness!

So Much to be Thankful For.

We hosted the Bruck family this past weekend for Thanksgiving and had a fabulous time!  The Brucks arrived in KC late Wednesday night and helped prepare a fantastic feast the next day. While dishes were simmering and baking away, James took the older kids to the park.  We enjoyed dinner out the next day, and Maggie & the boys went to the Mayor's Tree Lighting while Erica, Felicia, and I went shopping! We found a great dress for Erica to wear to the symphony the following night.  

Erica and Adam stayed home with Felicia on Friday night so that James and I could enjoy a date night at La Bodega.  We exchanged babysitting services by hanging out with their kids Saturday while they enjoyed dinner at Pierpont's Restaurant and music with the KC Symphony.

   Maggie helped make Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!    

        Drew was a great breakfast chef!

 Adam made apple pie from scratch! Yummy!

The chefs of the famous Pumpkin Whoopie Pies! 

                                      Enjoying our Thanksgiving feast!                                        

 Thanksgiving Centerpiece!

   Mulick Tradition: Guinness Corned Beef!

 

The breakfast chefs are at it again, using leftover pumpkin & apples to make pancakes!

 

 We treated ourselves to a delicious lunch at Romano's Macaroni Grill the next day.

 Great Bruck family shot!

 Boy, was Felicia pooped after all the excitement!

Yumminess for the Week.

Okay, I don't know how many people follow this 'yumminess" column, but for the few of you who do, sorry for the missing recipe post last Monday. I am making it up to you by sharing an ahhhmazing recipe.

Please do not ask me what the green and red things are, because I do not know. Would've loved it if the recipe's author had shared.  I did follow his substitutions, though.

Onto more yumminess for the upcoming week:

Monday: Crisp & Creamy Baked Chicken

I omit the rice and have veggies on the side.  I also sub in cream of mushroom or cream of potato soup for the cream of celery.
Tuesday: Basil Risotto & Herbed Mushrooms

Wednesday: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

If interested, shoot me a comment or e-mail & I'll type out the recipe for you.

Thursday: Thanksgiving with the Brucks

Friday: Date Night w/Hubby!

Saturday: Order pizza in! 

We are watching our niece & nephew while their parents (AKA my sister and brother-in-law) go out to the symphony.

Sunday: Reuben Sandwiches

If you read my previous blog(s), you may have read that our Thanksgiving tradition is to make Guinness Corned Beef instead of turkey. Here is where the leftovers go!! :)

Thanksgiving in KC (Try these recipes!!)

Thanksgiving and Christmas often run a close race in being my favorite holiday.  James and I have some pretty awesome traditions we began together when we moved to KC and now look forward to sharing them with Felicia.We've also had the pleasure of hosting the Brucks (my sister, brother-in-law, niece & nephew) for the past three years or so. They'll once again be traveling to stay with us next week. I'm so excited!  Some of our traditions for this lovely holiday include:

• Instead of turkey, we make Guinness Corned Beef. We, as always, use the low-setting on the slow cooker.
• We put up the Christmas tree and hang a garland with our Christmas stockings over the mantle while listening to Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts Christmas classics and Mannheim "mf'in" Steamroller.
• We will go watch the Plaza lighting if it is a decent night out. 
• We watch Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special (I'm a nostalgic nut, yes) and then a late-night viewing of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Here is a common menu for our Thanksgiving:

• Guinness Corned Beef (link above)
• Ciabatta Stuffing (I omit chestnuts in favor of mushrooms and omit pancetta in favor of thick-cut bacon.) My nephew actually requested this again for this year, so I know it is yummy.
• Butter and Dill New Potatoes (Slice, fry, and season!)
• Vegetable Side Dish (varies, but we decided on Erica's famed Creamed Spinach this year)
• Crescent Rolls (I may try these this year.)
• Pumpkin Dessert! My go-to this year? HOLY CRAP, MAKE THESE!

Coy as Can Be

I think Felicia has the coy thing down, don't you??

Yumminess for the Week.

We are headed to the fantastic town of Chicago, so it is a short yumminess-sharing this week. Anyone have any super-fabulous recommendations of where to eat in Chicago? We'll be in the downtown area on Friday and would love suggestions.

If you like onions (cooked, of course-I hate raw), YOU NEED to try tonight's soup. Holy Guacamole, it's flavorful.  If you're interested in the Wednesday menu, hit me up for the recipe and I'll type it out and send it to you.

Monday: French Onion Soup

(I replace the sherry with a yummy red wine and add broth to preference. I like a thick soup. I also like to add mushrooms. I use Italian bread or English muffin halves.)

Tuesday: Cobb Salad

Wednesday: Crispy Tilapia w/Fresh Spinach Salad

Thursday: Chicago

Friday: Chicago

Saturday: Chicago

Sunday: Chicago

Pinterested?

When I was teaching, I was forever on the hunt for ideas that I could a) innovate upon or b)borrow. 

This was a year-round activity, but I have to say (admit) that this activity was a favorite of mine to do in the summer, merely weeks (sometimes days) after school had ended.  As an educator, I took pride in the fact that I always wanted to keep things fresh, updated, and creative.  I had seen how other teachers got into ruts with lesson plans and even classroom decor.  Now, I know, some people are afraid of change. However, I am not and believe that education is not the place for people who are afraid of change.

 Off my soap box. Anyway, I was forever bookmarking websites of other classroom teachers that had super ideas and files to share with other educators.  Bookmarking became kind of a pain in the butt.  Then, while reading a recent issue of InStyle, I found an article about a website called Pinterest.  It is a 'virtual pinboard' that 'lets you organize and share' all the things you love with your friends or 'followers'.  It is a place to share not just ideas, but maybe products you love and want to share with others. Maybe you like to cook and want to share fabulous recipes with your friends. Maybe you are on a mission to cozy up your home with new decor ideas and want to remember the cool ideas you've found online. Or, just share with others about the great book you just finished reading.

  So, anytime you find a cool idea or product online, you 'pin it' into your self-created categories.  Seeing as I love finding teaching ideas, one of the boards I created is for specifically that. Yes, the teaching is on hiatus right now, but that is merely temporary. When I go back, I am going to be armed with great ideas that I have "pinned" for later use. I plan on making a "wine board" soon so that I remember all the great wines I need to keep stocked in the house.

Warning: Could become a time suck.  Not quite on Facebook level, but watch out.