My Little Hurricane, Soon to Combine for "The Perfect Storm"

I have my own little hurricane and I don't even need a weather forecaster to tell me when she is coming (he would be wrong half the time anyway). She is here everyday, her level of destruction differs on any given day. This particular day she was at level 5. I took a few pictures, and from them you can guess what else she did to my front room, basement, book cases, putting her own artwork on the wall, and pulling clothes out of her drawers and those of her siblings. I love my little hurricane, but hope she tames down into a mild tropical storm sometime soon.
By the time she calms down I will have another hurricane destroying everything. I have a feeling they will combine forces to become "The Perfect Storm". Oh well, this is temporary, right? I disagree when I see my 9 year old's closet. Someday the chaos will subside, but then what will I do? (At least she didn't start pulling trash out of the trash can for this picture).

Fundraising

The picture pretty much sums up what I think about fund raisers. And it shows what happens to almost all fundraisers that cross into the Nelson house. My kids are always bummed not to get the prizes that entice them to sell this junk. But they get over it.

Now, there are some that I don't mind doing, like buying hoagies (or subs) or the occasional spaghetti dinner, where I actually get something that I want. It is the $15 cookie dough, $30 cheesecake, and $10 roll of gift wrap that I refuse to let my kids sell (they usually only get about 20% of the profit anyway, I would much rather make a donation).

My 9 year old plays baseball and one night at practice the president of the league came to make a presentation to the kids about the fundraiser. My sons eyes lit up as the man talked about the prizes he could earn, a ticket to the Reading Phillies (minor league, but none the less fun to watch), if he sold 10 items. The least expensive of these items was about $15. So, if he sells $150 worth of stuff, cons 10 people into buying this stuff, he gets a $10 ticket to the game. He went on to inspire my son that if he sold another 10 items he could make $10 to spend at the game. (My son LOVES to hear about fast ways to earn money that don't require a bunch of work). By the end of the meeting he was thinking that Dad and I were going to buy 20 items and he would cash in on us. He also didn't realize that every kid in our town has been sent home with the same info, therefore any neighbors we have are out.

Hmmmm. How about I save us a bunch of time and we spend $20 for a tickets for you and Dad to go to the game instead. He was happy with that, although disappointed that he will not be able to make any money. He is planning on doing a lemonade stand this summer. Where we live is VERY rural, and I think he may learn that making money takes a lot of time sometimes. It will be a good lesson.

Andrea's Peanut Butter Dip

My friend, Andrea, gave me a great idea for a snack. I did a "deceptively delicious" add-in, and my kids could not tell the difference (I have a serious problem, and feel compelled to add in veggies whenever possible). I could just eat this by the spoonful without the apples or celery, but it is really good with them too. Craisins or dried cherries might also go well in this. I'll have to experiment.

Ingredients:

1 cup Peanut Butter (I prefer the "natural" and crunchy kind without added oil, etc)

1/2 cup carrot, sweet potato, or pumpkin puree

1/4 to 1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup chocolate chips (I probably added more)

Apples (sliced)

Celery (sliced)

Mix all ingredients except apples and celery. Dip apples and celery in PB mixture. Very, very good.

Avacodo, tomato, and black bean salad

I have been craving salad lately, so here is another creation.

Ingredients:
1 avocado, diced
4 tomatoes, sliced
1 can of seasoned black beans
Salad (I used 1/2 a head of romaine and 1/2 a bag of spinach)

Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup vinegar
1 to 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
2 Tablespoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt (I think I will add more next time)
1 teaspoon of lime juice (optional)
sprinkle of pepper

Cut up avocado and tomatoes, mix with beans. Combine all dressing ingredients and shake, whisk, or mix in a blender. Dump dressing on veggies and beans, stir and let it sit for a few minutes. Add veggies and beans to salad, mix well. Enjoy. This is good sprinkled with chips and cheese too. I think next time I make the dressing I will add some paprika or a pinch of cayenne pepper, for a little kick.

Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon

My sister, Kelly, made these on the grill when we went to the shore last summer. They make a great appetizer, but I can eat them as a complete meal. I made them and had some left over and put them in an omelet the next day for breakfast. Very good. A like to drizzle mine with some brown mustard and top them with tomatoes.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of asparagus
1 lb. of bacon
toothpicks
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and pepper
Cookie sheet with sides

Preheat oven to 450. Wash asparagus and snap off bottoms that are hard and "woody". Decide how many asparagus you can use with the amount of bacon you have. (I wrapped 3 to 4 pieces of asparagus in 1 slice of bacon) Secure with a toothpick. Brush pan with olive oil and place the asparagus wrapped in bacon on the pan and brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, turning once during that time. It is done when the bacon looks done.

Chocolate Chips, you have been my friend, and will be with me FOREVER .

The last year of my life has been a bit of a stress, I am wondering if it ever won't be stressful. Probably when I am in a coma or dead, the stress will end. So, I guess it is a good thing to have the stress, it means I am still kickin'. Through this time, of a huge pay cut, finding a new job, selling a house, moving half way across the country, pregnancy #6, and trying to buy another house, I have had many friends who have helped along the way. But, there is one friend who is there waiting for me whenever I am in need. It is my bag of Nestle chocolate chips. (Sorry for all who work at Hershey or who are loyal because we are so close, I prefer Nestle). I call this friend Nessie. She was there for me when my husband got his pay cut and all throughout our move. She was there for me when I found out I was pregnant with baby #6. She was there for me, waiting for me to munch, in the cabinet when my son's friend told me my house was a mess (yes, that really happened, sad thing was I had just cleaned up a bit). She will probably be with me forever, on my hips, under my chin, on my cheeks, and around my belly. I will have a constant reminder of what a good friend Nessie has been to me. My other friends have been there as well to listen and make me laugh. But my chocolate chips are there, hidden in the cupboard, freezer, and fridge waiting for whenever I am in need.

Triple Chocolate Overload Pie

This recipe is so easy, it just takes a little bit of time because you have to let the chocolate yummy stuff cool a bit. There are 3 parts to this: the chocolate crust (I just bought mine, found them 4 for $1.99), the chocolate mousse, and the chocolate filling and topping. Make sure you send all children and spouse outside if you don't want to share the spoons, whisk, saucepans and bowl used in this. I always have all of the ingredients in my house (except the crust) so this is really tempting not to make every week. I have added in my pureed veggies to this and the kids have not known the difference. I have added avocado and carrots (no, seriously, I have, sounds gross, but it puts some vitamins into it then) This is an awesome dessert to bring to a choco-holic friend. I made this for a dessert auction and it went for $40. Hope they enjoyed it.

Ingredients:
A pie shell, oreo cookie for the triple choc., or a regular one is fine too. I have also made it using the brownie recipe I posted awhile ago. Bake the brownies and then push them down in the pan so that they are thinner.

Mousse:

1 12 oz. package of chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs

1 Container of Cool whip, or 2 cups of Whipping cream (whip it and add about 2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar, or regular sugar if you are out of PS.)

In a saucepan melt choc chips with butter and milk. Whisk in eggs one at a time. Cook over med to med-hi heat, whisking constantly so it doesn't burn. It will take about 5 minutes and mixture will thicken noticeably (it starts to look more like brownie mix). Let cool for about an hour. Whip cream in mixing bowl or put cool whip in mixing bowl. Add chocolate mixture and whip until well blended.

Chocolate Layer and Topping:

1 cup chocolate chips

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons milk

Melt ingredients together in a saucepan. Let cool.

To assemble pie: Put half of the mousse in pie shell. Spread with half of the chocolate filling. Put the rest of the mousse on top. Spread the rest of chocolate topping over it. You could also add Oreos, Andes candies, Hershey Kisses. I had some strawberries, so that is what is topping my pie. Put in the fridge and remove about 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

You can also make this without the pie shell and just serve it in bowls.