FullOfStitches.com blog.A good laugh leaves me in stitches!

I based dinner on Rachel Ray’s Mashed Potato Soup (http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/mashed-potato-soup/) tonight. I’m sure it’s not as creamy as hers (I have smashed garlic “Skinny Potatoes,” along the lines of the Swanson site’s recipe), but it’s tasty. I didn’t dump the bacon grease and skipped the butter. The cheese is the only milk in tonight’s dinner, unless they used some butter on their rolls.
Here’s a glance at the Little Guy’s meal:

What a lovely Thanksgiving!

Our families are out of town, and the closest set of grandparents were unable to have us over this year. We were hoping to host and have them over, but the drive will be too much this year (hoping she heals well). So, we invited friends who also have no local family.

Monday, I was up early and did most of the shopping.
Tuesday, Ben had the car.
Wednesday, I did a quick trip for the last few items and took the children to piano class. I figured that I could get to the mall, pick up some dishes, and be back in two hours. The drive was great, I parked really close, I found the dishes we liked (yes, I was SMSing pictures to Ben to be sure), then I got in line. I think I moved 10 feet in 30 minutes. And I waited till the last minute, and my phone died. Then, I set my boxes on the closest shelf and left. We were 10 minutes late from the traffic on the way back.. And then I was reminded we had scheduled 90 minutes, not two hours. So, I was 40 minutes late picking up the older two.

From lessons, we picked up Ben. Earlier, we had discussed going to pick up flatware he liked at a store nearer work, so we headed there. We didn’t find enough of the one he liked best (brushed steel, for the matte finish), but they had a similar one in regular stainless (polished look) that he liked. From there, we went to the mall. Again.

I got in line and pointed out where I’d left the plates. Ben brought them over and then took the children to eat while I waited in line. By the time they finished and were back, I was third in line!

I had been hoping to do the prep work on Wednesday, but all we got done at home was to brine the bird and wash the dishes.

Thursday was actually calm and fun. Ben was up before I was. He was a huge help with prep work, moving tables, chairs, children. He practically took over the kitchen.

We used the Alton Brown recipe (Food Network), starting the bird at 500F, and cooking at 350F, but we cooked it breast-down. After the bird was in, I started the rolls, prepped the stuffing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, all those lovelies. We made our candied yams with orange slices. So good. So, so good. All but the stuffing were dairy-free, one of our friends is allergic to milk. The potatoes were of the Gold variety, boiled in water, then mixed with roasted garlic, chicken stock, olive oil and some salt. I really liked them.

The children enjoyed a big meal and lots of gaming time. Mr and Mrs S- taught us a card game: Shanghai. They brought dessert and Mr C- brought the drinks.

All in all, a day of blessings to end another year to thank our Good Lord for so much that we don’t deserve.

LX wanted some Mommy-Time, so I stuck him in his apron & he helped me make bread. He stirred & splashed & sprayed flour all over. We made a soaker $ “biga” to mix together tomorrow for tomorrow’s bread, then we mixed a loaf of bread for today & set it to rise. The butter is frozen, so we’ll have to let it thaw before we bake cookies. I was thinking of making PB&J cookies – mmm!!

Cooking up some lunch for the children and myself. I put on some rice and saw I had some chicken thighs that needed cooking. I drafted MissA to wash & peel the rest of the sweet potatoes. While she finished, I gathered a few leaves of sage & Rosemary & chopped them up. Those & a sprinkling of chopped onion went into the frying pan with some butter.

Apparently, the photos aren’t working still!!!

I think the picture speaks for itself. Pea Puree Lasagnette from Poor Girl Gourmet is a winner. We made the noodles from scratch, so it did take that extra 1/2 hour (~15 to mix & knead, then the time to roll the noodles out). Oh, & I did add an extra layer of noodles. Beyond that, the recipe itself went together quickly.

The bacon & butter won over my picky 3 year old and she ate her whole piece. TJ gave it rave reviews & asked for more tomorrow. The older girls ate theirs without fuss. LX was the only one to abstain & that’s because he’s not to the age to appreciate gooey fillings yet (he’s a finger food man). Definitely a recipe to make again!

Remember that fantastic bounty my little garden gave me? I plucked some red chard (front, right) and pan fried it with a little onion, then tossed it with pasta, Parmesan & a little EVOO. Yum!
On the side are the neighbor’s lemon cucumbers. They were soaked in oil & vinegar, then egged & breaded, & pan-fried. I’ve never been a fan of cucumber, but these I enjoyed. TJ likes the seeds!

I made dough. Wonderful, fabulous, cheesy dough. I’d purchased Baby and Toddler Meal Planner by Annabel Karmel at a local shop whilst living in UK. I haven’t made this recipe since then! She calls for Gruyère or cheddar, -I normally have cheddar- but I substituted Swiss & Parmesan. So stinking good.

Yesterday, I asked Ben if he’d like to bicycle to the county park with me.

Today, we took a ride! (yes, I’m having helmet issues; apparently if you fit one to your head, then the helmet doesn’t later fit over pigtails) We rode up to the county park (2.5 miles). When we arrived, we strapped the baby’s helmet up so he wouldn’t be asphyxiated while sleep-riding, then Ben wanted to explore along the trail (which goes all the way from downtown along the river to the next city outside the valley) and complete our ride home on surface streets.

We rode a modest 2.9 miles to the lot we normally park for walking the trail. The trail was nice, we’d actually walked most of it not knowing the park was just that extra bit further. We refilled the water bottle at the trail head & took to the streets. The last 3.7 miles went well, and the baby was stirring, so we stopped for ice cream on the way home.

When we got home, I made Mega Cheesyburgers (from Saving Dinner) again, with Lebanese Carrot Sticks (the New Preserves book). Satisfying!

Took a peek in the garden.. It’s a mess!

See that lovely chard? And the Romaine lettuce is getting too big!

A lovely mess that needs weeding!

The basil & parsley are huge. I’ve got to get the basil processed before I lose it to the winter chill.. Of course, it was mid to high 90s this weekend, so I’ve got a couple days.

See this lovely? I’d forgotten I planted it. When it came up I was a little lost. I thought at first it was summer squash, which didn’t make as much sense with the planting time. Then I saw these lovelies:

That jarred the old memory a bit: butternut squash.

Now, I’ve got to decide what goes in the patch where the potatoes were.

Since I’ve been off my feet, I’ve been an insomniac & just fatigued all day. My foot is finally feeling better. The bump near my toe joint (?) went down a day or two ago & I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for a while. It’s been years since I made pasta!

Yes, I do prep work with the Little Guy on my back. He loves watching the mixer do its deed & has a much better view up there than on a chair where his fingers are at risk. This also happens to be the best way to get a tired baby to sleep when all needs are satisfied. I’m holding him. He’s content, safe, in the conversation, and capable of seeing what’s going on. After all, if I ignore him, I’m just a hair tug away! & I hate hair pulling!

So, pasta! The recipe is a basic egg pasta recipe, so perhaps the length of kneading time helps it more, or that substitutes not using the crank at the end. It does call for flavorings in the pasta, which most don’t. I don’t have the Italian pasta flour, so I’m trying this with cake flour (big no no? I don’t know). If this doesn’t go well, I’ll give it a go with all-purpose. I like whole wheat, but figured that I need to learn the “art” before I get too crafty. Maybe I’ll pull out the old pasta book I have & make green spinach pasta..

The girls are “doing teamwork” to work the dough. The dough seemed a bit dry, but with a good pressing, it’s come together nicely. TJ put a stockpot of water on to boil & we’ll be enjoying our “House-Made Pasta” in no time!

Delicious!