Month: June 2019

Watermelon First Birthday Party

Dear Sis,

I was super fun planning and preparing a party for Evelyn! She looked adorable in her watermelon dress with her hair braided:)

Her Mama looked lovely too! One would never guess she is expecting Evelyn’s new sister or brother this coming winter:)

Menu

Ice Water & Pink Lemonade

Meatball Hoagies & Chili Dogs

Minted Cucumber Finger Sandwiches with Red Grapes

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels with Carrots, Celery, & Ranch Dip

Potato Salad, Deviled Eggs, & Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Fruit Pizza & Watermelon Rice Krispy Treats

Watermelon Slices

Watermelon Cupcakes & Fondant Toppers

Ice Cream Cones

Love,

b

 

Gone Fishing

Dear Sis,

Papa Jeff gave William his fishing pole in the morning and told him to practice, so he could go fishing in the pond after dinner. A determined William practiced a dozen times or more for a minimum of five minutes each time. What a determined 2.5 year old!!! When he wasn’t casting and reeling the fish weight back in, he was driving it around.

After dinner, we applied plenty of bug spray and put William in his puddle jumper just incase he fell into the pond while fishing.

He a Papa Jeff stayed out until dusk. Papa Jeff caught the first fish. Then, William caught three fish… a bass, a bluegill, and a sunfish. 

Thanks Papa Jeff for a wonderful first fishing experience!

Love,

b

 

 

Watermelon Cupcake Toppers

Dear Sis,

Instead of buying fondant in three colors, I bought a box of white fondant and colored it with Wilton coloring paste. I also needed a black edible food marker and  cookie cutter set, with 2.75, 2.4, and 2.25 inch circles, to form each layer.

  1. Knead green food paste into white fondant. Roll as thin as possible and cut with 2.75 inch cookie cutter.
  2. Roll white fondant as thin as possible and cut with 2.5 inch cookie cutter. Add a few dabs of water to the back of the white fondant and center it on green fondant.
  3. Knead red food paste into white fondant. Roll as thin as possible and cut with 2.25 inch cookie cutter. Add a few dabs of water to the back of the pink fondant and center it on the white fondant.
  4. Cut into quarters while still fondant is still soft.
  5. Stand until surface is dry enough to accept edible food marker.
  6. Draw on seeds. Air dry until ready to use.

Love,

b

Easy Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Dear Sis,

I haven’t made this in years. My blueberry loving toddler enjoyed it very much:)

Easy Blueberry Breakfast Cake
Serves 12
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Ingredients
  1. 1 c butter, melted
  2. 1 1/3 c whole milk
  3. 1 c granulated sugar
  4. 1 t vanilla extract
  5. 3 c baking mix
  6. 1 (16 oz pkg.) frozen blueberries
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking sheet. Set aside.
  2. Beat together butter, milk, sugar, and vanilla.
  3. Stir in baking mix until smooth.
  4. Fold in frozen berries. Pour into prepared pan.
  5. Bake 40-45 minutes until lightly browned.
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Love,

b

Dayton Airshow

Dear Sis,

Today Josh took us to the Dayton Airshow. William has been looking forward to it for days! He is very enthusiastic about all things airplane. He is already certain he will fry airplanes when he is big. In all likelihood, he will have a pilots license before a drivers license:)

William got his face painted for the first time. He picked out a ladybug all by himself:)

The children’s tent was amazing. There were to large sandboxes, tables around with crafts and legos, both standard, and larger for smaller kids, little tyke kitchens and play sets, and an area with a bunch of balls and sports equipment. Josh and I took turns watching the show and hanging out with William in the play tent.

On the way home we stopped at Olive Garden for dinner. Then we went to Lowes, to look at patio furniture. We ended up buying a set. I’m very excited about outdoor meals and a comfy shady place to watch William playing in the backyard:)

We got home around dusk. Just in time to catch some lightning bugs before bed!

Love,

b

Chicken Burritos to Freeze

Dear Sis,

Today I started the day bright and early. I originally planned to try a new recipe for Chicken Burritos to Freeze, but forgot I needed chili in the recipe. Chili I was supposed to make before the Burritos. To self-correct, I ended up making 4 pans of Chicken Burritos and 4 batches of Chili to Freeze. It was a much longer duration on my feet than I had anticipated, but I got the job done. 

When making Chili, I realized that my recipe has evolved since I posted it a few years back, so I thought I’d take the time to repost it.

Brandy's Chili
Serves 8
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Ingredients
  1. 1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
  2. 1 onion, chopped
  3. 1 T minced garlic
  4. 1 (24 oz jar) tomato sauce
  5. 2 (15 oz cans) kidney beans, rinsed
  6. 1 (14.5 oz can) diced tomatoes
  7. 1 T chili powder
  8. 1 T cumin
  9. 1 t oregano
  10. 1 t pepper
Instructions
  1. In a large stock pot, brown beef with onion and garlic. Drain grease if needed.
  2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 1 hour.
Slow Cooked Option
  1. 4-6 hours on Low
Adapted from Chili Stew
Adapted from Chili Stew
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Brandy's Chili to Freeze
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Ingredients
  1. 4 (1 gal) freezer bags, labeled
  2. 6 lb. lean ground beef
  3. 4 onions, chopped
  4. 4 T minced garlic
  5. 4 (24 oz jars) tomato sauce
  6. 8 (15 oz cans) kidney beans, rinsed
  7. 4 (14.5 oz cans) diced tomatoes
  8. 4 T chili powder
  9. 4 T cumin
  10. 4 t oregano
  11. 4 t pepper
Instructions
  1. Brown beef 1 1/2 lb. at a time with 1 onion and 1 T minced garlic. Drain if needed. Cool a bit before placing in a freezer bag. Repeat 3 more times, with remaining ingredients.
  2. Add 1 jar sauce, 2 cans beans, 1 can tomatoes, 1 T chili powder, 1 T cumin, 1 t oregano, and 1 t pepper to each bag. Seal.
To prepare freezer meal
  1. Thaw completely in fridge. Simmer 1 hour on the stove top or slow cook for 4-6 hours on low.
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Once my 2 c of chili was ready, I was able to finish the burritos I’d started a few hours before:)

Chicken Burritos to Freeze
Yields 28
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Ingredients
  1. 4 square foil pans
  2. 6 T unsalted butter
  3. 1 onion, chopped
  4. 1/2 green pepper, chopped
  5. 1/2 c unbleached flour
  6. 3 c chicken stock
  7. 1 (10 oz can) tomatoes & green chilies, undrained
  8. 1 t chili powder
  9. 1 t cumin
  10. 1/2 t garlic powder
  11. 1/2 t salt
  12. 1/2 jalapeno pepper, chopped
  13. 2 c chili with beans
  14. 1 (8 oz pkg.) cream cheese
  15. 2 rotisserie chickens, deboned and shredded
  16. 28 uncooked flour tortillas
  17. 6 c Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
  1. In a stock pot, melt butter. Sauté onion and green pepper. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in broth. Simmer. Stir in can tomatoes and chillies, seasoning, and jalapeño. Cube cream cheese and stir in until melted and smooth. Stir in chicken.
  2. Cook tortillas according to package instructions and keep warm.
  3. Place a scant 1/2 c of filling and a scant 1/4 c of shredded cheese in each tortilla. Roll up and place in greased pans. Each pan holds 6 across and then one burrito along the bottom edge.
Adapted from Taste of Home
Adapted from Taste of Home
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Love,

b

Picnic in the Park

Dear Sis,

Tonight our community had a concert in the park. Despite ominous traitorous storm weather, we grabbed take out, and headed to the park. Carter and family were there too. So, William was more interested in playing than eating. Until Carter and family left to go have dinner themselves.

William had corn on the cob for the first time:)

Love,

b

Roast Beef Sandwich Loaf

Dear Sis,

We tried the French Dip Bread recipe you recommended yesterday during our final playdate, before Mama Jenn has Carter’s new little brother. We were so busy enjoying our company that I forgot to take a picture. However, the leftover  reheat well at breakfast time:)

Roast Beef Sandwich Loaf
Serves 6
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Ingredients
  1. 4 T salted butter
  2. 1 onion, halved and sliced
  3. 1 t thyme
  4. 1 fresh baked loaf Italian Bread
  5. 3/4 lb. roast beef slices
  6. 10 slices provolone, halved
  7. garlic powder
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375. In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Sauté onion and thyme until caramelized.
  2. Slice bread in 1/2 inch slices, taking care not to slice all the way through. Fold a slice of roast beef and place it between two half slices of provolone. Place a cheese and meat portion between every other slice. Place a spoonful of caramelized onion in each sandwich.
  3. Brush sandwich loaf with remaining melted butter. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Wrap in foil and bake 15 minutes.
Adapted from Delish
Adapted from Delish
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We didn’t use the dipping sauce. I found it salty and unworthy of the sandwich. I’d rather dip it in chicken soup:) However, your husband… Mr. Fancy Pants, likes it, so I figured it would post it too!

French Dip for Roast Beef Sandwich Loaf
Serves 6
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Ingredients
  1. 1 T unsalted butter
  2. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  3. 1 1/2 c beef stock
  4. 1 T Worcestershire sauce
  5. 1 t thyme
  6. 1/2 t ground pepper
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melted butter. Sauté garlic and add remaining ingredients. Simmer 10 minutes until reduced.
  2. Serve with Roast Beef Sandwich Loaf if desired.
Adapted from Relish
Adapted from Relish
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Love,

b