Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts

Friday, January 25, 2013

Rainbow Day!

(c) 2013 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Today was "Rainbow Day" at school & the kids were encouraged to wear rainbows, tie-dyed stuff, and bright colors in general.  Nice and cheery for the middle of winter, don't you think?

We kinda got into it....



A close-up of that fancy hair!



Also, I maybe had a little fun with their bento-style lunches, too...  



Penguin's lunch on Rainbow Day!

Close-up of the fruit - dried cranberries, clementine sections, dried  mango, dried banana chips, kiwifruit, and blueberries!

They usually just have one rubber band holding their lunch box together, not 5 in rainbow order! :)
 

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Turkey Bento Box Lunches

(c) 2012 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

I HAD to share this cute lunch I made for my girls today 'cuz it's rather more fancy that I usually do.  But since we're pretty much at the end of fall, and I still had a turkey cookie cutter in my bento stuff drawer, well, here's what they got...
 
(Click on the picture to make it larger.)

That'd be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich cut into a turkey shape, with carrot ribbon feathers/wing (Just take your peeler to the carrot & voila! Ribbons!) and feet colored in with a food-safe marker.  I used the cookie cutter on the edge of a fruit strip to cut out the red head part, and a small straw to make the eye on each.  It's surrounded by some Pirate's Booty puffed snacky things and 3 candy corn.  Underneath all that hides a sausage stick.  In the other, sealable container there is homemade unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon and some fall leaf sprinkles. 

Now isn't that just the most fall-ish lunch you've ever seen?! (Other than a leftover turkey sandwich, of course! *grin*)

(In case you're wondering, this is the kind of bento box I'm using today.  Love it!) 

Thursday, November 22, 2012

THANKSgiving

(c) 2012 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

There are SO many things in my life for which I'm thankful - family, friends, health, plenty.  But today, I'm especially thankful that our noon-meal Thanksgiving feast was wonderful & went off without a hitch.  Here's the menu....


Mahogany Turkey with Vegetable Gravy  (basically this)
Garlic Mashed Potatoes*
Daddy's Broccoli*
Raw Cranberry-Orange Relish
Crescent Rolls
Crudites
Grandma Yori's Homemade Pickles
Pumpkin Pie from a Garden Pumpkin*


 It was all delicious (even if the sweet potatoes were a bit salty) & we even ate at 12:10, which is amazing considering how many dishes there were to prepare & coordinate.  Granted, I might have had a bit more food than we needed, since there were only 4 adults & 2 kids, but hey, Thanksgiving feast leftovers are the bomb.

I hope that all of you American readers had equally delicious Turkey Day feasts!  Happy Thanksgiving!
 
 *made by Mr. Kluges

**Edited to add links to requested recipes.  

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Not exactly a gingerbead house...

(c) 2012 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Sorry.  I guess the missing of a day really took the pressure off posting daily! Well, I still managed to post more than I had for ages, so we'll call it good anyway.

Back in October, Mr. Kluges had been back home to Minnesota and saw his folks. Grandma Yori sent back a cute kit to make a haunted house cake for Halloween. Fun, cute, and tasty, right?!

Well, we didn't quite get to it by Halloween.  So, last Saturday, while my parents were visiting, we decided to make it anyway, and just change the theme a bit.  I think it turned out pretty well!

Presenting, our Fall House Cake!

      

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

NaBloPoMo #29 - Orange Cranberry Sauce

(c) 2011 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Is November done yet?

No, it's ok, but I can tell I'm WAY not used to churning out a post every day. Still, I'm glad for the kick-in-the... uh, kick-start & I do plan to blog more often than the, oh, pretty much never that I'd fallen into.

Today, rather than blathering over here, I posted a recipe over at Recipeeps that Gramma Yori made at Thanksgiving for Orange Cranberry Sauce and shared with me. It's yummy... and reminds me that I need to also someday post the recipe for an uncooked cranberry orange relish my mom makes sometimes! So, if you're looking for a pretty, tasty side, here you go!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

NaBloPoMo #20 - The way to a woman's heart...

(c) 2011 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

...could very well be through her stomach, too! Mr. Kluges made an adapted version (based on what we had on hand, including an oyster mushroom & using porcini oil from the Olive Cellar for the gravy) of Steven Raichlen's truffle-something beer can chicken from this cookbook.

With creamy mushroom gravy.

Oh. My. Goodness!  It was SO awesome that if I hadn't already married him, I would've proposed on the spot.  Possibly the yummiest thing I've eaten all year.  Just, YUMMMMMM!!!!

Moral of the story: If you can cook a kick-butt dish, you'll have suitors aplenty.  Or at least, your spouse will appreciate you anew!

Also, I do highly recommend Steven Raichlen's grill books - everything we've made from them has been above average to AWESOME!
 

Saturday, November 12, 2011

NaBloPoMo #12 - The things they say

(c) 2011 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Earlier today, while talking about Christmas, Penguin turned to me and said, "You might only get a toilet from Santa this year!"* Chuckling, I agreed, "Yeah, that might be what I get.""Yeah, and that's such a BIG present, it'll probably be all you get!  And you'll have to stand up to open it, 'cuz it's so big!" 


Also, I'm single-parenting this evening as Mr. Kluges has a quarterly outage at work, so has been there since about 1pm... and won't return until the wee hours of the morning. So we three girls went out to eat for supper at a local Chinese buffet we'd only been to once before.  Apparently, on Friday & Saturday nights, their buffet is Chinese and seafood.  I was chuffed when Pumpkin suggested I take both a frog leg and a crab leg so we could try them at the table.  While Penguin opted to not taste them, Pumpkin tried a bit of both.  The crab meat was pronounced to be tasty & salty, and she had a few more bites.  Then upon eating a bit of frog leg, she announced, "Oh!  That tastes just like chicken!" 


* Our wooden toilet seat lid fell off earlier this week** & repeated tightenings of the screws holding it to the brackets have become ineffectual.  So, our toilet is currently missing the top part of the lid while Mr. Kluges wood-glues in some toothpick bits so the screws can get some purchase again. Her comment was not completely apropos of nothing!

** No, I'm not exactly sure how it fell off, but it sure scared Penguin, who I think was just climbing off at the time. 

Friday, November 04, 2011

NaBloPoMo #4 - Kale Chips over at Recipeeps

(c) 2011 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Mmmmm! Food! Alas and alack, I've been neglecting poor little Recipeeps just as awfully as I have this blog, so I figured I'd post over there today.  Last week was our last CSA delivery for the year and we got some lovely kale.  The first time we got kale (and had no idea what to do with it, having mostly just seen it as a salad bar decoration!), we tried a lovely recipe in the CSA newsletter for kale chips and were hooked.  The girls love it, too.

While they taste nothing at all like potato chips, these kale chips are still crispy & salty & more-ish.  Check it out here.

Thursday, November 03, 2011

NaBloPoMo #3 - Cheater, cheater, what-would-you-eater?!

(c) 2011 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Hey, guess what? I've gotten so out of the habit of writing here that it's only Day #3 of National Blog Posting Month & I'm already struggling for ideas.  Man, good thing I'm doing this. :)

So I toodled over to the NaBloPoMo site and checked out their writing prompts.  Yesterday's caught my attention:
If you knew that whatever you ate next would be your last meal, what would you want it to be? 
 Hmmm... good question.  Also, in no way "this is what I had for lunch," right?

I'd have a big ol' tender grilled steak, or maybe some nice prime rib.  Definitely these asparagus!   Some big fat salty steak fries & a spinach salad with dried cranberries and slivered almonds.  A cheesy artichoke dip for an appetizer.  Something ooey and gooey and chocolate and warm for dessert, with real whipped cream. 


...you know, suddenly leftovers for supper tonight sounds really, really disappointing.


How about you?  What would YOU choose if you knew it was going to be your last meal? 

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

WW - Time to start the holiday baking!

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

NaBloPoMo #23 - You need to buy lamb ribs. Really.

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com


So, you know we got that lamb, right? Well, I thawed some lamb ribs to do something with this weekend, but I ended up turning them over to Mr. Kluges AND OH MY GOODNESS DID HE MAKE THE MOST AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, DELICIOUS LAMB RIBS!!!!!

Recipe here at Recipeeps 4 Us
, but do yourself a favor, if you're a meat-eater, and consider seeking out some lamb ribs from your local butcher. YUM!!!

Friday, November 19, 2010

NaBloPoMo #19 - Chicken Cheddar Chowder

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

...or maybe Cheddar Chicken Chowder? I can never remember. Anyway, this super-yummy, suitable-for-leftover-turkey, healthy (it came from Cooking Light!), warm, rich, delicious soup was made this week by me and posted today over at Recipeeps 4 Us.

I highly recommend serving it with a side of cornbread.

Also, make it soon.

I mean, how could you not? :)

Thursday, November 11, 2010

NaBloPoMo #11 - Future Aspirations

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Penguin loves to help us cook. Stirring, measuring (well, pouring in what we've measured), scooping - it's all fun and good. I remember how much Pumpkin loved to help me make bread when we were in Ireland & Penguin loves baking just as much.

Today we opted to make some cookies.

Me: Ok, now it's time to add the eggs.

Penguin: We need two eggs, right, Mommy?

M: We do use two eggs for our chocolate chip cookies, don't we? But is a recipe for different cookies and it needs 4 eggs.

(slightly later)

Me: Ok, time for the vanilla. We need two teaspoons of vanilla. (measuring & adding them)

Penguin: Oh! We usually need just 1 banilla for cookies.

M: That's right. Boy, you really know a lot about cooking already. Maybe you'll be a chef or a baker when you grow up.

P: Yeah, I'm donna be a cooker when I growed up!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

WW - Me, giant! You, itty bitty lamb chop! NOM NOM NOM

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com




(Well, "NOM NOM NOM" after I cooked it, anyway.)
Cross-posted over to Recipeeps 4 Us.

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

NaBloPoMo #9 - Shepherd's Pie

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com


...and it's found over at Recipeeps 4 Us. This is one of those 'mental recipes' where I don't have any exact measurements, so every time it's just a little different variation on delicious. :)

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

NaBloPoMo #2 - The Other Red Meat(s)

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com


Ok, in case you don't know, I also sometimes write stuff over at our let's-share-yummy-recipes-together blog over at Recipeeps 4 Us. Since it's November, we're starting a new theme over there - The Other Red Meat(s). So you're welcome to pop over there and check it out, but I wanted to mention it here so y'all didn't think I forgot about today. :)

(And yes, I know this isn't a substantial, newsy post either, but I gotta come up with a lot of stuff to get us all the way through November! :) )

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Components of a Great Easter Morning

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Penguin slept the night through and seems (knock on wood) much, much improved. She stayed home from church with Mr. Kluges just in case & also to avoid germ spreading.

I woke up about 5:30 am on my own (well, partially thanks to the overly chipper birds. It's still dark out! What're they doing up?!) and snuck outside... er, I mean, sources close to the investigation state that 20 plastic eggs were successfully hidden around the front yard by the EASTER BUNNY in the early morning WHILE EVERYONE WAS ASLEEP INSIDE.

Also good news, the Easter Bunny unintentionally avoided the motion detector lights by the garage until the end, but since the neighborhood all appeared to still be sleeping, nobody probably saw her duckie pjs.

Even more importantly, the Easter Bunny must have learned from a minor fiasco last year, and did NOT leave the chocolate bunnies in the sunlight this year. Apparently, even though it's still quite chilly in the mornings, that sun shining on a clear cellophane package acts like a greenhouse. Poor Pumpkin had to get a replacement bunny last year. :)

Pumpkin and I got to church early enough that we were able to get great seats close to the front with a clear view of the brass ensemble that played a few times... and where I had a clear view of our pastor shaving during/as the children's sermon. *

Mr. Kluges made pancakes (from the Joy of Cooking, not Bisquick!) for brunch, which I decorated in the pan with stripes of mini chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries & some Reece's Pieces Pumpkin donated to the cause. YUM! and fancy looking!

Not that Penguin's wanting to (or allowed to) eat much beyond jello & crackers & clear juice, but she was allowed a couple of small pieces of candy without (as of yet) ill effect.

This morning I got some (I think) great photos of the girls Easter egg hunting outside in their gorgeous (as always!) Easter dresses from TNGreatAunt. I'm especially looking forward to sharing some of the ones of them in their lavender/purple dresses in front of the yellow-flowering forsythia bush.

(And now you know what Wordless Wednesday is likely to be this week!)


Hope you are all enjoying a lovely, relaxing, beautiful Easter Sunday, too!




*He really did. Bowl of water instead of a sink, towel to protect his clothes, actual shaving cream & razor, one of the kids up front for the children's sermon holding the mirror (Up, wait, down a little...turn it this way a bit... ok, hold still. No, up a bit...) - the works. Point of children's sermon? That they/we could tell all kinds of people about this story... but that many wouldn't believe. Your pastor shaved during church? Right up front? No way! Much like nobody believed the women when they discovered Jesus' tomb was empty. And there's your Easter message. :)

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Baking with Daddy

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com


Scene: Dining room table. Mr. Kluges is perusing recipe book while Pumpkin is drawing nearby. After some debate he finally says...

Mr. Kluges: Ok, how about Chocolate-Laced Pudding with Cinnamon?

Pumpkin: (absent-mindedly) Um-hmm.

K: You're not listening. What did I say we were going to make?

P: (glancing quickly at the page as Mr. K almost as quickly tries to cover the title of the recipe) Puhdd-ing.

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Scene: Dining room table. Mr. Kluges & Pumpkin have chosen a recipe & are now working as a team to assemble the ingredients.

Mr. Kluges: Ok, we're going to need a pinch of salt. Can you reach the salt?

Pumpkin: (striding purposefully toward kitchen) Yes! I can! I'll go pinch it!


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Pumpkin: (retrieving the eggs in their carton) I didn't even drop it once. Or even a teeny bit!

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