Happy Easter!

First, a real quick catch-up to last week's sad picture. Emi is doing MUCH better. In fact, by Tuesday afternoon she was pretty much back to her old self - terrorizing me (and the dog), running wild and a happy girl. I didn't take her to school as I thought she needed that extra day, but by Wednesday this gal was ready to roll! We dressed her up and off she went. There was no stopping her as it was her Easter Party. I have to say, if anyone is in the greater Aiken (SC) area and is looking for an awesome Mother's Morning Out program, this is THE place. Trinity UMC Preschool. Warming, loving, nurturing - exactly the perfect first experience for school anyone wants for their child. Emi loved it from the very first moment, but they are so wonderful (and SO gentle) with the ones that aren't so sure ... I am amazed at what I see there. GREAT school!

After the egg hunt at school (Wednesday), rehiding the eggs and finding them. We played this for well over an hour! I'm thinking Emi might get more of a kick from eggs than Santa gifts. Maybe instead of under the tree, he should hide the presents. EB is a hard act to follow in our house!

More pictures! I just can't resist these - look how much older she looks with her hair up in a 'pony' (sob, sniffle!) - with most of it falling down, haha! Plus, the fact that the grand's and a special aunt/uncle combo had to miss Easter this year, so they need *extra* pictures!

My fav's from this series:

(This is Friday ... no sleeves! yes shorts! Oh, and Jeff checked the weather back in Washington ... highs in the low 50's, lows in the LOW 30's and extreme winds all day long ... 20-30 mph. Gosh, I sure don't miss all that. Especially with the simply gorgeous weather we are having right now!)

With no family within a reasonable drive for a short weekend, we are home - hanging out, just the three of us (and Max - who doesn't get the whole egg thing at all). But, Jeff and I spent so many years waiting for this ... that's just fine. We did the egg and goodie hunt this morning, and OH! THE! FUN! Emi had a blast, and enjoyed every moment. We didn't do 'real' eggs. We were going to, as I broke down yesterday and decided to boil some eggs (but, that's fodder for another post ... coming soon!). Let's just leave it right now with what worked: stuffing plastic eggs with chocolate, pennies and trinkets. Here's a few from this morning. We have plans to hide some this afternoon outside and get more pictures (yeah, imagine that!).

Feeding the pig ~ That's a whole lotta eggs!
(EB brought a stuffed bunny and a piggy bank!)

Finding more ~ Another one found!

Easter Menu: So, what is everyone doing? On our menu this year, Jaden Hair's Easter Ham with Mango-Ginger Glaze. Well, except I can't leave any recipe alone. We aren't huge mango fans (I know! odd!) so we are using apricot (I know! we like apricots and not mangos? odd!). But, you can't ask for an easier recipe (6 ingredients), love that! We are also going simple for the rest of the meal. Rice in the steamer, acorn squash (in the microwave), rolls, and pumpkin cake (yeah, odd - what can I tell you, we really really like pumpkin!). That's it food-wise, I am determined to spend the day (woooohooo, outside!) with Emi and Jeff.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day, spending it just the way that's perfect for you and your family.

9/365

Tomato Soup has to be one of Emi's favorite meals. Awhile back, I found the most incredible recipe for homemade. Emi's never had it from a can (I'm not a big fan of canned soups because if the sodium). She will eat as much of this as we will put in front of her!

BTW, I've posted the recipe before. When I get a minute at my computer, I will add a link here again. It's that good AND easy!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Edited: Here's the recipe.

Pioneer Woman

I stumbled across her FB page (have no idea how, must have been linked from someone else's - I am so clueless when it comes to FB!). It seems she has a book signing scheduled for December 8th in Nashville. That's a short six hour drive from here. I was going to be good, no 'adventures' until after the holidays - but what if that's it? What if she doesn't get any farther east? Plus, I've never been to a book signing, it sounds like fun (and a lot of standing around waiting). Also, I'd need to bring Emi (oh, that sounds fun ... yikes).

So, anyone out there tempted? It would have to be an over-night trip for me.

(Pssst, Gina ... this could be our chance!)

Anyone else? We could storm the place! (Of course, I'd need to find a way to squeeze this into the budget, but for a group of us going I could make it work --- I think!)

Ree Drummond

Hot Breakfast Challenge

I can't promise to chirp in every week, as I don't have that many hot breakfast recipes. But I am signing on as I want to collect more. I can't see us doing a hot breakfast every day as we really are cereal folks, but cutting down the cereal by even two or three days would help the budget. Not so sure about our waistlines, as we mainly eat non-sugar cereals. But, it's worth a try. Here is my contribution to this week.

BTW, we eat a lot of grits for dinner (breakfast for dinner!) but this is too fun not to do. And, while I didn't do the math, it sure doesn't get much cheaper than grits, except for maybe oats.

For more Hot Breakfasts, head on over to The Happy Housewife.


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Overnight Grits CrockPot Recipe

Courtesy of The CrockPot Lady

Day 134.

I am not from the south, which means I am not very familiar with grits. I did watch a southern cooking show on the Food Network that discussed grit cooking methods, and I love "My Cousin Vinny"---so I know that any self-respecting Southerner stays away from instant grits.

But that's pretty much where my knowledge ends.

So I turned to the experts: the blogosphere. I ran a google blog search for crockpot grits and found The Kitchen Madonna. She has a recipe for overnight crockpot grits.

And it's perfect.

The Ingredients:

1 cup grits

5 cups of water

1/4 cup butter

1/2 t kosher salt

The Directions:

I used my mom's 4qt round crockpot for this recipe. I haven't given it back since Easter. sorry, mom!

Combine all of the ingredients. I didn't spray the stoneware, or bother to melt the butter. I just threw it all in (butter floats!).

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

This cooked for exactly 7.

Stir well and top with desired fixens'. The kids and I used a bit of shredded cheese the way that The Kitchen Madonna recommended. My mom likes to stir in preserves.

The Verdict: Wow. I like grits! They weren't slimy the way I imagined them to be, and the texture was really nice in my mouth. The big kid wasn't terribly impressed, but the little one ate almost a whole bowl. I loved how easy they were to prepare, and that they are naturally gluten-free.

I have quite a bit of the package left over, and grits are now going to make it into the regular breakfast rotation.


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