My Mustard Sandwich

2009-05-15T13:26:00.005-05:00

2009-02-04T09:52:00.004-06:00

2008-12-02T14:12:00.005-06:00

2008-11-20T13:02:00.001-06:00

2008-10-29T16:42:00.003-05:00

2008-10-24T16:43:00.000-05:00

2008-10-24T11:30:00.001-05:00

2008-10-24T11:17:00.000-05:00

2008-10-24T09:43:00.002-05:00

2008-10-23T12:18:00.001-05:00

grandmas funeral

2008-09-22T22:07:00.001-05:00

mural

2008-09-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

2008-08-27T09:01:00.002-05:00

Me & Scott

Me & Jeff

Me & Mikie Fitzpatrick

All of the guys

homemade chicken noodle soup

2008-04-25T23:34:00.003-05:00

I picked up this chicken noodle soup kit from Central Market for $5.99. And since I am sick today, I thought it would be perfect to make. It comes with everything you need except the chicken....which I left out since I don't really like the actual chicken in chicken noodle soup.
First you put the oil in and let it heat up. Then you add the veggies, carrots, celery and onions. You also throw in some thyme and bay leaf.

You saute it on Med-High for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent.

Then you add 1 quart chicken broth and simmer with the lid on for about 10 minutes until the veggies are tender.

Once the veggies are ready you are supposed to add some chicken and cook a bit longer to cook the chicken....but I skipped that part and added the noodle and fresh herbs.

Then it's ready to go. Doesn't that look awesome?!

It tasted pretty good too!

New egg molds!

2008-03-26T12:21:00.004-05:00

I got our new egg molds right after we moved but I haven't had the chance to use them yet.

This is Emma's lunch. She got sushi sandwiches (most people call them faux sushi, but Emma calls them sushi sandwiches), 1/2 a hard boiled egg, flower shaped cucumbers with ranch, mandarin oranges and apples.
Here are all of my new molds. A car, bunny, bear and fish. There are more molds out there and I will eventually collect them all.

Dr. Suess breakfast at IHOP

2008-03-24T00:17:00.003-05:00

I almost forgot to blog about this! We celebrated Easter on Saturday (due to hubby having to work on Sunday), so we decided to take the kid's to IHOP for their Dr. Suess breakfasts and then to the movies to see Horton Hears a Who (fantastic movie).

Here are the Who-Cakes. Short cake pancakes in all sizes with boysenberrry and blueberry glaze on top with rainbow choclate chips and a pink lollipop. Both my son and oldest daughter loved them. Really really sweet though.
Here is what my son ordered. It's the green eggs and ham with a side of Who-Cakes. The "green" eggs were actually eggs with creamed spinach. I ordered the same thing and although the taste was different, I still liked them overall. But I wouldn't order them that way again.
And we can't forget the Beezelnut Splash! Basically it's Sprite with Jello cubes in it. None of my 3 kids liked it. I don't drink soda so I can't tell you what it tastes like but my hubby said that it definitely didn't taste like Sprite.

Overall it was a fun visit and I would recommend trying it. Especially if it's right before you see the movie. On a side note: hubby was terribly embarressed that I purposely took my camera with me so I could take pictures of the food. I suggested he get used to it. lol

You can also visit IHOP's website and print out some activity sheets. I did this after we saw the movie and my son really liked them. Dr. Suess Activity Sheets

Easter Carrot Cake Cupcakes

2008-03-24T00:12:00.002-05:00

I made these for dessert for Easter. Now the carrot cake is just a mix from a box (I was short on time). But the frosting is homemade cream cheese frosting and it was fantastic!

My SIL declined a cupcake when I offered her one. She told me that she didn't care much for carrot cake. I told her that she had to try it because it just might change her mind. It sure did! lol But it wasn't so much the cupcake as it was the frosting. Next time I want a lime cupcake with the frosting so it will taste like lime cheesecake....mmmmm

Here is the recipe:

Cream Cheese Frosting
12 ounces or 1-1/2 packages of Philly cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
4-5 cups sifted powdered sugar

1. Bring butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours.
2. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl or onto parchment.
3. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
4. Add 4 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until combined.
5. Add more sugar until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like

I got the recipe from my cupcake hero, Cupcake Bakeshop

NEW Hello Kitty bento

2008-03-10T17:49:00.002-05:00

I found this Hello Kitty box on ebay and I had to get it for Emma. It is so darn cute!!!! My mom thought that I paid too much for it but I don't...not at all. $7.50 for the box and $7.50 for shipping. That isn't too much.

It is the same size as the Cinnamoroll (thank you Shannon for telling me who that was) box is the same size...made by the same company actually. My sis in law was surprised at how small the boxes actually are. It looks like a lot of food in pictures but it's not. For those of you who aren't familiar with the sizes of the particular boxes I use, just look at the food in them. Look at the grapes or strawberries....that should give a good size comparison. And if I outstretch my hand, the box is smaller than that (although I do have really large hands for a girl..almost as big as my hubby's)....anyway, I just thought I would share.

My camera batteries are dying and part of my charger came up missing in the move, so I'm not sure when I can post more pics....soon though, I can't live without my camera for long...it's like oxygen, or crack, whichever one you choose...lol

bento over the weekend

2008-03-10T17:44:00.002-05:00

Okay, my sis in law came to visit us in our new house this weekend. My oldest daughter wanted a bento and since my SIL had never seen one in person, I made one for her too. lol She's 21.
This one is Emma's. She had ranch, carrots, strawberries, sushi sandwich and cheese heart. (It's in her new Hello Kitty bento box...I will blog that in a minute)!
This was for my SIL Nicole. Strawberries, heart sandwiches, small salad, one (yes, one) carrot and ranch. She told me that I had put a lot of strawberries in it. I laughed and told her there were actually only 4 strawberries in hers, I just cut them up small.

Feb 22 dinner for Emma

2008-02-24T09:49:00.001-06:00

My friend Ashley helped me put together this one. She cooked the chicken and veggies and I arranged it all. This is my favorite one so far because of how colorful it is. But she didn't eat the nectarines.

Strawberries, nectarine cut up, flower and heart shaped rice (with my new rice mold), cooked chicken in between the rice, edamame, broccoli, carrot balls and soy sauce in the little Hello Kitty container

New Easter Cookie Cutters

2008-02-24T09:41:00.003-06:00

I got these at CCA in Lewisville for 50 cents. I actually bought 2 sets to have one as a backup....how cute are they?! I love love love the bunny.

pasta again

2008-02-22T14:39:00.001-06:00

Well Emma got pasta again for lunch. But this time it is mini cheese ravioli. I mixed in a little shredded italian cheese, then she has strawberries, veggie mix (corn, green beans, peas and carrots) in a heart shaped cookie cutter to hold the shape and 1/2 of a mini bagel (cut in half) with a little butter on it.

question

2008-02-21T20:56:00.004-06:00

Someone asked me today if my kid's really eat all of the food I put in their bento's. Yes they do. The bento boxes themselves are small and I only put in what I know my kid's will eat. Emma loves veggies and healthy snacks so that's great. Sometime's they ask for seconds.

I think that most people who make bento's send their kids to school or preschool. I homeschool so my kid's bento's never leave the kitchen (unless it's a field trip or picnic). They still like the presentation and it's always a surprise.

They aren't allowed to know what's in their lunch or peek while I make it. They wait patiently for me to take a picture of it and then it's closed up and given to them to be opened like a Christmas present. They are always so excited.....kid's are great.

Emma's Lunch Feb 21

2008-02-21T14:10:00.002-06:00

Here is Emma's lunch today. She loves pasta and veggies together and I'm so proud of ehr for making healthy food choices.
She has cantalope, strawberries, and a mini corn muffin (with honey on top of the batter, it made it so crunchy and sweet). Then pasta salad. Today's pasta salad was made from whole wheat rotini pasta with ranch and italian dressing, chunks of chicken, shredded italian cheese, and a veggie mix of corn, carrots, peas and green beans.

Feb 20 lunch

2008-02-21T13:05:00.000-06:00

Here is Emma's bento lunch from yesterday. She wanted it in her new Hello Kitty bento box.
She got leftover spaghetti with parmesan cheese, broccoli, strawberries, yo-go's and there is ranch dressing in the little HK container.
Here is Sara's lunch in the Minnie Mouse bento box. She has cheddar cheese, heart bologna, pineapple and a teddy bear shaped mustard sandwich....that goes on top.

Emma's breakfast

2008-02-19T14:00:00.000-06:00

Nothing too inspiring here but the kid's want any excuse to use their new bento stuff. It's just strawberries and rolled up pancakes.

dinner in new bento

2008-02-19T00:32:00.001-06:00

Here is Emma's dinner last night. Grapes, cheese chunks, strawberries and then pasta salad. The pasta is made up of whole wheat penne pasta, a little bit of low-fat ranch, Olive Garden Italian dressing, shredded cheese, baby corn, broccoli, snap peas and carrots.

Sara just had pineapple, cheese and grapes.

New bento stuff for the kids

2008-02-19T00:31:00.000-06:00

My mom and I went shopping yesterday and I bought the kid's a bunch of new bento stuff. We went to Shop Minoya in Plano, World Asian Market in Plano and the Disney Store at the Stonebriar Mall in Frisco.

I got a good deal at the Disney Store. The little containers came in 3 packs for $5.50 each or 3 for $12. Even though the 101 Dalmations is a little kid-ish for Anthony, I figure it's better than Hello Kitty.

At Shop Minoya I did get him a green bento box. It is so hard to fin boy bento boxes! One of Aaron's employees is gonig to Japan soon for a visit and they said that if I gave them a list (preferrably with pics) they would get me whatever I wanted. So cool. I have my eye on a Nightmare Before Christmas bento for him.

From the Asian World Market. It's a puppy but it looks like a bunny. It's adorable.
It has a removable white container and a band to keep it closed.
These are so little, I love it. There are some that are even smaller in the pic of everything on the table. Another find at Asian World Market. Built in area for fork and spoon. This bento and the other are around $5-6. Not expensive, but when you are buying some much stuff at one time it adds up.
Sara with her new pets checking out the bento's.

Little rice bowls. I can get the kid's little chopsticks, but until I can get them to even eat rice, I will wait.
These came in packs with 4-5 forks each and same for the spoons.

This is a rice mold. Since the kids don't eat rice, I need to figure out what else I can mold. You can't see it, but they actually have little holes on the ends so nothing like jello or anything. Oh...I just had an idea...tell you later.

Happy Valentine's Day 2008

2008-02-14T22:03:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day

Here is the breakfast I made for my kids. I would love to say that I made the pancakes from scratch, but they are frozen. I heated them in the microwave and then used a cookie cutter to make them into hearts.

And for dinner. Heart shaped grilled cheese (with my new double heart cookie cutter from Walmart), heart shaped cheese, pineapple and heart shaped bologna.

Ladybug Mini Cupcakes

2008-02-07T21:48:00.000-06:00

I decided that I wanted to make some mini cupcakes. I had wanted to make a batch of ladybug cupcakes and caterpillar cupcakes. But since I ended up with 3 dozen mini ladybug's, I figured that was enough.

I used just a regular lemon cake mix (shame on me) and I made the frosting myself. It's buttercream that I flavored with lemon extract.

Here is my little taste tester Emma. She was my helper all the way through. Especially adding the food coloring.

I got the frosting recipe from here http://cupcakeblog.com/index.php/2006/12/cherry-vanilla-cupcakes/ Instead of vanilla I added lemon extract.

Overall I am happy with how they turned out. I think they are cute and my kid's got a kick out of them, so that makes my heart smile.

Devil's Food Cupcake with Chocolate Buttercream

2008-01-28T01:25:00.000-06:00

There is an awesome cupcake blog where this chick has made just about any cupcake you can think of. And she is totally honest about her mess ups and what she would have done different if it didn't work out. I love that. This chick rocks, she is my cupcake hero.

So she has a recipe for Devil's Food cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting. Sounds awesome doesn't it? You can see the recipe here http//cupcakeblog.com/index.php/2005/6/recipe-devils-food-cupcake-with-chocolate-buttercream

The above pictures are from my batch. You like my cool frosting technique? lol That ziploc bag is a pretty cool kitchen tool. After making these cupcakes I have to say that I really liked the actual cupcake but not the frosting.

It is extremely rich and tasting it might actually make all of your teeth fall out! It was such a simple recipe I don't think that I made it wrong, it just has a lot of confectioner's sugar in it. And I have never tasted a homemade buttercream, so it could just really taste like that. It's sad when you prefer the taste of frosting from a can.

The girl's didn't care for it either but they did enjoy putting sprinkle on top of theirs. Then they took one bite and scraped the frosting off. Well I tried.

**After further review of the frosting....I suggest letting it set on the cupcake, then it is really good. I tried the frosting right after I made it and it definitely tastes better once it has set a bit**

Here is the recipe I used for those who don't want to venture over to her blog.

Devil’s Food Chocolate Cakemakes 24 cupcakes / 350 degree oven

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Measure out everything but the eggs directly into your mixer bowl.
2. Mix on low speed just until incorporated.
3. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
4. Add eggs, beat on high speed again for 2 minutes.

Measure out into cupcake pan lined with cupcake papers. A 2″ ice cream scoop works great for this. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly in the pan then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercreamenough to lightly frost 24 cupcakes

1 stick butter
1/2 cup cocoa
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
~1/4 cup milk

1. Beat butter on high for about 30 seconds until soft.
2. Add cocoa and 1 cup of sugar and beat until incorporated
3. Add half of the milk and the remainder of sugar and beat until incorporated.
4. Continue to add milk until you get to the consistency you want.

Eggplant Parmesan dinner

2008-01-26T17:36:00.000-06:00

I wish that I could say that I made the eggplant parmesan myself, but I didn't. It's a frozen Michael Angelo's that I picked up from Central Market. Since it's just me and the girls home tonight I cut the eggplant parm in half to share with Emma. I was going to make steamed squash but Emma requested carrots (just a touch of brown sugar and butter). I love love love french cut green beans and I seasoned them with a little garlic. The bread is the Central Market brand honey wheat. Delicious. Tasted so fresh, it better at $2.99 for a little loaf!`

First Post

2008-01-26T15:02:00.000-06:00

This isn't my only blog. I actually have 3 others. One for my personal use, one for homeschooling and one for my business. I decided to start this blog because I have this obsession with food. Not so much eating it, but looking at it.

I love to find recipes (most of the time I don't even try them out). I like reading food blogs and I love cupcake blogs. I am way into making my kid's bento lunches. A healthy, portion controlled lunch for my kiddos. Here is today's lunches....

FruitaBu, mustard sandwich, carrots with ranch dip and cantalope.
Egg salad sandwich, carrots and ranch, cantalope and a small salad with thousand island dressing.

So my plan for this blog is to share my love of food. I promise to venture out and try new recipes, post the pictures and share with you how well (or not) they worked out. If I find a cool link you can bet I will post it for you.

Oh, and the name....My Mustard Sandwich....my youngest daughter will only eat mustard sandwiches and I needed a name for a food blog...that was all I could come up with ;)