Yesterday I started my extra cooking Wednesdays, and I decided to take a bit of time to stock the freezer too. I made a Chicken and Rice Casserole, Green Beans, and Oatmeal muffins to send to another family. I decided to make a quadruple batch of pancakes for quick and easy breakfasts, I also sent along a dozen pancakes with the casserole.
Today I’m baking a couple of batches of muffins for my hubby for work tomorrow, and then I hope to stay out of the kitchen for just a bit.
We had several handmade items to make for Shaunna’s Bridal Shower, and besides the mints, I was looking forward to making Marshmallow Pops too . Thade didn’t mind helping out either.
For the Marshmallow Pops you’ll need:
Thade counted marshmallows, as I placed a lollipop stick in each one. A 16 oz bag will easily give you 50 pops, and a few marshmallows left for snacking.
Have your adorable helper place the sugar topping in a bowl, and then watch them make a big mess in the kitchen with Blue Sugar. We are using a light blue and a medium blue sugar, and hoping that the two will look turquoise in the end.
When the double boiler is warming, add your Chocolate Chips, Vanilla, Vegetable Oil, and Corn Syrup, and wait for it to melt. Just as the Chocolate is melted add in a tablespoon or two of milk and stir like crazy. You are going for a medium ganache, not too thick, not too thin.
Then it is time to dip… First into the chocolate ganache, then into the blue sugar, and then it is time to rest the pops upright on the lollipop stand.
Once the chocolate and sugar had set just a bit, I moved my marshmallow pops to the fridge. The day that I was making the pops, it was super-stinking humid, and I was worried about the chocolate setting properly.
After a few hours of chilling in the fridge, and when the cool of the evening had set in, it was time to wrap the pops and decorate them for the Bridal Shower. I used small cellophane bags, and tied turquoise floss around each of the pops.
A little bit of time wrapping and before you know it you’ve got them all done. This treat was really fun and easy to make, and the kiddos at the Bridal Shower went crazy for them.
I’m going to make these for Halloween and use Green, Purple, and Orange Sugar. These are tasty just chocolate dipped too.
This week Thade started school, and I began my quest to become a morning person, cheerfully. Thade is doing great and is seriously ready to go to school everyday by 7:00 a.m., Kindergarten must be a lot of fun. Dylan is adjusting to his big brother being gone all day, and today was the first day that was really tough on him. By 10:00 a.m., he brought me his shoes, and asked if we could go and get his brother. We made some brownies and colored some Dinosaur pictures to pass the time. He is taking a much needed nap at the moment, it’s just me and my laptop, and it is spooky quiet in the house.
James took some much needed vacation time this week too, and I was really happy to have him home. I was a mess on Monday and Tuesday, and I was happy to have him here, and keeping me from being too grumpy. We are working on getting the house ready for the little one’s arrival, and there is a lot to be done. I think we’ll be cleaning, painting, and organizing for the next few months.
I am ready for MOPS to start and I can’t wait to help out on the Steering Team this year. I know that MOPS is going to be great for Dylan and me too. The first meeting is coming up soon. Starting next week I’m helping out a friend who is making daily meals for a mommy that is on bed-rest. I’ll be cooking an extra meal on Wednesday’s for a family of four, and I’m happy to help. I hope to cook for the family as long as I can.
This weekend I’ll be re-stocking supplies for quick breakfasts and Thade’s lunches too. He is happy to take a homemade lunch to school, and he has a lot of ideas for next week’s lunches. I’ll be happy that he is home for a few days.
Hmmm, now what to do? Clean dishes during nap time, or catch up on Food Network shows and relax on the couch. I think I’ll take the afternoon off.
I think I’ve said this one a time or two before, but I’m really not a morning person. I’m trying to retrain my sleeping-in ways to start earlier, and get the kiddos out of the house and on time for school. I was supposed to start this experiment on Monday, but I slept in. I kinda slept in Tuesday and Wednesday too.
Last night Dylan was up all night, and wow I really didn’t want to get up at 6:00 a.m., but I did it anyway. The kiddos are still snoozing, lucky kiddos, and I’m trying desperately to resist the urge to crawl back into bed and sleep till 7:30 a.m. Why can’t the school day start about 10:00 a.m., or so?!?
This is turning out to be one busy week over at Nicostuff. There are Doctor’s appointments to get to and kindergarten open house too. I had a MOPS Steering meeting last night, but the weekend is ending with a super-fun Bridal Shower for my dear friend Shaunna.
Today I’m spending some time and getting crafty! I love working on any type of craft that comes my way, and I’m hoping that the boy’s will play nice today and let Mommy work on some Bridal Shower decorations.
I should probably get to that major pile of laundry that needs folded today too. My kitty looks pretty comfy though, and I really don’t want to disturb him.