July’s Tasty Treats

I wasn’t in the kitchen too much in July, but I did try out a new recipe twice.

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I made a Cherry Jell-O Cake for the 4th of July. This is one of James favorite cakes, but the kiddos aren’t a fan.

I spotted a recipe for Whoopie Pies in a Sunday paper, and I have been wanting to try them out for awhile.

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My first try at the Whoopie Pies, I made the cakes a little too big. They were amazingly tasty though, even Agnes couldn’t resist them.

I decided to revisit the recipe one more time, and this time I got the cakes just right.

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Dark Chocolate cake, and crazy-tasty-filling. Yeah, I’m hooked on Whoopie Pies.

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I also made some Chocolate Cupcakes, these are a favorite with all of my boys. I like to keep these in the fridge for super easy desserts, or late night snacks.

It wasn’t just sweets going on in the kitchen last month. I was able to harvest some veggies from the garden before the epic heatwave struck.

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We got a pretty good batch of Green Beans. I’ve also picked a few handfuls of Okra too. I’m afraid though that the garden is done for the year, the temps were up to 112 today, and I don’t think that any of the plants are going to make it.

I hope that the weather will cool down a bit in August, School starts soon, and I’m not ready to get back to the routine. I am ready to bake some cookies though, maybe that will improve my mood.

Aug 1

August’s Monthly Menu

The Summer is coming to a close, and School is almost in session (sigh). It is officially August, and that means it’s time for another monthly menu. It looks like the weather is still a little on the warm side, but I am missing Autumn so much that I’m bringing back a few of our favorite Fall meals. I’m keeping dinner on the easy side too, it takes me a bit of time to get back into the school routine.

So here we go, it’s August’s Monthly Dinner Menu:

8/1/2011: Chicken Quesadillas, Bean & Cheese Quesadillas, Tortilla Chips, Salsa, Cheese Dip, Re-fried Beans, and Guacamole
8/2/2011: Hamburgers, Kettle Chips, Baked Beans, and Whoopie Pies
8/3/2011: Make your own Nachos
8/4/2011: Take-out Thursday!
8/5/2011: Pancakes, Bacon, Coffee & Juice
8/6/2011: Salmon Cakes, Corn, and Macaroni & Cheese
8/7/2011: Pot Roast with Potatoes
8/8/2011: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Salsa, Cheese Dip, Re-fried Beans, and Guacamole
8/9/2011: Hamburgers and Kettle Chips
8/10/2011: Hamburger Helper, Green Beans, and Homemade Bread
8/11/2011: Chicken Chow Mien, Chow Mien Noodles, Rice, Edamame, and Sugar Dumplings
8/12/2011: Bacon, Scrambled Eggs, Toast & Jellies, Coffee and Juice
8/13/2011: Steak, Green Beans, and Baked Potatoes
8/14/2011: Homemade Pizzas: Cheese, Pepperoni, Triple Meat, and BBQ Chicken with Bacon
8/15/2011: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Salsa, Cheese Dip, Re-fried Beans, and Guacamole
8/16/2011: Make your own Nachos
8/17/2011: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, and Homemade Bread
8/18/2011: Take-out Thursday!
8/19/2011: Breakfast Burritos, Breakfast Potatoes, Fresh Fruit, Coffee and Juice
8/20/2011: Turkey, Stuffing, and Mashed Potatoes
8/21/2011: Panko Chicken, Corn, and Mashed Potatoes
8/22/2011: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Salsa, Cheese Dip, Re-fried Beans, and Guacamole
8/23/2011: Turkey, Scalloped Potatoes, and Green Bean Casserole
8/24/2011: Make your own Nachos
8/25/2011: Take-out Thursday
8/26/2011: Sausage, Breakfast Potatoes, Cinnamon Rolls, Coffee and Juice
8/27/2011: Steak, Green Beans, and Mashed Potatoes
8/28/2011: Beef Stew and Homemade Bread
8/29/2011: Make your own Nachos
8/30/2011: Chicken Chow Mien, Chow Mien Noodles, Rice, Edamame, and Sugar Dumplings
8/31/2011: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Salsa, Cheese Dip, Re-fried Beans, and Guacamole

Time make some lists, grab my coupons, and get to shopping.

Jul 31

6 Years Ago Today…

Six years ago today I started a little blog called NicoStuff.com. So many things have happened since that very first post.

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Jul 28

Back To School Shopping

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Monday when we went grocery shopping I checked to see if the school supply lists were out. Sure enough they were, so I grabbed one for each of my boys, and decided that we would go sometime soon. Then I thought we had better hurry up and get that list taken care of, so I took the kiddos shopping on Tuesday.

Dylan was excited to go shopping, Thade wasn’t too happy about the idea that school was around the corner, and Agnes was miserable and screamed the entire time. Dylan threw a giant fit before we left the house, and then cried on the way there, the excitement must have gotten to him. So there I was with 3 grouchy kids going back to school shopping.

We made our way though the supplies, and some of them were a bit tricky to find, i.e. only Orange Poly Folders with Brads not a 3 ring binder, and No Purple Glue Sticks! Goodness, I thought I was picky. Thade perked up a bit when he got to pick out red scissors, and a red ruler, red seems to be his favorite color. Dylan was mad that there wern’t as many items on his list, but I got them all checked off, so they are set for school.

The boys were also in need of the usual: clothes, socks, shoes, and you guessed it underwear. Shopping for these items with 2 little boys was hilarious. Thade was embarrassed, but laughing, and Dylan kept saying “underwear” as loud as he could. Agnes was getting really mad seeing the boys pick out new backpacks and clothes, she lost it when we got to shoes. She loves shoes like crazy. The boys both went up a shoe size over the Summer.

She has grown to and is now in 2T clothes, so I picked her up a new pair of Hello Kitty pajamas, she loves them. I also spotted a cute Summer outfit for her, and the weather doesn’t look like it is going to cool off anytime too soon. It is hard not to pick her up clothes, I have to admit, I love shopping for little girl clothes.

I had a few household items to get, and two hours in to the shopping trip, the kids were exhausted, and so was I. I am happy to be done though, it is one more thing crossed off my list before the first day of school, which will be here before I want it to be.

So how is your back to school shopping going? Are you all finished, or just getting started?