He Still Loves His Cozy

Today Brandon came up to me and asked for his baby blanket. His "Cozy" was what actually inspired me to name my etsy shop "My Cozy Creations". I got this cozy as a gift at my baby shower when I was pregnant with Brandon. At the time it was so soft, cuddly and cozy. Brandon loved it from the time he was born. It was the only blanket that he wanted to go to sleep with. As a matter of fact, he had to have his cozy with him wherever he went!! We tried to get a couple of other "cozys" but, this was THE cozy! One of his uncles even called him Linus because he would throw a fit if someone tried to take his cozy away! Then all of a sudden he just didn't need it anymore, he was about 2 1/2 when he decided he was too big to carry it around anymore. At this time he also got rid of his binky and didn't want to take naps anymore either. Pretty much all at one time! I wish he would still take naps, but he just doesn't.

So, today he asked for his cozy. And now he's cuddling up with it. His long lost friend. He asks for it every couple of months, so that he can cuddle up with it.

He still loves it!

Halloween

In no particular order (mainly because I don't feel like rearranging the pictures) here is what our Halloween looked like!

This was or trick-or-treating party! All of the cousins together trick-or-treating in Grandma Jane's neighborhood. Look at poor Adam's face!! He's so scared!! Most of his cousins had scary costumes that he didn't like all too well. The big one with the mask had to take off the mask after these pictures so that Adam could see that he was nice. poor guy.

Adam the dinosaur. He was trick-or-treating for his favorite candy, Whoppers! So when people asked what kind of dinosaur he was we would say the Whopper-saurus! He also was always the last to get his treats at the door, so people would always give him more, because he's cute and because he called all of the ladies Grandma. "thank you gama" cute.

Brandon the Spiderman! My mom cut out the eye holes to be bigger, but as you can see in the top pictures, he didn't even wear the mask when trick-or-treating, because he still couldn't see that well. But he carried his Spiderman head, his candy bucket.

Carving pumpkins that we grew in our garden!!

He's getting too big!!

And last, but not least, we had a visit from Grandma Berta!! And while she was here we made our haunted gingerbread house!! The boys had fun covering the roof in candy corn!

Catching Up

What we've been up to lately...


We went to the fair and saw my ribbons...


And posed for pictures (Adam was asleep in the stroller during this pic)...


Brandon started preschool! He takes the bus all by himself...

And we've been making fun crafts while brother takes his nap!

Massive Cookie

I have a cute little 4 year old that likes to do things with his mama when his little brother is taking a nap.


Yesterday we were reading some books that we got at the Library. One of the books was called "Wild Boars Cook". He picked it out at the Library all by himself. It's a fun book about some really hungry boars that decide that if they want to eat a lot, they have to cook! And at the end of the book is one of the recipes that the boars cook, a Massive Cookie. So, we made the massive cookie. Here it is before it was baked, we thought it was massive then!!

Just look at it after it got out of the oven!! That thing was MASSIVE!! He had lots of fun reading the book (well, having mom read the book) to his brother and dad later that night before we ate it for dessert after dinner. It was really crunchy and really sweet, but it was fun to do and he had a blast! So, if your kids love books and like to bake with you, go and get "Wild Boars Cook" at the Library! We returned it today to the Shelley Library, so if you live out here, go snatch it up!!

The Karate Kid

These are for you Grandma Berta!

Brandon recently started taking Karate classes in Idaho Falls. He really loves it! These pictures are from his third class. We are hoping that Karate helps him to listen better and have more respect. He does still have a little trouble following directions during class, but he is getting a lot better!

LOL, this one makes me laugh! He is such a goofball!

I tell you what, it's hard to take pictures of this kid, he moves way too much!!

When he got home from Karate class yesterday we had The Karate Kid movie from Netflix in the mail! He watched it right when we got into the house!

Baking & Bear World

Earlier this summer we went up to bear world with my sister Savana when she came to visit. The boys had lots of fun seeing all of the different animals. Here is Todd and Adam getting up close and personal with a doe.

Adam checking out the pot belly pig that was way bigger than him!

And Brandon and Savana petting little baby goat kids! They were so cute! The duck wanted some of the action too! Or maybe it just wanted some of the food inside of Vana's hand!

Here is a raspberry peach cobbler that I made last night with the last of my fresh raspberries, thanks Lori! I just used my regular peach cobbler recipe and added in some raspberries. It was yummy!

And yesterday morning I made this buttermilk raspberry cake, with hopes of posting it on to But Mama, I'm Hungry! But before I could get a picture of it Adam did this to it! He thought it would be fun to dig his hands into it to get some to eat. It was yummy! You can find the recipe here.

I'm Just Craving A Really Big Burrito

Last night for dinner I made Chile Verde burritos. {The recipe will be up on But Mama, I'm Hungry! In a few weeks. Right now I have recipes lined up to post until the end of this month.} Anyway, I made chile verde, mexican rice, refried beans, pico de gallo, guacamole and homemade chips. Yeah, I was cooking all day. And we made burritos for dinner out of all of those things. Todd was craving a really big burrito (inside joke) so he made this almost 4 pound burrito. At first I thought we were going to share it for dinner, like the whole family... but he wanted to see if he could eat the whole thing. So, he started eating...

It was really big, this platter is the same one I use to put things on for Todd to take to work, like a whole batch of cookies big.

This is a candid shot of Todd almost done with the whole thing. He had one bite left to go. See that "I'm in pain" look? Yeah, he claims he wasn't in pain, but I think this picture says it all!

So, he ate the whole thing! I swear, that thing was big! He used 2 HUGE tortillas to make the burrito! We weighed it right before he ate it and it was just under 4 pounds! Yeah. He said it was the best burrito he ever ate. In his whole life. I'm glad he enjoyed it!

And here are Brandon and Adam after eating dinner and a cookies & cream cupcake (the recipe will be up in a few weeks). Adam loved them! Can't you tell?

The Loss Of A Good Friend

A couple of weeks ago I told Adam that I wasn't going to buy any more new binkies after he lost his last one. I swear, this kid loses binkies like it's going out of style. And then a couple of days after I told him that I wasn't buying anymore, he finally lost his last one. I stuck to my guns and didn't buy anymore new ones. Adam was pretty sad at first, those first couple of naps and going to bed at night were pretty hard for him. In fact, the first night he cried for almost an hour. But, he eventually got over it and is now completely binkie free for 1 1/2 weeks now! He's a big boy now! Now we just need to work on potty training! ;)

He looks so much more grown up without the binkie, don't you think? He's a cutie!

A Rodeo In Town

The boys had lots of fun at The Little Buckaroo Rodeo this year! Both Brandon and Adam competed in the Stick Pony Race and they had a blast! Brandon really wanted to do the sheep riding, but he's a year too young so he's hoping to do that event next year. Even though he looks bigger than most of the kids that were competing in it this year! Adam had so much fun, this was his first year doing it and he loved it! He even met a little girlfriend, as you can see in one of the pictures above. He is just too cute! They are both my cute little cowboys!

Freak of Nature

I went out to the garden yesterday to pick some vegetables and this is what I found.

A conjoined yellow squash. They some how fused together while growing.

Weird.

Join me, won't you?

I have been in the works of getting together all of my favorite recipes to eventually write a cookbook. In the meantime, I've created a new blog about some of my recipes. The blog is brand new and needs your help to stay going! I've only got a couple of recipes listed so far, but I plan on posting almost everyday with a new recipe. So, if your looking for some good recipes to feed to your family, follow me over to my new blog "But Mama, I'm Hungry!". I look forward to sharing my family's favorites with your family. If you have any tried and true recipes that you'd like to share with me, I'd love to see them! See you soon over at But Mama, I'm Hungry!

SO MAD!!!

Ugh!! I just thought to look to see if the Pillsbury bake off contest is going on this year. It is, and I missed the deadline to enter by a day! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!! I am so mad at myself right now. I found one of my entries from two years ago just a few days ago and didn't think to look at the website until today.

I've Done It!!

I have created a sweet and sour chicken recipe that is just as good as any good Chinese restaurant! And I mean a good one in California, because we all know that the Chinese places out here in Idaho kind of suck. Here it is.


Sweet and Sour Chicken
Just as good as take-out!

1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into small bite size pieces
1 cup flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
1 1/3 cups cold water
oil for frying

Sauce:
½ cup ketchup
½ teaspoon soy sauce
1/3 cup white vinegar
¾ cup water
1 ¼ cups sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
3 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup cold water
½ large onion, chunked
1 green bell pepper, chunked
½ cup pineapple tidbits

In a medium saucepan, combine all of the sauce ingredients, except for the onion, bell pepper and pineapple. Bring sauce to a boil and turn heat down to medium. Add the onion, bell pepper and pineapple and heat until vegetables are soft. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and water in a large bowl. Whisk together well to make a thick batter. Dip chicken pieces in batter and drop in hot oil. Fry until golden brown and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Let cool on paper towel lined plate. Serve over hot cooked rice, pouring sauce over chicken and enjoy!

I would have taken a picture of it, but for the past, um... six months my digital camera has been lost. Just yesterday I found it!! After dinner was already all eaten though. :) The dang thing was behind the dvd player, which stopped working on Wednesday, so we got a new one and while I was putting the new one in, I found my camera! Yay!! And here we were blaming poor Adam on the missing camera! :)

Alphabet Meme

My sister in law Aleyta tagged me, so here goes.

A - Available or Taken: taken
B - Best Friend: my mom
C -Cake or Pie: cake all the way.
D - Drink of Choice: water or coke zero
E - Essential item you use everyday: flour
F - Favorite Color: pink
G - Gummy Bears or Worms: chocolate please
H - Hometown: Hayward, Ca
I - Indulgence: really good lotion
J - January or February: no thanks, not a fan of winter, but Todd's birthday is in February.
K - Kids & ages: Brandon 3 1/2 & Adam 18 months
L - Life is incomplete without: family
M - Marriage Date or Most Memorable Date (and why): marriage 11/08/03
N - Number of Siblings: 3 two brothers and 1 sisty
O - Oranges or Apples: clementines
P- Phobias or Fears: freaky laughing people. (don't ask)
Q - Fave Quote: "Whats right isn't always popular and whats popular isn't always right." My senior quote that they some how messed up really badly.
R - Reason to Smile: my crazy kids.
S - Season: Spring
T - Tag 3 or 4 People: If you'd like to do this, go right ahead!
U - Unknown fact about me: I didn't believe in killing animals when I was younger. So I didn't eat meat.
V - Vegetable you don't like: I don't like squash, other than zucchini.
W - Worst Habit: I guess you'd have to ask Todd. lol, I can't think of anything.
X - X-rays: yep, I've had a few.
Y - Your Fave Food: La Pinata Mexican food, which I only have like once a year since it's out in CA. But, I really love homemade bread....mmm!
Z - Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Make This For Dinner NOW!!

So, you say your family doesn't like tuna casserole? Really.... Well, I challenge you to make this recipe and tell me that they don't love it! I used shell pasta and the bread topping. Go make it...NOW!!

The Food Game

My sister-in-law Aleyta tagged me with this fun little game. Things in bold are foods that I've tried in my life. Lots of them I haven't tried, including any of the alcohol, but this should be fun.


1.Venison - duh!!
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghan
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi1
5. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns - When I was a kid I had a Filipino friend that I would go to her house sometimes, and one time we had these! Yummy!
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans - of course!!
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters - only fried though, I don't think i could handle raw!
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl - when Todd and I were dating we went to a Giants baseball game and got some clam chowder in a sourdough bowl to share and Todd was eating some of it and not really paying any attention and ate the whole entire thing!! To this day if he eats everything of something I laugh and say "was that good clam chowder?"
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float - I am mormon!! hehe
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka + Jell-O - only the jello part of this one! :)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat - ate this with Lita (my grandma) in an Indian restaurant when I was a kid.
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more
46. Fugu - isn't that the fish that can kill you if not made right?! I would never eat that!
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - when the Krispy Kreme opened in Union City when I was a kid, we stood in line out in the cold for like an hour just to get some! We even got one hot off of the line!
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. ratatouille
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain - of course!!
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill - This all depends on what you call roadkill.
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict - My mommy makes the best!
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse....yuck!! I can't believe people would actually eat a horse!
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

A Handmade Christmas

If you didn't know yet, Christmas is just around the corner!! I'm trying to make a lot of my Christmas gifts this year. Nieces and nephews are all getting pillow cases that I've been busy making, most of which were made out of fabric that I already had! Here are some instructions, just in case you'd like to make some too.

I'm also going to be making a couple of hooded towels for Brandon and Adam. They can always use more towels for after bath time! I've been looking at a few patterns, here is one that looks pretty easy.

I might even make some casserole totes. We'll have to see on that one though. I might need to find a better pattern for those. Have any ideas?

Are you making any of your Christmas gifts this year?

New Blog Name & Recipes

So, I've decided to change up the name of my blog. Since my house is always crazy and my kids drive me nuts, I thought "The Mad House" is pretty much the right title for my life. Anyway, we just got back from our ward Harvest Party and everyone was raving over the cheesecake that I brought. So, I thought I'd share the recipe for that and the white chili I made.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

For The Crust:
4 1/2 cups crushed Oreo cookies
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

For The Filling:
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese , softened
5 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural-style)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1 bag bite sized Reese's Peanut Butter cups, cut in half

Preheat oven to 275° placing an oven proof dish with water in the bottom of your oven, this will help so the cheesecake doesn't crack.

To make the crust, crush the oreos, either in a zip loc bag (this is what I do) or in a food processor. Then add the butter to the cookie crumbs and mix well. Pat the crust mixture onto bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan. **Mine is only 8 inches, so I also put some in a muffin tin lined with papers. With this recipe I can get one 8 inch cheesecake and 9 muffin size cheesecakes.**

For the filling, make sure the cream cheese is nice and soft before mixing. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth, add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add sugar, peanut butter and cream; mix until smooth. Stir in vanilla, then fold in peanut butter cup pieces with a rubber spatula. Pour filling into prepared crust. Place the filled springform pan on a cookie sheet (mine always leaks and then butter gets all on the bottom of my oven while I'm cooking it.) Bake at 275°F 1 hour 35 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned. **The muffin tin cheesecakes take 35 minutes** Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for one hour. Run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan somewhat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

White Chicken Chili

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Pinto Beans
1 can white hominy, drained (I use a big one, you can use a smaller one depending on how much you like hominy)
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried cilantro (you can find this in the mexican food isle by all of the little packets of spices)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups sour cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, hominy, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is really good with tortilla chips or cornbread.

Yummy Soup

Here are a couple of really yummy soups that I made and brought to a church activity yesterday. Everyone was asking for the recipes. Enjoy!


Vegetable Ham Alfredo Soup

Adapted from a recipe by Sherelle Christensen

2 cans chicken broth
2 cans evaporated milk
1 Tbs. Dried parsley
pepper to taste
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
4-5 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup frozen french cut green beans
1 ½ cups chopped ham
1 jar Alfredo Sauce
4 oz. Cream cheese
Add all ingredients except for the alfredo sauce and cream cheese to a big pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until potatoes are soft, then add alfredo sauce and cream cheese. Heat through until cream cheese melts. Serve with hot rolls.


Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 (15 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
10 corn tortillas, cut into small pieces
1 pound chicken meat, cooked and diced
1 cup milk
12 ounces shredded cheese
Put everything in a big pot and cook down until tortillas break apart and thicken the soup. Serve with broken tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream.

I'm getting excited!

My baby brother is getting married a week from Saturday! I can't believe he's old enough to get married all ready! It seems like we were just kids not that long ago! I'm so happy for him and his fiance Aleyta. She's a great gal and they are so lucky to have found each other. I know they'll be happy together!


They'll be getting married in San Juan Bautista, CA so we'll be flying out to my parent's house next Wednesday! I'm really excited to see everyone! They haven't seen Adam walk yet! And can you believe that they asked Brandon to be the ring bearer!? I think they're a little crazy, but I'm sure he'll be super cute and add some....um, excitement to the wedding. haha... Anyway, I can't wait to see everyone and see my Matty get married! I love you guys!