Chicken Broccoli Cups

I saw a Pillsbury commercial where they made Mini Chicken Pot Pies out of Grands Biscuits and was inspired. I already had the biscuits in my fridge just waiting to be used. I decided that I would do a chicken and broccoli mix instead of chicken pot pies.

Quick heads up ~ I tend to not measure, especially with something like this where the amount needed is really just a preference. Also the Pillsbury recipe has a longer cooking time but mine were done very fast, I think because I split the biscuits in 2 and they do not.

The Pillsbury recipe calls for cream of chicken soup and rather than use that I mixed up a batch of my new favorite Cream of Something Soup mix ~ One Orange Giraffe
I love this recipe and have used it a ton already, it makes everything so much better!

The ingredients and how to:

• Pillsbury Grands Original Biscuits
• 1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped
• 1 head of broccoli, steamed and chopped
• a prepared can equivalent portion of the Cream of Something Soup (One Orange Giraffe) or if you would rather cream of chicken soup
• Shredded cheddar cheese

 Heat the oven to 375. Spray cupcake tins with non-stick spray. Separate each biscuit into 2, gently stretch and flatten, then place in cupcake tin pressing sides up to form a cup. Mix chicken, broccoli and soup. Spoon mixture into biscuit cups. top with cheese. Bake approximately 10 minutes or until browned. makes 16

Warm and yummy goodness.

Fresh out of the oven. The cups on the left have just chicken, soup and cheese.

Making a center pull out yarn ball

Have you ever had a skein of yarn that just is in knots.  Its pukes out a pile of yarn every time you pull some out.  So frustrating and slows down my crocheting.  I usually make them into yarn balls, but then the roll all over and its a pain.  I searched for a solution, make my own center pull out ball.  There are quite a few tutorials out there, which is helpful.

 I didn't take pictures of my process, I was too busy winding and winding and winding, it was a lot of yarn.

Here is one I looked at for help: Knits With Balls

All you need is your pile of yarn barf and a paper towel roll.  Drop the end of the yarn into the roll, this will be your start. Then you lay the length of yarn about midway down the roll and start wrapping the yarn around to hold the start in place.  Don't do it too tight.  I covered almost the whole roll twice, moving up and down the roll as I wrapped it.  Then I started going diagonally, then following the previous row of yarn.  It took a long time, but see how nice and neat it turned out.  Its staying together very nicely and pulls out perfectly (so far).

Rainbow Rice

I have seen lots of different sensory tub activities.  There are so many ways to make them: beans, rice, rocks, pasta.  A while back I saw a blog showing how to dye rice to make a rainbow rice sensory tub.  Decided to give it a try.
You just need rice, food coloring and rubbing alcohol or vinegar.

The instructions can be found here: My Little Alberta Family

The only thing I did different was I mixed each color in a plastic baggie so I didn't have to deal with mixing (and slopping it all over the counter)

Here is the rice before the drying process:

It was so colorful!  He loves playing with it.  He kept putting his feet in it and burying them.

And then he dumped it on the floor when I turned my back...Have since put in a different container and put him on a big sheet for easy cleanup.

Freezing food

One of the easiest ways I have found to freeze various foods is by using muffin tins.  I got the idea from using ice cube trays to freeze homemade baby food for my daughter.  I had made soup and being me I made a huge batch.  I wanted to freeze it to save it for later but I wanted to do it so I had single portions.  I thought about trying a muffin tin.  It was perfect.  I froze the soup in the tins, popped them out and stored them in freezer bags.  Then when I want some I just take a couple out and thaw them.  Since then I have used the idea for other things.  We got a huge thing of salsa and nacho cheese.  There was no way we were going to eat them before they went bad.  I wanted to freeze them as well and that's when I tried lining the tins with plastic wrap.  So much easier!

This is how they looked before frozen:

 

Once they were frozen it was easy to just pop them out with the plastic wrap.  I keep it just the same as soup, in freezer bags.

Keep it simple

Sometimes the most simple toys are the best.  At some point my husband brought home some scraps of wood from a job, or several.  Just little end pieces of all shapes and sizes that were lying around.  P used them to build fairy houses that she would decorate.  Now C has discovered them and loves building towers and houses and castles.  I love how imaginative they can be with just a few pieces of wood.  He sets up a whole city very carefully with all the pieces.  Then, being C, he takes the last piece which is usually a monster or a dragon and knocks everything down.  *sigh*

Fall wreath

I finally got around to making a fall wreath yesterday.

I had wanted to make a burlap wreath and found inspiration on Pinterest.

Found here:  Rooms For Rent Blog

I had found a huge roll of burlap at a home improvement store.  The best way to buy it from what I have seen.  Its in the garden section by the landscaping fabric.  The only downside it you have to cut it into strips for this wreath.  Then I found help on that on Pinterest (try not to act shocked).

This helped: Painted Furniture Ideas

I used a wire frame as suggested in the first blog link and wove the burlap strips through.  In the end I had this.  I can change out the flowers and make it a spring wreath when the time comes.

Clean cleaning

I love finding new tips and tricks on Pinterest. I never knew how effective vinegar, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide were at cleaning compared to all the expensive ones you can buy in the store.  I have been searching for a good all purpose cleaning solution that I like.  I have tried several, some were good, some made me gag, though most did the trick, I wasn't sold on any.  Today I finally found one I like.  Vinegar, dish soap, oxiclean. Simple and effective.

Hop over to Noahs Ark Homeschool Academy  for the solution plus a whole bunch of others.

I made the disinfectant spray too and really like it.

Messy play

Messy play is a part of being a kid. You just can't deny them the enjoyment of the mess.  I can however deny them the opportunity to spread it around my house.  So, when the weather is nice we go outside to have messy play. 

Then there are days like this:

I give them a whole variety of messiness and just let them go.

I put baking soda on a cookie tray. Then put some vinegar in a few cups with a variety of food coloring.  P used a dropper to drop the vinegar onto the baking soda, combing the colors for fizzy fun.

 I put out finger paints and a big piece of art paper.  They eventually ended up being feet paints, somehow missed pictures of that.

 And of course goop.  The good old cornstarch and water mixture.  C absolutely loved it.  I think this may have been the first time he encountered it.

What is your child's favorite messy play activity?

Pumpkin soup!

I found my new favorite fall soup recipe last year and thought I would share.

Thai Spiced Pumpkin Soup

Oh so good and very easy to make.  Only 6 ingredients, butternut squash, coconut milk,
 vegetable stock, Thai curry paste, oil, and salt.

The recipe can be found here:  Pease Pudding

Next grocery run I'm getting the ingredients for it.  Its a must with the drizzly weather we have had this week.

This pouch rocks

When P started eating baby food I was very on top of the whole homemade baby food thing. I made batches and froze it to always have it on hand. It was easy and cheap and worked great for us. I planned to do the same when C started eating real food. Then reality set in. Life as a busy working mom set in and the convenience of baby food in those great pouches was too tempting. So many companies started making them and with simple natural ingredients. It was easy to be sucked in. Then one day I was on Pinterest and saw this pin about the Little Green Pouch. A reusable pouch, it was what I needed.

Little Green Pouch

They were sold out at the time but there was a waiting list. As soon as I got the email they were available I ordered them and got them in the mail that week. I was thrilled!

We fill them with everything, yogurt, applesauce, smoothies.   They are great for kid lunches or on the go. I can make a bunch up at once and freeze them too which is very handy.

It is a great company too that has great customer service. One of the pouches had a seal that failed. I ended up emailing them because I had been so pleased with the product otherwise. Not expecting anything really, just wanted to let them know there had been a problem. Maggie emailed back that they would send me a whole new box as replacements. Really impressed. A month later another of the original pouches had the same problem, but no worries cause I had the new ones.

If you haven't checked them and you have your own littles or know someone who does (they would make a great shower gift!) Hop over and see.

My favorite season

I'm one of those cozy sweater, rainy day, curled up with a good book, hot chocolate, pumpkin everything kind of people that love fall. Its my favorite season. The heat of the summer is finally gone and the rain has started. I can see out my window right now some very dark clouds quickly moving in, more rain is coming. I love the clouds more than a clear sunny sky. I have great childhood memories of simply lying out on a blanket and watching the clouds, seeing what shapes I could spot. Now I do this with my own daughter. It never gets old. Welcome back fall, its good to see you again.

Preparing for launch

I've been playing around with the idea of starting up another blog, separate from the family related one. Trying to think of things to write about, ideas to share, a name! ugh. Well I did it and here it is. Its a work in progress as most things in my life seem to be. So here is to the first of many (hopefully) posts.