about brownies

It was a great weekend. We spent Saturday night at camp with friends from church. Saturday night supper was a healthful diet of fire roasted hot dogs on white buns with plenty of ketchup and mustard, potato chips, green pepper slices (I tried. Really, I did.), and the famous smores’. Oh, and pink lemonade to drink. Very healthful.

Then today our congregation gathered at camp for our morning worship service followed by a fantastic BBQ chicken dinner with yummy side dishes. Everyone brought desserts to share. Eldest daughter made brownies. Mmm. Again, very healthful. Butter and sugar are good for you, right? And vanilla? Eggs? Flour? Cocoa?

So today upon returning home I surveyed the remaining six brownies left in the pan. Yes, I’m with you. I’m surprised there were ANY left. But there were. Someone was thinking healthful thoughts and passed by the brownies. Those must have been the people who decided instead on apple pie or the lovely cherry cheesecake or the rice crispy squares surrounding the brownies.

What to do with the brownies? I had to find a home for them. Ah! There were some chocolate chip bars left from the other day! I’ll just add them to that container. I pop open the Tupperware and here is what I find:


Hmmm. Wonder who took the last one. Wonder who took the last one and didn’t bother to add the Tupperware to the stack of things-to-wash.

Seems that food just doesn’t hang around this house very long these days.

And here’s hoping that my great friend Jo, over at Jo’s Kitchen Table, has some really great hints on healthful eating. I’m counting on you girlfriend!!


Parting shots:

The boys LOVE to hang out with the cows. One day last week I looked out my kitchen window and saw eldest son lying there just looking at the cows. He said the pavement was warm (it was a chilly day).

p.s. post about girls coming soon!

about icing

Old Mother Hubbard went to her cupboard to fetch confectioners sugar to finish the icing she was making for Sunday’s cake. But when she got there she discovered she had only half the amount of sugar she needed. And since she’d already begun to make the icing she decided to substitute with ordinary granulated sugar.

Old Mother Hubbard made the amazing discovery that granulated sugar cannot, I repeat, cannot take the place of confectioners sugar in butter cream icing. Granulated white sugar makes for a very grainy, heavy icing. So Old Mother Hubbard added 8 oz. of cream cheese in hopes of saving said icing. Now Old Mother Hubbard’s icing looks smooth and lovely. But alas, it is only an illusion. When once the icing is in your mouth it breaks out in all its heavy grainy-ness.

Old Mother Hubbard will use the icing anyway and is pretty sure that all the little Hobb(it)s and Old Father Hubbard will be very impressed. In spite of its heavy grainy-ness.

Oh wait. Now I’m mixing nursery rhymes and Tolkien. Hubbard. Hobb(it).

I can imagine Bilbo Baggins reading nursery rhymes to Frodo. It seems like a Hobb(it) kind of thing to do.

Good night from our part of the Shire.

Have a blessed Sunday!!

Random thoughts about Easter

Easter is about emptiness. 

An empty cross. 

An empty tomb.

 Christ emptying Himself to atone for my sin. 

My own emptiness apart from the filling of the Holy Spirit. 

My own emptiness in trying to find fulfillment and meaning in life apart from Christ. 

A friend recently shared a new perspective on the words Jesus spoke from the cross. One gospel records this: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Could it be that God’s wrath was ready to pour forth on those who were bruising His only Son? Could it be that Jesus’ words were really a plea on our behalf, and that it was His request for forgiveness that stopped Almighty God from "wiping us off the map?" And then as God Himself stayed His hand and turned away, even Jesus felt the abandonment and said, “My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?”

I’d never thought of the death of Jesus in this way. Thanks Joan for sharing your vision.
Easter Sunday dinner we try to do special meal in honor of the day. Here was the spread today. 

My sweet friend Amber posted an idea that she'd tweaked a bit from a friend of hers. So I re-tweaked it and came up with these little nests for chocolate eggs. So easy and yummy. 
Just use your favorite no-bake cookie recipe, form into little nests and add the eggs! Mmmm. 

I pray your Easter Sunday is full of celebration as you ponder again the resurrection of our Jesus. 

Spring Creativity!

Some days I feel very "crafty" and other days. . . not so much. But after reading this blog post at Nesting Place, I felt "crafty" indeed. Or maybe just creative. So I set about to create. And here is what happened: 

Stop one: Dollar Tree. There are many interesting finds here. I purchase my favorite lip balm here. Two in a package for a buck. Also a big box of sidewalk chalk for a buck. Adorable scrapbooking stickers (that I rarely use for scrapbooking, just other fun projects), again, for a buck. And it's the place of choice for children to spend a dollar from Great Ma. I don't shop there often, but when my creative juices started churning, I knew Dollar Tree would have just what I needed. I spent a grand total of $2.12.  For these.

Yup. A plain ordinary plate. And a plain ordinary candle holder. But when you glue the candle holder to the bottom of the plate you get this:

Viola!!!

A very sweet little pedestal cake plate for spring. The sweet-friend-I've-never-met at Nesting Place used a white plate and a white candle holder she had on hand so she saved the $2.12, but I didn't own anything that remotely resembled anything to create such an adorable centerpiece so I had to settle for the shelves of Dollar Tree, but they didn't let me down. 

Oh, and I tried hot glue. It was a personal disaster. I quickly switched to super glue. Yup. It worked. For now. If it fails, I'll try something else. My sweet husband says I need some really great waterproof glue. But I don't carry any of that around in my hip pocket. 

So far I've used it for Mint Brownie Pie (I took it to a friend's house when we were invited for supper). And this morning I used it for cut up fruit at breakfast. It would also be great for cupcakes. I think I feel a batch coming on. . . 

Girls!!! Baking time!!

P.S Go HERE for that wonderful recipe for Mint Brownie Pie!!! 

Recipe of the week

Southwestern Egg Casserole

10 eggs

1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1/8 t. salt

4 c. (16 oz.) monterrey jack cheese, shredded

2 c. (16 oz.) cottage cheese

1/2 c. butter, melted 

2 cans (4 oz. each) chopped green chillies

Beat eggs. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into eggs (batter will be lumpy). Add monterrey jack cheese, cottage cheese, butter and chillies. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 x 2 in. baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350˚ for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. 

Makes 10 to 12 servings. 

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I don't make this recipe often simply because it's rather expensive with the cost of cheese. But if I happen to get a really good deal on cheese, watch out!! I've discovered that you can use nearly any kind of shredded cheese in this recipe. This morning I used cheddar and mozzarella. I usually don't put the chillies in it since I have small children, several of whom abhor anything remotely hot and spicy. 

This was our standard Saturday morning breakfast at Girl's Retreat. Several girls who "never eat breakfast" weren't too impressed when I brought out the egg casserole, but they decided to taste it anyway. Guess who had seconds. After that first adventuresome year at George and Linda's cabin on Lake Superior, this casserole became a tradition. 

A tea for girls

So, in between supervising two girls making bread (8 loaves total), chatting online with my sister in Alaska, answering the phone, downloading pictures, chasing three younger children to the great outdoors to play. . . I'm blogging. 

One of the dear ladies from church invited the girls and me for tea. She also invited Carol and Becky Kauffman. Becky is just a year older than Emelyne and a good friend to all the girls.

Brenda was our hostess. She created a tea with several courses. We began with chilled strawberry soup and crispy dainties she'd make from bread and flour tortillas. Then we moved on to wee sandwiches and veggies and layered jello salad. The meal finished off with 4 different kinds of scones, Devonshire cream, strawberry and lemon curd, shortbread and of course, tea. Choices for tea were Mint Medley or Constant Comment. 

When we arrived Brenda had the girls draw numbers. Whoever chose #1  got first pick of Brenda's hats to wear for tea. 

We had a lovely time!! 

Sophia clowning around after tea

Elsa took her own hat, one Esther wore in a cousin's wedding several years ago. 

Brenda serving Sophia. . .

Emelyne loves to pose for pictures!!

The other Carol.  And yes, it was highly confusing to have two Carols there! 

Second course goodies!!

Becky with a hat to match her dress.

Somehow, girls and tea just go together. 

More St. Paddy's Day

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day with the Hobbs family this year, especially fun since Daddy and Esther have been to Ireland in the not so distant past. 

Auntie E, Emelyne, Sophia, Elsa and Great-Ma (Daniel's grandma)

We had real Irish "Bubble and Squeak"!!

And I think we can safely say, "Two Apples a day, keep the doctor away".

St. Paddy's Day (after the fact)

Auntie Esther is the owner of several fine pair of glasses for many occasions. I got the shamrock glasses. Tobin just got the silly glasses. 

Esther created an Irish themed meal. Tobin was not thrilled with the "Pot o' gold" soup. The name couldn't cover the fact that it was really curried carrot soup. And the child we thought wouldn't eat it (Tristen) ate an entire bowlful. Go figure. 

Cream cheese and corned beef sandwiches cut into shamrock shapes.

Our little grinning Irishman (Tristen, age 2)

Mennonite Cheerios

Yes, you read the title correctly for this post: Mennonite Cheerios. This was Elsa's bowl of cereal the other morning. I added the sliced bananas. A while later Tobin said, "Look! Elsa has Mennonite Cheerios." 

Tobin is 4. Tobin has unique ideas about life. And cereal. And no one (not even Tobin) knows exactly why they are Mennonite Cheerios. They just are. Go figure. 

An upset fruit basket

One lone apple left in the fruit basket. 

One very hungry two year old.

Here's proof that my two year old needs only half an apple to still his growling tummy. 

Apples make good appetizers. 

Sophia

Sophia started the day with her requested "dwarf" breakfast: bacon, mushrooms and eggs. This Hobbit family added waffles to menu. 

Here is Sophia with her cake of choice: mint brownie pie. You can access the recipe at tasteofhome.com. Click on the link above to find the recipe. 

I had some leftover chocolate from decorating so we just drizzled it on top of the individual pieces of dessert. Mmmm. You gotta' try it!

Breakfast for a two year old

It's a chilly day at our house.

I asked Tristen if he'd like hot tea for breakfast. He smiled and looked at me with those big blue eyes of his and said, "Chocolate cake!"

Not too surprised really. I'm married to a man who loves dark chocolate. Guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

A wee update

Somehow it's just nice to be with Mom. Mom understands things. Mom loves you and loves when you come home. Mom feeds you comfort food. Nuff said. 

Dad and Daniel left for Hicksville, Ohio at around 6 this morning in order to make the 9 am start of Minister's Fellowship (the annual pastor's conference of Conservative Mennonite Conference). The children were rather bummed to have missed saying goodbye at that early hour. He did sneak in to kiss them all goodbye, it's just that they didn't realize it. They were all still sleeping of course. 

It was a full day. We had school this morning. Sophia even read a chapter of "Owl at Home" to Great Grandma Showalter. Nana kept two active little boys entertained while I read aloud to the girls (and Great Grandma, who also adores read aloud stories). We're half way through "The White Stallions of Lippiza" and I always hear, "Just one more chapter, please, Mama!"

The boys napped after lunch. Emmy finished up multiplication flashcards. We went to the neighbors to visit their 4 new puppies. Tobin held a shivering puppy and then said, "Oh, that makes my heart tickle!" 

We had a wonderful supper of turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, applesauce, jello and fruit salad, and Great Grandma's raisin filled cookies. Shaun, the neighbor boy and puppy owner, came to play after supper, bringing a huge bin of Legos with him. 

Somewhere along in there we managed to fit in several baths in Nana's big soaking tub. One daughter sank into the bubbles and proclaimed, "This is paradise!" When it came time for the boys to have their turn Tristen very carefully blew out all the candles we'd lit around the tub. This two year old has no sense of ambiance. Yet. 

And we finished the evening off with a traditional Showalter snack of graham crackers and milk. With the crackers being dipped in the milk of course. It's tradition. But as one of the children said so truly, "It's just not the same without Grandpa here."

So there you have it. It's been a day. A good day. From a good God. 

Soup for a Wintery Sunday

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1 12 oz. can whole kernel corn

1 14 oz. can tomato sauce

14 oz. water (rinse out your tomato sauce can)

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 14 oz. can kidney or black beans, rinsed

Brown ground beef, add 1/2 of the taco seasoning to meat. In a crock pot put meat mixture and canned goods and the rest of the taco seasoning. Simmer 2 to 3 hours on low. Serve with tortilla chips, fresh cilantro, grated cheddar cheese and sour cream (any or all of these are great additions!). 

I make this on Saturday afternoon and put it in my crock pot in the fridge. Not the heating element, just the crock. :o) Sunday morning I remove it from the fridge and turn the heat to low. The soup simmers all through Sunday School and morning worship and is ready for my family when we return home. 

Cookie Day!

I mixed the dough and chilled it several hours so it was ready for rolling out and cutting.

I rolled the dough out and let the girls cut out the cookies.

Tobin tried to have a nap, but ended up joining us part way through the decorating process.

The girls love being creative with their cookies. I did have to put a limit on how many decorations could go on a single cookies. There were times you had doubts about there really being a cookie underneath all the red hots, white chocolate chips and multi-colored sprinkles!

Oh yes. We did decorate with a few conversation hearts as well. 

And besides all that, they are really yummy cookies. Even Papa said so. And he isn't a huge fan of plain old sugar cookies. I think it was because I substituted the vanilla for almond flavoring.

 He says it's my Asian influence. 

Amish Friendship Bread

This is the bread starter that comes to you in a gallon zip lock bag. You "feed" the starter over a period of days. It grows. You squish the bag, let the air out and watch it multiply. 

I did the unthinkable. I left the bag home alone for a day and a night. Here is what I came home to:

the cookies were great!

I ended up baking a dozen cookies. And then there were those in the family who wanted a baked cookie and also a nice spoonful of dough. 

In case you're in need of yet another cookie recipe here goes: 

Wyoming Whopper Cookies

2/3 c. butter, very soft or even melted

1 1/4 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. white sugar

3 eggs

Mix until smooth. 

1 1/2 c. chunky (or crunchy) peanut butter

3 T. water

6 c. old fashioned oats

2 t. baking soda

1 1/2 c. raisins

1 package (12 oz.---or more!) chocolate chips

Add remaining ingredients and mix until well blended. This mixture will be very sticky. Drop on greased baking sheet with large spoon. Flatten slightly. Bake at 350˚ for about 15 minutes for very large cookies, less time for smaller cookies. Cool and enjoy!!