Crock-Pot Steel Cut Oats.

After posting some pics of yummy crock-pot oatmeal on Facebook (all of which I cannot find, hence the Google Images photo above ... LAME, sorry), I had some requests that I post said recipe on my blog. I found this easy double-boiler method linked from my friend Leslie's blog. The Footy Pajamas household is quite grateful that she took the time to share it! It's super-easy. Plus, what's better than waking up to a breakfast that's already done?

If your breakfasts are anything like ours in our house, then a little preparedness goes a long way.

I add a little more water than the directions specify, simply because my crock-pot is rather ambitious when it comes to heating. Also, I made a rookie mistake of setting my crock-pot to "warm" for fear that the oats would burn and nay, they simply didn't cook. Be sure to set it to low. We mix our oats with bananas and maple syrup. Yum.

So, click on the link, and enjoy! We do, at least twice a week. :)

Have a lovely day.

Two Easy Lunch Ideas.

Do you ever get stuck in a food rut with your kids? This seems to happen to me periodically. I'll be on a roll with menu planning and then all of the sudden I'll sit down to write out a menu for the week and I totally draw a blank. What do my kids like again? What should I buy?

If this ever happens to you and you need some inspiration, here are two of my favorite lunches to do with the kids. The first one is super easy: Peanut Butter and Honey Roll-Ups. Just spread peanut/almond/whatever butter on a tortilla, then spread some honey on top. Roll it tightly and voila! Easy and yummy (and slightly neater than a sandwich). I slice it for Naomi, since she only has two teeth. Poor little kid.

Another lunch idea is English Muffin Pizzas. My Mom did this for us as kids and I loved it then and I love it now! It's totally easy. Take some whole wheat English muffins (I like Rudi's) and toast them in the toaster, or warm them in an oven heated to 350. Spread a dab of pizza sauce on each half, and then top with whatever you'd like (we prefer slices of fresh mozzarella). Put them back in the oven for ten minutes or so to let the cheese melt and there you have it! Instant personal pizzas. Yum.

Have a lovely day!

Creamy. Yummy.

When it comes to soups, I'm a huge creamy soup fan. You know, the kind that isn't as good for you and usually involves significant amounts of fat and such. YUM!

As I made my menu for the week, I perused teh Internets for a creamy chicken noodle soup recipe that I could make in the good ol' crock-pot. I didn't find one that I loved, but I found parts of several that I loved, so I put them all together and made my own.

Oh my. Oh MY.

It was creamy, rich, amazingly yummy. My husband praised it and my kids devoured their bowls. I also devoured my fair share. So, if you're in the mood for something creamy and hot as the cold weather rolls in, here is my recommendation:

Way Yummy Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

You will need:

4 cups chicken stock

2 cans cream of chicken soup (I usually try to be all healthy and shy away from using "cream of ..." soups, but this time? NAH.)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (remember me not being healthy?)

2-3 cups chicken, shredded (or chopped or whatever you prefer)

3/4 bag of egg noodles

veggies of your choosing (chopped carrots, chopped celery, chopped green onion, etc.)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Dump everything in your crock-pot except the noodles. Cook on high for roughly thirty minutes, and then set to low.

Let it simmer all day and make your house smell amazing.

About thirty minutes before meal time, dump in the egg noodles.

Cook noodles until satisfied (I let mine thoroughly cook so they would have a dumpling-like creamy texture).

Add salt and pepper as needed.

(NOTE: I'm going to go ahead and recommend that you make your own chicken stock. I know, it sounds like a pain if you've never done it before, but it's way easy and you just can't beat the rich flavor. I seasoned my stock with garlic, green onions, bay leaves, salt, and pepper and it tasted amazing. I like making my own stock because I can control the salt content (I think store-bought tends to taste a bit salty, and the low-sodium option tastes a bit bland ... I guess I need a happy medium!). Especially when I'm using other canned soups which are already salty enough--it's nice to have a mellow but rich stock. I also used my chicken from the stock and it was all flavorful and yummy and YUM.)

Dump in bowls and watch your family devour it!

Happy eating, friends!

Have a lovely weekend.

: best pumpkin bars ever :

(a recipe given to me by a good friend's mom)

(bars)

4 eggs

1 c. oil

1/2 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. cloves

1/2 t. ginger

1/2 t. nutmeg

2 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1 16 oz. can pumpkin

: sift dry ingredients (except, of course, the sugar)

: combine sugar, eggs, and oil, and mix well

: add dry ingredients gradually until well mixed ... then beat for two minutes

: add pumpkin and mix thoroughly

: pour in 13x9 greased pan

: bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes

(frosting)

6 oz. cream cheese

1 T. milk

3/4 stick Crisco

1 t. vanilla

4 c. powdered sugar

: blend well

: allow bars to cool, just a bit. spread frosting. lick the bowl.

(baby girls are yummy, too)