Crazy Idea

I got a crazy idea today while L and G were napping. I decided to clean out the pantry. It was bad...really bad. The before picture doesn't do it justice because I had already emptied half of it out before I took the picture and also because it isn't full since I need to go shopping on Friday. But, it gives you the general idea. Oh and picture crumbs...lots of them...pretzel crumbs, chip crumbs, miscellaneous crumbs...you get the idea. The bottom was completely filled with crap. Water bottles and cardboard, my stand mixer, a bag of potatoes, and that box filled with stuff we were using when we painted the house. We still haven't finished the last little bit of painting and touch-ups, so we left the box here where we could get to it.

The mess I produced with my crazy idea. Again, after I had cleaned the shelves and replace about 1/3 of the stuff.

The top shelf is my food storage shelf. We don't have near as much as we need, but we are getting there little by little. My .40 cereal and oatmeal make a nice addition though. We do have more than in the picture, I just hadn't put it all up yet.

The basket is full of dry beans and rice. I have a few cooking/baking items. I have cans of the things we eat regularly. I also have some boxed things like Mac n' Cheese and 3 cases of Ramen Noodles. There is probably enough for us to eat for a week or so. There is lots of rice and beans though that would last longer. I also like to keep my regular pantry food stocked pretty well and consider it a little bit of food storage too. For instance we might eat 3 cans of black beans a week and I would buy 3 every week, but there are 12 on the shelf, so that helps a little.

The cereal and oatmeal and stacked to the ceiling.

All done...until I go grocery shopping on Friday ( it does look a little bare, so even though it will be a challenge to fit it all in and organize it, I'm excited. I love a full pantry.)

p.s. That one crooked can on the bottom shelf is driving me nuts. I had to get up and go fix it when I saw the picture.

Lately

This is what Little G has been up to lately. He has an obsession with the kitchen floor and more specifically the kitchen table. Maybe he knows that is where he might find some yummy food.

And did I mention putting every crumb, scrap of paper, water bottle lid, or small toy that he finds into his mouth. Yeah, he does that a lot.

He also crawls over to the wall and reaches up on it and try to put his fingers in the outlets. Most of them are covered, but there are a few that are missing one. He knows which ones they are and usually makes a beeline for them. Smart kid.

His favorite game is when his big sisters crawls around on the floor and he chases them. He's a pretty quick little dude.

He's been crawling for about a month, but is just now getting adventurous enough to leave the family room. It's really cute and annoying at the same time.

I Planted My Garden

Doesn't it look great? Now I just have to figure out how to keep the deer out of it. My Dad said I could cut Jackson's hair and sprinkle it on the ground around the garden and that will keep them out. Hopefully it works.

I planted

Roma Grape Tomatoes
Romaine Lettuce
Red Bell Peppers
Green Bell Peppers
Sugar Snap Peas
and
Strawberries

I wanted to plant a lot more, but I ran out of room, so that will have to do for this year. If I'm successful then I will have to expand next year.

Caribbean Black Bean Soup

I'm in the process of making this and it is smelling fabulous! It looks like it is going to be a keeper, but I'll let you know for sure after I try it.

This is about half way through the cooking process. I had just added the sweet potatoes.

Here is the recipe.

1 pound dry black beans
2 Tbs vegetable oil
2 medium red onion, chopped
4 jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced
2 Tbs minced, peeled fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp dried thyme
8 cups water
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2/3 inch pieces
1 Tbs dark brown sugar
1 bunch green onion, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 limes, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Place beans in colander and pick through, discarding any stones or debris. Rinse beans with cold running water and drain. Transfer beans to large bowl. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Drain and rinse beans.

2. In 6-quart saucepot, heat vegetable oil over medium heat until hot. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add jalapenos, ginger, garlic, allspice, and thyme and cook, stirring, 3 minutes.

3. Add beans and water; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 hour 30 minutes.

4. Add sweet potatoes, brown sugar, and salt; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until beans and sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes longer.

5. Transfer 1 cup bean mixture to blender; cover, with center part of cover removed to let steam escape, and puree until smooth. Return to saucepot. Stir in green onions and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.


FYI: I didn't have the ingredients, so I improvised. I hate cilantro, so I left it out. I also left out the allspice, thyme, and ginger, just because I didn't have them. I will get some to use next time. I used light brown sugar instead of dark and a yellow onion instead of red. We'll see what happens :)

And the verdict is: Good. Different, but good. I went pretty heavy on the lime juice b/c to me, it made all the difference. The big kids aren't hungry, so I'll have to wait until dinner time to get their reactions.

Family Home Evening -- Weeks 15 & 16

No pictures and only a few details. Week 15 consisted of lots of bonding time with B.J. (I count that...families are important :)

Week 16 consisted of a miniature lesson about the Holy Ghost. We had gone to a Baptism the Saturday before and this was the perfect chance to follow-up on what they learned from it and to expand on it.

Nothing fancy or exciting...no cool crafts or treats...oh well. They didn't even notice.

We'll see what I can come up with for this week.

Nap Time

Saturday afternoon we came home from Mom's house and Lila was exhausted. She had fallen asleep in the car and stayed asleep while B.J. carried her in. This NEVER happens. She usually wakes up as soon as we turn the car off. The two of them took a nap on the couch and it was adorable. Lila wasn't sure about B.J. for the first day or two, but by the end of the week they were best friends.

Is this sweet or what?

Slumber Party

On Uncle B.J.'s last night the kids had a slumber party downstairs and watched "Alice in Wonderland." At first it was just the big kids, but Lila soon realized what was going on and stood in her room crying " I want E.J. I want E.J." So, we let her sleep downstairs too. She actually slept with B.J. on the couch all night. I'm sure he wasn't very comfortable, but he doesn't complain.

They love their Uncle so much, and I am so glad he is so wonderful to them. They have had the time of their lives this week doing all different kinds of things with him.