Everyone is sick here.

I feel like I have arthritis in every joint and marshmallows stuffed in my sinus cavities. My whole face hurts.

Rowan is leaking from everywhere - his eyes, his nose, his nose. I think he might have an eye infection and I praying his not teething, but he’s drooling up a storm. Listening to a body this little cough is just heart-wrenching. He’s been very mellow but just wants to be held. And he has this tiny little pathetic mew, like a newborn kitten.

Declan is same old Declan - just add a scratchy voice, tons of boogies and a hacking cough. Doesn’t he know you’re supposed to chill out on the couch all day when you’re sick? Seriously.

Matt says he feels yucky too, but I don’t have any yummy specifics to share with you guys.

That said I managed to make some meatball soup last night. It was a low-fat recipe and turned out kinda bland, but it was good and made a ton. I’ll probably end up freezing some even, which is a feat in this house.
I have a couple craft projects that I’d like to start soon, including menu magnets for the fridge and a clothespin hanger bag thingy. I’m getting tired of the cold and drear so I’ve got lots of brights and prints dancing in my head.  I’m trying to work it into the budget as well, but it’s tight. Once again, if you know anyone who needs daycare in my neck of the woods, can you send them this way?

To be honest, I’m not even sure what Hominy is. To me it’s kinda like corn but more of a grain. It was hard to try and explain it to Matt. Actually I just looked it up and it is corn, it’s just been treated in a certain fashion. Check it out. It actually sounds kinda… scary?

Anyway I made this up tonight and it’s got a few of my favorite things, such as cilantro and hominy. The Cumin is really what makes it though. Matt would like me to try it with chicken but I think pork is part of the magic and it goes much better with Cumin. We served it tonight along with my Light Oat Bread which came out lighter and fluffier than normal - must be because of the cold humid air tonight. Either way, they were both delicious.
Matt states that I may add it to the rotation.

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Okay, so there’s not much to say about this recipe. There’s not much you can say because well, your mouth fills up with drool too quickly.

My mom got an awesome deal on a huge pork shoulder so we decided to cook it up on her birthday weekend. We used an 8 pound roast and doubled this recipe. Sadly there was little to no leftovers. Again, no pictures. I’m getting really frustrated with the loaner camera I have borrowed hence the lack of pictures. Sorry Guys. I should start a donation fund for a new camera, huh? (more…)

One of my little brothers talked about going to culinary school at one point. Since then he’s kinda dropped the dream, but I think he would be awesome at it and I’m trying to stoke up that dream again. I asked him recently if there was anything he would like to try and cook and he responded with Stuffed Bell Peppers. Awesome! We all love stuffed peppers here.

I came across this recipe at Simply Recipes and it sounded like just the ticket. We took pictures, as they turned out beautifully, but somehow Mom’s camera ATE them - that’s how good they were. We doubled the recipe easily, but should have quadrupled it for leftovers!

I think one of the things that made it so good was not cooking the hamburger ahead of time. In essence you’re just cooking the meat twice which dries it out. These needed nothing but a side of garlic bread.

Dad’s Stuffed Bell Peppers, from Simply Recipes.

Ingredients

Matt will eat just about anything that has to do with bratwursts, even sauerkraut, which he normally wont touch. I, on the other hand, love it. Declan’s little taste buds are still so fresh that sauerkraut is overpowering for him and he can’t eat it fresh. We were eager to try this recipe because it had a couple things we all enjoyed.

The first attempt I left in our cantankerous crock pot for too long - it burnt.
The second attempt was just off.
The third attempt was a double batch and there wasn’t room for the potatoes, so it was off as well.
Finally on our fourth attempt it turned out really good - we all agreed.

While I’m not sure it’s the greatest meal nutritionally, it’s good comfort food. Especially for those of us who love sauerkraut and bratwurst. It’s a nice blend of tangy and sweet. I add mustard to mine.

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