2012 April

I’m still here…

04/30/2012 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

I promise!!

Just insanely busy being pregnant, tired and trying to get ready for a long road trip with the whole family packed into a tiny car!

Did I ever tell you I hate packing? Because I do. Because I always forget something important.

Always!

So… help me out here friends! What am I forgetting?

What do I need to have for this trip of over 3,000 miles with two toddlers, a preteen, a pregnant me and the hubs all packed into our little blue prius?

I’ve got the dvd player and videos. And I’m heading to Costco for snacks this afternoon.

What else do I have to have? (Remember, space is very limited!!)

And how crazy are we for even attempting this in the first place?! ;o) (Be nice!)

Filed Under: ramblings ·

peach raspberry crumble pie

04/27/2012 by Annalise · 1 Comment

If there was ever a day I needed some pie in my life, it was yesterday.

The boys and I all woke up on the wrong sides of our beds and were grumpy, whiny, tired messes. Plus, we had back-to-back doctor’s appointments right in the middle of naptime, which never makes for a good day!

All I could think about was how badly I needed a treat. Pie specifically. Then I happened to spy a lovely pre-made organic all-butter pie crust in the freezer at the grocery store and the effort-problem was solved!

As soon as we got home from the doctor’s appointments, I started making my pie. And in the time it took for the oven to preheat, it was in the oven baking away!

Now, I should tell you I made some healthy, hearty dinner to fill my family before dessert, but that’s just not the case. We had leftover chili. And pie. And some of us may have eaten our pie before dinner… but I’ll never tell who! ;o)

You can use fresh peaches and raspberries in this recipe, of course, but I had some beauties in my freezer that I had been hoarding in my freezer since last summer for just such a day as this.

This was a perfect and delicious treat and it definitely made at least my day end on a much better note than it started!!

Yay for pie!!

Do you have any foods like that in your life? That no matter what kind of a day you have had, they just seem to make everything better??

Peach Raspberry Crumble Pie Recipe

Ingredients:
1 single-crust for a 9″ pie plate (homemade or store-bought)
for the filling:
4 cups peaches, peeled & diced (fresh or frozen)
1 cup frozen raspberries
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons butter
for the crumb topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract
3 tablespoons butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF and put your pie crust into a pie plate and flute the edges if you haven’t already done so (or if you’re not using a frozen preformed pie crust like I did!). Place in the freezer to set for a few minutes while you prep the filling and topping.

In a large bowl, very gently toss together the filling ingredients, except for the butter; Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the topping ingredients, mixing together with a fork until they are moistened and crumbly; Set aside.

Remove the pie crust from the freezer and gently dump the filling into the crust. Dot the filling with butter and then top with the crumb topping.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the bottom crust is golden and the fruit is bubbling. Let cool a bit before serving!

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - desserts, recipes - make ahead ·

cardamom berry crumb coffee cake

04/26/2012 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

Yesterday was a coffee cake kind of day.

It was a cool, but beautiful spring day outside and we had friends coming over to play… It doesn’t get much better than that!

Now, I really am all about making excuses to make coffee cake, but I think a playdate is actually a legitimate one, don’t you? :o)

And we did a pretty good job of finishing off the whole pan… even the picky little kiddos loved it!

(And I realized several hours after I made it that I totally baked it at the wrong temperature - preggo brain attack - but it still turned out great, and will be even better for those of you that are not currently afflicted with pregnancy brain and can actually follow directions!) :o)

I had planned to make this one a blackberry coffee cake, but I realized that I didn’t have as many blackberries in the freezer as I thought…

So I opened a bag of mixed berries from Costco and it was their turn to shine!

Cardamom Berry Crumb Coffee Cake
makes 9 servings

Ingredients:
for the crumble topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped pecans, optional
for the cake:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cardamom
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
3 cups frozen mixed berries

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease a 9″ square pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the topping ingredients, except for the pecans, and mix together with a fork until crumbly; Stir in the pecans and set aside.

In another medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom.

In a large bowl, cream together the remaining butter and sugar. Blend in the egg and vanilla until smooth. Blend in the flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour (flour, milk, flour, milk, flour). Fold in the bluberries. (The dough is quite stiff, so be patient as you’re folding in the berries! Don’t mush them up!)

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the crumble topping.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool, and cut into 9 large squares.

Serve warm, with extra butter on top, of course! ;o)

—-

Well, what are you waiting for?

Think up a good excuse and get baking!!

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - breads, recipes - breakfast ·

striving for perfection makes me a bad mom…

04/24/2012 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

I’ve come to realize lately that striving for perfection actually makes me a worse mom, instead of the better one that I am trying so hard to be.

When I try so hard to fit that perfect mold of motherhood that ‘they’ seem to make look so easy, I cause more damage than good in my family’s and my life.

The tidier I try to keep my house, the quicker it seems to get messy.

The more I desire quiet and calm, the louder I seem to snap and yell at my kids, which in turn causes more chaos and noise!

The more I try to keep control, the more I seem to lose it.

This need and constant pressure to have things in order, clean and calm, makes me a not-so-great mom. In fact, at times it makes me a horrible mom.

When I should be enjoying my kids laughter and games, I find myself frustrated with the messes they are creating.

When I should be playing with my kids, I find myself being pulled instead to the dirty dishes and laundry that never seem to end.

When I should be having quiet time with my Abba, I find myself drawn to the to-do list that runs constantly in my head.

Why is it so hard to see what’s really important in the everyday moments of our lives?

Why do I always think the dishes are more important than the tiny hands pulling on my legs?

And that the stuff that needs to get done is more important than spending time with my precious family and with the One who gave them to me??

I want to be a better mom. I want to be the mom my kids deserve. And I can’t be that until I quit trying so hard.

Until I quit caring what other people think, or say or do. Until I start caring more about what my kids think than about what the world thinks.

Because when it comes down to it, all that really matters is what my kids will get out of these years.

I will survive these years, these hard, exhausting years, and someday look back on them as a fond memory of time gone by. (Right?!?)

But my kids… My kids need to thrive in these years. They are growing and learning and shaping the very core of who they are, and who they will become based on these years.

And THAT is why I need to stop trying so hard.

I need to stop trying so hard to be the perfect mom, and instead focus on being the best mom for my kids!

Filed Under: mama musings, ramblings ·

thai chicken pizza with peanut sauce

04/23/2012 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

Oh my goodness is this pizza good!

The combination of the sweet, spicy peanut sauce, chicken, sweet peppers and a drizzle of sweet chili oil is an amazing combo. It truly is the perfect marriage of Thai food and pizza… two of my favorite foods!

I have been in love with Thai Chicken pizza ever since the first time I tasted a frozen California Pizza Kitchen one several years ago. It’s the only frozen pizza I have a hard time sharing with anyone else.

Or at least, I did! I was so sad the day I realized they stopped making it (or at least, they stopped selling it in any of the grocery stores in my area… do you still have it in yours?).

Anyways, since the closest CPK restaurant is over 2 hours away I just haven’t been able to get my fix. I still find myself looking in the frozen pizza aisle every time I go to the grocery store… even though it has been a few years since I have seen it there!

I have been missing those sweet, spicy flavors for way too long… and now that I’ve found the perfect pizza crust, I decided it was time to get down to business!

Now, you’ve probably seen a few Thai Chicken pizza recipes floating around lately, or maybe you even tried the one that Papa Murphy’s had a little while ago… But if there’s no peanut sauce on that pizza, it’s just not the same thing!

Thai Chicken Pizza with Peanut Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:
pizza dough*
for the sauce (makes enough to sauce 2 pizzas!):
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1-2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons garlic chili paste or chili oil
1 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger)
2-3 teaspoons soy sauce
for each pizza:
1-2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped cashews or peanuts
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons sweet chili oil

Directions:
Preheat the oven (and your pizza stone) to 500ºF. *See my Perfect Pizza Dough recipe for more directions on making your own restaurant-style dough!

In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients until smooth and combined. If it’s too thick, you can add a touch of hot water to thin it out. Taste and adjust the seasonings to taste. (Remember, the flavors of the pizza toppings will round out the peanut sauce flavor!). Toss the chicken with a few tablespoons of the sauce and set aside.

Shape your dough into a large round. (If you’d like, brush a little bit of olive oil around the edge for the crust). Spread some of the sauce onto the center of the pizza. Sprinkle 1 cup or so of the shredded mozzarella over the sauce. Sprinkle the chicken, onion & pepper evenly over the top. (You can also add some shredded carrots here too… Yum!).

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top (as much as you’d like!) and place onto your baking stone in the preheated and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden.

When the pizza is done to your liking, remove from the oven and top with the fresh chopped herbs, the chopped nuts and drizzle lightly with the sweet chili oil.

Slice and serve!