Ina's Stuffed Mushrooms

I have been really slacking in my Barefoot Bloggers group. I am always really excited to see what recipes we  are going to make and then never get around to making them. This month I vowed to make at least one of the recipes. I lucked out and the recipe was perfect for Christmas Dinner. These really were divine. Michelle of Welcome to the Club chose stuffed mushrooms. I did have a little extra stuffing leftover but added it to the pan to cook. My daughter loved the stuffed but didn't want the mushroom. Thiswas another great recipe by Ina. In my hustling and bustling I never got around to taking a picture. You can check out what other bloggers did here.

Christmas is almost here....

It has been a fun month for all of us. We always head out the weekend of Thanksgiving to get our tree. This year we went to a u-cut tree farm about 15 minutes from us. The kids fell in love with "Shaggy" our tree. It is a pine tree but has soft needles. It wasn't my choice this year so that is all I can say about our tree.... We also went to a Polar Express party at Barnes and Noble. The kids heard the story, had hot chocolate and cookies. Anna had a birthday party sleepover with friends from her school. The theme was pet parade. It was so cute seeing the kids and there beloved stuffed animals. We have had friends come and visit from out of town this past weekend. We had so much fun catching up that I didn't get any pictures. Christmas is right around the corner. I have done some baking and caramel making, the presents are wrapped and the house decorated. We can't wait for Christmas. Merry Christmas!

Disney World Family Fun

We had such a great time in Disney World. The kids got to meet some of there favorite characters at a special dinner we went to with Chef Mickey. We had two days in Disney World and hit our favorites spots Epcot Center and Magic Kingdom. We have found that Fall and early Spring are the best times to go. We had no lines and little crowds. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in Epcot Center at Chefs De France. Another highlight was the fireworks show in Magic Kingdom. I wish that we lived a little closer.

My crafty Hero

This is my darling friend Jeni! She is my crafting hero!!! We met in Germany and became kindred friends. We only got to live close to each other for a year before she moved back to the States. There is something about Jeni that draws you in. She taught me all about stamping and embossing. She loves running, sewing  and cooking. She also makes the best caramels ever!!! She showed me how to add touches here and there to make a house a home. She also has inspired me be a better mom and wife. Her husband has deployed four times since her kids were little and still she smiles and gives so much to everyone she meets. We now live 8 hours apart. I have had the pleasure of getting to see there family 3 times in the last year. Our kids are the same age and enjoy each others company too. I don't know what more I could ask for in a friend.

Halloween and yummy soup

We had such a fun Halloween. The kids had fun going to a Harvest party and trick-or-treating. Anna was a sunflower and Jonathan was Anakin Skywalker. I made this yummy soup for dinner and wanted to share the recipe. I hope you enjoy too.

Tom Ka Kai (Chicken Coconut and Mushroom Soup)
Prep Time 15 Minutes
Cook Time 20 Minutes Servings 8 Difficulty Easy
Ingredients
•2 whole Chicken Breast, Cut In Chunks
•1 whole Onion, Chopped
•6 cups Water
•1 cup Chopped Shiitake Mushrooms (regular Mushrooms Work, Too)

•14 ounces Canned Coconut Milk
•1 Tablespoon Red, Yellow, Or Green Curry Paste
•2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce Or Soy Sauce
•¼ cups Sugar
•1 piece Lime Wedges
•½ teaspoons Red Chili Flakes
•2 whole Tomatoes, Cut In Wedges
•¼ cups Fresh Basil, Chopped
chili oil for top
Preparation Instructions
In a large sauce pan, cook the chicken in a little bit of oil until done, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients except for the tomatoes and basil. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and basil and cook until warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning. I like mine a bit sweeter, so I add about 1/4 cup more of sugar. If it needs more salt, add a little more fish sauce. This is a strong ingredient so be gentle with it. If you like it a bit more spicy, add a little more red chili flakes.
This is a really uniaue soup, but it is good!

Neighborhood Halloween Party

We had a Halloween Neighborhood party on Friday night. It was such a fun time with our friends. My neighbor Donna co-hosted with me. She really knows how to throw a spooky party. We had lots of food and a great time visiting with friends. It was also the debut of our almost finished basement. It can't believe how quiet it is when you have a basement for kids to play in. We got so busy during the party that I didn't take nearly the pictures that I wanted too. I didn't even get any of my own kids. Luckily they get to wear there costumes again for a birthday party and then trick or treating tonight.

Barefoot Bloggers Corn Chowder

 Jill from My Next Life chose Ina's Cheddar Corn Chowder for our Barefoot Bloggers group. This was a great week to make this recipe. It has started to turn cold and a hot bowl of thick chowder is perfect for a busy school night. I did end up halving the recipe and still had leftovers to freeze for husbands lunch. My daughter decided that is was delicious and ate all of her helping! I did leave off the bacon and didn't add extra cheese like I normally would. I served this with hot popovers. I can't get enough of popovers and moms apple butter right now! Thanks Jill for the great choice and we will be making this throughout the winter.

New York New York

I have always wanted to visit New York. There is something about being in a big city when it is so very different from normal life in Ohio. We had the opportunity to visit this past weekend. My Mom kept our kids and we had a long weekend in the Big Apple! What an adventure we had.  My favorite part of the trip was getting to see a live taping of Saturday Night Live! We have a friend that works for the show and got us tickets. It was such a fun evening for Mark and I! The best part beside being in a live audience was having Tyler Florence sitting behind me! I didn't get an autograph since he snuck out at the end. We ater at the best restaurants. Mark and I both agreed that Carmines was our favorite. We found the Serendipity Cafe but there was over 50 people waiting to get into the tiny store for frozen hot chocolate. We decided to pass and hop on over to Dylans Candy Bar. This would have been Jonathan and Annas favorite store ever. Mark enjoyed visiting the Financial District and seeing Wall street. I loved walking around Manhatten and all of the different districts. We also got to go running in Central Park!  It was neat getting to see the Statue of Liberty and visiting the Empire State building. Our only regret was we didn't make it to Ground Zero or see a Broadway show. I guess we will just have to go back at some point! This was a great trip with lots of good food and fun sites to see.

Sewing fun

I received a sewing machine for my birthday. I made my first purse today with some girlfriends. We had such a good morning sewing and enjoying one anothers company. I was inspired to try and make Anna a skirt. Jeni and Jill are always whipping up something new. This was my first try at sewing Anna an article of clothing.  It is a cute polka dotted corduroy skirt. It looks a little like a tent on but I am learning from my mistakes. This is a whole new adventure for me! I can't wait to try some more sewing projects. 

Barefoot Birthday cake!

I was so excited that this was my turn to choose the recipe for Barefoot Bloggers. I had such a hard time choosing what I wanted to make. There are so many wonderful recipes that our group has not made yet. Cake was on my mind since I had a birthday this month. I finally let the kids help me decide. They wanted to decorate the Birthday Sheet Cake. Once I started to make the batter I realized how big it was going to be!  I had to make two cakes for parties this weekend and decided to use 4 rounds instead of the big sheet pan. It worked out great this way. I made two different kinds of cakes. The first cake was a carmelized apple filling with caramel frosting. This is my favorite kind of fall cake. The caramel frosting is so easy and tastes wonderful. The second was Ina's way with chocolate ganache filling and frosting. I was a little disappointed in how each cake iteself tasted. I thought the cake was too dense and not moist enough. Not sure what I did wrong. I loved the ganache frosting and could eat this by the spoonfull if my waistline would allow. My daughter had allot of fun decorating the chocolate cake with m&m's. I forgot to bring my camera to the party and didn't get a picture of the finished cake.  Thanks to everyone who decided to bake along this week with me.  You can check out what my fellow bloggers did here.