Actual Conversation Hearts

For those of you who may know me, the following fact may come as a surprise to you...I love quiet time. Most of you know me as the person who fills the air waves with constant chatter and who does everything in her power to avoid the "7 minute lull" (you know that part in a conversation where no one has anything to say?). I do enjoy quiet time when I'm by myself and/or the kids are all in bed (like right now), when I can read, or think or rest my vocal chords.

But when I'm in the presence of people, I really don't like having awkward pauses in conversation. Unfortunately, my children are the same way. They all have a story (or 14) to tell and I have to organize the conversation chaos or I'll put everyone in quiet timeout. So some of you may remember my iPod app coasters and my ideas to encourage organized family conversation (click here to remind yourself). It worked for awhile, but then they started fighting about who got which coaster. As if my kids need yet ANOTHER reason to fight.

So, this Valentines I came up with "Real Conversation Hearts." None of this Hug Me, Be Mine mumbo jumbo...I mean how does that start a conversation?

Heart: Hug me.
Person: Okay.

Nice conversation.

Heart: Be Mine.
Person: Okay or No (in which a bad conversation will start)

So I cut out paper hearts and put real conversation starters on the back. Here are a few:

If you could meet anyone in the world who would it be and why?
If you could only eat one kind of food for the rest of your life, what kind of food would it be and why?
If dogs could talk, in which ways would the world be different?
If you could choose one talent that you could have and you'd be the best in world, what would it be and why?
Try to convince the family to go on your dream vacation this summer.
Describe the person on your left in 27 words.

You get the idea. I came up with a lot of story prompts in my post for a cheap quiet book (click here to remember). I used them for my conversation hearts since conversing is different than writing.

And since texting is the preferred method of communication among our youth, I think they are missing out on the art of conversation. Hopefully this can help.

Also, to add a little Va-Voom to my kids lunch, during Valentine's season, I use a cookie cutter to cut their sandwiches into hearts.

It makes it a little more exciting for them. Maybe I'll get one of those food markers and write Hug Me and Be Mine on their sandwiches.....hmmmm.

Resolutions of the Harried Housewife

It's New Year's Eve so everyone is saying that word: Res-o-lution. Of course, there is the obvious resolution, the "I'm going to lose weight" one. But I'm gonna skip over that and talk about my #1 goal for the year....Get and STAY organized!

I have two kids, a husband, two dogs and a full time job. If I don't stay on top of things, my world can collapse quickly! The weeks when I'm really on top of things and I've spent the weekend meal planning, laundry and wardrobe planning for the coming week, things run like clock work. I love that and my resolution is to have more weeks like that!

So for today's post, I thought I'd share some of the little things that make my life just a wee bit easier. Enjoy!

Let's start in the bathroom.....

For a long time bath toys were the bane of my existence. They drove me crazy! I tried various storage options. Most of them involved suction cup holders that would work temporarily. But one day this idea came to me:

A plastic bucket. I had this from Easter. It's the same size as an ice cream bucket.

Flip it over and drill or poke holes in the bottom.

Now you have a bucket of wet toys to perch in the corner of the tub that will drain on it's own.

This time of year seems to bring an abundance of coffee mugs in gift baskets from vendors and coworkers. I've put some of those mugs to use in the medicine cabinet with the kids toothpaste and brushes.

And also in the medicine cabinet a coffee mug or an old butter container can hold all those tubes and small bottles.

And in the tub, these Link-a-doos clip anywhere and are great for holding shower/bath accessories.



On to the kids rooms...

I discovered these jumbo, 2.5 gallon ziploc bags and I love them!



Perfect for the toys with lots of pieces! And the zipper top makes it kid-friendly. I put games, train sets, Lego sets.... I just seal them up and toss them into the toy box. Takes a little bit of training but the kids eventually start to cooperate and put the stuff back in the bags!



And don't forget the wipe boxes. Perfect for some toys too!



This last idea is a great one for the summer months. If you have kids in and out all day asking for drinks, doing this keeps the beverages coming quickly.

I used these snack containers. They are 9.5 oz each.



I put a cup of sugar and add a packet of kool-aid in the container.



Seal it up and tape the flavor to the top.



And I have Kool-aid ready to mix when the thirsty neighborhood invades my backyard.



These aren't life-changing ideas but I know, in my house, any shortcut helps!
I'd love to hear any household ideas/tips you have to share!

Happy New Year!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

If you watch Oprah enough you may have noticed that a question she always asks during celebrity interviews is, "What do you know for sure?" I've often thought about what I'd say if I sat face with Ms. Winfrey and she asked me that revealing, soul searching question. Well folks today I have an answer. What I know for sure is that when it's cold outside, people like to eat soup! Simple but true! So I've decided to kick off Autumn with one of my favorite, most requested soup recipes.

I am a big fan of the Chicken Tortilla Soup at The California Pizza Kitchen. Love that stuff! One day I attempted to make it at home. And like most attempts to copy restaurant recipes, it wasn't quite right. So I decided to leave it to CPK to make that soup and began a search for my own simple, hearty, tasty Tortilla Soup recipe. And so, my friends, after many trials and many combinations of recipes. I finally created....

Melissa's Not-Famous-Yet Chicken Tortilla Soup

Here are some of the highlights of the preparation (the full recipe is at the bottom of this post.)



Another thing I know for sure is that you will need a can opener!



The tool that you're going to need if you want a creamy soup is a hand blender. I absolutely LOVE the one I have because it chops as well! I used it to chop the garlic and onions.



My three most favorite things: Olive oil, onions and garlic! Don't you wish you had a
scratch-n-sniff screen?!
Now if you're thinking, "My kids/husband/significant other won't eat onions" Don't worry! You're going to puree this and they won't even know!



The pureeing part is fun! I'm pouring the flour/water mixture out of the tomato sauce can. Saves me from having another dirty dish and it gets the bits of tomato that are stuck to the bottom. Clever...I know!



Ahhh...smooth and creamy!



The recipe says "2 cups" of chicken but I boiled four small breasts and ended up having about 3 cups of shredded chicken. No biggy!



And after the last step of adding sour cream, the only chunks in your soup should be the chicken, corn and beans (You certainly can omit the beans if you are a non bean eating family!)



Oh la la! So good!

Melissa's Not-Famous-Yet Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Chopped Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 Tablespoons Olive (or Vegetable) Oil
• 1 can (4 Oz. Can) Chopped Green Chilies
• 1 can (15 Oz. Can) Italian-style Diced Tomatoes And Juice
• 1 can (8 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce
• 4 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Pepper
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• ½ teaspoons Hot Sauce (optional)
  
• 4 Tablespoons Flour
• ½ cups Water
• 2 cups Cooked Chicken, Shredded or Cubed
• 1 can (11 Oz. Can) Shoepeg Corn (aka White Sweet Corn), Drained
• 1 can (15.25 Oz Can) Navy Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• ½ cups Sour Cream
• Salt And Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in the oil over low heat for 5 minutes or until onion is softened.

Add green chilies, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, lemon pepper, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cumin and hot sauce.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the flour with the water and incorporate into the soup using a hand blender for approximately 2 minutes.

Bring the soup back to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add chicken, corn and beans.

Simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper to taste.

Top with some shredded Jack, garnish with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Snack Jar version 2.0

Meet the family treat jar. Nothing spectacular. But in the world of a 4 year old and an almost 2 year old it's the most spectacular thing in the world! I usually fill it with oatmeal pies, chocolate covered granola bars or other assorted snack cakes. It sits in the corner of the kitchen counter where they can keep an eye on it and know what kind of treat will come their way after dinner if they've finished their meal without complaint.

Lately I've began to notice that our jar seems to be shrinking. It just won't hold enough treats to get us through a week! Either that or Little Debbie isn't so little anymore. Okay...so maybe it's the kids getting bigger with mightier appetites and the fact that Mom and Dad are taking lunches to work and dipping into the treat jar for an added bonus to a bagged lunch. So I've had my eye out for a bigger and jar. As luck would have it, the thrift store gods were smiling upon me. Meet version 2.0:

As I cleaned it and got ready to make the transition into our bigger and better jar I could hear the calling of the spray paint from our basement workshop. They questioned my decision to leave the jar with a plain old lid when there is so much cute red and black stuff in my kitchen. I couldn't resist the call of the spray paint so I immediately ran into the workshop and assessed my paint inventory. And my project began....

I removed the handle.

Painted the lid black (in my handy dandy spray paint amphitheater that my husband created for me).



Found a cute drawer knob.

Put it all together again....





Look how nicely it compliments my pepper mill....

Have a good weekend!

Tomatoes and Garlic and Basil, Oh my!!

Tis the season for tomatoes! I love this time of year. To me there is absolutely nothing better to eat than a homegrown tomato still warm from the sun! But here's where I'll make a confession: I've never actually grown any tomatoes. My husband and I tried once. Our plant thrived until some sly critters enjoyed the fruits of our labor. Our house backs up to a wooded area so the wildlife sometimes gets to enjoy our yard more than we do. But never fear...I have friends and family that are successful gardeners! (image courtesy of flickr.)

My good friend, Mari, has had an amazing crop of Roma tomatoes this year as well as a lot of basil. And like good friends with gardens do, she shared them with me. While I'm happy just eating the tomatoes as is, sprinkled with a little sea salt, I decided to try something I've had at various parties and something I see a lot of in magazines and cooking shows when tomatoes are in season:

Roasted Tomatoes with Basil and Garlic.

I made sure I had:

roma tomatoes
fresh basil
a head of garlic
olive oil
kosher salt
pepper
crackers or chips
cheese of your choice

(and a kid who must sample everything.)

I sliced the tomatoes lengthwise. Here's where I have to put in a plug for the Pampered Chef tomato knife. No...I'm not a consultant trying to make a sale. I just think that this knife is really awesome!



After preheating the oven to 275, I got out my extra large casserole dish.
I laid out the tomatoes,
threw in a handful of basil leaves and
scattered a head of whole garlic cloves.
I sprinkled everything liberally with kosher salt
and gave it all a few grinds of pepper.
Lastly I drizzled it all with olive and tossed it around to make sure everything was evenly coated.



Now here's where I change things from most of the recipes I found online. Instead of leaving it uncovered, letting everything get caramelize and chewy, I covered the pan with foil.

And the slow roast begins. Let this baby simmer for 5 to 6 hours on low heat, 250 or 275 F.



And here's what you get. Not quite as pretty as the "before" picture but believe me when I tell you what it's lacking in appearance will definitely be made up in taste!



Now get yourself some toast points, pita chips, bagel chips or make your own crostini.
Layer some mozzarella (or goat cheese would be good too), a roasted tomato and a clove of garlic and go for it!
Crazy delicious!
The roasting makes the tomatoes so incredibly sweet!





Enjoy!! I think I'll go have some more....