Mama Mia!

You've probably noticed by now my blog is mostly about food.  I mean, who doesn't like food, right? It's a topic we can all relate to.  Along those same lines, who doesn't like pizza?  I can say with much confidence that it is probably the favorite cuisine of most of my family members.  Aww, who am I kidding?  It's everyone favorite!  And especially with mamma's homemade crust and sauce! 

So last night we had a pizza party.  And guess who "helped"?

 

Oh yes, he was rolling out the flour.  And sharing some with the dog.

 

And who hasn't had the urge to taste flour?  When you're two years old, anthing is fair game.

And what's a pizza party without a toddler grabbing a fistful of the remaining shredded cheese and shoving it in his mouth? 

Now that's what I call a party!  Oh yeah, the pizza was delicious, too!



I'm a little Nutella

As most everyone who has access to the internet knows, Pinterest is all the rage.  I like it too.  It has some great DIY projects, recipes and just some pretty cool things.

I think it's funny how people post recipes, but never make them.  So I created a board called "Tried and Tasted" which contains the pins of recipes I've actually made. Some good, some, well...we won't try those again.

 

 

This little ditty is called a Chocolate Nutella Popover.  I'm a Nutella freak (creator of the Nutella Frappe and every other recipe I can use it in!) It was very simple to make and the kiddos enjoyed it thoroughly (as did the mama unit).

 

The players:  Biscuit dough, Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, and Nutella (Mmmmm!) You can use any brand of refrigerated biscuit dough, though the recipe calls for Pillsbury Grands Honey Butter. 

 

 

You'll want a non-stick rolling pin and a non stick surface to roll the dough out on.  Begin by rolling out each bisquit to approximately 1/4-inch in thickness.

 

 

 

Next you'll want to spread some of the sweet, nutty, chocolatey, delicious, tastefully sinful Nutella onto the rolled out dough.  Use as little or as much as you want.  Next sprinkle with the mini-chocolate chips.  I decided that next time I'm going to omit the chips and use a tad more Nutella. I would like to taste more Nutella, than chocolate chips.

 

 

 

Next, roll up that little Nutella dough tostada.  Then slice it into approximately one-inch chunks. You should get three chunks out of each  roll up.

 

 

 

 

Plop each chunk into a mini-muffin pan that's been sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray.  Bake according to package directions.

 

Meantime, you can mix up a little vanilla glaze to top these babies.  I do it up with powdered sugar, a little butter, pure vanilla extract and some half 'n half.

 

 

After baking, allow to cool, then drizzle with the glaze.

 

 







 

These are the perfect size for popping in your mouth! 

 

This should make 24 mini-popovers.  You can combine 3 chunks into a full size muffin if you're feeling like you need a larger portion. 

 

 

This recipe came from shakentogether.blogspot.com.  That's where I re-pinned it from, but I'm not sure if that is the original source.  Enjoy these!



 



13

This is a boy who just turned 13.  Yep.  13.  It's quite a big deal for this boy.  He (thinks) he may now purchase and play any Rated-T game (Mom may have a thing or two to say about this).  He graduates from the "tween" to "teen" label. He no longer has to ask if watching a PG-13 movie is okay. He feels he is nearing the point of getting a driver's permit.  He refers to all younger children as "the little kids".

Little does this boy know that he should savor every moment of being young.  Of being free from responsibility. He doesn't understand it when mom says "Slow down, you don't have to grow up so fast!"  He does not see that when he grows up, he most assuredly will want to be young again. But of course, that is the way things are...when you're 13.

Stray Sheep

Several months ago (maybe even a year or more??) I started to attend my church less often.  At first it was because I was too terribly exhausted-- running the coffee shop and playing the role of "single mom" left little mental or physical energy left.  Something had to give.  Well, in hindsight, several things were compromised. 

One very large compromise I made was that I attended church less.  Not just the Sunday morning service. No, I completely stopped going to Adult Bible Study (ABS), which meant my children no longer attended Sunday School.  Wednesday night Awana and bible study?  Forget it. Fellowship at "extracurricular" church events?  Hardly. Quiet time reading scripture?  Not a chance.

Was I that busy?  Well, maybe at first.  But as I look back, I realize I began to detach myself from my church all on my own.  I'd find myself thinking 'maybe I should start looking for a new church', 'nobody even notices that I'm not attending-- I guess they don't care', 'they are all too clicky-- no wonder I don't feel a connection'.  Easy to have these thoughts when you're not attending on a regular basis and letting your relationship with the Lord slip away!!

Since the coffee shop closed, I've had time to think about this process.  And time (thank you!) to realize that the sheep does best with its flock and shepherd. I must get back to my flock. I strayed a little bit too far and evil took advantage of that, creeping in and trying to tell me that I was on the right track. 

It's soooo important to stay connected with other Christians, keep in the word and attend worship service-- this allows the Lord easier access to your heart and guides you in the right direction in every other area of your life!

PS-- sheep are one of my favorite animals. Baaaa!

IDIOGLOSSIA\ id-ee-uh-GLOS-ee-uh \ noun

Because it is Easter.  And because millions of people today are sharing a meal around their dinner table with family and friends (either enjoying or loathing this holiday tradition),  I have chosen DEIPNOSOPHIST for today's "Idioglossia".
 
Deipnosophist is described as "one who excels at conversations at the dinner table". 

This reminds me of the movie The Break-Up with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn.  In the early part of the movie, the dating pair (Aniston and Vaughn) invite eachother's familys to dinner at their condo so they can get to know one another.   Halfway through the akward gathering  Brooke's (Aniston) obviously gay brother (played by John Michael Higgins) begins a "conversation" about his passion for his men's acapella group.  This, of course, turns in to a strange melodic, rhythmic conversation involving other members of the family each having a musical part, leaving  Gary (Vaughn) bewildered at what is taking place at his dinner table.


Who at your dinner table is a deipnosophist?