Meatloaf Cups

I'm not much of a cook, at least not the way my hubby is, but I figure, "I can read, so I should be able to cook", right?  I also have a few tricks up my sleeve that I learned from my Mom.  One of those is meatloaf.  I'm proud to say that this is one of the few dishes I fix and do it well and never use a seasoning packet or instructions.  Accomplishment?  oh yes!  So, I was on "that website" and saw a recipe for taco cups.  I thought, why couldn't I do that with meatloaf.  So, I did.  Now it is a family favorite.  I like it because they are easy to make, fun to eat, and portion control much?  oh yes!  So here it is.

Ingredients (or close to it)

1 lb ground turkey

1 lb ground beef

1 egg

a Splash of milk

Oregano

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Parsley

Any other spice or seasoning that you like

Bread crumbs - I like the Italian ones

Veg - some sort of vegetable cut up or shredded - the picture is one where I shaved a whole zucchini.  usually I shave a whole carrot, though.  You could use any leftover vegetables you want, though.  PACK IN THE VEGGIES AT ANY TIME!

Small Chunk of Velveeta or store-brand block cheese - I shop exclusively at Aldi, so I use their brand.

1/2 a pack of wonton wrappers

Directions:

Pre-heat to 350.

Place the wonton wrappers in 2 cupcake pans.  This recipe makes 24 of the meatloaves.  Do not spray each cupcake hole or you will have a mess!  Cut your cheese in 1 centimeter or 1/2 inch cubes and put one in the bottom of each wrapper.  This is not a necessary thing, it's just a little surprise!  

In a bowl, mix, with your hands, the two meats and the egg and the veggie.  Then add your spices.  Doesn't really matter how much of each.  I'm guessing I use about a 1/2 Tablespoon of each.  then add your splash of milk.  The mix should be kind of soupy.  Then add your breadcrumbs.  Go with about a cup at first, mix it in, the mix should firm up some so that you could scoop it with an ice-cream scoop and it would hold its shape.  Add a little more if you need to.  If you add too much and it is really dry, add a little more milk.

Then, with that ice-cream scoop I mentioned or a melon-baller, place one scoop inside each wonton wrapper.  The mix should distribute evenly between the 24 wrappers.  If you have a little left over, go back and see which ones need a little more.

Back for 30 minutes.   You can add the usual ketchup or bbq sauce on the top when you serve them or you can brush it on and back for another 5 minutes.

Tonight I served these with mashed carrots and sweet potatoes.  Lovely!! 

Enjoy!

Learning Colors

Jackson has been working on his colors for a little while now, but I thought I'd make him something to make it a little more fun.  I saw this a few years ago on Etsy and made one for my friend's daughter.  I should have gone ahead and made a second one then when I had all the good stuff, but I managed to find some suitable items in my craft room anyway.  I'll probably add to this set later one.

Went through my fabric box and found some scraps.  I only needed 6 in squares and decided to go with 10 colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, brown, white, and pink.

 

Then i sewed them together in one long strip and backed them in another piece of scrap material.  Luckily i found a long piece that was multicolored.  I sewed the back to the front in....umm...pillow style?  (right sides together, sew around the edge all but a small opening, then turn it right side out)  

when i closed the opening at one of the ends, i added a small hair-tie so i could roll up the strip and secure it.

Then i found some items in all 10 colors.  fun foam, buttons, ribbon, beads, and i made the things that look like marbles.  I just hot glued two of those flat plant marbles together with bits of colored sequins between them.

Made a bag, and put it all in.

Then, play time!  Jackson had fun matching the colors and each time he matched a color, we'd say the color out loud.

New Year's Goals

Happy New Year!!  Can you guess why I would be posting in this week of all weeks?  You should.  I'm claiming the 2,683,459th spot on the blogger board of posts about new year's resolutions.  I know lots of people who say the hell with resolutions.  Yeah, I could be one of those, but what fun is that?  Instead of resolutions, though, I'm going with goals.  Mostly things I know I can do, some that might be a little more difficult. I do try to be well rounded.  Ok, here it goes.

1.  Blog at least once a week - a popular goal I'm sure

2.  Be on time with Holiday and Birthday cards and gifts - I'm not counting the Christmas gifts that I still haven't sent to family in Missouri because that was technically a 2012 lapse, right?

3.  Send something homemade to first 7 people who respond to this blog and mention either Kids, Super Mom, or Beach in your response.

4.  Play more games with my boys - we made an attempt once upon a time to play a game on Friday evenings.  Probably a good place to start.

5.  Be a better friend.  Hmm....well, that's kind of generic and not very measurable.  I could just say I was a better friend, right?  Let's see...I have one friend who just gives and gives and gives and i never seem to have the opportunity to give back.  So, i'm going to look for a way.

    -  Take H&C's kids overnight at least 4 times this year
    -  Find any way possible to camp with the Carty's.
    -  Check-in at least once a month with friends I don't always see

6.  Find at least one more recipe that only I make and that passes the Chef Cooper taste test

7.  Complete the couch to 5k plan.  i may not necessarily run in a 5k event, but I want to complete the 9 week plan.

8.  Catch up the boys' baby books and scrapbooks.

Ok, I may add onto this, but i think it's a good start.  So,what's your goal this year?  Remember to check out #3!  We don't even have to know each other.  I won't send stinky cheese, I promise!!!

2nd Annual Laskey-Cooper Christmas Light Expedition!

A good time had by all!!

 Close to home...so there ya go.

This is not on a weeping willow tree....maybe a homage to Avatar?

Not special, but we had not seen the Abominable Snow Man, so there he is (the bright white light)....just use your imagination!

We ended up in a golf community in Stafford....so...Santa on a golf cart, ta da!

Classy

Creepy dancing Santa in the top window......after midnight, we're told, it's the full Monty

Classy.......except for the creepy angel in the top window

Local tree that my kids insist on driving by as much as possible

Not really sure why i took this pic

Big Lots special.........."give me one of everything", much?

Each year we go by, each year we try to take a pic, maybe next year it will work.

red and green festival

Another local house

And our favorite!  Had their own radio transmitter with sign directing you to which station to tune into....lights went with the music, of course.  To top it off, the guy living there came out and gave us candy canes.  probably trying to get rid of since we sat there for so freaking long!  

In case you are interested, this is at 20 Bridgecreek Ct, Stafford, VA

LOTS OF FLOWERS!!

So, 3 years ago, our family suffered the loss of my mother-in-law.  It, like I'm sure many people have experienced, literally ripped the family apart.  So many emotions, so many unspoken words, all coming together to an explosive and devastating head.  In just a few hours, not only did we deal with the death, but we lost 3 of our 5 nieces and a sister in a very loud exchange of feelings.  At that time, I had only the one child, but I had been so much a part of the lives of the 3 girls, that I felt as though I had lost 3 of my own.  There was a definite divide in the family and everyone took sides and parted ways.  I dearly love our 2 other nieces, but the loss was sorely felt.  But what were we supposed to do?  Sometimes, don't you wish you could hit CTRL+Z (undo) on life? I now realize, though, that whether it was at that moment or months or years down the road, the same scenario was bound to occur.  Just so much bottled up stuff.  Anyhow, for 3 years we have moved on.  Each family with their own triumphs, their own moments, their own hard times.   In those 3 years, 2 babies were born, moves were made, kids GREW (a lot!).  A little while ago, by the grace of Facebook, a connection was made........one little step at a time.......a few likes here and there, a few comments, gradually messaging back and forth......

Now, if you've ever been in a similar situation, you know the stakes are always high.  Everyone nervous about the other party, about what they're thinking, feeling, etc.  You also have to take into account outside parties.......will they feel betrayed?  Will they be honest with themselves and understand your needs?  All that in mind, you sometimes just have to take a leap of faith.  I ached for those girls so much, I couldn't backtrack.......finally on the path I had hoped to find for so long....just had to keep going regardless of any impending cliffs and hope for a field of flowers..well, guess what?  LOTS OF FLOWERS!!!!  

As we walked into the restaurant  I really tried to hold back the tears, but I couldn't.  I just held those girls and my sister-in-law for all I was worth.  Met my new niece and introduced my youngest.  We spent several hours with them and, though it put me driving over a yucky mountain (btw, all mountains are yucky late at night) in the pitch dark, every moment was worth it!

Wishing you and yours a Christmas as blessed as our own this year!

Send me a Color for my Birthday!!!

Ever find yourself looking at the top right corner of your FB page and just saying happy birthday to whomever of your friends is listed for the day?  I know I'm guilty!  It's a social norm, an expectation, a "thing you do".  Same with all the "Happy ________ Days" throughout the year.  They are routine, a quick few keys so that you've fulfilled your obligation.

And as receivers of these wishes, we all know it's viewed in much the same way; you read who has sent you the message, smile, and then move on.  It's a moment.  But, have you ever really stopped to think about what you might actually want to say or how you hope the person's day is?

I would like to start a new tradition!!!  How about sending the person a color!!!  yes, a color!  Something a little more descriptive and personal that takes more than a moment to absorb?  I'm a visual person and I truly believe in the power of colors to enhance your mood, a situation, a relationship,.......a whole day!

So, here's the challenge......I am quickly approaching the next notch on the belt........so, instead of sending me a "Happy Birthday" send me a color, like:

Have a pretty in pink day!
Have a giggly green day!
Have a smiley yellow day!

Get it?

I will, in turn, send you something entirely unique and uplifting and personal on your special day.  Also, pass on this little tradition and we'll make those all important days that much brighter!!!!

Cheesy Chicken Bake - My Way

You'll never guess....I found a recipe on a certain site that looked easy enough.......of course I had to adapt it, though.  Below is the original and my adapted version.  I hope you try and like it.  And before I begin....yes, mom, I know that's a lot of mayo.  bla.

Parmesan Chicken Bake - Original                                                   

6 Chicken Breasts                                                            

1c. Light mayo or Greek yogurt or a mix                           

1/2c fresh Parmesan cheese plus some for top                   

1 1/2 teaspoon salt                                                           

1/2 tsp pepper                                                                  

1 tsp garlic powder                                                           

                                                                                        

Jenna's Cheesy Chicken Stuff - adapted                                                      

3 Chicken Breasts cut up in bite size pieces

1c mayo

handful of whatever shredded cheese I have

a sprinkle of salt

a sprinkle of pepper

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 Zucchini cut up (gotta throw in a veg if you can)

 breadcrumbs (why not?)

Preheat to 350.  Spray a 9x13 pan.  Spread chicken in pan.  Mix together remaining ingredients and spread evenly over chicken to coat so it won't dry out in the oven.  Bake for 35 minutes.  sprinkle breadcrumbs and remaining cheese over top.  bake 10 more minutes.  Use the broiler for a few if you want that burnt cheese topping (my family loves that).   Ta-da!

I think it came out ok.  So did the kids.  Mike wasn't crazy about it but he said it was because i actually used miracle whip instead of mayo and he could taste the difference (whatever).  I took a couple of pictures, but this is the only one that came out semi-ok.