It's the simple things...like french toast!!

It's the simple things...like making french toast with my kids on a Saturday morning...that make my world go 'round!!

This is my favorite french toast recipe...very easy and oh so yummy!!

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

butter or cooking oil

5 0r 6 slices of bread (we used honey wheat)

1. In a shallow bowl beat together eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Dip bread into egg mixture, coating both sides.

2. In a skillet, cook bread in hot butter over medium heat for about 2 to 3 sides on each side or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Better Homes and Gardens, The New Cookbook

Gimme What'cha got for a Pork Chop

I'm doing well on my attempt to make better dinners!! And my new i-pod docking station has really helped motivate me in the kitchen! If any of the neighbors got a glimpse of me dancing it up in the kitchen, I'm sure they had a big laugh!!

This recipe was very easy...the pork chops were cooked in apple juice and my kiddos LOVED it!

Cranberry-Sauced Pork Chops

Ingredients:

6 pork loin rib chops, 3/4 inch thick

pepper

1 tablespoon of butter

1/2 cup of apple juice or apple cider

1/2 of a 16 ounce can of whole cranberry sauce

2 tablespoons of sliced green onion

2 teaspoons of cornstarch

1 teaspoon of brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon of finely shredded orange peel (We didn't care for this ingredient, so I won't add it next time)

1. Trim fat from meat. Sprinkle chops with pepper. In a 12-inch skillet cook chops in hot butter over medium heat about 4 minutes or until brown, turning once. Drain off fat.

2. Our apple juice or cider over chops. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 5 to 6 minutes or until no pink remains in pork chops and juices run clear. Transfer pork chops to a platter, reserving 1/2 cup cup juices in skillet. Keep warm.

3. For sauce, stir together cranberry sauce, green onion, cornstarch, brown sugar and orange peel. Stire into reserved juices in skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. To serve, spoon sauce over pork chops. Makes 6 servings.

Better Homes and Gardens, The New Cookbook

Berry Shortbread Cookies...they'll make you slap your momma!!

OH MY GOODNESS...well, that's not really what I said when I tried Lara Kay's/Libby's berry shortbread cookies, but this is a family blog and I didn't want to offend anyone. Just know that naughty words came out of my mouth (no kiddie ears were around!) when I tried them for the first time...they are THAT good!!

When my mom used to eat something that she really liked, she would say, "that'll make you slap your momma!!" WOO-HOO...I bet my momma felt that one all the way in heaven!! (On a side note: I loved how my mom and I gave each other high fives...we always missed on purpose, threw our heads back and then let out a simultaneous nerdy cackle laugh!!)

The recipe is definitely worth sharing - and tell your momma she better WATCH OUT!!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour
seedless raspberry jam

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 to 3 tsp water

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in extract, gradually add flour until dough forms a big ball. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until the dough is easy to handle.

Roll into 1 in. balls. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Using a small spoon or the end of a wooden spoon, make an indentation in the center. Fill with jam.

Bake at 350 for 14-18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to cool. Spoon additional jam into cookies if desired. Combine glaze ingredients, drizzle over cookies. Makes 3 dozen.

I really wanted to add a picture...but I ate them all - OOPSIE!! Maybe next time.

Dancing, Prancer food and cute, CUTE ornaments = HAPPY DAY!!

Gracie had a little holiday show-off at ballet this morning. She was so adorable with her little jingle bells, tap shoes and big grin!! We love Miss Tera at The Dance Space and we appreciate her so much for helping G have some extra twinkle in her toes!

After ballet, we ran to Southlake to do some last minute shopping and I finally bought the Crate and Barrel heirloom ornaments I've been wanting! They are hand-painted and represent the twelve days of Christmas. I love the bright colors and I think they will be so cute mixed in with the kids' artwork on the tree upstairs!!

And this evening (really it's morning...2:06am to be exact!!!), I was crazy enough to slap together 18 jars of magic reindeer food for Mason's buddies at school! Mike was such a sport...he cleaned out all of the baby food jars and even used the goo-gone to get ALL of the stickers off (my kind of OCD man!!!). I think this is such a great gift for the little ones. We made it last year and M and G had a magical time sprinkling it on the grass!! Here is the recipe and poem:

Baby Food Jars or bags

Uncooked oatmeal

sugar

red and green sugar crystals (some recipes call for glitter, but it's not good for the birds!)

*add ingredients to bag or layer them in a jar, attach poem.

MAGIC REINDEER FOOD

Sprinkle on the lawn at night

the moon will make it sparkle bright

As Santa's reindeer fly and roam

this will guide them to your home!

OK...so, I think I'm all caught up and I can't believe it! I have a little more shopping to do in the next couple of days and then I'm going to sit back and relax!!