Cherry Cobbler Even Colby Will Eat

Cherries are inexpensive and delicious right now. I bought a big bag full, and bit off more than I could chew. Ha ha. With a ton of fresh cherries almost ready to spoil, I decided to make a cobbler.

I found a recipe on allrecipes.com that looked to fit the bill. Colby, who will not eat any type of fruity dessert, was convinced to try it after I told him it wasn't sour at all. In fact, I said, I actually didn't like the cobbler that much because I like a much more tart cherry cobbler. If you like your cherry cobbler a little sour, this recipe isn't for you.

The only changes I made to the recipe were that I used 1/2 c. whole wheat flour and 1/2 c. all purpose flour instead of entirely all purpose. It worked just fine. I also decreased the amount of sugar added with the boiling water after reading the reviews accompanying the recipe. It was definitely sweet enough even though I used less than the called-for amount of sugar.

3 Tbls. butter, melted
1 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. white sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. milk (I used skim)

1 c. white sugar (I used closer to 3/4 cup)
1 Tbls. corn starch
1 c. boiling water

3 1/2 c. fresh cherries, pitted

Place cherries evenly on the bottom of a non-stick sprayed 9 inch square baking pan. This is where it helps to have a little girl.


Mix 3/4 c. sugar, butter, flour, salt, baking powder and milk together in a small bowl. Spread this dough over the pitted cherries.

In another small bowl, combine 1 c. sugar (I used less here) and cornstarch. Stir in boiling water. Pour mixture evenly over the dough.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve it the Vescapades way: topped with tons of whipped cream!

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

One of mine and the girls' favorite foods is broccoli cheese soup from Panera Bread. Since we live out in the boonies, driving into town to Panera is out of the way and costly. Beyond that, the soup, though delicious, is also expensive. So, I began a quest to find a soup recipe to fulfil our craving.

My go to spot to search for recipes is allrecipes.com. I generally read all the comments posted with the recipe to see what about the recipe worked and what didn't. One of the comments on the following recipe said that it is the closest to Panera's they had ever made. Good enough for me. Let's try it.

I must mention right away that I did not purchase Panera's yummy baguette to accompany our soup. The kids LOVE to dip bread into the soup. I just bought a plain loaf of crusty french bread from the store. Next time I might just splurge on some loaves from Panera and keep them in the freezer. I honestly think it makes a difference.

I must also mention that although the soup was yummy, it had too much Velveeta in it. I would definitely recommend playing around with the amount. I would also suggest adding some cauliflower.

Here's the recipe we tried:
1 onion, chopped
6 Tbls. butter (recipe says margarine, but I prefer the real stuff)
1/3 c. all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups milk

In a large (really large because this is the pan that will hold the finished product) saucepan on medium high heat (on my stove top this setting was a little high), saute the onions in the butter until tender. Add the flour and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until smooth and let cook for just a minute. Slowly add the milk stirring with a whisk until mixture is thick and bubbly.

3 c. chicken broth
1 carrot, shredded (I used 2)
1 c. broccoli florets (I used fresh)
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 pound processed cheese food (Velveeta - I used the lower fat kind), cubed

Meanwhile, in a smaller saucepan bring the broth to a boil. Add the carrot, celery, and broccoli. Cook about 5 minutes until veggies are tender. Combine the broth mixture (slowly) into the thickened milk mixture using a whisk.

Add the cheese. Allow soup to heat over low heat until the cheese is melted. IMPORTANT: DO NOT let the soup boil once the cheese is added. The cheese will curdle in the soup.

Saturday Picnic

Saturday evening was beautiful and sunny. We decided to invite my "little" brother in for an impromptu picnic at the lake near out home. The kids were ready for some fried chicken and some fishing. We picked up a big bucket from KFC and headed to the lake.

We found a shady picnic spot, passed out paper plates, and cracked open the chicken.





After everyone was sufficiently filled with grease and butter we headed down to the the lake for some fishing. We couldn't have asked for a lovelier evening in July.








Even when she's fishing, Evelyn always makes sure she's a Top Model.


My brother even took a few photos. Who could resist when you've got the cutest family ever as your subjects?

Summer Lovin'

Colby and I busted out the old Grease c.d. one day to listen with the kids. We sang and sang and sang: Colby was John Travolta and I was Olivia Newton John. The kids were not impressed with either the c.d. or our singing. Heartbreaking!

I'm sure many that read this blog have fond memories of Grease. Upon closer listening Colby noticed that the words "You know it ain't no shit we'll be gettin' lots of tit" (side note: who writes this stuff?) are crooned in the song "Greased Lightning." I was surprised and said, "You never noticed??!!" Gosh, when I was a kid I thought I was doing something naughty just listening to it. Colby replied, "I only watched this on t.v., so I must've gotten the edited version." Oh, that makes sense.

In any case, bonding with my hubby over shared memories of Grease (even though his are edited) is just one more reason we go together like ramma ramma lamma, da ding de ding de dong. Or whatever.

Happy 5th Birthday Evelyn!

"Mom, since I'm the Birthday Girl can I have a candy, too? "Mom, since I'm the birthday girl can I sit right in front of the t.v.?" "Mom, since I'm the birthday girl can I wipe my own butt?" Um, yes to all of those things, baby girl.

As I have mentioned before, I share a very special bond with daughter #1 who had birthday #5 today. Pretty much everyone who knows us will tell you that Evie is a miniature me. Fortunately for her, I'm awesome.

Unlike me, however, Evelyn loves to eat at CiCi's Pizza. Since it was her birthday she got to choose where we dined. Since she has been sick since Thursday, she has hardly eaten anything. Our trip to Cici's was no exception to that, which only made our trip there even worse (for me). If we are going to go out to "not eat" somewhere, couldn't it at least be at a place Mommy likes?? Dade, of course, ate enough for himself, me, and Evie. I guess it all evens out.




Evelyn picked out a baseball ice cream cake because she loves t-ball so much. (Side note: Yes, that is a Wal-Mart sticker on her shirt. Yes, we went to Wal-Mart, and yes I felt dirty afterwards. I was quite unimpressed with the "savings" they always advertise. I made her take the sticker off so we could retake the photos.) We all enjoyed the cake, but yet again Evie hardly ate much of her piece.




Happy Birthday, Pea Pod! In just a few weeks you'll go to school. I know you're ready to take on the world, and I have been blessed to be home with you the first 5 years of your life. Even though I will soon send you off with your teacher, I hope you will first remember what your mommy taught you. And please, for the love of Ray J, don't explain to your teacher all the words you know for penis and testicles (thank you, Dade and Brody).

Evelyn's Birthday Party

Despite the hacking cough plaguing her every minute, Evelyn was ready to play at Lost in Fun with her friends and family. We don't go there very often, so all the kids were excited. We are very lucky that many of our friends who have kids who are Evie's age also have kids who are Brody's and Soren's ages, too. I'd like to share some photos of Evie with her friends and family as we celebrated one of the best days ever: the day Evelyn joined our family.

The birthday girl.


Evie and Dade


Evie and my nephew Ethan


Evie and Mommy


Evie and Caeden


Evie and Aunt Carrie


Evie and friends in the block castle Daddy built.


Don't forget the presents. . . Evelyn couldn't wait to open them. There's Grandpa Jerry in the background.


After Lost in Fun we headed to Sam and Louie's (locally owned by one of my high school classmates) to refuel. Mmmmmm, pizza!


It was ever so hot out, but we all managed to stay cool and have a great time!

Poor Baby

I thought Evelyn was just getting a cold until she woke up last night about 11:30 coughing like a seal. Croup. Again. It's just a virus, and it actually sounds worse than what it really is. Her lungs are clear and she doesn't have strep.

But, you see, tomorrow is her 5th birthday party. No little girl should be sick for her birthday party. I feel so bad, but I know from experience that kids are able to persevere through illness if there is Lost in Fun involved. The doctor said Evie is okay to attend her party as long as she feels up to it. She certainly doesn't seem up to it today. She took a nap down in our nice, cool bedroom.


Here's hoping for a VERY speedy recovery.

Sistas

I love, love, love this photo. I asked the girls to stand by each other and say cheese. This is what I got. Evelyn watches far too much America's Next Top Model.

The Girls' Room

The girls' new room is pretty much done. There is still some artwork and photos somewhere in the dumping ground formerly known as "the garage." I can't wait to find it and hang it back up. In the meantime, Evelyn and I strategically placed some princess decals to cover up big holes in the wall above her bed.

We replaced the closet's bi-fold doors with a less finger-pinching curtain.

Soren's new bed.


We still even have a little room for the "preschool" table. We will definitely have to find some cute bulletin board decorations for our preschool area. Soren's very excited to start preschool, as I'm sure many of you have heard.

The Basement Remodel IV

It's official: everyone has a bedroom. The girls are no longer bunking in Brody's room. Brody is now (very reluctantly) sleeping alone. Colby and I have a new and beautiful room to call our own!

The remodel is still not quite done. There is a hallway and closet that need flooring, trim, and doors. The girls don't have any pictures on their walls. The master bedroom closet isn't done (but may be by tonight), and there is still artwork and curtains to be hung. However, Colby already has his shoes all over the floor, so I guess that means we're home.

Here's the view looking towards the closet. The doorway isn't covered yet, but we're keeping an eye out for the perfect curtain. Colby wants one of those curtains made of beads. I guess I'll have to go to the local pot smokers' outlet store, aka Euphoria.


The bedroom closet will hopefully soon be filled with our clothes and shoes.


Notice that Colby already has the floor and his dresser cluttered with clothes and shoes. No big surprise there. But hey, on that lovely flooring even a pile of shoes looks good.


Where all the magic happens. By magic I mean 7 hours of blissful quiet. Get your minds out of the gutter.

First Day of Summer Dance

Saturday was Soren's first day of dance class. I signed both girls up for the July session mostly as an excuse to go to the farmer's market while they are at dance.

Soren has been so excited about it, and my daycare girl Reese also enrolled in the same class. Soren and Reese were the only two kids that really did a great job in class. They had fun and never needed a parent to cling to. They followed all the directions and set a great example for all the other little crybabies who wouldn't leave mommy's/daddy's side.