Kids Food Fun

I went through the kids' clothes yesterday and after forcing Landon to strip and try on a large pile of last Spring and Summer's wardrobe, I discovered the child has grown. I hate when they do that. After trying on everything and removing anything that didn't fit, an empty drawer that used to be full of shorts stared back at me. I dug an Old Navy coupon out of my purse and filed the family out into the car for some shopping while my cinnamon rolls did their second rise. We left 45 minutes later with 5 pairs of shorts, two polos (in the colors he'll have to wear for his uniform in elementary school next year - ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, do you remember this baby? I barely do.), a secret swim suit, cover up, and flip flops for Claire's Easter basket, and this adorable Batgirl shirt that Landon picked out for Claire and I couldn't resist because it was so cute (the shirt itself and the fact that he picked it out for her).

Modeling super moves this morning

By the time we got home my rising cinnamon rolls had exploded out of their pans in a joyous mess of puffy dough and cinnamon and sugar. I cooked them anyway and while they weren't as pretty as the last batch, they were equally delicious (I taste-tested one at 10:30 p.m. just to be sure; we were bringing them to our friends this morning as part of a housewarming brunch). I changed up the frosting- I found the original recipe to be too cream cheesy and not pourable enough. I added an extra 1/2-3/4 cup of powdered sugar, an extra Tbl of butter, and a splash of whole milk. It was perfect. I'm strongly tempted to dump it on everything I make from here on out.

 

We cooked out hamburgers with oven fries and fruit for dinner and I started my prep for our housewarming brunch for our friends. This morning completed the preparations (sausage and egg casserole, pumpkin pancakes, cinnamon rolls, fruit, OJ; deliciousness for all ages) and we spent 3 hours at their new house eating, admiring the house and its half-finished renovation projects, and throwing balls at the children in the gorgeous 65 degree weather.

Tonight we're having oven jambalaya, the very best jambalaya recipe I've ever made. Also the only jambalaya recipe I've ever made, or ever eaten really- not liking shrimp or spicy anything makes it a dish I am highly unlikely to order, but this recipe is perfect. I can't vouch for its authenticity, but we got it from a family friend who is from Louisiana, so it's possible.

Oven Jambalaya

2 cups Uncle Ben's rice (or 1-16 oz box of rice)
2+ pounds of shrimp, raw, peeled & deveined
1 stick of margarine or butter, sliced
1/2 cup parsley
1 can Campbell's French Onion soup
1 can Campbell's Beef Broth
1-8 oz can tomato sauce
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1 bunch green onions and tops, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper

1. Mix everything in a roaster. Cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 75 to 90 mins. Stir once after 45 minutes.
2. Eat (remove bay leaves first).
Optional: Douse in hot sauce.

Notes from me: I substitute a pound of raw, boneless chicken for the shrimp and put it in at the 45 minute mark. Sometimes I splash in a little more beef broth at that point if this mixture is looking dry. The kids love this meal, it was the first thing Claire ever ate more of than Landon and I think she was about 16 months old. It is very very delicious.

On to the rest of the week:

Sun: Jambalaya, green beans, crusty bread
Mon: Chicken verde enchiladas, black beans, Spanish rice
Tues: Leftovers from either Sun or Mon (whichever has enough for another meal)
Wed: Pasta, meatballs, garlic bread
Thurs: Chicken cheesy pasta with fresh broccoli
Fri: Breakfast tacos, fruit

I take testimony again on Thursday, so I will likely be working very late Wednesday night and then I'm secretly hoping JP and I will manage another date night since my birthday is on Monday and despite the fact that I dropped another $100 at Carter's today buying the kids a whole bunch of pj's, a swim sufit, rash guard, and flip flops for Landon's Easter basket, and some summer shirts and shorts for both kiddos (the lack of hand-me-downs is perhaps the biggest downside to having children first among your friends), I think turning 30 deserves a meal at a nice restaurant. Particularly since I ended up being strong enough to close out of all my shopping windows from this post without buying a single thing.

I hear the children stirring from their naps- time to throw together some jambalaya and head out on a family walk. Because I'm sure that slowly plodding around our neighborhood with a dog, stoller, and 5-year-old on a scooter will work off all that icing I licked off the spatula last night.