food.

Life has been business as usual here in the Clawson household. Busy with work, school, church and family. The biggest excitement in the Clawson household is that Addi started a Pre-K program this week--five days a week. Our mornings are bound to be a little more peaceful. Instead of taking pictures this month, I have been cooking and baking. For Christmas, Barb Davis gave us her cookbook, AKA, the Bible of all things food. I have gone through and marked the whole book with post-it. Here are a few I thought I'd share...

Steak & Noodles

1 lb. of steak, cut into small strips

1/2 lb. chopped mushrooms

3 T. chopped onion

Dash of salt and pepper

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 can cream of mushroom soup

8 oz. sour cream

1 tsp. Lawry's seasoning salt

1 T. parsley

Saute' steak, mushrooms and onion in 1/4 cup of butter. Cook until steak is done and tender. Stir in rest of ingredients. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over noodles. Yum and yum.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

4 chicken breasts

1 doz. corn tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 c. milk

1 onion, chopped

1 can green chili sauce

1 1/2 lbs. shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 lbs. shredded jack cheese

Wrap chicken breasts in foil; bake 400 degrees for 1 hour. Bone and slice. Cut tortillas in 1-inch strips. Mix soups, onion, chili salsa and milk in bowl. Butter casserole dish. Layer tortillas, chicken soup mix and cheese. Repeat, ending with cheese. Refridgerate 24 hours. Bake at 300 for 1 hour (longer for deep dish).

Now, I have a problem following directions. And because I didn't want many leftovers, I cut the recipe in half, only using 1 can of cream of chicken soup, instead of the mushroom and chicken. I also used flour tortillas instead of corn, just for personal preference. It turned out great. I will definitely make it again.

And to the baking...Martha Stewart does it again. I made a double batch of these Snickerdoodles...

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup pure vegetable shortening

1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more if needed

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus more if needed

2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper; set aside. Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, shortening, and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a small (1 1/4-ounce) ice-cream scoop to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after 5 minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack.

I actually found her recipe on bakerella.com, where I found this fabulous picture.

And lastly, after baking 37 bunt cakes for a Young Women's fundraiser, I make a triple batch of oreo balls for Ian's work. These are so easy and so good. And I did actually take this picture myself.

Oreo Balls

• 1 (16 ounce) package OREOS
• 1 (8 ounce) package Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 (8 ounce) packages of melting chocolate
• Mix the oreos with cream cheese (I use my Kitchenaid, it makes it quick and easy). Make 1 inch balls, put in freezer to harden. Dip in melted chocolate. I buy chocolate from Classic Cake off of Valley View. It is by far the best chocolate you can buy here locally.

I don't know why some of the font is green and some of it is black, I tried to fix it. Oh well.

A 2011 Must Have

If you've never tried these, go to the store NOW! We have gone through three bags in the last week. They were an impulse buy last week at Albertson's, one I did not regret. Seriously. So. Good.

The handyman came to visit...

Our kids are growing so fast! Addi has been long overdue to go into a twin bed, but because of the lack of space we have, it took a while to figure out the best solution for the kids. I saw this idea on designmom.com months ago and love it, so when my parents came last month, I put my dad to work. We modified it from her version, putting wheels underneath it.
The twin bed was a hand-me-down, originally painted white. We (my dad, I mean) slapped a fresh coat of paint on it and then we bought a low mattress at Ikea. There were so many nights we would check on the kids and part or all of her body would be on the floor. She won't fall out of it now!

The kids would not leave me alone when I was taking the pictures. Last night was the first night we attempted having Von sleep in it. We wanted to get through the holidays without having to sleep train. He did great. He went right to sleep, but at 1 am he came wandering into our room crying. After he calmed down, Ian put him back in it and we didn't hear from him again until the morning.
Underneath view. A big thanks to my dad! We had him busy the whole time he was here doing repairs. Some vacation!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve we had a mellow evening at home with Ian's parents. After dinner we decorated ginger bread men and watched Despicable Me. Bubba didn't understand decorating before eating.
Sprinkles!
Addi's final product.
Diving in.
Christmas morning, the kids were up by 6 and so excited.
Bubba checking out the merchandise.
He just couldn't resist the gingerbread man from the night before.
We headed over to Ian's parent's for the Laker game for more presents, food and the Laker game. Von got a new scooter. He's still trying to figure it out.
Addi was mad he wouldn't let her ride his! Little did she know, she had one coming too. Thanks to everyone who made our Christmas so amazing! It was a great holiday and year and we are looking forward to what 2011 will bring!

Holiday Happenings

December flew for us. Life was so busy! We started the month out with Ian's first work Christmas party, followed by three more parties and my parent's visiting.
Addi's preschool class had a little party. On the first of December, I went at 5:30 in the morning and waited with a bunch of other crazy moms to secure a spot for her in a pre-k program through the district that will start January 31st. It is five days a week and FREE! I am really excited to get her into a more academic program and see if she is as smart as we think she is (and also to see if she is going to have as hard of I time sitting still as we think she will).
Ian's work party was at the St. Regis and they provided us a room for the night. I want to live there, it was so nice. We took the kids with us and had a hotel babysitter. All hotels need to have babysitters. Best idea ever.
The next morning we took them to Roger's Gardens to check out the decorations. Bubba was in love with the "choo choo train!"
Our big girl.

Family Pics

Back in October, we had family pictures taken. Taking pictures with an almost 2 year old was a complete nightmare. Here are a few...with more to come later.

Photos by Jenn King. jennkingphoto.com

Palm Desert Thanksgiving

After having such a good time last year in Palm Desert for Thanksgiving, back in June, Ian and I decided it was a must again this year.
We stayed and had our Thanksgiving meal at the JW Marriott. The meal was amazing as expected. They have everything from the traditional Thanskgiving buffet, to crab legs, a crepe bar, to prime rib, to mac and cheese and uncrustables for the kids. Plus an amazing array of desserts. Amazing.
Addi being Addi.
Don't mind the chocolate on her pretty little face.
One of my helpings of dessert.
Bubba devoring a PBJ. He and the tablecloth were covered in so much food by the time we were done.
After lunch, we went on the gondola they have in the hotel.
They gave the kids sailor hats. It took us a little while before we figured out we were supposed to fold the brim up.
Addi's favorite cousin Carson.
Our not-so-little anymore Bubba. The kid is a moose, we go to his 2 year well baby next week and I wouldn't be surprised if he was off of the charts.
Kinsers.
And the fun never ended. After the boat ride, they had crafts for the kids. The hotel was amazing. I want to live there. It was non-stop entertainment for the kids.
And then, of course there was swimming at least twice a day.
And mini golf on a real "mini golf" course, with sand traps and ponds. And I forgot to mention the shopping...we went at about 10 pm on Thursday to the outlets. We didn't stay for long, but got some great deals.
On our way home we stopped at Oak Glen. It was quite a contrast to go from sun to snow. The kids had mixed feelings about it. Bubba fell face first into an icy puddle and wasn't too happy, but enjoyed exploring it prior to that.
This is a typical picture of us these days, trying to contain this child. He now has a mind of his own and doesn't want to hold our hand or have help in any way.
Addi looked mad in every picture I took that day. Kind of funny.