All posts by NerdMom

Food

Freezer Friday: Pear Bread

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Welcome to Freezer Friday! Due to the fact I have 4 little ones and homeschool, I need all the help I can find. Simply post a recipe that can be made, frozen and then later reheated(thawed, etc) and consumed. Make sure that you include freezing and reheating instructions in your post. Then come here and add you post (not your blog) into Mr. Linky.
Now for some disclaimers:
If it isn’t a recipe, I will delete it.
If it can’t be made ahead, I will delete it.
If you don’t have a family friendly site, I will delete it.
Now onto the food fun!

Pear Bread

I love this fall treat. You can also make this with a firm apple. Due to the fruit it stays extremely moist when frozen. Make sure you let is cool completely before freezing. Then just thaw and slice!

Ingredients
2 c Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 c Oil
1 c Sugar
2 Eggs
1/4 c Applesauce
1/4 c Sour Cream
1 tsp Vanilla
1 c Fresh Pears, chopped
1 c Nuts, chopped (optional)

Process

Combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl. In large mixer bowl, beat oil and sugar until well blended. Beat eggs, one at a time, then add applesauce, sour cream and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and stir until moist. Stir in pears and nuts. Spoon into well-greased loaf pan. Bakes at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10-15 minutes. Cool the rest of the way on the rack. When cooled completely wrap tightly and freeze.

Food

Rocky Road Delight

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This is a great entertaining recipe that I have appropriated from Pampered Chef. The other nice thing is you can use up what ever left over candy bars(mini or full size) you may have around. Including but not limited to Halloween candy and Easter candy though it is recommended you use something with nougat, caramel, nuts or the like. The recipe says to serve with graham crackers but I really like it with miniature pretzels. I also mix up the base early in the day, let it sit on the counter and then put it in right before company comes.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 container (8oz)frozen whipped topping, thawed (aka Cool Whip or knock off)
2 full size bars or 4 mini bars chocolate based candy, roughly chopped
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/3 cup peanuts, chopped
Pretzels or Graham Crackers to dip

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chocolate morsels and whipped topping in a bowl. Microwave uncovered on high for 1-2 minutes or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Then spoon into a small baking dish.
2. Sprinkle coarsely shopped candy bars over the chocolate base. Top with marshmallows then nuts. Bake 8-10 minutes or until marshmallows are lightly toasted.

tech

Still A Cool Car

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I still think this car is cool. Supposedly they are reworking the transmission but will be producing all new ones by mid-March. I guess that they are going to be doing a patch. Then once they have a permanent solution they will retrofit all the ones that are already out. I do have to say, if I was going to put out $98,000 I would wait for the finished version.

Food

Dijon Chicken Stew

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So I tried a new recipe from Cooking Light. My version cuts out half the wine. I substituted mustard greens and think we would definitely preferred kale.

Ingredients:
4 tsp Olive Oil, divided
2 cups sliced Leeks
4 Garlic Cloves, minced (I use jarred)
1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 lb Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast (cut into bite-size pieces)
1/2 lb Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast (cut into bite-sized pieces)
1/2 tsp Salt, divided
1/2 tsp Pepper, divided
1/2 cup Dry White Wine
3 cups Chicken Broth, divided
1 tbl All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups Water
2 tbl Dijon Mustard
2 cups (1/2 inch) sliced, unpeeled White Potatoes(about 1 lb)
1 bunch Torn Kale (about 5 oz off the stems)

Process:
1. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sliced leeks to pan and saute for 6 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Add minced garlic and continue until light color is added. Then remove to a bowl.
2. Place flour in a zip top bag and add chicken. Then shake until evenly coated. Heat remaining oil in pan with medium-high heat. Then brown chicken with salt and pepper in 2 separate batches, it should take about 6 minutes. Add browned chicken to bowl with leek mixture.
3. Add wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Combine 1 cup of broth and 1 tbl of flour, stir until smooth. Add broth mixture, remaining broth, 1 1/2 cups water, and mustard to pan and bring to a boil. Stir in chicken mixture, remaining salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Stir in potato. Cover and simmer 30 minutes or until potato is tender. Stir in Kale; cover and simmer 10 minute.

Yield: 6 serving (serving size 1 1/2 cups)

headlines

Heath Ledger is Dead

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According to Fox News Heath Ledger is dead. His body was near sleeping pills and they think it was a factor. The things you are alerted to when your niece is on your MySpace friend list. I really liked him as an actor in everything I have seen him in. I am very sorry for his daughter and everyone who loved him.

Homeschoooling, humor, life

I Guess I Got What I Want and Deserve

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So Friday we had a typical laid back day. We got up and did all out normal breakfast, chores, etc. Then we read Chapter 5 in Story of the World which is on the first unifying ruler in the Sumer area in Mesopotamia (Argon). With in the chapter it briefly introduced the concept of Military Dictatorship, which is how Argon ruled his new country. They loosely go this concept and I told them we could talk about it later.

So we all go get on shoes and go to Costco so we can take advantage of getting in early (with our Executive Membership). One of the nice things about going at this time is there is almost no one there and the kids get cookies. So we eat our cookies and are cruising the aisles and NerdBug brings up Military Dictatorship. So we start talking about it. NerdPie then asks if Argon is still there as a country. Then are there still Military Dictatorships? As we are walking through the store I see people staring. Then the Nerdling (2 1/2) starts saying, rather loudly (but not yelling), military dictatorship over and over. People were staring and not in a good way. So I try to change the subject to the alphabet and songs, didn’t work. Then 1 couple says quietly, “Do you homeschool?” To which I say yes and keep walking. Then another woman that I had seen in a couple of aisles asks also. I say yes. Then she engages me in a conversation about what are we studying and other such details. She is looking for supplemental materials for her very bright kids that are in public school.

All I could think through the whole trip is, “Couldn’t you guys keep you nerdiness at home?” Then it hit me, this is what I always wanted and how I raised them to be. Sure, we are a little different but should them wanting knowledge that seems to be above them really be a bad thing? I helped make them this way. That is the joy of homeschool, you sometimes get just what you really want;).

(Now, in telling part of this story at my Growing Kids God’s Way Class tonight I was told I am definitely living up to my blog name;)

life

Costco Gas

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Well, here is just a quick post post for anyone in the Fresno area. Gas at the Clovis Costco was only $2.99 a gallon about 10am this morning! If you have time and are in the area, Go Fill Up! Who knows how long such a good deal will be going. It is the first time I have seen it under $3 in a while.

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