Summer Kickoff (Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob)

Back by popular demand, here I am, trying to post a little something after a very long weekend of fun. Fun is exhausting. I had so much fun this weekend that I am nearly falling asleep while writing this post.  I better make with the food.

We had the perfect summer kickoff dinner tonight, grilled steaks with oven roasted corn and a big salad.  The corn was super easy, and incredibly delicious. The recipe I used is HERE but it so easy I will just spell it out for you. Oven at 400°. Shuck 6-8 rolls of sweet corn and lay them on a jellyroll sheet that has been covered on foil. Liberally salt and pepper. Place a pat of butter on each each cob, then bake for 30-45 minutes, turning twice, until a golden brown. If yoy are feeling bold add some parmesan and chopped parsley before serving. So flipping good. I am never boiling corn again. EVER.

Big House in the City (Bountiful Basket Apple Madness Part 1)

So it has been a while since I posted anything delicious. Billings participates in Bountiful Baskets, a food co-op program that allows you to get a bunch of produce for minimal dollars, and they usually have extra produce you can buy in bulk with your normal half fruit/half veggie basket.  I recently took the plunge and ordered a 38 lb box of Ambrosia apples and 12 small clam shells of blueberries. The blueberries are already frozen and bagged, but the apples will take a little more time to get through, so today we made a plan to get some apples processed and put up in a snackable format.

Thad went out and bought a mandolin (kitchen instrument, not musical) and a food dehydrator, and currently we have mangoes, blueberries and apples in the racks.  We also cored, peeled and chopped 2 bags of apples for a HUGE batch of apple butter that I put in the slow cooker this afternoon. I used THIS recipe, but I used half the sugar and added a touch of cardamom. I can't wait to report back on the results of an all day apple butter smell-a-thon.

Hello, 2015! (Overnight Blueberry French Toast)

Is it even necessary to comment on the hiatus from the posts anymore, guys?  If you know me, you know that the majority of my time not spent with my kids, my husband or my job is spent reading or drinking wine or eating, so I won't even try to make excuses for myself.  I'm a terrible blogger.  I don't make a living off of this blog.  If I did you would see a lot more of me, it's true.

The year has been pretty great so far, we have been busy since Christmas with various things.  I'm volunteering on a committee to organize a fundraiser for a local non-profit, I've been active in the PTA at Elora's school, and we managed to make a trip to Chico with the kids in January (they had SOOOOO much fun), so this year has been pretty stellar.  Then came February....

The kids have both gotten a variation of the flu this month, in the last week or so, so I've taken more time off from any job I've ever had for sick kids this month.  Not a complaint, truly, but I am grateful that I have a job that doesn't lump sick time in with paid time off, so I can keep my PTO hours to use towards things we actually WANT to do this year.  Everyone was a little under the weather for Valentine's Day this year, so last night, in the hopes that everyone would feel better today, I put together an Allrecipes item that I've been wanting to try for a while: Overnight Blueberry French Toast.  I also made another egg breakfast casserole like the ones I've made in the past (like THIS one), but the star of the show this morning was the french toast.

This recipe turns out a bread-pudding-esque pan of deliciousness.  The cream cheese makes it like a stuffed french toast, and the blueberry syrup at the end sends it into another dimension of deliciousness.  Both kids cleaned their plates, and I'm wishing I had company to help clear out the rest of the pan.  The next time I make this it will be when I have guests coming over; I have a feeling it will rock some lucky friend's socks right off.

The egg casserole I made this time had bacon, mushrooms, spinach, some leftover roasted asparagus, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, and coconut oil.  Here is an artfully arranged photo of the delicious leftovers.

Today I intend to leave my windows open, enjoy the fresh air and the sun before they once again flee the coming winter weather, and enjoy time with my little germ-swillers.  Happy February, everybody!