Diaperville

Wordless Wednesday - The First Major "Boo-Boo"

2011-02-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

So, the Little Man and I were enjoying the beautiful weather last week and were playing a game of chase in the front yard. Unfortunately, he went running for the front door and got caught up in a branch. The results are not so pretty. He was a real trooper - cried for a few minutes and then was ready for the next event!

Here's some pics of our little Mixed Martial Arts fighter:

Tasty Tuesday - Homemade Tortillas

2011-02-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

Mexican food (or Tex-Mex) is a HUGE favorite in our household. Honestly, I could serve beans and tortillas every night of the week and my 2 guys would be happy. I am a fan myself. Having grown up in Texas, pretty much any food that involves tortillas in some form or fashion (flour, corn, fried, you name it!) is high on my list of comfort foods! It was always a treat when I picked up some of the fresh made tortillas from Central Market. In fact, if I wanted them for a recipe, I had to buy 2 packs because 1 was sure to be demolished from snacking.

With our recent move to Tyler, I have not yet found a good source of homemade tortillas, so I thought it would be a worthy task to take on at home. Lord knows, I don't have to worry about them sitting in the

fridge. So, I found a recipe on one of my go-to recipe sites: Homesick Texan. And got to working.

I am not going to lie - this is pretty time consuming for the result of only 8 tortillas. I am thinking in the future that I will double the recipe. But, it was so good to have fresh tortillas that haven't been sitting on a shelf for who knows how long! These tortillas are definitely yummy, half of them were gone before the night was over (I didn't start making them until after dinner when the Little Man was asleep!).

The only changes I made from the original recipe were to substitute some whole wheat flour for the white flour and I used a stainless steel skillet (that's all I've got). I know, I know, how can I call my self a Texan and not have a cast iron skillet?

Want to try it for yourself? Here's the recipe!

Texas Flour Tortillas
from Homesick Texan

Ingredients:
Two cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
1 1/2 t. of baking powder
1 t. of salt
2 t. of vegetable oil
3/4 C. of warm milk

Directions:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.

Slowly add the warm milk.

Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.

Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.

Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.

After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)

After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.

In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.

Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.

Makes eight tortillas.

A Day Late, But not a Recipe Short! Tasty Tuesday - Tuna Burgers

2011-01-26T17:46:00.000-08:00

We had a bit of a hitch with dinner last night with the Little Man napping for 4 hours which messed up my run to the store for an egg I needed for this recipe! So, last night was a last-minute pizza pick-up, but we were back on track tonight with some yummy Tuna Burgers. Since we are on a budget, these are a more budget-friendly version of burgers for the weekly menu. And, for our family, preferred over beef burgers anyway, so it's a win-win!

This is a recipe that I found on the All Recipes website, but I have modified it a bit. The original recipe calls for 1 6-ounce can of tuna and says it makes 4 patties. I almost double the tuna and get 3 decent sized patties - I'm thinking the original recipe writer might have used these as appetizers ;-). I have also adjusted the seasoning a little, toning it down for our family. Here's the recipe:

Tuna Burgers

Ingredients

2(5 ounce) cans tuna, drained
1 egg
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs (make your own by toasting 1 piece of bread and grinding it up with about 1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
1/3 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced celery
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
4 hamburger buns (I made my own whole wheat buns with this recipe)
1 tomato, sliced
4 leaves of lettuce (optional)

Directions

Combine tuna, egg, bread crumbs, onion, celery, red bell pepper, mayonnaise, dill, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well. Shape into 3-4 patties (mixture will be very soft and delicate). Refrigerate for 30 minutes to make the patties easier to handle (Do not skip this step! Makes it much easier to handle!)
Coat a non-stick skillet with cooking spray; fry tuna patties for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. These are fragile, so be careful when turning them.
Serve on buns with tomato slices and lettuce leaves, if desired.

Cloth Diaper (Cover) Review - Gen-Y Universal Cover

2011-01-23T18:01:00.000-08:00

I had the good fortune to win a Gen-Y Universal Cover during a photo contest by Gen-Y. I have had it for a couple weeks now and thought I would post a review. Now, I have to start out by saying that I am not a cover kind of girl -- we use pockets, AIO's and AI2's. I think I tried a cover at one point during a diaper trial, but ended up sending it back. That being said - if I had gotten this cover to begin with, my diaper stash might have been a little different.

Gen-Y has 3 different styles of covers - Classic, Simplicity and Universal. I chose a Universal because it can be used with virtually anything: prefolds, flats, cloth inserts, disposable inserts, contour diapers and fitteds. The other covers cannot be used with cloth or disposable inserts, which are my only current options.

Here's a little on the Universal cover from the Gen-Y website:
"The GEN-Y Universal cover is designed to make your cloth diapering experience easier, simpler, and more fun! Inner leg gussets contain anything your child can dish out. Our super soft polyester/ spandex jersey binding is gentle and comfortable against your baby's skin. Specially shaped inner flaps on the front and back work perfectly to hold any lay in or insert in place, while a gathered front allows you the room you need to use with fitteds or contour diapers. A snap down rise and highly adjustable legs and waist mean you need just two sizes for the perfect fit from birth to potty. Wipe-clean or air-out inside so you can reuse until soiled. Poly-resin snap closures allow air circulation, are more difficult for your baby to undo, and won't snag or wear out with time. Machine wash/ dry with your other diapers... What's not to love?
GEN-Y products are made in the USA."

Now, on to the cover:

Outside of cover (Fun print!)

Inside of cover - all PUL - you can just wipe clean and air out until soiled!

Inside stuffed with insert (I used my SoftBums microfiber inserts because one side is fleece)

Check out the awesome double gussets!

Close up on the print

Diaper being modeled by the Little Man


Being silly - going night-night on my quilting ruler! Note the snug fit around his legs.

What I love:

Fun, fun prints - they were out of some of my favorite prints - this was actually my 3rd or 4th choice, but I still love it. It was hard to choose from so many cool prints. Also love how they color coordinate the snaps and gussets with the fabric.
The big flaps in the front and back really keep the inserts in place
The gussets - the double gussets are awesome at keeping EVERYTHING in!
Flexibility - this cover can be used with anything! We are thinking this will definitely be one of our go-to options on vacation - using disposable inserts, when we have limited access to laundry.
Cleanability - Little Man has actually not soiled the cover yet. He had a couple poops, but they stayed on the insert, so we actually haven't even had to wash it yet.
Clean lines - sine this is a side-snapping cover, the snaps are pretty much out of sight. They also have the rise adjustment snaps lower down so they aren't visible from the front either.
Customer Service - Elizabeth was great to work with - she was able to answer all of my questions and she did so VERY promptly!

What could be improved

Since I have no other diapers that use the side snaps, I have a harder time snapping these than my other dipes, but if I had more of these, this probably would not be an issue.
The price of the Universal covers is a little steep for me - the covers are $21.99 each ($22.99 for Minkee covers) - this is more than pretty much all of my pocket diapers in my stash and the cover does not come with any inserts. However, I do have to add that you are paying for quality - these are very well made covers AND they are made in the USA. Also since they can be reused so easily, it would be possible to reuse the same cover for most of a day, which makes the price more accessible. Also, their Classic and Simplicity Covers are less expensive (ranging from $11.99 - 17.99). So for someone on a budget, they have other options.

The Final Tally
The cons are far outweighed by the pros for this cover. This is not one of the first ones I grab, but more because of the fact that I am much more comfortable with pockets, AIOs and AI2s. It is a well made, fun cover and we just might have to invest in a couple more before our next trip to California because it could help greatly decrease the bulk of what we have to pack! With the airlines charging for checked luggage, taking a suitcase of pockets can be pretty outrageous on the pocketbook!

**This is not a paid post. I received the cover as a prize in a giveaway with no expectations of a review. All opinions are my own.

Not-So-Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-19T19:16:00.000-08:00

Before the pics - I just wanted to apologize for the break this past week. The Little Man has been sick and there are a few other things going on around here, so I was not able to post this week. I am going to try and get back on track this week.

For the actual Not-So-Wordless Wednesday part - a picture of my 2 favorite guys in the whole world! I am blessed to call them my husband and my son! My husband takes care of Carter when I am at work and I love coming home and seeing them in action. I may walk into a series of car races down a ramp, a book being read on the couch, or puzzles being done at the table. A great picture to go with this story would be a pic of one of these moments, but those are all on my mental camera, so this one will have to do - my guys hanging out at the Pumpkin Patch a few months ago.

Do you have any mental pictures that you want to share? Post them below.

Wordless Wednesday - Snow Day

2011-01-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

New blog hop

2011-01-11T21:15:00.000-08:00

There is a new green blog hop starting up - you ought to go check out some of the great blogs that are participating!

Tasty Tuesday - THE pie crust recipe

2011-01-11T21:00:00.000-08:00

OK, I am going to apologize because I don't have a single picture to go with this post - except for a partially eaten pie and the 2 pie crusts in my freezer! I was making this pie crust while Little Man was running around and pictures just weren't happening. But, I wanted to share this recipe with you. It has only been recently that I have gotten back into making my own pie crusts - the ones in the refrigerated aisle were just soooo convenient. But, with my quest to get back to the basics and remove the chemicals/indecipherable ingredients from our daily eating, I thought it was about time.

I started out with a pie crust recipe from the Pioneer Woman - check out her post for all the cool food photographs of this recipe! I modified it a bit today and think I have gotten it how I like it. I subbed out some of the shortening for some butter, which makes for a much better flavor in my book - without losing any flakiness. I also decreased the salt and added a little sugar to sweeten it up.

One of my favorite things about this recipe - it makes 3 pie crusts at one time - you just put each dough ball in a Ziploc baggie and freeze it until you need it - even better than the ones at the grocery store because I don't have to run out and buy it - it's already in my freezer!

So, here is the recipe:

THE Pie Crust
adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

1 C. Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
1/2 C. butter
2 C. All-purpose Flour + 1 Cup White Wheat Flour (I have done this with all white, as well as all wheat)
1 whole egg
5 T. cold water
1 T. white vinegar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco and butter into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening/butter mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)
When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. Place the dough between 2 sheets of floured waxed paper and roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) Continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.
Take off the top piece of wax paper and gently turn the pie crust over into the pie plate. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.

Cloth Diaper Review - Doopsy SD

2011-01-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

I realized that my blog has had very little about cloth diapering since my first few posts - not too good for a blog called Diaperville! So, I thought I would post my first review on the Doopsy SD. I was so excited to win this diaper from Mama Chocolate. This was my first cloth diaper giveaway win and what a fun one to win!

Inside of diaper (the lining is super soft fleece)

Outside of diaper - love the color and all the snap options!

Comes with 3 inserts (forgot to show the microfiber insert, sorry!). In the picture is the SUPER Doopsy™ Insert which has 4 layers of Bamboo Double Loop Terry (70% Bamboo, 28% Organic Cotton, 2% Spandex), as well as a layer of PUL (polyurethane laminated fabric) and the removable Extra Absorbency Pad made out of 2 Bamboo Hemp Terry Layers (30% Hemp, 70% Bamboo).

Rear view in action:

The Little Man had fun showing it off!

and putting it to work on his rocking horse

What I love:

Hip snap which makes for a better fit and no wing droop.
The color - I really love the bright orange and all their other colors are bright and fun as well!
The rise - it is high enough for a good coverage.
The multiple inserts - you can adjust the absorbency you need - a plus for my super heavy wetter!
The fit - I can get a good snug fit around Little Man's legs without red marks
Big pocket for stuffing
Extra strip of PUL on front to reduce wicking
Room to grow - Little Man is on the largest rise setting, but is still 2-3 snaps in on each side, so I think this will definitely last through potty training!

What could be improved:

Absorbency - I do have a super heavy wetter and I may have to admit to user impatience - I only washed it two times before using, so I think the bamboo may not be at its peak yet (I have used it a half dozen times, so it has only been washed about 8 times). This diaper has held well for normal daytime use, but we have had some leaks during nap time. I was really hoping to add this to my nap time stash. Note: I did use it for Little Man's nap time again today and had no leaks, so it is probably user impatience!
Although I love the big pocket for stuffing - I wish it would lay flat when I put it on - it is almost always sticking up out of the back when I put it on Little Man - I have to tuck the extra fleece into his diaper
Although I like the idea of the multiple layers of the insert for decreasing dry time, would love it if it could somehow undo itself from the agitation of the washer. I am not a huge fan of having to mess that much with a super wet insert. My solution: I just don't stuff it in - I layer the inserts like in the picture below and then stuff the pocket.

All in all, I really do like this diaper - it is great for daytime use and I am hoping that after a few more washes it will be a good nap time diaper as well. For little ones that aren't super heavy wetters like mine, it would probably work as an overnight solution.

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

I think I know what I will be hunting the consignment shops for next. We made a quick trip down to Austin this weekend and Little Man had a GREAT tie playing with this little mini Dirt Devil, complete with removable dust buster. The perfect toy for our little cleaner.

Tasty Tuesday - Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

2011-01-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

I am very fortunate that Little Man eats his veggies without too much of a fuss (the boy LOVES broccoli!! He did not get that from me). So, I don't worry about him getting his daily servings of vegetables. However, like any mom, I am not averse to getting in more veggies in unusual ways. It's better for him, and better for me and the Mayor ;-). Which leads us to today's recipe - Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese. I am a huge fan of mac and cheese, but I had stopped making it because my old recipe is a heart attack on a plate. So, when I was browsing through the many cooking blogs I love, I was intrigued by this recipe and had to try it. It has now become a fairly regular entry on the weekly meal plan. It's healthy AND pretty easy on the budget.

First thing to do - chop your butternut in half, plop it face down in a baking dish and roast it until it looks like this:

After the squash is ready, scoop it into a pot with your milk and chicken stock and blend it together with your nifty immersion blender that you got for Christmas. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can blend the mixture together in a blender or food processor. I did not do this the first time I made this recipe and the texture was really grainy, so I highly recommend finding SOME way to blend it!

While you are making the sauce, cook your pasta to 'al dente' texture.

Doesn't the sauce look so much prettier?

Then remove the sauce from heat and stir in all your spices, shredded cheeses and ricotta. If your pot is large enough, you can add the pasta directly into the pot and stir until your pasta is well coated. Then transfer it into a greased baking dish.

Top your pasta with a mixture of bread crumbs, cheese and olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes covered, then pull off the foil and cook for another 30-40 minutes. Serve yourself a big plate of yummy mac and cheese immediately!

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe by A Cozy Kitchen

Ingredients

1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound) cut in half and roasted

1 cup homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock, skimmed of fat

1 1/2 cups mil

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional - I leave this out because of Little Man)

1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound elbow macaroni

1 cup of extra-sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated (4 oz.)

4 tablespoons gryuere or Parmesan cheese, finely grated (1 ounce) (I have use other hard cheeses like Romano, as well)

2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon olive oil

butter to coat baking dish

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the butternut squash in half and put face down on a baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes. When you take it out of the oven, scoop out the seeds and discard. Then scoop out flesh and set aside. Combine squash, stock, and milk in a medium saucepan; - blend with immersion blender, blender or food processor and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer for about five minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in nutmeg, cayenne, and salt, and season with black pepper. Stir to combine. Add cheddar, Parmesan and ricotta cheeses. Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles; cook until al dente according to package instructions, about 8 minutes.

Drain noodles and add them into the pot with the cheesy squash sauce.

Lightly grease a 2.5 quart casserole dish with butter. Transfer noodle mixture to dish. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, remaining 2 tablespoons gruyere or Parmesan, and oil; sprinkle evenly over noodle mixture.

Cover with foil, and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, and continue baking until lightly browned and crisp on top, 30 to 40 minutes more. Serve immediately.

So cute!

2011-01-02T18:47:00.000-08:00

I got kind of crazy about entering all of the amazing cloth diaper giveaways that were happening around Christmas. I swear, I would spend hours at a time. A few minutes of my time for a sweet new CD or cool accessories, I'm in! Well, I have had a little luck. First, I won a Doopsy SD diaper from Mama Chocolate. I'll do a post of my review of that in the near future - I'm trying to give it a month before I give my opinion on it.

But, I don't have to wait on sharing this super cute package of burp cloths and a wipe case that I won from Creative Mommas! I actually won it from another blog, Spunky Junky, but they were handmade by the amazingly creative sisters from Creative Mommas. Their blog has all kinds of cute projects to do. I am planning on making some hooded towels for Little Man from their tutorial.

When I opened the package, I was so excited. These burp cloths are well made. I do my share of sewing, so I can tell you there sewing skills far surpass mine ;-). The cloths have cute black and white prints on one side, and an absorbent white fabric on the other. Fortunately, Little Man is beyond the need for burp cloths (but, boy, did we go through our share when he was little and had acid reflux!). However, I am planning on using them as super chic napkins to replace the paper napkins I have stopped buying. I have no doubt that my hubby will greatly appreciate not having to grab kitchen rags to wipe his hands at dinner!

I am also looking forward to replacing my old wipes case with this cute one, although I'm almost afraid to use it, it's so cute! Well, I just wanted to share because I thought some of you might be looking for some cute burp cloths for yourselves or as a baby shower gift - I know they would be raved over! If you want some of your own, you can find them at their Etsy shop, along with many other cute prints! So, head on over to their blog or shop, and let them know I sent you.

Trois Esprit Winners!

2011-01-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Using the Random Number Generator (I don't know how to print the screen shots) - the 2 winners were

#5 Nathania

#17 Gladys Parker

The winners have been e-mailed. If I have not heard back from them in 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

A freezer full of meat!

2010-12-31T18:37:00.000-08:00

I know it is kind of weird, but I am pretty excited today because I have a freezer full of meat! As I have mentioned before, after reading the book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I had my eyes opened about the beef that I used to buy in the grocery stores. The cattle are kept in confinement, very tight, and are fed some disgusting items, including animal by-products. This is what led to the Mad Cow Disease outbreak a while back. You would think that this would have gotten the government to tighten restrictions, but that isn't the case. Since then, I have tried to buy as much free-range beef as possible. I had found some sources at the Dallas Farmers Market and the White Rock Local Market, but I hit the motherload when I moved to Tyler! There is a ranch nearby, called Darby Farms, that raises free-range beef.

Here is a little about Darby Farms from their website:

"Our mission is to provide wholesome, disease free, tender, flavorful, natural beef for our fellow Americans. It is 100% Texas, USA born, raised and processed with no added preservatives, hormones, animal by-products, or antibiotics. We want to provide your family with a beef product that you can feel good about.

"Free Range"

Free-Range cattle are free to roam and feed on a large variety of forages and native grasses. This makes the beef high in healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.

BSE (Mad Cow)

Young animals are fed no animal by-broducts in their feeding program. The young animals provide beef that is naturally tender and because they are fed no animal by-products, should be 100% free of BSE(Mad Cow)."

I was able to try some of their products from a health food store here in Tyler and really liked the quality, so I decided to go all out. We purchased the equivalent of a quarter cow, plus a little and loaded up the freezer! I am really excited to not have to try and hunt down meat every week. All I will have to do is head out to the freezer and pick what I want.

The Darbys were great to work with. I spoke with Cody by e-mail for a while and he was always prompt in getting back to me even though it was right around Christmas. Rachelle delivered the meat to Tyler - just a mile or two from our place and even threw in a free flank steak since we met her at an office she was already delivering to, rather than having her deliver to our house. Delivery was free. My hubby enjoyed meeting Rachelle and learning more about their farm and the meat.

The Darbys actually had our beef processed the day before, so talk about fresh meat! They also know the man who owns the processing plant where they have the beef processed and say it is a great plant. They toured other facilities and did not find them up to their standards. It is so nice to know that they are involved through the whole process, ensuring a quality product.

So, what all do you get with a quarter beef? A lot! 4 ribeye steaks, 6 T-bone steaks, 1 package of ribs, 6 roasts, and 25 packages of ground beef. We also added on the Sampler package because I thought it would help us make the beef last for a full year, which is my goal. The Sampler package includes 2 T-bones, 1 roast, 8 packages of ground beef and 1 sirloin steak. So, in total, including our flank steak, we got 55 pieces of meat. We paid a total of $518.

Now, I know you are wondering, because I know I was, how much did I pay per pound? So, I did the calculations. I actually went in and wrote down all the weights of each individual piece of meat and then added them up. I ended up getting a total of 74.38 pounds of meat. This comes out to $6.96 per pound. While that is obviously more than I pay for a pound of ground beef (free range ground beef averages $5/lb), the cost of steaks is something that was always well above our budget.

Like I said before, I bought this meat with the plan of having this last us for a year. This will fit right in our budget. I had been spending an average of $20/week on meat (beef, chick, pork, etc) and probably about half of that was for beef. So, I multiplied the $10 by 52 weeks and came up with a budget of $520. Obviously, I just squeaked in, but I have about 1 piece per week, which is the average of what we have had in the past, so I think we should do just fine. And now, I know that I am feeding my family a quality product.

The Darbys are currently out of chickens, but I am looking forward to stocking up on some whole chickens come spring and taking one more thing off of my shopping list!

With my move out to Tyler, I also am able to buy local organic milk from Texas Daily Harvest. They use low temperature pasteurization and never homogenize their milk. So, every 1/2 gallon of milk we get has cream on top. It is so yummy! Currently, I have to buy it at a local health store, but I am hoping to be able to start a delivery group in the near future. Texas Daily Harvest would deliver their items weekly, including items that aren't in the stores like eggs and produce. Of course, they just started a delivery to Grapevine the week we moved!

Last Day to Win Trois Esprit Jewelry!

2010-12-31T06:46:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to register for the Trois Esprit Giveaway! The giveaway ends today.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-29T20:42:00.000-08:00

This is one of my all-time favorite pictures of our Little Man, just a few days old!

Tasty Tuesday - Biscuits and Sausage Gravy!

2010-12-28T20:46:00.000-08:00

So, really, my plan is to post healthy recipes on this site, but with the move, I have not had much time to do menu planning. So, when I was putting together my meal plan for this week this morning, about 30 minutes before I needed to head out the door to the grocery store, it included some of my go-to recipes. Since I grew up in Texas, what is a better go-to recipe than biscuits and sausage gravy? Although, I have to admit I think I was in high school before I actually discovered the meal of biscuits and gravy. I would always ask for extra gravy on the side when I ordered chicken fried steak and then I would dip my rolls into the gravy. My mom finally asked me if I knew about biscuits and gravy. I was a fan from then on! This is one of my favorite comfort food recipes - I love it when it is chilly and gray outside. I did make things a little bit healthier this time by making whole wheat biscuits and using chicken sausage.

I searched a LONG time for a good biscuit recipe. My husband sat through many breakfasts/dinners with me picking apart what I liked and didn't like about the most recent recipe. And then I found a blog that I love - Homesick Texan - there are a ton of recipes that I have tried and loved, but the one I go back to most frequently is her beaten biscuits. I have this recipe printed out and at the top, I have written "THE recipe" - I am searching no more!

You start out by mixing together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Then, if you are lucky like me and got a pastry blender for Christmas, use this to cut the butter into the flour mixture. If you are not so lucky, you can do what I have done in the past and use your fingers.

Next, pour in your buttermilk. If you don't have buttermilk, you can substitute cream or half and half. I have even used the little man's whole milk in a pinch. Or, you could try your hand at making your own buttermilk substitute. Or, you can go all out a whip up a batch of homemade butter in your food processor or stand mixer, and use the buttermilk from that process to make your biscuits! I have done this before - so, so easy! So, so yummy!

Mix the buttermilk into the dough - it can be pretty sticky at this point, although I noticed that with whole wheat flour, it isn't as sticky. Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead for a bit.

Now, for the fun part - beating the dough! This is even better than kneading bread dough for getting out some aggression. Take you rolling pin and give the dough a good whack. Every few whacks, fold the dough in half and give it a turn. Keep this up for a couple of minutes.

Next you roll it out, to about 1/4 inch thick and then fold it in half. I love this part because it makes it super easy to split the biscuits when they are done. Then proceed to cutting the biscuits. I don't have a biscuit cutter, so I use a fluted cookie cutter - makes for some pretty biscuits!

Then you place them closely together on pan lined with Silpat (or if you don't have Silpat, you could grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper). While the biscuits are baking, it's time to work on the sausage gravy. This is not a recipe I tend to use measurements for, but I measured today to give you an idea of what I do. Today I used chicken sausage I found at a local health food store that carries meat from nearby ranches and farms. And, my husband and I agreed that it was better than any pork sausage that we have ever had. I just noticed today when I was grocery shopping that every brand of breakfast sausage has MSG! Not something I really want added to my food. Which is why I picked up the all natural chicken sausage. Okay, back to the recipe. I had the sausage browning while I was making my biscuits. It took a while because the sausage was frozen.

When the sausage was completely cooked, I sprinkled on some flour. It will coat the sausage and make it look kind of gummy. This is good ;-). Let the flour cook for a minute or so (get rid of the raw flour taste!).

Now it's time to add the milk. I usually add a cup or so and then let it thicken up before I add the remaining cup of milk. The great thing about cream gravy is that it is pretty flexible. If you add too much milk and the gravy is thin, just let it keep cooking, it will thicken up if you give it time. Or, if you let it cook too long and it is too thick, just add a little more milk.

While you are waiting for your gravy to boil and start thickening up, now would be a good time to look around at the havoc that has been wreaked by your little one while you have been cooking! We have more easily accessible drawers in our new place, so my little man has found all kinds of new play things in the kitchen. Today's drawer of choice was my cookie cutters.

If you have timed your cooking right (which rarely happens with me), you should be pulling out your golden brown biscuits....

... at the same time as your gravy reaches a nice, thick consistency...

...and you can dish up this plate of yumminess!

Biscuits
adapted from Homesick Texan

Ingredients:
1 C. white flour*

1 T. baking powder
1 t. of sugar
1/2 t. of salt
1 stick of butter, cold (8 tablespoons), cut into small pieces
3/4 cup of buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Mix all the dry ingredients together.
Work the butter into the flour mixture with your hands or a pastry blender until it resembles pea-sized crumbs.
Add the buttermilk, mixing until a bit loose and sticky.
Pour dough out on a floured surface, and knead for a minute. Dough should be smooth and no longer wet. You can sprinkle more flour on the surface if you find it’s sticking.
Take dough into a ball, and hit it with a rolling pin, turning it and folding it in half every few whacks. Do this for a couple of minutes.
Roll out dough until it’s 1/4 of an inch thick, and then fold it in half.
Using a round cutter (or a fluted cookie cutter ;-)) cut out your biscuits from folded dough.
Place on a greased baking sheet close together (so they rise up not out), and bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

The number of biscuits depends on the size of your cutter. I usually get around 12 or 13 when I use my 2.5 inch cutter.

*In the past, I have also successfully used 2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour (which has a lighter texture than regular whole wheat flour) or 2 cups of white wheat flour (I have found this in King Arthur brand flour).

Sausage Gravy

Ingredients
1 lb. breakfast sausage (pork, chicken, turkey - whatever you want!)
2 T. flour
2 C. milk (skim, low fat, whole, you could even really splurge and use some half and half or cream!)
Ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Brown sausage in large skillet. Don't drain the grease!
Sprinkle flour over browned sausage and stir until flour coats the sausage. Cook over medium heat for a minute or two to get ride of raw flour taste.
Add 1 cup of milk to sausage mixture. Bring gravy to a boil and let it thicken. Then add remaining cup of milk and repeat.
If gravy is too thin, cook a few more minutes until it reaches desired consistency. If it is too thick, add a little more milk to thin it out.

Tools I used:

10 Things I Said I'd Never Do ...

2010-12-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

This started out as part of the About Me page, but it seemed more appropriate for a post, so here it is!

10 things I said I would never do (or never even knew enough about to say I'd never do them!), but now I've done:

1. Give birth naturally - I thought I would be the first one running through the front door of the hospital asking for drugs, but instead chose to give birth naturally at a birth center. I LOVED it. I cannot recommend the Birth And Women's Center highly enough. Who wouldn't love to have a baby in this room?

2. Cloth Diaper - when going to my birthing classes - for the natural birth I said I would never have - the instructor asked if any of us were considering cloth diapers - my answer was an emphatic NO! Well, fast forward 14 months and my mind was changed. Cloth diapers ain't what they used to be! We now cloth diaper our son full-time and don't plan on every going back. I look forward to using cloth diapers on any future children that God might bless us with.

3. Use cloth wipes - just seems to come naturally with the cloth diapers - it was more work to separate the disposable wipes from the cloth diapers. Now they all go in the same bin and go through the wash together. Plus, they are so much softer and sturdier than disposable wipes!

4. Use cloth 'tissues' - this has been a recent change - I cut up some leftover fleece and we use it for tissues. So much nicer on the nose than the paper ones.

5. Stopped buying 'commercial' cleaning supplies - I have a spray bottle of vinegar/water that is pretty much the household cleaner.

6. Stopped buying paper towels - finally getting some use from the 200 kitchen towels and dishrags that I have bought/been given over the past 10 years!

7. Buying organic - in my early 20's, I would have been happy to exist on Cheetos and Diet Coke and the thought of buying organic produce and other items never even crossed my mind - now I try to buy as much organic produce as we can afford. And, milk is all organic as well.

8. Buy free range meat - Again, never knew enough about this in the past to even say I wouldn't do it, but after reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - my thought process has really changed. I am now in the process of buying a quarter of a cow from a local rancher. I'll have to do a post on that when it comes about. I am also hoping to purchase some pastured chickens from the same ranch in the spring.

9. Become a locavore - trying to buy local as much as possible - this came from the book above as well. I never gave a thought to the amount of fuel it took to get me some of the foods I buy in the grocery store. So, I have been trying to support local farmers as much as possible. In Dallas, I loved the White Rock Local Market. All the vendors had to come from within 150 miles of Dallas and they had to grow at least 60% of what they sold - which kept out the resellers. Even better, the vendors all tried to keep to organic practices. We have just moved to Tyler, and since it is smack in the middle of winter, there are no farmers markets, but I am looking forward to checking out East Texas Fresh in the spring.

10. Start a compost pile - this has also come with our recent move. We are now in a house in Tyler, and while I try to buy as much organic food as possible, we are on a limited budget, so, in an effort to help the budget, I am going to try and start a garden this year - grow at least a few things myself. Well, what better way to help along a garden than a little compost. So, we just created a huge pile of leaves, etc., that we raked from the yard and have been adding vegetables, fruit, coffee grounds, etc., from the kitchen. We'll see if we actually get compost. I've never done this before, so I don't really know what I'm doing!

Well, that's it for now, the spring will be bringing more new things for me - like the garden, new farmers market, the search for more local farms and ranches to support. I'll keep you updated!

Good morning Blog Hoppers

2010-12-27T09:24:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much for stopping by! While you are here I would love it if you would:

Become a follower - leave a comment and I'll make sure to stop by and follow you back!
Enter my Trois Esprit Giveaway - there are very low entries, so there is a great chance of winning!

I am linking up to:

Merry Christmas Eve!

2010-12-24T20:00:00.000-08:00

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.Behold, thevirgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. -- Isaiah 7:14

Well, things are winding down this Christmas Eve . . . we enjoyed a Christmas Eve Service at a church down the road from our new place - maybe we will have a new home church soon! It was wonderful to be able to enjoy the candlelight service with the reminder of what Christmas is really about - Christ! The grace and mercy that has been extended to me brings me to tears at times.

We came home and got the little man settled in for the night, and then it was time to get to work! We have a large assortment of Christmas presents for the little man, some from us and many, many from our wonderful families. Since our little man is only 19 months old, we decided to place the majority of the presents out unwrapped, pulling them out of plastic, undoing twisty ties, etc. Should make for a fun morning tomorrow!

The spread!

I have started a tradition of buying a special ornament each year for the little man - something that reminds me of him for the past year. This year the ornament is this Curious George - because he is beginning to be a bit like a monkey with all his climbing and he LOVES to read!

I hope everyone has a merry little Christmas - enjoying the yearly reminder that Christ humbled himself, shedding everything to be born an infant on earth, one who would later save the world.

Coming back to the virtual world

2010-12-23T17:39:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to apologize for dropping off the face of the virtual world this week. We just made a big move from Irving to Tyler and with the move came major hassles getting our new DSL set up! But, as of a few hours ago, we are up and running, so I will be returning to my regularly scheduled posts soon!

Until then, I'll leave you with a picture of the little man helping us move with his new Melissa and Doug shopping cart from Grandma and Papa. It has been a HUGE hit!

I love the fact that it is metal and not plastic. It required a little construction, but it was very easy - even included the tools you needed! The only thing that we have had to do is add a little cushioning on the front corners to protect the walls in our new place. It seems very sturdy and our little man has a great time loading it up with a variety of items from toy cars to pretend food and wheeling it around the house. I see many years of fun with this one. And since it is very well made, I am confident it will last through multiple kiddos. I highly recommend this toy.

Free Friday - Trois Esprit Jewelry

2010-12-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to be able to host my first giveaway and even more excited that I am partnering with a fabulous woman of God who is starting a new venture. Joni Barger has started a new jewelry business, Trois Esprit Jewelry. According to Joni, Trois Esprit means Three Spirit (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and she has named it so because the trinity has been guiding her heart and hands as she designed the pieces.

Joni actually crochets metal to create her pieces. Every one of her pieces is handmade. I love being able to support such creativity. And, I can attest, her pieces are beautiful!

Joni has generously donated 2 pieces for me to give away on my blog.

1. A cross bookmark

2. A cross necklace

Rules:

You must be 18 or older.

This giveaway is open to the US only.

You must complete the mandatory entry before any of your extra entries will count.

All entries must be submitted via the Google form below.

The 2 winners will be chosen via Random.org. I will then email the winners and post their names on the blog. Each winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email or I will choose another winner.

This giveaway will end at 11:59 pm CST on Friday, December 31st, 2010.

Questions on how to enter? Please feel free to ask me! My email is: diaperville AT gmail.com

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Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-15T19:44:00.000-08:00

Hamming it up at the new house!

Tasty Tuesday - Christmas Crack

2010-12-14T20:18:00.000-08:00

No, I am not talking about illegal substances on this blog! I know this is called Diaperville, but for those that know me in real life, you know I love to cook, so I thought I would try and throw in a recipe once a week - hence the Tasty Tuesday. I will definitely try and do a variety of recipes and mostly healthy, but since we are in the midst of moving and I am not cooking dinners, I thought I would share the dessert I am trying out for my LifeGroup Christmas party tonight. Since most of my baking dishes are already packed up and I am not wanting to buy a lot of new ingredients that I will have to pack in a day or two, I thought I would try something simple. I have heard about Christmas Crack on a couple of blogs, and I had almost all of the ingredients on hand - and more importantly, I could use dishes that I hadn't packed!

This recipe was super simple - only 5 ingredients - and minimal cooking. And, I have to say, this stuff is good. It could be considered addictive ;-). So, if you are heading to a party and need a quick dessert, I can recommend this! I do plan on taking step by step pictures in the future, but I was running late with packing, so I just got a few near the end.

Christmas Crack
adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

* 1 sleeve saltine crackers
* 1 cup butter
* 1 cup dark or light brown sugar
* 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
* 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil and grease it with butter or non-stick spray. Line cookie sheet with saltine crackers in single layer. In a saucepan combine the sugar and the butter. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Immediately pour over saltines and spread to cover crackers completely. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Spread melted chocolate and top with chopped nuts.

Cool completely and break into pieces.

The only thing I would do differently next time would be to use my Silpat on a jellyroll pan. The only reason I didn't this time is they were packed away! This would make a thinner batch. The candy was thicker than I would have liked when I used a 9x13 pan.

Also, since I started later than I had planned on making the dessert, I put the candy in the freezer to speed up the setting.

Overall, this is definitely a decadent treat. Very easy and I think it would be a fun one to get kids involved with. Sprinkling chocolate chips and nuts is a fun activity for kids of all ages!

Why Cloth Diapers? Part 2

2010-12-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

I've talked about my main reason for cloth diapering - finances, but I want to talk a little more about my secondary reasons for choosing to use cloth diapers.

Environment - We live in an apartment and they pick up the trash 5 days per week. We had to make sure to put out a bag of disposable diapers 2 times per week so that we wouldn't overflow on the days that they didn't do trash pick up. 2 trash bags of diapers per week for the 14 months that we used disposables is over 112 bags that I added to the landfill. And those bags take something like 100 years to decompose. Now, we use a wicker basket with a Planet Wise diaper pail liner and when we wash the diapers, we throw the liner in with it. No additions to the landfill!

Health - When I was researching cloth diapers, I came across a number of articles that discussed the health impact of disposable diapers, citing issues with chemicals found in the diapers due to the bleaching process (dioxin) and sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP). Dioxin is linked to cancer, even in small doses and SAP is what is linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome in tampons. Neither of these things is what I wanted sitting against my little man's skin all day and night!

Fashion - I have to admit, this was not one of my reasons that I started using cloth diapers, but one of the things I have enjoyed since we started - cloth is so much cuter than disposable! My little man has camo, cow print, tiger print, and lots of fun solid colors. I am going to have to take a picture of our stash to share. If I ever have a girl, it could get very dangerous because there are sooooo many cute girl prints!