Tasty Tuesdays: Hash Brown Casserole

Every time my family has brunch I always make this casserole to rave reviews.  I've had people ask me the recipe, so here it is!

Hash Brown Brunch CasseroleBon Appétit | November 1995

by Idelle Levey

Yield: Serves 12 1 2-pound package frozen hash brown potatoes, unthawed 1 10 3/4-ounce can cream of celery soup, undiluted 3 cups (packed) grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces) 1 cup sour cream 1 cup finely chopped onion 1 6-ounce can french fried onions Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Transfer to 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Bake until top is slightly golden, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Sprinkle with onions. Bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Hash-Brown-Brunch-Casserole-886#ixzz1uKON6upZ

My Family Mondays: Everyday Life with Triplets

  Wow!  This has been a crazy week.  First of all, the triplets started to wake-up at night, so we decided to start getting them on a one nap a day schedule.  I replaced their morning nap with our jog, so they can nap in the stroller if they need to.  Its been going pretty good; here is what we do now:

6:00am   Wake-up, Milk
6:10am    Independent play while mommy does chores
6:30am    Diaper change
7:00am    Lessons: Morning prayer, calendar time, songs, story time
7:30am    Independent play while mommy makes breakfast
8:00am    Breakfast
8:30am    Get dressed/diaper change
9:00am    Stroller time (jogging on the dam while the kids take a light nap)
10:15am  Independent play while mommy get snack ready
10:30am  Snack time while mommy gets dressed
11:00am  Independent play while mommy make lunch
11:30am  Lunch
12:00pm  Bath time
12:30pm  Nap
2:30pm    Wake-up, Milk (they can sleep until 3:30pm if needed, but they haven't done that yet)
2:40pm    Snack time while mommy does the laundry
3:00pm    Diaper change
3:30pm    Grocery shopping
4:30pm    Lessons: Activity
5:30pm    Daddy time while mommy cooks dinner
6:00pm    Dinner
6:30pm    Get dressed for bed/ Diaper change
7:00pm    Milk/Bedtime

  We did just start a new lesson plan called Littlest Learners, which I'm so excited about.  Its more like a preschool curriculum than the previous lessons I did with the kids.  It may be a little too advanced for them right now, but I think it will be something really good for them to grow into.  Here is our first lesson we did (I repeat the same calendar time and songs every day of the week and only do one activity a day, every day):

  The kids continue to develop leaps and bounds in the motor skills department.  Tali is starting to crawl a little more normal, but she still mainly does her Tali crawl.  Adrik and Charli Kate are pulling up to stand on everything.  And Charli Kate has just about mastered walking on her own with her little push car walker.  All three of the kids are teething, which is horrible this time around.  Tali and Adrik both now have five teeth.  It feels like Adrik is about to cut three more and it feels like Tali is cutting one more.  Charli Kate still only has two teeth, but I can feel one more starting to come in.  

  I'm going to have to put my school on hold for now.  My plan for going back was all contingent upon me attending distant learning classes and I found out that there is only one class that I need that is offered distance learning.  We decided that once Jenya has finished his masters in 2013, I will start back with night classes.  In the mean time, I've been applying for volunteer positions associated with the environment.  I've been looking at the Rainforest Partnership and the Colorado River Foundation.  I'm thinking I will do my volunteer work on Fridays when the babysitter is here and on the weekends if necessary.  I can't wait to get started!

  Jenya has one more day of class for this semester and boy am I glad!  With the kids' new schedule and with their teething, they are cranky at night!  He will be taking the summer semester off and going back in the fall.

  Well, that wraps up what's going on here.  I hope everyone has a great week!

Sunday Saying: The Swing

"The world is a playground, and life is pushing my swing." ~Natalie Kocsis

Freeday Friday: Patio Makeover

  So our back porch is looking pretty shabby.  I've decided to try and fix it up, but I'm mainly going to use things that are around the house.  My next few Freeday Friday posts are going to be about the different projects that I'm going to be doing for this.  Hopefully it will inspire you to look at things differently and repurpose some junk that you have laying around.  Here is a picture of what I'm working with.

  Also, I just now got into Pinterest and have been inspired by a Pinterest contest that I entered,  It is actually supposed to be about porches and not patios, but they're close.  Anyway click here for a link to my Pinterest board.

Thursday Threes: My Triplet Pregnancy

  Carrying triplets was the most trying, most difficult, and, yes, most painful experience of my life.  Its funny how I just "wanted to see what it felt like to be pregnant" for so long and then after three months I had had enough.  The nausea kicked in on week seven and didn't end until a couple of weeks before I had the babies.  The backaches started around my fifth month of pregnancy and was so bad that I had to sleep with my back against the wall to relieve the pain.  When I was around six months pregnant, my entire body was huge and I was completely swollen.  Cravings?  Not at all....I was completely the opposite.  Everything made me sick.  Just thinking about meat would make me run to the bathroom with my hand over my mouth.  I never wanted to eat anything and yet still managed to gain 75 pounds (and I'm a small girl, starting out at 108 pre-pregnancy).  I could hardly move towards the end and you could forget about housework.  I never went through a nesting period, I was just too uncomfortable to even think about cleaning.  Getting dressed was a hassle, because I could not fit into anything, not even maternity clothes.  I never went on bed rest, but towards the end I was kind of hoping for it. Of coarse, I enjoyed feeling the babies move inside me, but I am very thankful that I don't ever have to go through that again!
Shamelessly, I am posting a picture of me just five days before I had the babies.  My husband made me ride this stupid cart around and then constantly teased me while taking pictures with his phone.  Anyone out there that has stumbled on this site because they've just been told they are having triplets, this is what you have to look forward to, but it is all with it in the end.  I truly believe I was meant to be a mother of triplets and I am relishing every moment!

Wordless Wednesday: The Five of Us

Tasty Tuesdays: Pork Cutlets with Fig and Balsamic Vinegar

  I had actually prepared a different recipe for today's post, but I just finished this for dinner and I just had to write about it.  I've actually been making this recipe for years.  My mother in law had given me some fruit from her fig tree and I was on a mission to find a recipe to use them in.  I came across this on Epicurious and even though I would have never made it if I didn't already have the figs it is definitely one of my favorites!  For a relatively easy recipe, you get amazing results.  Try it out...I'm sure you'll become addicted, as well.

Pork Cutlets With Figs And Balsamic VinegarBon Appétit | October 1998

In this entrée, balsamic vinegar gives tartness to a cream sauce that balances nicely with the pork and figs. Sautéed spinach or chard would go well with the dish. Yield: Serves 4 8 1/3-inch-thick slices center-cut pork loin 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1/4 cup minced shallots 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth 6 fresh ripe figs, quartered 1/2 cup whipping cream 1 tablespoon minced parsley Preheat oven to 200°F. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 pork slices and sauté until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer pork to baking sheet. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to skillet. Repeat with remaining 4 pork slices. Transfer pork to oven to keep warm. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar. Simmer until vinegar evaporates, scraping up any browned bits on bottom of skillet, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth. Simmer until mixture is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add figs and whipping cream. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar and any accumulated juices from pork. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, about 2 minutes longer. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange pork on plates. Spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com:80/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Pork-Cutlets-with-Figs-and-Balsamic-Vinegar-15604#ixzz1tfSle7Iy