I have some questions for all of you. Feel free to expand on your answers.
**Do any of you have nativity costumes? We act out the Christmas story on Christmas Eve. I've seen in the Deseret book catalog the cute costumes they have for sale. They are simple and plain and $20 each. Do you do this? What do you wear?
We always use baby blanket and towels for our costumes.
**Does anyone do once a month cooking? If you aren't familiar with this term, it just means that you do most of your cooking for the month in one or two days and then freeze it and use it throughout the month. Do you like it? What good sites or recipes do you use?
I have done a bit of this, but not on a full scale. I will divide up packages of meats, make meatballs, taco meats and freeze them. I also have started to double soup recipes and freeze the second half for later. Also, if I make breads, I will freeze the extra loaves. I'm not anywhere close to doing all my cooking at once, but the idea appeals to me.
**Do you have a good chili recipe?
My kids love canned Hormel or other cheap/generic chili. I have to buy about 4 cans and then we eat all of it. I have made chili before but it never is the same as the canned stuff. Homemade has way more chunkies because of the veges and all the beans. One time I put a can of diced tomatoes in the canned chili to make it go further. Braden almost died. "What are these and why did you put them in the chili!!!"
**Have you heard of American Girl Dolls?
Mikayla would like to get one. They are about an 18" doll with one outfit. You can buy all kinds of accessories, furniture, clothes, pets, etc. They also have book series and movies about them. Several of them have names and come from different eras. You can also get one that looks like you and doesn't have a name or specific era. Mikayla has read some of the books and seen some of the movies. We get a catalog in the mail about once a quarter. We look at them and talk about which she would pick if she could get one. Are you ready? They cost $100 each. More outfits are about $25 each. The pets are around $20... She is not getting one. What happened to playing with the $5 barbie doll??? Do your kids want something a bit out of the question like this??
So, now lets start some discussion here and tell me what you think/know/do with all of this stuff. Thanks!
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8 comments:
Uh...I'd love to discuss these things with you, but we don't do or deal with anything you asked about.
We read the Christmas story, but don't act it out. We use paper-doll like pictures to tell the story, too.
We don't have enough room in the freezer to have a lot of normal dinner stuff in there. When we buy meat, we sometimes buy a lot of it and freeze what we won't be using right away. We also freeze mexican meet mix when we make it and have frozen soups and breads a few times, though not often.
We have made a few couple different chili recipes, though they all have chunks. We really like our white chili recipe--it's different from the one you listed last post. We prefer a taco soup to a chili in general.
I've never heard of the dolls, though Adrianne has heard of the books. Our boys still don't know that they can want things they don't have. I'm sure that will start happening soon, though. I want a new camaro.
Sorry my discussion wasn't very intereseting. Maybe I'll post about the book I'm writing later and we can discuss that...
I'm in the same boat as Mike for most of these answers, but let me talk to you about chili. I LOVE chili. I love making chili. I love eating chili. Winter before last, I was left home alone for a while. I used the giant pot that mom and dad gave us to make chili. LOTS of chili. I think I used four or five bags of dry beans, a bunch of ground beef and pork and other things. I looked at allot of different chili recipies online, and then added the amounts that seemed apropriate. Beside meat beans tomato sause and diced onions I only added spices. Oh, and garlic. Once it was done, I separated it into personal sized servings and froze them. When I ate the chili from the pot, the beans still had distinctive texture. After they were frozen, however, they seemed to disintigrate and I was left with a delicious paste like substance. It was wonderfull. Oh, and I used diced peppers, bell and other. Laura and Nick also liked it once they tried it. We also used it on occasion to make chilimac. Basicly, you make macncheese from the box, then add chili. Also a hit with Laura and Nick.
The idea of cooking alot of meals one day seems really neat to me. It could be a big family project where every one is in charge of this that or the other. It wouldn't even have to be most meals. There could either be a scheduled thing, ie tuesdays and thrusdays we eat something from the freezer, or whenever cook feels bushed and needs a rest, just take something out and toss it in the oven. Once the stock gets low, schedule another cooking day. I think I might try this some day. I'll need to get another big freezer. We sold ours before we put our stuff in storage.
Nicholas is spoiled and often wants whatever fun things he sees in the store. I can't think of any specifics right now though. Personally, I want a Kendle or some other such electronic reader, but it's way outside of my budget right now. Plus, once I got it I'd have to start buying books for it.
Also regarding discussions, who has who for Christmas this year?
I think this is the longest comment I've ever made.
We don't do the nativity...we read the story in Luke, but that is it. $20 seems like a lot per costume...just in general.
I do not do once a month cooking, unless you count the one day a month that I actually cook...hehehe. Although on Saturday I did make two soup recipes and tripled them and put four nights worth of soup in the freezer. I am going to do the same this with white chili today. I would really like to get into this and start doing it more so Jason has an easier time pulling stuff out of the freezer to feed the kids when I am not home. He does dinner and bedtime four nights a week, so he is doing it more than I am.
My kids want crazy things, but somehow they are very well trained and know they can't really have them. There isn't anything specific, but they are always asking for things. The favorite line in our family is, "maybe I will get it for Christmas/my birthday."
I have seen those dolls and think they are kind of frightening...you know Stephen King type...
I wonder if you could get them on ebay? That is where I would look!
Thanks for the lovely comments.
Mike, we would love to hear about your book.
Andy, that is a ton of chili!! There are books and websites that have once a month cooking plans. I am thinking about looking into them more closely.
Jess, good job with your soups!! My kids don't think they get everything they want, but they still ask. Mikayla understands that they are crazy expensive and doesn't think she will get that doll. Funny thing, we found an add in a magazine for a doll that looks identical and the add was all about how they were reasonably priced and affordable, unlike some other dolls (they were $40).
Tyson and Jacob are all about the "for my birthday I can have that..."
I can't believe none of you act out the nativity!!
We acted out the nativity a few times in my family growing up but we have not done that with the boys yet. We do buy a Christmas book each year though and read it on Christmas Eve and we are toying with the idea of reading a new one each day until Christmas...but then Will will be 25 and not in our home anymore. I think I will get sick of buying a new Christmas book each year. But, it's a fun thought.
I do like our chili recipe--I just use the one that is rated highest on allrecipes.com. But, like Mike said, we like taco soup better.
I agree with Jessie--$20 a costume seems expensive. But, if you will use them every year that might be worth it to you.
Andy, it's a good thing you were by yourself for eating that chili...that would be one smelly house!!! Sorry, I had to say it.
Adrianne
Actually, I don't get any more gas with chili than with any other food. You can take that however you want...
Seriously though, I think it has to do with how long you cook the beans. The longer you cook them, the responsable compound breaks down more and more.
Andy is right--from my research of beans and cooking them. Soaking them before cooking (particularly when you use a pressure cooker) will help to reduce the gas causing compounds. Though, I the I don't know if there is any cooking/pre-cooking activity to reduce the specific "aroma" caused by the delicious flavors of chili.
We read the Christmas story, but we do not act it out either.
I make Chili quite a bit here. It is pretty boring, but I use the canned Chili beans that you can buy in the bean section in the store, ground beef, onion (which I cook with the ground beef), Kidney beans (along with the chili beans), tomato sauce (if you have the tomato pieces you can put them into the blender), garlic-minced is better, but the powder works, water, and chili powder. It is really quick and easy. Then when we eat it, I put cheese on top of it. My family seems to really like it, and I make extra and freeze the other half. That is the only thing that I make ahead though. Taco soup is also one that I double the recipe and freeze.
I hate to admit it, but Rebecca has an American Girl Bitty Baby doll. They are the babies that you can get with the same hair color and eye color as the girl who gets it. She also has an extra outfit that goes along with it. She got it for Christmas years ago. We also have all of the books up through Maya, I know that they have come out with others since then, but we quit collecting them after Rebecca grew out of them.
Asking if my kids want something out of the question...they are teenagers. Rebecca would like to get a new I-pod, her drivers license, a VW Bug like one of her friends, and other very expensive things. (Luckily she knows that those things will not happen.) Steven would like expensive things also, but I am not sure what they are right now.
Sarah being almost 3 is into the "I want that for my birthday/Christmas" stage. She does want a Wow Wee Alive. Those are expensive also, $60.00 for a stuffed animal that responds to your touch and sounds. She will not be getting one!
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