I wouldn't lie to you. This mostaccioli is a tasty, easy, dish that I have served to everyone I know. AND NO ONE HAS EVER NOT LIKED IT.
Prepare to be famous.
You need:
1lb ground beef (my mom makes it with mild sausage, pick your poison)
1 jar spaghetti sauce (I use Prego Heart Smart Mushroom)
2 cloves garlic
1 box mostaccioli noodles (penne will do)
1 can cheddar cheese soup
2 cups shredded mexican cheese
basil and oregano to taste
Preheat oven to 350.
1. Brown meat, tossing in the garlic (minced), basil, and oregano. While that's getting it's party on, boil your noodles about 80% done (fairly al dente).
2. In a large, oven safe bowl (I use this one, which has since been discontinued), mix the browned, drained beef, the cooked noodles, the cheese soup, and 1 1/2 cup cheese. Cover with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
3. Bake @ 350 for 45 minutes. You could also toss it in the crock pot. Or freeze it before baking. Or give it to a neighbor who just had a new baby or chemo. It's versatile like that.
Yummmmmm!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sing an Artful Song
It's well known that Hubs and I are deeply in love with books. When we were pregnant with Noise, our first, my sister-in-law threw us a "Book Shower." Friends and family each gifted us with their best-loved titles, and kick started our children's library with their love and thoughtfulness.One of the best books we received was this book, Go In and Out The Window, An Illustrated Songbook for Young People. Published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it is a gorgeous tome of folk, hymn, and children's songs, illustrated by famous paintings from the MOMA collections. "Amazing Grace" is illustrated by Gauguin's la Orana Maria, making the song not just a beautiful listening experience, but a stimulating visual one as well:
"Hush Little Baby" is handsomely captured in the painting "Just Moved" by American artist Henry Mosler:
And my own state song, "Home on the Range," is captured perfectly in Bierstadt's The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak:
There are a few songs in the book I had never heard of, and some I knew well. My husband and I are probably two of the five people in the world who now know every verse of "Clementine," and this book is the reason-- Noise loved that one as a baby.
Other books have come and gone, but Noise will still, at nearly 6, sit down in our laps and sing every song, looking at the art for hours. In addition to the art itself, there are small informational paragraphs about the artists, the art, the song, or the era of the song. I really think that as our kids get older, their enjoyment of this book will only increase.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
We've Got Nerve
In our house, we've got two living areas-- a front room, that is the first thing you see when you come in the door, and a back room, which is where we really live. Our front room has been a sitting area, then a dining area (where we rarely ever dined), and is now a sitting area again for reading, visiting, and getting out the door in the morning.
When we had the large dining table in there, we rarely ever invited people to come into our home. A large reason for this was that our 6' dining table was constantly covered in the stuff of life-- books to go to the library, paperwork from my husband's work, kids' artwork, diaper bags, my purse, gloves, hats, scarves... blech. Just thinking back on that gives me the heebie jeebies.
About a year ago, we decided that since we were adding a child to our family, and therefore reducing the space for our visitors to stay, we would remove the dining table and get a fold-out couch for the front room. Thus, it was converted BACK into a sitting area.
Once the switch was made, however, we had a serious problem.
Where would we put all that crud?!
Over time, we've come up with a solution that works well for our family: cubbies!
Nearly everything that used to clutter that big table has a home now, in this area that is located just inside our front door.
The actual cubbies themselves were born out of a furniture storage problem as much as a stuff storage problem-- we put the big kids in bunk beds, and the cubbies you see here were Noise's old headboard! I put them behind a storage chest we already had, and voila! Family nerve center!
Each family member has their own cubby, identified by pictures of ourselves as children.We have small children, and two of the three of them cannot read-- so this was a fun alternative. The kids love the pictures of me and Daddy as little kids.
From the sides of the headboard, we hung over-the-door hooks for coats and backpacks. Inside the chest are extra kid shoes (dress shoes, boots, etc) and out-of-season stuff that needs storing. The chest is also a great place to sit down and put on your shoes each morning.
I can't say enough about how this nerve center has helped our family function. We haven't spent much time this winter hunting around for matching gloves-- the kids love to put their stuff away in the cubbies. They beg to help put away the baby's shoes, which are stored in his cubby. My husband hasn't even lost his winter hat this year!
When winter fades, the cubbies will hold baseball hats, sunscreen, and sunglasses-- I can't wait to see how much easier things will be.
When we had the large dining table in there, we rarely ever invited people to come into our home. A large reason for this was that our 6' dining table was constantly covered in the stuff of life-- books to go to the library, paperwork from my husband's work, kids' artwork, diaper bags, my purse, gloves, hats, scarves... blech. Just thinking back on that gives me the heebie jeebies.
About a year ago, we decided that since we were adding a child to our family, and therefore reducing the space for our visitors to stay, we would remove the dining table and get a fold-out couch for the front room. Thus, it was converted BACK into a sitting area.
Once the switch was made, however, we had a serious problem.
Where would we put all that crud?!
Over time, we've come up with a solution that works well for our family: cubbies!
Nearly everything that used to clutter that big table has a home now, in this area that is located just inside our front door.
The actual cubbies themselves were born out of a furniture storage problem as much as a stuff storage problem-- we put the big kids in bunk beds, and the cubbies you see here were Noise's old headboard! I put them behind a storage chest we already had, and voila! Family nerve center!
Each family member has their own cubby, identified by pictures of ourselves as children.We have small children, and two of the three of them cannot read-- so this was a fun alternative. The kids love the pictures of me and Daddy as little kids.
From the sides of the headboard, we hung over-the-door hooks for coats and backpacks. Inside the chest are extra kid shoes (dress shoes, boots, etc) and out-of-season stuff that needs storing. The chest is also a great place to sit down and put on your shoes each morning.I can't say enough about how this nerve center has helped our family function. We haven't spent much time this winter hunting around for matching gloves-- the kids love to put their stuff away in the cubbies. They beg to help put away the baby's shoes, which are stored in his cubby. My husband hasn't even lost his winter hat this year!
When winter fades, the cubbies will hold baseball hats, sunscreen, and sunglasses-- I can't wait to see how much easier things will be.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Carrying A Torch
It's the Winter Olympics, of course, which means that our TV is on 200% more than it usually is. We're Olympics junkies over at Chez Pair, and we're not picky about sport or season-- we're happy to watch curling or gymnastics, slalom or basketball.
This is the first year my kids have really gotten into it, and it's been fun to watch. Every imaginary game they play is about them competing in the Olympics-- albeit with sometimes strange sports.
This morning the Ninja Olympics were held in my family room. This involved wearing all black and executing the best "HI-YAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Yesterday were the Skidding-across-the-floor-in-socks Olympics. My son won this event, only because halfway through the competition it was discovered that my daughter had on skid-proof socks.
I love to watch their imaginations bloom, and I love the way that the Olympics has sparked both their play and their senses of self-worth. They see no reason why they may not someday be Olympians, and no reason why Sock Skating could not be a sport.
(Who can blame them, ever since Trampoline was admitted into Summer Games?)
It's times like these when I learn so much from my children about the virtue of possibility. Of COURSE they can be Olympians, in sports that don't exist. The same way my son can be both a professional football player and a concert violinist, as he plans. The same way that my daughter wants to drive a tractor, be an astronaut, and have four children.
Anything is possible with them, and it is inspiring.
I feel no need to tell my son that he's unlikely to even play football in high school, given his smallish stature. I can't see the benefit in telling my daughter that the US has given up on the moon.
I simply tell them that if they work hard, do the work, and have passion, anything is possible.
(And then I remind myself.)
This is the first year my kids have really gotten into it, and it's been fun to watch. Every imaginary game they play is about them competing in the Olympics-- albeit with sometimes strange sports.
This morning the Ninja Olympics were held in my family room. This involved wearing all black and executing the best "HI-YAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Yesterday were the Skidding-across-the-floor-in-socks Olympics. My son won this event, only because halfway through the competition it was discovered that my daughter had on skid-proof socks.
I love to watch their imaginations bloom, and I love the way that the Olympics has sparked both their play and their senses of self-worth. They see no reason why they may not someday be Olympians, and no reason why Sock Skating could not be a sport.
(Who can blame them, ever since Trampoline was admitted into Summer Games?)
It's times like these when I learn so much from my children about the virtue of possibility. Of COURSE they can be Olympians, in sports that don't exist. The same way my son can be both a professional football player and a concert violinist, as he plans. The same way that my daughter wants to drive a tractor, be an astronaut, and have four children.
Anything is possible with them, and it is inspiring.
I feel no need to tell my son that he's unlikely to even play football in high school, given his smallish stature. I can't see the benefit in telling my daughter that the US has given up on the moon.
I simply tell them that if they work hard, do the work, and have passion, anything is possible.
(And then I remind myself.)
Friday, February 19, 2010
Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel
Not only are the stories—which originated way back in 1970—fun to read with your kids, but these books are good beginning readers when they start sounding out syllables on their own. My first two sons flew threw them and were onto longer chapter books right out of the gates. My third son, who learned to read in Spanish first, has taken his time enjoying each word on these pages. When he reads them, he is accomplished. He feels capable. Like his big brothers, he can read.
Each book contains five stories, some funny, some poignant. Of them, the very first, Frog and Toad are Friends (1970), remains my favorite. The stories I like best in this book: A Lost Button and The Letter. The Swim always made me sort of sad and is one of those vignettes that opens up deeper conversations for my children and me.
Two of my other favorite stories, Ice Cream and Christmas Eve, appear in Frog and Toad All Year (1976).
The other two books are Frog and Toad Together (1972) and Days with Frog and Toad (1979).
You can buy them individually, or buy a compilation. Barnes & Noble published the Adventures of Frog and Toad (2008), which includes Frog and Toad are Friends, Frog and Toad Together, and Days with Frog and Toad.
And I suppose I should mention that some of these books are award winners, as well. Frog and Toad are Friends received a Caldecott Honor award and Frog and Toad Together Newberry Honor award winner.
Award winners or not, these are wonderful books to grace your children's shelves.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
The Best Chili Ever...
...if I say so myself.
On Super Bowl Sunday, most normal people of my friends cherish the time alone to go shopping or get some crowd-free errands done. I, on the other hand, can't think of much I'd rather do than watch the game with my family, and enjoy a good bowl of chili with a cold, dark beer.
Also, you should know that I'm not really a fan of the Crock pot. The idea of the Crock pot, I love. But I never seem to have much success with things that come out of it actually tasting good. Having owned a Crockpot for 18 years now (yep, wedding gift, replaced once), you'd think I could've mastered this thing. Ah, perhaps interest has something to do with it. At any rate, there are two--yes two--things I've ever made in the Crock pot that I wanted to make again. The first is a recipe for Pulled Pork which I just found recently. Fantastic! The second is my father-in-law's chili recipe, which I'll share here with you. Tweak as you see fit, of course. I, for one, add a whopping amount of Tabasco.
Rich's Rockin' Chili
2 lbs ground beef
3 cans kidney beans (We substitute 1 can with Mexican beans.)
28 oz can whole tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 - 1 1/2 large green pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 t sugar
2-3 T chili powder
2 packet of chili seasoning
3 T Grey Poupon mustard
few shakes of Worcestershire sauce
few shakes of Tobasco sauce
salt & pepper to taste
Brown ground beef in a saute pan. Drain & add to Crock pot. Crush whole tomatoes with hands and pour over ground beef (along with juices from can). Add beans, tomato paste, green pepper, garlic and onion. Mix well. Add all seasonings and mix again. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low all day.
You can prepare this the night before and leave the removable stoneware in the fridge. Just pop it into the Crock pot base in the morning & you're all set.
When the chili is ready, sprinkle it with some Vermont cheddar and pour yourself a drink. Perfect!
Also, you should know that I'm not really a fan of the Crock pot. The idea of the Crock pot, I love. But I never seem to have much success with things that come out of it actually tasting good. Having owned a Crockpot for 18 years now (yep, wedding gift, replaced once), you'd think I could've mastered this thing. Ah, perhaps interest has something to do with it. At any rate, there are two--yes two--things I've ever made in the Crock pot that I wanted to make again. The first is a recipe for Pulled Pork which I just found recently. Fantastic! The second is my father-in-law's chili recipe, which I'll share here with you. Tweak as you see fit, of course. I, for one, add a whopping amount of Tabasco.
Rich's Rockin' Chili
2 lbs ground beef
3 cans kidney beans (We substitute 1 can with Mexican beans.)
28 oz can whole tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 - 1 1/2 large green pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 t sugar
2-3 T chili powder
2 packet of chili seasoning
3 T Grey Poupon mustard
few shakes of Worcestershire sauce
few shakes of Tobasco sauce
salt & pepper to taste
Brown ground beef in a saute pan. Drain & add to Crock pot. Crush whole tomatoes with hands and pour over ground beef (along with juices from can). Add beans, tomato paste, green pepper, garlic and onion. Mix well. Add all seasonings and mix again. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low all day.
You can prepare this the night before and leave the removable stoneware in the fridge. Just pop it into the Crock pot base in the morning & you're all set.
When the chili is ready, sprinkle it with some Vermont cheddar and pour yourself a drink. Perfect!
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