Resolved

I have to admit, I’ve really never been one for New Year’s resolutions. But in my old age, I’ve been blessed with perspective about this whole issue. So this year I’ve decided to try to come up with a few I can live with. Yes, it's only been one day but I'm happy to report, so far so good . . .

Resolved:
1. I will watch more TV. This is a selfless resolution. So many people are making so many shows, I figure if I can do my part to keep them employed, I’m doing a service.

2. I will stop picking up after myself. I’m always arguing with the kids to pick up, but what if I give them this one? I’m trying the “if you can’t beat them, join them” approach and I’m going to have to admit, not only does it cut down on my arguments with the kids, but it’s actually made my life easier.

3. I will spend more time talking about my kids on FB and Twitter. If talking TO them results in blank stares, maybe talking ABOUT them is the way to go. After all, what better way to show them how much I care about them?

4. I will sing more. When my older son was little, he pretty much only cried when I sang. Now both kids cringe and run away when I sing. Clearly I need more practice.

5. I will do better at covering all the food groups:
grains: flour in the crust
fruits and vegetables: strawberries
proteins: cream cheese
dairy: whipped cream for topping
fats: oil in the crust
So Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie works perfectly, right?

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie

6. I will not hide the toilet paper. There’s only so many times that’s funny.

7. I will let the boys take over the laundry and washing the dishes. I know this is a huge sacrifice but they’ll need to know how to do these things when they’re on their own. So really, I have a responsibility . . .

8. I will not run away from home. I will not run away from home. I will not run away from home. I need a pair of Ruby slippers.

9. I will drink more red wine. It’s been known for some time that red wine can be good for your heart. I also happen to know that it’s good for patience, anxiety and state of mind. And since corking a red and sticking it in the fridge is sacrilege, I promise to be a good Mommy and make all gone.

10. I will stop trying to convince myself that chocolate is not a food group. Because I need to face facts, it is.

So there you go. I know it’s a long list, but I have confidence that I’m up to the challenge.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients, crust:  
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil
2 TBSP milk

Ingredients, pie:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 TBSP sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 quarts strawberries
2/3 cups sugar
3 TBSP cornstarch mixed with 3 TBSP cold water

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Stir all crust ingredients together. Press into the bottom and partially up the sides of a pie plate.
*Bake 12 - 15 minutes.
*Cool.
*Beat cream cheese, vanilla and sugar until smooth. Carefully spread over cooled crust.
*Wash all strawberries, pat dry and cut off leaves.
*Opt: can pick the 4 biggest and arrange them, upside down towards the center of the cream cheese.
*Puree strawberries and add them to a saucepan with the sugar. Simmer.
*Add the cornstarch/water mixture to the saucepan and stir until thick and boiling.
*Turn down the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
*Cool slightly, then pour over the cream cheese layer.
*Keep refrigerated. Opt: Garnish with whipped cream before serving.

Breakfast for Dinner

Breakfast for dinner. Need I say more?  I don’t think I know a single person who doesn’t love breakfast, but not everyone eats in the morning. Coffee? Yes please, lots. Breakfast? Too early for food.  What to do? Breakfast for dinner, yay!

Berry French Toast Casserole

Breakfast for dinner always reminds me of New Year’s when my kids were little. We’d want to celebrate, but it was tough to find babysitters who could stay till 2am, or who didn’t have plans themselves. We did often get together with other families, but we were always home early, as we all had young kids. It was really fun, a great option for us while our kids were little, but not a celebration on the scale of past New Years.

At that time we were in our first house. The house had a den off of the kitchen that was well used. It also had a large living room off of the dining room that I never did furnish. One year I decided that if we weren’t going to have a major New Year’s Eve celebration, we could have a New Year’s Day party. Perfect. People weren’t working and most had no plans. What to serve? Easy, everyone loves breakfast. I cooked and baked for weeks, set up the food on the dining room table and set up long tables in the unfurnished living room so people could sit and eat. It was an Open House  so no pressure to be there at a designated time, and it frequently went all day (well, till the champagne was gone anyway). Afterwards my closest friends would stay to critique the dishes to see what would make it to the next year. There were years when I had over 40 guests.

So breakfast for dinner is not only a delicious treat but, because I always make a dish from those New Year’s Brunch days, it brings a nostalgic smile to my face. True comfort food, it’s my own inexpensive therapy of sorts.

Setting up for one of the earlier New Year’s brunches

Lately I’ve been going through my kids’ scrapbooks. I kept them diligently for about 6 years then stopped, cramming new pictures into empty sleeves. The pages prod me to remember stories of fun times, of sad times when we had to pull together, uncertain times when we started new chapters, people who’ve moved into and out of our lives. I may be amusing myself at others’ expense, but I’m thoroughly enjoying pulling out naked-first-bath pictures and threatening to put them in the school yearbook. Not really sure if this would be characterized as therapy, or my need for therapy, but it brings a nostalgic smile to my face. Just like having breakfast for dinner.

Berry French Toast
                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:  
12 slices of cinnamon bread (or 2 boxes frozen French toast)
2 cups berries (bigger ones like strawberries need to be sliced)
cream cheese
8 eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
cinnamon for sprinkling on top
Opt: maple syrup for serving

Directions:
*Grease a 9 X 13 glass baking dish.
*Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on one side of all the bread slices. Put 6 into a dish in a single layer, cream cheese facing up.
*Sprinkle with berries, then cover with the other 6 slices, cream cheese facing down.
*Wisk together eggs, milk and maple syrup and carefully pour over top.
*Sprinkle with cinnamon, cover with foil, refrigerate for the day (dinner) or overnight (breakfast).
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and cook for 10 more minutes.
*Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Going Visiting

If you’re here for today’s post, thank you so much for stopping by. You may remember that a month ago Marcia from Menopausal Mother was here doing a guest post featuring her signature Butterfingers Rum Cake. Well today I’ve packed up and gone to visit her. I brought my sarcastic sense of humor and a recipe for my Crunch Cookies. Click here to see my post and recipe: Menopausal Mother.

If you’ve come from Menopausal Mother and want to check out my blog, click here to read one of my favorite posts about the time the boys and I were in the Olympics: Our Family Olympics and come back and visit me again soon.