Anniversary- Cooking Class

For our four year anniversary in November, we decided to take a cooking class at the Kitchen Conservatory in St. Louis.  They have all kinds of classes you can take....whether its a girls night, date night, dessert class, or specific food from a different culture.  We went to a friend's wedding on Saturday night, spent the night in a hotel, and then took the class on Sunday afternoon.  We chose to take Souper Bowl, where we made four different soups and a french bread.  There were three other people taking the class and then one instructor and one dishwasher.

We started with the baguette and it was so easy to make...and tasted so good!  It only takes about an hour to rise and bake using instant yeast.  The instructor also showed us how to make chicken stock using a pressure cooker.  She used chicken wings and vegetables for her stock, which is much more appealing to me than using the remains of a whole chicken.  I don't know how to pull apart a whole chicken and I really don't have any desire to learn.

Eric making French Bread

We then worked all together to make four different soups.  We worked simultaneously to chop, mix, cook, and prepare all of the soups.  Eric and I did most of the work on the Andouille and Corn Chowder.  It was also probably my favorite soup of the day!  Eric said it was his favorite too..."and the bread. Mmmm, the bread was so good!"

Chopped and now waiting for instruction

Andouille Sausage

We also had Egg Drop Soup, which was probably the quickest and easiest soup to make.

The Lamb Minestrone was really tasty.  I haven't had lamb very much, but it smelled incredible while it was cooking.  It was probably the one that I was most excited to try just because of how it smelled--and because it had so many different flavors in it (garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, tomatoes, lemon, etc)

My least favorite soup was probably the Butternut Squash and Ginger soup.  I don't know that I love pureed butternut squash (which is basically what the soup was).

 

We had a fun afternoon in our cooking class.  I don't know that we learned a bunch of new skills or anything, but we did make some things that we haven't cooked before.  And seriously, THAT BREAD!  Here is one last picture of Eric and our fellow classmates.  Notice the pre-teenaged boy (maybe 11 years old?)--he was there with his aunt, who is next to Eric, and this is what he chose to do for his birthday.  They took a class last year that was all marshmallows!!  They decided to do something a little less sweet this year ;)  What a fun thing to do for a birthday gift!  Memories that he will probably always remember!  I know I'll remember our fourth anniversary cooking experience too.

December cookies

We didn't make very many orders of cookies in December...which is probably a good thing since we were gone 18 out of 33 days (end of November-December), and had our share of influenza, stomach bug, and other sickness.  We did make a few Christmas/winter cookies--although we kept it easy and only made three different ones.

During the decorating process...

Finished product!

Yay for fun Christmas cookies!

Big family pictures

I wanted to have pictures of both our immediate families taken this year.  Well here we are at the end of the year....and it actually happened.  My friend Bonnie took pictures of my side of the family while we were in Rolla for Thanksgiving and then Eric just set up his tripod/camera for a few pictures with his side of the family during Christmas in Green Ridge.

Here are some of my favorites!

Guest Post and a Recipe

My friend Tiffany has a blog with a couple of other people called Play Eat Grow.  She asked me a few months ago if I would share a holiday or family recipe for her blog.  It took me a while to decide what to share, but I picked my mother-in-law's BBQ Meatballs recipe.  I chose it because it is a common meal that we have when we get together for a holiday with my in-laws, the recipe makes a lot so it's great for hosting guests, and it is something that can be made in advance and freezes well.

Check out Play Eat Grow for all kinds of great recipes, activities to do with your preschoolers, book recommendations, and so much more!!  They even do giveaways sometimes!

(I copied/pasted this from the post at Play Eat Grow -- click HERE to see the original post on Play Eat Grow)

Mouth-Watering BBQ Meatballs

Hello Play Eat Grow readers!  My name is Kelly and I love to cook and bake.  Tiff asked me to share a fall or holiday recipe with you, but it has taken me a while to come up with something.  Although I have been trying all kinds of new recipes (because I felt like I was in a rut), I want to share with you an old recipe that our family loves time and time again…BBQ Meatballs.  

This dish came from my husband’s family and is often served at Christmas or when we all get together for a birthday.  One of the great things is that it makes a lot, so you have several options.  You can serve it when hosting, freeze some for later, or give some away (which is what I’m doing with this batch).  There is some freedom with the recipe too…you can make the meatballs out of ground turkey or ground beef, make them small and serve as appetizers or large and only have one or two as a meal.  This is a great recipe when hosting because it can be made well in advance, which frees you up to focus on other last minute preparations.  When made in advance, the meatballs can be kept in the refrigerator overnight to be baked the next day, or frozen and then thawed before baking.  It is not uncommon for us to have this dish stocked up in our freezer to pull out for a busy weeknight or for last minute dinner guests.
I made mine into 27 meatballs and divided them into three pie dishes with nine in each.  I baked one for our family for dinner, baked one to take to a friend with a new baby, and then have one to freeze (fully prepared with sauce, unbaked).

Ingredients: 

3 pounds ground beef/ground turkey

2 cups quick oatmeal
1 can evaporated milk
2 eggs
1 cup onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt


Sauce: 
2 cups ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 Tbsp liquid smoke


Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the meatballs: In bowl, combine the ground beef and oats. Pour in the evaporated milk and mix in two eggs. Add the onion, garlic powder, chili powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Roll the mixture into large balls and place in baking dish (9x13 and/or pie pans). We make 27 balls and put them into 3 different pie pans (9 per pan)- baking what we need and freezing the rest.

For the sauce: Stir together the ketchup, liquid smoke, brown sugar, and garlic salt. Spoon and drizzle the sauce evenly on the meatballs.

Bake covered for 45-60 minutes, uncovering for the last 15 minutes. (Baking time will depend on how big your meatballs are—the bigger they are, the longer the cooking time)

A little about Kelly: I am a wife to Eric and a mother to two little boys, Cooper (2) and Hudson (6 months). We live in Jefferson City, Missouri and work for the Leadership Development Team of the Missouri Baptist Convention (my husband full-time and me a little bit from home). I stay pretty busy keeping up with my little boys, but love to travel, cook, run, and come up with DIY projects for my husband to do ;) I met Tiff as a student at Mizzou and we share a common interest in spending time with college students, hoping to encourage them to love Jesus more. 

Hudson- 6 months

Hudson boy is now 6 months old...and we are halfway to ONE.  What in the world?!?  (And this post is actually a couple of weeks late--so 6 1/2 months now).

We have been hit pretty hard with sickness over the last month, including Hudson making a trip to the ER for the first time.  Here's a little rundown of the past month.

Nov 7 -- Eric's birthday
Nov 15-16 -- Hudson & Cooper stayed with their mamaw and papaw while Eric and I got away to St. Louis to celebrate our anniversary and attend a friend's wedding. (Hudson's first time away from us)
Nov 19 -- Eric was diagnosed with Influenza A.
Nov 20 -- I took Hudson to the ER at 11pm after his fever got up to 103.  He was diagnosed with RSV and Influenza A.
Nov 21 -- I went to the doctor and got a Z Pak for an upper respiratory infection.
Nov 21 -- Follow-up appt for Hudson with pediatrician
Nov 23 -- Cooper had a slight fever and complained of his ear hurting.
Nov 24 -- Cooper diagnosed with double ear infection and Influenza A.
Nov 28 & 29 -- Hudson's first two teeth poke through on the bottom.
Nov 26-29 -- Thanksgiving with family in Rolla
Dec 3-6 -- Trip to New Orleans
Dec 3 -- After falling asleep, Cooper woke up and threw up around 11:15pm.  He got sick several more times over the next 5 hours (while we were all sleeping in the same room in New Orleans)
Dec 6 -- We flew back into Kansas City and stayed the night at my brother's house.  I went to bed with a stomach ache, and woke up several times in the evening and finally threw up at 4am.  Hudson also might have thrown up a little after that--seemed to be more than just spit up. (all sleeping in the same room again)
Dec 7 -- We drove home to Jeff City and Eric proceeded to be sick the rest of the day.

So while we had a lot of fun, we had a lot of sickness mixed in there too.  Month six brought Hudson's first ER trip, first teeth, and first overnight away from mama and daddy.  (His first plane ride was technically in the 7th month--on the 3rd).  Because of the sickness, Hudson also lost weight over the past month :(  From our time in the ER/doctor to his 6 month appt, he dropped somewhere between 4-12 ounces (there was a difference in his weight 12 hours apart at the ER and doctor, plus he was still clothed at both of those)....but there's no doubt he at least lost a little weight over the past few weeks.  Our pediatrician wasn't concerned since he has been sick (there's an explanation) and since he is going to start food and will have some extra calories added in.

From his 6 month appointment:
14 lbs, 3 ounces -- 3%
26 inches -- 19%
44.1cm (head) -- 70%

H might end up being competitive...staying just ahead of where Cooper was at his 6 month appt (13 lbs, 13 ounces -- 2 1/2%), although a little behind in length (26 1/4 inches) and exactly the same in head circumference.

Hudson has also began rolling more (both ways) and lots of blowing bubbles with his tongue.  His smile still lights up his entire face and we get more comments about his wispy, reddish hair than anything else! He can sit for a little bit before the slow lean and fall happens.

He is breastfeeding about 5 times a day (and sometimes overnight).  Sleep has been pretty poor from sickness and travel.  He has just started sleeping longer at night the past few days, after we got home and had to do a little crying time.  He has also started cereal over the past week and I'm going to start introducing fruits and veggies soon.  He's a pretty sweet and content boy (except when he's crying during the night)

Sick boy with a 102.8 fever

Can you see my first little tooth in there?

Hudson and cousin Kaylen at Thanksgiving

Someone compared it to those pens with troll hair on top :)

Brothers :)

Love these two!

Hanging with brother and cousin Clara

We love you Hudson and it is so fun to watch you grow and learn!  You are starting to get around more and reach for things like a pro.  If I'm not careful, you will have a handful of sweet potato fries in your grasp in no time!  You are a great traveler and love to watch your brother.  It's so fun seeing you giggle and laugh with him.  It won't be long at all before you two will be running around together!  Now let's try and stay healthier this month....and sleep more!