Mmm...Mmm, Good!

With the starting of school always comes a change in the weather and with that a chance to make one of my favorite Fall foods: chili!  Chili has been a family favorite for years since my grandmother, Betty, began serving chili for Christmas Eve dinner.  I know, it's a little out of the ordinary but I guess that's part of what made our family unique.  Anyway, we used to make chili the old-fashioned way by cooking the beans ALL day with hamburger and tomatoes; like a bunch of chumps.  However, a few years ago my mom found an quick and easy chili recipe.  And it's from a Weight Watchers magazine!  So today, I share this recipe with those of you out there who are still doing things the hard way.  Enjoy!

First, brown a pound of hamburger.  You can use turkey burger, too.

Second, gather your beans, chili seasoning, crushed tomatoes and corn.  Open and dump entire contents of cans (juice and all) into a Dutch oven or crock pot along with chili seasoning and browned hamburger.

I realize this picture looks a little like an ad for Walmart but it's what we have and budget friendly.

Third, hire a small child to stir ingredients together and heat them through (we used a Dutch over; coincidentally this one belonged to my grandma).

Next, gather your add-ons.  We like cornbread with honey (Kursteaz makes a really good one if you're not up for the homemade kind), Fritos and cheese.  It's also really good with a dollop of sour cream!

Finally, we like to layer our Fritos, chili and cheese!  YUM!

I hope you all enjoy this recipe.  It's not fancy or difficult but it's really good. It does, however, make a lot of chili so be sure to invite friends over or be prepared to eat it for three days (it freezes well, too).

Gym-tastic!

As you all know, my daughter Elizabeth is a gymnastics superstar.  Ok, maybe she's not a superstar yet but she has a natural talent for bouncing, climbing and flipping making her perfect for this sport.  She started gymnastics about a year ago as a birthday gift and has loved it ever since!

 This was Elizabeth's first day of gymnastics.

OOPS!

Apparently it was also my first day using a camera.  Geez!

  

And she participated in her first gymnastics competition last April!

  

Elizabeth placed 3rd in Vault, 2nd on Bars, 1st on Beam and 2nd in Floor

giving her 3rd Place overall!

After a month off since the move, we decided to go check out our new gymnastics home

where the coaches tested her skills.  Although she needs to work on her flip overs,

they moved her directly into Level 3!

Since Elizabeth was starting at a Level 3, the coach was nice enough to give her the Level 1 and Level 2 ribbons :)  And, in spite of the long drive once a week, I think we are going to like our new gym!

One, One Hilarious School...Ah, Ah, Ah!

Ok, so since yesterday was Labor Day we decided to go on a little drive.  This time going East instead of West.  We came to a little town that, although I have heard of, probably barely makes a dot on the map.  Although I still don't know much about Belfry, MT, I do know that someone who lived there had a fantastic sense of humor.

While driving through town (I almost missed it because I blinked), I couldn't help but notice their school looked very similar to the one I myself graduated from.

Beautiful old bricks, grand entrance with just a hint of prison to it.  Very nice.  Now, here is where the funny part comes in.  Upon further inspection of the magnificent school, I began laughing hysterically after reading their signage:

LOL!  For those of you a little slower, let me explain that a belfry, as defined by Webster's dictionary, is a bell tower; usually attached to a church.  Get it; bats in the belfry!!  Which also made me think of Count from Sesame Street (hence the blog title; you're welcome, Chris).

So as you can see, sometimes it's the little things that humor us the most.  Well, at least for me :)

Meet Me in Montana

On our way from Idaho to Montana we decided to stop by and visit my great Aunt Jane and Uncle Ray in Missoula.  They recently moved back into the house they lived in when I was a kid and I was really excited to see the place again and share it with my family.

Here is my aunt and uncle and their two dogs, Panda, a Karelian Bear Dog, and Penny, a Miniature Schnauzer.  I learned on this trip that the name of every dog they've had has begun with a 'P': Panda, Penny, Pauline, Poi, Pansy...you get the picture.  Oh yes, and my cousin Eda's dog Puggy :)

P.S. Puggy (right) is the mom to the pugger we used to have, Zoey (left).

 

Ok so let's talk about the infamous window at their house.  This window is from the loft bedroom and overlooks the formal living/dining area of the house and, incidentally, my uncle made the stained glass window.  However, the real story about this window is that when I was a kid I decided to test out a scientific theory; cats always land on their feet.  Well, being the scientific mind that I am, I thought I should see for myself.  The cat was fine, it did initially land on its feet so all was well but my experiment was not as well received by my aunt.  Cut to me hiding under the bed.

One of the best things about this house is the pool!

 

Everyone had a lot of fun playing in the pool. 

I was surprised/not surprised when Elizabeth
went right for the diving board.  Such a daredevil!

A few other things I remember fondly about visiting my aunt and uncle when I was a kid was "feeding the worms" (aka composting) and the "bees" (aka rubberbands) that Aunt Jane kept in a junk drawer in the kitchen.  On one particular occasion I recall riding piggy back on my cousin Raylene while running away from Aunt Jane who was chasing us with "bees".  It's funny the things you remember :)

Discovery Park

During the summer, one of Elizabeth's favorite places to go is Discovery Park.  This park has everything; splash pad, in-ground trampoline, swings, rock wall, sand pit and more!  We've been here several times and although it is sometimes very busy, it's a great place for kids to let off some steam.





 

So much fun!  The park also has replica fossils, a musical area and a few other unusual features that make this it such a fun place to visit :)

Scalloped Potatoes

Here is a little treat for all you kiddies out there: Me...cooking.  I know, I know, it's hard to believe but every now and then when the mood strikes I can be rather convincing as a home chef.  Like, say, when I make tacos or tuna noodle casserole or brownies.  But today I decided to go "off-roading" and make pork chops and scalloped potatoes.  Pork chops are my culinary nemesis.  The few times I have made them they turned out tough, soggy and not at all pleasing; I have never made scalloped potatoes.  So today, on this the first day of September, I decided to roll up my sleeves and dive in :)

First, let me introduce you to my cookbook.

The Better Homes and Gardens Complete Step-By-Step Cook Book.  This cookbook belonged to my maternal grandmother, Betty, and was published in 1978 (the year I was born incidentally).  Although it looks a little, well, dated it's a great cook book for those of us who need a little hand-holding during our culinary adventures. 

And by step-by-step, it means this:

Actual step-by-step pictures and instructions.  It's fabulous!

Now, I will say that there are a few things in here that I wouldn't do (fruit cake?) but I love that most of the recipes are made from "normal" ingredients easily found, even in my pantry.  See recipe at the end.

So after reading through the recipe, I preheated my oven and gathered my ingredients.

                                                                    

 Step One and Two: Peel and slice potatoes.

Step Three: Grease a 2-quart casserole dish, place in 1/2 the potatoes and add onion

(I don't like chunks of onion so I used onion granuals).

Step Four: Sprinkle potatoes with flour,                        Step Five: Pour milk evenly over potatoes.

salt, pepper mixture. Continue layering.                        Step Six: Cover dish and bake for 1 1/4 hours.

                                                                             Remove cover and bake another 15-30 minutes.

 

Step Seven: Check doneness with a fork inserted into potatoes and VOILA!!

They turned out great!  I got two thumbs up and they went great with my

*successful* pork loin chops and fruit salad :)  YUMMY!

Here is the recipe:

6 to 8 medium potatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk

1. Peel potatoes
2. Thinly slice potatoes; measure 6 cups
3. Place half of the potatoes in a greased 2-quart casserole.  Add half the onion.
4. Sift half the flour over vegetables in casserole; sprinkle with half the salt and pepper.
5. Pour milk over all.
6-7. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/4 hours.  Uncover and continue baking 15 to 30 minutes longer or till potatoes are done.  Makes 6 servings.