What's in your lunchbox?

This is the first year my kids are taking pack lunches to school. In the past I had been pretty impressed with the variety of lunch choices including some incredible salads a couple times a week that Collin couldn't get enough of. I think as Arizona's budget sank, so did it's school hot lunch quality. It could just be me but it seemed the salads were all but gone and there were more and more processed and re-heat items than what I typically refer to as "real food". Another problem we had was timing, by the time the kids got their lunch and sat down the monitor was already calling for the "2 minute warning" for them to leave. Who can eat in 2 minutes?! So, now we pack a lunch each day and it seems to be a success so far. I'm actually kind of excited to take on this new challenge for their lunches; I remember the joy of finding a little something sweet in a lunch box from my mom and wanted to do the same for my kids.

My first take on this is the cupcake. Cupcakes however present one big problem...frosting. Being a HUGE fan of frosting, it's rarely considered a problem in my world, but when it comes to packing it in a lunch box there's the challenge of not losing all the gooey stuff to the container.
For simplicity's sake I started with a box carrot cake mix. I'd like to tell you that substituted applesauce for the oil (but I was out) and that I grated up some real carrot to boost the nutrition. I can't tell you that, well I could but I'd be lying; instead I can promise that I'll be doing that NEXT time! I also decided that instead of making the standard sized cupcakes, that I'd go for the mini muffin size, they seemed to be a little easier to pack.

Then something magical happened and I felt pretty darn clever when I decided to put the frosting on the inside of the cupcake. It worked like a charm and was only made better when i then decided to freeze the cupcakes, so then they help keep things cool but are completely thawed by lunchtime.

Just watch that filling, too much of a good thing can become messy. Other than that, all I have to say is "yeah me", something yummy and clever for the kids to find at lunch!

First Day of School 2010

Can it really be back to school time again?! This was such an unusual summer for the Gardner family that it seems to be a bit of blur: but the proof stands there before me in all it's new school clothes glory that the first day of school is indeed upon us!

Bailey will be taking on the challenges of 7th grade, no change of schools this year since it's a K - 8 school, but the year is sure to bring on many more new experiences. Collin starts 3rd grade and was very happy to find some of his best friends are in his class this year, including the girl whose held his heart for the last year of so, Miss Morgan.

So, in addition to new classes, our family also decided to skip the school lunch program this year and go for a pack lunch approach, which should definitely keep mom on her toes and will certainly challenge Bailey to eat more of a variety!

Speaking of Bailey, look at how much my little girl has grown up! I can't believe she's starting 7th grade. I completely remember 7th grade (go Irving Bears)!I could practically shed tears over my baby starting 3rd grade. We had a tough time shopping this year, he's at that "in between" size but he decided the Shaun White gear was cool enough for the 1st day.

So they're on their way for the first day, I'll be excited to hear how the day went and about all the new changes in their routine. See you in a couple hours kiddos, mom loves you!

First Day of School 2010

Arizona Peaches

If you would have asked me 2 weeks ago whether or not you could grow peaches in the Phoenix area I would have probably laughed at the ridiculousness of the question. And I would have been completely WRONG! When the cherries I bought to can and make jam with went bad I started searching our area for "U-Pick" farms since that was how we picked our cherries when visiting Washington. Using the www.pickyourown.org site we found several in the area and decided on Fenway Park Orchards to go and pick peaches at.Aunt Debbie had the day off so we piled in her car and headed for our short drive north.

When we arrived we were handed a couple boxes and shown where the pickin' was good!
Of course you have so sample a few along the way.
Although it was going to get very hot that day (like 110 degrees hot), in the shadow of the trees it was still tolerable, and we had some nice company.
When we had picked our fill, our bounty was weighed by a friendly gentleman who looked more likely to be from Lancaster County than Maricopa! Our peaches are the "White Stone" variety, they were very sweet and had great flavor. Their only real disadvantage was that they were small and very ripe, which meant by the time they were picked (and less than gently dropped at times), and loaded into a hot car they were spoiling at a bit of an alarming rate. I had been hoping to wait until the next day to tackle making Peach Preserves but worried my fuzzy and flavorful peaches wouldn't make it that long. To wash, peel, pit, and slice what I needed to make preserves with these small variety peaches took what felt like FOREVER! And because many were bruised and squishy, they required a lot of trimming. In the end it was worth it though, by dinner time I had a beautiful collection of honey colored Peach Preserves. I think because they were so ripe, my preserves are definitely on the "soft' side. We had them the next morning on pancakes with a little dollop of cool whip...only do this if you can afford the calories, which probably means you're under 14 years old. This was so delicious I was tempted to run back to Fenway Farms to get more, until I remembered how long it took me to prepare those fuzzy gems and then I came to my senses. Next year I hope to try picking some of the berries that they have, and maybe make another trip for some apples. Until then we'll enjoy our Spiced Peach Preserves over toast, biscuits, and of course pancakes!

Wet Dog

We've been trying for years to convince Belle that she'd like swimming in the pool. We even have a large baha step that I was sure she'd enjoy standing on to keep cool as the rest of the family splashes to their hearts' content...but no; this retriever has absolutely NO interest in the water! Little did we know all it would take to get her in the water would be her natural drive to keep us safe. With Ryan visiting Wyoming it was just the kids and I in the pool last night. The water felt great and as the kids dove for toys I relaxingly floated on my back and closed my eyes enjoying this great summer moment. Before I knew what happened I felt a wet push against my face. Belle, despite her absolute fear of the water, had jumped in to "save" me and was using her head to navigate me toward the side of the pool. I guess in her eyes I didn't look relaxed, I looked dead. I can't deny that she seemed a little put out when I turned out to be just fine; and she promptly returned to her typical state of panic and immediately made for shore. Her furry coat saturated in water she wanted nothing more to do with the pool, but as I sat on the step she brought her face close to mine and stood there simply resting her muzzle against my cheek for a minute or so. You're a good dog, Belle. We love you!

What happened to blogging?

Okay, I'm looking at my much neglected blog and wondering "what happened"? My last post involves going back to school and now it's mid June...as if nothing happened in between! Contrary to my very empty blog space, many things have happened like... going to Disney World for the first time and

having lots of family at our house for Christmas.

We had lots of visitors including my favorite brother,

my wonderful mother-in-law,

cousins from Alaska,

and cousins from Minnesota.

We had baseball games, softball games,
and 3 Spring Training games.

School ended
and summer began.
There have been new recipes, crafty projects, birthdays and so many other things to catch up on. So stay tuned as I make a new goal for summer to include a little catching up in the blog department and celebrate all the things that keep my family busy.

Back to School

Well it's that time again...Back to School! The kids were both excited this morning to head off and start a new year; Bailey in 6th grade and Collin in 2nd. The morning was busy, as usual, but I did manage to make them a real breakfast complete with pancakes, fruit and juice to keep them going through the morning. They didn't get many new school clothes this year, there just wasn't much that they needed before our weather decides to cool down, but they each managed to find the perfect look for the 1st day.

Bailey loves her "cute meets rock and roll" look, right down to the shoes and bracelet. Lookin' good for 6th grade, her dad hopes the boys don't notice!

Collin's favorite 1st day apparel seems to be Tony Hawk, hands down...he's worn it for every 1st day since Kindergarten. Mom likes the look too, and even springs for the shoes (which of course HAVE to be blue), I'm such a push-over!

I don't ever remember looking this cute for school...ever! Of course I started school in the late 70's so there was little hope for "cuteness", to this day I hate corduroy pants! When I was in elementary school both my parents worked, my dad at the INEL and my mom at Mountain Bell. My younger brother and sister and I would come home after school and find a short list of chores to do, and there was always a little something for an after school snack. Our favorite was what we now refer to as the "After School Cake", it's officially called "Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake" It makes the perfect kid cake because it doesn't need a fork, just a napkin and a generous slice...I'll be whipping up a pan as soon as I finish this post! It's easy and quick and I thought it might be fun to share. It has to be served with a glass of cold milk...HAS TO, trust me on this one! So for all the kids headed back to school, this one's for you!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe
a.k.a. After School Cake
1 3/4 c. boiling water
1 c. uncooked oatmeal (instant)
1 c. lightly packed brown sugar
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. margarine
2 eggs
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBPS cocoa powder
3/4 c. nuts (optional)
12 ox. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl pour water over oatmeal; let stand 10 minutes. Add sugars and margarine; stir until margarine melts. Add eggs and mix well. Sift together all dry ingredients and add to wet mixture, mixing well. Add 1/2 the chocolate chips to the batter and pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle remaining chips and nuts on top. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until done.

My kids will be so happy to discover this for their after school snack for the 1st day back to school...enjoy!