more easter pops

What about sheep pops? Is anybody with me here? Who wants to make sheep pops with me. Perhaps this could be a Super Saturday recipe or something. TOO CUTE! Check out Bakerella for bunnies, eggs and more bunnies

I promise I'll post some Grand Canyon pics soon.

Bakerella

If you've never visited Bakerella's website, do it now. She is creating Easter pops and they are WAY too cute. She'll probably have cute little bunnies soon.

She makes cake pops for each holiday, so if you click on her "blog archive" you may click on the holiday months and see the pops (i.e. turkey pops for Thanksgiving are in November). Or just wander through the website and check out cakes like this.

Camping Food

Before we went to Harlan last week, I searched the internet for camping food ideas, just so I had something other than grilled meat. I think the best thing for camping is to have your food already prepared (chopped, seasoned etc.) and put it in baggies (for messy stuff) & foil - if you're planning on cooking it. I meant to take a bunch of pictures but it was cold...and we were hungry.

Friday for lunch we had PB&Js (already made in baggies) because I knew we would be running around all day and might not get near a flame. We also had Pringles, which are especially useful on camping trips because you don't have to find a 'special place' to put the bag of chips so that they don't get crushed. I bought Pringles snack stacks which are very convenient because I don't have to find a place for the big tube, I just threw a few in my back pack before heading out on the trail. (I think they were $5 for 24 at Wal-Mart)

Friday for dinner we had steak & potatoes. Wal-Mart sells vacuum-packed steaks in a box- I bought a box with 6 rib-eyes for about $10....and they were AWESOME. I may buy vacuum packed steaks to eat at home! Anyway, the vacuum packaging is awesome because I didn't have to take all 6 with me and I could stick them right on the ice (and if the ice melts they won't get nasty floating in the water). For our side, I chopped up about 6 potatoes & half an onion before we left and put them in a gallon baggie, then added EVOO, salt & pepper. When it came time for cooking I drained the baggie a little and then placed the contents on a large piece of foil and folded it up the sides to make a big pocket. Last week Jeremy bought a Tool Box Grill and it was great, the perfect size. He also used a coupon code to buy it! He is learning so well!

Saturday for breakfast...we were cheaters and we went to a family-owned gas station down the street which happend to serve up an AWESOME made from scratch bacon, egg & cheese sandwich. However, I had prepared an "omelet" in a baggie which included six eggs, cheese salt and pepper, and sauage....we just never got a chance to eat it. If we did, I would have put a skillet on Jeremy's grill, poured the bagged contents out and watched it cook. Oh well, the gas station was g-o-o-d.

Saturday for lunch we had pita pizzas. I made these ahead of time putting tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni (and other random ingredients) in a pita. I wrapped them in foil and put them in a gallon baggie (foil so they're ready for cooking and baggie so I can keep them in the cooler and not risk getting wet from ice). Now, if we had been at the campsite I would have cooked them nice and toasty on a campfire or grill, however, we were on the trail all day and Jeremy used his perfected art of manifold cooking. Now, as seen by the temperature gauge in your car, the engine temperature should not get above 210 degrees, so this is technically not cooking, it's just high heat warming, so don't throw a hamburger on your engine and expect it to cook in less than 5 hours...I also wouldn't do that because of the grease...no engine fires please. The picture to the side is Jeremy cooking up some pizza rolls and burritos which we ate Friday (because we didn't eat dinner until 11pm) and also Saturday (because we didn't eat until midnight). Anyway, if you are going on a road trip and want a hot meal (and not fast food) throw a burrito under the hood then get it out an hour or 2 later. yum-o.

Saturday for dinner we had brats on the grill and pudgy pies. If you have not had a pudgy pie, go to Wal-Mart and buy a pudgy pie (or sandwich) maker. It's less than $10 and well worth it. A pudgey pie is two slices of bread filled with pie filling (we used cherry). I brought butter spray (SO convenient when camping) and coated the outsides of the bread and put it in the pudgy pie mechanism. Cook it over a fire until the bread is nice and toasty. Mmmm I want one right now. The pudgy pie thing may also be used to make grilled cheese, or grilled ham or cheese or toast,or anything else you would like hot and in sandwich form.

Sunday for Breakfast we had cereal. I would've cooked up the omelets that I had planned for Saturday morning but we were packing up and just wanted to get home.

Okay, that ends my cooking recipes....Even if no one reads my silly blog at least I'll remember what to bring and how to make it on the next trip!

More Jeeping

We went four-wheeling this weekend and I took about 300 pictures with my new camera plus more on Jeremy's camera (when I was afraid to hike up the boulders with mine). I haven't hooked up my camera to the computer yet, but here are a few pictures someone else took (with a super fancy $1800 lens...yeah I would not hike around the mountains (and mud) with that). Below is Jeremy's Jeep....when he's "finished" it will all by painted one color.

We probably had about 15 trucks on this run to Black Mountain Recreational Park in Harlan, KY. It was a great group of people and it was a lot of fun...but a little cold.
I'll be posting more later.

I WIN!

It has been a LONG time since I had a win in the vegetable department with Jacob. He used to eat EVERYTHING I put in front of him, but since about 18 months old, the only "vegetables" he'll even look in the direction of is corn and french fries (I did not say potatoes, I said french fries). I cook vegetables different ways, present them in different ways, "hide" them...I am just unsuccessful. Anyway, I've been giving him those pediasure-like drinks every other day so supplement his lack of veggies (p.s. he loves meat and fruits, so he IS eating, just not all the food groups). So while on a blog rabbit trail I hit a blog that spoke of "green smoothies." After searching a little more, I thought...this might just work.

It is getting warmer outside and fruits have been on sale lately so I had quite a bit in the fridge. So I pulled out my trusty Magic Bullet, threw in a few handfuls of spinach, some cantelope chunks and about 8 strawberries....then I tasted it and added 3/4 of a banana for more flavor. It was a little chunky so I added some water to make it more juice-like.

Below is Jacob drinking his green smoothie (see the green in the straw) and watching Robin Hood on Saturday. Now I'm trying to balance the smoothie (juice) with his regular milk consumption.... oh the trials and tribulations of a non-veggie eater

Next, spinach popsicles?

I'm a picture slacker

Yeah, yeah I'm still a terrible blogger. And now I'm torn between posting pics here and on Facebook, I mean, if I post the same pics are the same people seeing them. Whatever.

Here are some zoo pics and then some giving stinky a bath

Jake & Dad in front of giraffes

I think we're on a komodo dragon

I should have read the inscription, because I'm not sure what a pot-bellied pig is doing at the zoo

He looks mischievious doesn't he!

Fun!

Playing Piano

Jacob and JoJo playing the piano.

For a few seconds he was distracted by the bell I had given him earlier, but for the most part he loves playing on the piano!