Locks of Love

My daughter does something pretty amazing. When her hair gets to the middle of her back, she cuts it off and donates it to Locks of Love. I think she was 6 when we were at the salon getting her brother's hair cut. She saw a girl cutting her long hair and stood there amazed by it. She asked me why and I told her that the girl was donating her hair so they could make a wig for kids who can't grow hair of their own. She said, "I WANT to do that". I looked at my little girl and could not believe those words were coming out of her mouth. She had hair to her butt and liked to wear it all kinds of different ways. Plus, I had spent countless hours brushing that beautiful hair and I couldn't imagine her without it. I told her we'd do it the next time we came in, thinking that she would forget.

The next month when we went again she was all smiles. I had forgotten my promise. When we got inside the salon she told the lady that she was donating her hair. What?!? The stylist asked if she was sure and she declared that she was. The stylist could see my apprehension and folded Claire's hair up to show her how short it would be and she smiled and I watched her climb into the chair. I gave my nod of approval and stood with tears running down my face as the stylist put Claire's hair into a ponytail and cut it off. Ten inches were tossed onto the counter. My baby girl suddenly looked so much older to me. The smile on Claire's face was priceless. She was so proud of herself and her new look. Two of her cousins, Serena and Madison, and her friend Kayla, have followed her lead and donated their hair as well.

It didn't stop there, Claire wanted to know more information so I looked up Locks of Love and found out that it takes 6-10, 10 inch ponytails to make one wig. Claire just made her fourth donation today and I couldn't be more proud of her. Bonus..I don't shed tears anymore, I just take a photo and smile back at her.



Props go out to Great Clips for providing free haircuts in Minneapolis to those that wish to donate (don't forget to tip your stylist).

If you'd like more information, check out http://www.locksoflove.org

Bacardi Limon Slush

It's been a hot week and I was in the mood for something slushy and having alcohol was a bonus. I intended to make this slush with Vodka but realized that I didn't have enough so I made it with Bacardi Limon. It was very tasty but I think I'd use Cranberry juice instead of Lemonade next time if I'm using the rum. You can mix and match your juices or alcohol to find what works for you but here is the basic recipe.

6 C Water
1 C Sugar

Give it a stir and heat until boiling

Add 4 Lipton Tea bags and let them soak for 10 minutes.

Add

1 large Can Frozen Orange Juice
1 large Can Frozen Lemonade (if using Limon, try Cranberry juice)
3 C Bacardi Limon or Vodka

Freeze overnight. Put 3 ice cream scoops in glass and top with splash of 7 up. I brought this to a friends house and forgot my camera but this is pretty much what it looked like. Makes about 10 drinks.

Sour Cream Pancakes

I broke my waffle maker a couple of months ago and have yet to find a replacement I like so, I've been on a quest to find something that both my kids and myself like to have for breakfast.

I've never been a pancake girl. I've never liked the texture. Pioneer Woman was talking about a recipe she has in her cookbook for Sour Cream Pancakes. I have stopped buying cookbooks and actually just got rid of a bunch so I was debating what to do. Guess what?? Someone else who has a blog made them and provided the recipe! She was not exaggerating how good they were. Very light and the texture is not like regular pancakes. My son had his best friend over and they ate the whole batch. Not wanting to make any assumptions since they are growing boys I asked if they liked them, they both said they were the best pancakes they've ever tasted. Next time I'll double the recipe so I get more than the one I had to steal in the kitchen;)

Here's what you need
1 C Sour Cream
2 Eggs
1 t Vanilla
7 T Flour
1 T Sugar
1 t Baking Soda
1/2 t Salt

Mix it all up and you're ready to get started. Heat your griddle until a drop of water sizzles away. Melt a pat of butter and put 1/4 C per pancake. Cook until they start to bubble. Flip, cook for about a minute and serve with your favorite syrup or topping.

I didn't get a photo since the boys ate them so quickly but this is what they looked like. Thanks http://phemomenon.blogspot.com for the recipe and photo

Italian BowTie Pasta

I would call this goulash but I think most people use a can of Tomato Soup in their goulash or at least most do in Minnesota. I always freeze any leftover pasta sauce and when I get enough..we have dinner.

This one was made because I had enough leftover pasta sauce that I planned on feeding just the kids and myself. When I ended up with two extra dinner guests, Bow Tie Pasta was made because when "you" mix the sauce and pasta, you can stretch it out a bit. Top it with cheese, serve in a pretty pasta bowl and it looks like you really thought this baby out.

What you'll need
Box of BowTie Pasta~cooked in salted water
2-3 C of your Favorite Pasta Sauce
I also had about a cup of Pizza sauce that I threw in

Heat sauce through, toss with pasta. Top with Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese and serve.
Here's your pasta, I left a tiny bit of water in the pan to loosen the sauce a bit more.

Heat your sauce through

Toss together

Top with cheese and serve

Chicken in a Packet

I really don't like making chicken breast on the grill. Truth be told, it scares me. I'm never sure if I've cooked it long enough and usually end up cooking it too long. I saw something about making it in a foil packet. Not remembering where I saw it or what the recipe was, I gave it a go with one chicken breast and was quite happy with how it turned out. The only thing I would change is that I would not use Spinach as my vegetable like I did this time, it didn't hold up. It was easy enough to pick off but it didn't look very appetizing. You'll need something a little more solid like thick sliced peppers for flavor or broccoli if you want vegetables mixed in.

At any rate, here we go.

What you'll need
Package of Boneless, Skinless Chicken breasts~pounded thin
Salsa
Few pats of butter
Olive Oil
Favorite seasoning

Wash your chicken, put between two pieces of waxed paper or Saran Wrap and give it a few whacks with a meat mallot or a heavy pan.

Spray a square of aluminum foil. I had put some spinach down but it got pretty stringy in the cooking process and didn't look very good after the fact. I think it added a little flavor but you can skip this step..I only mention it because it's in the photo. Back to the recipe. Lay your chicken on the foil, sprinkle with favorite seasoning, top with tablespoon of your favorite salsa, drizzle with a teaspoon of Olive Oil and one thin pat of butter. Seal the aluminum foil, kind of tenting it has some room for the steam to help cook it. Make sure you are sealed well. Throw it on a medium heat grill for 20 minutes, flip about 1/2 way through. Dinner is done.
Give the chicken a whack or two to thin it out.

Layer your stuff.

Seal the packets.

Dinner is served

Berry Parfait

I could just call it Berry Shortcake because that's pretty much what it is but doesn't Berry Parfait sound so much more decadent?? Isn't eating a dessert out of a wine glass so much more fun than on a plate? I say YES to both, that's why it's called Berry Parfait.

Berries were on sale this week at the grocery store so I picked up all my favorites and made a fairly healthy summer dessert. Guess what, my kids HATE berries, it's almost getting laughable what they won't eat. But, it doesn't stop me and this is an easy dessert to work around for everyone if you do it individually. IF your kids will eat berries, you could also make this in your favorite pretty bowl to save some time.

What you'll need
Angel Food cake~I buy mine and this time it was an Angel loaf, tastes the same
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Whipped Cream~NOT Cool Whip, unless you must, but please don't tell me;)

Chop your strawberries. Dump all your berries into a bowl. Mix them around with 1/4 C Sugar. Put them in the fridge for at least an hour so the berries will make their own juice.

Chop up your Angel Food cake into cubes or tear it up if you need to get out some frustrations.

Make this fabulous Whipped Cream

Large container of Heavy Whipping Cream
2 t Vanilla extract

Whip it until it's stiff. Add 1 1/2 Powdered Sugar and whip until it's nice and thick.

Get out your pretty wine glasses that don't get nearly enough use and put a scoop of berries in the bottom. Throw some Angel cubes in and kind of press down. Dollop of Whipped Cream, more berries, Angel Cubes, press down, more berries and another dollop of Whipped Cream. You can make these a little bit ahead but not too long unless you like mushy cake. I'm a texture person so I prefer to throw it together right before serving and it only takes a minute if you have everything prepped. Omit berries if you have children like mine. Makes 8 servings
Cut your cake about this thick and then cube it up. You can also just tear it up if you don't want to get a knife dirty.

Press each layer down a bit as you go.

Don't forget the whipped cream

DONE!

Feeding Some Ducks

I am fortunate to live within walking distance to a lake, Minnehaha Creek and the Mississippi River. Did I mention that I live smack in the middle of the city where I also hear airplanes and sirens on a regular basis? I LOVE Minneapolis and all that is has to offer.

Yesterday I had a bunch of stale bread and decided instead of throwing it out, we'd go feed the ducks. I picked my nephew up at Tiny Tots and away we went. Lots of giggles and "oh look at the little baby ducks" could be heard. They had a blast and can't wait until we have more bread:)