Thursday, February 28, 2013

Nope, didn't happen!

Well, this 52 Week Photo Challenge has been just that, a challenge!!!!  I had such good intentions of taking pictures of the captions on my list, but nope, didn't happen!  Life just got in the way and my time got taken away from me.  We've had a ton of things happen lately that have taken up physical and emotional time.  So while I wanted to do well at this, I didn't.  Maybe later in the year I'll pick it back up, but for now, I guess you'll just have to check back for other super exciting Stanhope happenings! LOL

Monday, February 25, 2013

Fish Tacos

For about two years now I've been hearing people talk about fish tacos.  I wasn't quite sure about the idea of it.  I like crispy beef tacos!  I'm also not one to order something new off the menu at a restaurant.  If I find something I like once, I always order it.  (boring!!!!)  At book club one night, a couple of the girls were going to order fish tacos.  I closed my menu and just went for it!  They were pretty wonderful!  I've since ordered them 3 more times, which is huge for me at a Mexican place because I love cheese enchiladas and crispy tacos!

I convinced Brad to try them.  He likes tacos, he likes fish, what's not to like?  So I called my brother to see how he makes them.  He gave me a super simple recipe and I kind of have made it my own now that we've made them a few times at home.  The first couple of times we made them, we used tilapia from the fish counter at the grocery store.  We just sauteed it olive oil and added some chili powder to it.  The next time we grilled some shrimp and also sauteed some shrimp using the same chili powder.  Both were so delicious!  And Brad approves! :)

A mixing bowl full of coleslaw, I used the premade bag kind
Purple onion to taste, I used about 1/4-1/3 of a medium onion
A drizzle of olive oil
The juice of one large lime
A carton of cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the above ingredients and cover it and let it sit in the fridge while you cook your seafood.

Add cooked seafood and slaw mixture to a soft tortilla.  We have added cheese, and that's good, but it's also good without.  Enjoy!

Friday, February 22, 2013

Friday Nights

The kids and I are home on Friday nights alone because Brad has to work.  We have started having a pizza and movie night on Fridays.  We go to the store and pick out ingredients, go home make the pizza and get to have a treat by watching a movie in the living room while we eat on the floor like a picnic.  They love it! Our ingredients this week were sauce, pepperoni, chicken, black olives, green peppers, mushrooms, and cheese.  Abby and I chose to use all the fixin's.  Alex chose to do pepperoni and cheese.  What I love about the kids making their own dinner is that they always eat all of it!


Wednesday, February 20, 2013

52WPC Week 7

This week's theme is "something new".  I almost chose to do a materialistic something new, but instead I chose to use something that makes my heart smile and clap!  Everytime we go to the park Alex wants to do the monkey bars.  He's never been able to make it all the way across, and if he did make it all the way across, I was holding his legs.  He's a pretty athletic and coordinated kid, but this is something he's always had to work hard to do.  Well, he finally did it!!!!  I'm so very proud of him and could watch this video all day, especially the end when he gives himself a little cheer of accomplishment!

Saturday, February 16, 2013

52WPC Week 6

This week's theme is "feet".  I know some people are grossed out by feet, and I'm not, but I really didn't want to take a picture of someone's feet!  I didn't have a precious little baby close enough, but that would have been cute to take a picture of baby feet!

Abby and I went to a studio in Tulsa called "Dimple Toes".  One of the stay at home mom's groups I'm involved with rented the place for us to do spring prints.  We all chose to do canvases, but they had other great things there too like this really cool Christmas tree.  
It is like the one my Grandma Kmita had and my parents had it set up at our house at Christmas time each year.  Colored lights go in the holes and you can paint it any color you want.  I'll go traditional and do green, but a smaller pink or red one would be cute in the kids' rooms.  It comes with the light that goes inside and when you turn it on, the beautiful colored lights shine.  I can't wait to go back and paint my tree so my family can have our own at Christmas time!  

I chose to do a flower with Abby's feet.  She picked pink and purple, of course!  Here is her foot flower! 

My friend Regan did a foot print with her girls that is just too cute! 

My friend Emily did one with her son for his birthday!  She made and airplane and a train with his feet!




Friday, February 15, 2013

Thirty-One Party

A couple of weeks ago I had a Thirty-One Gifts party at my house.  I hadn't hosted an in-home party in a long time and was excited to do so.  It was a fun excuse to make some fun food and drink wine with friends.  I hosted my party in January, which was double rewards month. I ended up earning $200 in free product, 2 hostesss exclusives, and 2 half price items!  Here's my loot!



On the back of the couch is the About town blanket, in front of the blanket is the Party Thermal and the Cindy Tote.  Next is the Perfect Party Set which can hold two 9x13 and keep them hot or cold!  It also came with two serving spoons, which are hard to see, but are on top of the carrier. On the right side of the couch, in the back, is one of my two Retro Metro Weekender bags.  I only kept one and a friend got the other. :) Then there is my Cinch Sac, which has made the perfect gym bag for me.  Finally, there is the Cosmetic Bag Set.  It comes with two bags!  A small and a large!  I am so excited about all of my products!

If you are intersted in hosting a party and live in the Tulsa area, contact me, or here is my consultant's webpage.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Pączki Day

My family on my dad's side came to the United States from Poland, so that makes me 50% Polish.  My dad has always tried to teach us different Polish traditions growing up, and especially now that we have families of our own.  Most of the tradtions that we know and love are centered around food.  Today, I got to learn about a new tradition, Paczki (POHNCH-kee) Day, which is the Polish Mardi Gras.  It is the last day to indulge before Lent begins!  

In Poland, the cooks would use up all the meat and meat byproducts, such as dairy and eggs, before the Lenten season started.  They would make Paczki, which are similar to a jelly filled doughnut.  Paczki are made in the morning and enjoyed the same day, as they do not keep.  Today we enjoyed them filled with Blackberry jelly.  

My dad did all the prep work before we got to his house.  He made the dough and let it rise and when we arrived, he deep fried them, cooled them, filled with jelly, and dusted with powdered sugar.  They were so delicious!  


Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 3-6 minutes
2 rises: 3 hours
Yield: 2 dozen Paczki 

1 1/2 C warm milk
2 packages of active dry yeast
1/2 C sugar
1 stick of room temperature butter
1 large room temperature egg
3 large room temperature egg yolks
1T brandy or rum
1t salt
4 1/2-5 C flour
1 gallon of oil for deep frying
powder sugar
fruit filling of choice

  1. Add yeast to warm milk, stir to dissolve and set aside. In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in eggs, brandy and salt until well-incorporated.
  2. Still using the paddle attachment, add 4 1/2 cups flour alternately with the milk-yeast mixture and beat for 5 or more minutes by machine and longer by hand until smooth. My grandmother used to beat the dough with a wooden spoon until it blistered. Dough will be very slack. If too soft, add remaining 1/2 cup flour, but no more.
  3. Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk. Punch down and let rise again.
  4. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Pat or roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut rounds with 3-inch biscuit cutter. Remove scraps, and re-roll and re-cut. Cover and let rounds rise until doubled in bulk, 30 minutes or longer.
  5. Heat oil to 350 degrees in large skillet or Dutch oven. Place pączki top-side down (the dry side) in the oil a few at a time and fry 2 to 3 minutes or until bottom is golden brown. Flip them over and fry another 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure the oil doesn't get too hot so the exterior doesn't brown before the interior is done. Test a cool one to make sure it's cooked through. Adjust cooking time and oil heat accordingly.
  6. Drain pączki on paper towels or brown paper bags.  Add fruit filling with a pastry filler.  (We used a cookie press today, but a pastry bag would work too.)
  7. Pączki don't keep well, so gobble them up the same day you make them or freeze.
Dad with his Paczki!

Alex didn't want blackberry jelly, so his was plain then he dipped it in honey.  

Abby had a few bites too!

Sunday, February 10, 2013

52WPC Week 5

The theme this week is "pink".  Immediately, I wanted to take a picture of my footed glass platter that Brad and I got as a wedding gift.  My Aunt Chris, who lives in Cape Cod, MA, gave it to us. Last September, we got a chance to visit the Cape for my cousin's wedding and we got to visit the shop of the talented Fritz who made our bowl.  Seeing him work and seeing all of his beautiful glass work was amazing.  Of course, we bought a gorgeous vase while we were there!  Here is his fan page on facebook Fritz Glass.  Like it and you will see some beautiful work!

Spinach Chicken Tortellini

Tonight was one of those nights that I just threw together whatever I had on hand to make dinner. Surprisingly, it turned out great and the whole family liked it, which doesn't happen often!  (You moms of young kids know what I'm talking about!)  It was super easy and I didn't measure anything, so forgive me if my ingredient list is a bit vague.

Olive oil
1/4 yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 chicken breasts, cubed
Italian seasoning
Italian diced tomatoes
Package of frozen spinach
Jar of favorite sauce (I used red sauce with garlic and onions)
Refrigerated Tortellini (I used green and white cheese filled tortellini)

1.  Saute onion and garlic in olive oil.  It smells so good!
2.  Add chicken and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.  (just eyeball it)
3.  Add jar of sauce and can of Italian diced tomatoes and simmer covered, or else your entire stove will have red splashes all over it!
4.  Squeeze water out of spinach and add it to red sauce while tortellini is boiling.
5.  Boil tortellini.
6.  Drain tortellini and serve with red sauce.

Delicious!  We ate ours with garlic bread.  I usually serve a salad with pasta, but didn't want to run to the store, so that's why I added spinach to the sauce.  Enjoy!  



Sunday, February 3, 2013

52WPC week 4

I am so behind!  Both my kiddos have been sick.  Abby had the flu and a chest infection.  Yes, she had the flu shot!  Alex had up and down fevers, vomiting, a deep cough and when I took him to the doctor, he had a double ear infection and was one step away from pneumonia.  At that same appointment for Alex, the doctor checked Abby too, and she also had an ear infection.  We have been giving meds and breathing treatments around the clock!  They are both better, thank God!

Week 4 of the photo challenge had the theme of "comfort".  While Alex was sick, he would lie on the couch and just stare at the TV.  Our sweet dog, Izzy, liked to lie with him.  I thought it was so sweet how she was comforting him.  She stayed up there as long as Alex was there.  He loved it!