Sunday brunch, a must

foooood

A month or so ago I started to make food in advance for us to eat after Mass on Sunday.
You see, Sunday morning/late morning/afternoon is always insane and all too frequently I end up with a migraine and ready to pass out from fatigue and famine.

I would wake up with the girls, take care of them as usual, but then have to hap to getting them ready for Mass, getting myself ready, feeding them, laying B down for naps time it just so so that she wakes up right before we leave for Mass so she is such a basket case. Then there is the task of gathering things to make them happy at Mass: juice cups, "mass" books and toys aka anything that mentions Jesus or anything religious at all. Finding their lost shoes, jackets, hats, tights- then loading them into the car and trying not to be the family that is always late, blah, blah, blah... Sundays are hard, they are hard for everyone with kids. I do not think I cherished those days of old when I could spend 45 minutes piking the cutest outfit, curling my hair, doing perfect makeup eating a good breakfast and then being so dumb and irresponsible with my money that I would happily go out to brunch and have someone else make me some food. ahhhh those were the days.

I always forget to eat breakfast and then we would get to the end of Mass and all of us are starving and we get home and there is no food. I usually go to the store on Mondays so Sundays are generally our most depleted day food wise, so then I would be hungry and angry. Hangry, you might say.

So a month or so ago I began preparing all the stuff for some sort of quiche the day or week before and either freezing or refrigerating the ingredients. Then I put it all together and bake it Sunday morning while the girls eat. I just use ready-made pie crusts and cook some sausage early in the week, separate it freezer bags and freeze it, I usually can get 3 quiches out of one tube of sausage. I also use bacon and ham sometimes, but Mike's fav is generally sausage. You could cut up any vegis you would want to use early in the week and freeze them and even shred all of your cheese at once and separate it into bags to use. I just find that there are tons of opportunities the other days of the week and never any on Sunday to actually do these things, so it eliminates the stress of the day that is supposed to be "restful". This way we can promptly inhale it immediately upon arriving home from Mass and all parties are happy and full... especially me.

and this one

You are probably more resourceful and a better SAHM than me and you have already figured this brilliant little idea out, but it has revolutionized our Sundays. 

The amount of peace that food brings me is, I am sure, disordered, but nonetheless, Sundays are a happier, holier day. Now I only have my kids to blame for my utter distraction during Mass since I am no longer scheming the whole time about what random food stuffs we could throw together to call it a Sunday brunch. Because, let's be honest, Sunday brunch is a must.

Weekend update and a host of new favorite recipes

We have been pretty busy here with Mike's weekend birthday celebration and finishing up all of my shopping for the girls and Mike for Saint Nicholas day. We will be giving the girls their gifts from us tomorrow in honor of Saint Nicholas since we realize that we will most likely not be at our own home on Christmas morning for a very long time, or until we live in the same town as our families and then we can be at our home and theirs for Christmas.

Friday was packed full of seeing friends at a play group- which is a real rarity these days- and making this pretty fantastic broccoli tuna casserole (as far a tuna casseroles go) and which was great for sneaking extra vegis in for the kids, which we can always use (as the girls generally live on a hearty diet of cereal and cheese). Here's the recipe-

1 box of tri-color rotini noodles (cooked and drained)
6 ounces velveeta cheese
1 can cream of broccoli soup
2 cups cooked frozen or fresh broccoli
2 cans tuna
seasoned salt or salt and pepper to taste
a bit of shredded cheddar cheese to sprinkle on the top
Italian flavored bread crumbs

NOT my casserole, but you need a picture to inspire you

Mix first 5 ingredients together and then sprinkle with cheddar and bread crumbs. Pop in oven preheated to 350 for 20-25 minutes, take out, let cool and enjoy.

I threw a little birthday/Christmas party Saturday night and made a few recipes found on pinterest, or course and it was pretty amazing.

This cheesy bread pleased the crowd greatly:

Then there's the smores dip that was a definitely Ana pleaser. There is still a tablespoon or 2 left over in the fridge that I refuse to throw away and am waiting until the girls go down for a nap so that I can lick the container clean:

it most certainly was a decadent as it looks

 I made some double chocolate cookies for Mike because he wanted double chocolate cookies "just like the kind at kroger" and while I do not think they measured up to those, they were pretty great. And some deep dark chocolate cookies for a friend with an allergy to gluten since they are flourless and they were also incredible- especially right when you take them out of the oven, I would recommend eating as many as you can right away.

Sunday was spent making "German pancakes" for Mike (otherwise known as crepes), his favorite meal- sauerkraut and kielbasa with mashed potatoes, and baking him a double chocolate cake since there is NO WAY he got enough chocolate the day before. This is my favorite picture of the cake:

I saw that Naomi had an extra slice of cake on her plate after I had turned my back for a second and then I looked at the cake and realized she had hacked off her own piece- at least she is learning independence.

Licking the mixer thingies after making some homemade white icing.

So that was our weekend, much more exciting then normal and I am looking forward to some intense gift wrapping this evening in anticipation of a "very-princess Saint Nicholas day" tomorrow.

I hope that your weekend was lovely and that Monday is not punching you in the face, like it pretty much did to me today,

Cheers,
Ana

Sweet Sunday

In contrast to my usually whinny, overly dramatic semi sarcastic tone on here, I figured I would share what a wonderful day today was.

We have been feeling like something was really wrong with our children, like perhaps we would need to look into some intervention that might involve a priest and Holy water (what? I'm not sarcastic). I decided yesterday to blame daylight savings, but we were so fed up with them last night that we had them in pj's and ready for bed by 6:30 and they were asleep by 7. Ridiculous, totally melting down, total basket cases. I was getting worried, but then today they seemed to turn a corner. They slept a little bit longer than their minimum 10 hr night stretch and took a little longer than their minimum 1/2 hour nap (for the 2 yr old) and minimum 1 hour nap for the 1 yr old (they have basically only been sleeping the very minimum amount, hence the basket case-ness). 

Beezie (Bernadette) is still feeling like c r a p, and acting at times like she just isn't going to make it. This meant that we were not going to take her to Mass with us lest those Mass-going worrywarts think that her little hack was going to infect them. Soooo, that meant that Mike took Naomi to 9 a.m. Mass while the sick chick slept and I got to go to 11 o'clock BY MYSELF and it felt like this:

 

Seriously amazing

So the rest of the day followed suit and was wonderful, thank you God and my dear husband. Our Fatty McFattster Brunch was incredible, the cinnamon roll pancakes were the best ever and I think Mike cried tears of joy while eating the sausage quiche. I will probably finish the pancakes this evening because that's how I roll. So just in case you were concerned that was incapable of positivity, worry not. Sunday rules.

Ana

Sunday, Sunday

Sunday Mass with a newly potty trained child was like going to Mass with an mildly intelligent monkey. I love my girls, really I do. I don't know why I keep comparing them to monkeys... I will get back to you on that.

I spent 1/2 the Mass in the bathroom stall with her, and the other half holding the nearly 40 pounder in the cry room since I did not want to reward her for telling me she had to go when she very clearly did not- and the cry room is the reward of all rewards. 

I have honestly never left Mass genuinely wanting a stiff drink until today. The 3 plus sides were as follows:

a) it was MASS 

b) I had actually already prepared our after-Mass brunch the day before so there was no worrying about what on earth I was going to fill my famished belly with and those of my loved ones, and

c) I really liked my outfit- vain and self-centered (maybe that's why I stink at dealing well with frustrating situations like today's, let's hope God was able to do something good with me just being there.) 

There is no way I would have gotten through it had my valiant knight of a husband not come to my aid in the morning hours to let me sleep (after staying up too late finishing season 2 of the best show ever also self centered, but at least he was in it with me). Enough, I am done.

Again, happy Sunday!

-Ana