New School Year

Just started crying now that the crazy day is over!  The girls are in two different schools this year.  Lily started Grade One at Our Lady Queen of Peace, and Sara started Grade Nine at St. Martin de Porres.

We had to move this summer in order for Sara to get home from school before Miss Lily!  But we're back in Luxstone and very happy!!

Lily handled the day like the level-headed, practical realist that she is.  I took her to school this a.m. because she had two backpacks full of supplies that weighed more than she did.  But by the time I navigated the traffic and the 915 students that were registered at her school this year, I was going to be late for work!!  So I checked her in with the teacher and threw her into the lineup, kissed her quick and ran!!!!  She was fine, I was not ...

You would think that after being at this school for 11 years, I would remember the traffic and the multitudes of children (not to mention the probably 750+ kids that go to the school across the street), and be a little earlier on the first day.  But nooooo, that's "next year territory", apparently!!

I met Lily after school and helped her find her bus.  She climbed on board, I waved at her and booked it back home so I could meet her at the bus stop to show her how to walk home.  She was smiling and fine, I was not ...

" I wasn't even scared on the bus!"
"I have a hook with my name on it for my coat and backpack!"
"I have a desk, not a table anymore"
" Look!  I have an agenda and you have to look at it every day"
"We got to go outside and play twice today!"

She is fine .... I guess I am too.

Weekend Cookin'

It seems like Saturday has become cooking day. I like to do some baking, maybe a couple casseroles to put in the freezer for the upcoming week.

This week I made a pumpkin pie to put in the freezer in preparation for Thanksgiving. I also made some gluten free pumpkin bars. The reason they are gluten free, is because now that I am in debt-free mode, I wanted to use up some flour that I had in the pantry, rather than going to the store and buying more. Here's the recipe ...

Paul's Pumpkin Bars www.allrecipes.com

4 eggs
1 2/3 cup white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1-15 oz can pumpkin puree
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Substitutions:
- can use any kind of gluten free flour, I used Robin Hood Nutriblend
- can substitute up to half of the oil with applesauce
- cut the sugar up to half a cup

Preheat oven to 350
Mix eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin with an electric mixer until light and fluffy
Stir together the dry ingredients, then add to the pumpkin mixture
Pour into an ungreased 10x15 pan
Bake for 25-30 minutes
Cool before frosting

Frosting
3 oz. Cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups icing sugar

Next I made a chicken broth from about five dollar's worth of chicken necks and backs that I bought at the store. I baked them first in my toaster oven with some salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. I made sure they were nice and brown on both sides before I transferred them to my stock pot. Once there, I just barely covered them with water, added sage and lemon balm from my kitchen herbs, 4 or 5 pepper corns, 2 bay leaves, garlic and a little more salt. I put in half an onion, cut in half again, a stock of celery cut in half and a large carrot cut in about 4 pieces. This I brought to a boil and simmered for an hour. Voila! Hot soup for tomorrow's lunch

Then it was time to make supper! Popcorn chicken sounded good, with raw veggies, homemade potato chips and dill pickle dip!

The girls had been begging for potato chips for a couple days. I decided that since we had so many potatoes, having just picked up our Good Food Box, that I would make some homemade chips with my Pampered Chef chip maker. Then I found a recipe on Pinterest for dill pickle dip. Here it is ...

Dill Pickle Dip
4 oz softened cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
3 large dill pickle spears, diced
1 tablespoon pickle juice
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Beat cream cheese
Add sour cream, beat again
Add pickles and juice, stir
Stir in salt and pepper, garlic and dill
Refrigerate one hour

The dip was excellent for the chips, veggies and the chips!!! And we have dip left over for veggies in this week's lunches!

For the popcorn chicken I just coated the chicken pieces in one egg, then corn starch. I made a mixture of bread crumbs, Panko crumbs, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, oregano and rosemary. I covered the pieces with this then fried in hot oil.   I served them with Epicure's Chia Ketchup.  They were Fantastic!!