Look, Ma - No Hands!

For any fervent cook there comes a time when cooking and phone calls don't mix. Now, I know some of you turn the ringer off or let the answering machine pick up, but what happens when you're waiting for an important call and still need to be cooking at the same time?

I know what I do when that phone rings - I rush to wash my hands and hope to get there before the machine does. Once I pick up the phone, there's one hand lost. I know, I know, what about the "shoulder hold"? Right. A stiff neck and the chance that the phone will drop into the vichyssoise is no way to handle calls.

Well, Plantronics has the perfect solution, the Calisto Pro Series phone. This is a completely hands-free wonder. Switch between landline, VoIP and Bluetooth mobile phone calls all with one product. Add up to 200 contacts - with 3 phone numbers each - from Outlook. How about a range of 300 feet from the base? That's farther than my garden out back. The sound quality doesn't suffer, either.

What about simple moments like sitting and nursing the baby? You'd figure there's at least one hand free for phone calls, right? Nope - not always! Having the freedom to sit down and relax while still being able to answer calls, hands-free, is priceless.

Check out this fabulous phone HERE and see if you're not convinced that this is the best thing going in hands-free phone technology.

Mother's Day

I know of mothers who receive lavish gifts on Mother's Day; things like pearls or diamonds or large-ish household appliances. I am not one of those mothers, and I prefer it that way. I was spoiled absolutely rotten today by my children, and it didn't involve precious gems or machines that go, "whirrrrr".

These are the children responsible for my loverly day:

Quite cute, aren't they?

My oldest daughter (the tallest one in the back), Cassidy, started out my day with an idea that had sprung from my second oldest daughter's head (she's the second tallest in the back, Megan). Cassidy made me a most delicious breakfast of crepes. Yes, crepes. She had asked on Friday if I would teach her to make crepes. I did just that and then she surprised me by duplicating them precisely. We had a choice of apple stuffed or strawberry stuffed and I chose both. Of course. There were also raspberries, sliced kiwi and grapes to go along.


While she was slaving away in the kitchen (crepes for 9 is a true feat!) the rest of the kids showered me with gifts.

A garden made by Erin, complete with climbing Blue Bells along one wall.

Two fabulous cookbooks that Cassidy found in a used bookstore in Kutztown. How neat!

This card is from Erin. She made each of those boxes out of paper. True talent!

Erin taught Declan to make a box, and so he did. He put two lollipops in there for me!

One of Megan's signature cards. The entire inside is full of hand-drawn pictures and funny text that makes me smile.

A card from Katie (she's 7 this week!) that says, "You Rock, Mom". How sweet.

A place mat made by Katie that echos the sentiment of her card. She made this in school.

A Sun Star plant. I saw them at the store and showed Marty. He picked one up for me to have today.

Lilacs garnered on a stealth mission at 1 A.M. by daddy and Declan. Late night walk, indeed.

Megan thought I would like this cake. I've been asked by no less than four of my seven children if I would share it with them.

Lunch was sandwiches with a side of goat's cheese and a French baguette and also whole wheat pita and hummus. Megan knew these were my favorites and made sure to get them.

THEN ... oh yes, there's more ... Cassidy made a dinner of two pastas and two sauces; penne and angel hair, and Alfredo and four-cheese Marinara. It was all topped off with Italian bread, green salad, and the double chocolate cake I had made the night before.

Now, tell me, how on earth could diamonds beat that?

And the Winner is...

We have a winner for the Charlie Ayers' Food 2.0 Cookbook and Lunch bag giveaway. Using a highly technologically advanced method involving a small boy and several strips of paper, we've determined the winner to be:



GIZ! Congratulations, to you GIZ, use your book, and your bag in good health! Thanks so much to all who entered. Keep coming back, this is certainly not the end of our contesting.

Last Chance to Win!

Today is your last chance to win Charlie Ayer's new cookbook, Food 2.0. It's one AWESOME read and I highly suggest you enter for this! Get a comment in to me before 12 PM PST (check this post for details!) and you'll be IN! A winner will be picked Saturday morning and I'll post it then.

GOOD LUCK!

LOK/CWA Cooking Challenge Round-Up

Here are the entries for this month's LOK/CWA Cooking Challenge! The first two meals are listed here since they were not posted elsewhere, and the rest are linked to their respective blogs.

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From Penelope, a LOK mom of 9:

Poppy Seed Chicken

3 cups raw rice - .48
2 10 oz cans cr of ck soup- 2 x .69
1 16 oz fat free sr cream - .99
1 lb boneless skinless chicken cooked and chopped-1.49
1 sleeve crackers - .54
1/4 c butter - .43
2 T poppy seeds - .05

Cook rice according to directions and spread in 9x13 pan. Mix cooked chicken, sour cream, and both cans of soup. Spread over rice. Melt butter. Use a food processor to make the crackers into crumbs, add to butter with poppy seeds. Mix well and spread evenly over the sauce layer.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 min.

48 oz applesauce - 2.00
(or 16 oz frozen corn - .69)

Cherry Brownies

1 box brownie mix - .99
1 egg - .12
1/4 c oil - .11
1 21 oz can cherry pie fill 2.00

Mix brownies according to fudge directions, stir in cherries and bake in 9x13. Bake according to box plus about 10 min. It varies according to the mix and your oven...so we just keep an eye on it at the end.

Total = 10.58
And definitely less if I used canned or frozen veggies.

* I used the prices that I actually paid for items, since most are in my storage, rather than pricing them all in one shopping trip. This is for my family of 11, I usually at least have leftovers for one of us to have lunch from it.

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From Kate at Life with Special Needs Kids. Kate is an LOK mom of 7.

Green Soup

4 bouillon cubes
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tbsp butter
4 cups cooked, shredded chicken (2-3 breasts)
2 cups apples, peeled & chopped
2 cups carrots, diced
2 cups celery, chopped
2 Tbsp parsley
1 tsp curry
1 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour
10 cups water

Boil chicken in water until cooked through. Drain water, then shred chicken.

Cook onion in butter until soft. Add chicken, apples, carrots, celery, flour & spices. Slowly add water & bouillion cubes. Stir well. Simmer 30 minutes, minimum, before serving.

Serve soup with buttered french bread & a tossed green salad OR grilled cheese sandwiches.

Cost
bouillion cubes ($1.32 for 6) 0.88
onion (0.25/lb) 0.13
butter ($2.18 for 32 Tbsp) 0.14
chicken ($1.88/lb) 1.88
apples (0.78/lb ~ used 3 small apples) 0.78
carrots (0.98/1lb bag baby carrots) 0.98
celery (0.38/lb ~ used 4 stalks, about 1/3lb) 0.13
flour ($3.28/bag ~ 73, 1/4-cup servings per bag) 0.09

Total for soup = $5.01

If served with salad & bread, use 1 bag salad mix for $2.78 & 1 loaf french bread for 0.98 for a total of $8.77.

If served with grilled cheese sandwiches, use 1 loaf whole wheat bread for $1.18, approximately 4 tbsp butter for 0.28 and 9 slices of cheese (for 9 family members) for $1.08 ($2.88/24 slices American cheese). Total = $7.55

This is what I made for dinner tonight, so seeing your challenge was fun because I immediately knew what I could use as an entry.

I got this recipe from a friend many years ago.

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Annie Jones' entry at Real Life Living for 5 people.

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From Lisa at Living Easy serving 5.

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These two are from MIRZ, mom of 8 and founder of LOK, hence, she is not in the running, but wanted to contribute nonetheless.
There is one at the LOK Household Blog and one at her personal blog.

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And ... the winner of our first challenge, who receives a badge to proudly display on her blog, is Annie of Living Life Real! Congratulations to you, Annie!