My kids are giving up Gambling, for Lent.
Kiddy Gambling
My kids are addicted to gambling. They don’t consider it gambling, but it is.
Every (E.V.E.R.Y.) time we go to a store with a crane machine, no matter how crappy the toys are, my kids literally drool at the sight of the kid-centric gambling machines.
When I was young, we played a lot of video games but…..
I never drooled at the site of Ms. PAC-MAN or Burger Time.
These crane machines take kid gaming to a
Whole. Nother. Level.
I’m not sure what is so inciting about the cheap toys in those machines, but I do know when it started.
My Father.
My Father taught my kids how to win at the crane machine in Fudruckers (hamburger restaurant) when they were very young.
An obsession was born.
I have watched in horrified silence as my children fed dollar after dollar into machines where they “almost” got the toy. Once they are done spending their allowance, they beg me for more money.
I’m concerned that I am raising future slot machine addicts.
They never seem to get enough of the gambling.
Way back in the day….
My son at 4. All these were won from a crane machine on one evening, except the blue bunny.
Monday, at Wal-mart my tween and teen spent $5 in a crane machine….they got nothing.
So, for Lent my kids are giving up the crane machines. Maybe the time away from the gambling machines will break the addiction.
At least I hope so.
If you’re “giving up” something for Lent, what?
Fat Tuesday
Happy Mardi Gras!
I hope you have a fabulous Fat Tuesday.
Our dinner for Fat Tuesday Shrimp Creole (via a family recipe) for my daughter and I & Red Beans, Turkey Sausage and rice for the boys!
I’m participating in the iPPP link up that Liz and KLZ host.
This week in FAIL, Potato edition
Potato Fail…..
I have the WORST luck with potato dishes….
This week I tried making a cheesy sausage and potato dish with somewhat Meh results.
I peeled and diced potatoes. Then I boiled them for 15 minutes. I drained them and placed them into a greased baking dish.
I added cheese, heavy cream, homemade chive butter.
I added little smoked turkey sausages.
I baked it, for over an hour.
The dish was less than stellar.
Bummer.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
I’m not sure if I picked the wrong potatoes or if I’m just super picky. Either way, I’m not happy with the results.
Popping corn
Please pardon my recent absence from blogging. Since Monday I’ve been tending to three sick people. That’s right, I’ve been in a house full of sickies!
I’m happy to report that everyone is on the mend!
Cooking for people who have bad colds or worse is different than regular everyday cooking. When my family is sick I focus on the comfort foods they love. Soups, chili, baked fish and……
Popped corn.
Recently, I began to make microwave pop corn in plain paper bags. There’s no oil, you control the portion and the toppings.
Here’s how I make it.
Take 1 paper lunch sack.
Add 1/8 cup of popping corn. I’ve got some fancy red and white corn.
Place the popping corn into the paper bag. Fold the top of the bag over 2-3 times.
Microwave for 1:30 to 2:00 minutes, for fancy corn. Longer 3:00-3:30 minutes for regular popping corn.
When the popping slows, remove the bag from the microwave and place the popped corn into a bowl.
Add salt or butter or whatever you like to the popped corn.
Enjoy!
Happy Valentine’s Day
Happy Valentine’s Day.
From my blessed, yet currently sick household to your (hopefully well) household.
Mother-Son Dinner
Father-Daughter Sweetheart Dance
And the winner is…..
I already follow you here and on Facebook. I’ll throw my name in here though. And I’ll share it too on FB.”
Congrats to Greg and Katherine of Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide.
Please e-mail me your address.
Butter, Shaken not Churned
If you’re here to enter the MyBlogSpark giveaway I’m hosting click here.
Yes, shaking is technically churning. Work with me people, it’s a cute title.
I’m a tiny bit addicted to Pinterest. I surf the pins for ideas almost daily. It’s easy since there’s an App for that!
Gotta love the iPhone!
I re-pinned a pin about making your own butter earlier this week (or maybe it was last week)….anyhoo
I made my own butter.
Take 1 mason jar (small)
Fill a jar with Heavy cream.
pour heavy cream into the jar
I filled the jar about half way up
a pinch of salt, cuz that's how I roll.
Start shaking! The cream will begin to thicken.
Keep shaking…
You’ll shake and shake and shake some more, then all of the sudden the noises will change again (about 12-15 minutes into shaking)
Now all of the sudden…
butter....
place the butter into a container and place it into the fridge
pour the liquid into a glass.....
This is the best buttermilk you’ll ever drink.
What I Bought Recently.
If you’re here to enter the MyBlogSpark giveaway I’m hosting click here.
I’m participating in the iPPP link up that Liz and KLZ host.
My son and I had dinner at Red Robin on Saturday evening. It was our special dinner out while my husband and daughter attended a Father-Daughter Valentine’s dance.
Chili Cheese burger...for my son!
my burger..Nom, Nom, Nom.
I picked wines, based exclusively on the “cuteness” of their names. Much to the dismay of the sales person.
Wine names:
Twisted
Well Red
Broke Ass Red
I'm torn between Broke Ass and Well Red as my favorite, name wise.
I bought a cookbook full of tiny, cute pies (both sweet and savory)
I bought an adorable new book.
I bought new multi colored yarn. I’m knitting for a blue haired friend of mine.
new yarn I bought to make a scarf for a blue haired friend of mine.
How about you? What new things have you bought?
Whole Grain First Ingredient Cereal, a MyBlogSpark giveaway
That title is a real mouthful, eh?
Since I am working on adding more whole grains to my families diet, I was beyond excited when MyBlogSpark offered me the chance to host a cereal giveaway.
Since my family eats cereal for breakfast at least 3 days a week, having whole grain options is VERY important to me.
Since I have teenagers (or a teen and a tween) cereal is also an afternoon snack around here. So, it’s not at all uncommon for us to go through a few boxes of cereal a week.
I was grateful for the information MyBlogSpark provided me about The whole grain nation….
Here is some great information that MyBlogSpark provided me with…..
- Start Early! The Dietary Guidelines recommend people get at least 48 grams of whole grain in their daily diets. Get a jump-start on the day’s nutrition by incorporating whole grain into your morning routine. For instance, when choosing cereal make sure whole grain is listed as the first ingredient. One easy choice is cereal with the white check, which have more whole grain than any other single ingredient.
- Make Simple Swaps. Choose whole grain versions of the foods you love. Great options include whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread or even whole grain crackers. Also, try different types of whole grain. Use brown rice instead of white rice as a side dish at dinner or popcorn, which is a whole grain, for a snack.
- Don’t Judge a Food by Its Cover. The front of food packages provide good nutritional cues, but don’t forget to read the ingredients and check the nutrition label and side labels for additional health information. Cereals with the white check even include the amount of whole grain per serving on packaging.
To make choosing whole grain easier “General Mills developed “Fast Lane for Whole Grain,” an online educational game. Consumers can navigate virtual grocery store aisles and identify products that have whole grain as the first ingredient, with the option to enter a sweepstakes to win one of each of the 50 cereals with the white check. “
My kids LOVE the Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Now for the giveaway part of this post….. I received 5 boxes of General Mills cereal with the whole grain white check on them.
and you can win these 5 boxes too!
MyBlogSpark has offered a prize pack identical to mine to one lucky A Dash of Domestic reader.
To enter, simply leave me a comment answering one of the following questions…
- With which of your favorite General Mills cereals with the white check will you kick start your morning this New Year?
OR
- How will whole grain in General Mills cereals with the white check help increase your whole grain intake?
- How has this information changed the way you read ingredient lists?
You can earn a 2nd entry by liking General Mills on Facebook. Just leave a separate comment telling me that you have done so.
You can earn a 3rd entry by liking A Dash of Domestic on Facebook. Just leave me a separate comment telling me that you have done so.
You can earn a 4th entry by following me on twitter. Just leave me a separate comment telling me that you have done so.
The giveaway will be open for entries until Sunday, February 12th. It will close at 9:00pm central time zone. I will use Random.org to pick the winner.
U.S. residents only, sorry my non-U.S. friends.
I will notify the winner via e-mail. The winner will have 3 days to respond. If the winner does not respond within 3 days I will pick a new winner.
This giveaway is provided by MyBlogSpark and General Mills.
Good Luck!
The Tale of Two Salads, this week in FAIL
I am working on adding more greens and whole grains to my families diet. Not that we don’t love nachos, chicken fried steak and creamy, dreamy gravy….because we do.
It’s more about making wise choices about the food I feed my family.
I made two salads recently with two very different results.
The first salad I made was similar to Weight Watchers Greek Lemon-Dill Grilled Chicken Salad
One change I made….I placed the roasted red pepper into the food processor with the dressing. My kids are iffy about eating any color peppers, so if they can’t see them….well, what they do not know does not hurt them. 
The salad was filling and really quite tasty.
The second salad I made was not so well received. I made a Cesar Salad with kale. Not unlike the salad over at Savoring Every Bite I made mine with raw kale.
I really like this salad. Kale has a strong flavor, the Cesar dressing stood up to the kale and truly held its own.
My husband and children did not care for the kale salad. Bummer. So….
Family wise it was a FAIL.
Kale is very good for you. I’ll keep trying to find a way to get my family to eat kale.
Monday, I will tell you about a wonderful giveaway I’ll be hosting thanks to MyBlogSpark.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
