Grammy’s Chocolate Sauce

May 18, 2012 By Kate 1 Comment

This is a family recipe that has been passed from generation to generation.  I don’t remember my grandmother making it, but I remember my mom making it, and it’s always been called Grammy’s Chocolate Sauce!  Yesterday I taught Lilly Katherine how to make it.  I was telling her what I remember about my Grammy.

Grammy was my great-grandmother (my mom’s mom’s mom).  I don’t remember much about her, but I do remember that she had a “mo-ly mo-ly mole!” (or two) on her face…and they were hairy and scary to me as a child.  I was telling Lilly Katherine about her and I said she was pretty short, but she was strong and feisty.  To which LK responded, “So she was like AnnaLeigh.”  Why YES…much like AnnaLeigh!

Grammy passed away about 20 years ago, but they still talk about her at the nursing home because she escaped, then she jumped the fence and broke her hip.   She is probably still talked about in her old neighborhood, too, because she apparently left the house wearing NOTHING but her belt, her boots, and her necklace.  At least she was well accessorized!

I guess I come from a long line of crazies.  I don’t have a prayer!

Well enough about Grammy.  This is her wonderful Chocolate Sauce!  Sometimes I eat it on ice cream.  Sometimes I just eat it!

I make it all the time!  This recipe is so easy to memorize.  We call it a “fourth, a fourth, a fourth, a cup, and a teaspoon.”  Not too hard to remember!  This recipe takes less than 5 minutes to make and uses 5 ingredients that you are sure to have on hand.

Grammy’s Chocolate Sauce Recipe

What you will need:

Milk, Cocoa, Sugar, Butter, and Vanilla

Place all ingredients in a saucepan.  Lilly Katherine did the entire thing for me so I could take poor quality pictures with my phone. :)

Turn heat to medium-high.  Stir frequently.

When the chocolate comes to a rolling boil (which will not take long), set the timer for 1 minute.

Boil rapidly, stirring occasionally for exactly one minute, then remove from heat.

Serve over ice cream or just eat it by the spoonful. :)

Refrigerate leftovers.  You will be happy to have leftovers, trust me!  Because the next morning when you wake up, this will be waiting in your refrigerator…

My favorite part about Grammy’s Chocolate Sauce is eating it the next day…maybe for breakfast.  It solidifies in the refrigerator into a rich sugary fudge!  MmmMmmMmm!

You can only see the top of my head in the reflection of the spoon, but you can tell that I’m excited about that bite!

YUM!

Recipe for Grammy’s Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Butter

1/4 Cup Cocoa

1/4 Cup Milk

1 Cup Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

Place all ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.  Let it boil for exactly 1 minute, then remove from heat.  Let it cool a few minutes before putting it over ice cream.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Eat the leftovers with a spoon (or reheat in microwave if you want to serve it over ice cream.)

Have a lovely ice cream and chocolate sauce filled weekend!

-kate

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Where have I been?

May 15, 2012 By Kate Leave a Comment

I have so many things I want to blog about.  I have lists in my head of events that have occurred lately and stories to tell,  but I am in between computers, and my blogging has been put on hold.  I ran out of memory space on my old computer, and it sits 5 feet from Brad’s head as he and Georgia are trying to sleep, so we decided it was time for a laptop.  I know, welcome to the 21st century!  Anyway, we got a new computer and it didn’t work, so for a few weeks I have been in limbo…which is why I have blogged VERY little!  My sweet hubby (and my dear friend Kellie-who just got ENGAGED…which could be a whole blog post) have worked and worked to get my computer up and going.  We’re almost there.

In the meantime, I wanted to post a few pics…

My sweet little Georgia has gotten so much happier.  She turned 3 months old, and she magically became a better baby.  I contemplated putting her on medicine, because it was obvious that she was in pain due to acid reflux.  She would scream and then spit up and scream more.  I don’t love to medicate my kids if it’s not absolutely necessary, so I briefly (very briefly) thought about cutting certain foods out, like dairy.

I LOVE FOOD!

The thought of cutting food out made me want to cry.  Many friends wisely told me that things like dairy were probably upsetting her tummy and making her fussy.  I decided to do something that no good mom would do.  Instead of giving it up, I ate as much dairy as I could in 24 hours…quiche every meal, smoothies with yogurt and milk, etc.  I figured if dairy was the culprit, I was sure to know it after all the dairy I consumed.

I know, foolish!

However, that was Georgia’s happiest 2 days!  I decided then that depriving myself of cheese and yogurt and ice cream and CREAMER, would not make Georgia happier, and it CERTAINLY wasn’t going to make me happier!  I guess many of my friends were right when they told me to wait until 3 months.  Her little tummy finally figured things out a little better.

Praise the LORD!

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Here are a few pics of Laurabeth (my sweet niece) and my baby girl.  They get to see each other almost every day.  They are starting to notice each other and coo.  It’s so sweet.  I tried to get a pic of them, but they would never smile at the same time.  Here are 2 pics, so you can see both of their pretty smiles! :)

My friends Elicia, Meredith, and Carrie, and I took our kids to see Chimpanzee.  Great movie.  Good times.  I got yelled at…literally YELLED at by a grumpy old lady in the movie theater, but that’s for a later post.  Here’s a very poor quality pic of all the kids we had in the theater.  Please notice that I put Georgia on top of poor Eva in the car seat.

And lastly, this is what I found my 8 year old son reading to my 5 year old daughter last week.

Heavens to Betsy!

That was not a discussion I was ready to have…so I avoided as much detail as possible.  I know, I know…I will tell them all about it one day…but not at age 8 and 5!!!

Have a lovely Tuesday!

-kate

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Oatmeal in a Muffin Cup

May 7, 2012 By Kate 1 Comment

I have mentioned many times that I LOATHE mornings.  I am a night person!  For example, it’s 12:44 on Sunday night and I’m eating a muffin and starting a blog post while washing loads and loads of laundry.  I go to bed LATE, and I love it…until the next morning.  Because of my bad night-owl habits, I try to simplify mornings as much as possible.  My kids and my sweet morning-person hubby have learned not to talk to me too early.  Bad things happen.

Morning for me often starts when my poor son is standing over me begging me to make his lunch so he can go to school.  I wait as late as possible, then I stumble into the kitchen half asleep, fix my coffee, sit down and try to open my eyes.  When I am able to stand without falling asleep on my feet, I make Preston’s lunch and try to talk myself out of going back to bed…since there are usually 3 other needy little people standing at my feet.

I don’t always eat breakfast, but when I do, I love things that are easy!  Many times I will have Granola Bars or Banana Bread on hand that I can reach for, but lately these little muffins are my most favorite breakfast/snack!

My friend Lisa made these delicious oatmeal muffins for me a few weeks ago, and I have made them 3 times since then, including tonight.  They are so very easy and delicious!   They took only 12 minutes to make, start to clean-up…and I’m slow!

These little oatmeal muffins are just like a bowl of oatmeal in a muffin cup.  They are so delicious, fast, and healthy!

Recipe for Oatmeal in a Muffin Cup

You will need:  Oatmeal, Brown Sugar, Baking Soda, Salt, Cinnamon, Craisins, Milk (Regular Cow’s milk or Coconut Milk), Egg, Vanilla, Butter, and either Pumpkin, Banana, or Applesauce (but not all 3!)

Mix all of your dry ingredients (oatmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and craisins) together in a large bowl.

Form a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.

Beat one egg.  Add the vanilla to the egg, and stir.

Pour the wet ingredients (Milk, melted butter, egg, vanilla) in the well.

I have never used Coconut milk in my life!  If you don’t have coconut milk, just use regular cow’s milk.  I just wanted to try something different, because my sister and my friend Elicia are always talking about using things other than cow’s milk.

Coconut milk or cow’s milk…I’ve made it both ways…it tastes great either way.

In these pictures, I used half a can of pumpkin puree.  You may use a variety of things for this step.  Use ONE of the following, or make up something crazy!

2/3 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree (about 1/2 the can)

or

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce

or

2/3 Cup Mashed Bananas (2 small or 1 large ripe banana)

Stir all ingredients well.

Fill 12 lined muffin tins evenly.  Bake at 350° for about 25 minutes.

As I was making the muffins, this crazy maniac put on her sister’s recital outfit, her jewelry, and “make-upped” herself, then told me to come listen to her show.  She has learned LK’s recital routine and performs it all day every day, singing it at the top of her lungs.  It’s become Pinky’s theme song!

“I am a stah, a stah that’s bwight!  I weawy am a gwamowous sight.  In the movies, stage, ow on tv, peep-oh wuv to wook at me!

“…From my head down to my toes, I am a stah the ho wowd knows.”

The girl is a mess!  A serious mess!

Back to the oatmeal muffins…

Take them out of the oven and let them sit in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove them and let them cool on a cooling rack.  Otherwise, they tend to sweat too much and the paper gets a little soggy.

Enjoy!

Store them in the refrigerator.

Recipe for Oatmeal in a Muffin Cup

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Oatmeal
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 scant tsp Salt (more like 3/4 a tsp)
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 Cup Craisins
• 1 1/2 Cups Milk (Coconut milk or low fat cow’s milk)
• 2 Tbsp Melted Butter
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 Egg
• Choose one of the following.  1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce OR 2/3 Cup Pumpkin Puree OR 2/3 Cup Mashed Ripe Bananas

Combine the oatmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Stir well.  Add the Craisins.  Stir.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Beat egg and stir vanilla into the egg.  To dry ingredients, add milk, egg, vanilla, and melted butter.  Next add either applesauce OR pumpkin puree OR mashed bananas.  Stir until all ingredients are combined and fill 12 lined muffin cups.

Cook at 350° for 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let them stand 10 minutes.  Take them out of the muffin tin and let them cool on a cooling rack.  Store in the refrigerator.

Have a lovely Monday!

-kate

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Thanksgiving Tree

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Some days…

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Pumpkin Spice Muffins

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Eggplant Parmesan

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Friday Fav #20-Cletus the Fetus

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Warm Jalapeno Artichoke Dip

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My Little Athlete

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17 YEARS!

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Tales of PREGNANCY…

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Family (The WHOLE Family) Vacation

My sister called and asked if I would send her pics from our family vacation, and it was then that I realized I never posted pics from our Griswold family vacation! My parents took us on a little getaway the week before school started.  Nothing fancy, just a few days away from LIFE.  Our whole… [Continue Reading]

Homemade Freezer Jam

I have been wanting to make homemade jelly (jam) since the kids and I made delicious homemade (home-grown) grape jelly with my Aunt Barbara and Uncle Carroll last year.  I promised the kids we would make jelly this summer and the summer slipped away from us.  The week before school started, I decided we needed… [Continue Reading]

Lilly Katherine’s “Firsts” and an Update

I am so behind on blogging!!!  Last week was NUTS!  NUTS, i say!  I was gone every single night, away from my family, and gone much of the weekend, too.  That’s hard on me, but even harder on Brad and the kids.  AnnaLeigh went WAY backwards in potty training, LK had a bad sleep week,… [Continue Reading]

Grilled Tilapia with Papaya-Avocado Salsa

This meal is beautiful, delicious, and so good for you!  Plus, it is simple, fast, and it only messes up two bowls and a cutting board.  You can’t get much better than that! I love to cook fish.  Salmon is probably my most favorite, but it’s not the cheapest fish at the grocery store.  This… [Continue Reading]

Garden Veggie Pizza

One of my most favorite things to make is PIZZA!  My kids will eat things on a pizza that they would never eat otherwise…and we just love pizza! This is one of Brad’s most favorite recipes and one that I’ve been cooking since we got married.  It’s such a good summer recipe and I’m regretting… [Continue Reading]

Ideas and a Quick Trip

Friday I mentioned an issue we were having at our house, and I was surprised to hear how many of you struggle with the same thing.  Sometimes as moms we feel so alone, and it’s always encouraging to hear from you and know that we all have issues and we’re just trying to do the… [Continue Reading]

Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups

The week before school started, Lilly Katherine and I got busy cooking good treats for school.  We made Homemade Strawberry-Nectarine Fruit Roll-Ups (Fruit Leather) and Homemade Plum Jam.  We really had fun cooking together, and the kids were excited to start school with food they helped make.  My “Goin’ Granola-Granola Bars” are in the oven… [Continue Reading]

My Sweet Second Grader

How in the WORLD do I have a second grader? I just dropped my sweet little man off at school, and I actually had to tell myself not to cry as the lump formed in the back of my throat.  I still can’t handle sending him to school.  I really do love to have the… [Continue Reading]

Rain, GLORIOUS Rain!!

Yesterday we saw something that we haven’t seen in a VERY long time, and I just had to let the maniacs play in it! RAIN, GLORIOUS RAIN!!! . Thank you, Lord!   Thank you for the RAIN! “He is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that… [Continue Reading]

She did it!

Remember this sticker chart from the previous post… Here’s our update as of about 30 minutes ago! :) I’m very proud to say that after a VERY rough few days last week, my little Pinky has remembered how to use the bathroom in the TOILET!  I think she was just punishing me just a little… [Continue Reading]

Potty Training…Sigh!

(Dad, since you don’t like posts about bodily functions, just don’t read this post.) . I swore I would never do it again.  NEVER!  I was serious, too. I LOATHE potty training.  H-A-T-E…HATE it!  It makes me absolutely crazy, and I admit I am a total FAILURE at potty training! Child #1:  We did the… [Continue Reading]

Oh Mexico!

Last week Brad and I had the amazing opportunity to go to Cabo with 4 of our dearest friends!  We had a blast reminiscing about college, talking about our crazy children and our lives now, racing golf carts, eating, playing, swimming and hanging out!  I am posting 4 million pictures, but it was too much… [Continue Reading]

Ice Cream Sandwich Pie

This summer has been so hot and so dry in East Texas and I have been CRAVING Ice Cream Sandwiches!  I decided it was a good time to break out an old favorite that I haven’t made in a few years…Ice Cream Sandwich Pie!  If you need a delicious dessert that takes about 3 minutes… [Continue Reading]

Quarantined!

Last week all 3 maniacs had Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. (As did half of our church) It wasn’t fun for the maniacs! It wasn’t fun the mama! We were stuck in our house for DAYS and days and days!  Ok, 5 days, but it seemed like 5 weeks.  They were so uncomfortable, and their… [Continue Reading]

Happy Birthday to US!

Last week I celebrated…a birthday.  It hurts to admit it, but I guess with 3.5 kids I’m hardly 23 anymore.  I’m now 30-3!  I still feel like I could jump back into college (except for the 3.5 kids thing) and I have to say I do love my crazy, wonderful life…even if it does mean… [Continue Reading]

Pooh and Blueberries!

Pooh and Blueberries sounds like a gross title, but I’m referring to WINNIE the POOH! :) Although, I have to say that blueberry diapers are the worst!…anyway…All you moms know exactly what I’m talking about! Moving on… Last week I had a birthday.  I’m not exactly thrilled about having birthdays at this point in my… [Continue Reading]

Creamy White Queso Dip

We had Vacation Bible School 2 weeks ago.  The first day of VBS, my friend Christi showed up with this yummy, gooey, white dip.  It was a HIT, and I managed to score the last little drop…thank goodness!  It was some of the best queso ever! When I got home that afternoon, I was exhausted,… [Continue Reading]

4th of July, etc…

July 4th weekend was PACKED with activities!  My little brother came in town, and it was SO much fun! We had a huge fireworks show at church that was truly spectacular, and I thank everyone who put it together.  It was a BLAST (haha)! We spent the evening with friends, celebrating our great nation!  This… [Continue Reading]

Target and Sponge Rollers

Hi!  I am aware that I have this little thing called a blog!  I want to spend time posting pics and updates about our lives on here, but I’ve been trying to survive lately.  I’ve taken very few pics, not because we haven’t been constantly doing things, but because I’m doing good to make it… [Continue Reading]

Apple Cranberry Bran Muffins

I love to cook! I don’t love to cook during my first trimester! I don’t enjoy holding my nose during the preparation process, so the scents don’t make me gag! I don’t enjoy smelling the meal as it’s cooking. I certainly won’t eat the meal if I’ve had to endure preparing and cooking it while… [Continue Reading]

Cletus the Fetus

Today was a wonderful day…for so many reasons! I got to go to Target ALL BY MYSELF for an hour!  A whole hour.  Now, due to this lovely first trimester stuff, I haven’t left the house much and we were out of everything from detergent to bread, so it was an hour spent buying necessities,… [Continue Reading]

Family Vacation at La Torretta

Hello friends! I’m so sorry it’s been a week since my last post! We’ve been out of town, and I’ve been tired, and I’ve been a little nauseous, and I’ve been wrestling maniacs. There’s my list of excuses. :) I’m so thankful you haven’t given up on me. . A few weeks ago I asked… [Continue Reading]

Last Week of School (a little late)

I’m a little late posting this, but it’s important to me to document things such as this.  Preston completed first grade about a week and a half ago.  Here are a few pics from the last week of school. Splash Day Parade Preston, Christian, and Jalen Connor, Preston A., Preston enjoying the Splash Day Parade… [Continue Reading]

11 Years!

(June 10, 2000) Today my sweet hubby and I celebrate our 11 year anniversary!  Words can simply not express how blessed I am to be married to this wonderful man.  He is the perfect man for me, and I am so thankful that God allowed him to be my husband. (Side note:  My scanner is… [Continue Reading]

Dominique’s Delicious Cookie Cake Recipe

My sweet friend Dominique is a baker, an artist, and can pretty much do anything!  She birthed these 4 children in less than 5 years and makes the most amazing cakes you’ve ever seen.  (Those 2 statements are totally unrelated.)  Here’s a cake she recently made for a friend’s party. Anyway, tonight I made Dominique’s… [Continue Reading]

Hangin’ with the Hagins

I need to apologize in advance.  I can tell right now that my blogging may slow down over the next few months.  I’m so tired I can barely function.  I’m not taking care of my children as I should, much less posting about our musings on the ol’ blog!  I am so thankful I’m not… [Continue Reading]

Advice from a MOM

Scenario #1: If you plan on getting a snow-cone for your 2-year old, expect this… My Advice: Think about bringing a bib.  Or at least choose a color other than blue…such as pink, white, or yellow.  Be aware that the food coloring that enters the body also exits the body.  I actually have a picture… [Continue Reading]

That’s right, folks!

We are thrilled to announce that we are expecting a baby!  We are all so excited, and can’t wait to meet this new little life that God is creating and forming.  Preston is just excited that he’s still the oldest.  Lilly Katherine is a ball of giggles, and AnnaLeigh is convinced I’m having “2 boys… [Continue Reading]

Happy Memorial Day!

Yesterday morning Brad washed his car before heading off to work.  The girls joined right in because their car was dirty, too.  It’s amazing how much fun one little water hose can create for 2 little maniacs! My pretty little maniac!  She’s wild, she’s giggly, she’s so much fun! Do you know that I could… [Continue Reading]

Banana Bread

This is a regular item at our house.  I make banana bread as often as I can, but as quickly as we eat bananas, I can’t make it often enough.  I stole this recipe from my sister-in-law (Kara) YEARS ago, and I use it to make Banana or Zucchini Bread.  They are interchangeable.  This recipe… [Continue Reading]