time wasted

It's bedtime and I did not finish folding the laundry (I didn't even begin). I also did not make my new September calendar that included Owen's chores. I guess that must be why he didn't finish his chores tonight. I did however upload pictures from Nettie's wedding to Shutterfly and FB, created and ordered a photo book, I also answered all my emails, and recommended some books to my uncle in Virginia. I guess you can say it's been a virtual productive day (as opposed to "virtually productive"). Tomorrow has my name written all over it, but for now it's off to bed to read a real book.
Incidentally, I made tacos for dinner and in place of the lettuce I used fresh baby spinach. My kids ate it without a fuss. My husband ate it without a fuss. What an easy, easy, easy way to add spinach to our diet. Not that my boys are picky about their vegetables but who am I to turn down a gift horse?

Summer Fruit Crisp

I wrote earlier about the yummy peach dessert I made from a magazine. This weekend we had my parents up to visit, as well as our "second" parents so I made the dessert again. I took my mom and dad driving around Brentwood and we went to the Farmer's Daughter farmstand and got some outstanding peaches and yellow pluots. Owen and I ate almost all the pluots and Mom wanted me to save some of the peaches for her to take home, but with the remaining peaches I made the fruit crisp - sooo yummy again! Here is the recipe for any who want to try. It's really easy. Let me know if you make it, and how you like it!

Summer Fruit Crisp
Topping
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup quick-cook oats (I've also used the regular kind and both work just fine)
1/4 cup flour (I use whole wheat flour to give a lil' healthy to this dessert)
5 tbs unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger (I omit this b/c I don't have ginger)
1/8 tsp salt
Filling:
5 cups chopped fresh fruit (I use unpeeled peaches; the recipe used unpeeled plums and blueberries)
3 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs flour
1 tbs orange juice
1/2 tsp orange zest *optional (I omit this too)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine all of the topping ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Rub the mixture together with a fork, pastry blender, or your fingers until in forms clumps (I use a fork).
3. In an 8-inch square baking pan, gently toss the filling ingredients. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit.
4. Bake the dish until the fruit is bubblyl and the topping is crisp, about 30 minutes. Let the dish cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Vanilla ice cream would be wonderful, I think. It calls for something creamy and sweet to accompany this dish.

new recipes

I love magazines. Mainly the "women's interest", but I hate being so predictable. I'm not even sure what that means. I am a woman, and I am interested in a lot of different things. It used to be fashion (a la Glamour or InStyle) but now it veers more towards parenting (Cookie, Parents, & a really good one that was discontinued called Wondertime). I love receiving my new magazines in the mail. The thing that I love about them is the possibility. The possibility that I will cook the recipes, make that throw, wear that outfit, buy that book or game. I have a binder called "Kalynn's Book of Fun" where I keep the pages and pages of ideas that I tear out from magazines. I am not limited to the above titles either. I shamelessly ask the nurses at doctor's offices if I can take their old copies of Sunset or Better Homes & Garden.
This afternoon I found a duplicate "recipes" folder so I combined it with the other to make one big one. I went through and decided to try some tonight. I made "easy pullapart pizza" from Parents. It involves refrigerated pizza dough, sauce, cheese, and spinach. Sounds easy and kind of healthy. It was easy, but a little messy. I made two, since Loren loves pizza. Owen ate it, but wasn't thrilled, Liam ate it (but he'll eat anything. He's Life cereal's Mikey reincarnated). Loren was the big challenge. He likes almost anything that looks or tastes like pizza (even Combos - eww!). His take? "Needs sausage or something. It's too bready". And that summed it up perfectly. The taste was ok, but there was a lot of crust. The reason is the recipe called for the dough to be rolled then sliced like pinwheels. Also, I should have added some extra spices because the sauce was a little bland on its own. Not a recipe that will be repeated here.
However the lowfat chocolate chip cookies? That's another story! The recipe called for pureed dates which was a little off-putting but I persevered. I have been craving chocolate chip cookies, but I have a bridesmaid dress that needs to look good on me in less than one month. Sooo, I fell under the spell of low-fat. They taste ok. It was a good exercise though because the dough was not so good (usually the best part!!) but the finished product wasn't too bad. I sampled a piece, decided it was full-fat or none at all (I'll go with none, at least until after Aug. 22) and saved the cookies for the boys tomorrow. I'll give it to Liam. He'll eat it. He'll eat anything.