Christmas in July Sale

Well, we're just back from vacation and in a festive mood!!  The entire shop will be 25% off from now until the 25th of July with the coupon code XMAS25 so if you've been thinking of picking up some sheets, do it now!!

Banana Muffins

My mom used to make these from her cookbook, "Muffin Mania" when I was a kid. Seriously, the best Banana Muffins around.  Add a handful of chocolate chips for an especially delicious treat.

Best Ever Banana Muffins

3 large Ripe Bananas
¾ cup Sugar
1 Egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup melted Butter;

Mash bananas.  Add sugar and slightly beaten egg. Add melted butter.
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Salt
1 ½ cups Unbleached Flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients and add to banana mixture just until blended. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 10 - 12 regular muffins.

Beef Enchiladas

The last time I made these I found myself salsa dancing very badly around the kitchen while singing, "La Cucaracha".  Of course I only know the La Cucaracha line so the rest of the words become do, do, do, do, do, do, do.  I didn't realize Gabe and Maddie were watching me until Gabe yelled, "Nice dance moves, Mommy!".  And that Gabe-man, is why you were my favourite child for about a minute!

Seriously, these are really delicious and easy to make.  They take a bit of time because you need to make the components and then assemble but the trick is to double the recipe, make two batches (which adds about 5 minutes) and freeze one or two entire pans.  The recipe comes from a forum for wedding planning and new moms I used to frequent.  A lot of my "Fake Friends", as my husband Greg calls the ladies (and gents!) on there, are excellent cooks!

WB Enchiladas

1 can Refried Beans
2 cups Shredded Cheese
10 8 inch Tortillas

Enchilada Filling
1 lb Ground Beef
1 pkg Taco Seasoning
1 cup Water
2 cups Cooked Rice

Red Sauce
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves-minced
1 teaspoon Onion-minced
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
2 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Basil
1/4 teaspoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Parsley
1/4 cup Salsa
1 6 oz can Tomato Sauce
1 1/2 cups Water
Salt and Pepper

Make The Sauce:
Heat Oil in large sauce pan.  Add Garlic, saute 1 minute.  Add Onion, Spices, Tomato Sauce and Salsa.  Mix well, then stir in Water.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes.  Set aside.

Get your Rice on.

Make the Filling:
In a large skillet, brown Ground Beef.  Drain.  Stir in Taco Seasoning and Water.  Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.  Stir in rice and stir until liquid has evaporated.

Now, Assemble: 
Spread 2 tablespoons Refried Beans, 1/4 cup Beef Mixture and 1 tablespoon Cheese down the center of each Tortilla.  Roll it up and place it seam down in greased 9X13 inch pans.  Top with the Red Sauce and more Cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Serve hot with Salsa, Sour Cream and Cilantro. 

Madras Soup

This is a new category for the blog where I'm going to post some of my Best Ever recipes.  I really like to cook and bake and for the most part, am happy to eat anything!!  However, there are a few recipes that I've stumbled upon, been given or begged to have.  I'll update with pictures as I make them over the next few weeks.  I'm going to start with Madras Soup...so delicious and my friend Rebecca Haggett just facebooked me for the recipe! 

This was the house soup in the restaurant, My Place, in Smiths Falls.  It has the classic Indian curry taste with a bit of sweet.  Yum!  My quite persuasive and persistent Aunt begged for the recipe from the chef.  Enjoy!!

Madras Soup

Ingredients
1 cup finely chopped Onion
1 tablespoon Butter
1/2 cup chopped Celery
4 teaspoons Curry Powder
1 1/4 teaspoons Tumeric
1 1/4 teaspoons Coriander
4 cups Chicken Stock
1 can Coconut Milk
2 cups Whipping Cream
1 chopped Apple
1/2 cup plumped Raisins (soak in water)
1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened Coconut
1 can mango, drained and chopped
1 can apricots, drained and chopped
(Save juice from both cans)
2 T Corn Starch

Directions:
Saute onion in butter until soft.  Add celery and saute.  Add spices.  Mix well.  Add stock and coconut milk.  Stir to blend.

Add apples, raisins and coconut, cook until apples begin to soften.

Add mango and apricots and cook further until all fruit begins to soften.  Add cream and heat again.  Mix juice from mango and apricots with corn starch and add to soup.  Cook until thickened.

Mud

This is my youngest daughter, Bekah.  We went to the park last week where she found a mud puddle and had a great time dancing in it.  I watched, cringing a little but amazed how happy she was.  Who can be stressed about laundry when this is the pure joy mud can create?

I have realised I am a logical consequences mom.  I skimmed a great book, "Honey, I Screwed up the Kids" a couple of years ago and it just made sense.  Are all the fights you have with your kids worth it?  If they go out without a coat, what will happen?  They will get cold and want to wear the one I always have in the car or stroller.  So far, no hypothermia at my house.  What happens if they don't eat lunch?  They will eat a healthy snack an hour later.  Well fed kids in my house.  What will happen if they take a bath in a mud puddle? They'll be dirty and need a real bath....like Bekah did.

There is a time and a place and a need to choose fights with your kids.  When they're doing something unsafe, rude, or simply something I can't handle letting them do, I put my foot down.  I choose dumb fights too...I hate letting my two year old choose what to wear.  She has so many gorgeous clothes but always wants to wear things that don't match or aren't season appropriate.  Stupidly, I sometimes bully her into wearing what I want.

I really was the best parent ever before I had kids....

Four years ago today....

Four years ago today, I was sitting at St. Joe's hospital hooked up to an IV of pitosin while enjoying my epidural, blissfully unaware of what having a baby really meant.  A couple of hours later, I met my first baby and my only little man, Gabe, and realized how much he meant to me.  I was hit upside the head with emotion.  I loved him so much yet worried I would do everything wrong, heck, the world would do everything wrong to him.  I remember crying one night to my husband saying, "We shouldn't have done this.  Having Gabe was a big mistake...someone is going to be mean to him and I just can't take that thought".  Yup, that was where I was emotionally.

After about a week, I came out of the baby blues haze and began to jump through every hoop that little guy put in front of me.  We danced every morning, had two baths a day because it made him happy and I wore him in a sling most of the time.  I showered oh so quickly while he tolerated his bouncy chair with a hair dryer on beside it.  Gabe only slept for an hour at a time at night and we planned naptimes for in front of the TV.  I was set with snacks, a cup of tea, the phone set to mute and the remote beside me every afternoon.  Sometimes we drove the 400 highway series loop for some variety...

Slowly, Gabe grew up which gets us to today, the eve of his fourth birthday.  I think back to those baby days and what a good little pair we made and it makes me smile.  While our family has grown into a bigger team, I hope Gabe and I always are a perfect pair.  Gabe makes me smile everyday with his quips that begin "Actually, Mommy...." when I'm being corrected or his new love of puns.  I love hearing him read and sing and he can kick a soccer ball down the block.  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect first baby who has grown into a perfect preschooler for me.  Happy Birthday, Gabe-Man.

Cowboys, Flowers and Stripes...Oh my!

Counting Sheep Company is branching out...we've added some gorgeous new patterns to our shop!

Counting Sheep makes waterproof crib, play yard and twin sheets.  These make night time changes for any reason super quick and easy and less to wash the next day!  In addition to our basic colours, we've added four new patterns: a Retro Cowboy Print, Nautical Stripes, Modern Flowers and Tropical Pink Flowers. 

Shopping for new fabrics is so much fun!!  Keep an eye on the shop and our Facebook page for more patterns including another vintage inpired cowboy print, pink stripes and little kittens who have lost their mittens!  Check out our Facebook page and click Like to be entered in a draw for a crib sheet of your choice when we hit 100 fans!  Let your friends know!

Just for fun...here is a picture of my "team" hard at work:

 Thanks for reading! 

Bekah is 1!

Today is my last baby's first birthday.  I'll never again mark age by month, never swaddle up a newborn, never fall asleep nursing.  I'll miss catching that first smile, first bite of sweet potato, first step alone, first five hour stretch of sleep.  And that makes me a bit sad, I won't lie.  But, I won't miss carrying a heavy bucket seat, endless overnight up and downs, or poop explosions.  And we are no longer sustaining Walmart single handedly with our formula puchases!

I absolutely love the little person she is becoming.  She can do a perfect nose scrunch, eats her weight in any kind of pasta and loves to splash herself with water in the face.  I just want to eat her up.

Even being the third, Bekah and I have had some fabulous times this past year.  She and I waited patiently to see Kate's dress at 4 AM, we danced until late at Uncle Brent's wedding and she came fabric shopping in Montreal with my mom and I on the train.  We knew from the start she was a keeper!

Cheers to you tonight, Bekah....your mommy loves you so much, my beautiful girl.

Happy Easter

Hooray!  I've been trying to get on the Blog Bandwagon for months now and am super excited to be going for a ride.

Let me introduce myself!!  I am a stay at home mom to three little people under four, Gabe, Maddie and Bekah who definitely keep me on my toes.  In my past life, I was a teacher in a middle school and loved it most days. 

I have a great little etsy shop that sells waterproof crib, playpen and single bed sheets.  A must for me as you can imagine... 

This post is cut short because Maddie just showed up with face cream in her hair and it's time for a shower....

Sarah

www.etsy.com/shop/countingsheepcompany
www.facebook.com/countingsheepcompany