Another Muffin Tin Monday

This one was fun (again, as always!).

I took inspiration from the ones already posted (such creativity!)

How do you make ordinary meatloaf, veggies and potato fun??

Turn it into a "Muffin Tin Monday" meal

From top L-R

12 Drummers drumming (pretzel sticks)

11 Pipers piping (i totally stole this--mashed potatoes "piped in" with a piping bag)

10 Lords a Leaping (what makes my daughter leap with joy? candy! sugar!) (Jujubes)

9 Ladies Dancing (Musical notes made with fruit leather)

8 Maids a Milking (Milk)

7 Swans a Swimming (Meatloaf, packaged in a tin foil swan ;) )

6 Geese a Laying (Slice of Egg)

5 Golden Rings (Ring cookie)

4 calling birds (Chicken wing)

3 French Hens (French cut Green Beans)

2 Turtle Doves (Turtle chocolate)

and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (sliced pear)

:)

The Princess was happy!

My son got all the same food, but he doesn't like his food in the muffin tin ;)

(p.s. It looks like a lot of food--its little bites of everything--I actually find that she eats more when it's Muffin Tin Monday. She ate everything except couldn't' finish her chicken wing. She also has to wait for the chocolate/candy part until she's finished the rest)

Muffin Tin Monday

Muffin Tin Monday blog can be found here

I have participated in Muffin Tin Monday's once before and had a blast. I just had forgot all about it. I "liked" the page on fb and saw that today was "Holiday" theme. There were already some great ideas posted and that got me thinking.

I was planning meatballs and rice anyways and after that, it was easy.

I put 3 meatballs together to make "snowmen" but ended up making better snowmen for dessert.

Meatballs (which I joked with my daughter was Reindeer poop), Rice=snow, Sliced carrots=Snowmen noses, Beans=Evergreen boughs.

I then cut up a waffle to try to make it look like a Christmas tree (I tried, it kinda worked)--completed with a star on top.

The best was dessert

:

A marshmallow snowman with pretzels for arms, chocolate sprinkles for eyes, small piece of carrot for a nose, a black gumpdrop cut up for the hat and held together with a thin piece of spaghetti inside!

The snowman was laid on top of some "Christmas lights"--cut up chocolate marshmallow square.

It was fun, Princess loved it and is begging me to do it again next week.

Hi from sunny/not sunny Florida!!

For our 10 year anniversary back in October, my MIL offered us her time share for a week.

She picked a place in Ft Lauderdale and we arrived Friday the 08th for a week in the sun/not sun.
Apparently Florida is having record breaking cold temperatures.
Don't laugh-- I know there is not snow here like back home, but there has been snow in Florida, orange crops are freezing and iguanas are falling out of trees (They are cold blooded ad when there is a cold snap they fall right out of the trees).

Monday morning it was colder in Miami in the morning than Juneau Alaksa--no joke!

So, the first full day here it was cold and rainy. We managed to get to town to buy groceries right before the rains hit.

Andrew looked at maps and travel guides and figured out if we took the trolley--we could get to the grocery store easily, and for 50cents.


We had a nice big walk before finally hailing a trolley--took some pictures on the way.

A pink house for Brenna:



(these signs make me laugh)


The grocery store:


(We took this picture for the kids too--they LOVE the movie "Because of Winn Dixie"

We had a great lunch at a seafood place (Clam Chowder and Clam Fritters for me, burger for hubby)...and came back.

We got to do a video chat via skype with the kids and family who were visiting with Hubby's brother and wife in Toronto.

We also had our first hotel/microwave cooked meal:

Not bad!

Butter Chicken

This is my Sister In Law, Lindsay's recipe (Hi Lindsay!)

We tried it out tonight and it was awesome!!!

(The highlighted sections are the ingredients she omitted when making it.)

I also tried to make Roti, recipe from here.

(I think I need more practice with that one)

Butter Chicken

* 4 chicken breast

* 2 tbsp butter

* 1 1/2 cups chopped onions

* 1 tbsp minced garlic

* 1 1/2 tbsp grated gingerroot

* 1 1/2 tsp chili powder

* 3/4 tsp ground turmeric

* 3/4 tsp ground coriander

* 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

* 1/2 tsp ground cumin

* 1 can (28 oz/798 mL) diced tomatoes, drained

* 1 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

* 1 tbsp brown sugar

* 1/4 tsp salt

* 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

* 1/3 cup light sour cream (not fat-free)

* 1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro

* 1 tbsp cashew/almond butter

* Hot cooked basmati rice (optional)

Directions

1. While chicken is baking, make sauce. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook slowly, stirring often, until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add gingerroot, chili powder, turmeric, ground coriander, cinnamon and cumin. Cook 1 more minute. Add drained tomatoes, broth, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

2. Transfer the sauce to a blender and purée until smooth. Return puréed sauce to pot and heat. Stir in sour cream, cilantro and cashew/almond butter. Add cut-up chicken and mix well. Cook just until chicken is hot. Serve over hot basmati rice, if desired.