A Nest in the Rocks

Building a nest on the rocks of faith and family

Amy

Menu Plan Monday – March 5, 2016

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We’re back in business with a crazy week coming up.  We’ve got an overnight book club event, an evening church gathering, and an out-of-town field trip, so meals are going to be simple.

On the bright side, though, I’m ready for that.  I picked up our Zaycon order last week, and in less than three hours, I had 32 packages of chicken cleaned, bagged, labeled, and in the freezer.  Our book club chicken, for example, is already cut and marinating!  I love being able to prep in advance.

Want more information about ordering hormone-free, fresh-from-the-farm meats from Zaycon?  Click here!

What do you have going on this week?

Breakfast:

Cinnamon Almond Granola @ A Nest in the Rocks

Dinner:

Chocolate Cake

We’re having an early birthday party for our Big Helper this week.  I’m hoping to surprise her with a Goofy Cake!

What are you eating this week?

For more Menu Plan Monday, visit OrgJunkie.

Host a Family Cook-Off Night

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We’ve got a new family tradition – we’ve decided to start holding monthly family cook-offs.

The kids are getting really into this.

Earlier in the month we had a grilled-cheese competition for Valentine’s Day.  I baked different kinds of bread, bought a few varieties of cheese, and preheated the griddle.  Everyone made two sandwiches and we tried them all before crowning a winner.

The kids had so much fun that they asked if we could hold a cook-off every month.

Since My Little Man won the first challenge, he got to choose the theme for this one, and he chose pizza.

Our family rules are simple:

  1. Everyone had to use the same kind of pizza dough.
  2. All ingredients in the kitchen are up for grabs, within reason.
  3. Use a reasonable amount of your chosen ingredient.
  4. The winner chooses the theme for the next challenge.
  5. Everyone else cleans up!

I made a double batch of pizza dough and called everyone to the kitchen.

Family Cook-off

My Little Man went first.  He called his ‘Loaded Pizza’ and it had two kinds of cheese, two kinds of sauce, and several types of meat.

Family Cook-off

My Big Helper stuffed her crust with mozzarella and made a meaty pizza, too.  Her daddy went next, and he experimented with sauce and meat combinations.

I made a homemade Alfredo sauce – the recipe will be here on the blog soon – and made a white pizza with Alfredo, mozzarella, Parmesan, chopped broccoli, and bacon.  Haven’t had it in years, and I’ve really missed it!

Then we voted via silent ballot.  One family rule is that you can’t vote for yourself, and we write our top choices on index cards, giving our favorite more points than the others.

Host a Family Cook-Off Night

My Little Man won again!  He was very excited about that.

Family Cook-off

Check out that pizza!

My Little Man won the right to choose March’s theme.  I wonder what he’ll choose?

In reality, these nights are fun, but I’m seeing other benefits from them, too.  The kids are thinking seriously about ingredients and flavor combinations and how to balance trying new things with realistically using food that must be paid for.  My husband is cooking and preparing dishes – some of which he’s never thought about the preparation process.  I’m learning to be more patient in the kitchen and to step back as they all try things they’ve never attempted before.  It’s a good thing for all of us.

Want to host your own family cook-off?  Check out these resources:

 

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Hearts for Home Blog Hop – March 3, 2016

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My favorite time to search for creative posts is when there’s something special coming up.  With both St. Patrick’s Day and Easter right around the corner, you’re guaranteed to find lots of fun ideas at this week’s Hearts for Home Blog Hop!

A Nest in the Rocks is now one of the co-hosts for the weekly Hearts for Home Blog link-up, which means that every Thursday you’ll find lots of great tips, recipes, and other family-friendly ideas listed throughout this post. If you’re a blogger, we’d love to have you link up your posts and join us. You can find information about the other co-hosts of this hop here.

The most clicked post from last week was How Does a Family of  4 Survive on $17,000 (Part 3).

Some of my favorite posts from last week were:

– How to Make an American Girl DollHouse

– 50 St Patrick Day Ideas

– Honey Bee Coloring Pages – In All You Do

If your post is listed above, please grab one of our ‘Featured Blogger’ buttons! Congratulations, and thanks for writing such inspiring posts.


Please share your family friendly posts with us!

By linking up you agree that if your blog post is selected to be featured on any of our hosts’ blogs that we can use an image from your post with a link back to your post. 

Double Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake

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Cheesecake

My husband took me out for Valentine’s Day about bought the most amazing piece of cheesecake for our dessert.  I’ve never had anything like it – it was the perfect chocolate food.  Smooth, silky, and rich, it was absolutely wonderful.

So color me thrilled when he decided later that he’d try to make one for me himself.

This is what he came up with.

The texture is a bit different than the restaurant version, but it’s no less amazing.  It’s chocolate-y and rich and completely decadent. 

I think that he needs to make these on a very regular, frequent basis – right??

If you like cheesecake or chocolate or dessert, grab your supplies and get baking.  You won’t be sorry.  (The extra-good news, besides the it’s-delicious part?  This cheesecake is easy.  No water baths, no foil bibs for the pans, no myriads of ingredients necessary.  All told, for a cheesecake, it’s pretty simple – which means you get to enjoy it sooner.)

Oh – and be prepared to hide the results.  You won’t want to share.

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Double Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake

Ingredients

  • 18 crushed chocolate sandwich cookies with the icing removed
  • 2 T. melted butter
  • 3 8-oz packages of cream cheese
  • 3/4 c. sugar
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 3/4 c. hazelnut liqueur
  • 8 oz. semi-sweet Baker's chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
  • 3 eggs

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Mix cookie crumbs and butter.
  3. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9" springform pan.
  4. Bake crumb crust for 10 minutes.
  5. Beat cream cheese, sugar, liqueur, and vanilla with mixer until blended.
  6. Add melted chocolate and mix well.
  7. Mix in eggs individually.
  8. Pour cream cheese mixture over crust.
  9. Bake for 50 minutes.
  10. Chill for 4 hours before removing from pan.
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Are you a cheesecake fan?  Try this amazing Black Magic Cake, which has a cheesecake center, or these Party Perfect Cheesecakes.  Yum!

 

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Enter the “Cold Shot” Sweepstakes Today!

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Enter the COLD SHOT Sweepstakes from Author Dani Pettrey!
 

In COLD SHOT, the first book of author Dani Pettrey’s brand new Chesapeake Valor series, park ranger Griffin McCray and forensic anthropologist Finley Scott uncover buried remains near the Civil War battleground of Little Round Top. There’s only one problem: the bones aren’t Civil War-era.

Griffin just wants the case to go away, but when Finley discovers evidence pointing to the work of an expert sniper, the case connects them with FBI agent Declan Grey, and crime scene investigator Parker Mitchell, friends from a past Griffin’s tried to leave behind.

Soon the reunited friends realize they’ll need to confront the darkest days in their shared history if they–and those they care about–are going to escape a downward spiral of crime, danger, and murder.

To celebrate the launch of this exciting new series, Dani and Bethany House Publishers are pleased to present the COLD SHOT SWEEPSTAKES, and your chance to win one of three marvelous prizes, all closely connected to the story.

Timeframe & Notifications:

This giveaway starts February 16, 2016 and ends March 7, 2016 @ 11:59 pm (PST).
Entry is open to US residents only, age 18 and over. Winners will be selected Tuesday, March 8, 2016, and announced at DaniPettrey.com.

 

About the Prizes

GRAND PRIZE:
Cold Shot Sweepstakes Grand Prize

ROAD TRIP REUNION GETAWAY

In COLD SHOT, Griffin reunites with friends after they’ve drifted apart over the years. Do you have a friend you want to reconnect with? Here’s your chance to hit the road with them for a friend getaway!

Our Grand Prize winner will receive: A $250 gift certificate to BedandBreakfast.com, good for reservations at lodges across the Continental US, plus a $50 Darden restaurants gift card, and a Chesapeake Bay tote bag, to pack your road trip essentials.

 

 

SECOND PRIZE:

FINLEY’S FAVORITES PACK

Cold Shot Sweepstakes Second Prize
Finley has a lifelong love of travel and exploration, something captured in her cozy home decor, right down to her steamer trunk coffee table. This prize gives you a chance to have a steamer trunk just like Finley’s, and a coffee table book from the Chesapeake Bay to go with it.

Our Second Prize winner will receive: A $150 value cedar wood steamer trunk and vivid Maryland coffee table photo book.

 

 

TASTE OF MARYLAND KIT

Cold Shot Sweepstakes Third PrizeTHIRD PRIZE:
COLD SHOT is sure to leave you with a craving for the mouth-watering snacks Griffin, Finley, and the rest of the crew enjoy in the story. If you wish you could sample Chesapeake’s one-of-a-kind local fare too, this prize is for you.

Our Third Prize winner will receive: The beautifully lithographed, $50 value Taste of Maryland Tin, including the Chesapeake Bay Cookbook and famed local treats such as Old Bay Seasoning, Maple Syrup, Maryland crab soup mix, specialty dip, and Goetze’s Caramel Creams.

 

 

How to Enter:

Go to: http://www.danipettrey.com/cold-shot-sweepstakes/ and complete the entry box, anytime between February 16 – March 7, 2016.

 

1 Easy Way to Teach about the American Southwest

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American Southwest

Recently my Little Man asked to read Elise Broach’s book Missing on Superstition Mountain.  I knew he would love it – it’s packed full of adventure, danger, and treasure hunting – but I hesitated.  This book is perfect for teaching about the American Southwest.  There are many, many threads that can be tugged to build deeper learning and critical thinking. 

 

So we made a deal:  he would wait to read the book until I had created some ‘stuff’ to go along with it, and then I would give him a week off from school to read the book and complete the ‘stuff.’  I’ve been hard at work creating a series of fun extension activities to accompany it ever since, and it’s DONE!  I’ve created a web-linked novel study that incorporates your typical vocabulary quizzes and creative writing assignments, but also has math, science, and history activities, too.  Many include writing or art projects.  All of it can be done individually or cooperatively.

How to Teach your Students about the American Southwest

Since it’s made and finished, I’d like to share it with you!  Missing on Superstition Mountain is a fantastic book that’s sure to excite any child about treasure hunting and solving mysteries.  Better yet, it’s based on the real history and legends of the Superstition Mountain Range in Arizona (and this study has more about that linked up for your convenience, too!).   It’s also the first book in a trilogy, and since the other two books are just as great as this one, novel studies will be coming soon for the other books in the series.

Missing on Superstition Mountain will make a great book club pick for upper-elementary or middle school book clubs.  Our boys’ club will be reading this story next fall, and I can’t wait to see what they think of it.

So don’t delay – go Missing on Superstition Mountain and catch gold fever yourself.

How do you keep your children excited about learning?

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Menu Plan Monday – February 27, 2016

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Last week’s slow week?  It’s long gone. 

We’re back in business week with lots going on, so our meal plan is going to reflect that.  I’m also going to be picking up my first Zaycon chicken order and prepping all 40 pounds for the freezer, so  …. expect to see some chicken on the menu over the next few months.

Want more information about ordering hormone-free, fresh-from-the-farm meats from Zaycon?  Click here!

What do you have going on this week?

Breakfast:

Cinnamon Almond Granola @ A Nest in the Rocks

Dinner:

Last week didn’t end up being as slow as I’d hoped, and I never did get these made.  I’m determiend to give these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies a try this week!

What are you eating this week?

For more Menu Plan Monday, visit OrgJunkie.

Do Your Kids Sing in Spanish?

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My Little Man sings everywhere he goes.  For a kid who refused to sing at all for the first four years of his life, he’s making up for lost time quickly.

Spanish

Now, though, he’s singing in Spanish.

It’s funny to hear, but I love it.  Each day as he and his big sister watch their Foreign Languages for Kids video, they shout along with the opening.  As they get to words or pieces of dialogue that they already know, the quote along with the video.

Sing in Spanish

And when the video has a review feature at the end, they sing along with it. 

Loudly.

I love watching them sing along with their Spanish lesson, but the best part is the lessons aren’t musical.  They’re videos with kids talking, playing, etc., but they don’t sing.  My kids love it that much, though.  Their call-and-response back to the video takes on a singing quality that is sweet to hear.

They’re learning Spanish.

They’re having fun.

School doesn’t get better than that.

Want to know how you can have your kids singing along in Spanish, too?  Hop over here for more information about Foreign Languages for Kids.

Want the nitty-gritty?  Here it is:

  • We started using FLFK in September.
  • We watch the videos a few times each week, watching each one several times until we’re comfortable with the vocabulary.
  • We’re working on Lesson 20 now.  Some lessons we watch more than others, and some days we go back and review older lessons.  I’m sure we could probably be further along, but I’m content with going slowly and making sure the kids really understand it.
  • My Little Man is continuing to sprinkle random Spanish words into everyday conversation.  It’s funny how a new word will show up and everyone freezes, just looking at him, until he laughs and says, “What?  Don’t you know __?”  I love how happy he is with his newfound knowledge!

Foreign Languages for Kids is by far the best program I’ve found for learning a foreign language in elementary school.  It’s fun and easy.  I’m so thankful for FLFK!

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Hearts for Home Blog Hop – February 24, 2016

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A Nest in the Rocks is now one of the co-hosts for the weekly Hearts for Home Blog link-up, which means that every Thursday you’ll find lots of great tips, recipes, and other family-friendly ideas listed throughout this post. If you’re a blogger, we’d love to have you link up your posts and join us. You can find information about the other co-hosts of this hop here.

The most clicked post from last week was St. Patrick’s Day Online Unit Study.

Some of my favorite posts from last week were:

– 10 Surprising Uses for Witch Hazel

– 5 Chromatography Experiments

– Free St Patrick Day Coloring Pages & Printables

If your post is listed above, please grab one of our ‘Featured Blogger’ buttons! Congratulations, and thanks for writing such inspiring posts.

Please share your family friendly posts with us!

By linking up you agree that if your blog post is selected to be featured on any of our hosts’ blogs that we can use an image from your post with a link back to your post. 

Garlic Alfredo Pasta

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Garlic Alfredo Pasta

 

Every night’s a good night for pasta, right?  When a meeting got thrown into the mix at the last minute, the meal I had planned wouldn’t work.  I was stumped – I had a beautiful, cook-and-serve-immediately dinner on the brain, and now we needed something that could be prepped ahead of time.

That’s where this Garlic Alfredo Pasta dish comes in. 

I’ve been hungry for some pasta fettuccini Alfredo, anyway, and this dish has all of those flavors.  Instead of serving it as individual dishes, though, as I normally would, I combined it into a casserole that contained all the food groups – and lest that sound ‘weird,’ trust me – these are delicious combinations.

It’s not exactly a one-dish dinner, of course, since each component needs to be prepared individually, but it’s definitely a cut above your typical casserole.  It would be a great dish to double and stick the second into the freezer or to gift one to a friend or neighbor. 

So what is Garlic Alfredo Pasta, anyway?

It’s marinated chicken with steamed broccoli and pasta smothered in a light, garlicky Alfredo sauce and topped with gooey mozzarella cheese.

Yum.

Garlic Alfredo Pasta
Serves 4
A decadently creamy take on Fettuccini Alfredo
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646 calories
77 g
83 g
19 g
42 g
10 g
465 g
725 g
9 g
0 g
7 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
465g
Servings
4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 646
Calories from Fat 163
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 19g
28%
Saturated Fat 10g
50%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 83mg
28%
Sodium 725mg
30%
Total Carbohydrates 77g
26%
Dietary Fiber 6g
25%
Sugars 9g
Protein 42g
Vitamin A
34%
Vitamin C
108%
Calcium
48%
Iron
17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Does this look wrong?
Ingredients
  1. 12 oz pasta
  2. 2 chicken breasts, cleaned, cut in 1-inch pieces
  3. Italian marinade
  4. 1 lb frozen broccoli
  5. 4 T. butter
  6. 4 T. flour
  7. 2 T. minced garlic
  8. 1 1/2 c. chicken broth
  9. 1 1/2 c. whole milk
  10. 3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
  11. 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
  12. salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Saute the chicken in the Italian dressing in a hot skillet. Toss frequently for 4-6 minutes until browned and cooked through. Remove from heat.
  2. Cook pasta. Add the broccoli to the pasta pot for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
  3. Drain pasta and set aside.
  4. In the empty pasta pot, melt the butter.
  5. Stir in the garlic and simmer for 2 minutes.
  6. Stir in the flour.
  7. Slowly add the chicken stock, stirring constantly.
  8. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens.
  9. Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese.
  10. In a buttered casserole dish, layer the chicken, the pasta, and the broccoli.
  11. Pour the sauce over the top.
  12. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top.
  13. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly.
  14. Serve immediately.
beta
calories
646
fat
19g
protein
42g
carbs
77g
more
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