F-U-N spells blueberry

We four Groveman's went blueberry picking and had a great time. This family loves blueberries and can't keep enough of them in the house! We got to take a little ride on a trailer being pulled by a tractor, which was cool, and then we were all shoved into the same aisle and told not to leave the aisle, which wasn't cool. But we made the best of it, and picked a couple pounds or so.

My MBPS (Mississippi-blueberry-picking-skills) kicked in shortly after arriving, and we were on a mission.

Cora even managed to pick a few while sitting in the stroller. I looked over at one point, and she had a good grip on the branch with one hand, and then was shoving blueberries in her mouth with the other hand. She's quite resourceful, and seems to fend for herself rather easily!

Quinn is waiting, with stick in hand, for the trailer to take us back to our car.

Craving Cinnamon Rolls!

I have been craving these since before Christmas (ha!) and I finally made the time to whip them out today. It was well worth it, and not too time-consuming thanks to my lovely breadmaker. It was scrumptulescent (inside joke here). Everyone in my family scarfed them down after dinner, and there is still plenty to eat in the fridge for breakfast tomorrow! They really do taste exactly like those fancy ones at the mall, which I've heard have more calories than a Big Mac, but sometimes you just need one on a Thursday night.

Be sure to use bread flour instead of regular flour!

Cinnamon Rolls

• Ingredients
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 small package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

• 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons milk

Directions

1. In the pan of your bread machine, combine water, melted butter, vanilla pudding, warm milk, egg, 1 tablespoon sugar, salt, bread flour and yeast. Set machine to Dough cycle; press Start.
2. When Dough cycle has finished, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 17x10 inch rectangle. Spread with softened butter. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over dough.
3. Roll up dough, beginning with long side. Slice into 16 one inch slices and place in 9x13 buttered pan. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. While rolls bake, mix together cream cheese, softened butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk with electric mixer. Remove rolls from oven and top with frosting.

photo from allrecipes.com

Cora's birthday celebration!

I love this first shot because it is such a tangible expression of Cora's deep love for her daddy. She absolutely LOVES Israel and gives him long and lingering hugs each day. He thinks she's pretty special too, to say the least.

Cora had such a wonderful birthday on July 7th. She turned 1, and she was very happy about it! We really missed all the extended family that couldn't come, especially my mom, dad, and sis, and Kyle, but they were all here in spirit!

Cora got to sit on Uncle Judah's new Harley, which she wasn't too sure about, but I think she looks like a natural biker chick. yikes.

Quinn looked pretty cool on the bike too. He was clear that he didn't want us to turn it on while he was on it. haha.

Cora had to take a water break in between opening her gifts. She was working up a sweat. She drank for about 30 seconds. ha!

As we did with Quinn (which would be fun to post his 1st birthday photos here too), we let Cora dig into her cake. She loved it, and dove in head first!

We are looking forward to Quinn's 3rd birthday next month!

Chicken Satay

Yummy yummy yum.

That's how good it is. And add in some veggie kebabs and your family is LOVIN' your mean grilling skills. Pictured above is only half of what I cooked. And none was left with our 4 hungry mouths around.

from my friend Jaylin

Chicken Satay

1 ½ lb of boneless, skinless chicken

½ cup of coconut milk

2 tablespoons of fish sauce

3 tbs light brown sugar

2tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

1 tbs madras curry powder

kebab skewers (sticks)

Cut chicken into large chunks for kebabs. In large bowl, stir together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. Soak the kabob sticks in water or chicken broth for at least 20 minutes. Then stick the chicken onto the skewers, allowing for a bit of space between each piece. To some of the skewers, I added cut up onions, zucchinis, cherry tomatoes, and even wrapped fresh thyme and basil around the skewers as well. Spray foil with PAM and place the skewers on the hot grill for a few minutes each side.

Peanut Sauce (for meat/veggie dipping)

• 1 cup smooth peanut butter

• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons red chili paste, such as sambal or chipotle chili powder

• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

• 2 tablespoon of lime juice

• 1/2 cup coconut milk (or more to thin out as needed)

• 1 tablespoon of minced fresh ginger root- Optional powder but fresh is always better.

• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, optional for garnish

Some people like garlic in their peanut sauce, like me, so add it if you like.

Combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, red chili paste, brown sugar, ginger, and lime juice in a food processor or blender. Puree to combine. While the motor is running, drizzle in the coconut milk to thin out the sauce, you may not need all of it. Pour the sauce into a nice serving bowl and garnish with the chopped peanuts. Serve with chicken satay on the side.

Yield: 3 cups

I made these into kebabs, but if you are short on time (did I just say that? I am the one usually short on time), you could just throw it on a grill pan with a bit of oil on the stove, turning once for even cooking.

someone turned 1 yesterday

Cora had a very special day yesterday! We are so grateful for her and how much joy that comes bubbling forth every morning, noon, and night! More photos to come!