Little Valentine

Well, I was finally able to get my camera working and take some pictures of Drew with his Valentine's Day sucker. He was so excited to eat his sucker (he rarely gets to eat candy), and of course, he had to share it with George! He held the sucker up to George's mouth and said, "George bite." We hope that he will share as sweetly with the other children in his class at church as he does with George.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day from Jim, Megan, Drew (and George)!

The Cat in the Hat

Drew and I met some friends at Pottery Barn Kids on Monday morning to see the Cat in the Hat. We waited in a long line to meet him.

Drew wasn't scared of him at all. He petted him and wanted to grab the cat's tie.

Drew's little friend Joseph was a little scared of the cat.

We were glad we went, but it was a little crazy with all those parents and children. I don't know that we would go again unless it was a character that Drew really loves.

My camera has been acting up, so I imported these pictures from Facebook. They were taken by Delena Ollila.

We are spending a day at home today. It is cold and snowy outside again, so we have decided to just stay in.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Calzones

I am sharing this recipe in honor of my mother's recent blog posts about uses for pizza dough. This calzone recipe is one that Jim found on a blog several months ago.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Calzones
Dough:
2 tsp. yeast
1 cup water
2 T olive oil
3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt

Filling:
Mix these first three ingredients together-
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
parsley, salt, and pepper to taste

I like to make my dough with a dough hook in my Kitchen Aid mixer, but you could also mix and then knead the dough by hand. Cover with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
Cut the dough into 4 equal parts , and roll each dough ball into a circle. Fill half of each with chicken, bacon, and ranch mix, a little parsley, and some cheese. Fill half of each with chicken, bacon, and ranch mix, a little parsley, and some cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

This is the finished calzone. You can serve them with a little extra Ranch dressing for dipping, if you wish.

This is what Drew was up to while I was working on the calzones. This is often what he does while I am working in the kitchen. We have to wash the pots ALL the time.

Taco Soup

This is my version of a Taco Soup recipe that I was given by my friend, Beth Scally. Jim and I love it! The original recipe calls for many more beans, and while I like beans a lot, Jim thought that they were a little excessive, so I cut them back a bit. The original recipe also makes a huge amount of soup, and this makes a more manageable amount. Here's the recipe:

Taco Soup
1 pound ground beef
2 cans white corn
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes with mild chilis
1 package ranch dressing mix
1/2 package taco seasoning mix
Brown and drain the beef. Add canned vegetables, liquids and all, and seasonings. Simmer for two hours. Serve topped with shredded cheese and crunched up tortilla chips. (I've also tried sour cream and chopped avocados on top before - both were very good!)
This is such a quick and easy recipe, and it can be done in the crockpot or on the stovetop.

The Busy Little Hawkins Family

I got to go scrapbooking this past Friday evening, and these are the two pages that I was able to finish. I've already posted the bus pictures before, but here is how I scrapped them.

These pictures are from election day. Drew and Joseph came along to help their mothers vote. I am finishing up one other page, and I hope to post it some time soon.

We have been so busy these past few weeks since I have gone back to teaching in the mornings. Between the change in our schedule and all three of us getting colds last week, things have been tiring. I don't know how mothers of young children teach full-time! I am enjoying my students, and fourth grade is a fun change from what I have taught in the past. Because of the business, my blog, among other things, has been neglected, and I am sorry about that. I am hoping that once we are all better, things will fall into more of a routine, and I will be able to stay on top of more than just the essentials again.