Crockpot Salmon. Yep, you read that right

So I ran out of propane over the weekend. And when I went to go setup an account to have more propane delivered I found out that they want to do a leak check on top of the very nice and high costs of the propane with delivery. Let's face it a 75 gallon propane tank is not going to fit in my tiny little hybrid. And this stove is probably not going to pass a leak check. So, that got me to thinking and panicking. How am I going to cook? Especially how am I going to make pasta for Tot? So I went out and bought one of those dual burner hot plates. It's going to sit on the stovetop. And I can utilize my two crockpots for the rest of the cooking. I'm lazy enough that I can handle everything being in one pot, right? Well, the first dish was salmon. I made stuffing and squash to go along with it in the microwave. Told you I was lazy!

Awesome Salmon:
1-1.5 lb salmon filet. (I left the skin on)

Sauce/glaze:
1 TBSP. Spicy Brown mustard (I used grey poupon with the onions in it)
1 tsp. honey
3 heaping TBSP. coarse ground country mustard (I used the grey poupon on this one too)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (I eyeballed it.  There was probably a little more than that.)

Mix these 4 ingredients together until they are nicely incorporated and almost runny.

Put the salmon in a very well greased/sprayed crock pot skin side down. Dump the sauce over the salmon and make sure to spread it on as much of the fish as possible. Set the cooker on low for 2.5 hours. Then enjoy!

This was really good. The babysitter liked it. Tot at least looked at it but he wasn't in any mood to try anything last night. I enjoyed it so much that I forgot to take a picture of my plate so I took one of Tot's and trust me when I say that the picture does the meal no justice. And I actually spooned the sauce from the crockpot over my squash because I ate that last and the sauce started thicken up in there a little as it cooled down. So, this is a keeper!

The Joys of Sleeping With A 3 Year Old

Tot has been sleeping with me for the past couple weeks because my mom was visiting and then after she left he still had a yeast infection. The infection was waking him up because his diaper had exploded a couple times each night requiring changing of all sorts. He's in disposables for just a couple more days and then I can get him back in cloth which my sanity and wallet will greatly appreciate. He's not willing to learn how to use any size potty so I need to look into my future cloth options with him. That's a tangent for another day though. Tot let me sleep in. I should have known that something was up though when he got out of bed and I heard a shaking noise. He was bored waiting for me and Baby to wake up which is what led to this....

And me having to do this....

With the final result of salvaging....

He had stuffed his amber necklace into Baby's new toy. Thankfully I managed to save it without it breaking. I'd like for Baby to be able to size up into it since Tot doesn't wear it that often. She leaves hers alone since she's used to it being there. I didn't get Tot one early enough so he likes to treat it like a toy when he tires of wearing it. I keep telling him when he's done he needs to give it to me to put it in a safe place. I think I'll keep repeating that mantra for the days he's wearing it.

Onto the food!

We have a constant power struggle in the house over food.  Tot only eats certain things.  There are things I don't like or can't eat.  So, I'm about to get started on that pesky New Years list involving food.  I want to start working on clearing some things out of the pantry so I can really start with a really fresh, and hopefully healthy, pantry by mid year.  That means I also want to get together a list of things that should be canned this year so we always have something we can grab and eat of out there for quick dinners and more specifically quick lunches.  There are a number of things on my plate for today since Tot goes back to school tomorrow.  But, the biggest thing is to take stock of what's in my pantry and then come up with some great recipes so we'll have some good things to eat.  I'll post a list later of what I have in there so I can reference it later.  Right now, time to get dressed and hang a blanket out on the line.  It had been sitting waiting to be washed since the summer and I just was too lazy to throw it in.  Well, now it's clean so I gotta get it dry so I can put it on the bed tonight.

It's a new year...already?

Where did last year go?  I had a baby.  Tot is getting bigger and finally starting to talk a little more.  He starts back up at preschool again next week so we'll see what his speech therapy does for him in the following months.  Hubs is still training at the moment for the job.  He just had a minor injury and is worried how that will affect his final and graduation which is soon.  So, I've got my fingers crossed because I don't know how much more roller coaster riding I can do without needing a trip to the cardiologist.  Baby, aka Daredevil, aka The Destroyer, is really getting that walking thing down.  She's becoming independent of sorts.  She still comes to me for loving with every fall unless Tot gets to her first to kiss her boomers away.  So, really where did this past year go?

Well, like I said there the arrival of Baby.  She is as breath-taking today as she was almost a year ago.  Her first birthday is arriving soon.  I can't believe it.  Hubs finally got into the field and job he'd been waiting on for almost two years.  This meant that we got to finally move out of the living with family situation that had been taking place for two and a half years too long.  Thank you to our family that put up with us because I know it was hard on everyone involved.  And Tot...well, we're still working to help Tot with things.  But, he is fabulous.  There are days he makes me want to pull out every single hair on my body with a pair of tweezers and there are days that he make my heart melt in a big pile of mush.  And I am just taking it all as it comes.

I have some plans for myself this year:

I plan on doing some sort of couch to 5K thing whether it's walking or running.  It will most likely be walking because until I'm done nursing I don't have a sports bra strong enough to provide the support I need not to be knocked out by the artillery while running.  I have visions of that though in the future.  The running, not being knocked out by artillery.

I plan on using up everything in my pantry by mid-year and making a few dietary changes to be healthier.  This includes doing more meal planning especially since there are just so many fantastic recipes out there to try.

I plan on starting a garden and growing some of my own favorite veggies to eat and can.  Which means I plan on having a pressure canner this year.  The water bath is fun but there are lots of things I'd love to just be able to grab from the pantry and eat rather than buying prepackaged.

I plan on doing a few sewing and knitting projects for myself.  I do them for the kids and Hubs already.  It's about time I do something for me as well.

And I plan on deciding my next course of action for finishing up that pesky Bachelor's degree that I always keep meaning to finish.  My biggest problem with that is that it's just a piece of paper.  And if I get that then I know I'll want to go onto get a Master's which means I generally have to decide what I want to major in.  My problem all along really.  I want to do something that I'll enjoy if/when I ever go back out into the 9-5 world instead of being only a 24/7 (Stay at home wife/mother for those not in the know).  As it stands I still don't know what that would be.  And I still couldn't tell you what I'm good at or what I'd excel in and feel fulfilled.  I did the 9-5 thing before and I worked where I was incredibly unhappy and plain angry.  The paycheck provided a roof over my head and food on the table but I was miserable.  I want more than a paycheck the next time.

So, there it is.  My list for the next year.  Not much.  Not impressive compared to anyone elses, but it's my list and that suits me just fine.  And since it's taken me the better part of the day to get this written I need to go finish supervising dinner and what's being eaten.  Tot still has half a plate and is off playing with the laundry to go in the washer.  And Baby Daredevil is well... just that.  Being a daredevil and giving the cutest smiles she can muster because she knows she's doing things she shouldn't be doing like pulling all the diapers off the changing table.  And she brought one out to me and is chewing on the tag.  Good thing Bum Genius doesn't void warranty for tag chewing.   Off to mind the zoo.  Happy New Year all!