Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Bars

I just love pecan pie during the holidays. I have been making a chocolate pecan pie for Thanksgiving the last few years. I wanted to change it up this year well from a pie to bars.
I found this recipe on Pinterest for Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars! Delish! Of course they were super easy to make which is always a good thing for me. Just a little easy too devour - I had to keep them on my porch so I would not sneak one each time I walked by.
I am very thankful for my three season porch so I can store all my holiday baking there and it is out of sight out of mind! Back to the bars please make these this holiday season you will not be sorry. Just eat one and give the rest to teachers, neighbors, your family. They will thank you!

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Bars:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips( I used dark chocolate chips from Ghiradelli)
2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat 1 stick room-temp butter, brown sugar, flour,and salt until coarse crumbs form. Pour mixture into prepared pan; press firmly into bottom.

3. Bake until lightly browned, 25-30 minutes. Let cool, 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in same large bowl, mix eggs, corn syrup, granulated sugar, and 2 TBS melted butter until well combined. Add chocolate chips and pecans; spread over crust.

5. Bake until set, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in pan before lifting out (use foil to lift). Cut into 32 bars.

Source: Food.com

Twenty Three

Today is a special day for Ron and I. It is our "dating" anniversary - which we consider our first kiss.
Somehow I snuck out of the house that evening - he picked me up , gave me a rose from SA and we had our first kiss! Isn't that just special. Hope my parents are not reading this, I might get grounded!
We have been together for twenty three years - yikes that is along time!
Twenty three years ago a boy kissed me, we fell in love, we have been married sixteen years, have two beautiful children, a lovely little house, traveled, laughed, cried, yelled, cried and laughed! We have built a beautiful life together with our children, families and friends who surround us with love and support. It's not a perfect life by any means. I can say that I would not change one thing - I am thankful for this journey that we have had together.
I love you Ron!

My prom 1991:



Duluth June 2011:

Smores Bar

I came across this recipe awhile back. I have made this recipe a couple times. Do you think I took a picture? NO! Why? Because they are so good that we just devoured them up!
So that means for you make them soon! If you are worried about making something that will sit around and you end up finishing the pan. Don't worry your husband,children, neighbors or co -workers will probably finish the pan before you get a hold of a piece!
The picture is from Lovin' From the Oven along with this wonderful bar recipe! Enjoy!



Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Makes 16 cookie bars.

Source: Lovin From the Oven

Trick or Treat

Why is that halloween seems to be so busy.. Busy weekend, busy day.
Here is how our day went: I volunteered at Mira's school for her halloween party pretty much I was there all day. Not used to working with kids all days my ears were ringing by the time I got home. Picked up Tyler from school, made some dinner and then got ready. Ron busted his butt at work so he could join us in the festivities - whata man!
Tyler decided not to go out this year and passed out candy. About an hour before Mira was going to go out Tyler and her decided to practice trick or treating. She was trying to make Tyler feel comfortable with passing out the candy - I thought that was sweet! She would go outside, knock on the door, say her thing and then get her candy. Tyler would converse with her as though he was passing out candy to a "stranger".
I was very proud of Tyler he did a great job passing out the candy and talking to the kids. This is the child that I can barley get an answer on how was you day at school.
We went around our neighborhood with Lucas and his dad. Bummer I did not get a picture of the kids together. Mira dropped off some candy back at the house. Then Ron and her decided to go to some "scary houses" that were up the road from us. Why did this child not get back until after 9pm? Oh because she was with her father who thinks that he is still trick or treating! Gotta love it!

Mira and her BFF's at school:



Our white pumpkins ( we grew the pumpkins this year not intentionally)) and "mummy" votives





My fairy:


The loot:

Happy Halloween!!

We hosted our first fall/halloween bash this past Saturday! We had a blast! Everyone brought an appetizer to share and we provided beverages. We had about thirty people in our little house which included the kids. I love that everyone dressed up and had creative costumes. Here is a peak of the costumes.. oops for some reason I did not get a picture of my OWN children!

You got lemons, make lemonade vodkas

This post is just me venting - I normally do not vent about this topic or try to feel sorry for myself. Because there is really no reason too!

Tyler had his three evaluation and IEP meeting on Tuesday. This is a big meeting for him since he will be entering high school next year. I am going to have a kid in high school? That is not possible? There is a lot of transition that our family will be dealing with during this school year.
It started out with me having to fill out four packets/questionnaires about him. They varied from life skills, community, blah blah. That is how I felt after i spent over an hour filling these out. With no help from the other adult in my house! I'm not angry at him but maybe just a little frustrated! I actually had to leave the house for an hour because I was so overwhelmed and knew that this meeting would not be an easy one.

The meeting was on Tuesday. Typically I go to all conferences by myself since Ron is working. That is fine most times but not yesterday. Besides me filling out these questions, Tyler's teacher along with the school psychologist had to do testing with him. So this was not an easy process for all involved including Tyler.
Tyler is doing a great job and there has been progression since his last testing from three years ago. He has jumped up a grade level and a half!
Which means he has a comprehension/academic level of a second or third grader. Academically he is where Mira is. I knew this day would come where they would be at the same level. It is something that for years I have heard from the parent support groups that if you have another children at some point they will surpass your autistic child. This we knew based on homework that he works on and Mira works on. But it sorta hits you even harder when professionals are telling you this and you have come to that place!

I felt as though I was hit on the side of my head with a bat, it hurt that bad!!! I haven't felt like this for about 10 years when we found out that Tyler was autistic.
I guess I really did not know where our life would be at this point having an autistic child. Looking inside it looks great to others - Tyler has progressed so much socially, verbally. He seems just like a typical teenager. He is not a typical teenager.
The fact of the matter is Tyler will not be getting his license at 16, he will never play on a "real" sports team, he will never have the type of friends that we had when we were in high school or ever, will a pretty girl ask him to a dance or parties? He will be in high school until he is 21, we will become his guardians at 18, he will go on SSI, he will live in a monitored home or apt situation. And his sister will have to take over our role when we are gone! The other day Tyler was talking about the car he wants to buy when he is 16 and gets his license. I looked at him and said "Tyler I do not think that you will get your license at 16 because you are autistic... he looked at me and said why is life so much harder for me?" That broke my heart! he has never said anything like that before. Autism is such an invisible disability! That is the reality that we face with Tyler as he enters high school. I am not feeling excitement but panic as i think of his future.
I really feel we have been cheated at times and I feel as though Tyler has been cheated!
I was so angry the other night I mentioned to Ron. - Do you think since he was stuck in the birth canal for about three hours that is why he is autistic? There are just days that I want some answers? Why Tyler, why us, how did this happen?

Enough with my pity party! My son is happy, he loves life, he has a family that loves him and he loves his family, he fights with his sister, he loves music, movies, he just joined the yearbook club and is hoping to "attend" basketball practices with the eighth grade team, he loves to swim, go to the cabin, go on vacations, he saw U2 in concert. He has his LIFE. That is what we focus on day to day with Tyler. That is why you never hear me talk the way that I have in this blog. I am so thankful for Tyler and what he has brought to our family. I have my son. There are many parents today that are in the hospital saying good bye to their son or daughter.
I have the right to feel angry but that will not get me anywhere. We have to continue to move forward and expose Tyler to the world. Love him and support him.
No matter what we all have obstacles that we deal with as parents some will be easier than others. Roads that we did not want to walk down. No matter what road we walk, we have to walk it together with our children disabled or not disabled.
I am thankful for my family and friends who are part of this journey with us!

Talk about some good therapy!

I read this poem years ago when i was in my MOPS group:

Welcome To Holland
by
Emily Perl Kingsley


I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It’s just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

* * *

Apple Crisp

What is a girl to do with all these apples? Remember the $500 of apples we bought at the orchard. Well not $500 but it felt like that with all the apples coming out of my kitchen!
I made the best apple Crisp ever. I will share the recipe below.
I also made a very tasty Apple Bread. I did not take a picture of the bread - oops! I adapted that recipe from Two Peas and Pod if you are curious.
I also made Apple Donut Muffins. I decided to be healthy and modify a few things. Not a good idea! They were gross! Anything that has "donut" in it let's just say should not be modified. I found that recipe at Barbara Bakes. Please do not make any changes! Keep the recipe as is!

The apple crisp recipe is the BEST I have ever made. I think i may have mentioned that earlier. This recipe is from Joy The Baker. The combination of spices was perfect. It has a nice amount of apples that you use on the bottom and the crisp was just DELISH!
Serve it with some vanilla frozen yogurt and you will have a happy mouth!


Bake in an 8×8 baking dish or double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 dish

Filling:
5 to 6 medium-size apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices. (About 7.5 cups)
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, well-softened
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1/3 cup quick oats

Preheat the oven to 350. Generously grease an 8×8 baking pan with butter.

Place a layer of apple slices in the bottom of the pan and dust with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Continue layering apples and dusting with cinnamon/sugar until done. Toss the apple mixture until evenly coated in cinnamon sugar. The apples should be just about to the top of the pan (they will cook down).

For the topping, place the flour, brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon and oats in a large bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon. Work the butter into the mixture with your fingertips until evenly distributed. Take one full handful of the topping and toss it into the sugared apple mixture. Spread the rest of the topping evenly over the apples. (I usually end up with a dough-like topping that I just lay on top of the apples).

Bake the crisp in the dish on a baking sheet on the center oven rack until the topping is crunchy and the apples are bubbling, 55-60 minutes.

Serve hot; it’s excellent with vanilla ice cream.

Source: Joy The Baker

Corn and Black Bean Quinoa

It has been awhile since I posted a recipe! I have so many to share with you that are just fantastic!
I made this sometime in August. This is how far behind I am with sharing recipes! This side dish was DELISH!

This one is adapted from The Closet Cooking:
Here is his recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup red quinoa ( I used regular quinoa)
2 cups water
1 cup black beans
1 ear corn (grilled and kernels cut from cob) ( I used Trader Joe's Roasted Corn)
1/2 red pepper (sliced)
1 jalapeno pepper (sliced)
1 green onion (sliced)
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
1 tablespoon oil
1 lime (juice)
1 chipotle in adobo sauce (chopped)
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Simmer the quinoa in the water until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
2. Mix the quinoa, black beans, corn, red pepper, jalapeno, green onion, and cilantro in a large bowl.
3. Mix the oil, lime juice, chipotle in adobo sauce, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
4. Toss the salad in the dressing.

This salad was so tasty and full of flavor. You can eat it as a meal or use it as a side dish with a variety of foods! it was even better the next day. I'm thinking that I will need to add this to this week's menu!

Happy Eating!

Woke up to this email..

I woke up to this email today. A great way to end my week! And yes, i did have a little tear stream down my face.

Hi Susie and Ron,

Liz and I just wanted to you know how much we are enjoying having Mira in our class this year. She is so hard-working. Last week Friday the students did their math MAP test on the computer. After an hour, a couple students still hadn't finished because they were taking their time and working very carefully. Mira was one of those students. She finished the test yesterday afternoon and scored 185. On-level for this time of year is 179, so taking her time really paid off!

Mira is a great role model to her classmates because of her ability to focus and pay attention. Thank you for sharing her with us this year!

Jethra

Apple Orchard

A few weeks ago we went to the apple orchard with my older sister and her family. This is an annual visit for the Buckman/Young clan. In the years past we head over to Stillwater. This year we decided to go south and found an orchard in Lakeville.
It was a quaint orchard with activities for the kids and we were able to pick our own apples. That's what going to the orchard is all about right!
Needless to say after an hour of picking we head back to pay. Ummmmmmmm. Wasn't planning on spending $50 on apples! Well we did have about twenty pounds. That is a lot of apple pies that I have to make!











Happy Fall!

Happy Birthday to my little lady! It was actually last Thursday! I'm a terrible mother for not posting on her exact day! Last week was crazy trying to finish the "face lift" on our kitchen. I'll tell you more about that in another post.
We did celebrate by going out to dinner as a family and she is having a little party with just a few friends this weekend.

Mira is 8! Where did 8 years go?
Here are 8 things about my little lady of course there is more but I'm going with a theme here ok)

1) She is free spirited
2) Loves to be silly
3) Loves to draw and color
4) Loves fat fluffy things to squeeze
5) Loves to eat sweets (she would eat them all day if she could)
6) Loves to snuggle and get massages
7) Loves to dance
8) Love to be with her family and friends

Happy Birthday to my special little lady - you have brought such joy and love to our family! We love you!

Mira's To do List

I have been laughing so hard while I post this that I'm crying now. Mira started a "to do list" earlier this summer. I came across it this as I was cleaning.
She is still learning to spell so let me break this down for you:

Wake Up
Lay Down
Eat breakfast
Watch tv
Get dressed
Make fun of Tyler ( oh really?!!!)
Wait for ?
Take a nap
Fun

At the very bottom it says slap Tyler's big butt!

I have to crack up at the make fun of Tyler and slap his butt. It all makes sense now why I was loosing my mind this summer with all the fighting. Apparently mom did not know it what on the to do list.
Just so you know about 75% of this to do list was not my to do list for little miss thang!

First Day of School

What? How did Sept 6, 2011 creep up on us so fast?! I'm not liking this. Thankfully they are more prepared than I am.
I was not sure what to anticipate this morning both of them having to get up so early. I know there were mornings this summer that no one was up before 9:30 am!
My alarm went off at 6:05am - what are you doing to me? Where is the coffee?
What a breeze for both of them this morning both fell right into their school routine with ease and no whining! We will see how long that lasts! I admit it was harder on me then them!

Tyler - 8th Grade


Mira - 2nd Grade

This is what I came home too a few Saturdays ago. Really? Apparently someone was bringing clothes downstairs but they ended up in the living on my chair?! Do you dare ask how long they sat there? Yup until the next day!

I really can't complain my husband works hard and puts in a lot of hours at work. He tucks the kids in every night for bedtime and he helps around the house a ton. Yes, project do take a few months to complete around here.

Its just every once in awhile this is what happens. I have to chuckle to myself.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Someone in my house loves loves BBQ chicken pizza. He discovered it at one of our favorite restaurants. So of course I had to try and make it at home. My sister made one and followed the King Arthur recipe. If you know me I do not make any type of homemade crusts.
Pillsbury saved me again! I would like to find a whole wheat crust - maybe Trader Joe's?
I looked at the King Arthur recipe and just adapted my own.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

3 chicken breasts cut up
Homemade BBQ sauce or you can use bottled
Half red onion cut up
Cilantro
Mozzarella Cheese
Pillsbury Pizza Crust

I sauteed the chicken in some olive oil and added the red onion. Season with salt and pepper. I added about 1/2 cup my homemade BBQ sauce to the chicken.
Lightly grease a pan, spread out the dough. Spread BBQ sauce over the dough, add the chicken mixture over that, cilantro and cheese. Bake according to package.
Enjoy!!

Thai Chicken with Pineapple

I found this tasty recipe on Gina's Skinny Recipes. We all loved it! It was easy to make, flavorful and healthy! I could not find Pineapple chili dipping sauce. So i just reserved some of the pineapple juice and mixed it with garlic chili sauce. I served it with brown rice and sesame green beans!

Thai Chicken with Pineapples

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tbsp Thai Kitchen fish sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp oil, divided
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
2 cups cubed assorted colors bell peppers (1/2-inch cubes)
1 red chili pepper, chopped (optional or to taste)
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1/2 cup Thai Kitchen Pineapple & Chili dipping sauce
cilantro leaves (for garnish)

Directions:

Mix chicken and fish sauce in medium bowl. Add cornstarch; toss to evenly coat. Set aside.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add garlic and
ginger; stir fry 30 seconds. Add bell peppers, chili pepper if using and pineapple; stir fry 3 to 5 minutes or until peppers are tender-crisp. Add sauce; cook and stir until heated through. Remove from skillet.

Heat remaining oil in the skillet. Add chicken; stir fry 5 minutes or until cooked through. Return bell pepper mixture to skillet; stir fry until well blended. Garnish with cilantro.

Adapted from Ginas Recipes

Happy 16th Anniversary Ron!!! I love you with all my heart!

Cabin and Cousins

My kids are so lucky to have both sides of their cousins close to home. This past week the kids went up to the cabin with their cousins on Ron's side of the family. We went up on Saturday, Ron and I left Sunday. The kids stayed there with their grandparents through Wed!
This is the first time I have let Mira stay there without us. I was a little nervous leaving her for a few days, Well this mama had nothing to worry about it.
Of course the kids had a blast - no structure, basically ate what they wanted,staying up until midnight, I'm sure they didn't brush their teeth everyday! Tyler came home with the same outfit he wore to the cabin!
Sometimes you just got to let go!

I took a few pictures of the cousins on Saturday: