Taking the Scenic Route

#181: It’s a Music Truck. Anybody that tells Zora different will be flogged.

#180: Caption this. There are so many directions I could go with this one.

#179: Flowers from the Farm. Mom and Dad came to town, we went to Sams together, then out to eat, then they were convinced to come to our house by Zora who said she would sing (and then got too shy to do so). Mom brought up some flowers and I set them on the counter. After they left, I was going to get a vase for them and saw them sitting there in the only beam of light coming from the blinds and grabbed the camera.

#178:  Rock Band! Robert won a Rock Band package, but has no Wii, and we have no Rock Band, so he brought it over with his kids and we played it for a few hours. Zora didn’t really want to sing the songs in the game, but in between “sets” she picked up the microphone and started singing her own ditty.

And some more pictures from the afternoon…

#177: Potty SUCCESS! She had one little tinkle a while ago, but nothing since. This day, for whatever reason, she decided she would use the potty. She wore undies all day and after a few misses, she finally made it on time. YAY! She was quite pleased with herself too.

#176: Dragon Drawing. By Zora.

#175: Box Seats. I am not sure what the story line was, but the king and queen were in the seats with the other people, watching a knight and a penguin salt shaker have a conversation.

#174: Zombie Invasion. This game is the current favorite of Zach & Zane (and Robert and his whole family). Any time they have computer time, this is the game I am most likely to see. At first I was objectioning because, well, it’s zombies, but then I realized it is sort of cute and funny, so I unclenched a little.

You can get it here: popcap, “Plants vs. Zombies”

In related silliness, this song is now stuck in my head.

#173: Pita Goodness. Wish I would have remembered to take a picture with them stuffed with fillings, but I was too hungry to think about pictures. Here is the last lonely pita left in after our family demolished the rest of them.

These were really fun to make and will most certainly be repeated often. (would have been fast without my helper, but then, that was part of the point of making them) The mistake I made was not putting enough flour in between the bread when I stacked it up to rise, so I ended up having to remake most of the rounds and they still turned out great. I made 8 pitas from this recipe so that they would be big enough to actually get a decent amount of veggies into the pocket.

The link to the recipe at recipezaar

Healthy Whole Wheat Pita Bread (No Oil or Sugar)
55 min | 20 min prep
10 pitas

4 cups whole wheat flour (or 2 cups whole wheat flour and 2 cups all-purpose flour)
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water (120-130F degrees)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

-Preheat oven to 500°F.
-Sift together 2 cups of flour and the yeast.
-Add water and salt and mix well.
-Gradually add in the remaining flour just until the dough begins to clean the sides of the bowl. Once this happens, stop adding flour (so, you might not use all the flour the recipe calls for.).
-Knead the dough for about 4 or 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. (While you’re kneading, you can get creative and add in some herbs or spices, but only if you want to do that). Be careful not to over-knead the dough.
-Form dough into 10 balls.
-On a floured surface, roll each ball into a 5-6 inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick. (Be sure to sprinkle a little flour on both sides to prevent sticking).
-Place on a non-stick baking sheet and allow to rise 30 minutes, or until slightly raised.
-ust before you place the pan in the oven, flip each pita over on its other side.
-Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 5 minutes. (The instant hot heat will help them puff up).
-When the pitas come out of the oven they will be hard, but they will soften as the cool.
-Store them, while they’re still warm, in plastic baggies or an airtight container.
-Cut the pitas in half crosswise and stuff with your favorite fillings (beans and rice, taco fixings, thick stews, curries – anything goes).
-Pitas can be reheated in a 350°F oven or in the microwave.

#172: Nerdy sibling love. Not only were they sharing the space, Zane was helping her do the puzzle on the computer. Didn’t last terribly long, but it was great to see.