"Voodoo Chicken Salad"

Shavonne made the full spicier version last week and it was soo yummy I had to make it again...minus some heat! She found this salad at Rumbi Island Grill and loved it! I've never had it so she found their recipe online and was super sweet and made it for us!

If you're in the mood for a REALLY great salad, try this one out! Super Super Yummy! I couldn't find the "chili paste" and if you're a wuss to heat...try only adding half the amount of red pepper! It does get spicier the longer it sits...so be careful!

Ingredients: Chicken Salad
Each plate includes...

Lettuce Mix (I used iceburg and romaine)
2 Tbs Feta Cheese (more if you like cheese sprinkled on top and I added shredded parmesan too!)
Real Bacon Bits (the recipe doesn't call for it...but it tastes soo good with them!)
2 Roma Tomatoes (diced)...I left these out
1/4 Cup Crumbled Tortilla chips
1/2 Cup "Voodoo Dressing"
1/2 Cup chicken breast diced
(I marinated the washed chicken breasts in the dressing for a few hours, then grilled it! Phil said it was super yummy!)

Ingredients: Voodoo Dressing

1/4 Cup Dijon Dressing mustard
1/4 fresh lime juice
1/4 Cup chili paste (which we couldn't find)
2 Tbs crushed red pepper
3/4 Cup mayonnaise
1 1/2Cup Sesame Seed Oil
1 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
1 1/2 Cup White Sugar
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/3 cup minced ginger

Place all ingredients into a large bowl except the ginger.
Using an electric mixer, mix for one and a half minutes.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and the beaters and mix for an additional 30 seconds. Add the ginger to the dressing and whisk in until the ginger is totally mixed.

This makes over 32 oz of dressing! So I used some to marinate my chicken and the rest, as long as it's refrigerated, should last for a LONG time! So save it, and the next time you're in the mood...which shouldn't be too long, pull this out!

Family Game Time

When I was a younger, one of my most favorite games in the world was Monopoly! Tyler, Shavonne, Sarah, Blake, and I would play on the front room floor for hours! We would always start off with rules...No passing gas OR cheating for Tyler (he had a bad habit...hopefully for Adrienne's sake he's changed!) No singing or making annoying sounds for Shavonne, No quitting early OR crying for Sarah, and No throwing the board when you lost for Blake! It's funny, but I don't remember what I could or could not do...maybe I was the one who made the rules? OR maybe I just have a selective memory! My mom probably loved it because that game would seriously take ALL day long! Ha Ha! I'm laughing just thinking about it!

Anyway I was talking to Phil the other day and mentioned that the older 3 are getting to the same age as I was, when we were young and used to play. He agreed, and thought it might be time to buy a new Monopoly game! So he made a run to the local "Toys R Us" and picked up a new twist on the old game! Monopoly...Electronic Banking edition! We weren't sure about it at first...what about the "free parking rule" where you can make the executive decision to put an undisclosed amount for the taking? Just one, of more than a few questions we had, but decided to try it anyway!

Concensus...we LOVE it! It doesn't have ANY money for your kids to lose! It gives everyone a debit card and then the banker adds or removes cash! (So unless your a dishonest banker...there's no cheating!) When you land on someones property you add one debit card on one side and the payee on the other! Boom! Transaction complete! So flipping sweet! I have to warn you though...depending on the speed of play the banker position really becomes a FULL time job! Luckily it was Phil in charge of that...but it seriously reduces the length of game play! No more fiddling with money and asking for "2 20's and "1 green one!" Now it's just...Give me your debit!

It was so much fun! Paris won...by lucking out and actually WANTING and being able to AFFORD EVERYTHING she landed on! The kids loved it...and so did we!
Here's Brooklyn and her new Webkinz..."Foxy" or something like that!

Poor Seattle...she wasn't able to play:( But it won't be long!!

Awards, Awards!

Parent teacher conferences are done and the first quarter grades are in! Brooklyn has been working EXTRA hard this quarter and brought her grades up to straight A's! She's found 4th grade so far to be a bit more challenging, yet is determined to do well! I love her attitude! I wish I had a little bit of it sometimes:)

Paris seems to be breezing through first grade so far. Her teacher has shared that she's been very impressed with her reading level and letter comprehension and said that she passed 89 "sight" words out of 100 on the third day of school! I was pretty excited and wish I could take the credit, but it's all her! She, like the rest of us here, just loves to read and constantly is frustrated when we read faster than her! She pushes herself really hard! So I'm proud of her...but to be honest...I would be proud anyway!

Boston so far has already gotten caught more than a few times forgetting to bring home is homework...or return important papers! Classic. He does a SUPER job when he puts his mind to something! It just requires A LOT of "micro"managing on my part! I'm starting to hear that Phil was the exact same way...so now I feel like I have someone to blame his "slackerness" on! I really hope he just grows out of this little "education" slump he's in! I've been pretty lucky with the "do it yourselfers" so far......

They had an assembly at school to give the children their various awards, so the parents were invited. This time of the month is SUPER busy for Phil at work so he was able to break away for an hour to see their awards, but had to jam back if he wanted to come home at a decent hour:( So that left me with ALL the kids at school. Fun!

The hightlight of my day was watching the k-2nd graders learn this "Tooty-Taw" dance...and these two guy teachers in the back participate! Ha! They had no idea I was back there taking pictures! They looked sooooo...not cool! I'm so immature, but hey it was entertaining!

I decided I didn't want to have to come back to school to pick them up, so I told each one of them to tell their teachers they'd just be going back to their class to pick up their bags and meet me in the office.

By the time my 4 ring circus had reached the car and loaded the little ones in, Brooklyn arrived! Yay...so where's Boston? Earlier, he told me they were having a "celebration" in class and asked if it was alright if he grabbed a cupcake first. I didn't see a problem with it...and thought that his teacher knew what was going on (seeing that I wasn't easy to miss in the back of the gym!) Anyhoo, a few more minutes pass and Boston comes running out through the office with cupcake all over and a worried expression plastered on his face! Here is the dialogue that came next:

Boston: Mom, my teacher wouldn't let me leave! She said if you wanted me to go home, you would call the office and have them call her!

Me: So...how did you end up leaving? Did she call the office and find out that I already signed you out?

Boston: No, I just asked her if I could use the bathroom and she said okay. So when I got outside I just jammed! But don't worry mom, I told those guys to tell her I was going home with my mom.

Me: Boston! You can't just jam!

Brooklyn: Boston, how did you get your backpack out then?

Boston: She always lets us take our backpacks to the bathroom, sometimes.

Office Staff: Hi Mrs. Wyatt, did you forget something?

Me: No, I'm so sorry! I guess Boston's teacher didn't realize that I had already signed him out and wouldn't let him leave, so he faked going to the bathroom and just left! He said he told some guys to let her know he was leaving?!

Office Staff: Only Boston! He came running in here and said, hey guys could you just call my teacher and tell her I'm going home with my mom! So I guess we're the guys and yes, don't worry, we'll call his teacher.

Are you kidding me!?! "Only Boston" is right! I think it's a struggle for this teacher to like him already...I wonder how it will be now?! Hopefully next week's break will give her some time to "cool" off! Grrr....I love my little guy...he's such a sweetie and really means well, but when will he grow out of this phase?!?!?!

October...ALREADY?!?

October 1st...you know what that means! We have a tradition of making sugar cookies to kick off all holiday months...yes, and that includes Halloween! As you can see...we have a lot of fun...cooking...eating...and taking random pictures of each other! Hee Hee!

Of course Shavonne came over to join in on the fun...soo sweet to have a sister so close now! Seriously...people shouldn't be allowed to have as much fun as we do...you'd never know we had so many kids to take care of...if we didn't plaster their cute little faces everywhere! So here we are enjoying some "sweet" cookies!

We have a rule at the Wyatt Household...the kids can ONLY decorate the cookies that will be eaten by them...or another germ loving kid! Kids ARE the greatest...just not the cleanest! I personally make sure each and everyone of them washes their hands prior to even coming near the counters...but alas! Usually they can't even make it out of the bathroom with out scratching, itching, picking, or touching...EVERYTHING! I think it's just a reflex!

Sooo that being said...here's Boston decorating his cookies! He did an EXCELLENT job!

I decided to be an annoying mom...and take pictures of everyone eating them:) What are mom's for anyway?

I don't know how Greg and Phil skipped being captured on film...but they were around somewhere. Oh yeah! Now I remember, they were helping US by staying out of the kitchen and NOT bugging the kids! Sweet huh? I think they were watching "digital shorts" of SNL on HULU upstairs! Seriously?! Ahhh...we love em anyway.

Berlin...growing up so fast!

Aww, time is flying by too quickly! She turned 3 months on the 17th! Isn't that crazy?! Maybe not for all of you, as it is for me! I wish I could just press PAUSE!


She's been rolling around and lifting herself up so well lately! She has become the most perfect sleeper ever! She goes to bed when Phil and I do...around 11ish everynight and wakes up anywhere between 9 and 11! Isn't that the sweetest thing ever?! She doesn't like her pacifier any more and just sucks on her fingers! At first it was sooo annoying, but when I learned that's why she was sleeping so great...I got over it fast!


Whenever I take pictures, my dumb flash flickers like a million times...I guess to keep the red eye out? Anyway, it makes her mad and by the time the camera takes a picture she's never smiling! I think it's hilarious!
Here's some of her "pissed off " looks:)


She's the cutest little "mad" person ever!

Chilis!

So I wasn't in the mood to make dinner or have another mess in my currently CLEAN kitchen...so it wasn't hard to talk Phil into taking us to Chilis! When Shavonne got wind of our plans...she also thought it was a terrific idea so Greg, her, and the kids came too!

The last time Shavonne and I were at Chilis (maybe a month ago), I had my 3 youngest and she had both her kids. We got the "eye" from several sweet looking couples! Anyway, while we were there, we donated money to fight childhood cancer and got to color some sweet pictures of "chiles"!

When we walked in tonight, we found them! There were soooo many of them and we actually spotted them! Sooo I took a picture:)

The one on top is of Seattles...doesn't she color well?
And these too are Madison's and Haven's...Our husbands were soo proud! I have to admit...Shavonne and I had fun reflecting on the lunch w/out husbands and still managing to color 3 chiles! Ahhhh, fun times:)

Fall is Here!

I LOVE this time of year! Yay! I love that I can open the windows again (not yet, but soon), plan parties, have an excuse to bake non-stop, and most of all decorate the house! I don't know why...but seriously ever since I was young my mom would do the same thing with our house and it would just "feel" so good to know that the seasons were changing!

So, it's safe to say that I'm keeping the traditions alive! Phil makes fun of me if I start to decorate for fall too early...especially when it's still 105+ outside during the day! In California I think it's allowed to start putting fall stuff up as soon as the kids start school! Sooo, I waited and waited...until today! After continual hints, to my sweet hubby, to climb into the attic and retrieve my "fall" stuff...he finally agreed today! Yay! I think anyone that knows Phil can hear his exact words..."Oh, here we go!" HA Ha! He acts like he's sooo put out at first and then when he sees how excited the kids and I get...he admits how much he loves this time of year too! He's just can't resist my decorative charm!)

I've heard WAYYY too many people complaining that there are no seasons here...all I have to say is make your own! Ha, you may say, "ghetto"...but I'll have you know that it totally works! The other day someone was over and said the weather is starting to cool down! Look at the trees...When I looked outside there was only 1 tree that was changing...it was mine! With all it's fake leaved glory!!! So there!

You know you secretly like my idea!!

So here's my outside take on "fall"...you saw my sweet tree...my cute little scarecrow...and my "Welcome to our Patch" sign, wreath, and door covered with fall leaves and lights! I LOVE it! Okay...so the decorating could be so much better, but it's the idea...okay...I wish I had soo much more time on my hands!

My way of bringing fall into the house is with leaves, leaves, leaves...and of course some cute decorations! I put up the fall decorations...add halloween stuff to them for October...then back to fall for November! That way I can get so much use out of them!

These are my absolute favorite pumpkins in the world! They look absolutely magical!

I LOVE FALL! (In Phoenix)

The Cookie...CookOff!

So it's a Saturday afternoon...the house is clean...the fall decorations are up...and we've just eaten lunch. Phil and I are "tag teaming" the lunch mess and he starts to say that a chocolate chip cookie sounds really good. So, I do the polite thing...offer to bake some cookies. Instead of saying what most spouses would say..."sure, sounds great, no I'll do it...you relax"...he says, "No I want a REALLY good cookie!" My mouth about hit the flipping floor!

He knew he was seriously close to getting ALL dessert privileges taken away for GOOD! He tried to backpedal but he was just digging his grave...deeper and deeper. So to try and make it a "humorous" event (I think he was being serious)he offered to have a "Cookie, Cook off!"

I wanted to crack up, but I told him I was game, and might have let slip...if he was so good then he wouldn't need a recipe! So he agreed to the challenge, that we would both make our own versions of the "perfect" cookie, without a recipe.

The kids were in the kitchen within seconds of our little debate! (They can always tell when Mommy's about to win something:) The teams were chosen, the aprons were attached, and the trash talking began!

(Team Daddy)

(Team Mommy)

I know they're both pretty cute, but only 1 team was seriously going to be the winner! We were both very determined and began immediately!

Some of us were "cocky" and some of us took the higher road...(letting the cookies themselves do the talking!)

Unfortunately, I was soo worried that he was copying my own recipe that I added "more" and "less" of the things I would normally use, so he would copy, and his would taste like crap...(then secretly added more later....or just hoping that the "more" I put in earlier, would help it taste really good. Does that even make sense?

Anyway, as you can see the batters looked pretty similar...

And the WINNER is....

Neither:(

Mine actually were okay, but Phil's fell a little short in the taste and thickness categories! I guess he added butter AND oil! Yummm. Maybe we'll stick with recipes from now on!

We laughed so hard after this! Phil said this was probably the single worst idea he's ever had! Ha ha ha!

Boston judged the cookies and gave me this note!

Poor Paris...(if only she was just crying about the cookies...)

Chocolate Chip Surprise Cupcakes!

I had an early morning appointment this morning...so that meant that I was actually up, ready, and out of the house by 8:30am! The 3 littlest got to stay home with Phil, so that was REALLY nice being able to get out without a diaper bag, car seat, and a billion other necessities! When I got home, Phil surprised me by having all the morning "clean up" routine finished! (My kids can make something as harmless as coco puffs for breakfast, look like a scene straight from a horror flick! At least a kitchen horror!)

Since I had all this new found time on my hands...I did what I LOVE to do best...help a "sista" out. Literally, poor Shavonne and her family pretty much have the swine flu...it's not confirmed...by we like to think the worst about illnesses. So for all necessary purposes...they have the H1 N1 virus...or whatever it's called! Anyway, when I was sick last week she came over and made me the best soup ever...so I thought I would try to return the favor and make her some dinner...with a little dessert! I'm always up for a reason to bake!

So I started searching and found this recipe on Picky Palate called the Chocolate Chip Cookie Stuffed Cupcakes! Don't they just sound amazing?! Her pictures look soo good too! Unfortunately, I didn't have all the ingredients she called for...so I tweaked the recipe just a bit. You should check her recipe out...because I'm sure it's delicious!

Since the recipe makes 24 cupcakes, I decided to surprise Phil and the rest of his fellow "office mates" with an afternoon snack! I didn't tell him I was coming...I only gave him a text telling him to come outside. He never knows what I'm up to! HA HA! He was pleasantly SURPRISED and called to tell me they were a hit! (Even though mine were a little different than those on Picky Palate...they still turned out great!) YAY!!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Filled Cupcakes

1 box Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate cake mix
1 small (3.9oz) box of Chocolate Jello instant pudding
1 1/4 Cups Water
3 Eggs
1/2 C vegetable Oil

Your Favorite Cookie Dough Recipe...or the one I used...
3/4 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Light brown sugar
1 Cup Butter (softened)
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Egg
2 1/4 Cup Flour
1/2 bag of milk chocolate chips (I use Ghiradelli or Hershey)

Cream sugars, vanilla, and egg together first, before slowly adding the remaining ingredients. The chocolate chips last.

Frosting
8oz Cream Cheese (softened)
1/2 Cup Butter (softened)
3 Cups Powdered Sugar
1/4 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, and oil into a mixer and mix for 2 minutes or until it's well blended. Begin to fill 24 cupcake liners 1/2 way full with the cupcake mixure. Then, press 1 Tablespoon prepared cookie dough into the center of each cupcake batter. Bake for 18-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out pretty clean from the center. Move to wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Place cream cheese and butter into a mixer, beat until combined. Slowly add in powdered sugar, then add whipping cream until you achieve the desired frosting consistency. Then spread the frosting onto the cupcakes!