A week of slow cooking // Non-mushy recipes

Hi friends! Danielle here.

Let's talk slow-cooking.

Mushy. Bland. Boring. 

These are words I do not want to use when describing what I've made in the slow cooker.

And yet, I've made a few recipes that were just that. Was it my fault? I don't know, but I honestly just think that there are a lot of slow cooker recipes that turn into what I'd call slow-cooker-sameness. You may have made a few recipes like that, too! Hey, it happens to all of us.

I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be that way! There are slow cooker recipes that are actually delicious and - dare I say - fresh!

It honestly just takes a little trial and error.

A couple weeks ago, I chose a few recipes that looked interesting, and I'm happy to say, they're all worth posting! Each recipe did require a bit of prep (browning meat, sautéing onions, etc.), so keep that in mind when you're planning your recipes.

Recipe 1: Real Simple's Slow Cooker Pork-Stuffed Cabbage.

Not only did I like the flavors in this recipe, I also loved the texture of the cabbage - it softens, naturally, but sill maintains some firmness.

Recipe 2: Cooking Classy's Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup

I love a good broccoli cheese soup, and this one is great! It's also great for leftovers (I actually froze quite a large portion to enjoy on a rainy day).

Recipe 3: Neighborfood's Slow Cooker Beef Brisket French Dip Sandwiches

I saved the best for last, y'all! 

These little sandwiches (as seen at the top of this post) were excellent! It was requested that next time, I double the recipe so that we have leftovers!

One thing I might try to do differently next time is to thicken the au jus a bit. It had a nice flavor, but I think it could've benefitted from a little stove top reduction (and possibly a bit of added cornstarch).

Also, this would be a great one to freeze individually so that you could grab a couple for a quick (and delicious!) lunch.

Enjoy! XO

A wee bit Irish at the Winkles!

Hi friends! Christina here.

With St Patricks day approaching very quickly and I am getting excited! It is one of my favorite holiday ever! It always has been. Green has been my favorite color ever since I can remember. So as a little girl I was so excited to go to school and see a sea full of green. It was mandatory to wear green. It was amazing. Lol. I know I am a nerd... But seriously I love st patricks day! 

Most of you have heard of an Irish Coffee before, yes? If the answer is no, I am about to introduce you. But let me warn you. I make a traditional Irish Coffee. If you were to order this in a restaurant most likely they will take the easy way out and give you coffee with Irish Creme.

Here are the ingredients. 

Coffee

Jameson Irish Whiskey

Sugar

Whipped cream  

Okay here we go. Make your coffee. My husband is a bit of a nerd when it comes to making coffee. He requires a scale for exact measurements. 

Vivian loves the smell of coffee. She always request to smell it before we pour it into the French press. 

While your coffee is steeping pour the remaining hot water from your kettle into your mugs. This warms the mug but also when you pour the water out and add the whiskey, it will also heat up the whiskey. Add an ounce and a half of Jameson. 

Add your sugar. Traditionally speaking three sugar cubes are required. But this is where I switch it up. I use one teaspoon of brown sugar.

Stir the sugar as you pour your coffee. Then at last add your whipped cream. I cheated tonight because the store just around the corner of my house did not have heavy whipping cream. So I just settled for the stuff from the can... :( 

But there you go that's it. Oh and a side note, check out my beautiful mugs my sister made for me. It was our Christmas gift this past year. She is so amazing. 

  

Get your kicks! // A Route 66 diner experience

Hi friends! Danielle here.


I hope you guys had a fabulous weekend. Springing forward can be rough (6am came extra early on Sunday!), but let's just focus on the longer / sunnier days ahead, shall we?

We had a rad weekend - we took a minute to check out a diner on Route 66, and enjoyed another First Friday Art Crawl in the Brady District.

First, the diner.

And I'll be completely honest about how I found out about this place.

Do you know who Taylor Hanson is? Right, right... I knew you would.

Well, he's one of our local celebrities here in T-town. So of course I follow him on Insta. Every now and then, he'll post a pic from a local restaurant, etc., and last week he posted a pic from Tally's Good Food Cafe . After checking out the review of Tally's on Yelp, I figured it was worth checking out.

*** Side note: If this was some other celeb, like Ryan Adams, I know this would all seem a little stalker-like. But I swear, I'm not a Taylor Hanson stalker - I just want to find more 'where the locals eat' kind of places. Haha.

And, thank you, Taylor Hanson. We enjoyed it.

Here are some pics from the fun little diner on Route 66:

Regulars or just passin' through on Route 66? 

Here's a fun thing about Tally's: You can get breakfast all day (score)! So I enjoyed a veggie omelet. And I figured I was being healthy-ish, until I realized it came with a choice of potatoes AND pancakes or biscuits and gravy (All for $7.95, no less!). And covered with cheese. Oops! #sorrynotsorry

Jett didn't appreciate waiting for me to take pics for this post... (He had the kids' pancakes.)

And a few pics from the First Friday Art Crawl: From top to bottom - Philbrook Downtown, 108 Contemporary and the Woody Guthrie Center (which we didn't make it to last time, but I'm glad we did on Friday - way cool!)

XO

Winter weather with the Winkles

Hi friends! Christina here!

This Winkle family has been enjoying a little winter fun! As I am sure most parents of daughters are very familiar with the movie Frozen.... My daughter is two, and obsessed. In fact we have recently hidden it from her. Don't worry grandparents we will give it back soon, Mom and Dad just need a little bit of a Frozen break. Now with that being said, she has been begging to build a snow man ever since her first introduction to Olaf. So when we got some decent snow last weekend she and I ran out side to play in the snow.
She looked so cute in her new snow suit.

I bought it a size larger than what she is wearing now, in hopes that she can wear it next year too. Once we were outside I quickly realized that she and I did not have gloves to build a snowman....

 I know I failed!  But we did play in it at least! Vivian would not stop eating the snow. She also kept trying to put it in her pockets... We had a blast! After our frozen adventure, we came in and had a snack, took a nap and woke up refreshed and ready to take on the world.

So we decided to paint! It is a new hobby of ours. I have always wanted to be a painter... As silly as that sounds. I have always been jealous of those artistic types. LOL. But recently have been given great advice by my friend DD. She said it's all about putting your creativity out on the canvas. Not about the final product. I am highly critical of my work, but I am trying to forget about that, and just PAINT! Vivian loves to paint. She is very speedy too. She finished 8 paintings before I could even finish mine.

   My happy little painter and her long line of art drying on the counter!

And here is mine. Not a fan. But my husband likes it. I don't know if that is him just being a supportive husband, or if he just has really bad taste in art... j/k he is amazing!  

Weekend Agenda // First Friday Art Crawl

Hi friends! Danielle here.

I don't know about you, but I love a new month. Especially a new month that promises a new season! A new month means new possibilities, new plans, new hope and, with this month, all those fun things that come along with Spring (aaaaaCHOoo!).

A new month also means a First Friday Art Crawl in the Brady District here in Tulsa. This month's event is scheduled for Friday, 6-9pm.

In the words of Stefan, this event has it all - glass blowing, wine, free gallery admission and sometimes even a knitted Batman suit.

It's an event that the whole family can enjoy - Last month, The Gathering Place brought along a sneak peek via their Park Pod (Jett really enjoyed it!), which I hear will be making an appearance on Friday, as well.

So, do it! If not just to get out an about and walk around the lovely Brady District for a bit. Last month was our first time to enjoy the art crawl, and we left wondering what took us so long to check it out.

Here are some photos from last month's art crawl:

To be honest, the first couple galleries we stopped in were nice, but they were quite crowded and a little difficult to maneuver through, especially with a stroller. But alas, we trekked on. And I'm glad we did, as the next stop was super cool: Tulsa Glassblowing School. First of all, they were in the middle of a demonstration, so that was exciting (FIRE!); Secondly, the space itself is fun/inspiring. Definitely stop by this Friday when you're making your way through the art crawl.

Here's a shot from inside the Park Pod which is called an "immersive multimedia experience" by the Tulsa World, that "gives visitors a panoramic view of plans for the expansive community park. The virtual tour of envisioned park spaces provides visitors a glimpse into the future as to what the park will look like once it is completed in late 2017."

You might notice a few people laying on the astro turf inside the Park Pod. We were chillin' in the bean bag chairs, taking in the panoramic views and Beatles tune. So psychedelic. 

So, this was at the Philbrook Downtown (another must on your list of galleries to visit this Friday). Very weird, but Jett was super intrigued. 

More from the Philbrook Downtown...

At 108 Contemporary (our last stop of the evening - be sure to stop by there, too!), Jett saw his kind of art...

... Which was for sale! I think it was listed around $3,000, if you're interested.

Enjoy! XO

BOOKS!!! BOOKS!! AND MORE BOOKS!!!

Hi friends! Christina here.

As you all know we have been having some winter weather here lately. It just so happened that Mr Frost made an appearance on one of my most favorite days of the year! THE HOLLAND  HALL BOOK FAIR! Those of you who are unaware of this event, you should be ashamed of yourself! But have no fear, you will know everything there is to know and more by the end of this post.
I was very excited about the day and was not going to allow a little bit of winter weather get in my way. I arranged for Vivian to have breakfast with her Mimi and Papa and off my husband and I went. The roads were far from perfect, but they were drive able. The important thing is we made it!!!

This was Holland Hall's 55th Anniversary. This is a tradition that my best of friends have been doing for the past 5 years or so. I was so excited to get my husband involved this year. Now I am not going to lie... In the past it was not uncommon for my friends and I to show up hung over with coffee in hand and finding ourselves lost in the sea of books. What use to take me 3 or more hours to go through, now takes me an hour or so... My purchases have also changed dramatically. In the past you would not have caught me dead in the children section. Purchasing a childs book was the last thing on my mind, I was more worried about how to nurse my hang over and getting to my 4:30 shift on time. LOL, oh how things have changed! All for the better of course!

So after searching for our hidden treasure my husband and I made it to the check out counter for our books before we went off to children section for Vivian. We got a total of 26 books and our total was no more than $35. Winning!!!

Off we went to the pick up some books for Vivian. We got her a dozen new books all for a whooping $26. I neglected to get a photo of our stash, but my husband was very excited about his loot and posted it on Facebook. So here is his treasure!


Here is some information off of their website! So keep in mind for next year! It is always around the same time every year.

Mark Your Calendars!
55th Holland Hall Book Fair
A Tulsa Tradition!
Saturday, February 28, 2015
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

About the Book Fair:For the past 55 years, Holland Hall families along with many community members, donate books and original media for this annual February affair. Holland Hall families are encouraged to participate with donations in the month of October. Each student, (or family), donating, receives points according to their donation. The point slips for donations are available at each division office, on-line through Holland Hall and attached to the donation deposit Book Bins. Book Bins are well marked and conveniently located at each school division.

How do you get a chance at a prize?  Point slips! Point slips provide your child and his/her grade credit during the October drive period. To receive credit, you must fill out a point slip. Most families staple/tape their point slip to their donation. You need to fill out only one per donation and we also give extra points if your donation arrives in a usable box! (Noted on point slip!)

What Items Can You Donate?
Items accepted includes any gently used books, toys, board games, puzzles, original computer games/programs, original issue music media along with stuffed animals and education toys. Please refer to the point slip for your specific concerns and guidelines. Donations are accepted anytime of the year, and points, for your student, will be carried forward.

Volunteers:
The Holland Hall Book Fair requires many people to generate this successful occasion, and that is where you, a Holland Hall community member, becomes integral. The opportunities to meet other parents while cashiering, sorting and pricing books in the book room, assisting set-up for the day of the sale and preview party, marshalling and informational assistance, the Book Fair offers many opportunities for new friendship while providing the prosperity for this event!

Cooking with kids // Pancakes!

 Hi friends! Danielle here. 

Today, let's talk about cooking with kids! You see, I love to cook, and it's one of those activities that is such a great bonding activity - I hope he still likes to help me in the kitchen in 5 years, 10, 20 and beyond!

*Disclaimer: At this age, I will mention, he doesn't always like to help... If there is a car, Duplo or Batman in sight, it's probably not going to happen. Oh, and if Frozen is on, I don't even ask. Ha. But somedays, like a Saturday not too long ago, he agreed to help me make pancakes for Daddy.

Pancakes were a great choice to make with my three-year-old because 1) they're quite simple, 2) there's lots of measuring / dumping / mixing to do (essential tasks for his age group) and 3) instant gratification as the pancakes cook in front of our eyes pretty quickly.

It's also one of those recipes that you very well might not have to make a trip to the grocery store for. I had everything on had except for milk, so I searched for recipes using almond milk (we are currently consuming a lot of the stuff around here!) and found this one, which is quite simple (and delicious!).

Jett more or less lost interest after the measuring / dumping / mixing, but he was excited when they were ready to eat! 

With pancakes, I feel it's always difficult to find the perfect heat and amount of butter in the pan...

By the (very) end, I think I had it down, but alas, this was the last pancake. Ha!

Okay, are you hungry yet?

Hope y'all are having a happy Monday! XO