We've moved!!!

Please, come see us at our NEW SITE!! www.helpingofhappiness.com !!

Hawaiian Haystacks

Hawaiian Haystacks is a family favorite. My mom makes it almost every time there is a large group gathering at her house. Everyone I know makes it a bit different, but one thing that stays the same is the base: white rice with a chicken gravy.  For our family the toppings stay about the same, but it can vary with what food we have around the house. I do my chicken gravy a couple different ways, I'll give you both versions. The easy way, I make the most often, when I need to hurry up and get dinner ready fast. But when I am making dinner for someone with a gluten and/or dairy allergy, I make my gravy from scratch. 

Chicken Gravy (the easy way)

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups water (more if you like a thinner consistency)

2 cooked chicken breasts (diced or shredded)

1/2 tsp lemon zest

a couple dashes of garlic salt

a couple dashes of pepper

salt to taste

Mix ingredients together and heat through on the stove top. Quick and easy. Serve over rice, and stack with toppings. 

OR

Chicken Gravy (from scratch)

2 cooked chicken breasts (diced or shredded)

3 cups chicken broth or stock

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup flour or cornstarch (more for a thicker consistency)

1/2 tsp lemon zest

a couple dashes of garlic salt

a couple dashes of pepper

salt to taste

Start your gravy like you would any roux. Melt the butter a bit in a sauce pan on the stove and add your thickening agent (flour or cornstarch), whisking constantly. Add chicken broth little by little whisking until smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Stir together. Serve over rice, and stack with toppings.

Now let's talk about toppings!!

My favorites:

pineapple

mandarin oranges

tomatoes

olives

green onions

celery

almonds, pecans, cashews, macadamias or peanuts

shredded coconut

chow mein noodles (the crunchy ones in the can- if I happen to have them around)

diced bell peppers

grated cheddar cheese (or Colby jack)

tabasco sauce (chipotle or jalapeno are our favorites)

What are your favorite toppings?

car organizer

One of the most annoying thing for me about road trips, is that the activities and toys I have to keep the kids busy seem to be all over the car. When the sliding door opens at the gas station, for us all to rush in and use the restroom, coloring books, water bottles, toys, shoes, pillows, it all comes spilling out. It's especially frustrating during winter weather, or if the person before you using the pump decided to dump their soda all over ground- and now all your stuff is wet, sticky and dirty.  

We solved this by making these car organizers. It' s just a large rectangle of fabric with pockets sewn on, and ribbons for tying it onto the seats. Each child had their own, they could put what they wanted in it- but once it was full- that was it for what they could bring. 

What tips do you have for  making your family travel go more smoothly??

rainbow noodles

I do a home preschool group with my 3 year old daughter. There are 5 kids in our group and each week we meet for a couple hours, taking turns rotating homes. It's great because it give my little lady a chance to be away doing her own thing for awhile, and it's just short enough that it ends before she melts down (usually!). Plus, I am not excited about paying for official preschool quite yet.
We made rainbow noodles when it was our time to host- and it was a huge hit! And they are super easy to make.

The children played with the noodles, made letter shapes with them, and then ate them when they were finished. It was great. 

To make them all you have to do is boil noodles like normal, and add a few drops of food coloring. So easy!! I did 3 separate pots, since I wanted 3 different colors.

I went for the neon colors so they would be brighter. She didn't eat them all the first day, so we saved the left over noodles in a baggie, and she continued to play with them/eat them for a few days.

These would be so fun for a St. Patrick's Day dinner!!