Delightfully Delicious

pretzels and chocolate chips together

are delightfully delicious

and addicting.

yum.

there's something about

the saltiness and sweetness

about the smoothness and the crunch

that is so complementary

and balancing.

coldishness and monday menu

I have a cold. Blah. So do the boys. Nasty stuff has been going around and around in our group of friends, and we have done a remarkable job avoiding it until now.

Nevertheless (hehe, I love that word), we are doing our best to keep cheerful, and I've even been able to get a few things done like working on March's menu and taking photos of working on March's menu (see photo). : ) I've also been working on a guest post about menu planning. With all the thoughts about menu-ing floating around in my brain, I thought it would be fun to try to post each week's menu on Mondays again. I did it for a while but stopped when analog methods of menu planning (specifically hand written onto a calendar) took over. However, I think it would be nice to begin documenting my menus here again.

Blah, blah, blah. Apparently having a cold makes me verbose. Anyway, here's this week's plan:

M-chicken cacciatore (it's simmering right now and smells SO good!) and salad

T-Small Group (my turn to provide the meal). I'm planning on making my version of shepherd's pie, but we'll see how well I'm feeling tomorrow.

W-Chicken Enchilada Casserole (my mother-in-law's super-cheesy recipe--very tasty) and a veggie

Th-Chicken and gravy over rice and a veggie

F-steaks, potatoes, gravy, and a veggie

Perhaps my next menu-planning goal is going to plan specifically what veggie we will eat every night. That would be sensible.

In addition to working on my menu stuff the last couple of days I've also worked on reading my latest Saveur magazine.

And I watched Bella, a poignant, thought provoking appeal to value life. I might have to watch it again to fully appreciate it.

And I watched One Night with the King, a rendition of the Biblical story of Esther. It was actually fairly Biblically accurate, but it had many horrible, glaring historical problems. That said, I did enjoy it in a fluffy kind of way. The acting was good and the costumes were amazing. It's probably not a re-watcher, though.

If I get bored tonight I might watch part of Emma again.

I really don't usually sit around watching movies and am starting to go stir-crazy. It doesn't help that the weather has been lovely. Oh, well. I know God has a good plan in it all. And I will get well sooner or later.

Power

Love

is the most powerful force

in the world

Love

of self

brings hate

destruction

and decay

Love

for God

brings overflowing love

restoration

and life

Love

for others

brings service

healing

hope

Which love

will work its power

in my life?

Meet Elinor

And who is Elinor, you ask?

Is Elinor the owner of those lovely hands?
No, that's my friend Chelsea.

Is Elinor that cutie pie baby girl?

No, that's Chelsea's little one.

No, Elinor is a bag.

Well, a style of bag.

She comes in two colors:

lily-of-the-valley and spring sprig

She's available.

Take a look in my Etsy store.

(Many thanks to Chelsea for modeling.)

Cake. For Breakfast.

Why not? After all, I'm the mom now.
Plus, my tasty homemade cake is probably more nutritious
than sugary cereals anyway.

This is the best chocolate cake recipe I've encountered anywhere. It is moist and flavorful and even friendly for people who have dairy and egg allergies.

Chocolate Cake

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
~Grease and four a 9"x13" pan or two 9" round pans. (To fill up the 9"x13" pan almost to the top you need to 1 1/2 times this recipe. Ready for some math?)

~Sift into a large mixing bowl:
2 1/4 cups four (add another 1/4 cup if you live at high altitude like I do)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder (hint: 4 tablespoons=1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

~Whisk into the dry ingredients until well combined:
1 1/2 cups water (or milk)
1 1/2 tablespoon vinegar (balsamic is my favorite kind to use)
7 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

~Pour into the prepared pans and bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean.
~Cool completely before frosting.

This frosting is irresistibly eat-it-with-a-spoon good. Well, it would be if it wasn't so rich that it becomes cloying by itself. Paired with the slight bitterness of the chocolate cake, though, it is, well, words fail to describe it.

Caramel Frosting

~Mix in a saucepan:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, cubed

1/4 cup milk

~Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.

~Boil it for 4-5 minutes without stirring.

~Transfer to a mixing bowl and cool to room temperature.

Add:

1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar

~Beat until smooth and uniformly pale brown.

~Frost the cake.

~Enjoy.

(Really, folks, I wasn't joking when I said it's irresistible...)

dip. paint. rinse. repeat.

Last week I bought a beginner's water-color set, and today I introduced Little Man to the wonderful art of painting. (Incidentally, much to my delight, the paint brush was actually a real, decent paintbrush and not one of those awful imitations with impossible, plastic bristles.) I showed him how to do the basics: dip, paint, rinse (the brush), repeat. He took to it like a duck takes to water.

::dip::

::paint::

::rinse::

::repeat, repeat, repeat::

Mum's new window treatments

Well, I should say Mum and Papa's new window treatments since she chose the fabric, and he invested in it. When their former living room window treatments were irreparably and unevenly bleached by the sun, they decided to let me make them some new curtains.

I was thrilled. After all, I love to design and sew curtains, and as usual, I had a dozen ideas for how their new curtains should look. I tried and hopelessly failed at coming up with a good way of combining them all into a complex master plan, and settled for something much simpler. It is a perfect compromise between my mom's lovely sense of elegant simplicity and desire for everything to be as efficient and easy as possible and my sense of making everything into an intricate piece of art. (Would you say that's accurate, Mum?)

The sheers are are a lovely, oh, so subtle plaid, which was a joy to work with. They help cut down the blinding afternoon glare. (Even with the help of the sheers, the glare made it almost impossible for me to get good photos).

The tab-top valance is made of exquisite damask fabric. The flower and leaf designs were all so pretty that I carefully cut the fabric into squares and rectangles that would showcase each of the designs and pieced them together in a string of perfect, carefully random prints (that's my artsy side coming out). There were, however, no loop-de-loops or buttons or ties (that's my mom's simple elegance influence coming out).

The whole? Well, I think it's classy and elegant and ties all the elements of their living room together. There's another window with the same style of curtains, but the above-mentioned glare made photos too impossible.

The sheers can be tied back on cloudy days to let in more light with simple ties made from the same material as the valances.

Rotini with broccoli, chicken, and cheese

Last night I tried a new recipe from our Greatest Ever Pasta Cookbook. As often happens, I took significant liberties with the recipe, and the result was so tasty that I decided that I needed to document it here so that I can make it again. The above picture isn't the most beautiful as it was an afterthought, and I just snapped a photo of the pasta left over in the bottom of the pot, but you can get the idea.

~3 cups rotini

~1 cup broccoli florets, divided into small sprigs (That comes straight from the book; I like it.)

~1/4 cup butter (I felt like Julie as I used such a delightfully generous portion of butter.)

~2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into thin strips

~2 cloves of garlic, crushed

~1/4 cup chicken broth (or water)

~1 cup half-and-half

~3 1/2 oz fontina cheese with rind removed, chopped into small pieces (Since the fontina is such a splurge, I was thinking about trying to substitute sharp cheddar next time, but the fontina is so good that it's worth it once in a while.)

~salt and pepper to taste

~Parmesan cheese

~"Plunge the broccoli into a pan of boiling salted water. Bring back to the boil for 2 minutes, then drain in a colander and refresh under cold running water. Shake well to remove the water and set aside to drain completely." (Once again, that was straight from the book 'cause it made me smile.)

~Put a large pan of water on to heat for boiling the pasta. Make sure you salt the pasta water too; it really does make a difference!

~Melt the butter in another large pan. Once it's melted add the chicken and garlic. Saute until the chicken is done. (The book says for 3 minutes, but I think I cooked it a little longer than that...you know, little helpers can sometimes be really distracting.)

~Pour the broth and half-and-half over the chicken and stir until well combined. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until it is slightly reduced. (About 7-10 minutes)

~Turn off the heat and stir in the fontina cheese. It should melt in a couple of minutes. Also add salt and pepper.

~Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, and drain it when it's done.

~Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce, and toss until the sauce evenly covers everything.

~Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

six months

Yesterday was Brother's six month "birthday." I can't believe my littlest guy is already half a year old! Time has been going by all too quickly, and I'm stuck trying to enjoy moments that are here and gone at lightning speed; the cooing and giggles, the new skills and achievements, the cuddly moments and smiles.

Brother's new accomplishments include but are not limited to:

~Saying "ma-ma" or calling Little Man when he is sad.

~Eating carrot puree (he's tried other things, but carrots seem to be his favorite).

~Reaching for toys.

~Chewing on them once he has them.

~Spinning in circles when he's on his tummy.

~Getting into a push up position and holding it in an attempt to crawl.

~Rolling across the room to get where he wants to go.

~Being fascinated by textures and sounds.

~Dealing with teething (his first tooth came in last week!)

~Wanting to wrestle with his Daddy and brother.

~Graduating from sitting in the Bumbo chair to sitting propped up by the Boppy pillow.

~Sitting up in the grocery cart instead of reclining in his car seat.

~Wearing a tie for the first time.

~And standing holding onto someone's fingers.

I am enjoying each stage as it comes and goes and am eager to see where the next month takes us.

Valentine's week

This year I decided to do something a little different for my celebration of Valentine's Day. I spread out the celebration over an entire week, trying to give a small gift to Benjamin each day instead of just one big gift. When he found out what I was up to, he liked the idea and surprised me throughout the week with several thoughtful gifts as well.

One day Benjamin gave me a pot of cheery daffodils. He didn't know it, but I had been admiring those very flowers at the store for a couple of weeks! I was delighted. Another day is was a box of tasty chocolates which we shared. Then it was a Starbucks travel mug that was so incredibly "me" along with caramel syrup for the lattes he loves to make. Then there was a slide show of photos of the two of us that played along with a romantic song. He also got me a perfect heart necklace on Etsy which arrived on Saturday just in time for me to enjoy wearing it all weekend. And last, but not least, was the amazing dinner he cooked for me on Saturday night. We started with bread and Johnny Carino-like dipping oil, then we ate salad, and then we had the amazing farfalle and shrimp in a spicy pink sauce that he created. We topped it off (after a break to let everything else settle) with a shared slice of strawberry cheesecake.

Every day of our "week of Valentines" I gave him a card in which I had written about something I appreciate about him. I enjoyed thinking of the things I like about him and trying (though I don't think I quite succeeded) to express them all. On some of the days I gave him a gift in addition to the card. One day I gave him the cut capo he's been admiring, and another day I gave him a new mug filled with goodies, wrapped in red cellophane, and tied with curly ribbon. On Sunday he was playing music in church, and when I left the first service I put one of his favorite treats in the car and tied red and white balloons to the antenna, which he found when he came home after the music for second service was done.

This was our sixth Valentine's Day together. I think they just keep getting better and better.