Le Creuset and Pioneer Woman

For Christmas this year, my husband totally surprised me. I was completely unaware that he had purchased me one of my big WANTS. Le Creuset. This was our utilitarian Christmas. I also got a new toaster, iron, ironing board and mop. All things I desired. And I wasn't the slightest bit offended. I had been mopping with a broken one for a while. Just something I was unwilling to spend money on. The other one "sort of" worked.



Back to the food.




This was my first time to cook with my little red beauty. I turned to the Pioneer Woman for help. When I saw her Beer and Beef Stew, I knew, it was the one. I don't know if I bought better meat, or if it was the recipe or the Creuset, (or frankly the awesome beer I used) but this was some of the best stew I've EVER made. When I've made beer stew in the past, the beer flavoring was OVERWHELMING. This time we used Samuel Adams Noble Pils. I'm not a beer drinker but this one had a very nice flavoring. It was subtle. And I felt super fancy pouring it out of a bottle instead of a can. Honestly, I'm not sure a "can" of beer has ever entered our house. Bottles only for us!

The stew was fabulous and so was the Creuset!

I'm sure it tasted good.....

I was so excited about making dinner last night. I saw a link to a recipe, Orecchiette with Mushrooms, Radicchio and Gorgonzola, on NieNie Dialogues that intrigued me. We are forever trying new meatless dishes (Meatless Mondays) and this one did not disappoint!

Unfortunately I went to the dentist yesterday to have a suspicious tooth examined. A few moments in and they realized it was a cracked filling. Ordinarily I tough it out without any pain killers, but this time without asking, they gave me a shot. Several, in fact. This is my first experience with anything like this (I still hurt this morning). I thought I was going to cry last night as a gingerly chewed on one side this delicious meal. My little ones even enjoyed it, too! My husband pridefully mentioned to me how he bets no other family with preschoolers was enjoying Gorgonzola with their dinner in our education-less and toothless state. Pridefilled about our family and sad about the rest of our geographical area.

Back to the meal. I like to sample my cooking whilst working and I was a little worried. It did not taste good in progress. But when I added the sainted Gorgonzola, it all came together. The only suggestion my spouse made was that I add some fish or some kind of meat. Yes dear, but that would sort of defeat the point of meatless.

One Line A Day

When we took our anniversary trip this last year, I ran onto a neat idea. I love to journal for our girls. I have written letters to them since they were 2 months old. I haven't done as much since I started a private family blog. Mostly, I wanted them to know my voice at different times in our relationship. I wanted to know how much I loved their snuggly cheeks. With my first I even wrote down every new word she said and when it was said. Ahh....the time you have with just one little sweetie.

Back to the idea. I found a bookshop selling One Line A Day journals. I wasn't prepared to spend $16 on a journal with preprinted dates, so I kept the idea in my pocket (well, in my phone, I took a picture of them). I now have a book for each of my girls. And instead of it being a perception or story about them, it's a quote. Every day I listen for some sweet little nugget from each of them. It not only is an excercise in recording their sweet little thoughts, but it helps me to listen to their tiny voices more closely.

The Quiet Little Woman (I'm still reading!!!)

Right after the new year, I completed my second book!!! I picked up a copy of Louisa May Alcott's The Quiet Little Woman at the library. (Which suddenly reminds me I need to do a resolution post. I've got tons of them!)

It was short and I needed a pick me up after my last read. At only 120 pages, this would be an excellent book to share with your daughter. Easy to read and filled with wonderful morality, I look forward to sharing these stories with my daughter next year. To read the history behind these lost stories, you can go here. I don't think it's necessary for me to basically say the same thing. In any case, these stories were darling and a sweet glimpse into life long ago. And really, how can you go wrong with a talking horse?

If you have daughters, this is a must read.




Sidenote: Two years ago my husband sent me on a surprise trip to visit my sister and we went to the Alcott house. I wish we could have gone on the tour (it was too late) but we at least were able to take a few pictures outside and browse through the gift shop!

My Go-To Muffins

A while back, I began making Pumpkin Apple Bread. It then transitioned to muffins once our little muffins were old enough to feed themselves. To them it was like eating a cupcake and I was more than happy to continue in this fantasy. I found the recipe on Goody Blog from Parents.com.




Here's the original recipe and link.

Pumpkin Apple Bread

3 cups flour (make it healthier by substituting whole wheat flour for half)
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
3 cups sugar
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable or olive oil
½ cup water
2 apples peeled and diced (I put them in food processor)
1 cup yellow raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda
and salt in one bowl. Combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, sugar, and water in
another bowl and mix until smooth. Combine contents of two bowls. Stir
in apples and raisins. Pour into two greased/floured bread loaf pans
(9-10”). Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Ok, because I'm a mom and I can't just leave a recipe alone....this is what I do differently:

1. I use one cup of applesauce instead of the chopped and pureed apples. It's smoother and easier to just pull a lid off of some natural (no sugar added) sauce. (Oh and I add a pinch of salt, it doesn't say how much but I use just a pinch....it needs it.)

2. I use normal raisins. Not the yellow ones. I never need yellow raisins and always have a good supply on hand for the others.

3. I rarely make the full two loaves. It's just too much honestly for one family. I do occasionally make the full batch and share with my neighbors.

4. I almost always make muffins. Easier to eat, pop in the freezer and easier to share with friends!

5. Oh and if you do muffins, it takes about 20 minutes or a tad more. Another bonus, you don't have to wait 75 minutes!

Enjoy!!!

The kids are asleep...

And I've been outside tearing up our yard. It's awful. If there weren't so many leaves out there (and if my husband didn't refuse to rake them) I'd be in trouble. It has been abnormally warm for where we live and the ground was extremely soft. Way more so than I expected. Ahem.




But it's Saturday, and my husband has to work this weekend. And I'm bored. So I had my mom bring over my dad's metal detector. I spent an hour hunched over in the backyard only to find this:

Sheet metal and the biggest nail ever. Or as the detector calls them, diamond rings.




I am now inside after hearing MOMMIEEEEEEEE from an upstairs window. Sigh. I haven't decided if I'm up for going in the front yard. I don't know why I'm slightly embarrassed at the thought since I go out there every morning in my jimjams and slippers.

I can read!

I cannot even begin to tell you how long it has been since I sat down and read a book. A book that wasn't about ME, or emotions or de-stressing. Sure, I've read lots of devotional books, but really, they were about me. Not learning more about God, but more about myself. And honestly, that feels a bit selfish. I, of course, don't feel like every book should be strictly about apologetics or about bettering myself. It's just that this last year was a bit heavy for me and now it's time for fun. Our family theme last year was Peace and Patience and this year it's Joy and Love. Time for some joy filled reading.




I ended and began last year and this with the same book, Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson. Initially, I thought I'd never get through it. The first few chapters were anecdotal and interesting and then it just became droll. Which is funny, because you can tell that's how he felt about his project at this point, too. The premise is Bill (an American ex-pat) is moving back to the States for a period of time. Before the move, he wanted to travel around the whole of the United Kingdom by public transport.

Without a map, this book sunk lower and lower into the minutia of details and I was about ready to give up. I was clueless to where he was (knowing nothing about British geography) and I didn't even care. The turning point was when he took a break from his own travels and went home for a bit. Honestly, it was the break we ALL needed. I decided to press on, because at this point, it was more about me finishing the book than being super interested in Bill and his funny musings. It was more about MY journey and less about his. I was rewarded at the end, because the book finally picked up and ended well. It would be a difficult read without a laptop or iphone. He mentions a place, makes it sound very similar to the place before (even HE says all British towns are the same) and you totally lose where you are. Maybe this was the point, but it just gave me a headache.

All in all, I really did enjoy this read. Like I said before, it became more of an effort for me to actually FINISH a book rather than give up. And really, I felt that's how he felt at times about his rainy and often exhausting trip around England. So, that's how I'll rate the book, Rainy and Often Exhausting.

I see you....

Do you see it? That blurry pair of eyes looking at you? Staring you down. Calling your name with the ahhhhhhhhhhhhh sound it makes?

I'm convinced my Keurig is watching me. And occasionally it sighs. All by itself (well, of course, plugged in....).



And honestly I realize the above picture is super blurry, but it actually is fairly accurate considering sometimes I can't find my glasses before I come downstairs. I knew that blurry kitchen looked familiar....