Birds

Leah & I – forever ago – bought this bird feeder and hung it in the bush outside the living room window. It’s been month at least. Maybe six weeks and today the birds finally discovered it’s there. Leah was SO excited. We took these pictures through the (rather dirty) glass, laying on our tummies watching them eat. A third bird came after awhile having a little chirping fit. I think because there wasn’t room for him. Leah said we needed to make a third hole and get a third stick. I decided he could wait his turn. lol

Cute little birds…

What’s up around here?

Okay. It’s true. I just keep putting cooking posts up. There is still stuff going on around here.

But mostly I just haven’t been blogging much. Food pictures and recipes are easy and take very little thought. lol

This last 6 weeks or so – had I been blogging – would have been a lot of:

Leah’s sick.

I’m sick now.

Leah’s sick again.

My turn to be sick.

Drew was sick for 10 minutes. (he has the most ridiculous immune system)

Me again.

In January I finally admitted to myself I had IBS. Forever ago I had some posts about what the docs thought was probably a gall bladder attack. Although one doctor told me it could be IBS. He’s the 4th doctor to tell me I probably had that. But I don’t want it. I have diabetes. I most likely have endometriosis. Do I want a third incurable disease? Give me a break!

But my special “ignore your physical issues” powers are not working. And I had a 12 day attack and was in a lot of pain for all those days. I finally had to sit down and do some research – still feeling doubt that this was my problem. And while reading what the worst food triggers are for attacks I was eating pumpkin seeds. Guess what’s on the list? And what I’d been eating for 3 days. Pumpkin seeds/Pepitas. No more of those for me! 12 days of pain. NO GOOD. So I accept. I have it. Slowly figuring out what my triggers are. Frustrating state of affairs. My body hates me! But I’m getting a handle on it and now it can just be a few foods I avoid or eat less of. Not so bad!

Then Leah got sick and was sick for a full 2 weeks overlapping that. And then I got that 2 week cold and it’s just now starting to go away.

I made Leah a duvet cover yesterday and finished the details today. I should do a post about that. We’re switching the queen bed in the guest room for her daybed. She’s taken lately to sleeping in there. And she seems to sleep better and longer.

You know when I hear people talking about their babies sleeping through the night I just chuckle to myself (okay sometimes I want to poke them in the eye). Leah still normally doesn’t. I don’t have to get up and make her a bottle at least. I keep telling her she doesn’t have to wake me. Just get in bed with me – that’s usually all she wants. But she always has to wake me up and inform me of what she’s doing.

Anyway! If that big bed helps – I’m all for switching them around!

That pretty much covers that last month. Not that we aren’t having fun in there but with so much sickness going back and forth some how fun blog posts are not just coming out of me. ;)

Today Drew did tell me about a little conversation he had with Leah. She’s decided that boys are scary (and really 4 year old boys are very different animals from 4 year old girls LOL) After one of her little rants about how she doesn’t like boys. He says “but Leah! *I* am a boy!”

“You are NOT! You’re a DADDY!”

That’s some good logic, eh?

Valentine’s Breakfast

Happy Valentine’s Day! This was great fun for Leah…

I’d tell you how I perfectly centered that egg… but then I’d have to kill you.

Pancake -

Leah’s Plate… 

Later I should post about Drew’s Valentine’s Day Present. He wanted my Green Chili (you can see that HERE) and tamales. I’ve never made tamales. It’s like some unreachable thing that people sell, right? Like you can buy A tamale for 2 bucks. Crazy. I told him no way. He didn’t ask for that FOR Valentine’s just mentioned I should add that to my list of things to learn. So I decided for V-Day I would do it. And homemade refried beans and Spanish Rice. It was a meal that took 2 days to prepare and 20 minutes to eat. Just like Thanksgiving! I invited my Mom & Dad over. Drew was a very happy man. (as were Mom & Dad!)

Oreo Balls & Molten Lava Cake

I made two things today. Well three. I did the Shrimp/Zucchini Tostada that are HERE (I had a craving for those) but two new things. This is going to turn into one really long blog post with two recipes but here goes…

Oreo Cookie Balls

These were really very simple to make.

Combine:

1 regular pkg Oreos
1 – 8 oz pkg cream cheese

I did this first in my food processor which chose the moment half way through to seize up and begin to spew smoke! Excellent timing, don’cha think? So then I transferred it to a bowl and finished with my immersion blender. I should have just done that to begin with LOL

After you blend these things together you can form little balls and place them onto a foil covered pan (or wax paper. whatever you have). I used a 1/2 TBSP spoon and another spoon to scoop it out to form the ball. Then you put them in the fridge for an hour or so.

**Leah’s mouth covering… She’s sick and she kept coughing all over the place. I said she could keep helping me but that she had to wear that. She was not too pleased with the idea but she had no choice.

She really was very good at making the balls though!

Towards the end of that time you melt some chocolate of whatever chocolate floats your boat. I saw a lot of suggestions about chocolate bark but I used Ghirardelli milk chocolate baking chips (one whole bag). I melted them in a double boiler.

Then I pulled out the balls and formed them into more perfect balls with my hands. Then I just used a spoon to roll them around in the chocolate. Back onto the foiled pan.

 

Once the chocolate was set some we drizzled decorating gel over the top and stuck them back in the fridge.

I don’t know what I expected of these but they’re delicious. The inside goo stuff looks like black tar which is mildly frightening but they’re delicious! What’s not to love? Oreo, cream cheese, and chocolate. Yummo.

Molten Lava Cake

So for such a “I always eat this in fancy restaurants” kind of dessert this is fascinatingly simple to make.

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tins
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for muffin tins
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted ( 1 1/3 full cups of chips)
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
• Whipped Heavy Whipping Cream (to top with when you eat. you could do ice cream or something of course)

Preheat to 400 degrees.

So you take a 6 cup muffin tin (or use a 12, just do this to 6 and put a little water in the other 6 to avoid scorching during baking), coat them in the extra butter, then liberally coat each cup in sugar.

Don’t skip this part. It gives a delightful outer crust to the cake!

Now mix until fluffy the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs – one at at time and blend thoroughly after each egg. On low, add the flour and salt until blended. Now slowly added the melted chocolate (do this by hand) and just folded it in until combined.

Split the batter between the 6 cups, bake for 8-10 minutes.

*Note – if you cook these too long they will not be ruined. They won’t be lava cakes anymore. They will be rich dense cupcakes.

Turn them upside down, dust with powdered sugar, and top with a dollop of whipped cream.

I took this first picture before I took a bite of course. Then I cut it open and got so excited I kept taking bites and forgot the original flowing lava picture. Oops. LOL Although this one still looks dang yummy!

That is one worthy dessert.

Drew was at work while I did all this and I didn’t realize he was coming home at 3 in the afternoon and he walks in and all 3 of these things were hot and waiting. He was one happy man!    

Numb Tongue

I just had the most bizarre experience.

I don’t know if I can even do this justice in writing…

So I cut myself a brownie – well, just the edge of a brownie. I do so love the edges! I set it on the end table in the living room and forgot it about it for awhile.

A couple hours later I sit down again and hooray! There’s my strip of brownie edge.

I begin to eat and think “this tastes odd…”. I set it down and go back to what I was working on. A couple minutes later I take another bite and have the same thought and realize that it’s odd but familiar.

And my mind starts spinning. What in the world IS that and WHY WHY WHY is my TONGUE GETTING NUMB? WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?

And then I have a thought… earlier Drew said he’s tongue was numb. But why? Why was his tongue numb? Oh that’s right. He used Anbesol. But *I* didn’t.

Out loud I say: Where did you cut open that Anbesol?

Drew: What? Why?

Me: Was it on the kitchen counter? Did you use the knife by the brownies?

Drew: Ya I did.

Then I tell him what has happened. I picked up that knife and I cut my brownie strip with it. And now my  brownie tastes weird and my tongue is numb.

And what did he do? He laughed.

And I don’t mean he chuckled. He laughed like a crazed hyena until he couldn’t breath and was gasping “ow! ow! ow!” and I shoved him into the garage away from me so he could contain himself. He couldn’t look at me without beginning to laugh again.

(and if you know Drew you are chuckling now because his laugh when he’s laughing out of control is totally hysterical)

Even now several hours later he just walked past me and started to chuckle again.

It’s okay. You can laugh too. It is kind of funny…

I think I’ll get a new knife for the next piece of brownie!

Do I need more pets?

From the far end to the me: Benny, Rosco, Tripper, Joon.

Are you asking yourself where the people are supposed to sit?

Baklava

I already posted this picture on facebook but now I’m adding it to my blog. Sorry to those of you on FB who are now seeing it for the 2nd time!

I used Alton Brown's recipe.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baklava-recipe/index.html

I used ground cinnamon and ground allspice (1 tsp is equivalent to 5 allspice berries) in the first part instead of grinding all that stuff up - cheating but whatever. I did use the cinnamon stick in the sauce part. And I did the recipe in half. Heaven knows I don't need a 9 x 13 of baklava sitting on my counter!

It's a long process but well worth it once it's in your mouth - Enjoy!

I’m cute too!

Leah: "Mommy? What do you know about me?"

Me: "I know everything about you."

Leah: "Do you know I'm brave?"

Me: "Yes. Brave and smart and beautiful."

Leah: "Don't forget cute! I'm cute too!"

Me: "Yes you are!"