Tuesday, May 24, 2011

"2 Years Old"


In one way, it's hard to wrap our brains around the idea of Skyley turning 2 years old already, but in a way it feels as if Skyley's been here forever.

It is hard to remember our life before we were mesmerized by the beautiful sonogram photo.  Our life changed in that moment.....


 























 


     


















 



She has certainly experienced so much in her short little life.

She loves being in the open air where she is able to feel the breeze on her face.  She is smart as hell and understands every word we say to her.  Her speech has quickly emerged.  Skyley says ANY WORD SHE HEARS.......and I mean....ANY WORD!!!
 
We have not found too many foods that she does not like.....she has eaten almost everything we have offered her including squash, zucchini, roasted eggplant, fish and raw onions. 
 
We love her a billion times over. 

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Fresh Fruit Tart

May 4th is my daughter's birthday.  I decided to make the kind of cake she wanted.  She loves fruit....she I'll make a fruit tart.  It's a good thing her birthday is in Spring, when you can get just about any kind of fruit.

We did this recipe , from Paula Deen, and let me say, it's foolproof.  The tart's crust comes out so rich...more so like a big shortbread cookie than pie crust- is the perfect match with slightly sweet, and very rich, as well as creamy, cheesecake filling.




I actually made one already.  One to taste test before her birthday and one for the Birthday Girl on her big day.  Let's just say we may, or may not, have a problem with our love of sweets and I wanted to be prepared for anything!  Of course, by saying anything, I mean Skyley splitting the whole tart with me.  Which might, or might not, have really happened.  I will never tell.




We don't have a torte dish...I cooked the crust in a pie plate and it turned out just fine.  We didn't do exactly the same fresh fruit that this recipe says.  We altered it a little, according to Skyley's faves and which ones were fresh at the store at that time.



The best part of these tarts was the glaze that tops the fruit.  I can't describe it well enough to help you understand how amazing it was.  The acidity in the sauce took it to a new level.  Thank you, Paula Deen, for sharing this greatness with us.(I'm pretty sure she is reading this.)

Monday, April 11, 2011

MENU PLAN MONDAY


My menu for this week is:

Monday: Cheeseburger Pie
Tuesday: Pizza--Greek grilled Pizza
Wednesday: Lemon Chicken on the grill
Thursday: Beef enchiladas
Friday: Leftovers or pork chops on the grill

Very simple.  I am planning on using only staples I have on hand for these dishes this week.

MPM

Friday, March 25, 2011

Loving my little baby

My baby is growing so fast I thought I'd better hurry and get to documenting.

Truly, at 22 months, I stare at our daughter and think she's not a baby now.

Now she's singing and speaking and yelling, screaming and demanding and talking to everything and everyone, and trying her hardest to write her abcs, where did my baby go??

Can I just say that I adore her, and that I love every moment with her?




Tuesday, March 22, 2011

SWEET THAI FRIED RICE

Servings: 4-6

2-3 medium carrots
1 green bell pepper
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups broccoli
20 ounces canned pineapple chunks
2-3 stalks celery
2 cups long grain brown rice
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 large onion

Begin by putting the rice on to cook, either in a pan or rice cooker.

Cut carrots in half, then cut into matchstick pieces, about 2 inches long and ¼ to 1/8 inch thick. Cut bell peppers into ½ inch squares. Chop onion into ¼ inch pieces. Slice celery lengthwise, then into 1/8 inch thick slices. Chop broccoli into bite sized pieces, like mini trees. Set all the vegetables aside in one bowl.

Drain the pineapple and reserve the liquid.

Combine ¼ cup of the reserved pineapple juice with the soy sauce and the vegetable broth. Set aside.

When the rice is within 5-10 minutes of finishing cooking, preheat a large sauté pan or wok until very hot. Add the liquid mixture (it should instantly steam and boil). Pour all of the vegetables into the pan and sauté on high, stirring frequently. When onion starts to become clear and less pungent, the vegetables are done. Add the hot cooked rice to the vegetables and mix well. Stir in the drained pineapple chunks. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook for about 5-10 minutes, adding a bit more soy sauce and/or pineapple juice to taste as desired. Serve hot from the pan.

Hints: The rice should be hot when added to the pan, so it needs to cook while you are preparing the vegetables. Tamari may be used in place of the soy sauce. Mushroom broth or water may be used instead of the vegetable broth. The vegetables need to be cut into pieces that will all cook in about the same amount of time, since they are all added to the pan at once. You may want to experiment with your own best sized pieces to use in this dish.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Happy Birthday Cousin!




We all hope that you have the most SUPER day and we love you!  We can't wait for all of the fun at your Birthday party!