Sweet

Simply adorable!

So precious!

How sweet!

I can just hear my dad saying, "They're just wonderful!" - and they are: Cake ball tutorial from Pioneer Woman, Joy mini ice cream cones from Target, candy melts and sour cherry balls from Hobby Lobby.

I couldn't have done it, however, without the assistance of my two big boys who sprinkled and stuck on cherries with great gusto (and lots of conversation).  Andrew declared of the cherries: "When I first tasted one, I thought that my head was going to explode (pause) but then I realized from my many years that it would not actually kill me."

I can't wait to explore other possibilities for these sweet little concoctions.

Wacky Cake

Since this was such a hit at the reception, I thought I would share the recipe from The Parent's Guide to Food Allergies. This dairy-free, egg-free, peanut-free treat is actually a pretty good cake, similar in taste to Devil's Food Cake. For a wheat-free needs, substitute flour with Bob's Red Mill all-purpose gluten-free flour.

Wacky Cake

"This cake is so easy and quick to bake, so versatile, delicious, and low-fat, it deserves to be part of every family's repertoire. It freezes beautifully, so make two at a time. You never know when you'll need a quick, special dessert...For cupcakes, line your muffin tin with baking caups and reduce baking time by 5-10 minutes. This recipe makes 10 to 12 cupcakes."

1 1/2 c. flour (1/2 c. whole wheat and 1 c. plain)
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
3 T. cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla extract
1 T. vinegar (balsamic works beautifully)
5 T. oil (or 3 T. oil and 2 T. applesauce)
1 c. cold water (I've also substitued coffee for a mocha flavored cake)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add vanilla, vinegar, oil, and water. Blend well and pour into ungreased 9x11 rectangular pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overbake.

Chocolate Icing

This was adapted from a Chocolate Buttermilk Cake ("Nasty Chocolate Cake") and really makes the cake (and yes, I admit to just eating the icing or scraping up the leftovers with pretzels - yummy!).

1/2 c. dairy-free margarine (Earth's Balance organic)
1 1/2 T. cocoa
2 1/2 T. milk (rice or soy)
1/2 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla

Combine margarine, cocoa, and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla. Pour over hot cake.

Beer & Pretzels

A couple of months ago Doug brought home a copy of the Hamilton County Herald, a weekly publication for the legal community. While refueling in the wee small hours of the morning, I came upon the following little-known facts about brews:

• The logs of the Mayflower indicate that Plymouth Rock was chosen as a landing site due to the need for passengers to drink water as they were draining the sailor's supply of beer.


• The phrase "rule of thumb" refers to testing the temperature of the liquid prior to adding the yeast.


• Tavern patrons took to baking a whistle in the handle of their custom-made beer mugs in order to be able to get the bartenders attention.


• Unruly customers were told to mind their "P's & Q's" (pints & quarts).


• Centuries ago in Babylonia it was customary for a bride's father to supply the new son-in-law with mead for the month after the wedding thus birthing the term "honeymoon."


• The term "go beserk" comes from the Norse word for "bare-shirted": "...in Norway, after consuming a bucket or two of vibrant brew they 'called aul,' the Vikings would head fearlessly into battle without armor or even shirts, and run amok in their ale-induced frenzy."

I was not at all surprised with that last one. Anyone who watches extreme wrestling or similar "sports" can attest to the "need for mead." Anyway, the boys wanted to make pretzels so we rolled up our sleeves and got to work.

Kneading the dough

Shaping the pretzelsBoiling the risen dough

Baking the topped pretzels

The finished product

The boys' favorite were the cinnamon sugar ones, right from the oven. It seems we are left with the salted and plain. Maybe we can take them to our local joint, the Rusty Duck.

Singin' in the Rain

Okay, we didn't actually sing in the rain, but we thoroughly enjoyed the sound from our screened porch. After only receiving 1/10th of an inch this month, the showers today were music to my ears.

Here Stephen is enjoying a wheat-free/dairy-free/egg-free/peanut-free/tasty chocolate chip cookie while simultaneously entertaining Matthew.Matthew was full of smiles and looking quite the big boy in his overalls. Is he really almost 7 months old?
Beware: two-year-old with knife! Workman Stephen used his chainsaw to cut up the logs which I shredded into mulch to make some "Kazuni" bread. He's quite the enthusiastic helper.
The boys really enjoyed making license plates which I had to tape to their backs because they were race cars. The red and yellow stickers are actually head lights and brake lights.

What We've Been Doing

We haven't fallen off the face of the earth though I feel like I am living on another planet. Here are some shots of last week's activities.


Doug has trained our kids to fetch the newspaper in the morning.


Andrew loves to gnaw on corn.


Yes, that is a Cheerio; it is Stephen. What more can I say?


Andrew enjoys climbing in his cherry picker (a tree in the front yard).


Matthew with that anxious look on his face. I think the blue eyes are officially gone.And my culinary masterpiece. Saturday evening Doug asked what we were having for dinner to which I responded, "That's a good question." (which always leaves him a bit worried). I rummaged around and produced bacon wrapped tomato stacks with mozzarella, home-grown heirloom tomatoes, and fresh basil. They were delicious though a bit girly for Doug's taste.

No Bananas for this Monkey

Matthew always reminds me of a monkey in a cage when I go in his room and find various limbs sticking out between the crib slats. At 6 months old, he's always full of smiles and squeals of delight. Tonight I introduced mushed bananas to his repetoire of foods (i.e. rice cereal and applesauce). He loved it and gobbled it down without hesitation. A few minutes later I noticed a red spot on his chest and so undertook a very scientific experiment: I cut a chunk of banana and rubbed it on his back.
The picture doesn't do it justice, but a dose of Zyrtec helped reduce the whelts and vomiting emptied his stomach. Until tonight I had forgotten about the suspicious whelt that appeared during the testing a few months ago. After rechecking it, the nurse dismissed it as a fluke; guess she was wrong. What an end to a most noteworthy week:

* celebrating 4 years of home ownership with a chocolate cake
* reaching Matthew's 6 month mark
* creating the world's first "Hot Pickle Dog"
How can we ever top that one?!

The Fruits of My Labors

Fresh blackberry jam (from berries I picked in the rain yesterday afternoon)...


Greek Country Salad (with homegrown tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers)...



Wheat-free Foccacia made from Four Flour Bean Mix (it was amazingly good)...



Does this earn me the Domestic Goddess crown for the day?

Cooking, Construction & the Great Outdoors

The weather has been perfect the past few days so we've spent a great deal of time outside. Here is a nest that we found in our gingko tree.

We checked it again this morning

and this afternoon (I feel like the paparazzi following Brangelina's twins).

Homegrown organic baby greens (do you think I could get someone to pay $4.99 for the bunch?).


While in Mississippi Andrew kept asking to build a backhoe, and upon returning, I was issued the same request. It turns out he had misunderstood something in a coloring book and thought we could easily whip up a backhoe by connecting some dots. In order to humor him, we made "Luke Loader" yesterday afternoon (use your imagination). Surprisingly, it almost lasted until Doug came home from work.




In honor of mom & dad's recent trip to Canada, we made a cake.

We've also been on a fish kick lately trying out different recipes with salmon, tilapia, mahi-mahi, and today, rainbow trout. I saw these at the grocery store and knew the kids would love the fact that the heads were intact.

Since Stephen can't have fish until he's at least 3, he had to settle for fish shaped chicken nuggets.

Oddly enough, Andrew loves fish - I wish I had purchased more.

Tricky Tacos

These holidays just seem to sneak up on me. I had been thinking that I wanted to do something to fool the kids, but unfortunately put it off until last night. All the great ideas I found would have required a trip to the store, but Doug was at a meeting and the kids were in bed. After racking my brain (what's left), I came up with these Tricky Tacos.



The meat/bean filling is tinted Rice Krispy mixture; lettuce is green coconut; salsa is strawberry ice cream topping; guacamole is green icing with chopped mini green marshmallows; and the cheese is an orange Twizzler.

I had a brief discussion with the boys this morning about the first of April. The boys were excited when they saw dinner put on the table as tacos are one of their favorites. Andrew was the first to take a bite. His delight soon turned to dismay. "Oh, the cheese does not taste good. Momma, you did not make the cheese taste very good." So I said, "Just try the guacamole. I'm sure you'll like it." He refused but we finally coaxed Stephen to try it, and he told Andrew what it really was.

We again explained about playing tricks. Andrew never would eat any of his food though he would periodically look at it, smile, and say, "It looks like a taco but it is really just a kasert." Only Mr. Literal would react in such a way.

In other news...

The skies cleared this morning and it warmed to nearly 80. The boys discovered a muddy hole and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Here are some shots of Matthew admiring himself in the bathroom mirror.

Week in Review

You would think by now I would get the hang of this. Every afternoon around 4 pm I am striken with the realization that I must serve my family something for dinner. (A quick calculation shows that this has happened nearly 1500 times since the arrival of children). It's not that I don't like to cook or even mind going to the grocery store. It's planning what to eat for a week (or even a few days) that is difficult. Nothing appeals to me anymore, groceries are expensive, the children are picky, and we have a number of wacky dietary restrictions.

I once read an essay about a woman's mother who routinely served a dish on Sunday night called "Week in Review." Basically she took the various leftovers from the week, mixed all in a casserole dish, topped it with cheese and baked until bubbly.

So at 5 o'clock I opened the fridge and this is what I saw: a jar of pickles, a jar of applesauce, carrots and celery, various condiments. Even with a thick layer of cheese, I don't think you could make a meal.

It was time for Plan B, which I am ashamed to admit, is the standard chicken nugget. Actually there is nothing standard about a bunch of spare chicken parts, breaded and shaped into the form of a dinosaur. Nevertheless, it was quick and the children will eat them. Who can resist a funny face?



Actually, Andrew can. He refused to eat the pineapple eyes (even though he had eaten them earlier in the week) so he had to sit at the table until he was finally saved by the bath.

For us, Doug hit the local bar (Merv's) for the biggest, cheapest burgers out there. While I waited for him to return, I perused the grocery store ads and made a list. I even went to the store while he bathed the boys. We'll see if next week is any better.

And for our Week in Review activity wise:

We enjoyed the warm weather and the return of picnic lunches (which are great 'cause the ants handle cleanup). Once again, Andrew refused to eat his food (a sunflower butter and strawberry jam sandwich).

My mom gave me a book that lists various activities to improve listening skills and Andrew loves to read through it. We decided to try tapping on glasses (empty, 1/2 full, and completely full) to test the sound. Stephen thoroughly enjoyed the chance to bang on something.

I love this look on Matthew's face. Maybe there is a correlation between the number of chins and the amount of happiness!

And here he is modeling a big boy outfit.

Best of all, this marks the first week in 2008 when we had no medical appointments. Quite an achievement with 3 small kids.