Watch Me Go

First there was one...

And then there was none...

BALL!

I made this "Just For Kicks" patchwork ball for Patrick today. I think maybe he likes it.

And I'll give you one guess where the pattern came from... Of course, Anna Maria Horner's Seams To Me book. She has a new book coming out soon too that I am soooo excited about. It's full of patterns for mommies and babies. Can't wait!

This was actually a pretty quick project. The longest part was just cutting out the pieces, but sewing it together was a piece of cake.

And oh the fun we shall have!

Tulips and Chocolate

Well, as promised, I have stepped down off of my soap box... for the moment... and returned to my position as resident artist and chef... *collective sigh of relief*...

On the bill tonight - Radiant orange tulips...

...and "Grammy's Chocolate cookies" from the Martha Stewart's Cookies cookbook - thanks Nate!

Oooh... Aaaah!

Let There Be Drama

Today, Patrick tried nibbling on some little bits of pear... and quickly, the drama ensued.

We seriously had a case of the Princess and the Pea happening at our kitchen table. I gave him a bite of his regular pear puree with a couple miniscule - I mean absolutely miniscule little specs of actual pear slipped in there, and THIS is his reaction.

Must...remove...foreign...objects. And the drama only got better from here.

Practicing his James Dean, pitiful pout and all.

A little Clint Eastwood, just to show me he means it.

Not amused in the slightest.

And seriously, we're done now.

What's Winter?

We took Patrick to the park on Saturday, a first for the little guy. Explaining winter to a child who goes to the park on January 3rd to find grass and blue skies and is actually a little warm in his sweater is going to be a challenging task.

He refused to wear his sunglasses, something he's going to need in this bright desert sun. Maybe we can get him a pair that straps on.

He was so fascinated by the grass.

So many interesting things to see...

New Kitchen Stuff + Late-night Insanity = Weak-In-The-Knees-Yummy Food

There seemed to be a theme to the Christmas gifts I received this year. I got a set of vintage mixing bowls from my grandma; a new extra large skillet and another Pampered Chef spatula from Luke, something not every husband could give to their wives without getting dirty looks; a Martha Stewart cookie cookbook from Luke's brother; and this deliciously shiny green KitchenAid mixer from Luke's mom. By the end of the Christmas weekend, I was sooo ready to start cooking.

I had planned on cooking a special meal last Monday for our anniversary, but that ended up not happening, so I decided, somewhat last minute, to do it this Saturday...at 6:00 at night. Heaven help me if I ever decide to do this again any later than noon. We were finishing off dessert at midnight.

Anywho, I turned to my Julia Child cookbook for inspiration. I made Fricassée de Poulet à L'ancienne [Old-fashioned Chicken Fricassee with Wine-flavored Cream Sauce, Onions, and Mushrooms]. This sauce is so absolutely, decadently creamy. Had I not known better, I would have sworn it was made with cheese. Oh my word, let me tell you, butter is the magical mystical ingredient that makes everything turn to heavenly bliss.

Each of the ingredients are prepped and cooked separately, using parsley, thyme, and a bay leaf, which gave the braised onions (I used the little tiny ones) the flavor of French onion soup.

For dessert, I made this Reine de Saba [Chocolate and Almond Cake] with Glaçage au Chocolat [Chocolate-butter Icing]. Aside from the decorative sliced almonds around the edge, the cake itself is made with a bit of almond extract and a generous addition of pulverized almonds. Since my little food processor decided to stop working, I found that Bob's Redmill Almond Meal works just great; in fact, it is much finer than I probably would have been able to get the crushed almonds, making the cake that much smoother, which is a plus for me since I'm not a huge nut fan to begin with. The icing is simply melted chocolate and butter.

AND, the secret ingredient that makes this cake beyond heavenly... both the cake batter and the icing call for a couple tablespoons of fresh coffee.

Who else is gettin' weak in the knees people??