Big milestone today. Liam lost his first tooth. I’ve heard it’s the same tooth that came in first. Turns out, that was right. At least in this instance. At almost 6 mos, he got that same tooth in.
and now we’re here…
Back to food….he’s pretty psyched he can eat a lollipop through his nonexistent tooth.
I usually focus on food, but today is national pet day. My favorite pets are these two….attempted to get a selfie with them after a walk with them this morning…
It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but today was a cause for celebration (and posting =). Sawyer and Lennon turned 4 today, at 8:25am and 8:26am, respectively, to be exact.
Here’s where it all began in 2014. One day old. Lennon on the left, Sawyer on the right (I miss that “small Carbon footprint hat”:-).
And….4 years later (Sawyer on the left, Lennon on the right):
Their personalities shine through every day. We started the day off with crepes with nutella. I didn’t get a shot of them because it was a little hectic before school.
The day continued with Sawyer and Lennon’s preschool birthday celebration. Sawyer requested Superman cupcakes. Lennon wanted The Little Mermaid cupcakes. I found some cute Rice Krispie treats on Pinterest for Ariel, so, rather than have two cupcakes for each of their classmates, I decided on one cupcake and one Rice Krispie treat instead (sorry for the sugar overload, parents).
I made fondant Superman cutouts for the toppers. I hand cut every one of these. Some call me “crazy”. Ok….many called me “crazy”….I wanted them to look good. I found a Superman pic online…sized it to the cupcakes I was making. Cut it out. Used a utility knife to cut out a cardboard template. It worked like a charm. I chilled these toppers overnight, trimmed them, and they became AWESOME!!!
On to the Rice Krispie treats:
I made the bra shells from a mold with purple white chocolate.
For the Rice Krispie treats… I measured them out. btw, 9″x13″ aren’t really 9″x13″…make sure you measure the interior of the pan. My supposed 9″ x 13″ had measurements of 8″ x 12″.
I dipped rectangles into green white chocolate for the mermaid tail. I used a bit of purpled melted chocolate to paste the shells on. And, of course, needed the addition of the dinglehopper:
S and L, along with their classmates, were very happy with the final results.
We then headed to Colonial Pizza & Spaghetti House, which is a throw back for me since we used to go when I was younger. Surprise guests who met us there were Nonni (my mom), Aunt Kiki (my sister, Kristi), and Mimi (my grandmother). Sawyer and Lennon were beyond thrilled that they met us for lunch. Colonial’s locally famous upside down pizza and antipasto with (lots of!) pickles are amazing. Fortunately I got a shot of the latter.
Dinner was requested by the birthday duo. Sawyer wanted Sweet Chili Glazed Chicken Wings and Lennon requested shrimp. I made her my go-to shrimp cocktail. Along with roasted potatoes and garlic, and lima beans.
Post-dinner Happy Birthday:
and this one…
Great day all around! (And I survived 4 years of having twins 😉
Crêpes with Nutella
1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1 c. AP flour
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp table salt
1 1/2 c whole milk
3 large eggs
2 T unsalted butter, melted
Nutella, as much as required to satisfy diners
strawberries, bananas, blueberries
powdered sugar, for garnish
Heat oil in large skillet over low heat for 10 minutes.
While skillet is heating, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in medium bowl.
In separate bowl, whisk together milk and eggs. Add half of milk mixture to dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Add butter and whisk until incorporated. Whisk in remaining milk mixture until smooth.
Wipe out most of oil in skillet with paper towel. Increase heat to medium and allow to heat for 1 minute.
Pour ¼ cup batter into far side of pan and tilt until batter evenly covers bottom of pan. Cook crêpe without moving it until top surface is dry and crêpe starts to brown at edges, loosening crêpe from side of pan with rubber spatula, about 25 seconds. Gently slide spatula underneath edge of crêpe and flip crêpe. Cook until second side is lightly spotted, about 20 seconds. Transfer cooked crêpe to wire rack. Repeat with remaining crêpes.
Spread Nutella over 1/2 of crêpe. Add fruit, if requested. Either fold into quarters or roll, depending on how your diners like them. Garnish with fruit. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Serves: 4
Mom’s Chocolate Cake:
2 c flour
3/4 c cocoa powder
1/4 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 c boiling water or hot coffee
1 c whole milk
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 c sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 t vanilla
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Prep cupcake pan with liners.
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
Heat milk and water or coffee in a saucepan until bubbles form around the edge of the pan.
In a stand mixer, mix sugar and oil until blended. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and combine. Mix in dry ingredients until combined.
Distribute amongst cupcake liners. Bake for 12-14 minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK!!! Check with a toothpick.
Yield: around 26 regular sized cupcakes or one 9″x13″ cake
Sweet Chili Glazed Chicken Wings
2 pounds chicken wings
1/4 cup peanut oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
Mix oil, cilantro, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons garlic, ginger and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper in large bowl. Add chicken wings and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Transfer chicken wings to large baking sheet. Bake until cooked through and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine vinegar, sugar, water, chili-garlic sauce, remaining 1/2 tablespoon garlic and remaining 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper in medium saucepan. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer until glaze mixture thickens to syrup consistency, about 20 minutes.
Transfer baked chicken wings to large bowl. Pour glaze over; toss to coat. Sprinkle with green onions.
Yield: 2 main course or 4 first-course servings
Shrimp Cocktail:
Note: I have brined the shrimp for this recipe, but I find it comes out too salty. Maybe it was the type of shrimp available near me, but I skip that part and don’t really miss it. I sprinkle a little salt on the shrimp before broiling. This cocktail sauce is the best though.
Using a pair of scissors or a serrated knife, make an incision down the backside of the shrimp, following the intestinal track. Eviscerate shrimp and rinse under cool water leaving shells intact.
Place cleaned shrimp into a bowl with brine and refrigerate mixture for 20 to 25 minutes. While shrimp are brining, place tomatoes, chili sauce, horseradish, sugar, pepper, and salt in food processor and blend until smooth. Refrigerate cocktail sauce until ready to serve.
Place a baking sheet or broiler pan under oven broiler and preheat for 5 minutes. Remove shrimp from brine and drain thoroughly. Rinse the shrimp under cold water and dry on paper towels. In a large bowl, toss shrimp with olive oil and sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning, if desired.
Place shrimp onto a sizzling sheet pan and return to broiler immediately. After 2 minutes, turn the shrimp with a pair of tongs. Return the shrimp to broiler for 1 minute. Transfer to a cold cookie sheet. Refrigerate immediately.
Once shrimp have chilled, arrange with cocktail sauce on serving dish.
A few days late, but 2018 is a welcome new beginning for our family! I am excited to (finally!) kick off this website and to share my family’s life with everyone. I am a mom of three. I have a 6 year old son, Liam, and 3 year old twins, Sawyer and Lennon. Our family also includes Sydney, our 9 year old yellow Lab.
In the fall of 2016, we just moved to a lovely neighborhood and were exploring the park. I met a nice neighbor who had a son about a year younger than my twins. We ran into each other again recently at the playground. We chatted a bit more and I found out that she is also a single mom! And only two blocks away!! We decided to do a pizza party on NYE with the kids. I wanted to make some simple hors d’oeuvres too. I decided on shrimp cocktail, dried apricots with goat cheese and pistachios, and mushroom and chives on brioche toast. I only managed to get a decent shot of the apricots. I ate all of the brioche toast with mushrooms before I could get a picture. They’re so addictive.
dried apricots with goat cheese and pistachios
Keeping these four cuties occupied was easy with some extra pizza dough.
One of the pizzas we made. 1/2 pepperoni, 1/2 plain. Also on the menu was a kalamata olive pie. My kids are olive fanatics. I made pesto specifically to put on a pizza with sun dried tomatoes. I completely forgot about it in the midst of partying. Luckily I stashed leftover pizza dough in the freezer and made some for movie night a few days later. Delicious! Pesto also freezes well.
Dessert was everyone’s favorite. Dark chocolate fondue with accompaniments of marshmallows, pound cake, strawberries, and blueberries. I lost my electric fondue pot in one of our moves, so I had to improvise. Made the fondue on the cooktop and transferred to this pretty silver Nambe bowl. Thankfully, I found the fondue forks, which double as weapons for the toddler demographic, so keep that in mind.
Miles, 2, digging in to the chocolate. Liam, with a very stuffed mouthful of chocolate goodness.
Our party may have been over by 7pm, but we all had a blast.
DRIED APRICOTS WITH GOAT CHEESE AND PISTACHIOS Note: I typically prefer unsulphured apricots, but part of what I love about this recipe is the gorgeous color combination. Therefore, for this application, I used sulphured apricots.
20 soft dried apricots
4 T orange juice, if necessary
4 T toasted and chopped pistachios
1/4 lb. goat cheese
If your apricots are on the harder side, soak in orange juice for about 10-15 minutes. Drain. Peel the apricots into two at the natural seam, leaving cut side up. Top each with a dollop of goat cheese (or a quenelle if you’re feeling fancy). Sprinkle with pistachios and serve.
SAUTEED MUSHROOMS ON TOASTED BRIOCHE
Note: I surprisingly found beautiful thin brioche loaves at my local grocery store. When cut into slices, it was the perfect size for these hors d’oeuvres, around 2″ in diameter. You could also use a larger brioche loaf, cut into 1/2″ slices and cut diagonally after toasting. You’ll most likely have extra brioche. Perfect for french toast!
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, cleaned and chopped into 1/4″ pieces
2 T unsalted butter
1/4 c minced shallot
2 T dry white wine
1/4 c heavy cream
brioche, cut into slices (see note)
1 T chopped chives
sea salt
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté until limp, but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, about 5-7 minutes. Add wine, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
Uncover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in cream. Simmer until slightly thickened, two minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Toast brioche and butter. Top each toast with mushroom mixture. Sprinkle with chives and sea salt. Serve.
PIZZA DOUGH Note: I’ve found this to be my favorite pizza dough recipe (from Cook’s Illustrated). I have played around with adding some whole wheat flour, but I haven’t been too impressed with the results. I’ll keep experimenting and post good results in the (hopefully near) future.
1 3/4 c water, divided, 1/2 warm, remaining at tap temperature
2 1/4 t dry active yeast
2 T olive oil
4 c bread flour
1 1/2 t table salt
vegetable oil, for oiling bowl
semolina flour, for dusting peel
sauce, recipe follows
cheese of your choice (I prefer 1:2 of shredded scamorza:mozzarella)
toppings of your choice: favorites here include kalamata olives, pepperoni, sautéed mushrooms, bacon, sausage, pineapple (just me…I’m working on the kids)
Sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup of warm water in measuring cup. Let stand until yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. While waiting, mix flour and salt in a food processor with the steel blade to combine. Add remaining 1/4 cup warm water plus remaining 1 1/4 cups tap water and olive oil to the yeast mixture. Add yeast mixture (holding back a tablespoon or so) to flour and pulse together. If dough does not readily form into ball, add remaining liquid, and continue to pulse until ball forms. Process until dough is smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds.
Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface. Knead by hand to form smooth, round ball. Put dough into a large oiled bowl and cover with damp cloth. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Preheat pizza stone in oven at 550°F for at least 1/2 hour prior to cooking.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface and use a bench scraper to halve, quarter, or cut dough into eighths, depending on number and size of pizzas (and some for playing!). Form each piece into ball and cover with damp cloth. Working with one piece of dough at a time, flatten each ball into a disk. Stretch to desired size. If you want a thinner crust and the dough isn’t cooperating, let rest for 5-10 minutes and continue stretching. Transfer to semolina coated pizza peel, brush dough lightly with olive oil before topping with sauce, cheese, and any other toppings of your choice.
Slide pizza from peel onto stone. Cook until the crust is nicely browned. Depending on the size of the pizza, this could take anywhere from 4-10 minutes. Gauge based upon color, not time.
POUND CAKE Note: This cake makes more than 1 loaf. Not quite enough for a 2nd, but more than you’ll need. I pour the extra into a muffin pan or into mini loaf pan(s), depending on the amount of batter left over.
2 c flour
2 t baking powder
pinch of salt
2 c granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
1 c whole milk
1/4 lb butter
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a loaf pan.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Combine milk and butter in small saucepan. Heat until milk is scalded (tiny bubbles appear around the outside edge of the pan). Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together sugar and eggs. Mix in vanilla extract. When milk mixture is ready, add to the stand mixer bowl. With the splash guards in place, mix on low speed until just combined. Fill prepared loaf pan 2/3 of the way full. Put in oven immediately.
Bake 40-45 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.
Yield: 1 loaf and extras for snacking
__________________________________________________________________________
DARK CHOCOLATE FONDUE Note: You could add 1 T Grand Marnier, Chambord, or brandy to the fondue along with the vanilla.
1 c heavy cream
1/2 lb high-quality chocolate (Callebaut 53% is one of my favorites), chopped into small pieces
1/2 T vanilla extract
dippers: strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, graham crackers, blueberries, rice krispie treats, chocolate chip cookies, potato chips, cubed cream cheese, brownies, cheesecake bites, basically everything tastes good dipped in chocolate
Put chocolate in medium bowl.
Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan over low to medium low heat. When the cream is just under a boil, add to the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk in vanilla.
Pour into the fondue pot, if using, and keep the heat (or flame) low. Dip away!
