17 weeks

Oh hey.  17 weeks was a good week.  Every week is pretty great these days.  Always changing and growing.  Personality is shining more and more as noted below.  What a guy.

hot cocoa for one

We finally got some snow here.  Just a dusting and the Ohio in me finds it hard to consider this winter still.  We don't have to bundle all that much and I haven't been painfully cold but a few times.  I shouldn't be complaining, but to me if I'm going to live somewhere that gets snow I want it to really snow!

Regardless, I'm glad to see something white on the ground be it snow or slush and this afternoon after a good walk this morning with Robyn and Caleb which wore out Anderson to the point that he fell asleep facing forward in the carrier then came home to take a 2 hour nap (victory!!) I decided to take a stab at making some hot chocolate.  I saw this recipe on the Epicurious App and after making it felt ten years old again.  Ok, maybe not 10 seeing as I was watching my 4 month old child, but still. It reminded me of good old fashioned powdered hot chocolate that we'd have after playing in the snow.  I used about 2 tablespoons of sugar to see how sweet it would be and based on the comparison I just made, it was sweet!  Next time I'll use half the sugar and see how that goes.  I may even try Agave instead of sugar one of these days.  Point being, I'm making this again and you should too.

Anderson was in the carrier while I was making it.  Such a good helper.  I think he'll soon be sitting in the bumbo watching me cook!

here's the recipe.  enjoy with a marshmallow on top if that's your thing.  Speaking of, I think I need to make some of those from scratch some day soon...

{Ingredients You'll Need}

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar (or less if you like..or agave nectar)
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla 

{Recipe}

• In a small saucepan whisk the cocoa powder, sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons of milk over low heat until the cocoa and sugar dissolve
• add the rest of the milk and stir to combine.  increase the heat until warmed through
• stir in the vanilla and serve immediately.

This recipe can easily be doubled...tripled...quadrupled..  you get the point.

dear four months

Hey Little Man,

Tomorrow you'll be four months old.  Four Months!  You're constantly changing and I find a bit of relief when parents tell me, "yah we feel like between 4 and 6 months they were always changing.."  It gives me hope that this interesting sleep, no sleep, eating often, stretching out feeding things you're doing it just all a part of being a four month old.  I know it is.  This morning you woke up at 7:30 but then decided to go back to sleep until 10 am!  Nice treat for us, so thanks!  After all...you did wake up at 1 and 4 and 5 during the night.

You're a lot of work kid, but the best kind.  I love reading to you and watching you kick kick kick and it seems like you're already (in true human nature) loving the approval of your dad and me when you grab things or kick at your toys or let's be honest, have a good burp.

I think you'll be sitting up before we know it and getting a tooth here soon as well since you can't seem to keep your hands out of your mouth.  It's fun to watch you grow, but then again I love looking in the mirror when I'm holding you and know you're still a baby, my baby.

Love you more than you'll ever know,

mamma.

salad bar with lemon-yogurt dressing

Tonight's dinner brought me back to college when I ate many many salads.  I wasn't the biggest fan of the hot items on many days (and nights) so I turned to the salad bar and loaded it up with cottage cheese or tuna for protein.  Sometimes I'd mix brown rice with peanut butter, raisins and honey and have a protein filled snack or dessert of sorts too.  Then of course there was always cereal.  Looking back I realize why I was much thinner than I am now considering what I ate day in and out.

Needless to say, I should know how to make a good salad, right? Well, this recipe brought some new things to my knowledge.  Why not cut the stems of broccoli and throw them in a salad?  It's good to not waste food after all.  Or how about this simple and delicious lemon yogurt dressing?  Why didn't I think of that?

This mound of greens and veg filled us up tonight and the dressing is one I'll turn to again.  Here's the recipe thanks to and modified from Bon Appetit though of course get carried away and create for yourselves whatever strikes your fancy.

{Lemon Yogurt Dressing}

• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup canola or olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients and taste for salt and pepper.  Serve a top salad which may include...

• spinach
• romaine
• chopped carrots
• avocado, sliced
• peeled and chopped broccoli stems
• chickpeas
• halved and pitted kalamata olives
• sunflower seeds
• candied walnuts

Grandma June's Beef (or venison) Stuffed Peppers

For a few months now I've been wanting to go through old recipes at my parents.  My Mom has wonderful handwritten recipes that I remember from my Grandma June and then some from her aunts and grandma as well.  The other week I started going through her many cooking binders and stumbled upon my Grandma's Stuffed Pepper recipe.  I remember Grandma June making these and sitting on the back porch in the summer time eating them up.

While I was making them at my parents my Mom reminded me that Grandma canned her own tomatoes from the garden and used peppers during the summer when they were in season.  Thanks, Mom.  She also told me that Grandma cooked things pretty bland, in true Midwest form, so I should season things more if I thought they needed it.

Grandma June used ground beef but we used the venison we had which is cut with some beef fat so that it's not too lean.  Because it is so lean I added a bit more oil to the pan while I was browning it.

During the process of shopping for these I learned about chili sauce.  Do you use it?  I had never heard of it but sure enough found it near the ketchup.  It added some sweetness and tang to the overall red sauce I think.  Overall these were a hit and dare I say casserole-like in that you have your rice, meat, and veg all in one pot.  You can serve this up with a side salad and bread if you'd like but then again, that's not necessary.

Here's the recipe ... and here's to keeping family recipes alive.

{Ingredients You'll Need}

• 6 green peppers
• 1.5 lbs ground venison (or beef)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon salt to season
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 cup tomato juice
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup chili sauce
• 1 16-ounce can stewed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice

{Recipe}

• Preheat oven to 350
• Cut the top off each pepper, remove the seeds and cook in enough salted boiled water for 5 minutes to soften them.  Remove from the water and drain.
• Saute the ground beef, onion, and celery until the beef is browned.
• Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.  
• Stand the peppers upright in a casserole dish or dutch oven and put about 1/4-1/2 inch of water in the bottom.  Fill the peppers then bake them at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.

happy one year ago today to us

One year ago today Benjamin and I were sitting down to relax for a bit before hitting the hay.  He asked if he could pour me a glass of wine and I had reservations.  What if I was pregnant?!  After all, I was a day late.  One day and I was suspicious.  I suggested we take a test before I drank a glass of wine because after all, what if I were pregnant?

Benjamin laughed it off but gave in to my craziness and we wandered upstairs so I could take the test and he could stand nearby for the 2 or 3 minutes as we awaited the results. I remember shaking and praying and being pretty giddy.  Benjamin now says I willed for this baby to happen.  It was like I knew...

Obviously, the result was positive and we stood there and said several times, "we're pregnant...we are pregnant..."  Later that night we decided it would be a good idea to download a bunch of baby documentaries on Netflix but first we watched the opening scene to Look Whose Talking- a completely scientific and practical way to think about the little babe growing inside of me.

And now?  Well now we're a family.  We have an almost 4 month old, we're tired, and we've got oh so much love and joy in our lives.  Happy One Year Since We Found Out About Anderson to Us...