Another day...

...another doctor. Today it was Otis's turn to go to the doctor. His appointment, however, was not routine maintenance. The little guy woke me up this morning yelping and shaking his head. We'd just had his ears flushed last week because I knew he had another ear infection. We, being the newly-horrific doggie parents we are, had been more than somewhat remiss in putting his meds in his ears. In our defense, it's a two-man job, and there aren't a lot of times when we have four adult hands available for dog upkeep. That will have to change, though, because I can't continue carting him and baby girl across town to the vet every week. Either way, his ears aren't bad. The vet thinks he probably has seasonal allergies. Unfortunately, no doggie-Claritin. He doesn't seem like he's too terribly bothered by his ears, but he's not acting like himself. Maybe he senses that S doesn't feel well.

Speaking of S, she has a fever (as predicted) as a result of her vaccinations yesterday. Nothing too bad...still in the "no need to call the pediatrician" range. Of course, last night was the first time we'd ever had to take her temperature. Another traumatic moment for me. She, however, grinned at her daddy the entire time. For now, the fever and Tylenol combo is knocking her out, which I'm grateful for. Only one bad cranky episode since the shots...I was worried she'd scream for a few days. Hopefully, she'll keep up the good behavior as we are hitting the road tomorrow. S's first trip to the motherland. We'll be in DC through Saturday and in Columbia through Monday. Lots of new family members for baby girl to meet. Lots of packing for me to do tonight. (Thank you LBS for the list.) I'm actually glad that I'm experiencing the stress of her first out-of-town adventure before our family outing to New York in a few weeks. You know, work out the kinks. Well, as much as one can.

We'll be back online next week. Until then, keep it real, peeps.

Hit me with your best shot

You know how they say that a baby's shots are more traumatic for the mother than the baby? I'm not entirely sure I believe that. S's wails this morning tell me that she found the vaccination experience pretty darn traumatic. The fact that she instantaneously started screaming when poked with the needle made it clear that the shots actually hurt...not like when a two-year-old cries a minute after falling (you know, when they realize that you think they are hurt, meaning they can work the sympathy system). Luckily, her daddy was there and was able to calm her down. She's basically been snoozing ever since. Poor traumatized baby. Sleep it off, girl.

The other news from her check-up? She is officially a gigantic baby. 14pounds, 5-1/2 ounces (99th percentile) and 23 inches (75th percentile). She's huge. She's also waking up.

Brilliant

Brilliant may be the only adequate word to describe this weekend's weather. Well, glorious might do as well. We spent most of yesterday outside- working in the morning in Mr. P's new yard (pics of the insanity later, I swear) and spending the afternoon in our backyard. M tore down the enormous nasty dog house that the previous owners gifted us while I planted some more seeds and repotted some pansies for the front steps.
Baby girl was wonderful, taking nice long naps that allowed us to get those things done. This afternoon we're going to try to mulch the front beds and get the soil ready in the garden. I'm excited. I'm not excited about slathering the wee one in sunscreen, which I'm about to have to do. Can't let her get deep-fried, though.

This morning we snapped some pictures after church. She just looked so pretty. Here's my favorite (loved for its fairly accurate depiction of both S and M's personalities)...there are others over here.

Domestic Goddess??

Not so much.

I have been fairly productive this afternoon, though. Maybe I was making up for the morning...during which I accomplished nothing more than taking a shower, taking S to visit her daddy at work, and going to playgroup. While that's plenty for one morning, it doesn't really count as accomplishing anything, does it? Maybe. Who cares. We had a good morning. Just the same I crossed two "major" things off the to-do list this afternoon.

One: I planted some of the seeds for the garden. We're expanding the garden this year and moving it from one side of the yard to the other. I'm very excited about it- not to mention excited about actually wanting to eat stuff from the garden. So far, I planted the grape tomatoes and regular tomatoes, the bell peppers, and some lettuce. When I ran out of peat pods, I quit, which means all the little sweet basil seeds are still in their package. I'd also like to grow strawberries, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to since I know they have to be grown away from tomatoes and peppers. Maybe I'll try the strawberries in pots on the deck. We'll see. As for now, all of the happy seeds are planted 1/4 inch deep in happy dirt under a happy plastic dome. They are sitting on the stove right now because baby girl is napping next to the back door so I can't move them outside. Later.

Item number two from the to-do list is crafty. Crafty for me at least. I always have great intentions of completing crafty little projects, but somehow I just end up collecting bags of goodies from Michaels. I wanted to finish this one, though. It has a distinct purpose. For the record, I ripped the basic idea off from a friend. As all of our family currently lives at least three hours away, I want S to learn who they are before she is bombarded by and scared out of her wits by "strangers". I've taken pictures of all of her family members and modge-podged them to balsa wood flowers that I painted pink and green to match her room. I'm going to use removable Velcro dots to stick them to the wall over her changing pad. That way, as she gets older, she'll see pictures of all the people who love her and she'll become more familiar with them. Snazzy idea, eh? I'll post a picture once I get them on the wall. Right now, they are hanging out on a Pier One bag on the dining table.

That's about it around here today. We did get a new garage door opener installed yesterday, and M and I are both happy about that. As for food, it's been pretty low key the past few nights. I made a gumbo stew the other night that used a Zatarain's mix. While it was yummy, I won't make it again. I rarely buy "mixes," and now I really remember why. I was checking out the ingredient list on the side of the box, and I couldn't pronounce the names of all the preservatives. It creeped me out. I have a great gumbo recipe from scratch, and I'll stick with it from now on. I much prefer being able to pronounce and recognize all of the ingredients in our food. Last night was a simple dinner: snap peas and roasted new potatoes. Plus raw carrots for M and corn and grape tomatoes for me. Very colorful plates. Made me happy to see M eating things that are legitimate colors (aka not a shade of white, cream, or taupe). Ooooh, I did cook some spinach the other night to put on top of pasta. It was delish. The recipe is over here...

Later peeps.

The human pacifier

I find it amusing how S changes from week to week and develops new likes and dislikes. Like deciding about a week ago that she loves to swing. Her newest thing is using me as a pacifier. She nods off while nursing and refuses to give up the boob and maintain residency in dream land. She wakes right up and won't go to sleep unless "pacified." Try an actual pacifier, you say? Done. Not the same apparently, and she won't keep it in her mouth. Sometimes it doesn't bother me. Other times I grow weary of sitting in the rocking chair. That usually happens when I get to the end of a magazine or grow tired of whatever book I have with me. Sometimes it happens when I think my tummy growling will wake her up about the same moment that I die of hunger. Any suggestions on how to solve this little problem? For the record, this really only applies for napping. Bedtime is bedtime for little bit.

Not much else going on here. Our garage door opener crapped out last night, so tomorrow's agenda will include having it replaced. My fingers are crossed that they'll be installing one of the new screw-driven models and not the old chain-driven ones. They are so thrillingly silent. The sounds of silence...currently being interrupted by a baby who's trying to wake up. She must've realized that there's no boob in her face.

The big salad

Remember that Seinfeld episode? I love Seinfeld. I've just recently rediscovered its hilarity after having my brain over-saturated with its nothingness through reruns for several years. This post has absolutely nothing to do with Seinfeld other than the fact that I chose to name the post after an episode. The post does have something to do with salad. Specifically, the oh-so-yummy salads that M and I just devoured for dinner. Nothing particularly special about them except that I made the croutons. They were delish and added a perfect touch of saltiness. The salad part of the salad was baby spinach tossed in organic balsamic vinaigrette, diced apple, and sliced chicken breasts. I meant to throw in some almonds, but I forgot until now. Didn't need them, though. The croutons were easy. I had the ends of a loaf of bread leftover after making BLTs (TBST'S, technically: turkey bacon, spinach, and tomato) at lunchtime. As I was about to throw them out, I remembered that I was planning on salads for dinner, so I decided to try out the homemade crouton thing. I cut the bread into 1-1/2 inch cubes and toasted them in a skillet with a generous drizzle of olive oil. When they were nice and toasty, I tossed them in a bowl with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. They were awesome and made a mundane salad great. I'm going to start making croutons with all of my leftover bread. Yum yum.

In other recipe news, I made one of our regulars Friday night: fried rice. After having made it myself, I can't imagine enjoying the peas-and-carrots laden junk they feed you with takeout. Here's the recipe:

FRIED RICE

4C cooked brown rice
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 eggs, beaten
2T low sodium soy sauce
Olive oil

Coat the bottom of a chef's pan with olive oil. Heat the oil over medium-high and add the rice. Cook until oil is absorbed (not long). Push the rice to one side of the pan. Add the peppers and onions and cook to crisp-tender. Mix into the rice. Add the soy sauce and mix well. Push all to the side of the pan. Add the egg and scramble. Mix everything together, and voila!!

The recipe makes a lot, but M eats until its gone, so we rarely have leftovers.

That's it from here for the weekend.

Not-at-home-mommy

Stay-at-home-mom? Whoever coined the phrase is nuts...or completely anti-social. One or the other, which I'd evaluate on a case-by-case basis. S and I are never home, and our out-and-about routine nearly gave me an anxiety attack today. On the must-do list today: go to the grocery (pesky black bananas) and take Otis to the vet (pesky ear infections). On the want-to-do list: go to the newly-joined Y to work out, vacuum the floors, bake the muffins I didn't get to yesterday, shower. All in all, it's not a complicated task list. After all, there is a grocery store about 300 yards from the Y, and the vet is actually between home and the Y. Totally do-able, right? Is anything ever that simple? Not around here. The nursery at the Y is apparently packed from about 9-11:30 because that's when the good classes are offered. I wanted to go when S was one of the only babies. (It was mildly traumatic to leave her.) That meant that I needed to go after 11:30, but I needed to get there in time to workout before the nursery closed for lunch at 1:15 (it reopens at 3:15). For those of you making a mental time line, Otis's appointment was at 2. That two hour gap meant that I couldn't just take Otis to the Y and leave him in the car because 45 minutes is an eternity with a fussy baby. I also couldn't use that time to go to the grocery because Otis, S, the groceries, the doggie gate, and I won't all fit into the car at once without some finagling. So, here's how it went down:

S and I headed across town to the Y around 10:50. I'd looked at the class schedule, and it looked like all the classes were over by 11:05 on Fridays. Sweet. We got there around 11:15, and the parking lot was insanely packed. Not a huge problem. We headed to the grocery and got back to the Y around 11:45. Parking lot: nearly empty. I checked S into the nursery and hit the elliptical trainer. After working out for about 45 minutes, I realized that there was no way I would have time to get home, unload the car, put away the groceries, nurse the baby, change the baby, shower, wrangle Otis into his Gentle Leader, install the dog gate, load everyone into the car, and get back across town by 2. Great. Evil time constraints. Once again I find myself in need of a time-turner...or a helicopter. By the time I got S picked up and into the car, it was 12:50. By the time we got home, it was 1:10. Dreams of de-stanking myself before the vet trip were gone. Luckily, S was asleep in the car, so I was able to run the groceries into the kitchen, get all the stroller and baby-related paraphernalia out of the car, and put up the gate before she realized what was happening. Once she came to, she remembered that she was hungry. I nursed and changed her in record time. I popped her into her swing and put away the groceries. I tricked Otis into his Gentle Leader and ran him to the car. I packed up the baby, grabbed the diaper bag and a pet insurance claim form, and hopped in the car at 1:45. We were only 4 minutes late. Of course, the vet's office was running behind so all the rushing made no difference to anyone. Such is life...

Since then, I have managed to shower, do a load of laundry, and bake muffins. I decided I don't care if the floors get vacuumed today. I'm pooped...
FIVE SENSES FRIDAY
Sight:: M and S chilling on the sofa
Sound:: P-family dance party mix
Smell:: garlic and onions sauteeing
Taste:: peanut butter sandwich with grapes and strawberries
Touch:: clean Otis fur

Beware the Ides of March

I don't think that a year has gone by since I was fifteen that I haven't busted out "beware the ides of march" to at least one unsuspecting soul when the 15th rolls around. This year, it's the innumerable unsuspecting souls that read this blog...okay, I know there are only about four of you. Either way, I'm mass communicating. I like to let my nerdiness shine through now and again.

Speaking of my nerdiness- and following up with the Julius Caesar reference- today's post is my ode to Shakespeare. I wasn't the biggest fan of Caesar when I read it in 10th grade, but I've pretty much adored everything else I've ever read by the Bard. My personal favorite remains Hamlet. After I read it in high school, I started renting all of its various renditions at Blockbuster and subjecting my grandmother to them. She was the only one who'd indulge my inner literature geek. She was also a die-hard democrat. Grandma rocked the house (and the vote). This post isn't about Grandma, though, is it? Nope. Of course, like every other girl on the planet, I've always loved Romeo and Juliet. Actually, I think I've really enjoyed all of Shakespeare's plays I've read or seen- except Midsummer Night's Dream. Don't know why...I just don't care for it. I liked Shakespeare so much coming out of DCHS that I attempted to take "Shakespeare's Comedies and Histories" my freshman year of college. It was an upper-level course that required a smidge too much work in my alcohol-filled first year. The class got dropped, and it never fit into my schedule again. Oh bother. I suppose that's it for me and old Willie...not really an ode so much, huh?

My bananas are all black again, I'm off to make muffins.

Reaffirmation

Remember how I said I went through an "I heart Barefoot Contessa" phase? Remember how I said that I'd sort of gotten over it because I don't care for her show? I picked up a copy of Barefoot Contessa at Home yesterday, and the love affair is back on. I flagged the pages of all the recipes that I want to try, and a solid half of the book now has little blue Post-It flags adorning its pages. I'd held off on buying Barefoot in Paris, but now I think I just have to have it. Have to. Have to. Have to. One of the things that I love about this book is that there is more text to it. Little blurbs by Ina Garten. One talks about developing recipes and how she tweaks recipes from other places. Hello. That's what I do all the time. That's how I came up with my top-secret, world's best chocolate cake recipe. I'd tell you how I make it, but then I'd have to kill you. I'd rather ply you with chocolaty goodness.

Moving right along: tonight's dinner was one that I've mentioned before (pasta with sauteed grapes and onions and pesto). I made it up, and I suppose I should name it if I'm going to claim that it's a legitimate dish. Of course, I should also make notes about how much stuff I put into it, so I suppose I'll wait until I make it again to share.

Baby girl is starting to grump...sounds like time for the mom buffet to open for business.

Glorious sunshine

Playgroup was today instead of our regular Thursday get-together. We met at a local park where the older kids could play and fling mulch. I think having the noise dispersed across a playground was the major contributing factor to S's disinterest in remaining awake. She snoozed heavily, missing the birthday cupcakes and everything. She did wake up once because she was hungry, but that's about it. She looked cute in her new outfit and sunhat, though. She also smells like sunscreen now, and every time she moves her arms, I see more of it caked and dried in her little rolls. Hehehe...
I enjoyed the gorgeous spring weather and sunshine so much that I couldn't let Otis miss out, so I braved a walk with baby girl and the dog for the first time this afternoon. All in all it was a success. Otis only tried to annihilate one squirrel, so it wasn't too bad. Of course, we stopped to talk to half of the neighborhood, and he was wonderful despite the fact that I could tell he wanted to move it along. He was also very attentive when anyone came up to meet S. After all, he is her guard dog, right?

Moving beyond our outdoor activities for the day- I was thinking the other day about the great question posed by the great flick Office Space. What would I do if I had a million dollars? For starters, if all I got was a cool million, I'd pay off the mortgage, buy a couple of hybrid cars, make some donations to environmental causes and a few democrats, and invest the remainder. Not exciting, but very "P". However, if I were to actually address the heart of the question...I got started thinking about it in terms of hubby especially. After all, I'm doing exactly what I want to do- hanging out with my beautiful baby girl. Husband, however, has to go to work everyday to allow me to continue being a stay-at-home mommy. (Thank you, by the way. I love you.) The question is: is he doing what he really wants to during the 7-6 workday? Probably not. He gets to make maps, which he loves and is totally cool, but I'm not sure if that really satisfies him. What would, you ask? Teaching. Teaching people to love geography and maps and tennis. We talk about it a lot. Can we simplify our lives and scale back enough to keep me at home and keep us in the lifestyle we want (and want to give our children)? Who knows. I'm afraid we'll always be too chicken to try. Kind of like how we're too chicken to move to Europe (or out of the southeast for that matter). What we need is a solid shot of courage. Anybody got one lying around? Anyway...

What would you do if you had a million dollars??

The princess and the pee

Baby girl is somewhat less than a fan of bath time. She's a trooper for part of it, but she really hates to have her tummy and neck washed. Legs, butt, head, hair- fine, but stay away from the chubchub. Last night after her bath, as we rushed her into the warm towel towards the bed to dress her, she decided to get us back for attempting to de-funk the rolls under her neck. How? By peeing. I think she'd been saving up all day because she soaked through her towel, a quilt that was folded into three layers at the foot of the bed, the bedspread, and the top sheet. I think it would've done some damage to the bottom sheet if I hadn't noticed it when I did. I had just washed the sheets the day before. Go figure. We ended up just throwing two quilts onto the bed last night, which didn't work out well because neither was big enough to provide ample coverage for me and M. Oh, well.

The other laundry chaos revolved around a wayward ballpoint pen that made its way into the wash yesterday. Of course, I failed to notice its presence when moving the clothes (M's work clothes) from the washer to the dryer. (Read: when I still could've really saved myself a lot of work.) We had to go to Target for heavy duty stain remover, and M had to scour the inside of the dryer with a MagicEraser. I'm still working on the clothes, but most everything was salvaged. It would've been easier if I'd done a more thorough job checking pockets before doing the laundry. Note to self...

Lastly, I was reminded by a very dear Dra sister that while I'm excellent at giving updates on baby girl and me, I've been remiss in reporting on how M has taken to fatherhood. He's been great, and I think he's enjoying being a daddy almost as much as I'm enjoying being a mommy. I think his only complaint is a lack of time to spend with her. I'm trying to let him spend more time with her on the weekends, but I start having withdrawals if I haven't held her in a couple of hours. Either way, M is doing great. In fact, he's sprawled out on the couch with S sprawled out on him as I type. They are precious, and I am so thankful for my wonderfully, beautifully perfect little family (including Otis).

Lastly, speaking of withdrawals...I must sincerely thank my sister-in-law for the aptly monikered "Magic Swing." S loves to swing, and I am actually feeling guilty that I put her down more than I used to. I don't think the "attachment parenting" thing is supposed to make you feel guilty...is it? Anyway, thank you M for the swing, which also provides me time to pee without having my child attached to me. You are a savior.

I'm out, peeps...except for the food thing. No new recipe really, but I have been making "homemade" calzones lately. It allows for pseudo-pizza night. I just put spinach in mine instead of cheese. Either way, here's the basic scenario: I use pizza crust mix, and I halve the dough. Both of our calzones get a healthy dose of turkey pepperoni and diced tomatoes (drained). M's then gets shredded mozzarella while mine gets about a half of a box of frozen chopped spinach. I've added green peppers and onions before, and you could clearly add whatever "toppings" you want. Then I make them fairly unhealthy by dressing up the crust. I saute garlic in butter, add basil, and brush/pour it over the tops of the calzones. Then I sprinkle each with kosher salt and black pepper. I'd add a little Parmesan if I could. That's it...oh, I bake them at 475 degrees for about 12 minutes, and I pour marinara sauce over mine. Presto.

Baby girl after church this morning. Check out those arm rolls!

Pair of sixes

Baby girl is six weeks old today. Six weeks. I feel like she should be getting a report card. I can't believe my little girl is growing up so fast. We took her to meet baby A last night, and I'm afraid that S could've swallowed the baby. It was bizarre looking at them together because A is almost exactly the same size S was at birth, and S is twice that size now. Crazy.

The other six? That would be size six jeans. My size six jeans. My pre-pregnant jeans on my post-pregnant butt. How happy was I when those suckers zipped and buttoned? Pretty happy...I have to say. It's official- now I can go buy a new pair. I still have about seven pounds to lose to be back at my fighting weight (according to the vicious scale yesterday at my check-up), but I can handle that.

Beyond all that- I found a new website that I love. It's in the links now...Smitten Kitchen. Fabulous. I also had a thought the other day, which I'm incapable of not sharing as I only average about one thought a day. Since I'm on the no-dairy diet and I'm trying to limit my intake of gassy and acidic veggies, I'm already starting to get tired of the menu around here. I need some variety. Then I remembered that Feathernester has mentioned before that she has been looking for realistic recipes for dinner, and I know that DieFrau is always on the lookout for healthy things her DF can eat. And I know that some of you are awesome and healthy gourmets so, I thought that I'd start sharing some of the things that we eat for dinner that fit the bill. Here's the catch- I'm begging you to reciprocate. I can only eat so many stir fried veggies before I go insane...and before M starts to vehemently object.

Last night I made chicken soup (that we took to baby A's house). Here's the recipe:

CHICKEN SOUP

Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1C roughly chopped celery
1C roughly chopped baby carrots
1bag frozen flat dumplings (I use Reames', which are located by the ravioli in our freezer section)
Parsley flakes

Season the chicken with the salt and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees until cooked through. When cool, thinly slice chicken. Boil about 3 quarts of water (or homemade chicken stock if you're super fancy), and add the appropriate amount of bouillon. Add veggies and boil for ten minutes. Add dumplings and continue boiling for 20 minutes. Add chicken and simmer 10 minutes. Sprinkle with enough parsley that you're happy with the amount of green. Done. YUMMY.

Last thing, I swear. I made baked French toast Saturday morning when C and M were visiting. Also yummy. Either way, M was in charge of fixing our plates while I tended to baby. This is what I sat down to. What a way to start a weekend!!

Long day

Yesterday was a long day. Today is more of the same.

My friend A had a minor medical emergency yesterday morning, so I spent the better part of the day at her house keeping her adorable two-year-old daughter. I'll admit that it was completely exhausting, and I have a newfound respect for mothers who have their children close together. For me, it reminds me that I don't want to add to the brood for at least three years. Both of the girls were great, it was just a lot considering my bowling ball of a daughter was strapped to my chest the entire time.

Today we've been at home, but baby girl has been really uncooperative when it comes to naps. She tricked me this morning by being completely awesome and happy. She woke up about 45 minutes earlier than usual, but I didn't really care. It just delayed my shower. She actually let me put her in her swing while I ate my Cheerios, and I was able to work on the birth announcements and make a few cards because she remained content. She got fussy at the normal "FEED ME" interval, so I fed her and she dozed off. Perfect. I took a shower- a good one with leg shaving and everything. When I got out of the shower, she was wide awake and perfectly content staring at the windows and the ceiling. What a great baby. She let me dry my hair. We played and sang some songs. Then the fussing commenced. It's been going on ever since. The only thing that has made her happy has been bouncing in the BabyBjorn on the pilates ball with a Sting CD blaring. She finally went to sleep about ten minutes ago, but she remains attached to me as all of my attempts to put her down have met with ear-piercing squeals. Like I said, it's been a long day. Luckily, my six week check up is tomorrow, so I should be cleared for working out, which will get me out of the house and provide an hour or so of childcare a day. Sweet sanity.

How do people with multiple small children survive? I don't think I could handle it.

Wicked awesome

Check this out.

Also, congrats to our friends D and A on their new arrival...an as-yet-unnamed Baby Girl. We can't wait to get the girls together for a playdate.

Blueberry goodness

Playgroup was a success even though my child didn't play...or stay awake for that matter. It was nice to be out and meet some other mommies, though, and I think we'll make playgroup a regular activity. The Blueberry Coffee Cake was also a success, and here's the recipe, as promised:

BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE

Streusel:
1/6C All-purpose flour
1/6C Whole wheat flour
1/3C Brown sugar
1/2tsp Cinnamon
1/4C Cold butter, cut into pieces

Cake batter:
1/2C All-purpose flour
1/2C Whole wheat flour
1tsp Baking powder
1/8tsp kosher salt
1/4C Unsweetened applesauce
1/2C Brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2tsp vanilla extract
1/3C Skim milk
2C blueberries (I used frozen)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8" springform pan.

For streusel: mix all dry ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.

For cake: In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat sugar and applesauce until well combined. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Alternately add milk and flour mixture and beat until just blended. Spread mixture into pan. Arrange blueberries on top and sprinkle with streusel mixture. Bake 45-50 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test.

FIVE SENSES FRIDAY:
Sight: smiling baby
Sound:baby hiccups
Smell:blueberry cake baking
Taste:hashbrown casserole, blueberry coffee cake, grape tomatoes
Touch:S's chubby cheeks

Bake me a cake

We've reached a milestone. Today we have playgroup. Baby girl's first. Granted, the other kids are older and will actually play, but we're going just the same. I mean, there's brunch, people. I made a Blueberry Coffee Cake to take last night, and I can't wait to try it. If it's any good, I'll pass along the recipe. It looks yummy if that means anything.

I also made Banana Chocolate Chip Mini-Muffins yesterday afternoon. Remember last week's banana rant? It happened again. I awoke yesterday morning to bananas that were all but black, and I just can't eat them when they're that mushy. Ick. Luckily, M had picked up some new bananas when he was out picking up diapers on Tuesday afternoon. I digress. Anyway, I tweaked a recipe that I found online because I am still searching for the perfect banana muffin recipe. I am afraid it will be a lifelong quest, but I may be onto something with this one. The muffins are yummy, and they were super easy. Here's the recipe as I made it:

BANANA-CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

1 egg, lightly beaten
2c baking mix
1c pureed bananas
1/3c brown sugar
1/3c milk chocolate chips
6T unsweetened applesauce

Grease 24 mini-muffin cups. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients well, and bake for 10 minutes (the muffins do not get brown, so do the toothpick test).

Notes: Mini chocolate chips would work better, but I didn't have enough. The recipe as I prepared it isn't very banana-ey, and the original recipe called for 1-1/4 cups of banana, but I ran out, so I made up the difference in applesauce. If you were using the full 1-1/4c of banana, cut back to 3T of applesauce. I used Heart Smart Bisquick. The recipe also makes more batter than 24 mini-muffins worth, but I didn't feel like digging out the other pan. Likely, it would make 28-30. Here's the original recipe (in case you are interested).