Tales From The Fridge

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The prompt asks, Write a story about the picture.

Hubba writes, That they have big ears and. Too thingers on the. Chrunk.

When asked about this piece of creative writing, Hubba told me that there is no story in the picture - it is just a couple of elephants playing catch with a ball that looks like earth.  But he had to write something, so he did.

Sometimes a picture is not worth a thousand words.  More like eleven.

What Am I?

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photo here
I am a jungle gym.

I am a punching bag.

I am a pillow and a chair.

I am a tissue for messy noses.

What am I?


I have memorized songs sung by dancing dinosaurs and normally inanimate objects.

I have not had a full night's sleep since 1993.

I have eyes in the back of my head.

I have my ways.

What am I?


My body is not perfect but somehow it is just right.

My mind is not perfect but somehow it is enough.

My patience is not perfect but somehow I am forgiven.

My dance moves are not perfect but... wait, actually they are.

What am I?


I am chauffeur, counselor and chef.

I am laundress, seamstress and waitress.

I am coach, referee and head cheerleader.

I am teacher, student and friend.

What am I?


My hands do an infinite amount of tasks.

My heart holds an infinite amount of love.

My mind holds an infinite amount of information.

My car drives an infinite amount of places.

What am I?


I can turn a simple shopping cart into a speedy race car.

I can heal hurts with the power of a kiss.

I can build castles with a blanket and a stick.

But I can't handle saying goodbye for extended periods of time.

What am I?



I am a mother.  And I am super thankful to share my life with the awesome small-ish to tall-ish kiddos in our family who make that possible. 



I hope you all have a fantastic Mother's Day weekend!

Simple Pleasures

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The first thing I do after herding the kids down our church pew each week (center section, 4th row up from the back, thankyouverymuch) is read over the program.  It's typical to find a few errors, but this year's Mother's Day program was a real treat.

This is my new favorite Mother's Day hymn, sung especially for the pregnant moms who are still experiencing morning sickness:


And this announcement from the Primary got me super excited:


Their budget must be HUGE!  I've wanted a fryer forever, and now we would have FIVE since I have 5 kids in Primary. 

I'm still watching for those fryers, but once they get here it's going to be a PAR-TAY!  French fries and donuts for everyone!! 

School Shenanigans

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Any time I see the elementary school's number on my caller ID, I cringe.  I worry that it's yet another call about Hubba and his crazy shenanigans.

Like the day they called because he peed on the bathroom floor, just to see if it would make it to the floor drain.

Or the time he threw his lunch on the floor so he wouldn't have to eat it and could get out to recess.

Or the day he flushed a school toilet repeatedly to try to figure out where the water refilled at ("There are no tanks with floaty balls on the school toilets!" he declared) and flooded the bathroom.

Plus, all of those other times.

So when I answered to hear the good news that Princess had earned a blue ticket for good behavior, I breathed a sigh of relief.  There are only 2 weeks until school's out, I thought.  I'll bet he can make it to the end of the year.

I should have knocked on wood.

When I went to pick the kids up, they all broke out into a buzz of news. Did you get a call from the principal, Mom?  Did Hubba tell you what he did?  I couldn't believe it when I heard about it!

I looked at Hubba, who was looking back at me sheepishly from the corner of his eye.

"Well?" was all I had to say.

He sighed a big, heavy sigh.  "Didn't you hear the message from the principal?" he asked, not wanting to retell the tale.

I checked the answering machine when I got home and learned that Hubba had some 'distracting behavior' during class and was not listening to the substitute teacher so they put him under in-school suspension for the rest of the day.  I tried to call the principal back and get a more detailed story, but he was with another parent.  So I asked Hubba for his version of what happened.

Here's his story.

The substitute teacher was a man who seemed kind of grumpy, so Hubba wanted to make him laugh.  When it was time for Centers, Hubba would yell out, "READING CENTER OVER HERE!  LISTENING CENTER OVER THERE!" and such, just to be helpful.  And whenever he got the chance, he would sneak up behind the substitute and yell, "RAH!" to make him jump a little.  And every time the substitute would say, "Hubba, STOP IT."  And Hubba would laugh his contagious laugh, then the other kids would laugh too.

One time, the substitute got kind of mad and when he said, "Hubba, STOP IT!" it scared Hubba a little.  He wasn't sure what to do, so he started to bang his head on the teacher's desk.  The substitute told him to stop it, but he kept going.  His classmates told him to stop banging his head on the desk, but he kept going.  No one knew what to do, so one of the kids picked up the classroom phone and called 9-1-1.

I stopped him here.  "He really called 9-1-1? Or he pretended to?"

"No, he really called.  The police came to the school and everything."

Oh, my goodness.  I was afraid to let him finish, but he went on:

The police showed up at the school and talked to the class about when it was okay to call 9-1-1 and when it was NOT okay.  The principal had the substitute go home and had a new one come in to the class.  And Hubba went to in-school suspension for the rest of the day.  He even ate lunch in there, and it was NOT FUN.

I was pretty much speechless at this point.  I talked to Allen about what happened and he said, "I think Hubba is destined to have a very interesting life."

We talked to him about appropriate classroom behavior and respecting adults.  I talked to his regular classroom teacher who assured me that he does not act like this for her and told me that she thinks he is a great and smart kid. (I love her, by the way.  She doesn't make nearly enough money for all that she does in that classroom each day.)  

This all happened last week. I went through a complete cycle of overwhelmed and frustrated to crying and confused to laughing hysterically and back again.  I doubted myself as a capable parent and rationalized that he is only 7.  I debated homeschooling and came up with a list of the benefits of a public education for Hubba.  I slept on it.  I talked about it.

I finally decided to write about it.  Because someday, this will not feel so frustrating.  In any situation from Hubba raising his own little precocious children and asking for advice, to when he has discovered a cure for cancer and I'm asked to speak about the secrets to raising brilliant kids, I will have this story to tell (along with many others).

And Hubba-the-adult will look at me sheepishly from the corner of his eye, and we will laugh.

Random Thoughts

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The best picture I have taken this month.  Also, the best money we have spent on our yard.
I have been super emotional lately.  When people tell me things like "You're such a great mom!" I want to cry because I want so badly for it to be true.  Do any moms really feel like they've got it all figured out and are churning out perfect future citizens with good attitudes who know how to care for and think for themselves?

When people write they're and you're in the wrong context I think they're doing it on purpose.  Because why would you write them with apostrophes and everything when you could write a shorter word that actually works in your sentence?

When guacamole is spicy it is completely ruined for me.  I want to taste the avocado, not destroy my taste buds.  Less is more, guacamole makers.  Say that to yourself: LESS IS MORE. 

Actually, anything spicy is ruined for me.  My mouth can't handle it and then everything tastes like jalapenos or cayenne or whathaveyou for hours afterward.


This month marks 5 years since I started blogging.  I was going to give my blog an overhaul with a new name and header and maybe even my own blog button and everything but obviously, I didn't. 

I still don't understand tweeting and why people do that AND have Facebook.  Who has the time?

I use an old Razor flip phone and I will be very, very sad the day that it dies.  I have even debated not having a cell phone anymore when my Razor leaves me.

Despite the fact that I have never had texting I inevitably have someone tell me at least once a week that they texted me something. 

I should have been born in like 1820.

I keep wanting to write a detailed post about seeing Newsies on Broadway but I just can't do it because I think people will read it and think I'm an obsessed fan.  Which I am.  I have the ridiculously overpriced t-shirt to prove it.

I would wear my Newsies t-shirt everyday if that was appropriate for a 40-year-old mother of 10. 

I was thinking about having my family dress up as Newsies for our family picture this year, including choreographed dance routines.  Except that I can't dance.  Which is the beauty of photography rather than videography for family pictures.

When I watch a movie or read a book, a year or so later I have already forgotten most of the details about the underlying plot lines and supporting characters. 

I am always amazed by people who can hear a movie or book quote and then name the character who said it and the circumstances surrounding the quote from memory.  I'm lucky to remember to pick my kids up from school.

I do not know the real-life names of actors and actresses, let alone the names of the characters they play.  I know them as, "You know that one guy in What About Bob who plays the doctor that Bob makes crazy?  Yeah, him."  or "That actor with an English accent who was in About A Boy and that one really funny movie with Julia Roberts".

I do know who Julia Roberts is because people at Venice Beach used to think I was her when I was wearing sunglasses.  

I totally do not look like Julia Roberts.  We both have naturally curly hair, which is the distinguishing feature that brings most people to think that I look like someone they know.

A lot of people think that Allen looks like Jim Carrey.  I think Allen looks like his brothers.

I hate it when stores get remodeled and I don't know where anything is.  I'm talking to YOU, Fresh Market on Center Street and Target one city over.

I wrote 2 songs in high school that I haven't thought about in years.  I used to think they would make me rich someday when I'd sell them to someone who would make them famous.  I found them the other day and I'm kind of embarrassed.

I wish I knew how to shop for clothes without thinking, "I could get 3 full outfits at the thrift store for the price of this shirt!"  But I do love my thrift stores.

Happy weekend.

Mom's Rosemary Roasted Red Potatoes

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I have had these potatoes more times than I can count.  Sometimes they are tossed with fresh dill, sometimes they are tossed with parmesan and pepper, but my favorite preparation is with rosemary.  My mom has been making this as a side dish for as long as I can remember.  Whatever herb she had fresh from her garden is what the potatoes were tossed with.  They are a simple side and C is a big fan of them.  Miss F stands firm in her inexplicable hatred of potatoes and refuses to eat them.  Maybe one day soon she will come around to the deliciousness of potatoes...

Mom's Rosemary Roasted Red Potatoes

2 tablespoons butter
8 to 10 red potatoes, cut into eighths
1 teaspoon rosemary

Preheat oven to 425. Add butter to a 10x13 glass baking dish. Melt the butter in the oven while it preheats. Toss the potatoes in the melted butter and rosemary. Salt and pepper to taste. Roast potatoes for 35 to 40 minutes.

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Caramelized Onion, Spinach and Goat Cheese Pizza

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This was another pizza from the wine exchange I hosted. I have used caramelized onions often in appetizers, like caramelized onion bruschetta and caramaelized onion dip. I was trolling the internet looking for a way to translate this to a pizza and I discovered this recipe on Foodess.  It seemed like the perfect way to serve sweet caramelized onions on a pizza.  To make things easier, I prepared the onion and spinach pizza the day before the party and stored it in an airtight container.  That way, all I had to do was top the pizza when it came to party time.  We still didn't end up eating pizza until 10 pm, but that is a whole different story.

Caramelized Onion, Spinach and Goat Cheese Pizza

1 large sweet yellow onion (about 1 pound), halved and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 cups baby spinach
Your favorite pizza dough
½ cup shredded mozzarella
¼ cup shredded Parmesan
3 tablespoons soft goat cheese

Place your pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook over low heat until softened and caramelized. Add the vinegar and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the spinach and sauté until wilted.

Prepare your pizza crust on a piece of parchment paper. Brush dough with olive oil and top with the mozzarella, Parmesan, onions and spinach. Dot with the goat cheese. Transfer the pizza with the parchment paper to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.

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Artichoke and Spinach Crusted Chicken

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I saw a recipe for Artichoke Crusted Chicken on Pinterest. It sounded good, but I wanted to streamline the recipe and add some spinach to the mix. The result was an easy weeknight meal that involves minimal prepwork and hands on time. The dream, right? Until C and Miss F both picked off the artichoke topping. Miss F I can understand, she is my meat loving girl, but C? I asked him what on earth was wrong with artichokes, spinach and cheese. His response was that it was too rich. Ha! This from the man who would be happy eating chicken pot pie every night for dinner. So this goes down as another great recipe that I will never get to cook for my family again. Add it to the vault.

Artichoke and Spinach Crusted Chicken ¼ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/3 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese 1/3 cup artichoke hearts, chopped ½ cup baby spinach Squeeze of fresh lemon juice Dash of hot sauce 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Parmesan, Mozzarella, artichokes and spinach. Add the lemon juice and hot sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. Place the chicken breasts in the greased baking dish. Top each piece of chicken with ¼ of the artichoke mixture. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and the topping is beginning to brown and bubble.

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Chocolate Swirl Peanut Butter Cookies

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I envy neat bakers. I really do. Look how beautiful these cookies look on Salad in a Jar.  I have no idea how she got them to be so beautifully round.  I took so much care rolling up the dough and chocolate, but the round shape was overcom with gravity while the dough log chilled.  No matter, the cookies still tasted amazing.  Chocolate+peanut butter always makes a cookie worth eating, no matter how they look.  I cut the cookies a little thicker than 1/4 inch, so the recipe only made four dozen for me and needed a minute or two more to bake.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pinwheels

½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
½ cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the peanut butter, milk, vanilla extract, and egg. Stir in flour, salt, and baking soda.

In a small microwave safe bowl, microwave the chocolate chips for one minute, stirring after 30 seconds and set aside.

Press the dough into a ball and place between two sheets of waxed paper. Roll out into a 10 x 17 inch rectangle. Remove the top piece of waxed paper and spread the cooled chocolate over the top. Starting with the long side, roll up the dough with chocolate inside. Chill for 30 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare your cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Slice the chilled roll into ¼ inch thick slices and place onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack while still warm.

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Mini Corn Dog Muffins

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When I saw this recipe on The Jey of Cooking, I pinned it on Pinterest immediately.  I thought they would be a perfect toddler snack and even more perfect for Miss F's lunch box.  Miss F helped me scoop, pour and stir the batter.  She was so excited to help so much in the kitchen.  She was a bit disappointed that we didn't use muffin liners, placing them is her favorite part of baking.  After they had cooled a bit she ate one and declared them delicious.  Then she started on her second, peeling off the breading and just eating the hot dog.  She did that 11 more times.  That's right, 11 mini muffin breading remnants on her plate.  So much for adding these to her lunchbox, I have a carnivore through and through.

Mini Honey Corn Dog Muffins
makes 24 bite sized muffins

2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons natural applesauce
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon honey
1 egg
½ cup buttermilk
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup cornmeal
¼ cup flour
¼ cup whole wheat flour
¼ teaspoon salt
4 hot dogs, each cut into 6 equal pieces

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray.

Combine butter, applesauce, sugar and honey in a bowl and mix until combined. Add the eggs, mix again, then add the buttermilk and stir together until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix together the baking soda, cornmeal, flours and salt. Add half of the mixture to the wet ingredients, stir until combined, then add the remaining half and stir again.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into each mini-muffin cup. Nestle one hot dog piece into the middle of each cup. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cornbread is golden brown. Cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes then transfer whatever is not being served to a cookie rack.

Store the leftovers in the refrigerator. To reheat, microwave for 20-30 seconds. If reheating from frozen, microwave for 1-2 minutes, until warm all the way through.

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The Sweetest Thing I've Ever Baked

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You may have noticed how quiet it's been around these parts, and here is the small but very sweet reason. Lily arrived on Wednesday, September 8th at 12:24 pm, wide-eyed and screaming to announce her presence to the world.

I will get back to the kitchen, I promise, but not just yet. I want to take some time to enjoy our little Rosh Hashanah blessing.

In the meantime, lots of love to you all from me, A. and little L.

5 months and a promise

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Hello, dear readers! Have you given up on me yet? If no, then thank you!

My little girl turns 5 months old today. These have been the roughest, busiest and most wonderful five months of my life, but then anyone who has kids could have told me that, right? We are becoming pretty good friends, and this weekend, I asked her to help me make a Kahlua chocolate Bundt cake for you all. She said "agugu," which I think means "Ok, as long as you feed me." HM.

But we're still going to make the chocolate cake, so look out for it next week!

Kahlua Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

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So it turns out that babies are kind of needy (who knew?!) and it took this mama a whole five and a half months to get back into the kitchen. I assure you, nothing less than the promise of alcohol and chocolate could have done it, both alcohol and chocolate being essential parts of the unofficial "Mommy Survival Pack." Earplugs and grandparents are also part of that pack, in case you were wondering. (haha, hi Mom and Dad!)


I have to warn you right off the bat - this cake uses *sounds of horror* the Dreaded Cake Mix of Dread. So, if you are a cake purist, avert your eyes now! Before I had a kid, I swore that I'd never use cake mix, but when your little helper insists on eating your utensils, it's either that or no cake at all, and believe me when I tell you that this cake is so worth it. The recipe comes courtesy of a fancy restaurant in LA which my mom and I went to on one of my "leave the baby to fend for herself with Daddy" excursions. I generally don't ask for recipes from chefs, especially at nice restaurants, because it feels somehow very personal, like asking to see someone's diary. Yet, this cake was so deliciously rich, with just the right undertones of coffee and liqueur enveloping your taste buds in moist, silky, slightly bitter chocolaty heaven, that I braved my own shyness and asked. The pastry chef actually came out to us and we chatted for a while, and she hand wrote this recipe for me. Frankly, I was amazed at her graciousness and warmth as she talked about the recipe, the restaurant and herself to two total strangers. I guess that experience adds a special richness to this cake, because being given something as a gift elevates it from a merely excellent cake to a lovely memory.


Kahlua Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
(makes 1 bundt cake, 2 9" round cakes or 24 cupcakes)

1 box Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake mix (or any other chocolate cake mix)
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup (8 oz) full fat sour cream
1 cup Kahlua
8 oz bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F and butter a bundt cake pan really well.

In a large mixer bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream and Kahlua. Mix on slow speed for 30 seconds and then on medium-fast for 2 minutes.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake for 45-60 min for bundt cake; 25-35 min for 9" cakes; 20-25 min for cupcakes. Check that a tester comes out clean or with only a few crumbs attached. It's ok to slightly underbake this cake, but do not overbake.

Cream-Filled Vanilla Cupcakes With Strawberry Buttercream

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The flu hit our house like a ton of bricks this week and it hasn't been fun. Lily turned into a snot-machine (a cute snot machine, but still!) and all mama and daddy could do was pass each other some Kleenex and Theraflu and snuggle in bed all day long singing her favorite songs off-key.



Oh, and during those magic times when the drugs kicked in, we baked cupcakes. The cupcakes weren't actually for us, though. They went to a bridal shower for my sister's best friend, whom I've known since she was four years old. Sometimes, when I look at her, all grown up, engaged, almost married, I still see the four year old who helped me tease my sister mercilessly. (Well, she still does that. Good to know that some things don't change, huh!) So when I promised to bake her some cupcakes, I knew that these had to be special. I picked a simple Martha Stewart recipe for cupcakes, but then -- oh, then! -- I filled them with rich pastry cream and topped them with even richer strawberry buttercream made with fresh strawberries and the best butter I could find. Oh YEAH.


What can I tell you? These were really good! Actually, people at the bridal shower were asking my sister (I couldn't go - damn flu!) whether I had quit my job at the law firm to open a cupcake shop. Hehehe. The cupcakes had a nice, light crumb, and weren't too sweet - which is exactly what I was looking for. It's a great basic cupcake recipe that lets you play with fillings and toppings. I definitely recommend it!

Vanilla Cupcakes
(Makes 24 cupcakes) [made about 27 for me, but I didn't overfill]
(Martha Stewart)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk
Pastry Cream (I used the Tartine recipe for light pastry cream)
Strawberry Buttercream (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each egg. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to medium. Mix in 3 batches of flour mixture, alternating with 2 batches of milk. Raise speed to medium-high; mix until thoroughly blended, 10 to 20 seconds.

Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full with batter. Bake until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Let cool in tin on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from tin and decorate.

If filling with cream, use a small spoon or the tip of a knife to make a small hole in the center of each cupcake, going about half way through the cupcake. Fill the hole with cream and then pipe buttercream on top.

Strawberry Buttercream
2 sticks (16 tbsp) of butter, room temperature
1 cup strawberries, pureed (I measured out the strawberries first and then pureed them)
3-4 cups powdered sugar

Cream the butter in the mixer on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes. On slow speed, gradually add about 2 cups of powdered sugar and turn back up to high for a few minutes to really incorporate the sugar. Turn to slow speed again and fold in the strawberries. Add more sugar until desired consistency is achieved. Once all the sugar is incorporated, turn to medium-high for a few minutes to mix well.

Cold Weather Beef Stew

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It's really been a while, I know. I didn't mean to leave you guys for so long. But our days here have a different rhythm now, with nursery rhymes, playdates and little shoes, sticky kisses and bedtime stories and all the magic that a little cheeky monkey has brought to our little family. I haven't wanted to miss a second, and to be honest, cooking for us has taken a backseat. Instead of dreaming up new recipes, I've been dreaming up purple elephants, orange penguins, or just plain dreaming. Lately, though, with the weather inevitably turning frosty and the farmers' markets being denuded of their summertime produce, the kitchen has been calling me, pulling me like a magnet, urging me to fill the house with warmth and lovely smells. I first answered the call with this beef stew and once we mmmm-ed over it, I knew I had to come here and tell you about it.

Usually, I don't like recipes with "old-time" in the title because, well, it seems to promise so much, doesn't it? Like, here is a recipe that your grandmother probably made, that will connect you heart and soul to generations of the past, that won't overwhelm you with fancy ingredients or techniques, that will be simple, and hearty, and most of all, really really good. I'm happy to tell you that this recipe does not disappoint. It's exactly what it looks like on paper, but oh, oh the taste is so much more complex that you would expect by just looking at the ingredient list. Yes, there is the old time quality, and there is the beautiful simplicity, and there are layers of smells and flavors and textures. It's like a warm, comfortable sweater that you put on while sipping a glass of wine by the fireplace on a chilly night. I like that and I will be making this stew again throughout the winter months.

Old-Time Beef Stew
Paula Dean

2 pounds stew beef
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Dash ground allspice or ground cloves
1 lb potatoes (my own addition, but really good)
3 large carrots, sliced
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Brown meat in hot oil. Add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and garlic clove. Add carrots, celery and potatoes chopped into chunks. Cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes longer (mine took another hour until the carrots and the potatoes were fully cooked through). To thicken gravy, remove 2 cups hot liquid. Using a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and cornstarch until smooth. Mix with a little hot liquid and return mixture to pot. Stir and cook until bubbly.

Wine Exchange

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I hosted a wine exchange with my girlfriends while C was out of town with the MS150. Everyone was asked to bring two bottles of their favorite wine, one to sip and one to share. I provided reusable wine bags for each person to take home the wine the got in the exchange. We exchanged wines "white elephant" style, but there was no limit to the number of times a wine could be swapped. All the wines were fantastic, so there were no losers in the game. My friend Jen wanted to keep her wine so much, she decided to open it up mid game so we could all enjoy it and so that no one else could steal it. I kept the decorations simple, just vases filled with wine corks and candles. One each placecard there was a space to enter a guess as to how many wine corks were in all the vases, the guesses were all very close and we had three people tie guessing within three corks of the actual number (115!) The winner received a handy electric wine opener as a prize.  I kept the menu very casual. We started with Caprese bites, Pesto baked shrimp and vegetables with ranch dip, followed by the sweet tomato soup from the Secret Recipe Swap. I made six pizzas: caramelized onion, spinach & goat cheese; Prosciutto & sausage; mushrooms & peppers; artichokes & tomatoes; apricot, brie & arugula; and a "supreme" pizza with all the toppings. Dessert was a chocolate cake with strawberry cream cheese frosting. It was a lovely evening with my dearest friends.

Did you notice the absolutely adorable kitchen towels in the pictures?  They were a hostess gift from my talented friend Courtney.  She made them by tracing the header of my blog.  How cool is that!  They are too cute to ever use.

Recipe Swap: Maple Oatmeal Pancakes

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This week's recipe swap was Blogger's Choice style. I received the blog Ommy Noms in the swap and I was so excited to go through all her fantastic recipes to find one for the swap. I was drawn to this pancake recipe because I know how much Miss F loves oatmeal and how much she loves pancakes.  After making these gorgeous pancakes, I realize I may have underestimated her love.  As I type this, she is currently eating her third pancake.  And she ate a cup of strawberries and a clementine with it.  I wonder if she will ask for a fourth before I publish this post.  Thanks to A Taste of Home Cooking for coordinating the swap.  Yep...she just asked for another...

Maple Oatmeal Pancakes

½ cup flour
½ cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Add milk, maple syrup, oil, and egg. Whisk until well-incorporated. Lightly grease a nonstick skillet with shortening and heat over medium heat. Pour or ladle the batter into the skillet, using 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Turn when bubbles form on the surface of the pancake. Cook until second side is brown.

Spinach Basil Pesto Baked Shrimp

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I knew I wanted to have shrimp as an appetizer at the wine exchange. Since we were having pizza as the entree, I wanted something with an Italian flavor. I love pesto, but I am allergic to tree nuts, so I always have to make my own. A cheaper alternative to basil pesto is adding in spinach to help bulk up the pesto. I like to buy baby spinach at the salad bar, it is so much cheaper than buying it in the produce department and you can buy as small an amount as you wish. I came up with this recipe and was so proud of myself, until I realized that the shrimp had their shells on. Even though I requested tail on only shrimp at the seafood counter. And after I had already coated each one in pesto and Panko. Luckily, two friends were over early for the party and they helped me peel the shrimp in no time.

Spinach Basil Pesto Baked Shrimp

½ cup baby spinach leaves
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 pound peeled shrimp

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. In the bowl of your food processor, add the spinach, basil, cheese, garlic and lemon juice. Pulse until well combined. Stream in one tablespoon of the olive oil with the processor running and then transfer the mixture to a shallow dish. Stir in the remaining olive oil and Panko. Take the shrimp and coat with the Panko-Pesto mixture and place in a single layer in the greased baking dish. Once all the shrimp are coated, bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until shrimp are cooked through. Cooking time will vary based on the size of your shrimp.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

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I saw a recipe for Chicken Pot Pie Soup from Skinny Taste on Pinterest. I was intriqued since my husband C loves chicken pot pie more than any other dish that I make. I knew that the recipe would be a hit, especially if I fattened it up a bit.   The soup was perfect, just like chicken pot pie.  C and Miss F both dunked their sour cream cheddar biscuits in the soup to make their own personal chicken pot pies.  I was most excited to find the frozen vegetable mix with lima beans in it at HEB.  Kroger had stopped adding lima beans to their frozen vegetable mix, so it looks like I will be making trips to HEB to get lima beans for our chicken pot pies.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup


1 potato, cut into bite sized pieces
¼ cup butter
½ onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
3 ½ cups milk
½ cup cream
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
1 teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 package frozen vegetable mix (peas, carrots, corn, beans, lima beans)

In a small pot, cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes until potatoes are soft. Drain and set aside.

In a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Whisk in the flour until well combined and cook for 1 minute more. Whisk in the chicken broth until the mixture begins to thicken. Stir in the milk and cream. Add the chicken, parsley and thyme. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the vegetables and potatoes, simmer for 5 to 7 more minutes, until heated through. Serve.

Apricot, Brie and Arugula Pizza

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This was probably my most favorite pizza I served during the wine exchange. I got the idea when I saw Pioneer Woman topped a fig pizza with arugula. One of my most favorite appetizers to serve is apricot baked brie.  I figured it would translate well to a pizza and I was right.  I could have eaten the whole pie myself, in fact, I believe I traded away a slice of the prosciutto and sausage pizza (I don't really go for meat on pizza) for another slice of this pizza. Major thanks go to my friend Courtney for suggesting tossing the arugula with truffle oil, which was completely genius and really sent this pizza to a whole new level.

Apricot, Brie and Arugula Pizza


1 recipe of your favorite pizza crust
1 cup apricot jam
½ teaspoon salt
Your favorite pizza dough
½ pound Brie, sliced thinly
1 cup arugula
2 teaspoons champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon truffle oil

Place your pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Microwave the jam and salt in a small microwave safe dish for a minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Prepare your pizza crust on a piece of parchment paper. Spread the jam on the pizza crust and top with the Brie. Transfer the pizza on parchment to the pizza stone and bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Meanwhile, toss the arugula with the vinegar and truffle oil. Top the warm pizza with the arugula, slice and serve.