JUST THE BEGINNING MY BABY

"All I really need to know...I learned in Kindergarten." ~Robert Fulghum

MY NEW CALLING!

photo via modern eve

I so want to do this! Are you kidding me? Travelling around in a vintage travel trailer selling baked goodies! I may just have to work on this one...

TIME FOR THE MEN TO DO SOME COOKING

POTATO BUNDLES
photo & recipe via Pioneer Woman

6 whole Russet Potatoes
½ whole Yellow Onion, Diced
1 stick Butter
½ cups Heavy Cream
Kosher Salt To Taste
Paprika To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley

Pile potatoes and onions on a square of foil. Add 2 tablespoons butter. Splash on cream. Then sprinkle on salt, paprika, and black pepper. Sprinkle minced parsley over the top.

Wrap bundles tightly and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until extremely tender.

Serve bundles right on the dinner plate. Serves 8.

SOAKING UP THE SUNSHINE

CHEESY GOODNESS!

I am pretty sure that you all know by now that I am not a "fancy" cook, or a fancy anything for that matter. Meals at the house do not consist of "Soy Based Brandt Beef Shortribs" and "Seared Yellowfin Tuna" (and yes I had to look those up). But I like to think I'm a pretty good cook, and feel that it is very important to make home-cooked meals for my family as often as possible. And I try to make healthy dinners, but my posts seem to all consist of sweets and really fattening recipes? That's because those are the ones I really love! So once again, this was a fantastic, easy little meal...not something I would make every week obviously, but a treat once in a while. My husband's favorite food is grilled cheese sandwiches, so obviously he is the fancy one in the family. HAH!

THREE-CHEESE & TOMATO MELTS
photo & recipe (adapted) via Taste & Tell

Makes 4 sandwiches

8 slices of Crusty country-style bread (I used Italian)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
garlic-and-herb cheese spread, such as Boursin
4 thin slices of mozzarella
4 thin slices of provolone
slices of ripe tomato
fresh basil leaves

Preheat the sandwich grill (I just used a griddle). Place the bread slices on a work surface and brush 1 side of each with the olive oil. Turn and spread the un-oiled sides with the herbed cheese. On each of 4 of the slices, layer half of the mozzarella, then half of the provolone, tomato slices, and basil leaves. Divide the remaining mozzarella and provolone on top. Place the remaining 4 bread slices on top, herbed-cheese sides down, and press to pack gently.

Place the panini on the grill, close the top plate, and cook until the bread is golden and toasted and the cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes. Cut each sandwich in half on the diagonal and serve right away.

SOPHIE EATS!

Time to start solids...woohoo! Who wouldn't like a bit of applesauce, right?

Apparently this kid! No to oatmeal cereal, applesauce, and the ever-popular bananas! Guess we will wait a little bit longer. Back to milk it is Soph!

SALAD MADE FOR SPRING

SPAGHETTI SALAD

via Chronicles of a Curly Head

This dish is perfect for a barbeque or picnic, or even as a main course dish. So simple and easy and light!

1 (13.25 oz) box whole wheat spaghetti

8 oz Light Italian Dressing

1/2 Bottle McCormick Salad Supreme Seasoning

1 onion, chopped (next time I would only use 1/2 onion)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

Fresh Parmesan, grated

Cook spaghetti as directed on box; drain. Immediately rinse the spagetti with cold water to stop the cooking process (I skipped this step because I wanted to serve it warm). Combine Italian Dressing & Salad Supreme; add to spaghetti and toss thoroughly. Mix chopped vegetables together; add to spaghetti mixture and toss thoroughly. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

MONSTER EGGS & SILLY SMILES

Is it really Easter without monster eggs? Not at our house! Dyeing eggs is a tradition I still love doing every year...my only problem is letting go of my control "issues". I need to learn to let the kids do their thing, by themselves. It's hard though!

I'm not sure when it happened exactly? But Drew has forgotten how to smile? Not on a day-to-day basis, just when it comes to photos. It's a weird phenomenon that happens to kids at some point in their lives (I don't think it's just Drew?).

The Easter Bunny left a trail of chocolate eggs to this, the big prize on Easter morning. The Easter Bunny had a little help from good ol' Grandma and Grandma-Poo (yes you read that right).

Well it wouldn't be a typical blog entry without mention of some sort of dessert! So, here it is...Easter Egg Cupcakes! I would share the recipe, but quite frankly they took forever to make and I'm sure you could get the same results with whatever cupcake and frosting recipes you already have and love.

And Sophie...sweet Sophie, it was her first Easter and of course the basket of goodies meant nothing to her, but another first (and last) come and gone for Mommy and Daddy.

Oh these children of mine, nothing but smiles and love and cuddles and happiness...

SOFT & CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I can't believe I'm sharing this recipe! These are perfect every time and are my all-time favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Definitely recommend going with the semi-sweet chocolate chips versus milk chocolate, and I put them directly onto the cookie sheet (no parchment paper necessary). Yummy!


SOFT & CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
photo & recipe via Martha Stewart

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

TACO SOUP...A REGULAR AT OUR HOUSE!

TACO SOUP
from Wanda Dow, my Mom

1.5 lb ground beef, browned & drained
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes
1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans
1 (17 ounce) can corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 package taco seasoning
1-2 cups water
Salt & pepper to taste
1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated (the sharper the better!)

In a skillet, brown beef & onions; drain. Add remaining ingredients, except cheese. Simmer for at least 15 minutes (I usually leave mine on the stove for 30-60 minutes). Serve with grated cheese on top. Would be great with sour cream and tortilla chips as well!

MY (not so) SECRET LOVE

You know what my favorite season is? That's right...strawberry season! Okay, I realize it's not one of the 4 official seasons, but man do I love it! Anyone that knows me, knows what a strawberry freak I am--strawberry lemonade, Grandma Bales' strawberry pie, strawberry daiquiris, strawberry ice cream--just a few of my favorites. I asked my Mom if she ate a lot of strawberries when she was pregnant with me, and she says no, but I think she did. One of my coolest birthdays ever, was when my friend Pat surprised me at work with all things strawberry! So thoughtful!

If you love me at all, give the gift of strawberries and I will love you forever.

Ode To Strawberries by lisabritson on Polyvore.com

LOVE THESE IDEAS!

How fabulous are the way they displayed these images! I would love to take photos of our Parents or Grandparents and do the series of 4 cross-sections like the bottom paintings. So cool! And they would be great to do with your kids photos as well. Eyes are so significant to people's character...it's something I remember the most about my Grandpa Dow...those ocean blue eyes. I would much rather fill my home with photos of loved ones, or original artwork, than anything I could buy at a store. Bor-ing!

EASTER BASKET IDEAS

Not Too Shabby by lisabritson on Polyvore.com

BARBADOS, 10 YEARS AGO TODAY...

SWEETS FOR MY SWEETS

BACK TO BAKING

This was the first "blondie" recipe I have tried and wow are they delicious! I blame my baking addiction on my Mom and her family...they are amazing cooks & bakers. If they only realized how talented they were, we would probably all be wealthy (and fat) from the Bales Bakery!!


CHOCOLATE CHIP BLONDIES
photo & recipe via Taste & Tell

Makes 16

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking pan with a piece of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter paper. (I put them directly in a buttered dish.)

In a large bowl, whisk butter and sugars until smooth. Whisk in egg and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix just until moistened (do not overmix). Fold in ½ cup of the chocolate chips. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips.

Bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack, and let cool completely. Using parchment overhang, lift cake from pan and transfer to a cutting board; cut in 16 squares. Store blondies in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.

SOPHIE...OUR LOVELY SURPRISE

Our Sophie is 11-weeks-old now! Smiling, jabbering, laughing in her sleep, and eating a lot! Drew adores her to say the least. He's always kissing her and acting silly to get a smile (which he always does). What amazing kiddos we have....so, so lucky.

JALAPENO POPPER SPREAD

Back to recipes! Well we just celebrated Danny's 40th birthday...yowza...and this recipe was the hit of the party, so I thought I would share it.

JALAPENO POPPER SPREAD
photo & recipe via allrecipes.com

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
2 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained (use more if you want it hotter)
1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chilies and jalapeno peppers. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Microwave on high about 3 minutes.

Variation: If you would like to brown the cheese, bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. *I put mine in the oven until the cheese had melted and was slightly brown (about 10-15 minutes).

New Digs for Not Too Shabby

Well this is a little late coming, but Not Too Shabby has a new location! I (crazily) decided to have a baby and move the store all in the same month. Not sure what I was thinking, but we did it! With a lot of help from Danny and his Father, who did all the buildout...it looks amazing, exactly how I envisioned it. We re-opened in November and are looking forward to our new adventure. Take a peek inside...

Sophie Bella Britson

She's 3-weeks-old already! Introducing Sophie Bella. Born on October 27, 2009, at 12:49 pm. She weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces and measured 19 1/2". She's perfect in every way and we are so thrilled she is finally here. She has a ton of black hair like I did as a baby, but that's where the similarities stop with Mommy...think this little one may be all Daddy! Drew loves his sister and kisses her all the time; in fact, he calls her Miss Kissy.