lbs good spoon

PW's Slab Apple Pie with Caramel Sauce

2012-02-07T21:56:00.000-05:00

There are a few cooking shows Benny will watch with me and Pioneer Woman is one of them. Probably because we're a little bit intrigued by her crazy success and how she takes simple recipes and makes them famous.

Here's a perfect example- slab apple pie. Nothing too exciting here, but make it, taste it, and you'll feel like you need a reason to make it again soon.

Birthdays anyone? Who wants to come over for dessert? I want to make this again in the near future. I'm a sucker for Apple Pie and this was nice and easy enough minus peeling apples and prepping the dough a day before you want to make it. I made the pies the day before we were going to eat them as well as suggested by the PW.

Here's the link for the pie and crust on Food Network and here's the recipe for her Caramel Sauce- a must make.

4 T. butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half
pinch salt
1 T vanilla

Whisk the first 4 ingredients until melted and thick and then add in the vanilla and serve atop the warm apple pie!

18 weeks

2012-02-07T20:33:00.001-05:00

18 weeks brought you a doctor's appointment, a round of shots, and the realization that you've got some eczema. Sad times in the life of little Anderson and sleepless times in the life of Mom. I write this now as you're 19 weeks going on 20 and we're thankfully getting some more sleep around here. I think the dry itchy skin had you waking up a lot which who wouldn't? Your skin is dry and itchy and you aren't coordinated enough to itch it. Rough times.

The bumbo is a new source of excitement around here and lucky for me because you can hang out in there for a little while I make myself a meal. You're tracking food like you're ready for it, but I'm going to hold off til 6 months to walk down that road. I suppose I should start looking at the baby cookbooks I have...in my spare time.

Everything seems to be going in your mouth and although you're working on getting some teeth there's no sign of any just yet. Makes me wonder how loud you'll scream and how much you'll fuss when they really do come. The joys. You're growing up so fast. It's funny how we try to get you to reach for things or hold onto them now, when pretty soon we'll be saying, "hands off!"

eating up pinterest

2012-02-07T18:27:00.000-05:00

I'm hooked. Pinterest is way more interesting, insightful, and entertaining than any other social media time waster out there. Then again, so far it hasn't been that big a waste of time seeing as I've made many a meal from it and have even done myself some home remedy-ing as well. (remedy-ing...new word.)

(photo credit and recipe here)

For example, this Rosemary Goat Cheese Pasta was whipped up in no time and perfect for when we had friends over last minute. Garlic..rosemary...goat cheese...and lots of cream. Can't go wrong.

(photo credit and recipe here)

Then there's the Butternut Squash and Lentil Stew I made last week for some vegetarian friends. Hearty, healthy, and the 2 year old kept saying, "mow wowa" several times. He liked it and I think you would too!

(photo credit and recipe here)

Tonight's dinner will be the Braised Peanut Chicken and tomorrow we might do the Tomato and Parm Soup. I've also got ingredients for the Rice and Chicken soup seeing as we're on the mend here from getting the lovely stomach bug that made it's way into our bellies this past weekend.

(photo credit and recipe here)

If you want to follow what I'm eating on Pinterest, be my guest by clicking here.

Oh, the home remedy-ing. I saw this lovely idea on how to clean your shower head and decided to clean our shower head and bathroom faucet like this the other day. No more pink mildew and hopefully no more gross "stuff" coming out of the spicket into Anderson's bath water!

(photo credit and the how-to here!)

Are you pinning your interests too?!

Frittata with Venison Sausage, Chard, and Feta

2012-01-30T21:40:00.000-05:00

You're right. Those are Christmas plates. This was our breakfast Christmas morning and it was delicious. We used venison sausage thanks to Benny's buck, but you could go ahead and use any sausage you'd like.

The fact that this frittata calls for heavy whipping cream really pulls it over the top. Don't skimp on that ingredient please. It's necessary to the delicious outcome that you'll receive. The feta really adds a lot of flavor as well as it's all melted and speckled throughout.

Ok you asked for it. Here's the recipe thanks to bon appetit

{Ingredients You'll Need}

1 bunch Swiss chard- stems and center ribs removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
8 ounces venison country sausage
8 eggs
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

{Recipe}

Preheat oven to 325 and spray an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick spray
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add swiss chard. Cook until wilted just 2 minutes then place in a kitchen towel and ring dry. Set aside.
Heat oil in a nonstick skillet and add onion. Cook until softened then add sausage and cook until browned. Remove from the heat and cool.
Whisk eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add chard, sausage mixture, and feta. Stir then pour into baking dish.
Bake until center is set- 45-55 minutes

Enjoy!

Skillet Tea Cake

2012-01-29T21:42:00.000-05:00

Although this cake has ice cream on it in the picture above, don't be fooled. I consumed this cake for breakfast, with tea, and as dessert. It's one of those cakes you can really have for any occasion. That said, Mamma T was a smart lady per usual whipping it up over the holidays.

When she was putting it together it seemed as though the batter tasted like sugar cookies. I thought that it may end up being too sweet. Not so. The sugar seems to caramelize a bit and the cake ends up being rich and delicious.

I think I'll go ahead and make this next time company is around. Perfect for dessert or to nibble on throughout the day. The cake has special meaning to Benjamin's family as well. Originally made by Lonez Anderson Shipman, then Janet Shipman Tims, and now Mamma T.

{Ingredients You'll Need}

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 t. almond flavoring or extract

{Recipe}

Cream the butter, eggs, and sugar then add in the flour, vanilla, and almond flavoring or extract.
Pour into a 10" iron skillet that's been greased and floured
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

don't mind me

2012-01-29T21:31:00.000-05:00

...Just hangin out in my bumbo watching Daddy in the kitchen while Mommy takes a nap!

17 weeks

2012-01-27T22:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-23T17:19:00.001-05:00

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

2012-01-22T21:51:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-21T20:29:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-21T10:51:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-20T21:51:00.000-05:00

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...

poached eggs in a delicious tomato sauce with chickpeas and feta

2012-01-20T21:28:00.000-05:00

This was dinner tonight. This dinner tonight was real tasty. So tasty in fact that I declared, "I need to blog this now!" It was also very easy and quickly came together. It was satisfying and a plus as I wanted to help the budget out by having more vegetarian recipes and cut down on our meat consumption.

Nothing wrong with meat of course, we've been consuming venison like it's our job. If you decide to make this recipe know that it would work really well for brunch and that adding the fresh herbs at the end is definitely necessary. They add the hit of something fresh that is definitely needed. Sometimes I skimp on adding the herbs in recipes because I don't want to spend $3 for a tablespoon or two. Here however, you should go ahead and splurge. Grab an avocado as well to place on top. Delicious.

The original recipe calls for 2 jalapenos. I couldn't find them at Trader Joe's this time of year when I went shopping earlier in the week (without Anderson thanks to my Dad working so close and on his lunch break coming over so I could run out) so I ended up using a chile de arbol. Red pepper flakes would work as well to add some heat. Obviously you can omit the pepper all together, especially if you're making this for kiddos.

The tomatoes have an excellent flavor with the paprika and cumin and as to be expected, we topped ours with some Frank's hot sauce.

Ok, are you ready for the recipe? I found it thanks to the Epicurious App and modified it some. It originally hails from Bon Appetit.

{Ingredients You'll Need}

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 chiles de arbol
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup crumbled feta
6 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
whole wheat toast to serve it with
avocado, sliced

{Recipe}

Preheat the oven to 425.
In a large skillet that is oven safe, heat the oil then add the onion, garlic, and chile de arbol- chopped. Allow to sweat down and cook about 5-8 minutes. Next add the chickpeas, paprika, and cumin and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add tomatoes, bring to a boil then reduce the heat and allow to cook down about 10-15 minutes so the sauce thickens some. Season with salt and pepper during this process.
Turn off the heat, sprinkle the sauce with the feta, then crack to eggs on top. Transfer skillet to oven and bake 5-8 minutes until eggs are set but still runny.
Garnish with fresh herbs, top with avocado slices, sprinkle on some hot sauce, and serve atop toast!

wrestling with daddy

2012-01-19T21:02:00.000-05:00

you know those pictures...

2012-01-18T20:59:00.000-05:00

You know those pictures photographers take of baby feet that seem so precious next to adult feet? Well here's our interpretation in black and white because my feet are in serious need of a pedicure...

a JOYful weekend

2012-01-17T21:25:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I made my first two Joy the Baker recipes ever. Quite shocking really when you consider the friend crush I've had on her for some time. The admiration has grown as Benjamin and I have taken to listening to her podcasts thanks to Homefries. They're easy to listen to, down to earth, and hilarious. I highly recommend them to get your mind off things for a bit and listen to two girls talk about everything and nothing all at the same time- in the best way possible.

While we spent a couple days at my parents I saw her recent post about raspberry and chocolate chip pancakes. I really don't like mixing chocolate and fruit, but I knew we had the ingredients so I decided I would give them a try. Delicious- and that's coming from someone who doesn't like chocolate and fruit. I used dark chocolate chips and didn't have buttermilk but just used regular milk and added a splash of vinegar to it. For the recipe from the one and only, check out Joy's post here.

Before we headed back I had the itch to make something else so I turned to Joy's Peanut Butter Blondies with Chocolate Frosting. I used semi sweet chips instead of milk chocolate and left them at my parents to have for smallgroup. I hope there are some left and that I'll get another bite or two when I see my Mom on Thursday. I first had these brownies when my friend Kara had me over for lunch and I ate three in one sitting. I was pregnant and justified the extra brownies for the babe. It's a good thing I didn't take them home however as I would have eaten 6 and Benjamin would tell me how he doesn't like sweets. Silly Benny.

Regardless, once again here's the recipe from Joy. Really delicious.

16 weeks

2012-01-17T21:09:00.000-05:00

Sweet baby Anderson. I'm finding it hard to come up with words to describe this little one. Pictures are worth 1,000 words, right?!

you are my sunshine

2012-01-17T16:53:00.000-05:00

Anderson and I have had a great day. I've cleaned here and there thanks to tips from Motivated Mom, we went for a walk, read books, the Story Book Bible- an amazing devotional for me too!- and played with toys. He's trying to grab for things now and it's fun to see him almost get it. He's taken some naps and I even let him cry for a bit - though that still is much harder than I thought it'd be.

Recently we've been listening to the Elizabeth Mitchell Pandora station throughout the house. It's nice background music and kid friendly too. "You are My Sunshine" came on today and I couldn't help but tear up as I sang it to him. I love this print by Katie Daisy on Etsy. Someday if we have a girl I plan on it hanging in her room. Until then, I can enjoy looking at it in my Mom's nursery.

...and we're back.

2012-01-16T15:04:00.002-05:00

Guess what? The weekend has been full of cooking. Just finished up a delicious risotto dish and thinking I might just make me some Joy the Baker brownies. We're at my parents so it's easier to cook while grammy or grandpa hold the little one. I'm feeling motivated to be back in the kitchen more thanks to life becoming a little less unpredictable, and overall just getting more and more into the swing of things even though Anderson is still operatng like a newborn- eating every 2 hours and only awake for an hour to two hours before he wants another nap.

I'm also feeling well, like a Motivated Mom thanks to ...you guessed it.. the Motivated Mom App for the iPhone. You betcha. It's this handy app that gives me a list of chores each day so I don't reach the end of the week, look around my house, stare at dust and want to cry because things have gotten away from me. I do love me a good list and this is "just the ticket.." The other day I cleaned my sink because it said so and also read Amos 8-9 because it said so. Not a Mom? You can still have the app and just hide the things like "Read to Children.." That one's not a chore though, neither is reading the Bible....

All this to say, here's to hoping Anderson gets the swing of sleeping in his crib more this week and decides not to wake up every 2-3 hours at night so I can actually post some of the beautiful recipes I've recently made!

15 weeks

2012-01-08T23:13:00.000-05:00

Little would you know I spent yesterday and this morning stressed about why the little one was changing up his napping patterns so much...as in not napping in the afternoons. It's really hard to be frustrated when this face stares back at you. I went in to try and console him and got a grin instead of more tears. Who knows what's going on... most likely he's growing and changing and I'm going to try my best and remember he won't go to college swaddled, and in my arms. Tomorrow is a new day and as for today? Time for bed...

falling in love

2012-01-08T22:49:00.000-05:00

Oh hey Mom I'm falling..

Oh, you think this is funny?

Ok. Help.

SALE Items at The Ruffled Bird

2012-01-07T14:12:00.000-05:00

Check out these items that just went on SALE at the Shop!

Floral Apron $29

Botanical Pleated Apron $26

Pleated Rose Floral Apron $26

And a super deal- Pink and Green Apron $18

chocolate covered pb crackers

2012-01-07T13:27:00.000-05:00

In my family our holiday staple is Buckeyes. This year my Mom and I tried out Smitten's version and they were pretty good. Not as sweet thanks to the graham crackers and cream cheese in there. I think I'd make them again in fact and cover them with dark chocolate. This year we did do something outside of our tradition with them apart from steering away from our original recipe. We dipped them in chocolate and didn't add paraffin. We figured eating wax probably isn't good after all. You you wiser with age, you know.

In Benjamin's family they make peanut butter ritz sandwiches and dip them in chocolate. That's the recipe. The perfect salty sweet combination and if you're like me you'll justify the peanut butter as being a nice protein pick me up.

I captured the process and bit and loved the moment Scarlet got caught tasting the chocolate. The moment is priceless.

14 weeks

2012-01-07T13:12:00.000-05:00

Seriously, Mom? Why are you taking pictures of me....

Benjamin and I end up using a high-pitched "Anderson voice" often to say what we think he is thinking and would say if he could. Conversations are usually like this... "Mom, I'm so hungry...I'm so hungry Mom I'm crazy hungry." Or as Benjamin just said, "Hey, Mom...I'm just hanging out with Dad. Don't worry Mom I'm not watching TV.."

During his 14th week of life we drove 13 hours to South Carolina. Next time I'd like to save up so we can fly. On the way there I was ok knowing we'd have to stop often but for some reason on the way home things were a bit different. About an hour from home we ran into a freak snow storm, slid on the road for a brief moment, and finally arrived home where Anderson thankfully got back into his routine of sleeping from about 8:30 to 5:00 am. He was exhausted and so were we. I woke up the next morning with an awful stomach virus and thankfully Benjamin was able to take the day off to take care of us. Not sure what we would have done if he hadn't stayed home since I was in bed pretty much all day.

Here are some pictures from our time in Aiken. It was very relaxing and Anderson enjoyed all the love from his Aunt, Uncles, Cousin and of course Mamma T and Pepa.

13 weeks

2012-01-07T12:46:00.000-05:00

13 weeks and already reading and suspicious of the camera.